We like to imagine atheism as a clean slate — a conscious rejection of gods, spirits, or supernatural claims. But new research suggests the picture is more complicated.
A 2025 study looked at self-identified atheists in very secular countries — Canada, Sweden, the UK, among others. Even there, where religion plays little role in public life, researchers found that many atheists still show an intuitive bias toward religious belief when tested in quick, subconscious judgment tasks. (Phys.org summary)
What did the researchers see?
- People who explicitly rejected belief often still leaned, in split-second choices, toward religious explanations or perspectives.
- The authors call this an “intuitive preference” for belief — suggesting that cultural and cognitive frameworks shaped by religion don’t vanish the moment someone stops believing.
- Secularization may reduce open religiosity, but it doesn’t fully erase the mental scaffolding built up over centuries.
Why does that matter?
- Culture lingers. Even outside the church, religious habits of thought can echo in language, morality, and intuition.
- Atheism isn’t binary. For many, leaving religion means managing a tension between rational rejection and subconscious leanings.
- Secular societies still carry history. The past shapes the cognitive defaults of today’s nonbelievers.
Questions I’m sitting with
- Are these biases just cultural residue — the leftover reflexes of religious upbringings — or is there something deeper in human psychology that inclines us toward belief?
- How do these unconscious habits shape debates between atheists and the religious?
- Could acknowledging these lingering patterns make secular communities stronger, or does it risk being used as a “gotcha” by apologists?
Sources
- Gervais, W. M. et al. (2025). Even atheists in secular countries show intuitive preference for religious belief. Phys.org summary
- Related: Pew Research, Sept 2025 — many who call themselves nonreligious still hold spiritual beliefs.
My Takeaway: Atheism may not always be the absence of belief. Sometimes it’s the active negotiation between reason and the traces of old patterns we carry with us.
This post has been shared on Reddit by @uwelang through the HivePosh initiative.
Reddit confuses me - so here the relevant share in Europe sub with some discussion where no redditposh comment arrived as i first posted in a different community as mentioned somewhere else. @x-rain @acidyoyo
It's a small share. Don't request so often please. Such requests should be an exception, not routine. Secondly, I recommend sending a reward request only when you have at least 50 upvotes - at least! But better 100+ upvotes.
ok - your decision - I am more into views on Reddit but who am I to say something
I don't make decisions either, except for ones directly related to the contest. I just advised you as a person who knows things from the inside. If you don't have a Redditposh comment, you don't get rewards - this is the rule. Reward requests just give you the right to shout "yes, I had no Redditposh comment, but look how amazing my share is!" 20-30 upvotes isn't amazing. Many hundreds of PeakD views can be something to boast about, either - but you shared inleo - no stats.
All good - I need to focus on major real life things now anyway instead. Realized no stats on inleo - is that new?
Thx for feedback - need to kick some butts outside Hive or Reddit now in true sense of the words!
Take care and good luck with the contest moving forward!
Congratulations @newsgeek! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain And have been rewarded with New badge(s)
Your next target is to reach 100 replies.
You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOP