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Religions
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Whither Spirituality?
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Whither Spirituality?

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2024) | Viewed by 5752

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Morgan Shipley

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Religious Studies, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA
Interests: spirituality; secular spirituality; spiritual but not religious; New Religious Movements; social justice; mysticism and esotericism; entheogens; religion and American culture; pluralism; theories and methods

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the 21st century, amidst a global world still emerging from a shared pandemic, continually contending with increased reliance on technology, and persistently responding to a series of human-made catastrophes, what is meant by spirituality?

For many, spirituality remains a word wed contingently to religion, often emerging to describe experiential aspects of faith, belief, and practice within an established system of religion. In this usage, spirituality often connects to one’s relationship to the sacred, whether this be a transcendent truth or something more immanent, such as nature.

However, for a growing chorus of voices, spirituality increasingly speaks to secular realities—it is more and more a placeholder to describe the ongoing pursuit of meaning, the longing for purpose, and the hope for belongingness both within and beyond religious membership. Once the domain of religion, spirituality now emerges in relation to concerns regarding individual wellness and collective well-being, and in connection to areas ranging from medical care, professional development, and leadership skills to various cultural expressions, including the arts, sport, and technology. For individuals who now prefer the moniker spiritual but not religious, spirituality might signify an enduring commitment to belief but without the “baggage” of religious affiliation; for others, spirituality denotes a specifically secular ideal, one that demonstrates how humans continue to seek answers to the major challenges of life without the guiding hand of religious doctrine or authority.

This Special Issue of Religions seeks contributions that add to, challenge, and seek to complicate the ways in which spirituality emerges, is described, and is applied across both religious and secular landscapes. Is spirituality the experiential or cultural manifestation of religion? What are the results, implications, losses, and values of separating spirituality from religion? What becomes of spirituality within secularity? How do Western notions of spirituality impact global cultural knowledge? What occurs when spirituality and spiritual practices are appropriated in the name of wellness? How do digital spaces connect to spiritual practices and understandings? And what might all this tell us about both spirituality and the continued place of religion in our contemporary moment?

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Spirituality and Religion
  • Spirituality or Religion
  • Global Spirituality
  • Spirituality or Spiritualities?
  • Spiritual vs. Spirituality
  • Spirituality and Nature
  • Spirituality and Environmentalism
  • Spirituality and Justice
  • Spirituality and Culture
  • Spirituality and Digital Culture
  • Spirituality and Technology
  • Spiritual But Not Religious
  • The Nones
  • Spirituality and Wellness
  • Secular Spirituality
  • Problems/Limits of Definition(s)
  • Religion, Spirituality, Theology, and Processes of Classification
  • Spirituality and Philosophy
  • Spirituality and Public Life
  • Spirituality, Politics, and Economics
  • Spirituality and Appropriation
  • Spiritual Tourism
  • Spirituality and the New Age
  • Indigeneity and Spirituality

Dr. Morgan Shipley
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • spirituality
  • secular spirituality
  • spiritual but not religious
  • nones
  • spiritual
  • secularity
  • digital age
  • appropriation
  • public life
  • environmentalism
  • global spiritualities
  • spirituality and wellness

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 2822 KiB  
Article
Navigating Religious Hybridity: Dimensions of Jain Identity and Practice in Singapore’s Pluralistic Society
by Yifan Zhang
Religions 2024, 15(12), 1522; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15121522 - 12 Dec 2024
Viewed by 310
Abstract
With its rich history as a center for commerce, cultural interactions, and a tapestry of spiritual traditions, Singapore has evolved into a vibrant amalgamation of diverse ethnic and religious heritages. Various communities have harmoniously woven themselves into the fabric of Singaporean society, each [...] Read more.
With its rich history as a center for commerce, cultural interactions, and a tapestry of spiritual traditions, Singapore has evolved into a vibrant amalgamation of diverse ethnic and religious heritages. Various communities have harmoniously woven themselves into the fabric of Singaporean society, each enriching it with their distinct influences. Throughout history, the rich and varied tapestry of the Indian community has often been underestimated by external observers. In a parallel manner, the distinct identity of the Singaporean Indian community frequently remained in the shadows, eclipsed by the prevailing presence of the Tamil Hindu population. The Jain community in Singapore, though a small minority, has played a notable role in the nation’s growth and the enhancement of its diverse cultural landscape. This article draws upon ethnographic materials collected by the author through comprehensive fieldwork in Singapore. It unveils the multifaceted nature of identity within the Jain community, even though they represent a modest presence in Singapore. The Jains in Singapore exemplify the complex interactions of their multiple identities as they engage with the rich tapestry of Singapore’s diverse and multicultural landscape, where global viewpoints and local traditions intertwine. By engaging actively and adapting to diverse social contexts within Singaporean society, the Jain community has skillfully navigated the complexities of spatial dynamics, and vividly demonstrated the notion of “religious hybridity”. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Whither Spirituality?)
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18 pages, 330 KiB  
Article
Love Through Patience: A Contribution to the Kierkegaardian Discussion on the Spiritual Nature of Love Relationships
by Raquel Carpintero
Religions 2024, 15(11), 1372; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15111372 - 12 Nov 2024
Viewed by 579
Abstract
This paper seeks to make a modest contribution to the ongoing Kierkegaardian discussion concerning the spiritual nature of love relationships, particularly those involving romantic elements. It introduces patience as a key element in understanding the love of the spirit, diverging from perspectives commonly [...] Read more.
This paper seeks to make a modest contribution to the ongoing Kierkegaardian discussion concerning the spiritual nature of love relationships, particularly those involving romantic elements. It introduces patience as a key element in understanding the love of the spirit, diverging from perspectives commonly found in recent Anglophone Kierkegaardian literature. Since, in Kierkegaard’s works, the spirit is conceived as an intermediary being positioned between time and eternity, I argue that the spirit’s love must be approached through patience, which is the concrete space where time and eternity intertwine. The argument unfolds in three steps: first, I present Kierkegaard’s understanding of human love as a work, highlighting the significance of the neighbor, which refers to the mode of loving rather than the object of love; second, I outline the challenges inherent in Kierkegaard’s conception of love and propose an approach that emphasizes the dialectic between transcendence and immanence; third, I argue that patience is the concrete means by which this dialectic unfolds within the individual’s existence. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Whither Spirituality?)
13 pages, 279 KiB  
Article
Modes of Mindfulness in Post-Catholic Ireland
by Thomas Carroll
Religions 2024, 15(11), 1317; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15111317 - 29 Oct 2024
Viewed by 837
Abstract
The Republic of Ireland has undergone a seismic religious and social transformation in recent decades. Through the processes of secularization and detraditionalization, as well as several major scandals within the Irish Catholic Church, irreligiosity has become an increasing reality in terms of the [...] Read more.
The Republic of Ireland has undergone a seismic religious and social transformation in recent decades. Through the processes of secularization and detraditionalization, as well as several major scandals within the Irish Catholic Church, irreligiosity has become an increasing reality in terms of the hitherto overwhelmingly Catholic population. At a time of spiritual climate change in this post-Catholic Ireland, the contemporary phenomenon of mindfulness has exploded in popularity across various elements of society. Against this backdrop, three distinctive modes or strands of mindfulness are proposed as being operative in the Irish context, each catering to the needs of different practitioners. The proposed modes include psychological and clinical mindfulness and commodified and post-secular spirituality. Within the lacuna created by the receding of Catholic belief and practice, the emergence of mindfulness in the Irish context is explored, mapping how this originally Buddhist practice has gained such a foothold in contemporary spiritual discourse. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Whither Spirituality?)
12 pages, 886 KiB  
Article
Spiritual but Not Religious? French Muslim Discourses on Spirituality
by Abdessamad Belhaj
Religions 2023, 14(10), 1222; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14101222 - 23 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1670
Abstract
This article explores the possibility of a spiritual Islam in the West as a viable alternative to traditionalist and political Islam. It looks at the capabilities and limitations of two French Muslim voices, Abdennour Bidar and Éric Geoffroy, who are the most vocal [...] Read more.
This article explores the possibility of a spiritual Islam in the West as a viable alternative to traditionalist and political Islam. It looks at the capabilities and limitations of two French Muslim voices, Abdennour Bidar and Éric Geoffroy, who are the most vocal Muslim intellectuals in favor of spiritual Islam in France. A careful examination of their writings reveals that post-modernism, French secularism, and religious freedom all support the spread of spiritual Islam. However, because of its elitism, overemphasis on individualism, and lack of formal religious institutions for knowledge and practice, spiritual Islam struggles. Overall, spiritual Islam flourishes in a secular society, but it is too intellectual to truly oppose political and conservative Islam. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Whither Spirituality?)
12 pages, 244 KiB  
Article
Psychosocial Workers and Indigenous Religious Leaders: An Integrated Vision for Collaboration in Humanitarian Crisis Response
by David William Alexander and Tatiana Letovaltseva
Religions 2023, 14(6), 802; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14060802 - 19 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1412
Abstract
Indigenous religious leaders can be the most trusted organic helping agents within vulnerable communities, but often lack orientation to the language and paradigms of the mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) professionals responding to their communities after a crisis. Similarly, MHPSS professionals work [...] Read more.
Indigenous religious leaders can be the most trusted organic helping agents within vulnerable communities, but often lack orientation to the language and paradigms of the mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) professionals responding to their communities after a crisis. Similarly, MHPSS professionals work within paradigms which do not always match the indigenous world views of the vulnerable people they seek to help and therefore can undermine community stability while attempting to provide a service. In parallel, the spiritual care offered by indigenous religious leaders does not always optimally intersect with evidence-based MPHSS interventions, although it is highly likely that both approaches to care provide important benefits to the community, some of which are missing or underemphasized in one or the other. Training approaches designed to orient religious leaders to the work of MHPSS are usually funded and delivered by MHPSS professionals and tend to leverage MHPSS assumptions and portray MHPSS interventions as the most important lines of effort in care. This may leave religious leaders feeling uncertain of their ability to contribute to multi-disciplinary efforts without migrating away from their own foundational assumptions about humanity, illness, and wellness. Often missing from the field is a parallel effort in training which offers MHPSS professionals insight into the efficacy of indigenous spiritual interventions of various kinds and how working alongside indigenous religious leaders can aid them in protecting against the well-known pathologizing tendencies present in their own models of care. The authors are experienced in working during and after community crisis with both MHPSS professionals and indigenous religious leaders and offer an integrated vision for combined training and combined support planning that may facilitate collaboration after crisis in vulnerable communities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Whither Spirituality?)
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