Secular Society Research Articles

Разводы по неспособности к брачному сожительству в провинциальных губерниях Российской империи

The article examines the peculiarities of the process of divorce due to the inability to cohabitate in marriage in the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries. Based on an analysis of church and secular laws, as well as the opinions of lawyers of the late 19th – early 20th centuries, we established what was meant by “inability to cohabitate in marriage” and justified the inclusion of this problem in the list of permitted reasons for divorce. The main source of the research was the files of the funds of the Tobolsk, Tver and Yaroslavl spiritual consistories preserved in regional archives, as well as the fund of the Office of the Holy Governing Synod. Such a parallel study of one problem in different territories remote from each other made it possible to most thoroughly and fully study the questions posed, to identify common and distinctive features of the divorce process in the center of the Russian Empire and on its periphery. Since spiritual consistories were state institutions, the stages of paperwork in them were identical, and members of the panels strictly followed the law. The time frame for completing cases also turned out to be equally long, it took years to resolve cases positively; a period of up to a year was rather an exception. The time for processing rejected cases depended on the reasons for the refusal and ranged from several days if the documents were incorrectly completed to several months if the illness was not proven. A minority of those who applied, who were mostly women, were able to obtain a divorce. Refusal in half of the cases occurred due to the discovery of the ability to cohabitate in marriage. According to archival documents and the statements of contemporary lawyers, it was much easier to get a divorce for this reason than for the most common one – adultery because the only evidence was the results of a medical examination, the testimony of witnesses was not required, there was no court settlement, admonition took place without unnecessary pressure. However, it cannot be argued that it was easy to get a divorce because, firstly, persons conducting the examination and employees of the consistories and the Synod were quite subjective in assessing the ability to cohabitate in marriage; secondly, shortcomings in the legislation limited applicants in the types and manifestations of the inability itself; thirdly, there were errors when submitting documents and paying fees due to the illiteracy of the population. In Tobolsk Governorate, the eparchy authorities practically deprived poor people of the opportunity to get a divorce for this reason, prohibiting examination by district doctors.

Secular Politics in India: Evolution, Challenges, and Contemporary Relevance

Secular Politics in India: Evolution, Challenges, and Contemporary Relevance

W(h)ither religious-niche parties? The Nordic Christians’ search for the mainstream through an ‘unsecular politics’ strategy

ABSTRACT With the pun intended, this article asks whether, in overwhelmingly secular societies, the four Nordic religious-niche parties created by revivalist Christians before and after the Second World War, and whose strength has been in their countries’ Bible Belt regions, have a future as broad-based, religious-mainstream parties or are destined to ‘wither on the vine’? If, as the parties’ literature suggests, niche-party ‘nicheness’ is variable, can the ‘pure type’ of religious-niche party modify its nicheness and, if so, how, and with what result? The argument made is that i) the Nordic Christian parties have sought to expand beyond their revivalist core by ‘importing’ continental Christian Democracy as an ‘unsecular politics’ strategy and ii) that whilst, outside Denmark, support for the Nordic Christians is no longer a proxy for religiosity, and charismatic leadership has enabled the Christian parties intermittently to attract a wider body of ‘unsecular voters’, they have struggled to retain them in face of competition from a populist radical right playing the ‘Christian heritage’ card.

Islamism and Jihad: The Problem With Western Taxonomies

Explaining the confusing classification of 'political Islam' as Islamism/Jihad, I argue that this classification is epistemologically grounded in 1) Christian morality, 2) political secularism, and 3) modern ideologism. I contrast this epistemology to an Islamic-friendly epistemology, framed by a specific theory of meaning, a priority of historical cases over abstract principles in determining the correct action, and a priority of the apparent action in deciding its rule legally over any internal intention or implied subjectivity. Following this discussion, I propose and introduce four legal concepts that traditionally articulate Muslims’ political protest: 1) jihad, 2) khurūj, 3) qitāl al-fitnah, and 4) naṣīḥah. Contrasting this legal classification against the conventional Islamism/Jihad classification, I explain the advantages of using Islamic-friendly concepts to understand and frame Muslims’ political protest. I also explain that these four concepts are essentially neither good nor evil, neither true nor false. They are rooted neither in ideology nor in morality. They are legal concepts where each one of them can be ruled, depending on a specific historical situation, as wājib, mustaḥab, mubāḥ, makrūh, or ḥarām.

Лев Николаевич Толстой о психическом развитии ребенка в светлую пору детства

The article examines the system of views of the Russian writer L.N. Tolstoy (1828-1910) about mental development at the first stage of childhood in the story of the same name (1852). The deep emotional and personal connections of a child with his mother turn this time of life into a happy, unforgettable time, satisfying his need for the boundless love of the closest person. A holistic picture of mental development represents, on the one hand, the interconnections of its factors - the social world of the noble family and secular society; close direct communication with close adults and children; the child’s mastery of various types of activities provided for by the home education of the nobility; cognitive activity of the child aimed at entering society and understanding it. This picture, on the other hand, reveals the comprehensive formation, integration of all spheres of the child’s mental life - feelings, mind, actions in the uniqueness of worldview, self-awareness and introspection, the search for moral criteria for distinguishing between good and evil, the child’s individuality, which develops as the degree of expression of certain features in all areas of development. The main acquisitions of mental development are awareness, arbitrariness of behavior, activity, feelings, the ability to manage them and control their course. The happy era of childhood ends with the child’s meeting with the tragic secret of human existence - the death of a loved one, the resulting experience of irreparable loss, the severance of irreparable emotional and personal ties with the closest, dearly loved adults and home, marking the transition to a new era - adolescence, where there is grief and suffering, separation and sadness.

Human rights in a secularized society

The article addresses the issue of the attitude of the Catholic Church towards the doctrine of human rights. This doctrine was originally developed on the grounds of Catholic reflection accompanying the phenomenon of colonial conquests. Its use in the context of the Peace of Westphalia and the French Revolution caused the Church to distance itself from the doctrine. The return came with the person of John XXIII and the Second Vatican Council. Pope John Paul II proved to be a particularly important promoter of human rights. However, during the period in which the Church officially lent support to the doctrine of human rights, significant changes occurred in the Western world due largely to secularization. As a result, the way human rights were interpreted changed fundamentally. This has caused the secular understanding of human rights that dominates Western politics to be increasingly distant not only from the Catholic interpretation of them, but also from their original expression in the UN Universal Declaration.

The Popes as guardians of human dignity

The text emphasizes the significance of a Christian philosophy of life in guiding a society towards human rights and the dignity of individuals. It underscores the Church’s prophetic role, asserting that followers of Christ are called to uphold justice and oppose oppression. The text also highlights the interconnectedness of eternal salvation and temporal well-being, rooted in core Christian convictions. It explores the Church’s responsibility for the common good and the autonomy of earthly realities, advocating for the respectful stewardship of creation. The text addresses the contemporary challenge of protecting human life at all stages and emphasizes the Church’s historical commitment to the value of every individual. Drawing on Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclicals, it asserts that the Church is inherently charitable and actively engaged in promoting human development, education, and well-being. The text rejects the notion that the Church should merely react to global issues, arguing for a proactive role in shaping the future by emphasizing humanity’s vocation within God’s creation. It critiques ideological pluralism that rejects moral truths, highlighting the emptiness and lack of true hope in a worldview without God. The text asserts that the Church’s antidote to this vision is to focus on the beauty and dignity of the human person, emphasizing the individual’s dual nature of soul and matter. It acknowledges the challenges within a secularized society but stresses the need for human rights to be rooted in an authority beyond human consensus for lasting universality.

The origin and development of procedural rules in Ancient Greece

The research is devoted to the development of legal norms in Greece in the ancient period. It is noted that certain issues of legal norms development in Greece in the ancient period were the subject of research by domestic lawyers and historians, but Ukrainian legal science currently lacks comprehensive historical and legal research on this issue which would cover the entire range of issues related to the origin and development of procedural law in Greece in the ancient period.
 It is emphasised that as a result of the formation of the political system, law-making activity is intensified. In addition, law-making activities are freed from the influence of religion and mythology. Instead of unwritten customs, which were interpreted by representatives of the ruling elite, secular law begins to be applied and enshrined in writing.
 The article examines the origin and development of procedural rules in Ancient Greece and the administration of justice in Athens, analyses its forms, and considers procedural aspects of the activities of representative institutions of that time in Greece. Given the general patterns of formation and development of the legal process in all its richness, the author draws attention to the ancient experience of non-jurisdictional forms of legal process. The author examines the jurisdictional (civil or criminal law) and non-jurisdictional (procedural aspects of representative institutions) forms of legal process in Greece of the ancient period.
 It has been concluded that in Ancient Greece, the procedural rules reflected the procedure enshrined mainly in the rules of customary law, which provided for the application of substantive legal rules. In most Hellenic States of ancient times, it had certain common features. The jurisdictional process in those days was a procedure that was enshrined in law and provided for the procedure for the exercise by public authorities or self-government bodies of their functions in the administration of justice, while the non-jurisdictional form of legal process regulated the procedural aspects of the activities of representative institutions.

Father Iosif Fudel Among Conservatives: Friendship with Lev Tikhomirov

The article examines the worldview of the priest Iosif Ivanovich Fudel (1864/1865–1918) through the prism of the Russian conservative thought at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. It shows his complex and dynamic views aligned with the chronology of his life and the historical context. Outlining the circle of Father Iosif’s fellow thinkers at different times (Slavophiles, Konstantin Leontiev, Mikhail Novoselov with his Circle of Those Seeking Christian Enlightenment, etc.), the author pays special attention to Fudel’s relationship with Lev Tikhomirov, a prominent representative of conservatism, who was Fudel’s close friend for more than a quarter of a century.The friends were clearly unanimous about the need to nurture the church intelligentsia and restore the sobornost (conciliarity) of the church life, although Fudel throughout his whole life was much less concerned about the political agenda. The direction of the public thought that he represented can be defined as Neo-Slavophilism. It was characterized by switching from vast political topics to specific organization issues within the church with a common antirenovationist and anti-modernist vector. This said, the leaders of this trend advocated for the wider participation of the laity in the life of the church, for the development of fraternal life and the Slavophilelike collegiality and the convocation of the church council. Common to the Fudel’s circle were the criticism of the dominance of the bureaucracy, negative attitude towards Grigory Rasputin, support for Aleksandr Samarin and a certain opposition to the synodal administration. It was, in its own way, a conservative project of the church modernization. Belonging to the circle ideologically, Father Iosif acted not so much as a thinker, but as a doer, fulfilling the main task of his life, that of a pastor.The author emphasizes that Father Iosif’s position had always been personal, not favoring any party, and in the last decade of his life he sought to stay out of politics, cutting his public comments on issues relating to the secular politics. He accepted neither the revolution of 1905–1907, nor the uncertain position of the church in it, nor the political concessions made by the authorities. Father Iosif immersed himself completely in the parish life of Moscow.

Radical Distinction of the Secular and the Problem of Violence in the Context of Contemporary Culture’s Philosophical Comprehension

The theory of secularization has long been at the forefront of the philosophical discourse of the 20th century. The secular perception of social processes could not help but influence their dynamics, the decisions made by people at different levels of social life. What is allowed for a person in the world where religions no longer form the basis of social behavior and the centuries-old foundations of social life are considered canceled? The author seeks to analyze previous attempts to comprehend the problem of violence in modern culture through philosophical theories, which regard radical secularization as one of the key characteristics of modernity. At the same time, the author refers, among other things, to the study of various approaches to the problem of moral relativism, including the perspectives of theistic and atheistic philosophy: on the one hand, represented by Radical Orthodoxy of John Milbank and Alasdair McIntyre; on the other hand, postmodernism (Gilles Deleuze and Jean Baudrillard), post-structuralism (Judith Butler), and Freudo-Marxism (Slavoj Zizek). All the above-mentioned philosophers associate radical secularism with the escalation of violence in society. The study identifies the meeting point of perspectives on the problem of violence in secular society: the absence of collectively shared values rooted in the discursive tradition inevitably generates and maintains moral relativism, the prevalence of which is generally proportional to the growth in the level of violence, including latent violence. The article suggests ways to mitigate the risks of secularization and moral relativism and puts forwards an argument for the importance of tradition and community in shaping moral values. The author also emphasizes the importance of considering the role of religion, particularly Christianity, in addressing this issue.

DESIGNING A CULTURE-CREATIVE PARADIGM OF ISLAMIC EDUCATION IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF PERSONAL EDUCATIONAL POTENTIAL IN THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN

The issue of spiritual and cultural educational components research in the Republic of Kazakhstan is predetermined by the growth trends of Islamic ethnic instruments, which occupy a special place in the religious development of the individual as a subject of moral and educational phenomena. The research aims to analyze the features of spiritual and moral models of Islamic education, considering the educational function of learning and the secular society of Kazakhstan. To complete the aims, the following methods were used: descriptive, modeling, survey, and comparative. The results determined that religious education not only played a role in the formation of religious and national identity in the historical process of Kazakhstan but also became the center of reform in the process of secularization because of its long history and important position. The educational situation in the religious context is constantly changing, given its decline in a secularized society. However, the religious status in the public life of the people is still gradually increasing, given the tendency of competition between Islamic models of education. In this regard, a survey of pupils and students of Islamic institutions in Kazakhstan was conducted, which allowed us to identify the features of the educational and moral components, which are represented in a different number of Islamic models of personality.

Features of hybrid identity of the second/third generation of european muslims

The article deals with the problem of the hybrid identity of the representatives of the second/third generation of European Muslims, which has become a consequence of the failure of various strategies for the integration of migrants into European society. Hybridity arises in situations of cultural intersection when somewhat contradictory meanings and logics emanating from separate spheres of action combine to form new patterns. The article shows that a significant part of the representatives of the second/third generation of European Muslims, to one degree or another, accepts the collective European socio-cultural context (primarily, the values of secondary socialization), but at the same time expresses time preferences determined by religion, which are little compatible with European values. This reveals important characteristics of the hybrid identity of European Muslims - ambivalence, multilayeredness and incompleteness. The study emphasises that the majority of representatives of the second/third generation of migrants do not identify themselves either through the nationality of their parents or through European identity, but recognise themselves through religious identity. Thus, religious affiliation is stronger than both identities. The main source of formation of the hybrid identity of second/third migrants is the conflict between religious self-identification and secular European identity. It is religion that is one of the restraining barriers to the integration of migrants into the secular European society. Similarly, the mobilization of religious identity underlies the formation of a hybrid identity of European Muslims of the second/third generations.

Utopia, Religion and Dissent in Robert Williams Buchanan’s The Rev. Annabel Lee: A Tale of to-Morrow

The article analyzes the novel The Rev. Annabel Lee: a Tale of to-Morrow (1898) by Robert Williams Buchanan, focusing on the conflict between a secular utopian society of the future, built on the principles of Comtean Positivism, Owenite Socialism and Social Darwinism, and a Christian revivalist movement led by a female preacher. While exploring the connections between gender, social engineering and faith, the article also interrogates ambiguities implicit in two conflicting worldviews which are dependent, respectively, on science and a revealed religion.

ON THE QUESTION OF THE INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON FAMILY AND MARRIAGE RELATIONS IN KAZAKHSTAN SOCIETY

The influence of the Islamic tradition on the institutionalization of the family in countries with secular content can be traced through the examples of individual families and the discourse analysis of the topic of family in the information space. The legislative norms based on which families are created and family-marriage relations are regulated represent a clearly proven mechanism operating in the realities of secular Kazakhstani society. However, it can be noted that the Islamic tradition of marriage, such as «nikah-neke», is becoming a condition of necessity for many religious families, especially in youth families. What is this connected with? With the advancement and influence of Islamic values after the collapse of the USSR, a desire arose to deconstruct atheistic culture and its influence, including on family life. A study of the influence of Islamic family traditions shows that they influence the formation of a modern family. This is especially noticeable in such circumstances as marriage registration, marital relations, raising children, and divorce.

Ecumenism in modern Europe: adaptation to secular society

The ecumenism ideology is based on evangelical foundations and is aimed at achieving universal Christian unity. The historical differentiation of Christianity and the various circumstances of the church organizations development have caused the ecumenical movement internal heterogeneity. Each of the Christianity directions is guided by its own theological interpretation of ecumenism. Doctrinal agreement of these interpretations cannot be achieved. The political situation in the world and the situation of national churches within countries also hinder organizational unification. Therefore, ecumenical organizations, mainly the World Council of Churches and the Conference of European Churches, develop dialogue and cooperation programs aimed at Eucharistic and liturgical communication between different Christian confessions believers, as well as joint social services of representatives of different churches. The ecumenical movement in the twentieth century developed almost synchronously with the deployment of large-scale secularization. The secular nature of modern European societies determines the priority of social activity over theological activity in the ecumenical movement. The dependence of international ecumenical organizations on current politics is also obvious - they currently follow the European Union governing bodies’ ideo-logical rhetoric. The current situation of the ecumenical movement cannot be called a crisis, rather, there is a transformation into a new state - going beyond intra-Christian cooperation and inclusion in an interreligious dialogue, as well as in a dialogue with non-religious institutions of modern society.

AN ANALYSIS OF THE STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS OF RECENT POLITICAL SECULARISM IN TURKEY AND HABERMAS' PROPOSED REMEDIES

Within the intricate structure of global political landscapes, the nation of Turkey emerges as a captivating subject of study, particularly when examining its progressive secularism and the complex interplay of socio-political dynamics. This study aims to examine the fundamental structural factors that surround the implementation of Turkey's present political secularism, while also employing Habermas' proposed notion of a post-secular society as an approach to address and resolve these intricacies. This study utilizes a qualitative research methodology by doing literature studies and relying on secondary data for data collection. The findings of this study suggest that Habermas's notion of a post-secular society has the potential to develop a sociopolitical structure that is more democratic and inclusive in the setting of Turkey where it is being investigated.

Fostering the sacred in a secular society: Catholic women practicing religion through intimate relationships

ABSTRACT This article aims to contribute to the body of scholarship on lived religion by using intimate relationships as a lens in order to examine religiosity. Based on ethnographic research carried out among practicing Catholic women in Belgium, I unpack Catholic women’s understanding of the entanglement between religiosity and relationships by showing the ways in which these women perceive intimate relationships to enable—and at times hinder—their performance of religiosity. I draw on the study of lived religion in a twofold manner. Firstly, I mobilize it as an ethnographic tool to capture the experiences and practices of the women with respect to intimate relationships. Secondly, I contribute to the further theorization of the field by investigating religiosity and how religion is practiced in a non-religious setting, i.e. coupledom in a secular society. Hence, in this article I propose a novel road of inquiry that utilizes intimate relationships as a lens to understand how religion is enacted on an everyday basis. In doing so, we may come to see intimate relationships as a site where religiosity is constructed and performed, in particular against the background of a secularizing society in which Catholicism is no longer the default option as it once was.

The Future of Secular Law in Spain: A Model Based on the Evolution of Religiosity and Religious Influence on Law

Abstract This article analyzes how the evolution of religiosity will affect the secularity of Spanish law. In a liberal constitutional system such as that of Spain, the influence of religion on law is inevitable. The article proposes a model based on two variables: the increase or decrease of the religious population and the capacity and willingness of religions to influence secular law. The four possible resulting scenarios are religious aggrandizement (a growing religious population seeking to shape the law); religious secularization (a growing religious population with a worldview compatible with secularity); religious backlash (some religious minorities undermining the secularity of the law); and religious diminishment (a declining religious population losing its capacity or willingness to influence the law). The model demonstrates theoretically that inclusion policies do not necessarily lead to the Islamization of Spain. Ignoring religious issues can lead to the marginalization of a religious minority, which favors radicalization and non-acceptance of secularity.

Impact of Islamic Jurisprudential on Traditional Financial Customs and Legal Integration in Indonesia

The current research presented an insightful analysis of the dynamic relationship between Islamic Jurisprudence and customary financial practices within the jurisdiction of Indonesia. The objective of this study was to investigate the extent to which the broader Indonesian society embraces Sharī‘a-compliant customary practices; subsequently, being acknowledged within the secular legal framework. This exploration was particularly pertinent due to Indonesia's nuanced approach to Islamic law integration, as it neither fully adopted nor entirely dismissed Sharī‘a principles. This study deployed a standard doctrinal approach, which involves a meticulous examination of legislative provisions and a thorough examination of practical cases, involving indigenous financial customs, such as ijon, tebasan, sewa and gadai. By doing so, this research seeks to ascertain whether the influence of Sharī‘a on customary practices can harmoniously coexist within the Indonesian legal system. The findings of this study challenged the traditional notions of legal centralism, emphasizing the importance of integrating local religious traditions into the state legal system. In particular, the study argued that Sharī‘a-endorsed commercial practices can independently occur alongside traditional practices in society, even in the absence of explicit Sharī‘a principles or interest-based restrictions. This study significantly contributed to our understanding of legal pluralism within Indonesian context and introduced a novel approach that acknowledged the interplay between Sharī‘a and Secular law, while fostering social cohesion and legal harmony.

“That Must Have Been Uncanny!” Experiences of Invisible Others in Contemporary Finland

Abstract This article* examines experiences of invisible others considered uncanny in the context of secularity in contemporary Finland. Drawing from experience-centred theories of religion and spiritual belief by Ann Taves and David Hufford, the article analyses how uncanny experiences are differentiated from other kinds of experience and how they are justified as real in first-person narratives written by Finnish experiencers. The empirical analysis distinguishes four characterisations of experience the authors consider uncanny, which also serve to convince them of the realness of their experience. By conversating these findings with studies of experiences deemed religious or supernatural, the article seeks to reinforce dialogue with research on similar experiences that people rather consider in scientific and everyday terms. The article then suggests a framework for cross-secular enquiry that would allow scholars in different fields to address differences in how secularity manifests in different locations. Such a methodological framework may create possibilities to juxtapose and compare similar kinds of experience that people may or may not consider supernatural in different secular societies.