Search Results (416)

New theologies developed in tandem with evolutionary biology during the nineteenth century, which have been called metaphysical evolutionisms and evolutionary theologies. A subset of these theologies analyzed here were developed by thinkers who accepted biological science but rejected both biblical creationism and materialist science. Tools from the cognitive science of religion, including conceptual metaphor theory (CMT) and blending theory, also known as conceptual integration theory (CIT), can help to explain the development of these systems and their transformation between the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries. The analysis focuses on several stable and popular blends of ideas, which have continued with some alteration into the twenty-first century. The three blends evaluated here are Progressive Soul Evolution, Salvation is Evolution, and Evolution is Therapy. Major contributors to these blends are the theosophist and theologian Helena P. Blavatsky and psychologist Frederic W. H. Myers, both influenced by the spiritualist movement, particularly the ideas of the spiritualist and biologist Alfred Russel Wallace. The influence of these blends can be seen in the twentieth-century “Aquarian Frontier,” a group of 145 thinkers and organizations identified in 1975 by counterculture historian Theodore Roszak. Part of the appeal of these blends may be seen in their use of metaphors, including the Great Chain of Being and A Purposeful Life is a Journey. The application of the polysemic term evolution in a sense that does much of the theological work of salvation in Christianity can in part be explained by applying the principles of blending theory, including the vital relation “achieve a human scale,” as well as compressions of time and identity. These blends have been successful because they meet the needs of a population who are friendly towards science but disenchanted with traditional religions. The blends provide a satisfying new theology that extends beyond death for a subset of adherents, particularly in the New Age and spiritual but not religious (SBNR) movements, who combine the agency of self-directed “evolution” with the religious concepts of grace and transcendence. Full article

An analysis of Albanian Muslims in Italy provides a compelling case study of communities perceived as marginal. Studies of Muslims in Italy tend to focus on the majority and chronologically older groups within the country’s Islamic landscape, particularly those from Asia and Africa. In addition to providing a better understanding of Islam in Italy, a study of the identity and community-building issues of the Albanian community of origin offers many insights into that community’s complexity. Albanians in Italy have a very specific historical and religious heritage; so, analyzing their roots and community-building processes helps us to better understand the development of Islam on the margins of large national organizations and majority groups. This article presents the results of the first national study of Albanian Muslims in Italy. Online interviews and field observations were conducted in 2024 within the Union of Muslim Albanians in Italy (Unione degli Albanesi Musulmani in Italia—UAMI), using the ethnographic method. The Association has fewer members compared with national level organizations. It was founded in 2009 to address specific issues related to the management of Muslim Albanian religious identity. The Association has sought to address the fragmentation of religion and Albanian nationalism, a consequence of a long period of state atheism, and to counter the literalist and radical tendencies in the interpretation of religion that have emerged in Albania since the collapse of the communist regime. In addition to these challenges, the Association has also tackled issues related to the Islamic religion in its local and global dimensions. The analysis of these challenges and the ways to deal with them offers a new framework in the Italian Islamic panorama, despite its marginality. The results of this research point to the emergence of new forms of rooting and belonging characterized by spirituality over orthopraxis. These forms adopt a religious approach open to diversity and pluralism. Full article

Religious freedom, the management of religious diversity, and interreligious dialogue are emerging and closely interconnected phenomena. In the context of increasing religious pluralism, policymakers, religious institutions, and other civil society actors and organizations face challenges, particularly as they strive to legitimize their religious, social, and legal positions in contemporary societies. Drawing on 47 interviews with policymakers (N° 10), privileged informants (N° 15), and religious (N° 18) and interreligious leaders (N° 4), conducted as part of the Project Urban Governance of Religious Diversity (2023–2025), this article examines interreligious dialogue, as a social practice shaped by national legal frameworks on religious freedom and local governance mechanisms regulating religious diversity. More specifically, we analyze the three most relevant themes that emerged from the interview material: first, the limitations and opportunities within the current legislative framework, particularly in relation to local administrations’ efforts to complement national regulations and support religious communities in innovative ways; second, critiques of top-down initiatives on interreligious dialogue, wherein institutional priorities sometimes overshadow the voices and needs of religious groups; and finally, the impact of global events, such as the ongoing genocide in Palestine, on interreligious dialogue and established relationships among different faith communities. The article concludes by summarizing the main findings and outlining potential avenues for future research. Full article

In Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the city of Philadelphia could not exclude a Catholic Social Services agency from the city’s foster care system because it would not work with same-sex couples. Access to foster care agencies, however, is a public benefit that should not involve religious qualifications interposed by a nongovernmental organization. When aided by public funds, religious organizations should not receive exemptions from nondiscrimination laws to deny potential clients services because they disagree with these clients’ religious beliefs, sexual orientations, or marital status. First, equal access to public funds is not neutral when it allows religious entities to limit the life plans of others who do not share their convictions. Second, religious entities should certainly be able to advance religion but not on the public dollar. Finally, although exemptions for these entities augment the free exercise of religion, especially when accompanied by public funds, they also amount to what has been termed a “shadow establishment”. Full article

The race paradox in mental health refers to the phenomenon in which African Americans often demonstrate mental health outcomes that are comparable to or more favorable than those of non-Hispanic Whites, despite systemic socioeconomic disadvantage and disproportionate exposure to chronic stressors. Few studies have examined the mechanisms underlying this race paradox among older adults, and even fewer have explored the role of social participation. This study aims to examine whether social participation mediates the relationship between race and mental health. Longitudinal data were drawn from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging study Waves 1–3 (N = 1292). Race was dichotomized as African American and non-Hispanic White. Three types of social participation were assessed: volunteering, participating in organized groups, and attending religious services. Depressive symptoms were assessed as the mental health outcome. Path analyses were conducted to examine the aim. Results indicate that being African Americans predicted increased levels of religious attendance, which in turn, decreased the levels of depressive symptoms. Religious attendance is an underlying mechanism partially explaining the race paradox in mental health, and a modifiable factor that mitigates depressive symptoms. Culturally sensitive interventions promoting social participation are warranted. Full article

The One Health approach is rapidly gaining the attention of the scientific community worldwide and is expected to be a major model of scientific reasoning in the 21st century, concerning medical, veterinary and environmental issues. The basic concept of One Health, that humans, animals and their environments are parts of the same natural world affecting each other, is rooted in most ethnic as well as in many religious traditions. Despite this unity and for historical reasons, medical, veterinary and environmental sciences developed independently. The One Health concept tries to reunite these and many other relevant sciences, aiming at a deeper understanding of the interconnection between the natural world, humans and animal health. The dynamic interplay between a host’s microbiome, the microbiomes of other hosts, and environmental microbial communities profoundly influences the host health, given the essential physiological functions the microbiome performs within the organism. The biodiversity of microbiomes is broad and complex. The different areas of the skin, the upper and lower respiratory systems, the ocular cavity, the oral cavity, the gastrointestinal tract and finally the urogenital system of pets and humans alike are niches where a multitude of microorganisms indigenous and transient—commensals and pathogens, thrive in a dynamic antagonistic balance of populations of different phyla, orders, genera and species. The description of these microbiomes attempted in this article is not meant to be exhaustive but rather demonstrative of their complexity. The study of microbiomes is a necessary step towards the One Health approach to pets and humans. Yet, despite the progress made on that subject, the scientific community faces challenges, such as the limitations of studies performed, the scarcity of studies concerning the microbiomes of cats, the multitude of environmental factors affecting the results and others. The two new terms proposed in this article, the “familiome” and the “oikiome”, will aid in the One Health theoretical analysis as well as in its practical approach. The authors strongly believe that new technological breakthroughs, like Big Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI), will significantly help to overcome these hazards. Full article

The text analyzes interreligious organizations and movements in Brazil based on the concept of the pluralist principle. It aims to systematize, based on observations of practices and studies of documents from prominent inter-religious experiences in Brazil, the degree of incidence of efforts to deepen democracy; defend human rights and the rights of nature; provide citizenship; appreciate ethnic, sexual, and gender diversity; and other effective decolonial forms of counter-hegemonic social articulation in these groups. Among the results, we present theoretical bases that show that it is necessary, for social analyses, to pay special attention to the articulation of the intersection between religious groups’ capacity for dialogue and the challenges surrounding social agendas that reinforce decolonial socio-religious perspectives. The profile of some inter-religious experiences within the scope of the research is also indicated. Full article

The subsequent research has been grounded in the recently enacted education legislation, the Organic Law amending the Organic Law on Education (LOMLOE, by its acronym in Spanish), within the Spanish educational context. The development of this research is predicated on the following three objectives: firstly, the identification of the main issues of interest that have arisen in the network surrounding the LOMLOE; secondly, the analysis of the socio-educational repercussions that it has generated; and thirdly, the establishment of relationships between the different educational facts and elements involved. The objective of this study is to establish a frame of reference in terms of the current social perception of the new law and how it may or may not be based on the different changes that will occur after the implementation of the LOMLOE. In order to carry out this research, a qualitative methodology was used to collect a total of 1536 tweets during the debate on the law, using ATLAS.ti software, which was also used to carry out a content analysis of the data. Following a thorough inductive analysis, seven distinct codes were identified. These codes yielded a range of statements that collectively emphasised the pivotal role of subsidised education, religious education and special education in shaping the prevailing discourse. Full article

Background: PP-007 (SANGUINATE^®, PEGylated carboxyhemoglobin, bovine) is under development to treat conditions of ischemia/hypoxia. Hemorrhagic/hypovolemic shock (H/HVS) becomes a life-threatening comorbidity due in part to hypotension and hypoxia. Blood transfusions are indicated, but supply and compatibility issues may limit subject access or when blood is not an option due to religious restriction or concern for clinical complications. PP-007 is universally compatible with an effective hydrodynamic radius and colloidal osmotic pressure facilitating perfusion without promoting extravasation. Methods: A review of previous clinical trials was performed and revealed an Open-Label Phase 1 safety study of acute severe anemia (hemoglobin ≤ 5 g/dL) in adult (≥18 y) patients unable to receive red blood cell transfusion (NCT02754999). Primary outcomes included safety events with secondary efficacy measures of organ function and survival at 1, 14, and 28 days. Additionally, a retrospective review of published, peer-reviewed case reports was performed, evaluating the administration of Sanguinate for Expanded Access in those patient populations where blood was not an option over the past 12 years. Results: A total of 103 subjects were enrolled in the Phase I safety study with significant co-morbidities that most commonly included hypertension (n = 43), acute and chronic kidney disease (n = 38), diabetes mellitus (n = 29), gastrointestinal bleeds (n = 18), and sickle cell disease (n = 13). Enrollment characteristics included decreased hemoglobin and severe anemia (mean baseline hemoglobin of 4.2 g/dL). Treatments included an average of three infusions [range 1–17]. Secondary efficacy measures were mean Hb levels, respiratory support, and vasopressor requirements, all demonstrating clinically relevant improvements. Fourteen additional cases were identified in the literature. Though one patient died due to pre-treatment conditions, all patients but one were discharged home in stable condition. Conclusion: Collectively, these observations are encouraging and provide support for the continued evaluation of PP-007 in advanced clinical trials in severe anemia including H/HVS. The review of published case reports underscored the potential of Sanguinate to reduce early mortality. Adverse effects included transient hypertension, lethargy, dizziness, and troponin elevation. These findings highlight the need for continued research and funding of blood alternatives to improve outcomes when standard blood transfusions are unavailable or contraindicated. Full article

This article introduces a freely available Spanish–Mixtec parallel corpus designed to foster natural language processing (NLP) development for an indigenous language that remains digitally low-resourced. The dataset, comprising 14,587 sentence pairs, covers Mixtec variants from Guerrero (Tlacoachistlahuaca, Northern Guerrero, and Xochapa) and Oaxaca (Western Coast, Southern Lowland, Santa María Yosoyúa, Central, Lower Cañada, Western Central, San Antonio Huitepec, Upper Western, and Southwestern Central). Texts are classified into four main domains as follows: education, law, health, and religion. To compile these data, we conducted a two-phase collection process as follows: first, an online search of government portals, religious organizations, and Mixtec language blogs; and second, an on-site retrieval of physical texts from the library of the Autonomous University of Querétaro. Scanning and optical character recognition were then performed to digitize physical materials, followed by manual correction to fix character misreadings and remove duplicates or irrelevant segments. We conducted a preliminary evaluation of the collected data to validate its usability in automatic translation systems. From Spanish to Mixtec, a fine-tuned GPT-4o-mini model yielded a BLEU score of 0.22 and a TER score of 122.86, while two fine-tuned open source models mBART-50 and M2M-100 yielded BLEU scores of 4.2 and 2.63 and TER scores of 98.99 and 104.87, respectively. All code demonstrating data usage, along with the final corpus itself, is publicly accessible via GitHub and Figshare. We anticipate that this resource will enable further research into machine translation, speech recognition, and other NLP applications while contributing to the broader goal of preserving and revitalizing the Mixtec language. Full article

Background: Caregivers in urban settings often face unique challenges in providing nurturing care. This qualitative study explores the complex realities of caregiving among mothers and grandmothers in urban poor neighbourhoods of Bangalore, South India. Grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, this is the first study in urban India that examines how caregivers’ perceptions, along with individual and systemic factors, shape caregiving practices in this setting. Methods: In-depth interviews (IDIs) were conducted with 22 mothers and grandmothers of 4–6-year-old children from the urban MAASTHI cohort in Bangalore, South India. Topic guides were developed, pre-tested, and piloted. IDIs were conducted in local languages (Kannada and Hindi). Transcripts were coded using NVivo 12 plus and analyzed via a thematic analysis approach using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems framework to organize themes. Findings: At the microsystem level, caregivers engaged with children through storytelling and play, though competing demands like household chores often constrained these interactions. Disciplining techniques varied, and the absence of fathers placed additional burdens on mothers. The mesosystem revealed the critical role of extended family in providing support. At the exosystem level, unsafe neighbourhoods limited children’s opportunities for outdoor play. The macrosystem highlighted how religious values provided moral frameworks for parenting and the presence of stigma against single mothers. The chronosystem explored declining social support over time and challenges. Conclusions: These findings emphasize that caregiving inequities are not isolated but structurally embedded, demanding interventions that address sociocultural, economic, and spatial barriers to equitable support for caregivers, particularly those in disadvantaged settings. It calls for context-sensitive interventions, including community-based parenting programmes including maternal well-being, strengthening community and public support systems, improving safe play spaces, and longitudinal research. By amplifying marginalized caregivers’ voices, this research highlights the need for policies that support nurturing care in low-resource settings to break intergenerational cycles of disadvantage. Full article

Wittgenstein had significant religious impulses, from his early Notebooks to his late entries in Culture and Value. Christian religious texts seemed to him to articulate significant human experiences that were worthy of respect. Yet he found himself consistently unable to commit himself to any organized institutional religious life. This essay investigates the reasons (as opposed to psychological peculiarities with causal force) that might lie behind Wittgenstein’s stance. Friedrich Schiller describes modern, socially induced unsatisfiable longings for meaningful life. Northrop Frye describes the rhetorical form of the Christian Bible as having an indispensable role in orienting us toward reconciled life, but in the end more imaginatively than in effective worldly practice. Against this background, Wittgenstein’s combination of passionate attraction to Christianity with an inability to accept it emerges as an exemplary expression of a widely shared modern human condition. Full article

The Guyang Cave contains an extensive collection of late Northern Wei (late fifth to early sixth century) statue and stele combinations. While existing scholarship has recognized the exceptional nature of these statue–stele pairings, their systematic stylistic classification and contextual interpretation have yet to receive sustained scholarly attention. This investigation analyzes ten paradigmatic cases, organized into three distinct stylistic groups. The discussion subsequently focuses on four particularly representative examples that epitomize divergent approaches to stele implementation. These stylistic differentiations emerge as direct responses to specific spatial contingencies within the cave’s architecture. Instead of being merely decorative, these innovative configurations served as ritual instruments, amplifying patrons’ devotional objectives within the cave’s competitive environment. Ultimately, this study contributes to the theoretical discourse on “ritual art” by revealing how spatial negotiations between patrons manifested as a dynamic ritual process—one that both informed and was sustained by artistic creation in the Guyang Cave. More broadly, in the late Northern Wei period, artistic expression and ritual practice emerged as mutually constitutive elements in the dynamic formation of religious and cultural traditions. Full article

This article examines the interplay of religion, nationalism, and identity in contemporary Sweden, focusing on the rising phenomenon of Christian nationalism. Our analysis of editorials and opinion pieces from major Swedish newspapers reveals a significant shift towards a more pronounced Christian influence in public discourse, suggesting a renegotiation of the sacred–secular divide. This shift highlights a growing intertwining of religious narratives with national identity, raising questions about whether Sweden should embrace its Christian heritage or maintain religious neutrality and plurality. Our findings indicate that expressions of individual faith emerging in cultural discussions are not merely personal; they also foster organized religion, contributing to the construction of new communal identities. This relocation of the sacred from the private to the public sphere signifies a renewed world-building potential for religion, particularly in urban settings, challenging classical secularization theories. The increasing prominence of Christian perspectives reflects discontent with “secularized Christianity-as-culture”, signaling a desire for a more foundational Christianity. Furthermore, the integration of spheres, where discourse on values and societal crises fosters a renewed demand for religion, leads to a need to reinforce a religious identity which results in a “cultural defense” that effectively supports Christian nationalism. Full article

At the end of the 18th century, due to the neighbouring states of Austria, Prussia, and Russia, Poland lost its independence. Despite not being represented on the political maps of Europe, its citizens embarked on numerous initiatives that fostered their sense of belonging to the Polish national community. This was achieved, among other things, through various organisations that promoted Polish culture, language, customs, and faith. Additionally, a space was created for organic efforts aimed at individual and social development, ultimately intended to lead to the regaining of independence. One of the organisations involved in these activities was the Catechists’ Association, which sought to develop the professional qualifications of its members through various initiatives. This, in turn, was expected to enhance the level of education and religious formation within Polish society, particularly concerning children and youth. The article aims to define and characterise the activities of the Catechists’ Association in Galicia that were aimed at advancing professional competencies in the first decade of the 20th century in the territories annexed by the Habsburg Monarchy. Full article