{"id":970,"date":"2018-01-22T19:57:47","date_gmt":"2018-01-22T19:57:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/crcc\/the-liminal-year-5-trends-to-watch-in-religion-in-2018\/"},"modified":"2024-10-30T17:46:12","modified_gmt":"2024-10-30T17:46:12","slug":"the-liminal-year-5-trends-to-watch-in-religion-in-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/crcc\/the-liminal-year-5-trends-to-watch-in-religion-in-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"The Liminal Year: 5 Trends to Watch in Religion in 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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The Liminal Year: 5 Trends to Watch in Religion in 2018<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n
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\n\n \n Commentary\n\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n By<\/span>CRCC Staff<\/strong>\n \n January 22, 2018<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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2018 is a liminal year in America, and with transition comes uncertainty. It is the year of key midterm elections, the results of which are difficult to predict. A major investigation continues to plague our head of state, whose behavior remains as erratic as ever. New movements\u2014such as #MeToo and the Poor People\u2019s Campaign\u2014are taking off with their impacts unknown. For hundreds of thousands of immigrants and their families, the uncertainty is personal, as they seek to rectify their immigration status, avoid Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and wait to see whether the courts or Congress will allow them to stay in the country.<\/p>\n

Such uncertainty breeds anxiety, but it also opens the door to hope. As we look ahead to the trends in religion that we\u2019ll be watching in 2018, therefore, we gravitated toward the ways in which religion and spirituality might answer those anxieties. We are already seeing many of these trends start, but some are also somewhat prescriptive. If faith groups want play a significant role in public life this year, they might want to look at how they can tap into these five trends. (We did pretty well with our trends last year<\/a>, after all.)<\/p>\n

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Reported UFO Sightings on the Rise <\/strong><\/h3>\n

It seems like Americans have become so starkly polarized that neither side of the political divide can connect with the other. Is there anything we can agree on? Well, yes: UFOs. Check out the stories you get when you search for \u201cUFO\u201d on the Fox News and CNN websites, and you\u2019ll see some remarkable similarities in the tenor of the reporting\u2014as well as a steady stream of stories. Also popular:\u00a0tarot cards,<\/a>\u00a0essential oils<\/a> and astrology<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Why are people who either loathe or love Donald Trump in sync when it comes to supernatural phenomenon? It seems to be yet another symptom of our unsettled period of religious flux. Jeffrey Kripal\u2014a professor of religious studies at Rice University and the author of several books on the mysterious, the mystical and the paranormal in American culture\u2014says<\/a> interest in UFOs is about \u201ca massive deconstruction of our religious histories and their sky gods.\u201d<\/p>\n

The supernatural erupts into the everyday when old certainties begin to crumble. We can attempt to end the version of chaos that most disturbs us by clamoring to build a wall or shaking our fists at Trump\u2019s political base. Then the mysterious\u00a0lights will appear in the sky again to remind us that we should be awed by a cosmos that is literally beyond our comprehension. With 2018 bringing no more certainty into our lives, that cycle isn\u2019t likely to wind down any time soon. Expect more stories about the mysterious.<\/p>\n

(Image above is nothing mysterious, though: Just a SpaceX launch above Los Angeles.)<\/p>\n

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In What Do We Trust?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Traditional institutions will continue to struggle in 2018. Religious membership is declining, even if some trends point to an anecdotal buoying of congregational attendance among those seeking solace during the Trump presidency. Congressional approval ratings<\/a> remain in the teens, as they have been for the past few years.<\/p>\n

While some traditional religious groups and government and civic institution are hopeful for a resurgence of relevance, we see the lack of trust in institutions leading to two responses that will continue to play out in 2018: a desire to deconstruct or dismantle institutions that some no longer trust (think the desire to dismantle the police and criminal justice system); and a desire to bypass institutions altogether by building alternative options (think crypto-currencies like bitcoin).<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, those who believe in the resilience of institutions will continue to hold out hope that others will simply \u201cget it\u201d and wake up to the realization that institutions are essential, resulting in a resurgence of their importance.\u00a0Those who are critical of institutions or simply ignore them, however, aren\u2019t likely to alter course. And as long as institutions rely on legacies of the past centuries and remain tone deaf to critiques of traditional belief and the creative energy being invested elsewhere, they will miss the opportunity to reconstruct themselves for the next century. Smaller groups (think reimagined communities<\/a>) may have success in building trust, but larger institutions still have a long way to go in cultivating the trust they need to stay strong.<\/p>\n

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Activists Rebrand as Healers <\/strong><\/h3>\n

As a young presidential candidate, Barack Obama introduced the public to organizing and made \u201corganizer\u201d into a sexy job title. This year the political climate will make activists rebrand again, this time taking on the title of \u201chealer.\u201d<\/p>\n

We already have seen Black Lives Matter adopt \u201chealing\u201d<\/a> as a central practice and in the past year, we have heard about healing circles for DACA recipients to help them cope with the stress of not knowing what their futures hold. As the current administration continues to create uncertainty, the left and even the center will gravitate to activist leaders who can provide a sense of healing and stability.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not just external threats that are causing people anguish; healers will become especially important this election year as they mend wounds from in-fighting within liberal circles and the attacks of self-serving \u201csocial justice warriors\u201d who sow division.<\/p>\n