For over a century, research findings have accumulated linking measures of religious identity and practice to rates of morbidity and mortality and other population-health outcomes. These studies have been conducted on every continent, have drawn on population samples of nearly all major religions and denominations, and have investigated associations with numerous overall and cause-specific rates of most major chronic diseases and acute conditions, both physical and psychiatric. Yet despite thousands of published studies and many comprehensive reviews, relatively less attention has been paid to conceptual, theoretical, and policy-related issues, notably what these studies are actually assessing, what resultant findings mean and do not mean, and why they should matter. This has contributed, in part, to the continued contentiousness of this subject within some segments of medicine and epidemiology. In an effort to clarify issues, this commentary outlines (a) the current status of exposure assessment related to religion; (b) the ways that the meaning of empirical findings are occasionally misjudged; (c) possible mediators of putative religious influences on morbidity and mortality; and (d) policy implications of existing findings. The latter includes implications for epidemiologic and population-health research, for clinical medicine, for congregational health promotion and disease prevention programs, for global health development and public health policy, and for human flourishing. In sum, this area of research can make a worthwhile contribution, but the burden is on investigators to ensure that their religious measures are validated and that findings are carefully unpacked in terms of their real-world implications for population health.
This commentary critically examines Mukundan P.R's significant work Reinventing Sanatana Dharma: The Spiritual Movement of Navajyoti Sree Karunakara Guru for a New India and a New World Order, New Delhi, India, Authors Press, 2024, Pages: 212, Rs. 500, Paperback, ISBN: 97-93-5529-976-5. The book critically reinterprets the Indian philosophical concept of Sanatana Dharma through the teachings of Navajyoti Sree Karunakara Guru, a spiritual visionary born in Kerala, India. The book challenges the traditional perceptions of Hindu philosophy, presenting Sanatana Dharma as a universal, non-discriminatory spiritual science. It explores key distinctions between Sanatana Dharma and mainstream Hinduism, addressing themes such as the spiritual evolution of consciousness, the significance of a true guru, and the reinterpretation of certain key Upanishadic concepts. While the book’s non-linear structure challenges narrative flow, its interdisciplinary approach—bridging Indian scriptures and contemporary scientific insights—offers a fresh perspective on spirituality. This review, therefore, highlights the book’s contribution to spiritual discourse and its potential to inspire a re-examination of Indian philosophy. In addition, the commentary also hints at what the author names a ‘syncretic monotheism’, which integrates the most profound principles of various religions into the overarching framework of Sanatana Dharma, contributing to sustainable development, making it an engaging resource for scholars, seekers, and readers interested in the intersection of religion and spirituality.
Most traditionalist thinkers, influenced by Sufi Islam and emphasizing the mystical aspects, believe in a shared and universal supernatural truth inherent in religious traditions. This intellectual movement, initiated by René Guénon and carried forward by figures such as Titus Burckhardt, Frithjof Schuon, Ananda Coomaraswamy, and Martin Lings, has significantly influenced contemporary comparative theology. Within the Islamic world, it intertwines with mystical currents and Eastern religious practices. These theorists express their views through Islamic architecture and art, employing illogical and emotional arguments that have led to confusion and disorder in Iran’s cultural and artistic community for many years. Critiquing Burckhardt’s views on the theoretical foundations of art and the manifestations of Islamic art and architecture reveals a tendency towards sanctification and a retreat from rationality, aiming to offer a realistic and logical assessment of the arts in the Islamic world. Traditionalists, emphasizing perennial wisdom, hold a belief in a fixed, sacred, and esoteric tradition across all human religions, perceiving a common tradition in Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Eastern Asian religions. Unfortunately, their definition of tradition diverges significantly from the Islamic understanding found in the Holy Quran, leading to gross misinterpretations and unscientific interpretations in various fields, particularly in Islamic art and architecture.
Harun Y. Natonis, Jonathan Leobisa, Rajiman Sitopu
et al.
The purpose of this research study was to find out the patterns and values of humanist learning in Christian Religious Education. The research method used was adescriptive method with a qualitative approach. The qualitative research method is a research method based on the philosophy of postpositivism, used to examine the condition of natural objects, where the researcher is the key instrument, data collection techniques are carried out in triagulation (combined), data analysis is qualitative inductive and research results. The findings of the study in conducting this research were First , the teacher educates children to understand the contents of the Bible properly and to do this correctly; Second, Mastering of teaching materials; Third, Mastering of educational principles; Fourth , managing classes; Fifth , building important positive interactions between teachers and students; Sixth, guiding and accompanying the students in their Chritian religious education. Christian education is important since it is the process through which students encounter and learn how to live through the Christian gospel of the Lord. It guides students towards a better comprehension of how they should live on a daily basis and they can
then also gain more wisdom and and then live according to God’s word.
Odey, Elizabeth Akpanke, Ekeke, Charles Emeka, Asuquo, Offiong Offiong
et al.
Pentecostal Movements are those Christian religious movements founded in the 1950s and 1960s to date. Pentecostal environmentalism focuses attention on the need to maintain the environment according to the dictate of the Christian religious injunctions. This practice is achieved through
the practice of sacred place, which is a designation of some earth surface as holy ground, and is retained for religious and spiritual purposes. These places include mountains, hills, rivers, streams, valley etc. and are deemed to possess religious mysteries and potent spiritual qualities. This practice is also observed in the Old Testament and is also part of the practice of the African traditional religions. In similar fashion, the Pentecostal movement shares many elements of traditional practices and the Old Testament, and as such sacred place has found its way into the practices of the Pentecostal movement. Environmental degradation, pollution, climate change,
deforestation are all major global challenges today. Hence, the practice of sacred places and environmental ethics are among several efforts that can be used to tackle the problem of biodiversity loss arising from a range of environmental challenges. Furthermore, Pentecostal environmentalism further engages in the debate on eco-theology. This paper, therefore, serves
as a platform to showcase the efforts of the Pentecostal movement towards ecological preservation, biodiversity conservation and the debate among scholars of eco-theology through environmental ethics and sacred places within the purview of Pentecostal religious spirituality. The paper employed a literary descriptive method since the research is qualitative in nature.
Marthen Mau, Junio Richson Sirait, Markus Amid
et al.
The spiritual growth of God's people at Gereja Kristen Setia Indonesia (GKSI) Sanggau, West Kalimantan, is urgently needed. Christian educators serving at GKSI Sanggau have an important role to play in guiding the spiritual growth of the people. To realize the spiritual growth of God's people at GKSI Sanggau, Christian educators need to play a proactive role in conveying the truth of God's word, teaching the truth of God's word, conducting evangelism, carrying out counseling,
and make visits to all God's people in their homes so as to share the truth of God's word. The problem posed is that some of God's people have not experienced spiritual growth, so Christian educators are needed to carry out their role well in overcoming various problems faced by God's people. The issues include doctrinal problems or teaching God's word at all, personal problems with families related to inheritance, problems of laziness to attend worship to God because they
prioritize traditions or customs and traditional beliefs more, close their hearts when God's word is preached in the form of teaching, some do not have good habits in reading God's word, are less effective in praying, and may often tend to prioritize their interests rather than glorifying God's name. This study aims to interrogate the role of Christian educators in guiding the spiritual growth of God's people at GKSI Sanggau, West Kalimantan so that God's people can experience
spiritual growth according to the truth of God's word. This research uses qualitative methods through data processing of interviews and relevant literature. The findings of this study are that the more serious Christian educators are in guiding the spiritual growth of God's people, the more their spirituality will take root, grow, and experience significant life changes.
In K.E. Løgstrup’s (1905–1981) theology, the point of intersection between phenomenology and systematic theology is our life experiences. In this article, Løgstrup’s way of combining phenomenology and theology is explored from the 1930s to the 1970s. The idea that life is not an amorphous abyss, but God’s creation runs like a connecting thread throughout Løgstrup’s oeuvre. This idea negating a nihilistic understanding of life requires a phenomenology of the social world that explores both the ethical and the metaphysical implications of our life experiences. Human beings are interdependent animals, and in this interdependency, an anonymous and unavoidable ethical demand makes itself present, saying that you have to take care of the life you have in your hands. Sovereign expressions of life are phenomena that support the ethical demand and the idea of creation. In the 1970s, Løgstrup broadened the perspective and explored how the universe is present in our life experiences through our bodily existence and our senses. Even so, there is not an unbroken way from these metaphysical considerations to theology. Christian Faith is based on God’s revelation in Jesus Christ. Life experiences are just the horizon against which it is possible to understand what the Christian message is. Systematic theology connects phenomenology on the one hand and the proclamation of the Gospel on the other hand.
The alchemical philosopher “Christianos” (late 6th [?] – 8th cent. CE) demonstrates that alchemical knowledge is a gift of God and describes the virtues that a philosopher-alchemist must possess to receive it. These and other Christian elements should not be considered as a Christian gloss on alchemical ideas. As a result of his exposure to the Neoplatonic mathematization of philosophical ideas, Christianos develops a precise method for defining and classifying alchemical productions on a mathematical basis. This mathematization intends to legitimize alchemy as a licit philosophical field, by presenting it as sharing similar traits with the sciences of the quadrivium. Christianos appears to have regarded this mathematical approach as a path illuminated by God through which a worthy philosopher-alchemist could partake in divine knowledge. The virtuous conduct and the mathematical method serve as two intertwined prerequisites in the pursuit of alchemical knowledge, facilitating at the same time the demarcation between true and false pursuers of knowledge.
The book Mysticism, East and West by Rudolf Otto, is one of the most important examples of comparative studies of mysticism in the world. The discussion of the East and the West and how they relate to each other is at least for Otto one of the pillars of the philosophy of religion that has been reflected in this book. Otto sees mysticism as the kinship of the east and west. The term “Nominus/ Sacred”, more than anything else, makes it possible for the Eastern-Western look to be used because it can go beyond the history and geography of religions. The nature of the western-eastern philosophy of the comparative religion of Otto first appeared in 1923, in the form of the book of the Holy Idea: The study of the irrational factor in the idea of the divinity and its relation to the rational, and then published more widely and deeply in the Mysticism, East and West, published in 1926. The book, reminding Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s famous book titled West–östlicher Divan (West–Eastern Diwan), discusses mysticism as a phenomenon that is East-West in its nature. Explaining this Western-Eastern phenomenon, Otto compares the Hindu Mystic Shankara to represent eastern mysticism and the Christian Mystic Eckhart to represent western mysticism and seeks to provide a model for understanding the truth of the religion and comparing religious thinkers.
Indo-Iranian languages and literature, General Works
The history of ancient Rome has been a set topic in Brazilian high schools since the nineteenth century, with a strong emphasis on two related themes: the Roman Empire and the rise of Christianity. This paper discusses how the schoolbooks currently in use in Brazil put forward a cohesive narrative in which Christianity appears as the only genuine religion in the Roman Empire, and, conversely, they downplay the historical significance of the other religions practiced in the Roman world. This paper, which builds on the methodological insights of Reception Studies, analyses the schoolbooks endorsed by the Brazilian government through the National Program of Schoolbooks (PNLD-2018) within the wider context of Brazilian political and religious traditions, and argues that the dominant teaching paradigm purposefully naturalises the Christian religious dominance in Brazil.
One of the causes of war and bloodshed over many centuries is the disparity of religions and religious wars. The Rumi with praiseworthy skill, scientifically and principally, explains the causes of the emergence of these wars and the ways of infiltration and the ways of dealing with them in the form of two fascinating and comprehensible stories. Rumi in two stories: "The king of Judah who killed Nazarene with passion" and "The other king of Judah who tried to destroy the religion of Jesus" introduces two models of hard and soft war to root out sectarian and religious wars from the standpoint of world principles and politic techniques. In this research, the following items were investigated by the techniques of psychological operations (soft war) and hard one: «1) - characteristics of hard and soft war, 2) -the factors of creating war from Rumi's viewpoint, 3) -the psychological operations tool (soft power) and soft threat, 4) -the tool of hard war, 5) -the components of soft war in sectarianism and the creation of proxy war. The result is that Rumi, as an expert and experienced politician, has been rooting and discovering why and how these wars and their continuity throughout the ages rang the bell to prevent the destruction of religion and the influence of demons in the world of politics and power over the centuries.
Hagia Sophia has a history of 1500 years. It has been used as a church for nearly 1000 years and has become a crucial symbol of the power of the Byzantine Empire as well as being a center of worshipping for Christians. The symbolic power of Hagia Sophia, which was used as a mosque for 482 years and was conquered by Ottomans, is important. The conquest of Istanbul has been designated by Prophet Muhammed as a 'heralded victory' or 'chosen destination' and therefore, it has a very different meaning for the Islamic world. It was converted into a museum on November 24, 1934. This decision can be interpreted as neutralizing the space in terms of religion or as an effort to compromise. The issue of whether Hagia Sophia is to be reopened as a mosque or not is discussed from time to time in nationalist-conservative discourse. It has been a monumental place that has important symbolic meanings for different religions and empires throughout history and has caused victories, sadness, joys, losses and collective traumas. These old-world traumas are instrumentalized again in the new world. In this paper, the subject will be discussed in the context of political anamnesis.
Abstract Background Respect for patients’ autonomy is usually considered to be an important ethical principle in Western countries; privacy is one of the implications of such respect. Healthcare professionals frequently encounter ethical dilemmas during their practice. The past few decades have seen an increased use of courts to resolve intractable ethical dilemmas across both the developed and the developing world. However, Chinese and American bioethics differ largely due to the influence of Chinese Confucianism and Western religions, respectively, and there is a dearth of comparative studies that explore cases of ethical dilemmas between China and the United States. Methods This paper discusses four typical cases with significant social impact. First, it compares two cases concerning patient privacy: the “Shihezi University Hospital Case”, in which a patient was used as a clinical teaching object without her permission, and the “New York-Presbyterian Hospital Case”, in which the hospital allowed the filming of a patient’s treatment without his consent. Second, it compares two cases regarding patient autonomy and potentially life-saving medical procedures: the “Case of Ms. L”, concerning a cohabitant’s refusal to sign a consent form for a pregnant woman’s caesarean, and the “Case of Mrs. V”, concerning a hospital’s insistence upon a blood transfusion for a dissenting patient. This paper introduces the supporting and opposing views for each case and discusses their social impact. It then compares and analyses the differences between China and the United States from cultural and legislative perspectives. Conclusions Ethical dilemmas have often occurred in China due to the late development of bioethics. However, the presence of bioethics earlier in the US than in China has not spared the US of ethical dilemmas. This paper highlights lessons and inspiration from the cases for healthcare professionals and introduces readers to the role and weight of privacy and autonomy in China and in the US from the perspectives of different cultures, religions and laws.
The concept of apocalypse is well established in all the major religions of the world, be they Semitic religions (which include, Judaism, Christianity and Islam) or Hinduism. The underlying idea behind the concept in all the religions remains the same, that is, the world will come to an end. The end itself, which has been called the Judgment Day, Day of Resurrection, or the Day of Retribution or Reckoning will be preceded by some signs. It has also been called the day of Apocalypse, the day when the whole world will be destroyed. One of the distinct forms of it is Muslim Apocalypse about which a lot has been written. However, the argument of the present research paper shall be to examine the concept of the Mahdi (a.s) primarily from the Shi’te Muslim point of view. The premise of the argument is that Shi’te argument or concept of the Mahdi (a.s) is far more substantial having a solid theoretical foundation than the other perspectives about it. No wonder, therefore, the concept of the Mahdi (a.s) has manifested itself in literature across cultures and ages. There are so many poets, primarily, Muslim poets who have highlighted this concept in their poetry and thus the research paper shall make an attempt to look at some of those poets and their understanding of it.
The Jewish apocalyptic literature that first appears in the Hellenistic period and continues into the Common Era developed a radically novel view of the future. As formulated in the apocalypse of 4 Ezra about the end of the first century CE, the Most High created not one world but two. This world must be utterly destroyed and replaced by a new creation. This view of the future is inherited in the New Testament, most strikingly in the Book of Revelation. It would have enormous but ambivalent implications for western history. On the one hand, it threatened to undermine the importance of working for a better life in this world. On the other hand, it offered hope to those who would otherwise have no hope at all.
Barnehagen som samfunnsinstitusjon har gradvis fått større betydning, ikke minst som følge av den store utbygningen som fulgte i kjølvannet av barnehageforliket i 2003. Barnehageplass er i dag å anse som et allment velferdstilbud. Utviklingen av barnehagen som samfunnsinstitusjon har dermed ført til et større behov for forskning. I denne artikkelen fokuseres det på forskningen på et bestemt felt knyttet opp mot barnehagen, nemlig religions- og livssynsfeltet. Hensikten er å gi en systematisk oversikt over foreliggende forskning i perioden 1996–2018. 1996 var året Barne- og familiedepartementet publiserte en forskrift med tittelen Rammeplan for barnehagen. Den la til grunn en mer detaljert
plan for det pedagogiske arbeidet enn det som var gjort tidligere, og førte samtidig til en økende forskningsinteresse på feltet. I den perioden som er undersøkt, er det gjort til sammen 25 forskningsarbeider av ulik størrelse og omfang, inkludert syv forsknings-
baserte lærebøker. Bildet er nyansert, men det er en tendens til at det blir gjort mer forskning på religiøst og livssynsmessig mangfold i barnehagesammenheng, enn på kristen tradisjonsformidling og kulturarv. Et resultat av forskningsoversikten er ellers at det foreligger relativt lite forskning på religion og livssyn i barnehagen sammenlignet med skolefeltet.
Nøkkelord: barnehageforskning – forskningsoversikt – religions- og livssynsdidaktikk – Prismet – høytidsmarkeringer
Abstract:
The significance of the kindergarten as a social institution has gradually increased, due not least to the major expansion that came in the wake of the Kindergarten Agreement of 2003. Today the kindergarten is regarded as a universal welfare service provision. The development of the kindergarten as a social institution has therefore increased the need for research. This article focuses on research in a specific field related to the kindergarten, namely that of religion and world views. The intention is to provide a systematic summary of available research from 1996 to 2018. It was in 1996 that the Ministry of Children and Family Affairs issued a regulation entitled the Framework Plan for the Content and Tasks of Kindergartens. The plan for pedagogical practices set out in the regulation was more detailed than ever before, and generated a growing interest among researchers in the field. In the period examined in this article, a total of 25 works of research of varying scope were conducted, including seven research-based textbooks. Although the general picture is nuanced, the tendency that emerges is that the research focuses more on religious and philosophical diversity in kindergartens than on the transmission of Christian traditions and cultural heritage. The summary of the research also reveals that the scope of research into religion and world views in the kindergarten sector is small compared with that in the school sector.
Keywords: Early Childhood Education Research – Research overview – Religious Education – Prismet – Christian Traditions and Cultural Heritage
Məqalədə, ilk növbədə, Ə.Hüseynzadənin “türkçülük, islamçılıq və müasirlik”ideyası ilə bağlı fikirləri öz əksini tapmışdır. Onun türklük və islamlığı hansıanlamda vəhdətdə götürməsinin səbəbləri göstərilmişdir. Eyni zamanda, buradaƏ.Hüseynzadənin nədən “osmanlı türkçülüyü” ideyasını müdafiə etməsinin nəzərifəlsəfi əsasları da araşdırılmışdır. Məqalədə göstərilir ki, Ə.Hüseynzadə “türkçülükislamçılıq və müasirlik” və “osmanlı türkçülüyü” ideyalarını irəli sürməklə nəinkiAzərbaycan türkçülüyü ideyasına qarşı olmuş, əksinə, Azərbaycan milli ideyasının(azərbaycançılığın) nəzəri-fəlsəfi əsaslarının formalaşmasında təkanverici roloynamışdır. Təsadüfi deyil ki, Azərbaycan Xalq Cümhuriyyətinin üçrəngli bayrağıda Ə.Hüseynzadənin ideyaları əsasında qəbul edilmişdir. Məqalədə o da qeyd olunurki, Ə.Hüseynzadə yalnız Azərbaycan türkləri üçün deyil, bütün Türk Dünyasımiqyasında dəyərli bir mütəfəkkir olmuşdur.
Religion (General), Philosophy of religion. Psychology of religion. Religion in relation to other subjects