The talk details Niki Harré’s year as a priest without God. A year does not last forever, but it is long enough to get a sense of what it is to see, and live in, the world differently from how you did before.
Think Talk: What the secular world can learn from religion.
Tuesday 8 September 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM
In 2021 psychology professor and atheist Niki Harré spent a year as a self-appointed secular priest. She attended church, immersed herself in Christian writing, created bespoke vows, and delivered regular Sunday services. It didn’t go as planned. Her secular friends largely stayed away. She formed new relationships. And she slowly developed a sense of what it means to regularly turn towards humility, the unknown, reflection, listening to and caring for the other, and awareness of the world as it is rather than as we wish it was: qualities of a religious orientation as she experienced it.
Niki’s research focuses on the psychology of sustainability, values, religion and civil discourse. She has led several action research programmes in educational and health organisations. She is the author of Psychology for a Better World: Working with People to Save the Planet and The Infinite Game: How to Live Well Together. In 2026 her book The Calling: A Year Exploring what the Secular World can Learn from Religion will be published by AUP.
Please register for this talk so we can plan seating for the expected numbers. A small donation on arrival at the door is appreciated.

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