Religious Reality Research Articles

After actuality: ideality and the promise of a purified religious vision in Frater Taciturnus

ABSTRACT This article engages Frater Taciturnus’s ‘Letter to the Reader’ to argue for a religious aesthetics in Kierkegaard. This religious aesthetics is designed to purify the passions and help the believer ‘see’ the religious ideal, but also to confront the aesthetic spectator with the religious reality of her own situation. My claim for this revised reading of religious poetics in Kierkegaard derives from Taciturnus’s view of a superior form of religious ideality that comes ‘after actuality’. This ideality is not an envisioned ideal that is untested by actuality and thus ‘illusory’ but an ideal that is graspable only after the self has acknowledged the actuality of their sinful condition, rather than any specific actual sin. To appreciate this form of ideality, Frater Taciturnus repeatedly resorts to visual metaphors and the power of imagination, suggesting that the religious ideal must be ‘seen’ with a sort of synoptic vision capable of looking past both comedy and tragedy and resulting in the purification of our typical affective responses to aesthetic objects. Seeing in this way, the individual imaginatively engages in religious aesthetics and grasps the religious ideality by affirming the actuality of their own sinfulness and receiving forgiveness for that sinfulness.

SHIFTING MEANING OF THE HIJRAH HADITH IN ECONOMIC CONSIDERATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Hijrah is a term that has been trending in recent years in Indonesia. The term’s popularity is due to the rise of reporting on the hijrah movements carried out by public figures. This trend then impacts the development of the fashion industry to produce the needs of those who do hijrah. The production that is done eventually requires advertising, so some people use it as a goal in doing hijrah. In this context, this study aims to find a shift in the understanding of hijrah, from religious reality to economic reality. To achieve this purpose, this study uses qualitative methods with library research techniques. As part of data analysis, this study uses framing analysis. This study concludes a shift in the meaning of hijrah from a religious base to a change in soacial identity. The change in social identity, in this context, then continues to the alteration of religious narratives as economic commodities. The behavior displayed by some people who do hijrah becomes blurred. The intention to do hijrah does not always initiate from self-improvement efforts by leaving bad behavior towards good behavior but can be preceded by economic goals. Hijrah can be encouraged to meet the advertising needs of products that have been issued by the clothing industry. This affects the vulnerability of religious communities in Indonesia.

Forest Conservation Base on Religious Values:

This study examines the religious reality of indigenous peoples in interacting with the natural environment (forest). The aim of this study is to form an alternative model of religious- based forest conservation in accordance with the character and reality of the life of indigenous/ rural communities. The approach used is a qualitative approach that is phenomenological, interpretative and ecological. The technique of data collection is done through participant observation and in-depth interviews and it is supported by a review of documents and literature, through the process of interpretation, critical evaluation, internal coherence, comparison, and heuristics, in the hope of providing an original concept of religious-based forest conservation models. The findings obtained from this study are: First, the diversity of the Indigenous People of Kampung Dukuh tends to be accommodative. Second, between religious values (Islam) and local traditional values interdependence (influence each other). Third, in the conservation of forests there is an ecological awareness that is placed on the foundation of Tauhid, worship, knowledge, khilafah, justice, beauty, and benefit. Thus giving rise to the theoretical implications of the Eco-Theology model, Eco-Ushul Fiqh, and Eco-sofi/ Tasawwuf.

Western Europe: secularisation light

This article presents a biographical approach to the history of the changes in the theoretical appraisal of the secularisation concept, grounding on personal relations of the author with its two major theoreticians: Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann. The theory of secularisation is gradually presented as unsuitable for interpreting the ideological/religious dimension of the liberal cultures of Western Europe. It states, that what is currently interpreted as secularisation is in fact the dissolution of imposed fateful ideological monopolies. The result is the development of not mono-colored/secular, but ideologically multicoloured/pluralistic societies. The group of the atheised and of consistently believing and practicing Christians are typologically on the fringes of the society, while the largest groups are the skeptics, the insecure, but also the privately-religious. The question is raised about coping strategies of contemporary people, living in the inconsistent world of constant collusion of the secular and the religious realities.

Language and the Formation of Religious Reality

Language and the Formation of Religious Reality

Modernity in the Context of the Discourse on Secularization

The article considers the problem of the relations between modernity and secularization. The author argues that the discourse on secularization is the most appropriate strategy for modern self-understanding. The discourse itself is not homogeneous. One approach is a classical theory of secularization, which considers the secularization as a universal world-historical process, which passed the stages “modernization – secularization – rationalization.” Other approach is to interpret modern society as a post-secular society, but with relevance to religious ethos. This approach considers Modernity as a unique social reality with a specific type of rationality and a set of behavioral strategies, which were formed as a result of the transformation (secularization) of religious social reality, the center of which was a Christian myth. Accordingly, modernization becomes the result of secularization, and not vice versa, as the proponents of the first approach assumed. The thematization in the discourse on the secularization of a new type of society, which J. Habermas called post-secular society, demonstrates a crisis of principles constituting the Modernity’s foundations. Predictions of the epoch of an irreligious society did not come true, and secular reason is now forced to reckon with other types of rationality and take them into account, including in public space. This situation suggests that we are witnessing the birth of a new form of social reality. Thus, the article concludes: (1) discourse on secularization is recognized as the most adequate strategy of the comprehension of Modernity; (2) secularization should be viewed as a consistent detranscendentalization of Christian social reality; (3) the emergence of a post-secular society indicates fundamental transformations in the field of the most general ideas about the nature of cultural mind and cultural identities.

Levantine Epigraphy and History in the Achaemenid Period (539–332 BCE)

Levantine Epigraphy and History in the Achaemenid Period (539–332 BCE)

Franciscanos y franciscanismo en la política y en la corte de la Castilla Trastámara (1369-1475)

Les auteurs qui, depuis des années, ont observé la présence d'une ambiance franciscaine comme une caractéristique spécifique de la réalité religieuse vers la fin du Moyen-Age, sont nombreux. Cette constatation a amené l'auteur à chercher, pendant l'époque Trastamara, l’effet de ce franciscanisme, effet qui se manifeste aussi bien dans la participation concrète de franciscains aux problèmes politiques de l'époque que dans leur présence quotidienne dans les milieux de la Cour. Il n'a pas oublié non plus l'influence franciscaine sur la configuration d'un certain genre de dévotion religieuse de la part de la famille royale, et la participation de franciscains au développement d'une politique de réforme religieuse sous l'impulsion, notamment, de la royauté elle-même. Ceci apparaît spécialement à travers le phénomene observé. L'étude est complétée par un récit prosopographique sur les franciscains les plus impliqués dans la politique, entre 1366 et 1475. Il s'agit de la manifestation la plus palpable du problème étudié.

Ethics in the secular and religious life of man

This paper is devoted to the study of ethics in the context of secular and religious life. The article postulates that religious ethics is addressed to the spiritual world of a person for whom the criteria of moral development are constant. Within the limits of secular ethics the norms of morality are dictated by public moods and fashion at a certain time period. An important feature of religious ethics is its appeal to faith in God, and therefore it is designed to promote the spiritual salvation of man. Secular ethics is focused on the socialization of the individual in the team and ensuring his physical security. Modern society proclaims the freedom of man in choosing between secular and religious ethics, however, social realities and features of the information space predispose people to focus on secular ethics. Of particular importance here is the Russian Orthodox Church, it is important to avoid participation in the political struggle between various secular parties that do not enjoy authority in the eyes of society.

Инкультурация российского неопятидесятничества как механизм формирования религиозной идентичности

The issues of the inculturation of neo-pentecostal churches in multi-confessional environment are considered in the paper. The introductions of the elements of Orthodox worship and Orthodox spiritual culture into the religious practice of Neo-Pentеcostal churches, based on the data from field research carried out in 2015–2017 in Kazan are described. The processes of inculturation at the rite, personal, and worldview level are considered, hypotheses about possible reasons for the conversion of the Pentecostals to master the Orthodox spiritual heritage are put forward. In conclusion the author supposed that the inculturation is not a process of post-Perestroika Russian religious reality, but rather a response to the individualization of religious consciousness in the context of “global Christianity”. The research reveals the problems of religion changing in late modernist society under the influence of glocalization.

The Trudeau government and the case for multilateralism in an uncertain world

ABSTRACT In an era when multilateral institutions and global cooperation are under attack from the United States and under threat around the world, should Canada restore and maintain its historical commitment to global multilateralism? This paper argues that it should for three reasons: 1) the greatest problems facing the world demand multilateral solutions; 2) multilateral commitments acknowledge and mirror the cosmopolitan nature of Canada; 3) recent NAFTA negotiations have proven the US to be an unreliable ally and dangerous to Canada’s economic well-being. Developing alternatives to the US market is imperative. The Liberal and Conservative parties’ approaches to multilateralism reflect the two parties’ divergent visions of Canada. The Conservatives favor an ethnocentric view of Canada that, increasingly, caters to the right-wing populism sweeping the Western world. The Liberal vision of Canada is more inclusive. This latter view is, ultimately, more sustainable and accepting of Canada’s diverse ethnic and religious reality.

Я. П. Полонский как предшественник русского символизма: поэтика лирического цикла ("Сны" Полонского и "Жизнь моего приятеля" Блока)

Творческое наследие Я. П. Полонского мировоззренчески и чертами поэтики предшествовало русскому модернизму в целом и символизму в частности. В. С. Соловьев обосновывал эту общность романтической направленностью личности поэта и ее устремленностью к идеалу. Полонский предварил русский символизм тем, что, утверждал идеальное начало в формах действительной жизни. Органичность его творчества программе младших символистов состояла в абсолютном доверии художественному образу как «символу религиозной реальности» (А. А. Асоян). В лирических циклах Полонского и Блока показана драматическая разобщенность сообщества людей, утративших духовные смыслы бытия. Следствием этой утраты становится страдание и смерть (мотив Возмездия). Наиболее напряженным моментом в развитии лирического сюжета у Полонского является одиночество героя в абсолютной темноте и пустоте безжизненного мистериального пространства. У Блока одиночество героя показано в антитезе неподвижного «отменного порядка» обыденности стихийному движению порожденных сном воспоминаний, предчувствий, мыслей. Сны Полонского завершаются мотивом Преображения через обретение тайной книги. Цикл Блока – утверждением посмертного страдания богоотступника. Сюжетно-мотивный анализ двух циклов позволяет установить их родственность на уровне символического функционирования мотивного комплекса апокалиптического сюжета.

War on heaven and earth: Misotheistic themes in popular culture

AbstractIn this article, I evaluate particular critical narratives of religion in pop culture. I note briefly some early cases where criticism is primarily directed at religious abuses. Next, I make some observations about the misotheistic tradition in which the relationship between religious reality and human life is more complicated. Finally, I make some remarks on the use of religious and quasireligious elements in pop culture and what kind of effects these might have on our social imagination.

RELIGIONEN UND GEWALT: EIN ESSAY / RELIGIONS AND VIOLENCE: AN ESSAY

The essay presupposes interreligious violence as a daily phenomenon in the world. It attributes to the religions themselves the responsibility of this reality. At the same time it claims that these same religions also have the potential to contribute to peace and its construction. The focus of its attention is on the Middle East, highlighting religious identity, community, and religious fundamentalism as matrices of this ambiguity. It also focuses its attention on the religious realities in Sri Lanka, characterizing the significance of the religions present there. It concludes that, beyond differences, disputes and hostilities, religions can (re)discover and empower themselves in the works for dialogue, communion, justice and world peace.

The Use of “Islam Wasathiyyah” at Muhammadiyah University of Surabaya to Create a World Peace

The clash of contemporary thoughts in both Islam and other religions often creates various tensions. The emergence of religious radicalism, religious fundamentalism, religious liberalism, has contributed significantly to emergence of acts of violence, and at its highest point showed result in destruction of system of life in this world. Religious radicalism and religious fundamentalism have occurred in various parts of world, all of religion for Jewish, Christian and Islamic. Especially about Islam, there is often misunderstanding about Islam, both among westerners and some non-Muslims in the east. This misunderstanding is caused by several factors, among others, in first, lack of understanding of Islamic teachings. In second that was consequences of a form of conspiracy against teachings of It is undeniable that when upholding Islam on earth this is a tremendous challenge, both from internal of this people and external. External forces in disrupting validity of Islamic teachings are very intense, which Allah has described in a simple manner in Qur'an, Jews and Christians were not willing (happy) for you until you follow their religion. This research attempts to analyze religious reality that occurs among Muslims, especially in Indonesia. Islam Wasathiyyah was an inspirational new tag for growth of a moderate, polite and peaceful understanding of In Muhammadiyah perspective, Islam Wasathiyyah was understood as Progressive Islam. This study took a case study at Muhammadiyah University of Surabaya, namely: How about application of Islam Wasathiyyah at Muhammadiyah University of Surabaya to realize a world peace? The result, it could be explained that Islam Wasathiyyah or Islamic moderation, in perspective of Muhammadiyah is called Islamic moderation (Progressive Islam ) that was right alternative solution to be socialized to people and nation of Indonesia, and even become basic capital for achieving Peace of World. K eywords : Islam Wasathiyyah, Muhammadiyah, World peace, Moslem, Radicalism. DOI : 10.7176/RHSS/9-18-06 Publication date :September 30 th 2019

O catolicismo entre a tradição e a reinvenção: novas comunidades, leigos consagrados e vida eremítica na Arquidiocese de Belo Horizonte

O presente artigo tem como objetivo pensar a diversidade das expressões de consagração que ocorrem no catolicismo romano contemporaneamente e na Arquidiocese de Belo Horizonte, e que se encontram no compartilhamento dos espaços eclesiais entre formas novas de consagração, como as Novas Comunidades, e as antigas formas de consagração atualizadas na contemporaneidade, como a consagração laical e a vida eremítica. Apontam para expressões diferentes da ação apostólica e de compreensão do catolicismo, assim como da organização institucional. Assim sendo, discutir-se-á, inicialmente, a diversidade que compõe o catolicismo hodierno; em seguida, tecer-se-á considerações sobre o estatuto das novas formas de consagração, sobretudo, as Novas Comunidades, diferenciando-as de outras formas de consagração. Por fim, apresentar-se-ão algumas destas expressões de maneira concreta, expondo, brevemente, sua história, carisma e ação apostólica. A conclusão aponta para a percepção de uma lógica construtiva das experiências religiosas na relação entre catolicismo e realidades culturais/religiosas/filosóficas/teológicas circundantes, presentes nas diferentes formas de consagração, assim como para a existência de certa porosidade entre diferentes grupos contemporâneos, que constroem sentidos por meio de ressignificações. Para esta pesquisa, trabalhou-se a partir da fenomenologia da religião, com técnicas de coleta de informações pautadas em referenciais bibliográficos e digitais, além de entrevistas não estruturadas.

Diversity in an Anti-immigration Era: Theories, controversies, principles

This piece introduces the overarching themes of the special issue. It maps the current intellectual landscape, and describes the disconnect between a lot of influential academic research on cultural and religious diversity and political reality. It argues that the rise of anti-immigration and anti-diversity sentiments in many democratic states around the world renders conventional arguments for multiculturalism inapplicable in these states, and calls for a re-appraisal of these theories in order to assess their feasibility and persuasiveness. It outlines the contributions to the special issue, and analyses the themes on which they touch.

Theology of Religions and Intertextuality: A Case Study of Christian–Confucian and Islamic–Confucian Dialogue in the Early 20th-Century China

In this paper, I will propose an intertextual theology of religions from a non-Western cultural perspective through the works in The True Light Review, an official magazine of Chinese Baptist churches, and Yue Hua, a prominent and long-lived Muslim magazine. My aim is to show that the religious discourses in these Chinese religious periodicals inform us of an alternative understanding of literary construction of religious plurality and challenge the current versions of theology of religions. With the concept of intertextuality, the differentiation and integration of religious identities indicates that language-constituted realities are multi-dimensional and multi-directional. In some respects, religious believers would like to differentiate themselves in the search for an authentic and meaningful life, but, they are nonetheless already interconnected and interrelated. In some other respects, they approach and embrace each other for integration to assert a common identity among religions in that area, but that could transform their religions with new meaning. Our case study will also further theological reflection of the nature of Christian life in predominantly non-Christian societies as an intertextual religious reality.

El arte de combinar. La gestión ritual de horizontes religiosos distintos en medios nahua y teenek de la Huasteca veracruzana (México)

<p>Los ritos de curación indígena contemporáneos se caracterizan a menudo como derivados de un “sincretismo religioso” por la presencia en ellos de aspectos religiosos de orígenes distintos. Sin embargo, si bien este término procede de una constatación de una realidad social y religiosa post evangelizada, no aporta al entendimiento de la estructura de estos ritos ni de su significado para sus participantes. En cambio, si los tratamos analíticamente, con los mismos términos de los interlocutores autóctonos, la comprensión de su gestualidad y prácticas al realizar los ritos de curación, permite integrar la agentividad intelectual de los actores. Así abarcamos de otra forma el sincretismo y el análisis de ritos nahua y teenek de la Huasteca veracruzana, anclados en una descripción etnográfica densa, así como en su contexto histórico, lo que permite vislumbrar lógicas internas en torno al credo específico subyacente a estos ritos.</p>

An Approach to the Analysis of Religious Reality in the Social Phenomenology of Alfred Schütz

The article deals with the social phenomenology of Alfred Schütz. Proceeding from the concept of multiple realities, the author describes religious reality, analyses its relationship with everyday, theoretical, and mythological realities, and identifies the areas where they overlap and their specifics. According to Schütz’s concept, reality is understood as something that has a meaning for a human being, and is also consistent and certain for those who are ‘inside’ of it. Realities are structurally similar to one another as they are similar to the reality that is most obvious for all human beings, i.e., the world of everyday life. Religious reality has one of the main signs of genuine reality, that of internal consistency. Religious reality has its own epoché (special ascetic practices) which has similarities with the epoché of the theoretical sphere since neither serve practical objectives, and imply freedom from the transitory issues of everyday life. Just as the theoretical sphere exists independently of the life of a scientist in the physical world and is needed to transfer results to other people, so the religious reality depends on ritual actions and material objects in its striving for the transcendent. Individual, and especially collective, religious practices are performed physically and are inextricably linked with the bodily ritual. The article notes that although Schütz’s phenomenological concept of multiple realities has repeatedly served as a starting point for the development of various social theories, its heuristic potential has not been exhausted. This allows for the further analyzing and development of topical issues such as national identity and its ties with religious tradition in the modern era, when religious reality loses credibility and has many competitors, one of which is the modern myth of the nation. Intersubjective ideas of the nation that are socially confirmed as the self-evident reality of everyday life cause complex emotions and fill human lives, thus displacing religious reality or forcing the latter to come into complex interactions with the national narrative.