Tope Olofintuyi

<a href="https://twitter.com/topeolofintuyi">Tope</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/megparis1902">Miriam</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/shahidnowshad">Shahid</a> come from a variety of backgrounds but share an interest in religion and community. Join us as we navigate questions around finding meaning and belonging in modern times!

On paper, <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2022/09/13/how-u-s-religious-composition-has-changed-in-recent-decades/">religiosity in the US is declining</a> while loneliness is rising. Historically, religious institutions have been a major source of community and belonging in people’s lives. Religions provide social norms, rituals, and spaces through which all people can bond. At the same time, people are pushed to leave religion for many reasons: an inability to reconcile religious with other personal beliefs, an association of certain religious beliefs with specific political leanings, rising rates of inter-religious marriage and friendships, and more.

Is it possible to build secular community ties in modern times that are deeply nourishing and meaningful? Or is the time-tested social technology of religion the best way to find deep bonding?

Other questions to think about:
<ul>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400">What are the healthy and unhealthy social features of religious communities?</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400">What can religious modes of thought do for the psyche that is harder to achieve secularly?</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400">Is there something inherent in gathering with other people that induces the feeling of “God”?</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400">What parts of traditional religious life do secular people miss the most?</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400">Can we have the communal and spiritual aspects of traditional religions without the aspects that cause people to leave religious practice?</li>
</ul>
Regardless of whether you believe in God or a higher power or how you feel about religion as an institution, join your hosts Tope, Miriam, and Shahid as we explore these questions with curiosity and openness.
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Shahid Hussain Nowshad

markus leavitt