Monotheism Research Articles

Right to Life

In this chapter, I survey the right to life as a constitutional right in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. I begin with an account of the history of the right to life. I argue that the right to life before WWII is typically formulated in the “due process model”, such as in the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the US Constitution. After WWII, the second generation of the right to life has been reframed to be a freestanding right with heightened substantive and procedural safeguards. In recent decades, the right to life has been absolutized to the extent that it cannot be subject to any balancing except when it conflicts with itself, such as self-defense, necessity, and other occasions where taking a life is strictly necessary to preserve another life in an imminent timeframe. The direct effect of this development is the decline of the death penalty. The right to life in Asia mainly reflects the first generation understanding. Only along with the Third-wave Democratization did the spirit of the second-generation begin to infiltrate into some Asian constitutions. Most of the apex courts in this region, whether liberal democracies or hybrid regimes, delivered decisions upholding the death penalty per se. On the right to life of the unborn, this region is divided roughly along cultural or religious lines. East Asian societies are generally permissive of abortion. In contrast, Southeast Asian societies with dominant monotheistic religions, such as the Philippines(Catholicism), Indonesia, and Malaysia (Islam) are more restrictive of abortion, with the Philippines having the most restrictive law in this region.

One God or One Lord? Deuteronomi and the Meaning of Monotheism

Buku ini berupaya memahami ide monoteisme dan siknifikansi Yahweh dalam Ulangan, serta hubungan keduanya melalui beberapa teks yang terekam dalam Perjanjian Lama. Substansi dari penelitian ini adalah eksegesis mendalam beberapa pasal dalam Ulangan yang berhubungan dengan kesatuan Yahweh. Dimana ide utama yang dipaparkan sebagai ‘Yahweh adalah satu’ merupakan tema utama yang berkaitan dengan kesatuan Yahweh, keunikan Yahweh, keberadaan allah lain, arti mengasihi Yahweh, pemilihan Israel dan larangan penyembahan berhala melalui analisis literari-sejarah serta disimpulkan bahwa ide monoteisme modern tidak mampu mewakili model agama Israel yang menetapkan Yahweh sebagai allah ‘unik’ di antara allah lain.

ON THE ORIGINS OF SACRED ARCHITECTURE: INTERPRETATIONS OF THE EGYPTIAN TEMPLE

Abstract: According to the interpretation of Hegel, Egyptian religious buildings, and among them especially the temples, represent the beginning of the history of architecture, and so the beginning of the entire history of art.The Egyptian religious architecture has a symbolic character, because its configuration tries to represent the spiritual content without being fully adequate to it. So the Egyptian temple alludes to the divine through its entire structure, but does not have a proper internal space, dedicated to the worship of the image of God.On this point, contemporary Egyptology corrected Hegel’s view, because broadly speaking the Egyptian temple had an interior where the image of the deity was safeguarded. However, Hegel’s thesis paradoxically remains suitable for a particular case of the Egyptian experience that he could not know at that time: in the monotheistic religion of Amarna, the temple of the sun-god Aton has no images and does not have a center, because the Divine is present everywhere, like the sunlight that illuminates equally all over the temple.Key words: Egypt; architecture; temple; symbol; image.

Solus Christus diante do ecumenismo e do diálogo inter-religioso

O solus Christus é o princípio que norteia todos os demais: a teologia da Reforma é cristocêntrica. Para as pessoas cristãs, a revelação de Deus e o acesso a Deus passam pela encarnação em Jesus de Nazaré, o Cristo, o Filho de Deus conforme a compreensão da tradição cristã. Isso coloca a fé cristã e a teologia que sobre ela reflete em curso de conflito com o estrito monoteísmo de muçulmanos e judeus, por um lado, e com a devoção mariana católica, por outra, ao defender a unicidade do Cristo como salvador. Essa questão é objeto de diálogo ecumênico e inter-religioso e foi razão de forte polêmica na época de Lutero. O presente artigo procura apresentar de forma diferenciada a posição de Lutero em relação ao islamismo, ao judaísmo e a Maria, defendendo não poder tratar-se, hoje, de um diálogo com posições fechadas – mas tampouco de um diálogo sem posição: para quem confessa a fé cristã, é por meio do Cristo que Deus salva, doa-se e relaciona-se conosco.

Myrtle, Basil, Rosemary, and Three-Lobed Sage as Ritual Plants in the Monotheistic Religions: an Historical–Ethnobotanical Comparison

This study surveys the history, origin, and ethnobotanical evidence of why Myrtus communis L., Ocimum basilicum L., Rosmarinus officinalis L., and Salvia fruticosa Mill. are used as ritual plants in the main monotheistic religions (Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, but also Druze, Mandaeism, and Zoroastrianism). All these aromatic plants are odoriferous, medicinal, and apotropaic. By reviewing about 180 selected references, mainly from the Mediterranean basin, we compiled five tables with 313 citations on these ritual uses in different territories and according to diverse religions. The use of these species in rites of passage is found in all the main monotheistic religions and, in critical stages of the human life cycle, is related to warding off the evil eye/bad spirits/Satan, demons, or witches. These ritual customs have deep roots in ancient pagan cultures. The use of these plants in official religious ceremonies shows that different religious ritual uses of myrtle in Judaism (as a compulsory part of the Sukkoth festival), basil in the Greek Orthodox Church (mainly as a component of the Exaltation of the Cross), and rosemary mainly in the Catholic Church (especially as a decoration in the church). The uses of the three-lobed sage for a ritual by Muslims in the Holy Land are local and are not part of established religious ceremonies. While these plants have many similar ritual aspects in different regions/religions, it seems that they can be used interchangeably, probably as a result of syncretism and cultural migration of customs.

The Origins of Good and Evil and the Challenge of Theodicy in the Buddhist Tradition

The origins of good and evil and the problem of theodicy present a special set of challenges in Buddhism, which is relatively less concerned with consideration of first causes than are monotheistic religions. Buddhism focuses less on the issue of why evil and its incumbent suffering are present in the world and more on the question of how to respond to that evil. This emphasis on soteriology over metaphysics is seen in the characteristic invocation of pragmatic criteria for the evaluation of doctrines and practices; the recurrent motif of the Buddha as therapist rather than theorist; and the pervasive influence of the meta-theory of upāya (expedients or stratagems). This article will examine the soteriological dimension of the broader Buddhist response to evil and explore some of the explicit examinations of the problem of a Buddhist “theodicy” in later Mahāyāna monistic ontologies, which are explored in Korean Buddhist materials: viz., if the mind is innately enlightened or inherently pure, whence do ignorance or defilements arise?

Looking through the eyes of Job: A transpersonal–psychological perspective

The current context of a turn to the visual and the transpersonal–psychological potential of the book of Job forms the background of this study, which aimed at focusing a psychological lens on the topic of eyes in the book of Job. This approach has the potential of seeing beyond both the literal and the figurative sense of eyes in the book of Job, gaining a vision of a transcendental reality, either in or after this life. In this way, the bodily suffering experienced by the protagonist could be illuminated as a model for every recipient. By relating the eye to other body parts mentioned in the book, a texture of meanings has been woven with a complicated and intriguing subtext for the narrative of the eye in the life of Job. This wealth of value attached to the eye in the book subverts the traditionally negative attitude to the visual in monotheistic religions and resuscitates the eye to the status of even a transcendental level.

ALIH AKSARA DAN ALIH BAHASA TEKS KITAB TAUHID DAN TASAWUF

The method used in this research is adjusted to the stage of the research. At the data collection stage using descriptive methods. At the script transfer stage using the transfer method and the language transfer stage uses the language transfer method. There are 3 results of this study, namely (a) present the description of the script Kitab Tauhid dan Tasawuf (b) present the transfer of text Kitab Tauhid dan Tasawuf (c) present the transfer of the language of the text Kitab Tauhid dan Tasawuf adjusted to EBI. This text is that which contains the values in the Islamic religion. At the beginning of the text of the manuscript contains about monotheism that God is one. In this text also describes the attributes of God that are not owned by other creatures. Besides that in this text there is also a pillar of prayer that is true according to the teachings of Islam.

Constantin Brunner und das prophetische Judentum

Abstract Constantin Brunner studied Judaism from a multitude of sources. The originality of his interpretation of Prophetic Judaism is based, however, on his philosophical concept of »spiritual thinking«, one of the three faculties of his »Fakultätenlehre«. True biblical prophets in the tradition of Moses should, according to Brunner, therefore be considered as »spiritual« geniuses. In his view, the Bible is a collective work of Jewish prophetism which includes Jesus as a late-born prophet. The three traditional monotheistic religions, on the other hand, are seen as more or less distorted versions of Prophetic Judaism. The article discusses Brunner’s approach to authentic biblical prophecy, based on words and acts of Jeremiah, Esaias, Amos and other prophets, focussing on the sources of their prophetic inspiration and on their role in the society of their time. Brunner argues that Prophetic Judaism could play an important role even today by challenging the values of our time.

Political Trauma and Healing: Biblical Ethics for a Postcolonial World

Political Trauma and Healing: Biblical Ethics for a Postcolonial World

The “Light of Light Beyond Light”

Abstract Despite Jürgen Habermas’ famous suggestion that the violence of history might be mitigated by “the liquidation of unconditional claims,” the issue of whether monotheistic religions and the metaphysical rationality they engender are indeed the hidden source of such violence remains an open one. This essay explores how Derrida with his project “deconstruction” sought to deal in a manner unique to philosophy with the question of the relationship between violence, the unconditional, and the ontological. It proposes that Derrida’s “Jew-Greek” dilemma, which encapsulates the problem of the “violence” of metaphysics, is resolved through Levinas’ project of disrupting Husserlian phenomenology with an alterity that is not simply a heteron that disintermediates the logic of predication, but one that challenges what is normally meant by philosophy itself.

Monotheism and dualism in Nahmanides’ Kabbalistic thought: formation, volte-face and evolution

Nahmanides (Rabbi Moses ben Nahman, 1194–1270) was one of the prominent early Kabbalists in the thirteenth century in Catalonia. This article examines the way in which Nahmanides treats the deepest theological problem regarding the notion of the sefirot – the issue of plurality within the godhead. Nahmanides embraced the Kabbalistic doctrine of the sefirot, but he was committed to the principle of divine unity. Analysis of the changes and developments his thought underwent during his lifetime sheds light on the protracted, complex process this involved. While early on in his career he firmly espoused a monotheism that ‘contained’ the sefirot, in his latter days he was compelled for historical reasons to redefine the relationship between God and the sefirot. To this end he disseminated a clarificatory passage from Eretz Israel that he sought to append to the commentary. In this appendix he explained the principle of the sefirot in a new and more moderate theological way. The article focuses on this biographical change and tries to analyse it thoroughly.

Paradosis and monotheism: a late antique approach to the meaning ofislāmin the Quran

AbstractBoth the Muslim exegetical tradition and most Western scholarship have posited that the termislāmin the Quran means “submission”, i.e. to God, and that it refers to the religion brought by the prophet Muhammad. This paper argues that neither of these assertions is correct. Rather, the abstract nounislāmas used in the Quran means “tradition”. It is underlain by the Aramaicmashlmānūtā, which in turn was the term generally used to translate the Greekparadosis. That the Greek usage had a direct impact on Arabic is also considered. The wide range of meanings givenparadosisby Greek and Syriac authors is surveyed. A close reading of Quran verses in which the wordislāmappears shows that it refers to the prophetic tradition of monotheism rather than the surrender of an individual to God. It is synonymous with the Logos of Abraham, in which all the monotheistic religions participate.

Tourism development in Jerusalem : the fragmented religious tourism capital of the world

Jerusalen lleva siglos atrayendo a creyentes de las tres grandes religiones monoteistas. Se ha erigido a lo largo de los siglos como la principal ciudad sagrada para un gran porcentaje de la poblacion mundial. Actualmente atrae a cientos de miles de turistas internacionales cuya motivacion principal es el turismo religioso y la visita de los lugares sagrados. Sin embargo, se trata de un destino muy expuesto a la controversia a consecuencia del conflicto palestino-israeli desde hace mas de 70 anos, y que sigue afectando a la imagen y a la competitividad del destino dentro del panorama internacional. En el presente articulo, analizamos las causas del porque Jerusalen es considerada la capital del turismo religioso a nivel mundial, asi como las posibilidades que el turismo ofrece como argumento estrategico para imponer una determinada narrativa historica y un clima adecuado de convivencia entre las comunidades palestinas e israelies.

Lagos: the melting pot of African traditional religion and other foreign religions in Nigeria

African Traditional Religion (ATR) is the religion that was practised throughout Africa before the arrival of Western missionaries. The core premise of ATR is the maintenance of African culture and its main feature is loyalty to the ancestors and accompanying rituals that express this loyalty. With the introduction of two foreign religions into the mega city of Lagos, the interest has shifted from traditional religion to the two other religions. This study adopted the sociological theory of Emile Durkheim, which argues that Stability and cohesion shared in religion binds people closely together and contribute to the growth of the society. Various authors have written on the question of monotheism versus polytheism and the nature and position of revelation in religion and in order to understand the place of African Religion in light of contemporary religions, the exegesis approach is applied in the discussion of Africans belief in the worship of one Supreme Being and veneration of ancestors as intermediaries to the one Supreme Being. The paper explores the question of religious tolerance within the megacity of Lagos. Finally, the study reveals how Lagosian adherents of the traditional religion interface with members of the other religions. Finally the paper concluded that Lagosian Christians or Muslims continue their veneration and practice of indigenous religion whilst upholding their foreign religious identity.Keywords: Lagos, African religion, foreign religions, the melting pot of Nigerian Society

Jerozolima w potrzasku między Watykanem, Moskwą, ewangelikami republikańskimi, mesjanizmem judaistycznym i islamem

Jerusalem, especially the Temple Mount (Moriah), has been sanctified by the three biggest monotheistic religions. By Judaism – the binding of Isaac (Old Testament), King David pronouncing Jerusalem the capital of the ancient country of Israelites, and two demolished temples. By Christianity – Christ prayed in the Second Temple, becoming later crucified and buried in Jerusalem. The ruins of the Second Temple became the site where the Muslim Al-Aqsa Mosque was built. The contemporary conflict is marked by: the emergence of the State of Israel (1948) and the capturing of Jerusalem (1967), Russian influences exerted by the Orthodox Church and Oriental churches, the political impact of Jewish messianism combined with a mass support for evangelical fundamentalism as offered by the Republican Party in the US,the conflict between the West and Israel, focusing on Jerusalem as the tinderbox for “contemporary messiahs”.

RELIGIONEN UNTER GEWALTVERDACHT: THEORIEN ZUM VERHÄLTNIS VON MONOTHEISMUS UND GEWALT WERDEN DURCH EMPIRISCHEN BEFUND ERGÄNZT / RELIGIONS UNDER VIOLENCE SUSPICION: THEORY ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MONOTHEISM AND EMPIRIC VIOLENCE

The article deals with monotheistic religions that, on one hand, have humanitarian characteristics, which can unite peoples and create solidarity with the most vulnerable people and, on the other hand, also participate in manifestations of violence emanating from radical religious groups. World experiences are recorded and reflected, also at the level of sacred narratives and their interpretations and historical effects. Fundamentalist religious violence is linked with the historical sin of colonialism, totalitarianism, racism, genocide, wars, etc., and is also considered a cause of tribalism, despotism, nepotism and corruption. Humanities and Social Sciences, in interdisciplinary with inclusive theories, can contribute to the understanding and overcoming of social asymmetries linked with political and religious fundamentalism, which is one of the cradles of hatred and violence. Multi inter religious dialogue is a local and global challenge for the construction and experiences of peace and justice.

Rekonstruksi Tematik atas Konsep Nabi dan Misi Kenabian dalam Alquran

One of the very basic idea of the Qur’an is on the humanity of the prophet as like other creatures. Every single person has their own creative potency (in potentia) which, according to some philosophers, enables them to reach the degree of prophecy. This idea has then made a prophecy to come to a mundane term which has not to do with any sacred property. Prophets and prophecy are then not considered as an essential thing in human history. This notion has clearly put aside the role and function of prophet in human life. There is also popular opinion in the society that the prophet is considered as God’s chosen people to receive revelation, but, at some degree, they are conceived as having no responsibility to proselytize people under God’s revelation. This notion, beside to releases the prophet’s role from his social responsibility, contains some logical fallacies. If guiding people to the right path is being an individual’s responsibility of the follower of monotheist religion, how it is possible, then, to remove the responsibility of the prophets toward their society. Therefore, this study aims to revisiting the concept of prophecy, and analyzing the prophetic mission in terms of thematic interpretation

The Development of Modalism in Early Church History

A study of modalism in the second and third centuries is significant for at least three reasons: (1) It was one of two major ways in which early Christians articulated the distinctive Christian view of God. (2) It was the predominant Christian view of God for over a century. (3) There is some similarity to modern Oneness Pentecostalism, which has thirty million constituents. To study ancient modalism, we trace the doctrine of God in the second and third centuries, situate modalism within this historical context, and contrast it with early trinitarianism. First-century Christians embraced both strict monotheism and a high view of the deity of Jesus. Only later do we find significant modifications of monotheism in favour of binitarianism and trinitarianism. Instead of speaking of multiple divine persons, early Christians simply said God acted in Christ and was revealed in Christ. The major issue became how to reconcile Greek ideas of God’s transcendence with the New Testament depiction of God’s immanence in Christ. Subordinationists said the supreme God could not directly enter the physical world; thus, Jesus is the incarnation of a second, subordinate, divine person. Modalists maintained that Jesus is the incarnation of the one, indivisible God. Modern trinitarianism may be more compatible with modalism than with subordinationism. In other words, by modern trinitarian standards, modalism might be the best expression of orthodoxy in the second and third centuries. Indeed, if measured by majority opinion, it was the orthodoxy of the pre-Nicene era.

Ethno-religious identity, Ethics, and Responsibility: Levinas’s Critique of Religion

In the Christian, Moro, and Indigenous People’s relation in the Philippines, religion is the foundation of ethnic identity and provides the legitimacy of their disparate notion of history, understanding of conflict, and meaning of peace. As the underlying motif of their relation, religion has contributed in their uneasy and at times violent encounter, which deepens their division. Following his critique on monotheistic religions and Judaism, Levinas challenges ethno-religious identity to transcend religion as a content discourse, ontology, and thematization to the ethical. By orienting religion as the ethical and God as the structure of the ethical relation, ethno-religious identity must be redefined as the responsibility for the other if the tri-people dialogue has to pursue social harmony and peace.