A Reconnoiter of Religion Past, Present, and Future with Professor John Corrigan

Sep 1, 2021

“I’m not religious, but I’m spiritual.”

You’ve probably heard someone say this, or maybe you’ve said it yourself. But what does this really mean? And what does it represent in the bigger picture of the history and practice of religion?

Press play to explore:

• Whether religious affiliation among Americans and people globally has increased or decreased over the last 20 years, and what trend will emerge in the coming years
• What non-institutionalized religion looks like depending on the type of religion followed
• The difference between spiritualism as part of a religious movement, and spiritualism as something ‘separate’ from religion (i.e., free-form spirituality)
• The presence of political partisanship in religion

John Corrigan is the Lucius Moody Bristol Distinguished Professor of Religion, Professor of History, and a Distinguished Research Professor at Florida State University. His research focuses on the relationship between religion and emotion, religious intolerance, and special humanities.

Corrigan discusses past, current, and future trends in religious following and spirituality. He also discusses the increasing partisanship in some religious groups, the influences which have encouraged this partisanship, and what it means when religious and political tests become one.

The current virus situation is examined from a religious perspective, shedding light on the emergence of virtual religious communities and how technology has influenced the development of religion.

Corrigan also touches on his most recent work, which involves an examination of race, religion, and violence in America, and explores the extent to which religion and racism are tangled in American history.

Tune in, and learn more about Corrigan’s work by visiting https://religion.fsu.edu/person/john-corrigan.