There is a paradox in public life: Religion is dominating American politics and culture, but many people struggle to talk about it — especially with those who might disagree with them.
Most Americans don’t discuss religion with others very frequently, a Pew study from 2019 found. Many Americans also say they avoid conversations with people who disagree with their religious views, another Pew study found last year. That number has risen in the last few years, which suggests growing discomfort with the topic.
This is a problem, according to some scholars: Understanding how religion is shaping our country and our culture “requires careful and thoughtful public debate and it requires attention,” Grace Davie, a sociologist of religion, said. “We’ve lost the language. We’re having an ill-mannered, ill-informed conversation.”
This topic is personal to me. I was raised a devout Mormon in Arkansas. Although I am no longer a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I remain curious about people’s experiences with religion and spirituality. So I spent the past year reporting on the landscape of contemporary belief. I heard from people around the country that they long to talk about their personal experiences with religion and spirituality — but struggle to start the conversation. I decided to speak with someone who is an expert at doing so.
Krista Tippett, the longtime host of the radio show and podcast “On Being,” made a career out of having conversations about belief and meaning. She speaks to people of different faiths, disciplines and politics about life’s hardest questions. Her conversations illuminate corners of the human experience that aren’t often spoken about publicly.
I talked with her recently about what she has learned from her work — and what she can tell us all about how to have conversations about belief now.
