Images of the World in the Dialogue between Science and Religion

Dear Colleagues,

The image of the world is an important constituent of the language by which religions express the content of their beliefs and creeds. Since the image of the world is largely (but not exclusively) shaped by the achievements of science in a given cultural environment, these achievements contribute to what contemporary theology calls the contextuality of the theological language. In this Special Issue of Religions, we wish to pursue a broad and multifaceted research perspective depicting the dependence of the formulation of religious beliefs on the image of the world, as well as to trace the interactions between science and religion at points where science enforces changes in what the culturally accepted image of the world is. From the broadest approach possible, our understanding of image of the world comprises three basic categories: (1) the physical structure of the universe, ranging from views on the structure of matter at the micro level to the macroscale of cosmology; (2) the origin and evolution of life; and (3) the origin and evolution of the human species, including contemporary discussions on the potential areas of conflict and dialogue between religion and cognitive science. With this outline in hand, we suggest the following areas of concentration for authors who wish to contribute to our Special Issue:

1. Methodological studies on how the image of the world figures into the language of religions and how it influences its metaphorical character;
2. The character and the role of the image of the world in the religious language of religions other than Christianity (e.g., Islam or Judaism), with possible remarks on how these religions respond to the image of the world promoted by contemporary science;
3. Evolutionary theology—the change of the image of the world from static to dynamic (evolutionary) and its impact on the reinterpretation of the Christian doctrine (creation, original sin, evil, eschatology, etc.);
4. Relations between science and religion in the area of cognitive science, with a particular emphasis on how the ensuing changes in anthropology will challenge some of the basic tenets of religious doctrines (e.g., the immortality of the soul, free will, consciousness).

While we wish to emphasize these four areas, we will also consider other valuable contributions focusing on the role of the image of the world in the dialogue between science and religion.

Dr. Wojciech P. Grygiel
Dr. Krystian Kałuża
Dr. Grzegorz Chrzanowski
Guest Editors

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• science and religion
• image of the world
• theology
• evolution
• cognitive science