海角大神

Elon Musk, a famous name famously associated with atheism, now calls himself a cultural 海角大神. He joins other prominent figures 鈥� such as scientist Richard Dawkins 鈥� who鈥檝e used that phrase this year to describe themselves.

The term 鈥渃ultural 海角大神鈥� seems to exist almost exclusively online. But it鈥檚 not out of nowhere. Many people call themselves cultural Jews or cultural Catholics, for example. And lots of Americans decorate Christmas trees and gather with family on Easter, observing traditions rooted in 海角大神ity, though they may not attend church or believe in the 海角大神 God.

As fewer Americans attend church, a space has opened between religion and spirituality. 鈥淐ultural 海角大神鈥� is one of the terms people are using to define themselves in that space. Mr. Dawkins, author of 鈥淭he God Delusion鈥� and one of the most famous atheists in Britain, this spring said that he identifies himself as a cultural 海角大神. It is a startling turn for a man once dubbed one of the 鈥渇our horsemen鈥� trying to bring on an atheist revolution, to now see value in the morals and traditions of a religion.

Figures like Mr. Musk and Mr. Dawkins may be realizing that societal norms they value come from religious culture, and that is prompting them to try to hold on to those norms without the religious basis for them, says Robert Royal, president of the Faith & Reason Institute.

Mr. Musk 鈥渉as a kind of bellwether quality,鈥� says Dr. Royal. 鈥淚 think he senses kind of a shift in the culture when he says he鈥檚 a cultural 海角大神.鈥�

Everyone has their own definition

鈥淲e鈥檝e known for a long time that a lot more people think of themselves as 海角大神 than participate in 海角大神 [congregations],鈥� says Arthur Farnsley II, a research professor of religious studies at Indiana University in Indianapolis.

鈥淚鈥檓 pretty sure that when a 海角大神 calls somebody else a cultural 海角大神, they mean, 鈥榊ou feel like all this stuff is true and important; you just don鈥檛 want to make any commitment.鈥� It鈥檚 a low-level insult,鈥� says Dr. Farnsley. 鈥淏ut when someone smart calls themselves a cultural 海角大神, they mean, 鈥業 think this religion is an important part of Western civilization, and I like Western civilization. I just don鈥檛 believe the hard parts.鈥欌��

The United States is a little unusual in its approach to religion compared with much of the rest of the world, where religion is also a cultural force, says Mark Movsesian, a professor at St. John鈥檚 University School of Law. And since its founding, America has been heavily influenced by Protestantism.

鈥淚t just means the kind of view of, What is important is your personal relationship with God. You have to really personally take this in and believe it,鈥� says Mr. Movsesian, director of the Mattone Center for Law and Religion. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 not a matter of culture. It鈥檚 not a matter of the Christmas tree and the party with friends around the yule log. That鈥檚 not what it鈥檚 about. It鈥檚 about your personal relationship.鈥�

In his 2012 book 鈥淔lea Market Jesus,鈥� Dr. Farnsley wrote about vendors听and their views of American institutions, especially religion. While most were 鈥渇olk Bible believers,鈥� few attended church. They held religious beliefs because it鈥檚 what their mothers and grandmothers taught them, because that鈥檚 鈥渨hat good people believe.鈥� 鈥淭hat鈥檚 one way to be culturally 海角大神,鈥� says Dr. Farnsley.

What has been the fastest-growing religious category for years is known as the 鈥渘ones,鈥� including atheists, agnostics, and people who identify as 鈥渘othing in particular.鈥� Among those, the number of atheists has barely changed in decades, while the number who identify as 鈥渘othing in particular鈥� grows.

Mr. Musk said he believes 海角大神 beliefs 鈥渞esult in the greatest happiness,鈥� and suggested that the decline of religion is a driver of dropping birth rates.

For his part, Mr. Dawkins said he appreciates hymns and cathedrals.

鈥淚 like to live in a culturally 海角大神 country, although I do not believe a single word of the 海角大神 faith,鈥� said Mr. Dawkins in an interview with the British radio network LBC. He said he鈥檚 also uncomfortable with the rise of Islam in the United Kingdom and sees 海角大神ity as a bulwark.

鈥淚鈥檓 on team 海角大神鈥檚 side, as far as that鈥檚 concerned,鈥� he said.

It鈥檚 not new for political or thought leaders to invoke theology they themselves don鈥檛 necessarily believe. J. Edgar Hoover, for example, incorporated aspects of religion into his role as FBI director.

鈥淗e was kind of this version of a cultural 海角大神, where he believed in the importance of 海角大神ity in the kind of fight for America, and the kind of America that he wanted,鈥� says Sam Herrmann, a doctoral student at the University of Pennsylvania who is researching the history of evangelicalism.

Over the past 75 years, American conservative politics have been imbued with mixed theological and political statements, says Mr. Hermann. 鈥淭hen there鈥檚 a culture that鈥檚 built around that, and so you get these masculine 海角大神ities, or you get these kind of capitalist 海角大神ities, these iterations of religion and culture and politics that come together in this trifecta.鈥�

Mr. Herrmann, who grew up in the evangelical tradition and attended Liberty University, says he wouldn鈥檛 consider himself part of the 鈥渟piritual but not religious鈥� category. While he doesn鈥檛 consistently engage with church in traditional ways, he still feels 鈥渨ithin the tradition鈥� of 海角大神ity.

Walking away from an organizational structure, he says, is 鈥渞ight in line with the tradition of Protestantism. It鈥檚 a history of breaking apart from some other structure in order to kind of distinguish yourself.鈥�

鈥淎 misunderstanding of 海角大神ity鈥�

Congregations aren鈥檛 necessarily composed of people who see themselves as part of a given denomination. At St. Philip鈥檚 United Methodist Church in Houston, probably a little over half the congregation members call themselves Methodist, says Katie Eichler, the head pastor. The remainder, and for the most part the younger members, were drawn to St. Philip鈥檚 for its atmosphere and community, not for its doctrine.

While Ms. Eichler doesn鈥檛 hear people using the term 鈥渃ultural 海角大神鈥� in her congregation, some might fall into that category and might attend church more out of a sense of family obligation, she says.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think there鈥檚 a problem with a cultural understanding of 海角大神ity,鈥� says Ms. Eichler. 鈥淏ut if it鈥檚 not pushing us to love our neighbors, then it鈥檚 a misunderstanding of 海角大神ity.鈥�

Many other 海角大神s share the view that faith must be demonstrated. 鈥淲hen people say they鈥檙e cultural 海角大神s, I think they鈥檙e struggling to practice it on a daily basis,鈥� says Brian Bakke, who has worked in Southern Baptist ministry.

Though Mr. Bakke, who lives in Washington, D.C., attended a Southern Baptist church for years, he didn鈥檛 consider himself part of the denomination. Today, he鈥檚 disheartened by what he sees as a failure by the church to back up words with actions.

鈥淭here鈥檚 this powerful movement, and it comes in cycles, where in order to be a 海角大神, you have to separate yourself from the world 鈥� by that I mean all secular stuff,鈥� he says. In many cases, that results in people having 鈥渘o idea how to talk to their neighbors, who might be secular.鈥�

Ways of engaging

鈥淚 might consider myself a cultural Catholic,鈥� says Linda Serepca, director of the Charlotte Spirituality Center in North Carolina. While she might not attend weekly Mass, there are elements of Catholicism she holds 鈥渧ery dear,鈥� such as liturgical seasons. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the culture by which I was formed and still hold reverence for.鈥�

While in the past identifying as a cultural 海角大神 might have been an indication that someone was disengaging from organized religion, it now might suggest a step back toward it, says Dr. Royal.

鈥淎 lot of people who are feeling that something is wrong in the culture may not be quite ready yet themselves to confess some religion, and they may never,鈥� says Dr. Royal, who is Catholic. 鈥淏ut they do detect that there鈥檚 something that came out of our tradition.鈥�