Focusing on religious affiliation, researchers say spirituality is declining in the United States, but that’s not the whole story. morgan shipleyAssociate Professor of Religious Studies michigan state university. Recent According to a Pew Research Center survey, 28% of American adults say they are not religious.. Digging a little deeper, Shipley discovered that religiously unaffiliated people, sometimes referred to as “independents,” are often a diverse group of people with broader spiritual perspectives.
as MSU Foglio Spirituality Endowed CourseShipley is responsible for his research and his book “Psychedelic Mysticism: Altered Consciousness, Religious Experience, and Voluntary Farmers in Postwar America.Below, Shipley explores how spirituality and identity are expanding and becoming more inclusive.
What does spirituality mean more broadly and how is it changing?
Morgan Shipley, MSU College of Arts and Letters Folio Endowed Chair in Spirituality; Credit: Ryan Frederick.
Many people think of spirituality as being associated with religion. But the more I talk to people, the more I hear about efforts to cultivate spirituality, especially outside of organized religion. Spirituality is increasingly concerned with how people can enhance their own well-being and respond to the well-being of others as well. Spirituality is not only about oneself, but also expresses the pursuit of responsible commitment.
Instead of talking about what spirituality is, let’s explore what spirituality does. Spirituality represents an ambitious approach to living, a way of orienting oneself in the world and finding answers to the most pressing questions of existence. It is an approach to living actively with others through what I call “reciprocal compassion.”
I define spirituality in a secular way as a holistic effort to become a complete human being. This means finding your purpose and meaning, strengthening your connections with others, and seeking a more just and just world.
How do you teach your students about spirituality in today’s divisive culture?
My classes are designed to help students learn about the essential historical need to center a decent life and what happens when it doesn’t. I lead students through an exploration of spirituality and social justice movements in hopes of helping them understand the power of living intentionally and compassionately. In addition to teaching them about spirituality, I invite them to moments of self-reflection and group activities that foster the values of compassion, empathy, and altruism in their daily lives.
I seek to center my students’ experiences by creating opportunities for them to grow as more complete people. It’s not just a skill, it’s how you get along with people, how you navigate differences and how you strive for inclusivity.
I say this at the end of every class. “Be a beautiful person.” Always act with compassion. I can’t wait to see you in the next class. ” What I mean is for them to be their whole self, accept that as their truth, and be willing to do so for the sake of others.
Several recent studies have found that religious affiliation is on the decline. Do you see this trend in your work?
Answering “none” on a questionnaire about religious affiliation does not mean that people have abandoned spirituality or are devoid of any faith. term “none” is often used in a provocative way when talking about the decline of religion in the United States, but people answer “none” for a variety of reasons.
Morgan Shipley’s research explores changes in spirituality, belonging, and religious identity Credit: Ryan Frederick.
Some people say “nothing” because they have been socialized to think about religion. Answering “none” in a survey simply indicates that some respondents do not consider themselves to follow a religious system or express traditional beliefs. But nothing is said about how they relate to spirituality.Many “none” are simply Think about spirituality in a completely different wayThat it is no longer a question of religious belief or belonging to a church, synagogue or mosque, but really just a broader sense of belonging and meaning-making.
While we are excited to see where this research takes us, it is also important to nuance how these studies frame questions about religion and spirituality. What can we learn about how people define what we call faith, or the various practices they call spiritual? Members, we may just be redefining the meaning of spirituality. These redefinitions lead us to more inclusive ways of relating to and understanding other people.
What role can technology and artificial intelligence play in people’s religious and spiritual practices?
As traditional religious membership declines, a variety emerges to fill the gap, especially when it comes to values and community. One of these new tools will be focused on technology, specifically AI. This can be very beautiful in some ways, but it can also go very wrong.
I’m interested in the role AI plays in American spirituality and religion. Rather than replacing religion or spirituality, the idea is to use tools like ChatGPT to develop spiritual practices outside of a religious context.
How can AI and technology increase access to these types of conversations and leverage that learning in a way that is actually active and effective? I think it may ultimately become a means of cultivating spirituality.
What will the religious landscape in America look like in the next 10 years?
There are a few groups that use religion to double down on exclusivity, especially in American politics. I think it gets too much attention and says more about our political and cultural moment than religion itself. I think my work and research over the next 10 years will become increasingly public in order to change that narrative.
I have noticed that while people are moving away from their traditional affiliations, they are not losing sight of the deep role that religion plays in philanthropy, philanthropy, and justice work. That’s why people are using the term spirituality more and more, thinking that it actually refers to the intertwining of individual and collective well-being.
Spirituality is about developing an awareness and acceptance of others. To be fair, we need to be more inclusive. The space and direction in which religion and spirituality move could become not only more inclusive, but also geared toward greater empathy and altruism.
