Religions

25 pages, 365 KiB

Open AccessArticle

by Yurui Yao

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1031; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091031 (registering DOI) - 23 Aug 2024

Both pre-Qin Confucianism and Mohism aimed to find a universalist consensus of belief in order to deal with social chaos and disunity, but they diverged at a basic level on what is the fundamental universality of humankind and how to achieve it. In [...] Read more.

Both pre-Qin Confucianism and Mohism aimed to find a universalist consensus of belief in order to deal with social chaos and disunity, but they diverged at a basic level on what is the fundamental universality of humankind and how to achieve it. In the debate between Mencius and Mohists, Mohists believed that the fundamental “similarity” of humankind lies in the field of “self-interest”, so they emphasized the acquisition of Heaven’s favor through external achievements and sacrificial offerings. On the contrary, Mencius took the fundamental similarity of humans to the level of the inner heart-mind and believed that the fundamental “sameness” of humans lies in their “heart-mind” rather than in being “self-interested”, so he advocated the connection with the heavenly part within us when we follow the guidance of the heart-mind. Their differing interpretations of the fundamental question of “the similarity of humankind” ultimately resulted in the divergences and discrepancies between two religious ethical forms and their outcomes in early China. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ethical Concerns in Early Confucianism)

16 pages, 300 KiB

Open AccessReview

Practical Mysticism in Islam and Christianity: A Comparative Study of Rabia al-Adawiyya and Catherine of Genoa

by Patricia Enedudu Idoko

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1030; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091030 (registering DOI) - 23 Aug 2024

Abstract

The mystical experiences in various forms are fundamental to major religious traditions. The idea of “mysticism” brings up the concept of the ineffable mysterium, which is seen as the central theme around which religions are based. The comparative studies of Rabia al-Adawiyya [...] Read more.

The mystical experiences in various forms are fundamental to major religious traditions. The idea of “mysticism” brings up the concept of the ineffable mysterium, which is seen as the central theme around which religions are based. The comparative studies of Rabia al-Adawiyya and Catherine of Genoa do not intend, as with phenomenological and essentialist approaches to the study of religion, to only focus on the similarities of the mystics in order to find universal structures and essential meanings. Nor does it seek to concentrate solely on the differences between the mystics as done by constructivist scholars. Instead, the comparative methodology used in this article highlights the similarities and differences between the respective mystics, Rabia and Catherine, and uses these comparisons to draw attention to an example of interreligious spirituality that cuts across religious traditions. To illustrate this point, it helps to compare two mystics: Rabia from the Islamic tradition and Catherine from the Christian tradition. This study is structured in four parts: an introduction to the concept of mystical experiences, a brief overview of the lives of Rabia and Catherine, a comparative analysis of their mystical characteristics, and a discussion of how their experiences can serve as a model for interreligious spirituality and friendship. Full article

11 pages, 195 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Student Priorities for Topics, Pedagogies, and Outcomes in Senior Secondary Religious Education: An Australian Perspective

by William Sultmann, Janeen Lamb, Peter Ivers and Mark Craig

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1029; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091029 (registering DOI) - 23 Aug 2024

Abstract

This paper reports on one part of a larger longitudinal empirical study (2021–2023) that responds to the call for Religious Education (RE) to address religious plurality in the context of senior Catholic schooling within an Australian Archdiocese where students represent multiple faith traditions [...] Read more.

This paper reports on one part of a larger longitudinal empirical study (2021–2023) that responds to the call for Religious Education (RE) to address religious plurality in the context of senior Catholic schooling within an Australian Archdiocese where students represent multiple faith traditions or no traditions. The research focuses on the level of satisfaction by students across Topics, Pedagogies, and Outcomes within a new and innovative senior school curriculum, Religion Meaning and Life (RML) based on national RE guidelines. Participants included 276 students across 17 schools who completed an online survey with 32 of these students participating in focus group interviews. Data analysis of quantitative data was both descriptive and inferential, and qualitative data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Topics of most interest were Ethics and Other World Religions; pedagogies entailing dialogue and use of media and technologies were rated highly; and learning outcomes entailed awareness of school mission, the religious dimension of the school, and pastoral care. Inferential statistical analyses confirm four core topics, pedagogies, and outcomes as significant to levels of satisfaction and in combination accounted for 42% of the variance of satisfaction with RML. Theoretical propositions for what matters most in senior secondary RE were advanced through four integrating principles (educational, formative, social, communitarian) and practice implications that preference Catholic tradition, and reference religious plurality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engaging Religious Plurality within Australian and New Zealand Catholic Schools: Particularity in Dialogue with Diversity)

8 pages, 233 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Blessing Precedes Cursing: Philosophical Reading of Genesis 3:16

by Catherine Chalier

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1028; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091028 (registering DOI) - 23 Aug 2024

Abstract

Additional interpretations of Genesis 3:16 have often translated God’s words to the woman as a punishment, even a curse, brought upon the woman as the result of her disobedience. Moreover, this so-called curse of the woman has been read by many interpreters as [...] Read more.

Additional interpretations of Genesis 3:16 have often translated God’s words to the woman as a punishment, even a curse, brought upon the woman as the result of her disobedience. Moreover, this so-called curse of the woman has been read by many interpreters as final and irreversible, given that God himself had decreed it. Interestingly, however, no curse is uttered at all in this passage. Moreover, Genesis 3:16 is itself preceded by a divine blessing, given in Genesis 1 to the human couple. As a blessing, it constitutes a divine decree that can neither be overturned nor challenged. The purpose of this essay will be to go back to this divine blessing in Genesis 1, knowing that such a decree will be irrevocable no matter what the future holds for the human couple. This will in turn shed a revealing light on how we are to read and interpret Genesis 3:16. Not only do the words of God to the woman in Genesis 3:16 not constitute a curse, but Genesis 3:16 must be read against the backdrop of the blessing given in Genesis 1. This of course radically alters how this passage has hereto been interpreted as well as profoundly nuances its teaching on gender relations. Full article

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

13 pages, 265 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ethical Dilemmas in Contemporary Igbo Christian Marriages: Navigating Modernity and Cultural Identities

by Kanayochukwu Michael Okoye and Ndidiamaka Vivian Ugwu

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1027; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091027 (registering DOI) - 23 Aug 2024

Abstract

This study explores the ethical dilemmas in contemporary Igbo Christian marriages as couples navigate the interaction between modernity and cultural identities. Marriage in traditional Igbo society is entrenched in strong cultural and religious values. However, Christianity and modernity have brought new dynamics to [...] Read more.

This study explores the ethical dilemmas in contemporary Igbo Christian marriages as couples navigate the interaction between modernity and cultural identities. Marriage in traditional Igbo society is entrenched in strong cultural and religious values. However, Christianity and modernity have brought new dynamics to this institution in contemporary times. This paper, therefore, examines the influence of Christianity and modernity on Igbo traditional marriage, discussing ethical dilemmas arising from these influences. It specifically addresses areas where the traditional Igbo practices often clash with Christian doctrine and modern ideals, such as Igbo communalism, gender roles, family obligations, and marital expectations. The study also highlights strategies for resolving these dilemmas, including effective communication, cultural adaptability, and external support systems. Utilising a qualitative case study and descriptive–analytical methods, the research provides invaluable insights into the emerging dilemmas in Igbo marriage, offering a nuanced understanding of how individuals and communities can navigate these ethical complexities in a fast-shifting world. This work contributes to the broader discussions on cultural identities, religious practices, and ethical challenges in modern times. Full article

10 pages, 179 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Science and Philosophy in a Thomistic Anthropology of Sexual Difference

by John DeSilva Finley

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1026; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091026 (registering DOI) - 23 Aug 2024

Viewed by 95

Abstract

This essay examines the relation between scientific inquiry and philosophical thought in the context of a Thomistic account of human sexual difference. I begin by considering Thomas’s own view and its explicit though brief appeal to biological observation. In particular, I focus on [...] Read more.

This essay examines the relation between scientific inquiry and philosophical thought in the context of a Thomistic account of human sexual difference. I begin by considering Thomas’s own view and its explicit though brief appeal to biological observation. In particular, I focus on his claim that being male or female stems more from a substance’s matter than from its form. Then, I look at a fairly recent exchange between William Newton and myself, in which, drawing upon Thomistic thought in the context of contemporary science, we argued opposing positions. Mine held that sex stems more from form than from matter, while Newton maintained that Thomas’s original position is better. In reviewing this exchange, I note strengths in Newton’s argument and suggest a further distinction, even while concluding that my fundamental position is still a better account. Lastly, I turn to further questions and the necessity of continued partnership between philosophy and science. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aquinas and the Sciences: Exploring the Past, Present, and Future)

13 pages, 1178 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Religious Education in Australia: The Voices of Practitioners and Scholars

by David Hall, William Francis Sultmann and Janeen Therese Lamb

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1025; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091025 (registering DOI) - 23 Aug 2024

Viewed by 95

Abstract

Religious education (RE) in Australia is challenged to support the religious and spiritual needs of Australia’s religiously plural student population. Within a national colloquium, practitioners and scholars (N = 57) gathered to discern ways forward in RE. Data were collected from small and [...] Read more.

Religious education (RE) in Australia is challenged to support the religious and spiritual needs of Australia’s religiously plural student population. Within a national colloquium, practitioners and scholars (N = 57) gathered to discern ways forward in RE. Data were collected from small and whole group discussions reported across three days of integrated reflection on themes of Awaken, Celebrate, and Imagine. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) and Leximancer were used to analyse the respective data which confirmed domains of focus on Day 1 of Formation, Curriculum, Pedagogy, Partnerships, and Research. Day 2 (Celebrate) explored these domains and identified Themes and Theoretical Propositions that advanced each domain. Day 3 (Imagine) underlined foundations in faith for each domain and detailed generic propositions and themes. Propositions included advancing RE through Formation (being attentive to personal readiness, curriculum intention, and school identity), Pedagogy (engaging practices of inquiry, experiential learning, and encounter-based opportunities), Curriculum (characterised as inclusive, relevant, and life-giving), Partnerships (strengthening inclusion and engagement with family, parish, and community), and Research (integrating evidence-based practice). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engaging Religious Plurality within Australian and New Zealand Catholic Schools: Particularity in Dialogue with Diversity)

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12 pages, 588 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Story of the Watchers as a Counter Narrative: Enochic Responses to the Authority of Mesopotamian Sages

by Amar Annus

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1024; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091024 (registering DOI) - 23 Aug 2024

Viewed by 141

Abstract

The extant texts of Enochic Judaism present accounts about the early history of humankind, which use the motifs familiar from the ancient Mesopotamian historiography. The different versions of the Jewish story of the Watchers originate as counter narratives about the antediluvian sages, or [...] Read more.

The extant texts of Enochic Judaism present accounts about the early history of humankind, which use the motifs familiar from the ancient Mesopotamian historiography. The different versions of the Jewish story of the Watchers originate as counter narratives about the antediluvian sages, or apkallus, which are known from the cuneiform literature. The myth of Adapa in Akkadian offers a version of the narrative in which the sage was promoted in heaven to a god-like status, which concept is corroborated with an entry in the cuneiform compendium Tintir and the Chronicle of the Esagila. This tradition also associated Adapa with the immortalized flood survivor. In the form of a counter narrative, the Enochic texts of Judaism attributed the heavenly assumption to Enoch and presented the Watchers as the demonic entities subordinated to him. The fall of the Watchers, the promotion of Enoch, and the primordial battle against evil forces are depicted in the Animal Apocalypse of 1 Enoch 85–90. A very similar scenario is found in the Chronicle of Esagila, which describes the early history of humankind from the Babylonian perspective. It can be demonstrated that the Animal Apocalypse uses this or a similar cuneiform historiographic source as the basis of its counter narrative. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Bible and Ancient Mesopotamia)

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Religions, Volume 15, Issue 9 (September 2024) – 8 articles

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