The Czech Republic is often referred to as one of the most atheistic countries in the world, yet a new survey finds that three-quarters of Czech students are interested in spirituality and more than a half of secondary school pupils
are “seekers”. According to a recent poll conducted on 7,000 students for the Academy for Young Christians (KAM), the young say that the church and church-going are relics of the past and that religion brings neither happiness nor freedom. “About three-quarters of students can be ranked among spiritual individuals with an interest in spiritual questions and not rejecting the possibility of the existence of non-material phenomena, but their stands cannot be described as Christian faith,” says the report on the poll.
Another 17 per cent can be marked as atheists and 7 per cent as Christian believers, according to the poll. Asked to say how they imagine God, 45 per cent of the students said “something is above us, but I do not know what to call it.” Twenty-one per cent of students said there is no God, 17 per cent are not interested in God and 11 per cent said they were interested in God. Six per cent of young people form a special group. They say God does exist, but they are not interested in him.