The Rise of the Nones by Ryan Cragun

by Genesis Eririoma

Reading “The Push Away from Religion and the Pull Towards Secularity: The Rise of the Nones” by Ryan Cragun and Jesse Smith reminded me of the growing wave of awakening I have witnessed through my work with the Africa Enlightenment Centre. The authors describe why increasing numbers of people are leaving religion and embracing secular identities, and their analysis captures a change that I believe will shape the moral and intellectual future of humanity especially Africa.

Three major points stood out to me, first of which is, they explain that many people are pushed away from religion by hypocrisy, intolerance, and the moral contradictions within religious institutions. When faith becomes an instrument of control or exclusion, it loses its moral authority. Second, they point to the pull of secular life, the attraction of autonomy, intellectual honesty, and freedom from dogma. People are not only escaping religion; they are being drawn to a worldview that values evidence, compassion, and reason. And finally, they show that this shift is generational and cultural. Younger people, especially in open societies, are more comfortable identifying as nonreligious because they have access to diverse ideas and face less social pressure to conform.

I strongly relate to these ideas as a Nigerian. In Nigeria, I have seen similar trends, though slower and more hidden. Many young people now question what they once feared to doubt. The forces that Cragun and Smith describe are quietly at work here too, people pushed away by religious oppression and pulled toward freedom of thought. This realization strengthened my conviction to create spaces for open inquiry. It inspired projects like Critical Thinking for Secondary Schools, which I wrote to help young minds break free from unexamined beliefs, and the Thinkers Club initiative now being established in secondary schools, beginning with Government Secondary School, Barkin-Ado in Nasarawa State.

For me, the essay affirms that the rise of the nones is not a rejection of morality but a reawakening of human responsibility. It is the natural outcome of curiosity, education, and honesty. The movement away from religion and toward secularity is a quiet revolution, one that promises a world guided not by fear of the unseen, but by care for the seen and the living.