The URPP "Digital Religion(s)" investigates how current dynamics of digitalization influence, shape and transform the religious practices of individuals and institutions. Core issues and major topics include religious identity formation and the development of collaborative online-offline networks, practices of media communication in grieving and pastoral care, as well as phenomena of religion-related digital education.

In close association with this, we examine the dynamics of new claims to authority, leadership logics and reputational consequences for religious organizations under the current social, political and cultural conditions of digitalization.

The title "Digital Religion(s)" signals that we will consider, on the one hand, the plurality of diverse religious traditions and institutions and, on the other hand, will explore religious practices and forms of community building outside of firmly established religious formations.

With its interdisciplinary focus (encompassing theology, religious studies, linguistics and computational linguistics, sociology, media and communication studies as well as law), the URPP investigates how individual and institutional religious actors communicate in hybrid online-offline formats and how they assert their public claim to provide guidance in questions of identity formation, health, pastoral care and interreligious education.

In addition, the URPP addresses legal and ethical questions of transhumanism and artificial intelligence from the perspective of human rights, religious values and interpretations of human life in terms of their relevance for coexistence in digital society.