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Abstract
Gen Z and below stand to inherit an inhospitable world where they are directly affected by climate change, gun violence, and a downturn in the economy. Organized religion may help some cope, but fundamentalism’s oppressive structure and lack of critical thought have been instrumental in perpetuating these issues, leading many to abandon it. On the other hand, atheism does not work for everyone, and the position that it is the only rational option are positivist: ideology masquerading as logic. Spiritual communities offer an alternative, but here there is a kind of “anything goes” culture where there is little way of judging ideas. If there is little room to help students work through these issues in the classroom, social media offers a space to engage others in philosophical and spiritual thought. This post qualitative inquiry centers on a four-month period during which I attempted to do exactly that on TikTok.