Who Are Occasional Practitioners?

Abstract Occasional religious practitioners involved in Anglican religious practices claim diverse religious and nonreligious identities. There are those who identify as Anglican because of past or present belief or practice, cultural heritage or family background, or personal choice. There are also people who identify as Roman Catholic for a similar range of reasons and who practice occasionally in the Anglican tradition. Some occasional practitioners identify with other Christian traditions, or simply as “Christian.” Occasional practitioners may also identify with non-Christian religious traditions. Occasional practitioners who identify as “spiritual” or “spiritual but not religious” may do so to indicate a sense of spiritual connection in their lives, point to participation in alternative spiritual practices, or simply to suggest that they are nonreligious but not anti-religious. There are also explicitly nonreligious occasional practitioners who identify as atheist, agnostic, or indifferent to religion. This research demonstrates that this diversity of participants is present at Anglican liturgies on certain occasions.