Abstract

Public opinion research shows that young secular Americans have many areas of agreement on political issues that go beyond matters of church and state. In this chapter, I argue that the secular movement needs to focus on policies beyond church-state issues to become a salient political player in the United States. Instead, the movement must show concern for human suffering and propose ideas for improving people’s lives. This shift in focus may be possible thanks to the growth of secularism among young people, especially people of color and women, who show strong preferences for policy matters that go beyond the traditional secular concerns. The movement’s leadership must harness the energy of the current secular population boom to make itself relevant in American politics.