Spiritual Skeptics

From the lesson series, Fingerprints of Faith | Spiritual Skeptics, March 2010

The United States is seen around the world to be a religious nation, filled primarily with Christians. Actually the country bursts at the seams with skeptics. Statistics reveal a little more than one out of ten Americans (11 percent) are either atheist (9 percent) or agnostic (2 percent). Atheists contend with certainty that God does not exist. They do not believe in him, nor do they believe that anything that exists can be attributed to him. Agnostics are people who hold that God may exist, but that it is impossible for humans to know that with any degree of certainty. For our purposes both groups constitute spiritual skeptics.

According to Barna’s data, these skeptics are most heavily concentrated along both coasts, though they are present throughout the country. They are the lease likely among all of the faith fingerprints to be married (just 44% are presently married). They are also among the most likely to be homosexual (almost double the national average). The group has a higher percentage of men (57% men) and has a higher concentration of Asians than any other group except for pantheists. African Americans are notably the least likely to be a part of this group (just 8%).

The assumption has long been that this group of people are unscrupulous, unrefined, and amoral. The concept of the barbarian heathen flavors the preconceived notions regarding this group. Barna’s research over the past twenty-five years indicates that these stereotypes are relatively inaccurate. While there are significant differences between people of faith and the skeptic, surveys show that the differences are quite different than what many people imagine.

Just Like Everyone Else

In many ways Skeptics see themselves as typical Americans. They have average stress levels, describe themselves as busy, reliable, loyal, self-sufficient, skeptical and misunderstood. They have the same difficulties in relationships, struggle to maintain control over their lives, enjoy new experiences in life, and believe they cope well with the daily challenges they face.

Skeptics pride themselves in being different from the pack in some respects. They place their careers above every other activity in their lives. Creating or dealing with conflict among others causes no inner stress or anxiety. They pursue their own vision of life and don’t put much stock in the opinions of others. Skeptics are not a group of type A personalities. They are less likely to see themselves as leaders. They see themselves as simply trying to live their lives with integrity based on what they believe – even if their belief systems lack a deity.

As you might expect, the major difference between Skeptics and other faith fingerprints is their understanding of the spiritual realm. While these folks do not believe in God, a notable number of them possess some spiritual inclinations. One-quarter of Skeptics view themselves as “deeply spiritual” – a distinction from being “religious.” There is an intriguing connection between the lack of spiritual emphasis among Skeptics and feeling lower levels of joy and peace with life. They are also less likely to believe that they are making a difference in the world. The difference between them and members of other faith groups is that it doesn’t bother the Skeptics.

Interestingly, the Skeptics who profess an interest in spiritual things are often drawn to the darker side of the spirit world. Skeptics look at the over-all evil flavor of our world and conclude that if there are spiritual beings, they are probably evil. This seems to open the doors for Skeptics to actually transition into the “Believing Beyond” group that was identified last session.

Seeking not Embracing Faith

Although relatively few Skeptics argue that their faith is important in their lives, Barna’s research has found a couple of interesting insights about their spiritual perspectives. Nearly half of the adults in this group describe themselves as “faith-seekers” who are unattached to an organized body of faith. In fact, one out of every five Skeptics also claims to think about matters of faith on a daily basis.

It is also intriguing that a large number of Skeptics absorb religious media on a daily basis. One-quarter of them listen to religious radio programming during a typical month, one-sixth watch Christian television programming, and one-fifth have read a Christian book other than the Bible in the past year. In total, one-third of them (35%) are voluntarily exposed to religious media content during a typical month.

Again, it is not surprising to find that the large majority of skeptics say that all people experience the same outcome after death: nothingness. It is surprising that one-third of them believe that people have an eternal soul. This affirms a theme across most faith groups: inconsistent application of their belief systems. The Skeptics also differ from Captives, Casuals, Jews, Mormons and Muslims regarding sin. These groups see sin as an offense against God. Skeptics see it as a way of describing inappropriate social behavior – the standard of which may change at any time.

God Exists But Shouldn’t Effect My Lifestyle

Perhaps the most intriguing discovery from Barna’s research is that the studies consistently show that a third of Skeptics believe in an orthodox view of God. This pattern has also been affirmed by several societies of Skeptics. The studies show that many confirmed agnostics believe that God exists. The primary reasons for such belief are the existence of apparent patterns in nature and the universe that are not adequately explained apart from the involvement of a superior being. They also cite the comfort that belief provides to the believer, and the feeling that they have somehow experienced the presence of God in their midst. As it turns out, these are the exact same reasons – intelligent design, emotional and psychological relief, and person experience – that lead most believers to embrace their deity. Even believers acknowledge that there is not 100% proof for the existence of God – that is why it is called faith – but the Skeptic has a harder time committing to service when there is any ray of doubt.

But when more open-ended questions are posed, more practical reasons for a lack of commitment emerge. Many Skeptics acknowledge two significant factors that determine their stance. Some indicate that a tragedy in life, one that a “good God” could not allow to happen, has turned their heart away from commitment to God at this time. The vast majority, however, indicated that they had been hurt in some way by people in a church and could no longer bring themselves to committing to serve this God in a local church.

BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVES

For many Skeptics, the stumbling block is not so much the existence of God as it is the presence of evil and suffering in the world.
For some Skeptics, the stumbling block is hurtful things that have been done to them by Christians, usually in a local church. While it may be presented as “the church is full of hypocrites,” it is most often reflective of a very personal circumstance.
For the Skeptic and Atheist who genuinely doubt the existence of God, a systematic, logical presentation is often the most helpful.
1. a) General revelation, seen through nature and creation, point to the presence of an Intelligent Designer.
2. b) The reliability of the Bible as a historical record points to the existence of God and that He is not a silent God.
3. c) The ultimate word that God has spoken to us is the message of His Son, Jesus. God affirmed and confirmed His Son through miraculous signs and wonders, the most spectacular of which was raising him from the dead. The reliability of the resurrection has been argued and defended by many.