Religious Society Research Articles

A Nitbit Citation of the Contributions of Sheikh Abdullahi Fodiyo in the Public Health of The 19th Century West Africa and Beyond: A Case Study of "Kitaabu Niyyati Fil' A'amaliddunyawiyyati Wal'ddiniyyati" (A Book of Intentions in the Issues of World and

Nowadays, invariably health improvement, health education, health benefits are attached to religiosity as confirmed by inexhaustible literatures. This paper reviewed some of the contributions of Sheikh Abdullahi Fodiyo in the public health of 19th century West African Sokoto Caliphate and afterwards in his famous book called "Kitaabu Niyyati Fil' A'amaliddunyawiyyati Wal'ddiniyyati" (A book of intentions in the issues of world and religion). In the examined book, he stressed the importance of cleanliness, ablution, prayer, work/ employment/ wealth, agriculture, and meat production in the development and sustainability of society, let alone the Muslim ummah. He warned against unemployment, lack of personal hygiene, poor production and handling of food/ meat among others. Certainly, the book exhorts benefits to public health especially in Islamic societies. There is need to use religion as health education, and health promotion tool especially in religious societies for better health and interventions.

PERAN GURU AGAMA HINDU DALAM MENUMBUHKAN MINAT BELAJAR BIDANG STUDI PENDIDIKAN AGAMA HINDU DI SMP NEGERI I PERMATA KECUBUNG

The purpose of this study is to find out the aspects that cause the lack of interest in learning of grade 9 students in the field of Hindu Religious Education at SMP Negeri I Permata Kekubung. This research is motivated by the phenomenon of many students who are often absent for various reasons that cannot be accounted for, ignoring the tasks given by teachers, low interest in reading and most of the students are passive in the teaching and learning process. This research is a case study research. The approach used in this study is qualitative. Data sources are obtained through observation, structured interviews, and documentation. In order to obtain data validity, the data source triangulation method is applied. Based on the results of the study, it was found that the aspects that caused the lack of interest in learning of students were internal aspects consisting of: students' ideals and low understanding of concepts in the field of Hindu Religious Education study, external aspects consisting of family economic status, the absence of support from parents that can support the improvement of students' religious knowledge, the lack of parental knowledge of Hindu teachings, and the state of the environment that does not reflect as a religious society. The results of the study also show that the teacher concerned has played a role in fostering the learning interest of grade 9 students in the field of Hindu Religious Education. Hindu Religious Education teachers can use the findings of this study as a guideline to make efforts to improve learning.

Chaos, kosmos, and the simulacrum: Reflections on Castoriadis, religion, and society as an imaginary institution

Abstract This essay explores some implications of Castoriadis’s chaos-kosmos metaphor for his understanding of society as an imaginary institution. It approaches the problematic from two directions. First, taking the question of “the real” as its thread, it maps three phases in his “roads beyond Marx”. This preparatory move brings the changes to his project wrought by the later introduction of the chaos-kosmos nexus into relief. Second, it reconstructs “The Institution of Society and Religion”, focusing on the questions of chaos, kosmos, the simulacrum, and meaning. It argues that the chaos metaphor not only introduces the problematic of truth, it also becomes a referent. This becomes clear in religious societies’ articulation of the chaos as a simulacrum. The essay identifies an implicit hermeneutics in the chaos-kosmos nexus and an incipient relativization of the autonomy/heteronomy polarization in Castoriadis’s thought, via reconsideration of the problematics of the world horizon and doing.

Islamic Education of Civil Society in the Perspective of Sociology

This research aims to explore the role of Islamic religious education in shaping civil society through the perspective of religious sociology. Islamic religious education aims to make humans the caliph on earth and integrate religious teachings with the social system that prevails in society. This study uses a qualitative descriptive method with a literature approach, and data analysis is carried out using the content analysis method. The study results show that Islamic religious education facilitates understanding social concepts because Islam has a social purpose. In addition, the sociological approach plays an important role in understanding the meanings of the Qur'an as it relates to social life. Sociology, from the perspective of religion, is a view of life that is considered important in people's lives and has a close relationship with each other. Religion also plays a role in shaping the social structure of society. In the study of the sociology of religion, the focus is on social phenomena in religious societies, not only on religious teachings themselves. This study concludes that Islamic religious education is important in shaping the character of a civilized and common welfare-oriented society. For further research, it is recommended to conduct an empirical study on implementing Islamic religious education in a multicultural society and its impact on social harmony.

Ulama Sebagai Agen Perubahan Mengeksplorasi Peran dan Strategi Psikologis dalam Kampanye Kesehatan di Aceh

This research focuses on the role and psychological strategies that ulama can play as agents of change in health campaigns in Aceh. Ulama in Aceh have a significant influence in a religious society and respect religious figures. Using a qualitative approach, this research interviewed ulama, health workers and the public to understand their views on the role of ulama in health promotion as well as psychological factors that can influence the success of health campaigns. The research results show that ulama can act as effective health messengers, behavior change agents, and opinion leaders in their communities. Psychological strategies such as persuasion, role modeling, and culture-based approaches can increase public acceptance and participation in health campaigns. However, this research also identified challenges and obstacles faced by ulama, such as lack of knowledge about health, perceptions about the limits of the ulama's role, and cultural barriers. Thus, the findings of this study provide new insight into the importance of ulama involvement in health promotion efforts in Aceh and provide practical recommendations for improving collaboration between ulama and health workers. The implications of these findings can also be applied in other contexts involving religious leaders in health campaigns in religious communities.

G. M. Hopkins’ God’s Grandeur: An Aesthetic Delight

This research paper intellectually sheds light on aesthetic delight in Gerard Manley Hopkins' God's Grandeur. This study based on qualitative research approach examines how God’s grandeur generates the aesthetic delight or beauty to uphold the intellectual knowledge. The purpose or the objective of the research paper is to make an analysis examination of God’s greatness. The poet's firm belief in the glory of God/Nature proves to be an inspiring approach/method to enlighten readers on his sonnet God's Grandeur. This poem, God's Grandeur, appeals to the intellectual mind, manner and moral. This genre in literature depicts the creation and nature of the incorporeal world. The creator of the universe plays an inspirational role to acknowledge the God's glory and beauties in the world. The role of the Creator/God is spelt out in the title of the poem i.e. God's Grandeur. The message that the poem imparts is significant: what is corporeal and incorporeal becomes clear only after it appeals to the intellectual mind. The study helps us to elevate God's Grandeur. It adopts an analytical research design. Hopkins, a Nature poet, is well aware of God's gifts and beauties. How Hopkins’ poem explains the glory of God is the statement of the study. The facts and figures of divine grandeur contribute to the readers' positive response to the poem. The use of intellectual insight transcends the unseen and incorporeal forms. So, the importance of intellectual mind is highlighted by the aesthetic delight that the poem generates for both secular and religious societies. People in the world, however, are less spiritual and more physically and materially conscious.

Influences of Social Class on the Negotiation of Authority and Community in Practice of Islam in America

Abstract This paper presents the findings of a qualitative study of religious practice in a working-class and middle-class Muslim American community. Given the small sample size (N = 18), this study is exploratory and suggests avenues for future research on social class and religious practice among Muslim Americans. The results indicate that different social classes have different views regarding the proper role of religion in their lives. Moreover, social class provides people with unequal resources to meet certain demands placed on them by their religious community and society in general. Other aspects of community life (e.g., social networks) also intervene and mediate institutional relationships and affect religious practice. The social and cultural elements that facilitate perceived compliance with a particular interpretation of religious praxis can be analysed in terms of social and cultural capital. This study suggests that social and cultural capital can help scholars understand differences in religious practice among Muslims across different localities and classes.

Evaluation of Health Education During Covid 19 in theCity of Masvingo

This study made an evaluation of health education during COVID 19 in the City of Masvingo.The literature of the study included the background to the study, statement of the problem, major research question, sub-questions, objectives, and significance of the study, delimitations,limitations, and definition of terms. The literature reviewed in this study was drawn based on the research sub-questions which focused on the evaluation of health education during COVID 19 in the City of Masvingo. The study discusses the research design, the population, the sample and sampling procedures which were used, the research instruments and explains data presentation and analysis procedures. The research design, the instruments and the samples adopted were justified. These include the selection of research design in which the researcher considered different views of other authorities which guided the researcher to select and use both quantitative and qualitative research. The sample population consisted of fifty (50) purposive selected participants chosen in Masvingo Urban. Data collection procedures highlighted how the researcher collected data using different instruments which included a questionnaire and interviews also the advantages and disadvantages were indicated. The presentation of data was guided by the research sub questions. Data was analysed and discussed in relation to literature. The findings of the study revealed that COVID-19 is not only an individual health issue but also engages caregivers, families, extended social networks, neighbourhoods, communities, health systems and organizations and governing/political systems. Structural changes in health promotion are requisite to sustain health during the COVID-19 and future pandemics. However, the researcher recommended that campaigns should elicit the help of religious and civil society leaders for maximum effect. In addition, governments should suspend all international travel to or from the most-affected countries, and quarantine citizens who have travelled to or through those areas for at least two weeks.

Penguatan Nilai-nilai Moderasi Beragama Melalui Program Pengajaran Agama di Desa Tewang Kadamba

This study discusses the application of religious moderation in an effort to build a peaceful and tolerant community in Tewang Kadamba Village, Central Kalimantan. This village is known for its cultural and religious diversity, where the Dayak Kaharingan tribe is the majority of the population while Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity live side by side harmoniously. However, there are challenges related to the lack of motivation in worship activities and the shortage of Islamic religious teachers in the village. This is a serious concern because it can affect the social and religious life of the community. The Tewang Kadamba Village KKN Team took the initiative to empower the community through strengthening religious values ​​by involving the younger generation and cadres in the religious teaching program. This program is expected to encourage positive changes in religious life and social life in the village. This study uses the Participatory Action Research (PAR) method and literature study, with the aim of evaluating the effectiveness of the religious teaching program in improving the understanding and practice of religious moderation values ​​among the Tewang Kadamba Village community. It is hoped that the results of the study can provide useful suggestions for the development of religious teaching programs in Tewang Kadamba Village, so that they can support the formation of a religious, tolerant, and peaceful society

Hybrid religious civil society organization, the Israeli case of “the path upwards” lesson learned

Hybrid religious civil society organization, the Israeli case of “the path upwards” lesson learned

Intuitive moral bias favors the religiously faithful

Belief in powerful supernatural agents that enforce moral norms has been theoretically linked with cooperative altruism and prosociality. Correspondingly, prior research reveals an implicit association between atheism and extreme antisociality (e.g., serial murder). However, findings centered on associations between lack of faith and moral transgression do not directly address the hypothesized conceptual association between religious belief and prosociality. Accordingly, we conducted two pre-registered experiments depicting a “serial helper” to assess biases related to extraordinary helpfulness, mirroring designs depicting a serial killer used in prior cross-cultural work. In both a predominantly religious society (the U.S., Study 1) and a predominantly secular society (New Zealand, Study 2), we successfully replicated previous research linking atheism with transgression, and obtained evidence for a substantially stronger conceptual association between religiosity and virtue. The results suggest that stereotypes linking religiosity with prosociality are both real and global in scale.

Beyond “Religious Fundamentalism”: Bridging Religious Tradition, Gender Normative Systems, and State Institutions to Respond to Intimate Partner Violence in Ethiopia

Despite its western Christian origin, the notion of religious fundamentalism has been employed by western and non-western scholars alike to describe a variety of religious groups perceived to manifest antagonism to aspects of modernity and secularism, especially western ideals of gender equality as enforced in many cases by state policies. Within religion and gender studies and Gender and Development scholarship, fundamentalism has been often invoked in reference to faith communities opposing feminist ideals, but without due recognition being given to the western metaphysics of feminist theories of gender, or the epistemological and ethical problems of “naming” such communities as “fundamentalist” within Western/Anglophone scholarship. This lack of reflexivity risks essentializing religious communities as being opposed to feminist gender ideals when their reactions might reflect more complex underlying reasons, and can also be counterproductive in effectively responding to gender inequalities and women’s abuse in religious societies. This paper proposes that a more intimate engagement with non-western religious traditions grounded in a study of theological teachings and the lived religious experience of specific communities can remedy such tendencies and achieve a better understanding of the nexus of gender, faith, and tradition/modernity in diverse cultural contexts. It illustrates this by drawing key insights from a study of conjugal abuse in an Orthodox Täwahәdo community in Ethiopia that demonstrated intricate associations between understandings of and attitudes toward conjugal abuse and the local religious tradition, the significance of a culture-as-religion discourse in the maintenance of rigid gender norms, and the potential of Orthodox theology to counter ideas about abusiveness that contributed to its implicit tolerance. The paper relates these findings to Ethiopian women activists’ efforts and the multi-religious societal fabric of Ethiopian society to explore the possibilities for integrated responses to intimate partner violence in the country.

Reasons for Promotion of Atheism in Pakistani Universities and their Remedy (A Special Study of Islamabad Universities)

In the present era, Muslim society faces numerous intellectual, political, social, and religious challenges. Among these, one of the serious challenges is atheism. Although atheism did not have a significant impact on the general populace in the past, a review of the last few years reveals that atheistic ideologies and philosophies are rapidly influencing contemporary civilizations, including religious societies. Even though the philosophy of atheism is not a new concept, it has manifested differently over time. This indicates that atheism has now become a serious ideological and moral challenge for Muslim societies We live in a rapidly changing society, where protecting Islamic beliefs is particularly challenging for the new young generation and the modern educated class. Atheists use all possible and available means and tools, such as print, electronic, and most notably social media, to propagate their ideas and beliefs. Using these resources, they are targeting the youth to alienate them from Islam and its teachings. Since those affected are mostly university students, this brief paper will take a statistical review of specific universities in Islamabad. In light of the Islamic perspective, we will formulate a strategy to attract young people towards Islam and propose legal, ethical, and ideological methods to protect Pakistani society from the threat of atheism.

The Relationship Between Religiosity and Prosocial Behavior in Generation Z

<p class="06IsiAbstrak"><span lang="EN-GB">Riau has a rich culture and a generally very religious society. It is important to understand the impact of religiosity on prosocial behavior in the local context, especially in Generation Z. This research aims to identify the relationship between religiosity and prosocial behavior in Generation Z in Riau and how strong this relationship is. The research respondents consisted of 93 college students from Islamic faculty backgrounds, and analysis was carried out using the Mann-Whitney nonparametric correlation test. The research results show a correlation coefficient of 0.396 with a significance of p = 0.000 (p < 0.05), which means there is a positive relationship of 39.6% between religiosity and prosocial behavior. Religiosity involves creed, worship, understanding, experience, and knowledge. Meanwhile, prosocial behavior involves the behavior of helping, sharing, donating, and cooperating. The higher the religiosity, the higher the prosocial behavior shown by Generation Z, and vice versa.</span></p>

Draft Amendment to Act No. 370/2019 coll. on Financial Support for the Activities of Churches and Religious Societies

Draft Amendment to Act No. 370/2019 coll. on Financial Support for the Activities of Churches and Religious Societies

Гражданская религия как коммуникативная среда: концептуальный анализ

The article presents a conceptual analysis of civil religion as a special form of combining the sacred and the political. Having stated the need for social researchers to address the religious side of society in general and its political implications in particular, the author tries not only to reconstruct the genealogy of the term “civil religion”, but also to trace the differences between civil and political religion. Based on the analysis of the origins of the concept of civil religion, the author shows that its components — “civil” and “religious” — were introduced from two sources that are completely different in their spirit: the social philosophy of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and the sociological project of Emile Durkheim. Robert Bellah managed to combine the heuristics of both sources and offer a specific language for describing externally secular, but internally religious societies. Having thoroughly analyzed the three features of civil religion identified by Bellah, the author focuses on its functioning as a communication environment — a specific set of values that taboo or stimulate the articulation of certain political issues. The communication environment not only ensures the satisfaction of the needs of the state, within which a civil-religious cult is established, but also maintains a consensus on basic values, the undermining of which is fraught with the complete disintegration of society. According to the author’s conclusion, in order to talk about the presence of a civil religion in a polity, this polity must meet several criteria, including unambiguous consensus about sacred values, political decision-making justified via theology and values, as well as the “topological” nature of the development of a political cult. This is the main reason why this form of political life is relatively rare.

Penguatan Karakter Religius Melalui Program Pesantren Ramadhan 1445 H Pada Komunitas Teras Baca Nurul Huda Batu Ringgit Kota Mataram Nusa Tenggara Barat

Islamic religious education in public schools is often said to have little influence on students. Apart from the very limited intensity of study time, namely 2-3 hours of lessons per week, this is also due to the fact that Islamic learning only focuses on basic theoretical knowledge and less on a practical level so that the main goal of Islamic education which touches on the spiritual and social dimensions is difficult to achieve. The Nurul Huda Reading Terrace Community, located in Baturinggit village, Mataram City, NTB, is a forum for informal education for children and teenagers engaged in literacy. Advances in technology and information that have led to shifts in social behavior have given rise to negative behaviors that have led to the apathetic, intolerant, anti-social and hedonistic attitudes of the current generation. This is the basis for the formation of the Ramadhan Islamic boarding school program in the Teras Baca Nurul Huda Baturinggit Mataram comunity, NTB. The Ramadhan Islamic boarding school program has been successfully attended by 60 participants. The aim of this program is to strengthen the religious character of local village children and teenagers who will support the realization of a religious society. The methods of this program include: 1) Preparation; 2) Implementation; and 3) Evaluation and Follow-up. Several activities such as Ramadhan taklim, duarah, donations. Through these activities, religious characters can be strengthened, including love of Allah and His Messenger, independence, courageous, responsible attitudes, a sense of solidarity and mutual respect for each other and an attitude of empathy. The positive response and support of the local community, especially parents and community leaders, guarantees the continuity of this program from the beginning to the end of Ramadan and creates opportunities for its continuation in the future to form a religious, individually and socially pious generation.

Islamophobia beyond Explicit Hate Speech: Analyzing the Coverage of Muslims in Slovenia’s Public Broadcasting

Religion in Europe has been undergoing two fundamental changes in the past four decades. As a side effect of secularization, religious fields have been pluralizing. On the other hand, religions themselves have taken a qualitative shift towards lived, material characteristics. Focusing exclusively on the diversification of European religious fields, we are interested in the concept of religious literacy as a tool for competent engagement in contemporary religious plural societies. To better understand the role of public media in fostering religious literacy, we offer an analysis of the public broadcaster’s coverage of smaller religious communities in Slovenia. Focusing particularly on Muslims as the largest religious minority in Slovenia, we provide an analysis of 245 episodes, consisting of 540 items, in the 2015–2020 period. We show that the coverage given to smaller religious communities is unevenly spread amongst the communities, with disproportional airtime given to Christian churches and communities. Furthermore, we pinpoint the key qualitative difference in portrayals of Slovenian Muslims and non-Catholic Christians, explaining how the process of racialized Islamophobia may continue beyond explicit hate speech. In conclusion we set out limitations of our study and provide guidelines for future research.

Half searching for identity for the sake of meaning in Naipaul’s Half a Life

In this novel, Naipaul addresses the identity crisis regarding the internal and external of man. The protagonist, Willie, emigrates to London from India, next to Africa, and returns to London. He is constantly looking for an identity to make meaning of his life. Willie was born in a religious, cultural, and backward society that affects him, and he lacks self-esteem and self-confidence. Looking outside without inside for a purpose in life is the essential problem. Therefore, Willie cannot find it. The protagonist fails throughout his journey, from the first space to the second space and the third one. He is disappointed in all his relationships, even with Ana, whom he loved and lived with for many years in Africa.

Stigma, Support, and Ideation About Suicide in Indonesian Twitter: A Topic Modelling Study.

Stigma surrounding suicide is a massive problem in Indonesia. Thus, it is important to study how conversations about suicide take place. We take a machine learning approach and study tweets with suicide keywords to understand how people converse about suicide or express suicide ideation. Tweets with suicide-related keywords were extracted from May to June 2023. 20,057 tweets were subject to topic modelling with an 11-topic solution. While most topics contain negative messages, no purely stigmatizing topics emerge, despite prior research suggesting overwhelming stigma. Various kinds of existential, emotional, and social tweets about suicide take place among Indonesian users, indicating that Indonesian Twitter users utilize the platform to express their thoughts and emotions. Notably, religious-spiritual keywords are highly prevalent, suggesting that in a highly religious society, there is a need for policy makers and awareness campaigns to frame their positive messaging within the society's religious context.