How Secularization Has Made the Supernatural Scarier

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The world is changing. Although the majority of Americans remain religious, recent polls by the Pew Research Center note a surge in secularization. Pews everywhere are emptying as people exit the structure of organized religion, moving on to what they feel is a truer way of life.

And for many, it’s making the supernatural more frightening than ever.

But while Americans are steadily becoming more secular, they’re also simultaneously becoming more spiritual. These are the people who feel a “deep sense of spiritual peace and well-being, as well as a deep sense of wonder about the universe," according to the Pew study.

Lately, our culture has taken to calling this group “seekers.” This is a great description of these people—having left organized religion behind, they’re constantly in search of greater meaning, and of answers to the mysteries of the universe. They want to know where we came from, why we’re here, and where we’re going—all questions that religion previously addressed.

But with this shift comes a problem. The majority of these seekers are not only spiritual, but still believe in a hidden, spiritual world that can interact with humanity—including spiritual entities that can harm us. And without the safety blanket of spiritual protection that religion once promised, things can feel pretty frightening.

To better understand this, let’s take a look how this shift from the religious to the secular has made the supernatural scarier.

We Feel Insignificant

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Most of the world’s main religions place great significance on humankind—in fact, many place us at the very center of all creation. According to these beliefs, humans are important, and the universe—and everything in it—is for our benefit.

But with the move to secularization, that isn’t so any longer.

With the crumbling of these beliefs, we now feel insignificant—mere specks against an infinite and empty backdrop of distant stars and uninhabited planets. And what’s worse, the universe feels like cold, uncaring place, devoid of the love or purposeful design of a deity.

The same goes for the spiritual world. No longer is it stacked in humankind’s favor—many now see themselves as a tiny, temporary speck in a sea of eternal, uncaring spiritual forces they cannot comprehend.

That’s frightening. Without the spiritual significance given to human life by religion, it’s all too easy to feel alone and afraid in an invisible and chaotic spiritual world that simply doesn't care.

We Feel Powerless

Religion has long been associated with power, but right now, we’re not talking about money or fame or obedience.

We’re talking spiritual power.

This is the power to ask a higher power for help in times of great need. This is the ability to pray for intervention or protection or success. In short, this is the ability to ask something bigger than yourself for change. Whatever you might believe about the existence of God or the supernatural, the ability to pray to a benevolent God is immensely comforting.

But now, as more and more people join the ranks of former believers, that comfort is waning. The spiritual world, for this group, is no longer taking requests.

Instead, the spirits simply do as they wish.

It’s frightening to be powerless, and even more frightening to feel that you are at the whim of unseen forces over which you have no sway at all, and that there is no prayer to alleviate bad luck, attract good fortune, or dispel evil intent.

That’s frightening.

Without that familiar comfort that comes with the ability to pray, and to have that prayer answered, spiritual people in a secular world can easily feel utterly powerless.

We Feel Unsafe

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Human beings don’t just fear the unknown. They fear that the unknown has an evil purpose. But religion has long given people the tools that they believed could protect them from the spiritual unknown—ghosts, devils, demons, and other similar spiritual evils.

In the Christian tradition, for example, Catholic exorcists can command demons to cease their evil activities. Muslims have a similar tradition of repelling evil spirits, called ruqya. And nearly all belief systems allow an appeal to a benevolent—or at least, benign—deity in order to ask for protection from dark spiritual forces.

But if someone were to leave their religion while still believing in these forces, they would lose this assurance of protection. There would be no recourse against that bump in the night or the whisper in the darkness, and there is no shield against the spiritual unknown.

Outside of the religious framework, the spiritual world feels a much more dangerous place, and that is a frightening thing.

We Feel Unsure

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More than anything, religion gives people purpose, connecting them to some greater story that answers many of life’s greatest questions.

For example, Christian scripture places humankind at the center of God’s grand plan for redeeming all of creation. Many Christians feel great purpose in helping to bring that plan to fruition by serving God, talking about their faith to others, and loving others as God loves them. They’re part of something bigger than themselves, and their religious worldview helps guide every choice they make.

And eventually, that story will take them into the afterlife.

It is difficult to feel as purposeful when religion is left behind. Goals can still be made and pursued, but they’re the stuff of everyday life rather than a cosmic struggle.

But what’s most frightening of all, concerning this lack of purpose and direction, is that a secular worldview doesn’t give us the spiritual answers we need. The supernatural afterlife, for those who have left religion behind, becomes a thing of mystery and fright. There’s no telling what lies beyond life.

Leaving behind the purposefulness of religion can leave a void of uncertainty that’s as frightening as any monstrous creature.

We Feel Hopeless

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Finally, the shift from a religious worldview to a spiritual one can, as a result of all of the effects we’ve talked about, lead to an enduring sense of hopelessness.

Religion is the stuff of hope—often, it gives believers confidence that there is something after death, that their lives mean something, that they’re protected against spiritual evil, and they hold some sway over the spiritual world. In essence, religion is how people make sense of spirituality.

But take away these assurances, whether they are valid or not, and hope falters. The supernatural is suddenly a very different place.

This lack of hope may just be the scariest thing of all regarding the supernatural in a secular world. Without the assurances and answers provided by a religious framework, many feel spiritual seekers are left adrift and vulnerable, with no way out, and no way to deal with the spiritual world they may still fully believe in.

The Spiritual Safety Blanket

Those who are leaving the world of organized religion often do so for good reasons—they’ve been abused, neglected, or can no longer tolerate the divisiveness that is sometimes found in organized religion.

But that doesn’t mean we have to leave it behind. Instead of casting religion aside and losing the safety and hope that it promises, perhaps it’s time to transform organized religion into something better, and to get back to the roots of belief, according to each faith. Christians can reexamine the ways of Christ, for example, and Muslims can take another look at Muhammad.

The beliefs and practices of these figures are exactly what spiritual seekers are after, and are the safety blanket that will help us feel safe again in a spiritual world.