Abstract

JOURNAL OF PUBLIC RELATIONS RESEARCH 2021, VOL. 33, NO. 4, 205–206 https://doi.org/10.1080/1062726X.2021.2018844 INTRODUCTION Cylor Spaulding Department of Communications, California State University, Fullerton, Fullerton, California, USA Religion and faith have played influential roles in numerous major events throughout history – from wars and inquisitions to the establishment of education and healthcare systems. In modern times, the influence of religion continues to be evident in many countries throughout the world in a variety of ways. In some countries, religion plays a significant role in the government, while in others it influences society and popular culture. Internationally, some religious figures like the pope and the dalai lama garner significant media attention and are influencers to millions of people – both religious and secular. With 6.1 billion people worldwide professing adherence to a faith (Hackett & McClendon, 2017), communicators and organizations must understand how to connect with stakeholders about issues of religion and develop relationships with these audiences. While Christianity and Islam are the largest religions with 2.3 billion and 1.8 billion followers, respectively (Hackett & McClendon, 2017), under- standing other faiths is equally important, since their influence and the level of importance they have in people’s lives varies across countries and regions.