Search Results (84)

The emergence of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) poses unprecedented challenges to homiletic practice, compelling a shift in focus from the textual proficiency of the machine to the ontological status of preaching itself. Through a theological-pastoral analysis anchored in sacramental dogmatics and in dialogue with digital religion, this article scrutinizes the validity of algorithmic mediation in the ministry of the Word. The study establishes a tripartite normative framework—assistance, delegation, and substitution—demonstrating that while technical support is legitimate in preparatory tasks, the syntactic success of generative models acts as a critical mirror, exposing a pre-existing crisis of frequently generic and standardized preaching. It concludes that, within a sacramental framework, the homily constitutes an unrepeatable liturgical and spiritual event, requiring the authority of an embodied subject vulnerable to their own message. Full article

This paper argues that the colonial introduction of Christianity in Africa must be understood as a reordering of personhood, moral feeling, and the conditions under which lived experience becomes intelligible, rather than as a change in formal religious affiliation alone. Drawing on scholarship in African philosophy, religious history, European intellectual history, and African psychology, the paper traces how missionary Christianity reclassified African spiritual worlds, recoded suffering and misfortune, and disrupted the transmission of spiritual knowledge across generations. Crucially, it situates this encounter within the longer history of Christianity’s own disenchantment: the suppression, within dominant Protestant and Enlightenment traditions, of enchanted practices that had characterised European Christianity for over a millennium. The missionary traditions that condemned African spirit mediation, ancestral veneration, and ritual healing were carriers of a tradition that had practised structurally analogous things before disciplining them out of its own self-understanding. The paper shows that colonial religion produced layered forms of subjectivity in which ancestral obligation, Christian doctrine, communal personhood, moral anxiety, and therapeutic pluralism coexist in tension. The concept of ontological compression is proposed to name the condition under which parts of the self become unsayable within authorised vocabularies, a condition rendered doubly intense by the fact that the compressing tradition had already performed this narrowing upon itself. Rather than treating African spirituality as residue, superstition, or cultural background, the paper proposes that it should be approached as a living philosophical and psychological archive through which many people continue to interpret suffering, relation, responsibility, and reality itself. 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

Blue space, as an important natural and social composite feature system in cities, not only provides supporting, regulating, and provisioning services, but also plays a key role in human well-being, recreational experience, and urban sustainable development. The blue space cultural ecosystem service (CES) has gradually attracted the attention of academia in recent years, but there is a lack of systematic integration research in related fields. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive analysis of current studies to clarify how, and to what extent, blue spaces influence CESs. This study adopts a PRISMA-based systematic search combined with qualitative synthesis, aiming to review the research status of CES and its developmental trajectory within blue space studies, and to identify future research trends and critical gaps. A total of 52 studies meeting the inclusion criteria were finally selected through database screening. The research innovatively divides the evolution of blue space CES into three stages (2012–2017/2018–2022/2023–2025), revealing a shift in research focus from single value identification to complex policy support. Secondly, through the mapping of six typical blue space types (such as rivers and wetlands) and 10 CES indicators, combined with a Pearson correlation heatmap, it provides quantitative insights into the coupling mechanisms between indicators, such as the significant synergy between spiritual and educational values. Methodologically, it systematically discriminates between the application boundaries of monetary valuation based on the contingent valuation method and non-monetary valuation represented by social media big data and PPGIS, pointing out that technological progress is driving the evaluation toward high dynamics and refinement. Finally, the study points out current bottlenecks such as uneven geographical distribution and insufficient planning transformation, emphasizing that future research should use artificial intelligence to improve data processing accuracy and transform blue space CESs from “invisible welfare” into “explicit policy assets” to guide sustainable urban renewal and healthy space design. Full article

Medieval biblical exegesis in the twelfth century was largely dominated by allegorical interpretation, often at the expense of the literal sense of Scripture. Richard of Saint Victor stands out as a significant exception. This article argues that his commitment to the literal sense of Scripture constitutes not merely a methodological requirement but a theological conviction that operates consistently across works of very different character. Through an analysis of Beniamin Minor, Beniamin Maior, and In Visionem Ezechielis, it shows that the literal sense functions in all three as the indispensable foundation upon which allegorical and tropological meanings are constructed. In the Beniamins, predominantly received as works of spiritual and allegorical theology, the literal sense quietly sustains the entire interpretative edifice—through etymology, onomastics, and precise biblical description. In In Visionem Ezechielis, by contrast, the littera itself becomes the object of an explicit and historically remarkable defence: Richard translates the complex architectural descriptions of Ezekiel’s Temple into architectural drawings that constitute some of the earliest known examples of representation in plan, elevation, and section. In doing so, he demonstrates not only that the literal sense of this contested passage is fully intelligible, but that word and image together can bear the weight of God’s revealed Word, enabling the reader to move from the literal and historical sense towards the spiritual meanings of Scripture and, ultimately, towards the contemplation of God. Full article

This article explores Rudolf Steiner’s Christology within the framework of cosmic evolution, focusing on the Second Coming of Christ as a pivotal metaphysical event. Identifying a scholarly lacuna regarding Steiner’s developmental cosmology and the work of Yeshayahu Ben-Aharon, the study adopts an immanent–synthetic methodology to demonstrate a sacramental, participatory epistemology. The first part unfolds Steiner’s vision of the ‘Mystery of Golgotha’ as a cosmic turning point where a macrocosmic death process is reversed into a resurrection life stream. The second part examines Ben-Aharon’s esoteric development of these ideas into a contemporary ‘knowledge drama of the Second Coming.’ Through the spiritualization of consciousness, Ben-Aharon describes an individual ‘essence-exchange’ with the Christ impulse within the ‘abyss of nothingness’ of our age. Finally, the article discusses the social–metaphysical implications of this drama through the ‘Reversed Cultus.’ Here, the indwelling Christ is recognized as humanity’s ‘Higher Self,’ grounding a new community and ‘school of love’ capable of responding to the technoscientific challenges of mechanization of intelligence and life. By positioning the human being as a co-creative agent in cosmic becoming, the article argues for a renewed understanding of the Second Coming as a new step in humanity’s spiritual evolution. Full article

This article explores how Buddhist theories of mind-nature can inform ethical design in artificial intelligence (AI), focusing on AI as a supportive condition for human awakening and self-realization. Drawing on the doctrine of no-self, it argues that AI should not be treated as an autonomous moral subject, but as a contingent mirror of human data, design, and intention. Although present AI does not possess prajñā, it can serve as a mindfulness aid by making patterns of thought, emotion, and desire more visible. Building on the Five Precepts and Ten Wholesome Deeds, the paper proposes design and oversight principles oriented toward non-harm, truthful communication, fairness, and the reduction of greed, hatred, and delusion in digital environments. It concludes that AI ethics is inseparable from the human moral agency, and that cultivating a “digital Pure Land” depends on the moral choices of decision-makers, engineers, policy-makers, and users, thereby linking technical governance to spiritual practice. Full article

Frank Herbert’s Dune (1965) establishes a universe defined by the “Butlerian Jihad”, a historical crusade that banned artificial intelligence and created a vacuum filled by religious engineering. This paper argues that in this post-cybernetic setting, religion functions as a sociological operating system designed for political control rather than a metaphysical connection to the divine. The study analyzes the Missionaria Protectiva to demonstrate how the Bene Gesserit order creates belief systems by co-opting and re-engineering Islamic theology. It suggests that the order’s manual of superstitions serves as a library of cultural scripts that primes the indigenous population to accept a manufactured Messiah, specifically the Mahdi. Consequently, the protagonist Paul Atreides is reinterpreted not as a traditional “White Savior” or authentic religious prophet but as a “hacker” who utilizes these pre-planted Islamic codes to access and manipulate the social infrastructure of Arrakis. His prescience functions as a form of biological predictive analytics that traps him in a deterministic loop of his own calculation. Ultimately, this reading suggests that Dune offers a critique of “techno-theology” by showing how the instrumentalization of the Mahdi figure transforms the concept of Jihad from a spiritual struggle into an unstoppable, automated algorithm of violence. Full article

This study investigates how South Korean meditation teachers conceptualize core professional competencies in digitally delivered and AI-mediated contemplative contexts, addressing a gap in prior research that has emphasized effectiveness and technological scalability over teachers’ own understandings of authority and professionalism. Using Q methodology, the study identified shared subjective meaning structures among 21 certified meditation teachers in South Korea. From 133 competency-related statements derived from academic literature and practitioner sources, a 33-item Q sample was developed and analyzed through by-person factor analysis. The analysis revealed four distinct perception types of meditation teaching competencies: 1. Embodied Practice-Grounded, prioritizing the depth of personal meditative practice; 2. Relational Presence-Grounded, emphasizing intersubjective attunement between teacher and practitioner; 3. Pedagogical Judgment-Grounded, focusing on the strategic integration of theory and coaching practice; and 4. Ethical Self-Reflection-Grounded, centering on ongoing moral reflexivity and inner examination. The findings indicate that, in the face of AI-driven automation, meditation teaching competence is perceived not as a set of technical skills or digital literacy, but as a “way of being” rooted in the triadic integration of ethical self-awareness, relational presence, and embodied practice. Furthermore, the study suggests that in AI-mediated contemplative environments, professional competence in AI-mediated contemplative environments is defined less by technological adoption than by ethical discernment and responsibility for non-delegable aspects of guidance, advancing a practitioner-centered account of spiritual authority in the era of artificial intelligence. Full article

Gary Snyder’s vision of the ‘great earth sangha’ articulates a philosophy of ecological awakening in which spiritual, ethical, and affective relationships connect all forms of life into a cohesive and sacred web of interbeing. The concept of the ‘great earth sangha’ embodies a profound sense of ‘oneness,’ in which the dichotomy between the self and the other dissolves, leading to a realisation of the Earth as a sentient, experiential, and pulsating entity. Inspired by the holistic perspectives of Buddhism and the resonances of Indigenous cosmologies, Snyder’s idea of the ‘great earth sangha’ represents a heightened consciousness and an “emotional intelligence” that fosters compassion, love, care and empathy for all beings in the world. For Snyder, the great earth sangha is a practice—a way of living in mindful ecological engagement. It is embedded with the principles of sila (morality), which foregrounds visions of harmonious coexistence and ecological kinship. This article argues that Snyder’s idea of the ‘great earth sangha’ offers a counter-anthropocentric perspective that subverts entrenched human-centred hierarchies by situating human identity within a communal web of existence. The article discusses how Snyder redefines the notion of ‘community’ as an inclusive, interdependent network that transcends human boundaries and embraces all planetary beings. Finally, the article explores how Snyder’s holistic vision propounds a restorative path that centres on ideas of ethics, affect, justice, responsibility and stewardship. Full article

Background/objectives: Emotional intelligence (EI) plays an important role in nursing education by supporting competencies such as communication, leadership, resilience, and clinical performance. In contemporary nursing education, students face increasing academic, clinical, and emotional demands, highlighting the need to identify modifiable factors that may be associated with EI and can inform student support strategies. Despite extensive EI research, evidence remains limited and inconsistent regarding how specific health-promoting lifestyle domains and sleep quality relate to EI among prelicensure nursing students. This study aimed to examine factors associated with EI and its relationship with health behaviors among prelicensure nursing students. Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative design was used. A convenience sample of 287 prelicensure nursing students from a local nursing school completed self-report questionnaires: the Schutte Self-report Emotional Intelligence Scale (SSEIS), the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (HPLP-II), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Results: In structured multiphase regression, HPLP-II interpersonal relations (B = 4.42, 95% CI = 1.44 to 7.50, p = 0.004) and spiritual growth (B = 6.59, 95% CI = 3.81 to 9.37, p < 0.001) were positively associated with EI. Poor sleep quality (PSQI > 5) was negatively associated with EI (B = −1.95, 95% CI = −3.88 to −0.01, p = 0.049). Conclusions: Interpersonal relations, spiritual growth, and sleep quality were associated with EI among prelicensure nursing students. These factors may be relevant to consider when designing student support and EI-related educational initiatives; however, longitudinal and intervention studies are needed to clarify directionality and causality. Full article

This essay explores the metaphysical and philosophical implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) through the intersecting insights of René Guénon (ʿAbd al-Wāḥid Yaḥiā), Martin Heidegger, and Ibn al-ʿArabī. It argues that modern AI systems, particularly in their statistical and data-centric forms, are not merely instrumental tools but expressions of a deeper metaphysical worldview-one rooted in quantification, abstraction, and utility. Guénon’s critique of the “reign of quantity” and Heidegger’s notion of Enframing (Gestell) converge in diagnosing the loss of qualitative and sacred dimensions in modern life. While Heidegger’s phenomenology provides a powerful immanent critique of technological reductionism from within the Western philosophical tradition, Guénon’s metaphysical traditionalism articulates a diagnosis of modernity that resonates with Islamic metaphysics, especially as articulated by Ibn al-ʿArabī. The essay includes Heidegger in the argument as a representative of a critique of modern technology issuing from the Western tradition itself, and by emphasizing his shared concerns with Guénon, whose metaphysics resonates with Ibn al-ʿArabī’s metaphysics. Through a comparative metaphysical framework, this paper proposes an Islamic response to AI that avoids both technophilia and technophobia, insisting instead on a spiritually grounded ethic of technology that preserves human’s dignity and mission. Methodologically, the essay restores a prior order often inverted in contemporary AI ethics: ontology (what AI is) grounds epistemology (what it can know), and only then can ethical evaluation be coherent. Full article

This study explores the concept of spiritual intelligence from an evolutionary perspective, providing a comprehensive and updated definition. A concept analysis was conducted following Rodgers’ Evolutionary Method, supported by a scoping review in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. Studies explicitly addressing spiritual intelligence, regardless of population, setting, or discipline, were included across quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods, and review designs. Four databases—PsycINFO, PubMed Central, Scopus, and Web of Science—were searched for publications up to 15 December 2025, using the term “spiritual intelligence.” One-hundred-twelve articles met inclusion criteria and were analyzed through narrative synthesis and inductive analytical processing. Spiritual intelligence emerged as a construct encompassing adaptive cognition, higher consciousness, problem management, and personal growth, often referred to as Spiritual Quotient or Existential Intelligence. Antecedents included self and transcendental awareness, existential questioning, and search for meaning and purpose, while consequents comprised enhanced health, performance, self-awareness, and humanitarian orientation. Defining attributes were equanimity, life-wisdom, transcendental awareness, spiritual consciousness, meaning and purpose creation, and existential questioning. This evolutionary analysis traced the concept from theory to application, revealing its positive influence in daily life. Equanimity and life-wisdom were identified as core attributes, highlighting implications for training and integration of spiritual care in professional practice. Full article

Background/Objectives: Earlier initiation of palliative care improves clinical outcomes, including better symptom relief, enhanced quality of life, and decreased use of healthcare resources in advanced disease. This systematic review aimed to identify and critically appraise existing tools, both conventionally developed and based on artificial intelligence, designed to identify patients eligible for early palliative care interventions. Methods: Six electronic databases were examined for primary research studies published between 2000 and 2025. Studies that described or evaluated screening instruments developed to support the early identification of adult patients with palliative care needs underwent dual reviewer screening and data extraction. Results: A total of 35 studies were included. Of these, 13 reported the development of screening tools and 22 focused on the external validation of these instruments. Nine tools were developed using traditional methods, and four instruments were created using artificial intelligence techniques. Significant heterogeneity was observed in tool design and target populations. Most screening tools used death prediction as a proxy, with limited integration of psychological and spiritual dimensions. External validation studies primarily focused on predicting mortality. Overall, all the tools showed moderate predictive ability. Conclusions: The ability of current screening tools to identify patients with advanced diseases who are likely to have palliative care needs remains limited. Further research is needed to develop standardized screening processes that address not only mortality prediction but also disease trajectory and functional decline. Full article

In the face of advancing globalisation processes and intensified contacts between representatives of different cultures and religions, interreligious dialogue is becoming an important component of contemporary social coexistence. This article aims to establish a relationship between interpersonal skills, moral intelligence, and readiness to engage in interreligious dialogue among adult Poles. A total of 519 people aged 18 to 75 (M = 48.44; SD = 15.55) were surveyed. This study used the Readiness to Engage in Interreligious Dialogue Scale (TGDMVE), the Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire (ICQ-R) and the Moral Intelligence Quotient (MIQ). The results of the analyses indicated that, in terms of interpersonal competence, the strongest significant predictor of all five dimensions of readiness to engage in interreligious dialogue was active concern for others. In terms of moral intelligence, it was the ability to recognise spiritual needs. The results may have significant practical implications for the areas of intercultural education, the prevention of xenophobic attitudes, and the building of social capital based on dialogue, trust, and respect. Full article