Portal:Philosophy/Selected article/39
Irreligion or irreligiousness is an umbrella term which, depending on context, may be understood as referring to atheism, agnosticism, deism, skepticism, freethought, secular humanism or heresy.[citation needed]
Irreligion has at least three related yet distinct meanings:
- lack of religion (either due to a lack of information about religion or to lack of belief in it)
- hostility to religion
- behaving in such a way that fails to live up to one's religious tenets
Although people classified as irreligious might not follow any religion, they do not necessarily lack belief in the supernatural or in deities; such a person may be a non-religious or non-practicing theist. In particular, those who associate organized religion with negative qualities are likely to hold spiritual beliefs but describe themselves as irreligious.
The percentage of people who are irreligious is...