Spiritual wellness practices like yoga and mindfulness have their origins in religious traditions; but they are often practiced by people who do not always reflect on these religious contexts. Our working group will research ethical questions around spirituality, religion, and “borrowing”, such as:
How does religion function as a resource for human flourishing, even for the growing percentage of people who identify as “nones,” or “spiritual but not religious”?
What are the effects of borrowing religious practices for spiritual wellness on religious communities?
Are there ways to borrow, adapt, or remix religious traditions that are more purposeful, responsible, and effective?
To explore these questions, we will convene a 12-person scholarly working group (PI plus 11 additional scholars), which will collaboratively produce new academic research, and share that work with the public. The goal is to support both academic research and public engagement on the ethics of spiritual borrowing, to combat misinformation and improve public religious literacy. The group will participate in a 3-day in-person media training with follow-up mentorship; meet online monthly to share research; and attend a 7-day in-person writing and workshopping retreat. By the end, they will produce 12 scholarly manuscripts, 36 public-facing items, a future research agenda, and an open source syllabus.
This research group will generate new insights about the ethics of spiritual borrowing for the academic field of religious studies, and most crucially, in the public. We will develop publicly accessible resources to seed new understanding and acceptance of the religious traditions from which popular spiritual practices emerge; and help SBNR practitioners make more thoughtful, less exploitative decisions around those practices. “Wellness” can be a process of discerning and enacting human flourishing, and religion can be part of that process, even for those without traditional religious affiliation.
