Religious Complex Research Articles

Religious Complexity in Postcolonial South Africa: Contending with the Indigenous

The history of religions during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries has been closely tied to the classification of Indigenous religions. However, recent scholarship in the field of religion has increasingly drawn on the work of subaltern and postcolonial historiography as a way of disrupting the European canon and dislodging Indigenous and non-western ways of knowing and being from the tyranny of the classical taxonomies of religion. Recent approaches to religious diversity have been challenged for reproducing imperial hierarchies of religion—assuming an accommodationist approach to Indigenous religions while also rendering invisible the internal diversity, fluidity, and adaptive orientations within Indigenous religions. In this paper, I contend that in the postcolonial context, Indigenous religions uncouple themselves from traditional taxonomies of religion, and, in particular, I propose religious complexity as a suitable framework and approach for accounting, contending with, and reporting on religious change in postcolonial South Africa. I explore questions about how to account for, ‘classify’, or ‘measure’ change related to everyday African Indigenous religious efforts and practices in the aftermath of and in response to colonialism, where conventional ideas about religious authority and affinity are displaced by Indigenous practices that can variously be described as simultaneously vital, viral, or feral.

Anchoring the Sacred in the Mundane

Baodingshan is a famous religious complex constructed primarily in the Southern Song period (1127–1270). The Great Buddha Bend (Dafowan), where a magnificent continuum of high-relief carvings was constructed along the cliff face, is a major site of the Baodingshan complex and the focus of this study. This paper takes a phenomenological approach to examine the experiential aspect of viewing these carvings. As a viewer encounters the carvings through his perceiving body rather than reading them as a flat, iconographic plan on the computer monitor, the spatial organization of the carvings, and their sizes and materiality are significant in affecting the viewer's perception of and psychological response to the divine. By analyzing the unconventional design tactics adopted at the Great Buddha Bend and their effects on the perceived relationship between the carved transcendent realm and the world of the earthly activities, this paper argues that the Great Buddha Bend reflects an intentional blurring of the boundaries between the sacred and the mundane. While pre-Song Buddhist settings exuded a detached, dignified solemnity separate from ordinary existence, the design philosophy at the Great Buddha Bend aimed to create a Buddhist environment that felt grounded in earthly experiences. This novel development is likely connected to the growing theatrical culture of the Song, but also reflects an understudied conceptual development during the Tang-Song transition. Probing into this transition provides a more nuanced understanding of the medieval people's envisioned relationship with the divine and offers fresh insights to the secularizing development of Buddhism during the Song dynasty.

Comparative Analysis of the "H"-shaped Symbol from Göbekli Tepe and the Ritual "Binocular-shaped" Ceramics of the Trypillia Culture in Light of Ancient Farmers' Cosmological Beliefs

This article is dedicated to a comprehensive analysis and interpretation of the sacred "H"-shaped symbolism, which originates from the ancient temple complex of hunter-gatherers and early farmers of the Near East – Göbekli Tepe. The research identifies and analyzes a similar symbol found in the religious complex of ancient farmers in the territory of modern Ukraine, specifically in the Trypillia culture and its ceramic artifacts known as "Trypillia binoculars." A comparative analysis of these symbols is conducted within the context of the cosmological beliefs of early farming societies in Asia and Europe. Special attention is given to interpreting this symbolism as a reflection of complex religious and philosophical concepts related to the cyclicality of nature, the movement of celestial bodies, and the unity of heaven and earth. The research examines the architectural features of Göbekli Tepe, particularly the arrangement of the T-shaped columns, and their potential astronomical purpose. The author hypothesizes a connection between the physical structure of the temple complex, its T-shaped columns, and the formation of abstract "H"-type symbols. Parallels are drawn between the symbolism of Göbekli Tepe and the ritual artifacts of the Trypillia culture, allowing the hypothesis of shared cosmological concepts between various early farming cultures, despite significant geographical and temporal distances. This article offers a new perspective on the development of religious thought in ancient societies, highlighting the depth and complexity of their spiritual ideas. The findings contribute to a better understanding of the cultural connections and exchange of ideas between ancient civilizations of the Near East and Europe.

Digital Innovation in Arabic Language Learning Models for Islamic Higher Education

This study aims to examine the innovation of digital-based Arabic learning models, particularly regarding Human Resource (HR) innovations and the utilization of digital facilities at three Islamic Higher Education (Perguruan Tinggi Keagamaan Islam/PTKI) Institutions in Southeast Sulawesi. This qualitative research employs a phenomenological approach, with data collected from primary and secondary sources through observation, interviews, Focus Group Discussions (FGD), and document studies. The data was analyzed using categorization, description, and synthesis techniques, with data validity tested through triangulation. The findings of this article indicate that the State Islamic Institute (IAIN) Kendari, the Islamic College (STAI) YPIQ Baubau, and the Islamic Institute (IAI) Al-Mawaddah Warahmah Kolaka have implemented innovations in digital-based Arabic learning models. The creativity of human resources (lecturers, students, and administrative staff) shows different adaptation styles in utilizing digital facilities. These innovations have facilitated Arabic language learning but have not been fully supported by the digital competence of human resources at these three institutions. In terms of digital facilities meeting standard requirements, the three Islamic Higher Education Institutions exhibit varying levels of innovation in digital-based Arabic learning models, especially in operational digital formats, HR competence readiness, and availability of facilities. The digital-based Arabic learning model innovations at these institutions offer advantages, compatibility, and religious complexity. These innovations are implemented with a commitment to enhancing HR creativity and providing representative digital facilities based on needs.

Haunted Monasteries: Troubling Indigenous Erasure in Early Colonial Mexican Architecture

This essay examines the placement and displacement of Nahua labor in the architectural history of Mexico’s early colonial monasteries. It takes as its point of departure the story of a ghost in the Tlaxcala monastery as told by a Franciscan missionary to analyze the discursive and spatial dimensions of emergent racial ideologies in Mexico’s earliest Catholic missions. While the ghost’s appearance signals the eruption of unresolved tensions between the missionaries and the Tlaxcalans in a cohabited religious complex, the specter also animates settler colonial domination. Cross-referencing Nahuatl and Franciscan documents reveal the ghost story as a whitewashed tale of monastic ritual life wherein the ghost effaces Indigenous labor at precisely the moments and places missionaries deemed it most threatening. In so doing, this study illuminates how racial ideologies were structured discursively and experientially at the missions and contributes to urgent debates about how the history and preservation of Catholic architecture in Mexico conceals and represses the lived experience of Indigenous peoples.

The ceramic vessels of the late antique and early medieval domus in the religious complex of San Pietro (Canusium, Italy): Clayey geosources, local production and imports in northern Apulia

AbstractThis study broadens our knowledge of the relationship between the clayey georesources available in northern Apulia and the artisanal production of ceramics. The focus is placed on a collection of 6th and 7th century A.D. pottery found in the domus excavated within the archaeological complex of Canosa San Pietro (ancient Canusium) in Italy. The integration of the results obtained from this study with those already available made it possible to outline conscious technological choices in terms of raw materials' exploitation, based on which the alluvial deposits were selected for the production of coarse cooking ware and the marine Subapennine clays for the production of fine common ware. This selective choice undoubtedly had a practical implication since it supplied raw materials that required little processing, being already suitable for the type of ceramic to be produced. Moreover, the compositional comparison of investigated pottery with products distributed along the Carapelle valley, rather than those from Canusium previously studied, provides new perspectives for reconstructing the microcirculation of ceramics in northern Apulia. Lastly, the imports of Classe‐type pottery, probably from the northern Adriatic area, are worth mentioning since they represent the most consistent distribution of this type of ceramic in southern Italy and may reflect the assiduous pilgrimage of the monastery after the death of Bishop Savinus.

Russian Religious Reformation Process of Early 20th Century through Prism of Ideological Quests of Fr. Mikhail (Semenov)

The article examines the development of views on the reform of Russian Orthodoxy in the early 20th century by one of the prominent and unconventional religious thinkers of that time, Father Mikhail (Pavel Vasilievich Semenov, 1873-1916). It traces his journey from official Orthodoxy to the movement for religious renewal, and then to the Belokrinitskaya (or Austrian) Old Believer hierarchy, after which he becomes the main ideologist of “Golgotha Christianity” — a unique religious-reformist movement advocating for the revival of social and moral ideals of the early Christian community. As contemporaries noted, these “oscillations” of Father Mikhail (Semenov) became a natural expression of his intense quest for the kerygma of Christianity, capable of overturning the social ontology of the Orthodox Church — finding an Orthodox formula for individualizing faith and making the world the goal of salvation. The author concludes that the life path and ideological quests of Father Mikhail (Semenov) reflect an important regularity of the Russian reformation process. This regularity lies in the fact that the search for “foundations” of faith, theological foundations of doctrine, or religious foundations of culture and society is simultaneously associated with the actualization of a fundamentalist impulse in religion and to some extent with the modernization of the religious complex (this is a kind of religious swing: “fundamentalism — modernism,” “Old Believers — religious renewal,” etc.).

Donation of a Residential House to Shikhamu Bahāḥ

Situated at the southeast corner of Basantapur ḍabalī in Kathmandu, a small shrine and stone caitya, collectively referred to as Basantapur Bahāḥ or Deśasumantra vihāra by certain scholars. However, the origins of these designations lack scholarly citation. The structural integrity of the site remained robust until the seismic earthquake of 1990 V.S. An inscription on the shrine's eastern exterior attributes its establishment to Bhavani Śaṅkara Baniyā's residence. Bhavani Śaṅkara Baniyā initiated the installation of an Akṣobhya Buddha image within his dwelling in 866 N.S. Another likeness of Akṣobhya Buddha found placement at Rāj Kula Bahi. Along with this philanthropic act, Bhavani Śaṅkara stipulated the annual worship of Kvāpādyaḥ at Rāj Kula Bahi on Kartika Purnima, financed by the income from his endowed properties. Post-donation, the property seamlessly merged into Sikhamu Bahāḥ, a subsidiary branch of the larger religious complex, subsequently known as Baniyā vihāra. Unfortunately, the seismic event of 1990 V. S. left the structure in ruins, with no subsequent reconstruction efforts. Sole remnants include the preserved Akṣobhya images and the enduring caitya.

Methodological basis for studying the ethical component of the Buddhist creed

The subject of the study is a methodological toolkit for a comprehensive study of ethical ideas contained in the creed of traditional Russian Buddhists — Kalmyks, Buryats, Tuvans, Altaians. The purpose of this study is to substantiate philosophical understanding of the ethical component of the text “Refuge”, recited by traditional Buddhists of Russia. The choice of methodological approaches, principles and methods is determined by the philosophical orientalist paradigm, when Buddhist materials are considered in their integrity, in their inextricable connection with human and culture. Important addition is taking into account ideas of Buddhologist O. O. Rosenberg, who advocated the study of the “living” tradition of Buddhism. The novelty of the study lies in substantiation that a holistic understanding of the ethical component of the Russian Buddhists' creed can be obtained by combining three approaches: philosophy of culture, philosophy of religion, and philosophical anthropology. Philosophical cultural dimension will allow focusing on categories of Buddhist ethics set out in the text “Refuge” and taking into account comments of Buddhist authors in accordance with the principle of “cognitive modesty” of intercultural philosophy. The philosophical religious approach allows to consider the ethical component of the text “Refuge” in a soteriological context and show its place in the Buddhist religious complex. Philosophical anthropology will make it possible to identify the probable subjective meaning of the ethical component of the text “Refuge” for Buddhists. Such a comprehensive philosophical analysis of Russian Buddhists' creed will lead to the discovery of the foundations of their spiritual and moral values.

From “Cycad Hell” to Sacred Landscapes: Tracing the Cultural Significance of Cycads in the Ryukyu Islands and Japan

This article explores the place of Cycas revoluta in Japanese culture, with a specific focus on the Ryukyu archipelago. Although never domesticated, worldwide evidence points to the sustained alimentary, ethnoecological, and symbolic significance of this ancient order of plants since at least the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. Their millennial use in the Ryukyu Islands is a key example of this pattern. Despite this fact, the role of cycads in Ryukyuan and wider Japanese and East Asian cultural systems remains understudied; the broader features of this intriguing aspect of regional culture are virtually unknown outside Japan. This article reviews the social and environmental roles of cycads in ancient and modern Ryukyuan and Japanese cultures, with particular emphasis on their position in indigenous agroecological systems and their incorporation in the sacred landscapes of Buddhist and Shintō religious complexes. In doing so, this article highlights a unique biocultural patrimony and set of ancestral traditions that are in danger of being lost, as cycad habitats succumb to development and as the symbolic significance of cycad use fades from social memory. It concludes with a discussion of how the study of cycads may contribute to contemporary interdisciplinary research and wider heritage discourse to enhance the preservation of the practices, histories, and values related to Japanese cycad culture.

The cultural and religious complexities of Amish-focused mental health conditions research: insights from an exhaustive narrative review and case study of counseling controversies

ABSTRACT This exhaustive review of Amish mental health conditions research suggests that studies are well-executed by methodological protocols but that (1) findings are inconsistent or limited in generalizability, (2) instrument validity remains contested, and (3) study investigation into Amish cultural-religious dynamics is limited. We present a case study from a sizeable Amish settlement finds that documents how competing ideologies – notably old Amish religious theology, the scientific-psychological, and the Evangelical Protestant – have generated Amish-internal controversies over defining and treating mental health conditions, suggesting that Amish mental health conditions research may produce inconsistent findings if not accounting for internal cultural-religious dynamics. Future research should include pre-study investigations into the targeted population's cultural and religious dynamics, consist of more nuanced case reports from therapists and psychiatrists, and include replication studies at different times and places, with deliberate attention to contextual factors.

Semantics of the Tsyrt-Obelisk of the Sacred Mihdau Reserve

The proposed article is devoted to the study of the semantics of tsyrts – vertical slabs dug into the ground-steles, of varying degrees of processing, or obelisks built of stone, which collectively date from the Late Middle Ages to the beginning of the XX century. Until recently, it was believed that all of them are funerary or memorial in nature, but recent studies have shown another purpose of these monuments. Part of the tsyrts-steles was erected to delimit the territory - both sacred spaces and farmlands. The conclusions made are confirmed by folklore materials and linguistics data. Of particular interest is a small group of early tsyrts-obelisks, the semantics of which has not yet been studied. Almost all of them are laid out of treated stone on lime mortar and covered with lime plaster or coating. They are located in cemeteries, near temples or in an open area. The analysis of these monuments allows us to conclude that their semantics are in the paradigm of the three-level Indo-Iranian worldview, characteristic of the Scythian-Alanian tradition. The examination of one of the most striking monuments of this type, the tsyrt-obelisk of the sacred reserve of Mikhdau (Ursdon village, Alagirsky district of the RNO-Alania), showed that in the hierotopia of this religious complex, this tsyrt symbolizes the heavenly gatekeeper, located on the border between the human and celestial spheres, on the way of worshippers to the temple. The reserve itself is marked with a three-stage rock, symbolizing the World Mountain.

Role of religious complexes in the development of the territory of Penza

The issues of placement of religious complexes in urban areas are highlighted. Formed problems, traditions and main factors taken into account at the stage of reconstruction and design are identified. The role of temples in the formation of the architectural and compositional complex is shown.

The Monastery of Sant Miquel d’Escornalbou: multidisciplinary research for the understanding of the relation between the religious complex, the territory and the European Franciscan network

This research is part of the European project F-ATLAS – Franciscan Landscapes the Observance between Italy, Portugal and Spain, which aim is to study the Franciscan Observance network and to find effective strategies for the conservation, protection and promotion of this important heritage. The contribution is focused on the multidisciplinary study of the Monastery of Sant Miquel d’Escornalbou (Tarragona, Spain). The historical, architectural and patrimonial research on this last and interesting centre of medieval spirituality has been developed jointly by the Italian and Spanish teams of the project. From its foundation until the last reconstruction by Eduard Toda around 1910, the complex’s function and shape have changed significantly: during the centuries, several interventions have modified it to the point of making it difficult today to read its origin and evolutionary phases. The integrated laser-scanner and photogrammetric survey, together with the creation of a digital catalogue of geo-referenced convents and the results of the international workshop carried out in November 2021, represent the bases for further analysis regarding the evolutionary phases of the complex, the buildings’ structure conditions and the definition of possible strategies for redevelopment.

The Monastery of Sant Miquel d’Escornalbou: multidisciplinary research for the understanding of the relation between the religious complex, the territory and the European Franciscan network

This research is part of the European project F-ATLAS – Franciscan Landscapes the Observance between Italy, Portugal and Spain, which aim is to study the Franciscan Observance network and to find effective strategies for the conservation, protection and promotion of this important heritage. The contribution is focused on the multidisciplinary study of the Monastery of Sant Miquel d’Escornalbou (Tarragona, Spain). The historical, architectural and patrimonial research on this last and interesting centre of medieval spirituality has been developed jointly by the Italian and Spanish teams of the project. From its foundation until the last reconstruction by Eduard Toda around 1910, the complex’s function and shape have changed significantly: during the centuries, several interventions have modified it to the point of making it difficult today to read its origin and evolutionary phases. The integrated laser-scanner and photogrammetric survey, together with the creation of a digital catalogue of geo-referenced convents and the results of the international workshop carried out in November 2021, represent the bases for further analysis regarding the evolutionary phases of the complex, the buildings’ structure conditions and the definition of possible strategies for redevelopment.

Forest burials in Denmark

Burial in the forest is a recent, non-confessional alternative to the established cemeteries owned and run by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark. Danish forest burials fulfil common criteria for non-religion and they are an example of institutionalized non-religion. Their non-confessional character is emphasized in the information material directed towards potential buyers of forest burial plots. Forest burials appeal to both non-members and members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church; in fact, nearly two-thirds of those who had a forest burial by the end of 2021 were members of the church. I have participated in seven tours conducted at different forest burial sites, and I have interviewed nearly fifty participants about their motives for considering buying a forest burial plot. In my analyses, I structure the interviews along the three dimensions, knowing, doing, and being. I found that the motives for people to choose a forest burial reflected both non-religious and religious/spiritual considerations. Forest burials exemplify a religious complexity where nature, non-religion, religion, and spirituality intersect. In this complexity, I see the institution of forest burial as a non-religious vessel, which the buyers fill with their individual thoughts and acts.

DESIGN PROCESS OF MEMORIAL CATHEDRAL FOR WORLD PEACE (1954), HIROSHIMA BY TOGO MURANO (PART 2): FORMAL MANIPULATIONS OBSERVED IN THE DESIGN OF XAVIER HALL (1949)

Xavier Hall was a timber structured building for auditorium and believers’ hall designed by Togo Murano Architect Office, built in 1949 in the property of Nobori-cho Catholic Church in Hiroshima, widely known as “Memorial Cathedral for World Peace.” The hall is important in inquiring the design process of the Cathedral, because it had a fundamental influence on site-composition of the religious complex as a whole. In this paper, based on the chronological order of sketches and drawings relevant to the hall, morphological analysis was performed through three problem-solving studies to reveal the architect’s design thinking and strategy.

Kurangara in Queensland?: A Critique of Duncan‐Kemp's Account

ABSTRACTA particular historical travelling religious complex in northern Western Australia, usually known as Kurangara, has been the subject of anthropological attention since the late 1930s. Overlooked in all the literature is a similar account assigned to 1912–1918, in the distant Channel Country of southwest Queensland. This is in Alice Duncan‐Kemp's last book, published in 1968. My examination shows that a good deal of Duncan‐Kemp's account repeated parts of a 1954 popular magazine about Kurangara in the Pilbara. In other respects Duncan‐Kemp may have drawn on her own childhood experiences, but in the absence of corroboration her account has to be considered unreliable.

ՃԱՆԱՊԱՐՀԱՅԻՆ ՑԱՆՑԻ ԳՈՐԾԱՐԿՈՒՄԸ ԲՐՈՆԶ-ԵՐԿԱԹԵԴԱՐՅԱՆ ՍՅՈՒՆԻՔՈՒՄ՝ ԽՈՇՈՐ ԲՆԱԿԱՎԱՅՐԱՅԻՆ ԱԳԼՈՄԵՐԱՑԻԱՆԵՐԻ ԳՈՅՈՒԹՅԱՆ ՊԱՅՄԱՆՆԵՐՈՒՄ (ՀԱՅ.) / THE FUNCTIONING OF THE ROAD NETWORK IN SYUNIK CONDITIONED BY EXISTENCE OF LARGE SETTLEMENT AGGLOMERATIONS DURING THE BRONZE AND IRON AGES

Since the 2nd millennium BC, in the Armenian Highlands and, in particular, in the Syunik- Artsakh region, a system of regions separated by natural boundaries is being formed. These settlement systems included a central fortified settlement, satellite settlements of an open type, economic and ideological infrastructure. Thus, a multifunctional complex was being formed, including fortification systems, economic and religious complexes. Naturally, the functioning of such complexes would be impossible without the existence of stationary means of communication. The roads connected not only separate areas of the Syunik region, but were also laid in the direction of high mountain pastures. The protection of the roads was carried out both by the construction of fortresses and watchtowers along the roads, and in the sense of sacred protection: i.e., location of cemeteries and places of worship along the roads. The functioning of an extensive road network ensured the viability of large settlement agglomerations, and also contributed to the formation of unions and confederations.

Interpretation of “Religious Complex” in Mendelssohn’s “Six Preludes and Fugues” Op.35

Interpretation of “Religious Complex” in Mendelssohn’s “Six Preludes and Fugues” Op.35