According to the most recent Census, ‘other religion’, ‘non religion’ or ‘religious beliefs not stated’ constituted for 17.03% of the Bury population. There are several non-traditional beliefs that people choose which do no correspond to traditional forms of religion.
Spiritualism
Spiritualism is a religious movement in which followers believe that spirits of the dead can be contacted by mediums. The concept that spirits lie on a higher spiritual plane than humans suggests to spiritualists that they are capable of providing guidance in both wordly and spiritual matters.
Humanism
Humanism is a broad category of ethical philosophies that affirm the dignity of human nature. Humanism rejects beliefs such as a dependence on faith or the supernatural and instead endorses the view that individuals are responsible for searching for truth through their own dignity and self-worth.
Atheism
Atheism is an absence of belief in a God or religion. Atheists do not claim to know there is no God, but at the same time, do not believe in one. There is no single system of philosophy which all atheists share, nor does atheism have institutionalised rituals or behaviours.
Pantheism
Pantheism literally means “God is All” and “All is God”. It is the view that everything encompasses God or that the universe, or nature, and God are equivalent. The concept is that natural law, existence and the universe is represented in the theological principle of ‘God’.
Agnosticism
Agnosticism is the philosophical view that the value of certain claims, such as the existence of God, is unknown. Agnostics claim that it is not possible to have certain spiritual knowledge or, while it may be possible they personally have no such knowledge.
Scientology
One of the most recent alternative movements, Scientology is a body of teachings which claims to offer an exact methodology to help humans achieve awareness of their spiritual existence across many lifetimes and become more effective in the physical world.
