RELIGION AND (IN)EQUALITIES

Our world is shaped by institutions that claim to secure order and justice but often inflict harm and exclude marginalized groups: courts, prisons, and policing frequently turn social vulnerability into punishment, while militaries reinforce global power asymmetries. Abolitionist movements respond with a radical imagination: they argue that systems built on coercion and punitive control should be dismantled and replaced by community-based, nonviolent, and more justice-oriented alternatives. For theology and ethics, abolitionism poses a profound challenge. While the call to dismantle central institutions may seem destabilizing, its imaginations resonate with and traditions of liberation and reconciliation. This panel brings theological perspectives into conversation with contemporary abolitionism, directly addressing the EuARe 2026 theme Religion and (In)equalities. We explore the legitimacy of state force, the distribution of vulnerability, and the conditions for just coexistence. From a theological standpoint, abolitionism raises questions such as: How do religious narratives of judgment and community engage the idea of a world without punitive control? Where do traditions resist or support abolitionist demands? And how do religious actors contribute to or critique these movements? We invite interdisciplinary contributions, including:

• Prison abolitionism and theological critiques of punitive order;
• Police abolitionism and religious concepts of non-repressive security;
• Military abolitionism and the resources of peace ethics;
• Intersectional analyses linking abolitionism with racism and social inequality;
• Practical/pastoral initiatives of religious communities in abolitionist contexts.

The panel aims to identify normative resources for alternative social life and examine where theology remains implicated in justifying violence. By fostering this dialogue, we seek to advance research on the role of religion in contesting contemporary (in)equalities.

Accepted Papers: 2

Kontakt: Lukas Johrendt, lukas.johrendt@hsu-hh.de

Humans encounter AI-based social companions both as equals—as simulacra or reflections of humans—and as qualitatively unequal—inferior to or even transcending humans in various aspects. Against this background, the panel aims to address the positive and negative, intended as well as unintended potentials of such social robots and AI-systems within religious learning environments (RLE) as a new socio-informatic setting. Two dimensions are of particular interest: (1) current research on the impact of social robots and AI on RLE, regarding social and educational in/equalities, and (2) robots and AI as subject matter for discussing (social and structural) in/equality from an ethical and relational point of view. We invite proposals in the intersection of technology and religious learning that address questions such as:

• What (ontological, functional or relational) in/equalities between robots, teachers, and pupils affect RLE?
• Can AI and robotics enable inclusive access to religious knowledge?
• Does generative AI contain relevant biases (e.g. towards a certain religion, denomination or social group) that would lead particularly to discrimination within RLE?
• How should we shape the religious positioning of an AI-based system for RLE?
• How are AI tools received in religious education depending on the religious and cultural context of the specific RLE?
• How can digital RLE (or a „digital catechesis“) be conceptualized when the teacher is a machine?
• Does the material design of a machine influence the spiritual formation in an RLE, i.e. when it comes to topics such as immaterial values and transcendence?
• How can the in/equality within a triangle of human, deity, and technical artefact be addressed and how does AI’s imitation of humans‘ or deities‘ behaviour obscure or amplify the differences?
• How should conceptualisations of the human-machine in/equality such as New Materialism be addressed in RLE?

Accepted Papers: 8

Joint proposals are welcome.

Kontakt: You may direct your questions regarding your application to lukas.brand@cs.rptu.de.

We aim to compile the presentations as (double blind) peer reviewed articles in an anthology to be published in the Alber Theologie Series as second volume to the recently published Instrumente Gottes with the renowned Alber Verlag.

Recent years have witnessed growing scholarly and public attention to ideological movements influential in Silicon Valley and global technology circles, particularly regarding striking parallels between transhumanism, cosmism, and related ideologies with traditional religious themes. Observers frequently note that these movements—sometimes collectively designated by the acronym TESCREAL—function as quasi-religious systems within the predominantly secular culture of tech communities, appropriating narratives, symbols, and ideas from established religious traditions. Notable examples include apocalyptic and eschatological narratives in discourse surrounding AI and the so-called Singularity, as well as expectations of human immortality through bio-enhancement or mind-uploading. What often remains absent from this discourse, however, are methodologically rigorous approaches to studying the religious dimensions of transhumanism and cosmism that move beyond superficial analogies. This panel addresses this lacuna by exploring theoretically and methodologically grounded frameworks for studying and reflecting on these movements‘ religious characteristics. We primarily consider historical studies of the influence of religion on the development of transhumanism and cosmism or other historical links between these traditions, with a focus on Christianity and Islam. We welcome other papers that broadly fit this direction, yet we also welcome empirical research documenting the presence and function of religious elements within contemporary transhumanist and cosmist discourse. Individual papers will present research that fits these approaches, followed by a general panel discussion on methodological issues, general implications and future research directions on the relationship between transhumanism, cosmism and religion.

Accepted Papers: 2

Kontakt: Arien W. Voogt, awvoogt@pthu.nl

The panel engages reasonings on religion and spirituality on the frontier of emerging technologies investigating how religious and spiritual practices are evolving alongside the emergence of digital technologies. This panel asks: What values, biases, and social norms do these technologies encode? Are they used to promote equality, or to accentuate differences and deepen social, political and cultural differences? In what ways are emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence used to contribute to or challenge existing empirical and theoretical debates? Through concrete and diverse case studies, this panel examines how forms of spiritual life and expression are evolving across multiple cultural and religious contexts through their encounter with emerging technologies. From the integration of artificial intelligence tools by professional spiritual care providers in healthcare settings to the emergence of new, AI-related eschatological imaginaries, and the global rise of digital platforms within new religious movements, this panel explores the ways in which technology is simultaneously used to enable new forms of connection, ritual, tradition, and meaning-making, while also raising profound ethical questions. Drawing on interdisciplinary scholarship in the field of digital religion(s), the panellists will engage with theoretical and empirical debates from theology, religious studies, and anthropology. In exploring their research questions, the panellists foster constructive and critical dialogue with religious and spiritual communities, and deepen our understanding of how faith, spirituality, and technology co-evolve in a rapidly changing world. Ultimately, this panel invites participants to reflect on the potential role and responsibility of religion and spirituality in (re)shaping responsible and compassionate technological futures—futures that acknowledge both the possibilities and dangers of innovation in an increasingly connected yet divided world.

Accepted Papers: 12

Kontakt: Accursio Graffeo, agraffeo@fbk.eu

Our present age is characterized by a constant competition for our attention — shaped, fragmented, and directed by digital technologies, media environments, and social structures. This panel approaches the question of attention from a theological and religious studies perspectives: What constitutes attention, and to what extent can it be guided, cultivated, or controlled? Which religious practices attract or cultivate attention? How do the attention logics of algorithms reshape religious practices and experiences? What practices of attention can be identified within religious traditions — such as compassion, empathy, and (neighborly) love — and how might they offer alternative models of perceiving and responding to the world? What are the negative dimensions of attention — for example, phenomena such as attention fatigue in health care or exposure — and how do they challenge theological or ethical reflection? Finally, what role does attention play in reinforcing or challenging global inequalities? We welcome both theoretical contributions that examine attention on an abstract or analytical level and practical studies that address it in applied settings, for instance in spiritual counseling or pastoral care. We invite papers from all theological disciplines, ethics, religious studies, and related fields that investigate the relationship between religion and attention in a broad sense.

Accepted Papers: 4

Kontakt: Tabea Ott, tabea.ott@univie.ac.at