Non-religious People: Katrina Thralls

What is a non-religious person? To figure this out, we would need to figure out what exactly religion entails. I think most of us would agree that people who believe in traditional religions (Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, etc.) are religious. Yet even in this clearly defined space, questions are left unanswered. If someone is strongly associated with Hinduism, but does not actually truly believe in it, is he or she religious? What about atheists? Atheism is a religion, and therefore atheists are religious. Their creed just happens to include not believing in God. Some religions don’t have creeds at all, such as Unitarian Universalism, but it is still a religion, with many faithful and religious individuals who worship and study religion. Some people even claim people who believe strongly in science are religious. If religion is defined as something objective, then non-religious can also be defined and labeled. If, however, religious is something self-defined, then non-religious is also self-defined. In other words, I can decide if I am a religious person.