Religions

20 pages, 5497 KB

Open AccessArticle

Religiosity, Ethnicity, and Psychological Traits as Predictors of Educational Aspirations Among Arab Palestinian Israeli Students

by Raed Zedan

Religions 2026, 17(6), 677; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17060677 (registering DOI) - 4 Jun 2026

Abstract

This study examines the perceptions of Palestinian Arab students enrolled in teacher training colleges regarding their religious, ethnic, and educational identities and investigates the associations between these identities and life orientation, self-mastery, and self-esteem. In addition, the study evaluates a hypothesized model in [...] Read more.

This study examines the perceptions of Palestinian Arab students enrolled in teacher training colleges regarding their religious, ethnic, and educational identities and investigates the associations between these identities and life orientation, self-mastery, and self-esteem. In addition, the study evaluates a hypothesized model in which life orientation is posited to mediate the relationship between religious identity, ethnic identity, self-esteem, self-mastery, and educational identity. The research includes a sample of 512 Arab Palestinian Israeli students studying in Israeli teacher training colleges who filled out an online questionnaire. The findings show that participants reported clear and coherent perceptions of their religious, ethnic, and educational identities, along with a generally positive life orientation and moderate levels of self-esteem and self-mastery. Significant correlations were found between the variables. Furthermore, religious and ethnic identity, self-esteem, self-mastery, and life orientation were all directly associated with educational identity. Bias-corrected bootstrap analyses confirmed significant indirect effects through positive life orientation, supporting the hypothesized mediation model. These findings help to illustrate the extent to which the religious and ethnic identities of indigenous multi-religious and multicultural minorities contribute to the growth and development of individuals and advocate for their strengthening, contrary to claims that belittle these identities or call for ignoring and suppressing them. Furthermore, the study underscores the potential role of identity awareness in fostering adaptive psychosocial adjustment and reducing social polarization. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion, Spirituality, Well-Being and Positive Psychology)

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21 pages, 314 KB

Open AccessArticle

War, Religion, and the Production of the Ottoman Other: Orientalist Representation in the First Balkan War Correspondence

by Alparslan Oymak

Religions 2026, 17(6), 676; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17060676 (registering DOI) - 4 Jun 2026

Abstract

The First Balkan War was not merely a military defeat but also a crisis of knowledge production. Although there is a vast body of academic literature in Turkey focusing on the causes, consequences, and military failures of the war, the discursive dimension of [...] Read more.

The First Balkan War was not merely a military defeat but also a crisis of knowledge production. Although there is a vast body of academic literature in Turkey focusing on the causes, consequences, and military failures of the war, the discursive dimension of Western correspondents’ narratives has not yet been sufficiently analyzed. This research examines correspondent narratives within an integrated religious-civilizational framework that combines Edward Said’s concept of “Orientalism,” Stuart Hall’s concept of “Representation,” and Maria Todorova’s concept of “Balkanism.” Employing Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) based on Norman Fairclough’s three-dimensional model, the article investigates how reporter texts—often accepted as “transparent” primary sources in Turkish historiography—function as symbolic instruments of construction. By analyzing recurring representations of Turks as “fatalistic,” “pre-modern,” and “alien to European values,” the study reveals how these narratives legitimize a civilization hierarchy by exploiting the “Cross and Crescent” dichotomy. By revealing how these boundary-producing discourses transform military events into evidence of barbarism, the article challenges the claim of neutrality in archival records and contributes to the literature in this regard. By distinguishing between Orientalist representations of the Ottoman Turks and Balkanist representations of the Balkan nations, this study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of Western discursive hierarchies during the geopolitical crises of the early 20th century. Full article

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

19 pages, 562 KB

Open AccessArticle

Canaanite Parallelism in Hittite and Egyptian Texts: Transmission and Adaptation

by Noga Ayali-Darshan

Religions 2026, 17(6), 675; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17060675 (registering DOI) - 4 Jun 2026

Abstract

This article examines selected instances of Canaanite poetic parallelism preserved in two Late Bronze Age texts outside the Levant: the Hittite Elkunirša and the Egyptian pLeiden I 343 + 345. Through comparative analysis, it traces within these parallel structures features characteristic of Canaanite [...] Read more.

This article examines selected instances of Canaanite poetic parallelism preserved in two Late Bronze Age texts outside the Levant: the Hittite Elkunirša and the Egyptian pLeiden I 343 + 345. Through comparative analysis, it traces within these parallel structures features characteristic of Canaanite poetic convention, including distinctive epic formulae, fixed word pairs, graded numerical patterns, and expanded construct expressions. Their analysis not only clarifies difficult philological passages but also recovers early poetic forms, thereby expanding the limited pre-biblical corpus. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Texts, Language, and Style in Biblical Literature, the Semitic Literatures of the Ancient Near East, and Post-Biblical Literature)

17 pages, 1809 KB

Open AccessArticle

A Divine Compositionalism View of God’s Commitments and Human Choices: A Christian Ontology of Human Free Will

by Lisanne D. Winslow and Walter J. Schultz

Religions 2026, 17(6), 674; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17060674 (registering DOI) - 4 Jun 2026

Abstract

This paper advances Divine Compositionalism (DC) as a comprehensive theistic ontology capable of integrating divine sovereignty with genuine human libertarian freedom. Here we extend DC’s commitment to physical causation in natural mechanisms, to human agency, arguing that DC can accommodate a novel, integrated [...] Read more.

This paper advances Divine Compositionalism (DC) as a comprehensive theistic ontology capable of integrating divine sovereignty with genuine human libertarian freedom. Here we extend DC’s commitment to physical causation in natural mechanisms, to human agency, arguing that DC can accommodate a novel, integrated free will position without collapsing into classical occasionalism or reductive determinism. In a six-category ontology, God remains the continuous, existence-conferring cause of all physical processes, including the neurological and biological substrates of decision and action, while human agents possess genuine causal power to generate originate thoughts, intentions, and choices. In a precise mapping to the neuroscience of proximal intention formation, a model is given proposing that God acts differentially within the structures of human neurophysiology in an occasionalist manner and in a concurrentist manner with human agent free will. This preserves agent moral responsibility and divine non-culpability for sin and evil, while affirming God’s providential governance. By reconceptualizing the relationship between divine causality and human freedom, DC offers a synthetic position that transcends the traditional libertarian–compatibilist dichotomy. Freedom is neither illusory within a deterministic system nor an autonomous power severed from divine causality, but a contingent participation in God’s ongoing creative act. The result is a biblically grounded, metaphysically coherent framework that seeks to offer a theistic ontology in which God’s continuous, existence-conferring action in nature harmonizes with the genuine moral freedom of human persons. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring Free Will in Faith Traditions in Conversation with Contemporary Challenges)

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23 pages, 351 KB

Open AccessArticle

Christian Sexual Ethics and Everyday Sacredness: Voices of Young Black People with Diverse Sexual Identities

by Sandra Lynn Barnes

Religions 2026, 17(6), 673; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17060673 (registering DOI) - 4 Jun 2026

Abstract

Christian ethics are often associated with dichotomies such as right versus wrong, good versus evil, and moral versus immoral. How do young Black people with diverse sexual identities who also embrace Christianity understand such ethics? What constitutes Christian ethics for people who live [...] Read more.

Christian ethics are often associated with dichotomies such as right versus wrong, good versus evil, and moral versus immoral. How do young Black people with diverse sexual identities who also embrace Christianity understand such ethics? What constitutes Christian ethics for people who live on the margins and are often vilified for their racial and sexual identities? This mixed-methodological study considers these questions for a group of 76 young Black members of the LGBTQIA community aged 18–30 years old. The study is also designed to theorize and apply the concept of everyday sacredness as an ethos to illuminate the religious and spiritual experiences of Black sexual minorities. Three themes emerge that focus on ethical expectations. The initial theme reflects common questions about historic and present-day unethical practices in certain Black churches linked to homophobia and heterosexism found in current studies. The second, more spiritually focused theme, presents agape love as an ethical response to all God’s creation. The final practically focused theme emphasizes holistic health as an ethical response to health inequities in the Black LGBTQIA community. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Critical Issues in Christian Ethics)

18 pages, 345 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Metaphysics of Fasting

by Ismail Lala

Religions 2026, 17(6), 672; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17060672 (registering DOI) - 4 Jun 2026

Abstract

This study investigates the metaphysics of fasting according to the hugely influential mystic Muhyi al-Din ibn ‘Arabi (d. 638/1240). Ibn ‘Arabi argues that fasting holds an unparalleled position in ritual worship. While his predecessor Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (d. 505/1111) in his magnum opus [...] Read more.

This study investigates the metaphysics of fasting according to the hugely influential mystic Muhyi al-Din ibn ‘Arabi (d. 638/1240). Ibn ‘Arabi argues that fasting holds an unparalleled position in ritual worship. While his predecessor Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (d. 505/1111) in his magnum opus—The revival of the religious sciences (Ihya’ ‘ulum al-din)—addresses the ethical dimension of fasting, Ibn ‘Arabi’s concern is the metaphysical reality of it. There are six principal reasons Ibn ‘Arabi gives for fasting being superior to other forms of worship, all of which revolve around fasting’s uniqueness that adverts to the uniqueness of God: (1) Fasting is elevated because God has connected it to Himself in prophetic traditions. All other acts of worship are connected to humans. Fasting is thus elevated from the servant to God. (2) Fasting is not an action like other forms of worship; it is an inaction since it entails refraining from eating, drinking, and sexual intercourse. This makes its essence incomprehensible as it is not an entity but the lack of one. The incomprehensibility of the essential inaction of fasting connects it to the incomprehensibility of God. (3) Fasting, insofar as it displays independence from food, drink, and sexual intercourse, mirrors the divine attribute of true independence from all things (samadaniyya); (4) Fasting is described as a shield (junna) in prophetic traditions because although it is not an action in itself, the state of fasting becomes a protection against evil actions. Awareness of God (taqwa), likewise, protects against evil actions. Thus, fasting is related to God as it begets awareness of God. (5) The breath of the person who fasts, though malodourous to humans, is said to be fragrant for God by Prophet Muhammad. This ’fragrance’ is produced by the breath of the person who fasts, which adverts to the Breath of the Compassionate (nafas al-Rahman) that brings all things into existence according to Ibn ‘Arabi. (6) The people who fast shall enter heaven through the Gate of Rayyan (quenched thirst) as reported in prophetic traditions. Ibn ‘Arabi argues that the quenching of thirst represents an endpoint or ‘perfection’ (kamal) after which one does not require more drink. This ‘perfection’ (of satiation) mirrors God’s perfection. Fasting is the only form of worship that has a gate that alludes to its perfection, which demonstrates that it is unique. In all these ways, then, there is nothing like fasting, which connects it to God because there is nothing like God. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fasting, Renunciation, and Moderation in Early Christian Thought, Greco-Roman Culture, and the Abrahamic Traditions)

18 pages, 2058 KB

Open AccessArticle

Constanza de Castilla’s Marian Doctrines in a Dominican Setting: Her ‘Officium Incarnacionis Domini Nostri Ihesus Christi’

by Lesley Karen Twomey

Religions 2026, 17(6), 671; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17060671 - 4 Jun 2026

Abstract

The Dominican Constanza de Castilla’s exceptional liturgical book, her Libro de devociones y oficios [Book of Devotions and Offices], served devotional and practical purposes in the convent of Santo Domingo el Real in Madrid. The article begins by examining Dominican nuns’ participation in [...] Read more.

The Dominican Constanza de Castilla’s exceptional liturgical book, her Libro de devociones y oficios [Book of Devotions and Offices], served devotional and practical purposes in the convent of Santo Domingo el Real in Madrid. The article begins by examining Dominican nuns’ participation in Corpus Christi processions. It then examines Constanza’s liturgy for the Mass of the Incarnation (25 March). A study of liturgical calendars and offices both prior to and contemporary to Constanza reveals that there are no Castilian offices given the title ‘Incarnation of Our Lord’. Comparison of the contents of the office with the same liturgies reveals none with the exact same antiphons or readings. However, Constanza’s choice of the name ‘office of the Incarnation’ is matched to a similar wording in the account book of Franciscan nuns. They also give the name day of the Incarnation to the feast they celebrate on 25 March. The article also summarizes the theological theme of kenosis, Christ’s self-abasement, apparent elsewhere in the Book of Devotions and Offices and which is touched upon in the office of the Incarnation. Finally, it examines the links between Thomas Aquinas’s thinking on the Virgin Birth and where that is echoed by Constanza. This article concludes that, for this short office, Constanza’s Mass shows no signs of having been copied from existing offices, always with the proviso that what remains of fourteenth and fifteenth century liturgies provides an imperfect picture. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Divine Inspirations: Exploring Religious Themes in Female Visionary Writing of the Middle Ages and Renaissance)

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28 pages, 341 KB

Open AccessArticle

Womanist Ethics and the Semiotics of Religious National Power: White Authority and the Politics of Unknowing

by CL Nash

Religions 2026, 17(6), 670; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17060670 - 3 Jun 2026

Abstract

This article theorizes a womanist semiotics of advocacy by reading the unnamed Shunammite woman of 2 Kings 4—renamed Polet (defender)—alongside Ida B. Wells’ anti-lynching crusade. A womanist semiotics decodes how Black women’s bodies and voices signify within systems of White patriarchal power that [...] Read more.

This article theorizes a womanist semiotics of advocacy by reading the unnamed Shunammite woman of 2 Kings 4—renamed Polet (defender)—alongside Ida B. Wells’ anti-lynching crusade. A womanist semiotics decodes how Black women’s bodies and voices signify within systems of White patriarchal power that simultaneously demand their advocacy while denying them protection. Through close readings of biblical narrative and historical archive, the article identifies five components that structure Black women’s resistance: communal grounding, strategic alliance-building, trauma witness, prophetic truth-telling, and sacred self-preservation. Both women embodied kenotic love—a paradoxical self-emptying that becomes fierce self-assertion—confronting prophetic and political authority to demand accountability for life against death. This framework exposes how contemporary democratic systems exploit Black women as “democracy’s backbone” while marginalizing their policy priorities, and offers theological authorization for strategic withdrawal from exploitative contexts. By centering Black women’s epistemological standpoint, this womanist ethic reframes rest and disengagement not as abandonment but as revolutionary self-love essential for sustainable justice work. Full article

2 pages, 118 KB

Open AccessEditorial

Casta Meretrix: The Paradox of the Christian Church Through History

by Jonathan Farrugia and Nicholas Doublet

Religions 2026, 17(6), 669; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17060669 - 3 Jun 2026

Abstract

The foundational paradox of the Christian Church—its existence as both a divine institution and a human enterprise—has served as a central preoccupation for theologians, historians, and jurists for two millennia [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Casta Meretrix: The Paradox of the Christian Church Through History)

24 pages, 345 KB

Open AccessArticle

Rewriting the Marian Narrative: Bridget of Sweden’s Gospel

by Alessandra Bartolomei Romagnoli

Religions 2026, 17(6), 668; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17060668 - 2 Jun 2026

Abstract

This article is structured in two parts. The first presents an overview of late-medieval female Marian devotion and spirituality, outlining the principal interpretative approaches developed in recent scholarship. The second examines Book VII of the Revelationes of Bridget of Sweden, which is constructed [...] Read more.

This article is structured in two parts. The first presents an overview of late-medieval female Marian devotion and spirituality, outlining the principal interpretative approaches developed in recent scholarship. The second examines Book VII of the Revelationes of Bridget of Sweden, which is constructed as a true “Gospel of Mary.” Through the visionary reconstruction of Christ’s life and Passion, narrated in the first person by the Virgin, Bridget reshapes the apocryphal tradition and transfers authority from apostolic memory to contemporary revelation. The narrative transforms the pilgrimage to the Holy Land into a Eucharistic and prophetic space, develops an innovative and politically charged Mariology, and presents Mary as both witness of the Incarnation and guardian of a Church in crisis. By integrating theology, narrative, and embodied visionary experience, the article argues that Bridget’s Marian Gospel represents one of the most daring and enduring expressions of female spiritual authority in the transmission of Christian truth. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Divine Inspirations: Exploring Religious Themes in Female Visionary Writing of the Middle Ages and Renaissance)

16 pages, 273 KB

Open AccessArticle

A School of Holiness: Caterina Vigri (1413–1463) and the Nuns of Corpus Domini in Bologna

by Gabriella Zarri

Religions 2026, 17(6), 667; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17060667 - 2 Jun 2026

Abstract

This article examines the spiritual, intellectual, and institutional legacy of Caterina Vigri (1413–1463) and the formation of a “school of holiness” within the Poor Clare monastery of Corpus Domini in Bologna. Through the analysis of key texts produced within the monastic milieu—including the [...] Read more.

This article examines the spiritual, intellectual, and institutional legacy of Caterina Vigri (1413–1463) and the formation of a “school of holiness” within the Poor Clare monastery of Corpus Domini in Bologna. Through the analysis of key texts produced within the monastic milieu—including the Libro devoto (later known as The Seven Spiritual Weapons), the Ordinazioni, the epistolary Formulario, and the Book of Visions and Revelations by Valeria Campanazzi—the study explores how Vigri’s teachings were transmitted, received, and reworked across generations of nuns. Particular attention is devoted to the centrality of obedience as the defining principle of monastic life, which marks a significant shift from earlier Franciscan emphases on poverty. The article highlights the pedagogical dimension of these writings, their grounding in Sacred Scripture, and their role in shaping a collective religious identity within an Observant context. At the same time, it situates Vigri’s spiritual program within broader developments in late medieval and early modern Christianity, including the institutional consolidation of religious life and the circulation of diverse spiritual influences. By tracing both continuity and transformation within the Corpus Domini community, the study demonstrates the existence of a sustained intellectual and devotional tradition that extended well beyond the founder’s lifetime. The “school of Caterina” thus emerges as a dynamic space of female religious authority, literary production, and theological formation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Divine Inspirations: Exploring Religious Themes in Female Visionary Writing of the Middle Ages and Renaissance)

30 pages, 462 KB

Open AccessArticle

Anti-Judaism and Typological Exegesis in Cyril of Alexandria’s Commentary on the Gospel of John

by Martin Micallef

Religions 2026, 17(6), 666; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17060666 - 2 Jun 2026

Abstract

The biblical commentaries of Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376–444) represent a major contribution to the development of patristic exegesis. His Commentary on the Gospel of John demonstrates the close interaction between Christological theology, allegorical interpretation, and ecclesial polemic within late antique biblical interpretation. [...] Read more.

The biblical commentaries of Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376–444) represent a major contribution to the development of patristic exegesis. His Commentary on the Gospel of John demonstrates the close interaction between Christological theology, allegorical interpretation, and ecclesial polemic within late antique biblical interpretation. While Cyril’s exegesis has often been praised for its theological sophistication, modern scholarship increasingly recognizes that his interpretive framework also contains a pronounced anti-Judaic dimension. This study examines several key passages from Cyril’s Commentary on the Gospel of John in order to analyse how typology, supersessionist theology, and polemical rhetoric function together in his interpretation. Particular attention is given to Cyril’s portrayal of Jewish ignorance, his attribution of responsibility for the death of Christ, and his typological reinterpretation of Jewish law and history. The analysis demonstrates that Cyril integrates anti-Jewish rhetoric into a broader theological system in which the Mosaic law is presented as a provisional anticipation fulfilled in Christ and realized in the Christian Church. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Contemporary Johannine Scholarship: Texts, Contexts, and Trajectories)

23 pages, 249 KB

Open AccessArticle

Challenges and Directions for the Renewal of the Pastoral Care of Marriage in the Teaching of Pope Francis

by Grzegorz Pyźlak

Religions 2026, 17(6), 665; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17060665 - 2 Jun 2026

Abstract

This article examines the challenges and directions involved in the renewal of the pastoral care of marriage in the teaching of Pope Francis. The analysis is grounded in key ecclesial documents, particularly the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia and the document issued by the [...] Read more.

This article examines the challenges and directions involved in the renewal of the pastoral care of marriage in the teaching of Pope Francis. The analysis is grounded in key ecclesial documents, particularly the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia and the document issued by the Dicastery of Laity, Family and Life entitled Catechumenal Pathways for Married Life: Pastoral Guidelines for Local Churches. On this basis, the study identifies three principal dimensions of pastoral renewal: interconnectedness, synodality, and continuity. The article combines theological reflection with the findings of empirical research conducted among married couples, thereby enabling an assessment of the reception and practical implementation of these pastoral proposals. The results highlight the particular importance of systematic formation, the active involvement of spouses, and the development of community-based initiatives, while structural solutions are perceived as comparatively less significant. The analysis ultimately demonstrates that the renewal of the pastoral care of marriage should adopt a comprehensive approach that integrates formative, communal, and institutional dimensions, while giving clear priority to initiatives rooted in the everyday lived experience of married couples. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Teaching of Pope Francis on Marriage)

19 pages, 468 KB

Open AccessArticle

“Strange Fire” Indeed (Lev 10:1–11): Psychotropic Substances in the Religions of Israel and Judah in the Iron Age II in Light of Incense Traditions in the Hebrew Bible and Recent Archaeological Discoveries

by Jonathan S. Greer

Religions 2026, 17(6), 664; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17060664 - 1 Jun 2026

Abstract

The cultic violation of the “strange fire” offered to Yahweh by Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10:1–11 has long puzzled commentators. Similarly perplexing has been the apparently related prohibition of imbibing intoxicating liquids (v. 8) prescribed for all officiating priests following the debacle. [...] Read more.

The cultic violation of the “strange fire” offered to Yahweh by Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10:1–11 has long puzzled commentators. Similarly perplexing has been the apparently related prohibition of imbibing intoxicating liquids (v. 8) prescribed for all officiating priests following the debacle. This paper considers the episode in the broader context of the use of mind-altering substances in religious practices of the ancient Near East attested to in texts, iconography, and archaeology, and includes specific interaction with the recent discovery of cannabis at the Judahite temple of Arad, as well as potential material paraphernalia from other Late Bronze and Iron Age sites. These archaeological finds provide a backdrop for a discussion of competing incense traditions preserved in the priestly texts and support the proposition that the story may be understood as polemic against the use of mind-altering substances propagated by at least one state-sponsored priestly group, in contrast to common religious practices of those around them and perhaps rival factions within them. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Folk Religion in the Ancient Levant and Mediterranean)

16 pages, 556 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Perfection in Weakness Paradox (PIW): An Integrative Review of 2 Corinthians 12:9–10 and Third-Wave Psychotherapies

by Dae Hyun Yoon

Religions 2026, 17(6), 663; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17060663 - 30 May 2026

Abstract

This study conceptualizes the theological principle declared by the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9–10—“My power is made perfect in weakness” (ἡ γὰρ δύναμίς μου ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ τελεῖται)—as the Perfection in Weakness Paradox (PIW) and examines it through an integrative lens with contemporary [...] Read more.

This study conceptualizes the theological principle declared by the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9–10—“My power is made perfect in weakness” (ἡ γὰρ δύναμίς μου ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ τελεῖται)—as the Perfection in Weakness Paradox (PIW) and examines it through an integrative lens with contemporary third-wave psychotherapies. A Reformed theological exegesis of 2 Corinthians 12:9–10 identifies two foundational axes: sola gratia (grace alone) and the acknowledgment of weakness. The core mechanisms of Self-Compassion (Neff), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT; Hayes), Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG; Tedeschi and Calhoun), and Rumination-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (RFCBT; Watkins) are then analyzed for their systematic parallels with PIW’s theological structure—acceptance of weakness, dissolution of self-criticism, meaning-making through suffering, and transformation of rumination. The evidence-based framework of Spiritual Psychiatry is applied to examine the relationship between spiritual practices and mental health from neuroscientific and clinical perspectives. The central thesis is bidirectional: (1) the revelatory principle of 2 Corinthians provides theological foundations for the healing mechanisms of third-wave psychotherapies, and (2) the empirical evidence of these psychotherapeutic theories offers convergent support for and strengthens the theological interpretation of 2 Corinthians in a contemporary clinical context. This integrative framework proposes a new model for interdisciplinary dialogue between theology and psychiatry and discusses implications for clinical practice. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Roles of Religion and Spirituality in Healthcare)

18 pages, 1350 KB

Open AccessArticle

Holy Birthdays and the Sharing of Streets in Two Neighborhoods of Old Pune, Maharashtra

by Borayin Larios

Religions 2026, 17(6), 662; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17060662 - 30 May 2026

Abstract

The multi-religious geography of urban streets in India is shaped by the constant negotiation of religious difference in everyday life. Based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in 2022, this article examines three religious processions commemorating Sikh, Jain, and Ambedkarite events that take place in [...] Read more.

The multi-religious geography of urban streets in India is shaped by the constant negotiation of religious difference in everyday life. Based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in 2022, this article examines three religious processions commemorating Sikh, Jain, and Ambedkarite events that take place in the neighborhoods of Somvār Peṭh and Rāstā Peṭh in the city of Pune on the same calendar day, but at different times. Focusing on how these processions occupy, traverse, and temporarily transform shared streets, the article analyzes how religious communities claim public space through material practices, bodily presence, and sensory regimes, while simultaneously navigating political regulation and instrumentalization. Drawing on Henri Lefebvre’s theory of rhythmanalysis, the study shows how biological, social, and religious rhythms structure the timing, scale, and form of these events, enabling a fragile coexistence in a densely multi-religious urban environment. The article argues that attention to rhythm offers a productive analytical lens for understanding everyday religion in the city, revealing how power, identity, and belonging are negotiated through temporal coordination, embodied adjustment, and contingent forms of sharing public space. Full article

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

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15 pages, 309 KB

Open AccessArticle

“Breaking the Blood Pond”: Female Body Narrative and Ritual Practice in Jiangnan Popular Religion

by Yulu Lv

Religions 2026, 17(6), 661; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17060661 - 30 May 2026

Abstract

Breaking the Blood Pond (po xuehu 破血湖) was a popular religious practice that took shape from the Song-Jin period onward and became widely prevalent in Jiangnan during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. The infernal hell conjured by the Blood Pond requires religious [...] Read more.

Breaking the Blood Pond (po xuehu 破血湖) was a popular religious practice that took shape from the Song-Jin period onward and became widely prevalent in Jiangnan during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. The infernal hell conjured by the Blood Pond requires religious ritual to be broken open and transformed. This article argues that Breaking the Blood Pond can be traced back to Buddhist legend and to its unexpected convergence with Confucian notions of filial piety, while its more substantial discursive logic was established through Daoist apotropaic practices such as “breaking hell”. At the same time, it also had a lateral counterpart in the female inner alchemy of Red Dragon-Slaying (zhan chilong 斬赤龍), which circulated widely in Jiangnan from the Song, Jin, and Yuan periods onward. Menstrual blood and postpartum lochia are judged impure because they are understood as forms of stasis, retention, and obstruction. In Jiangnan local society, the unfolding of Breaking the Blood Pond depends both on the continued development of imaginaries of the netherworld and traditions of netherworld journey, and on concrete forms of local ritual organization. A woman’s state of existence in the afterlife is related not only to her experiences in life, but also to how her posthumous condition is imagined by the living. In this sense, Breaking the Blood Pond concerns not only the bodily experience of individual women, but also a communal ritual experience crossing the boundaries of class, generation, gender, and even good and evil. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Self-Organized Religious Life: The Jiangnan Region as a Case Study)

15 pages, 242 KB

Open AccessArticle

Doctrine as Dwelling: Irenaeus, Pasifika, and the Household of God

by Brian Philip Dunn

Religions 2026, 17(6), 660; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17060660 - 30 May 2026

Abstract

For the low-lying atolls across Pasifika, climate change is neither hoax nor hypothesis but an imminent and lived reality. If theology is always contextual, then this is our context: ecological collapse unfolding in real time, exposing the fragility of some of our most [...] Read more.

For the low-lying atolls across Pasifika, climate change is neither hoax nor hypothesis but an imminent and lived reality. If theology is always contextual, then this is our context: ecological collapse unfolding in real time, exposing the fragility of some of our most cherished doctrinal frameworks. This paper responds to the growing call to reconsider the nature and function of doctrine under such pressure. Anglican theologian Mike Higton speaks of the “unfinished conversations” and “many voices” addressing the environmental crisis. This study extends that talanoa by bringing the emerging ‘Pasifika Household of God’ tradition into conversation with the Church’s first sustained post-apostolic household theology: Irenaeus of Lyons’ vision of the oikonomia theou. Bringing the Pasifika tradition as developed in the Pasifika Conference of Churches (PCC) declarations into conversation with Irenaeus’ cosmic ktisiology, this paper challenges the dominance of Western doctrinal formulations and calls for repentance through a return to humanity’s true vocation of theosis—divine participation within and as part of what creation itself is becoming in Christ. This vision stands in stark contrast to empire’s apotheosis: the pursuit of false divinity through conquest, neoliberal success, and escapist eschatologies. In the Patristic–Pasifika partnership here proposed, doctrine is not a static catalogue of propositional beliefs but a sacramental indwelling. Doctrine becomes dwelling as depth of tradition meets depth of place. Full article

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

21 pages, 651 KB

Open AccessArticle

Religious Affiliation, Social Participation, and Trust: Exploring Social Capital in a Digitally Shaped Society

by Monika Adamczyk and Urszula Soler

Religions 2026, 17(6), 659; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17060659 - 29 May 2026

Abstract

The article analyzes the relationships between religious affiliation, social participation, and trust in the digital age, drawing on data from a nationwide survey conducted in Poland (N = 1486). The aim of the study is to determine how different religious identifications: Catholicism, other [...] Read more.

The article analyzes the relationships between religious affiliation, social participation, and trust in the digital age, drawing on data from a nationwide survey conducted in Poland (N = 1486). The aim of the study is to determine how different religious identifications: Catholicism, other denominations, agnosticism, and non-belief, differentiate forms of social capital (bonding and bridging) as well as types of trust. The study addresses the following questions: (1) whether religious affiliation strengthens traditional social ties and interpersonal trust; (2) whether secularization and agnosticism foster the development of bridging social capital; and (3) how digitally mediated interactions shape generalized trust in contemporary digital society. The analysis employs quantitative methods, including both descriptive comparative statistics and multivariate models. The findings indicate that Catholics tend to invest more strongly in traditional forms of social capital, whereas non-religious individuals and agnostics are more likely to engage in secular initiatives. The analysis also reveals that the level of trust depends both on religious identity and on the type of social network. The findings contribute to the broader debate on the role of religion and secularization in shaping social capital in post-transitional societies, highlighting the growing importance of digitally mediated interactions in contemporary patterns of trust and social participation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religions and Society: Between Navigating Secularism and Lived Religion)

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