Local Religious Practices Research Articles

The religious legacy of śiwa-buddha at Kalibukbuk temple, Buleleng: A historical and religious approach

Background: This study explores the religious legacy of Śiwa-Buddha at Kalibukbuk Temple in Buleleng, aiming to highlight the historical and religious aspects that contribute to its significance. The integration of Śiwa and Buddha traditions in Balinese religious culture reflects the island’s parallel religious landscape, particularly during the Majapahit era. Previous studies have discussed the blending of Śiwa and Buddha elements in various Balinese temples, yet there is limited focused research on Kalibukbuk Temple. This study addresses this gap by analyzing historical records and religious texts, shedding light on how the Śiwa-Buddha harmonization shaped local religious practices. Methods: The research utilizes a qualitative method with a historical-analytical approach, combining literature review, field observations, and interviews with religious practitioners. Data collection involved an examination of temple inscriptions, carvings, and architecture to interpret symbolic elements related to Śiwa-Buddha teachings. A comparative analysis with similar temples in Bali was also conducted to emphasize common patterns and distinctive characteristics. Findings: The findings indicate that Kalibukbuk Temple serves as a cultural and spiritual focal point in Buleleng, with Śiwa-Buddha elements prominently reflected in its architectural design, deity iconography, and ritual practices. The temple’s inscriptions reveal a deliberate effort to harmonize Śaivism and Buddhism, which suggests an inclusive religious policy of the era. Furthermore, the study shows that this religious harmonization at Kalibukbuk facilitated greater social cohesion within the local community by bridging religious differences. Conclusion: In conclusion, the study reveals that the Kalibukbuk Temple's religious legacy illustrates a successful integration of Śiwa-Buddha traditions, reflecting Bali’s broader harmonized religious identity. Novelty/Originality of this article: The novelty of this research lies in its focused examination of a lesser-studied temple, providing fresh insights into Balinese religious history. This study contributes to the understanding of how religious harmonization played a vital role in shaping cultural and religious continuity in Bali.

Cultural Significance and Sustainable Use of <em>Loxococcus rupicola</em> (Thw.) H. Wendl. and Drude in Sri Lanka: Implications for Conservation and Religious Practices

Loxococcus rupicola (“Ran-Dothalu”), is a nationally endangered palm species found in the southwestern rainforests, central highlands, and Knuckles regions of Sri Lanka. With a predominant Buddhist population, Ran-Dotalu holds sacred reverence among Buddhists. Thus, the present study aimed to elucidate the impact of cultural practices and religious beliefs on their conservation. Comprehensive semi-structured interviews were conducted selecting Buddhist clergy, flower collectors, and devotees(n=114), while data were also extracted from social media platforms. Our findings reveal the multifaceted role of L. rupicola within religious and cultural contexts. Notably, L.rupicola flowers emerge as offerings to the Buddha and deities as an integral component of rituals and medicine, while their seeds are being used as a substitute for the Areca nut. Despite these diverse applications, users were unaware of L.rupicola’s conservation status. Although there are legislative measures, the popularity of L. rupicola as an ornamental species triggers the over-exploitation of seedlings and saplings from natural habitats forming a threat to the population. This study underlines the urgency of aligning conservation strategies with local religious practices, emphasizing the imperative of immediate conservation measures.

Islamic faith-based organisations and their role in building social capital for post-disaster recovery in Indonesia.

This paper investigates the role of Islamic faith-based organisations (FBOs) in Indonesia and examines the way in which their disaster recovery aid can be successful or less successful depending on social capital formation in communities affected by a disaster. The paper argues that Islamic FBOs play a prominent role in disaster-affected communities by building new social capital or strengthening existing social capital. Failure to do so may affect a community's recovery and its long-term resilience. Applying a framework that considers three types of social capital-bonding, bridging, and linking-from a comparative perspective, the paper discusses two cases of disaster recovery: one following the earthquake that struck Aceh in 2013; and the other after the Mount Kelud volcanic eruptions in East Java in 2014. In both instances, the findings highlight the importance of the village facilitator, cultural sensitivity, and understanding of local indigenous and religious practices for successful disaster recovery.

The Religious Space of Badakhshan: Ismailism and Sufism

Nowadays, the culture and cultural identity of the Pamir peoples are largely determined by the widespread and predominance of Ismailism, the largest movement within Shiite Islam, in this region. Local folklore narratives associate the key role in the spread of the Ismaili madhhab with the name of the poet, philosopher and preacher (da‘i) Nasir-i Khusraw (11th century). Yet the available now written sources do not provide sufficient grounds to ascertain definitely the real character of Nasir-i Khusraw activities in Badakhshan and the subsequent history of the Ismaili da‘wa in the Pamirs. This article examines a range of issues and problems dealing with the morphology of the religious space of Badakhshan, forms, ways and methods of interaction between Ismailis and Sufi tariqas, the influence of Sufi doctrines on intellectual history and local Ismaili religious practices.

“Towards the East, Towards Jerusalem”

In this paper, archaeo- and ethnoastronomical methods are used to investigate the orientation of synagogues, graves and prayer among Ashkenazi Jewish communities in the central-northern part of the Argentinian Province of Santa Fe, in the southern Gran Chaco region of South America. These communities have their origin in Jewish agricultural colonies, which were established by immigrants from central and eastern Europe who arrived during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The study shows the complexity of the logics involved in the construction of the meaning of spatial orientations in local Jewish religious practices, and also the necessity of ethnographic surveys as a complement to quantitative studies of orientations.

Liaogan: A Folk Religious Practice in Northwest China

As the concluding activity of the Spring Festival in Northwest China, Liaogan is a distinctive local folk religious practice. This article, taking Qingyang City, Gansu Province, as a case study, employs anthropological fieldwork methods to present the entire process of the Liaogan ritual, trace its historical development and folk cultural connotations, and analysis the role of Liaogan in shaping social cohesion and the daily lives of Northwest people. The paper posits that Liaogan originates from humanity's shared belief in fire and the god of fire, representing a remnant of primitive religious beliefs. The purpose of Liaogan is to ward off evil, eliminate diseases and disasters, and fulfill people's hopes for a bountiful harvest. In this beautiful prayer process, a daily social function of purifying the soul and maintaining social relationships manifests itself in seemingly unconscious activities and continues to serve a symbolic social function in modern society.

Exploring Asian maternal experiences and mHealth needs for postpartum mental health care

Background Mental health care during the postpartum period is notably underexplored within Asian demographics, with barriers such as stigma, privacy concerns, logistical challenges, and a shortage of mental health professionals that limits access to optimal mental healthcare. Previous studies found that mobile health (mHealth) technology has been offering a promising solution to these issues. However, the perspectives of mothers on existing mental health services and their mHealth needs are still not well understood and warrant further exploration. Objective This study aimed to explore the postpartum experiences of Malaysian mothers with postpartum depression (PPD) symptoms and their perspectives on using an mHealth technology to improve mental health care during the postpartum period. Methods We carried out in-depth interviews with six mothers, which were transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. Collaborative discussions and consensus were employed to enhanced reliability. Findings Five main themes related to mothers’ postpartum experiences and perspectives emerged, namely, the existing circumstances of mothers, psychosociological reactions, maternal needs, innovation of care, and suggestions for pragmatic mHealth elements. These themes emphasized the emotional challenges of meeting societal, cultural, and personal expectations. The essential resources identified to be included in the mHealth technology were education on PPD, professional guided self-care, cognitive restructuring, validation of diverse infant feeding practices, and fostering partner support. Furthermore, interactive mHealth features such as mood trackers, notifications, platforms to share, and motivational tools aimed at elevating maternal well-being were also sought. Conclusions Mothers expressed a desire for mHealth services emphasizing the need for these educational tools to be culturally sensitive, accommodating local language and religious practices, and offering support during confinement, to effectively address the unique needs of postpartum mothers. This study highlights the importance of prioritizing practical mHealth interventions as strategic support services to enhance positive postpartum mental care in resource-stricken countries.

The minister is much disheartened: clergy and their communities in Interregnum legal records

ABSTRACT Many questions remain to be answered about the parish clergy who served in England’s churches between 1640 and 1660, due to the difficulties of interrogating the complex, ever-changing, singular and often deficient ecclesiastical records of the time. But much can be learned about religious policy and the relationships of clergy with their communities from the legal records of the time. As well as being useful for linking transient clergy to particular locations, assize, quarter and borough sessions reveal clergy’s interventions to influence local religious practice or morality, their complaints against parishioners, as well as the objections parishioners made against them in their turn. With evidence of violence and verbal abuse on all sides, disrupted church services, factional struggles within parishes, resistance to Godliness and a continuing propensity of parishioners to denounce their ministers’ political opinions, religious practices, drinking, swearing or sexual misbehaviour, these sources show that clergy had a challenging task in negotiating the divided religious landscape of the times.

A Local Pilgrimage in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Our Lady of the Snows in Kukljica, Croatia

This article is based on ethnographic research conducted in Kukljica on the island of Ugljan (Croatia) beginning in August 2020 for the purpose of the author’s doctoral thesis. The complexity of initiating research in a new locality was further burdened by the pandemic, which inevitably affected the outset of fieldwork in this case. This article is thus intended to demonstrate how ethnographic research was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic and present an image of “corona reality“ in the context of a local-scale pilgrimage. Through the example of the author’s research in Kukljica, this article shows how the research community adapted to the prevailing situation, which was characterized by restrictions and the introduction of new rules, and demonstrates the continuity of local religious practice in a global crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Process and outputs from a community codesign workshop on reducing impact of heat exposure on pregnant and postpartum women and newborns in Kilifi, Kenya.

Ambient heat exposure is increasing due to climate change and is known to affect the health of pregnant and postpartum women, and their newborns. Evidence for the effectiveness of interventions to prevent heat health outcomes in east Africa is limited. Codesigning and integrating local-indigenous and conventional knowledge is essential to develop effective adaptation to climate change. Following qualitative research on heat impacts in a community in Kilifi, Kenya, we conducted a two-day codesign workshop to inform a set of interventions to reduce the impact of heat exposure on maternal and neonatal health. Participants were drawn from a diverse group of purposively selected influencers, implementers, policy makers, service providers and community members. The key domains of focus for the discussion were: behavioral practices, health facilities and health system factors, home environment, water scarcity, and education and awareness. Following the discussions and group reflections, data was transcribed, coded and emerging intervention priorities ranked based on the likelihood of success, cost effectiveness, implementation feasibility, and sustainability. Twenty one participants participated in the codesign discussions. Accessibility to water supplies, social behavior-change campaigns, and education were ranked as the top three most sustainable and effective interventions with the highest likelihood of success. Prior planning and contextualizing local set-up, cross-cultural and religious practices and budget considerations are important in increasing the chances of a successful outcome in codesign. Codesign of interventions on heat exposure with diverse groups of participants is feasible to identify and prioritize adaptation interventions. The codesign workshop was used as an opportunity to build capacity among facilitators and participants as well as to explore interventions to address the impact of heat exposure on pregnant and postpartum women, and newborns. We successfully used the codesign model in co-creating contextualized socio-culturally acceptable interventions to reduce the risk of heat on maternal and neonatal health in the context of climate change. Our interventions can be replicated in other similar areas of Africa and serve as a model for co-designing heat-health adaptation.

Digging into lives: Christians and Christianity in the Greek papyri from Egypt

Greek papyri recovered from the sands of Egypt represent a precious source of data for early Christianity. Egypt is the land of the earliest Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible. The Greek Old Testament or Septuagint was undertaken within the Jewish community of Alexandria from near the middle of the 3rd to the 2nd century BC. Alexandria became the first centre of Christianity in Egypt. Then, the Christian doctrine spread to the villages of the Egyptian chora. Christian papyri mirror this historical context. The earliest Christian papyri are biblical and literary. Besides these, documentary texts offer unique insights into the everyday life and society of Christians in Egypt. Private letters, in particular, reveal the activities and worries of laymen and women, monks and church officials. Papyrological evidence also enlightens the relationship of Christianity with local religious practices. After an overview of the contribution of papyri to our knowledge of early Christianity, this article will focus on documentary specimens dealing with health issues in the form of requests for healing prayers and amulets written on papyrus. Health was, in fact, a common cause for concern and a central aspect of the daily reality of Christian communities.Contribution: This article contributes to shedding light on the role of papyrological evidence in reconstructing the everyday lives of people in Egypt. Christian documentary papyri are particularly illuminating on the day-to-day life of early Christian communities. Their study expands our socio-cultural understanding of aspects – such as healing – that, although important, are poorly known from the literary tradition.

Esotericism in Romanian Religious History

Abstract As an expression of the complex global religious entanglements, esoteric knowledge did appeal also to Eastern Europe, in Romania being particularly imprinted by the local religious discourses and practices characteristic to Orthodox Christianity. This paper attempts to briefly sketch the indigenization of esoteric “currents” such as alchemy, spiritualism, Theosophy, Anthroposophy, Traditionalism etc. in Romania. Apart from these historical formations, various aspects of the contemporary occulture in Romania are also considered, especially the Orthodox occulture.

The Religious Political Identity of Kaum Sayid in the Ziarah Kubra Tradition in Palembang

Ziarah Kubra is a religious tradition that developed in Palembang in an atmosphere of the revival of the spirit of Islamic diversity in Indonesia in the millennial period. The Ziarah Kubra tradition began to be popularized in 2003 by the Kaum Sayid in Palembang. The Kaum Sayid or Sayids is a community descended from the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), who traveled worldwide, including Palembang.This article discusses the Ziarah Kubra tradition's phenomenon towards constructing the Kaum Sayid's religious identity in Palembang. The research study in this article uses qualitative research methods with a phenomenological approach to the Ziarah Kubra tradition in Palembang. The Ziarah Kubra was originally a local religious practice of the Kaum Sayid in Palembang, which continued to develop into the collective religious identity of Islamic civilization in Indonesia. The construction of the religious-political identity of the Kaum Sayid in Palembang was formed, along with the acceptance and recognition of other communities and local elites to the religious authority of the Kaum Sayid in Palembang in the Ziarah Kubra tradition. This article shows that a religious tradition can be an institution of a local community's religious-political identity.

Power and Play

Power and Play

A History of Cultic Images in China: The Domestic Statuary of Hunan by Alain Arrault, trans. Lina Verchery

Reviewed by: A History of Cultic Images in China: The Domestic Statuary of Hunan by Alain Arrault, trans. Lina Verchery Mario Poceski A History of Cultic Images in China: The Domestic Statuary of Hunan by Alain Arrault, trans. Lina Verchery. Hong Kong: Chinese University of Hong Kong Press, 2020. Pp. x + 188. $60.00 hardcover. An important part of religious life in China is the veneration and supplication of various deities, who are typically represented in the form of statues or paintings. These ubiquitous objects of worship can be found in various temples and shrines across China (and other areas where traditional Chinese culture is present), as well as in the homes of individual families and places of business. They are associated with a wide range of beliefs, practices, and traditions. Some of them are primarily linked with one of the three teachings—Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism—which over the centuries have exerted enormous influences on various facets of Chinese life, within and outside of the religious sphere. There are also many deities associated with what scholars often label popular religion (also referred to as common or folk religion), a heuristic category that covers a diffuse plethora of beliefs and practices, local as well as national in scope. Well-known examples of such deities are the ubiquitous earth god (tudi gong 土地公) and kitchen god (zaoshen 灶神). Additionally, objects of cultic adulation include the images of various saints (such as prominent Buddhist monks or Daoist masters) and ancestors. Among the key features of Chinese religious life, past and present, are the manifold points of intersection among the various systems of belief and ritual, which occasionally give rise to distinctive types of religious hybridization. In relation to the cultic use of images, the embrace of a pluralistic outlook and the blurring of boundaries among distinct religions are manifested in the common placement and worship of some of the same deities in a variety of contexts and across a [End Page 145] spectrum of diverse traditions. For instance, a statue of Guanyin 觀音, the Buddhist bodhisattva who embodies the virtue of compassion, can be found in innumerable temples belonging to Buddhism, Daoism, and popular religion, as well as in shrines located in family residences, often alongside the statues of other deities with dissimilar origins or associations. The same goes for Guandi 關帝 (or Guan Yu 關羽), the widely worshiped god of war (who also performs several other ancillary roles, depending on context). The comprehensive history of cultic images in China is yet to be written. Alain Arrault's noteworthy book is a valuable step in that direction, even if its scope is much more limited than what its title indicates. While this book makes constructive contributions to scholarship, it is not a history of Chinese cultic images in any meaningful sense. The subtitle helps clarify its scope a bit, by pointing out that the book is only about the domestic statuary of Hunan. But the book is even more limited than this purported subject, as much of its focus is primarily on three collections of statues from Hunan, produced from the sixteenth to the twentieth century. While these collections represent important sources of information about local religious beliefs and practices, as well as the social and cultural contexts that have framed them over the centuries, they do not necessarily cover everything that needs to be known about Hunanese statuary, not to mention the long, rich, and complex history of Chinese cultic images. Arrault's book overlaps with the works of several other scholars. It can be viewed as part of a growing trend within European and American academic circles toward the exploration of local religion and society in Hunan. Its closest predecessor is Patrice Fava's pioneering Aux portes du ciel: La statuaire taoïste du Hunan (2014), which can be read in close conjunction with it.1 Both books are written by French scholars with years of fieldwork experience in Hunan, much of it dedicated to studying the consecrated statues and the various objects placed inside them, which include documents that shed light on their provenance and usage. Other new publications, with a somewhat similar focus on Hunan and local religion, include David J. Mozina's...

Islam, Ethnicity, and Conflict in Ethiopia: The Bale Insurgency, 1963–1970 by Terje Østebø

Østebø’s study of a major insurrection in Ethiopia during the 1960s presents a significant example of contemporary trends in the study of religious and ethnic movements. This book is an in-depth study of an important movement in modern Ethiopian history. It is also a clearly presented argument, reflecting important current trends in scholarship, for utilizing inclusive analytical frameworks to study religious and ethnic movements.The ambitious goal of this study is to provide an “understanding of the intertwined roles of religion and ethnicity in fomenting identity, demarcating boundaries, and causing conflict” (1). Østebø’s approach goes beyond redefining terms; it reshapes the modes of analysis. Much of the current study of movements is shaped by sets of binary conceptualizations, like traditional vs. modern or religious vs. ethnic. Østebø argues that the “either-or” perspective involved in such binary approaches hinders an in-depth understanding of the dynamics of group and communal identity.In this study, religion and ethnicity are understood to be “intimately connected” as dimensions of group definition and identity (317). A movement is not viewed as either ethnic or religious but can be both. This framework opens the way for a different understanding of important historical developments. For example, the process of Islamization of African communities (like the Oromo in Østebø’s study) is often viewed as the spread of some kind of “mainstream” or “pure” Islam, and when local religious traditions and practices are maintained within the Muslim framework, they are seen as departures from “mainstream” Islam. However, Østebø views “the expansion of Islam as a dialectical process of Islamization of the Oromo and the Oromization of Islam” (52). This interactive synergy is also seen in what Østebø describes as the “localization” of contemporary Muslim Salafism in Ethiopia. Within this framework, he concludes that in viewing insurrections in the Horn of Africa, “the integrated nature of religion and ethnicity … makes it impossible to dissect such conflicts as either religious or ethnic” (258).The introduction to the book presents a general discussion of the approaches to the study of religion and ethnicity. It introduces Østebø’s concept of “peoplehood” as an inclusive analytical concept that “enables us to move beyond either-or perspectives in relation to conflicts” (28). Chapters 2 and 3 provide the ethnographic and historical backgrounds for the insurrection, followed by two chapters about the insurrection itself—texts that Østebø describes as a “historical ethnography of the insurgency” (29). This historical account, which utilizes important interviews with surviving participants, is a distinctively important source.Østebø follows this historical account with a series of interpretive discussions. His assertion, in Chapter 6, that the Bale insurgency “was not a peasant rebellion” precedes discussions of how changing systems of land tenure were related to the insurrection (180). The final chapters of the book look at the meaning and role of religion and ethnicity, with concentrated discussions of the evolution of Ethiopian Christianity, Islam, and local Oromo nationalism. In this concluding section, Østebø includes a consideration of the “relevance of class in relation to religion and ethnicity,” arguing that “interpretations that favor and isolate one of these categories at the expense of the other inevitably bring forth a one-sided and incomplete picture” (259).How does Østebø’s broadly conceived analysis change our understanding of the nature of the secular? During the 1960s, many scholars identified activist movements as secular-nationalist rather than as instances of religious revivalism. Accordingly, as Østebø notes in this book, insurgencies in southeast Ethiopia were more influenced by “secular Arab nationalism and pan-Arabism” than by Islamic revivalism (245). If he had gone beyond an analysis based on the old binary of religious vs. secular in this book as he did with the paradigm of religious vs. ethnic, this book might have been even more useful.In a time like the present when ethnic conflicts and religious militancy are important elements in global affairs, it is important to study the relationships. Østebø presents an important study that goes beyond old exclusivist conceptual binaries in examining the relations between religion and ethnicity. The book is a valuable addition to the library of studies working to understand the nature of identity and conflict in the modern and contemporary world.

Relics, Images, and Christian Apotropaic Devices in the Roman-Persian Wars (4th-7th Centuries)

This paper analyses the military use of holy relics, images, and other Christian apotropaic devices in the Roman-Persian wars. I examine a wide range of literary evidence from the 4th to the 7th century exploring where, why, and how different Christian objects were used in military contexts. Moreover, I consider different factors, as the local religious practices or the rivalry between the Christian Roman Empire and Zoroastrian Persia. I argue that the earliest military uses of relics and holy images happened in the context of the Roman-Persian conflict and frontier region, and that, during the 4th-7th centuries, these uses were much more common there than anywhere else. Also, that some local practices of this region could have been adopted by military officers and the Imperial elite. I propose that three factors could explain this: First, the intensity of the cult of relics and images in Syria and the Near East. Second, the growing identification of the Roman Empire as a Christian power between the 4th and 7th centuries. Finally, the Roman-Persian conflict and the climate of religious confrontation that grew over the course of the Byzantine-Sassanian wars.

Victory on Earth or in Heaven: Mexico's Religionero Rebellion

Victory on Earth or in Heaven: Mexico's Religionero Rebellion

The Moral Economies of Sacrifice and Sacrilege in Russian Agrarian Culture

This article challenges the empirical usefulness of historical and anthropological approaches (Walter Burkert, René Girard, et al.) when considering sacrifice as a socially acceptable projection of aggression inherent in all human beings. Ideas formulated by Burkert and Girard were later criticised by a number of anthropologists and students of religion. At the same time, however, historical and ethnographic data sometimes reveal particular connections between sacred objects and agents, on the one hand, and images of violence, killing, and the transgression of social norms, on the other. The paper deals with a number of cases from modern Russian agrarian culture revealing certain rules and norms of moral economies that connect concepts of the sacred, violence, and sacrifice in particular ritual and narrative contexts. Legends about substitute sacrifices and the origin of local sacred places, as well as the religious cults of laymen (usually children) who died accidentally before their time, are contextualised in local cosmologies that provided modes for the mutual socialisation of human beings and non- or superhuman agents. Here, the theme of sacrifice is related to resource exchange providing stable, predictable, and reciprocal relations with various otherworldly beings. In this context, the Judeo-Christian ‘sacrifice narratives’ that originated in ancient Mediterranean ritual cultures could only in part be adapted to local religious practices, social structures, and norms.

Uncertainty, Risk, and Merit-Making

The rising importance of the tea business among the Bulang people of Yunnan province, Southwest China, is intimately linked to Theravada Buddhist ideologies and practices. Non-reciprocal merit-making provides a sense of control, and this is particularly important in an increasingly uncertain economic environment. More and more people were ready to engage in high-risk trading, and new rituals emerged precisely at a time when profit margins increased rapidly. The reinvention of local rituals helped people to control risk-taking and to morally legitimize ambiguous market behavior. The result is strong synergies between the ways uncertainty and risk are being addressed in the tea economy and in local religious practice: economic processes are changing religious practices just as much as religious practices are making a difference in economic behavior.