irreligion

Irreligion is the absence of religion or a lack of adherence to organized religious beliefs and practices. The term covers a wide range of positions, from atheism and agnosticism to secular or non-religious identities that do not subscribe to a particular faith. Irreligion is a demographic and philosophical category rather than a single doctrine.

Unlike atheism, which is a position on whether gods exist, or agnosticism, which concerns what can be known about the divine, irreligion describes a general stance toward religion itself. People may be irreligious while still identifying with ethical systems, cultural traditions, or personal forms of spirituality that are not anchored to a church, temple, or scripture.

Historically, irreligion has varied by era and region. In many Western societies, secularization and rising education have increased the proportion of irreligious people or those who identify as religiously unaffiliated, often labeled as the "nones" in surveys. In other parts of the world, religion remains deeply integrated into social and political life. Irreligion can intersect with public policy through debates on church-state separation and secular ethics.

Scholars describe irreligion as a spectrum rather than a monolith. It raises questions about morality, meaning, and community outside religious frameworks and invites dialogue about coexistence with religiously affiliated populations. Critics sometimes portray irreligion as morally deficient or socially destabilizing; supporters argue that secular reasoning and humanistic ethics can sustain social cooperation and rights without reliance on doctrinal authority.