Free Inquiry Audio Edition

How Rock and Sex Affected the Increase in Nones

June 5, 2026·18 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

Mark Kolsen argues that rock 'n' roll and the sexual revolution played a significant role in the rise of religious "Nones" in the United States by encouraging more permissive attitudes toward sex and weakening traditional religious participation. He traces how early rock music emerged from Pentecostal church culture, how conservative religious backlash against rock and sexuality politicized religion, and how younger Americans increasingly distanced themselves from organized faith as the religious Right aligned itself with conservative politics. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://secularhumanism.org/2026/05/how-rock-and-sex-effected-the-increase-in-nones/ About the Author: Mark Kolsen lives in Chicago. A fan of the Four Horsemen and the late Victor Stenger, he strives to understand all facets of scientific cosmology and evolutionary biology. Subscribe to Free Inquiry: https://secularhumanism.org/subscribe/

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