Religions

24 pages, 19241 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Secular “Angels”. Para-Angelic Imagery in Popular Culture

by Urszula Jarecka

Religions 2025, 16(3), 396; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030396 - 20 Mar 2025

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Religious symbols and figures are gaining new life in popular culture. Reinterpretations of symbols rooted in the visual arts tradition are appearing in film, TV series and short audiovisual forms presented on the Internet, especially on social media. This also applies to angels, [...] Read more.

Religious symbols and figures are gaining new life in popular culture. Reinterpretations of symbols rooted in the visual arts tradition are appearing in film, TV series and short audiovisual forms presented on the Internet, especially on social media. This also applies to angels, to which the author’s research would be devoted. This article discusses images of “secular angels”, decontextualized religious symbols, popularized throughout the 20th and 21st centuries in the visual media of Western culture. From the rich research material, the most characteristic images are selected for discussion and interpretation and subjected to interpretation in the spirit of discourse analysis. The images of modern “angels” in the texts of popular culture refer not so much to their biblical prototypes, but to the moral condition of man in consumerist, individualistic societies focused on living for pleasure. Film, TV series and Internet images of “angels” also show the controversies and social problems (such as racism) faced by contemporary Western societies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Interplay between Religion and Culture)

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11 pages, 201 KiB

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Applied Psychology of Religion: A Psychotherapeutic Case

by Peter J. Verhagen and Arthur Hegger

Religions 2025, 16(3), 395; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030395 - 20 Mar 2025

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Abstract

The case study of Mr. K is used to illustrate how the God representation in transference and countertransference can be identified and treated. The focus of the paper is on the implications of the representation of God for both the patient and the [...] Read more.

The case study of Mr. K is used to illustrate how the God representation in transference and countertransference can be identified and treated. The focus of the paper is on the implications of the representation of God for both the patient and the psychotherapist. It is argued that the ability to manage the dynamics of transference and countertransference is the basis for dealing with religious expressions in a tactful and considerate way. We follow the treatment of Mr. K, someone with a borderline personality organisation with paranoid features, from a psychodynamic frame of reference. Aggressive and religious themes emerged in the treatment. Both the working relationship and the representation of God were characterised by aggressive and desperate control. Once the working relationship had survived the storms of aggression, the patient was able to trust the therapist with his God representation and clarify how the God representation played a role in regulating his aggression. The therapist was able to accept the patient’s distress and to express that he needed support. As therapy progressed, the therapist was able to make it clear to Mr. K that his aggression was necessary to keep him away from the debilitating feeling of total abandonment. The patient began to use the therapist; that is, he began to benefit from what the psychotherapist was offering him. Full article

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

29 pages, 353 KiB

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Cognitio Dei Experimentalis—Experimentalis et Vera Sapientia Bonaventure on the Experiential Knowledge of God in the Commentary on the Sentences and in De scientia Christi

by Attila Puskás

Religions 2025, 16(3), 394; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030394 - 20 Mar 2025

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Abstract

This article examines the distinctive characteristics of Bonaventure’s interpretation of the experiential-sapiential knowledge of God based on some selected texts from his Commentary on the Sentences and De scientia Christi. In the first part, after having taken stock of the multiple meanings [...] Read more.

This article examines the distinctive characteristics of Bonaventure’s interpretation of the experiential-sapiential knowledge of God based on some selected texts from his Commentary on the Sentences and De scientia Christi. In the first part, after having taken stock of the multiple meanings of experience in Bonaventure’s theology, we turn our attention to distinction 35 of the third book of the Commentary on the Sentences, where the Seraphic Doctor uses the phrase “cognitio Dei experimentalis” to describe the experience of God of contemplative and holy people. In the second part, we will examine the sense in which Bonaventure accounts for the experiential dimension of the knowledge of God in Christ’s human soul. Here we will deal with his work De scientia Christi, questions 6 and 7, which discuss the way in which the human soul of Christ knows “per excessum”, the uncreated Wisdom united with Him and the infinite things in the eternal Wisdom. At the end, we will briefly compare the basic claims of both works regarding the experiential knowledge of God made by contemplatives and by Christ. Full article

16 pages, 332 KiB

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Wang Fuzhi on the Problem of Heaven and Human in the Religious Tradition of Confucianism

by Xiaopeng Xu and Yun Chen

Religions 2025, 16(3), 393; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030393 - 20 Mar 2025

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Abstract

Although Wang Fuzhi is considered an important summarizer of Song–Ming Neo-Confucianism, his criticism of the traditional relationship between Heaven and human (tian ren guan xi 天人关系), especially the ensuing religious implications, has not been thoroughly examined. This essay aims to illustrate his [...] Read more.

Although Wang Fuzhi is considered an important summarizer of Song–Ming Neo-Confucianism, his criticism of the traditional relationship between Heaven and human (tian ren guan xi 天人关系), especially the ensuing religious implications, has not been thoroughly examined. This essay aims to illustrate his reconstruction of Confucianism’s Heaven–human relationship and its ideal this-worldly religious way of life. He believed that Confucianism’s theory of human nature was based on the vision of man and that it was wrong to establish a static theory of human nature with the perspective of Heaven. The Heaven–human relationship is similar to that between father and son, which is different in form and separate in essence (xing yi zhi li 形异质离) and can only be balanced in a dynamic relationship. In addition, he pointed out that the traditional static relationship would lead to hypocrisy and asserted that this tendency might destroy this-worldly life of Confucianism. He attempted to integrate the different degrees of understanding of the Heaven–human relationship into a holistic and historical way of life through the Confucian classics. This-worldly life is continually aware of its own ephemerality through the feeling of the Heaven–human relationship as well as the transmission of experience. The historical life of a particular this-worldly religion is thus established. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Multiple Images and Forms of Classical Confucian and Daoist Ethics for Living)

17 pages, 458 KiB

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Laozi Belief and Taoism in the Western Regions—An Analysis with a Focus on the Cultural Strategy of the Han and Tang Dynasties for the Western Regions

by Jiamin Si and Jishao Han

Religions 2025, 16(3), 392; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030392 - 20 Mar 2025

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Abstract

The spread of Taoism to the Western Regions marked the movement of Central Plains culture to the frontier, demonstrating its influence on local society. During the Han Dynasty, Central Plains culture had reached the Western Regions. With the deification of Laozi and his [...] Read more.

The spread of Taoism to the Western Regions marked the movement of Central Plains culture to the frontier, demonstrating its influence on local society. During the Han Dynasty, Central Plains culture had reached the Western Regions. With the deification of Laozi and his becoming the founder of Taoism, the story “Laozi converting the barbarians” (Laozi huahu 老子化胡), which claimed that Laozi journeyed to the west and taught the Hu people, provided the impetus for the spread of Taoism to the Western Regions. The Tang imperial family venerated Laozi and regarded Taoism as the state religion. Laozi belief, including the veneration of the man himself, his writings, his stories, and the precepts claimed to be related to him, was also used to assist in the Tang Dynasty’s governance of the Western Regions. Following the Tang Dynasty’s decline, the Central Plains’ influence receded from the Western Regions. However, due to the relaxed religious environment in the Western Regions, Taoism, which was representative of Central Plains culture, still survived there. Moreover, Taoism attempted to incorporate Islam in the Western Regions into its divine system by huahu, which might be related to the early history of exchange between the two religions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Diversity and Harmony of Taoism: Ideas, Behaviors and Influences)

30 pages, 12291 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Communion Under Both Kinds in the Lublin Frescoes and Gregory Tsamblak’s Liturgy at the Council of Constance

by Mirosław Piotr Kruk

Religions 2025, 16(3), 391; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030391 - 20 Mar 2025

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Abstract

Communion Under Both Kinds in the Lublin Frescoes and Gregory Tsamblak’s Liturgy at the Council of Constance. The aim of this publication is to draw attention to the fact that a rather lengthy discussion of the peculiar depiction of the Communion of the [...] Read more.

Communion Under Both Kinds in the Lublin Frescoes and Gregory Tsamblak’s Liturgy at the Council of Constance. The aim of this publication is to draw attention to the fact that a rather lengthy discussion of the peculiar depiction of the Communion of the Apostles in the krthodox paintings of the Roman Catholic chapel of Lublin Castle has overlooked the fact that the Orthodox Metropolitan of Kiev Gregory Tsamblak, who was an envoy of the founder of the frescoes, i.e., King Władysław Jagiełło of Poland, to the Council of Constance, gave Communion under two forms during the liturgy he celebrated there and that this was recorded in the annals of the Council. Several issues are worth considering here—the depiction of this Communion in a Roman Catholic Church, its unusual form and the fact that Tsamblak celebrated this liturgy at the Council, which gave separate attention to the question of Communion under both kinds. Metropolitan Tsamblak appeared at the Council in 1418, the same year in which the Lublin paintings were made. It is likely that it was Tsamblak who may have worked with King Władysław Jagiełło to set their programme, just as they both united their efforts to create a framework for Christians of different denominations to coexist within one state organism. Thus, it also seems important to recall this remarkable person and the role he played at a key moment after the unification of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Disseminating Christian Beliefs Through Word and Image in Medieval and Renaissance Times)

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23 pages, 296 KiB

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Integrating Catholic Teachings into Education: Promoting Sustainable Practices Through Laudato Si’ in Lebanon

by Nada Mallah Boustani

Religions 2025, 16(3), 390; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030390 - 20 Mar 2025

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Abstract

Environmental challenges have become essential to study in today’s world because of the technical advancements and human achievements that have promoted an overestimation of human capabilities. This study explores the evolving relationship between humanity and nature through the lens of Catholic Church teachings, [...] Read more.

Environmental challenges have become essential to study in today’s world because of the technical advancements and human achievements that have promoted an overestimation of human capabilities. This study explores the evolving relationship between humanity and nature through the lens of Catholic Church teachings, particularly the Laudato Si’ encyclical call for an “ecological conversion” (LS). It traces the historical transition from anthropocentrism to an ecological consciousness, examining theological perspectives and contemporary environmental ethics. A key focus is the role of liberation theology in shaping environmental justice. Key themes include the transition from anthropocentrism to a more comprehensive understanding of human–nature interactions, as well as the impact of liberation theology on environmental justice. Grounded in a qualitative research approach, this study investigates the potential of educational programs in Lebanon’s unique socio-cultural context to foster ethical and sustainable environmental practices. Through thematic analysis, this research highlights the concept of ecological conversion—a transformative shift in lifestyle and spirituality rooted in the principles of integral ecology. The findings show that educational initiatives based on Catholic Church teachings can successfully promote environmental stewardship and social justice. This article contributes to the discussion of environmental ethics by emphasizing the significance of an ecumenical and holistic approach, advocating for a synergy of spiritual beliefs and practical activities to confront the ecological issue. It concludes that achieving lasting environmental transformation requires collaboration, solidarity, and a collective commitment to the common good. Full article

15 pages, 284 KiB

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The Structure of Beliefs and Religious Practices in Spain: A Three-Part Society?

by Javier Gil-Gimeno and Gorka Urrutia Asua

Religions 2025, 16(3), 389; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030389 - 20 Mar 2025

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Abstract

The aim of this paper is to critically analyse the structure of religious beliefs and practices in Spain today. In order to approach this task, we have developed a research design that revolves around two analytical cores. The first is of a more [...] Read more.

The aim of this paper is to critically analyse the structure of religious beliefs and practices in Spain today. In order to approach this task, we have developed a research design that revolves around two analytical cores. The first is of a more descriptive–argumentative nature, where we present the Spanish religious reality by studying available data from relevant statistical sources, specifically, the Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas and the Observatorio del Pluralismo Religioso. The second is of a more critical–reflexive nature, where we establish whether the available data offer an effectively exhaustive view of the Spanish religious reality in a post-secular context—that is, whether it reflects the existing scenario of religious pluralism, diversity and heterogeneity or whether, on the contrary, it merely reinforces dynamics linked to the General Theory of Secularization, emphasizing narratives that focus on the crisis of the religious and on the incompatibility between the religious and the secular. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Sociological Study of Religion)

16 pages, 253 KiB

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Between Democracy and Islam: The Rise of Islamists’ Political Awareness in Jordan Between 2011 to 2024 and Its Effects on Religious, National, and Political Identities

by Yael Keinan-Cohen, Gadi Hitman and Elad Ben-Dror

Religions 2025, 16(3), 388; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030388 - 20 Mar 2025

Viewed by 238

Abstract

This article traces the strengthening of Muslim movements in Jordan, emphasizing the period that marked the beginning of the regional upheaval (2011). It aims to examine whether and how this strengthening affected religious, national, and political identities. The article examines the interrelationships between [...] Read more.

This article traces the strengthening of Muslim movements in Jordan, emphasizing the period that marked the beginning of the regional upheaval (2011). It aims to examine whether and how this strengthening affected religious, national, and political identities. The article examines the interrelationships between the Hashemite regime and the Salafi movements in Jordan during and after the Arab Spring. This examination shows that there was a deterioration, aggravation, and erosion in these relations, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, also an understanding on the part of the regime that despite this the Salafis are interested in taking part in the Jordanian political game. In this discourse between the Salafi movements and the regime, we will also examine whether the movements sought to change the regime’s nature and, thus, the nature of society in Jordan from a Hashemite national identity to a Salafi identity. The article is based on secondary and primary sources that unfold a fascinating picture of dialectics and dialog between the ideological extremes of democracy and Islam. The main findings are that these processes, during and after the Arab Spring, tend to contain religious groups that will also participate in politics, out of recognition of the supremacy of the law of the state, which is not necessarily religious. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transitions of Islam and Democracy: Thinking Political Theology)

19 pages, 261 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Match Made in Heaven: Entrepreneurship Among Evangelical Immigrants in the UK

by David Andrew Clark

Religions 2025, 16(3), 387; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030387 - 19 Mar 2025

Viewed by 484

Abstract

Evangelical immigrants from the Global South have a high degree of confidence in their own ability to start a business in the UK, and they report a significant amount of entrepreneurial engagement within their communities. This article explores how these Christians developed their [...] Read more.

Evangelical immigrants from the Global South have a high degree of confidence in their own ability to start a business in the UK, and they report a significant amount of entrepreneurial engagement within their communities. This article explores how these Christians developed their skills and dispositions, how they are launching businesses in the UK, and—most importantly—how the action of God can be perceived through their experiences. The author constructs a metanarrative which begins in the Global South. Through their encounter with evangelical faith, women and men are developing the ‘spiritual capital’ that has historically been proven to foster entrepreneurship. In many instances, however, this potential for success lies latent in a societal context that hampers and threatens entrepreneurial enterprise. The story then shifts to the UK. When these evangelicals immigrate, many find success in business as they choose to put their spiritual capital to work. It is here argued that the actions of God can be discerned within this story. In the same way that God acted in Biblical times to raise the helpless and to bless exiles in a foreign land, so he seen by his people to be working today. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Disclosing God in Action: Contemporary British Evangelical Practices)

16 pages, 257 KiB

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From Diaspora to Religious Pluralism: African American Judaism in the 20th-Century United States

by Edith Bruder

Religions 2025, 16(3), 386; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030386 - 18 Mar 2025

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Abstract

The origin of this article lies in the concurrent existence of multiple religious groups in the United States and the interactions between them. This essay examines the dynamics of religious pluralism through the interaction of two religious groups—African Americans and Jews—in the realms [...] Read more.

The origin of this article lies in the concurrent existence of multiple religious groups in the United States and the interactions between them. This essay examines the dynamics of religious pluralism through the interaction of two religious groups—African Americans and Jews—in the realms of religion, society, and politics. Among the diverse religious groups in the United States, the growing presence of Jews, bolstered by migration from Germany in the 19th century and from Eastern Europe in the 20th century, introduced new traditions and significantly contributed to the development of religious experimentation among African Americans. The phenomenon of African American communities embracing Judaism exemplifies how religious pluralism and diaspora intersect to produce new forms of religious and cultural identity. These communities challenge traditional notions of both Jewishness and African Americanness, demonstrating the fluidity of identity in diasporic contexts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion, Diaspora and Pluralism)

41 pages, 410 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Black Bodies as Sacraments of Disruption: Reimagining the Human Person in an Era of Marginalization

by SimonMary Asese Aihiokhai

Religions 2025, 16(3), 385; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030385 - 18 Mar 2025

Viewed by 177

Abstract

The centrality of disruption as a graced moment of awakening social imagination to a new dawn where human flourishing becomes a possibility ought to be the focus of the church’s praxes of sacramental rituals. In fact, Christianity is itself a religion of disruption. [...] Read more.

The centrality of disruption as a graced moment of awakening social imagination to a new dawn where human flourishing becomes a possibility ought to be the focus of the church’s praxes of sacramental rituals. In fact, Christianity is itself a religion of disruption. The God–human reality that manifests itself in Jesus Christ is itself a graced disruption. God chooses to disrupt the familiar world of fallenness and thus offers God-self as a mediating gift that reorients creation to a new way of being that transcends the familiar orientation towards sin. Disruption, as an existential phenomenon, is not alien to the human condition. In fact, all aspects of human life are saturated with disruption. In fact, grace is itself God’s disruptive intervention in human history. Since creation embodies the goodness of God, creation can be said to be a sacramental symbol of disruption. In a social world where racism and other structures of marginality operate, victims of such marginalities embody in their existence the disruptive grace that can transform such a society. Black bodies are loci for encountering the disruptive grace intended to end the vice of racism. They also serve as the loci for the church to imagine a new way of being a sacrament of disruption in the world because of their existential proximity to the historical realities defining the life of Jesus Christ as a victim of the hegemony of empire. This work shows how black bodies can help foster a new imagination of the human in our contemporary world where systems of marginalization continue to shape human life in general. It attempts to address the following question: how can one conceive of black bodies in a world defined by systems of erasure that directly affect black persons and their embodied agencies? To do this effectively, this work appropriates a constructive theological approach that grounds itself in an interdisciplinary discourse with the intent to argue that to speak of the human person is to instantiate a polyphony of insights: insights that appeal to an ethical consciousness that is defined by altruism. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reimagining Catholic Ethics Today)

11 pages, 207 KiB

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Wounds and One-Ing: How a “Creative–Critical” Methodology Formed Fresh Insights in the Study of Julian of Norwich, Voicing Her Christian Mysticism Today

by Liz MacWhirter

Religions 2025, 16(3), 384; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030384 - 17 Mar 2025

Viewed by 546

Abstract

Post-Theoretical “creative–critical” research recently emerged in the discipline of Creative Writing as a collapse of the binaries between practice and Theory. This article shows that using this interdisciplinary methodology in the study of mysticism is a natural fit, illustrating its efficacy in a [...] Read more.

Post-Theoretical “creative–critical” research recently emerged in the discipline of Creative Writing as a collapse of the binaries between practice and Theory. This article shows that using this interdisciplinary methodology in the study of mysticism is a natural fit, illustrating its efficacy in a case study with the reflexive writing of the medieval Christian mystic Julian of Norwich. As a creative–critical writer and researcher, I explored the junctures where Julian’s poetics intersect with trauma-informed theology. Writing through these intersections formed a literary trauma-informed framework for the holding and processing of loss and grief through Julian’s nuanced modelling of mystical union with God. This case study shows how the framework came together critically and its application to contemporary ecological grief in the writing of a performative long poem, Blue: a lament for the sea. The “theopoetic” making process with two images from Julian’s texts, Christ’s “wounds” and “one-ing”, developed new language for liminal and spiritual experience. Insights from creative–critical research can be shared in artistic performance and publication in the academy and beyond in public impact. Bringing the whole self through theopoetics to the scholarly research of mysticism has the potential to form fresh insights, revealing new dimensions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mysticism Reloaded: Innovative Approaches, Methods, and Theories to Study Mysticism)

18 pages, 388 KiB

Open AccessArticle

In Search of Qi Immortality: A Study of Heshanggong’s Commentary on the Daodejing

by Jenny Hung

Religions 2025, 16(3), 383; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030383 - 17 Mar 2025

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Abstract

Immortality has recently become a prominent topic of discussion, particularly in light of advancing technologies aimed at enhancing human life expectancy. Proposed scenarios encompass improved treatments for various diseases and the development of longevity medicine. In this essay, I examine the theory of [...] Read more.

Immortality has recently become a prominent topic of discussion, particularly in light of advancing technologies aimed at enhancing human life expectancy. Proposed scenarios encompass improved treatments for various diseases and the development of longevity medicine. In this essay, I examine the theory of the self and the concept of immortality as presented in Heshanggong’s commentary on the Daodejing. This analysis serves as a case study aimed at illuminating a unique perspective on the self that contributes to contemporary discussions of immortality. I argue that Heshanggong’s commentary emphasizes the significance of jing 精, qi 氣, and shen 神, positing that our essential property is to have the essential spirits (jingshen 精神). Furthermore, it suggests the possibility of a disembodied form of immortality without a physical human body. This interpretation of immortality offers a novel understanding of how immortality may be achievable. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Diversity and Harmony of Taoism: Ideas, Behaviors and Influences)

15 pages, 696 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Happiness Group and the Baptism Competition: How a Gospel-Spreading Program Led to Failure

by Wenwen Chen

Religions 2025, 16(3), 382; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030382 - 17 Mar 2025

Viewed by 126

Abstract

This article presents a case study that examines why a seemingly effective evangelistic strategy failed within the Sien Church in Wenzhou, China. By tracing the implementation of the religious ministry, it argues that the patriarchal leadership style, goal-oriented strategy, and emphasis on public [...] Read more.

This article presents a case study that examines why a seemingly effective evangelistic strategy failed within the Sien Church in Wenzhou, China. By tracing the implementation of the religious ministry, it argues that the patriarchal leadership style, goal-oriented strategy, and emphasis on public impression management ultimately undermined the church’s original mission. The pursuit of efficiency and an obsession with numbers created new pressures and anxieties among various teams, transforming the Sien Church’s evangelistic plan into a target-driven competition focused on “baptism numbers” and “conversion rates”. Furthermore, fundamentalist teachings, intertwined with the church’s disciplinary structures, collectively fueled this baptism competition. Finally, the article situates the failure of the gospel project within a broader cultural context and local community. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue ‘On the Lapsed’: Comparative Ethnographic Perspectives on ‘Lapsing’ among Christians around the World)

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16 pages, 215 KiB

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Multicultural Preaching Across Generations: A Proposal for Effective Preaching to Young Generations in the Great Dechurching

by Jaewoong Jung

Religions 2025, 16(3), 381; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030381 - 17 Mar 2025

Viewed by 376

Abstract

This study proposes multicultural preaching across generations as a means of effective preaching in the time of the Great Dechurching. Young generations, represented by Millennials and Generation Z, are the least religious of all age groups, showing the strongest intention to leave the [...] Read more.

This study proposes multicultural preaching across generations as a means of effective preaching in the time of the Great Dechurching. Young generations, represented by Millennials and Generation Z, are the least religious of all age groups, showing the strongest intention to leave the church. The author argues that the failure to form a Christian identity, rather than the church’s failure to adapt culturally, is the main cause of the Great Dechurching among young generations and that preaching to a generation-segregated congregation, tailored to a target generation, contributes to the failure of forming a Christian identity, as it obstructs the sharing of faith experiences intergenerationally. Based on empirical evidence from multiple surveys, I demonstrate that preaching is influential in the dechurching of young generations, and that the faith gap across generations, rather than the cultural gap, contributes to the dechurching of young generations. Then, by analyzing preaching models in relation to generation, the author points out the problems in generation-blind and -separated preaching and suggests multicultural preaching across generations as a desirable homiletical model for overcoming the dechurching of young generations by formulating a Christian identity through intergenerational conversations around faith. I describe this as conversational preaching that seeks mutual listening and learning based on equal and reciprocal relationships across generations, as well as the recognition of cultural differences across generations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preaching in Multicultural Contexts)

22 pages, 1515 KiB

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Religion and Ecology: A Study on the Religious Beliefs and Practices in Conserving Ecology and Adapting to Climate Change Among the Bishnois of the Thar Desert in Rajasthan, India

by Bikku Bikku

Religions 2025, 16(3), 380; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030380 - 17 Mar 2025

Viewed by 848

Abstract

Climate change is a global issue with diverse regional impacts threatening the survival of both human and non-human species. While the academic discourse on climate change predominantly focuses on macro-level studies, it often neglects the vital role of local environmental practices and the [...] Read more.

Climate change is a global issue with diverse regional impacts threatening the survival of both human and non-human species. While the academic discourse on climate change predominantly focuses on macro-level studies, it often neglects the vital role of local environmental practices and the perspectives of affected communities. This paper presents insights from ethnographic fieldwork conducted among the Bishnoi community in Khejarli Village, Jodhpur, in the Thar Desert of India. This study utilizes participant observations, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and case studies to explore local environmental knowledge and practices aimed at mitigating and adapting to climate change. Findings reveal the Bishnois’ deep-rooted relationship with nature and the pivotal role of religious beliefs in shaping their conservation efforts. Since the 15th century, the Bishnois have been committed to protecting local species, such as plants and animals, which has been crucial for sustaining the desert ecosystem and combating climate change. Moreover, their religious teachings and principles have helped conserve values among younger generations, ensuring a lasting culture of environmental stewardship. This paper supports integrating micro-level ethnographic studies into global climate change dialogues, urging the recognition of local knowledge as an essential resource for addressing contemporary environmental challenges. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Crisis and Religions/Spirituality)

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19 pages, 7052 KiB

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The Armenian Presence in Vienna: From the Coffeehouse to the Church and Back

by Theodosios Tsivolas and Ani Krikorian

Religions 2025, 16(3), 379; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030379 - 17 Mar 2025

Viewed by 862

Abstract

Vienna, one of Europe’s most historically significant cities, has been a focal point for numerous diaspora communities. Among these, the Armenians stand out due to their long-standing history in the city, with records of their presence dating back to the 17th century. This [...] Read more.

Vienna, one of Europe’s most historically significant cities, has been a focal point for numerous diaspora communities. Among these, the Armenians stand out due to their long-standing history in the city, with records of their presence dating back to the 17th century. This paper explores the contributions and experiences of the Armenian community in Vienna, focusing on how Armenian culture has been preserved and adapted via certain social spaces (coffeehouses, libraries, monasteries, and churches) and how these spaces have acted as cultural hubs for the diaspora. By examining the historical, cultural, and social background of these spaces, this study sheds light on how the Armenian community in Vienna navigates its heritage in a modern European context. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religions, Cultural Memory and Heritage in the City: Reassembling a Plural Scenario)

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55 pages, 2901 KiB

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Seers and Ascetics: Analyzing the Vedic Theory of Cognition and Contemplative Practice in the Development of Early Buddhist Meditation and Imaginary

by Federico Divino

Religions 2025, 16(3), 378; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030378 - 17 Mar 2025

Viewed by 296

Abstract

This paper represents an attempt to investigate some aspects of Vedic religiosity, as represented in the R̥gveda (R̥V), in comparison with the Pāli Canon on the themes of cognition, contemplative practice, and the theory of knowledge. It aims to argue that the metaphors [...] Read more.

This paper represents an attempt to investigate some aspects of Vedic religiosity, as represented in the R̥gveda (R̥V), in comparison with the Pāli Canon on the themes of cognition, contemplative practice, and the theory of knowledge. It aims to argue that the metaphors in R̥V, for instance, fire, the chariot, the yoke, light, and the ocean, bear proto-Buddhist ideas that have influenced Buddhist meditative practices. These metaphors reflect a theory of knowledge and cognition that shares certain features with the Pāli Canon. The Vedic seer, the figure around whom this discussion revolves, is a forerunner of the Buddhist practitioner, and the themes of surmounting ignorance and gaining knowledge are common to both of them. The article identifies two major metaphorical fields: one related to knowledge and cognition and the other related to contemplative practice and liberation. The analysis investigates how Vedic metaphors represent an early conceptualization of “technics”, both bodily and contemplative. It underlines similarities between Vedic contemplative exercises, usually understood as a form of prayer, and Buddhist meditation. While the Vedic tradition is focused on divine association, the Buddhist framework reinterprets these ideas within a human-centered perspective. The transformation of Vedic metaphors into Buddhist concepts shows an intricate dialogue rather than an absolute rejection of Vedic traditions. Full article

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

11 pages, 211 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Building a Hospitable Christian School Community: An Exploration of Theological Concepts That Inspire Dealing with Special Needs

by Bram de Muynck

Religions 2025, 16(3), 377; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030377 - 17 Mar 2025

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Abstract

Current efforts toward inclusion in education have resulted in a strong emphasis on personalized learning. This article argues that biblical images of congregations and dealing with needs can inspire moves toward a hospitable community life in schools. Biblical keywords help us imagine how [...] Read more.

Current efforts toward inclusion in education have resulted in a strong emphasis on personalized learning. This article argues that biblical images of congregations and dealing with needs can inspire moves toward a hospitable community life in schools. Biblical keywords help us imagine how inclusive school practices can be shaped. Attention is given to safety, care and mercy, equivalence, justice, gifts, and carrying the load of others. Based on a theological exploration, the author calls for a number of moves: from the individual to the community, from instrumentalism to realism, from access to the school climate, from organization to pedagogy, and from risk to trust, as well as widening the lens from pupils to staff. A definition of hospitable education is proposed that stresses the equal importance of building communities in classrooms and among staff. For both parties, participants should influence the school climate by training themselves to appreciate a diversity of gifts and to be attentive to all kinds of needs. Full article

13 pages, 251 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Symbols of Authority: Obelisks, Hieroglyphs, and Catholic Universalism in Baroque Rome

by Manfredi Merluzzi and Silvia Argurio

Religions 2025, 16(3), 376; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030376 - 16 Mar 2025

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Abstract

Through an interdisciplinary study of the work of Jesuit Athanasius Kircher (1602–1680), the authors investigate the relationship between the cultural policies of the Roman Curia, the Jesuit order, religious diversity, and the aesthetic–spatial configuration of Rome during the early modern age. This paper [...] Read more.

Through an interdisciplinary study of the work of Jesuit Athanasius Kircher (1602–1680), the authors investigate the relationship between the cultural policies of the Roman Curia, the Jesuit order, religious diversity, and the aesthetic–spatial configuration of Rome during the early modern age. This paper shares in-depth observations of the recovery of ancient culture and its reworking in a post-reformist Christian age through architectural and spatial elements adopted to endorse the continuity of the ancient past and the Catholic reformistic universalistic aspirations. In this context, Kircher worked to decipher hieroglyphics on obelisks of the Imperial age but from Egyptian times. These defined a specific topography of space as a visual convergence of points: an urban geography of sacral and historical–political value and a connection with the memories of the Roman Empire and the most ancient religions of the ancient times. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religions, Cultural Memory and Heritage in the City: Reassembling a Plural Scenario)

13 pages, 3433 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Romanian Orthodox Heritage in Italy: Blurring Lines Between Different Identities

by Ioan Cozma and Maria Chiara Giorda

Religions 2025, 16(3), 375; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030375 - 15 Mar 2025

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Abstract

This research paper explores Romanian Orthodox religious places as vital centers for producing and promoting national identity as well as cultural and religious heritage in Italy. Through the application of a spatial perspective, it addresses the complexities of heritage recognition, questioning what constitutes [...] Read more.

This research paper explores Romanian Orthodox religious places as vital centers for producing and promoting national identity as well as cultural and religious heritage in Italy. Through the application of a spatial perspective, it addresses the complexities of heritage recognition, questioning what constitutes “heritage” for the religious minorities in Italy and highlighting the inadequacies of the current legal frameworks in this context. The paper focuses on the interplay between history and memory, scrutinizing the dialectical relationships that shape polyphonic, collective, and public memories of the Romanian parishes’ national and religious heritage. Moreover, it analyzes how memories, traditions, and national identity influence the perception of religious communities by focusing on constructing a group memory that highlights ethnic identity rather than religious affiliation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religions, Cultural Memory and Heritage in the City: Reassembling a Plural Scenario)

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16 pages, 384 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Decolonizing Knowledges, Undisciplining Religion

by Nina Hoel

Religions 2025, 16(3), 374; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030374 - 15 Mar 2025

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Abstract

The article engages in the undisciplining of the study of religion and proposes two central concepts/approaches for how to do so: the pluriverse and materiality. But what is undisciplining? And is it needed? To frame the undisciplining of the study of religion and [...] Read more.

The article engages in the undisciplining of the study of religion and proposes two central concepts/approaches for how to do so: the pluriverse and materiality. But what is undisciplining? And is it needed? To frame the undisciplining of the study of religion and render visible how I conceive of it as a needed practice, the article discusses the relationship between knowledge, materiality, power, and transformation. This relationship is concretized by prioritizing critical decolonial perspectives from the South African context. Here, I center materiality and the material effects of colonial discourse and epistemology as critical entry points. I also highlight the importance of embodied approaches to knowledge, illustrated through decolonial feminist engagements with post-qualitative methodologies. Informed by these critical insights, I unpack the concept of the pluriverse and highlight its epistemic and methodological relevance for the undisciplining of the study of religion. (Re-)turning to materiality, I foreground materiality as a creative and critical knowledge framework and argue for the varying ways it may function for rethinking and undisciplining the study of religion. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Undisciplining Religion and Science: Science, Religion and Nature)

20 pages, 6077 KiB

Open AccessArticle

‘They Are Properties of the Deity, Not Sentient’: Unfolding the Tibetan Buddhist Concept of Plant-Hood

by Bo Yang and Phuntsok Wangden

Religions 2025, 16(3), 373; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030373 - 14 Mar 2025

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Abstract

This article explores the concept of ‘Tibetan Buddhist plant-hood’ within the doctrinal and ethnographic contexts of Tibetan Buddhism, proposing it as a framework to understand the karma-intricate relationships between plants, sentient beings, and spiritual entities. By drawing on canonical Tibetan Buddhist texts, [...] Read more.

This article explores the concept of ‘Tibetan Buddhist plant-hood’ within the doctrinal and ethnographic contexts of Tibetan Buddhism, proposing it as a framework to understand the karma-intricate relationships between plants, sentient beings, and spiritual entities. By drawing on canonical Tibetan Buddhist texts, this article examines sentience in Tibetan terms, then introduces the notion of procedural sentiency, an extended Buddhist conceptual tool that reveals the dynamic processes through which insentient forms acquire ethical and spiritual significance. Examining specific cases, such as sacred trees, Tibetan highland barley, and Yartsa Gunbu (caterpillar fungus), plants are conceived as embedded within more-than-human Tibetan societies that span the material, spiritual, and ecological worlds. This study also addresses the ethical tensions and relational reconfigurations arising from plant–human interactions, as informed by Buddhist practices and cosmological perspectives. This endeavour aspires to establish Himalayan conceptual frameworks that engage in meaningful dialogues with broader environmental discourses, fostering an integrative perspective on the interplay between local practices, cosmologies, and global theoretical paradigms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Faiths for Earth, Geo-Commoning, and New Ethics in the Himalayas)

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15 pages, 235 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Religious Garment for a Marksmen’s Festival? On the Theological Compatibility of Local Festival Culture

by Sabine Joy Ihben-Bahl and Traugott Roser

Religions 2025, 16(3), 372; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030372 - 14 Mar 2025

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Abstract

A pastor and academic theologian is invited to perform a devotional service at a marksmen’s festival in a small German village. Unaccustomed to this kind of festive culture, he also finds himself confronted with theological and ethical questions: Is it possible to provide [...] Read more.

A pastor and academic theologian is invited to perform a devotional service at a marksmen’s festival in a small German village. Unaccustomed to this kind of festive culture, he also finds himself confronted with theological and ethical questions: Is it possible to provide a place of shooting with rifles and pistols with a prayer service and thus shape it liturgically as a place of God’s blessings? One could also ask: is it not necessary for theology to engage with communal forms of festivity, not just theoretically, but performatively, if Christianity itself is fundamentally festive? According to practical-theological reasoning, occasional services, i.e., celebrations of life rites, accompanying liminal situations and transitionary events of human life are growing in variety and importance and “new occasional services” are being developed. Also, the church and (public) theology continuously search and find their role in civil society. After all, there are many life situations in which God’s blessing should be clothed in a festive garment. But in which way is the marksmen’s festival to be considered? Two theologians explore these questions—autoethnographically and theoretically—and thus shed light on the marksmen’s festival as a theological topic. Full article

14 pages, 244 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Autism Spectrum Disorders, Anxiety, and Religion: The Role of Personality Traits

by Joke van Nieuw Amerongen-Meeuse, Hanneke Schaap-Jonker, Marleen Bout and Bram Sizoo

Religions 2025, 16(3), 371; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030371 - 14 Mar 2025

Viewed by 240

Abstract

In mental health care, religion and spirituality can both support and hinder the therapeutic process. This is related to the way people see God or the divine, known as ‘God representations’. Previous research suggests that God representations of persons with autism spectrum disorders [...] Read more.

In mental health care, religion and spirituality can both support and hinder the therapeutic process. This is related to the way people see God or the divine, known as ‘God representations’. Previous research suggests that God representations of persons with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) tend to be more negative compared with others. The current study, conducted among 103 participants, shows that after adjusting for religious saliency, having an ASD diagnosis had no independent power to predict God representations. However, certain personality traits, being associated with ASD, did. Specifically, low self-directedness and low reward dependence were associated with more negative God representations. ASD usually is a diagnosis for life, and personality traits do not easily change. Scientific and clinical implications are discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Studies on the Psychology of Religion: Christian Spirituality and Personal/Social Well-Being)

12 pages, 191 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Public Theology as Practicing Theology from Below: Looking for the Right Sense of the ‘Human’ in Human Rights

by Lluis Oviedo

Religions 2025, 16(3), 370; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030370 - 14 Mar 2025

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Abstract

Christian beliefs and values have played an important role in the formulation of modern human rights. However, this influence does not hide the delays and some difficulties that Christian churches have experienced in this area. A cultural evolutionary framework is proposed to make [...] Read more.

Christian beliefs and values have played an important role in the formulation of modern human rights. However, this influence does not hide the delays and some difficulties that Christian churches have experienced in this area. A cultural evolutionary framework is proposed to make sense of this ambiguity. In this sense, Christian anthropology is presented as both an evolving body of ideas and a wisdom based on empirical experience. Such a model makes it possible to deal better with the issue of human rights, which is subject to evolutionary pressures and seeks to adapt to new challenges and contexts. Christian anthropology, after a conscious interaction with real experiences and challenges, could favour to provide insights and discernment for this development following some minimal criteria, such as avoiding harmful effects, increasing well-being, and becoming a reference for sociality and vitality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Theology ‘In Exit’ for a Better World: Consolidating the Intersecting Features of Public Theology)

24 pages, 10393 KiB

Open AccessArticle

From Dukkha to Sukha: Mandalic Thinking in Constructing a Positive Peace

by Rosita Dellios

Religions 2025, 16(3), 369; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030369 - 14 Mar 2025

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Abstract

The pursuit of peace in international relations requires an integration of key perspectives—inclusive of the developmental, environmental, political and cultural—through which to transform conflict into a positive dynamic of societal flourishing. By examining the foundational teachings of peace researcher Johan Galtung and subsequent [...] Read more.

The pursuit of peace in international relations requires an integration of key perspectives—inclusive of the developmental, environmental, political and cultural—through which to transform conflict into a positive dynamic of societal flourishing. By examining the foundational teachings of peace researcher Johan Galtung and subsequent insights and systems investigating global peace, a more comprehensive evaluation is gained. This allows for the representation of an integrated vision of peace through a cosmogram known as mandala in Hindu-Buddhist spiritual philosophy. The mandala, while grounded developmentally in Indic cosmology, represents a transformation technology that is universal across time and cultures. Buddhist concepts in support of this methodological platform are dukkha (suffering), sukha (happiness), the doctrine of ‘dependent origination’ and the associated concept of impermanence. The findings of this exercise are that peace needs to be approached through multiple perspectives, that it has cosmological significance in its own right, as shown through Galtungian and Buddhist thought, and that it is a process that is constantly renewed. Full article

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20 pages, 322 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Contemporary Theologies of Science in the Light of Bonaventure’s De Reductione Artium ad Theologiam

by Jacek Rodzeń and Paweł Polak

Religions 2025, 16(3), 368; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030368 - 14 Mar 2025

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Abstract

For some time now, regardless of the still-common paradigm of Barbour’s practice of science–religion relations, proposals have been emerging to develop a theology of science from a Christian perspective. This article begins by discussing three theologies of science as proposed by Michael (Michał) [...] Read more.

For some time now, regardless of the still-common paradigm of Barbour’s practice of science–religion relations, proposals have been emerging to develop a theology of science from a Christian perspective. This article begins by discussing three theologies of science as proposed by Michael (Michał) Heller, Christopher B. Kaiser, and Tom McLeish. It then goes on to present the theological vision of the arts and sciences as contained in the work De reductione artium ad theologiam by Bonaventure of Bagnoregio (c. 1221–1274). The aim of this article is to compare the contemporary variants for a theology of science with each other and then compare them with Bonaventure’s theological project. Thus, we analyze this 13th-century thinker’s concepts and their heuristic relevance to the modern theologies of science. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Sciences as a Contemporary Locus Theologicus)

16 pages, 340 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Buddhist Faces of Indigenous Knowledge in Highland Asia: Rethinking the Roots of Buddhist Environmentalism

by Dan Smyer Yü and Zhen Ma

Religions 2025, 16(3), 367; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030367 - 14 Mar 2025

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Abstract

This article is written as part of the ongoing multidisciplinary inquiry into how ecologically focused Buddhism is and whether or not the faith-based “Buddhist ecology” and the natural scientifically conceived discipline of ecology—which studies the relation of organisms to their physical environments—communicate well [...] Read more.

This article is written as part of the ongoing multidisciplinary inquiry into how ecologically focused Buddhism is and whether or not the faith-based “Buddhist ecology” and the natural scientifically conceived discipline of ecology—which studies the relation of organisms to their physical environments—communicate well and are mutually complementary with each other. It addresses these questions by linking regionally specific Buddhist traditions with modern Buddhism and Buddhist studies in the West, which are, respectively, known for initiating Buddhist environmentalism in the public sphere and shaping Buddhist ecology as an academic field. Situated in the eastern Himalayan-Tibetan highlands, this article offers a twofold argument. First, many ecological practices in Buddhist societies of Asia originate in pre-Buddhist indigenous ecological knowledges, not in the Buddhist canon. Second, understood either from the Buddhist environmentalist perspective or as an academic field, Buddhist ecology originates in the modern West, not in Asia, as a combined outcome of Western Buddhists’ participation in the greater environmental movement and their creative interpretation of Buddhist canonical texts for the purpose of establishing a relational understanding of ecobiologically conceived lifeworlds. This argument is based on the case studies of long se, or spirit hills, in Dai villages in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, and of lha-ri, or deity mountains, in the Tibetan Plateau. Both long se and lha-ri are often discerned as a spiritual-environmental basis of Buddhist ecology. While Dai and Tibetan societies are predominantly Buddhist, the cultural customs of long se and lha-ri are pre-Buddhist. Through the comparable cases of human-spirit-land relations among the Dai and the Tibetans, this article concludes that, conceived in the West, Buddhist ecology entails a body of syncretized approaches to the relational entanglements of all life communities. These approaches find their origins mostly in the ecologically repositioned Buddhist soteriology and ethics as well as in the modern scientific environmentalist worldview. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Faiths for Earth, Geo-Commoning, and New Ethics in the Himalayas)

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Religions, Volume 16, Issue 3 (March 2025) – 133 articles

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