The religiometer is an instrument that measures the degree to which a person is (ir)religious on a scale of one to ten. It divides the religiophilosophical spectrum into grades, according to people’s answers to the question: ‘What is the nature of the universe?’ Depending upon the fundamental perception to which people adhere, they are then assigned to a higher or to a lower grade of religiosity. Among other things, this instrument is designed to establish at which moment religious moderation gives way to religious fundamentalism.
Note: Religiosity is defined here as ‘a belief in a supramaterial power that governs the universe’. It does not, therefore, refer to the wider meaning of ‘believing in’: having faith in or trusting in something, in the future, for instance.
In grades 1 and 2 we find the nonbelievers. They are atheistic and adeistic.
Grade one:
“I am in and of the world. I have absolutely no feeling that I am part of what I would call ‘a greater whole’.”
Grade 2 differs slightly from grade 1, because it is at this point that (a nonreligious) spirituality makes its appearance.
Grade two:
“I feel I am part of a greater whole. I feel a certain connection with that greatness - that is to say with the world, with humankind and with the universe - but I do not for a moment believe that the greater whole is dependent on a power that exists beyond the laws of physics. If in situations of so-called ‘singularity’ the laws of nature no longer hold good, then for me there is still absolutely no question of something ‘supernatural’, but rather of different laws of nature subject to relativity.”
Note: It is becoming evident that not everything referred to as ‘religion’ will be awarded a high grade on the scale. Buddhism, for instance, already makes its appearance at grade 2. Many people therefore consider Buddhism to be a philosophy rather than a religion.
After the grade two atheists come the agnostics. Agnostics hold that the essential nature and ultimate cause of the greater whole are unknown and inherently unknowable. In practice this way of thinking entails that agnostics allow the possibility that there is a supramaterial power that governs everything. This distinguishes them essentially from the atheists who do not allow this possibility.
Grade three:
“I feel I am part of a greater whole, but I find that I can’t know whether the greatness I perceive falls within or beyond the laws of physics.”
Next come the somethingists. They are but a small step away from deism, but the concept ‘god’ is too charged for them to be able to use it.
Grade four:
“I believe that the greatness I perceive is indeed something that transcends the laws of physics, but I deliberately opt not to call it ‘god’. I find every existing concept inadequate, so I prefer to call it ‘something’: ‘There has to be something!’”
The fifth grade is deistic. Deists believe in a god, but do not believe that this god exerts any control or influence.
Grade five:
“I believe that the greatness I perceive is a supernatural power. I call it ‘God’. God transcends the material. God can be anything and everything. God is a presence, that is all that is known about God.”
From the sixth grade on everyone is theistic. The immaterial power of grade 5 is personified.
Grade six:
“I believe in a supernatural power that I call ‘God’. God possesses human characteristics. He is an attentive, personified presence. He can feel love, be disappointed and cherish hopes. He is completely powerless, but He knows everything about me, because ‘the hairs of my head are all numbered’’.”
From the seventh grade on the god of the divine plan makes his appearance. This is a central concept for the advocates of Intelligent Design.
Grade seven:
“God is more than an attentive, personified presence. He also has a plan for me. His plans are mostly mysterious.”
Grade eight:
“God not only has a plan for me, He also has a plan for the world and for other people, for all the other people, whether they believe in Him or not. Nothing happens without His involvement.”
Grade nine:
“God determines His plans and objectives so clearly that rules and laws can be derived from them. Most of these rules and laws concern human ethics. He furthermore determines my understanding of the creation of heaven and earth, of life and death, and of god and man. There are punishments for those who do not adhere to His rules, and rewards for those who do, just as there are also punishments for those who do not accept the prescribed understanding of the universe, and rewards for those who do. The nature of the reward is not always clear, but I trust that He will not forsake me’.”
In the tenth grade religiosity potentially comes into conflict with civil and human rights. In its more extreme expressions it may entail that ‘God’ summons the faithful to be his instruments and to take action when somebody fails to accept His God-given laws and understanding. The risk here is that this may lead to moral and physical coercion.
Grade ten:
“Because God can only realize his earthly objectives through man, He calls upon me to proclaim and explain (‘speaking in tongues’) His laws and rules and to implement and enforce them. I am His instrument, and as His instrument I am at His disposal.”
