Religious Phenomena Research Articles

Orthodox View on the Philosophy of Ecologism

The paper deals with the understanding of a group of modern philosophical and ideological concepts and beliefs that arose around the idea of the Planet as a kind of independent superorganism, capable of reasonable self-regulation in order to maintain life in all its diversity, as a single religious phenomenon, which the author proposes to call planetarism. The author places environmentalism, animal rights activism, and movements in defense of the rights of sexual and other minorities under a single defi nition of planetarism, characterized by him as a new green religion. All the components of the new religion are being developed under the slogan of saving the Planet that is a single source and a common home for all forms and manifestations of life. From this point of view, everything that is around is born by the Planet, and everything that is born by it has the right to exist. The author off ers a basis for comparative analysis of religious teachings, defi ning it as a universal structure of religions. Comparing planetarism with the structure and character of modern theistic and nontheistic world religions that have had the greatest impact on the development of European countries, the author proves that planetarism corresponds to the concept of religion and speaks about its peacefulness. At the same time, the development and aggressive dissemination of its values and ethical attitudes lead to a prominent reaction from adherents of traditional religions, provoking civil and international confl icts. The author concludes that it is necessary to recognize the religious nature of planetarism, primarily to protect the traditional values of Christianity and to form a dialogue between the church and society.

The Natural Power of Music

Among the early medieval authors, Amalarius of Metz (8th–9th century) is one of those who discussed the impact of religious music and song on the body and soul. In his main work: the Liber Officialis, listening and singing liturgical music are depicted as having a corporeal effect that generates sensations of an intense sensory and emotional character. In Amalarius, living the musical religious phenomenon not only coincides with the idea that music can evoke emotions but there is something that goes further. What Amalarius emphasizes is a particular emotion: a “spiritual state” of the nakedness of the heart, almost a weakness of those who are capable of tears and sensitive to God’s voice. During the patristic era, especially in the East, “penthos” (compunction) was used to describe the experience of tears in prayer or meditation; however, Fathers of the Church described liturgical music as an obstacle to compunction. For this reason, an evolution of that compunctory doctrine emerges from the exposition of Amalarius. In this context, it is not a question of crying for one’s sins but of exploiting a natural power (vis) of music. By simply listening to music, a person would seem capable of being moved and reaching a particularly “receptive state” to welcome the Word of God and make it bear fruit. What Amalarius describes in religious music seems to be the natural experience that one feels when, just listening to a melody, a tear spontaneously falls. This physical reaction is connected to a spiritual transformation that seems to pass through the flesh (carnalia) of our humanity. The result of this singular experience, strongly connected to musical ethics, is the conversion to good action and the possibility to dispose human beings to attentive, deep, and fruitful listening.

Body maps of loves

ABSTRACT Love is an essential biological, psychological, sociological, and religious phenomenon. Using various conceptual models, philosophers have often distinguished between different types of love, such as self-love, romantic love, friendship love, love of God, and neighborly love. Psychologists and neuroscientists on the other hand have thus far focused predominantly on understanding the emotions and behavioral and neural mechanisms associated with romantic love and parental love. We do not yet know how the models construed by philosophers are related to actual experiences of love, and to which extent they are merely nominal creations connecting phenomena that in fact have little to do with each other. We lack empirical knowledge of how different types of love are experienced as embodied feelings, and how these experiences are related to one another. Here we distinguished between 27 different types of love. Using self-report methods, we measured 1) how subjective feelings of different types of love are topographically embodied; 2) how different types of love are associated with self-reported emotional valence, strength of the bodily and mental experience, association with touch, time elapsed since last experienced, and controllability; and 3) how similar different types of love feel. Our study provides the first mapping of embodied experiences associated with different types of love. The results show that the subjective feelings associated with the love types form a continuum from strongly to weakly felt loves.

Women’s sexuality, embodiment and evangelicalism

ABSTRACT For centuries, the Christian God has been depicted through a predominantly masculine framework that has left women devoid of relating to the Divine in her woman-ness. Women's sexuality within the Canadian Evangelical context remains a topic that is often not discussed. This study looks at the convergence of three areas of human experience: sexuality, embodiment, and religious/spiritual experience within this specific church context. It looks on how women have experienced this religious phenomenon and the impact on the self as sexual and embodied beings. Data analysis revealed five emergent themes: (1) shame around the female body and sexual experience, (2) dialogue around the female body, (3) disintegration and disembodiment, (4) sources of Identity and (5) evolving views of Spirituality and Sexuality. To stay withing the journal's guidelines on text volume, the current article focuses on the first three themes.

Hajj as an Element of Spatial Mobility of the Muslim Population of Siberia in the Context of the State‑Confessional Policy of the Russian Empire in the Second Half of the 19th to Early 20th Centuries

Hajj represents one of the most significant events in the life of the Muslim community. In the Russian Empire where Islam had become the second largest denomination in terms of the followers by the beginning of the 20th century, the Hajj transitioned from being a purely religious phenomenon to acquiring a certain political significance too. It was through this pilgrimage that Russian citizens professing Islam established relationships with their coreligionists from abroad.
 The aim of this study is to trace the degree of participation of Siberian Muslims in this process during the second half of the 19th to early 20th centuries and to assess their ability to perform the Hajj. Relying on archival materials, the authors demonstrate the importance of the process of organizing the Hajj and the participation of Muslims from the Russian Empire. The research revealed that Siberian Muslims were relatively minimally involved in the Hajj for several reasons. Firstly, a portion of the Muslims in Siberia had the status of exiles, which limited their movement both abroad and within the country. Secondly, the remoteness of the territory from the main sanitary checkpoints also discouraged potential pilgrims. In light of these circumstances, a phenomenon known as the “small hajj,” i.e., visiting holy places in Central Asia, became common among Siberian Muslims. The administrative challenges associated with performing the Hajj led many Muslims from various regions of the Russian Empire, including Siberia, to partake in pilgrimages illegally.
 This article may be of interest to religious scholars, historians, ethnographers, as well as a broad readership interested in the issues of state-confessional policy in the Russian Empire.

New Age Movement in Holistic Christian Education and Mission Perspectives: An Integrative Approach

The New Age movement represents a significant social and religious phenomenon that has displayed and continues to create a transformative influence on several aspects of society, including religious beliefs and practices, as well as the field of Christian religious education. The influence of the New Age Movement on Christianity has been observed among various Christian individuals and communities, including those in Indonesia. This study aimed to find a model of Christian education and a missionary approach to reach out to new Christian community agers. This study uses integrative research methods. The results of the study found an integrative model that includes nine stages in reaching new agers: changing evangelical thoughts that are negative towards new agers, loving new agers with sincerity, stopping thinking negatively about new agers, being friends for new agers, knowing new agers, understanding what new agers understand, inviting new agers, sharing good news, and disciplining them.

TO THE QUESTION OF THE PROBLEM OF DEFINING THE CONCEPT OF “PLANETARISM” AS A NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENT WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE INTERNAL IDEOLOGICAL POLICY OF THE STATE

The purpose of the research. The article deals with the problems of defining the concept of «planetarism» as a new religious phenomenon within the framework of the internal ideological policy of the state, influencing the internal political processes of state administration and the nature of international interaction in the foreign policy arena. The change in the content of the concept of “planetarism” in its historical retrospective is analyzed, demonstrating the process of gradual separation of the concept of “planetarism” from the concept of “globalization” into an independent definition. The aim of the study is to formulate our own definition of the concept of “planetarism” as a new religious movement in the ideological context of state policy. This is necessary to determine the main directions of public administration in the context of value confrontation in the international arena, as well as for more effective legislative support for the implementation of the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated November 09, 2022 No. 809 “On Approval of the Fundamentals of State Policy for the Preservation and Strengthening of Traditional Russian Spiritual and Moral Values”. The laws of nature, within the framework of the concept of “planetarism”, began to act as a kind of absolute, which became a kind of scale for the ethical assessment of certain social processes and phenomena, which makes it possible to consider “planetarism” as a new form of religious movement. Conclusions. As a result of the study, the author comes to the conclusion that the ongoing socio-political processes reflect changes in the ideological basis of interstate cooperation. The basis of the new ideological orientation, called “planetarism”, is the idea of the planet Earth as a common “home” for all mankind. Within the framework of the “planetarism” concept, the planet acts not just as a common place of residence for all people, but also as an independent superorganism that has its own consciousness and rights along with the rights of the people themselves. The author, emphasizing the dualistic structure of “planetarism”, which includes, on the one hand, cognitive ideas about the unconditional value of the planet and natural laws, and on the other hand, faith in these values and ideas by analogy with religious faith, proposes to consider “planetarism” as a group of non-theistic beliefs, philosophical and ideological ideas that have arisen around the idea of our Planet as a kind of independent superorganism that gave life to all living things, has the ability of reasonable self-regulation in order to maintain life in all its diversity in accordance with the laws established by it.

Cross-Religious Studies Curriculum at Theological Seminary: Case Study of The Islamology Implementation at Abdiel Theological Seminary

Abdiel Theological Seminary (STT) incorporates Islamic studies (Islamology) in its curriculum. This qualitative case study research explores the reasons behind teaching Islamology and the learning model adopted at the seminary. Furthermore, to analyze how the Islamology learning model is applied at Abdiel Theological Seminary and how it influences understanding, respect, and tolerance among religious believers. Data were collected through interviews, documentation, and observations during one semester from July to December 2019. Additionally, in October 2022, the researcher conducted follow-up interviews with colleagues to update the data. The learning model of Islamic Studies at Abdiel Theological Seminary contains various aspects that can support learning success. First, determination in learning planning by raising the themes according to the time's need and development. Implementing learning with open discussion activities inculcated a critical attitude towards all forms of information available, without any dogmatic attitude. Teaching Islamology at STT can generate understanding, respect, and tolerance among Muslim and non-Muslim citizens. The learning model focuses on contemporary Islamic religious phenomena, emphasizing critical thinking through open discussions without dogmatic attitudes. This approach contributes to constructive interactions among religious communities, promoting unity despite historical inter-religious conflicts.

Battling The Social Stigma Of Mental Illnesses In Pakistan; What Needs To Be Done?

Dear madam, Awareness of mental disorders in adolescents is becoming increasingly important in global health and safety concerns, where anxiety disorders play an important role. Mental illnesses, also known as mental health disorders, refer to various mental health conditions that affect mood, thoughts, and behaviour. Examples of mental illnesses include depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and addictive behaviours [1]. Early diagnosis is the key to proper management of these conditions. Over 20 million Pakistanis (10% of the country's population) suffer from mental illness [2]. However, the disorders are not investigated due to the reluctance of patients to visit doctors and psychiatrists, which is attached to the social stigma and cultural barriers to mental health in Pakistan, thereby delaying the diagnosis. Like other South Asian societies where mental illnesses are thought to be linked to supernatural and religious phenomena [3], Pakistan’s predominantly conservative and orthodox communities are also dominated by similar beliefs. . A person with emotional symptoms is seen as a sign of weak faith. In traditional societies, mental illnesses are sometimes viewed as a result of social or moral transgression and is thought of as divine punishment, demonic possession, or witchcraft [4] [3]. The mentally ill are also perceived as dangerous, crazy, and incapable of friendship. This belief might also cause more social distancing and contribute to stigmatizing attitudes and stereotyping. When living in a society with these perceptions, the mentally ill often face shame and social exclusion [5]. The social impact of this stigma affects patients and threatens the entire social status of their families [5]. The fact that one's beliefs, religion, and morality are separate from their health must be embedded in society. The best way to spread this idea is through social media, mass media and awareness campaigns. Radio and television should popularize this idea and also educate people about the warning signs and symptoms of mental illnesses, such as lack of concentration to do something and feelings of invalid fear. Awareness campaigns should be targeted at rural areas where both education and medical care lack. Public presentations and discussions should be encouraged and promoted to increase awareness. Healthcare students as well as well as professionals should be enlightened of the importance of this field and encouraged to pursue their education in it. The social stigma associated with mental illnesses must be addressed and considered. ---Continue

A comprehensive literature review of Islam-oriented scales on religiosity, spirituality, and morality

Measurements play a significant role in the scientific investigation of religious phenomena. The study of religion, in general, has attracted considerable attention from academia and literature. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic analysis of the literature regarding scales that have been developed for measuring variables with Islamic relevance and importance, having a theoretical framework embedded in the primary sources of Islamic literature (the Quran and hadith) and validated on Muslim samples. Six well-known databases were selected—ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Springer, Taylor & Francis, Emerald Insight, and Google Scholar—to conduct an in-depth search of existing literature on the topic. Results revealed three broad concepts that have been the focus of measurement: religiosity, spirituality, and morality. Based on our analysis, it can be suggested that although there has been an increase in measuring Islamic religiousness in recent years, there is scope for improvement. This analytical review can be a valuable resource for researchers interested in selecting a valid and trustworthy scale that meets the criteria of their study settings.

Kişilik İnşasında Din Faktörünün Etkisinin Bir Kadın Üzerinden İncelenmesi: Bezmialem Valide Sultan

Personality is the whole of attitudes and behaviors that people reveal from the moment they interact with the outside world with their innate characteristics. The consistency of these attitudes and behaviors is the possible with will of men, which they strengthen with their minds. Although men’s mental ability contains innate features, the way they use it from the moment they interact with the environment reveals whether their behavior is voluntary or not. Religion, which is both an internal and an external phenomenon, is one of the factors affecting the will of human behavior due to this feature. For this reason, religion also helps in the construction of a person’s personality. This auxiliary role of religion is especially effective during childhood and adolescence. In the following periods, its effectiveness emerges in times of crisis. The crises of sexes differ in their management with the help of the religion factor. The effectiveness of women’s use of religion in self-construction and in times of crisis is an issue that needs to be investigated. In the literature studies on self-construction, in the research made on gender, the evaluation of women through a private person was not encountered. In order to contribute to the missing area in this regard, the effects of religion as a positive controlling power on self-construction were evaluated through women. Religious factors are more effective in the spiritual world of women. The fact that the female temperament is softer than the male temperament is a factor in this situation. Although this soft temperament may seem like a disadvantage, it breeds sincere surrender. This surrender is the sourdough of holistic self-construction. Bezmialem Valide Sultan, whose life was influenced by different religions, was analyzed in this context. The self-construction process was investigated. Different beliefs and different cultural structures affecting childhood and adolescence were evaluated. It was focused on bringing her personality to a holistic structure with the identities she acquired throughout her life. In particular, an examination was made of the charitable activities she carried out under the influence of religion. Examples of these activities of Bezmialem Valide Sultan were selected. Some of these sample activities are Waqf Gureba Hospital, Darülmaarif, Dolmabahçe Mosque, Galata Bridge, and Terkos Lake. Her personality was evaluated scientifically on reaching every part of society with the waqf institution, a religious phenomenon, with her religious philanthropy emotion. In this study, the technique of examining documents, which is a qualitative research method, was used. A review of primary and secondary sources on the subject was made. It was seen that the effect of religion was positive in the construction of Bezmialem Valide Sultan’s personality. When religion is the center of self-construction, it has been determined that the result is consistent and permanent with the charitable waqfs constructed by Bezmialem Valide Sultan. It has been concluded that the effect of religion is positive in self-construction in women.

Theo-Anthropocentric Paradigm on Qur’anic Interpretation in the Modern-Industrial Era; A Review of Cultural Interpretation by Cliffort Geertz

This article describes the interpretation of the Qur’an with the theo-anthropocentric paradigm as a solution in responding to the crisis experienced by Muslims in the modern industrial era. The backwardness of Muslims in the current era is more due to their perspective on their religion, which is still within the traditional-agrarian framework of thinking. For this reason, a solution is needed to view interpretation in the modern industrial era. The research method used is descriptive-analytical with the cultural interpretation framework of Cliffort Gertz. The finding is that the perspective of interpretation in the modern-industrial era will always be related to the discourse on the development of Islamic studies, which includes three things; religious texts (Qur'an and Hadith), religion (Islam), and society (Muslims). Through Geertz's conception of cultural interpretation, the Qur’an becomes a symbol of a religious phenomenon that can be understood through the community's social activities. This conception necessitates that the Qur’an is part of that culture and will continue to dialogue and adapt to the changing paradigms of the times. In this context, the interpretation of the Qur’an in the modern-industrial era must apply a theo-anthropocentric paradigm, namely by developing a religious interpretation that is theologically in line with faith in Allah, epistemologically by human experience, and axiologically in favor of human destiny.

Methodological Naturalism and Methodological Secularism Scale

Scholars within and across fields such as the psychology of religion, sociology of religion, cognitive science of religion, religious studies, and theology often argue about the values and norms that ought to guide “academic” research in religion. Is it appropriate in the academy to explain religious phenomena by referring to supernatural forces (such as spirits or gods) as causal agents or to defend one’s scholarly arguments by appealing to the holy texts accepted as authoritative within one’s religious coalition? Debates surrounding such questions have remained intractable for decades in part because they have been based on anecdotal personal experiences rather than clear empirical data. This article presents the Methodological Naturalism-Methodological Secularism scale, a new survey instrument capable of moving forward debates about scholarly values in the academic study of religion. This initial deployment of the MNMS scale in a population of religion scholars (N=284) clarifies extant commitments, challenges common caricatures, and reveals unfamiliar configurations of academic values.

Understanding Religion in the Era of Smart Society from the Perspective of Joachim Wach

Issues in the realm of religion have always been a topic of discussion that has its own charm. This study aims to explain religious experience in the 5.0 era. but with the perspective of Joachim Wach This research is a library research with a descriptive philosophical analysis method, while the theory used is the theory of religious experience according to Joachim Wach. The data collection technique used was documentation literature study. From this research we identify that religious experience can be expressed in the form of action, besides that religious expressions that appear are not only related to ritual matters, but also related to social realities such as being able to be tolerant, not exclusive and have a soul. good social. This research begins by looking at the current religious phenomenon which is the starting point of this research. The results of this study are that religious experience influences human behavior in the era of Smart Society 5.0, collaborating religious values and technological advances can produce progress for mankind.

Interreligious Solidarity as a Benefit of Divine Hiddenness—On the Meaning of the Ambiguity of Religious Phenomena

Divine hiddenness appears today as one of the most important and serious religious problems. This problem has been posed most clearly by the proponents of the “argument from hiddenness”. They point to religious diversity as an important element working in the background of this argument and strengthening the force of its impact. In turn, religious diversity is seen as a result of the ambiguity of religious phenomena and the lack of conclusive testimony in favor of religious beliefs. In my paper, I pose the thesis that the ambiguity of religious phenomena can be counted among the “benefits of divine hiddenness”. This will be possible when the ambiguity of religious phenomena becomes the basis for the formation of interreligious solidarity. I define the concept of interreligious solidarity and show the theoretical aspects of this attitude. In discussing the theoretical aspect of interreligious solidarity, I draw attention to the possible role of phenomenology. I also argue that in the context of divine hiddenness, the most important question is not the one concerning the genesis of this problem (“why are religious phenomena not more unambiguous?”), but the question concerning the meaning of this problem (“what to do with the ambiguity of religious phenomena?”).

Youth Religiosity: A Bibliometric Coverage and Quantitative Assesemnt of Internal and External Dimensions

Abstract Due to its complex character, the evaluation of the way an individual is religious involves multidimensional approaches, which includes both aspects of creeds and effective manifestation. The exhaustive bibliometric analysis reveals eight main research themes of interest, at the interaction of religiosity and youth. In the context of assessing religiosity, the paper further provides an analysis of the religious phenomenon among Romanian adolescents and young adults. It employs an exploratory factor analysis for identifying the specific religiosity dimensions, and principal components analysis for reducing dimensionality and for a more in-depth analysis. Both adolescents and young adults exhibit a relatively strong level of internal religiosity, which pertains to personal beliefs and faith. Additionally, both groups demonstrate a moderate level of external religiosity, which refers to religious practices and behaviours.

Религиозная повестка в СМИ: религия как контент в светских, религиозных медиа

In this study, we analyze the development of religious media on the example of France in the 19th and 21st centuries in order to show the complex structure and versatility of the content that they somehow fill with religious (or religiously accepta- ble) content. For the end of the XX – the beginning of the XXI centuries, the religious phenomenon in modern society has undergone significant changes. It is not similar to what previously existed within traditional religions, even in the area of traditional re- ligions themselves. The traditional criteria for singling out religious beliefs and behav- iors as a basis for appropriate definitions of content for research today are obviously not enough. On the example of the history of the French media of the 19th-21st centu- ries, we have identified multiple strategies for the development of religious media, depending on political and social processes. At the same time, the actual declaration of the editorial board as “religious” may be an insufficient indicator, even if there are clerics and monastics in the editorial staff and among the journalists. Likewise, vice versa, media that declare themselves secular can consistently provide consistent reli- gious content that is consistent with the creed of a particular church. The development of media within the digital environment and the discovery of UGC – user-generated content, not discussed in this article, further complicate the situation. In the media and media today, it is quite difficult to determine the degree of “religiousness” of content, since commonly used indicators, such as classifying the media itself as religious by founder, mentioning religious news or facts, etc. may be unreliable due to the diverse form of the relationship between religion and society. To analyze religious content in the current situation, it is necessary to identify new principles for classifying content as religious, which are becoming more and more diverse.

Korke: Rumah Moderasi Beragama Masyarakat Lamaholot di Flores Timur

Local wisdom has an important position as a pillar of building religious moderation. This study explored the function and the meaning of korke, the traditional house of Lamaholot tribe, in East Flores, as an effort to ground religious moderation. The purpose of this study is included the concept of Korke by the Lamaholot people and the effects on the people’s lifestyle and relationship pattern as well as the implication of korke on religious harmony in Indonesia, specifically in East Flores. The qualitative method was employed in this study to support the study objective. Observation, interview, and documentation study were selected as the data collection technique. The data were collected from May2022 to August 2022. This study with fucntionalisme structural perspective found that Lamaholot people with different religious backgrounds used the Korke as a public house and consider themselves who were born from the same and the only mother and father. In the korke, the conflict needed a solution to solve the problem, and therefore harmonious relationships can come to life again. This is the starting point for efforts to build religious moderation and enriches to a study on local wisdom and religious phenomena.

The Provincial Imperial Cult in the Levant (Syria, Phoenice, Commagene, Judea, Decapolis, Arabia)

The provincial imperial cult represents one of the most relevant expressions of multiform relationship between provincial communities and Roman authorities especially in the East. During the Roman Principate in Syria, we can enumerate seven administrative districts (eparchies) which occur in connection with this political and religious phenomenon. The complicated question of how the province-wide worship of the Imperial family was organised in Roman Levant must be analysed in different terms. Important aspects are the Roman territorial framework of administration, the creation of autonomous city-leagues (koiná) and their cultic functions, the rules of membership within these federal organizations and their self-representation in coinages and inscriptions. On the level of political and financial management, we are dealing with federal officials and the festivities organized by them. Our paper aims to give a detailed overview of the Syrian imperial cult related not only to one specific site, but in the context of a large and culturally complex area.

Saturation, Language, and History: Marion and Gadamer on the Communicability of Excess

ABSTRACT The question of this article is whether the saturated phenomenon as articulated in the early work of Jean-Luc Marion may appear within language and history, or in other words how a non- or extra-horizonal event can appear within the horizons necessary for communication and communality. This problem is significant, among other reasons, because saturated aesthetic, ethical, and religious phenomena constitute important bases for communal values. The article argues that Hans-Georg Gadamer’s philosophy of language offers resources that allow us to understand how a saturated phenomenon can appear communicably and communally without sacrificing the irreducible excessiveness of its appearance. The author draws on parallels between Marion and Gadamer to argue that the poetic word and the conversation present possibilities of the saturated phenomenon occurring within language and history, and suggests the “saturated question” as a name for this mode of appearance.