Religions

20 pages, 329 KB

Open AccessArticle

Rethinking Self-Understanding in the Age of AI: From Reflective Outcome to Pre-Configured Self-Understanding

by Kwanghyun Han and Sejin Chang

Religions 2026, 17(7), 781; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17070781 (registering DOI) - 29 Jun 2026

This study reconceptualizes self-understanding not as a reflective outcome but as a conditionally constituted process grounded in the Buddhist principle of dependent origination (pratītyasamutpāda). Adopting a comparative philosophical analysis, it examines how traditional meditation and AI-mediated meditation differently configure the conditions under which [...] Read more.

This study reconceptualizes self-understanding not as a reflective outcome but as a conditionally constituted process grounded in the Buddhist principle of dependent origination (pratītyasamutpāda). Adopting a comparative philosophical analysis, it examines how traditional meditation and AI-mediated meditation differently configure the conditions under which experience and self-understanding arise. Drawing on early Buddhist texts, Madhyamaka philosophy, and classical meditation theory, the study develops an analytical framework centered on conditions, interdependence, non-self, and the processes of arising, transformation, and cessation. The analysis shows that traditional meditation operates as a structure of conditional disclosure, in which practitioners observe the dynamic interplay of experiential conditions. By contrast, the AI-mediated systems examined in this study tend to pre-configure these conditions through algorithmic classification, procedural guidance, and interface design. In such contexts, self-understanding is increasingly shaped through technologically mediated interpretations. The findings suggest that the key distinction lies not in the presence of conditions themselves but in the visibility and configurational control of those conditions. This study contributes a theoretical framework for understanding how digital environments may reshape contemplative agency and the conditions under which self-understanding is formed. Full article

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

21 pages, 297 KB

Open AccessArticle

Selective Secularism and the Governance of Religious Diversity in German Case Law: A Case-Illustrative Socio-Legal Analysis

by Zakaria Sajir

Religions 2026, 17(7), 780; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17070780 (registering DOI) - 29 Jun 2026

Abstract

This article offers a case-illustrative socio-legal analysis of five decisions of German ordinary courts concerning Muslim prayer and halal food in prison, Islam-coded public performance in urban space, minority community mediation in criminal justice and male circumcision as a ritual controversy involving Muslim [...] Read more.

This article offers a case-illustrative socio-legal analysis of five decisions of German ordinary courts concerning Muslim prayer and halal food in prison, Islam-coded public performance in urban space, minority community mediation in criminal justice and male circumcision as a ritual controversy involving Muslim and Jewish communities. Building on comparative work on “moderate secularism” and using cases identified through the CUREDI database, it develops a focused account of selective secularism by examining how courts translate minority claims into legal categories within Germany’s formally cooperative framework for governing religion. The analysis distinguishes this wider Christian-centred recognition architecture from the more specific legal and institutional baselines operative in the selected disputes. Within this framework, the argument examines how, in the selected decisions, minority practices are assessed through arena-specific legal standards and institutional routines presented within legal reasoning as neutral, administrative or secular, including security, public order, ordinary institutional diet, restorative justice, bodily integrity and child welfare. Non-religion is approached as an implicit baseline within disputes legally framed as religious. The article contributes to debates on Islam and religious diversity in Germany by analysing prison accommodation, urban public order, criminal mediation and bodily-integrity controversies together. It shows how each legal arena defines what counts as ordinary, which minority claims require justification, and which forms of accommodation or restriction become possible. It argues that, across these decisions, minority claims receive less restrictive legal treatment when they can be translated into goals legible to state institutions, such as order, repair, child welfare or regulated inclusion. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Approaches to Religious Pluralism: Integrating Law, Policies and Practice)

19 pages, 263 KB

Open AccessArticle

Quantum Reality as Life-Guiding: A Critical Analysis of the Existential Realist Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics

by Gorazd Andrejč

Religions 2026, 17(7), 779; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17070779 (registering DOI) - 29 Jun 2026

Abstract

This essay offers a critical reading of Karen Barad’s and Heinrich Päs’ interpretations of quantum mechanics, using a Categorial Differentiation approach to science and religion, which is inspired by Wittgenstein and van Fraassen. Barad and Päs are ontological realists, but their philosophies of [...] Read more.

This essay offers a critical reading of Karen Barad’s and Heinrich Päs’ interpretations of quantum mechanics, using a Categorial Differentiation approach to science and religion, which is inspired by Wittgenstein and van Fraassen. Barad and Päs are ontological realists, but their philosophies of quantum mechanics depart from what I call scientistic realist interpretations of quantum mechanics, which are mainstream in the analytic philosophy of physics. After an overview of the ontological turn in the philosophy of quantum mechanics and explaining the basic difference between scientistic and existential kinds of realism, I examine the central features of Barad’s agential realism and Päs’ quantum monism. The Categorial Differentiation approach, which offers a normative perspective on the relationship between science and religion, is introduced, and its relevance for the philosophy (and theology) of quantum mechanics is explained. I conclude the essay with a critical analysis of Barad’s and Päs’ interpretations from this Wittgensteinian perspective, focusing on the ways in which they relate the science of quantum mechanics with their respective existential–moral visions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Work on Wittgenstein's Philosophy of Religion—Part 2)

27 pages, 394 KB

Open AccessArticle

Sufism, Prison, and the Marxist: The Case of Sabahattin Ali

by Engin Keflioğlu

Religions 2026, 17(7), 778; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17070778 (registering DOI) - 29 Jun 2026

Abstract

The intersection of state power and literary dissent in the early Turkish Republic provides a critical context for understanding how modern nation-states manage intellectual opposition. Prevailing historiography often compartmentalizes the prominent socialist-realist writer Sabahattin Ali’s career into disconnected traditionalist and secular Marxist phases. [...] Read more.

The intersection of state power and literary dissent in the early Turkish Republic provides a critical context for understanding how modern nation-states manage intellectual opposition. Prevailing historiography often compartmentalizes the prominent socialist-realist writer Sabahattin Ali’s career into disconnected traditionalist and secular Marxist phases. Challenging this assumption of linear rupture, this study synthesizes genetic criticism, James C. Scott’s theory of hidden transcripts, and Lev Loseff’s concept of Aesopian language to reveal Ali’s underlying epistemological continuity. Examining an expanded corpus—including early poetry, coerced carceral revisions, private correspondence, and socio-realist prose—the analysis demonstrates that his early literary formation became a vital repertoire for negotiating state coercion. Findings show he strategically deployed the Sufi Ottoman zâhir-bâtın (external form versus inner essence) paradigm to camouflage Marxist commitments beneath a performative public transcript of nationalist compliance. Concurrently, he repurposed a transitional polysemic lexicon—navigating Sufi technical usage, classical literary inheritance, and broader Ottoman–Turkish colloquialisms—to articulate secular, revolutionary awakenings. Ultimately, while authoritarian coercion exacts a superficial public transcript of conformity, the hidden transcript of intellectual autonomy remains highly resilient, utilizing traditional theological frameworks for modern political evasion. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-Secularism: Society, Politics, Theology)

13 pages, 298 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Influence of the Companions’ Understanding of Religion on the Transmission of Hadith: The Case of the “Amara” Form

by Mutlu Gül and Muhammet Divani

Religions 2026, 17(7), 777; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17070777 (registering DOI) - 29 Jun 2026

Abstract

In this article, we aim to examine the companions’ understanding of religion, as well as the transformations it underwent in later periods, by analyzing hadiths transmitted through the verbal form “amara” (he commanded), used when reporting the statements of the Prophet, and those [...] Read more.

In this article, we aim to examine the companions’ understanding of religion, as well as the transformations it underwent in later periods, by analyzing hadiths transmitted through the verbal form “amara” (he commanded), used when reporting the statements of the Prophet, and those conveyed in the passive form “umirnā” (we were commanded). The companions (sahāba) are regarded as the most distinguished among Muslims for their proper understanding and implementation of Islam, as they directly witnessed the revelation of the Qur’anic verses and the occasions when the hadiths were uttered. For this reason, their understanding of religion and their religious practices have been highly valued by subsequent generations, to the extent that the concept of qawl al-ṣaḥābī (the statement of a companion) has even been considered a source of religion. In this study, the subject will be addressed through selected examples drawn from al-Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaḥīḥ of al-Bukhārī, widely regarded as containing the most authentic hadiths. We will attempt to demonstrate that the Prophet’s commands and recommendations concerning various domains, such as acts of worship, social ethics, and public order, are predominantly transmitted through the verbal form “amara”, and that in narrating these reports, the companions prioritized and intended moral encouragement and guidance rather than a strictly normative purpose. Accordingly, the study approaches transmission forms not merely as technical means of narration, but also as meaningful structures that carry the companions’ understanding of religion. In this way, it seeks to reveal the perspectives from which the companions approached the commands and recommendations of the Prophet. Full article

17 pages, 230 KB

Open AccessArticle

Post-Dominion: Reconfigurations of Human–Earth Relations in the Anthropocene

by Jörg Noller

Religions 2026, 17(7), 776; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17070776 (registering DOI) - 28 Jun 2026

Abstract

This paper investigates how religious narratives are transformed under the conditions of the Anthropocene by reinterpreting the biblical mandate of dominion as a condition of post-dominion. The Anthropocene designates a historical situation in which human agency has attained planetary dimensions, thereby seemingly fulfilling [...] Read more.

This paper investigates how religious narratives are transformed under the conditions of the Anthropocene by reinterpreting the biblical mandate of dominion as a condition of post-dominion. The Anthropocene designates a historical situation in which human agency has attained planetary dimensions, thereby seemingly fulfilling the scriptural command to “subdue” the Earth. Yet this fulfillment proves profoundly paradoxical. Human domination over nature increasingly destabilizes the ecological conditions of human existence itself. Climate change, biodiversity loss, and ecological disruption reveal that the logic of mastery rebounds upon humanity, producing forms of self-subjugation through unintended consequences of technological and economic power. The paper argues that the Anthropocene dissolves the classical distinction between nature and culture and confronts religious thought with hybrid ecological realities that mediate human agency and responsibility. By introducing the concept of post-dominion, the paper develops a theological framework emphasizing dependency, restraint, humility, and care as central categories for rethinking religion and ethics in the Anthropocene. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transforming Religion in the Anthropocene)

22 pages, 345 KB

Open AccessArticle

Social Justice in Theological Education for Islamic Religious Education Teachers in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Challenges and Opportunities

by Edina Vejo and Eldar Ćerim

Religions 2026, 17(7), 775; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17070775 (registering DOI) - 27 Jun 2026

Abstract

Social justice in Islamic theological education represents a concept that is normatively central yet pedagogically underarticulated. Rooted in the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and the broader Islamic intellectual tradition, it carries legal obligation, ethical responsibility, spiritual maturity, and social sensitivity. These sources consistently affirm [...] Read more.

Social justice in Islamic theological education represents a concept that is normatively central yet pedagogically underarticulated. Rooted in the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and the broader Islamic intellectual tradition, it carries legal obligation, ethical responsibility, spiritual maturity, and social sensitivity. These sources consistently affirm social justice as a foundational principle of a balanced and equitable social order, but its translation into educational practice remains unabiding. This research examines how social justice is positioned within the higher education syllabus for future Islamic religious education practitioners (teachers and imams) in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Using Mayring’s qualitative content analysis, in this study, written responses collected through an open-ended qualitative expert survey were analysed. Thematic indicators were developed as an outcome and were used as criteria for the subsequent documentary analysis of the official syllabus. Then followed an analytical examination of the syllabus of a study programme leading to the qualification of Islamic religious education practitioners. The findings indicate that social justice is not explicitly articulated within intended learning outcomes as knowledge, attitude, or pedagogical competence. The analysis structured through Bloom’s taxonomy demonstrates the presence of pedagogical and methodological sensitivity across all cognitive levels, from knowledge to evaluation. This reveals a discrepancy between the normative centrality of social justice and its partial pedagogical realisation. This study identifies a persistent tension between theological ideals and educational practice. The potential for rearticulating a theological–pedagogical framework in which social justice becomes an explicit, lived, and transformative category within practitioners’ education was highlighted as something in place of a conclusion. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Justice in Theological Education: Challenges and Opportunities)

19 pages, 537 KB

Open AccessArticle

Tracing the Origin of the Prepositional Construction chu (除) in Chinese: A Sanskrit–Chinese Comparative Study

by Xiulan Chen

Religions 2026, 17(7), 774; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17070774 (registering DOI) - 27 Jun 2026

Abstract

Focusing on a pivotal yet underexplored syntactic phenomenon, this study demonstrates that the prepositional construction chu (除), essential for marking exception and inclusion, not only finds its earliest documented origins exclusively within translated Buddhist scriptures of the Eastern Han-Sui period, but also reveals [...] Read more.

Focusing on a pivotal yet underexplored syntactic phenomenon, this study demonstrates that the prepositional construction chu (除), essential for marking exception and inclusion, not only finds its earliest documented origins exclusively within translated Buddhist scriptures of the Eastern Han-Sui period, but also reveals within them a tripartite system of grammatical meanings: (1) an exclusive usage, highlighting element B in contrast to A; (2) an additive usage, supplementing A with B; and (3) a conditional–exceptive usage, expressing “only if A, then B”. To account for this novel system, this study employs a contrastive analysis of parallel texts, meticulously comparing the Chinese translations with their Sanskrit originals. The analysis reveals that chu (除) served as a systematic calque, corresponding to a defined set of Sanskrit morphosyntactic forms: the absolute participles (sthāpayitvā, sthāpetv, vinirmucya) and the past passive participle virahita (all conveying exception); the adverb api (expressing inclusion); and the indeclinable anyatra (meaning “except”). Integrating evidence from historical Chinese corpora with Sino-Sanskrit comparative data, this study establishes that the tripartite semantic system of the prepositional construction chu (除) constitutes a syntactic calque on Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit, rather than an endogenous development. This finding provides a robust case of contact-induced grammatical replication, thereby illuminating the profound and specific impact of Sanskrit-to-Chinese translation on the trajectory of Chinese syntactic history. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Languages and Buddhist Texts: Translation, Transmission, and Interpretation Across Traditions)

29 pages, 388 KB

Open AccessArticle

Between Pastoral Care and Criminal Mediation: Is the Prison Chaplain a Suitable Mediator?

by Olga Sitarz and Jakub Hanc

Religions 2026, 17(7), 773; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17070773 (registering DOI) - 26 Jun 2026

Abstract

In continental legal systems, the regulation of mediation in criminal matters is generally characterised by legislative restraint and a relatively low degree of normative elaboration. This is particularly evident in the case of post-sentencing mediation, especially mediation conducted during the execution of a [...] Read more.

In continental legal systems, the regulation of mediation in criminal matters is generally characterised by legislative restraint and a relatively low degree of normative elaboration. This is particularly evident in the case of post-sentencing mediation, especially mediation conducted during the execution of a custodial sentence, which in many jurisdictions lacks an explicit statutory basis. In some legal systems, the admissibility of mediation at the sentence-enforcement stage has not yet been conclusively determined. Paradoxically, however, this regulatory uncertainty creates a fertile field for scholarly inquiry, as de lege ferenda proposals may substantially influence both future mediation practices and the development of legal frameworks governing restorative justice. Against this background, this article explores the potential role of prison chaplains as mediators in penitentiary settings, examining both the opportunities and the limitations associated with such a model. The ministry of chaplains should not be viewed solely through the prism of their traditional pastoral and supportive functions towards inmates, but also in light of the professional standards and ethical requirements applicable to mediation. In this context, the study analyses the extent to which the role of a chaplain may be reconciled with the principles of mediator impartiality, neutrality, and professional competence. The article further argues that the development of a coherent framework for penitentiary mediation should encompass three distinct contexts: mediation conducted during pre-trial detention, mediation undertaken during the execution of a sentence following a final judgment, and mediation relating to new offences committed within penitentiary institutions against fellow inmates or prison staff. Drawing on mediation practice and empirical research, including interviews with prison chaplains, the study formulates criteria for determining mediator status and qualifications and compares them with the legal and organisational principles governing religious ministry in correctional institutions. The analysis ultimately contributes to the broader debate on the institutionalisation of restorative justice mechanisms within the penitentiary system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion and Restorative Justice)

11 pages, 253 KB

Open AccessArticle

Closed Atonement and Open Forgiveness: Reconciliation and the Meaning of Jesus’ Death

by Douglas V. Porpora

Religions 2026, 17(7), 772; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17070772 (registering DOI) - 26 Jun 2026

Abstract

In this article, I argue that atonement and forgiveness embody fundamentally different logics of reconciliation—one a closed moral economy of compensation and equivalence and the other a relational and non-economic logic of restoration. The article begins with a paradox: following the destruction of [...] Read more.

In this article, I argue that atonement and forgiveness embody fundamentally different logics of reconciliation—one a closed moral economy of compensation and equivalence and the other a relational and non-economic logic of restoration. The article begins with a paradox: following the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70 C.E., rabbinic Judaism moved away from sacrificial atonement toward practices of repentance, prayer, and ethical repair, while Christianity increasingly centered divine reconciliation on the atoning death of Jesus. Deepening Ehrman’s distinction between atonement and forgiveness, I explore the different logics of reconciliation they represent, arguing that Christianity chose atonement as a means of making sense of the divine necessity of Jesus’ violent death. Given the theological tensions generated by the atonement paradigm, this article concludes with the suggestion that Jesus’ death is better understood not as divinely planned but as a divinely accepted consequence of incarnation in a violent world. Full article

26 pages, 1865 KB

Open AccessArticle

Beyond the Cloister: Letters of the Goan Nuns as an Expression of Female Agency in the 18th Century

by Rozely Menezes Vigas Oliveira

Religions 2026, 17(7), 771; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17070771 (registering DOI) - 26 Jun 2026

Abstract

During the modern period, convents and monasteries served as fertile grounds for female writing. Religious constitutions mandated literacy for certain positions, leading to extensive administrative documents, autobiographies, and exemplary life accounts. However, female writing within cloister extended beyond administrative and religious matters, encompassing [...] Read more.

During the modern period, convents and monasteries served as fertile grounds for female writing. Religious constitutions mandated literacy for certain positions, leading to extensive administrative documents, autobiographies, and exemplary life accounts. However, female writing within cloister extended beyond administrative and religious matters, encompassing diverse and often rebellious letters. This study aims to examine 18th-century female epistolography within the Portuguese Empire, focusing on letters written by nuns at the Convent of Santa Monica in Goa. The research centers on a significant crisis between 1721 and 1738, during which the Augustinian nuns were in conflict with the Archbishop of Goa, D. Fr. Inácio de Santa Teresa. This dispute led to a division within the religious community and generated a substantial body of documents, many written and/or signed by the nuns themselves. The objective is to analyze these letters to understand the discursive positions and forms of self-representation adopted by the religious senders, examining how they dialogued or conflicted with the societal constraints of the period. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Women and Religion in the Medieval and Early Modern World)

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23 pages, 2864 KB

Open AccessArticle

From Chang’an to Dunhuang: Bukong and the Iconographic Propagation of Wutai Mountain Manjusri Faith

by Fangfang Li and Kangmin Li

Religions 2026, 17(7), 770; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17070770 (registering DOI) - 26 Jun 2026

Abstract

Mount Wutai murals in Dunhuang first appeared in the Tubo period of the Middle Tang Dynasty, and their spread in Dunhuang reflects the faith of Mount Wutai here. Mount Wutai faith appeared in the Northern Dynasties and was gradually combined with Manjusri faith, [...] Read more.

Mount Wutai murals in Dunhuang first appeared in the Tubo period of the Middle Tang Dynasty, and their spread in Dunhuang reflects the faith of Mount Wutai here. Mount Wutai faith appeared in the Northern Dynasties and was gradually combined with Manjusri faith, which was vigorously promoted by Bukong in the Reign of Emperor Daizong in the Tang Dynasty. Bukong infused Esoteric state-protection doctrines into the Mount Wutai Manjusri faith, which took shape during Bukong’s residence in Hexi, was practiced in the reign of Emperor Daizong, and was eventually adopted by the Tubo. The emergence of Mount Wutai murals is a significant manifestation of the process of the spread of this faith. It can thus be seen that Bukong played a crucial role in the process of the iconographic propagation of the Mount Wutai Manjusri faith. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Silk Road, Buddhism and Cultural Memory in East Asia)

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26 pages, 7475 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Patronage of Yŏm Sŭngik: Buddhist Art and Ritual Efficacy in Late Koryŏ

by Young-ae Lim

Religions 2026, 17(7), 769; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17070769 (registering DOI) - 26 Jun 2026

Abstract

This article examines the Buddhist artworks commissioned by Yŏm Sŭngik (廉承益, ?–1302), a powerful court official and ritual specialist active during the reign of King Ch’ungnyŏl in late Koryŏ. Focusing on three surviving works—a copied Lotus Sutra manuscript (1283), an Amitābha Tathāgata painting [...] Read more.

This article examines the Buddhist artworks commissioned by Yŏm Sŭngik (廉承益, ?–1302), a powerful court official and ritual specialist active during the reign of King Ch’ungnyŏl in late Koryŏ. Focusing on three surviving works—a copied Lotus Sutra manuscript (1283), an Amitābha Tathāgata painting (1286), and a woodblock-printed Baoqieyin jing dhāraṇī (1292)—the study explores how Buddhist art functioned as a material expression of repentance, ritual healing, karmic eradication, and aspirations for Pure Land rebirth. Through analysis of votive inscriptions, painting inscriptions, and dhāraṇī texts, the article argues that the repeated four-line gāthā appearing in both the sutra manuscript and Amitābha painting is most plausibly understood within the devotional and ritual framework of the Yenyŏm mit’a toryang ch’ambŏp, rather than primarily through Huayan doctrinal interpretation, as previous scholarship has suggested. The article further situates Yŏm Sŭngik’s patronage within broader political and familial networks linking elite officials, Buddhist monks, and the religious culture of the Koryŏ and Yuan courts. Ultimately, it argues that Buddhist art in late Koryŏ operated not merely as devotional imagery, but as an active medium of ritual practice through which repentance, healing, and hopes for Pure Land rebirth were materially enacted. Full article

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29 pages, 344 KB

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On the Relativizing of War and Peace: Justice, Competing Conceptions of War, and the Decisive Role of the Non-Religious

by Daniel A. Connelly

Religions 2026, 17(7), 768; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17070768 - 26 Jun 2026

Abstract

The rise of the non-religious, especially the young “nones”, will increasingly affect the way US culture views war, but with what result? The key to approaching this question is not only what the nones are advocating, but establishing what mixture of prominent topical [...] Read more.

The rise of the non-religious, especially the young “nones”, will increasingly affect the way US culture views war, but with what result? The key to approaching this question is not only what the nones are advocating, but establishing what mixture of prominent topical ideas history has handed them. To get at the nature of this mixture by beginning with a general question: what is the most desirable mental attitude among free states with which to attend to the preparation for war? If the nones were to respond to this question, what ideas from other sources and, for the young nones, from older generations do they have to work with? What intellectual historical trends have come down to them? Classical thinking on war and justice continues to recede, so what has been proposed that would take its place? Lethality has been injected more recently into the milieu the young nones are entering. However, lethality is more an attempt to resolve tensions among contradictory agendas. A second, older possibility is a total war mindset, subsuming the state’s entire resources to warring. A third, likewise older option, is prosecuting wars of ideology that seek to crush antagonistic ideas and the political systems that hold them. The author argues the nones will not necessarily choose any of these, but will enable cultural receptivity to each of these three constructs. Alternatively, what about the contributions of classical philosophy to this question? This bypassed fourth avenue, with its emphasis on what constitutes a healthy polis, may provide a richer basis for leading militaries and cultures. The goal here, which the rise of the nones unintentionally imperils, is to secure the State and the soul of the warfighter by constituting or restoring the classical sense of the military’s reason to exist: not as a temporary inherent evil merely to serve state interests, but as a permanent dimension of society in service to the common good, as classically understood. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion and Culture: Post-Christianity, Culture, Democracy, and Great Power Relations)

13 pages, 225 KB

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Family and Youth Formative Communities as Protective Factors Against Addictions Among Adolescents in Poland: A Structured Narrative Review

by Katarzyna Zielińska Król, Małgorzata Tatala and Michaela Šuľová

Religions 2026, 17(7), 767; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17070767 - 26 Jun 2026

Abstract

The article examines the protective role of the family and youth formative communities against substance and behavioral addictions in adolescence. Its aim is to synthesize knowledge of risk and protective factors and to indicate how family and community environments can lower the likelihood [...] Read more.

The article examines the protective role of the family and youth formative communities against substance and behavioral addictions in adolescence. Its aim is to synthesize knowledge of risk and protective factors and to indicate how family and community environments can lower the likelihood of risky behaviors. The first part of the paper presents a multifactorial paradigm for explaining young people’s use of psychoactive substances, drawing on data about the situation in Poland. The second part explores the social significance of the family and participation in formative groups, especially religious ones, by referring to the concepts of social capital, normative socialization, and communal rootedness. The third part depicts Scouting and the Light-Life Movement as examples of educational settings that promote a lifestyle grounded in self-discipline, abstinence, and communal responsibility. Overall, the conducted analyses conclude that the protective potential of these environments is not automatic but depends on the quality of relationships, the presence of significant adults, the credibility of norms, and the communities’ capacity to respond to young people’s experiences amid ongoing secularization and cultural individualization. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Family Health and Its Threats in the Physical, Mental, Religious–Moral, and Social Dimensions)

27 pages, 18202 KB

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Depicting Kazimierz’s Jewish Ghetto: Artur Markowicz and Fin-de-Siècle Polish–Jewish Modernism

by Mirjam Rajner

Religions 2026, 17(7), 766; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17070766 - 25 Jun 2026

Abstract

On 11 March 1899, a group of young Jewish artists organized a commemorative evening in memory of the late Maurycy Gottlieb, an event accompanied by the publication of the festive Jednodniówka, which included contributions by Jewish and Polish modernist artists and writers. [...] Read more.

On 11 March 1899, a group of young Jewish artists organized a commemorative evening in memory of the late Maurycy Gottlieb, an event accompanied by the publication of the festive Jednodniówka, which included contributions by Jewish and Polish modernist artists and writers. Artur Markowicz was among them. This article examines the fin-de-siècle renaissance of Jewish modernist visual culture and its exploration of traditional Eastern European Jewish life, focusing on Markowicz’s depictions of the Kazimierz ghetto. In contrast to the more critical attitude of Samuel Hirszenberg, the leader of Kraków’s short-lived circle of Jewish artists and art lovers in the early twentieth century, Markowicz’s Impressionist and Symbolist pastels reflected a more idealized approach within Jewish modernism. Nonetheless, his works, largely unchanged by subsequent upheavals, later evoked nostalgia for a lost world. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Jewish Intellectual Traditions in Eastern Europe and the Baltic Region: Between Tradition, Enlightenment, and Modernity)

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18 pages, 749 KB

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Intercultural Dialogue for Peace: A Conversation Between Martin Wight’s Three Traditions and Daisaku Ikeda’s Civilization of Dialogue

by Andrew Eungi Kim, Jongman Kim and Daniel Phillip Connolly

Religions 2026, 17(7), 765; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17070765 - 25 Jun 2026

Abstract

This paper explores the advocacy of Daisaku Ikeda (1928–2023) for intercultural dialogue as a means of fostering peace. It does so by bringing his thought into dialogue with Martin Wight (1913–1972), an English international relations theorist whose three traditions model explored two forms [...] Read more.

This paper explores the advocacy of Daisaku Ikeda (1928–2023) for intercultural dialogue as a means of fostering peace. It does so by bringing his thought into dialogue with Martin Wight (1913–1972), an English international relations theorist whose three traditions model explored two forms of dehumanization: a radical solidarist position that dehumanizes by treating all people the same, and an extreme form of pluralism that leads us to a realist position that there is no morality except for a group’s own truth. Wight’s model is especially helpful for drawing out the tensions in Ikeda’s writings between peacebuilding processes centered on solidarism and those centered on pluralism. But, at the same time, this model benefits from a sustained conversation with Ikeda because Wight’s conceptualization of a middle path was highly Eurocentric and too state-centric. Ultimately, Wight’s model gives us a new vocabulary and the context to understand Ikeda’s advocacy, but Ikeda’s approach to intercultural dialogue, deeply rooted in Buddhist humanism and prioritizing citizen diplomacy and education, went farther than Wight in theorizing and practicing how to create a healthy middle ground between the two forms of dehumanization. When viewed together, both scholars also address the broader ambivalence in the literature about why, how and when religion(s) contribute to violence and peace by emphasizing the courage and faith needed to navigate a middle path between extremes. Full article

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17 pages, 258 KB

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The Christian Community Hirt und Herde: The Development of a Religious Community from the German Empire to the Present Day

by Dirk Schuster

Religions 2026, 17(7), 764; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17070764 - 25 Jun 2026

Abstract

In 1894, a Christian revelation occurred in western Saxony through the weaver August Hermann Hain, who founded the Christliche Gemeinschaft Hirt und Herde (Christian Community Shepherd and Flock). In the 1910s, church and state authorities became aware of the new religious community and [...] Read more.

In 1894, a Christian revelation occurred in western Saxony through the weaver August Hermann Hain, who founded the Christliche Gemeinschaft Hirt und Herde (Christian Community Shepherd and Flock). In the 1910s, church and state authorities became aware of the new religious community and attempted to prevent its meetings. As a result of the pacifist and labor movement-inspired social attitudes of Hain and his followers, state authorities banned the public activities of Hirt und Herde in parts of the German Empire in 1916/17. Despite the ban, the community continued to grow and by 1925 was already the third-largest religious community in Saxony. In addition to the former kingdom of Saxony, people in Thuringia, northern Bavaria, and Czechoslovakia also professed their belief in the new doctrine at that time. With the death of August Hermann Hain in 1927 and the ban on the community by the National Socialists in 1933, the members of Hirt und Herde increasingly withdrew from public life into internal emigration. Despite being recognized as an official religious community in the German Democratic Republic (GDR), Hirt und Herde remained below the radar of public perception. In recent years, however, the community has begun—albeit slowly—to open up to the new social realities of a modern, pluralistic society. Using the pluralism paradigm of Peter L. Berger, this article traces the genesis of the generally unknown religious community over the last 125 years. In addition to the historical development of the community, it provides an explanatory approach to the changes in its teachings and public appearance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion and the State: Secularism, Identity, and the Politics of Exclusion)

24 pages, 1464 KB

Open AccessArticle

Spirituality and Religiosity in Meaning-Making After Stressful Life Events: A Qualitative Study Using the Meaning Making Model

by Melanie Neumann, Lea Benz, Wiebke Uhlenbrock and Gabriele Lutz

Religions 2026, 17(7), 763; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17070763 - 25 Jun 2026

Abstract

This study investigates the role of spirituality/religiosity (S/R) in meaning-making processes following stressful life events (SLEs) within the framework of Crystal Park’s Meaning Making Model (MMM). A qualitative phenomenological design was applied, using semi-structured interviews with N = 27 German participants who had [...] Read more.

This study investigates the role of spirituality/religiosity (S/R) in meaning-making processes following stressful life events (SLEs) within the framework of Crystal Park’s Meaning Making Model (MMM). A qualitative phenomenological design was applied, using semi-structured interviews with N = 27 German participants who had experienced psychological and/or physical SLEs. As the majority of the participants identified themselves primarily as spiritual rather than religious, the study initially focused on spirituality as a potential resource for meaning-making following SLEs. Data were analyzed using mainly ideal-type analysis. Participants were categorized into low-, moderate-, and high-spirituality groups based on dimensions derived from Anton Bucher’s conceptualization of spirituality. Contrary to what might have been expected from the predominantly spiritual orientation of the sample, the most extensive meaning-making processes and meanings made according to the MMM were observed not among participants with more individualized forms of spirituality but among those with a highly integrated spiritual and religious orientation. This group was characterized by coherent belief systems, regular spiritual practices, communal and institutional religious embeddedness, and strong trust in transcendent guidance. The results suggest that not spirituality alone but its integration with religiosity into a coherent spiritual–religious meaning system may be associated with more sustained meaning-making processes, meanings made, and participant-reported positive outcomes following SLEs. Beyond the study’s limitations, implications for future research and professional practice are also briefly outlined. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Implications of Spirituality for Mental Well-Being and Public Health)

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