Jens is in his late sixties. He lives in a cozy house on a quiet street in a mid-sized city on the east coast of Jutland, Denmark. He’s many things: a widower, a lover of art and music, a retired radio journalist and social worker, a father, and an atheist.
As for that last part of his identity—the utter lack of any belief in a God—it isn’t all that important to him. Being secular in contemporary Denmark, one of the least pious nations in the world, is simply no big deal. But when I came to his house one sunny, cold morning to interview him for my research, he took the time to actively ponder his lack of religiosity and reflect about how distinct his naturalistic worldview is from that of his forbearers. As he explained, his four grandparents were all “real believers.” What about his parents? Yes, they were religious, too, “but less so.” And as for Jens’s siblings: “my younger brother is a very hard atheist, and my sister and my elder brother are more agnostics.”