Spiritual complexity in Australia: Wellbeing and risks

The turn of the twenty-first century was characterised by ‘spiritual revolution', with claims that interest in New Age spirituality was eclipsing religion and would continue to do so in the future. Since then, scholars of religion have been more focused on religious diversity and the rise of the non-religious. While interest in spirituality, uptake of spiritual practices, and identification as ‘spiritual but not religious' have continued to grow, spirituality is typically not taken as seriously as religion, at least in political spheres or by academia. This article examines the history and contemporary dynamics of spiritual complexity in Australia, drawing on the findings of two Australian Research Council–funded studies ‘The Worldviews of Australia's Generation Z' and ‘Religious Diversity in Australia' and on a recent project ‘(Con)spirituality, Science and COVID-19 in Australia'. It argues that it is certainly time for spirituality to be taken more seriously in this country and globally, given spirituality's concern with personal and planetary wellbeing, and also the potential risks spirituality can pose due to its association with dis/misinformation, neoliberalism, and violence. (English) [ FROM AUTHOR] Le début du 21e siècle a été caractérisé par une « révolution spirituelle », avec des affirmations selon lesquelles l'intérêt pour la spiritualité du New Age éclipserait la religion et que cette tendance se poursuivrait à l'avenir. Depuis lors, les spécialistes des religions se sont davantage intéressés à la diversité religieuse et à la montée en puissance des non-religieux. Bien que l'intérêt pour la spiritualité, l'adoption de pratiques spirituelles et l'identification comme « spirituel mais pas religieux » aient continué à croître, la spiritualité n'est généralement pas prise aussi au sérieux que la religion, du moins dans les sphères politiques ou dans les milieux universitaires. Cet article analyse l'histoire et la dynamique contemporaine de la complexité spirituelle en Australie, en s'appuyant sur les résultats de deux études financées par le Conseil australien de la recherche, une sur les « visions du monde des Australiens de la génération Z » et l'autre sur « la diversité religieuse en Australie », ainsi que sur un projet récent sur « (Con)spiritualité, science et COVID-19 en Australie ». L'article défend l'idée qu'il est certainement temps que la spiritualité soit prise plus au sérieux dans ce pays et dans le monde, étant donné son intérêt pour le bien-être personnel et planétaire, mais aussi les risques potentiels que la spiritualité peut poser en raison de son association avec la désinformation, le néolibéralisme et la violence. (French) [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Social Compass is the property of Sage Publications, Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Virus exposure and neurodegenerative disease risk across national biobanks.

With recent findings connecting the Epstein-Barr virus to an increased risk of multiple sclerosis and growing concerns regarding the neurological impact of the coronavirus pandemic, we examined potential links between viral exposures and neurodegenerative disease risk. Using time series data from FinnGen for discovery and cross-sectional data from the UK Biobank for replication, we identified 45 viral exposures significantly associated with increased risk of neurodegenerative disease and replicated 22 of these associations. The largest effect association was between viral encephalitis exposure and Alzheimer's disease. Influenza with pneumonia was significantly associated with five of the six neurodegenerative diseases studied. We also replicated the Epstein-Barr/multiple sclerosis association. Some of these exposures were associated with an increased risk of neurodegeneration up to 15 years after infection. As vaccines are currently available for some of the associated viruses, vaccination may be a way to reduce some risk of neurodegenerative disease.