1.8 Religion/Spirituality

Spirituality

While the majority of furries do not consider themselves to be religious (blue bars above), the fandom is far more diverse with regard to spiritual beliefs; furries are as likely to be spiritual as they are to be non-spiritual (orange bars above). When asked about their religious beliefs, nearly one-third of furries identified as either atheist or agnostic (see figure below). About 25% of furries are Christian, though many indicated that they did not regularly practice their faith or attend church. 11% identified as pagan, shaman, or Wiccan. Finally, the most populated category, “other,” comprised of participants who had their own belief systems, were undecided, refused to answer, or had uncommon belief systems. Taken together, the data suggest that the furry fandom contains a diversity of religious and spiritual beliefs, and it’s worth noting that despite this, religion is seldom a point of conflict for furries.1

Religious affiliation of furries

When compared to members of other fandoms (see figure below), furries are comparably religious.2

Religiousness of fan groups

References

  1. Anthrocon 2015, Artist Survey, and Post-Con Depression Study
  2. IARP 2014 3-fandom study

11 Comments

  1. ocelot

    humans are in essance furries because of evolution – not religion

    Reply
    • Tacitus

      Humans are “in essence” Furries because we love animals, and anthropomorphic animals at that, and want to make our own versions of them to express and love ourselves, and each other, and if it where because of evolution then why are canines, dragons, and reptiles etc the most popular/loved; well because they are cool and cute, versions of ourselves and the animals we love. Not evolution.

      Reply
  2. kylethefox

    as a christian furry i want all to know that my christianity comes first and i regularly attend church and practice my faith, for any other christian furries out there i encourage you to do the same! thanks!

    Reply
    • Eddy

      Dear Kylethefox,
      Do you pray inside your fursuit?
      -a curious cub

      Reply
  3. Finley

    I’m Wiccan but I’m glad to see how diverse the furry fandom is with religion and spirituality. 🙂

    Reply
  4. Yuley

    Christian furry here :3
    Seriously though, Christ should be top priority in any Christian fur’s life. (And any Christian’s life obviously) and remember, Christ commands us to love all people, no matter what. But love does not mean supporting sin. And guess what? Even Christians are sinners. All of them. That’s why we need a Savior.

    I have my own problems, I must admit.

    Reply
    • The Birdaplier

      That’s great to hear! I too am a furry and a Christian, and I do concur with your points. I do wish there were more Christians who were furries though.

      Reply
  5. Acton

    I am a devout Anglican in worship and Reformed and Confessional in beliefs, I am also a furry since 2006.
    I think the number of those who disagree, who are most likely are in the Millennial and younger demographic, that reflect a gowning trend of religiously unaffiliated, the Nones. The data seems to me reflect how trends in our society are brought into the fandom.

    Reply
  6. Louna

    I’m a polytheistic furry,its good to see that there is just 11% of pagans in the fandom

    Reply
  7. storm_leopardcat

    Hey there, Muslim and a fan of anthropomorphic animals here!
    Assalam o alaykum!

    Reply
    • Phoebe Perlman (Tsovoa Levone)

      I’m a Jewish fan of anthros! Shalom Aleichem! I chose a spotted hyaena as my fursona, because people have a very stigmatised view on them, and as a Jewish person I sympathise with these animals, contrary to popular belief, lions are actually more “evil” than hyaenas, they’ve been known to steal kills from hyenas and wild dogs, and aren’t actually that smart compared to hyaenas, hyaenas are actually quite smart, almost as smart as primates, Smithsonian proved this a few years ago. Hyaenas were also once believed to be hermaphrodites, but since the 1900s, science has proved otherwise, this is because the females have very high testosterone, causing their anatomy to be quite confusing.

      Reply

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