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# "Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World," with Dr. Tara Isabella Burton
- URL: https://mereorthodoxy.com/strange-rites-new-religions-godless-world-dr-tara-isabella-burton/
- Published: 2020-06-23T07:00:25.000Z
- Updated: 2026-04-20T19:30:43.000Z
- Description: "Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World," with Dr. Tara Isabella Burton
- Author: Mere Orthodoxy
- Tags: Caleb Wait, Mere Fidelity

While formal religious adherence has decreased in the modern age, spirituality has not. To answer why intuitions seem to be replacing institutions, [Dr. Tara Isabella Burton](https://twitter.com/NotoriousTIB?ref=mereorthodoxy.com) joins Matt, Derek, and Alastair to discuss her new book, [*Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World*](https://www.publicaffairsbooks.com/titles/tara-isabella-burton/strange-rites/9781541762510/?ref=mereorthodoxy.com). Listen in to hear how millennials and GenZers are finding their religions in fan-culture, occultism, wellness and self-care, and social justice activism.

**Timestamps:**

Why should “normies” care about “Strange Rites” and weird internet cultures? \[0:00 - 8:52\]

If many of these views are attached to internet cultures, how do they relate to one’s physical life? \[8:52 - 13:34\]

How the internet is an accelerant to expressive individualism \[13:34 - 21:39\]

What is the difference between these “strange rites” being new religions and intense hobbies? \[21:39 - 25:49\]

What people do when their institutions are lost \[25:49 - 29:03\]

How institutions can navigate the terrain of a world full of “Strange Rites” \[29:03 - 33:10\]

Retaining the “weirdness” of orthodox doctrine while holding to traditional sexual ethics \[33:10 - 35:55\]

Are the new godless religions accommodating human sensibilities as the classic religions have? \[33:55 - 38:29\]

Is there a practice that helps us resist this pervasive expressive individualism? \[38:29 - 40:41\]

**Resources mentioned:**

[Book: *Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World*](https://www.publicaffairsbooks.com/titles/tara-isabella-burton/strange-rites/9781541762510/?ref=mereorthodoxy.com)

Article: "[Christianity Gets Weird](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/08/opinion/sunday/weird-christians.html?ref=mereorthodoxy.com)," by Tara Isabella Burton

If you’re interested in supporting the show financially, you can check out our Patreon [here](https://www.patreon.com/merefidelity?ty=h&ref=mereorthodoxy.com).

Finally, as always, follow [Derek](https://twitter.com/dzrishmawy?ref=mereorthodoxy.com), [Andrew](https://twitter.com/ajwtheology?ref=mereorthodoxy.com), and [Alastair](https://twitter.com/zugzwanged?ref=mereorthodoxy.com) for more tweet-sized brilliance. Thanks to [Timothy Motte](https://twitter.com/biotrom?ref=mereorthodoxy.com) for his sound editing work. [And thanks to The Joy Eternal for lending us their music, which everybody should download out of gratitude for their kindness.](http://www.noisetrade.com/thejoyeternal/a-sweet-and-bitter-providence-single?ref=mereorthodoxy.com)