Act Of God Research Articles

The Doctrine of Memory in Origen of Alexandria: Intersecting the Theory of Divine Names, Platonic Recollection, and Feminine Perspectives

Abstract Posing as the first attempt to study systematically Origen’s doctrine of memory, this article pieces together the sparse references to memory in the Origenian literature. While no systematic attempt to investigate memory is traceable in Origen’s thought, the psychological function of memory does present itself as a minor but significant element in his theology. First, I clear the way from unnecessary connections to the Platonic doctrine of recollection suggested by the few scholars who have tackled the issue. Then, I frame Origen’s understanding of memory within his “doctrines of names.” Memory is shown as the result of the nature of names and their ontological capacity to evoke the power of the named object and make it present in the mind of the utterer even before reaching a full intellectual understanding of it. Secondly I analyse biblical characters, especially Zechariah, Mary, and Elizabeth, showing how Origen turned the function of memory into a step of the human ascensive path toward God. The act of seeking God in one’s memory is overcome when his presence occurs in contemplation, shifting from an economy of memory/imagination/manifestation to one of presence/contemplation. In the doctrines of divine names, the “memory” is opposed to the “voice,” which is the distinctive trait of the new economy. Thirdly I show that, not only men, but also women are presented by Origen as examples of how to overcome the economy of memory, thus becoming “voice” of God. In fact, women represent the shift from memory to voice even better than men. They embody literally the path from “memory” to “voice,” as the image that Origen uses to represent this shift is pregnancy, which thus metaphorically expresses the whole history of salvation as a process of spiritual transformation towards God.

Divine teleology in Spinoza's thought: an underexplored side of Spinoza’s philosophical journey

ABSTRACT This paper shows that Spinoza went through a drastic change in his view on divine teleology, and that this change is worth paying attention to. In the Short Treatise (KV), Spinoza endorsed a version of divine teleology. As is widely recognized, however, he explicitly rejects divine teleology in the Ethics. I argue that this marks a significant change in his view. To illustrate the significance, I argue that Spinoza consistently maintains the following two premises in both the KV and the Ethics: (1) human beings act on account of some end; (2) human actions are actions of God. While the endorsement of divine teleology is consistent with these two, the rejection of divine teleology results in a trilemma. The trilemma, to be sure, can be resolved by introducing referential opacity to divine action contexts. I argue, however, that it is worth asking why Spinoza revised his view in this way.

“Violent Times Call for Violent Prayers”: “Divine Violence” during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, Nigeria

Interest in studying prayer has significantly increased because of the belief that it helps humanity to cope, particularly in times of crisis. Prayer is not just a communication with God, it is also an instrument of bond and embodied ritual among prayer litigants or people who belong to the same religious community. This article argues that divine violence, a sovereign act of God, was crucially needed by the litigants in order to guarantee human flourishing in the face of existential threat. The article studied how violent prayer—a genre of prayer that is targeted at the spirits underlying physical manifestation of suffering, pain, or crisis—was utilised by the Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministries (MFMM) in Nigeria to cope with the fear and uncertainties occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic. This article is part of an ongoing ethnographic research on “The Politics and Poetics of Violent Prayer in the Nigerian Pentecostal Churches”, which began in 2021. I utilised ethnographic engagement, particularly interviews and participant observation, to attempt to understand what these prayer litigants are doing when they pray violently.

Three faces of climate change: Using Q-methodology to understand farmers’ perspectives of climate change and adaptive capacity in Bangladesh’s wetland areas

Even though the weather-dependent agricultural sector is severely impacted by climate change and requires more adaptive measures, climate change adaptation in the global south is slow. The perception of farmers, who are the final decision-makers, strongly influences the adoption of climate-smart technologies and the (un)willingness to follow recommended measures. Although perception studies have attracted the international community’s interest, these studies have disregarded the heterogeneity within the farming community. Our study uses Q-methodology to address this gap by examining small-scale farmers’ perspectives on climate change and their perceived adaptation capacity in wetland areas of north-eastern Bangladesh. Following post-sort interviews, 36 farmers were invited to participate in the Q-sorting using 34 pre-selected statements. The study revealed three distinct types of perspectives on climate change and adaptive capacity: theists who believe in the act of God and take a “do nothing” approach, realists who believe in climate change but are unaware of climate change trade-offs, and pragmatists who recognize climate change and actively pursue adaptations. The awareness of different climate change perspectives can support policymakers and extension service providers. By replacing their one-size-fits-all approach, they can better assist wetland farmers in developing and implementing tailored adaptation strategies.

The Discussions Regarding the Belonging of the Qur’ānic Words in the Tradition of Tafsir and the Critique of Them

It’s understood that God aimed to communicate with human beings and send messages to them by creating the first man as the first prophet. To exemplify, God desired to be understood by them while sending the Torah in Hebrew, the Bible in Syriac, and the Qur’ān in Arabic. However, his Hebrew speech has a different nature from his Syriac, and his Arabic word has a different essence from his Hebrew and Syriac. Based on this reality, when viewing the history of Islamic thought, it is seen that scholars have tried to understand the nature of the speech of God and make sense of it. Essentially, understanding and grasping the words of God are an effort to look from the physical realm to the metaphysical one. Despite this fact, the scholars, as the indomitable seekers of truth, are searching for clues to say about it. While some of them consider the “divine speech” as an attribute of God, many others view it as a “divine act”. It is also admitted by all of them that whether being attributive or an act of God, the reflection of the divine speech is the Qurʼān. In this sense, three approaches have been put forward to the question of the belonging of the Qurʼānic words. In compliance with the dominant and preferred point of view among these views, the Qurʼān belongs to God in terms of wording and meaning. Accordingly, the revelation of the Qurʼān, which was revealed to the Prophet Muḥammad, consists of both wording and meaning. Therefore, there is no intervention or contribution of Gabriel or Muḥammad in constituting the Qurʼān. According to the second approach, the meanings of the Qurʼānic text belong to God; however, its words pertain to Muḥammad. This perspective indicates that Gabriel revealed nothing more than the meanings of the Qurʼān. Muḥammad understood the meanings conveyed to him and then uttered them in Arabic expression patterns and phrases. In conformity with the third approach, the meanings of the Qurʼānic text belong to God, however, its words pertain to Gabriel. In other words, only the meanings of the text were given to Gabriel, and its words were formed by him. In the present study, the mentioned approaches, which are asserted by scholars about the belonging of Qurʼānic words, first will be explained in a descriptive style. Subsequently, they will be evaluated in terms of the integrity of the Qurʼān, its natural historical atmosphere, and the transmissions of the Qur’ānic exegesis (riwāyāt) of the classical period from an analytical point of view. To put it briefly, it can be said that there is no disagreement among scholars in the field of the belonging of the meanings of the Qurʼānic text to God. The main disagreement is whether the Qurʼānic words belong to God, Gabriel, or Muḥammad. Considering the integrity of the Qurʼān, its natural historical atmosphere, and tafsir transmissions regarding the circumstances of sending down the Qurʼānic revelation, it has been determined that the prevailing view is more coherent than the other two views.

The Providential Genocides: Racial Survival and Acts of God in Fin-de-Siècle Apocalyptic Fiction

This paper focuses on three narratives from the popular press during the boom in apocalyptic literature at the turn of the twentieth century: George Griffith’s Olga Romanoff (1894), Robert Barr’s “Within an Ace of the End of the World” (1900), and M. P. Shiel’s The Purple Cloud (1901). In all three texts, a catastrophic event causes the near extinction of humanity, and the event is inscribed in a religious narrative wherein humanity’s moral failings justify the cataclysm. In these texts, the survivors are European or descended from Europeans, such that post-apocalyptic humanity is exclusively White; all racial Others are depicted as unworthy of divine protection, or even as worthy of divine destruction. The survivors of these disasters fuse social Darwinism and theology to present themselves as racially superior and thus divinely favoured, compared to the deceased. The providential genocide significantly alters ethical ramifications by ensuring that racial elimination does not occur because of deliberate actions on the part of characters, sparing them from any culpability; instead, racial cleansing is presented as God’s will. This sets up a White exclusivist racial utopia free of moral stain, although the persistence of racial ideology into the apocalypse can undermine the utopian sentiment.

Ecological Theology of Creation in The Perspective of The Theology of The Trinity

The action of God is always the action of the Trinity. Therefore, in properly interpreting theological issues, taking this truth into account is necessary. This is the reason for attempting to interpret the ecological theology of creation from a Trinitarian aspect. The analysis of biblical and theological sources provides the basis for this. The analyses carried out reconstruct the traditional issue model of the theology of creation. They develop an understanding of the relationship between God and creation. For the triune God is the model and deepest source of relationality. The essential love between the persons of the Trinity and the profound relationship of love between the Triune God and creation carries an inspiring message for the construction of man's relationship to the world according to God's design. This should constitute the essential foundation of an ecotheological praxeology.

Readings on Evolution and the Nature of Science: One Christian’s Perspective

Readings on Evolution and the Nature of Science: One Christian’s Perspective

Understanding Different Perspectives on Salvation

Salvation is one of the widely bounded themes in the scripture that has gained traction under discourse due to the many perspectives under which it is viewed. This paper presents a discussion on the various perspectives of salvation both from a historical viewpoint and within the current theologies. The aim is to provide an understanding of salvation from different perspectives as observed by Augustine, Roman Catholic, Liberation, Secular, Evangelical and Biblical theologies. The study will promote reflection and debates among the scholars which will enhance problem-solving. The objective was therefore achieved through a review of various literary studies with biblical references to the term salvation and interview proponents of different theologies. The study, however, finds that despite the wide range of how different theologies view salvation, the only way to salvation is properly stipulated in the bible, thus it supports the biblical theory that salvation is by grace through faith, and furthermore, salvation is wholly an act of God. While this study was limited to the analysis of the term through a review of past studies, this paper recommends further study based on contemporary society collecting primary data on how different people view salvation.

Kajian Teori Tentang Gembalakanlah Domba Allah Menurut 1 Petrus 5:1-11 Dan Aplikasinya Bagi Hamba Tuhan

There are actions of God's servants that are not in accordance with the true meaning of service in shepherding the congregation, and the importance of the meaning of Shepherd God's sheep to be significant for the life and service of God's servants. This article aims to explore the meaning implied in the writings of the Apostle Peter about the importance of shepherding God's church, and can build the personality, morals and spirituality of the church. This research uses a qualitative approach, by analyzing various sources such as books, novels, and updates related to the topic. The results of the analysis see the importance of God's servants interpreting the call to serve God to have a positive impact on the revival of the church. A servant of God must be able to be a blessing and example in all aspects of life so that the congregation truly believes that there is a God. The contents in this article are presented to make readers especially servants of God aware to serve God wholeheartedly, not with other motivations but for glory for God's name. This research is expected to contribute thoughts for God's servants in enriching themselves to become true Shepherds for God's Sheep friends.

“KAIROS OF Biblical Geo-politics for the New Life of the Minjung in the 21st Century”

Theologically speaking, it is in this situation that we begin to sense the imminence of the KAIROTIC GEO-POLITICS. We begin with the Biblical geo-politics of God’s Reign, which would manifest itself in the geo-politics of globalization. In the Bible there are two distinct geo-political configurations: One is the imperial and royal geo-politics, and the other is that of the Reign of God. The latter we call the Kairotic geo-politics. The Kairotic geo-politics makes radical interventions for the new life in the OIKOS (household) of God. The OIKOS is the abode of the life, created by God. The geo-politics of the Egyptian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Greek and Roman imperial powers were subverted by the Kairotic geo-politics of the Messianic Reign of the new heaven and new earth in which the new and eternal life is celebrated in the new city (new Jerusalem) and in the New Garden (Rev.21 & 22). The creation of the cosmos and therein the life in the Garden is the original Kairotic act of God to overcome the forces and powers of darkness and chaos that cause to destroy the order of creation, the is, the order for the life. Christ is the decisive power of the new and eternal life. Christ has overcome the power of death to realize the Resurrection of the life. This is the Messianic Kairos. The Spirit is the ever-present power of life that renews the life and gives the power for new life in the universe and in all dimensions. The Messianic geo-politics of cosmic OIKOS in which the new and eternal full) life in the New City under the New Heaven and New Earth is celebrated is the paradigm to overcome the geo-politics that gives the power and basis to overcome the powers of death, present in the globalization process.

The unintended consequences of no blame ideology for incident investigation in the US construction industry

A ‘no blame’ approach within incident investigations is common practice across many industries. It seeks to optimize worker engagement with the process, enhancing information collection and subsequent organizational learning from any incidents that do occur. Workers are assured they will not be blamed for accidents when they swiftly report and fully comply with investigations. A no blame ideology has been widely adopted across the US construction industry, yet it can bring unintended consequences to aspects of the investigative process that, ironically, can also limit organizational learning. Discourse analysis of n = 34 empirical incident investigation simulated interview transcripts, carried out with construction safety experts in an experimental setting, revealed a discourse we termed ‘new blame’ that detrimentally influenced and shaped investigation interviews. The discourse renders interviewers reluctant to unpack the people in the process, and instead directs focus on things easily blamed without consequence, such as inanimate objects, organizational procedures, or paperwork. Yet without understanding of how workers interact with their work, and what went wrong this time, learning is inevitably limited. At its most extreme, ‘new blame’ takes incident investigation back to ‘Acts of God’; people absolved from any and all responsibility. As no blame is likely to endure, awareness and acknowledgement of such unintended consequences is essential to ensure ‘new blame’ is not hindering learning from incidents and thus the enhancement of occupational safety in the future.

Pilgrimage, Precarity, and Pandemics

Pilgrimage, Precarity, and Pandemics

Human Being and the World in the Capricious Radiance of Talmudic Mythology (Based on a Religious Study of the Little-Researched Work of Yakym Olesnytsky)

The article continues and develops the experience of actual reading of one of the significant, but littlestudied works of the prominent Kyiv Hebrew scholar and biblical scholar of the last third of the XIX – early XX century, professor of the Kyiv Theological Academy Yakym Olesnytsky. Through the religious study reinterpretation of the structural elements of Talmudic mythology discovered by Olesnytsky, the peculiarities of the evolution of the agadic picture of the world were revealed. Being quite structurally heterogeneous, this phenomenon is characterized by “human dimension”, which is the leitmotif of universal natural harmony, social order, moral balance of good and evil. Both the actions of God, and the elements of nature, and the norms and requirements of society are full of mental, psycho-emotional tension, placed in a situation of moral choice and action, appear in fact anthropological projections, the image of human abilities. Therefore, the anthropological aspects of the transformations of agadic consciousness have been studied from the standpoint of religious studies. The transformation of psychological and anthropological motives in agadic angel and demonology and ideas about the human soul is singled out; revealed dimensions of the sacred symbolization of the unity of man with nature, humanity and the universe in the agadic doctrine of metempsychosis; anthropological and socio-political projections of agadic sacred geography and ritualized practices of contact with the afterlife as with the “Other Reality” are demonstrated; the sacred dimensions of ethno-, cultural- and religious-genesis engraved in the agada are traced.

The Pandemic Special with a Side of Shut-Downs: A Note on NYC's Restaurants in the Age of COVID-19

SARS-CoV-2 is the virus causing the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The World Health Organization (WHO) stated the virus originated in Wuhan, China. On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. On the day of this declaration, New York City reported its first COVID-19 associated death. Three weeks after the discovery of the coronavirus, NYC accounted for 5% of the world’s confirmed cases, rendering the region a global epicenter. By May 2, 2020, New York City recorded 13,831 COVID-19 deaths, and estimated an additional 5,048 probable deaths. COVID-19 is infamous for its lethal effects: the Center for Disease Control listed COVID-19 symptoms that include “fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches . . . . ” For individuals who are at higher risk of severe illness (young children, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems), COVID-19 is deadly. Globally, and as current as January, 2021, the WHO reported 93,611,355 confirmed cases, and over two million deaths. When the pandemic struck the State of New York in March 2020, Governor Cuomo signed Executive Order No. 202, declaring a state of emergency. Shortly after this declaration, the Governor signed the “New York on PAUSE” Executive Order which required all nonessential businesses to shut down. Subsequent guidance clarified the meaning of “essential businesses,” which did not include restaurants. The COVID-19 crisis in New York City eviscerated most restaurants’ capacities to conduct their ordinary business activities. Even when New York City began entering its reopening phases, the economic ramifications of COVID-19 and the Executive Orders continued to pose unprecedented hardships for restaurants. Despite the substantial health risks of resuming restaurant work amidst a global pandemic, many restaurant owners concluded that reopening their businesses would be an unprofitable and dangerous affair. Accordingly, many restaurant owners diligently, although with great sadness, elected to close shop permanently. Commercial rent in Midtown Manhattan and throughout New York City is expensive. Rent may be as high as thousands of dollars per square foot. As such, the pandemic understandably caused landlords anxiety about lost income. Yet some landlords began pestering small business owners for rent. Beyond mere pestering, such landlords have threatened to sue for damages to recover the rent owed. This crisis ended lengthy, harmonious, and profitable businesses ventures. Amongst the myraid, unfortunate results of this pandemic, a new looming threat of unjust enrichment emerges. If landlords threatening to sue small restaurant owners for rent owed succeed, such owners would suffer a burdensome economic harm, in addition to losing their businesses. This crisis raises complicated questions of contract and property law regarding commercial leases in the event of unforeseeable emergencies: should defendants in breach of contract lawsuits be required to pay rent when performance of the paramount contractual terms, i.e., operating the business safely, become no longer possible? Does a global pandemic constitute an “act of God” which triggers force majeure clauses? And in the absence of such clauses, can the common law doctrines of impossibility of performance or frustration of purpose rise up to the defense of the small business owner? Can the State and City of New York solve this matter through legislation and ordinances? This Note explores these questions, while prescribing the need for force majeure clauses that clearly define pandemics and other imminent natural disasters as triggering events as the most powerful prospective solution. This Note will first discuss COVID-19’s impact on New York City from public health, economic, and administrative perspectives. The next part will delve into relevant pending legislation and enacted NYC ordinances that respond directly to the issue of commercial rent in this crisis. Part III discusses the state of the common law of contracts with respect to force majeure and impossibility of performance doctrine. Part IV includes legal analysis of four major areas of contract law in New York: impossibility of performance doctrine, force majeure, landlord-tenant obligations, and remedies. Fifth, the note will propose solutions to this crisis. Retrospectively, considering that many contracts do not presently include “pandemics” in their clauses, the impossibility of performance doctrine in the absence of force majeure can serve to protect small business owners. Prospectively, force majeure and material adverse effect clauses should specify “pandemics,” by constituting the strongest form of protection for any party adversely affected by unforeseeable, catastrophic events. Finally, the Note will conclude by summarizing the major arguments and themes, and will reemphasize the policy considerations of protecting small restaurant owners from unjust enrichments in the COVID-19 context.

ALTAR SEBAGAI TEMPAT TERJADINYA PERISTIWA KESELAMATAN: TINJAUAN TEOLOGIS MENURUT ALFONSUS MARIA DE LIGUORI

This article is a study to find the theological meaning of altar according to Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori. The author is interested in examining one of the peculiarities of Alphonsus' theology, namely the altar. The main focus of this writing is to find the theological meaning of the altar according to Alphonsus. The method used is a literature study. The main source of this research is the theological reflections generated from the writings of Alphonsus. The purpose of this article has two purposes. First, helping the Catholic people to experience the Eucharist more deeply when it is set with Alphonsus' understanding of the altar. Second, through this research, the readers can understand and take inspiration from the meaning of the altar in their daily lives.The theological meaning of the altar according to Alphonsus is the altar as an act of God's love, the altar as God's gift to humans, the altar as a symbol of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the altar as a symbol of the unity of God and man

Is There a Principle of Continued Material Being?

Abstract What is the relation of an earlier being to a later such that given the earlier there is or will be a later? I call this the question of material continuation. To answer, I offer a review of several philosophers’ thoughts, including those of Zeno, Aristotle, Descartes, Bertrand Russell, Henri Bergson, and Alfred North Whitehead. While there is considerable variety among the ontological views of these philosophers, and indeed some direct opposition of both method and assertion, my review suggests that material continuation may be explained by reference to a principle of continual creation. This principle is reflected in Aristotle's unmoved mover, in Descartes's account of God's activity in persistence, in Bergson's concept of la durée, and in Whitehead's principle of creativity. It disappears from view in objective methodologies first emerging in pre-Socratic thought, made rigorous by the development of science by the modern philosophers such as Descartes, and realized in the scientist philosophy of Russell. I include some consideration of whether the creative principle might be ideal or divine.

Niedzielna Eucharystia, jej znaczenie w historii i we wspólnocie Kościoła

The article presents the sacrament of the Eucharist in the perspective of Sunday, because this sacrament is the source of the whole Christian life, and the Church lives thanks to the Eucharist (Ecclesia de Eucharistia vivit). It presents an overview of the major changes in the liturgy and the theology of the Holy Mass on Sunday, as well as the value of Sunday for the People of God. The liturgy, especially the Sunday liturgy, is not a theological treatise or a scientific lecture, but a celebration of the mystery of Christ, that is, the action of God himself together with the gathered People of God. It is an authentic confession of faith and a sign of belonging to the Church of God and union with him. The faithful, when they do not understand the spirit and meaning of the rites, withdraw, sometimes looking for other forms of religiosity. Therefore, there is a need to encourage, educate and prepare them for a fuller participation in the Sunday liturgy, which is, after all, of fundamental importance for the life of the Church and its individual members. It is the liturgy that effectively creates communion and educates to communion. The liturgy, especially the Sunday liturgy, lived in the full communion of the Church, reveals the entire mystery of Christ, from the Incarnation and Nativity to the Ascension and Pentecost, and the expectation of the blessed hope and coming of Christ. It is the realization of God’s plan of salvation and the continuation of the history of salvation to which all are called.

The Doctrine of the Trinity: Intellectual Construct or Ontological Reality? Reflections from the Philosophy of Science

AbstractThis article draws on the distinction between instrumentalism and realism in the philosophy of science to consider the merits of two possible approaches to the doctrine of the Trinity. One considers this doctrine to be an intellectual construct, which coordinates multiple insights about the nature and action of God; the other considers it to be a statement about the ontological reality of God. After considering some of the scientific issues associated with each of these positions, it is argued that the Trinity can be helpfully envisaged theologically in both these manners, providing that they are not separated or considered to be incompatible. The article concludes by exploring the potential contribution of each approach to contemporary theological reflection.

Karl Barth and Catholic Theology: Does Barth Undo the Deep Grammar of Nicene Faith?

This article explores Bruce Marshall's objections to Barth's doctrine of God and his view of salvation. Whereas Marshall's key objection to Barth's doctrine of God centers on his view that “Barth equates who God is with what God does” and that this assertion, when carried out consistently, “undoes the deep grammar of the Nicene faith—the Catholic faith,” I demonstrate that Marshall has misread Barth by assuming that he has collapsed the immanent Trinity into the economic Trinity. Marshall thinks that for Barth, “God simply has no being other than his being for us.” I explain that Barth always made a key distinction between the eternal self-sufficient being and act of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and his free and loving actions toward us in the economy.