What is "ietsism"

Ietsism ( – "somethingism") is an unspecified belief in an undetermined transcendent force. It is a Dutch term for a range of beliefs held by people who, on the one hand, inwardly suspect – or indeed believe – that "there must be something undefined beyond the material and that which can be known” than we know about, but on the other hand do not necessarily accept or subscribe to the established belief system, dogma or view of the nature of a Deity offered by any particular religion. Some of the English language equivalent terms are agnostic theism, eclecticism and spiritual but not religious. Ietsists might call themselves Christian or followers of an other religion based on cultural identification with that religion, without believing in the dogmas of that particular religion. In terms of statistics this might influence outcomes when people are asked about their religion or beliefs without more in-depth interviewing.

In some Eastern European censuses (Albanian, for example), those having ietsistic beliefs are counted as believers without religion.