Some years back, there was a time when I was getting so many comments and emails from single people who were not feeling welcome in their places of worship that I started a series of posts on the topic. I wrote an introduction to the series, and then each post after that began with the question, “Which religions are welcoming to singles?” and continued with the answers from a particular religion. I didn’t write anything but the introduction – I don’t have the expertise. Instead, I invited people with expertise in different religions to answer some of the questions that readers of my Singled Out book and my Psychology Today blog had been asking me. As you will see below, I got answers from people with expertise in Judaism, Christian ministries, and Catholicism.
I would love to hear from people from different faiths, so if you know of anyone would might be willing to answer the questions from the perspective of another religious tradition – or from a perspective or spirituality rather than religiosity, do let me know. An atheist point of view would also be most welcome: For example, in your identity as an atheist, how do you find community and belonging?
I was motivated to write about this today because of a beautifully written piece by Stephanie Wellen Levine, “Single people: What’s the problem?” She raised so many of the issues we were discussing when I first launched the series on religion. (Special bonus: I think Stephanie is single at heart.)
Here are the posts in the “Living Single” series about religion, plus some other relevant posts.
Which religions are welcoming to singles? Part I: Introduction
Which religions are welcoming to singles? Part II: Judaism
Which religions are welcoming to singles? Part III: Christian ministries
Which religions are welcoming to singles? Part IV: Catholicism
Marriage wars: The real fight is over moral superiority
The pain of being excluded because you are single
Singlism: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How to Stop It
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