irreligion in Spain

According to a 2018 study by the Ferrer i Guàrdia Foundation, 27% of Spanish people are either atheist, agnostic or non-believers, with 49% of 18-24 year olds in one of those categories.{{Cite web|url=https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2019/04/12/inenglish/1555056887_664300.html|author=El Pais English|title=Losing their religion? New report shows Spaniards are turning their backs on faith|date=15 April 2019|accessdate=11 May 2020}}

A survey by Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas in October 2014 showed that 67.8 percent of Spanish people would today describe themselves as Catholic, although only 16.9 percent of Spanish people attend mass at least once a month. 10.8% define themselves as atheist and a further 16.7% as non-believers.{{Cite web|url=http://datos.cis.es/pdf/Es3041mar_A.pdf|author=Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (Centre for Sociological Research)|title=Barómetro octubre 2014|date=October 2014|page=27|accessdate=8 November 2014}}{{cite web|last=Costa|first=Xavier|title=Spain between tradition and the modern|url=http://www.eurotopics.net/en/home/presseschau/archiv/magazin/gesellschaft-verteilerseite/religion/religion_spanien/|work=euro{{!}}topics|accessdate=21 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130720025201/http://www.eurotopics.net/en/home/presseschau/archiv/magazin/gesellschaft-verteilerseite/religion/religion_spanien|archive-date=20 July 2013|url-status=dead}} In 2008, several reports{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} indicated that as much as 60% of the population of Madrid and its metropolitan area identified as non-religious. According to a 2009 study, the 46% of Spaniards aged 18–24 declare themselves atheist or agnostic.[http://www.elcorreogallego.es/santiago/ecg/jovenes-espanoles-declaran-abiertamente-ateos-agnosticos/idEdicion-2009-07-29/idNoticia-453019/ Los jóvenes españoles se declaran abiertamente ateos o agnósticos.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090801131230/http://www.elcorreogallego.es/santiago/ecg/jovenes-espanoles-declaran-abiertamente-ateos-agnosticos/idEdicion-2009-07-29/idNoticia-453019/ |date=1 August 2009 }} El Correo Gallego, 29 July 2009. In 2019, a study carried out by the CIS found that 48.9% of Spaniards aged 18–24 declared themselves atheist or agnostic, therefore becoming a majority over those who declared themselves as religious.{{Cite web|date=2019-04-20|title=5 gráficos sobre la religiosidad en los jóvenes españoles|url=https://verne.elpais.com/verne/2019/04/15/articulo/1555316905_393744.html|access-date=2021-02-07|website=Verne|language=es}}

File:Pansy - Tombstone detail of a freethinker, late 19th century. (Cemetery of Cullera, Spain)..jpg, Cemetery of Cullera, late 19th century.]]

The close alliance of Francoist Spain and the Catholic Church is said to have had a considerable amount of influence on the decline of religion in Spain. The prevalence of the Church on the people and the subsequent end of the Spanish State caused the Spanish to detach themselves from Catholicism as political coercion was relaxed.{{cite web|last=Requena, Stanek|first=Miguel, Mikolaj|title=International Sociology|url=http://iss.sagepub.com/content/28/1/84|work=International Sociological Association|publisher=Sage Publications|accessdate=21 October 2013}} In the 16 years after the transition from a dictatorship to democracy, there was a significant drop in levels of religious practice. According to Miguel and Stanek, there was a 14% decrease in religious practice in Spain in just those 16 years, decreasing at an annual rate of −2.1%.

In 1966 Francoist Spain passed a law that freed other religions from many of their earlier restrictions, although it also reaffirmed the privileges of the Catholic Church. In 1978 the new Constitution confirmed the right of Spaniards to religious freedom and began disestablishing Catholicism as the state religion and declaring that religious liberty for non-Catholics is a government-protected right.{{cite web|last=Scofield|first=James|title=Spain: Religion|url=http://rs6.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+es0062)|work=Library of Congress Country Studies|accessdate=21 October 2013}}

{{blockquote|Freedom of ideology, religion, and worship is guaranteed, to individuals and communities with no other restriction on their expression than may be necessary to maintain public order as protected by law. }}

{{blockquote|No one may be compelled to make statements regarding his or her ideology, religion, or beliefs. }}

{{blockquote|There is no state religion. The public authorities shall take into account the religious beliefs of Spanish society and shall consequently maintain appropriate cooperative relations with the Catholic Church and other denominations.}}

The process of secularization was already clearly recognizable by the end of the eighteenth century. The depth, influence, and continuity of Spain's liberal and democratic traditions are particularly important in trying to understand the values connected with the ideals of tolerance and religious freedom. Seen in this light, it becomes clear why Spain in particular was one of the first countries in the world to introduce women's rights and why the divorce law of the Second Republic (1931–1936) was one of the most progressive ever passed. It is the foundation for today's law on same-sex marriage, which has led to conflict recently.

Although more than 19 out of every 20 Spaniards were baptized Catholics, the secularization process has become more intense both on an institutional level as well as in the everyday lives of the people. It is argued that in return for the subsidy that the Church receives, society receives the social, health, and educational services of tens of thousands of priests and nuns. Instead, a system was set up to allow citizens to delegate up to 10% of their pay check to the church so that it was no longer government funded.

There exists an inverse relationship between the level of education and the social significance of religion. By 1980, a study was conducted that showed the more educated a person was, the more likely he or she was to be irreligious. This is attributed to the Church's new self-restraint in politics. The church began accepting the need for separation of religion and the state.

The UAL is a new organization based in Barcelona which promotes atheism and unites atheists within Spain.{{cite web|last=admin|title=Unión de ateos y librepensadores|url=http://ateos.org/?paged=30|accessdate=21 October 2013}} The first post on their website is dated 11 January 2008, but they do not have information about their founding. The goal of the group is to inform Spanish-speakers who want to know more about atheism and unite those who have already chosen the atheist lifestyle. Their website contains links to atheist books, groups, and articles. The group has scheduled meetings every Thursday. They host events monthly with atheist speakers and writers. Similar local groups also exist within each autonomous community of Spain.

• José Luís Rodríguez Zapatero (1964 – ...), Prime Minister of Spain (2004–2011)[http://elpais.com/diario/2008/06/29/domingo/1214711554_850215.html El diccionario de Zapatero.] El País, 2009
• Manuela Carmena (1944 – ...), former mayor of Madrid[http://www.libertaddigital.com/espana/2015-09-02/manuela-carmena-soy-agnostica-pero-me-gusta-mucho-el-papa-1276556153/ Manuela Carmena: "Soy agnóstica pero me gusta mucho el Papa".]
• Javier Bardem (1969 – ...), actor{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/javier-bardem-people-watch-me-i-feel-absurd-2182899.html |title=Javier Bardem: 'People watch me. I feel absurd' – Profiles – People |work=The Independent |date=16 January 2011 |access-date=25 December 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://www.latina.com/entertainment/religion-backgrounds-latino-celebrities#8|title=Religious Backgrounds of Latino & Latina Hollywood Celebrities|website=www.latina.com|access-date=13 June 2016}}
• Josep-Lluís Carod-Rovira (1952 – ...), vicepresident of the Catalan government (2006–2010) and leader of Republican Left of Catalonia (1996–2008).[http://www.elmundo.es/suplementos/magazine/2006/331/1138375968.html Esta semana: Carod-Rovira.] El Mundo, 2006.
• Cristina Cifuentes (1964 – ...), former President of the Community of Madrid[Cifuentes pide al PP que mantenga los derechos de los homosexuales.] Cadena SER, 14 February 2012.
• Rafael Nadal (1986–), Professional tennis player{{cite web |title=Jon Wertheim: Nadal talks history, Wimbledon, spirituality |url=https://www.si.com/more-sports/2010/07/16/nadal-interview |website=Sports Illustrated |date=2010-07-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230208104402/https://www.si.com/more-sports/2010/07/16/nadal-interview |archive-date=2023-02-08 |url-status=live |last1=Wertheim |first1=Jon}}
• Horacio Vázquez-Rial (1947–2012), writer and journalist[http://cultura.elpais.com/cultura/2012/09/06/actualidad/1346937986_822304.html Fallece el escritor argentino Horacio Vázquez-Rial.] El País, Barcelona 6 September 2012
• Bernardo Bonezzi (1964–2012), film music composer[http://www.farodevigo.es/sociedad-cultura/2012/03/15/agnostico-ciencia-agarrarse/632570.html "Para un agnóstico la ciencia es algo a lo que agarrarse"] Faro de Vigo, 2012.

• Alejandro Amenábar (1972 – ...), film director, screenwriter and composer[http://www.fotogramas.es/Noticias-cine/Alejandro-Amenabar-Fui-catolico-despues-agnostico-y-ahora-soy-ateo ALEJANDRO AMENÁBAR: "FUI CATÓLICO, DESPUÉS AGNÓSTICO Y AHORA SOY ATEO".] Fotogramas, 6 October 2009.
• Luis Buñuel (1900–1983), film director[http://www.elcultural.com/revista/especial/Ateo-por-la-gracia-de-Dios/18088 Ateo por la gracia de Dios: Buñuel y la religión.]
• Pepe Rubianes (1947–2009); actor and theater director
• Antonia San Juan (1961 – ...), actress, director and screenwriter[http://www.ambienteg.com/cine/antonia-a-san-juan-las-religiones-son-el-autentico-cancer-de-todas-las-culturas/ Antonia San Juan: "Las religiones son el auténtico cáncer de todas las culturas".] AmbienteG, 5 November 2009.
• Pío Baroja (1872–1956), writer[http://elcultural.com/blogs/entre-clasicos/2015/08/pio-baroja-el-hombre-malo-de-itzea/ Pío Baroja, "el hombre malo de Itzea".]
• Javier Cercas (1962 – ...), writer[http://www.ieturolenses.org/revista_turia/index.php/actualidad_turia/cat/conversaciones/post/javier-cercas-quien-no-asuma-riesgos-que-no-sea-escritor/ Javier Cercas: "Quien no asuma riesgos, que no sea escritor".]
• Najat El Hachmi (1979 – ...), Moroccan – Spanish Catalan-language writer[http://www.elcritic.cat/entrevistes/najat-el-hachmi-tothom-esta-sorpres-que-jo-escrigui-sobre-sexe-per-que-perque-soc-marroquina-3627 Najat El Hachmi: "Em sembla molt negatiu que per mostrar dubtes sobre el procés sobiranista siguis llençat a la foguera".] El Crític, 4 July 2015.
• Pablo Picasso (1881–1973); painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, stage designer, poet and playwright[https://encolombia.com/educacion-cultura/arte-cultura/notasdecienciayarte/picasso-bajo-la-lupa-del-psicoanalisis/ Picasso bajo la lupa del Psicoanálisis.]
• Pep Guardiola (1971 – ...), professional football manager and former player,{{cite web | url=https://ecodiario.eleconomista.es/futbol/noticias/3345832/09/11/8/Video-Pep-Guardiola-Cataluna-es-mi-pais-y-Dios-no-existe.html | title=Vídeo | Pep Guardiola: "Cataluña es mi país y Dios no existe" - EcoDiario.es | date=2 September 2011 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKScWrn774I&ab_channel=soniatinkerbell | title=Entrevista a Pep Guardiola | website=YouTube }}name="profilearticle">{{Cite news |last1=Feldenkirchen |first1=Markus |last2=Juan Moreno |date=14 June 2013 |title=The Pep Challenge: A Superstar Football Coach Comes to Munich |work=Der Spiegel |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/how-pep-guardiola-came-to-bayern-munich-a-905688-2.html |access-date=15 June 2013 |quote=He doesn't believe in the existence of God, except in the form of Messi and Maradona |archive-date=18 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130618085239/http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/how-pep-guardiola-came-to-bayern-munich-a-905688-2.html |url-status=live}}
• Ignacio Escolar (1975 – ...), blogger and journalist. He currently leads the digital newspaper eldiario.es and he is also a political analyst in radio and television. He was founder and first director of the newspaper Público[http://www.escolar.net/MT/archives/2011/04/carta-de-un-ateo-a-zapatero.html Carta de un ateo a Zapatero.] escolar.net, 2011.
• Pablo Iglesias Posse (1850–1925), founder of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) and MP for Madrid (1910–1923)
• Ignacio Fernández Toxo (1952 – ...); labor and anti-francoist activist and leader of Comisiones Obreras, the biggest union in Spain[http://www.20minutos.es/noticia/826704/0/fernandez/toxo/angel-luna-gonzalez/ Ignacio Fernández Toxo, el hombre que durante 4 años fue Ángel Luna González.] 20 Minutos, 2010.
• Pedro Sánchez (1972 – ...), Prime Minister and leader of the PSOE, one of the largest political party in Spain[http://www.elplural.com/2014/09/25/pedro-sanchez-primer-aspirante-a-la-moncloa-que-se-declara-abiertamente-ateo Pedro Sánchez, primer aspirante a La Moncloa que se declara abiertamente "ateo".] El Plural, 2014.
• Pablo Iglesias Turrión (1978 – ...), former leader of Podemos, the third biggest political party of the country[http://www.elmundo.es/cronica/2014/06/01/53899911268e3e4c468b456c.html El monaguillo Pablo Iglesias.] El Mundo, 1 June 2014.
• Albert Rivera (1979 – ...), former leader of Citizens[http://www.lavanguardia.com/television/programas/20150701/54433643354/albert-rivera-pp-psoe-toxicos.html Albert Rivera: "El PP y el PSOE son partidos tóxicos".] La Vanguardia, 1 July 2015.
• Xosé Manuel Beiras (1936 – ...), Galician nationalist thinker and politician. Spokesperson of the BNG (1985–2002), leader of the opposition in the Parliament of Galicia (1997–2002) and spokesperson of Anova-IN (2012 – ...){{Cite web |url=http://www.galiciahoxe.com/mare/gh/xose-manuel-beiras-continuamos-estar-sometidos-ao-colonialismo-linguistico/idEdicion-2008-06-02/idNoticia-308019/ |title=Xosé Manuel Beiras: "Continuamos a estar sometidos ao colonialismo lingüístico" |access-date=25 August 2016 |archive-date=28 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828092436/http://www.galiciahoxe.com/mare/gh/xose-manuel-beiras-continuamos-estar-sometidos-ao-colonialismo-linguistico/idEdicion-2008-06-02/idNoticia-308019/ |url-status=dead }}
• Javier Nart (1947 – ...); journalist and member of the European Parliament for Citizens[http://www.abc.es/elecciones/elecciones-generales/abci-javier-nart-puede-rojo-y-ateo-ciudadanos-y-no-ocultado-201606170118_noticia.html Javier Nart: «Se puede ser rojo y ateo en Ciudadanos; yo lo soy y no lo he ocultado».] ABC, 2016.
• Fernando Alonso (1981–); two-times world champion between 2005 and 2006, driver of Aston Martin.
• Francesc Sunyer i Capdevila (1826–1898); radical republican, militant atheist, mayor of Barcelona (1869) and overseas minister (1873)[Andreu Navarra Ordoño. El ateísmo. La aventura de pensar libremente en España. Editorial Cátedra, Madrid, 2016. Pages 53 and 54.]
• Buenaventura Durruti (1896–1936), anarchist activistAbel Paz: Durruti en la revolución española. 1978
• Francisco Ferrer Guardia (1859–1909), anarchist activist and founder of the Escuela Moderna[http://www.federacionlibertaria.org/BAEL/Archivo/Tesis,%20monografias/Francisco%20Ferrer%20Guardia%20y%20la%20Pedagog%C3%ADa%20Libertaria%20-%20%C3%81NGEL%20CAPPELLETTI.pdf FRANCISCO FERRER GUARDIA Y LA PEDAGOGÍA LIBERTARIA.]
• Ricardo Mella (1861–1925); anarchist thinker, journalist and writerAndreu Navarra Ordoño. El ateísmo. La aventura de pensar libremente en España. Editorial Cátedra, Madrid, 2016. Page 97.
• José Ortega y Gasset (1883–1955), liberal philosopher, and essayist[http://www.elperiodico.com/es/noticias/ocio-y-cultura/legado-invisible-ortega-gasset-3284353 El legado invisible de Ortega y Gasset.] El Periódico de Catalunya, 28 May 2014.
• George Santayana (1863–1952), Spanish-American philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist[http://elpais.com/diario/2008/05/14/paisvasco/1210794004_850215.html La Biblia del ateo.] El País, 14 May 2008.
• Gustavo Bueno (1924–2016), materialist philosopherGustavo Bueno: Cuestiones cuodlibetales sobre Dios y la religión. Madrid: Mondadori, 1989.
• Fernando Savater (1947 – ...), philosopher[http://www.ateoyagnostico.com/2011/05/18/crtica-a-las-religiones-fernando-savater/ Crítica a las religiones – Fernando Savater.]
• Juan Pinilla (1981 – ...), flamenco singer
• Miss Shangay Lily (1963–2016); drag queen, writer, filmmaker and gay activist[http://www.elperiodico.com/es/noticias/gente/muere-shangay-lily-escritor-activista-5046660 Muere el escritor y activista Shangay Lily Muere el escritor y activista Shangay Lily.] El Periódico de Catalunya, 12 April 2016.

• Religion in Spain

• [http://ateus.org/ Ateus de Catalunya]
• [http://www.ateusvalencians.es/ L'Associació Valenciana d'Ateus i Lliurepensadors (AVALL)]
• [http://www.ateosdemadrid.com/ Ateos de Madrid] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130813194332/http://www.ateosdemadrid.com/ |date=13 August 2013 }}
• [http://ateosdealbacete.blogspot.com/ Ateos de Albacete]
• [http://ateosdeandalucia.blogspot.com/ Asociación de Ateos y Librepensadores de Andalucía]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20180626121451/http://www.kadex.com/ateus/ Ateneu Eclèctic I Liberal D'ateus I Agnóstics]

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{{Europe topic|Irreligion in}}

Category:Religion in Spain

Spain