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Religions, Volume 16, Issue 4

2025 April - 139 articles

Cover Story: Drawing on patristic sources and modern Orthodox Christian authors, this paper explores the paradoxes of the heart as the deepest and most hidden place of the human being. The heart can be both the highest and deepest point of an encounter with God, as well as the highest and deepest place of the secret self. This paper also considers the dynamics of purification, which places the heart at the crossroads between purifying the body and achieving the transparency of intellect through divine illumination. The heart is revealed as the coincidence of dispassion and the purest and most intense charity, which means regaining the purity of desire (oriented to God). As a space of both hiddenness and revelation, the heart invites an apophatic anthropology. View this paper
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Articles (139)

  • Article
  • Open Access
2,169 Views
17 Pages

Management of Religious Diversity in Chile: Experiences from Local Governments

  • Nelson Marín Alarcón and
  • Luis Bahamondes González

21 April 2025

This article analyzes the origins, characteristics, and functioning of the Chilean public institutions dedicated to managing religious diversity at the municipal level. Paying attention to the effects produced by the promulgation of the 1999 Cults La...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management of Religious Diversity: Comparing and Contrasting Experiences across the World)
  • Article
  • Open Access
2 Citations
3,442 Views
13 Pages

21 April 2025

Very few people know that there is not even one character of zhen 真 in the Thirteen Classics revered by Confucians. Among the three axiological categories, Confucianism attaches importance to shan 善 (goodness) and mei 美 (beauty),...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Comparative Study of the Concepts of Self-Transcendence, Value and Power in the Works of Emerson and Zhuang Zi)
  • Article
  • Open Access
1 Citations
4,291 Views
24 Pages

21 April 2025

This paper examines perceptions of illness and related therapeutic practices observed among the Nuosu, an ethnic minority group of Southwest China. The paper will discuss the interplay between animism and naturalism in the treatment of Nuosu illness....

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion, Ritual, and Healing)
  • Article
  • Open Access
3 Citations
2,721 Views
14 Pages

20 April 2025

Digital immortality and transhumanist longevity proposals are currently researched and debated independently. This essay claims that both ideas represent two sides of the same cultural denial of death, reconceptualizing them as interconnected forms o...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Between Philosophy and Theology: Liminal and Contested Issues)
  • Article
  • Open Access
1,878 Views
13 Pages

18 April 2025

Although there has been an increasing focus on religious and spiritual experience in literary studies within the context of post-critical and post-secular movements, much of the research is framed around the idea of “upward transcendence”...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Imagining Ultimacy: Religious and Spiritual Experience in Literature)
  • Article
  • Open Access
4,067 Views
15 Pages

18 April 2025

Sri Lanka, then known as Ceylon, was ruled by three Euro-Christian colonisers for over 450 years. Alongside their pursuit of trade and wealth, these colonial powers—the Portuguese (1505–1658), Dutch (1658–1796), and British (1796&nd...

  • Article
  • Open Access
3,715 Views
20 Pages

18 April 2025

This article examines the Muslim Brotherhood’s strategic framing of democracy and human rights in Egypt following the 2013 military coup, contributing to scholarship on the movement’s adaptation to repression and political exclusion. Empl...

  • Article
  • Open Access
2,592 Views
15 Pages

17 April 2025

This paper delineates the theology of creation in Brazilian theologian Cláudio Carvalhaes’ eco-liturgical theology of liberation. Reorienting lex orandi-lex credendi-lex vivendi by his liturgical methodological innovation lex naturae, he...

  • Article
  • Open Access
4,005 Views
38 Pages

17 April 2025

The author analyzes various cases of breaking seal matrices in medieval Catalonia and other regions in this text. The manuscript notes of the Catalan sigillographer Ferran de Sagarra guide the exploration of the mechanisms of signification associated...

(This article belongs to the Section Religions and Humanities/Philosophies)
  • Article
  • Open Access
3,119 Views
18 Pages

17 April 2025

In this article, I explore the power and purpose of a public theology of menopause. I approach this both by focusing on menopause as a pivotal transition in the lives of women (and others who menstruate), and recognising how profoundly menopause inte...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Faith in Action: Examining the Power and Purpose of a Public Theology in Contemporary Society)
  • Article
  • Open Access
1 Citations
3,627 Views
19 Pages

17 April 2025

This article is based on a research project carried out in 2019 and 2022 in two hospitals in Turin, Italy (hospitals: Le Molinette and Cottolengo). The project aimed to understand the tools available to caregivers to recognize and address the spiritu...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion, Spirituality and Medicine: Insights into Contemporary Perspectives)
  • Article
  • Open Access
3,187 Views
15 Pages

17 April 2025

This article proposes a reading of Marion’s phenomenology from an early text, arguing that the various phenomenological innovations which are introduced in this work are subordinated to the central concept of transcendence. This concept in Mari...

(This article belongs to the Section Religions and Humanities/Philosophies)
  • Article
  • Open Access
3 Citations
6,272 Views
19 Pages

17 April 2025

Existing research has often characterized religious rituals as formalized and predetermined actions involving collective participation, emphasizing their structured and communal nature. However, our empirical findings revealed that rituals, shaped by...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion, Ritual, and Healing)
  • Article
  • Open Access
2,525 Views
14 Pages

16 April 2025

The Samoan general election of 2021 provoked an unprecedented constitutional crisis. It represented yet one more symptom in a shaking of the foundations—not just in politics but within the very nature of Samoan society. The nation’s past...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Faith in Action: Examining the Power and Purpose of a Public Theology in Contemporary Society)
  • Article
  • Open Access
1 Citations
8,483 Views
18 Pages

16 April 2025

Given the centrality of the resurrection to the Christian faith, the post-crucifixion appearances of Jesus to his disciples continue to be a central topic in historical inquiry regarding the origins of the Christian faith. While a number of hypothese...

  • Article
  • Open Access
3 Citations
2,590 Views
18 Pages

16 April 2025

This article examines the complex process of establishing a unified structure for the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) within the post-World War II diaspora, focusing on the formation of the Bishops’ Conference and the concurrent pursuit...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Light from the East: The Catholic Eastern Churches Sixty Years After Vatican II)
  • Article
  • Open Access
1 Citations
2,386 Views
14 Pages

16 April 2025

The olfactory sense and experience are considered a conduit between spirituality and the divine realm in Daoism. The ceremonial use of incense in Daoism (shixiang 侍香) has been explored from various theological perspectives and described...

(This article belongs to the Section Religions and Humanities/Philosophies)
  • Article
  • Open Access
3,809 Views
23 Pages

16 April 2025

The classical Laocoön and His Son (ca. 50 CE), rediscovered in 1506 in Rome, is arguably the most illustrious artwork anchoring the entire canon of art history. Less is known about the eighth-century Chinese Laocoön that predates the Italia...

(This article belongs to the Section Religions and Humanities/Philosophies)
  • Article
  • Open Access
2 Citations
2,447 Views
12 Pages

16 April 2025

Although the Zhuangzi is mentioned in late Warring States and Han Dynasty texts, it was in the post-Han Wei-Jin period that it first exerted a significant influence on intellectual life, becoming a central target for both praise and criticism, much o...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Comparative Study of the Concepts of Self-Transcendence, Value and Power in the Works of Emerson and Zhuang Zi)
  • Article
  • Open Access
2,314 Views
22 Pages

16 April 2025

Yinyuan Longqi 隱元隆琦 was a pivotal figure in Sino–Japanese cultural exchange. His journey to Japan to propagate Buddhism, founding of the Ōbaku sect (Huangbo zong 黃檗宗), emphasis on the orthod...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Localization, Globalization and Glocalization: Paradigm Shifts in the Study of Transmission and Transformation of Buddhism in Asia and Beyond)
  • Article
  • Open Access
1 Citations
3,998 Views
16 Pages

16 April 2025

Postcolonial discourses on religion have extensively explored the intersections of race and religion. Particular research within such discourses has been conducted to explore the intersection of Whiteness and Christianity in postcolonial contexts. Th...

(This article belongs to the Section Religions and Health/Psychology/Social Sciences)
  • Editorial
  • Open Access
1 Citations
1,897 Views
10 Pages

16 April 2025

In his 1993 paper published in Shaman, Shi (1993) recognized that while Chinese scholars conclude that shamanism emerged and flourished in the prehistoric period and faded in post-industrial society, they are “puzzled by its vitality today&rdqu...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Revitalization of Shamanism in Contemporary China)
  • Article
  • Open Access
3,544 Views
22 Pages

15 April 2025

This paper examines the Nanatsu-dera manuscript of the Dafangguang Rulai Xingqi Weimizang Jing (RXWJ) through the lens of scribal practices, with a focus on variant characters (yitizi, 異體字) and textual transmission. As a “s...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Old Texts, New Insights: Exploring Buddhist Manuscripts)
  • Article
  • Open Access
3,167 Views
14 Pages

15 April 2025

In the challenges that the digital era currently poses, the Church can demonstrate how canon law, both in its cognitive and regulatory dimensions, can innovate by protecting Tradition, guaranteeing the depositum fidei, respecting the intangibility of...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Canon Law and Secularization: Societal Trends and the Changing Role of Religious Law)
  • Article
  • Open Access
3,053 Views
16 Pages

15 April 2025

Taking Jiaxiang Jizang’s (嘉祥吉藏, 549–623) statement that “grasses and trees possess Buddha-nature” (草木有佛性, cao mu you foxing) as an example of Early Chinese Madhyam...

(This article belongs to the Section Religions and Health/Psychology/Social Sciences)
  • Article
  • Open Access
4 Citations
8,829 Views
10 Pages

15 April 2025

Congregational leaders in the US must navigate a political landscape marked by increasing political polarization and a notable rise in support for ideas aligned with Christian nationalism. While gender, race, ethnicity, and religious affiliation have...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Trends in Congregational Engagement and Leadership)
  • Article
  • Open Access
2,281 Views
14 Pages

15 April 2025

This paper examines how Daoxuan 道宣, the Tang Dynasty Buddhist historian and founder of the Nanshan Vinaya School, meticulously constructed the saintly image of Sengya 僧崖—a monk renowned for his auto-cremation—i...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Microcosm Holds Mountains and Seas: The Sinicization of Buddhism in ‘Multi-Layered Contextualization’ from Local to Global History)
  • Article
  • Open Access
1 Citations
3,527 Views
27 Pages

15 April 2025

Jacques Maritain’s understanding of integral humanism influenced the relationship between Christianity and culture at the Second Vatican Council, yet soon afterward, Maritain recognised that in many instances it was misinterpreted, leading Cath...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catholic Theologies of Culture)
  • Article
  • Open Access
4,001 Views
19 Pages

15 April 2025

Culture is the reflection of the values and ideals of society, and changes over time as values change. The early eleventh century was a time of change due to religious ideals and new governments in the French and German Kingdoms, and the values and i...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catholic Theologies of Culture)
  • Article
  • Open Access
3,252 Views
15 Pages

14 April 2025

In the present study, we aim to review a series of constitutional provisions related to the status of religious freedom in Romania since the first Constitution to the present-day Law no. 489/2006 regarding religious freedom and the general status of...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Right to Freedom of Religion: Contributions)
  • Article
  • Open Access
10 Citations
4,877 Views
30 Pages

14 April 2025

Since 9/11, religious education (RE) has gained increased importance, particularly in European and American regions, though not exclusively. RE has been assigned a broader role in promoting social cohesion, especially in the context of intercultural...

(This article belongs to the Section Religions and Health/Psychology/Social Sciences)
  • Article
  • Open Access
3 Citations
4,026 Views
18 Pages

14 April 2025

Research into Citizenship Education has become increasingly important in recent years. It deals with the promotion of social cohesion, democracy and human rights. This article examines the interfaces between Citizenship Education and Religious Educat...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion and Immigrants in Western Europe)
  • Article
  • Open Access
4 Citations
3,235 Views
15 Pages

14 April 2025

The climate crisis is now a defining challenge of the Anthropocene era, underscoring humanity’s profound impact on Earth’s ecosystems and the ethical responsibilities that accompany this influence. This paper explores how religious and ph...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Crisis and Religions/Spirituality)
  • Article
  • Open Access
1,486 Views
14 Pages

Ephemeral Religious Architecture—The Visits of the Pope to Madrid

  • Ignacio Vicens Hualde,
  • José Antonio Ramos Abengózar and
  • Jaime Ramos Alderete

14 April 2025

On the occasion of mass religious events, liturgical ceremonies leave the temple and occupy public space. That is the case of the visits of the Pope or World Youth Days. How does architecture approach the ephemeral construction of this space? What ar...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion, Public Space and Society)
  • Article
  • Open Access
3 Citations
3,067 Views
18 Pages

14 April 2025

Religious places represent one of the most significant categories of protected heritage. In Italy, however, places of worship belonging to minority communities often remain inconspicuous and are not legally recognized as part of the nation’s cu...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religions, Cultural Memory and Heritage in the City: Reassembling a Plural Scenario)
  • Article
  • Open Access
1,318 Views
11 Pages

14 April 2025

This article examines Rabbi Moshe Avigdor Amiel’s concept of “Torah and Work” (Torah va’avoda) as a central tenet of Religious Zionism. Rabbi Amiel, a prominent ideologue of the Mizrahi movement who served as Chief Rabbi of Te...

  • Article
  • Open Access
2 Citations
7,643 Views
20 Pages

Zen Meditation and Aromatherapy as a Core to Mental Health: Studies in Vietnamese Monasteries

  • Joanna Różycka-Tran,
  • Khanh Ha Thi Truong,
  • Klaudia Teresa Bochniarz,
  • Stanisław Radoń and
  • Quan Anh Tran

14 April 2025

(1) Background: Meditation, originally stemming from the Buddhist tradition, has been the subject of extensive psychological research, with a growing body of literature exploring its effects on various mental and physical health aspects. (2) Methods:...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spirituality as Core to Mental Health and Wellbeing; Cultivating Awareness in Interventions)
  • Article
  • Open Access
1 Citations
1,465 Views
18 Pages

The Prosociality of Prayer in the Literary Fiction of Felix Timmermans

  • Marcin Polkowski and
  • Joanna Włodarczyk-Kaziród

13 April 2025

This paper examines the ways in which Christian prayer in the literary fiction of Felix Timmermans is represented as a spiritual practice that produces behaviour that is prosocial, or in other words, beneficial to others. The authors combine readings...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Christian Prayer: Social Sciences Perspective)
  • Article
  • Open Access
4,407 Views
23 Pages

10 April 2025

In the Timaeus, Plato explores the topic of cosmology. The demiurge creates a perfect cosmos by imitating the eternal being and using necessity as an auxiliary cause. The unique cosmos not only contains immortal gods, but also mortal living beings. C...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fate in Ancient Greek Philosophy and Religion)
  • Article
  • Open Access
1 Citations
2,567 Views
16 Pages

10 April 2025

This open-source-based article presents an automated method for identifying and tracing popular Salafi discussions online. The novelty of this method lies in its inter-disciplinary approach developed through collaboration among experts in the fields...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1,567 Views
16 Pages

Dangerous Memories and Violence

  • Donald Tyoapine Komboh

10 April 2025

The big challenge regarding social violence is relationships and the quest for societies to live together. As a result, this has affected, in different ways, how various demographics are composed, economies are built and religions are practiced. This...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Global Catholicism)
  • Article
  • Open Access
8 Citations
3,419 Views
26 Pages

10 April 2025

This study explores the impact of digital innovation on religious leadership in the Swiss context, based on qualitative interviews with church leaders and personnel. The findings reveal diverse attitudes towards digital media use, shaped by personal,...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Institutional Innovation and Tradition: Understanding Changes and Continuities in Religious Leadership, Communication, and Technology Ethics)
  • Article
  • Open Access
1,813 Views
18 Pages

10 April 2025

This article compares the precept revival movements in Korean and Japanese Buddhism in the early modern period. It examines how monks in both countries, in particular, in the Korean Hyujŏng lineage and the Japanese Shingon sect, restored and uti...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Un-glossing East Asian Buddhism: Gender, Sangha and the State in the Early-Modern Era)
  • Article
  • Open Access
2 Citations
6,293 Views
19 Pages

10 April 2025

Viktor Frankl attributes significant importance to religion in relation to the human quest for meaning. According to Frankl, religion maintains its existence and continues offering guidance in the search for meaning irrespective of worldly conditions...

  • Article
  • Open Access
4 Citations
3,200 Views
20 Pages

10 April 2025

The Second Republic of Zimbabwe has witnessed continued political and socio-economic crises. Despite the worsening crisis under the new dispensation, there have been calls for extending the current administration’s term limit beyond 2028. The i...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion and Politics: Interactions and Boundaries)
  • Article
  • Open Access
5 Citations
3,015 Views
10 Pages

9 April 2025

Recognising the plural nature of classrooms in Australia, this article explores the importance of using dialogue within Religious Education classes. We explore the characteristics and learning styles of young people and provide students’ ideas...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engaging Religious Plurality within Australian and New Zealand Catholic Schools: Particularity in Dialogue with Diversity)
  • Article
  • Open Access
1 Citations
4,931 Views
21 Pages

9 April 2025

The use of relics for exhortation was not a novelty of the First Crusade, but it is remarkable how, in the most crucial moments, various relics were found and used effectively to inspire pilgrims. Beyond their motivational function, they also contrib...

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

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Religions - ISSN 2077-1444