Religions

19 pages, 298 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Secularization: A Response from Canon Law Based on the Concept of the “Church on the Move” and Cooperation with the Civil Order in Cases of Abuse of Minors by Priests

by Jorge Salinas

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1148; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091148 - 23 Sep 2024

Viewed by 402

Abstract

The influence of secularization and secularism in today’s society has led to a process of privatization of religion. Faced with this reality, Pope Francis, in his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium, has promoted the need for a pastoral conversion, betting on a “Church [...] Read more.

The influence of secularization and secularism in today’s society has led to a process of privatization of religion. Faced with this reality, Pope Francis, in his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium, has promoted the need for a pastoral conversion, betting on a “Church going out” that, on the one hand, can cope with this process and, on the other hand, go out to meet all those people who suffer in the existential peripheries. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate, through a qualitative and quantitative methodology, how canon law is a reality that cannot stand aside from this call and how, in the specific area of child abuse within the Church, it must opt for a position that we call “expansion” or extra ecclesiam, capable of recognizing and dealing with the cases that have occurred, as well as operating a system of cooperation with the civil order, with the aim of promoting justice and the common good of society, in order to limit the growing process of secularization. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Canon Law and Secularization: Societal Trends and the Changing Role of Religious Law)

18 pages, 296 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Reformation in Progress: The Path toward the Reform of Johannes Oecolampadius

by Matteo Colombo, Benjamin Manig and Noemi Schürmann

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1147; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091147 - 23 Sep 2024

Viewed by 397

Abstract

This article examines the life, theological career, exegetical development, and posthumous biographies of Johannes Oecolampadius as illustrative examples of the fact that the Swiss Reformation, with all its religious movements, was far from a uniform concept in terms of its origins, purposes, and [...] Read more.

This article examines the life, theological career, exegetical development, and posthumous biographies of Johannes Oecolampadius as illustrative examples of the fact that the Swiss Reformation, with all its religious movements, was far from a uniform concept in terms of its origins, purposes, and methodologies. The article explains through Oecolampadius’s example an approach to reform that was ‘in progress’, traversing the nexuses of disparate methods and exegetical priorities. Oecolampadius’s experience occupied a position at the intersection between the authority of Patristics and the principle of sola scriptura, exemplifying a balance between the past and the present of Christian tradition. The path that led Oecolampadius to become a Protestant Reformer is characterised by a gradual transition, not abrupt, not radical. His example demonstrates the methodological and ideological diversity of the Reformation, which can be observed through the prism of a single life and its intellectual periods. His conversion offers insight into how these varied approaches shaped personal engagements with Scripture, and challenges the notion of an immediate or singular evangelical ‘calling’ or ‘conviction’. This article examines a specific phase within the broader and varied trajectory of the Swiss Reformation by analysing the transformation of Oecolampadius from a biblical scholar to a preacher, and eventually to a Reformer. This case study illustrates how disparate methodologies, whether rooted in humanism or Patristics, contributed to gradual and personal evolution, ultimately giving rise to distinctive individual stances on reform. This article presents a synthesis of three distinct perspectives on the question. The first part approaches the question through the lens of church history and intellectual history; the second one utilises the history of exegesis and New Testament scholarship; and the third draws upon the perspectives of Protestant historiography, from the standpoint of social history and the history of biographies in Early Modern times. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Swiss Reformation 1525–2025: New Directions)

47 pages, 721 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Southern Baptist Slaveholding Women and Mythologizers

by C. A. Vaughn Cross

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1146; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091146 - 23 Sep 2024

Viewed by 571

Abstract

Christian slaveholding should not be forgotten or minimized, nor should its mythologies go unchallenged or uncritiqued. This article surveys some of the leading Southern Baptist women slaveholders and mythologizers before and after the U.S. Civil War. It examines sources of SBC hagiography about [...] Read more.

Christian slaveholding should not be forgotten or minimized, nor should its mythologies go unchallenged or uncritiqued. This article surveys some of the leading Southern Baptist women slaveholders and mythologizers before and after the U.S. Civil War. It examines sources of SBC hagiography about the Convention foremothers and their persistent apologia for slaveholding. In particular, it discusses how female mythologizers in the antebellum and postbellum eras linked slaveholding, evangelism, and mission identity. It demonstrates how postbellum Southern Baptist women chose to view women slaveholders as moral exemplars for their current missions. It concludes that understanding the myth-making by and about women slaveholders in Southern Baptist patriarchal society is instructive for understanding this group of American Evangelical Protestants in Christian history. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reclaiming Voices: Women's Contributions to Baptist History)

13 pages, 223 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Can Systematic Theology Be Saved? Doctrine and Its Discontents

by Andrew Clark-Howard

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1145; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091145 - 23 Sep 2024

Viewed by 789

Abstract

This paper explores recent discussions on the nature and character of Christian doctrine and doctrinal arrangement within leading accounts of systematic theology, that is, the attempt to offer an integrated and cohesive account of the central commitments of the Christian faith. Through such [...] Read more.

This paper explores recent discussions on the nature and character of Christian doctrine and doctrinal arrangement within leading accounts of systematic theology, that is, the attempt to offer an integrated and cohesive account of the central commitments of the Christian faith. Through such discussion, I argue that the perennial epistemological problem systematic theology faces in its attempts to speak about a (divine) object who definitionally exceeds such speech is related to the specific ethical problem of systematic theology’s performances as a hegemonic discipline, one which often functions to exclude non-white, non-male perspectives. In light of these challenges, I contend that “positive” reasons for continuing systematic theology remain remote; systematic theology cannot be saved. Yet neither can it be avoided, lest such problems are willfully repeated and because of the ways systematic theology continues to be a leading site of doctrinal reflection within Christian education and intellectual reflection. I therefore conclude this paper by exploring two apocalyptic responses to the crises facing systematic theology which advocate for its continuation precisely by calling for its “end”. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nature, Functions and Contexts of Christian Doctrine)

9 pages, 594 KiB

Open AccessArticle

God as Male–Female: Priscillian, Prophecy, and the Witness of Irenaeus and Marius Victorinus

by Constant J. Mews

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1144; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091144 - 23 Sep 2024

Viewed by 330

Abstract

This paper examines a comment by Priscillian (d. c. 385) in his Liber apologeticus that certain people erroneously applied to God the unusual Latin neologism, masculofemina. He contrasts their perspective with scriptural teaching about the Holy Spirit being poured out on both [...] Read more.

This paper examines a comment by Priscillian (d. c. 385) in his Liber apologeticus that certain people erroneously applied to God the unusual Latin neologism, masculofemina. He contrasts their perspective with scriptural teaching about the Holy Spirit being poured out on both men and women. This raises two questions, namely, how Priscillian’s comment relates to accusations he faced of encouraging dangerous intimacy between men and women and the source of his information about their teaching. This paper argues that the central thrust of Priscillian’s teaching is around the notion that the spirit of prophecy was manifested in both sexes, but that he distinguished his teaching from that of Valentinian gnostics to defend his own orthodoxy. It argues that Priscillian acquired this teaching about God as masculofemina from the translation into Latin of the Aduersus haereses of Irenaeus of Lyons (d. c. 202). The term also occurs within the writing of Marius Victorinus (c. 359–61) in defense of Catholic Christianity. Priscillian drew on Irenaeus to defend the orthodoxy of his notion that the gift of prophecy was given to both men and women. Full article

8 pages, 431 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Leveling Up: Gamification Pedagogy in the Hagiological Classroom

by Alexander E. Massad

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1143; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091143 - 23 Sep 2024

Viewed by 279

Abstract

Gamification is a specific type of experiential learning theory (ELT) that emphasizes student choice and activities to transform mundane tasks into a desirable opportunity to learn. This pedagogical approach is particularly useful in information-heavy courses, such as courses that engage in the study [...] Read more.

Gamification is a specific type of experiential learning theory (ELT) that emphasizes student choice and activities to transform mundane tasks into a desirable opportunity to learn. This pedagogical approach is particularly useful in information-heavy courses, such as courses that engage in the study of religious mysticism or “hagiology”. In hagiology classes, students are exposed to new hagiographic media and discuss methods that are particularly complicated because this content is not only heavy on data but also engages the affective dimensions of human experience. This article explores leessons learned from the successes and failures of gamification pedagogy in my “Masters and Mystics” course, where students comparatively study Christian mysticism and Muslim Sufism. In particular, this article analyzes gamifacation’s ability to promote intrinsic student motivation through “game mechanics and experience design”, which is particularly salient in the hagiological classroom. I end the article with a discussion of how I have reworked the course with new gamification practices into a “Comparative Mysticism: Christianity and Islam” course. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Comparative Hagiology: Issues in Pedagogy)

22 pages, 284 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Introduction of Same-Sex Marriage in Germany—A Question of Conscience and/or Faith? A Case Study

by Sabine Exner-Krikorian

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1142; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091142 - 23 Sep 2024

Viewed by 416

Abstract

On 30 June 2017, the German Bundestag voted in favor of the introduction of marriage for same-sex couples—a historic moment. Only a few days earlier, the then Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel had released the vote as a decision of conscience and thus dissolved [...] Read more.

On 30 June 2017, the German Bundestag voted in favor of the introduction of marriage for same-sex couples—a historic moment. Only a few days earlier, the then Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel had released the vote as a decision of conscience and thus dissolved the usual underlying factional compulsion—does this mean that rights for homosexual people are a question of personal conscience and values? Such a localization arouses the interest of religious studies to investigate how the discourse actors from the fields of politics, church and society formulate the decision of conscience as a discursive strategy in the negotiation process of same-sex marriage in Germany argumentatively and which positionings as well as descriptions of others and themselves are derived from this. The starting point is a modernity in which the actors move, understand and articulate themselves. This understanding of modernity is based on the process of a vertical transfer (Gladigow) of sociological theories of religion, among others, whereby narratives of secularization, overcoming religion (as a necessary precondition of modernity) and narratives of an opposition of religious vs. secular or religious vs. homosexual reappear as positions and arguments in the discourse. Using the approach of discursive religious studies (von Stuckrad) in conjunction with sociological discourse analysis (Keller), these processes of positioning, demarcation and negotiation based on the premises of modernity will be analyzed for the period from 2013 to 2017 on the basis of the public debate on religious, political, and social actors in Germany. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Promising Images of Love: Religion, Norms, and the Mediatisation of Weddings)

14 pages, 351 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Paul and Pseudo-Paul: Authorship, Ideology, and the Difference of Androprimacy

by Luis Josué Salés

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1141; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091141 - 22 Sep 2024

Viewed by 360

Abstract

This essay proposes a new conceptual approach to authorship and gender ideology in the Pauline corpus through the neologism ‘androprimacy’. I maintain that in addition to the scholarly literature that has engaged questions of authorship in the Pauline corpus and its relevance for [...] Read more.

This essay proposes a new conceptual approach to authorship and gender ideology in the Pauline corpus through the neologism ‘androprimacy’. I maintain that in addition to the scholarly literature that has engaged questions of authorship in the Pauline corpus and its relevance for the ordination of women, approaching this topic from the angle of ‘androprimacy’ exposes a distinct structure of sex-based discrimination that Paul rejects (1 Cor 11.11–16) and that the author of 1 Tim (1 Tim 2.11–15) affirms, demonstrating that androprimacy was a contested ideology in the first century, a relevant finding for promoting women’s ordination. Full article

16 pages, 329 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Stone Altars, Wooden Tables, Silver Chalices, Unleavened Hosts, and Plain Bread: The Long Reformation of the Eucharist’s Materiality in the Pays de Vaud (1400–1600)

by Caleb Abraham

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1140; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091140 - 22 Sep 2024

Viewed by 468

Abstract

Recent scholarship on the late medieval Pays de Vaud has allowed for a better understanding of the Reformation (1536) in this region, revealing it as a period marked not only by ruptures but also by significant adaptations and continuities. This article employs a [...] Read more.

Recent scholarship on the late medieval Pays de Vaud has allowed for a better understanding of the Reformation (1536) in this region, revealing it as a period marked not only by ruptures but also by significant adaptations and continuities. This article employs a trans-periodic approach to explore the material culture of the Eucharist, tracing its developments across the late medieval and Reformation periods. Key findings include the transition from stone altars to wooden communion tables, the contested continuity in the substance and shape of chalices, and the gradual shift from unleavened hosts to plain bread. These changes highlight a complex interplay of theological and practical concerns. The study provides a nuanced perspective on the Reformation in the Pays de Vaud, emphasizing the ongoing influence of medieval ecclesiastical reforms and the gradual nature of liturgical transformations. This analysis underscores the importance of material culture in understanding religious and cultural shifts during this pivotal period. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Swiss Reformation 1525–2025: New Directions)

8 pages, 205 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Wedding and Its Medialization from the Perspective of the Ljubljana Lacanian School

by Paul Löffler

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1139; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091139 - 21 Sep 2024

Viewed by 384

Abstract

The ritual of marriage serves as a nexus for various dimensions of social and personal life, including sexuality, gender, religiosity, family, and parenthood. This pivotal event is laden with a multitude of expectations, hopes, and fears for all involved parties. The psychological energies [...] Read more.

The ritual of marriage serves as a nexus for various dimensions of social and personal life, including sexuality, gender, religiosity, family, and parenthood. This pivotal event is laden with a multitude of expectations, hopes, and fears for all involved parties. The psychological energies converge not only within the spouses or participants but extend to encompass the entire cultural community. Simultaneously, it represents a ritualistic identification, where individuals, through the ritual, become what they are, establishing an identity. This article aims to provide a Lacanian interpretation of the marriage ritual, informed by the interpretation popularized by the Ljubljana school of psychoanalysis. Lacan’s framework allows for the conceptualization of identification as a socially mediated process, revealing the psyche as extending beyond the individual into intersubjective structures. This approach might help to clarify the inner logic of the ritual, allowing for a better understanding of the role of medialization. It will be shown, that under these lenses wedding photography and other forms of medialization do not only preserve memories of the event afterward but are already playing an active and even constitutive role during the event. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Promising Images of Love: Religion, Norms, and the Mediatisation of Weddings)

20 pages, 309 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Religious Component in Contemporary Russian Imperialism

by Pål Kolstø and Bojidar Kolov

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1138; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091138 - 21 Sep 2024

Viewed by 388

Abstract

Ever since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, various voices in the Russian public sphere have been trying to make sense of Russia’s new place in the world, its geopolitical horizons, and the identity of its people. One of the dominant trends that [...] Read more.

Ever since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, various voices in the Russian public sphere have been trying to make sense of Russia’s new place in the world, its geopolitical horizons, and the identity of its people. One of the dominant trends that have emerged is Orthodox imperialism, which combines religious symbols and narratives with a geopolitical vision of Russian expansion and “reunification”. This article provides an overview of the Russian Orthodox imperialist voices, analysing the political norms and identities they have enabled. Our investigation shows that by advancing a programme that combines geopolitical restoration and eschatological religious mission, Orthodox imperialism offers an ideological solution to the problem of Russia’s lost great-power status. This solution, however, does not envisage a bright future for Russia or the world. On the contrary, it remains firmly fixated on the past, foretelling of an apocalyptic disaster if Moscow does not regain its former imperial glory and exercise its divine role as a “restrainer” to any global domination. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Sacred Battlefields of the Eastern Europe: The Role of Orthodox Christianity in Geopolitics)

14 pages, 835 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Association between Religiosity and Forgiveness: Testing a Moderated Mediation Model of Self-Compassion and Adverse Childhood Experiences

by Justyna Mróz, Loren Toussaint and Kinga Kaleta

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1137; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091137 - 21 Sep 2024

Viewed by 669

Abstract

(1) Background: Forgiveness is one way to deal with negative experiences. The protective–protective model and the resource-caravan model assume that positive resources come together and support coping. In this study, we tested the association of religiosity, decisional and emotional forgiveness, and the indirect [...] Read more.

(1) Background: Forgiveness is one way to deal with negative experiences. The protective–protective model and the resource-caravan model assume that positive resources come together and support coping. In this study, we tested the association of religiosity, decisional and emotional forgiveness, and the indirect associations running through self-compassion. In addition, negative experiences in childhood were considered as a moderator of the indirect model of associations. (2) Methods: The sample consisted of 309 participants. The measures included the Religious Meaning System Questionnaire, the Decisional Forgiveness Scale, the Emotional Forgiveness Scale, the Self-Compassion Scale, and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. SEM and PROCESS models were applied to test the moderated mediation model. (3) Results: The results partially supported our moderated mediation model. Self-warmth mediated the associations between religiosity and decisional forgiveness and between religiosity and emotional forgiveness—presence of positive emotions. Self-coldness mediated the relationship between religiosity and emotional forgiveness. The relationship between religiosity and forgiveness was fully mediated by self-compassion when ACEs were low. (4) Conclusions: Both religiosity and self-compassion are assets for forgiveness, and their influence is more pronounced in individuals with more negative childhood experiences. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intersections of Religiousness/Spirituality and Forgiveness and Implications for Mental Health and Well-Being)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 252 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Church Amidst the War of Attrition: Ukrainian Evangelical Community in Search of a New Mission Paradigm

by Roman Soloviy

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1136; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091136 - 20 Sep 2024

Viewed by 815

Abstract

The article is a comprehensive analysis of the struggles and challenges faced by Ukrainian evangelicals in the wake of the Russian aggression against Ukraine between 2022 and 2024. This analysis focuses on how the ongoing war has impacted the church’s overall mission and [...] Read more.

The article is a comprehensive analysis of the struggles and challenges faced by Ukrainian evangelicals in the wake of the Russian aggression against Ukraine between 2022 and 2024. This analysis focuses on how the ongoing war has impacted the church’s overall mission and how it has adapted to a rapidly changing political and social environment. The author argues that with Ukrainian society experiencing significant social and existential challenges due to the ongoing war, the traditional model of mission work that solely focuses on evangelism and promoting Christian values as a counter to “neo-Marxist gender ideology” is gradually being replaced by a more holistic and inclusive approach to missionary theology and practice. This new approach emphasizes compassion, solidarity, social responsibility, and a prophetic vision for Ukrainian society after the war. Through this article, the author hopes to deepen understanding of how the role and mission of the Ukrainian Evangelical Church have evolved recently and outline a concept of missional theology that can be relevant for other communities facing significant social, economic, and political challenges. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Evangelical Theology Today: Exploring Theological Perspectives)

9 pages, 189 KiB

Open AccessArticle

“Ministry of Presence” as Emotional Labor: Perspectives from Recipients of Care

by Amy Lawton and Wendy Cadge

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1135; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091135 - 20 Sep 2024

Viewed by 761

Abstract

This paper analyzes the work of chaplaincy and spiritual care from the perspective of care recipients. Chaplains call their work a “ministry of presence,” a term of art that is often unclear to many who are not chaplains. How else might we conceptualize [...] Read more.

This paper analyzes the work of chaplaincy and spiritual care from the perspective of care recipients. Chaplains call their work a “ministry of presence,” a term of art that is often unclear to many who are not chaplains. How else might we conceptualize “presence” in order to ground it in the social science literature? Using sociological theory, we show that care recipients may experience a chaplain’s work as emotional labor, specifically “other-focused emotional labor.” Based on in-depth interviews with a sample of 38 care recipients, we find recipients feeling reassured by the chaplain; being offered support and help by the chaplain; and not feeling judged by the chaplain. These findings enlarge sociological concepts about spiritual care to include what recipients experience as emotional labor and call for a broader engagement between sociologists of religion and emotions. Full article

18 pages, 306 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Akkirmânî’s Occasionalist Approach to the Neuroscientific Research on the Human Will

by Nazif Muhtaroglu

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1134; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091134 - 20 Sep 2024

Viewed by 871

Abstract

In this paper, I explore the problem of human freedom and responsibility in light of current neuroscientific research, particularly focusing on Libet-style experiments. Beginning with a review of significant experiments on the nature of human will, starting with Libet’s influential series from the [...] Read more.

In this paper, I explore the problem of human freedom and responsibility in light of current neuroscientific research, particularly focusing on Libet-style experiments. Beginning with a review of significant experiments on the nature of human will, starting with Libet’s influential series from the 1980s, I survey various interpretations of these experiments including those that pose challenges to concepts of human freedom and responsibility. Subsequently, I introduce the perspective of Mehmed Akkirmânî (d. 1760), an Ottoman scholar who advocates for a libertarian view of human freedom within an occasionalist framework and constructs sophisticated arguments against theological determinism. Akkirmânî’s analysis of human will delineates different aspects such as inclinations, intentions, and decisions, positing that humans possess freedom solely in their conscious decisions, thereby suggesting a limited scope of free will. I argue that Akkirmânî’s views are remarkably consonant with contemporary scientific findings and align with some libertarian positions. His occasionalist perspective offers an alternative model to contemporary naturalist physicalism in elucidating the connection between mental and neurophysical states. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Classical Theism, Evil and Its Varieties: Abrahamic Science-Engaged Theology)

16 pages, 570 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Religion, Discrimination, and the Nation-State—A History of Catholics and Burakumin in Nagasaki, Japan

by Akihiro Yamamoto

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1133; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091133 - 20 Sep 2024

Viewed by 455

Abstract

This paper examines the socio-political history of the discrimination suffered by the group called Burakumin (部落民) in the city of Nagasaki in early modern and modern Japan (1600–present). More specifically, it looks into, first, the emergence and evolvement of hostility and antagonism between [...] Read more.

This paper examines the socio-political history of the discrimination suffered by the group called Burakumin (部落民) in the city of Nagasaki in early modern and modern Japan (1600–present). More specifically, it looks into, first, the emergence and evolvement of hostility and antagonism between Burakumin and Catholics in Nagasaki, and second, how discrimination against Burakumin became socially invisible in post-1945 Nagasaki when post-atomic bomb reconstruction transformed the urban landscape of Nagasaki and representations of the city came to be dominated by the Catholic imagery of prayer. The paper argues that, on the one hand, the modern nation-state, established on the principles of the freedom and equality of citizens, did not eradicate discrimination, but instead concealed it, resulting in discrimination continuing in changed forms, and on the other hand, Catholics in Nagasaki, while having themselves suffered political persecution in Japanese history, have been involved in practices of discrimination against the Burakumin. There is, however, not an innate relationship between religion and discrimination, but rather the relationship is historically contingent. Understanding its contingent nature requires us to address the historical conditions contributing to discrimination. By so doing, we can start imagining new ways to tackle and eliminate discrimination. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion, Liberalism and the Nation in East Asia)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 474 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Word of Life and the Simultaneous Presence of Scriptural Allusions: Resonances of Phil 2:12–18 with Deuteronomy, Deutero-Isaiah, and Daniel

by Simon Dürr

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1132; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091132 - 19 Sep 2024

Viewed by 501

Abstract

In recent scholarship on Philippians, there is renewed interest in Paul’s use of Israel’s Scriptures. While the separate textual interactions between Phil 2:12–18 and its evoked texts have been explored in detail by McAuley and others, this article attends to the simultaneous presence [...] Read more.

In recent scholarship on Philippians, there is renewed interest in Paul’s use of Israel’s Scriptures. While the separate textual interactions between Phil 2:12–18 and its evoked texts have been explored in detail by McAuley and others, this article attends to the simultaneous presence of the allusions to Deuteronomy, Deutero-Isaiah, and Daniel as a contribution to a coherent overall pragmatics, which does not, however, reduce the allusive force of scriptural passages. Attention to the composite nature of Paul’s scriptural intertext discovers the motif of the word of God as a central concern of the evoked texts, which has implications for the interpretation of the word of life in Phil 2:16. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Trends in Pauline Research: Philippians)

11 pages, 190 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Digital Sufi Gaze: Between Love, Longing and Locality in COVID Britain

by Hafza Iqbal

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1131; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091131 - 19 Sep 2024

Viewed by 340

Abstract

This article examines British Sufi responses to the COVID-19 pandemic within the broader context of Muslim experiences of and reactions to the pandemic. Set within a discussion pertaining to classical and contemporary expressions of Sufism, this article explores Sufi phenomena, including the murshid–murid [...] Read more.

This article examines British Sufi responses to the COVID-19 pandemic within the broader context of Muslim experiences of and reactions to the pandemic. Set within a discussion pertaining to classical and contemporary expressions of Sufism, this article explores Sufi phenomena, including the murshid–murid (Sufi master–novice) dynamic, collective gathering and Sufi gaze (nazar) and whether these phenomena were possible within the inevitable digital environments Sufis were forced into as a result of the COVID pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, experienced in Britain. The author explores Sufi social and intellectual phenomena within classical and contemporary literature in relation to Sufi experiences in the West. She concludes that varied lived experiences and differing views on Sufism and both its classical and contemporary expressions were brought into question as a consequence of the COVID pandemic, the exploration of which are necessary in juxtaposition to one another to add nuance and depth and create holistic research of Sufi communities and Sufism more broadly, within contemporary Britain and further afield. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Muslims and COVID-19: Everyday Impacts, Experiences and Responses)

20 pages, 1550 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Unraveling the Local Hymnal: Artistic Creativity and Agency in Four Indonesian Christian Communities

by Matt Menger

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1130; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091130 - 19 Sep 2024

Viewed by 419

Abstract

Local hymnals are cultural artifacts that express a community’s values, history, and identity and serve as vehicles for communal agency. This study investigates the role of local hymnals in shaping cultural identity and theological expression within four Indonesian Christian communities. Through interviews with [...] Read more.

Local hymnals are cultural artifacts that express a community’s values, history, and identity and serve as vehicles for communal agency. This study investigates the role of local hymnals in shaping cultural identity and theological expression within four Indonesian Christian communities. Through interviews with church leaders, songwriters, and musicians, and an analysis of four hymnals from different communities in Indonesia, this study explores how these communities exercise agency in creating, perceiving, experiencing, and utilizing locally created songbooks. The research reveals that local hymnals are not only tools for shaping communal identity and transmitting theological understanding but also instruments through which communities assert their agency, fostering cultural dynamism. The study also considers the impact of colonialism and globalization on the development of local hymnody, highlighting how these communities have actively adapted and reinterpreted external influences to create unique and meaningful expressions of faith. The research concludes that local hymnals are not merely collections of songs but living artifacts embodying the agency of communities: the ongoing dialogue between tradition and innovation, faith and culture, and the individual and the community. By fostering autogenic cultural reflection and asserting communal agency, local hymnals fuel momentum and sustainability within a culture. Full article

► Show Figures

Figure 1

24 pages, 372 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Incredible Story on the Credibility of Stories: Coherence, Real-Life Experience, and Making Sense of Texts in a Jaina Narrative

by Itamar Ramot

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1129; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091129 - 19 Sep 2024

Viewed by 678

Abstract

Throughout the centuries, Jaina authors actively engaged in producing their own versions of stories that were told in sources such as the Rāmāyaṇa, Mahābhārata, and the purāṇas. These authors self-consciously present themselves as correcting preceding narratives that they do not [...] Read more.

Throughout the centuries, Jaina authors actively engaged in producing their own versions of stories that were told in sources such as the Rāmāyaṇa, Mahābhārata, and the purāṇas. These authors self-consciously present themselves as correcting preceding narratives that they do not accept as credible. However, the question arises: what criteria determine the credibility of one version over another? This paper offers one possible answer as it appears in the Investigation of Dharma (Dharmaparīkṣā), a Jaina narrative that has been retold repeatedly in different languages throughout the second millennium. By examining its earliest available retellings—in Apabhramsha (988 CE) and Sanskrit (1014 CE)—I argue that this narrative traces the credibility of stories to the ideas of (1) coherence across textual boundaries and (2) correspondence with real-life experience. In this paper, I trace how these notions manifest in the Investigation and analyze the narrative’s mechanism for training its audience to evaluate for themselves the credibility of stories. Through this analysis, the paper offers a fresh perspective on the motivations of premodern South Asian authors to retell existing narratives and sheds light on the reading practices they expect from their audience. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Jainism and Narrative)

11 pages, 278 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Multilingual Complexities in the Origins and Development of the Harrist Movement and Its Worship Patterns in Ivory Coast

by James R. Krabill

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1128; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091128 - 19 Sep 2024

Viewed by 426

Abstract

The Harrist Church in Ivory Coast, West Africa, emerged from the ministry of Liberian William Wadé Harris who baptized between 10,000 and 200,000 people during his eighteen-month evangelistic tour, 1913–1915. This story is full of linguistic complexities and anomalies. Harris himself spoke only [...] Read more.

The Harrist Church in Ivory Coast, West Africa, emerged from the ministry of Liberian William Wadé Harris who baptized between 10,000 and 200,000 people during his eighteen-month evangelistic tour, 1913–1915. This story is full of linguistic complexities and anomalies. Harris himself spoke only English and his own local Liberian Glebo language. He was therefore compelled to work through expatriate English-speaking merchants, knowledgeable of and conversant in local languages, as interpreters and translators in addressing the twelve ethnic groups who heard and accepted his message. Harris encouraged new converts to compose hymns in their own indigenous languages by transforming musical genres embedded in their local musical traditions. Additionally fascinating is that during this early colonial period, the twelve ethnic groups impacted by Harris’s ministry lived in almost total isolation from each other and developed their own hymn traditions for thirty-five years (1914–1949), unaware of the existence of churches and worship patterns in neighboring ethnic districts. Only in 1949 did they suddenly become acquainted with the broader, multi-musical, multilingual reality of the Harrist movement. Since then, individual musicians and choirs from local congregations have gradually begun to sing a few of each other’s songs, though the challenge of becoming a truly multicultural, multiethnic church remains a work in progress. Documentation of these developments include written colonial and early Protestant and Catholic missionary sources and a large number of eye-witness interviews. Primary research methods employed here come from four intersecting disciplines and theoretical frameworks: orality studies, with particular focus on oral sources in constructing historical narrative; religious phenomenology; mission history; and ethnodoxological research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multilingualism in Religious Musical Practice)

12 pages, 235 KiB

Open AccessArticle

On the Ethics of Mediating Embodied Vulnerability to Violence

by Meenakshi Gigi Durham

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1127; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091127 - 18 Sep 2024

Viewed by 541

Abstract

Media ethics has long been haunted by the question of representing human beings’ vulnerability to violence. While journalism and photojournalism have an obligation to report on the realities of violence and suffering in the world, the “spectacle of suffering” is fraught with ethical [...] Read more.

Media ethics has long been haunted by the question of representing human beings’ vulnerability to violence. While journalism and photojournalism have an obligation to report on the realities of violence and suffering in the world, the “spectacle of suffering” is fraught with ethical dilemmas. In this essay, I seek to theorize the ethics of vulnerability to violence in media representation. As a starting point, I argue for the politics of embodiment as a generative process that constitutes differential vulnerabilities. I move then to consider the way embodied vulnerabilities play out in the media, as exemplified by recent events such as the Black Lives Matter and MeToo movements as well as in times of war, from Vietnam to, more recently, Ukraine and Israel/Palestine. This leads to considerations of spectatorship: who looks and who is looked at? How are these relations of gazing related to the vectors of social and geopolitical power? Are images of embodied vulnerability simply media spectacles that reinforce power hierarchies, or are they powerful prosocial messages that might mobilize humanitarian activism? To address these epistemic questions, I propose that the feminist ethics of care encompasses an invitational rhetoric that can guide media praxis. Care ethics is aligned with various religious epistemologies, and because of that, I argue for it as an umbrella framework that has application in a variety of national and cultural contexts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vulnerability in Theology, the Humanities and Social Sciences)

14 pages, 257 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Epistemology of Revelation

by Arpad Szakolczai

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1126; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091126 - 18 Sep 2024

Viewed by 346

Abstract

The aim of this article is to approach the epistemology of revelation through the approach of political anthropology. It departs from Max Weber’s distinction between ordinary and out-of-the-ordinary situations, which led to his idea of charismatic power. This article complements the Weberian perspective [...] Read more.

The aim of this article is to approach the epistemology of revelation through the approach of political anthropology. It departs from Max Weber’s distinction between ordinary and out-of-the-ordinary situations, which led to his idea of charismatic power. This article complements the Weberian perspective by introducing the anthropological term “liminality” for such situations, as well as the term “trickster” for figures who have a specific affinity for appearing in such situations, creating havoc instead of offering a solution. Ordinary knowledge does not apply to liminal void situations of incommensurability; incommensurable knowledge can be gained by magic and religion. Magic forces the transcendent and claims to produce effects, while religion is based on revealed knowledge, the validity of which is established by trust. Under particularly anguishing liminal conditions, the hardly tolerated practitioners of magic might gain positions of power. An important such example is offered by Persian Magi. Turning to the present, modern rationalism, with Bacon and Descartes, undermined both ordinary and revealed knowledge. The possible relevance of revealed knowledge in contemporary times is discussed through the related phenomena of apocalyptic expectations and Marian apparitions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Varieties of Revelation: Scripture, Theology, and Philosophy in the Perspective of Divine Disclosure)

15 pages, 247 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modernity and Caste in Khatri and High-Caste Men’s Auto/Biographies

by Anshu Malhotra

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1125; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091125 - 18 Sep 2024

Viewed by 360

Abstract

This paper studies the auto/biographies of high-caste middle-class Punjabi Khatri men, and those of cognate castes like Arora and Baniya, written in the first half of the twentieth century: men who were born in the second half of the nineteenth century or early [...] Read more.

This paper studies the auto/biographies of high-caste middle-class Punjabi Khatri men, and those of cognate castes like Arora and Baniya, written in the first half of the twentieth century: men who were born in the second half of the nineteenth century or early twentieth century. While the discourse on caste under the colonial regime exploded, there was also an embarrassment about caste, or re-thinking its place in society among the upper-caste groups who invested in ideas of progress, improvement and scientism. It is argued that caste was referenced in the memoirs, life stories and self-reflexive writing when these men spoke of their familial backgrounds and admired the deep religiosity and devotionalism of their fathers even though some paternal practices were incongruent with the reformism of the sons. Caste is also in play when one traces the advantages of literacy, education, professional accomplishments, mobility, and reformist activities of men who came to have an important presence in public life. A number of these men had similar life trajectories, indicative of how some aspects of colonial educational and administrative structures could be utilized by them. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sikhi, Sikhs and Caste: Lived Experiences in a Global Context)

10 pages, 235 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Philosophical Interpretation of “God Is Dead”: Retreat, Disruption, and Judgment

by Kuo Li

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1124; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091124 - 18 Sep 2024

Viewed by 546

Abstract

Nietzsche’s declaration of “God is dead” signifies not only the collapse of classical metaphysical systems in philosophy but also shifts in the psychological structure of individuals and society after the secularization of Christianity. A philosophical reading is crucial to understanding its whole process [...] Read more.

Nietzsche’s declaration of “God is dead” signifies not only the collapse of classical metaphysical systems in philosophy but also shifts in the psychological structure of individuals and society after the secularization of Christianity. A philosophical reading is crucial to understanding its whole process and real-world ramifications. We first delineate the fundamental meanings and historical context of the term “God” or “Absolute” and expound upon the mechanisms of spiritual functioning under it, highlighting the significance of God, or the Absolute, as the highest object of spiritual operation. Next, we analyze the death of God, i.e., the retreat of the Absolute, in the realms of reason and faith, exploring its causes and repercussions, particularly the disruption of the operation of the spirit. Then, building upon this analysis, we conclude that the metaphysical life supported by Kant and Hegel faces failure in the present age, because the Absolute has ceased to be the foundation. The roots of spiritual operation are no longer secure; the return to the Absolute points to emptiness, and exit without return creates disruptive division between subject and substance, essence and phenomenon, reason and reality. Meanwhile, the departure of God and the development of capitalism are intertwined, calling for a resurgence in the form of secularization, heralding a renewed human judgment of God. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Where Is God? Contemporary Views on Arguments for God’s Existence)

37 pages, 51814 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Between North and South: Buddhist Cliff Sculpture in Northern Sichuan in the First Half of the Seventh Century CE

by Xiao Yang

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1123; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091123 - 18 Sep 2024

Viewed by 542

Abstract

In the first half of the seventh century CE, clusters of Buddhist cliff sculptures were carved into cliffs and boulders in Guangyuan, Mianyang, Bazhong, and other locations nestled in the northern Sichuan Basin. They mark the start of large-scale Buddhist grotto construction in [...] Read more.

In the first half of the seventh century CE, clusters of Buddhist cliff sculptures were carved into cliffs and boulders in Guangyuan, Mianyang, Bazhong, and other locations nestled in the northern Sichuan Basin. They mark the start of large-scale Buddhist grotto construction in Sichuan, significantly impacting the establishment of regional grotto traditions in southwestern China. Through analysis of site forms, statue types, and devotional inscriptions, this article argues that these Buddhist cliff sculptures represent a reintegration of divergent Buddhist practices and artistic conventions that emerged during the Southern and Northern Dynasties in northern and southern China. While their niche-based site structure and collective sponsorship through the yiyi association can be traced back to northern China in the prior two centuries, the sculptural style primarily reflects a regional tradition exemplified by the free-standing statues unearthed in Chengdu, central Sichuan in the Southern Dynasties. The construction of these sites, catalyzed by the influx of northern officials and monks into Sichuan toward the end of the Sui and the early Tang, provides valuable material for exploring the social integration of northern and southern China, as well as the religious dynamics between Buddhism and Daoism in northern Sichuan. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buddhist Literature and Art across Eurasia)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 279 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Critical Genealogy, Comprehension, and Explanation in Leibniz’s Critique of Bayle on Cosmic Dualism

by Paul Lodge

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1122; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091122 - 18 Sep 2024

Viewed by 793

Abstract

The main aim of this paper is to provide an account of Leibniz’s engagement with the doctrine of cosmic dualism in his Theodicy, i.e., the view that there are two distinct fundamental principles that are responsible for the existence of the created [...] Read more.

The main aim of this paper is to provide an account of Leibniz’s engagement with the doctrine of cosmic dualism in his Theodicy, i.e., the view that there are two distinct fundamental principles that are responsible for the existence of the created world, one good and the other evil. Leibniz’s discussion is primarily a response to arguments in favour of cosmic dualism that he finds in the writings of Pierre Bayle. However, in addition, he presents a genealogical argument that appears to be intended to provide reasons to reject the view. The paper also contains a critical discussion of Leibniz’s case, and finishes by drawing attention to some issues which arise that are worthy of further consideration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring Leibniz’s Religion and Philosophy of Religion: Essays in Honour of Maria Rosa Antognazza (1964–2023))

12 pages, 225 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Reverse the Curse: Genesis, Defamiliarization, and the Song of Songs

by Carole R. Fontaine

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1121; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091121 - 17 Sep 2024

Viewed by 345

Abstract

This paper assesses the relationship between the so-called “curses” on the Woman in Gen 3:16 in terms of themes (garden, tree, creation, marriage, procreation, and so on) and concludes that the late poetic text of the Song aims at a deliberate corrective to [...] Read more.

This paper assesses the relationship between the so-called “curses” on the Woman in Gen 3:16 in terms of themes (garden, tree, creation, marriage, procreation, and so on) and concludes that the late poetic text of the Song aims at a deliberate corrective to the negative view of gender relations in Genesis. The use of mashal, “to rule over” in Gen 3 is reassessed from the perspective of its use of the native genre designation of mashal in Wisdom Literature. There, it refers to similarities between two compared items. The direct reversal of God’s speech to the humans in Gen 3, where the woman will be ruled over by her man but still desire him, appears in the Song in the speeches of the Beloved: there she states categorically that the man is her beloved and belongs to her, while she belongs to him. The tactic of defamiliarization (a Russian literary concept) is used to juxtapose radically different views and destabilizes the notion of only one meaning for the words under consideration. In effect, reading two opposing themes together forges a new, more inclusive understanding of both. This paper concludes with a dramatic new rendering of the Song, “The Song I Sing Complete” with speech and motifs reassigned to the woman’s voice, foregrounding her remarks within the genre of love poetry, drawing on tropes found in lyrical poetry and the myth of Israel’s neighbors in Mesopotamia and Egypt. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Eve’s Curse: Redemptive Readings of Genesis 3:16)

26 pages, 11845 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bidirectional Transmission Mapping of Architectural Styles of Tibetan Buddhist Temples in China from the 7th to the 18th Century

by Tianyi Min and Tong Zhang

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1120; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091120 - 16 Sep 2024

Viewed by 481

Abstract

Architecture is the stone book of history, and the evolution of architectural styles showcases a non-verbal history constructed through images. As an important part of China’s historical and cultural heritage, the architectural forms and styles of Tibetan Buddhist temples were initially modeled on [...] Read more.

Architecture is the stone book of history, and the evolution of architectural styles showcases a non-verbal history constructed through images. As an important part of China’s historical and cultural heritage, the architectural forms and styles of Tibetan Buddhist temples were initially modeled on Tang dynasty temple architecture and gradually evolved into the most significant architectural types in regions such as Tibet and Qinghai in China. Religious architecture has also played a significant role in shaping regional cultural landscapes. Existing research on Tibetan Buddhist temples is primarily focused on qualitative studies of individual temple buildings. This research takes the spatiotemporal evolution of architectural styles of Tibetan Buddhist temples as an entry point and, for the first time, employs ArcGIS technology to visualize the spatial and geographical distribution of Tibetan Buddhist temples from the 7th to the 18th century, establishing a comprehensive academic vision that encompasses both historical stratification and cross-regional spatial correlations. By analyzing the cultural symbolic features embodied in the construction styles of Tibetan Buddhist temples and the visual characteristics reflected in their decorative arts, we propose two spatiotemporal dimensions for the formation and transmission of Tibetan Buddhist temple architectural styles: “Westward Transmission” and “Eastward Diffusion”. Firstly, from the 7th to the 9th centuries, the architectural style and construction techniques of Tang dynasty Buddhist temples were transmitted westward along the Tang–Tibet ancient road, integrating with local Tibetan elements to form the Tubo architectural style, which was further refined into the “Sino–Tibetan Combined Style” with strong visual characteristics around the 13th century. Subsequently, along with the spread of Tibetan Buddhism, this temple architectural style underwent an eastward diffusion from the 13th to the 18th century, reaching regions, such as Sichuan, Qinghai, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, and Beijing, presenting a spatial gradient from west to east in the geographical dimension. On this basis, in this research, we construct a historical evolution mapping of Tibetan Buddhist temple architectural styles based on bidirectional transmission, attempting to elucidate that the intrinsic driving forces are religious and the cultural identity that guided the bidirectional transmission mechanism of these architectural styles under the historical context of the formation and dissemination of Tibetan Buddhism from the 7th to the 18th century. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buddhist Art, Artifact and Culture Worldwide)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

10 pages, 214 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Who Will Be Saved: The Right or the Upright?

by Mohammed Gamal Abdelnour

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1119; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091119 - 16 Sep 2024

Viewed by 1001

Abstract

There is a growing body of literature on the Islamic theology and philosophy of salvation. This literature can be loosely grouped into three main groups: there are those that link the right path of salvation to a specific Muslim group, others that link [...] Read more.

There is a growing body of literature on the Islamic theology and philosophy of salvation. This literature can be loosely grouped into three main groups: there are those that link the right path of salvation to a specific Muslim group, others that link it to believing in the Prophet Muhammad regardless of the theological group that a Muslim may follow, and there are those that link it to the belief in God and doing good. Despite this variety, what largely unites those various interpretations is that they all emphasize the “rightness” of one’s theological path, i.e., asking the question, what is the “right” track to God? However, what received scant attention so far is the question of “uprightness” as opposed to “rightness”, i.e., Is salvation primarily about being “right” (muḥiqq), or rather about being “upright” (ṣādiq/mukhliṣ)? Drawing on Q. 5:116-119, which presents a conflict between “rightness” and “uprightness” embodied in Jesus’ conversation with God regarding the fate of those who did not have the right theology, and taking its cues from Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī (d. 1111) who attempted to rejuvenate Islamic theology through spirituality, this article takes “uprightness” as the primary requisite for one to attain salvation and argues that the Quran, despite the emphasis it places on pursuing the “right” path, gives primacy to the “uprightness” of one’s position instead. Uprightness in the article is used in reference to the quality of being honest, responsible, and moral, as opposed to being merely “right” or “correct” theologically. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Problems in Contemporary Islamic Philosophy of Religion)

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Religions, Volume 15, Issue 9 (September 2024) – 125 articles

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI