This paper examines the eighteen year-old history of the Taiwan Association for Religious Studies （TARS）, analyzing its current situation and pointing out the general direction it can take in the future. The paper explains that TARS was initiated by, and built on, the democratization of Taiwan society and that its waxing and waning have been closely related to the increase or decrease of university departments of religious studies. In particular, the recent incorporation of Christian and Buddhist seminaries into the official educational system will have an impact, quantitatively and qualitatively, on the development of TARS. For a healthy future, the paper points to Margaret Miles' "three publics"—the general society, religious groups, academic communities—as references and argues that Taiwanese scholars of religious studies should take their double identity as scholars and public intellectuals seriously and accordingly remap the domain of their academic engagements. At the end, the paper suggests a few themes, such as the peaceful coexistence of multiple religions, the globalization of Taiwanese religions, spiritual cultivation and religious experience, and religious syncretism, for the reader to explore.
