Jason Benell lives in Des Moines with his wife and two children. He is a combat veteran, former city council candidate, and president of Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers.

Secularists, Freethinkers, Atheists, Agnostics, the non-religious—known collectively as the “Nones”—are on the rise in the United States, as well as in my home state of Iowa. According to the a Pew Research poll published in January 2024, the Nones represent nearly 30 percent of the U.S. population, which is no small amount. If you add in those who consider themselves “Nothing in Particular”, that number surges to just under 40 percent. 

The Nones outnumber those who identify as Catholics, Muslims, Mormons, and Jews combined, as well as mainline Protestants as a group, with only Evangelical traditions overtaking the Nones in sheer population numbers.

However, when we look at the make-up of Congress and our civic leaders, the issues discussed at the national and state level, and even the cultural touchstones in our day to day lives, you wouldn’t guess so many Americans have no religious affiliation.

To start with, let’s look at Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court. Christians make up approximately 60 percent of the United States if you lump in Catholics and Christians together, but that group makes up almost 90 percent of the members of Congress. This disparity calls into question whether such an elected body truly represents the will of the people. Yet the imbalance of representation doesn’t end there, with even amongst the least numerous religious groups—Jews, Mormons, and Muslims—still making up approximately 11 percent of Congress despite representing less than 5 percent of the total U.S. population. 

Granted, it is a good thing those minority religions are represented in the halls of power; having only one belief system represented would not be a good representation. Still, that does nothing to address the largest demographic outside of Christians: the Nones. They represent almost a third of the U.S. populace but have less than 1 percent representation in Congress.

The situation is even worse on the Supreme Court, where a staggering seven out of nine justices are Catholic, one is Protestant, and one is Jewish. Even Protestants are grossly underrepresented on the highest court of the land. Not a single Supreme Court justice is a None, despite 30 percent of the population seeking that representation. How can we make good decisions that represent the will of the people if one of the largest religious “denominations” is not represented in the federal legislature or judiciary?

Next, we can look to the issues that are often brought up in each election cycle and in campaigns, particularly issues like abortion and equal rights, the treatment and rights of women, free speech, civil rights, and secular governance. Religious ideologies have historically struggled with all of those matters, often causing schisms within their own faith groups. All the while, secular Americans have consistently been on the one side of these issues but are rarely represented in the discussions or campaigns. For many this is a never-ending round robin, with faith groups seeking to inject their sectarian views into policy and take over the discussion in ever changing ways.

No wonder we find ourselves at loggerheads on so many issues, retreading the same ground time and again, people of faith are over-represented compared to those of no faith in our secular government. A good 30 percent of the American population has no interest in a faith-based justifications for a position, and that should be made known in the representation they have in Congress and the courts.

This doesn’t mean that there shouldn’t be a voice of faith in the discussions and decision making, it just means that voice should be proportionate to the people who hold those views. If only faith-based ideologies are considered legitimate in our decision making because faith-based beliefs are given disproportionate weight, then we can’t really be surprised when we see the same fracturing that has plagued faith-based ideologies show up in our government.

Which raises the question of “why”? If the Nones are such a substantial part of the U.S. population—remember, outnumbering nearly all other faith demographics—why are they so underrepresented in politics and culture? Why is it acceptable to say “Thoughts and prayers” when there’s a good chance the person or group you’re talking to or about doesn’t believe in prayers, and may even find them troublesome? Why do athletes or artists say “Thank God” when they achieve an award and this is considered equal to thanking their coaches, managers, and team mates? Why is it socially acceptable to begin a public event, even a political event, with sectarian benedictions when a third of the people in attendance may not even know what purpose that serves?

To start with, we can look at the age demographics of our leaders. It is no secret that the leaders of the American government are not only disproportionately religious, they are also disproportionately old (and wealthy!). The same holds true for the economic and cultural leaders who hold sway over state and local governments. 

For that reason, a disproportionately religious demographic that mimics the overly religious makeup of the U.S. Congress still holds many levers of power. The distribution of the Nones skews younger, with more than 60 percent being under age 50. The younger you go, the less religious Americans are. The corollary to this would be that the younger our representatives get, the less likely we are to have an imbalanced faith-based representation in positions of power, and since the opposite is true, this is what we have to contend with.

The trickle-down effect of this demographic capture of power means that when decisions are made, whether it be to hold a specific religious ceremony, honor specific holidays, or even to take up religious arguments and justifications, those decisions are made to accommodate the people who make them. The cultural capital of religious ideologies remains high, even as folks who actively participate in religious rituals dwindle.

An unfortunate side-effect of this reality is that the Nones are boxed out from many important decisions. Choosing not to participate in religious activity is often seen as untoward or subversive, and criticizing faith-based ideas is viewed as downright hostile. As this has gone on for a generation or more, you can see a centering of faith at the expense of the non-religious in American culture. That’s to its detriment—not because faith is bad, but because those of no-faith are ignored or marginalized. U.S. culture should be one of representation and equality for all, not just those who happen to hold power.

So, what can we Americans—even religious Americans—who want a more representative government and egalitarian culture do so that policies and actions reflect the will of the electorate?

Something all of us can do, especially if you’re a young person, is talk about these issues openly and honestly. Don’t shirk away from the fact that you might not believe in a deity or belong to a church. There is a very good chance you’re in like-minded company if you’re in a public space.

That doesn’t mean you should mimic religious groups and evangelize about being a “None,” nor should this be about mocking or putting down the religious. Rather, it’s about remove that stigma of being a non-believer.

A good example of this is Rebecca Vitsmun in 2013, when she was interviewed by a major news network after a tornado had destroyed large areas of the town she was living in. When CNN’s Wolf Blitzer asked her on live national television whether she “thanked the lord” that her home was destroyed but she and her family remained safe, Vitsmun replied that she was an atheist and didn’t even believe in such a thing. Just being honest in that moment showed there are Nones everywhere, and it is wrong to assume everyone is willing to concede to faith in public. It’s OK to say you were raised this way or that, but that you as a person with autonomy and clear mind, do not believe in those things anymore.

You don’t have to apologize for not being religious or believing in deities anymore.

If someone is bringing up religious justifications for a policy or decision, ask why their decision should apply to someone that doesn’t believe in this or that faith position or deity. In many tough political discussions, leaders marshal faith-based arguments to justify their actions, but that approach leaves out so many folks who would be impacted. How do you justify using a faith position to dictate the lives of the faithful while also respecting them as equal citizens? It is not possible to do so. This happens only because the Nones are kept out of that decision-making arena.

Ask why a faith tradition should take precedence in a public meeting or space that is supposed to be open to everyone, regardless of their faith or no faith. Point out that it isn’t simply contrarian to say you disbelieve in religious claims, your non-belief is something you and billions of other people around the world share. In fact, the sectarian faiths have the burden to justify their imposition, not the Nones. It is not, nor has it ever been, embarrassing to be a None and it well past time that we too have a place in our society and government.

Finally, you can get civically involved. Press candidates on separation of church and state issues, and get connected to your local and state parties. Seek out candidates, particularly younger candidates, who identify as Nones, or become a candidate yourself if you can’t find someone willing to do so.  Patronize businesses that support secular ideals and equal representation in the marketplace, and volunteer with your local non-profit organizations. Educate yourself on the policies and procedures that go into our social, economic, and civic activities, so you can be heard when these decisions are made.

If 30 percent of American voters can get behind certain ideas at the local level and make their cultural and political power felt, the United States can only get better because its government will better represent the people that elects it. Our country can ill afford another generation of over-representation of faith ideologies at the expense of the unaffiliated.

This trend will not reverse itself. All signals point to a steady increase in the Nones coinciding with the aging out of the current disproportionate representations in the halls of power. The disparity will only get worse if the non-religious refuse to identify as such publicly, and that hurts everyone—both religious and non-religious alike.

Only by standing up and being willing to be counted and respected as secular Americans can the Nones make their voices heard. Not by posting on social media, or murmuring in private meetings over coffee or drinks in hushed tones, but by getting out there and being proud of who we are.

I know I am glad to be a None, and you should be too. Remember, there are more of us than you think!

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Top image is by Prazis Images, available via Shutterstock.