C 2016

Czech Republic: The Promised Land for Atheists?

VIDO, Roman, David VÁCLAVÍK and Antonín PALEČEK

Basic information

Original name

Czech Republic: The Promised Land for Atheists?

Authors

VIDO, Roman (203 Czech Republic, guarantor, belonging to the institution), David VÁCLAVÍK (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution) and Antonín PALEČEK (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution)

Edition

Leiden, Sociology of Atheism, p. 201-232, 32 pp. Annual Review of the Sociology of Religion. Volume 7, 2016

Publisher

Brill

Other information

Language

English

Type of outcome

Kapitola resp. kapitoly v odborné knize

Field of Study

50000 5. Social Sciences

Country of publisher

Netherlands

Confidentiality degree

není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství

Publication form

printed version "print"

RIV identification code

RIV/00216224:14230/16:00090346

Organization unit

Faculty of Social Studies

ISBN

978-90-04-31753-6

DOI

Keywords in English

Czech Republic; atheism; non-religiosity; secularization; socialization

Tags

Tags

International impact, Reviewed
Změněno: 11/7/2016 14:36, PhDr. Roman Vido, Ph.D.

Abstract

V originále

The Czech Republic is rated amongst the most atheist countries in the world. This claim is based on selected statistical data from censuses and comparative surveys, which reveal a majority of the Czech population to be self-declared “nones”. The aim of our paper is to argue that we need to read these data about the high level of “atheization” in Czech society in a more nuanced manner and deal with the concept of atheism more adequately. In the first section, with reference to some theoretical impulses from the cognitive science of religion, we try to show that the non-religious views of a significant part of the Czech population, usually labelled “atheism”, are better understood as an expression of religious “apatheism”, or evidence of “inCREDulous atheism”. Both positions are similar in their indifference to religion, rather than opposition to it. With the help of empirical analysis, the paper focuses on the critical assessment of the applicability of these concepts in the Czech context. In the second section, using empirical data from the 2008 International Social Survey Project, we test a hypothesis on the role of religious socialization for the acceptance of the non/theist position, based on the concept of CREDs (credibility-enhancing displays) and related secularization theory. We expect that the current level of non/theism in the Czech population can best be explained by religious socialization mechanisms and the conditions for the acquisition and/or transmission of non/theism. The main contribution of the paper is two-fold: theoretically, it aims at a more profound reflection on commonly used analytical concepts; empirically, it seeks to understand in-depth the current state of non/religiosity in “atheist” Czech society.