3rd place — 2024 high school essay contest: Ashkon Shirazi

FFRF awarded Ashkon $2,500.

By Ashkon Shirazi

My parents raised us without religion; their country had seen too much of it. The secular shah was replaced with an authoritarian theocracy. My mother’s normal school clothes became veiled by a hijab. Less time in school was devoted to math and science and more was given to lectures of Islamic martyrdom and the evils of the West.

So, when my parents raised my siblings and me in America, they did so without forced religion. My father still prays privately, but the family Quran lies next to the more-opened books of Persian poetry and literature. The principles of my family were centered around reason. Study of science was encouraged, not shunned or treated as a social taboo. God was not a frequent visitor in our dreams, and he never provided any unsolicited spiritual advice. So, I am among many other Gen Z “Nones” that hold values of empiricism in highest regard. 

According to a survey from Pew Research, American Nones are far more likely to hold their faith in the natural world. Nine percent of religiously affiliated adults believe that the natural world is all there is, compared to 35 percent of Nones. A majority of Nones (56 percent) believe that science does more good than harm in society, compared to 40 percent of the religiously affiliated. These values, rising in prominence among Gen Z, help shift American society to value evidence-based critical thinking.

Although there is still risk of misinformation and bias, greater trust in science among Nones creates more popular support for research and public health. A population that evaluates evidence above faith is far more likely to adopt vaccinations and follow public safety measures in a country that still exists in the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic.

More striking is a second Pew Research survey stating that 62 percent of the religiously unaffiliated believe that the world is too complicated to be strictly divided into “good” and “evil,” compared to only 44 percent of Christians. Religious thinking divides the world into good and evil and therefore begets an unwillingness to compromise and listen to other perspectives. After all, who would want to compromise with “evil”?

A society increasingly made up of Nones will be far more likely to engage in bipartisan conversation and informed debate, furthering acceptance of minoritized groups like the LGBTQ community. In political participation, Gen Z Nones will hold the greatest sway. We have far less tolerance for candidates who dismiss and deny science, making funding for health, science and education more likely.

Through voting for candidates who support the separation of church and state, our votes help preserve the original vision of American democracy. As we grow older, we will increasingly participate in both local and national politics. As future members of our city councils, state senates and federal legislatures, our values will see more direct application in government. Increased trust in scientific evidence and willingness to compromise with those of different beliefs will form a political culture that is more trustworthy, empirical and open to all. 

Ashkon, 18, is from Jacksonville, Fla., and attends Brown University with plans to major in biochemistry. “A lifelong violinist and singer, I was named salutatorian of my high school class,” Ashkon writes. “I have been performing with the Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestra for four years and have been performing in the high school chorus for many years.”