Religious Language Research Articles

RELIGIOUS VOCABULARY OF EVERYDAY LANGUAGE OF THE ORTHODOX BELIEVERS OF UKRAINE

The article attempts to analyze the interaction of the religious language sphere with the Ukrainian language in the context of the religious discourse. Due to the ability of religious discourse to interact with other types of discourse, the speech activity of Orthodox believers is realized within institutional and personal discourses, the latter of which covers the sphere of interpersonal communication in the context of everyday interactions. The objective of the study is to find out the specifics of the functioning of lexical units expressing religious meanings in everyday language of Orthodox believers of Ukraine. The attributive and modus specificity of language of the religious sphere makes it possible to distinguish the language of religion as a representative of the meaning of the existence of religion and the religious language as the embodiment of manifestations of religion in the socio-cultural context. The religious language, which is objectified in the everyday language of Orthodox believers, includes a set of language units and lexical-semantic constructions peculiar to the church-religious sphere. At the same time, the everyday language of believers is characterized by coexistence of lexical units of sacred and national languages, an appeal to the emotional sphere of believers, and the use of verbal and non-verbal means of communication. The everyday language of Orthodox believers includes theological terms, church Slavonicisms, archaisms, historicisms, borrowed words. It also contains the phenomena of polysemy, homonymy, synonymy, antonymy and acts as an additional means of communication in the context of social interactions.

Analogical Dialectics in Religious Language: Beyond Literal/Metaphorical Reductionism

This paper investigates the developmental trajectory of the debate concerning the nature of religious language, particularly the contrast between its literal and metaphorical dimensions, situating it within the broader context of linguistic, philosophical, and theological scholarship. Drawing on contemporary research, it offers a critical evaluation of three major approaches, with a detailed analysis of one in particular. The first two approaches, literalism and metaphoricism, are critiqued for their reductionist frameworks, which fundamentally erode the multifaceted nature of this discourse. The third approach, while avoiding these reductionist pitfalls, still calls for further clarification of the mechanisms underlying the interplay between these elements. Through conceptual analysis and grammatical examination, it demonstrates that this proposal, which posits a dynamic interaction—where neither dimension is subordinate to the other, but rather, they paradoxically coexist—yields a more accurate account. The findings suggest that this dialectical approach surpasses the conventional treatment of the literal–metaphorical nexus, proposing that religious language is not only communicative and comprehensible but also an evolving process in which grammatical perplexity fosters semantic depth and intellectual insight.

Shifting the spotlight: What do we mean by ‘religious language’?

Abstract There are mainly two types of questions asked about religious language: those about identity (e.g., what is a religious language?) and those about meaning (e.g., what do its sentences say?). Most philosophers focus on the latter because while they disagree about meaning, they agree that some sentences are religious and that our understanding of them does not depend on us knowing what makes them religious. In this article, I provide two reasons why questions about identity should receive more attention. First, theories of identity and theories of meaning share a two-way relationship where the characteristics of one influence those of the other, and so overlooking identity overlooks important characteristics of meaning. Second, the study of religious language has been shaped by this relationship for some time and being aware of it improves our understanding of conventional trends and contemporary debates. If successful, this article will motivate philosophers to reconsider the role of identity in research and to dedicate more effort to its study.

Is God a Woman? Female Faces of God in Contemporary Cinema

Film, as a medium, serves not only as a significant source of entertainment but also as a powerful instrument in shaping attitudes, beliefs, behaviours, social norms, and identities. Since its inception, cinematic art has been closely intertwined with religious themes, with many film narratives drawing implicitly or explicitly from biblical texts and religious traditions. Consequently, theologians and ecclesiastical authorities were quick to identify film as a potential locus theologicus. Given film’s ability to spark debates on deeply ingrained views and beliefs, feminist theology, which critically reflects on gender power relations within religious communities and theological texts, finds it intriguing to explore how cinematic narratives can challenge the millennia-old depiction of God as a man. This article aims to examine how the art of cinema contributes to theological reflections on the female metaphors of God, particularly through female Christ-figures and God-figures, which occasionally appear in films such as Chocolat, All That Jazz, Always, Dogma, and The Shack. These characters defy traditional religious language, which often employs masculine imagery and metaphors for God, portraying female God as an independent chocolatier, a single mother, an elegant hairdresser, a beautiful young seductress, a curvaceous African American bread maker, and a witty, clownish girl. In these cinematic depictions, female God is compassionate, empathetic, kind, witty, forgiving, and profoundly in love with her human creations. At the same time, all of these female characters are powerful, assertive, strong, and self-confident.

Intertwining worlds: The dynamics of linguistic religion and religious language

Linguists and scholars in Iran have overlooked the interaction between language and religion. The correlation between language and religion is substantial among individuals. This study aims to determine whether language serves religion or if there is a distinct category known as religious language. The purpose of this study is to explore further and analyze various perspectives on the relationship between language and religion. We devised a fundamental structure of conversation guidelines based on the works "Religious Language" by Peter Donovan and "Religion and the Making of Society" by Charles Davis. This study examines the argumentation topic through three primary points. The first portion of the text provides a concise overview of the essential information regarding the epistemological and ontological elements of language and religion. A comprehensive analysis of many papers and books has been conducted to extract diverse viewpoints on the interplay between language and religion. The disparities in this region were elucidated by describing both the real and fictitious aspects, as well as the meaningful and meaningless distinctions. The subsequent part explores several tactics employed in theological texts and religious languages and their influence on the dissemination of religious ideology. The primary contention in this part revolves around the capacity of religious language to incite and evoke emotions in individuals. The final section of the paper examines the objectives and intentions of religious declarations and texts by analyzing their discourses using Van Dijk's framework of ideological discourse analysis.

The Poetic Image and its Role in the Visitor/Poet Shawqī’s Interaction with the Historical Monuments: An Analysis Study

The relationship between archaeology and language is one of the main subjects of both fields since most remains are related to humans and society. Linguists examine aspects and types of human language, such as the poetic language used in the context of recovering the past, its memories, and the referential meaning of its places. Based on the interrelation between Archaeological anthropology, language, and poetry, this study analyzes the neo-classical poet Aḥmad Shawqī's (1932) Sīnīya "Journey to Andalusia" in the light of the works of the linguist and anthropologist Arnold Van Gennep's (1957) "rites of passage" and the religious language scholar Theodore Gaster's (1992) "seasonal pattern," as employed by the critic Suzanne Stetkevych in reading the rituals of the journey in classic poetry. The study uses the descriptive method to uncover the poet's interactions with Islamic antiquities during his travels to Spain. It also shows the poet's movement, through his poetic language and images, from nostalgia to evocating the lost past Islamic remains, ending with blame to strengthening his Egyptian community's present and enlightening their future.

Anatomizing God?

Abstract This essay analyses Francesca Stavrakopoulou’s God: An Anatomy with reference to some general questions about the nature of biblical interpretation. Stavrakopoulou’s core contention is that Persian-period theological editing has obscured the original nature of Yahweh, who was not different from any other ancient male deity of southwest Asia. That is, Yahweh was bodily with the desires and practices of a violent and sexually active male, no more than a human projection. Four questions are put to her thesis. First, how well does she understand the kind of classic theological reading which she rejects? Secondly, is her outworking of her core thesis self-consistent, or does it function to warrant a distinctive reading strategy for what has not been editorially obscured but is rather the plain sense of the biblical text? Thirdly, does she do justice to the metaphorical dimensions of language in Hebrew and religious language generally? Fourthly, does she appropriately distinguish the nature of Israel’s scriptures from the religious history that may underlie them? Finally, an analogy is drawn with the work of Robin Lane Fox, in exploring the differences that an interested approach may, or may not, make to ancient historical and biblical interpretation.

Understanding the Nature of Religious Language: A Philosophical Perspective

The paper explores the debate on religious language by considering several key perspectives: the logical positivists’ criterion of meaningfulness, Karl Popper's falsifiability principle, the parable of the invisible gardener, and Ludwig Wittgenstein’s concept of language games. By examining these views, we aim to understand whether religious language can be considered meaningful or whether it fails to meet the standards set by these philosophical frameworks.

Creating a religious identity and impression management by Islamic banks

PurposeIslamic banks (IBs) place significant importance on their religious identity, prompting the utilization of impression management (IM) strategies to emphasize such identity. This paper aims to discuss the motivations behind using IM in the creation of religious identity by IBs, and to explore the use of religious symbols and language as a form of religious rhetoric. It is argued that to counteract the threats to their religious identity, IBs use IM techniques, predominantly through the inclusion of religious symbols and rhetoric.Design/methodology/approachAn empirical exploratory study, using content analysis, was conducted on the annual reports of the largest IBs for the year 2022. The analyses involved a total of 39 banks based on a filtered list from The Banker’s Top Islamic Financial Institutions of 2022. A manual content analysis was undertaken to extract religious symbols, images and contents.FindingsThe findings reveal the use of IM techniques that emphasize the religious identity of these banks. Notably, IBs consistently reaffirm their commitment to Sharia compliance and disclose their contributions to Zakah. In addition, the analysis reveals the incorporation of Quranic verses, religious iconographic images and other religious rhetoric statements in the annual reports of many IBs.Research limitations/implicationsThe analysis concludes that the assertion by IBs that their guiding principles are rooted in Islamic values are supported by the religious terminology and imagery embedded in their annual reports. Alongside mere religious symbolism, the terms and images are integral part of the corporate identity of the Islamic that not only sends persuasive signals to stakeholders but also help build an impression on the activities of the IBs.Originality/valueIM has been a key objective and strategy of companies. This study aimed at exploring whether and how IBs used religious symbolism as an integral part of IM and corporate identity.

Implementation of the Tattwakusumadewa Teachings at Hindu Spiritual Civilization in Mataram City and Kupang City

This research aims to examine the implementation of thetattwa kusumadewa teaching at Hindu spiritual civilization in the Mataram City and Kupang City. This research was designed as an descriptive qualitative research type using a case study model. Based on the results of this research, three findings were found related to the implementation of the tattwaKusumadewa teaching at Hindu communities in Mataram and Kupang. First, the content of the tattwaKusumadewa text talks about how to elect pemangku (Hindu saint), namely: wahya marga and adyatmika marga. Wahya marga selection is carried out based on descent, tereh, ancestral guidance, and kramadesa choices. Adiyatmikamarga talks about what is appropriate for ngewinteni, in this case a dwijati (sulinggih), at least witnessed by community pemangku when it is performed, and nyurud hayu begs Ida Sanghyang Widhi Wasa and is done at the piodalan. Second, the implementation of the tattwa kusumadewain spiritual civilization for pemangku is used as a guideline for carrying out Hindu religious ceremonies, especially spiritual improvement, even approaching true spirituality and being able to transfer knowledge to people and be able to transform themselves well. Third, the positive impact of implementing the tattwa kusumadewawhich is related to physical health, thoughts, and meaning is very large which is related to local culture which is part of Indonesian culture, which includes; religious systems, social organizations, language, arts and livelihoods. The meaning of the implementation of the tattwa kusumadewais related to increasing religious emotions, belief systems, social and cultural systems.

The composition of the protocol in the official religious language style

The composition of the protocol in the official religious language style

Ecclesiastical Policies on Education: A Democratic Game of Winners and Losers?

Abstract In the post-secular societies of Scandinavia and Great Britain, Christian denominations have had to reconstruct their identities as educational agents. This article focuses on the Church of England and the Church of Sweden, and their changed self-identification as expressed in their educational policy documents. Whereas the Church of England’s discourses are of partnership and business competition, the Church of Sweden’s discourses are about the Apocalypse and external threats. These approaches are analysed using Habermas’s concept of religion, identifying a transformation of religious language into secular argumentation to become viable in the secular public space. The question posed is: “Is theology exerting less influence over education in Scandinavia and Great Britain?”

Особенности манипуляции сознанием и поведением посредством образно-символических конструктов в идеологии религиозных социальных институтов

The article examines religion as a social institution. A definition of manipulation is given, and the main criteria for influencing mass consciousness, which makes it possible to determine the behavior of social groups and individuals are formulated. The substantive basis for the objectification of symbols through the emotional and ideological saturation of images is considered. A comparative analysis of objectification and simulation of an image in a symbol is carried out. The author explains the role of emotional objectification of figurative and symbolic religious constructs, emphasizes the fundamental importance of the personal experience of the image from the point of view of its acquisition of motivational power. The author’s aim was to show how religious organisations, as social institutions, manipulate people's minds and behaviour. The article shows that the use of a specific religious language, in which figurative and symbolic constructs occupy a significant place, plays a major role in the manipulation of people’s consciousness and behavior. Various religious organizations manipulate people’s consciousness and behavior on the basis of such figurative and symbolic constructs as “the Fall”, “grace”, “salvation” and “the Kingdom of God”. The emotional and ideological objectification of these constructs is considered from the point of view of the main strands of Christianity. Religion as a social institution shapes a certain perception and determines the individual experience of these symbols. Emotions that arise as a result of empathic experience of the phenomena described in theological texts shape the motivations and prescriptions that govern behavior. The main aim of these manipulations is to strengthen religious belief, the dominant position of various religious organizations in society and the subordination of the personality of the church as a social institution. The novelty of the work lies in the study of the role of figurative and symbolic constructs in the manipulation of people’s consciousness and social behavior by religious organizations.

From Blasphemy to Sacrilege

Qur’an burnings have come to constitute a subculture in Scandinavia. Why have they focused on sacrilege against Islam’s scripture, while blasphemy against its prophet still dominates polemics in other parts of Europe? This essay traces the emergence of blasphemy as the principal form in which such polemics occur to colonial India. It shows how critics there tried to attribute Muslim protests against insults to Muhammad with a religious language they seemed to be missing. With its globalization after the Cold War, this debate about blasphemy was taken up in Europe. But in the Nordic countries it has been replaced with sacrilege as a way of rehearsing the religious element that remains absent from Muslim demonstrations of offence against alleged insults to Islam.

Особенности модификаций фразеологизмов в современных англо-, немецко-, франко- и испаноязычных версиях Библии: лингвокультурологический аспект

The purpose of the study is to establish the causes, ways and mechanisms of substitution of linguistic units that are a component of phraseological units functioning in multilingual texts of canonical versions of the Bible, in comparison with their modified versions in modern versions of the translation. The scientific novelty of the research lies in an integrated approach to the study of the process, trends and causes of modification of biblical phraseological units in the texts of the Bible translated into English, German, French and Spanish in diachrony; over the course of four centuries (XVII-XXI centuries), individual linguistic units that are components of quoted phraseological units have been subjected to substitution under the influence of both linguistic and extralingual factors, which in turn makes it possible to note the possible cultural recoding of these nations in the future. This article presents the results of a comparative analysis of biblical phraseological units and their modifications in the linguistic and cultural aspect. The linguistic factors of substitutions of components of quoted biblical phraseological units include such phenomena as the development of national languages, the phenomenon of polysemy, as well as the modernization of the religious language and the democratization of the presentation of the Holy Scriptures of Christians. Changing in the conditions of social and ordinary life of European nations are considered to be the extralinguistic factors.

Feminen Characterization of The God

This study investigates how monotheistic religions depict God with masculine or feminine attributes, considering historical context. The issue arises from questioning the portrayal of a masculine God within these religions, influenced by a patriarchal socio-cultural backdrop. Instances mainly from Christianity and lesser from Judaism and Islam, the study analyzes the characteristics of religious theological language used in the depiction of God. In this context, we explore the linguistic challenge encountered by religious traditions when employing anthropomorphic language. Since the core issue revolves around expressing and labeling the divine, the paper initiates with a conceptual examination of God’s characterization as either masculine or feminine. In this analysis, tracing back historically, archaeological and anthropological evidence indicates that language used to describe God was initially predominantly feminine. Feminist perspectives contend that over time, particularly within monotheistic religions, this language has become masculine and that this historical shift has been a major factor in the social and cultural exclusion of women. Against this claim, the study aims to substantiate the claim that despite the effective historical dominance of the theological masculine language, the feminine divine image persists in both theistic and non-theistic traditions. Both the Holy Scriptures and early theological writings occasionally employ feminine language when discussing God, although less frequently than masculine language. Within this context, anthropomorphic depictions of God in the Holy Books of monotheistic religions—where God is perceived as an immaterial being—are interpreted metaphorically, analogically, or symbolically. In particular, the mystical traditions of these religions have emphasized feminine qualities more intensely in their depiction of the divine. They portray God not only as a father or male figure but also with feminine attributes, such as a mother, lover, or friend. These traditions contend that qualities like divine beauty and mercy find their fullest expression in women and the feminine manifestation of existence. Notably, the Nag Hammadi tradition, rooted in Jewish mysticism, highlights the feminine dimensions of the divine, emphasizing love and compassion. Medieval Christian mystics such as Meister Eckhart and Julian of Norwich also emphasized the feminine dimension of God in their experience of the divine. Similarly, within Islamic Sufism, influenced by the Our’an’s balance and harmony of tanzih(exoneratin God from human attributes) and tashbih (drawing similitude) the Ibn Arabi tradition, emphasizing the feminine portrayal of the divine. They recognized the divine presence within the feminine elements of creation. Additionally, a lesser-known figure, Molla al-Jaziri, dealt extensively with the theme of woman as a divine mirror. This study aimed aligns with the feminist theological approach, advocating for the reinterpretation of theological and religious language in order to liberate it from the dominance of a patriarchal language and reveal its feminine aspect. Additionally, study also suggests further research by examining specific time periods, approaches and individual scholars’ perspectives.

Křivda a odpor : konstrukce alternativní modernity a mobilizace amerických konzervativních věřících

This article explores much debated contemporary development in the contestation of the dominant, liberal interpretation of modernity by conservative Christians in the United States through counter hegemonic discourse that is deployed in the political arena and facilitates broader cultural struggle. The examination combines the analysis of discourse from the extensive corpus of data produced by five elite actors in the American religious and political milieu and its interplay with the socioeconomic factors of their constituency on the one hand and the institutional and historical context of accounts. Following in the footsteps of critical sociology of religion, emphasis was placed on processes through which the actors establish a claim for power and legitimize the application of moral rationality as the different path to modern society. Employment of discursive instruments in form of myths, narratives, and negative representations tied to specific religious language, is not only showing the permeability of the church-state separation in supposedly secular political arrangements. More importantly, it is unrevealing the authoritative, mobilizational power of the religious matrix of emotionally motivating meanings and identity-making narratives in face of shortcomings and crises of the hegemonic socio-political constellation. In this manner, it serves as a tool to challenge established interpretations of commitments to freedom and equality, or in many instances reinterprets them to legitimize policy entailed in the notion of collective morality. However, this considerable engagement also creates points of contention in society and in religious formations, which leads to their fragmentation between different interpretations of such commitments.

Learning Qur’anic Arabic in a virtual village: Family religious language policy in transnational Indonesian Muslim families

Learning Qur’anic Arabic in a virtual village: Family religious language policy in transnational Indonesian Muslim families

Feminine Characterization of The God

This study investigates how monotheistic religions depict God with masculine or feminine attributes, considering historical context. The issue arises from questioning the portrayal of a masculine God within these religions, influenced by a patriarchal socio-cultural backdrop. Instances mainly from Christianity and lesser from Judaism and Islam, the study analyzes the characteristics of religious theological language used in the depiction of God. In this context, we explore the linguistic challenge encountered by religious traditions when employing anthropomorphic language. Since the core issue revolves around expressing and labeling the divine, the paper initiates with a conceptual examination of God’s characterization as either masculine or feminine. In this analysis, tracing back historically, archaeological and anthropological evidence indicates that language used to describe God was initially predominantly feminine. Feminist perspectives contend that over time, particularly within monotheistic religions, this language has become masculine and that this historical shift has been a major factor in the social and cultural exclusion of women. Against this claim, the study aims to substantiate the claim that despite the effective historical dominance of the theological masculine language, the feminine divine image persists in both theistic and non-theistic traditions. Both the Holy Scriptures and early theological writings occasionally employ feminine language when discussing God, although less frequently than masculine language. Within this context, anthropomorphic depictions of God in the Holy Books of monotheistic religions—where God is perceived as an immaterial being—are interpreted metaphorically, analogically, or symbolically. In particular, the mystical traditions of these religions have emphasized feminine qualities more intensely in their depiction of the divine. They portray God not only as a father or male figure but also with feminine attributes, such as a mother, lover, or friend. These traditions contend that qualities like divine beauty and mercy find their fullest expression in women and the feminine manifestation of existence. Notably, the Nag Hammadi tradition, rooted in Jewish mysticism, highlights the feminine dimensions of the divine, emphasizing love and compassion. Medieval Christian mystics such as Meister Eckhart and Julian of Norwich also emphasized the feminine dimension of God in their experience of the divine. Similarly, within Islamic Sufism, influenced by the Our’an’s balance and harmony of tanzih(exoneratin God from human attributes) and tashbih (drawing similitude) the Ibn Arabi tradition, emphasizing the feminine portrayal of the divine. They recognized the divine presence within the feminine elements of creation. Additionally, a lesser-known figure, Molla al-Jaziri, dealt extensively with the theme of woman as a divine mirror. This study aimed aligns with the feminist theological approach, advocating for the reinterpretation of theological and religious language in order to liberate it from the dominance of a patriarchal language and reveal its feminine aspect. Additionally, study also suggests further research by examining specific time periods, approaches and individual scholars’ perspectives.

Violence in the Religious Language of Christianity: Historical Analysis of Christian Religious Language Containing Violence as a Source of Critical Theology

Historical fact indicates that the religious language of Christianity is rife with violence. The spiritual language is echoed in such bloody tragedies as war, murder, and punishment. This study aimed to encourage Christianity to understand violent religious language by viewing it in a reflective frame. The study uses qualitative methods to analyze history, so the literature that records the incidents of Christianity's involvement in violence is used. Analysis of the various literature produced two essential things as critical reflections on Christian theology. Based on historical facts of Christianity's involvement in violence, Christianity was at one time in a phase creating its doctrine (violence is not God's will), and Christianity played God (God did not engage in violence). That discovery is supposed to be part of a critical vehement from a violent point of view.