Religions

25 pages, 841 KB

Open AccessArticle

‘Mass Castration’, Mechanical Devotion? Slavery, Surgery and As-If Devotion in a North Indian Guru Movement

by Jacob Copeman

Religions 2025, 16(9), 1216; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16091216 - 22 Sep 2025

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This essay examines mass castration allegations within the North Indian guru movement Dera Sacha Sauda. Drawing on court records, public commentary, and prior fieldwork, it traces how surgical procedures served as a mechanism of enforced proximity and devotional binding. Castration here functions less [...] Read more.

This essay examines mass castration allegations within the North Indian guru movement Dera Sacha Sauda. Drawing on court records, public commentary, and prior fieldwork, it traces how surgical procedures served as a mechanism of enforced proximity and devotional binding. Castration here functions less as renunciation than as anatomical control within a system of engineered devotion that sutures followers into machinic forms of loyalty. The essay situates these acts within a broader politics of sacrificial excess, linking them to hijra initiation, Mughal-coded sovereignty, and strategies of masculine containment. What emerges is a devotional regime of irreversible subtraction and a sovereignty staged through ritual overreach. Full article

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

18 pages, 374 KB

Open AccessArticle

Lifedeath: The Liminality of Role Enactment in the Theatrum Mundi

by Simeon Theojaya

Religions 2025, 16(9), 1215; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16091215 - 22 Sep 2025

Viewed by 219

Abstract

For millennia, since Homer to postmodern theatre, the world has been imagined as a stage and life as a play. The truth of this metaphor, however, rests on mere assertions. This essay assesses the validity of this metaphor by examining drama as enactment. [...] Read more.

For millennia, since Homer to postmodern theatre, the world has been imagined as a stage and life as a play. The truth of this metaphor, however, rests on mere assertions. This essay assesses the validity of this metaphor by examining drama as enactment. To this end, in dialogue with Derrida, this study elaborates on Schechner’s view of the liminality of acting and von Balthasar’s conception of death as ‘the center of acting area.’ It argues that the spectrality of existence constitutes the liminality of life as an enactment as much as it defines the world as a stage. This essay begins with a broad survey of the idea of theatrum mundi across cultures to demonstrate the significance of role enactment. It then traces how Schechner, drawing on Van Gennep and Turner, develops the notion of liminality to articulate the ambiguity of enactment as an indispensable part of acting. Finally, it engages with the interplay of life and death—or lavielamort in Derrida’s terms—as observed in von Balthasar’s dramatic framework, and maintains that the spectrality of existence accounts for the liminality of role enactment in the world as a cosmic theatre. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Between Philosophy and Theology: Liminal and Contested Issues)

15 pages, 267 KB

Open AccessArticle

Origins and Consequences of Extremist Religious Zionist Settlements on the West Bank

by Manus I. Midlarsky

Religions 2025, 16(9), 1214; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16091214 - 22 Sep 2025

Viewed by 329

Abstract

A necessary condition for the success of the 7 October 2023 Hamas deadly incursion into Israel was the absence of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) from that region. The IDF was involved in helping the settlers in their conflicts with Palestinians on the [...] Read more.

A necessary condition for the success of the 7 October 2023 Hamas deadly incursion into Israel was the absence of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) from that region. The IDF was involved in helping the settlers in their conflicts with Palestinians on the West Bank, many miles from the Gaza border. Absent the settlers, it is likely that either the Hamas attack might not have occurred or would have been blunted at the outset, yielding a much more measured Israeli response. Hence it is imperative that we understand the origins of the settler movement. It is to be found in Biblical injunctions that were to be amplified considerably by the outcomes of the extraordinarily successful Six-Day war of 1967 and its sequel the Yom Kippur war of 1973. In the third chapter of the Book of Genesis, that is, of the entire Hebrew Bible, God commands Abraham to leave his current domicile and travel to Canaan where a great nation would be formed. Effectively, this is the religious foundation of the connection between the people of Israel and the land of Israel, then called Canaan. The contrast between the outcomes of 1967 and 1973 was striking. Instead of a lopsided victory in the earlier war, the human losses in 1973 were surprising, even terrifying. This intense ephemeral gain combined with a world view defense engendered by mortality salience established the basis for later religious Zionist extremism. The vastly increased number of casualties in 1973 set the stage for the victory of Likud, much more amenable to West Bank settlements than the ousted Labor government had been. Religious Zionists leaped at this opportunity, justifying this activity by referring to God’s commandment to settle the entire land of Israel in the West Bank territories using their Biblical Hebrew names: Yehuda (Judea) and Shomron (Samaria), whatever the cost in violent Palestinian land dispossession. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion and Politics: Ritual, Performativity, and (Political) Theatre in Comparative-Historical and International Perspective)

18 pages, 248 KB

Open AccessArticle

Gendered Political Violence and the Church in Africa: Perspectives from Church Leaders

by James Ndlovu

Religions 2025, 16(9), 1213; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16091213 - 22 Sep 2025

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Abstract

This study investigates the gendered effects of political violence on women (and children) from a church leader perspective. This paper critically examines the role of church leadership in protecting vulnerable groups in society (particularly women and children) and interrogates how church leadership has [...] Read more.

This study investigates the gendered effects of political violence on women (and children) from a church leader perspective. This paper critically examines the role of church leadership in protecting vulnerable groups in society (particularly women and children) and interrogates how church leadership has incorporated women and children into peacebuilding programmes. Using qualitative methods, in-depth interviews were conducted with church leaders affected by political violence in Zimbabwe. The results of this study show that women and children are disproportionately affected by political violence. The women and children are affected socially, economically, and psychologically as a result of political violence, which results in severe trauma, disruption, and loss of livelihoods, and, in severe cases, loss of lives. The results further indicate that the Church plays a crucial role in providing safe havens for the victims, offering spiritual guidance and counselling for the victims. However, the findings show that the Church continues to lack gender sensitivity and inclusivity in peacebuilding programmes. Women and children continue to be underrepresented in leadership roles in churches, as well as in driving the peacebuilding agenda. This paper argues for a transformative and gender-sensitive framework in church-led peace interventions, which prioritises the needs of women and children and incorporates them in the process. This paper argues that by adopting this approach, the Church harnesses its transformative capacity as a change agent for building sustainable peace and addressing political violence in a holistic manner. This interdisciplinary study contributes to the evolving scholarly debates on the intersections of gender, religion, and peacebuilding. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion, Gender and Social Development)

33 pages, 520 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Political Ideologies of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) Under the Marcos Regimes

by Christian P. Gopez, Marie_Valen N. Cortez, Belle Beatriex’ M. Alemania and Feorillo A. Demeterio III

Religions 2025, 16(9), 1212; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16091212 - 21 Sep 2025

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Abstract

Using Demeterio’s modified ideological spectrum, this article examines the dominant political ideologies reflected in the pastoral statements of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) under the administrations of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Through a hermeneutic lens grounded [...] Read more.

Using Demeterio’s modified ideological spectrum, this article examines the dominant political ideologies reflected in the pastoral statements of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) under the administrations of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Through a hermeneutic lens grounded in a two-dimensional spectrum, progressive–retrogressive and libertarian–authoritarian, the analysis reveals that under Marcos Sr., the UCCP adopted a conservative and authoritarian position. From 1973 to 1975, its pastoral statements issued general appeals for peace and human dignity, while avoiding direct criticism of the regime. However, by the mid to late 1970s, the UCCP began to exhibit signs of quiet resistance. In contrast, during the administration of Marcos Jr., the UCCP’s stance became more assertive and prophetic. These statements directly addressed issues such as human rights violations, environmental justice, and the defense of historical truth. In Demeterio’s spectrum, this contemporary position aligns with moderate progressivism, occasionally leaning toward radical progressivism, particularly in its advocacy for grassroots movements and democratic participation. This study is therefore significant as it illustrates the ideological transformation of the UCCP, from conservative restraint to active resistance, and underscores the capacity of religious institutions to evolve from passive complicity into agents of prophetic resistance. Full article

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12 pages, 284 KB

Open AccessArticle

Sacred Ambition, Secular Power: Jesuit Missions and the Rebalancing Authority of the Portuguese Empire, 1540–1759

by Boyu Fang

Religions 2025, 16(9), 1211; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16091211 - 21 Sep 2025

Viewed by 299

Abstract

This article treats the familiar triad “Gold, God, and Glory” as a heuristic to track how commercial, missionary, and reputational aims were configured within overlapping jurisdictions of the Portuguese world. Through three cases—the 1552 clash in Malacca between St. Francis Xavier and Captain [...] Read more.

This article treats the familiar triad “Gold, God, and Glory” as a heuristic to track how commercial, missionary, and reputational aims were configured within overlapping jurisdictions of the Portuguese world. Through three cases—the 1552 clash in Malacca between St. Francis Xavier and Captain D. Álvaro de Ataíde da Gama; the Gama family’s bargaining over offices and revenues; and the 1759 expulsion of the Society of Jesus—it argues that localized, negotiable frictions in the sixteenth century evolved into a structural confrontation by the mid-eighteenth century. Drawing on published Jesuit correspondence and secondary analyses of royal and municipal records, the study shows how missions initially supported metropolitan aims yet increasingly challenged them as Jesuit educational networks and revenue-bearing assets expanded. The Malacca dispute is read as a jurisdictional struggle over diplomatic access and rents, not merely a moral drama. The 1750 Treaty of Madrid and the Guaraní War further politicized perceptions of Jesuit wealth and influence, while the Lisbon-centered reform agenda after 1755 turned tension into rupture. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion, Mobility, and Transnational History)

17 pages, 290 KB

Open AccessArticle

“The Power of the Poor in History”: The Role of Testimony in Liberation Theology and Russian Realism

by Jimmy Sudário Cabral

Religions 2025, 16(9), 1210; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16091210 - 21 Sep 2025

Viewed by 397

Abstract

The article analyses the correlations between Latin American liberation theology and 19th-century Russian novel. Drawing on Bakhtin’s concept of the ‘threshold chronotype’, it contextualises the aesthetic and theological language of Russian novels and liberation theology as expressions of the same ‘chronotope’ situated on [...] Read more.

The article analyses the correlations between Latin American liberation theology and 19th-century Russian novel. Drawing on Bakhtin’s concept of the ‘threshold chronotype’, it contextualises the aesthetic and theological language of Russian novels and liberation theology as expressions of the same ‘chronotope’ situated on the periphery of capitalism. The article argues that the violence and degradation of the Russian chronotope, from which the historical force of the poor emerges, are comparable to the violence that will later define the boundaries of representation in Latin American liberation theology. This serves as the basis for exploring how the concept of testimony, as a process of restitution of the victims’ memory, informs the theological and aesthetic grammar of liberation theology and Russian novel. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Latin American Theology of Liberation in the 21st Century—2nd Edition)

17 pages, 1042 KB

Open AccessArticle

O vis eternitatis, Text Expression, and Performance in the Music of Hildegard von Bingen

by Honey Meconi

Religions 2025, 16(9), 1209; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16091209 - 21 Sep 2025

Viewed by 238

Abstract

The article analyzes the responsory O vis eternitatis, the symbolic opening of Hildegard von Bingen’s primary music collection, to show how Hildegard’s musical choices support the key words and concepts of the composition. It examines usual components of construction, such as mode, [...] Read more.

The article analyzes the responsory O vis eternitatis, the symbolic opening of Hildegard von Bingen’s primary music collection, to show how Hildegard’s musical choices support the key words and concepts of the composition. It examines usual components of construction, such as mode, melisma, range, and repetition, and shows that the piece is suffused with repetition in a manner not previously detailed. The article also explores a feature usually overlooked in writings on Hildegard’s music: the employment of ornamental neumes to highlight text, identifying instances of unusual frequency or rare use of specific neumes. The article then compares three significantly different recordings of O vis eternitatis, concluding that modern difficulties in the performance of ornamental neumes mean that our renditions today can never fully realize Hildegard’s conceptions. Stripped of their ornaments, Hildegard’s compositions resemble statuary from antiquity that has lost its original paint over the centuries—no longer as the creator intended, but still beautiful and deeply pleasing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sacred Music: Creation, Interpretation, Experience)

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22 pages, 322 KB

Open AccessArticle

Deconstructing Traditional Muslim Sexual Morality: Approaches to a New Understanding of Legal and Illegal Sex in Muslim Theology Based on the Principle of Sexual Autonomy

by Ali Ghandour

Religions 2025, 16(9), 1208; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16091208 - 20 Sep 2025

Viewed by 4953

Abstract

This paper offers a critical analysis of traditional Muslim sexual morality and questions its validity in the present. It focuses on two elements: (1) nikāḥ as a legal marriage contract characterized by asymmetrical gender roles and (2) historically permitted sexual relations with enslaved [...] Read more.

This paper offers a critical analysis of traditional Muslim sexual morality and questions its validity in the present. It focuses on two elements: (1) nikāḥ as a legal marriage contract characterized by asymmetrical gender roles and (2) historically permitted sexual relations with enslaved women, as well as Muslim positions on sexual intercourse with minors. After a conceptual clarification of sexual autonomy, I examine the positions of different legal schools and contextualize their norms within broader social and intellectual histories. Building on the approach of “overcoming the text,” I argue that foundational religious texts can no longer serve as the normative basis for a contemporary sexual ethic. Instead, I redefine the notion of “illegitimate sexuality” (zinā) based on the principle of sexual autonomy and show how modern legal and social frameworks (rule of law, welfare state, medical evidence) render earlier functions of sexual regulation obsolete. The Qurʾanic concept of maʿrūf serves as a dynamic ethical reference point. The goal is a paradigm shift toward a Muslim sexual ethic that centers autonomy, equality, and human dignity while critically dismantling inherited structures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion and Immigrants in Western Europe)

12 pages, 187 KB

Open AccessArticle

A Religious–Psychological Study of Anthony de Mello’s Sadhana Practice

by Yong Un Choe

Religions 2025, 16(9), 1207; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16091207 - 20 Sep 2025

Viewed by 293

Abstract

This study aims to examine Anthony de Mello’s Sadhana practice from a religious–psychological perspective, applying Carl Gustav Jung’s analytical psychology and views on the Spiritual Exercises. The analysis reveals that Sadhana, which integrates psychotherapeutic methods such as Gestalt therapy and the methodology of [...] Read more.

This study aims to examine Anthony de Mello’s Sadhana practice from a religious–psychological perspective, applying Carl Gustav Jung’s analytical psychology and views on the Spiritual Exercises. The analysis reveals that Sadhana, which integrates psychotherapeutic methods such as Gestalt therapy and the methodology of Vipassana meditation, holds significant implications. First, based on Jung’s theory, Sadhana pursues wholeness through the union of opposites, such as extraversion and introversion. Jung posited that opposing elements coexist within the human psyche, and their harmonization is central to individuation. Thus, practices that integrate these opposites are meaningful attempts to foster inner growth and maturity. Second, by incorporating Gestalt therapy into the Spiritual Exercises, Sadhana enhances awareness and employs methods to address contact boundary disturbances, enabling self-reflection and restoration of one’s relationship with God. Anthony de Mello’s Sadhana practice is evaluated as a novel case that presents new possibilities for contemporary Christian spirituality. Full article

18 pages, 306 KB

Open AccessArticle

Beyond Emancipation and Oppression: Post-Secular Intersectionality and the Muslim Woman in the French Republic

by Shilpi Pandey

Religions 2025, 16(9), 1206; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16091206 - 19 Sep 2025

Viewed by 380

Abstract

This paper critically interrogates the French model of secularism (laïcité) and its implications for Muslim women’s rights in contemporary France, particularly within post-colonial and post-secular contexts. It explores how historical legacies of colonial governance continue to inform current regulatory frameworks around religious expression, [...] Read more.

This paper critically interrogates the French model of secularism (laïcité) and its implications for Muslim women’s rights in contemporary France, particularly within post-colonial and post-secular contexts. It explores how historical legacies of colonial governance continue to inform current regulatory frameworks around religious expression, especially regarding the wearing of Islamic veils in public institutions. While laïcité is officially presented as a principle of neutrality and universalism, its practical enforcement often targets Muslim women, functioning as a mechanism of exclusion that conflates religiosity with political threat. Drawing on intersectional feminist theory and recent debates on post-secularism, the paper examines how dominant feminist movements in France have struggled to incorporate the lived experiences and agency of pious Muslim women, frequently aligning with state-led narratives that instrumentalises gender equality in service of national identity and securitisation. Drawing upon the concept of intersectional post-secularity as discussed in recent scholarship, this article offers a new contextualised framework from within the French system of laïcité for analysing how secular governance, feminist discourse, and colonial legacies converge to regulate Muslim women’s visibility and subjectivity. This approach moves beyond binaries of secularism versus religion and emancipation versus subjugation, offering new insights into the entangled politics of faith, gender, and national identity. Ultimately, the paper calls for feminist and civic discourse that upholds democratic inclusivity, accommodates religious diversity, and resists the racialised governance of Muslim women’s bodies in the name of laïcité. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion and the Public Sphere: Revisiting the Boundaries of Theory and Practice in a Postsecular Age)

18 pages, 2018 KB

Open AccessArticle

A Brief Report on the Nesar and Lang Kanjurs: Some Textual-Critical Observations Focusing on the Tibetan Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā

by Jaehee Han

Religions 2025, 16(9), 1205; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16091205 - 19 Sep 2025

Viewed by 267

Abstract

The Tibetan Kanjur has long been recognized as both a symbolic embodiment of the Buddhist canonical literature and as a ritual object, resulting in the production of various versions that differ in content, arrangement, and specific textual formulation. Since the late 1970s, the [...] Read more.

The Tibetan Kanjur has long been recognized as both a symbolic embodiment of the Buddhist canonical literature and as a ritual object, resulting in the production of various versions that differ in content, arrangement, and specific textual formulation. Since the late 1970s, the provenance, lineage affiliations, and historical development of these Kanjurs have attracted significant scholarly attention. In this paper, I present the findings of textual-critical research on the Tibetan translation of the Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā (Ggn), focusing particularly on two manuscript collections preserved at Nesar Monastery in Dolpo, namely the Nesar and Lang Kanjurs. Both Kanjurs, possibly dated as early as the thirteenth century, lie outside the two main lineages, Tshal pa and Them spangs ma, and demonstrate strong connections with Local or Independent Kanjurs, notably those of Phug brag and Namgyal. By undertaking a close comparison of selected passages from the Ggn across twenty-one canonical witnesses, this study finds that, for the Ggn: (a) the Nesar and Lang Kanjurs possess a group of unique textual variants which distinguish them from all other known Kanjur and Proto-Kanjur editions; (b) the Lang Kanjur appears to have been based chiefly on the Nesar Kanjur or an exemplar closely related to it; and (c) the compilers of the Lang Kanjur also relied on at least one other manuscript, which seems to have preserved readings of greater accuracy. These findings highlight the importance of the Nesar and Lang Kanjurs for textual-critical investigation and for understanding the transmission history of the Tibetan Buddhist canon. Ongoing research into these Kanjurs will yield crucial evidence for constructing a more nuanced and historically informed account of the formation, adaptation, and regional diffusion of the Tibetan Buddhist canon. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Old Texts, New Insights: Exploring Buddhist Manuscripts)

14 pages, 275 KB

Open AccessArticle

Facets of Religion/Spirituality and Cognitive Health: Association Variations Across Gender and Race Among Older Adults

by Katherine Carroll Britt, Augustine Cassis Obeng Boateng, Chinwe Nwadiogbu, Sato Ashida, Daniel Tranel, Roland J. Thorpe, Jr. and Nabila Dahodwala

Religions 2025, 16(9), 1204; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16091204 - 19 Sep 2025

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Abstract

Religion and spirituality (R/S) may be associated with better cognitive health, yet most published studies have been conducted in primarily White populations without investigating association variations by gender and race. A cross-sectional analysis of 1041 community-dwelling diverse older adults from the Philadelphia Healthy [...] Read more.

Religion and spirituality (R/S) may be associated with better cognitive health, yet most published studies have been conducted in primarily White populations without investigating association variations by gender and race. A cross-sectional analysis of 1041 community-dwelling diverse older adults from the Philadelphia Healthy Brain Aging (PHBA) cohort study was conducted using multiple regression analysis. We examined associations between facets of R/S and total cognitive scores and performed stratification analysis separately by gender and race to explore potential gender- and race-specific variations. Higher non-organizational R/S was associated with lower cognitive scores, while greater religious and spiritual coping was associated with higher cognitive scores, controlling for age, education, chronic conditions, race, and financial constraints. Across gender and race variations, non-organizational R/S was associated with lower cognitive scores in women alone, with no variations across race. Higher religious and spiritual coping was associated with higher cognitive scores in both Black and White women, but not men, while higher religious and spiritual healing was associated with lower cognitive scores in Black women only. Associations between religious and spiritual facets and cognitive health differ across gender and race; longitudinal studies are needed. Full article

22 pages, 396 KB

Open AccessArticle

Invisible Hand-in-Glove? The Uneasy Intersections of Friedrich Hayek’s Neoliberalism and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Bahá’í Economics

by Matthew W. Hughey

Religions 2025, 16(9), 1203; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16091203 - 19 Sep 2025

Viewed by 524

Abstract

The theological rendering of economics in the Bahá’í Faith—particularly from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá—advocated progressive taxation, a strong welfare state, the abolition of trusts, and the redistribution of wealth. These orientations directly diverge from “neoliberal” economic theory, especially as articulated by Frederick Hayek: concerns that social [...] Read more.

The theological rendering of economics in the Bahá’í Faith—particularly from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá—advocated progressive taxation, a strong welfare state, the abolition of trusts, and the redistribution of wealth. These orientations directly diverge from “neoliberal” economic theory, especially as articulated by Frederick Hayek: concerns that social justice exacerbates poverty and claims that progressive taxation is “discrimination.” Despite these seemingly antithetical orientations, there has been a slow and tentative, if not uneasy, meeting of Bahá’í and neoliberal ideals in global organizations and scholarship. Through a comparative analysis of the writings of both ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Friedrich Hayek, I first illuminate the fundamental disagreements on economy and society between Bahá’í theology and neoliberalism. Second, I cover recent scholarship on the moralization of markets and the sacralization of financial actors in order to contextualize the historical and contemporary unions of theology and economy. Third, I outline how ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s theological vision and Hayek’s neoliberal theories accrete around four mutual worldviews, which can tempt hermeneutic deemphases of the fundamental divergences in Bahá’í and neoliberal logics: (1) the duality of human nature, (2) the limits of materialist reason, (3) the apotheosis of the market and self-love, and (4) sacrificial submission to transcendent authority. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Bahá’í Faith: Doctrinal and Historical Explorations—Part 2)

24 pages, 396 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Rural Reconstruction Models of American Christianity in China: A Perspective of Sino-American Transnational Cultural Exchange, 1907–1950

by Zheyu Shi and Wei Duan

Religions 2025, 16(9), 1202; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16091202 - 19 Sep 2025

Viewed by 367

Abstract

In the context of global modernization, both the United States and China faced major challenges in rural social development. In the early twentieth century, the American federal government launched the Country Life Movement, during which Christianity addressed the rural crisis through rural church [...] Read more.

In the context of global modernization, both the United States and China faced major challenges in rural social development. In the early twentieth century, the American federal government launched the Country Life Movement, during which Christianity addressed the rural crisis through rural church reforms. Meanwhile, influenced by the American-led World Agricultural Mission Movement, the Christian churches applied the experiences and insights gained from the U.S. rural church reforms to China’s rural reconstruction movement. During the first half of the twentieth century, the Christian rural reconstruction models in China evolved to become increasingly comprehensive and targeted. In the early decades, Christian missions promoted the establishment of an agricultural education system to cultivate rural talents. By the 1920s, churches in China had developed a comprehensive rural social reform program. After the 1928 Jerusalem Meeting of the International Missionary Council (IMC), the concept of “Rural Community Parish” emerged as the guiding principle for the comprehensive rural reconstruction program in China. The Christian church further clarified its ultimate goal: to build a “Christian rural civilization in China.” Based on this, Christian rural work in China developed steadily until 1950, when the withdrawal of Christian forces brought an end to their rural influence in China. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion, Mobility, and Transnational History)

13 pages, 219 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Threefold Nature of Desire and Its Implications for Ethics and Theology

by Martin Cajthaml

Religions 2025, 16(9), 1201; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16091201 - 18 Sep 2025

Viewed by 249

Abstract

The study distinguishes three principal forms of desire: bodily desires, desires for perfection, and desires entailed in value-responses. By distinguishing between the self-centered, acquisitive desires for perfection and the inherently self-transcending desires entailed in value-responses, the author lays the groundwork for his most [...] Read more.

The study distinguishes three principal forms of desire: bodily desires, desires for perfection, and desires entailed in value-responses. By distinguishing between the self-centered, acquisitive desires for perfection and the inherently self-transcending desires entailed in value-responses, the author lays the groundwork for his most original contributions. First, he argues that if the traditional concept of the good as an object of desire is a formal object of the desire for perfection and if cultivating desires entailed in value-responses is as important for one’s perfection as cultivating one’s desires for perfection, then the traditional notion of the good should be supplemented by the category of value as the important-in-itself. Second, he argues that distinguishing categorically between the desires for perfection and the desires entailed in value-responses opens up the possibility for a philosophical argument for attributing the latter desires to the absolutely perfect being. Here is the core of the argument: if desiring something necessarily means lacking something, then God cannot be both desiring and absolutely perfect; however, if it can be cogently argued that the desires entailed in value-responses are perfections rather than imperfections, then they can be attributed to an absolutely perfect being. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Continental Philosophy and Catholic Theology)

11 pages, 263 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Location and Work of Eden—Hermeneutical Convergences

by Alexandru Lazăr

Religions 2025, 16(9), 1200; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16091200 - 18 Sep 2025

Viewed by 638

Abstract

The study begins with the questions “Where was Paradise?” and “How was the Garden cultivated?”, and the relationship between different modes of interpretation. It compares the biblical data (Gen. 2) with patristic testimonies (John Chrysostom, Ambrose, Ephrem, Gregory of Nyssa, John of Damascus) [...] Read more.

The study begins with the questions “Where was Paradise?” and “How was the Garden cultivated?”, and the relationship between different modes of interpretation. It compares the biblical data (Gen. 2) with patristic testimonies (John Chrysostom, Ambrose, Ephrem, Gregory of Nyssa, John of Damascus) and symbolic readings (Philo, Cyprian, Hippolytus), in order to assess whether the plurality of meanings generates confusion or coherence. Situated within the divergent approaches of these patristic authors—especially concerning literal and figurative aspects—I aim to outline an integral theological reading of the Eden tradition and of the aforementioned questions. The methods used in this research are comparative biblical and patristic exegesis, structured through a four-step framework: (1) retaining the literal sense when the text provides anchors (rivers, orientation); (2) shifting from description to vocation in the moral-liturgical sense (“to work”/“to keep”); (3) accepting the ineffable (2 Cor. 12) as a boundary; (4) articulating an ontology of paradisiacal matter. The findings of this study are as follows: Eden is an earthly reality, but one with transfigured materiality; “work” is an inner activity (obedience, contemplation) without toil; and the diversity of interpretations proves to be complementary: the literal anchors the “where/what”, while the spiritual illuminates the “why/how”, together avoiding both inert geography and ungrounded symbolism. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Religions and Theologies)

23 pages, 310 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Muslim Vote Campaign in the UK: Expanding Social Movement Theory

by Mohammed Sinan Siyech

Religions 2025, 16(9), 1199; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16091199 - 18 Sep 2025

Viewed by 604

Abstract

This article aims to understand Muslim voting trends in the United Kingdom through a study of the movement that called itself The Muslim Vote. Drawing on interviews and other publicly available primary material, it uses Social Movement Theory to analyse the movement that [...] Read more.

This article aims to understand Muslim voting trends in the United Kingdom through a study of the movement that called itself The Muslim Vote. Drawing on interviews and other publicly available primary material, it uses Social Movement Theory to analyse the movement that emerged in the post-7 October 2023 landscape. It argues that voter fatigue with both the Labour and Conservative Parties, due to their failure to address acute economic issues in the UK, as well as both parties’ support for Israel, created opportunities for TMV to emerge. Consequently, TMV mobilised resources, including decades of political experience and a new emerging group of politically educated youth, to help power its campaign. It also demonstrates how TMV used common frames of reference for Muslims, such as the Ummah, aided by social media apps, shining light on Israel’s actions in Palestine to engage Muslims across the UK. In highlighting some of the nascent successes of TMV’s efforts in co-ordination with local Muslim groups, whereby independent candidates came to power, it demonstrates that TMV has the latent ability to reshape Muslim political identity if it were to continue its momentum. Through this enquiry, it finally lends itself to the literature that examines Muslim voting trends in the UK and Europe. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Constructing the ‘European Muslim Crisis’: Discourse, Policy, and Everyday Realities)

17 pages, 291 KB

Open AccessArticle

Glocal Chinese Buddhism in Italy: A Comparative Study of Two Private Buddhist Groups in Rome

by Joseph Chadwin

Religions 2025, 16(9), 1198; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16091198 - 18 Sep 2025

Viewed by 313

Abstract

By examining two very different manifestations of Chinese Buddhism in Italy, this paper seeks to build upon and add a new dimension to Dessì’s “Glocal Buddhas” project and, more broadly, offer a rare insight into Chinese Buddhism in Italy. By offering a rare [...] Read more.

By examining two very different manifestations of Chinese Buddhism in Italy, this paper seeks to build upon and add a new dimension to Dessì’s “Glocal Buddhas” project and, more broadly, offer a rare insight into Chinese Buddhism in Italy. By offering a rare window into two private and non-official migrant Chinese Buddhist groups in Rome, this article will ultimately conclude that Chinese Buddhism can manifest in seemingly contrasting ways: by either embracing religious globalisation or, despite being a product of it, rejecting it. This paper also seeks to demonstrate that although official providers of Buddhism do exist in Italy, they by no means account for all Chinese Buddhists living in the country. As it is often private individuals that go unnoticed by larger studies or those who focus only on official institutions, this paper hopes to give voice to some of these somewhat hidden Buddhists. Full article

(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)

15 pages, 225 KB

Open AccessArticle

Psychedelic Integration and Spiritual Growth in a Christian Context

by Ron Cole-Turner

Religions 2025, 16(9), 1197; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16091197 - 18 Sep 2025

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Abstract

Psychedelic drugs show promise in treating a wide range of mental health conditions. These drugs are beneficial in part because they disrupt prior ideas and patterns of behavior and because they increase neurogenesis and neuroplasticity. It is important therefore to consider the causal [...] Read more.

Psychedelic drugs show promise in treating a wide range of mental health conditions. These drugs are beneficial in part because they disrupt prior ideas and patterns of behavior and because they increase neurogenesis and neuroplasticity. It is important therefore to consider the causal impact of the social context not just during but also following psychedelic experiences. Modern cultural or social contexts might thwart or discourage spiritual integration, but local integration support groups are shown to be helpful, especially for those seeking to reflect the meaning of spiritual or religious themes. These groups might be offered within Christianity, which can provide (1) a connection to a community or a social context at the local level together with (2) a set of theological beliefs as an interpretive context that supports spiritual growth in general and psychedelic spiritual integration in particular. Full article

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

13 pages, 225 KB

Open AccessArticle

Asylum Seekers in the Old Testament: Reinterpreting Moses, Elijah and David

by Hyeong Kyoon Kim

Religions 2025, 16(9), 1196; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16091196 - 18 Sep 2025

Viewed by 334

Abstract

Migration issues remain one of the most contentious topics in contemporary social discourse. This paper reinterprets key Old Testament figures who can be identified as asylum seekers or political migrants. The central question is the following: who represent asylum seekers in the Old [...] Read more.

Migration issues remain one of the most contentious topics in contemporary social discourse. This paper reinterprets key Old Testament figures who can be identified as asylum seekers or political migrants. The central question is the following: who represent asylum seekers in the Old Testament? Employing a narrative methodology, the study focuses on biblical stories and their thematic development rather than linguistic or historical analysis. The paper unfolds in three key sections. First, it defines asylum seekers and reviews prior research related to migration in the Old Testament. Second, it analyzes three significant biblical figures—Moses, Elijah, and David—who represent the law, the prophets, and the Messiah, respectively. Their migration experiences (genocide, resistance, political violence, dictatorship, and rebellion) provide a theological bridge for churches to engage with contemporary political migrants. Lastly, the paper offers practical approaches for churches to support asylum seekers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion, Mobility, and Transnational History)

11 pages, 198 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Rebellion Against Suffering Women’s Silence: The Transformation of Despair into Language for a Pastorally Helpful Eschatology

by Marjolaine Legros-Hoffner

Religions 2025, 16(9), 1195; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16091195 - 18 Sep 2025

Viewed by 911

Abstract

Exploring the reality of women with cancer involves acknowledging the pressures of conformity and loneliness that often lead to silence. It is a silence that hides women’s experiences, emotions, and reflections on suffering, death, and despair, undermining the process of self-revelation and community [...] Read more.

Exploring the reality of women with cancer involves acknowledging the pressures of conformity and loneliness that often lead to silence. It is a silence that hides women’s experiences, emotions, and reflections on suffering, death, and despair, undermining the process of self-revelation and community support that could develop on their journey with cancer. The article aims to analyze Audre Lorde’s reflections in The Cancer Journals in dialogue with Julian of Norwich’s Revelations of Divine Love and The Book of Margery Kempe, to articulate aspects of an eschatology from a woman’s perspective that are pastorally beneficial for discourse on suffering, death, and hope. The cornerstones of this eschatology can motivate the sufferer to stand at the crossroads of accepting suffering as a reality while actively resisting it, creating a space to determine whether one’s suffering has meaning in their life. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cancer and Theology: Personal and Pastoral Perspectives)

28 pages, 3661 KB

Open AccessArticle

From Mountains and Forests to the Seas: The Maritime Spread of the Sanping Patriarch Belief

by Shaosong Huang

Religions 2025, 16(9), 1194; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16091194 - 18 Sep 2025

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Abstract

As a representative form of popular religion in southern Fujian (Minnan 闽南), the Sanping Patriarch (Sanping Zushi 三平祖師) belief exhibits distinct transregional and cross-cultural characteristics in its dissemination across Taiwan and Southeast Asia. Taking the ancestral temples in Fujian 福建 as a point [...] Read more.

As a representative form of popular religion in southern Fujian (Minnan 闽南), the Sanping Patriarch (Sanping Zushi 三平祖師) belief exhibits distinct transregional and cross-cultural characteristics in its dissemination across Taiwan and Southeast Asia. Taking the ancestral temples in Fujian 福建 as a point of departure, this article systematically analyzes the transmission routes and localization strategies of this belief system in Taiwan and Southeast Asia. Drawing on detailed archival research, fieldwork (including site visits), and interviews, the study reveals how the belief has continually revitalized itself in pluralistic societies through strategies of “orthodoxy preservation” and “localized innovation.” The findings suggest that in Taiwan, the Sanping Patriarch belief primarily relies on kinship networks to maintain traditional practices. At the same time, in Southeast Asia, it spreads across ethnic boundaries through commercial and trade networks. Differences are also evident in the realm of mythological symbols, core rituals, and social functions. This study pays special attention to often-overlooked mythological figures such as the “Serpent Attendant” and “Tiger Attendant,” shedding light on the multilayered structure of folk religious systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beyond the “Spice Routes”: Indic and Sinitic Religions across the Asian Maritime Realm)

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24 pages, 366 KB

Open AccessArticle

‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Tablet to Amír Khán: Expanding the Scope of the Bahá’í Doctrine of Progressive Revelation to Include and Engage Indigenous Spiritual Traditions

by Christopher Buck and Michael A. Orona

Religions 2025, 16(9), 1193; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16091193 - 17 Sep 2025

Viewed by 769

Abstract

The Bahá’í doctrine of progressive revelation, while universal in principle, has been limited, in scope and application, by what has previously been described as “Arya-Semiticentrism”—with a paradigmatic focus on Semitic religions (the “Abrahamic Faiths” of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, along with the Bábí [...] Read more.

The Bahá’í doctrine of progressive revelation, while universal in principle, has been limited, in scope and application, by what has previously been described as “Arya-Semiticentrism”—with a paradigmatic focus on Semitic religions (the “Abrahamic Faiths” of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, along with the Bábí and Bahá’í Faiths), and the so-called “Aryan” religions (Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Hinduism) to the relative exclusion of Indigenous religions. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Tablet to Amír Khán may offer a solution and resolution, to wit: “Undoubtedly in those regions [the Americas] the Call of God must have been raised in ancient times, but it hath been forgotten now.” This paper provides an exegesis of the Tablet to Amír Khán—an authenticated, authoritative Bahá’í text, with an authorized translation. Our basic premise is that, just as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has “added” the Buddha and Krishna to the Bahá’í list of “Manifestations of God,” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has also “added” the principle of Indigenous Messengers of God to the Americas—without naming principals (i.e., the names of individual Indigenous “Wise Ones”), thereby demonstrating that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Tablet to Amír Khán effectively expands the scope of the Bahá’í doctrine of progressive revelation to include and engage Indigenous spiritual traditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Bahá’í Faith: Doctrinal and Historical Explorations—Part 2)

17 pages, 295 KB

Open AccessArticle

Religion, Migration, and the Far-Right: How European Populism Frames Religious Pluralism

by Damjan Mandelc

Religions 2025, 16(9), 1192; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16091192 - 17 Sep 2025

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Abstract

This article examines how populist radical right parties (PRR) in three contrasting European contexts—Slovenia, France, and Poland—strategically instrumentalize Christianity within their anti-immigration agendas. Rather than using religion as a matter of faith, these parties recast Christianity as a cornerstone of national and European [...] Read more.

This article examines how populist radical right parties (PRR) in three contrasting European contexts—Slovenia, France, and Poland—strategically instrumentalize Christianity within their anti-immigration agendas. Rather than using religion as a matter of faith, these parties recast Christianity as a cornerstone of national and European identity, positioning it in opposition to Islam and non-European migration. The study argues that such instrumentalization serves not only to construct a religiously defined national identity, but also to legitimize exclusionary policies. By analyzing selected political speeches, party manifestos, and media discourse, we explore how far-right actors frame Islam as incompatible with European values, reinforcing the division between “Christian Europe” and “foreign non-Christian migrants.” Drawing on recent scholarship on civilizational populism and religious boundary-making, we further assess how processes of globalization and European integration have been interpreted by populist parties to fuel anti-immigrant sentiment. Methodologically, we employ qualitative content analysis to identify recurring themes and rhetorical strategies, with a focus on the intersection of religion, nationalism, and migration. The findings contribute to debates on religious pluralism in contemporary Europe, shedding light on how far-right populism reframes pluralism and challenges secular principles across different political and cultural settings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religious Changes and Challenges in the Wake of Increasing Global Migration)

35 pages, 415 KB

Open AccessArticle

Reconfiguring Western Zen: Eco-Engagement in Japanese (American) Zen Buddhism—Case Studies of Zen Peacemakers Germany and Akazienzendo Berlin

by Hanyi Zhang and Ruotong Shi

Religions 2025, 16(9), 1191; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16091191 - 17 Sep 2025

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Abstract

This article examines how two contemporary Zen Buddhist communities in Germany—Zen Peacemakers Germany and Akazienzendo Berlin—engage in ecological activism through the lens of eco-Buddhism. Drawing on eco-Buddhism, the study investigates how these communities integrate traditional Zen teachings with socially engaged responses to the [...] Read more.

This article examines how two contemporary Zen Buddhist communities in Germany—Zen Peacemakers Germany and Akazienzendo Berlin—engage in ecological activism through the lens of eco-Buddhism. Drawing on eco-Buddhism, the study investigates how these communities integrate traditional Zen teachings with socially engaged responses to the ecological crisis. It argues that eco-Buddhism, when situated within the Mahāyāna framework of interdependence, offers a pathway for reconciling the tension between Western Buddhism’s emphasis on personal liberation and the collective ethical imperative of addressing environmental suffering. Using a qualitative methodology based on semi-structured interviews and ethnographic insights, the article compares the different modalities of ecological engagement practiced by the two groups: Zen Peacemakers’ ritualized and activist forms of bearing witness, and Akazienzendo’s localized, community-oriented environmental projects. By analyzing how ecological practice becomes a vehicle for negotiating Buddhist identity, ethics, and modernity, this study contributes to the growing field of eco-Buddhism and sheds light on how spiritual communities respond to planetary crisis in socially meaningful ways. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engaged Spiritualities: Theories, Practices, and Future Directions)

15 pages, 277 KB

Open AccessArticle

Securitization, Humanitarianism, and the Religious Dimension of European Migration Policy

by Tjaša Učakar

Religions 2025, 16(9), 1190; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16091190 - 16 Sep 2025

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Abstract

This article critically examines the evolution of EU migration policy discourse from 1989 to 2024, highlighting the shift from overt securitization to a more humanitarian and managerial framing, which still retains some securitization elements. By analyzing key policy documents, including the Hague and [...] Read more.

This article critically examines the evolution of EU migration policy discourse from 1989 to 2024, highlighting the shift from overt securitization to a more humanitarian and managerial framing, which still retains some securitization elements. By analyzing key policy documents, including the Hague and Stockholm Programmes, the Global Approach to Migration and Mobility (GAMM), and the 2024 Pact on Migration and Asylum, this paper demonstrates how migration has been increasingly framed as a technical and economic issue while still maintaining exclusionary logics. Although humanitarian language has softened, policy goals remain focused on containment, selective inclusion, and externalizing responsibility. The second part of the article explores the religious aspect of EU migration policy, arguing that, despite the formal secularism of EU institutions, religious identity, particularly Islam, is implicitly intertwined with discourses of risk, cultural incompatibility, and integration. Drawing on Peter Berger’s theory of pluralism, the paper highlights a fundamental tension between the EU’s normative claims to diversity and its implicit preference for secular Christian frameworks. The analysis examines pathways for integrating religious consultation into EU governance and its potential to address the persistent marginalization of religion as a factor in inclusion and political agency. By linking migration discourse to the often-overlooked role of religion, this article calls for a more coherent, pluralist-informed EU strategy for migration and integration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religious Changes and Challenges in the Wake of Increasing Global Migration)

19 pages, 256 KB

Open AccessArticle

Interreligious Conversations: A Sociological Analysis of Practices of Otherness and Identity in a Museum of Sacred Art

by Marco Bontempi

Religions 2025, 16(9), 1189; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16091189 - 15 Sep 2025

Viewed by 364

Abstract

(1) Background: From a post-secular perspective, the relationship between religions in the public sphere is conceived as an exchange in which religious beliefs, when formulated as rational arguments, contribute to building a shared public culture and foster a democratic transformation of interreligious relations. [...] Read more.

(1) Background: From a post-secular perspective, the relationship between religions in the public sphere is conceived as an exchange in which religious beliefs, when formulated as rational arguments, contribute to building a shared public culture and foster a democratic transformation of interreligious relations. This article critiques this approach, highlighting its neglect of the lived experience of religion and, in particular, the situated and situational nature of processes of religious identity and religious difference formation. (2) Methods: Ethnographic observation of a performance held in a sacred art museum in Tuscany by immigrants from different religious backgrounds, four semi-structured interviews with performers, and one interview with the museum director were conducted. (3) Results: Personal and religious narratives, along with face-to-face interactions, generate dynamics of identification, differentiation, and situated identity redefinition. Interaction with the artwork, framed as a shared space, facilitates shifts in religious self and other positioning. It also reconfigures the boundaries between “us” and “them.” The artwork acts as a symbolic device that enables multiple interpretations and unexpected forms of recognition. (4) Conclusions: Relations of identification and distinction among religious identities are transformed not through abstract rational deliberation but through concrete, discursive, and performative practices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Governance of Interreligious Dialogue and Freedom of/from Religion)

26 pages, 348 KB

Open AccessArticle

No “We” Without Symbolic Debt? Founding the First-Person Plural and Inheriting Patrimony

by Christopher M. Wojtulewicz

Religions 2025, 16(9), 1188; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16091188 - 15 Sep 2025

Viewed by 289

Abstract

Roger Scruton identified three basic forms of communal loyalties that produce the first-person plural “we”: the national, the tribal, and the credal. Scruton argues that it is the national that maximally permits plurality and difference without jeopardising peaceful coexistence; it even makes possible [...] Read more.

Roger Scruton identified three basic forms of communal loyalties that produce the first-person plural “we”: the national, the tribal, and the credal. Scruton argues that it is the national that maximally permits plurality and difference without jeopardising peaceful coexistence; it even makes possible self-sacrifice for the stranger. The generation of such a first-person plural requires a commitment both to non-contractual forms of obligation for its members and non-purposive activities that transcend questions of utility. These can be seen as keeping alive the question of the bonum honestum, which founds the common good. Pope John Paul II discusses the first-person plural in phenomenological-personalistic terms, as an accidental formation patterned according to the substantial I–Thou relationship between persons. The I–Thou points towards the true good, and this is what allows nations to arise. But various forms of masquerading are here possible, whether it be credal loyalty pretending to be national, or dutiful and moral customs devoid of the bonum honestum as a stabilisation. Both threaten true freedom. John Paul II shows that it is the task of the “we” community to inherit the national patrimony. It is Massimo Recalcati that shows us that, for all its beneficial wealth, this inheriting involves an inevitable mourning and incurring of “symbolic debt”. Only a correct relation to this debt will allow the first-person plural properly to arise and inherit the national patrimony. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catholic Theologies of Culture)

22 pages, 309 KB

Open AccessArticle

From Religious Representation to Conceptual Truth: The Role of Religion in Hegel’s Philosophical System

by Guanyu Guo

Religions 2025, 16(9), 1187; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16091187 - 15 Sep 2025

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Abstract

The present study interprets the indispensable mediating role of religion within Hegel’s monistic system. This study undertakes a systematic investigation of the development of Hegel’s religious thought in different periods, his logical reconstruction of multiple religions, and the positioning of religion within his [...] Read more.

The present study interprets the indispensable mediating role of religion within Hegel’s monistic system. This study undertakes a systematic investigation of the development of Hegel’s religious thought in different periods, his logical reconstruction of multiple religions, and the positioning of religion within his system. The central argument posits that religions, particularly Christianity, serve as a pivotal experiential and representational conduit that facilitates Spirit’s ascent from the inherent dualism of consciousness, as inherited from Descartes and solidified by Kant, to the monistic paradigm of the speculative concept (Begriff) or absolute Knowing (absolutes Wissen). Whilst art offers immediate sensuous intuition (Anschauung) of the Absolute, philosophy achieves pure conceptual comprehension (begreifendes Denken). The function of religion can be considered to be twofold. Firstly, it is important to note that religion provides the essential communal form for grasping substantial content. Secondly, the representational form demands inherent necessity, its own sublation (Aufhebung), and elevation to conceptual truth. The rational content of Christianity, found in the Trinity’s logical structure and the Incarnation (Menschwerdung Gottes), demands translation into the self-determining concept (Begriff). “The death of God” is posited by representation as a means to facilitate the subsequent reconstruction of the Concept. Philosophy serves to sublimate religion by preserving its truth-content, negating its inadequate form, and elevating it into pure conceptual truth. Consequently, religion functions as the indispensable “prelude to scientific truth”, and the necessary pathway to absolute knowing, where absolute Spirit achieves complete self-transparency in the speculative Concept. Hegel affirms religion’s vital mediating role not as the endpoint, but as the essential bridge enabling Spirit’s ascent from religious representation (Vorstellung) to conceptual absolute knowing. Finally, in exploring the interplay of truth and meaning, Hegel’s notions of Vorstellung and Begriff offer a speculative framework where religious meaning is embodied in logical and historical contexts, while philosophical truth transforms it into conceptual form, thus enriching both hermeneutics and dialectical understanding. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Seeking Truth and Meaning: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Religion and Philosophy)

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Religions, Volume 16, Issue 9 (September 2025) – 131 articles

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