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Heart and Soul: Online spiritual communities

Casper ter Kuile.jpg

04/08/2023 GMT

Online spiritual communities

BBC World Service - Heart and Soul, Online spiritual communities

The millennials exploring big spiritual questions, outside of traditional religion.

The founders of The Nearness almost went into ministry but instead now gather people online to explore big questions usually reserved for religious leaders.

A doctor in New York, Anjoli has been longing for a space to practise spirituality within a like-minded community, but she does not want to go to her parents’ Hindu temple. Whilst she likes the rituals and the sense of community, she feels torn over the teachings about race and caste. She's one of a flock of people signing up to an online community called The Nearness - a group brought together by people with Divinity School backgrounds who yearn for a community where they can explore big spiritual questions, but outside the confines of tradition religion. 

The Nearness meets once a week in small groups and the founders have devised rituals and questions that help the groups on their own spiritual journeys and practice. The Nearness grew out of co-founder Casper ter Kuile's personal struggles. He went to Divinity School and started the process of becoming ordained as a Unitarian Minister. He began to feel that it wasn't for him, even though he still considers the possibility of ordination. Alec Gewirtz also co-founded The Nearness. He never became fully involved with his family’s Jewish faith and yet has a strong desire for the sense of community that comes with religion.

Research suggests that many millennials are hungry for spiritual communities but wary of mainstream religious ones, so they are trying to create their own. But is it possible to do this in a lasting way, without the history, traditions and rituals of an established faith? Can this generation, which is so comfortable with the internet and innovation, create what they need – their own spiritual community outside of the confines of traditional religion?

Producer/presenter: Nastaran Tavakoli-Far
Editor: Helen Grady
Production co-ordinator: Mica Nepomuceno

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