Issues Of Religion Research Articles

Arendt’s Political Theology—From Political Religion to Profanation

The article elaborates on Arendt’s take on the religious and the political and on how they interact and merge in modernity, especially in totalitarianism. We start with framing the three different understandings of religion in Arendt: first, a classic understanding of religion, which is foreign to the logic of the political; second, a secularized political religion; and third, a weak messianism. Both the classic understanding of religion and the political religion deny human freedom in Arendt’s sense. Her transcendent alternative to them both is the notion of the democratic political community: the Republic. Then we turn to Arendt’s political theology, illuminating why interrogating Nazism is central to examine the relationship between politics and religion in modernity. This is followed by a discussion of Nazism as a type of political religion. We focus here on totalitarianism, both as an idea and actual institution. We conclude with an assessment of the role of profanation in Arendt’s work and its significance vis-à-vis the contemporary ‘return of religion’ as well as totalitarian tendencies which call for new forms of voluntary servitude.

Mexican Exodus: Emigrants, Exiles, and Refugees of the Cristero War by Julia G. Young

Reviewed by: Mexican Exodus: Emigrants, Exiles, and Refugees of the Cristero War by Julia G. Young Anne M. Martínez Mexican Exodus: Emigrants, Exiles, and Refugees of the Cristero War. By Julia G. Young. (Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2016. Pp. xii, 271. $82.00. ISBN 978-0-19-020500-3.) My nonagenarian father has vivid memories of going to a “bootleg” Catholic kindergarten in the early 1930s, trying to avoid soldiers in Pénjamo, Guanajuato on his way to the house of the week, where Catholic nuns offered elicit lessons on the faith to young Mexicans in the aftermath of the Cristero War. My American-born father, whose family fled to Chicago during the Mexican Revolution in the 1910s, grew up in his mother’s hometown in the Catholic heartland of Mexico. His story, like those recounted in Julia Young’s Mexico Exodus, reveals the transnational nature of Mexican communities, and the ways Catholicism permeated the journeys abroad and returns home for many Mexicans across multiple generations. Dr. Young writes that her primary argument is that the Cristero War had a much wider geographic impact than previously understood. Indeed, this is her [End Page 179] intervention in Mexican historiography. For American Catholic historians, “the transnational forms of popular activism and resistance that occurred within the Mexican emigrant diaspora” (13) are much more significant. The book describes countless failed attempts by Cristeros in exile in the United States to overthrow their government. These failures do not reduce the impact of Cristero exiles; rather they illustrate the abiding commitment to the Cristero cause despite the overwhelming odds when two governments and many of their own emigrant countrymen were against them. Chapter 1 details the long history of Church-State conflict in Mexico. Chapter 2 brings Cristero migrants—both lay and clerical—into focus, highlighting their journeys to cities across the U.S. Southwest and Midwest. Young centers the work among Cristeros in the United States to keep pressure on the Mexican government to repeal the Calles Law in the third chapter, creating tensions within local communities and building networks of Cristero exiles across the United States. In the fourth chapter, Young considers largely unsuccessful efforts to mobilize the U.S. Catholic hierarchy and lay communities in support of the Cristero resistance. Chapter 5 outlines the lasting influence of the Cristeros in the Catholic patriotism of Mexicans like my father in the decade following the 1929 settlement between Church and state. The final chapter features the lasting resonance of the Cristero era and its martyrs for Mexicans and Mexican Americans. In the epilogue, Young displays contemporary commemorations of the Cristero era by American Catholic groups and Mexican American Catholics. The strength of Mexican Exodus is the unearthing of countless stories of Mexicans in exile rallying around their faith and against their government from the United States. Though occasional glimpses of Catholic practice among early twentieth-century Mexican American communities have been captured in previous texts, they rarely mention Cristeros or political dissension around issues of religion. Young describes the tensions the Cristero War brought to these communities in vivid detail and shows that Cristeros in the United States did not just bide their time until they could return to Mexico, or settle in to established Mexican communities in the United States. They continued the fight for their faith within local communities and kept their focus—emotional, political, and financial—on removing the Calles regime from power. The book would benefit from a thorough copy edit. In addition to wording issues here and there, for example, Francis Kelley’s surname is misspelled twice in a paragraph in which it appears three times (48). These kinds of errors detract from the narrative and make the reader wonder what other oversights there might be. Mexican Exodus is a significant contribution to the growing historical literature on Mexican American Catholicism. Julia Young’s vital history illustrates the lived religion of Cristeros and their descendants in the United States. [End Page 180] Anne M. Martínez University of Groningen Copyright © 2019 The Catholic University of America Press

A Life That Is Good: The Message of Proverbs in a World Wanting Wisdom by Glenn Pemberton

Reviewed by: A Life That Is Good: The Message of Proverbs in a World Wanting Wisdom by Glenn Pemberton Michael S. Moore glenn pemberton, A Life That Is Good: The Message of Proverbs in a World Wanting Wisdom (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans 2018). Pp. xviii + 236. $18. The purpose of this book is twofold: (a) to provide a usable resource for "faith-based discussion groups and Bible classes, with secondary consideration for undergraduate university courses on Israel's wisdom literature" (p. xv); and (b) to help such readers learn how to tell the difference between "the good life" championed in Proverbs and the one relentlessly advertised on their television, phone, and computer screens. This intended audience is quite specific, and in many ways this volume is quite different from the books and monographs regularly reviewed in this journal. Even a cursory reading, however, makes clear that this is one of the best new books on Proverbs available to this (or any other) readership. Not only is it eminently readable, but it is carefully structured, an irony given the fact that the structure of Proverbs is so famously difficult to pin down. For this reason Pemberton thinks it appropriate, in view of the amorphous structure of the biblical book, to expose contemporary students to this ancient Hebrew text by cutting it up into digestible fragments or, to use one of his own metaphors, to help them identify which types of "railroad cars" (flatbed, boxcar, refrigeration, livestock, passenger, tankcar) seem best suited to transport which types of "freight" (p. 23). After a pithy introduction explaining what it is that Hebrew sages habitually do (comparing and contrasting their work with that of prophets and priests), P. plunges into that area of interest with which most instructors today are most acutely aware—gender. Avoiding the guild tendency to bog students down in "Goddess Sophia" speculation, P. instead challenges them to appreciate the character and contours of the roles enacted in Proverbs 1–9 by the five women who serve as the primary educators of the book's original audience—young men. These include (a) the young man's mother, (b) the young man's wife, (c) the other woman, (d) the wisdom woman, and (e) the foolish woman (Proverbs 1–9). Attention then turns to Proverbs 10–31 as an assemblage of sapiential responses to five distinct "challenges": (a) absolute vs. conditional meaning; (b) translation and culture; (c) enigma; (d) description vs. prescription; and (e) "the Bible factor" (i.e., the "inspiration" and "authoritativeness" of Proverbs as a religious text). Prolegomena out of the way, P. turns in the next few chapters to questions and concerns [End Page 320] deemed central to Hebrew wisdom generally and Proverbs particularly. The first, cleverly conceived and written, is entitled "Deforming Character: How to Become a Fool." Much like C. S. Lewis's Screwtape Letters, this chapter is an entertaining, tongue-in-cheek exposé on how foolmongering develops in individuals over time: (a) stage 1: foolish actions; (b) stage 2: stepping onto the path of folly; (c) stage 3: the hardening; (d) stage 4: collapse and rage. Imaginatively illustrated and skillfully articulated, this chapter might easily stand alone as a separate volume, as might several others in this slim paperback. The next chapter, "What's God Got to Do With It? Searching for God in Proverbs," attempts to explain the Deus absconditus climate of Proverbs by laying out the argument of Klaus Koch that God has no need to be directly involved ("Is There A Doctrine of Retribution in the Old Testament?," in Theodicy in the Old Testament [ed. James L. Crenshaw; Issues in Religion and Theology 4; Philadelphia: Fortress, 1983] 60-61) alongside that of William McKane that the book's oldest layer is fundamentally secular, not religious (Proverbs: A New Approach [OTL; London: SPCK, 1970] 10-22). P.'s response to this debate is to insist that, whatever position one takes, the "key phrase distinguishing the book of Proverbs from collections of advice for 'the good life' at local bookstores is 'the fear of the Lord'"—a phrase he wants to see as the "golden thread holding Proverbs together" (p. 86). The next chapter ("Justice and Mercy...

Country idea in the poetry of the poet «Zarzaman»

This article is devoted to the creative thoughts of the poets of the so-called era «Zar Zaman» («Sorrowful Times»), in which they openly expressed their civic position, boldly chanting the reality of the XIX century. The historical and literary heritage of the Kazakh people is the core of our national history and culture, its important part. Purposeful poets – thinkers at every social system in difficult historical moments in the life of their country always stood on the side of the people, raising its pressing problems, were heralds, the spokesman of the interests of ordinary people. The literary heritage of such thinker poets as Dulat Babatayuly, Shortanbai Kanayuly, Murat Munkeuly has long been considered and evaluated as forbidden to read and publish a work that had its own political reasons. Understanding the word as a weapon of service to the people, the poets in their thoughts described the sufferings of the common people from colonial oppression, the reduction of the ancestral lands and the disrespectful attitude to the issues of national traditions and religion of the people; exposed the venality of local managers in the face of the parish. Thus, the poets, in their thoughts about the fate of the nation at a difficult hour, were able to express the social thought of their time.

ปัจจัยเชิงปฏิกิริยาที่ก่อกำเนิดรัฐบาลแบบคณะรัฐมนตรีและตำแหน่งนายกรัฐมนตรี (Factors in the Emergence of the Executive Branch of English Parliamentary Government)

Thai Abstract: ปจจยเชงปฏกรยาทกอใหเกดรฐบาลแบบคณะรฐมนตรและนายกรฐมนตรขนในองกฤษนนสรปไดเปน 4 ประการ ดงนคอ 1) พฒนาการของการปกครองในองกฤษ 2) ปญหาดานศาสนาในองกฤษ 3) กฎหมายเกยวกบการสบราชสนตวงศ 4) นายโรเบรต วอลโพล การกา เนดขนของรฐบาลแบบคณะรฐมนตรและตาแหนงนายกรฐมนตรในองกฤษนน มไดเกดขนมาดวยปจจยอยางใดอยางหนงแบบปจ จบนทนดวน ทวา เกดจากปจ จยหลากหลายประการทสะสมกนมาและสงผลกระทบตอเนองกนเปนลกโซหรอเรยกวาเปน “ปจจยเชงปฏกรยา” ทาใหเกดขนมาเรม ตงแต “พฒนาการของการปกครองในองกฤษ” ไดสง สมและกอสรางรากฐานรปแบบการปกครองทมรฐสภามการแบงอา นาจใหแกขนนาง เสานาบด รวมถงกอใหเกดการเปลยนแปลงราชวงศตางๆ กระท งมาถงราชวงศทวดอร ซงในชวงนกเปนจดกาเนดของ “ปญหาดานศาสนาในองกฤษ” สงผลใหมการแยกนกายของครสตศาสนาออกมาเปนนกายองกฤษ ทกลายเปนความยดถอและคานยมของชาวองกฤษวาพระมหากษตรยแหงองกฤษจะตองเปนโปรเตสแตนททนบถอนกายองกฤษเทานน ปจจยเชนนเองทกลายเปนสวนหนงของพฒนาการทางการปกครองในองกฤษและกอใหเกด “กฎหมายเกยวกบการสบราชสนตวงศ” ทกา หนดบงคบใหพระมหากษตรยองกฤษตองเปนโปรเตสแตนท และกดกนเชอสายทมสทธใ นราชบลลงกแตเปนโรมนคาทอลกออกไป สงผลกระทบใหเกดราชวงศฮนโนเวอร อนเปนเชอสายทอยในดนแดนของเยอรมนขนมา และภายใตสถานการณยคตนราชวงศฮนโนเวอรนเอง “นายโรเบรต วอลโพล” กเปนผทสามารถยดกมโอกาสทเกดขนเอาไวได สงใหตวเขามฐานะเปนนายกรฐมนตรคนแรกในประวตศาสตรและเปนรากฐานของรฐบาลแบบคณะรฐมนตรมาถงปจจบน English Abstract: Four conspicuous factors can be discerned in the history of the emergence of the executive branch of England’s government in the form of a Cabinet of Ministers and a Prime Minister. These factors can be summarized as: 1) The development of government in England 2) Problematic issues of religion in England 3) English laws of royal succession 4) Mr. Robert Walpole. The creation in England of the executive arm of the government in the form of a cabinet of ministers with one prime minister did not come about as the result of any single cause or action. There were, rather, myriad factors which, taken together, had continuing impact, like a chain reaction. England was governed, and this historical reality built up and formed a foundation for the eventual parliamentary government, including power sharing with the lords. Development occurred through various reigns. When the Tudor came to power, problematic religious issues came to the fore. Religious controversy contributed to divisions among Christian factions, resulting eventually in the dominance in England of Anglican Protestantism. The English Crown and the English people expressed their allegiance to Protestant values. The monarch, in addition to being born into the legitimate line of royal succession, would by law be the chief defender of the Anglican Church. These laws concerning religion were created to exclude the Catholic line of heirs to the succession. The new laws of succession through this religious line had particular impact at the beginning of the reign of England’s Hanoverian kings who originally came from Germany. In that historical situation, Mr. Robert Walpole was able to seize the opportunity and become England’s first Prime Minister. Thus, was laid the foundation of the distinctive executive form of government by Cabinet and Prime Minister in the United Kingdom.

Контент-анализ СМИ при изучении проблемы религии в Казахстане

Due to the important role of the media in the formation of public opinion, the correct coverage of the problems of religion can be a major contribution to the development of an atmosphere of friendship and religious confessional tolerance, and also in preventing the spread of destructive ideology. The article investigated the contents of the media on issues of religion for 2019 by the method of content analysis. The study demonstrates the possibilities of using the method of content analysis in conducting sociological, religious studies. The results of the study clearly show different approaches to the coverage of religious issues in the media in the country. The recommendations developed by the author will improve the activities and cooperation in the religious sphere of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The author emphasizes that the media can significantly influence the consciousness of society and manipulate the mood of people, shape the worldview of society. In this message, the religious factor in the information space of Kazakhstan can be considered both in religious studies and in the political sphere. The main trends in the coverage of religion issues in Kazakhstani media have been identified. The method of content analysis was used in the article.

Media Images of Islamophobia on Cable News Network (CNN) and Implications for International Relations

This study focuses on media images of islamophobia as portrayed by Cable News Network (CNN) and its implications for international relations. The study employed qualitative methodology. Data was collected using key informant interviews, while documentary search was done using CNN current affairs videos. The study findings indicated that the media has the power to influence human perceptions towards stereotyping Islam as a terrorist organisation and conflating the Islamic religion and the Muslim culture with terrorism. The study also found out that islamophobia really has a relationship with how Muslims are represented in the media. The study recommends that media houses should have media ethics, laws and policies which force journalists to be more accountable and objective when reporting issues of religion, race and culture as a way of eliminating offensive communication and religious intolerance.

الجانب الصوفی فی فکر وحیاة الأستاذ محمد فتح الله کولن

تتناول هذه الدراسة المشروع الحضاري الذي قدمه الأستاذ محمد فتح الله کولن حرکة الخدمة وقد غزى به عامة المثقفين في مختلف ميادين الاصلاح والتربية في العالم، ولعل من أهم أسس حرکة الأستاذ محمد فتح الله کولن هو الأساس الروحي الإيماني والأخلاقي، والذي يضرب بجذور أفکاره إلى قرون ما يعرف بالتراث الصوفي الأناضولي، ممثلا في جلال الدين الرومي 1273م وغيره من أئمة السالکين، الذي تجسد حيا في القيادة الروحية للأستاذ کولن وکتاباته المستفيضة في هذا الباب، والتي هي روح تسري في کتاباته، وفي تلاميذه وفي مؤسساتهم التي أنشئوها، وفي روح دعوتهم وحرکتهم في العالم، ولعل هذا هو السر لکل ما حققته الحرکة من إنجازات. ويتجه البحث لدراسة شخصية محمد فتح الله کولن ، وروافد ومعالم الحياة الروحية في حياتة، ومفهوم التصوف لدىه، ومکانة التصوف الصوفية عنده ، ومصادر التلقي عند کولن، وأحوال ومقامات التصوف لدىه ، ونظرة کولن إلى بعض نظريات التصوف الفلسفي. وقد توصلت الدراسة إلى جملة من النتائج منها: البناء النفسي والفکري لکولن، وتمثل ذلک في المحيط الأسرى، الذي جمع بين کل من عاش فيه الزهد والورع ورقة القلب، علاوة على شيوخة الذين تربى على أيديهم منذ الطفولة، ومنها أن مظاهر الجانب الصوفي في حياة فتح الله کولن نهجه منذ بداية حياته منهج الزهد والتقشف، ورفعه شعار الحزن والبکاء حتى لقب بالبکاء. ومنها أن مما يبرز نزعة الأستاذ کولن الصوفية؛ اهتمامه بالتصوف، واعتباره طريقا مفتوحا إلى تشرب شهد المعرفة الإلهية، ومنها أن مما يؤکد على صوفية الاستاذ کولن؛ إعتماده مصادر الصوفية في تلقي مسائل الدين، ومنها ترجح کون الأستاذ کولن صوفيا؛ رأيه في نظريات التصوف الفلسفي، فقد تعرض لهذه النظريات عند من قال بها بالشرح والتحليل، وحاول جاهدا أن يجد مخرجا لهم، فأحال کل ما صدر عنهم في ذلک إلى أحوال وأذواق. The Sufi Aspect of Ustaz Mohammed Fathallah Kolin’s Life and Thought By: Dr. Ibrahim Mohammed Mohammed Omran Lecturer of Philosophy and Creed Faculty of Usoul Al-deen and Islamic Dawah in Tanta Eb_emran11974@yahoo.com Abstract This research handles the civilizing project presented by Ustaz Mohammed Fathallah Kolin to the Service Movement. This project has influenced all the intellectuals of education and reform in the world. One of the most important foundations of Ustaz Mohammed Fathallah Kolin’s Movement is the spiritual, faithful and moral basis whose roots and ideas go back to many centuries across what is known as The Anadolu Sufi Heritage, as embodied in “Jalal Al-Deen Al-Roumi 1273 A.D.” and others of the righteous Imams. That heritage has been lively introduced in the spiritual leadership of Ustaz Kolin and his detailed writings in such chapter. The lively spirit has also penetrated his writings and his disciples with their established organizations as well as in the spirit of their mission and their movement in the world. Hence, this could be the secret of all what the movement has accomplished. The research is keen to study the identity of Mohammed Fathallah Kolin, the roots and characteristics of his spiritual life, the concept and value of Sufism for Kolin, his sources of reception, circumstances and values of Sufism, and Kolin’s viewpoints concerning some philosophical Sufism. The research has deducted a group of results: first, Kolin’s psychological and intellectual structure as seen in the domestic milieu including his selflessness, piousness and his tenderness as well as the senility of those who brought him up since his early childhood. Second, the characteristics of the Sufi aspect in Kolin’s life are tacitly clear in his approach of selflessness and asceticism together with his motto of melancholia and shedding tears. Third, what makes Ustaz Kolin’s Sufi inclination clear, is his growing interest in Sufism and considering it the paved road to acquiring divine knowledge. Fourth, what asserts Ustaz Kolin’s Sufism is his reliance on mystic sources concerning the issues of religion. Fifth, what proves Ustaz Kolin’s Sufism is his viewpoint regarding the theories of philosophical Sufism. He has explained and analyzed those theories and did his best to find a way out for the theorists by considering all what they have stated related to their circumstance and their idiosyncratic flavor. Key words: the Sufi aspect- Fatahallah Kolin- psychological structure- Sufism- philosophical Sufism.

Religion and Politics of Renaissance England represented in A Game at Chess

This paper examines how Thomas Middleton represents the issues of religion and politics in his play A Game at Chess. The play has been evaluated as the greatest box office hit of Renaissance England, although it was discontinued after nine performances owing to its controversial satire. It seems that this play was bound up with the diplomatic relationship with Spain at the time, but what is more important to recognize is the relationship between religion and kingship in the play. Religion and kingship were inseparable in Early Modern England because the royal authority was based upon religion. Thus, Middleton’s mocking of the Fat Bishop, who symbolizes religious power, also mocks kingship in the play. Middleton also takes a skeptical view of the White King, who symbolizes James I. As a result, Middleton displays the downfalls of men of power, making them mere chess pieces on a chess board.

ELASTISITAS SYARI’AT ISLAM DALAM PERUBAHAN SOSIAL

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menguji fleksibilitas hukum Islam di tengah-tengah perubahan sosial, berupaya untuk menggambarkan sifat komprehensif dan karakter teks hukum Islam dan menganalisis faktorfaktor syariah yang memiliki relevansi untuk perubahan sosial. Tulisan ini merupakan penelitian deskriptif kualitatif dengan menggunakan pendekatan multidisiplin termasuk pendekatan yuridis normatif, asas manfaat, dan pendekatan sosiologis. Studi ini menunjukkan bahwa isi teks syariah inklusif sehingga memungkinkan untuk ditafsirkankembali. Ada beberapa faktor yang menyebabkan Syariah menjadi dinamis dan relevan untuk beradaptasi dalam lingkungan baru. Pertama, ada sejumlah isu syariah yang tidak dijelaskan pada status hukumnya. Kedua, pada umumnya teks syari'ah menjelaskan semuamasalah. Ketiga, teks-teks syariah umumnya memiliki banyak "multitafsir". Keempat, hukum Islam mengakui kondisi darurat dan force majeure (istisna’) sebagai pengecualian hukum. Kelima, hukum Islam bersifat elastis, materi dapat diubah tergantung pada waktu, tempat, dan situasi. Oleh karena itu, pemahaman teks syari'ah harus terus dipertahankan dengan memperhatikan lingkungan di mana mujitahid hidup. Jadi mujtahid dapat menguraikan berbagai penafsiran teks syari’ah sebagai akibat dari pengaruh yang mereka terima baik dari aspek waktu maupun lingkungan.

THE ISLAMISM OF SOCIAL RESEARCH, AND USE OF THE MODERN TECHNOLOGICAL MEDIA

Islamization of human sciences is a widely discussed topic in Islamic intellectual discourse since it does not work in opposition to modern science, but rather as an ally of it. Efforts are being undertaken to incorporate Islamic knowledge into current human/social science in order to promote Islamization. By assessing needs, prospects, and obstacles, Muslim social scientists have made major contributions to the field of human understanding Islamization, according to this study. According to a review of relevant literature, in order to develop and preserve Islamic Civilization, modern civilization must embrace Islamize human sciences. Many attempts have been made by Islamic sociologists from all around the Muslim world to introduce and incorporate Islamization into societies. These educational institutions, which have been established and curricula and courses implemented, are teaching Islamization of human sciences. Islamic sociology is one of the endeavours in the quest to comprehend society's faults from an Islamic perspective and how to address them in light of the Quran and Sunnah. Despite the excellent achievements of Muslim social scientists, several hurdles exist. Inadequate training and instruction to integrate Islamic philosophy into the curriculum are among them. Progress is hampered by issues in sociology, politics, economics, and religion. To advance Islamization of Human Sciences today, the Muslim Ummah should unite under an unified worldview and ideology. Keywords: Mulim, Islamic, Social Sciences, Intellectual, , Ummah

Eksistensi Dā’iyah di Tengah Domestikasi Citra Diri Perempuan Shalihah: Perspektif Feminis Eksistensialis

Being an empower women by actively showing her existence in the publicity is not easy. Moreover when it is related to leadership in the religion issues, where it is still dominated by men. This study aims to describe the existence that is fought by <em>dā'iyah</em> in the public space, whereas social construction holds them with domestication. This research uses descriptive qualita­tive methods. Techniques of collecting data by an in-depth interview, and validating by triangulation. The results show that “shalihah” concept is still closely related to domestic works, while the “imam” concept in the religion is still understood as a status that must be played by men. The criteria by sex are still in line with the quality of da’wah materials, da’wah methods, or even the knowledge of the missionary. So, <em>dā'iyah</em> feels a dilemma in carrying out their roles in the public and domestic space. For this reason, various strategies have been carried out by <em>dā'iyah</em> to maintain their existence.

Politisasi Agama di Tahun Politik: Politik Pasca-Kebenaran di Indonesia dan Ancaman bagi Demokrasi

This paper analyzes the politicization of religion that occurred in Indonesia, especially in the current political year. Ahead of the 2018 electoral election and the 2019 presidential election, religious sentiments are often used for pragmatic political interests. An example is reflected on 2019 Ganti Presiden Movement. In the context of post-truth politics, feelings and opinions influence the discourse of public politics more than objective facts. In other words, the line between facts and opinions is blurred. Hoax, opinions, and distortions of fact dominate the existing political discourses. This paper uses a sociological approach to analyzing post-truth political phenomena in Indonesia as reflected in recent cases of politicization of religion. The paper also provides a brief overview of some popular data and facts in actual political discourse as evidence of disinformation. However, the politicization of religion reflects unhealthy democratic conditions. Issues of religion in Indonesian context is sensitive and prone to be the trigger of conflict. This paper asserts that the politicization of religion in the post-truth era must be addressed critically and seriously, so that the climate of democracy in Indonesia can be well preserved.Keyword: Politicization of religion, 2019 ganti presiden, Post-truth, Democracy

The Astrakhan Stage of S. G. Gmelin’s Expedition according to Materials of Russian and Foreign Archives

Introduction. The second half of the 18th century is an important stage in the development of expeditionary activities by the Russian Academy of Sciences. Between 1768 and 1774, several expeditions across Russia were equipped, each being designated its special route and program. The majority of leaders the research teams were of German origin. Professor Samuel Gottlieb Gmelin was in charge of the expedition which headed towards the Caspian Sea. His instructions prescribed to collect and investigate various aspects of national economies, issues of culture, religion and language of local populations, natural resources, flora and fauna, etc. From a political perspective, the most important point was to study the Kalmyk ethnos, especially the organization of power (administrative) relations, genealogical tables of the Kalmyk nobility, their history and causes of the mass exodus of Kalmyks to Dzungaria in 1771 after the abolition of the autonomy of Khans. The sources to characterize S. G. Gmelin’s research activities in Astrakhan Governorate have been dispersed throughout various Russian and foreign archives. Goals. The paper aims to systematize the data and provide an objective historical overview. Methods. The research applied the methods of semantic analysis and translation of 18th-century handwritten sources, methods of microhistorical analysis and methods of prosopography. Conclusions. The conducted analysis of archival sources results in a number of conclusions as follows. Firstly, the range of tasks and areas of work of S. G. Gmelin’s research expedition in Astrakhan Governorate was extremely wide and required the involvement of a large team of specialists from different fields of knowledge. That is why the professor would often turn to locals, most of the latter being members of Sarepta community. Secondly, under the pretext of scientific work, the academic detachment pursued, in particular, intelligence goals. This is confirmed by the widest range of tasks and the nature of data members of S. G. Gmelin’s party were looking for in the Kalmyk Steppe and uluses. Thirdly, the materials collected during the expeditionary work are of great interest for modern ethnographic studies, since they contain unique information about culture, language, national economy, and everyday life of the Kalmyks in the mid-to-late 18th century. But the fate of the last S. G. Gmelin’s works is still in question – he compiled the latter in 1773–1774 — as some part of the materials came into the possession of the Astrakhan merchant Nikolai Rentel, and a certain part was submitted to the Russian Academy of Sciences.

¿Es posible una Europa laica?

The question is whether a secular Europa can survive in front of the most relevant events of recent years such as jihadism, the growth of the extreme right-wing and new issues surrounding the return of religion. Keywords: jihadism, religion, secularism, European model, republicanism, multiculturalism.

Let a Hundred Pieties Bloom! The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao . By Johnson Ian New York, NY: Pantheon Books, 2017. x + 455 pp. $30.

CrossCurrentsVolume 68, Issue 4 p. 569-571 Book Let a Hundred Pieties Bloom! The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao. By Johnson Ian New York, NY: Pantheon Books, 2017. x + 455 pp. $30. Peter Heinegg, Peter HeineggSearch for more papers by this author Peter Heinegg, Peter HeineggSearch for more papers by this author First published: 24 June 2019 https://doi.org/10.1111/cros.12346Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume68, Issue4December 2018Pages 569-571 RelatedInformation

The Community Relations Service's Work in Preventing and Responding to Unfounded Racially and Religiously Motivated Violence after 9/11

The Community Relations Service's Work in Preventing and Responding to Unfounded Racially and Religiously Motivated Violence after 9/11

Roshan Ara Begum: Performing Classical Music, Gender, and Muslim Nationalism in Pakistan

The imbrication of issues of nation, class, gender, and religion necessitates a critical revision of the so-called secular postcolonial modernity embraced by Indian nationalists, including musicologists. The life and struggle of Roshan Ara Begum — Pakistan’s first and, to date, arguably greatest singer of classical music — is an instructive example of the complex intertwining of agency, resistance, and resignation in Muslim-identified Pakistan and Hindu-identified India.

Introduction to “Current Trajectories in Global Pentecostalism: Culture, Social Engagement, and Change”

This special issue of Religions assembles a talented group of international scholars from a variety of regions and disciplines to address contemporary developments within global Pentecostalism, a burgeoning movement that is changing the face—and interface—of religion and society today. A total of twelve articles (representing the work of thirteen authors) speak to issues surfacing along one of three overlapping trajectories: cultural expression, social engagement, and institutional change. The introduction briefly sets a framework for each article and calls attention to its wider connections and notable contributions. As a body of scholarship, these articles constitute a set of strategic soundings that refine our understanding of the texture and topography of global Pentecostalism. In addition to their substantive contributions, the authors, viewed collectively, also put on display the central attributes of a new era in Pentecostal studies, one distinguished by its productivity, diversity, range, and interdisciplinary ken.

The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao by Ian Johnson

Reviewed by: The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao by Ian Johnson Yanfei Sun Ian Johnson, The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao. New York: Pantheon, 2017. x, 455 pp., US$30.00 (PB). ISBN 9781101870051 In The Souls of China, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Ian Johnson tells the stories of the return of religions in Chinese society after the end of the Cultural Revolution, and the spiritual lives of the Chinese people amid the dramatic social changes of the post-Mao period. One of the most noteworthy features of this book is its richness. Johnson has put an amazing array of religions and people from wildly different social worlds into a single book. In this work, we meet Nan Huaijin 南懷瑾 (1918–2012), an enigmatic master of Chan 禪 Buddhism and promoter of Chinese classics who defies any easy labeling, as well as a bevy of his admirers, many of whom are China’s nouveau riche or second-generation party members (hongerdai 紅二代), who were flocking to Nan’s hermitage on Lake Tai 太湖; followers of a Daoist qigong 氣功 master, who persisted in practicing their teacher’s breathing techniques in private homes and helped to organize a retreat that drew hundreds years after the government’s 1999 crackdown of Falungong 法輪功 and the subsequent disappearance of the qigong movement from public view; the propagandists who appropriated folk art to be used in the recent China Dream campaign that called for national renewal based on traditional values; as well as a mother who found solace and dignity in her yearly ritual of Qingming 清明 tomb-sweeping for her son whose life was tragically lost in 1989. Three cases figure most centrally in the book. The first is the Ni family in Beijing who played an instrumental role in reviving the pilgrimage associations devoted to the Daoist goddess Our Lady of the Azure Clouds (Bixia yuanjun 碧霞元君) on Miaofeng shan 妙峰山 in the outskirts of Beijing. The second is a family of Daoist ritual specialists in Shanxi who have provided services in funeral rituals, fortunetelling, and geomancy for generations. The third case is the Church of Early Rain (Qiuyuzhifu 秋雨之福) in the city of Chengdu founded and led by Wang Yi, a former human rights lawyer. In his narrative, Johnson often allows several storylines to unfold at the same time. In Chapter 17, for example, we are able to see the rivalry between two Daoist families; the relationship between Daoist musicians and the temple manager; the structure of the rituals at the temple festival and the musicians’ role in it; the generational gap between the old Daoist who clings to his family’s traditional rural base [End Page 206] and his forward-looking, city-oriented son; and the momentary reversal of gender roles and power relations when the woman spirit medium rebuked the temple manager in the voice of her possessing deity. To be sure, Johnson also selects and tailors. But he always manages to let the complexities of the social world shine through. The richness of the book has been achieved partly because of Johnson’s ethnographical talent: He built connections with men and women of very different social backgrounds, establishing enduring ties with them and allowing them to open their inner world to him. What is equally impressive is that all the materials are well contextualized, as Johnson documents so well the religious ramifications of China’s leadership transition from Hu Jintao to Xi Jinping. Despite its extraordinary scope and complexity, this book flows well. This has been achieved largely by two means. Johnson’s use of the solar terms (jieqi 節氣) in the Chinese traditional calendar to organize his chapters not only provides structure and rhythms for the book, but also creates an impression that contemporary happenings still connect with China’s past, befitting a book on the return of traditions. Moreover, different cases are linked together by at least two broad themes. The first is the central role of religion in people’s lives—how people find meaning in life and death, moral anchorage, beauty, and a community in religion. This is Johnson’s answer to why religions not only came back but also are so alive and well...