*Note: this is the Free Content version of my interview with Dr. Markus Davidsen. To access the full interview, please consider becoming a Patreon member, or you can purchase this episode for a one time fee. www.patreon.com/RejectedReligion. 
 

My guest this month is Dr. Markus Davidsen.

Markus Altena Davidsen is university lecturer in the sociology of religion at Leiden University, the Netherlands. His work on fiction-based religion includes his PhD dissertation “The Spiritual Tolkien Milieu” (2014, cum laude), several articles on Tolkien spirituality and Star Wars-based Jediism, and the edited book Narrative and Belief: The Religious Affordance of Supernatural Fiction (Routledge, 2018). His other research interests include method, theory and research history of the study of religion and religion education. Currently, he is developing a new curriculum and didactical approach for the school subject worldview and religion in Dutch secondary education.

In this episode, Markus discusses the concept of fiction-based religion- a term he coined to describe spiritual movements rooted in fictional narratives like Star Wars, and The Lord of the Rings. He distinguishes fiction-based religions (FBRs) from traditional religions by highlighting their lack of historical truth claims and their embrace of narrative as a source of spiritual authority.

Markus traces the roots of FBRs to earlier movements like Rosicrucianism, noting how mythic storytelling has long served as a vehicle for spiritual exploration. He shares insights from his research into Jediism and Tolkien-inspired spirituality, examining how these communities construct rituals, ethics, and cosmologies from fictional texts.

The conversation also explores the motivations behind FBR engagement, from identity formation to aesthetic and existential meaning.

Drawing on Tanya Luhrmann’s concept of interpretive drift, Markus reflects on how belief can evolve through practice, suggesting that ritual and engagement may precede conviction.

Regarding Huizinga’s theory of Homo Ludens, Markus highlights the three kinds of human practices – work, play, and ritual, where play and ritual seem on the surface to be similar, but the difference is: with play, one knows they are playing ( “fiction-contract” as taken from Theatre Studies) whereas ritual might look like play, but it is based on assumptions that the entities actually exist (“actuality contract”). This lens helps frame fandom as a potential site of faith, where “belief” can emerge through ritualistic, creative engagement.

Finally, the conversation turns to his current project, Nieuwe werelden openen (“Opening New Worlds”), a pedagogical initiative that uses narrative and perspective-based inquiry to help students explore existential and societal questions. He reflects on how his FBR research informs this work, bridging imaginative engagement with educational practice.

PROGRAM NOTES

Markus Davidsen - Leiden University

Markus Altena Davidsen publiceert boek voor docenten levensbeschouwing - Universiteit Leiden

2014 The Spiritual Tolkien Milieu: A Study of Fiction‐based Religion (full text)

Narrative and Belief | The Religious Affordance of Supernatural Fictio [Book]

Markus Altena Davidsen - Universiteit Leiden [Articles]

Handbook of Hyper-real Religions | Brill

Photo Markus Davidsen by Arash Nikkah

Music and Editing: Daniel P. Shea

End Production: Stephanie Shea