"No rel pref." You've seen it on forms, right? That little box you tick when asked about your religion. Once a niche option, it's now an increasingly popular choice. As an atheist myself, I see this as distinctly different from ticking "no religion." "No religion" implies a conscious philosophical stance. "No rel pref" feels more like… a shrug. A polite disengagement from the question itself. And I can't help but wonder if this quiet exodus from formal religious affiliation is a symptom of something much larger: the general social disengagement that seems to be creeping into every corner of modern life.
But here’s where it gets alarming, especially for those of us who care about cities: religious disengagement has direct, tangible impacts on the physical world. Religions, for all their ethereal aspirations, are practiced in the real world, not just online. They build cathedrals, mosques, temples, synagogues – physical structures that often serve as anchors for communities, hubs for social gatherings, and centers for charitable work. When people disengage from these institutions, it’s not just a spiritual shift; it’s a physical void in the urban fabric.
So, which came first, the chicken or the… socially isolated egg? Is this disengagement merely a symptom of a broader societal trend towards atomization, or are our cities’ very structures to blame? I’m rather of the opinion that our dysfunctional cities have actively driven this social disengagement, and the virtual world was simply there, waiting, to provide a convenient (if ultimately unsatisfying) alternative. Can urban planners actually do anything about this? Should we give special consideration to religious institutions and other traditional places of social engagement? Can we reverse the trend of social isolation by simply providing better places for people to socialize? Let’s dive into the urban soul-searching.
