Spirituality and the Ethics of Religious Borrowing: A Sacred Writes Working Group
Led by: Elizabeth Bucar

Sacred Writes: Public Scholarship on Religion is delighted to announce the launch of a new two-year program, generously funded by the John Templeton Foundation: Spirituality and the Ethics of Religious Borrowing: A Sacred Writes Working Group. Spiritual wellness practices like yoga and mindfulness have their origins in religious traditions, but they are often practiced by people outside these contexts. Our group will research ethical questions around spirituality, religion, and “borrowing”, such as: 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? The goal of the group is to support both academic research and public engagement on the ethics of spiritual borrowing, to combat misinformation and improve public religious literacy.
Outside Collaborators:
- Natalie Avalos, University of Colorado Boulder
- Tara Isabella Burton, George Mason University/Catholic University of America
- Susannah Crockford, University of Exeter (UK)
- Nalika Gajawira, University of California Santa Barbara
- Shreena Gandhi, Michigan State University
- Kira Ganga Kieffer, Wesleyan University
- Ann Gleig, University of Central Florida
- Ira Helderman, Vanderbilt University
- Cody Musselman, Harvard University
- Kaitlyn Ugoretz, Nanzan University (Japan)
- Michiel Van Elk, University of Leiden (Netherlands)
Project Sponsor:
- John Templeton Foundation
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