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Ozan Isler & Onurcan Yilmaz  |  Kadir Has University

Does Religion Make Us Better? Exploring Faith as Moral GPS

As a visitor to Istanbul, you might find yourself following your traditional Turkish breakfast—sesame bread and coffee—with a tour of the Hagia Sophia. This historic landmark has carried the identity of church, mosque, and museum, encapsulating centuries of cultural forces battling for influence. But how do these forces shape the daily life of the person who just served your coffee? “In ...
Kendall Bronk  |  Claremont Graduate University

How Young Adults Perceive the Role of Patience in the Search for Purpose

Figuring out one’s purpose in life is not often an easy task. Research suggests it can be anxiety-provoking and stressful. However, uncovering one’s purpose in life is a critical prerequisite to leading a life of meaning that ultimately contributes to individual and societal well-being. The search for purpose is particularly prevalent among college-age young adults, which is also a pivotal tim...
Knox Thames  |  Pepperdine University

Charting New Paths to Pluralism

Terrorism in the Middle East. Government-sponsored genocides in China and Burma. Cultural extremism in Pakistan. Tyrannical democracy in Nepal and India. Assaults, destruction, arrests, displacements, and killings in countries throughout the world. The reality is startling. Every day, millions of people around the globe suffer because of their beliefs. Human rights abuses, social instability, and ...
Ben Hurlbut  |  Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict, Arizona State University

Closing the Science, Technology, & Religion Gap

Are we still making progress? Or does a promising future for the next generation seem less likely all the time? These are big questions being asked often these days. From gene editing to generative AI. From medicines to cure aging to the rapid rise of artificial intelligence. From the trauma of Covid to the cinematic retelling of Oppenheimer’s development of the atom bomb. Deeply tangled around ...
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Matius Ho  |  The Leimena Institute

Reclaiming a Culture of Tolerance in Indonesia

More than 1,300 ethnic groups and 652 languages. Adherents of every major world religion plus many local indigenous beliefs. All this in one country of 270 million people. Indonesia is among the most pluralistic nations in the world. It was formed as an independent nation after World War II on a foundation of peaceful multifaith coexistence and collaboration. These values are embedded in its Panca...
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David Lundie  |  The University Court of the University of Glasgow

Who can lead moral renewal?

One of the challenges of finding the answer to this question is how to get behind language, how to get on the inside of people’s moral reasons. So, to get the answer to a difficult question, we are using something smart: a smartphone-enabled daily survey method, that asks young people simple questions about their actions and emotions, twice daily over four weeks.  It’s sometimes hard ...
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Bob Roberts  |  Multi-Faith Neighbors Network

Infusing Collaboration: Multi-Faith Retreats in Sudan

Sudan’s post-independence history has been dominated by political and civil strife. Most observers have attributed the country’s recurring civil war either to an age-old racial divide between Arabs and Africans, or to recent colonially constructed inequalities. But in September 2022, Pastor Bob Roberts and Imam Mohamed Magid of Multi-Faith Neighbors Network (MFNN) traveled to Sudan on...
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John Tomasi  |  Heterodox Academy

Not All Great Minds Think Alike

Higher education in the United States is at a crossroads. Will it maintain its legacy of open inquiry as the path to discovering truth and generating knowledge? Or will it become permanently sidetracked by rigid beliefs and a narrow scope of debate? Before it’s too late, action needs to be taken to safeguard the values of academic freedom that have long assured American higher education’s succ...
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Joshua R. Good  |  Faith Angle Forum / Ethics and Public Policy Forum Center, Inc Worldwide

Religion is always in the room: Faith Angle Europe

Journalists play an outsized role in society, because they report-out on and help interpret the events that shape our lives. Their views–including their biases–punch above their weight, as the old phrase goes. They hold power to help us better understand. And while trust in the mainstream media has declined in the US and elsewhere, reporters, columnists, and editors still hold massive influenc...
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Austin Tiffany  |  Good Faith Partnership

Shared Virtues: A Catalyst for Societal Transformation

In an age of fragmentation and shifting values, virtues can guide us back to a place of understanding and cooperation. But in the UK’s hyper-diverse society, how do we have meaningful conversations across fai...
Ozan Isler & Onurcan Yilmaz  |  Kadir Has University

Does Religion Make Us Better? Exploring Faith as Moral GPS

As a visitor to Istanbul, you might find yourself following your traditional Turkish breakfast—sesame bread and coffee—with a tour of the Hagia Sophia. This historic landmark has carried the identity of chu...
Lydia Jaeger  |  Institute Biblique de Nogent-sur-Marne

Training French Evangelicals to Make a Difference

What happens when freedom of religion evolves into norms and laws that make a society free from religion? When expressions of faith are mostly viewed as intrusive, irrational, unproductive, and even threatening...
Alan Cooperman  |  The Pew Charitable Trusts

What’s Really Happening to Religion in America?

Holding steady ….. at least for now. Overall, that’s the status of America’s religious landscape today. After years of decline, the Christian share of the U.S. population has stabilized at slightly more t...
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Fern Elsdon-Baker  |  Newman University

Science and Religion: Exploring the Spectrum

The clash narrative between evolution and religion makes life difficult for people with religious beliefs who want to have a career in science. They’ve been put in a box that makes them less likely to be take...
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Matius Ho  |  The Leimena Institute

Reclaiming a Culture of Tolerance in Indonesia

More than 1,300 ethnic groups and 652 languages. Adherents of every major world religion plus many local indigenous beliefs. All this in one country of 270 million people. Indonesia is among the most pluralisti...
Watch Video
David Lundie  |  The University Court of the University of Glasgow

Who can lead moral renewal?

One of the challenges of finding the answer to this question is how to get behind language, how to get on the inside of people’s moral reasons. So, to get the answer to a difficult question, we are using ...
Watch Video
John Azumah  |  The Sanneh Institute

Finding Unity in Diversity

The logo of The Sanneh Institute is a stylized depiction of two conjoined crocodiles. It’s one of hundreds of centuries-old symbols known as adinkra that persist in modern-day Ghana. Launched in 2018 and hous...
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Anjan Chatterjee  |  The University of Pennsylvania

Framing the Experience of Art with Science

What is it about art, anyway? Why do so many people seek it out, even plan trips around it? Why do major cities throughout the world all have at least one art museum? And why are places of worship so often arch...
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Bob Roberts  |  Multi-Faith Neighbors Network

Infusing Collaboration: Multi-Faith Retreats in Sudan

Sudan’s post-independence history has been dominated by political and civil strife. Most observers have attributed the country’s recurring civil war either to an age-old racial divide between Arabs and Africans, or to recent colonially constructed inequalities. But in September 2022, Pastor Bob Roberts and Imam Mohamed Magid of Multi-Faith Neighbors Network (MFNN) traveled to Sudan on...
Ben Hurlbut  |  Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict, Arizona State University

Closing the Science, Technology, & Religion Gap

Are we still making progress? Or does a promising future for the next generation seem less likely all the time? These are big questions being asked often these days. From gene editing to generative AI. From medicines to cure aging to the rapid rise of artificial intelligence. From the trauma of Covid to the cinematic retelling of Oppenheimer’s development of the atom bomb. Deeply tangled around ...
Bob Roberts, Jr.  |  GlocalNet

Multi-Faith Relationships Change Everything

MFNN provides a platform for people to connect with God and one another by building empathy. Only then can one begin to relate to others who think differently, and thus find common ground. MFNN is intentionally multi-faith. It respects the fact that different religions have exclusivist beliefs about spiritual realities. It is not interested in anyone giving up their faith convictions. Instead, MFN...
Alan Cooperman  |  The Pew Charitable Trusts

What’s Really Happening to Religion in America?

Holding steady ….. at least for now. Overall, that’s the status of America’s religious landscape today. After years of decline, the Christian share of the U.S. population has stabilized at slightly more than 60%. The religiously unaffiliated population, after rising rapidly for decades, also shows signs of having leveled off at 29%. And the percentage of Americans who identify with a religio...
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Jer Clifton  |  The University of Pennsylvania

Discovering People’s Primal World Beliefs

Have you ever noticed this? People can be in the same place at the same time …. and yet have vastly different experiences. Riding a city bus, for example. Some people appear relaxed. They’re taking in the sights, maybe listening to music, pecking away on their devices or exchanging a few words with someone nearby. Others, however, look tense, their eyes furtively darting or focused downwar...
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Wendy Cadge  |  Brandeis University

Chaplains: Leading Amidst Change

American religious life is changing fast. More people than ever describe themselves as unaffiliated with a religion, especially those under 30. Yet those unaffiliated continue to face unavoidable human challenges such as loss, sickness, life transitions, and death. Chaplains (or “spiritual care providers”) have long served people in the midst of life’s challenges in places like hospitals, ho...
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C. Stephen Evans  |  Baylor University

Accountability is Relational Responsibility

In Western cultures, we often talk about accountability in terms of demanding that public officials, big corporations, criminals, etc., be “held accountable” for their actions. What we often really mean is that we want them to be punished. But Dr. Evans and his team are asking the question, “What does it mean to be good at living accountably?” To fully explore this question, we must first ...
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Robert MacSwain  |  The University of the South

Exploring Human Goodness as Evidence of God

Does God exist? It’s a question that nearly everyone confronts at various times in our lives. The existence of God is theology’s most basic concern. It’s also an intensely personal struggle. Our beliefs about the reality of God directly affect our views of ourselves and why we’re here. Whatever we ultimately decide to believe, we can’t help but look for assurances that we got it right. A...
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Fern Elsdon-Baker  |  Newman University

Science and Religion: Exploring the Spectrum

The clash narrative between evolution and religion makes life difficult for people with religious beliefs who want to have a career in science. They’ve been put in a box that makes them less likely to be taken seriously by their colleagues and peers. The clash narrative means their religious beliefs are seen as an impediment to rational thought and committed scientific enquiry. That’s not the ...
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Areas of Focus
Art Seeking Understanding

Putting Aesthetic 
Cognitivism to the Test

Science & Religion in Context

Valuing Science and Religion as Mutually Enriching Sources of Insight

Covenantal Pluralism

Going Beyond Religious Tolerance

Social Consequences of Religion

Exploring Religion as a Transformative Force for Good in the World

Art Seeking Understanding

Putting Aesthetic 
Cognitivism to the Test

Learn More about ASU
Science & Religion in Context

Valuing Science and Religion as Mutually Enriching Sources of Insight

Learn More about SRC
Covenantal Pluralism

Going Beyond Religious Tolerance

Learn More about CP
Social Consequences of Religion

Exploring Religion as a Transformative Force for Good in the World

Learn More about SCoR
About Templeton Religion Trust

We're seeking to enrich the conversations about Religions

Templeton Religion Trust is a global charitable trust established by Sir John Templeton in 1984 with headquarters in Nassau, The Bahamas, where Sir John lived until his death in 2008. TRT has been active since 2012, and supports projects as well as storytelling related to projects seeking to enrich the conversation about religion.