Journal Description
Religions
Religions
is an international, interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed, open access journal on religions and theology, published monthly online by MDPI.
- Open Access— free for readers, with article processing charges (APC) paid by authors or their institutions.
- High Visibility: indexed within Scopus, AHCI (Web of Science), ATLA Religion Database, Religious and Theological Abstracts, and other databases.
- Journal Rank: CiteScore - Q1 (Religious Studies)
- Rapid Publication: manuscripts are peer-reviewed and a first decision is provided to authors approximately 22.8 days after submission; acceptance to publication is undertaken in 4.6 days (median values for papers published in this journal in the first half of 2024).
- Recognition of Reviewers: reviewers who provide timely, thorough peer-review reports receive vouchers entitling them to a discount on the APC of their next publication in any MDPI journal, in appreciation of the work done.
Impact Factor:
0.7 (2023)
Latest Articles
Love’s Limits in Paul of Tarsus and Seneca the Younger
Religions 2024, 15(10), 1169; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101169 - 25 Sep 2024
Abstract
This paper argues that we can get a better grip on the divergences and convergences between Paul and Seneca on the ethics of love than those on offer in the large and growing literature comparing the two by distinguishing their attitudes to two
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This paper argues that we can get a better grip on the divergences and convergences between Paul and Seneca on the ethics of love than those on offer in the large and growing literature comparing the two by distinguishing their attitudes to two broad and conceptually distinct families of love, which Tyler VanderWeele has described as “contributory love” (which desires that the good of the beloved be promoted for its own sake) and “unitive love” (which regards the beloved as a good to be enjoyed in one’s own life). I argue that debates over whether Seneca and Paul had the more universal ethic of neighbor love are largely a distraction; the two are fundamentally in agreement about the scope of love, although Paul’s thinking in this area is shaped in fundamental ways by his conviction that the whole cosmos is defined to be eventually and finally united and so conformed to the resurrected and glorified Christ. Rather, Paul’s true difference from Seneca on the ethics of love lies instead in the importance he affords to unitive love; for Paul, the flourishing life does not consist simply in virtuous activity but also requires appropriate union with one’s beloveds, paradigmatically with God in Christ and with Christ’s body, the church. Seneca and Paul would each have accepted Sigmund Freud’s observation that “we are never so defenseless against suffering as when we love”. Seneca, however, would have taken it as a caution against attachments to anything whose loss might cause us to suffer, while Paul, by contrast, would have taken it as a statement of our condemnation to suffering “in this present evil age” (Gal. 1:4), in which we must love what we will inevitably lose.
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(This article belongs to the Section Religions and Theologies)
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Spiritual Leadership in the Upheaval of Settler Colonialism
by
Salim J. Munayer
Religions 2024, 15(10), 1168; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101168 - 25 Sep 2024
Abstract
In the current global landscape, characterized by religious fervour, social and political unrest, economic instability, and environmental challenges, spiritual leaders stand as pivotal agents of change. Their role is especially crucial in contexts marred by ingrained injustices and persistent conflicts, such as the
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In the current global landscape, characterized by religious fervour, social and political unrest, economic instability, and environmental challenges, spiritual leaders stand as pivotal agents of change. Their role is especially crucial in contexts marred by ingrained injustices and persistent conflicts, such as the Palestinian–Israeli settler colonial context—a reality I have been intimately involved with over three decades of reconciliation work. This paper contextualizes scholarship on spiritual leadership within the Palestinian–Israeli context by integrating it with settler colonial theory. By applying insights about spiritual leadership to this context, three key traits of spiritual leaders—(1) spiritual authority, (2) discernment, and (3) the ethical use of power—are identified as essential for envisioning an alternative future. By embodying these traits, spiritual leaders can effectively guide their communities through the multifaceted realities, advocating a transformative approach to leadership and interreligious work.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Global Urgency of Interreligious Studies)
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John Damascene’s Arguments about the Existence of God: A Logico-Philosophical and Religio-Hermeneutic Approach
by
Vassilios Adrahtas
Religions 2024, 15(10), 1167; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101167 - 25 Sep 2024
Abstract
The Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith is perhaps the most logically structured and inspired work not only in the oeuvre of the seventh-to-eighth-century theologian John Damascene, but most likely throughout the entire Greek Patristic literature. As such, the Exact Exposition definitely presents
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The Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith is perhaps the most logically structured and inspired work not only in the oeuvre of the seventh-to-eighth-century theologian John Damascene, but most likely throughout the entire Greek Patristic literature. As such, the Exact Exposition definitely presents some quite intriguing features, such as the prolific use of logical distinctions, syllogisms, or full-fledged arguments, to name a few. Regarding the latter, John Damascene’s use of certain arguments in order to prove the existence of God not only hold a unique place in Byzantine theology but have also exercised a tremendous influence on Eastern Orthodox apologetics. However, what I would call his rationalization agenda comes not only with merits but with faults as well. It is to both these that the present study draws attention by evaluating them logico-philosophically and interpreting them religio-hermeneutically. What is of special interest is the fact that John Damascene’s logical faults are the most interesting parts of his theologizing.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Patristics: Essays from Australia)
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‘It Never Ends’: Disability Advocacy and the Practice of Resilient Hope
by
James B. Gould
Religions 2024, 15(10), 1166; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101166 - 25 Sep 2024
Abstract
Political advocacy is an important religious practice. But social activism can be discouraging. This paper integrates moral theology, virtue ethics, positive psychology and spiritual formation to highlight the importance of resilient hope for social justice advocates. Part 1 describes an important justice issue—public
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Political advocacy is an important religious practice. But social activism can be discouraging. This paper integrates moral theology, virtue ethics, positive psychology and spiritual formation to highlight the importance of resilient hope for social justice advocates. Part 1 describes an important justice issue—public services for disabled people. Part 2 defines transformational advocacy and outlines an advocacy theology. Part 3 analyzes despair and hope. Part 4 summarizes spiritual practices for building resilient hope.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engaging Sacred Practices: Explorations in Practical Theology)
Open AccessArticle
Latin American Christology: A God Who Liberates
by
Amanda Rachel Bolaños
Religions 2024, 15(10), 1165; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101165 - 25 Sep 2024
Abstract
This paper will investigate the dynamic nature of Latin American Christology, a Christology that cannot be separated from the tenets of liberation theology. I will first offer an overview of the development of Latin American Christology and liberation theology, along with its unique
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This paper will investigate the dynamic nature of Latin American Christology, a Christology that cannot be separated from the tenets of liberation theology. I will first offer an overview of the development of Latin American Christology and liberation theology, along with its unique features; then, I will analyze some major representatives of Latin American Christology, specifically Jon Sobrino and St. Óscar Romero (through the research of Edgardo Colón-Emeric). Lastly, I will conclude with the relevance of Latin American Christology within the greater landscape of Christian theology today. The theologians considered in this paper are primarily Catholic theologians, with the exception of Edgardo Colón-Emeric, a Methodist pastor, who has become a global voice of authority on the life, thought, and vision of the martyred St. Óscar Romero. Latin American Christology, as will be argued in this paper, cannot be understood separately from the space, culture, and identity of Latin America—the land and the context. This measures to a pivotal pedagogical claim of Latin American Christology as a global teaching pillar for all Christologies and theologies, Catholic or Protestant, within Latin America or outside Latin America.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Christology: Christian Writings and the Reflections of Theologians)
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Bridging Ecologies through Contemplative Technologies: Existential Relevance of Huatou 話頭 and the Huayan sanmei men 華嚴三昧門 for Oxytocin and Environmentally Sustainable Behavior
by
Brianna K. Morseth
Religions 2024, 15(10), 1164; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101164 - 25 Sep 2024
Abstract
Contemplative technologies in the form of Buddhist practices that challenge the sense of self and thereby enhance the experience of interrelationality are viable strategies for addressing existential concerns such as the environmental crisis. Much of the existing research on Buddhism and ecology neglects
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Contemplative technologies in the form of Buddhist practices that challenge the sense of self and thereby enhance the experience of interrelationality are viable strategies for addressing existential concerns such as the environmental crisis. Much of the existing research on Buddhism and ecology neglects to measure environmentally sustainable behavior or engage with empirical research. Likewise, experiments measuring the effects of contemplative practice on oxytocin, a neuropeptide hormone often implicated in interrelational contexts, are scarce. This study explores the existential relevance of Chan and Huayan practices for oxytocin and environmentally sustainable behavior. Using empirical methods, it reports on an experimental fieldwork study among international participants in a one-month retreat at a Buddhist monastery in Taiwan. Salivary oxytocin, recycling, and food waste were measured, while phenomenological reports of experiences during contemplative practice were also obtained. Results of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay indicate a marginal increase in oxytocin following Chan practice of the huatou “Who recites the Buddha’s name?” which targets the sense of self, consistent with phenomenological reports reflecting an interrelational, ecological sense of self through huatou. Results also indicate increased recycling and decreased food waste by mass as a function of time on retreat. While the precise mechanisms explaining why participants exhibited more environmentally sustainable behaviors are currently unclear, the discussion proposes an empirically testable framework for bridging ecologies that links emotion, sense of self, and behavior. Contemplative practices may contribute to changes in oxytocin and environmentally sustainable behavior through activation of existential, aesthetic emotions such as doubt and awe, thereby inducing changes in the practitioner’s sense of self, which they may then experience as interrelated with broader ecologies, a possibility awaiting further research. The huatou fieldwork and proposed follow-up study on the Huayan sanmei men thus shed light on the relevance of contemplative technologies from Chinese Buddhism for bridging ecologies in the existentially relational sense.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buddhism, Science and Technology: Challenges to Religions from a Digitalized World)
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Nietzsche and Spiritual Matters: A Reading of The Anti-Christ
by
Mitch Thiessen
Religions 2024, 15(10), 1163; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101163 - 25 Sep 2024
Abstract
This essay primarily consists of an interpretation of The Anti-Christ, arguably Nietzsche’s most abrasive and overall least appreciated book. By treating this late work as what it in fact is, on the other hand, namely, the culmination of Nietzsche’s lifelong polemic against
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This essay primarily consists of an interpretation of The Anti-Christ, arguably Nietzsche’s most abrasive and overall least appreciated book. By treating this late work as what it in fact is, on the other hand, namely, the culmination of Nietzsche’s lifelong polemic against Christianity and the source of many of his most explicit and revealing pronouncements on what a “revaluation of all values” ultimately means, this essay argues that this work presents us not only with the philosopher’s definitive position on Christianity, but with the real meaning of his thought as such.
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(This article belongs to the Section Religions and Humanities/Philosophies)
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Because of Who We Are: A Fresh Perspective on Calvin’s Doctrine of the Image of God and Human Dignity
by
Sam Neulsaem Ha
Religions 2024, 15(10), 1162; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101162 - 25 Sep 2024
Abstract
Scholars have connected Calvin’s idea of the imago Dei with the modern concept of inherent human dignity. Others have emphasized how Calvin tried to use the image of God to promote the significance of human dignity without connecting it with political theories. These
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Scholars have connected Calvin’s idea of the imago Dei with the modern concept of inherent human dignity. Others have emphasized how Calvin tried to use the image of God to promote the significance of human dignity without connecting it with political theories. These arguments may be justifiable to some extent. However, my concern is that these scholars focus on the image of God in others rather than on how it transforms individuals who live out its renewal. For Calvin, the restoration of the image of God by the Holy Spirit aimed at enabling a holy and righteous life. In his thought, this life was marked by visible excellence, reflected in social virtues expressed toward others. Based on these insights, I show that, according to Calvin, treating others with dignity, honor, and love is not only made possible by recognizing them as bearers of God’s image but is primarily driven by the renewal of God’s image within those who display these actions and attitudes through the work of the Spirit. This fresh perspective on Calvin’s doctrine of the image of God and human dignity can be presented by analyzing Calvin’s pneumatological account of the imago Dei.
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Authority from the Back of Beyond: Cosmic Travel as a Rhetorical Strategy across the Myth of Er, the Book of the Watchers, and the Dream of Scipio
by
R. Gillian Glass
Religions 2024, 15(10), 1161; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101161 - 25 Sep 2024
Abstract
Ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean cosmologies shared general assumptions about the interconnectivity of heaven and earth. Plato’s Myth of Er, the Book of the Watchers in 1 Enoch, and Cicero’s Dream of Scipio, narrate the travels of Er, Enoch, and Scipio, respectively,
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Ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean cosmologies shared general assumptions about the interconnectivity of heaven and earth. Plato’s Myth of Er, the Book of the Watchers in 1 Enoch, and Cicero’s Dream of Scipio, narrate the travels of Er, Enoch, and Scipio, respectively, into the Beyond, where they each learn astonishing things about the cosmos, and are tasked with imparting a message to humanity. This comparative study argues that cosmic travel is an integral means of constructing a rhetoric of authority designed to recruit its audiences to its socio-political vision. By analysing literary conventions like pseudepigraphy and epiphany in the features that make up cosmic travel, we better understand how each story bridges the gap between the narrated (story) world and the external (real) world. The ability to blend the realities of a story and its audiences stems from the ways in which tropes of legitimacy render spatio-temporal reality malleable, but is also imperative to the very authority these tropes offer. Without arguing for deliberate intertextuality between all these sources, this study compares the use of heavenly voyages as a literary device for legitimising worldview across cultures, times, and places.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Travel and Religion in the Ancient Mediterranean)
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Restoring the Spirit through the Redemption of Memory
by
Judith Odor
Religions 2024, 15(10), 1160; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101160 - 25 Sep 2024
Abstract
Restoration and redemption of the soul are, in biblical terms, essentially life-bringing acts. Yet even the present reality is so frequently a spirit deeply in need of renewal and new life. Memories contribute greatly to this felt need: as the psychological building blocks
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Restoration and redemption of the soul are, in biblical terms, essentially life-bringing acts. Yet even the present reality is so frequently a spirit deeply in need of renewal and new life. Memories contribute greatly to this felt need: as the psychological building blocks of an individual’s sense of self, their joy and their pain reverberate through the self, reaching deeply to shape identity and worldview. What is needed is not only the redemption of our souls but the redemption of our memories as well. Such an inner transformation would indeed prove both a restoration and a transformation, an experience now of the future kingdom in which God will reconcile all things to himself (Colossians 1:20). This article explores how the New Testament text provides a psychologically and neurologically coherent model to leverage memory formation and reconsolidation toward restoration and renewal.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Restoring Our Spirits with the New Testament: Spirituality in Biblical Research)
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Reclaiming Voices: We Sent Women First
by
Rosalind Mary Gooden
Religions 2024, 15(10), 1159; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101159 - 25 Sep 2024
Abstract
“We sent women first” could well describe Australian Baptist mission history. Australian Baptist State associations were formed in the crucible of 19th-century history, shaped by divisive issues of their British Baptist heritage and the colonial influences as each pursued an independent identity. Mission
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“We sent women first” could well describe Australian Baptist mission history. Australian Baptist State associations were formed in the crucible of 19th-century history, shaped by divisive issues of their British Baptist heritage and the colonial influences as each pursued an independent identity. Mission work in Bengal, India, inspired by William Carey, the BMS and BZA traditions, was the common factor, and in the six independent Australian Baptist Missionary Societies, women were sent first, starting with two from South Australia in 1882. The first man (also from South Australia) joined eleven of these women for their first ‘Convention’ in 1888.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reclaiming Voices: Women's Contributions to Baptist History)
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Historical Landscape: A Methodological Proposal to Analyse the Settlements of Monasteries in the Birth of Portugal
by
Isabel Vaz de Freitas, Hélder Silva Lopes and Helena Albuquerque
Religions 2024, 15(10), 1158; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101158 - 25 Sep 2024
Abstract
This study aims to understand and characterise the landscape of monasteries in early medieval Portugal using a methodology to better comprehend the factors influencing monastery construction. The research focuses on variables such as altitude, slope, aspect, hydrology, geomorphology, and topographic prominence. Using Geographic
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This study aims to understand and characterise the landscape of monasteries in early medieval Portugal using a methodology to better comprehend the factors influencing monastery construction. The research focuses on variables such as altitude, slope, aspect, hydrology, geomorphology, and topographic prominence. Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for detailed spatial analysis, the study reveals that monasteries were typically located in areas with slight elevations, gentle slopes, and proximity to watercourses, reflecting considerations about resource exploitations, access, and population development. The analysis shows no significant differences in construction preferences among different religious orders, indicating a general adaptability to the local environment rather than distinct criteria for each order. Despite the broad trends, individual orders exhibited some variability in their specific site selections, such as altitude and slope preferences. The findings highlight the importance of integrating historical and environmental data to understand settlement patterns, providing valuable insights into the strategic considerations behind monastery locations. Future research could expand on these findings by incorporating socio-economic impacts, enhancing our understanding of medieval monastic landscapes.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pilgrimage Routes, Sacred Places, and Contribution to Territories’ Sustainable Development)
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The British Broadsheet Press and the Representation of “The Mosque” in the Aftermath of Post-7/7 Britain
by
Irfan Raja
Religions 2024, 15(10), 1157; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101157 - 25 Sep 2024
Abstract
The role of the mosque has become increasingly vital, particularly in contemporary societies such as Britain, where both the place and status of religion in public life are constantly discussed and debated. Indeed, in the contemporary period, the role of the mosque has
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The role of the mosque has become increasingly vital, particularly in contemporary societies such as Britain, where both the place and status of religion in public life are constantly discussed and debated. Indeed, in the contemporary period, the role of the mosque has several dimensions, ranging from a social space, educational and cultural exchange, and community cohesion centre to a knowledge hub. In this context, this paper suggests that a mosque should be seen as an independent religious institution, although these are influenced by and responsive to governments, elites, pressure groups, public bodies, etc. Using a thematic analysis of news items in The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph over a period of two years (8 July 2005–7 July 2007), it finds that in the aftermath of 7/7, the mosque as a religious place and an institution for British Muslims is largely seen as incompatible and a threat to secular British society and that it is linked with radicalisation and terrorism. According to Quranic texts and revelations, it is indeed a fact that mosques are open to all. This is logical since God’s mercy, love, and forgiveness are for all of mankind without any distinction, which is perhaps why the mosque has been the sacred house of God Himself. This study aims to reveal the development of visible hostility in some sections of the British media and political campaigns. Moreover, it intends to trace the determination and idea of the mosque as a religious place and an institution for British Muslims rather than only a place for worship. Finally, this study will argue the role of the mosque in promoting community cohesion and mutual understanding within the Muslim and other faith communities located in Britain.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Constructing the ‘European Muslim Crisis’: Discourse, Policy, and Everyday Realities)
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Permutations and Oblong Numbers in the Theravāda-vinaya: A New Intersection of Buddhism and Indian Mathematics
by
Wei Li and Yingjin Chen
Religions 2024, 15(10), 1156; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101156 - 24 Sep 2024
Abstract
Within the context of Indian religions, Jainism has long been recognized for its extensive use of permutations and combinations. However, the application of these principles within Buddhist scriptures has received relatively little scholarly attention. This paper introduces a new example of the specific
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Within the context of Indian religions, Jainism has long been recognized for its extensive use of permutations and combinations. However, the application of these principles within Buddhist scriptures has received relatively little scholarly attention. This paper introduces a new example of the specific application of permutations and combinations in Buddhist scriptures. In this paper, we focus on the first saṅghādisesa rule in the Theravāda-vinaya, which lists a series of element sets and arranges these elements according to a certain pattern known as “ten-roots” (mūla), and we discover that these arrangements form a regular numerical sequence, called “oblong numbers”. Moreover, similar patterns with different quantities are also found in the fourth Pārājika and the fifth saṅghādisesa rules. This indicates that the compilers of the Theravāda-vinaya did not use this mathematical knowledge without basis. Interestingly, we also found the use of this sequence in the Bakhshālī manuscript. Therefore, in this article, after summarizing and verifying the arrangement rules of the Theravāda-vinaya, we discuss whether the oblong numbers were influenced by Greek mathematics.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buddhism, Science and Technology: Challenges to Religions from a Digitalized World)
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Introduction: Gurus, Priestesses, Saints, Mediums and Yoginis: Holy Women as Influencers in Hindu Culture
by
June McDaniel
Religions 2024, 15(10), 1155; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101155 - 24 Sep 2024
Abstract
This Special Issue is dedicated to Hindu holy women past and present and the ways that they have influenced society [...]
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gurus, Priestesses, Saints, Mediums and Yoginis: Holy Women as Influencers in Hindu Culture)
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Gathered: A Theology for Institutions in a Changing Church
by
Dustin D. Benac
Religions 2024, 15(10), 1154; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101154 - 24 Sep 2024
Abstract
Practical theology has historically engaged in sustained theological reflection on the practices of the Church that intersect with the practices of the world. As field of study, it engages in interdisciplinary engagement that combines social and theological forms of reasoning and analysis. As
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Practical theology has historically engaged in sustained theological reflection on the practices of the Church that intersect with the practices of the world. As field of study, it engages in interdisciplinary engagement that combines social and theological forms of reasoning and analysis. As a broader field of praxis, it seeks to support the conditions where people of faith are formed, and communities of faith may flourish. In both expressions, practical theology exists in a dynamic relationship to institutions (e.g., congregations, denominations, universities) and contributes research and praxis that supports the future of institutions and the faith they mediate. While institutions are often the source and site of practical theology, “institutions” are taken for granted as a clearly-identifiable social form and a fixed expression. However, transnational changes in congregations and related faith-based institutions require an account of the nature and role of institutions within practical theology. In this gap, this paper advances a two-part argument: first, institutions are sites of multimodal gathering, creating containers for various forms of encounter where individuals and communities gather around a shared context, shared stories, shared practices, shared resources, and a shared journey. Second, theology for institutions can be sustained by attending to five modes of institutional engagement and analysis that are marked by attention to shared context, narratives, practices, resources, and a journey. Three sections advance this argument. The first part introduces three different situations of institutional encounter to question the relationship between theology and institutions amid a changing organizational landscape. The second part engages Alasdair MacIntyre as an interpretive framework to identify the gap of institutions in the field of practical theology. The third part concludes by detailing the structure of a theological account that resolves this gap in the field and may attend to the forms of gathering institutions provide.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engaging Sacred Practices: Explorations in Practical Theology)
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Strengthening the Resilience of Pupils through Catholic Religious Education in Poland: From Theory to Practice
by
Anna Zellma and Paweł Michał Mąkosa
Religions 2024, 15(10), 1153; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101153 - 24 Sep 2024
Abstract
Many young people find themselves unable to cope with the challenges of today’s world and, as a result, lose their self-confidence and joy in life, suffer from depression, and even attempt suicide. The first community that should offer help in a crisis is,
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Many young people find themselves unable to cope with the challenges of today’s world and, as a result, lose their self-confidence and joy in life, suffer from depression, and even attempt suicide. The first community that should offer help in a crisis is, without doubt, the family, but it often needs support. Such support can and should be provided by the school since it has the necessary tools and children and adolescents spend a lot of time there. Undoubtedly, religious education at school should also involve preventive and even therapeutic measures in the face of the above challenges. The research problem of this article is as follows: Does Catholic religious education in Poland seek to strengthen pupils’ resilience, and if so, in what way? This study analysed the curricular assumptions and practical activities implemented within the framework of or inspired by religious education. Its findings show that resilience has already become an important issue for religious education even though, in the face of increasing challenges, it requires improving already-established activities and including new areas of improvement.
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The Enigma of Leibniz’s “Catholic” Writings of 1685
by
Lloyd Strickland
Religions 2024, 15(10), 1152; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101152 - 24 Sep 2024
Abstract
The focus of this paper is a suite of Latin papers from 1685, some of which are still unpublished, in which Leibniz writes in the guise of a Catholic in order to defend Catholicism and counter Protestant objections, and this despite him being
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The focus of this paper is a suite of Latin papers from 1685, some of which are still unpublished, in which Leibniz writes in the guise of a Catholic in order to defend Catholicism and counter Protestant objections, and this despite him being a lifelong Lutheran. After providing an overview of these writings (which I refer to as Leibniz’s “Catholic” writings) and the grounds for dating them to May–June 1685, I consider their purpose, arguing against the claim that they were intended to support Church reunion and suggesting instead that they were apologetic in nature, intended as a reactivation or reimagining of Leibniz’s earlier “Catholic Demonstrations” project. I identify the patron Leibniz had in mind for these writings as Landgrave Ernst von Hessen-Rheinfels and support this by a detailed comparison of the “Catholic” writings with the Leibniz-Landgrave correspondence and the Landgrave’s still-unpublished essays. This reveals that the Protestant arguments Leibniz uses in the “Catholic” writings are the very ones that he himself used when writing to the Landgrave, and that the responses Leibniz gives to these arguments are the very ones that the Landgrave used. I also consider the context of the writings, suggesting they were crafted during a period of personal uncertainty for Leibniz and possibly aimed at securing a position under the Landgrave.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring Leibniz’s Religion and Philosophy of Religion: Essays in Honour of Maria Rosa Antognazza (1964–2023))
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The Tripartite Qibla Wall as a Visual Form of Embodied Belief: From Al-Andalus to Mudejar and Morisco Mosques in Exile—Memory and Identity
by
Belén Cuenca-Abellán
Religions 2024, 15(10), 1151; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101151 - 24 Sep 2024
Abstract
The maqṣūrah commissioned by Caliph al-Hakam II in the 10th-century Mosque of Córdoba epitomizes the blend of sacred grandeur and political symbolism in Islamic architecture. This structure enhances aesthetic experiences, allowing worshippers to connect with divinity during Friday prayers. A distinctive feature is
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The maqṣūrah commissioned by Caliph al-Hakam II in the 10th-century Mosque of Córdoba epitomizes the blend of sacred grandeur and political symbolism in Islamic architecture. This structure enhances aesthetic experiences, allowing worshippers to connect with divinity during Friday prayers. A distinctive feature is its qibla wall, divided into three parts, with a central empty miḥrāb symbolizing sacred force. This spatial organization, reminiscent of Late Antique basilicas in the Iberian Peninsula and the Mediterranean, persisted in peninsular mosques even after the Christian conquest of al-Andalus. Mudejar Islamic communities replicated this design in smaller mosques, perhaps to preserve al-Andalus’s memory amidst growing repression. Following the 17th-century expulsion of the Moriscos, similar architectural elements appeared in Testour, Tunisia, built by Morisco exiles. These visual codes, shared among Hispanic Islamic communities, reflect the enduring memory of the exile.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Theology and the Arts: Embodied Belief)
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Shamans and “Dark Agencies”: War, Magical Parasitism, and Re-Enchanted Spirits in Siberia
by
Konstantinos Zorbas
Religions 2024, 15(10), 1150; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101150 - 24 Sep 2024
Abstract
Alleged practices of magical assault and vampirism are a recurrent feature of popular explanations of misfortune in Tuva, South Siberia. Based on a field study of healing practices in an “Association of Shamans”, this article analyses rituals of redressing curse afflictions in the
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Alleged practices of magical assault and vampirism are a recurrent feature of popular explanations of misfortune in Tuva, South Siberia. Based on a field study of healing practices in an “Association of Shamans”, this article analyses rituals of redressing curse afflictions in the context of Russian political domination. A central purpose of this discussion is to foreground the centrality of kinds of parasitical worship and occult threat to structures of political power in—and beyond—the territory of Tuva. Focusing on a “cursescape”, which develops from the combative practices of shamans, occult specialists, and office-holders, the article probes a repertoire of shamanic healing symbols. It is argued that healing efficacy is constructed in the process of engaging with hunting symbols and animal spirits, which appear in Indigenous Siberian cosmologies. The analysis shows that ideas of ritual risk underpin the process of symbolic resolution. Whereas shamanic practices provide refuge to spirits evicted from their natural landscapes, Tibetan Buddhism—the unifying religion of Tuva—offers an alternative path of healing the effects of the shamans’ propagation of spirits. The article highlights indigenous perceptions of a “cursed” landscape as a space where the agencies of “darkness” and their political sponsors are confronted with an emancipating religious modality emerging from local Buddhist rituals. The analysis displays the unsolved drama of itinerant spirits and shamanic ancestral souls, whose agency is revealed through successive—yet inauspicious—forms of reincarnation.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion, Ritual, and Healing)
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