SCA's Director of Policy and Government Affairs, Scott MacConomy, looks at how the rise of the "nones" could change things here in Washington DC.

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Dear Friend,

Demography is destiny: the idea that population trends and distributions determine the future of a region, nation, or a planet. If it’s true, then it’s good news for atheists, agnostics, and those who answer “Nothing in particular'' when asked about their religious affiliation.

The phrase has only been around for 50 years*, not really enough time to know if it works for some of the big questions such as, “Are we overpopulating the planet and how will that turn out?” Some Democratic leaders are relying on demography to increase the number of Democratic voters as the Latino population grows, but the theory failed politically in some areas of Florida and Texas last fall. Destiny may be too strong a word but the idea can’t be ignored.

The most reliable study on the religious makeup of the United States is The Pew Research Center’s 2019 report on religion. ([link removed]) It shows the changing religious landscape and the increase in secular Americans. Specifically it shows that from 2009 to 2019 the percentage of atheists increased from two percent to four percent and the percentage of agnostics increased from two percent to five percent. The percentage of those who said their religious beliefs are “nothing in particular'' (the “Nones”) grew from 12 to 17 percent. So the combined total of atheists, agnostics, and Nones is 26 percent. And if you look at specific answers from the Nones, a large number sound like atheists and agnostics even if they don’t officially identify themselves that way. Finally, the growth in secularism is by far the greatest among young Americans. The demographics are on our side.
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Twenty-six percent is a significant number and a significant voting bloc. It’s a number that I try to work into conversations on Capitol Hill because not many people there are aware of it. It is definitely not a number that is representative of the official breakdown of religious affiliations reported by Members of Congress. According to the Pew Research Center, out of 435 House Members, 420 give a specific religious affiliation, 14 were “unknown/refused to state”, and one, Congressman Jared Huffman (D-CA), says he is a humanist. He is also a co-founder of the Congressional Freethought Caucus and a reliable supporter on secular issues. But clearly the House of Representatives does not represent the nation’s religious views.

Now, the truth is that there are other Members, of both parties, who are in fact humanists, atheists, or Nones, but for political reasons don’t say so. That’s the common wisdom; you won’t get reelected if you are unaffiliated. But common wisdom is not always true. The more we let our Representatives know what their voters really look like demographically, the easier it is for them to support secular policy and still win elections. If you have a chance to do so, let your legislators know about the results of the Pew study ([link removed]) .

With more Members of Congress supporting secular issues, it will be to fight bills like H.R. 5480 ([link removed]) , the poorly named “Protecting Religious Exemptions from Vaccine Mandates Act.” This bill was introduced in the House last week by Congressman Ron Estes (R-Kansas) and would allow religious exemptions to the White House's new vaccine requirements for federal employees, many healthcare workers, and employees at large companies. This bill is the latest effort by legislators and the courts to misuse the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) in ways that contradict the original intent of the law, and to use religion as a means to harm people through federal policy.

Vaccines work, people need to be vaccinated to protect others as well as themselves, and the pandemic meets the legal standard for a compelling national interest so there should be no religious exemptions. This bill is a shining example of why we are also advocating for Congress to pass the Do No Harm Act ([link removed]) which would clarify the original intent of RFRA so it is clear that RFRA can’t be used to justify ideas like this.

Click here to email your House Member about opposing H.R. 5480. ([link removed])
I’m talking to House Members about it, and mentioning that demography is destiny, too. However, destiny also requires support, support that you can provide. To support our work on behalf of nontheist Americans, please click the “I want to help secular advocacy! ([link removed]) ” button to donate to the (C4) division of SCA which is responsible for lobbying congress, or the “I want to help secular education ([link removed]) ! ([link removed]) ” button for a tax-deductible donation to the (C3) division of SCA which works to educate Americans about our movement and values. Every dollar goes to furthering our shared secular agenda.

Your advocate on the Hill,

Scott MacConomy
Director of Policy and Government Affairs
Secular Coalition for America
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