Believing to Belong: Negotiation and Expression of American Identity at a Non-religious Camp

Abstract

This dissertation presents results of ethnographic study at a non-religious summer camp called Camp Quest Montana in the summer of 2011 and the numerous insights gained into the lived experiences of non-religious Americans. These particular Americans, because of their non-religion, have experienced unique pressures while navigating through life in a country that is and has been dominated by religious identification and belief. The ethnographic accounts gathered over the course of a week at Camp Quest Montana show how these non-religious people were using a language of belief, informed by a spirituality derived from science, as part of an effort to fit themselves into this wider and religiously steeped American culture. This dissertation argues that the Camp Questers express themselves through a language of “belief” because of the current and historical pressures to be religious, along with Americans’ tendency to distrust non-religious people. Using “belief” language allows them to talk about themselves in a way that makes sense to religious Americans, while also maintaining a non-religious identification. Moreover, this study found differences between how first and second-generation non-religious Americans (the parents and children at Camp Quest Montana) interact with religious Americans. These variations are important because they point to different experiences of the social and cultural landscape of the United States, differences that are reflected in each generation’s non-religious expression. This data also presents a challenge to current arguments regarding the benefits of religion to the socialization and overall well-being of youth.