Spirituality for Community in a Time of Fragmentation

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444). This special issue belongs to the section "Religions and Health/Psychology/Social Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2024 | Viewed by 995

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Philosophy, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
Interests: cultural growth; community renewal; spiritual development; solidarity

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A pressing concern in our age is the formation and nurturing of new models of community. What resources can inform our spiritual lives in order that our communities might flourish?

Current research about spirituality has elucidated historical sources; differentiated among hermeneutical approaches; analyzed historical trajectories of spiritual writings; initiated new dialectical approaches to spirituality; argued for new foundational approaches to questions of spirituality and human flourishing; articulated doctrines about the nature and goals of spiritual life; developed systems of thought and practice that conduce toward the human good; and provided new ways of communicating calls to deepening spiritual practices. Much of this literature centers on the autonomous person capable of cultivating a spiritual life, and offers persons resources for consideration, deliberation, and praxis. Less frequent is attention to the relationship between spirituality and the work of community formation and cultivation.

This Special Issue, therefore, invites research and review articles that explicitly draw connections between spirituality and community. How can the literature about spirituality across various traditions and communities of discourse inform our shared task of building and sustaining community life across diverse populations? What lessons might we draw from the great spiritual traditions about how to build a common good? How can spirituality inform a desire to live in solidarity with one another?

Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Philosophy/social philosophy as a spiritual practice;
  • Buddhist, Christian, Confucian, Daoist, Hindu, Islamic, Jewish, Stoic, or other approaches to community;
  • Catholic social teaching;
  • Personalist metaphysics of community;
  • Spirituality and social ethics;
  • Bernard Lonergan and cultural progress.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 100-150 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editor, Dr. Timothy P. Muldoon ([email protected]), and CC the Assistant Editor, Ms. Joyce ** ([email protected]). Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editor for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Timothy Muldoon
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at mdpi.longhoe.net 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
  • community
  • growth
  • decline
  • common good
  • justice
  • solidarity

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

9 pages, 253 KiB  
Article
Religious and Spiritual Communities Must Adapt or Die: Surviving and Thriving during Challenging Contemporary Times
by Thomas G. Plante
Religions 2024, 15(7), 791; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15070791 (registering DOI) - 28 Jun 2024
Viewed by 235
Abstract
Current trends within both religious and secular communities suggest that contemporary times mean that people spend more time alone than with others. Community engagement in general has been declining, while religious and spiritual community engagement in particular has dropped off significantly in recent [...] Read more.
Current trends within both religious and secular communities suggest that contemporary times mean that people spend more time alone than with others. Community engagement in general has been declining, while religious and spiritual community engagement in particular has dropped off significantly in recent decades, and most especially following the COVID-19 global pandemic. Although humans are social beings and benefit from community engagement, we tend to avoid or minimize our affiliations and associations, including our religious and spiritual ones today. Religious and spiritual communities must adapt to changing times or risk becoming irrelevant, diminishing further, and losing their sustainability to continue with their activities and services. Religious communities might wish to consider the best state-of-the-art evidence-based practices to engage their members, as well as appeal to those who might be interested in joining with them. There are many mental and physical health benefits to active engagement with spiritual religious practices and communities. The world could use more rather than less community engagement, including religious and spiritual engagement, during our challenging contemporary times. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spirituality for Community in a Time of Fragmentation)
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