Search Results (713)

This study aims to explore aspects of religion and spirituality within the Hungarian permaculture movement, demonstrating that while permaculture is first and foremost a rational and pragmatic practice grounded in ecological principles, its ethical and holistic approach remains open to various forms of spirituality. In the author’s view, religion and spirituality within the Hungarian community remain largely unseen at present: regarded as a private matter, the topic has not yet made its way into the movement’s dominant discourse. The author demonstrates how permaculture can be linked to Buddhist, Christian, esoteric, and natural spiritual (neo-pagan) worldviews through the medium of four practitioners following four different religious/spiritual traditions. The case studies illuminate how, for some, the practice of permaculture helps deepen spirituality, while for others, the pursuit remains limited to a more rational ecological framework. In general, however, the observation of nature and ‘co-operation with life’ inherent in the permaculture approach frequently result in a reinterpretation of the human–nature relationship. This study emphasises that there is no single permaculture spirituality, but rather a range of individual worldviews existing side by side. The movement’s strength lies in its diversity, openness, and tolerance for worldviews. Full article

The rapid growth of prosperity-oriented Pentecostalism in the Global South has renewed debate about the relationship between religion and economic life. Revisiting Weberian concerns with the moral organization of economic conduct, this paper offers a neo-Weberian comparative interpretation of how prosperity-oriented Pentecostal practices can shape entrepreneurial orientation under conditions of institutional constraint and economic uncertainty. Focusing on Brazil and Nigeria, the research identifies four mechanisms through which these religious formations could serve as cultural accelerators of entrepreneurial activity: moral legitimation of entrepreneurial striving, disciplined self-transformation, congregational network support, and theological framing of risk and uncertainty. The argument is not monocausal but instead suggests that prosperity-oriented Pentecostalism interacts with broader structural conditions—including inequality, informality, and economic insecurity—to initiate, normalize, and sustain entrepreneurial action. By distinguishing prosperity-oriented currents from Pentecostalism as a whole, the research also emphasizes theological and organizational diversity, as well as the importance of mediating factors such as gender and national context. It concludes that the cultural accelerator is best understood as a bounded analytical framework for interpreting the religion-economy relationship rather than as a general theory of development. Full article

Historic urban landscapes (HULs) represent complex environments where contemporary daily life interacts with living heritage. This study focuses on “third places,” informal social spaces outside home and work, as critical infrastructure for urban resilience. Addressing the lack of multidimensional assessments in Southeast Asian heritage contexts, this study develops and applies a context-sensitive assessment framework that integrates the HUL approach with four sustainability pillars: physical, environmental, socio-cultural, and governance–economic. Nakhon Si Thammarat was selected as a representative case study of a multicultural living heritage town where Buddhist, Muslim, and Chinese cultural layers uniquely converge within its urban fabric. Through field surveys and spatial mapping, 17 sites were empirically identified based on Oldenburg’s characteristics and evaluated via a structured rubric. Findings reveal a significant systemic imbalance: while the socio-cultural dimension is highly sustainable (M = 2.44), driven by robust cultural diversity, the environmental (M = 1.03) and governance–economic (M = 1.38) dimensions are considerably weaker. Key deficiencies include poor low-carbon accessibility and limited community participation. Notably, religious courtyards emerged as effective “living heritage” prototypes (M = 2.04), bridging sacred and secular functions. The study suggests that historic urban management should prioritize micro-scale environmental retrofitting and co-management models, leveraging existing social capital rather than wholesale urban restructuring. This flexible framework is transferable to other multicultural historic towns in the region with comparable contextual conditions. Full article

Background/Objectives: Current research on vaginismus predominantly represents White cisgendered and heterosexual women of reproductive age. It is unclear how health professionals (HPs) navigate and support the needs of patients with vaginismus who are gender, sexually, ethnically, religiously, age and/or disability diverse. Therefore, this qualitative study explored health professionals’ experiences and perceptions of patient diversity to holistically assess and support people with vaginismus. Methods: In 2023–2024, 23 HPs in general practice, uro/gynaecology, pelvic floor physiotherapy, mental health, nursing and clinical education participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were inductively thematically analysed with a critical feminist poststructuralist focus on heteronormativity, cisnormativity, ethnocentricity, chrononormativity, and able-bodied normativity. Results: Two themes were developed. The first theme on ‘uneven attention of diversity dimensions in the assessment and support of vaginismus’ explored patients’ ethnicity, religion, sexuality, gender, age and disability. The second theme on ‘sexually and gender-diverse people’s varied treatment goals for vaginismus’ examined nuanced challenges between heterosexual and non-heterosexual women and limited representation of gender-diverse people. Conclusions: The findings suggest that not discussing patients’ diversity may contribute to their identity erasure and ethnocentric exaltation of White centrality. Treatment approaches may uphold heteronormativity. HPs often described vaginismus as a young woman’s problem. It is recommended that HPs review whether patients with advancing age and/or disability suppress desires for pain-free sex due to societal norms. Decolonising approaches and abject theory could inform the development of inclusive health resources. This can assist HPs to sensitively and supportively assess patients’ diversity to improve their holistic health and well-being outcomes for vaginismus. Full article

Religious tourism is one of the fastest-growing forms of mobility, increasing pressure on sacred spaces and religious communities and raising questions about the preservation of their spiritual integrity. While sustainable tourism frameworks address environmental and socio-cultural impacts, they remain insufficient in capturing the relational and spiritual dimensions of sacred places. This study aims to conceptualize “religious sensitivity” as an analytical and normative category integrating spiritual sustainability with the principles of regenerative tourism. Drawing on an interdisciplinary literature review in religious studies, human geography, and tourism studies, combined with a qualitative, interpretative case analysis of selected pilgrimage destinations (with particular reference to the Way of St. Olav), the article develops the Model of Regenerative Religious Sensitivity (MRRS). The model identifies four interrelated dimensions, spiritual, communal, spatial, and interpretative, that shape the interaction between tourism and the sacred. The findings indicate that tourism may contribute either to the erosion or regeneration of sacred meaning depending on the quality of relationships among visitors, local communities, and place-based practices. It is concluded that regenerative approaches grounded in religious sensitivity and community participation can support the spiritual sustainability of sacred sites, offering a conceptual framework for managing religious destinations in contexts of increasing cultural and spiritual diversity. Full article

Across modern Asia and many other regions, artificial intelligence is transforming religious life in diverse and profound ways. Robot priests chant sutras at Japanese Buddhist temples, AI-powered apps offer personalised coaching in Quranic recitation to millions of Muslims, and bereaved families consult algorithm-generated avatars of the deceased in China. They are neither merely tools for instrumental use nor channels for transmitting pre-existing religious authority. Instead, they create new forms of religious content, new types of spiritual encounters for religious users, and new structures of authority. This paper argues that understanding these phenomena requires theoretical innovation beyond simply applying existing concepts to new domains. Drawing on Actor–Network Theory, algorithmic culture studies, and scholarship on Asian religious traditions, the paper proposes the theoretical framework of generative charisma, theorising how AI systems gain religious authority through three interconnected mechanisms: captivation by generation, intimacy trust through personalisation, and oscillating enchantment. It also highlights accountability as a structural issue that needs critical discussion regarding governance. The paper demonstrates the framework’s usefulness by examining AI recitation coaching in Islamic practice and AI grief avatars in Chinese Buddhist mourning, showing its relevance across different religious traditions and technological forms. Full article

Religiously diverse societies are often portrayed as marked by tensions between exclusive worldviews and aspirations toward inclusive and cohesive social relations. These tensions are particularly salient in religious contexts, where deeply held convictions about truth and moral order may coexist uneasily with ideals of tolerance and mutual recognition. A central question emerging from this dilemma is how religious worldviews shape evaluations of religious others in increasingly diverse societies. Using cross-sectional survey data among religious Christians and Muslims in the Netherlands, we analyse associations between religious exclusivism, religious and national belonging, bonding and bridging social capital, and outgroup attitudes, combining bivariate correlations, multivariate regression, and regression-based serial mediation analyses. Results show that religious exclusivism is a robust independent predictor of colder outgroup evaluations. In contrast, religious belonging and both bonding and bridging social capital are associated with warmer outgroup evaluations: bonding shows the stronger association. Mediation analyses indicate that religious exclusivism is indirectly associated with warmer outgroup evaluations through religious belonging, whereas bonding social capital does not mediate exclusivism in the direction of outgroup negativity. The findings challenge the view of bonding as primarily closing and suggest that supportive in-group embeddedness can coincide with more positive evaluations of religious others. Full article

Mohandas K. Gandhi (popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi) has primarily been recognized for his work in developing the theory and practice of nonviolence (ahimsa) for the purpose of building a culture of sustainable peace. Although Gandhi’s writings do not explicitly engage such categories as negative and positive peace, peace and international relations, or pacifism and nonviolence, scholars in peace studies have nonetheless assessed his contributions to the evolution of the field. This article advances the study of peace by emphasizing the dynamic nature of nonviolence (ahimsa), which is inextricably connected to Gandhi’s vision of sarvodaya (uplift of all). It further argues that his approach to peacebuilding, grounded in the upholding of pluralism across civic life, offers a conceptual framework for disrupting hegemonic monolithic systems. Gandhi lived in a time when the concept of pluralism had not gained currency; however, his vision, rooted in the values of diversity and tolerance, can appropriately be understood under the now widely accepted concept of pluralism. Gandhi thus uniquely connected nonviolence, peace, pluralism, and sarvodaya. For him, peaceful co-existence mandates attention to diversity—an approach that can enrich contemporary conversations in a divided political, social, and religious landscape. As a political leader and social reformer, he promoted indigenous languages, diverse village industries, local economies, and multi-faith religious education. In his later life, he also advocated for inter-caste and interreligious marriages in order to mitigate communal tensions. Such attention to diversity offers a promising path toward realizing the goal of sustainable peace and sarvodaya in a contemporary landscape increasingly prone to monolithic systems. Sarvodaya inherently requires a commitment to pluralistic, dialogical, dialectical, and nonviolent engagement in all spheres of life. By emphasizing shared humanity and committing to diversity, Gandhi offers a social philosophy of respect for all life as well as uplift of all trades, languages, and belief systems grounded in the vision of welfare of all. His practical methods of engaging diverse actors, along with his radical efforts to disrupt autocratic, authoritative, and centralized systems, affirm that the objectives of sarvodaya and sustainable peace can be realized only through a radical pluralism. Full article

With a focus on how both traditions influence identity, memory, and lived spirituality in African contexts, this article examines the theological and cultural interactions between Christianity and African Traditional Religion (ATR). This study highlights the ongoing interaction between ATR and Christianity as two significant systems ingrained in African life, notwithstanding the continent’s religious diversity. In Africa, religion and culture are inextricably linked, influencing social customs, moral standards, and a sense of community but also constantly changing due to personal experience. African spiritual systems were frequently disregarded by missionary Christianity in the past, which led to conflicts that still exist in modern African Christianity. The importance of ancestors, rituals, and supernatural beliefs all of which are still fundamental to the worldviews of many African Christians are areas where these conflicts are especially noticeable. This article makes the case for a positive theological approach that acknowledges ATR as an essential tool for African Christian identity rather than as a rival or subpar system, drawing on the idea of inculturation. The article illustrates how African spirituality serves as a storehouse of collective memory and identity over generations by delving into issues of ancestry, ritual, and spiritual mediation. Additionally, it offers a liberative and dialogical theological concept that promotes understanding between Christianity and ATR. Such an approach not only bridges spiritual divides but also contributes to the development of a contextually grounded liberation theology that affirms indigenous knowledge systems while remaining open to global theological discourse. Full article

Federations appear to play a relevant role in religious governance in Spain, acting as the collective representation of religious communities recognised by public authorities. Although they were formerly intended to interact with the national government through the signing of Cooperation Agreements and participation in the Advisory Committee on Religious Diversity, religious federations have increasingly developed a territorial projection towards Spain’s Autonomous Communities. This article explores how these organisations operate within Spain’s political and governance framework. To do so, it examines these territorial strategies by analysing a dataset of 129 federations across the 17 Autonomous Communities and the two Autonomous Cities (N = 19). Using descriptive statistics and Spearman correlation, the study maps the organisational patterns of these entities. The findings point to the predominance of nested federative organisations, alongside the presence of non-nested structures concentrated in territorially and institutionally dense regions. The coexistence of these two models cannot be accounted for solely by religious pluralism; institutional strategies also appear to play a part. While the dataset captures registered federations, informal coordination mechanisms remain beyond the scope of this analysis. Taken together, the article advances current debates on religious governance by offering the first systematic territorial mapping of federative organisational patterns in Spain. Full article

Generational amnesia is a common phenomenon in the religious realm. While we inherit established forms of belief, symbols, and ritual traditions, we often lack an understanding of their origins or how they came to be. In the ethnically diverse environment of Southeast Asia, certain cross-cultural connections may also disappear over time. This study seeks to highlight one goddess under the rubric of Chao Mae Thapthim—Waterfront Lady, within a Thai context. Chinese studies have regarded Waterfront Lady as a native Hainanese deity. However, this view fails to resolve the long-standing question concerning historical distribution of the belief across Hainan Island and Chinese communities in Southeast Asia. It also overlooks the internal connections between her and other goddesses referred to as Chao Mae Thapthim, such as the Heavenly Empress Mazu and some local female deities. I will begin with the discussion of the aforementioned issues and proceed to outline a probable cultural ‘worship sphere’ of Waterfront Lady in Thailand. Through this, I aim to present a case of intra-Asian religious interaction and syncretism. Full article

Social workers are charged with challenging social injustice and pursuing social change, particularly during divisive and conflictual times, and just as social work has often been at the forefront of conversation during these times, so too has faith and religion. In this article, two social work faculty members engage in interfaith dialogue of Christianity and Sikhism to explore social justice, moral responsibility, and community-based approaches to peacebuilding. The article highlights how each faith tradition’s theological commitments (e.g., Christian emphases on agape, liberation, and restorative justice and Sikh principles of seva (selfless service), sarbat da bhala (the welfare of all) and Sant Sipahi (courageous resistance to oppression) shape distinctive yet complementary approaches to justice-oriented action. By examining the convergence and divergence between Christian and Sikh perspectives, the authors contribute to broader conversations on peacebuilding, pluralism, and ethics across diverse faith communities. Through an exploratory framework emphasizing mutual inquiry, the dialogue reveals shared values such as dignity, compassion, and the pursuit of equitable social structures, while also highlighting the unique contributions each faith brings to contemporary social justice movements and social work practice. Finally, the article demonstrates how interfaith engagement can expand practitioners’ understanding of justice by offering alternative moral languages, practices, and modes of activism. Thus, it identifies the potential of interfaith partnerships for addressing systemic inequities and conflict, countering religious polarization, and cultivating sustainable models of peace grounded in solidarity. Full article

Background: Spirituality and religious diversity are increasingly recognized as essential components of holistic nursing care in global healthcare systems. However, their integration into undergraduate nursing education remains heterogeneous and often insufficiently structured, creating a gap between professional values and students’ preparedness to address spiritual needs in culturally diverse clinical environments. This study aimed to explore nursing students’ perceptions, attitudes, and perceived competencies regarding spirituality, religion, and spiritual care. Methods: A descriptive exploratory survey was conducted on a sample of 69 third-year nursing students (69.6% female; majority aged ≤24 years) enrolled in two universities in Rome, Italy. Data were collected between May and July 2025 using the Nursing Care and Religious Diversity Scale (NCRDS), consisting of 31 items. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, internal reliability analyses, group comparisons, and multivariate regression models. Results: Students showed moderate levels of attention to patients’ spiritual needs (mean = 3.11, SD = 0.88) and integration of spirituality into care practice, while high importance was attributed to spiritual care skills. University education was perceived as only partially adequate. Multivariate analyses showed that students’ personal spirituality is positively associated with the assessment of spiritual needs and the perception of competence, while exposure to contexts characterized by greater religious diversity is associated with a lower perception of preparedness. Conclusions: The results highlight a discrepancy between professional values and perceived operational skills, suggesting the need to systematically integrate spirituality and religious diversity into nursing curricula. These findings highlight the need for a structured integration of spirituality and religious diversity into nursing curricula through targeted educational strategies in order to strengthen students’ competencies and promote truly holistic and person-centered care. Full article

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

Masonry minarets constitute an important component of Islamic architectural heritage. Beyond their religious function, they stand as social and cultural landmarks reflecting the diversity of architectural styles and building techniques of the regions in which they are located. Historical minarets have demonstrated remarkable resilience against environmental degradation and aging; however, in seismically active regions, earthquakes pose a major threat to their integrity. Due to their slender geometry and material characteristics, these structures are particularly vulnerable to seismic effects. Many historical records document that minarets have suffered severe damage and collapse during earthquakes. This study presents a state-of-the-art review of seismic vulnerability assessments of masonry minarets. It concentrates on Southwest Asia and the Mediterranean, regions that are characterized by high seismic risk and a rich inventory of this structural typology. Currently employed approaches to the seismic analysis of minarets typically require substantial computational resources and expertise. Recognizing the need for rapid and accessible methodologies in place of them, this study proposes a Kinematic Limit Analysis framework that is suitable for fast vulnerability assessment of large-scale building stocks. This allows for the most critical structures to be identified for further scrutiny using more sophisticated approaches. Full article