Religions

24 pages, 372 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Incredible Story on the Credibility of Stories: Coherence, Real-Life Experience, and Making Sense of Texts in a Jaina Narrative

by Itamar Ramot

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1129; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091129 (registering DOI) - 19 Sep 2024

Abstract

Throughout the centuries, Jaina authors actively engaged in producing their own versions of stories that were told in sources such as the Rāmāyaṇa, Mahābhārata, and the purāṇas. These authors self-consciously present themselves as correcting preceding narratives that they do not [...] Read more.

Throughout the centuries, Jaina authors actively engaged in producing their own versions of stories that were told in sources such as the Rāmāyaṇa, Mahābhārata, and the purāṇas. These authors self-consciously present themselves as correcting preceding narratives that they do not accept as credible. However, the question arises: what criteria determine the credibility of one version over another? This paper offers one possible answer as it appears in the Investigation of Dharma (Dharmaparīkṣā), a Jaina narrative that has been retold repeatedly in different languages throughout the second millennium. By examining its earliest available retellings—in Apabhramsha (988 CE) and Sanskrit (1014 CE)—I argue that this narrative traces the credibility of stories to the ideas of (1) coherence across textual boundaries and (2) correspondence with real-life experience. In this paper, I trace how these notions manifest in the Investigation and analyze the narrative’s mechanism for training its audience to evaluate for themselves the credibility of stories. Through this analysis, the paper offers a fresh perspective on the motivations of premodern South Asian authors to retell existing narratives and sheds light on the reading practices they expect from their audience. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Jainism and Narrative)

11 pages, 278 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Multilingual Complexities in the Origins and Development of the Harrist Movement and Its Worship Patterns in Ivory Coast

by James R. Krabill

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1128; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091128 (registering DOI) - 19 Sep 2024

Abstract

The Harrist Church in Ivory Coast, West Africa, emerged from the ministry of Liberian William Wadé Harris who baptized between 10,000 and 200,000 people during his eighteen-month evangelistic tour, 1913–1915. This story is full of linguistic complexities and anomalies. Harris himself spoke only [...] Read more.

The Harrist Church in Ivory Coast, West Africa, emerged from the ministry of Liberian William Wadé Harris who baptized between 10,000 and 200,000 people during his eighteen-month evangelistic tour, 1913–1915. This story is full of linguistic complexities and anomalies. Harris himself spoke only English and his own local Liberian Glebo language. He was therefore compelled to work through expatriate English-speaking merchants, knowledgeable of and conversant in local languages, as interpreters and translators in addressing the twelve ethnic groups who heard and accepted his message. Harris encouraged new converts to compose hymns in their own indigenous languages by transforming musical genres embedded in their local musical traditions. Additionally fascinating is that during this early colonial period, the twelve ethnic groups impacted by Harris’s ministry lived in almost total isolation from each other and developed their own hymn traditions for thirty-five years (1914–1949), unaware of the existence of churches and worship patterns in neighboring ethnic districts. Only in 1949 did they suddenly become acquainted with the broader, multi-musical, multilingual reality of the Harrist movement. Since then, individual musicians and choirs from local congregations have gradually begun to sing a few of each other’s songs, though the challenge of becoming a truly multicultural, multiethnic church remains a work in progress. Documentation of these developments include written colonial and early Protestant and Catholic missionary sources and a large number of eye-witness interviews. Primary research methods employed here come from four intersecting disciplines and theoretical frameworks: orality studies, with particular focus on oral sources in constructing historical narrative; religious phenomenology; mission history; and ethnodoxological research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multilingualism in Religious Musical Practice)

12 pages, 235 KiB

Open AccessArticle

On the Ethics of Mediating Embodied Vulnerability to Violence

by Meenakshi Gigi Durham

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1127; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091127 - 18 Sep 2024

Abstract

Media ethics has long been haunted by the question of representing human beings’ vulnerability to violence. While journalism and photojournalism have an obligation to report on the realities of violence and suffering in the world, the “spectacle of suffering” is fraught with ethical [...] Read more.

Media ethics has long been haunted by the question of representing human beings’ vulnerability to violence. While journalism and photojournalism have an obligation to report on the realities of violence and suffering in the world, the “spectacle of suffering” is fraught with ethical dilemmas. In this essay, I seek to theorize the ethics of vulnerability to violence in media representation. As a starting point, I argue for the politics of embodiment as a generative process that constitutes differential vulnerabilities. I move then to consider the way embodied vulnerabilities play out in the media, as exemplified by recent events such as the Black Lives Matter and MeToo movements as well as in times of war, from Vietnam to, more recently, Ukraine and Israel/Palestine. This leads to considerations of spectatorship: who looks and who is looked at? How are these relations of gazing related to the vectors of social and geopolitical power? Are images of embodied vulnerability simply media spectacles that reinforce power hierarchies, or are they powerful prosocial messages that might mobilize humanitarian activism? To address these epistemic questions, I propose that the feminist ethics of care encompasses an invitational rhetoric that can guide media praxis. Care ethics is aligned with various religious epistemologies, and because of that, I argue for it as an umbrella framework that has application in a variety of national and cultural contexts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vulnerability in Theology, the Humanities and Social Sciences)

14 pages, 257 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Epistemology of Revelation

by Arpad Szakolczai

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1126; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091126 - 18 Sep 2024

Abstract

The aim of this article is to approach the epistemology of revelation through the approach of political anthropology. It departs from Max Weber’s distinction between ordinary and out-of-the-ordinary situations, which led to his idea of charismatic power. This article complements the Weberian perspective [...] Read more.

The aim of this article is to approach the epistemology of revelation through the approach of political anthropology. It departs from Max Weber’s distinction between ordinary and out-of-the-ordinary situations, which led to his idea of charismatic power. This article complements the Weberian perspective by introducing the anthropological term “liminality” for such situations, as well as the term “trickster” for figures who have a specific affinity for appearing in such situations, creating havoc instead of offering a solution. Ordinary knowledge does not apply to liminal void situations of incommensurability; incommensurable knowledge can be gained by magic and religion. Magic forces the transcendent and claims to produce effects, while religion is based on revealed knowledge, the validity of which is established by trust. Under particularly anguishing liminal conditions, the hardly tolerated practitioners of magic might gain positions of power. An important such example is offered by Persian Magi. Turning to the present, modern rationalism, with Bacon and Descartes, undermined both ordinary and revealed knowledge. The possible relevance of revealed knowledge in contemporary times is discussed through the related phenomena of apocalyptic expectations and Marian apparitions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Varieties of Revelation: Scripture, Theology, and Philosophy in the Perspective of Divine Disclosure)

15 pages, 247 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modernity and Caste in Khatri and High-Caste Men’s Auto/Biographies

by Anshu Malhotra

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1125; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091125 - 18 Sep 2024

Abstract

This paper studies the auto/biographies of high-caste middle-class Punjabi Khatri men, and those of cognate castes like Arora and Baniya, written in the first half of the twentieth century: men who were born in the second half of the nineteenth century or early [...] Read more.

This paper studies the auto/biographies of high-caste middle-class Punjabi Khatri men, and those of cognate castes like Arora and Baniya, written in the first half of the twentieth century: men who were born in the second half of the nineteenth century or early twentieth century. While the discourse on caste under the colonial regime exploded, there was also an embarrassment about caste, or re-thinking its place in society among the upper-caste groups who invested in ideas of progress, improvement and scientism. It is argued that caste was referenced in the memoirs, life stories and self-reflexive writing when these men spoke of their familial backgrounds and admired the deep religiosity and devotionalism of their fathers even though some paternal practices were incongruent with the reformism of the sons. Caste is also in play when one traces the advantages of literacy, education, professional accomplishments, mobility, and reformist activities of men who came to have an important presence in public life. A number of these men had similar life trajectories, indicative of how some aspects of colonial educational and administrative structures could be utilized by them. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sikhi, Sikhs and Caste: Lived Experiences in a Global Context)

10 pages, 235 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Philosophical Interpretation of “God Is Dead”: Retreat, Disruption, and Judgment

by Kuo Li

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1124; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091124 - 18 Sep 2024

Abstract

Nietzsche’s declaration of “God is dead” signifies not only the collapse of classical metaphysical systems in philosophy but also shifts in the psychological structure of individuals and society after the secularization of Christianity. A philosophical reading is crucial to understanding its whole process [...] Read more.

Nietzsche’s declaration of “God is dead” signifies not only the collapse of classical metaphysical systems in philosophy but also shifts in the psychological structure of individuals and society after the secularization of Christianity. A philosophical reading is crucial to understanding its whole process and real-world ramifications. We first delineate the fundamental meanings and historical context of the term “God” or “Absolute” and expound upon the mechanisms of spiritual functioning under it, highlighting the significance of God, or the Absolute, as the highest object of spiritual operation. Next, we analyze the death of God, i.e., the retreat of the Absolute, in the realms of reason and faith, exploring its causes and repercussions, particularly the disruption of the operation of the spirit. Then, building upon this analysis, we conclude that the metaphysical life supported by Kant and Hegel faces failure in the present age, because the Absolute has ceased to be the foundation. The roots of spiritual operation are no longer secure; the return to the Absolute points to emptiness, and exit without return creates disruptive division between subject and substance, essence and phenomenon, reason and reality. Meanwhile, the departure of God and the development of capitalism are intertwined, calling for a resurgence in the form of secularization, heralding a renewed human judgment of God. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Where Is God? Contemporary Views on Arguments for God’s Existence)

37 pages, 51814 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Between North and South: Buddhist Cliff Sculpture in Northern Sichuan in the First Half of the Seventh Century CE

by Xiao Yang

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1123; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091123 - 18 Sep 2024

Abstract

In the first half of the seventh century CE, clusters of Buddhist cliff sculptures were carved into cliffs and boulders in Guangyuan, Mianyang, Bazhong, and other locations nestled in the northern Sichuan Basin. They mark the start of large-scale Buddhist grotto construction in [...] Read more.

In the first half of the seventh century CE, clusters of Buddhist cliff sculptures were carved into cliffs and boulders in Guangyuan, Mianyang, Bazhong, and other locations nestled in the northern Sichuan Basin. They mark the start of large-scale Buddhist grotto construction in Sichuan, significantly impacting the establishment of regional grotto traditions in southwestern China. Through analysis of site forms, statue types, and devotional inscriptions, this article argues that these Buddhist cliff sculptures represent a reintegration of divergent Buddhist practices and artistic conventions that emerged during the Southern and Northern Dynasties in northern and southern China. While their niche-based site structure and collective sponsorship through the yiyi association can be traced back to northern China in the prior two centuries, the sculptural style primarily reflects a regional tradition exemplified by the free-standing statues unearthed in Chengdu, central Sichuan in the Southern Dynasties. The construction of these sites, catalyzed by the influx of northern officials and monks into Sichuan toward the end of the Sui and the early Tang, provides valuable material for exploring the social integration of northern and southern China, as well as the religious dynamics between Buddhism and Daoism in northern Sichuan. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buddhist Literature and Art across Eurasia)

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16 pages, 279 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Critical Genealogy, Comprehension, and Explanation in Leibniz’s Critique of Bayle on Cosmic Dualism

by Paul Lodge

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1122; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091122 - 18 Sep 2024

Abstract

The main aim of this paper is to provide an account of Leibniz’s engagement with the doctrine of cosmic dualism in his Theodicy, i.e., the view that there are two distinct fundamental principles that are responsible for the existence of the created [...] Read more.

The main aim of this paper is to provide an account of Leibniz’s engagement with the doctrine of cosmic dualism in his Theodicy, i.e., the view that there are two distinct fundamental principles that are responsible for the existence of the created world, one good and the other evil. Leibniz’s discussion is primarily a response to arguments in favour of cosmic dualism that he finds in the writings of Pierre Bayle. However, in addition, he presents a genealogical argument that appears to be intended to provide reasons to reject the view. The paper also contains a critical discussion of Leibniz’s case, and finishes by drawing attention to some issues which arise that are worthy of further consideration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring Leibniz’s Religion and Philosophy of Religion: Essays in Honour of Maria Rosa Antognazza (1964–2023))

12 pages, 225 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Reverse the Curse: Genesis, Defamiliarization, and the Song of Songs

by Carole R. Fontaine

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1121; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091121 - 17 Sep 2024

Abstract

This paper assesses the relationship between the so-called “curses” on the Woman in Gen 3:16 in terms of themes (garden, tree, creation, marriage, procreation, and so on) and concludes that the late poetic text of the Song aims at a deliberate corrective to [...] Read more.

This paper assesses the relationship between the so-called “curses” on the Woman in Gen 3:16 in terms of themes (garden, tree, creation, marriage, procreation, and so on) and concludes that the late poetic text of the Song aims at a deliberate corrective to the negative view of gender relations in Genesis. The use of mashal, “to rule over” in Gen 3 is reassessed from the perspective of its use of the native genre designation of mashal in Wisdom Literature. There, it refers to similarities between two compared items. The direct reversal of God’s speech to the humans in Gen 3, where the woman will be ruled over by her man but still desire him, appears in the Song in the speeches of the Beloved: there she states categorically that the man is her beloved and belongs to her, while she belongs to him. The tactic of defamiliarization (a Russian literary concept) is used to juxtapose radically different views and destabilizes the notion of only one meaning for the words under consideration. In effect, reading two opposing themes together forges a new, more inclusive understanding of both. This paper concludes with a dramatic new rendering of the Song, “The Song I Sing Complete” with speech and motifs reassigned to the woman’s voice, foregrounding her remarks within the genre of love poetry, drawing on tropes found in lyrical poetry and the myth of Israel’s neighbors in Mesopotamia and Egypt. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Re-Imagining the Woman’s “Curse”: Redemptive Readings of Genesis 3:16)

26 pages, 11845 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bidirectional Transmission Mapping of Architectural Styles of Tibetan Buddhist Temples in China from the 7th to the 18th Century

by Tianyi Min and Tong Zhang

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1120; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091120 - 16 Sep 2024

Abstract

Architecture is the stone book of history, and the evolution of architectural styles showcases a non-verbal history constructed through images. As an important part of China’s historical and cultural heritage, the architectural forms and styles of Tibetan Buddhist temples were initially modeled on [...] Read more.

Architecture is the stone book of history, and the evolution of architectural styles showcases a non-verbal history constructed through images. As an important part of China’s historical and cultural heritage, the architectural forms and styles of Tibetan Buddhist temples were initially modeled on Tang dynasty temple architecture and gradually evolved into the most significant architectural types in regions such as Tibet and Qinghai in China. Religious architecture has also played a significant role in shaping regional cultural landscapes. Existing research on Tibetan Buddhist temples is primarily focused on qualitative studies of individual temple buildings. This research takes the spatiotemporal evolution of architectural styles of Tibetan Buddhist temples as an entry point and, for the first time, employs ArcGIS technology to visualize the spatial and geographical distribution of Tibetan Buddhist temples from the 7th to the 18th century, establishing a comprehensive academic vision that encompasses both historical stratification and cross-regional spatial correlations. By analyzing the cultural symbolic features embodied in the construction styles of Tibetan Buddhist temples and the visual characteristics reflected in their decorative arts, we propose two spatiotemporal dimensions for the formation and transmission of Tibetan Buddhist temple architectural styles: “Westward Transmission” and “Eastward Diffusion”. Firstly, from the 7th to the 9th centuries, the architectural style and construction techniques of Tang dynasty Buddhist temples were transmitted westward along the Tang–Tibet ancient road, integrating with local Tibetan elements to form the Tubo architectural style, which was further refined into the “Sino–Tibetan Combined Style” with strong visual characteristics around the 13th century. Subsequently, along with the spread of Tibetan Buddhism, this temple architectural style underwent an eastward diffusion from the 13th to the 18th century, reaching regions, such as Sichuan, Qinghai, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, and Beijing, presenting a spatial gradient from west to east in the geographical dimension. On this basis, in this research, we construct a historical evolution mapping of Tibetan Buddhist temple architectural styles based on bidirectional transmission, attempting to elucidate that the intrinsic driving forces are religious and the cultural identity that guided the bidirectional transmission mechanism of these architectural styles under the historical context of the formation and dissemination of Tibetan Buddhism from the 7th to the 18th century. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buddhist Art, Artifact and Culture Worldwide)

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10 pages, 214 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Who Will Be Saved: The Right or the Upright?

by Mohammed Gamal Abdelnour

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1119; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091119 - 16 Sep 2024

Abstract

There is a growing body of literature on the Islamic theology and philosophy of salvation. This literature can be loosely grouped into three main groups: there are those that link the right path of salvation to a specific Muslim group, others that link [...] Read more.

There is a growing body of literature on the Islamic theology and philosophy of salvation. This literature can be loosely grouped into three main groups: there are those that link the right path of salvation to a specific Muslim group, others that link it to believing in the Prophet Muhammad regardless of the theological group that a Muslim may follow, and there are those that link it to the belief in God and doing good. Despite this variety, what largely unites those various interpretations is that they all emphasize the “rightness” of one’s theological path, i.e., asking the question, what is the “right” track to God? However, what received scant attention so far is the question of “uprightness” as opposed to “rightness”, i.e., Is salvation primarily about being “right” (muḥiqq), or rather about being “upright” (ṣādiq/mukhliṣ)? Drawing on Q. 5:116-119, which presents a conflict between “rightness” and “uprightness” embodied in Jesus’ conversation with God regarding the fate of those who did not have the right theology, and taking its cues from Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī (d. 1111) who attempted to rejuvenate Islamic theology through spirituality, this article takes “uprightness” as the primary requisite for one to attain salvation and argues that the Quran, despite the emphasis it places on pursuing the “right” path, gives primacy to the “uprightness” of one’s position instead. Uprightness in the article is used in reference to the quality of being honest, responsible, and moral, as opposed to being merely “right” or “correct” theologically. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Problems in Contemporary Islamic Philosophy of Religion)

32 pages, 409 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Suicide Risks and Protections in Religious Communities: Two Exploratory Studies

by Karen Mason, Bellanira Rynbrandt, Karen Capehart, Anthony Rando, Stefanos Dokopoulos and Dylan O’Shell

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1118; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091118 - 15 Sep 2024

Abstract

It is imperative to understand possible protections against suicide because of the steadily climbing U.S. suicide rate. Religion has been associated with fewer suicidal behaviors. This study sought to explore the perspective of congregants experiencing suicidal behaviors (CESBs) on the risks and protections [...] Read more.

It is imperative to understand possible protections against suicide because of the steadily climbing U.S. suicide rate. Religion has been associated with fewer suicidal behaviors. This study sought to explore the perspective of congregants experiencing suicidal behaviors (CESBs) on the risks and protections that they experience in their religious communities (RCs) in two separate studies. Study One included a purposive sample of 15 Christian congregants yielding seven codes: routine practices and deliberate suicide prevention efforts were inconsistent both before and during the pandemic lockdown, though RCs continued to operate. Cultures provided participants both protections and risks, while the pandemic amplified deep cultural divides already present before the pandemic. Study Two included a purposive sample of 20 congregants yielding six codes, core protections of a routinely provided worldview and deliberately provided theological teachings, risks of absent protections, aspirational tasks for faith leaders and RCs, inspiring stories of recovery, and some consistency with human flourishing with caution. CESBs in some RCs that have a norm of well-being hide their norm violation and expect rejection. RCs need training in order to provide deliberate suicide prevention protections and CESBs may provide counter-narratives to stigma in RCs and cultures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion, Spirituality and Psychotherapy)

10 pages, 254 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Beyond Empathy; Love. Person and Otherness in the Thought of Edith Stein

by Magdalene Thomassen

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1117; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091117 - 15 Sep 2024

Abstract

Debating the nature of social cognition, there has been an upsurge in studies on empathy since the turn of the century. The contribution of Edith Stein’s doctoral dissertation On Empathy has also been brought to the forefront. In her philosophy, there is a [...] Read more.

Debating the nature of social cognition, there has been an upsurge in studies on empathy since the turn of the century. The contribution of Edith Stein’s doctoral dissertation On Empathy has also been brought to the forefront. In her philosophy, there is a continuous concern for the questions of social relations and human community, the explorations of the human person and its unfolding in the encounter with otherness being a leading thread in her work. Still, after her dissertation, the notion of empathy is no longer in use. What does this signify? I propose that the notion of ‘empathy’ proved to be too restrained for what Stein discovers and wants to phenomenologically describe. After her conversion to the Christian faith, working in the intersection of philosophy and theology, she expands and transforms her notion of what it means to be a person and, correspondingly, her intuition of the social relation. In the interpretative readings of this article, I show how Edith Stein’s early intuitions on empathy, alterity, and personhood come to full development in her later writings, where the relation to otherness and the unfolding of the person are conceived as inseparable from the experience of a loving God. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Religions and Theologies)

9 pages, 178 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Tragic Curse, or Messianic Hope? Reading Genesis 3:16 in Light of Genesis 3:15

by Jacques B. Doukhan

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1116; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091116 - 15 Sep 2024

Abstract

In this paper, it will be shown that Genesis 3:16 parallels the Messianic prophecy of Genesis 3:15 with which it also shares significant linguistic links and literary features. From this literary observation, it will be established that the two key words “desire” and [...] Read more.

In this paper, it will be shown that Genesis 3:16 parallels the Messianic prophecy of Genesis 3:15 with which it also shares significant linguistic links and literary features. From this literary observation, it will be established that the two key words “desire” and “rule” have a positive significance which is further supported by the literary and syntactical construction of the sentences. The positive understanding of Genesis 3:16 in the light of Genesis 3:15 will also be reinforced and illuminated by the comparative analysis with the parallel text of Genesis 4:7. Rather than proclaiming the tragic “curse” of the subordinated woman in her relationship with man, the connection of Genesis 3:16 with Genesis 3:15 brings a message of blessing in the perspective of redemption. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Re-Imagining the Woman’s “Curse”: Redemptive Readings of Genesis 3:16)

14 pages, 441 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Reframing Genesis 3:16: Eve’s Creation Memoir

by Mathilde Frey

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1115; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091115 - 14 Sep 2024

Abstract

I will read Genesis 3:16 through the lens of Genesis 4. While Eve has become a fixed object in traditional interpretation as a dangerous temptress for man and the cause of humanity’s fall into sin, her story does not end in this chapter. [...] Read more.

I will read Genesis 3:16 through the lens of Genesis 4. While Eve has become a fixed object in traditional interpretation as a dangerous temptress for man and the cause of humanity’s fall into sin, her story does not end in this chapter. Eve’s creative agency as “mother of all living” becomes the framework for the drama that unfolds in Genesis 4. Her body and her voice carry the story of life into the future. This essay shows the connection between Genesis 3:16 and the story in Genesis 4 by moving beyond a linguistic analysis of the common verbs, mashal and teshuqah. I will read the two texts together with the ancient scribes who distinguished Genesis 3:16 by placing this one verse between two setumah markers. Likewise, the story of Eve in Genesis 4:1–5:2 is placed between two setumah markers, thereby showing that ancient Hebrew readings emphasized a close relationship between Genesis 3:16 and Genesis 4:1–5:2. This is opposed to the Christian chapter division, which separates Genesis 3 from the story in Genesis 4, and places Genesis 3 in an authoritative position for the sake of extrapolating the doctrine of the fall into sin with the woman playing the central role in the fall story. I will further engage in deep reading, literary analysis, and performance criticism, and argue that Eve tells her own creation story with masterful subversiveness and creative audacity. The attempt of the essay is to reorient the dominant negative view of Eve toward a more positive, complex, and nuanced reading of her character in the Genesis text. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Re-Imagining the Woman’s “Curse”: Redemptive Readings of Genesis 3:16)

12 pages, 243 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Religious Ethics in a Conflicted Word—On Ethical Motivation between Political Theology and Anthropology

by Thies Münchow, Zeina Barakat and Ralf Karolus Wüstenberg

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1114; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091114 - 14 Sep 2024

Abstract

The article seeks to define the concepts of religion and ethics as well as their compound. It does so (1) by asking for the supposed demarcation line between religious and secular ethics and (2) by considering the relation of religious ethics and political [...] Read more.

The article seeks to define the concepts of religion and ethics as well as their compound. It does so (1) by asking for the supposed demarcation line between religious and secular ethics and (2) by considering the relation of religious ethics and political theology. Based on the respective findings, the article offers a meta-ethical perspective on the subject by challenging the anthropological backdrop of both secular and religious ethics. In conclusion, it proposes a formal approach to ethical judgment that may function as a discerning method when it comes to the assessment of specific models of religious and/or secular ethics. In this regard, the article provides conceptual thoughts on ethical motivation and the operationalization of ethics on an institutional level. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religious Ethics in a Conflicted World)

12 pages, 243 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Rethinking the Complexities of the Body and Disability: Theological Account

by Martina Vuk Grgic

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1113; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091113 - 14 Sep 2024

Abstract

The biological aspect of human embodiment frequently constitutes the primary basis for personal assessment, with an emphasis on rationality, free choice, material well-being, and happiness as fundamental attributes of worth. This perspective is also evident in cultural practices of body modification, which reflect [...] Read more.

The biological aspect of human embodiment frequently constitutes the primary basis for personal assessment, with an emphasis on rationality, free choice, material well-being, and happiness as fundamental attributes of worth. This perspective is also evident in cultural practices of body modification, which reflect societal standards and identity expression. The promotion of standards of bodily appearance that are often considered unrealistic within contemporary culture has the effect of creating a social environment in which those who do not conform to these standards are rejected and stigmatized. This can include individuals with disabilities, the elderly, or those with chronic illnesses and different bodily appearances. In the majority of cases, the so-called ‘body capital’ culture views the disabled body through the lens of a person’s physical appearance, which is, to a certain extent, associated with a biological dysfunction or reflects a kind of physical disability or vulnerable corporeality. This paper seeks to examine perspectives on the body through the lenses of major discourses surrounding disability, biblical anthropology, and disability theology. These perspectives advocate for the intrinsic dignity and value of the disabled body, challenging contemporary norms and projections upon the body, by underscoring the biographical, interdependent, and spiritual dimensions of human embodiment. This approach stands as an alternative to the reductionist view of the body, which prioritizes physical attributes over a comprehensive understanding of complete personhood. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Religions and Theologies)

19 pages, 651 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Christian and Indigenous: Multiple “Religions” in Contemporary Toraja Funerals

by Anna M. Maćkowiak

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1112; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091112 - 14 Sep 2024

Abstract

The theoretical framework of “religion” is problematic, especially in studying non-Western realities. In the field, I often encountered its Indonesian and Toraja most common equivalents—agama and aluk. There were also categories assigned to the realm of “culture” rather than “religion”. Toraja [...] Read more.

The theoretical framework of “religion” is problematic, especially in studying non-Western realities. In the field, I often encountered its Indonesian and Toraja most common equivalents—agama and aluk. There were also categories assigned to the realm of “culture” rather than “religion”. Toraja funeral ceremonies, which originated from the indigenous religion and became predominantly Christianized, are defined in religious and/or cultural categories. How do these related categories manifest in the utterances of the ritual actors of Toraja funerals? This article is based primarily on interviews; it refers to statements from 34 purposively chosen research participants. The attitudes towards the Toraja funeral tradition vary based on religious affiliation. The lines between different perspectives and categorization characteristics of Christianities and the minority indigenous religion are blurred but distinguishable. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Religions and Health/Psychology/Social Sciences)

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24 pages, 373 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Before the Fire Burns: Trials for Superstition, Magic, and Witchcraft in Sixteenth-Century Bologna

by Guido Dall’Olio

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1111; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091111 - 14 Sep 2024

Abstract

This article investigates the factors that provoked the trial and death sentence of four witches in Bologna in 1559. That is, it aims to elucidate how a witch hunt (albeit a small one) was triggered in a context where demonology was present, but [...] Read more.

This article investigates the factors that provoked the trial and death sentence of four witches in Bologna in 1559. That is, it aims to elucidate how a witch hunt (albeit a small one) was triggered in a context where demonology was present, but the persecution of witchcraft had been kept at a relatively moderate level (and continued to be so after that). Scholarly contributions on witchcraft and witch hunts are now innumerable, but in general, scholars have focused on the social relations between the alleged witches and the community in which they lived, on the theological culture of the judges, or even on the deep roots of the sabbath. An analysis of a series of trials for magical and superstitious practices held in Bologna shortly before the 1559 convictions reveals how it was possible to move from simple sorcery to actual witchcraft. This transition was accomplished both because of the malefic nature of some of the spells practiced by the defendants and because of the intervention of diocesan judges who, for various reasons, were more determined than their predecessors to prosecute witchcraft harshly. Although the link between simple superstition and witchcraft has already been explored to some extent, it emerges with particular clarity in these events. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecclesiastical Tribunals and “Superstition” in Early Modern Europe (Fifteenth–Nineteenth Centuries))

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