Do you consider yourself a religious person? Why?

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I write original and in-depth data-driven articles using my skills in data analysis and visualisation. I cover a wide array of topics, among which are Switzerland's place in global trade, climate change and demographics. Born and raised in France, I studied international relations in Lyon, then graduated from Lille journalism school in 2011. I have been living in Switzerland since 2012 and worked at RTS for eight years before joining SWI swissinfo.ch in 2020.

The proportion of people with no religious affiliation is steadily increasing in Switzerland, as in many other countries, and is now in the majority. Against this background, we are interested in your relationship to religion.

Deutsch

Halten Sie sich für einen religiösen Menschen oder nicht? Warum?
Français

Vous considérez-vous comme une personne religieuse ou non? Pourquoi? Original
Italiano

Ritenete di essere una persona religiosa? Per quale motivo?
Español

¿Se considera una persona religiosa? ¿Por qué motivo?
Português

Você se considera uma pessoa religiosa ou não? Por quê?
日本語

あなたは自分を宗教的だと思いますか？その理由は？
العربية

هل تعتبر نفسك شخصًا متديّنًا أم لا؟ ولماذا؟
中文

您认为自己有宗教信仰吗？为什么？
Русский

Считаете ли Вы себя человеком верующим или неверующим? Почему?

Would you describe yourself as a religious person or not? If so, can you tell us the reasons why?

How do you judge the loss of religiosity? In your opinion, can religion still provide an answer to the problems of our time?

Some of your answers can be used in a future article. Thank you very much!

From the article Deserted churches and fewer believers: Swiss abandon God

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lal_morales 2025-07-01 21:00

The following contribution has been automatically translated from PT.

I think that people are moving away from religions because they are gradually realising that religion is of no use to them.__Cultivating a god or gods for me is a waste of time.

Penso que as pessoas estão se afastando das religiões, pois aos poucos percebem que a religião não tem nenhuma utilidade.__Cultuar um deus ou deuses para mim é perda de tempo.

Rigi 2025-06-24 03:13

I consider myself nondenominational, spiritual, as I see truth is parts of all religious traditions. I consider divine love and light to be guiding forces in the universe.

danielvs1965@gmail.com 2024-05-20 07:08

"Swiss evangelical reformed " is a misleading description of the mostly liberal Landeskirche (State-church) of Switzerland since "evangelical" is used for conservative bible adhering churches in the Anglo Saxon realm. E.g. Anglicans have an evangelical faction and parishes within their denomination.

Erika & Walter Brand 2024-05-14 17:37

The following contribution has been automatically translated from DE.

Only in some countries in northern Europe is the religious affiliation of people decreasing. In the south and the rest of the world, it is increasing. Many people who leave a church or religious community are not unbelievers per se. Leaving is not always because someone no longer believes in God. You can also believe in a higher invisible power or in God without belonging to a religious community. For my part, I was baptised, brought up, confirmed and educated as a Catholic. I left the church in 1983 because I felt that the church tax was massively too high. A compromise with the church administration was impossible. But I still feel like a Catholic.

Nur in einigen Ländern de nördlichen Europas nimmt die Religionszugehörigkeit der Menschen ab. Im Süden und in der übrigen Welt nimmt sie zu. Viele Menschen die aus einer Kirche oder Glaubensgemeinschaft austreten, sind nicht per se ungläubig. Der Austritt erfolgt nicht immer darum, weil jemand nicht mehr an Gott glaubt. Man kann auch an eine höhere unsichtbare Macht oder an Gott glauben, ohne einer Glaubensgemeinschaft anzugehören. Ich meinerseits bin katholisch getauft, erzogen, gefirmt und ausgebildet worden. 1983 trat ich aus der Kirche aus, weil ich die Kirchensteuer als massiv zu hoch empfand. Ein Kompromiss mit der Kirchenverwaltung war unmäglich. Ich fühle mich aber nach wie vor als Katholiken.

Eperez0406 2024-03-04 10:26

Should I force my perspectives into someone else's ? No.
.
For the gift of faith only comes from God.

Is not me giving the faith to the person when is about religion

Is God giving the faith to that person through his priests.

This is why I don't agree with forcing anyone to believe but being given an opportunity is differently. If a person believes great if a person unfortunately doesn't believe them that cannot be forced to believe but that person can be helped to answer questions

But never force.

For the gift of Faith only comes from God

Eperez0406 2024-03-04 10:24

I am a Christian Roman Catholic.

Why don't I follow the trends and join the membership of atheism?

Why don't I just give up so the moral compass is somewhat erased in other aspects to just 'enjoy life to the fullest'?

Do I think religion should be imposed on others?

All of these are very good questions and I will address these questions properly

First let's begin the very last question and then to the reminder questions.

I don't think religion should be forced nor imposed on people

However I believe in the Christian Catholic faith, regarless if rite, because is the true faith I have really experienced God's existence although I haven't seen him outside the Holy Eucharist but I know he certainly exists not just based on feelings itself but also reason explains that even the chemical and physical world is very chronological very monarchical structured even throught the chemical compositions and the rules of physics that God created everything for good use, he gave humanity the ability to think things through an to reason.

However just as all life matters, we are upheld responsibility and must be accountable for our actions on how we take care what is created by God.

When I spent the most times alone he always was there, God.
When I was very alone the virgin Mary helped me in several ways.

And I can say I was at a brink of being without food almost but thank to God always provided when I was having a difficult time . And I am still having some difficulties. But not as bad as when I was living in the streets for a time.

I could have lost faith and say " ohhh forget all of this " but I haven't because I know for sure God does exist and will forever exist he never forgets about those who pray to Him and help

Why not just give up and loose my moral compass?

As all humans we have temptations naturally everywhere in the world.

Sometimes some persons is easier to pretend for God to not exist and throw away all moral compass to be able to go ahead and fulfill all their most passionate feelings but that isn't the proper solution.
. actually even afterwards there is a void... there is an sense of absolute emptiness because is realised that wasn't forever and then that person realise that since that wasn't forever and was just for a moment very short lived then starts finding a way to fill that gap.

There is a new religion on the horizon or already being practiced by many is called lust unfortunately.

Some confuse lust with love.

Don't misunderstand me I am not puritan nor mormon nor islamic in my personal perspective.

The human body God created beautiful the person.
There is a good purpose.

However just as everything in life there should be moderation which naturally can't be forced because virtue only grows when someone consciously decides to do what is right. Not when someone is forced to do what is right.

Sometimes is necessary to create laws such as for example, laws against murders and abortions I fully agree in making such provisions I really do agree.

However there is other elements which we cannot put laws unless if is to protect the innocence of children and preserve I agree.

If a country makes every sort of law to stop sin, then that person won't gain spiritually anything

Why?

Because then wasn't willingly chosen by that particular person to make a full willing free conscious decisions.

But when is made fully consciously and with self discipline and determination then only then life improves.

Is when that person realise there is something greater than self.

Is when that person begins to understand that there is more meaning.

Before I used to say that there should be rules for this and that. But then as I started to study more my faith and see what the early church saints said including the father of the holy liturgy/mass such as saint John Chrysostom he said people cannot grow in virtue when they are forced to make proper decisions and he forbade even confessors To make laws to force people to do good.

However he is not saying that a society should be lawless and anarchist neither that is another extreme which cannot be agreed.

Reason churches are abandoned is because some people understand that the Catholic religion isn't a religion where accommodates feelings and emotions and self personal interpretations where the religion becomes mouldable and can be changed into anyone's personal perspectives.

Religion is what helps a person turn to something more noble and understand that as equally as we haven't seen other planets with our own eyes

God although we don't see him as you and I, except in the eucharistic, we know he definitely exists.

Some people then ask me.
If God exists then why he allows all the evil in the world to exist?

God doesn't agree with evils, God doesn't approve of evil actions by human beings.

But equally he doesn't force people to choose the right path and doesn't force people to love him because God is a full gentleman that really truly wants people to choose Him willingly.

People unfortunately choose bad decision in their own. But they can rectify

When a person makes an evil decision that cannot be blamed to God

In a theoretical example:
Is as the father who teaches his son all the proper ways of life morals etc and then once the son reaches proper age and let's say the son corrupts the father cannot be blamed by his son's decisions.

The son only has to blame himself for such decisions.

God gave all the precepts to humanity , but is entirely up to humanity to choose

That is how real life is.

I am not endorsing immortality.

But what I am saying is when people make a decision only a right full conscience decision can be fully made when that person has freedom equally when a person makes a conscious decision that person can truly grow in virtues

When a person is forced to grow in virtues then many times instead of helping the person acquire a virtue does the complete opposite.
When someone is a kid yes parents have the duty to help the kids

But once the son or daughter reaches to certain age that son or daughter has to be fully responsible for their own actions .

Thanks to God I have faith and believe always in Christian Catholic faith forever

thierryf 2024-02-19 18:20

The following contribution has been automatically translated from FR.

In 2012 I asked for my apostasy from the Roman Catholic Church, why?

The number of paedophilia cases in this one...

I don't believe in religious doxa, I've NEVER seen this so-called “god” in the flesh!

How can a virgin give birth? Did they know about surrogacy at the time???

How could Adam make a woman out of a rib? Did they know about transhumanism at the time???

Who wrote the Bible???

In short, I am resistant to all doxa and all propaganda, I have NEVER paid the license fee, I am not a subscriber to ANY newspaper, I only watch the “conspiracy” reininfosphere and I hate advertising in ALL its forms...

En 2012 j'ai demandé mon apostasie de l'église catholique romaine, Pourquoi?

Le nombre d'affaires de pédophilie au sein de celle ci...

Je ne crois pas en la doxa religieuse, j'ai JAMAIS vu ce soi disant "dieu" en chair et en os!

Comment une vierge peut enfanter? Ils connaissait la GPA a l'époque???

comment Adam a pu fabriquer une femme a partir d'une côte? Ils connaissait le transhumanisme a l'époque???

Qui a écrit la bible???

Bref je suis réfractaire a toute doxa et toute propagande, je n'ai JAMAIS payé la redevance, je ne suis abonné a AUCUN journal, je ne regarde que la réinfosphère "complotiste" et je hais les publicités sous TOUTES ses formes...

Eperez0406 2024-03-04 09:51

@thierryf

Many of the supposedly cases that you mentioned of the Catholic church actually another article was published of how many ocassions most American media neglect to rectify when there is many priests who were proven innocent.

Many....

And the media only leave a very bad note. But then they don't evaluate their own senators who have a worse reputation. Although not every American senator is a child molester, unfortunately there is many more.

The Catholic church there is some priests which are a minority. The majority are goodwilled but unfortunately the media exaggerated the numbers and many brought false accusations to increase slanderous accusations....

And then the court proven their innocent and the media never rectified their reputations.

How can American media be reliable when information is not proper?

When there is plenty of misinformation? Naturally this is why many Americans are doubting the media nowadays. They know, although not everyone, majority don't believe in the media rightfully.

Why? American Media gives very biased perspective unfortunately.

Roland Ruckstuhl 2024-02-17 09:47

The following contribution has been automatically translated from DE.

I am very sad when I see what is happening with the Catholic Church. I only have good memories and I still go to church often today. I was influenced by a youth choir (Catholic), there I was from the start to the bitter end after 19 years. We sang for Pope John Pau II in Bern, raised CHF 100,000 for street children in Brazil through a small musical, had birthday parties and weekends, especially in Tessin. A lot is lost there. Of course, the acts of abuse frightened many and left. The more you go, the more difficult it becomes to rebuild the whole thing.

Ich bin sehr traurig, wenn ich sehe was mit der katholischen Kirche passiert. Ich habe nur gute Erinnerungen und gehe auch heute noch oft in die Kirche. Geprägt hat mich einen Jugendchor, (kath.) dort war ich von Anfang an bis zum bitteren ende nach 19 Jahren. Wir sangen für den Papst Johannes Pau II in Bern, sammelten durch ein kleines Musical CHF 100'000 für Straßenkinder in Brasilien, hatten Geburtstagsfeste und Weekends vor allem im Tessin. Es geht da sehr viel Verloren. Natürlich haben die Missbrauchs-Taten viele Verschreckt und sind gegangen. Je mehr gehen, umso schwieriger wird es, dass ganze wieder aufzubauen.

Erika & Walter Brand 2024-02-15 20:06

The following contribution has been automatically translated from DE.

I believe in a higher power, but I'm not a bigot. Baptized Catholic, grew up and married. The children were also baptized and raised as Catholics. Our family later left the church because we were unable to accept the high church taxes. The church administration did not accept a compromise. We still feel connected to our faith and practice it freely. Leaving the church does not necessarily mean that you become ungodly and unbelieving. The Jewish/Christian faith or the Bible provides an answer to all human problems with a lot of wisdom, even today. A priest or rabbi can usually replace the psychiatrist. In addition, creditor members only accept in Northern Europe. In the rest of the world, they are increasing rapidly, as are church attendance.
Best regards from South Africa

Ich glaube an eine höhere Macht, bin aber nicht ein Frömmler. Katholisch getauft, aufgewachsen und geheiratet. Die Kinder ebenfalls katholisch getauft und aufgewachsen. Später ist unsere Familie aus der Kirche ausgetreten, weil wir die hohen Kirchensteuern nicht annehmen konnten. Einen Kompromiss akzeptierte die Kirchenverwaltung nicht. Wir fühlen uns trotzdem unserem Glauben verbunden und praktizieren ihn auch ungezwungen. Ein Kirchenaustritt heisst nicht unbedingt, dass man gottlos und ungläubig wird. Der jüdisch/christliche Glaube bzw. die Bibel gibt auf alle menschlichen Probleme eine Antwort mit vielen Weisheiten, auch heute noch. Ein Priester oder Rabbi kann den Psychiater meistens ersetzen. Im übrigen nehmen die Gläubigenmitglieder nur in Nordeuropa ab. In der übrigen Welt nehmen sie rasant zu, ebenso die Gottesdienstbesuche.
Beste Grüsse aus Südafrika

Al Ay Hi 2024-01-26 13:33

The following contribution has been automatically translated from ZH.

Religion is an ideology, and according to neurological scientists, human beings cannot live without an ideology.
However, I was born in Taiwan to parents who did not agree with ideology, whether it be religion, politics, or race, all of which are opposites, which caused me to start thinking about the nature of ideology at a very early age.
I don't take any side of any ideology, and I reject all kinds of ideologies. In my opinion, religious beliefs, political positions, racial superiority, etc. developed for the sake of survival are, after all, the products of human beings' inferior desire for survival.
I would not choose any ideology in order to survive, or perhaps I would have to borrow the power of an ideology in order to get out of the pain of the moment, but I think that human beings are ugly, especially when they have ideologies.

宗教信仰是一種意識形態，根據腦神經科學家的說法，人類不能沒有意識形態而生存。
但我出生於台灣，一個父母來自不同意識形態的家庭，無論是宗教，政治或是種族都是對立面，造成我很早就開始思考意識形態的本質問題。
我不站在任何意識形態的任何一方，我唾棄各種各式的意識形態。我認為，為了生存下去而發展出的宗教信仰，政治立場，種族優越感等等，終歸是人類低等的生存慾望的產物。
我不會為了活下去而選擇任何意識形態，或許為了脫離一時的痛苦我必須借用意識形態的力量，但我認為人類是醜惡的，尤其是有了意識形態。

Daniel Paladi 2024-01-15 21:55

The following contribution has been automatically translated from RU.

Hi, my name is Daniel. For more than 12 years I have been studying philosophy, different directions in religion, Western and Middle Eastern cultures, as well as occultism, especially in the period from the 12th to the 19th century AD. I am a proponent of objective idealism and the teachings of first century Christianity. I am willing to participate in discussions and online debates on these topics as well as others. Write, I will be glad to communicate.

Привет, меня зовут Даниил. Более 12 лет изучаю философию, различные направления в религии, западную и ближневосточную культуры, а также оккультизм, особенно в период с XII по XIX век н.э. Я сторонник объективного идеализма и учения христианства первого века. Готов участвовать в дискуссиях и онлайн-дебатах по этим темам, а также другим. Пишите, буду рад общению.

Nicklas 2023-11-30 22:49

I am religious, but more important is that peaceful neutrality originates from the neutral Vatican state, i.e. neutrality ceases to exist when people become a secular people. Therefore is my native Sweden planning to join NATO instead. Religion is fundamental to neutrality.

Cristina Ayres 2023-11-17 10:59

The following contribution has been automatically translated from PT.

I was baptized in the Catholic Church by my parents, but I never attended services because I didn't feel the same way. As a teenager, I began to integrate with "spirituality" and new horizons opened up even more when I joined a ufology group called RAMA. This made me realize that "everything" was in me and it didn't really matter where I was physically.

Fui batizada na igreja católica pelos meus pais porém nunca frequentei os cultos por não sentir afinidade. Na adolescência fui me integrando com a "espiritualidade" e novos horizontes foram se abrindo ainda mais quando entrei num grupo de ufologia chamado RAMA. Isso fez com que percebesse que "tudo" estava em mim e realmente não importava onde eu estivesse como lugar físico.

LynxVegas 2023-11-03 10:04

I believe in me. That's all I need. If there were no religions in the world, just think how many wars there would not have been. Just think how many people would still be alive.