Religions

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26 pages, 2770 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Feminine Sacred: An Ontosociology of Woman as a Symbol

by Jacinto Choza

Religions 2025, 16(4), 450; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16040450 - 31 Mar 2025

Viewed by 299

In contemporary development, feminism is divided into two major trends, that of difference and that of equality. The former tends to rely more on ontology and religious symbolism, and the latter on sociology and political praxis. This paper aims to show that this [...] Read more.

In contemporary development, feminism is divided into two major trends, that of difference and that of equality. The former tends to rely more on ontology and religious symbolism, and the latter on sociology and political praxis. This paper aims to show that this antagonism has as its background the complementarity and unity between both approaches, which are based on religious symbolism. Religious symbolism has both an ontological value and a sociological value, which give both internal consistency and external form to society. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Sociological Study of Religion)

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15 pages, 284 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Structure of Beliefs and Religious Practices in Spain: A Three-Part Society?

by Javier Gil-Gimeno and Gorka Urrutia Asua

Religions 2025, 16(3), 389; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030389 - 20 Mar 2025

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Abstract

The aim of this paper is to critically analyse the structure of religious beliefs and practices in Spain today. In order to approach this task, we have developed a research design that revolves around two analytical cores. The first is of a more [...] Read more.

The aim of this paper is to critically analyse the structure of religious beliefs and practices in Spain today. In order to approach this task, we have developed a research design that revolves around two analytical cores. The first is of a more descriptive–argumentative nature, where we present the Spanish religious reality by studying available data from relevant statistical sources, specifically, the Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas and the Observatorio del Pluralismo Religioso. The second is of a more critical–reflexive nature, where we establish whether the available data offer an effectively exhaustive view of the Spanish religious reality in a post-secular context—that is, whether it reflects the existing scenario of religious pluralism, diversity and heterogeneity or whether, on the contrary, it merely reinforces dynamics linked to the General Theory of Secularization, emphasizing narratives that focus on the crisis of the religious and on the incompatibility between the religious and the secular. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Sociological Study of Religion)

16 pages, 385 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Perfect Fools: Sanctity, Madness, and the Theory of Ambiguous Performance

by Todd Madigan

Religions 2025, 16(3), 284; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030284 - 25 Feb 2025

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Abstract

The theory of cultural pragmatics describes the process through which social actors guide their symbolic performances. However, this theory has not paid sufficient attention to the audience’s role in constructing the meaning of these performances. Instead of positing that the intended meanings performed [...] Read more.

The theory of cultural pragmatics describes the process through which social actors guide their symbolic performances. However, this theory has not paid sufficient attention to the audience’s role in constructing the meaning of these performances. Instead of positing that the intended meanings performed by actors are internal states to be either correctly or incorrectly perceived by an audience, my contention is that the purported intentions of actors are in fact audience constructions that are ascribed to actors. I support this claim through the development of what I call ambiguous performances. These are performances that combine elements of incompatible social roles. This combination creates a multistable performance, one that allows for one of several mutually exclusive interpretations. Because of this, ambiguous performances compel each audience member to choose between multiple conflicting interpretations, and in order to choose an interpretation, audience members must look beyond the performance to aspects of their own identity. I illustrate this process through an analysis of holy fools, historical figures who have appeared periodically throughout Christendom over the course of many centuries. These individuals were sometimes canonized as saints, but more often simply considered insane, an interpretive dichotomy that reveals the ambiguous nature of their performances. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Sociological Study of Religion)

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12 pages, 301 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Is Religion Personal or Social?—Reading Yanaihara Tadao’s “The Ideal of the State” (1937)

by Eun-Young Park and Do-Hyung Kim

Religions 2025, 16(3), 265; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030265 - 21 Feb 2025

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Abstract

The question, “Is religion personal or social?” prompts a profound reflection on the essence and role of religion. The personal and social aspects of religion are clearly inseparable and inherently complementary. However, in an era where the privatization of religion is increasingly prevalent, [...] Read more.

The question, “Is religion personal or social?” prompts a profound reflection on the essence and role of religion. The personal and social aspects of religion are clearly inseparable and inherently complementary. However, in an era where the privatization of religion is increasingly prevalent, if religion remains confined to providing psychological comfort or moral edification for individuals, it risks losing its fundamental meaning. In this context, Yanaihara’s case serves as a significant study of the dual nature of religion—both personal and social. Yanaihara argued that religion must play a pivotal role not only in individual salvation but also in advancing social responsibility and justice. While his faith was rooted in personal intuition, it led him to challenge the subordinate peace enforced by submission to strong state authority and to critique the wars waged under Japanese imperialism. This paper explores the role of religion and its responsibilities toward both individuals and society through an analysis of Yanaihara’s “The Ideal of the State”. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Sociological Study of Religion)

19 pages, 318 KiB

Open AccessArticle

National Populism and Religion: The Case of Fratelli d’Italia and Vox

by Carmen Innerarity and Antonello Canzano Giansante

Religions 2025, 16(2), 200; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16020200 - 8 Feb 2025

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Abstract

Religion has become increasingly important in the discourse and ideology of the ‘fourth wave’ of the populist radical right which began in 2000 in Europe. To achieve its normalization in the political contest, these formations have shifted from openly racist positions to other [...] Read more.

Religion has become increasingly important in the discourse and ideology of the ‘fourth wave’ of the populist radical right which began in 2000 in Europe. To achieve its normalization in the political contest, these formations have shifted from openly racist positions to other arguments that, like religion, can be used to present their proposals in terms that are, at least apparently, democratic. This paper analyzes how Fratelli d’Italia and Vox appeal to religion in their efforts to construct national identity and differentiate from the “Other”. To develop our research, we have carried out a qualitative analysis of the programs, founding documents, speeches, parliamentary interventions, interviews, and key messages of the leaders of both parties from their foundation until the European elections of June 2024. Despite the differences, the emergence of religion in a broad sense, as a form of a sacralization of politics, can be observed in both parties. In both cases, there is also a “politicization” of religion, which emerges as a secularized Christianity. Both parties appeal to a “Christian secularity”, which, in their opinion, must be defended against Islam. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Sociological Study of Religion)

24 pages, 366 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Roots of 20th-Century Western Counterculture: From Guillem Rovirosa’s Catalonia to Its Antipode

by José Andrés-Gallego

Religions 2025, 16(1), 42; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16010042 - 4 Jan 2025

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Abstract

The point of departure for this essay is the first part of the life of Guillem Rovirosa (1915–1934), before he became one of the most important social activists in post-war Spain. During those years he abandoned his Catholic faith and, accompanied by a [...] Read more.

The point of departure for this essay is the first part of the life of Guillem Rovirosa (1915–1934), before he became one of the most important social activists in post-war Spain. During those years he abandoned his Catholic faith and, accompanied by a few friends, embarked on a journey of exploration through Esperanto, naturism, spiritualism, and theosophy. This essay proposes the application of comparative microhistory to religious sociology. The author has sourced similar combinations from around the world in the same period and concludes that this melting pot was not unique. Quite the contrary, from Europe to the Far East, many people underwent similar experiences, usually of a countercultural nature and often linked to the idea of anti-authoritarianism and to its possible religious foundations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Sociological Study of Religion)

18 pages, 11067 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Violence, Politics and Religion: A Case Study of the Black Panther Party

by Sergio García-Magariño and Aaron Yates

Religions 2025, 16(1), 38; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16010038 - 2 Jan 2025

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Abstract

The majority of US Black social movement organizations during the second half of the twentieth century had explicit ties to either Christian or Islamic religious institutions. The Black Panther Party (BPP) was a notable outlier in its secularism. Through the lens of radicalization, [...] Read more.

The majority of US Black social movement organizations during the second half of the twentieth century had explicit ties to either Christian or Islamic religious institutions. The Black Panther Party (BPP) was a notable outlier in its secularism. Through the lens of radicalization, this paper examines the place of violence in the Party’s ideological platform and political practice relative to the Party’s secularism and experience of state repression. Drawing on newly available archival materials, we examine how Party members conceptualized their own programs, made sense of, and responded to the repressive intervention of state actors and institutions in their attempts to create social change. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Sociological Study of Religion)

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10 pages, 296 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Tension Between Buddhism and Science Within Contemporary Chinese Buddhists: A Case Study on the Religious Conversion Narrative Among Monastics in Larung Gar Buddhist Academy

by Yingxu Liu and Saiping An

Religions 2024, 15(11), 1407; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15111407 - 20 Nov 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1406

Abstract

This article delves into the perception of monastics from Larung Gar Buddhist Academy of Western China concerning the intertwining relationship between Buddhism and science, along with the impact of this perception on their worldview and life trajectory. Many monastics at Larung Gar Buddhist [...] Read more.

This article delves into the perception of monastics from Larung Gar Buddhist Academy of Western China concerning the intertwining relationship between Buddhism and science, along with the impact of this perception on their worldview and life trajectory. Many monastics at Larung Gar Buddhist Academy initially held a high regard for science, dismissing Buddhism as superstition. However, upon gaining a comprehensive understanding of Buddhism through various opportunities, they came to believe that certain tenets of Buddhism are compatible with science, even suggesting that Buddhism could address some of the methodological and epistemological limitations of science and offer solutions to some issues that science is unable to resolve. This ultimately led them to embrace Buddhism and renounce worldly life. This study employs a case study to investigate the understanding of the relationship between Buddhism and science amongst the general public in contemporary China, an area underexplored by previous scholarship that predominantly concentrated on the philosophical scrutiny of the apologetic discourses towards the reconciliation between Buddhism and science of influential Buddhist ascetics and lay practitioners. Also, this study endeavors to demonstrate that despite the ongoing secularization of contemporary Chinese Buddhism in the “public sphere”, within the “private sphere” of Chinese Buddhism, there remain individuals who are pursuing the religious, sacred, and transcendental dimensions of Buddhism. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Sociological Study of Religion)

21 pages, 281 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Separation of Church and State as an Imperial Project in the Philippines during the Early American Colonial Period

by Yiwei Xiao and Yuanlin Wang

Religions 2024, 15(8), 1006; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15081006 - 18 Aug 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 5921

Abstract

This paper examines the separation of church and state in the Philippines during the early American colonial period, contextualizing it within the process of American overseas expansion and considering it as one of the projects of imperial hegemony construction. After the Spanish–American War, [...] Read more.

This paper examines the separation of church and state in the Philippines during the early American colonial period, contextualizing it within the process of American overseas expansion and considering it as one of the projects of imperial hegemony construction. After the Spanish–American War, the United States substituted Spain as the new colonial ruler of the Philippines, legitimizing its regime as the spread of ‘civilization’ to the Filipinos. On this basis, the Americans enacted laws guaranteeing religious freedom and introduced an American-style institution dealing with church–state relations. Beyond the legal and administrative initiatives, the new regime also constructed an official narrative of the transformation of political–religious relations in the Philippine that emphasized the absolute ‘difference’ between the American human rights principle, which guaranteed freedom of worship, and the Spanish theocracy, which was dedicated to the consolidation of privileges. By legislating the separation of church and state, buying up church properties, recognizing the equality of denominations, and constructing the official imperial narrative of church–state relations, the Americans hoped to ‘teach’ Filipinos that the ‘true’ belief was rooted in the inner convictions of individual Christians, not in the authority and coercion of the hierarchical church. By disciplining the construction of ‘difference’ under tutelary colonialism, the separation of church and state movement initiated by the American colonial government in the Philippines became an important source of imperial self-endowed legitimacy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Sociological Study of Religion)

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