The OCRS will be closing with effect 31 December 2025.
I started this project because I wanted to provide people with a source of clear, simple information on religious traditions from around the world, to act as a bridge between sometimes dense and esoteric academic writers and the general public, to expand people’s awareness of spiritual concepts, and perhaps give a little balance in a conversation too often prone to animosity and misunderstanding.
And that might have been a too-ambitious goal for one person, but it was worth a shot.
In the nearly ten years of activity, I like to imagine I’ve helped some people towards some of those goals, even if only in small measure; but I would be the first to acknowledge that I don’t do enough to keep the project alive and present.
It’s time for me to move on, and let the books on my shelves reflect me and not the liminal spectre of an unfinished project.
I’ll be closing down both ocrs.online and understandingreligion.org.uk, and donating a small library’s worth of religious texts, textbooks, and odd tomes I’ve collected over the years.
If you represent an educational establishment with the time and resources to take OCRS forward then you’re welcome to take the reins.
All the best
Luke
Luke Burns | Director, OCRS
Luke is the founder and director of the OCRS, and has a First Class Honours Degree in Humanities from the Open University. He lives in Somerset with his wife, Rosie.
You can find him on Twitter here: @lbburns13