Search Results (1,382)

Copies of the Foshuo tiandi bayang shenzhou jing 佛説天地八陽神咒經 (Scripture of the Divine Spell of the Eightfold Yang of Heaven and Earth Spoken by the Buddha) (hereafter Bayang jing) recovered from Dunhuang, Turfan, Khara-Khoto, and other regions demonstrate that this scripture was one of the most popular Chinese compositions in Dunhuang and its surrounding areas during the Tang and Song dynasties (618–1279). Medieval manuscripts of the Bayang jing are also preserved in Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. By collecting and analyzing manuscripts of this scripture discovered in Dunhuang and the Central Plains, and material found in transmitted texts and folk sources, this paper supplements the understanding of the extensive circulation and profound influence of this scripture in China. The widespread dissemination of the Bayang jing is primarily attributable to four factors: its pragmatic adaptation to secular concerns, which addressed the needs of devotees; its translations and textual modifications, which enhanced its disseminative potency; its diversification of formats, which expanded transmission pathways; and its integration into ritual contexts, which sustained its vitality. The dissemination of this Chinese indigenous composition epitomizes the disseminative potency and vitality of Chinese Buddhism. Full article

This article attempts to underline the wider context of Cesare Borgia’s imprese; the product of Alexander VI’s dynastic designs, which went hand in hand with the aspirations of the Renaissance popes to incorporate those territories which belonged to them. Drawing on several published primary sources and recent scholarship, this article will seek to examine how political and diplomatic agreements shaped the development of Cesare’s career. These factors will help illuminate Cesare’s position and show how the definition of the Renaissance papacy as a ‘two-faced Janus’ can be extended to encompass the ‘peculiar’ nature of Cesare himself, the secular arm of an increasingly militarised and autonomous Roman Church and a duke in his own right, who nevertheless remained dependent on papal favouritism and French support. Together, these considerations will offer insight into the political characteristics of the Renaissance Papal States, particularly during the early Cinquecento. Full article

This article focuses on the religious processes in Russia over the last fifteen years. The author has two objectives: on the one hand, to describe processes that can be called the second stage of the “religious revival” in contemporary Russia, and on the other hand, to place them within the context of theoretical discussions on secularization/desecularization. To achieve this goal, this article first examines the question of what secularization and, accordingly, desecularization are. Next, it describes the main trends in Russia’s religious life since 2012 at the macro-, meso-, and micro-levels. Then, the author examines numerous academic strategies aimed at “explaining religion away,” that is, proving that there has been no increase in the social significance of religion. Among these strategies, the following are considered in detail: (a) mixing empirical statements and value judgments; (b) instrumentalization of religion; and (c) religion finding “other work” to do. Finally, this article offers both a general evaluation of the Russian case from the perspective of secularization theory and broader reflections on the theory itself—for instance, it examines whether the theory is, in principle, falsifiable. Full article

Recent scholarship has studied the extensive transformation of Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) over the past two decades as embodying a form of religious populism that mobilizes civilizational antagonisms. Based on a directed qualitative content analysis of Friday sermons, official publications, online material, broadcasts, and public statements by Diyanet leaders, this article makes three contributions. First, while confirming that the Diyanet promotes the civilizational unity of the ummah and casts Turkey as the spiritual custodian of a transhistorical Islamic world, the analysis shows that anti-elitist framings characteristic of populism are barely present in its rhetoric. Second, the article provides a detailed examination of gönül coğrafyası (geography of the heart), a widely invoked yet understudied concept through which the Diyanet reimagines Ottoman-Islamic heritage as a sacred topography of civilizational belonging and responsibility. Third, it examines how Europe is situated both outside and within this imagined geography: at once a constitutive and menacing “other” marked by Islamophobia and cultural decay yet also a moral frontier inhabited by Muslim diasporas through whom Turkish Islam extends its reach. By drawing such symbolic boundaries, the Diyanet frames Islam as both religious patrimony and ethical alternative to Western modernity, portraying itself as a key actor in the re-sacralization of modern life across borders. Full article

This study explores the dynamics of engaged spiritualities within contemporary Buddhist communities in Italy. By employing an ethnographic approach, the research examines how physical space fosters spiritual experiences, facilitates social interactions, and serves as a site for personal and collective transformation. The study integrates insights from religious studies, anthropology, and neuroscience to analyse the cognitive and emotional effects of meditation while also engaging with Foucault’s theories on power and space to understand Buddhist centres as structured environments that shape individual and collective subjectivities. The research highlights how engaged Buddhism in Italy adapts traditional practices to contemporary challenges, particularly in response to mental health concerns among university students. Through participant observation and interviews conducted during mindfulness and contemplative education programmes, the study demonstrates how meditation contributes to psychological well-being, emotional regulation, and social connection. This analysis aligns with theoretical discussions on the conceptualisation of spirituality in modern societies, illustrating how engaged spiritualities manifest in secular and pluralistic contexts. The findings suggest that Buddhist spaces in Italy function not only as sites of religious practice but also as transformative environments where power relations are renegotiated, identity is reconstructed, and alternative ways of living emerge. The study further explores how scientific advancements in neuroscience inform spiritual practices, shedding light on the reciprocal relationship between spiritual yearning and scientific inquiry. Finally, the research contributes to the debate on the future of engaged spiritualities in the face of global crises. It argues that while Buddhist communities in Italy preserve traditional wisdom, they also actively shape new forms of spiritual engagement that respond to contemporary social, political, and environmental challenges. This work situates engaged Buddhism as a key player in fostering alternative models of coexistence, well-being, and ethical responsibility in the modern world. Full article

This study critically examines India’s secularism through an interdisciplinary analytical framework that explores the complex intersections of religious dynamics, legal structures, and political contestations. Sites of worship, functioning as sacred spaces, legal entities, and political symbols, have become focal points for multifaceted power dynamics. The Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 (hereinafter the Places of Worship Act) aimed to resolve historical disputes by institutionalizing a “status quo” as of 15 August 1947. However, the Supreme Court’s judgment in the Ram Janmabhoomi–Babri Masjid dispute is widely seen as marking a shift in adjudicatory emphasis, with archaeological reports and scriptural materials accorded heightened probative weight vis-à-vis the Act’s status quo principle. In its wake, appeals to “historical justice” have helped channel controversies over sacred sites into legal forums, where disputes are increasingly framed through evidentiary and procedural lenses rather than solely as property conflicts. Subsequent litigation has, at times, been mobilized within broader ideological projects that center Hindu identity in national politics, with the potential to reshape sacred space and public memory through legal–administrative pathways and to recalibrate the practice of secular adjudication in India. Full article

This study reinterprets Father Rodrigues’s apostasy in Endō Shūsaku’s Silence not as a religious failure, but as a process of Christianity’s “Japanization,” analyzed within the context of postwar Japanese intellectual history. Where existing criticism often falls into the binary opposition between martyrdom and betrayal, this study introduces the perspective of individual conviction versus organizational authority. First, Rodrigues’s act resonates with Yoshimoto Takaaki’s tenkō (ideological conversion) theory, specifically defined as the “third form of tenkō.” This form represents the choice to pursue the integrity of personal conviction over obedience to an organization. This links Rodrigues’s action to the spiritual continuity of the Kakure Kirishitan (Hidden Christians), arguing that the essence of his apostasy is a betrayal of the Church institution, not of faith itself. Furthermore, through the theme of the dialectic of everyday life, the study demonstrates that salvation is discovered not in the glorious death of martyrdom, but within the secular fabric of daily existence. Rodrigues’s paradoxical condition of being both weak and strong as Okada San’emon after the fumie is an extension of the Kakure Kirishitan’s survival, who maintained their faith amid secular labor. In conclusion, Endō’s literature serves as a testimony for the “cowards” and a plea for the grace to go on living. It illuminates the process through which individual faith transcends institutional authority and takes root in the indigenous Japanese way of life, thereby completing the vision of Christianity’s “Japanization.” Full article

This article examines the persistent legal invisibility of the Kashmiri Pandits within international frameworks on indigenous rights and internal displacement. Despite meeting definitional criteria under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, the community remains unrecognised as either indigenous or internally displaced. Drawing on Third World Approaches to International Law (TWAIL), constructivist norm diffusion and decolonial intersectional critique, this article argues that this exclusion arises not from normative ambiguity but from geopolitical selectivity and epistemic suppression. Through doctrinal analysis of India’s treaty commitments, including its accession to the Genocide Convention (1959) and its interpretative reservation to Article 1 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) (1979), this study reveals how recognition is constrained by state narratives of sovereignty and secularism. Supported by evidence from the NHRC inquiry, IDMC displacement data, and comparative experiences such as Native American recognition this paper demonstrates that categories of protection in international law are applied unevenly, depending on political compatibility rather than legal principle. It calls for renewed engagement with epistemic justice and narrative accountability in rethinking indigeneity and displacement in postcolonial contexts. Full article

Anti-gender groups, by promoting a Christian-inspired traditional view of family, challenge the idea that European society is becoming more secular. Given that previous literature has highlighted how these groups extensively use digital media and are connected to the Vatican, this article explores the following questions: How do anti-gender groups discuss religion on social media? What is the role of religion for anti-gender activists? By means of a review of research on anti-gender movements, secularism, and activism, this article argues that anti-gender groups do not directly contribute to the growth of religious institutions but use religion to bring actors together in mobilizations, in what I define as an instance of Christian transcalar activism. A mixed-method approach, including quantitative and qualitative analysis of the Instagram pages of the anti-gender group CitizenGO, combined with observations and interviews with activists, suggests that religion is not a central topic in digital narratives, which mainly construct a perceived marginalization of Christians in secular society; however, Catholicism is fundamental for activists as a motivation for action and a socialization force. In conclusion, anti-gender groups’ digital media use connects different actors and mobilizes people who are already religious and who engage in activism through their religious communities. Full article

Since the 1990s, but especially in the early 21st century, a new family of right-wing populist parties has become a stable feature of Western European party systems. These parties, linked by several studies to new cleavages related to globalization processes and values changes which have happened since the late 20th century, are also marked by a new use of religion. In their worldview, this latter is indeed mainly an identity and civilization marker, related to the belonging, rather than believing or behaving, dimension. As a consequence, while they promote Christian symbols in the public sphere and are actively engaged in debates related to morality politics and multicultural society, they also contribute to processes of banalization and culturalization of faith, and to the delegitimization of religious leaders and institutions. For this reason, the scholarly community is divided about their role as promoters of religion, or, rather, as (maybe unintentional) agents of secularization. This article will try to contribute to this discussion by analyzing the Italian case. Italy is indeed an interesting laboratory for the study of right-wing populism, with the development over the past few decades of two state-wide parties belonging to the right-wing populist family, the League and Brothers of Italy, both currently part of the Meloni cabinet. The article will analyze the historical roots of the parties and their developments, their manifestos, their policy proposals, and their relations with religious institutions and symbols to reflect on the two parties’ uses of religion for political aims, and their meaning in relation to the above-mentioned theoretical debates. Full article

Background/Objectives: Despite extensive research on the outcomes faced by parents in contexts of political violence, as well as the protective factors that enhance their well-being, the experiences of single parents by choice (SPCs) in such circumstances have largely been neglected. This study sought to address this gap by examining the experiences of SPCs during the current phase of the Israel–Hamas war that began on 7 October 2023. Method: This qualitative study used a context-informed approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 Israeli SPCs (5 fathers and 6 mothers), including 2 displaced due to the destruction of their homes. All participants were secular Jews, predominantly middle- to upper-middle-class, aged 40–58, and had at least one child aged 15 months to 17 years. A thematic analysis method was utilized. Results: Two overarching themes emerged from the interviews, shaping participants’ wartime experiences: (1) the intensified challenges associated with parenting alone in the context of armed conflict and (2) the factors that mediated the impact of these challenges. Three key challenges identified by participants included: (1) persistent perceptions of danger and threat to life; (2) heightened financial insecurity; and (3) significant disruptions to daily routines. Three systemic-level protective factors were identified as instrumental in mitigating these challenges: (1) engagement in joint familial activities; (2) the presence of a supportive work environment; and (3) social and political engagement. These factors appeared to foster resilience and enhance participants’ psychological coping capacities amidst ongoing conflict. Conclusions: By highlighting the distinct stressors faced by SPCs in wartime and the factors mediating their impact on well-being, our findings extend the Stress Process Model to conflict settings, enhancing understanding of how single parenting is contextually shaped during major community crises. The findings may encourage clinicians and social workers to adopt a more nuanced approach when working with parents in conflict zones, enabling them to tailor interventions to the specific needs of different family structures. For SPCs, such interventions may include tele-counseling to provide psychosocial support and guidance for parents in supporting their children, without the need for childcare or travel, as well as advocacy for workplace policies that reduce financial and emotional vulnerabilities. Full article

This article analyses the phenomenon of nonreligiosity in Northern Poland in the context of secularisation, individualisation, and pluralisation in religion. Based on quantitative research conducted in 2024 among adult residents of Western and Gdańsk Pomerania (N = 1500), this study shows that nonreligiosity is not merely a lack of faith but a multidimensional social construct encompassing both religious indifference and active irreligiosity. Factor analysis confirmed a two-dimensional structure—religious indifference and irreligiosity—differing in their degree of reactivity towards religion. In Western Pomerania, both forms are statistically stronger and conceptually broader, taking the shape of secular individualism and demands for a more secular public sphere, whereas in Gdańsk Pomerania, attitudes are more polarised, ranging from institutionalised faith to open contestation of the Church. Drawing on the approaches of Campbell, Zuckerman, Bullivant, Klug, and Lee, this study interprets nonreligiosity as a dynamic field of attitudes, from distance to opposition towards religion. The findings indicate that secularisation in Poland does not lead to the disappearance of religion but to its restructuring and privatisation. Nonreligiosity thus emerges as an alternative source of meaning, morality, and identity in a post-Catholic society, while regional differences reveal a hybrid model of secularisation that combines passivity and distance with active contestation, confirming the continuum between religiosity and nonreligiosity in contemporary worldviews. Full article

This study aims to understand how religious affective content in the digital realm influences epistemic authority, social imaginaries, and religious beliefs among young adults (individuals between 18 and 35) with a university education and who identify as Christian, Hindu, or Muslim in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Data indicate the growing role of digital platforms as epistemic sources for religious maintenance, while families, private sacred-text teachings, religious leaders, and the community continue to serve as primary sources. Cultural capital, such as higher education and social skills, does not necessarily make respondents psychologically or emotionally resilient to be able and effectively deal with moral distrust and hate speech on social media. In daily life individuals feel cross-pressured between their religious attitudes, and secular educational institutions and government agencies who promote liberal values while perceiving religion as a threat, despite not consistently adhering to those liberal values themselves. Hence, this experienced injustice in the city, enhanced by the negative framing of religion in digital media, may influence the social judgement of individuals and the processes of alienation, polarization and radicalization. Full article

This paper focuses on the image evolution of Shi Daoji (Ji Gong), a monk of the Southern Song Dynasty, and explores its important significance in the history of Chinese Buddhism. The historical authenticity of Dao Ji was once questioned, but the Epitaph written by Jujian, provides key evidence for his existence. It records Dao Ji’s origin, ordination, personality, and behavioral characteristics, establishing the prototype for later Ji Gong legends. Initially, Dao Ji existed as an “unconventional monk” with eccentric behaviors yet possessing spiritual legitimacy. During the Song-Yuan period, huaben (vernacular tales) and recorded sayings shaped him into a “San Sheng” (Uninhibited Sage), which conformed to the characteristics of Buddhism’s sinicization and gained widespread acceptance among the people. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, Dao Ji was further recognized as an “Arhat Yingzhen” (a realized Arhat), and his Chan lineage was gradually clarified in lamp records, with his status continuously elevated. The evolution of Dao Ji’s image reflects the process of Buddhism’s secularization and sinicization. It not only embodies the influence of folk beliefs on orthodox Buddhism but also reveals that Buddhism needs to integrate into people’s lives to complete its localization, providing a unique perspective for understanding the development of Chinese Buddhism. Full article

This article presents the first systematic, empirical mapping of explicit references to religion in Australian federal legislation. Drawing on a dataset of 288 statutes in force as of March 2024, the analysis employs a dictionary of 71 religious terms to identify the scope and nature of legislative engagement with religion. The analysis reveals a distinctive legislative mode of balancing freedom of religion or belief through legislation, and, in particular, statutory exemptions, rather than judicial review, advancing the understanding of Australia’s pragmatic approach to church–state relations. The study reveals that religion appears across a wide spectrum of federal law, with taxation, exemptions and special considerations, discrimination, rights, education, employment, crime, terrorism, and marriage emerging as key themes. The prevalence of taxation provisions underscores the financial dimension of the state–religion relationship, while the frequency of exemptions highlights the distinctive Australian approach of balancing freedom of religion or belief at the legislative stage rather than through judicial proportionality analysis. These findings complicate portrayals of Australia as a “secular” state and demonstrate the entanglement of religion and federal law, providing a foundation for further research. Full article