Religious Studies Perspective Research Articles

Thoroughness of philosophy and return to religion in Tanabe Hajime

Japanese philosopher Tanabe Hajime (1885–1962) not only discussed religion in ways that were rooted in the fundamental claims of his writings, such as Shinran in Philosophy as Metanoetics (1946), but he also made proposals on religion, as in Demonstration of Christianity (1948), where he advocated for the need for a “second religious reformation.” For Tanabe, philosophy and religion (along with science) are fused in a specific way, and it is possible to find a vision of religion to be aimed for that is worth considering as a theory of religion among Japanese philosophers. To examine the theory of religion in Tanabe, this study focuses on the work, Demonstration of Christianity, and other works from the perspective of religious studies. In Demonstration of Christianity, the concept of absolute religion toward the second religious reformation is envisioned based on Tanabe’s dialectics of the absolute mediation, and a discussion on his world religion can be found, although it is limited to Christianity and some Buddhist sects. Reflecting his absolute dialectic, Tanabe says that this world religion was established through the absolute mediation of Christianity with “Nembutsu-Zen” (the unification of Pure Land Buddhism and Zen Buddhism). One cannot deny the impression of Christocentrism in these discussions, but they are in fact the result of Tanabe’s thoroughness in philosophy. What can be drawn from these discussions is that Tanabe's theory of religion is strongly connected to Platonism, which he considered the root of his dialectics. For example, by the third article in Existence, Love, and Practice (1947), “Self-Transcendence in Platonism and Faith in Gospel.” Tanabe’s argument reveals the characteristics of conceiving a new religion that combines Eastern and Western ideas, philosophy, and religion through a creative interpretation of Platonism, the source of Western thought where philosophy and religion are inseparably linked.

Attribution of Religious Characteristics to AI: A Critical Exploration

Today we find a number of attributions of religious characteristics to AI. In usages like “apocalyptic AI,” “homo deus,” “AI as Imago Dei,” “virtual immortality,” etc., we find religious characteristics being attributed to AI related processes. It would do well to critically analyse such attributes from the perspective of religious studies to understand their impact upon the dynamics of religions. One such core dynamic, acknowledged invariably in religious and theological studies, is that of the experience of “transcendence.” Several studies on religious transcendence analyse its “vertical” and “horizontal” aspects down through historical epochs. The modern era, in particular, is understood to have induced various shades of immanentism, along with an inability to transcendence. This paper studies some selected religious attributes made to AI and analyse their impact upon the experience of transcendence today. Keywords: apocalyptic AI, homo deus, virtual immortality, AI as Imago Dei, transcendence

Digitalisierung christlicher Verkündigungsformate während der Covid19-Pandemie: Empirische Befunde und theoretische Systematisierungen aus religionswissenschaftlicher Perspektive

ZusammenfassungMit den Kontaktbeschränkungen zu Beginn der Covid19-Pandemie mussten auch religiöse Institutionen geradezu über Nacht ihre bisherigen Angebote neu denken. Gerade für Gottesdienste sind dabei häufig digitale Alternativen entwickelt worden. Der Aufsatz beleuchtet dieses emergierende Feld der Digitalisierung christlicher Verkündigungsformate und die Anschlussstellen zu bestehender religionswissenschaftlicher Forschung zu Religion und digitalen Medien. Dafür wird zunächst ein empirisch orientierter Überblick über die Digitalisierungsbemühungen der christlichen Kirchen im deutschsprachigen Raum unter Corona-Bedingungen gegeben, insbesondere unter Rückgriff auf die bisher vorliegenden statistischen Erhebungen. Auf der Grundlage qualitativer Interviews wird dann der Blick auf die Rezipient*innenperspektive auf digitale Gottesdienste gerichtet. Diese empirischen Befunde werden schließlich in Verbindung gesetzt zu bestehenden systematischen Querschnittsthemen der Forschung zu Religion und Medien, insbesondere zu den Konsequenzen digitalisierter religiöser Kommunikation für Formen religiöser Vergemeinschaftung, Raum und Ritual sowie die Selbstermächtigung religiöser Lai*innen und den Wandel religiöser Autorität. Der Aufsatz will damit auf empirischer Grundlage eine Einordnung der gegenwärtigen, Corona-induzierten Entwicklungen in den bestehenden Forschungsstand anbieten und Anschlussüberlegungen aufzeigen.

Between art and ritual

This article analyses the short performances of Drag Sethlas at the yearly Gran Canaria Drag Queen Contest in Spain (2017–20) from the perspective of religious studies and gender studies, following on from an earlier article in which this case was explored in light of the severe blasphemy accusations (by local and national bishops and lay organisations) against the 2017 show. These short performances consist of remarkable representations of Roman Catholic texts, saints, symbols and rituals acted out as prize-winning drag-queen shows that were aired on national television. At the same time, these acts are situated, by reference to famous earlier controversial acts by the pop artists Madonna, Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, in a genealogy of provocations and blasphemy accusations that are currently made in North American and Western European countries. In exploring the forms of ritualisation (cf. Bell 1989) in the provocation that this type of popular artistic performance with strong religious connotations evokes, I show the presence of a double theatricality in Sethlas’s first and most controversial performance: on the one hand a ‘holy drama’ centred around a religious pattern of penance, repentance and redemption, and on the other hand a specific drag theatricality, with its parodies, mockery and daring erotic scenes. It is precisely the connection between both forms of theatricality, especially the representation of the Virgin Mary and Jesus, who play a large and special role in both forms of theatricality, that contributes most to the provocativeness of this scene.

Folk Religion in Transformation: A Religious Studies Perspective Based on Examples from Romania

The present study deals with some changes identifiable on the level of folk religion, i.e., of the religious expression of ordinary people. Its premises are that folk religion is a subsegment of religion, fulfilling specific functions which official or elite religion fail to satisfy. The paper lies on a theoretical grounding stemming mainly from the Scandinavian school of comparative religion and folkloristics and applies these theories to examples from Romania. In this way, the specific functions of folk religion are analyzed, and the question is asked how these needs come to be met once people detach from the rural values. It is found that individuals which have lost their connection to traditions also head with their needs to cognitively lees costly religious forms, this time to global forms, which had become contents of the now enlarged pool of tradition. These contents are actualized in accordance with the concrete personal needs. In different forms of new spiritualities many characteristics of folk religion can be identified, moreover, they take similar roles. This demonstrates that folk religion has its own dynamism, transforming to reflect social and cultural change.

Studi Kebencian: Analisis Komparasi Pemikiran Bediüzzaman Said Nursi (1877-1960) dan K. H. Ahmad Dahlan (1868-1923)

This qualitative research explores the theme of hatred, which has become a new interdisciplinary field called hate studies and which still requires academic contributions from different disciplines. The author uses the perspective of religious studies as well as peace and conflict studies, in which the phenomenon of hatred is examined in a descriptive-comparative way from two Islamic movement figures, namely Bediüzzaman Said Nursi (1877-1960) in Turkey and K. H. Ahmad Dahlan (1686-1923) in Indonesia. Comparison of thoughts and movements of these two Islamic figures is significant within the framework of ‘Muhammadiyah’. Muhammadiyah is part of the nation’s strength that has been actively involved in national political movement and in the nation-building process through “Amar Ma'ruf Nahi Munkar” preaching since 1912 in Indonesia. Ahmad Dahlan's progressive thoughts were confronted with hate incidents from religious and community leaders because they were considered contradictory to the Islamic tradition and religion. This article compares the thoughts of Said Nursi and Ahmad Dahlan in how hatred was transformed into nonviolent practices. It shows a different perspective in criticising as well as complementing various nonviolent ways and peacebuilding movements today. This perspective offers contribution to the Islamic movements and the Muhammadiyah in responding to the challenges of plurality, nonviolence, and peace in Indonesia.

Hate Studies: The Urgency and Its Developments in the Perspective of Religious Studies

This article is a descriptive study of hate. The phenomenon of hatred has prompted many researchers to find out more about hatred, the effects of hatred, and hate management. This research revealed that hatred had become a separate field of study, called the Hate Study, initiated and organized by the Gonzaga University Institute for Hate Studies, in 1997. Hate Studies became an international interdisciplinary field that united scholars, academic researchers, practitioners, human rights activists, policy makers, NGO leaders, and others. This study collects research results from various academic fields, both in the fields of humanities, social sciences, education, politics, economics, and the like so as to produce scientific discussions and practical applications in the academic, legal and policy settings, and counter-hate practices in community organizations civil. The purpose of this study is to illustrate the urgency of multidisciplinary religious studies disciplinary participation in hate studies, to analyze the evolution of hatred, and to find ways in dealing with the spread of hatred and violence that is needed by the plural world today. Therefore, the academic approach to religious studies will provide theoretical guidance and practice that can enrich understanding of hatred as well as dealing with the effects of hatred.

Freud's psychoanalysis from the perspective of religious studies

Freud's psychoanalysis from the perspective of religious studies

Гарвардский проект по советской социальной системе как религиоведческий источник

The article examines the potential of using the data from the Harvard Project on the Soviet social system (HPSSS) as a religious studies source. The author has given a review of the Harvard project materials as an object of research by sociologists and historians. The sections of the interviews of the Schedule A and Schedule B, which contain data relevant for religious studies, have been considered. The author revealed some directions and perspectives of the religious studies analysis of the interviews of the Harvard Project from the standpoint of the study of the perception of religion by Russian emigrants of the second wave. The data in the Schedule A interview, that can be analyzed from the perspective of religious studies, are considered in two sections: “Family” and “Philosophy of Life”. The evidence of religious reflection can also be found in Schedule B interviews, fragmented though but equally valuable. On the basis of the interview materials the author has identified possible areas of research: the role of generational factors in the formation of religious views, some peculiarities of the perception of church-state relations, the influence of the historical context and ideological factors on the perception of religion, the dynamics of the religious views of emigrants.

TEKNO-KULTUR-RELIGI DI ERA REVOLUSI INDUSTRI 4.0: (Studi Netnografi pada Pengguna Aplikasi Muslim Pro di Kalangan Mahasiswa Institut Teknologi Bandung)

ITB students who use Muslim Pro application on their smartphones as a representation of digital society are a tangible form of techno-cultural-religious interrelationships. ITB students, if they need something related to Islamic religious knowledge and daily worship practices, only need to access the application. Analyzed from the perspective of religious studies, the dynamics and phenomena of techno-culture-religion are an interesting and important entity to study, because the religious activities of ITB students using the Muslim Pro application will have implications and polarization on their religious thought. The main objective of this research is to reveal the religious thoughts of the Muslim Pro application users among ITB students. This research is a qualitative research using netnographic research method (virtual ethnography) based on the theory of religious experience in the form of thought from Joachim Wach. The results of this research indicate that the religious thought patterns of ITB students who use the Muslim Pro application are classified into three types of thought, namely: scientific, literate, and contextual.Â

‘몸 새김(tattoo)’에 관한 종교학적 소고(小考)

문신이 빠르게 확산되고 있는 현상에 주목하며 본고는 거시적이고 비교문화적인 관점에서 인간의 ‘몸 새김(tattoo)’을 탐구한다. ‘몸 새김’을 보는 관점의 변화와 경주하는 다양한 담론들을 분석하고, ‘사회적 몸’을 매개로 전달되는 우리 시대의 가치관과 구체적인 개인들의 행동에서 의미 있는 변화점들을 찾아내려고 한다. 신체변형과 피부가 가지는 의미를 이해하고, 그 안에서 문신이라는 문화적 실천 행위를 해석하는 종교학의 이론적 테두리를 마련한다.<BR> 20세기 초부터 현재까지 한국 문신 관련 자료들을 분석하여 한국사회에서 ‘몸 새김’을 보는 시각의 새로운 결합태(figuration)를 찾는다. 전통 사회에서 문신이 형벌과 ‘비문명(非文明)’의 상징으로 이해된 것과 달리 오늘날 문신은 한 개인의 인생에서 가장 중요한 서사를 몸을 통하여 구현하는 수단이 되고 있다. ‘몸 새김’은 ‘일탈(deviance)’의 시기를 거쳐서 오늘날 신체를 통하여 자신의 가능성을 탐험하고, 남과 다름을 표현하는 ‘해방’으로 그 의미가 이동되고 있다.

Religion, Suanggi, and Suicide: A Case Study in the City of Ambon from the Perspective of Religious Studies

During 2017-2019 a few cases of suicide amongst Christian teenagers in the city of Ambon have been linked to the infl uence of “suanggi” that has connotations of being the representation of an evil supernatural power. By using the qualitative research method with a case study approach, the article is focused on the religious reactions of the Christian community in their understanding and rationalization of these two phenomena. Data is collected through Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and personal interviews. All collected qualitative data are analyzed by social hermeneutical analysis. The results of the study have shown that: (1) Social change that occurred amongst the people of Ambon has implications in the shift of traditional order of living values, at the same time clashes between the custodians of cultural traditions and morality (church) have occurred. (2) Within the Ambonese community, religion does not only symbolize certain systems of belief, but also becomes the institution that provides a place for the communal spirit and protects the shared morality through its teachings and the practice of its rituals. (3) The phenomena of suicide amongst teenagers in Ambon, the circulation of information concerning the influence of “suanggi”, and the reactive response of the Christian community reflects the clash between the insistence for social change amongst the urban communities.

Sesama Beda Agama (Islam-Kristen) Sebelum dan Sesudah Konflik Sosial di Kota Masohi

In the context of religious plurality, interreligious relations need to be positioned within the framework of humanitarian relations, because inter-religious relations which are placed apart from inter-human references result in religion losing its meaning. This article aims to describe the fellowship from the perspective of Christians and Muslims in Masohi. This description is essential because the conflict experiences experienced by the two religious communities in Masohi need to be constructed to build a future of peaceful religions. This study uses a qualitative descriptive approach with the perspective of religious studies. The research concludes that the view of fellowship in the period before and after the conflict in Masohi was that both Christians and Muslims still saw them as brothers and sisters due to cultural bond, pela-gandong.

Евангельские христиане через призму православного сравнительного богословия: религиоведческая перспектива

Евангельские христиане через призму православного сравнительного богословия: религиоведческая перспектива

Like Priests Set Apart

There is no biblical conception that so interferes with public life and invites endless debates and controversies as the theology of election. From a religious studies perspective, the theology of election has created a tremendous, hideous impact on the history of humankind, from colonialization to Shoah to the politics of identity and populism today. Rather than being the doctrine that unites humanity, the concept of election has been regarded as the core cause that creates otherness. This article argues that the ideation of otherness in the theology of election is deeply connected to and cannot be separated from sexuality issues. The notion of circumcision, as the main feature of post-exilic priestly election theology, inevitably constructs the ideal of lineage purity, thus forbidding intermarriage. The unfaithfulness of God’s people during the Judean monarchy era would later be perceived as the main cause for the suffering and traumatic experience of exile. Radical holiness in the form of religious separation from other nations must be observed for the priests to enjoy the continuation of God’s promise in the form of descendants. The continuation of priestly lineages would assure the continuity of the Temple's existence and worship.

Tell a Story of the Nation: Image of Religion and Non-religion in the Czech National Museum

The study of religion and non-religion in a museum has become a phenomenon recently gaining attention from scholars, especially those focusing on the study of religiousness in public spaces. This paper examines the topic using the example of the Czech National Museum, particularly of its long-term exhibitions because these have a broader social impact. As a state institution, the National Museum not only collects, exhibits and studies items and artifacts but at the same time creates a story, a narrative contributing to the formation of national identity and to a sense of community. This story tries to represent Czechness in modern times, its national character, its past and present, and how it has been self-defined as well as created in relation to others. The main objective of the paper is to characterize the role of religion and non-religion in the national narrative from a Religious Studies perspective. It aims not at comparing the findings with the real importance of religion in Czech society but at uncovering how the National Museum wants its visitors to perceive the role of religion in the story of Czechness, and which events, people and values have gained a purely non-religious character in it.

Spiritual Values for Those Without Eternal Life

Martin Hagglund’s This Life: Secular Faith and Spiritual Freedom offers a naturalistic, this-worldly theology with eloquence and heart. Nevertheless, from a religious studies perspective, there is a fair amount to criticize. This review essay identifies two shortcomings in this book and then develops a typology of religious teachings about eternal life in order to assess places where Hagglund’s critique succeeds.

Seeing the myth in human rights

Seeing the myth in human rights is a work of outstanding and meticulous scholarship that rewards readers with insight into the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the ethical and political aspirations of its authors and the complex modes of meaning and value which informed them and continue to inform the declaration's reception today. Jenna Reinbold supplies carefully reasoned philosophical, ethical and sociological analysis. The author's religious studies perspective provides a genuinely original framework for analysing the declaration and yields new insights into its qualities, purpose and the quasi-sacred status to which its authors sought to elevate it. This book can be recommended for scholars of human rights and for advanced students with a specific interest in the creation of the Universal Declaration. In four core chapters, Reinbold analyses the aims of the declaration and illustrates its ethical, intellectual, sociological and emotional facets. One of her key concerns...

Феномен экзорцизма в католицизме: религиоведческий анализ

Феномен экзорцизма в католицизме: религиоведческий анализ

A Different Approach to Religious ‘Cultural Contents’ from A Perspective of Religious Studies －a Case Study of Jingak-Order－

A Different Approach to Religious ‘Cultural Contents’ from A Perspective of Religious Studies －a Case Study of Jingak-Order－