Religion and Spirituality

Your sacred space is where you find yourself again and again. —Joseph Campbell

As we cope with the difficulties, losses, and uncertainties of this time, visiting a sacred space or place can be a refuge, a reminder to take a deep breath, re-center ourselves, pray, meditate, or engage in meaningful ritual.

Earlier this year, our partners at NORC at the University of Chicago shared with us that they’d received the last of the 3,600 responses to our national survey on spirituality and civic life. With excitement and anticipation, we and our partners at Hattaway Communications, our advisors, and reviewers dug into the data, looking for the nuance of what it means to be and feel spiritual today. 

Groundbreaking new research from our partner, Interfaith Youth Core (now Interfaith America), finds that a high level of trust and goodwill—despite deep differences—emerges when college students have positive and provocative encounters.

Pilgrimage: a visit to a place that is considered special, where you go to show your respect —Cambridge.org

Andy Hanauer, CEO of One America Movement, works within and among religious communities to combat toxic polarization in the US. OAM brings people together across political, racial, and religious divides to work together to address issues in communities across the country. They also train and empower religious leaders to resist a culture of division and hate. Fetzer is proud to support the work of OAM and offers excerpts from our chat with Andy as an introduction—and a welcome—to a new partner.

“Far from the news headlines and in some of the most terror-afflicted places on earth, we can encounter great goodness that is just a part of daily life on the grassroots level,” notes Dr. William F. Vendley, our senior advisor for world religions and former secretary general of Religions for Peace. “Terror in the name of Islam is evil, but the ordinary Muslims who stand up to it are today’s unsung heroes.

At six years old, Gregory C. Ellison II, PhD, co-founder of Fearless Dialogues, asked his aunt how he might change the world. Her answer became his daily practice in growing closer to the sacred and a way of keeping his faith commitment: welcoming the stranger. Watch and then join us as we engage in the three-feet practice*.

We invite you to share your experience with this practice in the comments section.

What is the present state and future development of spiritual care? Since December 11 to 13, 2019, the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab is grateful to partner with the Fetzer Institute on a convening and dialogue focused on just that. We welcome spiritual care providers from various professional contexts and educational backgrounds, including healthcare, higher education, social movements, state and federal agencies, and more.

Whatever states of mind, happy or unhappy, occur, never mind—we should constantly be reminding ourselves, "This is uncertain."

Just a few weeks before COVID-19 became a global reality and a focus of our daily lives, our teams at Fetzer and Hattaway Communications received the last of the 3,600 responses to our national survey on spirituality and civic life. With curiosity and anticipation, we and our advisors began digging into the data, looking for the nuance of what it means to be and feel spiritual today.