Religions

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16 pages, 361 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Religious Practices on Shaping Cultural Habits: The Case of Child Sacrifice among the Pre-Islāmic Arabs from the Qur’ānic Perspective

by Soner Aksoy

Religions 2024, 15(8), 1019; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15081019 - 21 Aug 2024

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Abstract

One of the traditions observed in pre-Islāmic Arab society (Jāhiliyya) was the practice of child sacrifice. This practice drew strong condemnation and opposition in various passages of the Qur’ān. The underlying impetus behind the Jāhiliyya Arabs (pre-Islāmic Arabs) to engage in [...] Read more.

One of the traditions observed in pre-Islāmic Arab society (Jāhiliyya) was the practice of child sacrifice. This practice drew strong condemnation and opposition in various passages of the Qur’ān. The underlying impetus behind the Jāhiliyya Arabs (pre-Islāmic Arabs) to engage in such acts, especially the sacrifice of their daughters, finds its explanation in the phrase khashya imlāq, “fear of poverty,” as stated in the applicable passages. Nonetheless, a careful examination of the narrations (riwāyāts) and passages pertaining to the subject reveals a fundamental relationship between the Arabs’ custom of child sacrifice and their votive rituals. This paper aims to scrutinize this intricate relationship. It commences with the identification of the riwāyāts linked to the Jāhiliyya society’s custom of presenting children as offerings to their deities. Subsequently, a comprehensive analysis will be presented on interpretations put forth by Muslim exegetes (mufassirūn) regarding Qur’ānic passages addressing the theme of child sacrifice. This paper argues that while the ostensible motivation for child sacrifice, particularly that of daughters, is often attributed to peniaphobia, an examination of the relevant passages, riwāyāts, and the exegetical interpretations leads to the conclusion that this practice is intertwined with the votive beliefs once held by the Jāhiliyya Arabs. Accordingly, it can be concluded that belief strongly influences the formation of customs and practices at the social and individual levels, even when forgotten over time. Thus, a notable example illustrates a close relationship between religion and culture. Moreover, the influence of religious motivation and beliefs in legitimizing brutal practices, such as the killing of a child, is highlighted. Full article

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

20 pages, 7991 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study on the Religious and Philosophical Thoughts of Xizi Pagodas in Hunan Province of China

by Yiwen He, Lai He, Qixuan Zhou and Xubin Xie

Religions 2024, 15(7), 866; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15070866 - 18 Jul 2024

Viewed by 1136

Abstract

The Xizi Pagoda (惜字塔) is a form of traditional religious building used for burning “Paper with Characters (字纸)”, worshiping the gods, praying for blessings, revitalzing culture, and it is also an important material embodiment in the process of the development and evolution of [...] Read more.

The Xizi Pagoda (惜字塔) is a form of traditional religious building used for burning “Paper with Characters (字纸)”, worshiping the gods, praying for blessings, revitalzing culture, and it is also an important material embodiment in the process of the development and evolution of religion in China, carrying China’s unique “Scholarly Culture (书香文化)”. This paper is the first study of the philosophy of religion of Xizi Pagodas (a vernacular stone religious architectural landscape). The research of the representative Xizi Pagodas in different parts of Hunan province were carried out to analyze the origin of Xizi Pagodas, cultural rituals, modeling paradigms, decorative art, and to explore the traditional Chinese religious and philosophical thoughts embedded in Xizi Pagodas through relevant literatures. The results show that Xizi Pagodas contain the religious concepts of “Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism (儒释道)”: the emergence of Xizi Pagodas is connected to the development of Confucianism; Xizi Pagodas incorporate Buddhistic thoughts and inherit architectural features of Buddhist Pagodas; and the “Xizi (惜字)” ritual and images of deities on Xizi Pagodas are associated with Taoism. At present, the number of Xizi Pagodas is decreasing, and the remaining ones are in a serious state of dilapidation and disrepair, and the “Xizi” Culture is gradually being forgotten and fading away. This paper enriches the relevant research on the Xizi Pagodas and the “Xizi” Culture. Full article

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

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11 pages, 326 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Natural Cycle, Sacred Existence, the Source of Power: A Study on the Mo Religion’s View of Time

by Weipeng Ya

Religions 2024, 15(7), 786; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15070786 - 28 Jun 2024

Viewed by 662

Abstract

The Zhuang people, a significant ethnic minority in China, practise a unique Mo religion that profoundly shapes their spiritual and daily lives. Although the theology and rituals of the Mo religion have been extensively studied, its temporal perspectives still need to be explored. [...] Read more.

The Zhuang people, a significant ethnic minority in China, practise a unique Mo religion that profoundly shapes their spiritual and daily lives. Although the theology and rituals of the Mo religion have been extensively studied, its temporal perspectives still need to be explored. This study addresses this gap by comprehensively analyzing how the Mo religion integrates natural, cultural, calendar, and theological elements to create a sacred temporal framework central to the Zhuang people’s social life and material production. Drawing from primary sources such as religious texts, a rigorous text-based research approach is employed to gain a profound understanding of the Mo religion’s temporal perspectives. The significance of this study lies in its contribution to enriching our knowledge of the Mo religion’s sacred temporal frameworks, providing valuable insights for interdisciplinary research, and fostering mutual respect and appreciation among diverse cultures. Full article

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

17 pages, 2746 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Representation of the Placemaking Process of Urban Religious and Secular Turkish Identities: The Case of Kizilcik Şerbeti (One Love) Soap Opera

by Şeyma Ayyildiz

Religions 2024, 15(6), 698; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15060698 - 4 Jun 2024

Viewed by 975

Abstract

During a 2-year period, the depictions of religious figures and their interactions with secular individuals in urban daily life became an integral feature of Turkish soap operas that gained popularity in the world after the 1990s. While previous studies have explored the portrayal [...] Read more.

During a 2-year period, the depictions of religious figures and their interactions with secular individuals in urban daily life became an integral feature of Turkish soap operas that gained popularity in the world after the 1990s. While previous studies have explored the portrayal of various actors in them in terms of age, gender, socio-economic status, and historical perspectives, there is a lack of analysis regarding the interaction between secular and religious urban representations. This research aims to investigate the differences in everyday cosmopolitan perspectives in terms of spatiality and temporality between the two groups. To examine this, the soap opera Kızılcık Şerbeti (One Love) was analysed. Research has shown that when two groups develop their identities in opposition to one another, it leads to the emergence of different temporal and spatial dimensions within the same urban setting. While it seems unfeasible to reconcile the daily routines of both groups in the same place, age, gender, education, and class make negotiation possible in shared spaces. This draws attention to the intersectional approach rather than the binary positions of identities in the placemaking process. The main contribution of this research is to integrate religion, which has been forgotten in human geography, into geographical and sociological discussions by focusing on an intersectional approach in an urban context. Full article

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

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20 pages, 5211 KiB

Open AccessArticle

From Myths, Ci and Fu Works to Temple Worship: A New Inquiry into the Evolution of Fu Fei 宓妃, the Goddess of the Luo River

by Ting Song and Yuanlin Wang

Religions 2024, 15(6), 678; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15060678 - 30 May 2024

Viewed by 816

Abstract

Luo Shen 洛神 (The Goddess of the Luo River), also known as Fu Fei 宓妃 (Consort Fu), governed the Luo River and was a deity with distinctive representativeness and influence in the Luoyang area of China. To date, research has been centered around [...] Read more.

Luo Shen 洛神 (The Goddess of the Luo River), also known as Fu Fei 宓妃 (Consort Fu), governed the Luo River and was a deity with distinctive representativeness and influence in the Luoyang area of China. To date, research has been centered around literary works and paintings, particularly Luoshen Fu 洛神賦, with little exploration into the belief of the Goddess of the Luo River. In this paper, specific and detailed textual research is made on the origins and historical transformations, as well as functional shifts, of the Goddess of the Luo River from the perspective of belief in the deity. Based on extant ancient documents and stele inscriptions and combined with anthropological field research, five new ideas are described. First, rituals honoring the Luo River were present in ancient times, yet the deity of the Luo River was initially a male entity called Luo Bo 洛伯, not the goddess Consort Fu. Second, Consort Fu first appears in Li Sao 離騷 as a goddess from the Kunlun Mountains. Third, during the Eastern Han dynasty (25–220), driven by the political and cultural needs of rulers to maintain regime stability, the Goddess of Kunlun, Consort Fu, became the Goddess of the Luo River. Fourth, in the medieval period, the image of the Goddess of the Luo River underwent a historic transformation, evolving from a deity governing the Luo River to a beauty yearning for secular love, merging with the historical figure of Zhen Fei 甄妃 (Consort Zhen) from the Cao Wei dynasty (220–266), forming a unified literary and artistic figure that significantly broadened the social influence of the Goddess of the Luo River. Fifth, the state-sponsored worship of the Goddess of the Luo River reached its peak during the Tang (618–907) and Song (960–1279) dynasties, and afterward, it gradually declined to a local folk belief due to a shift in the political center. The transition of the belief in the Goddess of the Luo River from official to folk realms, deeply intertwining with people’s lives, is a historical reflection of the eastward shift in the imperial center after the Tang dynasty. It also signifies a transformation of the function of the belief in the Goddess of the Luo River, from a political guardian deity ensuring the nation’s peace and the government’s stability to a protective deity for ordinary people’s family stability and prosperity of descendants. Full article

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

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18 pages, 4158 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Interplay of Religion and the Visual Arts: A Bibliometric Network Analysis (1991–2023)

by Hong Zhang and Cheryl Zhenyu Qian

Religions 2024, 15(4), 481; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15040481 - 12 Apr 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1383

Abstract

Since the emergence of digital media in the 1990s, a new realm of interaction between the visual arts and religion has been forged and evolved. The spread of visual media technologies has significantly influenced the study of religious visual art worldwide after the [...] Read more.

Since the emergence of digital media in the 1990s, a new realm of interaction between the visual arts and religion has been forged and evolved. The spread of visual media technologies has significantly influenced the study of religious visual art worldwide after the 1990s. Despite this, the field of religious visual art during the digital era is still relatively uncharted, with a notable absence of comprehensive theoretical frameworks. To address this gap, the present paper employs bibliometric methods, conducting a thorough review and analysis of 2544 pieces of international academic literature in the domain of religion and visual arts post-1990s. The analytical framework is structured into three primary sections, each dedicated to answering key questions: (1) what constitutes the inherent relationship in the study of religion and visual art?, (2) what disciplinary context do these interplays occur within?, and (3) in which domains and regions does this interplay predominantly unfold? The outcomes of this rigorous analysis offer valuable insights into interdisciplinary influences and evolving research trends within the realm of religious visual art. These findings stand to benefit art researchers and practitioners, providing a comprehensive overview of potential avenues for the exploration of visual arts with religious themes. Through a systematic investigation, this research endeavors to heighten scholars’ awareness of the significance of visual arts in the field of religion and illuminate the interdisciplinary trends at the intersection of religion and visual arts. Full article

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

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26 pages, 9959 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Neglected Dress—Re-Evaluating the Iconography of the “True Visage” (Zhenrong) Mañjuśrī

by Hong Wu

Religions 2024, 15(4), 432; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15040432 - 30 Mar 2024

Viewed by 961

Abstract

The development of the cult of Mount Wutai was a milestone event in the history of Chinese Buddhism. Crucial in that development was a novel depiction of Mañjuśrī, believed to be transmitting the deity’s “true visage” (zhenrong). While consensus suggests that [...] Read more.

The development of the cult of Mount Wutai was a milestone event in the history of Chinese Buddhism. Crucial in that development was a novel depiction of Mañjuśrī, believed to be transmitting the deity’s “true visage” (zhenrong). While consensus suggests that the primary new aspect of that depiction is the ethnicity of the attendant for Mañjuśrī’s animal vehicle, it is puzzling that the true visage of a saintly figure is defined externally, by his attendant, rather than internally, within his own stylistic or iconographic configuration. This paper critically re-evaluates arguments and evidence surrounding this issue and argues that the image of the True Visage Mañjuśrī invented at Mount Wutai has specific iconographic features in his own representation. Uncovering the heretofore neglected iconographic specificities provides a more fine-grained understanding of how visual devices contributed to the cult of Mount Wutai, while also bringing renewed thinking about the notion of auspicious images and their replication. Full article

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

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14 pages, 6581 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Literati Ingredients in the 17th-Century Chinese Christian Paintings

by Jie Xiao

Religions 2024, 15(4), 383; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15040383 - 22 Mar 2024

Viewed by 1266

Abstract

In this paper, the modification methods of the Chinese Christian painting created by the missionaries in the late Ming Dynasty (1573–1644) were analyzed with the Chinese Catholic studies of the “Song nianzhu guicheng” and the “Tianzhu Jiangsheng Chuxiang Jingjie”. [...] Read more.

In this paper, the modification methods of the Chinese Christian painting created by the missionaries in the late Ming Dynasty (1573–1644) were analyzed with the Chinese Catholic studies of the “Song nianzhu guicheng” and the “Tianzhu Jiangsheng Chuxiang Jingjie”. After carefully studying the differences between the Chinese Christian painting and the original European version, the study shows that these Chinese Christian paintings were integrated with the Chinese literati paintings’ elements and literati symbols, which include the “Yudiancun” (raindrop texture stroke), “Pimacun” (hemp-fiber texture stroke), “landscape screen” (painted screens with natural landscapes), and the mark of Chinese famous literati such as Dong Qichang. These adjustments conducted by missionaries aimed to make religious paintings more in line with literati aesthetics, which could build connections between the missionaries and the literati community for proselytization. However, the missionaries neglected that the literati community certainly would not sacrifice the existing social order and the vested interest brought by the current Confucian culture to support new ideas of “liberty” and “equality” in the Catholic doctrine, which caused a huge setback in the missionary work since the Nanjing Teaching Case in 1616. This research makes significant contributions to the understanding of cultural exchanges in the 17th century through a detailed exploration of the adjustments made by missionaries in the visual representations within Chinese Catholic literature. Full article

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

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