Real Faith Research Articles

The Authenticity of Theology in Scientific and Technological Thinking

The deprivation of knowledge from the bond of true belief will destroy and ruin human life and nature. This has been demonstrated in the Western scientific and technological civilisations that dominate the world today. Western scientific civilisation today is the product of scientists who have no real faith in the Creator of the universe. Nevertheless, there are efforts among Western scientists who have awareness in this modern era, who began to take steps to restore the agenda of Science and Technology within the framework of religious beliefs. This literature-based study discovers many negative effects resulting from the absence of true theology in understanding Science and Technology, which is based on a secular understanding. Apart from that, this article also reveals the nature and appearance of Science and Technology that are firmly embroidered with natural theology leading to universal well-being.

ЕВАНГЕЛИЕ ОТ ЛЮТЕРА

The article deals with the main Reformation ideas of Martin Luther that later influenced the building and formation of the fundamental humanitarian values in Europe and further on in the whole world. The main of them are freedom, justice, autonomy, fairness and responsibility, as well as the value foundations of personal identification, which are closely connected with the problem of free will and choice. They were forged in the process of shaping principles of a new faith by Martin Luther, whereon the new Protestant Church was built with its new ethic dissolving all life spheres of its adepts and building a new type of European rationality. Luther is considered a personality that embodies a significant era in the development of Europe: he did not only demonstrate with his own example what the real faith meant, he set a new direction for the development of society based on the new principles of the Protestant Church. The author of the article analyzes social and geopolitical circumstances under which Luther the Great Reformer lived and formed a new Protestant theology.

Cyril of Alexandria and Julian the Emperor in dialogue for the ancient Greek philosophy and paganism

In the 5th century, Cyril of Alexandria wrote a large apologetic work, as a response to Julian the Apostate™s anti-Christian work Against the Galileans. Aside from the obvious divide of one being a Christian and one a pagan, Cyril's religious views were very different from Julian's. Julian's arguments against the Christian doctrine do not greatly differ from those used in the second century by Celsus, and by Porphyry in the third and he regarded the relations between Neoplatonic criticism of Christian Word. As a pagan, Julian had adopted the Platonic and Neoplatonic conception of the one God. Cyril doesn™t stack up against the Platonic one. Cyril™s goal in responding to Julian is, therefore, to help the skeptical reader to find the real faith. Cyril invokes precisely the evidence of Platonist philosophers in favour of the Trinitarian doctrine. Cyril shows, unlike Julian, that the Greek philosophers accept the three principal hypostases and using the term triad, they agree with Christian teaching. So, ancient philosophers as Porphyry supported that the substance of the divinity has proceeded towards three hypostases. Cyril doesn™t only confront Julian™s view against Christian, but he also confirms something that Justin the Martyr supported centuries ago about the ˜spermatic logos™. In this paper, we will examine this two works, ˜Against the Galileans™ of Julian and ˜Against Julian™ of Cyril, not only from their theological opinions but as arguments using the ˜common images™ (Iµa¼°IoIŒI„I±), the possible logical arguments, in supporting the positions of Julian and Cyril in a legal struggle.

The Paradox of Kurt Gödel: A Response

Miloš Dokulil’s dissection of Kurt Godel’s religious worldview generates questions among his conclusions. In part, the reader’s understanding is challenged by the turgid translation from the Czech language. Yet, the meaning still can be extricated. Because Gödel’s ontological argument for God’s existence was not published in his lifetime, there is doubt that he was satisfied by its method. Truly, since virtually all of Gödel’s writings on philosophy were unpublished, his rational Platonism leaves considerable room for speculation concerning his metaphysical system. Hence, Dokulil seeks alternative explanations for what seems to have been Gödel’s real faith in God. Framed by semantic-philosophical musings, Dokulil concludes that it was the influence of Gödel’s childhood exposure to the Bible mainly through his mother. Indeed, it seems at times that Dokulil is examining his own belief in God as well as Godel’s. In the event, there are several aspects of Göddel’s life and work which elucidate his religious belief through his pursuit of mathematical reasoning in a more intellectually engaging way than simply the maternal influence that is often most profound and Godly. These include his philosophy of Platonism, great contributions to metamathematics, and the relation of intellect and will.

The Protestant Ethic in the Russian Context: Peter Struve and Sergey Bulgakov Read Max Weber (1907–1909)

The paper focuses on two Russian interpretations of The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, the first written by Peter Struve, whose reaction on Weber’s research was among the first in Russia, and the second by Sergey Bulgakov, who attempted a reinterpretation of Weber’s concepts with their subsequent application to the conditions of Imperial Russia. It is widely known that Max Weber had a number of well-educated readers in Russia. The first was Bogdan Kistiakowsky who was directly connected with Weber’s academic circle through his teacher, the prominent German jurist Georg Jellinek. Yet, this paper addresses the reflections of other intellectuals who belonged to the generation born in 1870s, including Peter Struve and Sergei Bulgakov and their younger fellows such as Semyon Frank who joined this intellectual circle through his older friend and supporter, Peter Struve. Despite the fact that Weber’s The Protestant Ethic did not cause intense intellectual debates in Russia during 1906-1910, Struve and Bulgakov were those who responded to the main arguments, providing two views on this classic book. Peter Struve proceeds from the premise of the loss by modern Christianity (both Western and Eastern) of an effective, real faith in the Resurrection, and the consequent impossibility of true religious community. As a result, Christianity turns out to be an asceticism exercised outside this world. Bulgakov’s analysis interprets the Weberian concept as a general model of the “deep idealistic enthusiasm” influence on economic life, and translates this reasoning into a pragmatic plane, that is, into the possibility of economic “pedagogics” and the rise of a “spirit” of a new economy as an alternative to capitalism.

Classical and Non-Classical Versions of the Ontological Argument

The article is devoted to the interpretation of the ontological argument as a theoretical construction that is connected with understanding of the reflexive relationship of thinking and existence. The author concludes that the consistent implementation of this approach requires an appeal to the historically transitory forms of the ontological argument which reconstructs the logic of the evolution of reflexive systems. The ontological argument is considered as a developing theoretical construct. Therefore, theoretical constructs conceptualized as non-classical versions of the ontological argument will constantly re-emerge. Emergence of the first non-classical version of the ontological argument is related to need of overcoming apriority of introduction of the idea of the absolute being which is typical for Cartesianism. This issue was realized in the Kantian doctrine of transcendental ideas, which presented mind as an independent essence that creates its own content. Thus, the metaphysical construction, conditionally referred to as “the moral proof of the existence of God,” is revealed in the paper as a non-classical variant of the ontological argument. However, while Kant could be content with faith in reality of other subjectivity as an object of moral action, Fichte’s scientific doctrine demanded a proof of objective reality of the concept of the other I. This issue was identical to a basic problem of an ontological argument. “The ontological argument of the other I” offered by Fichte was devoid of mysticism as it is indissolubly connected with the disclosure of the social nature of the human subjectivity. The last step in formation of the concept “non-classical version of the ontological argument” was taken in Hegelian philosophy, where the reflexive relations between the multitude of I’s were transformed to reflexive interconnection between God and man. The versions of ontological argument are considered in the paper as necessary stages which any theoretical model of reflexive systems has to pass in its formation.

IN THE SEARCHES FOR THE NATIONAL IDENTITY: VISION OF J. BARNES

In this article J. Barnes’s novel «England, England» is analyzed in the aspect of problematization and artistic representation of the individual and national identity question; the originality of author’s interpretation of the identity problem through the metaphor «the invention of tradition» is emphasized; humanistic nature of English writer’s artistic reflection is stressed.National identity problems, national history and memory, national traditions and heritage became «a significant trend» of the modern British artistic literature, and J. Barnes’s art is one of many bright proofs of this, because of the serious intention to understanding of what we call «Englishness» is demonstrated in his works.Novel «England, England» (1988) is the concentration of author’s reflections on the question about national identity. He decided to share these questions with his nationals and not only, proclaiming that «England, England is a letter to my own country at the turn of the millennium». Due to Barnes, he focuses on what can be called «the invention of tradition» in this novel, and he admires the idea of expanding of this metaphor in the context of E. Renan’s thesis «getting its history wrong is part of becoming a nation». Testing the power of national historical memory and national past and heritage, consequently ruining national consciousness stereotypes and demythologizing important «Englishness» significators, Barnes points out the crisis state of the modern world, which is able to find neither its real history nor identity.Metaphor, that was given in the beginning of the novel and that tells us about the attempt of the protagonist to find herself through memories of her own childhood, when she was doing puzzles with English counties, is the analogy to finding by country the national identity, which is also lost in the blurred reminiscences. This way Barnеs con vinces, that the past of a human being is strongly correlated with country’s existence history. In the novel individual and common memory are deeply interconnected together with each other.Forming our imagination about identity as unreachable utopia by text’s logic, the author also doubts about certainty commonly used «Englishness» signs, underlining impossibility of reproduction of authentic version of national or individual identity. Barnes insists on objective «uncertainty of being» (D. Zatonskij) and talks to readers with the help of steady humanistic values. Person and country live through the similar processes during their life, the loss of faith in reality of normal life basis equals to the loss of sense of being, people and nation, that do not know their history are doomed to wandering in the stormy life ocean. However, they find sense of being, if they have a strong rod and if they dive into wide contexts of truly existing life, when their faith in something more serious and meaningful is only one thing that is left, instead of intermediate modern state and personal ’ego’. Terms of reference, that the protagonist Marta reaches, saturate writer’s prose with universal, humanistic reflections. They one more time point out versatility and philosophical complexity of the modern British novel.

Letters to Lord Ganesha

Letters to Lord Ganesha

An Introduction to the Medieval English: The Historical and Literary Context, Traces of Church and Philosophical Movements in the Literature

The Transition from Greek to medieval philosophy that speculated on religion, nature, metaphysics, human being and society was rather a rough transition in the history of English literature. Although the literature content of this age reflected more religious beliefs, the love and hate relationship of medieval philosophy that was mostly based on the Christianity with Greek civilization was exhibited clearly. The modern philosophical ideologies are the continuation of this period’s ideologies. Without a well understanding of the philosophical issues related to this age, it is not possible to understand the modern ones well. The catholic tradition as well as the religious reform against church called Protestantism was organized in this age. In Medieval Period, philosophy and theoretical thoughts related to the Christianity were well-organized and the philosophy, science and theoretical thoughts served religion. Philosophy had different forms and orientations in various stages of this period. One of these philosophical thoughts was the Augustinian philosophy which was strongly in favor of church with its different practices and styles. It used Platonic and Neo-Platonic traditions to prove that faith is the result of divine dispensations, not the result of human will power and wisdom. On the other hand, according to Aquinas, we experience different types of the effects that existed in the world around us. He believed that we assign an effective cause to each effect we experienced around us. Additionally, he claimed that reasoning was the only way to reach the real faith. In fact, philosophy of Medieval Period attempted to prove that religious assertions and ideologists were in search of matching their philosophical beliefs with the beliefs of Christianity. Christianity as the dominant factor in Middle English Literature helped English to be stablished as a literary language.

The Source of the Problem: Both Islam and the West Have Forgotten Their Roots (A Philosophical Study of the Charlie Hebdo Shooting)

Journal of South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies Vol. XL, No.3, Spring 2017 The Source of the Problem: Both Islam and the West Have Forgotten Their Roots (A Philosophical Study of the Charlie Hebdo Shooting)* Sayed Hassan Akhlaq1 Introduction In 2015, the entire world particularly Europe (especially the French speaking areas of Europe, e.g. France and the French speaking part of Belgium) witnessed very tragic and shocking attacks by extremist Muslims. Though the Islamic notion of Jihad played a central role in explaining the religious aspect of the events, Jihad did not play an explicit role in the Charlie Hebdo shooting in January 7, 2015, that was in response to cartoons mocking the Prophet Muhammad. This paper addresses this specific event, the relevant Islamic idea, and the destroyed potential for two civilizations, French and Muslim, to work toward mutual understanding and constructive dialogue based on philosophical analyses. It focuses on this case for two reasons: Since Muslims are very sensitive to mocking the Prophet, this case touches a wider range of Muslims; also, it indicates a major conflict between Islamic culture which is based on venerating the 74 *An earlier version of this paper was presented in the conference “Perceptions of Islam in the West and its Effects on Relations between Islamic Countries and the West”, April 15-16 2016, conducted by the American Council for the Study of Islamic Societies, Villanova University. 1 The author is a research fellow at the Catholic University of America, in Washington DC. He earned his PhD in philosophy in 2009 from Allameh Tabatabaii University in Tehran, Iran, and completed his Islamic studies (Hawzeh Elmieh) in Mashhad. He has published four books, numerous chapters, editorials, and encyclopedia and dictionary entries. Acting as an academic adviser to the Afghanistan Academy of Sciences in 2010, he lectured at several universities in Iran during 2007-2010. Since moving to the US in 2011, he has given scholarly lectures all over the States to Muslims as well as to academia. He is also a member of the American Academy of Religion and the American Philosophical Association. 75 holy Prophet and European modernity which openly mocks and rejects the special place of holy texts, images, and persons. Shocking and catastrophic events can be examined by external conditions as well as internal states. The tragic and dreadful events of Paris are not exceptions; they are related to inner and outer factors and if they are neglected we remain far from the nature of the tragedy. No doubt the attack occurred under the name of Islam. Also Charlie Hebdo, the French satirical weekly magazine, was featuring secular, atheist, far-left-wing, and anti-racist ideology. In other words, the attack in some way was linked with Islam and the magazine’s cartoons and jokes with the Western culture rooted in the eighteenth century Enlightenment. Historically, the Western positive turn toward Islam after a very long period of negative approaches in the West, happened through the Enlightenment. Also, Islam historically is among the few religions which have showed high degrees of tolerance to others and which have a great esteem for the Enlightenment’s self-sufficient rationalism2 . In many analyses extremist Muslims are condemned for this tragedy and blamed for their brutality. It may be better to examine the roots which touch both sides of the problem. How do these bitten fruits come from such fruitful trees? This short essay aims to highlight this point by explaining how losing the spirit of the Enlightenment in the West and the real faith in Islam leads to such catastrophic event. The True Self of the Enlightenment The core point is the questioning of the “Self” and the “Other” in the background of the event. The magazine as a part of modern Western civilization was enjoying the great and fundamental values like freedom of expression, criticism, and diversity. As a matter of fact, it was expressing “self” which appeared in modernity through the Enlightenment. In many ways current western civilization is the child of the Enlightenment. Regardless of how we approach toward the Enlightenment, nobody can deny its central position in the formation of Modernity. Free thinkers from Scotland, France, England, and the...

『教行信証』における『往生礼讃』引用の意義について

In the “Chapter on Practice” of the Kyōgyōshinshō 教行信証, Shinran 親鸞 cites Shandao’s 善導 subcommentary, the Wangsheng lizan 往生礼讃, instead of his major work, the Guanjing shu 観経疏, to discuss his understanding of the Great Practice (Daigyō 大行). The Wangsheng lizan primarily focuses on the Pure Land Buddhist practices of “worship” and “praising.” Shinran cites this text to demonstrate the special characteristic of the “Great Practice.” It is not a practice in which sentient beings “express their devotion with recitations of Amitābha’s Name.” Rather, it is Amitābha’s “working” to guide sentient beings to true and real faith. In other words, the nembutsu as the praising of the virtues of Amitābha by the various Buddhas and good Dharma teachers becomes the voice of nembutsu recommending (teaching) people who have yet to encounter Amitābha Buddha.

Wyznaniowe zróżnicowanie kultury gospodarczej. O ideologicznym nadużyciu znanej tezy

More than one hundred years ago, Max Weber agued that the Protestant religion, particularly the religious ideas of Calvinism and the Puritan ethic, played a positive role in creating the capitalistic spirit. The article hereby attempts to show that this thesis (the Protestant Ethic Thesis) gradually evolved into different stereotypes. It also appeared to be especially prone to some ideological abuse. The description of these stereotypes and different forms of abuse has been preceded with attempts to answer some questions such as: Is the cultural context of economic life really differentiated with regard to religious ideas? Is Max Weber’s thesis timeless? In fact, the results of various kinds of research allow to falsify the thesis given above. It is the real religious faith as such and not its content that is economically significant. However, there are some cultural differences between Catholics and Protestants that are determined by their religious faith. These differences concern rather e.g. their different focus on the value hierarchy or significance attached to satisfying needs.

Vertov, the View from Nowhere, and the Expanding Circle

Classical film theorists are commonly divided into two opposing camps. In one are placed those, such as Rudolf Arnheim and V. I. Pudovkin, who “put their faith in the image,” to borrow André Bazin's phrase, arguing that “the most aesthetically significant feature of the film medium is its capacity to manipulate reality, that is, to rearrange and thereby reconstitute the profilmic event (the event that transpires in front of the camera).” In the other belong realists, like Bazin and Siegfried Kracauer, who “put their faith in reality,” believing that “the truly cinematic film stays as close to recording as possible, eschewing the interpretation, recreation, or reconstitution of reality.” One of the many unusual things about the films and writings of Dziga Vertov is that they appear to straddle both camps at once.

The Twilight of Atheism: The Rise and Fall of Disbelief in the Modern World. By Alister E. McGrath. Pp. xii, 306, London, Rider, 2004, $39.95. The Future of Atheism: Alister McGrath and Daniel Dennett in Dialogue. By Robert B. Stewart. Pp. xvii, 212, Lond

The Heythrop JournalVolume 55, Issue 1 p. 146-147 BOOK REVIEW The Twilight of Atheism: The Rise and Fall of Disbelief in the Modern World. By Alister E. McGrath. Pp. xii, 306, London, Rider, 2004, $39.95. The Future of Atheism: Alister McGrath and Daniel Dennett in Dialogue. By Robert B. Stewart. Pp. xvii, 212, London, SPCK, 2008, $19.00. Real Scientists, Real Faith. By R.J. Berry. Pp. 288, Oxford, Monarch, $14.99. Bradford McCall, Bradford McCall Regent University, Virginia Beach, VASearch for more papers by this author Bradford McCall, Bradford McCall Regent University, Virginia Beach, VASearch for more papers by this author First published: 29 November 2013 https://doi.org/10.1111/heyj.12064_28Read 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 Volume55, Issue1January 2014Pages 146-147 RelatedInformation

Faith According to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger

The subject of this article is faith according to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the present Pope Benedict XVI. At the beginning the author presents the Cardinal’s diagnosis of the state of faith in the contemporary world. Joseph Ratzinger shows both positive and negative features of this state. After having presented the sociological aspect, the author deals with the essence of the faith according to Ratzinger. The further analysis concern the sacramental dimension of the Christian faith. Because the real faith is necessarily the faith of the Church, the article also indicates its communion dimension. The author additionally discusses a very important topic concerning the relation of faith to reason and truth. At the end of the article the reader can find the teaching of Cardinal about the relation between faith and history.

Cool Beats and Timely Accents

Cool Beats and Timely Accents

Taqiyyaand Identity in a South Asian Community

The Guptīs of Bhavnagar, India, represent an unexplored case oftaqiyya, or precautionary dissimulation, and challenge traditional categories of religious identity in South Asia.Taqiyyais normally practiced by minority or otherwise disadvantaged groups of Muslims who fear negative repercussions should their real faith become known. Historically, the Shī‘a, whether Ithnā-‘asharī or Ismaili, have commonly dissimulated as Sunnīs, who form the dominant community. However, the Guptīs, who are followers of the Ismaili imam, and whose name means “secret” or “hidden ones,” dissimulate not as Sunnī Muslims, but as Hindus. The Guptī practice oftaqiyyais exceptional for another reason: Hinduism is not simply a veil used to avoid harmful consequences, but forms an integral part of the Guptīs’ belief system and identity, and the basis of their conviction in the Aga Khan, not only as the imam, but as theavatāraof the current age.

Realism and Realistic Representation in the Digital Age

TODAY, WHEN REALISM IN FILM COMMINGLES so frequently with digital technology and is often diluted by the extended use of editing, there is a certain urgency to revisit its established formal practices. ample potential for image control and manipulation provided by digital technology has stirred a great Interest in postproduction, particularly in the areas of digital compositing and digital editing. For one thing, the easy handling in making a cut and the maneuverability in handling rather complicated editing options have fostered that interest (Murch 107-18). Another contributing factor is that editing is no longera horizontal manipulative sequential process but is vertical too. inclusion of digital special-effects software (e.g., the Inferno compositing tool) allows the editor to manipulate backgrounds and other small visual details in the frame simultaneously (130). A good example is David Fincher's film Zodiac (2007). Looking for and authenticity, Fincher ends with outstanding digital effects, recreating with historical accuracy parts of San Francisco in 1969 and 1970 when the real events, the Zodiac murders, took place (Robertson). present fascination with visual manipulation not only has brought Into question but also has brought into focus a breed of film whose creative sensibility is manifested in the way he or she perceives reality. Namely, reality is seen not as something to be captured in the purest way possible by the camera lens but rather as something to be constructed. As Phillip Rosen points out, this has essentially splintered from the old established production practice that Involves dependence on some minimum of the presence of the real objects they represent Change Mummified 301). The fact that a digital image is composed through the manipulation of numbers and not physical substances (306) means that this director, if he or she chooses, is no longer bound to the existential connection between a specific and the signifier, [where] the latter will always provide the subject with irrefutable testimony as to the real existence of the referent (Rosen, History of I mage 13). Stephen Prince sees this radical shift from the old production practice as surmountable if we overlook the image's indexical requirement and adopt a correspondencebased model of cinematic representation (399). That is, in spite of the image's lack of referential root, and in spite of the indexical (the photographic) and the non-indexical (the digital- CGI) often commingling, either embedded within the frame or coexisting side by side within a sequence, the viewer is able to connect and accept the image as if it were a photographic image of the portrayed realism. film image, whether it has an indexical or not, does not detract from the viewer's acceptance of its realism. In other words, for Prince the viewer's interest is no longer in how the film expresses its realism, whether it is highly stylized through the usage of technology or not, but about the kinds of linkages that connect the represented fictionalized reality of a given film to the visual and social coordinates of our own three-dimensional world [visual credibility]. Such focus need not reinstate Indexicality as the ground of realism (400). Aesthetically speaking, this commingling of the digital with the photographic image poses some interesting questions: (1) if both the digital and the photographic image are artificial representations of reality, which of the two is more vertically true to reality? Or are both at the same level? If not, what are the differences? (2) In what ways does this technological new director differ from those Andre Bazin recognized as having put their faith in reality rather than in the image? (Evolution 24). (3) Is this new director truly concerned with reality? These are some of the questions this article wrestles with in order to grasp some of the aesthetic changes brought by the digital technology in today's film realism. …

Book Review: Real Kids, Real Faith: Practices for Nurturing Children's Spiritual Lives

Book Review: Real Kids, Real Faith: Practices for Nurturing Children's Spiritual Lives

Troska o celebrację eucharystyczną w świetle adhortacji apostolskiej Sacramentum caritatis Ojca Świętego Benedykta XVI

The article refers to Pope Benedict XVI’s concern expressed in the Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis. The Pope puts emphasis on ars celebrandi which is to be duly performed by priests, deacons, and laymen.Benedict XVI is also concerned about some parts of the liturgy of the Eucharist, among others, the liturgy of the Word. He also draws attention to active participation, inculturation and full appreciation of big and small celebration groupsAccording to the Holy Father, in order to make the Eucharistic celebration more perfect some initiative must be created to stimulate the growth of real faith in the Holy Eucharist. Thanks to these attempts the Holy Mass can be piously celebrated and intensively experienced.