The Modern Religious Debate Lost Its Audience episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 12, 2026 · 1H 21M

The Modern Religious Debate Lost Its Audience

from The Nathan Jacobs Podcast · host Nathan Jacobs

In this episode, Dr. Nathan Jacobs explores the rise of the religiously unaffiliated, a group that has grown dramatically over the past two decades. Drawing from his research, interviews, and the documentary, Becoming Truly Human, he examines the beliefs, intuitions, and spiritual instincts that shape this rapidly expanding demographic.Far from simple atheism, the world of the “nones” is complex, morally serious, and often deeply spiritual. This lecture begins a three-part series unpacking who they are, what they believe, and how meaningful dialogue might be possible.This is part 1 of 3 on the religiously unaffiliated, or "nones".Do you want to watch the Becoming Truly Human documentary? Watch it along with other exclusive content on Jacobs Premium. Use code: LEWIS to get a discount on the highest tier. There's also monthly Q&As and book club meetings: https://www.thenathanjacobspodcast.com/store Life Itself movie trailer (excluded due to copyright): https://youtu.be/b5kwtJkUdpA?si=xw-ismXHDk6-SIh9Timestamps:00:00 - Opening06:09 - Introducing Dr. Nathan Jacobs09:16 - Becoming Truly Human16:37 - Outline19:56 - Trailer for documentary21:44 - Misconceptions25:43 - The modern religious debate30:06 - The numinous38:52 - What nones believe: 1. Karma43:22 - Things happen for a reason46:45 - Life Itself51:47 - What nones believe: 2. A higher power53:07 - The moral objection to Christianity57:21 - What are the nones rejecting?01:00:11 - Belief in paranormal01:01:29 - What the nones believe: 3. Spirituality01:05:27 - What the nones believe: 4. Afterlife01:11:27 - Q&A: Discerning between intuition and feeling01:14:18 - Q: Family issues among the nones01:16:53 - Q: Mental health concerns01:18:58 - Q: Sample selection======================================All the links:The Theological Letters Substack: https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcastX: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathanandrewjacobsAcademia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobsYouTube link to this same episode: https://youtu.be/vun_XtxDt5E

In this episode, Dr. Nathan Jacobs explores the rise of the religiously unaffiliated, a group that has grown dramatically over the past two decades. Drawing from his research, interviews, and the documentary, Becoming Truly Human, he examines the beliefs, intuitions, and spiritual instincts that shape this rapidly expanding demographic.Far from simple atheism, the world of the “nones” is complex, morally serious, and often deeply spiritual. This lecture begins a three-part series unpacking who they are, what they believe, and how meaningful dialogue might be possible.This is part 1 of 3 on the religiously unaffiliated, or "nones".Do you want to watch the Becoming Truly Human documentary? Watch it along with other exclusive content on Jacobs Premium. Use code: LEWIS to get a discount on the highest tier. There's also monthly Q&As and book club meetings: https://www.thenathanjacobspodcast.com/store Life Itself movie trailer (excluded due to copyright): https://youtu.be/b5kwtJkUdpA?si=xw-ismXHDk6-SIh9Timestamps:00:00 - Opening06:09 - Introducing Dr. Nathan Jacobs09:16 - Becoming Truly Human16:37 - Outline19:56 - Trailer for documentary21:44 - Misconceptions25:43 - The modern religious debate30:06 - The numinous38:52 - What nones believe: 1. Karma43:22 - Things happen for a reason46:45 - Life Itself51:47 - What nones believe: 2. A higher power53:07 - The moral objection to Christianity57:21 - What are the nones rejecting?01:00:11 - Belief in paranormal01:01:29 - What the nones believe: 3. Spirituality01:05:27 - What the nones believe: 4. Afterlife01:11:27 - Q&A: Discerning between intuition and feeling01:14:18 - Q: Family issues among the nones01:16:53 - Q: Mental health concerns01:18:58 - Q: Sample selection======================================All the links:The Theological Letters Substack: https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcastX: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathanandrewjacobsAcademia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobsYouTube link to this same episode: https://youtu.be/vun_XtxDt5E

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The Modern Religious Debate Lost Its Audience

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This episode was published on February 12, 2026.

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In this episode, Dr. Nathan Jacobs explores the rise of the religiously unaffiliated, a group that has grown dramatically over the past two decades. Drawing from his research, interviews, and the documentary, Becoming Truly Human, he examines the...

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