Religions

12 pages, 331 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Conscience Working within Prudentia—Instructed by Thomas Deman’s Reading of Aquinas

by Fáinche Ryan

Religions 2022, 13(9), 875; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13090875 - 19 Sep 2022

Viewed by 1259

The French Dominican Thomas Deman (1899–1954) argued for the restoration of the virtue of prudentia against a background of moral theology and philosophy that, as he saw it, had replaced the centrality of prudenti a with a centrality of conscience. This article will [...] Read more.

The French Dominican Thomas Deman (1899–1954) argued for the restoration of the virtue of prudentia against a background of moral theology and philosophy that, as he saw it, had replaced the centrality of prudenti a with a centrality of conscience. This article will follow Deman in his reading of Aquinas and develop an understanding of prudentia as a moral virtue of the intellect, which co-ordinates the good life, the moral life. Conscience is a moment within the performance of prudentia. The argument of the paper is that, while conscience and prudentia are both important for good human decision-making, they should not be seen as rival concepts but rather, conscience should be understood as working within the virtue of prudentia. Specifically, the argument is that the role of conscience passes into the practical order only when it is enacted via the virtue of prudentia. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision-Making in an Uncertain Time. Should You Always Obey Your Conscience?)

19 pages, 331 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Coronavirus Crisis in a Shiite Society: Faith and the Experience of a Pilgrimage Ban at Iran’s Central Shrine

by Neda Razavizadeh, Michael A. Di Giovine and Somayeh Varshovi

Religions 2022, 13(9), 874; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13090874 - 19 Sep 2022

Viewed by 1648

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic, which emerged in late 2019, brought about far-reaching changes in individual and social life. Governments adopted social distancing measures, to varying degrees, to reduce the burden of disease on the health care systems and its damage to the public health. [...] Read more.

The COVID-19 pandemic, which emerged in late 2019, brought about far-reaching changes in individual and social life. Governments adopted social distancing measures, to varying degrees, to reduce the burden of disease on the health care systems and its damage to the public health. In Iran, the shrine of Imam Reza, which is one of the most holy sites for Muslim Shiites worldwide and a popular pilgrimage destination, was closed along with three other holy shrines. Since faith in Imams, and visiting and expressing devotion to them, is of paramount importance in Shiite teachings, there were a mixture of stances regarding the shrines’ shutdown before and during the lockdown. Based on 14 in-depth interviews, this study examines how typical pilgrims have dealt with this ban. Although all interviewees experienced conflicting emotions, their responses centered on three perspectives. Those who advocated for the shrine’s shutdown adopted strategies to cope with cognitive dissonance and threats to their religious identity. The strategies were mainly based on the redefinition, accentuation, reinterpretation, and selection of some theological and jurisprudential readings so that they could address the above challenges to their religious beliefs. The anti-shutdown participants, with a fatalistic interpretation of contracting a disease, opposed the state’s stance, while the pro-shutdown participants accused the state of conservatism or political expediency rooted in an insincere devotion to the Imam. Moreover, some anti-shutdown respondents, despite their discontent, went along with this pragmatic strategy due to their belief in the importance of the image of Shiites in general, and the Shiite state in particular. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Faith in Spiritual and Heritage Tourism)

24 pages, 328 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Interfaith Actor Reception of Islamic Covenants: How ‘New’ Religious Knowledge Influences Views on Interreligious Relations in Islam

by Halim Rane

Religions 2022, 13(9), 873; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13090873 - 19 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3083

Abstract

The historicity of early Islamic diplomatic documents, referred to as the covenants of Prophet Muhammad, has received considerable scholarly attention over the past decade. This article is the first to present a critical examination of the reception of the Prophet’s covenants among interfaith [...] Read more.

The historicity of early Islamic diplomatic documents, referred to as the covenants of Prophet Muhammad, has received considerable scholarly attention over the past decade. This article is the first to present a critical examination of the reception of the Prophet’s covenants among interfaith actors. An educative intervention instrument was used to examine how research on the historicity of the Prophet’s covenants influences participants’ thinking about interreligious relations in Islam. With reference to Stuart Hall’s audience reception theory, the study found that most participants adopted the ‘preferred’ reading of the educative intervention material, while minorities adopted ‘negotiated’ or ‘oppositional’ readings. This article discusses these findings, highlighting that participants’ openness to new religious knowledge, prior views on interreligious relations in Islam, and knowledge of primary Islamic sources influence reception of the Prophet’s covenants. Full article

16 pages, 474 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Gratitude to God: A Unique Construct Adding to Our Understanding of Religiousness and Gratitude

by Crystal L. Park, Joshua A. Wilt and Adam B. David

Religions 2022, 13(9), 872; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13090872 - 19 Sep 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1718

Abstract

In two national samples in the United States, we aimed to determine the extent to which GTG is distinct from both general gratitude and general religiousness, using statistical methods to determine (1) if GTG shows patterns of association with other variables distinct from [...] Read more.

In two national samples in the United States, we aimed to determine the extent to which GTG is distinct from both general gratitude and general religiousness, using statistical methods to determine (1) if GTG shows patterns of association with other variables distinct from general gratitude and religiousness, and (2) whether GTG predicts wellbeing above and beyond both general gratitude and religiousness. Online studies were conducted with 267 (Study 1) and 184 (Study 2) adults. Results across the two studies were consistent in demonstrating that GTG shows associations with relevant constructs that are distinct from both general religiousness and general gratitude. Further, GTG independently predicted aspects of psychological wellbeing, although findings were not consistent across all aspects. These findings indicate GTG is a unique construct warranting future research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gratitude to God)

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15 pages, 250 KiB

Open AccessArticle

God’s Prime Directive: Non-Interference and Why There Is No (Viable) Free Will Defense

by David Kyle Johnson

Religions 2022, 13(9), 871; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13090871 - 16 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2128

Abstract

In a recent book and article, James Sterba has argued that there is no free will defense. It is the purpose of this article to show that, in the most technical sense, he is wrong. There is a version of the free will [...] Read more.

In a recent book and article, James Sterba has argued that there is no free will defense. It is the purpose of this article to show that, in the most technical sense, he is wrong. There is a version of the free will defense that can solve what Sterba (rightly) takes to be the most interesting and severe version of the logical problem of moral evil. However, I will also argue that, in effect (or, we might say, in practice), Sterba is correct. The only working version of the free will defense requires embracing a view that entails consequences theists traditionally have not and cannot accept. Consequently, the one and only free will solution is not viable. Unless some other solution can be found (Sterba argues there is none), the logical problem of evil, as Sterba understands it, either commits one to atheism, or a version of theism that practically all theists would regard as a heresy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Do We Now Have a Logical Argument from Evil?)

12 pages, 269 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Or, The Modern God: Biblical Allusions in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

by Robert S. Kawashima

Religions 2022, 13(9), 870; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13090870 - 16 Sep 2022

Viewed by 8105

Abstract

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is largely organized around its explicit reference to Milton’s retelling of Genesis 2–3, Paradise Lost. Unfortunately, this reference to Milton has discouraged scholars from going back to the Old Testament itself. In fact, the novel contains three crucial biblical [...] Read more.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is largely organized around its explicit reference to Milton’s retelling of Genesis 2–3, Paradise Lost. Unfortunately, this reference to Milton has discouraged scholars from going back to the Old Testament itself. In fact, the novel contains three crucial biblical allusions. Most obvious, of course, are the allusions to creation (Genesis 1–3), which contain details not found in Milton’s epic. The biblically literate reader will be able to discern two more crucial biblical allusions: one to Exodus 32–33 and the other to the Book of Job. In both of these texts, we find a man—Moses and Job, respectively—seeking an audience with his creator, such as that Adam and Eve enjoyed in the garden. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Bible in Literature: New Approaches to Literary Engagement with the Bible)

15 pages, 463 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spirituality/Religiosity of Sexual and Gender Minorities in Brazil: Assessment of Spiritual Resources and Religious Struggles

by Zoé Tiago Silva da Rosa and Mary Rute Gomes Esperandio

Religions 2022, 13(9), 869; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13090869 - 16 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1684

Abstract

Stigma and discriminatory attitudes create hostile and stressful environments that impact the mental health of marginalized populations. In view of these stressful situations, empirical research was undertaken with the objective of assessing the spiritual/religious resources employed by sexual and gender minorities to manage [...] Read more.

Stigma and discriminatory attitudes create hostile and stressful environments that impact the mental health of marginalized populations. In view of these stressful situations, empirical research was undertaken with the objective of assessing the spiritual/religious resources employed by sexual and gender minorities to manage such situations, identifying the presence of religious and spiritual struggles and the style of attachment to God. This is a cross-sectional quantitative exploratory-descriptive study. The applied instruments were a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Centrality of Religiosity Scale, the Brief SRCOPE Scale, the Religious and Spiritual Struggles (RSS) Scale, and the Attachment to God Inventory. In total, 308 people participated in the study. The sample was categorized as religious (M = 3.37, SD = 1.10), and the use of positive spiritual/religious coping strategies was considered medium (M = 2.83, SD = 1.18). They scored 2.10 on the RSS Scale (SD = 0.65), which is considered a modest level, and the predominant attachment style was avoidant. The results indicate that this group has specific stressors resulting from the minority status and that a small number of people use spiritual/religious resources to deal with stressful situations. Religious transit and, mainly, the process of religious deidentification seem to work as coping strategies to deal with struggles experienced in religious environments that are not welcoming of sexual and gender diversity. In these transition and migration processes, “religious residues” (i.e., previous modes of thinking and feeling persist following religious deidentification) may be present. Thus, identifying whether such residues are made up of beliefs that negatively affect the mental health of sexual and gender minorities is a process that needs to be looked at carefully by faith communities, health professionals, and spiritual caregivers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spirituality and Existential Issues in Health)

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21 pages, 315 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Case for a Polyphonic Anthropology: Giving Voice to Experiences of Women of Color

by SimonMary Asese Aihiokhai

Religions 2022, 13(9), 868; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13090868 - 16 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1702

Abstract

Discourses in theological anthropology ought to begin by centering the human condition in all its multiple expressions. Experiences of marginalized women of color do not always make it to the forefront of such discourses. What does it mean to be a woman of [...] Read more.

Discourses in theological anthropology ought to begin by centering the human condition in all its multiple expressions. Experiences of marginalized women of color do not always make it to the forefront of such discourses. What does it mean to be a woman of color in God’s imagination? How can we speak of the human person as a rainbow reality of diverse narratives and experiences? This work attempts to address these questions by appropriating a critical hermeneutic that allows for a polyphonic discourse on what it means to be human. In doing this, this work articulates arguments for a polyphonic anthropology. It critiques the traditional understanding of human as imago Dei. It opens up a new horizon for conceiving of the human person through the multiple experiences of humans, especially women of color, who, traditionally, have not always been acknowledged to be truly human in a world defined by narratives of erasure. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Religions and Humanities/Philosophies)

23 pages, 9614 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Tripods in Daoist Alchemy: Uncovering a Material Source of Immortality

by Zhen Fan

Religions 2022, 13(9), 867; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13090867 - 16 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3047

Abstract

The tripod (ding 鼎) and the nine tripods (jiuding 九鼎) are significant in ancient China, appearing often in Daoist alchemy. However, they have been largely ignored by the scholarship on Daoism. Early Daoist alchemy saw the tripod and the nine tripods [...] Read more.

The tripod (ding 鼎) and the nine tripods (jiuding 九鼎) are significant in ancient China, appearing often in Daoist alchemy. However, they have been largely ignored by the scholarship on Daoism. Early Daoist alchemy saw the tripod and the nine tripods as critical elements in the production of immortality, but the outer alchemy (waidan 外丹) gave up refining the outer elixir by tripod due to technical reasons. The tripod was merely mentioned in the elaboration of outer alchemy. Later, in the Southern Song dynasty, inner alchemy (neidan 內丹) rebuilt the significance of the tripod and the nine tripods in inner refining, inventing new theories, such as the body-tripod metaphor, the nine orbits, and the lunar phases. This paper outlines the history of the (nine) tripods as a concept and implement in Daoist alchemy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religious Art of Medieval China)

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14 pages, 283 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Intangible Benefactors and the Contribution of Construal Level and Attitude Accessibility in Predicting Gratitude and Expansive Emotions

by Jenae M. Nelson, Sarah A. Schnitker, Emily Williams and Jo-Ann Tsang

Religions 2022, 13(9), 866; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13090866 - 16 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1376

Abstract

We tested whether manipulating construal level would change the experience of gratitude or other expansive emotions (gratitude, awe, compassion) and negative emotions. We also examined whether construal level was correlated with the type of gratitude benefactor that participants spontaneously listed, focusing especially on [...] Read more.

We tested whether manipulating construal level would change the experience of gratitude or other expansive emotions (gratitude, awe, compassion) and negative emotions. We also examined whether construal level was correlated with the type of gratitude benefactor that participants spontaneously listed, focusing especially on God and non-theistic intangible benefactors compared to tangible human benefactors. We manipulated construal level in 265 U.S.-based CloudResearch participants to test preregistered hypotheses that high-level construals would elicit more examples of gratitude toward intangible benefactors and increase expansive emotions. We conducted additional exploratory analyses, investigating whether attitude accessibility of God as a benefactor was correlated with increases in expansive emotions. High construal level manipulation was associated with more frequently listing non-theistic intangible benefactors. Further, trait construal level predicted expansive emotions. Additionally, attitude accessibility of God as a benefactor was positively related to expansive emotions. We discuss future research possibilities to differentiate between gratitude toward tangible and intangible benefactors and the use of attitude accessibility as an implicit measure of benefactor importance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gratitude to God)

14 pages, 360 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Insider’s Church for Outsiders: The Johannine “Come and See” Passages and Christian Engagement with the World

by Michael T. McDowell

Religions 2022, 13(9), 865; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13090865 - 16 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1990

Abstract

The Gospel of John has a reputation among some New Testament scholars as a factional text designed to reinforce the Johannine Community’s unity amid persecution and excommunication. Recent work, however, has proposed that John is in fact deeply ethical, with an outward-facing mission. [...] Read more.

The Gospel of John has a reputation among some New Testament scholars as a factional text designed to reinforce the Johannine Community’s unity amid persecution and excommunication. Recent work, however, has proposed that John is in fact deeply ethical, with an outward-facing mission. This essay builds off this work to propose that John has a definitive missional praxis that he hopes his community will embody as it engages with the world. Examining specifically the “come and see” passages of John 1:39, 1:46, 4:29, and 11:34, this article suggests that John’s method is dialectical: he simultaneously wants those in the church to remain in the church and resist assimilation with “the world”, but he also wants those in the church to go into the world to understand it, empathize with it, and even befriend it, all for the sake of discipleship. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reading John’s Gospel in the 21st Century: Contemporary Reception of a Controversial Text)

9 pages, 229 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Framing the Intentions of Suicide Bombers

by Naomi Janowitz

Religions 2022, 13(9), 864; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13090864 - 16 Sep 2022

Viewed by 1629

Abstract

Despite the extensive information known about suicide bombings, widely-varying intentions have been used by many scholars to explain the religious motivations for the violence: these events are framed by participants as religious experiences, raising complex questions about the relationship between religious experience and [...] Read more.

Despite the extensive information known about suicide bombings, widely-varying intentions have been used by many scholars to explain the religious motivations for the violence: these events are framed by participants as religious experiences, raising complex questions about the relationship between religious experience and violence. Recent studies use the vocabulary of religious studies—sacrifice, martyr, witness—to locate “cultures of violence” in a specific psychic structure, in a specific religion, or in religion in general; this paper compares three major studies that are representative of contemporary debate about religious experience. Ivan Strenski’s approach offers the broadest view, grounding suicide bombings in specific Islamic shaping of religious experience by a (non-normative) view of self-sacrifice emboldened by notions of jihad. Gideon Aran reconstructs a much narrower frame, a mutual attachment by bombers and their enemies around motivations from the redemptive capacity of blood (spilling and collecting). Ruth Stein psychoanalyzes the mind of a specific suicide bomber, Mohammed Atta, locating a complex web of love and hate as a motivation. These studies, each in a different way, demonstrate just how elusive the intentions of bombers remain and the sheer range of frameworks that might illuminate the aims of individuals who engage in suicide bombings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue In the Shadows of Religious Experience: Hostility, Violence, Revenge)

9 pages, 242 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Transforming Loneliness: An Orthodox Christian Answer to an Increasing Loneliness in Disabled Populations

by Emil M. Marginean

Religions 2022, 13(9), 863; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13090863 - 15 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1543

Abstract

Social isolation and inactivity have a profound effect on one’s quality of life. In recent times, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the social life of many. When it comes to disabled populations, emotional well-being is greatly affected by an increasing trend of social [...] Read more.

Social isolation and inactivity have a profound effect on one’s quality of life. In recent times, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the social life of many. When it comes to disabled populations, emotional well-being is greatly affected by an increasing trend of social isolation. Research shows that people with disabilities perceive loneliness as unbelonging in childhood and disaffiliation to normative institutions in adulthood. Certainly, the efforts of building community bring richness and quality to life, but there are other solutions to addressing loneliness and solitude. Therefore, finding the true meaning of life is what can bring a positive vision of one’s world. In the Eastern Orthodox Christian ascetical theology, loneliness was transformed into a positive voluntary solitude and has been a central point of daily life, manifested from the ancient Christian sites to modern-day monastic and eremitic life. The present paper proposes a two-folded solution for reframing loneliness into empowerment. It starts with an insight into Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning and continues with finding a positive value of loneliness. The study examines different perspectives on loneliness and solitude which can improve the spiritual and emotional well-being of people with disabilities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion and Change)

18 pages, 799 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Model of the Relationship of Religiosity and Happiness of Multiple Sclerosis Patients from Poland: The Role of Mediating and Moderating Variables

by Marcin Wnuk, Maciej Wilski, Małgorzata Szcześniak, Halina Bartosik-Psujek, Katarzyna Kapica-Topczewska, Joanna Tarasiuk, Agata Czarnowska, Alina Kułakowska, Beata Zakrzewska-Pniewska, Waldemar Brola, Marek Żak, Piotr Sobolewski, Natalia Morawiec, Monika Adamczyk-Sowa, Adam Stępień, Marcin Ratajczak, Anna Ratajczak, Jacek Zaborski, Katarzyna Kubicka-Bączyk, Roman Ryszard Szałachowski, Zdzisław Kroplewski, Beata Lech, Adam Perenc, Małgorzata Popiel and Andrzej Potemkowski Show full author list Hide full author list

Religions 2022, 13(9), 862; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13090862 - 15 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1950

Abstract

Religiosity and spirituality can be both beneficial and harmful to happiness. It depends on its operationalization and the measures of religiosity and sociodemographics used, together with cultural and psychosocial factors, still not comprehensively explored. This topic is especially important for religious-affiliated chronic patients [...] Read more.

Religiosity and spirituality can be both beneficial and harmful to happiness. It depends on its operationalization and the measures of religiosity and sociodemographics used, together with cultural and psychosocial factors, still not comprehensively explored. This topic is especially important for religious-affiliated chronic patients such as those diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Religion can deliver a sense of meaning, direction, and purpose in life and be an additional source of support to cope with the stress and limitations connected with the disease. The aim of the present study was to verify whether religiosity, directly and indirectly, through finding meaning in life, is related to one’s level of happiness and whether gender, the drinking of alcohol, financial status, and age are moderators in this relationship. In sum, 600 patients from Poland who suffered from multiple sclerosis were included in the study. Firstly, some gender differences were noticed. In women, religiosity was both directly and indirectly, through finding significance, positively related to happiness. Secondly, it was found that in women, the direct effect of age on happiness was generally negative but was positively affected by religiosity; however, among men, age was not correlated with happiness. In the group of women, religiosity and a lower propensity to drink alcohol in an interactive way explained happiness. Thirdly, both in men and women, financial status positively correlated with happiness, but in the group of wealthy men only, religiosity was negatively related to happiness. In conclusion, religion was found to show a positive correlation with the happiness of Roman Catholic multiple sclerosis patients from Poland. In this group of patients, religious involvement can be suggested and implemented as a factor positively related to happiness, with the one exception regarding wealthy men. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Meaning of Religiosity in Life)

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16 pages, 341 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Political Action of the Catholic Hierarchy and the Use of Religion in Political Organizations (Peru, 1920–2021): Evidence and Long-Term Analysis

by Fernando Armas Asín

Religions 2022, 13(9), 861; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13090861 - 15 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1598

Abstract

This article presents the characteristics that the Catholic hierarchy has displayed over the course of a century in the political arena, as well as the importance that religious elements have exercised over the legitimacy of some parties and governments in Peru. It specifically [...] Read more.

This article presents the characteristics that the Catholic hierarchy has displayed over the course of a century in the political arena, as well as the importance that religious elements have exercised over the legitimacy of some parties and governments in Peru. It specifically analyzes the clergy and their relation with the State, as well as interpreting how they understood their participation and influence in local politics. In addition, parties and regimes over the course of a century are analyzed, emphasizing the presidential election campaigns of 1990 and 2021, in order to discuss the limits that political organizations have experienced in monopolizing religious representations. This study will help to better understand the nature of Catholicism in Latin American politics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catholicism in Latin America)

15 pages, 278 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Between Religion and Psychotherapy: Responses to Violence in a Secular Age

by Damian Barnat

Religions 2022, 13(9), 860; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13090860 - 15 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1537

Abstract

The aim of my article is to present and critique two different approaches to the problem of violence. On the one hand, I will discuss the religious standpoint present in the deliberations of the Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor. On the other hand, I [...] Read more.

The aim of my article is to present and critique two different approaches to the problem of violence. On the one hand, I will discuss the religious standpoint present in the deliberations of the Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor. On the other hand, I will examine the secular concept of ethically-oriented psychoanalysis by the American psychiatrist, Robert Drozek. Both thinkers, as I will show, take an exclusivist position towards the question of the moral transformation of human beings. According to Taylor, only a religious perspective, based on the recognition of a transcendent good, is capable of liberating man from the drive towards violence. In his opinion, the secular approach represented by various forms of psychotherapy is insufficient in this respect, because it eschews moral–spiritual language. Drozek, on the other hand, believes that it is psychoanalysis and not religion that can be healing for us. In this paper I will argue for an inclusive position, according to which both religion and ethically-oriented psychoanalysis have transformative potential. I will try to show that the exclusivism of Taylor and Drozek is not tenable, and that the religious and secular perspectives they represent need not be seen as being in opposition to each other. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue In the Shadows of Religious Experience: Hostility, Violence, Revenge)

18 pages, 387 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Gandhi and the World of the Hebrew Bible: The Case of Daniel as Satyagrahi

by Ed Noort

Religions 2022, 13(9), 859; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13090859 - 14 Sep 2022

Viewed by 1783

Abstract

Among the biblical characters used as examples in developing and explaining satyagraha, Daniel is the most important after Jesus. In Gandhi’s speeches and writings from 1909 to 1946, Daniel served as the ideal satyagrahi both in South Africa and in India. Over [...] Read more.

Among the biblical characters used as examples in developing and explaining satyagraha, Daniel is the most important after Jesus. In Gandhi’s speeches and writings from 1909 to 1946, Daniel served as the ideal satyagrahi both in South Africa and in India. Over time, Daniel received company in the gallery of examples in which Socrates occupied a prominent place. Depending on theme, place, and audience, past and present characters from different traditions and scriptures accompanied Daniel. They represented the development of aspects of satyagraha: nonviolent active resistance as a weapon of the strong, courageous actions as a deliberate choice without excitement, love for the antagonist, preparedness to suffer, and no fear of death. All these aspects are embodied by the Gandhian Daniel. Gandhi emphasized the active role of Daniel as a resister, not the traditional view of the victim of court intrigues. In this paper, I argue that the image of the ideal satyagrahi Daniel could be strengthened by combining the court narratives from the first half and the apocalypses from the second one of the biblical book. The article provides context both for Gandhi’s political and religious practice and for the book of Daniel. The strange world of apocalypses seems to contradict the model of the Gandhian figure Daniel. However, they are crisis literature, and it makes sense to observe how the protagonist and his audience in times of occupation, persecutions, and war ask for guidance. Apocalypses show how Jewish resistance to foreign rule was conceived. The result of the survey is a complex image of competing literatures from roughly the same period and the hands, heads, beliefs, and sufferings behind them. The view of the end of history, a program of nonviolence, and hope in the Daniel apocalypse serve as contrast propaganda to contemporary visions on the violent Maccabean revolt and the Seleucid persecutions. They offer a nonviolent counterweight to the ideology of the state propaganda of the Seleucids. They contradict the historiographic idealization of the Maccabean revolt and its armed resistance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nonviolence and Religion)

10 pages, 254 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Call and Response in the French Phenomenology of Religion

by Yanbo Zheng

Religions 2022, 13(9), 858; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13090858 - 14 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1445

Abstract

Is it legitimate to talk about religion as a phenomenology of modern philosophy? Some French phenomenologists have argued that philosophical discourses can be used in phenomenology to describe religious phenomena, and doing so does not contradict the absolute and irreducible nature of phenomenology [...] Read more.

Is it legitimate to talk about religion as a phenomenology of modern philosophy? Some French phenomenologists have argued that philosophical discourses can be used in phenomenology to describe religious phenomena, and doing so does not contradict the absolute and irreducible nature of phenomenology as a philosophy. Their purpose is to justify the legitimacy of the phenomenological possibilities of religion. This paper aims to describe the progress made by the phenomenon of the call and response as a French phenomenology of religion. Marion talks about l’adonné in the “call and response” structure in the phenomenology of religion. In his third reduction, l’adonné, due to boredom, nihilates the Being, leaving a possibility of the call in a pure form. When the call responds, it hears and then establishes a quasi-subject status, which serves as Marion’s reflection on the metaphysical subject. Focusing on prayer as one of the religious phenomena, Chrétien argues that vocal prayer reconciles the opposition of the soul and body, of spirit and matter. Through the description of such a religious act, Chrétien emphasizes an interactive-subjective relationship with the Absolute Other. Through the study of Marion and Chrétien, we find that when phenomenologists talk about religion, it does not make phenomenology lose its own principles but instead expands new fields for phenomenology. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Humanity and Divinity in the Perspective of Phenomenology of Religions)

15 pages, 307 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mediated Representation of Sharia in Aceh: A Hybrid Approach to Media Frames

by Febri Nurrahmi

Religions 2022, 13(9), 857; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13090857 - 14 Sep 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1410

Abstract

Aceh is the only province in Indonesia with an exceptional degree of autonomy to implement Sharia. This paper explores how Serambi Indonesia—the leading Acehnese local newspaper—framed the implementation of Sharia in the region. This study employed content analysis of the Sharia coverage [...] Read more.

Aceh is the only province in Indonesia with an exceptional degree of autonomy to implement Sharia. This paper explores how Serambi Indonesia—the leading Acehnese local newspaper—framed the implementation of Sharia in the region. This study employed content analysis of the Sharia coverage in Aceh from 2012 to 2020 using a hybrid approach, combining issue-specific and generic frames. The results revealed the four identified frames: Sharia codification, deviance from Sharia, desirable Sharia enforcement, and Islamic morality. among those frames, the deviance from Sharia was much preferred. The frame prominence was more prevalent after Qanun Jinayat (Islamic Criminal Bylaw) took into effect in Aceh. It was also given more prominence on the front page than on other pages. However, other frames made up 60% of the articles, implying that the Acehnese local newspaper positively represented the implementation of Sharia in Aceh while highlighting Sharia problems surrounding its enforcement. These findings exemplify the use of a hybrid approach to better examine the media frames, support the effect of critical events on changes in the media frames, and confirm the different prominence of the frame based on the page placement. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Approaches to the Study of Religion and Media)

9 pages, 578 KiB

Open AccessCase Report

Sanctuary Yoga

by Leslie Ann King

Religions 2022, 13(9), 856; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13090856 - 14 Sep 2022

Viewed by 3206

Abstract

Christian congregations find themselves caught in a polarized cultural environment which can lead to simplified theological and spiritual constructs. Moreover, congregants are facing spiritual challenges that come from entrenched differences. The Pantañjali yogic system offers an opportunity for Reformed Christian communities to develop [...] Read more.

Christian congregations find themselves caught in a polarized cultural environment which can lead to simplified theological and spiritual constructs. Moreover, congregants are facing spiritual challenges that come from entrenched differences. The Pantañjali yogic system offers an opportunity for Reformed Christian communities to develop yoga practices that integrate breath, movement, and appropriate Biblical texts. Three practice plans are offered. The honorable appropriation of yoga by a Christian community promises not only an integrative method but also a spacious experience for the practitioner who may, in turn, participate further and influence their community of faith towards such relevant spaciousness. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Yoga: A Window to Embodied Theology and Spirituality)

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34 pages, 1024 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mass or Count Noun: Latin Considerations of the Use of sanguis in the Plural

by Anne Grondeux

Religions 2022, 13(9), 855; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13090855 - 14 Sep 2022

Viewed by 1933

Abstract

Educated by generations of grammarians who state that the term sanguis (blood) is used only in the singular, Fathers of the Church, exegetes, and commentators were confronted with about twenty scriptural, essentially veterotestimentary tokens where sanguis is used in the plural. Justifications for [...] Read more.

Educated by generations of grammarians who state that the term sanguis (blood) is used only in the singular, Fathers of the Church, exegetes, and commentators were confronted with about twenty scriptural, essentially veterotestimentary tokens where sanguis is used in the plural. Justifications for this particular use appear throughout the commentaries. My study will attempt to answer a series of questions. Which passages interested the commentators the most and why? Which grammarians were involved and in what respect? What kind of justifications were provided? Was their interest purely hermeneutic or did the exegetes aim to preserve a state inherited from scrupulous translations? Were the passages treated in isolation or set in resonance? Does this assessment of the commentaries allow us to identity filiations? It will also be seen that this matter is another piece of the puzzle in the relationship between grammar and faith. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Holy Grammars: The Linguistic Factor in the Transmission of Sacred Texts)

12 pages, 399 KiB

Open AccessArticle

East Meets West: The New Gnoseology in Giordano Bruno and Wang Yangming

by Zheng Wang

Religions 2022, 13(9), 854; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13090854 - 14 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1752

Abstract

This study examines the various explanations of the deliberative humanity, regarding a new gnoseology in the intellectual contexts of Giordano Bruno and Wang Yangming during the 15th and 16th centuries. In a similar way to Marsilio Ficino and Giordano Bruno for the European [...] Read more.

This study examines the various explanations of the deliberative humanity, regarding a new gnoseology in the intellectual contexts of Giordano Bruno and Wang Yangming during the 15th and 16th centuries. In a similar way to Marsilio Ficino and Giordano Bruno for the European Renaissance, Wang Yangming is the enlightener among the representatives of Neo-Confucianism in early modern China. Each of these three takes an individual’s mind as the point of departure. They then modify the traditional theory of gnoseology, in search of the good and principle. Nevertheless, behind these similarities on the surface, the metaphorical and theoretical interpretations follow different directions. Marsilio Ficino translates hierarchic Platonism as a transcendent norm. Giordano Bruno and Wang Yangming, however, seem to liberate the individual’s humanity from the traditional norms of gnoseology. In their methodologies, they both have developed a generative gnoseology that differs from the orthodox pattern of knowledge in their respective traditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Epistemic Issues in Non-classical Religious Belief)

12 pages, 384 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Role of Optimism and Abstinence in the Mechanism Underlying the Indirect Links of Religious and Spiritual Involvement with the Happiness of Alcoholics Anonymous from Poland

by Marcin Wnuk

Religions 2022, 13(9), 853; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13090853 - 14 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1869

Abstract

Religiosity and spirituality are important factors for recovery of alcohol-addicted individuals. Previous studies have given some suggestions about the spiritual mechanism that influences the wellbeing of representatives of this group. The purpose of this research was to examine whether religious practices and spiritual [...] Read more.

Religiosity and spirituality are important factors for recovery of alcohol-addicted individuals. Previous studies have given some suggestions about the spiritual mechanism that influences the wellbeing of representatives of this group. The purpose of this research was to examine whether religious practices and spiritual experiences are indirectly related, through optimism and duration of abstinence, to the happiness of alcohol-dependent individuals participating in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). The study had a cross-sectional design; path analysis in structural equation modeling was used. The sample consisted of 115 AA participants in Poland. The Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale (DSES) was used in the study, along with questionnaires surveying three indicators of happiness—desire for life, passion for life, and evaluation of current happiness—along with four further measures—optimism, length of abstinence, frequency of prayer, and frequency of Mass attendance. Confirmed indirect relationship between spiritual experiences and happiness through optimism and the abstinence duration and indirect links between religious practices and happiness. Among AA participants, religious practices were positively related to spiritual growth, which via longer abstinence and higher levels of optimism, were indirectly related to improved happiness. The research results indicate a beneficial role played by religious practices and spiritual experiences in AA participants, associated with their happiness and relevant variables such as optimism and abstinence duration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Meaning of Religiosity in Life)

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11 pages, 3890 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Performance and Aesthesis in Malay-World Musics, Religious and Secular

by Geoffrey Benjamin

Religions 2022, 13(9), 852; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13090852 - 13 Sep 2022

Viewed by 1538

Abstract

The Malay World has been home to a range of social formations, from nomadic hunter-gatherers on land and sea, through (semi-)sedentary swiddeners and forest traders, to state-incorporated peasants and aristocrats. In their religious and secular musics, these populations display differing performance manners and [...] Read more.

The Malay World has been home to a range of social formations, from nomadic hunter-gatherers on land and sea, through (semi-)sedentary swiddeners and forest traders, to state-incorporated peasants and aristocrats. In their religious and secular musics, these populations display differing performance manners and organisation that reflect their distinctive socio-cultural and religious orientations. The musics serve to embed those orientations as aesthetically felt rather than conceptually talked about. The differences are encoded mainly onto contrasts between, on the one hand, highly heterophonic and/or starkly non-melismatic performance and, on the other, more homophonic and/or melismatic styles. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tuning In the Sacred: Studies in Music and World Religions)

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22 pages, 1296 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Power, Preferment, and Patronage: An Exploratory Study of Catholic Bishops and Social Networks

by Stephen Bullivant and Giovanni Radhitio Putra Sadewo

Religions 2022, 13(9), 851; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13090851 - 13 Sep 2022

Viewed by 1536

Abstract

Social Network Analysis (SNA) has shed light on cultures where the influence of patronage, preferment, and reciprocal obligations are traditionally important. We argue here that episcopal appointments, culture, and governance within the Catholic Church are ideal topics for SNA interrogation. This paper presents [...] Read more.

Social Network Analysis (SNA) has shed light on cultures where the influence of patronage, preferment, and reciprocal obligations are traditionally important. We argue here that episcopal appointments, culture, and governance within the Catholic Church are ideal topics for SNA interrogation. This paper presents preliminary findings, using original network data for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. These show how a network-informed approach may help with the urgent task of understanding the ecclesiastical cultures in which sexual abuse occurs, and/or is enabled, ignored, and covered up. Particular reference is made to Theodore McCarrick, the former DC Archbishop recently “dismissed from the clerical state”, and Michael Bransfield, Bishop Emeritus of Wheeling-Charleston. Commentators naturally use terms such as “protégé”, “clique”, “network”, and “kingmaker” when discussing both the McCarrick and Bransfield affairs, and church politics more generally: precisely such folk-descriptions of social and political life that SNA is designed to quantify and explain. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Religions and Health/Psychology/Social Sciences)

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16 pages, 549 KiB

Open AccessArticle

From Timothy Tingfang Lew to Bing Xin: The Bible and Poetic Innovation at Yenching University

by Yi Yang

Religions 2022, 13(9), 850; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13090850 - 13 Sep 2022

Viewed by 1380

Abstract

The sweeping spread of Christianity in China since the late Qing Dynasty contributed to the construction of modern Chinese literature. Among scholars, this view is widely recognized. However, how the Bible as literature crossed the linguistic boundary and specifically influenced modern Chinese literature, [...] Read more.

The sweeping spread of Christianity in China since the late Qing Dynasty contributed to the construction of modern Chinese literature. Among scholars, this view is widely recognized. However, how the Bible as literature crossed the linguistic boundary and specifically influenced modern Chinese literature, especially the study of Chinese vernacular poetry, has not been thoroughly researched. Yenching University (1919–1952), a legendary ecclesiastical university in Peking, is famous for producing many famous modern writers. In the 1920s, at this university, the Bible deeply inspired and influenced several key writers in the history of modern Chinese literature and culture. This paper will review the poetry of these writers and analyze the following three questions: (1) How did biblical poetry take root in a historically non-Biblical cultural context through Christian higher education? (2) How was biblical poetry inherited and recreated in early twentieth century China in the circumstances of Yenching University? (3) How did Bible-inspired poetry contribute to and change the creation of modern Chinese literature? Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Bible in Literature: New Approaches to Literary Engagement with the Bible)

14 pages, 453 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How Can Islamic Primary Schools Contribute to Social Integration?

by Marietje Beemsterboer

Religions 2022, 13(9), 849; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13090849 - 13 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2112

Abstract

The first Islamic primary schools were established in the Netherlands in 1988. Since then, the schools have regularly come under fire. Critics fear that religious segregation hinders the social integration of children. In contrast, this article shows, based on the results of my [...] Read more.

The first Islamic primary schools were established in the Netherlands in 1988. Since then, the schools have regularly come under fire. Critics fear that religious segregation hinders the social integration of children. In contrast, this article shows, based on the results of my previous research, how Islamic schools can contribute to the reciprocal process of social integration in the Dutch plural society. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Islam and/in Education in the Netherlands)

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22 pages, 866 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Meaning of ‘Spiritual’ as Integral Health: From Hippocrates of Kos to the Potamius of Lisbon

by Alex Villas Boas and Isidro Lamelas

Religions 2022, 13(9), 848; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13090848 - 13 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1728

Abstract

This article aims to analyze how the category ‘spiritual’ used by Hippocrates of Kos can help with a better understanding of the influence and reception of Hippocratic medicine the Christian self-understanding as a religion of healing, especially from the Hippocratic influence in Potamius [...] Read more.

This article aims to analyze how the category ‘spiritual’ used by Hippocrates of Kos can help with a better understanding of the influence and reception of Hippocratic medicine the Christian self-understanding as a religion of healing, especially from the Hippocratic influence in Potamius of Lisbon, and at the same time this Christian understanding contributes to the desacralization of medicine as a medical art. For this purpose, it will be analyzed the category pneuma in the Hippocratic naturalism, and within the debate between the medical schools, Pneumatics and Empirics, around the various methods of treatment to maintain the dynamization of pneuma. With this, it is intended, then, to identify different forms of reception of Hippocrates in Christianity associated with the different perceptions that one has of the writings of the physician of Kos. Such contextualization aims to help understand the process of spiritualization of pneuma that paved the way for the radicalization of the Pauline duality between body and soul, as well as to identify another understanding of pneuma linked to the conception of stoic sympatheia and the reading of the empiricists of Hippocratic Naturalism, both present in the Christian reading of the Corpus Hippocraticum. In this sense, this article will take as an example the work of Potamius of Lisbon (4th century), in order to identify an epistemological model of spirituality and health that could works as a kind of antidote to the tendency towards spiritualization of the pneuma, to accentuate its aspect of integrating, vitalizing and unifying body and soul in a pneuma dynamism, connecting the notion of restoring the health of nature with the notion of Christian redemption. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion, Spirituality and Health)

10 pages, 632 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Taiwanese Nuns and Education Issues in Contemporary Taiwan

by Yu-Chen Li

Religions 2022, 13(9), 847; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13090847 - 13 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2056

Abstract

In this article, I discuss the Buddhist educational profile of nuns in contemporary Taiwan by introducing the development of monastic education for women. Taiwanese women’s mass ordination created a Buddhist renaissance after postwar Taiwan, a national ordination system based on monastic discipline, as [...] Read more.

In this article, I discuss the Buddhist educational profile of nuns in contemporary Taiwan by introducing the development of monastic education for women. Taiwanese women’s mass ordination created a Buddhist renaissance after postwar Taiwan, a national ordination system based on monastic discipline, as well as the revival of monastic education. Both ordination and monastic education are very strong institutional settings for women’s monastic identity. Its findings, firstly, shed light on how the increased opportunities for women’s education in Taiwanese Buddhism have continuously attracted young female university students. Secondly, these so-called scholarly nuns come to Buddhist academies as students and eventually become instructors. These scholarly nuns elevate the standards of their Buddhist academies and use their original academic specializations to expand the educational curriculum of their school. The role of scholarly nuns in contemporary Taiwan exemplifies that Buddhism provides educational resources for women, as educational resources enhance women’s engagement in Buddhism. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gender Asymmetry and Nuns’ Agency in the Asian Buddhist Traditions)

14 pages, 7783 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Tracing the Origin of Japan’s First Buddhist Temple: Japan’s Asukadera Viewed through the Lens of the Korean Paekche Kingdom Temple Site of Wanghŭng-sa

by Byongho Lee

Religions 2022, 13(9), 846; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13090846 - 13 Sep 2022

Viewed by 2131

Abstract

The beginning of the construction of Japan’s first large-scale Buddhist temple, Asukadera 飛鳥寺, in 588, marks an important turning point in the ancient history of Japan. The construction of a Buddhist temple was a major event through which Japanese people, who had believed [...] Read more.

The beginning of the construction of Japan’s first large-scale Buddhist temple, Asukadera 飛鳥寺, in 588, marks an important turning point in the ancient history of Japan. The construction of a Buddhist temple was a major event through which Japanese people, who had believed in traditional indigenous religion, came to embrace Buddhism, one of the major world religions. Inscribed śarīra reliquaries were discovered from the wooden pagoda site at the Wanghŭng-sa 王興寺 in Puyŏ. According to these inscriptions, Wanghŭng-sa was built in 577, 11 years before the establishment of Asukadera in 588. Based on this data, both Korean and Japanese academics have raised the possibility that Wanghŭng-sa might have provided inspiration or even a model for Asukadera in Japan. In this paper, I briefly examine reliquaries and roof tiles that have been excavated from the wooden pagoda site within the Wanghŭng-sa site and the arrangement and characteristics of the temple’s building sites, including the sites of the main hall and corridors. Next, I discuss the similarities and differences between ancient Buddhist temples in Korea and Japan by comparing Wanghŭng-sa with ancient Japanese temples such as Asukadera. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Religions and Humanities/Philosophies)

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Religions, Volume 13, Issue 9 (September 2022) – 109 articles

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