Religions

4 pages, 139 KB

Open AccessEditorial

Editorial for the Special Issue “Religious Changes and Challenges in the Wake of Increasing Global Migration”

by Primož Krašovec and Anja Zalta

Religions 2026, 17(4), 504; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040504 - 21 Apr 2026

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Abstract

In closing, let us start at the beginning [...] Full article

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

19 pages, 343 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Sins of Reading a Painting, or the False Ekphrasis of Holbein’s Painting The Dead Christ in the Tomb in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Idiot

by Géza S. Horváth

Religions 2026, 17(4), 503; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040503 - 21 Apr 2026

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Abstract

One of the most famous and frequently analysed descriptions in literary and art history is undoubtedly Dostoevsky’s ekphrasis of Holbein’s painting The Dead Christ in the Tomb in his novel The Idiot (Part III. Chapter 6). The painting itself sparked a series of [...] Read more.

One of the most famous and frequently analysed descriptions in literary and art history is undoubtedly Dostoevsky’s ekphrasis of Holbein’s painting The Dead Christ in the Tomb in his novel The Idiot (Part III. Chapter 6). The painting itself sparked a series of theological and aesthetic controversies with its unusual, non-canonical iconography depicting of the Passion of Christ. Most art historical analyses do not ignore the ekphrasis of that picture in The Idiot. In this study, we proceed from the premise that the “reading of the painting” leads to different results from the point of view of three main characters of the novel: Rogozhin, Myshkin, and Ippolit. Our goal is to prove that ekphrasis is an inseparable part of a speech act—not an objective description, but intentional speech. Therefore, it cannot be interpreted without understanding the speaker’s intention or the character’s situation. This explains the strong distortions and misreading in the ekphrasis. We can capture the meaning reconstructed in the character’s speech through the motifs of copy, epigonism, duplication and misquotation. Ippolit, the subiectum of ekphrasis, proves to be a truly “bad reader,” and his reading becomes devastating in the world of the novel insofar as it anticipates the destruction expressed in the motifs of the Apocalypse. In addition, we also reveal that there is a hidden intention behind Ippolit’s reading, which we can grasp by examining the signs in the text (metaphorical meaning). The most important motifs of ekphrasis (e.g., nature, the number six, actuality, darkness–light) weave through the entire text of the novel and are incorporated into the process of text production and meaning creation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Peccata Lectionis)

12 pages, 181 KB

Open AccessArticle

Experiences of Beauty in Art as Signs of Transcendence: Claims in Need of Confirmation

by Paul M. Gould and Matthew Niermann

Religions 2026, 17(4), 502; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040502 - 21 Apr 2026

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Abstract

Christian philosophers, theologians, and artists regularly claim that experiences of beauty in art can function (i) as a road to God and (ii) as an encounter with God. These claims are well motivated by various Biblical texts and sophisticated theistic accounts of aesthetic [...] Read more.

Christian philosophers, theologians, and artists regularly claim that experiences of beauty in art can function (i) as a road to God and (ii) as an encounter with God. These claims are well motivated by various Biblical texts and sophisticated theistic accounts of aesthetic perception. What is often lacking, however, is empirical support for key premises in arguments supporting these common claims. As a result, the connection between beauty, art, and God remains tentative and subject to defeat by empirically grounded naturalistic accounts of aesthetic perception. In this essay, we will identify the key empirical premises supporting these common claims and suggest the application of the emerging field, experimental theological aesthetics, for empirically testing such premises. If successful, the resultant experimentally based approach to philosophical and theological aesthetics suggests new ways of advancing long-standing debates typically carried out along theoretical or a priori lines with little or no appeal to empirical concerns. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Experimental Theological Aesthetics)

23 pages, 617 KB

Open AccessArticle

Young People, Religiosity, and Pluralistic Values: A Survey-Based Study in Rome

by Matteo Bonanni, Andrea Casavecchia and Orazio Giancola

Religions 2026, 17(4), 501; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040501 - 20 Apr 2026

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Abstract

In recent years, young people have often been portrayed as increasingly detached from traditional forms of religious belonging. Nevertheless, religious affiliation continues to shape how individuals interpret the world—that is, the cultural frameworks and value systems through which, in Weberian terms, they ascribe [...] Read more.

In recent years, young people have often been portrayed as increasingly detached from traditional forms of religious belonging. Nevertheless, religious affiliation continues to shape how individuals interpret the world—that is, the cultural frameworks and value systems through which, in Weberian terms, they ascribe meaning to an otherwise indeterminate reality. Drawing on a survey conducted among a sample of young Italians in Rome, this study examines the relationship between youth and values by comparing believers and non-believers. The data are weighted to reflect the demographic structure of a comparable population in the European Social Survey. The article explores the intersections between religiosity, spirituality, value orientations, and forms of social participation among young Romans. It relies on a wide range of indicators capturing attitudes toward religion and society, religious and spiritual practices, and the perceived importance of various social issues. The analysis focuses on differences between spiritual and non-spiritual believers, practicing and non-practicing believers, and non-believers. The central questions guiding the study are: What distinguishes young believers from their non-believing peers in these domains? And how do these groups differ in their orientations when classified in this way? Full article

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

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27 pages, 2435 KB

Open AccessArticle

Shaping Sacred: Rituals, Theatre and the Generation of Sacred Spaces for the Centenary Celebration of Singapore Hin Ann Thain Hiaw Keng

by Xinyan Zeng and Tek Soon Ling

Religions 2026, 17(4), 500; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040500 - 19 Apr 2026

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Abstract

Singapore Hin Ann Thain Hiaw Keng held its centenary celebration in October 2025. As this event utilized pre-existing or temporary venues, it offers a valuable case for exploring how ritual and theatre contribute to the generation of sacred space. Through the observation of [...] Read more.

Singapore Hin Ann Thain Hiaw Keng held its centenary celebration in October 2025. As this event utilized pre-existing or temporary venues, it offers a valuable case for exploring how ritual and theatre contribute to the generation of sacred space. Through the observation of Taoist rituals, puppet theatre, and Puxian opera featured in this event, and by drawing on Henri Lefebvre’s spatial triad, this paper argues that rituals and theatre do not merely occur in pre-existing sacred spaces. Instead, by multiple practices, including spatial planning and the implementation of ritual and theatrical techniques, they transform residences, commercial premises, and public spaces that originally possess secular attributes into spaces that can be experienced and recognized as sacred. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Temple Art, Architecture and Theatre)

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34 pages, 474 KB

Open AccessArticle

Is Liturgy Art? Post-Secular Hybridity in João Madureira’s Missa de Pentecostes

by Alfredo Teixeira

Religions 2026, 17(4), 499; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040499 - 19 Apr 2026

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Abstract

This article addresses recent critiques of secularisation as a linear explanatory model for religious change in European societies, proposing that contemporary artistic creation is a fertile site for observing new interrelations between the secular and the religious. Focusing on João Madureira’s Missa de [...] Read more.

This article addresses recent critiques of secularisation as a linear explanatory model for religious change in European societies, proposing that contemporary artistic creation is a fertile site for observing new interrelations between the secular and the religious. Focusing on João Madureira’s Missa de Pentecostes (2010), composed for the ensemble ‘Sete Lágrimas’ and part of a cultural project by the Roman Catholic community of ‘Capela do Rato’ (Lisbon), the study analyses how this work creatively reconfigures the traditional Mass form. By juxtaposing the Ordinary sections (e.g., Kyrie, Gloria) with the Proper sections (e.g., Introitus, Sequentia), which incorporate non-canonical Portuguese poetic texts, the composition creates a hybrid space in which ritual and artistic modes interact and mutually re-legitimise each other. Using a heterological interpretative framework inspired by Michel de Certeau, the article highlights the tensions and exchanges between ritual and aesthetic logics. The analysis draws on key theoretical concepts including Jean Rancière’s notions of consensus and dissensus, Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of ritual and habitus, Paul Ricoeur’s philosophy of translation as hospitality, and Pierre Lévy’s concept of universalism without totality. The findings suggest that Madureira’s work enacts a process of poetic re-signification of religious memory, opening new possibilities for hybrid ritual–artistic practices. These practices transform ritual time-space into an interface that fosters plural and non-totalising forms of spiritual belonging. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Europe, Religion and Secularization: Trends, Paradoxes and Dilemmas)

20 pages, 6015 KB

Open AccessArticle

Painting the Sacred: Torah Arks, Peripheral Communities, and Religious Belonging in Early Modern German Lands

by Zvi Orgad

Religions 2026, 17(4), 498; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040498 - 18 Apr 2026

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Abstract

This article examines the painted Torah ark as a form of material religion through which early modern rural Jewish communities shaped sacred space and articulated religious belonging. Focusing on a group of wooden synagogues in rural Franconia, Bavaria, and Württemberg, decorated between 1732 [...] Read more.

This article examines the painted Torah ark as a form of material religion through which early modern rural Jewish communities shaped sacred space and articulated religious belonging. Focusing on a group of wooden synagogues in rural Franconia, Bavaria, and Württemberg, decorated between 1732 and 1740 by a school of painters led by the itinerant painter Eliezer-Zusman of Brody, the study analyzes a rare shift from carved-wood or stone arks to fully representational painted structures. Drawing on visual analysis, architectural context, and comparison with Eastern European precedents, the article argues that painted ark decoration functioned simultaneously as a practical substitute for carving, a strategy for creating unified interior environments, and a means of intensifying devotional experience. The replication of compositional schemes from the Chodorów (now Khodoriv, Ukraine) synagogue in Ruthenia to Bechhofen in Bavaria demonstrates a deliberate process of artistic and religious transfer from Eastern to Central Europe. This transfer reflects both the economic limitations of small German Jewish communities and their aspiration to appropriate the visual prestige of Eastern European synagogue art. More broadly, the case highlights how painted ornament could reshape ritual space and materialize cultural mobility, contributing to wider discussions of material religion, migration, and the circulation of sacred forms in early modern Europe. Full article

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

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15 pages, 331 KB

Open AccessArticle

Pulchrum in the Summa Halensis: Problems and Originality

by Francisco Javier Ormazabal Echeverría

Religions 2026, 17(4), 497; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040497 - 18 Apr 2026

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Abstract

The transcendental status of pulchrum (beauty) has been debated mainly within Thomistic scholarship, often overlooking earlier medieval sources. This study examines the treatment of beauty in the Summa of Alexander of Hales, situating it within the broader discussion on the transcendentals and reassessing [...] Read more.

The transcendental status of pulchrum (beauty) has been debated mainly within Thomistic scholarship, often overlooking earlier medieval sources. This study examines the treatment of beauty in the Summa of Alexander of Hales, situating it within the broader discussion on the transcendentals and reassessing its originality beyond Thomistic categories. This article conducts a close textual and conceptual analysis of the sections of the Summa Halensis that address pulchrum, comparing interpretations in recent scholarship and examining how beauty is discussed in relation to the communissima, causal frameworks, and Trinitarian metaphysics. Four characterizations of pulchrum are identified in the first part of the Summa Halensis: three connected to efficient, final, and formal–exemplar causality, and a fourth defining beauty as harmony and proportion. In the second part of the Summa, beauty is further treated as a principle of order and suitability for contemplation, suggesting a relational dimension among transcendentals. This study argues that, despite the conceptual tensions identified—particularly the opposition between its relational character and its link to formal causality—the account of pulchrum in the Summa Halensis supports interpreting beauty as a distinct transcendental, grounded in the harmony and relational order of being and ultimately connected with Trinitarian metaphysics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Words and Images Serving Christianity)

15 pages, 282 KB

Open AccessArticle

All Israel, Then and Now: The Case for Anthropological Contextualization of Romans 11:26

by Ramez J. Habash

Religions 2026, 17(4), 496; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040496 - 18 Apr 2026

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Abstract

This article advances a method of anthropological contextualization for a Christian theological reading that applies the salvation of all Israel in Rom 11:26 to the present, by comparing Paul’s first-century people categories with those of the modern world. In Rom 9–11 Paul deals [...] Read more.

This article advances a method of anthropological contextualization for a Christian theological reading that applies the salvation of all Israel in Rom 11:26 to the present, by comparing Paul’s first-century people categories with those of the modern world. In Rom 9–11 Paul deals with the hardened Israelites of his day—the torah-observant descendants of Jacob who rejected Jesus—distinguishing them from gentiles and from the broader category of Jews which includes proselytes. Paul envisions alternating waves of salvation between Israelites and gentiles, so that some of the hardened Israelites of his day join the remnant Israelites (those who have already believed in Jesus), together constituting all Israel—a synchronic reference to the totality of believing Israelites in Paul’s time. Tracing those first-century Israelites forward, however, is not possible: tribal genealogies were lost and Jewish communities expanded and diversified through intermarriage, conversion, and apostasy. Consequently, equating Paul’s Israelites with modern Jews as a fixed, continuous biological entity is unwarranted. Contextualized today, the expectation of all Israel’s salvation encompasses all nations, including Jews, without reconstituting Israel as a biological or national category distinct from the church. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Religions and Theologies)

17 pages, 2075 KB

Open AccessArticle

Sacred Order in Yi-Numerology: The Religious Dimensions of Liu Mu’s Yishu Gouyin Tu

by Jingxin Shen

Religions 2026, 17(4), 495; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040495 - 18 Apr 2026

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Abstract

Liu Mu 劉牧 inaugurated the diagram-based paradigm of Yijing 易經 interpretation in the Song dynasty and restored the Hetu and Luoshu 河圖洛書 to the center of Yi studies 易學. Existing scholarship has approached his system primarily through the lens of xiang-shu 象數 structure [...] Read more.

Liu Mu 劉牧 inaugurated the diagram-based paradigm of Yijing 易經 interpretation in the Song dynasty and restored the Hetu and Luoshu 河圖洛書 to the center of Yi studies 易學. Existing scholarship has approached his system primarily through the lens of xiang-shu 象數 structure or semiotics, frameworks that illuminate how his numerical diagrams function as interpretive tools while leaving unaddressed a more fundamental question: what grounds their authority. This article argues that attending to the religious dimensions of Liu Mu’s system opens a new line of inquiry by revealing how his numerological framework could function as a substantive ground of political and moral order in the intellectual culture of the Renzong 宋仁宗 reign. Liu Mu’s system operates on two interconnected religious levels. First, by anchoring moral and political norms in the objective order of cosmic numerology rather than in human convention, it furnishes a sacred foundation for ethical and political life that transcends arbitrary agreement. Second, by deliberately withholding Heaven’s One (tianyi 天一) from the yarrow-stalk method, it carves out, within an otherwise calculable rational order, an irreducible space for genuine encounter with cosmic mystery. The article further demonstrates that this strategy was shaped by the specific historical and institutional contexts of the early Song. Liu Mu’s enduring contribution lies in constructing a numerological system in which sacred authority and rational order are not opposed but mutually constitutive. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Yijing's Cosmology–Divination–Ethics Continuum: The Sacred Intercourse of Yin-Yang and the Manifestation of Tian-Di)

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18 pages, 400 KB

Open AccessArticle

Creation in Integration: Islamic Adaptation and Transcultural Praxis in Yuan China

by Wei Wang

Religions 2026, 17(4), 494; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040494 - 17 Apr 2026

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Abstract

This article examines the early formation of Confucian–Islamic synthesis during the Yuan dynasty, arguing that institutional and intellectual adaptations in this period laid the groundwork for the later systematic synthesis known as “Yi-Ru Huitong” (伊儒會通). Moving beyond narratives of assimilation or resistance, it [...] Read more.

This article examines the early formation of Confucian–Islamic synthesis during the Yuan dynasty, arguing that institutional and intellectual adaptations in this period laid the groundwork for the later systematic synthesis known as “Yi-Ru Huitong” (伊儒會通). Moving beyond narratives of assimilation or resistance, it analyzes how Muslim communities navigated China’s pluralistic sociopolitical landscape through a process of creative adaptation. Employing a multidisciplinary approach that integrates textual analysis, historical comparison, and transcultural theory, the study investigates three key dimensions: the development of hybrid religious institutions, legal-political negotiations, and mechanisms of social integration. Drawing on multilingual sources—including Persian Islamic manuals, Yuan administrative archives, and epigraphic evidence—it demonstrates how Yuan-era Muslims established patterns of selective adaptation that preserved Islamic identity while enabling meaningful engagement with Chinese cultural norms. These developments not only ensured the survival of Islam in China but also generated a range of transcultural achievements in astronomy, medicine, architecture, and the literary arts, thereby creating the necessary conditions for the profound philosophical syntheses of the Ming-Qing era. By positioning the Yuan period as a crucial incubator of Sino-Islamic civilization, this study offers insights for comparative philosophy and the global history of civilizational dialog, inviting reflection on the early Chinese Islamic experience as a significant case of sustainable cross-civilizational engagement. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Confluence of Islam and Confucianism: A Paradigm for Civilizational Exchange and Mutual Learning)

22 pages, 323 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Transformation of Islamic Religious Authority

by Rüdiger Lohlker and Soleh Hasan Wahid

Religions 2026, 17(4), 493; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040493 - 17 Apr 2026

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Abstract

The transformation of religious authority in the digital age is shaped by the interactions between human actors, digital media and algorithmic systems. This study uses digital ethnography to examine how religious authority is constructed and negotiated on digital platforms used by Muslims in [...] Read more.

The transformation of religious authority in the digital age is shaped by the interactions between human actors, digital media and algorithmic systems. This study uses digital ethnography to examine how religious authority is constructed and negotiated on digital platforms used by Muslims in Indonesia and globally. This study focuses on seven authoritative figures in the digital Islamic landscape, representing different spectra of authority, from traditional pesantren in Indonesia to transnational apologetics and urban liberalism. The findings reveal patterns of authority delegation in which digital platforms replace human roles in da’wah and Islamic institutions. Religious authority is formed through articulative work that connects the Sunnah, intermediaries (religious scholars), and congregations. Public search data show that digital spaces function as a medium of distribution, where religious authority is shaped by audience responses, message repetition, symbolic affiliation, and the dynamics of debate. This study highlights the role of algorithmic culture and authority representation aesthetics in mediating religious authority in the digital age. Algorithms shape exposure and reach audiences, and representational aesthetics are crucial for disseminating religious content. The study concludes that clerical authority in the digital era results from technocultural mediation, in which the cleric becomes both a figure and representation calculated by machines and validated by the audience’s participation. Full article

15 pages, 229 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Black Church and the Juke Joint: The False Dichotomy of Black Identity, Black Music, and Black Space in Sinners

by Solomon W. Cochren

Religions 2026, 17(4), 492; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040492 - 17 Apr 2026

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Abstract

This article examines the assumed dichotomy between the Black church and the juke joint within African American cultural discourse. Often portrayed as moral opposites—one sacred and the other secular—this study argues that such a binary reflects a Eurocentric interpretive framework rather than the [...] Read more.

This article examines the assumed dichotomy between the Black church and the juke joint within African American cultural discourse. Often portrayed as moral opposites—one sacred and the other secular—this study argues that such a binary reflects a Eurocentric interpretive framework rather than the actual historical realities of Black communal life. Through cultural and historical analysis, the article asserts that both institutions originated from similar conditions of racial exclusion and served as complementary spaces that nurtured African American identity, resilience, and community connections. Using the film Sinners as a key cultural text, the study explores how contemporary media narratives complicate rigid distinctions between sacred and secular Black spaces, identities, music, and spirituality. The character Sammie illustrates the permeability between these spaces, embodying a cultural logic where spiritual refuge and expressive release coexist. The analysis places this view within the African philosophical concept of Ubuntu, which emphasizes relational identity and the inseparability and oneness of the Black community. Drawing on the scholarship of James H. Cone, the article also shows that spirituals and blues share roots in African diasporic musical traditions. These traditions demonstrate the deep interconnection between religious and secular forms of Black expression. Ultimately, the study concludes that the Black church and the juke joint should be understood not as opposing institutions but as interconnected cultural spaces that collectively sustain African American spiritual, social, and artistic life. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Meeting at the Crossroads: Understanding the Intersection of Rhetoric, Race, and Religion)

19 pages, 517 KB

Open AccessArticle

Establishing Possession (prāpti) as an Entity in the Vaibhāṣika Tradition

by Feng Yang

Religions 2026, 17(4), 491; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040491 - 17 Apr 2026

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Abstract

In the Vaibhāṣika system, possession (prāpti), classified as a factor that is neither material nor mental, is posited as a real entity that links the various dharmas associated with a sentient being to its individual continuum. In this context, possession [...] Read more.

In the Vaibhāṣika system, possession (prāpti), classified as a factor that is neither material nor mental, is posited as a real entity that links the various dharmas associated with a sentient being to its individual continuum. In this context, possession does not refer to legal ownership or supernatural possession; rather, it refers to the attainment or endowment of dharmas, that is, how particular qualities, actions, or mental states come to be present in a given individual. This paper examines the strategies by which Vaibhāṣikas defend the ontological status of possession, thereby shedding light on the motivations underlying this doctrinal commitment. Through close philological and historical analysis of a wide range of Sarvāstivāda Abhidharma sources, including passages from a newly available manuscript folio of the Abhidharmadīpa with Vibhāṣāprabhāvṛtti, this study reconstructs the diachronic development of Vaibhāṣika arguments for the real existence of possession. Vaibhāṣikas consistently employ two principal modes of justification: appeals to scriptural authority (āgama) and logical reasoning (yukti). As the tradition develops, their defenses of possession shift from reliance on scriptural sources toward increasingly sophisticated forms of doctrinal and functional integration. Possession thus evolves from a dharma serving to clarify specific doctrinal difficulties into a structurally embedded component of Vaibhāṣika doctrinal architecture, playing an important role in its accounts of soteriology, causality, and karma. Full article

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

36 pages, 38753 KB

Open AccessArticle

Negated Antithesis as Reflected in the Qurʾān and in Pre-Qurʾānic Arabic Poetry

by Ali Ahmad Hussein

Religions 2026, 17(4), 490; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040490 - 17 Apr 2026

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Abstract

This article presents a comparative analysis of the negated antithesis (ṭibāq salb) in pre-Islamic poetry and the Qurʾān using data generated by the Rhetorical Element Identifier (REI), a computational tool capable of automatically detecting this device across both corpora. Drawing on [...] Read more.

This article presents a comparative analysis of the negated antithesis (ṭibāq salb) in pre-Islamic poetry and the Qurʾān using data generated by the Rhetorical Element Identifier (REI), a computational tool capable of automatically detecting this device across both corpora. Drawing on a dataset of 1908 pre-Islamic poems and the full Qurʾānic text, the study explores how shared rhetorical patterns reflect a broader stylistic continuum between the two earliest Arabic literary traditions. While the Qurʾān employs structures attested in the poetic corpus, it frequently reconfigures them—shifting antithetical elements from verse-final to mid-verse positions, creating new syntactic configurations, and deploying the device for didactic and theological aims. The analysis also identifies thirty-three shared verbal roots that appear in comparable grammatical settings across both corpora, underscoring a common semantic foundation. By isolating a single rhetorical feature, the study highlights how the Qurʾān both inherits and reshapes earlier poetic strategies, offering fresh insight into the evolution of early Arabic rhetoric. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Classical Arabic Texts and the Pre-Modern Islamic Rhetorical Tradition: Rethinking the Qur’an and Early Arabic Poetry as Cultural Foundations)

22 pages, 329 KB

Open AccessArticle

Religious–Moral Values in Inclusive Education: A Mixed-Methods Study of Romanian Special Education Teachers

by Dorin Opriş and Alina-Mihaela Corici

Religions 2026, 17(4), 489; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040489 - 17 Apr 2026

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Abstract

This study examines the role of religious–moral values in supporting the inclusion of students with special educational needs (SEN) within the broader framework of inclusive education. Using a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, the research combines a qualitative phase based on semi-structured interviews with [...] Read more.

This study examines the role of religious–moral values in supporting the inclusion of students with special educational needs (SEN) within the broader framework of inclusive education. Using a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, the research combines a qualitative phase based on semi-structured interviews with special education teachers (N = 9 participants) and a quantitative phase involving a questionnaire administered to a larger sample (N = 324 respondents). The qualitative findings indicate that teachers associate religious–moral values with the development of socio-emotional competencies, such as empathy, respect, solidarity, and a sense of belonging, which are considered essential for inclusion. The quantitative results support these perspectives, showing high levels of agreement regarding the contribution of these values to fostering positive attitudes, social acceptance, and the classroom integration of students with SEN. The findings also suggest that teachers attribute greater importance to core values than to formal religious instruction and prefer adaptive, student-centered strategies, including narrative and experiential approaches. Overall, the study highlights the potential of religious–moral values as a resource for inclusive education when applied in a flexible, interdisciplinary, and context-sensitive manner. These findings contribute to ongoing discussions on the role of religion in education, particularly in relation to inclusion, equality, and respect for diversity. Full article

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

20 pages, 343 KB

Open AccessArticle

Rationalization of the Sacred: The Experiences of Alevi Dedes in Transmitting Their Beliefs and Values to Young People

by Ahmet Özalp and Emre Şimşir

Religions 2026, 17(4), 488; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040488 - 16 Apr 2026

Viewed by 520

Abstract

The main purpose of the current study is to investigate how the beliefs and values of Alevism are transmitted to young people in the city and to examine the problems that arise in the process, drawing on the daily life experiences and perspectives [...] Read more.

The main purpose of the current study is to investigate how the beliefs and values of Alevism are transmitted to young people in the city and to examine the problems that arise in the process, drawing on the daily life experiences and perspectives of Alevi dedes (religious guides). This study primarily examines the difficulties that dedes encounter in transmitting Alevi beliefs and values to young people in urban settings, as well as the innovative methods they develop to address these challenges. The present study used a phenomenological design to answer the research question. Furthermore, the interview technique was preferred to collect research data, and semi-structured interview questions were asked to dedes. Sixteen Alevi dedes residing in Eskişehir, Ankara, Afyon, and Kütahya provinces in Türkiye were selected as the study sample. The findings show that young people’s participation in cem ceremonies declines due to the city’s intense work pace, their desire to pursue education and careers, and their fear of exclusion. Despite these challenges, dedes strive to ease the conditions for participation in cem ceremonies and to shorten their duration, to transmit Alevi beliefs and values to young people, and to increase their participation in cem ceremonies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Alevism: History, Religion, and Transformation)

22 pages, 2923 KB

Open AccessArticle

Local Sanctuaries and Kin-Based Cults in Early Iron Age Judah: Evidence from Lachish

by Itamar Weissbein and Yosef Garfinkel

Religions 2026, 17(4), 487; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040487 - 16 Apr 2026

Viewed by 524

Abstract

This article presents a newly excavated Iron Age IIA cult room from Tel Lachish (Sanctuary BBE4) and examines its significance for the study of the organization of religious practice, situating this case within the broader corpus of Iron Age I–IIA local sanctuaries in [...] Read more.

This article presents a newly excavated Iron Age IIA cult room from Tel Lachish (Sanctuary BBE4) and examines its significance for the study of the organization of religious practice, situating this case within the broader corpus of Iron Age I–IIA local sanctuaries in Judah and the southern Levant. The evidence suggests that early Iron Age ritual practice was organized primarily at the level of extended kin groups, materialized in modest intramural cult rooms embedded within residential neighborhoods. These spaces reflect decentralized forms of religious authority, contrasting with the temple-centered ritual systems of the Bronze Age and with the increasing centralization of cult and religious authority in later phases of the Iron Age. By situating the Lachish evidence within a broader diachronic and regional framework, the study explores changing relationships between household ritual practices, kin-based social organization, and the development of state-level religious institutions in early Judah. Full article

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14 pages, 290 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Role of the Other in the Construction of Identity: Considerations Around Martin Buber and Emmanuel Levinas

by Teresa Aizpún

Religions 2026, 17(4), 486; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040486 - 16 Apr 2026

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Abstract

By comparing Buber and Levinas, this article aims to clarify the constitution of the self as a place of identity. Both authors recognise, at first, that the self is only defined in relation to others and, ultimately, in relation to the You. However, [...] Read more.

By comparing Buber and Levinas, this article aims to clarify the constitution of the self as a place of identity. Both authors recognise, at first, that the self is only defined in relation to others and, ultimately, in relation to the You. However, the definition of that relationship is opposite in both authors. Levinas’ interpretation echoes Luther and Kierkegaard, as it establishes an insurmountable difference between you and me. Buber, although he borrows many concepts from the Danish philosopher, fundamentally, the definition of the individual as a relationship, contradicts Kierkegaard by defining the relationship not as a simple ‘facing’, but as a third party between me and you. Finally, it is concluded that although the individual must be preserved in the I–You relationship, this cannot be understood as something in itself, as a third part, and, on the other hand, there must be a certain knowledge about the Thou for the relationship to be real. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Anthropology and Religion: Rethinking Identity in a Fragmented Cultural Landscape)

18 pages, 241 KB

Open AccessArticle

Struggles for Justice at the Intersection of Academic and Activist Feminist Fields

by Antonina Wozna Urbanczak

Religions 2026, 17(4), 485; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040485 - 15 Apr 2026

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Abstract

This paper investigates women’s movements in German-speaking Europe that operate at the intersection of academic theology and activism, challenging the assumption that gender parity within theological institutions has been achieved. Despite broader European progress toward gender equality, theological faculties continue to exhibit structural [...] Read more.

This paper investigates women’s movements in German-speaking Europe that operate at the intersection of academic theology and activism, challenging the assumption that gender parity within theological institutions has been achieved. Despite broader European progress toward gender equality, theological faculties continue to exhibit structural disparities, including women’s underrepresentation in senior positions and persistent obstacles such as the “leaky pipeline,” the “glass ceiling,” and restrictive ecclesial procedures like the Nihil Obstat. These dynamics intensify the vulnerability of women theologians, particularly those advocating for gender justice within Church structures that do not consistently recognize women as full participants. The study also highlights the vulnerability experienced by women theologians who advocate for gender equality within ecclesial institutions that do not consistently recognize women as full participants. Interdisciplinary dialogue between theology and the social sciences is often met with suspicion, as religion is frequently portrayed as a source of division rather than a catalyst for transformation. Moreover, extremist and fundamentalist movements instrumentalize gender issues, polarizing European societies and suppressing interfaith initiatives that promote justice, care, and cooperation. The paper argues for transversal, intersectional, and inclusive approaches that bridge academic and activist networks. By fostering collaboration, critical reflection, and shared praxis, these movements reimagine the role of women in both Church and society, offering transformative models grounded in justice, dignity, and equality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feminist Theologies and Social Engagement: Justice, Inclusion, and Community Practice)

16 pages, 303 KB

Open AccessArticle

Religious Affiliation and Military Service in the United States

by Ori Swed, G. Doug Davis, Michael O. Slobodchikoff, Nehemia Stern and Uzi Ben Shalom

Religions 2026, 17(4), 484; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040484 - 15 Apr 2026

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Abstract

Those who serve in the armed forces are shaped not only by incentives and opportunity structures but also by institutions that cultivate norms of duty, authority, and collective obligation. This study argues that religious institutions function as such socializing agents and play a [...] Read more.

Those who serve in the armed forces are shaped not only by incentives and opportunity structures but also by institutions that cultivate norms of duty, authority, and collective obligation. This study argues that religious institutions function as such socializing agents and play a measurable role in military enlistment in the United States. Complementing existing research that focuses on denomination or belief as key indicators, we introduce an institutional framework that emphasizes participation in religious communities. The focus is not on the affiliation but instead on the socialization offered and conducted in those institutions. Religious communities cultivate behavioral dispositions, such as discipline, hierarchy, and collective orientation, that align with the demands of military service. As such, they are associated with an increased likelihood of enlistment. Using data from the 2024 Cooperative Election Study (CES), we employ logistic regression models to distinguish between religious identity, institutional engagement, and individual religiosity. The results show that, per our sample, religious identity and evangelical affiliation are not significant predictors of enlistment. Instead, regular participation in religious institutions is strongly and consistently associated with a higher likelihood of military service. These findings suggest that institutional socialization can be an important factor in explaining the relationship between religion and military service. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion and Culture: Post-Christianity, Culture, Democracy, and Great Power Relations)

12 pages, 255 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Logic of Appropriation: A Theological Synthesis of the ‘Throwaway Culture’ and the Theology of the Body

by Sesil Lim and Yong-Gil Lee

Religions 2026, 17(4), 483; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040483 - 14 Apr 2026

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Abstract

This paper investigates the anthropological and ethical roots of the global ecological and social crisis, centered on Pope Francis’s critique of the “throwaway culture” (Laudato Si’, LS). While LS identifies this crisis in the linear “take–make–dispose” model and the technocratic paradigm—which [...] Read more.

This paper investigates the anthropological and ethical roots of the global ecological and social crisis, centered on Pope Francis’s critique of the “throwaway culture” (Laudato Si’, LS). While LS identifies this crisis in the linear “take–make–dispose” model and the technocratic paradigm—which prioritizes efficiency over moral reflection—this research argues that these macro-societal failures originate in a foundational spiritual pathology: concupiscence. Drawing upon St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body (TOB), we analyze concupiscence as “appropriation,” the direct antithesis to the human vocation of the “sincere gift of self.” This study aligns LS’s socio-economic critique with Karol Wojtyła’s personalist anthropology, asserting that the systemic exploitation of nature and the marginalization of the vulnerable are structural extensions of the human failure to reread the “language of the body” in truth. The throwaway culture is thus revealed as an axiological reduction—a societal manifestation of lust that reduces both the body and creation to mere objects of utility. Consequently, a genuine ecological conversion (LS) necessitates embracing the “ethos of redemption” (TOB). This transformation of desire is essential to restoring the harmony between humanity and nature, recognizing that the ‘cry of the earth’ and the ‘cry of the poor’ are inextricably linked within an integral ecology. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Creative Eco-Theology: Responding to the Ecological Crisis of Creation)

19 pages, 1083 KB

Open AccessArticle

Mental Health Across Religious and Spiritual Categories: A Longitudinal Study Among Parents and Their Children

by Addison V. Clevenger and W. Justin Dyer

Religions 2026, 17(4), 482; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040482 - 14 Apr 2026

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Abstract

This study examines how religious and spiritual identities relate to depression and anxiety at baseline and longitudinally. Using data from the Family Foundations of Youth Development Project, which sampled parent–child dyads from the Western United States, we investigated how mental health relates to [...] Read more.

This study examines how religious and spiritual identities relate to depression and anxiety at baseline and longitudinally. Using data from the Family Foundations of Youth Development Project, which sampled parent–child dyads from the Western United States, we investigated how mental health relates to the conjunction of spirituality and religiosity (S/R), the lack of either, or one separate from the other. At baseline, children identifying as “Spiritual but not Religious” (SBNR) reported the highest levels of anxiety and depression, whereas children who identified as “Religious and Spiritual” (RAS) exhibited the lowest levels of depression. The difference between RAS identity and the SBNR identity was significant across all baseline scales, with SBNR individuals demonstrating greater pathology. Among parents, the “religious but not spiritual (RBNS) group” was more depressed than the RAS group, and both RBNS and SBNR parents were more anxious than the “not religious, nor spiritual” (NRNS) parents. Longitudinally, SBNR children uniquely showed significant decreases in their depression levels, and no increases in their anxiety levels, likely reflecting a ceiling effect given their initially high symptoms. Regarding adults, all groups except RBNS decreased in depressive symptoms over time. It is important to note that this study does not investigate the effects of spiritual or religious identity shift: i.e., conversion or deconversion. This study highlights the nuanced relationship between psychological well-being and S/R. It examines participants from the Western United States, in predominantly white, highly homogenous areas, with a large presence of members from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and is not generalizable to world populations. It offers possible interpretations, intending to alleviate suffering and encourage flourishing by identifying risk and protective factors. Full article

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23 pages, 405 KB

Open AccessArticle

Malāmat and the Ethics of Invisibility: Mysticism, Poetic Witnessing, and Moral Critique in Late Modernity

by Mahmut Esat Harmancı and Meriç Harmancı

Religions 2026, 17(4), 481; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040481 - 14 Apr 2026

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Abstract

This article reconceptualizes malāmat not as a marginal Sufi discipline but as a distinct ethical paradigm that redefines the relationship between selfhood, action, and moral legitimacy. Situating the discussion within late-modern conditions shaped by technological mediation, algorithmic evaluation, and regimes of visibility, it [...] Read more.

This article reconceptualizes malāmat not as a marginal Sufi discipline but as a distinct ethical paradigm that redefines the relationship between selfhood, action, and moral legitimacy. Situating the discussion within late-modern conditions shaped by technological mediation, algorithmic evaluation, and regimes of visibility, it argues that ethical value has increasingly been externalized through performance, recognition, and quantifiable outputs. Against this background, malāmat is examined as an alternative ethical model grounded in inward vigilance, relational practice, and the deliberate concealment of virtue. Drawing on early Malāmatī texts—particularly al-Sulamī—and their later elaboration in Ibn Arabī, the study demonstrates that ethical subjectivity is constituted through continuous self-critique and responsibility before the Divine rather than through public validation. The argument is further developed through a comparative engagement with Aristotle, Kant, Kierkegaard, and MacIntyre. It shows that, unlike these frameworks, malāmat sustains ethical life as an ongoing tension rather than a state of equilibrium or a universalizable norm. The article also highlights the role of classical Turkish and Persian poetry—especially Fuzûlî, Nâbî, and Şeyh Gâlib—in articulating malāmat as a lived ethical sensibility. Ultimately, the study proposes malāmat as a critical counter-model to contemporary regimes of visibility, offering an ethics grounded in inwardness, concealment, and irreducible personal responsibility. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mysticism and Ethics: Bridging Transcendence and Action in Religious Experience)

16 pages, 559 KB

Open AccessArticle

Landscapes Beyond the Polis: Dwelling at the Limits in Ancient Greek Tragedy

by Di Yan

Religions 2026, 17(4), 480; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040480 - 14 Apr 2026

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Abstract

This article examines how ancient Greek tragedy mobilizes landscape to reflect on the limits of civic order and the conditions of human dwelling. Rather than treating mountains, groves, meadows, and borderlands as neutral settings or as simple “nature/culture” oppositions, it argues that tragic [...] Read more.

This article examines how ancient Greek tragedy mobilizes landscape to reflect on the limits of civic order and the conditions of human dwelling. Rather than treating mountains, groves, meadows, and borderlands as neutral settings or as simple “nature/culture” oppositions, it argues that tragic landscapes are ethically charged spaces where human norms meet forces that exceed political regulation—divine presence, necessity, vulnerability, and finitude. Written for the polis yet unsettled by what lies beyond it, tragedy repeatedly turns to extra-civic spaces to test civic stability. Three case studies develop the argument. In Hippolytus, woodland and meadow sustain an ideal of purity grounded in withdrawal, an orientation incompatible with social life and culminating in catastrophic isolation. In Bacchae, Pentheus’ project of spatial control collapses as Dionysian forces traverse walls and institutions with ease, exposing the limits of civic rationality. In Oedipus Tyrannus and Oedipus at Colonus, the tragic trajectory moves from Mount Cithaeron, a site of abandonment and opaque necessity, to the sacred grove at Colonus, where prolonged suffering enables a transformed relation to place, law, and divine power. Taken together, these plays suggest that the polis is never fully self-sufficient: civic order endures only through engagement with what it cannot master or expel, and spatial orientation is inseparable from ethical choice. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape (山水) as Transcendent Existence)

28 pages, 5167 KB

Open AccessArticle

Discipline, Punishment, and Buddhist Chaplaincy at Lüshun Prison During Japan’s Colonial Rule, 1905–1945

by Fang Liu, Yijiang Zhong and Guodong Yang

Religions 2026, 17(4), 479; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040479 - 14 Apr 2026

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Abstract

This paper draws on Michel Foucault’s analysis of disciplinary power to examine the history of penal punishment and Buddhist chaplaincy at Lüshun Prison in Dalian during Japan’s colonial rule (1905–1945). The goal is to call into question the dominant understanding of Japanese prison [...] Read more.

This paper draws on Michel Foucault’s analysis of disciplinary power to examine the history of penal punishment and Buddhist chaplaincy at Lüshun Prison in Dalian during Japan’s colonial rule (1905–1945). The goal is to call into question the dominant understanding of Japanese prison system as simply an apparatus of naked colonial oppression by exploring the contradictions and limitations in the penitentiary system of Japan as an empire and a modern nation-state. The research is based on official prison documents, True Pure Land Buddhist Honganji sect archival sources, local Chinese publications, oral testimonies from the 2000s, interviews with descendants, and fieldwork at Lüshun Prison. The first part introduces the history of Lüshun Prison and the second explains the prison as a modern criminal justice institution embodying the Benthamian panopticon principle and modern disciplinary power. The third part examines the brutal corporeal punishment at Lüshun Prison and explores how the prison combined deliberate strategies of disciplining manipulation with bodily punishment to (re)create disciplined and subjected individuals. The fourth and fifth parts focus on Buddhist chaplaincy at Lüshun Prison as a disciplining practice. The fourth considers the limits of Buddhist chaplaincy by showing the depoliticized Buddhist doctrine deployed by chaplains was unable to discipline prisoners as it failed to make them repent and be loyal subjects of imperial Japan. The notion of public good used to justify Buddhist chaplaincy in Japan loses its political meaning when applied to the colonial penitentiary setting of Lüshun Prison. The fifth part further explores this ambiguity in Buddhist chaplaincy by focusing on examining the case of Ahn Jung-geun, the Korean independence activist who assassinated the Japanese statesman Ito Hirobumi and was imprisoned and executed at Lüshun Prison in 1910. Rather than transforming Ahn, prison chaplains ended up being transformed by him. This reversion betrays not just a tension between the private and the public, or the individual and the social, but at the same time a tension between the supposedly homogenized nation-state and the multi-ethnic empire. Full article

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

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27 pages, 498 KB

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“Correspondence” (dang 當) and “Cultivating Perfectness” (Yang Zheng 養正): On the Concept of Perfectness (zheng 正) in the Yijing

by Solsar Kong

Religions 2026, 17(4), 478; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040478 - 13 Apr 2026

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Abstract

“Properness, correctness and uprightness” (zheng 正) refers to a common and significant concept in Chinese philosophy. In Chinese philosophical discourse, zheng embodies moral ideals. To date, scholarly attention has focused on compound concepts incorporating zheng, such as “central and zheng” [...] Read more.

“Properness, correctness and uprightness” (zheng 正) refers to a common and significant concept in Chinese philosophy. In Chinese philosophical discourse, zheng embodies moral ideals. To date, scholarly attention has focused on compound concepts incorporating zheng, such as “central and zheng” (zhongzheng 中正), “the position of zheng” (zhengwei 正位), and “make the family in accordance with zheng” (zhengjia 正家), as their research objects. However, the independent philosophical meaning of zheng in the Yijing 易經 remains underexplored. Through etymological research and textual analysis, this study reveals three philosophical dimensions of the Yijing. First, it distinguishes zheng from “in correspondence to” (dang 當). It shows that dang refers to a judgment about physical alignment with time and position in theoretical situations, lacking strong moral force. Second, it argues that zheng in the Yijing originates from a metaphysical concept of a perfect ideal, broadly referring to the ideal perfect way (zheng dao 正道). The Yijing emphasizes the metaphysical level of zheng (in accordance with the perfect way), and possesses zheng as a strong moral binding force for continuing self-improvement. However, zheng does not directly function as the presupposed rationale for moral judgments and choices. Third, it examines the way of cultivating zheng (yang zheng zhi dao 養正之道) as a theory of moral cultivation (gongfu 工夫). This practical path, articulated through the hexagrams Meng 蒙 and Yi 頤, is interpreted as a form of purifying the heart/mind (xin 心) to align with the cosmic heart/mind. The study demonstrates that the moral source and moral cultivation process in the Yijing refers to a theory of “cultivating one’s heart/mind (xin 心) through practice”. It provides a perspective for understanding the moral perfectness, heart/mind and morality in the Yijing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Yijing's Cosmology–Divination–Ethics Continuum: The Sacred Intercourse of Yin-Yang and the Manifestation of Tian-Di)

24 pages, 12548 KB

Open AccessArticle

Producing Krishna’s Abode in Times of Climate Change: ISKCON-Ecological Imagination in Krishna Valley (Hungary)

by Deborah D. C. de Koning

Religions 2026, 17(4), 477; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040477 - 11 Apr 2026

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Abstract

This article investigates the relevance of selected and adapted representations of Krishna from the broader ISKCON tradition for sustainable and self-sufficient practices within Krishna Valley. Krishna Valley is an ISKCON community established in 1993 in the remote areas of Hungary, and it covers [...] Read more.

This article investigates the relevance of selected and adapted representations of Krishna from the broader ISKCON tradition for sustainable and self-sufficient practices within Krishna Valley. Krishna Valley is an ISKCON community established in 1993 in the remote areas of Hungary, and it covers 300 hectares. As a self-sufficient and sustainable community, it is part of the Global Environmental Network, and as an ISKCON community, it belongs to the global movement of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. The synchronic interconnections of Krishna Valley as an ecovillage and as a religious place intertwine in the same place. In this article, Krishna Valley serves as an explanatory case study to investigate the relevance of ISKCON religious representations for ecological imagination: the process of perceiving relationships through the use of metaphors, images, narratives, symbols, and sematic frames that are central to and constitutive of human ecological thinking. This study uses two units of analysis (cow service and water management) to explore how in Krishna Valley ecological imagination takes shape in the interaction between local sustainable and self-sufficient practices and specific religious representations that are part of the ISKCON tradition. By looking at how the community interprets and treats cows and water pollution from a religious and environmental perspective, this case study answers the question of how ecovillages might benefit from religion-based ecological imagination for their sustainable livelihoods. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring Eco-Spirituality: Intersections of Faith, Nature, and Ethics)

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26 pages, 533 KB

Open AccessArticle

An Early Attempt at Sino-Western Intellectual Dialogue: A Historical Study of Translation of Texts on Logic by Western Missionaries at the Turn of Ming–Qing Dynasties

by Shengbing Gao and Yuhang Li

Religions 2026, 17(4), 476; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040476 - 11 Apr 2026

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Abstract

During the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, the introduction of Western scientific knowledge to China, facilitated by Western missionaries, included logic as a critical element of Western philosophy and scientific culture. This concept was translated, interpreted, and disseminated, carrying both academic contribution [...] Read more.

During the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, the introduction of Western scientific knowledge to China, facilitated by Western missionaries, included logic as a critical element of Western philosophy and scientific culture. This concept was translated, interpreted, and disseminated, carrying both academic contribution and a historical mission of cultural integration and intellectual enlightenment. The development of the Chinese conceptualization of logic mirrors the intricate process of cultural negotiation and conceptual accommodation between Chinese and Western intellectual traditions. This process went beyond simple terminology translation, representing a significant epistemological shift that introduced into traditional Chinese thought a mode of systematic reasoning previously underdeveloped in the indigenous scholarly tradition. Unlike the systematic formalization of logic in the Western tradition, logical reflection in classical Chinese culture took different forms without coalescing into a comparable systematic field. This paper finds that the introduction of Western logic, with its emphasis on formal deduction and systematic reasoning, constituted an early but significant encounter that contributed to the longer-term transformation of Chinese philosophical discourse in three aspects: it introduced a cognition-centered methodological framework that offered an alternative to the ethically oriented traditional Chinese concepts; it provided intellectual resources that encouraged a gradual shift from purely moral speculation toward incorporating empirical investigation and logical demonstration; and it laid the essential conceptual groundwork for the eventual establishment of logic as a modern academic discipline in China. Collectively, these translated texts and concepts introduced new conceptual possibilities into the Chinese intellectual landscape, contributing over time to a gradual shift from prioritizing moral introspection and analogical reasoning toward increasingly valuing empirical investigation, formal demonstration, and systematic argumentation. Ultimately, the translation of logic was not a passive reception but an active intellectual engagement that introduced new conceptual possibilities into Chinese philosophical discourse, contributing over time to a broader reorientation toward rationality and systematicity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chinese Christianity and Knowledge Development)

20 pages, 301 KB

Open AccessReview

A Contemporary Approach to Spiritual and Theological Reflection from the Perspective of Kahneman’s System Thinking

by Julie Robertson, Sehrish Haroon, Thomas St. James O’Connor and Jeffrey Dale

Religions 2026, 17(4), 475; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040475 - 9 Apr 2026

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Abstract

This article explores Daniel Kahneman’s concept of system thinking from his book Thinking Fast and Slow (2013) in the context of contemporary spiritual and theological reflection. The question studied here is: What does the intentional use of emotions, dreams and intuition described by [...] Read more.

This article explores Daniel Kahneman’s concept of system thinking from his book Thinking Fast and Slow (2013) in the context of contemporary spiritual and theological reflection. The question studied here is: What does the intentional use of emotions, dreams and intuition described by Daniel Kahneman as System 1 thinking look like in contemporary spiritual and theological reflection? According to Kanheman, System 1 thinking includes emotions, dreams and intuition. The method for answering the research question is hermeneutical. This means gathering texts that fit Kahneman’s description of System 1 thinking and integrating these concepts into some form of spiritual and theological reflection. Hermeneutical research is text-based. Fifty-three (53) texts were found in a search of various databases. These texts are analyzed noting the impact of System 1 thinking on spiritual and theological reflection. Findings include the following: First, there is a rise in the number of texts using System 1 thinking in spiritual and theological reflection. Second, disciplines outside of theology are practicing spiritual reflection as part of their spiritual care. Third, these non-theological disciplines are also using System 1 thinking in their spiritual reflections. Fourth, there is an awareness and utilization of diverse cultures and faith experiences in spiritual reflection. Fifth, these texts indicate the growth of the demographic of people who are spiritual but not religious and a connection to dreams, emotions and intuition in spiritual and theological reflection. Sixth, there is also a developing overlap between spiritual and theological reflection. Cautions and gaps in the textual analysis are noted as well as future applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Challenges in Pastoral Psychology)

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Religions, Volume 17, Issue 4 (April 2026) – 101 articles

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