Abstract Rare genetic diseases presently impose substantial challenges to the world healthcare system.These fatal disorders affecting considerable number of population all over the world. India is a diverse country with multiple communities, religions, and traditions which have co-existed for centuries and due to high migration rate as well as interracial marriage system, the mutant alleles responsible for different genetic diseases have spread during time periods. Since the background of the genetic diseases is constantly changing, it is important to point out newly arrived genetic diseases. There is scanty report available on real research and health related policies associated with the rare genetic diseases. The limited clinical information and lack of proper reliable epidemiological data make the timely diagnosis and therapeutic approach more difficult. Relevant research is meager in developing countries that make it really challenging to estimate the exact burden of the rare genetic diseases. Moreover, there are many suspected cases where the diagnosis is not possible due to lack of appropriate diagnostic facility and clinical resources in this region which in turn causes tremendous psycho-socio-economic stigma and suffer life-long illness. In recent days, emerging Next- Generation DNA Sequencing (NGS) technology have enhanced our knowledge regarding the patho-physiological understandings to overcome the ignored health issues. In this review, the major challenges and obstacles associated with rare diseases in India together with highlighted and the methods for conducting successful molecular genetic studies in the field of diagnosis and treatment. Under this context, it is essential to take steps for tracking these diseases in holistic and comprehensive manner.
This article provides a thorough examination of indigenous theology in Indonesia by focusing on the following six belief systems: Kejawen, Sunda Wiwitan, Kaharingan, Marapu, Ada’ Mappurondo, and Parmalim. The study considers their concepts of god, the cosmos, rituals, ethics, and the interplay of their religion with hegemonic faiths and state politics. Guided by a postcolonial lens and indigenous theory, this article illustrates the complexity of Indonesian identity involving religion and highlights the contradiction of how syncretic and multi-dimensional it defies the rigid frameworks ascribed to religion. Such an examination also shows how the state engages with these beliefs is often more of a calculated scheme than genuine goodwill. Following the 2017 Constitutional Court ruling, there was a significant increase in legal recognition, but there is still a lack of social acceptance, discrimination, and other legal social challenges. This study advocates for a more inclusive and decolonial lens when examining the Archipelago’s asserted spiritual scarcity, as well as the role of indigenous theology in fostering social and ecological harmony.
Olena Kravchuk, Natalia Serbina, Andrii Bozhkov
et al.
The study was devoted to investigating the specifics of interreligious relations in medieval Ukraine during the 12th-17th centuries, particularly the interaction of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim communities in Kyivan Rus and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The research methods included a comparative historical analysis, which allowed assessing the differences in the legal status of Christians, Jews, and Muslims in different periods of the medieval history of Ukraine. The study results showed that interreligious relations in medieval Ukraine were characterised by a complex structure that included both social integration and conflict processes. Christianity served as the main institutional mechanism that ensured the legitimation of state power, regulation of public relations, and the development of a regulatory framework. Non-Christian religious communities, especially Jewish and Muslim ones, had a special legal status that ranged from obtaining economic privileges to introducing discriminatory norms and legal restrictions. The Orthodox and Catholic denominations competed for dominance in the religious and political space, which was manifested in the desire to gain the support of secular elites and the population. The conclusion of the Union of Brest in 1596 was an important factor that contributed to the transformation of the confessional landscape, which, in turn, led to the deepening of disagreements between Orthodox and Catholic traditions and the activation of socio-religious contradictions.
Local religion adherents in Indonesia, are facing multidimensional challenges amidst majority domination, such as discrimination from the state and non-state actors (communities and religious organizations). This situation shows the neglect of minority rights in religion and belief. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the resilience of local religious adherents to non-affirmative state policies, social and symbolic resistance, as well as the capacity for adaptation and transformation using a case study method. The result showed that local religion adherents used coping strategies, developing culture adaptations by integrating global religion values without compromising local identity, and transforming through solidarity networks among adherents as a minority group to enhance societal welfare. These results confirmed the ability of local religion adherents to interact with, and adapt to global values, while maintaining the spirituality and integrity of the society. By developing an optimistic attitude and hope for a more just future, collective resilience through society solidarity is a necessity as an effort to maintain the beliefs rooted in the Javanese philosophy of life. In addition to broadening theoretical insights, this study provides a practical understanding of the importance of the state and wider society in developing an inclusive space for religious freedom, respecting plurality, and protecting minority rights.
Abrar Adhani, Emi Triani, Yofiendi Indah Indainanto
et al.
Mosques have an important role in the spiritual value of Muslims. The effort to transform the Mosque into a multifunctional center that contributes to the welfare of Muslims in Medan City is a step in restoring the center of Islamic civilization in the Mosque. This condition can be realized with the independence of the Mosque that does not depend on aid. The problems of welfare around the Mosque, infrastructure, and legal issues faced by the Mosque in Medan City are obstacles to bringing independence. Independent Mosques that aim for social welfare and economic development of the community around the Mosque have challenges in their development. The research method used in this study was descriptive qualitative and involved collecting data from interviews, observations, and document analysis. The research findings show that in strengthening the identity of Muslims, independent mosques have a positive impact on encouraging community welfare and overcoming social problems in the environment around the Mosque. The motivation of the Mosque manager determines the quality of service in providing education, economic empowerment, and health. The intensity of collaboration in encouraging independent Mosques can increase community independence and trust as a step towards making the Mosque not only a place of worship, but also a center of Islamic civilization. It is important to ensure the benefits of sustainable social impact by fulfilling the criteria of an independent Mosque in providing religious services and maintaining religious values.
In Ethiopia, the period from the late 16th and 17th Centuries has caused a controversy because some consider this period as Ethiopia’s recovery from religious, civil conflicts as well as sectarian discord, while others including Kofi Darkwah (1975), define it as a continued descent prosses for the empire. In line with this disagreement, factual information can speak for itself in the course of this study. Emperor Susenyos (1572-1632 CE) was a strong supporter of
Catholicism, yet his son, Fasilidas (1603-1667 CE) as his successor, reinstated Ethiopian miaphysite Orthodoxy. The establishment of Gondar as the permanent capital in 1636, is an event heralded by Henze (2000) as the onset of an Ethiopian Renaissance, particularly in artistic, architectural, and musical domains. After Fasilidas’s demise, his son, Yohannes I reigned from 1632-67 CE. Yet, it was Fasilidas’s grandson, Iyasu I the Great (r. 1682-1706 CE), who distinguished himself through extensive architectural projects, notably transforming
Gondar into a captivating city. Iyasu I’s assassination caused significant turmoil in Gondar, subsequently resulting in a gradual loss of political power. When Iyasu I’s son, Bakaffa (r. 1721-1730 CE) ascended to the imperial throne, the arts - namely, chant (zema), poetry (qene), interpretation (tergum) and refinement of the court minstrels’ music had already been supported and vigorously promoted. However, it was Bakaffa’s wife and later widow, Mentewab (1706-1773 CE), who emerged as the pivotal figure in this Ethiopian “Renaissance”. Additionally, the diverse styles of Ethiopian iconography sponsored by Mentewab, some adorned with elements reminiscent of the decorative style of the Rococo period, illustrate the queen’s remarkable aesthetic standards.
The research on Mentewab, also known as Welete Giyorgis, has been guided by portrayals in iconographies, chronicles, paintings, testimonials from church builders and castles, and indirectly by information provided in texts such as Kebre Negast, and Fetha Nagast. To this end, special attention has been drawn on Mentewab’s legacy as the founder, protector, and patron of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Narga Selassie, renowned for its resplendent Qwara style that fused European, Islamic, and Indian elements while retaining strong Ethiopian traits. With special attention to the iconographic representations of Queen Mentewab as the ktetor of Narga Selassie Church, the study explores symbolic significances embedded within relevant creations and artistic styles. By contextualising them within their historical framework, this analysis explores Mentewab’s influence on her contemporary politics, religion, art, and literature in Ethiopia.
Ayobami Precious Adekola, Itumeleng Daniel Mothoagae
Despite the implementation of a school-based sexuality education programme meant to promote learners' sexual and reproductive health (SRH), the incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STI) and teenage pregnancy is increasing rapidly in South Africa. This phenomenon can be
observed in rural schools such as those in King Cetshwayo district in the Kwazulu Natal Province. We argue that it is critical to investigate the contextual factors that influence the effectiveness of sexuality education in these schools, which ultimately impacts the learners' sexual health
outcomes. The paper applies an information-motivation-behavioural skills model as its theoretical paradigm for this qualitative, phenomenological study. In 2020, nine focus group interviews were conducted to gather in-depth experiences and perspectives from a purposively sampled group of
learners in the study setting. The analysis of the collected data was guided by the interpretative phenomenological analysis framework. The results indicated that the religious antecedents of learners and teachers and the activities of faith-based organisations in the study setting influence
the acceptance or rejection of sexuality education messages. Based on the study findings, we argue that Christianity as a colonial religion has functioned as both a barrier and an enabler of effective school-based sexuality education. Therefore, we recommend that the paradoxical
effects of religion on school-based sexuality education be addressed by optimising the enhancing effects and mitigating the inhibiting effects on sexuality education programmes in the research setting. We also propose that leaders of faith-based organisations be considered critical stakeholders in the implementation of a school-based sexuality education programme, hence the need for continuous engagement.
The aim of the article is to examine one of the neglected areas in the spatiality of religion, the spatial distribution of religious institutions and the changes that have taken place in this relation over time in the case of Debrecen, a specific city in Hungary, which has hosted several religions both in the past and present. The main findings are discussed in five subsections concentrating on five consecutive periods. During the period under study, the number of institutions run by churches increased steadily until the Second World War. This process was interrupted after the Second World War, and partly as a consequence of the world war (with the deportation of Jews to concentration camps) and partly due to the anti-religious nature of the socialist regime, there was a significant decline followed by a resumption of expansion after 1990. Regarding the location of the institutions within the city and its changes, there were significant differences between the various types of institutions (e.g., churches, administrative centres, kindergartens, elementary and grammar schools). Research primarily relied on document analysis and fieldwork.
In Norway, religious education (RE) is a non-confessional and common core subject that should be taught in an objective, critical, and pluralistic manner. As a primary school subject, students learn about a variety of religions and worldviews together in the same classroom. The inclusive framing intends to provide an intercultural space in which the students can enhance their understandings of the beliefs of people whose worldviews differ from their own. Consequently, the subject has privileged an outsider approach, wherein students should learn about religion in a non-partial way, that is, not from religion. However, the claim for objective, critical, and pluralistic teaching still calls into question the role of learning from religions. First, an outsider approach has been criticized for promoting a dated view on learning, ignoring pedagogical knowledge on how students learn. Second, the latest national curriculum states that RE should not only provide students with in-depth knowledge about world religions, but also foster personalized learning experiences. Against this background, the paper asks how the concept of experiential learning in the tradition of Freire, Dewey, and Vygotsky invites a reflection on the ways by which the Norwegian RE subject is passed on most meaningfully in a diverse learning context.
With the introduction and conclusion, the article is divided into two parts. The first part shows in an almost schematic way how this ecclesiastical document came into being. The second chapter presents the most important theological and other ecclesiastical themes that are important for the understanding of this document: the Trinity; the Sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist; the visible unity of Christians which is a gift of God; the joint proclamation of the Gospel in the world; rapprochement; the purification of historical memory; mutual prayer; the achievement of unity in faith; shared responsibility on the European continent; the importance of the defence of migrants and the created world; the importance of dialogue with Jews, Islam and members of other religions.
History and principles of religions, Practical Theology
<p><b>Globally, over 65 million people have become involuntary displaced from their homes, their families and their livelihoods, victims of socio-political and cultural conflicts, manmade and environmental disasters. A global crisis is unfolding on an unprecedented scale.</b></p> <p>Refugee camps are today’s architecture of displacement, monuments of human suffering. The architectural language of the refugee crisis is one of grids of tents, tarpaulins and containers; a language of lightness and vulnerability. This failed architecture of displacement may be seen as an opportunity to re-evaluate how architecture may respond global crises. </p> <p>This thesis therefore aims to construct an innovative, adaptable infrastructure that responds to the global migration crisis. Slavoj Žižek’s idiosyncratic text ‘Against the Double Blackmail’ is taken as an intellectual provocateur for the research process. Žižek offers a highly speculative and radical response to global mass migration, affirming a utopian reconstruction of society as our only option to resolve this global crisis. Therefore, the architectural construction of ‘utopia’ as a highly poetic and symbolic response to the global migration crisis is examined and developed.</p> <p>The research is set in Istanbul, a geographical and cultural meeting point between Eastern and Western civilisations, and an international hub for refugees. The site itself is located in the ruins of St. Polyeuktos, an ancient, abandoned and dilapidated church in the centre of the cityBoth analogue and digital drawing are embraced as design methodologies to examine the architectural representation of Žižek’s utopia. The thesis culminates with a dynamic, sculptural formal expression of Žižek’s utopia, through the construct of an Institute of World Religions.</p>
Rev. Dr. Humphreys Frackson Zgambo (Research Fellow NWU)
The church government in the New Testament deals with how ecclesiastical authority, operations and order were exercised in the church. The historical and Scriptural principles for church government suggest flexibility in orientation. Evidence for church government from the early New Testament Church is inconclusive. Nowhere in the Scriptures do we find an exclusive picture related to any of the fully/ officially developed systems of church government
today. In the New Testament Church, there was no such a thing as highly hierarchical, clerical and ecclesiastical power. The principles of church government for the Supremacy of the reign of Christ in organization and operation characterized the New Testament Church. From a Reformed church perspective, the characteristics of hierarchicalism, clericalism and
ecclesiastical power are rejected in entirety.
The art of illumination and ornamentation of Qur’an manuscripts is evidently influenced by Manichean book art. According to the results of the latest studies, the first time that the ornaments, images and generally beauty of books mattered in history of Iran (and probably history of the world) was in Manichean religious texts, thus naturally the influences of this innovative technique lasted in subsequent eras. Following the advent of Islam in Iran (7th century AD), many of these acquirements were utilized for its art of adorning books, especially for writing the holy Qur’an. The manner of proving and representing the mentioned influences is the main core of the current article. Usually, finding roots and origins is an interesting and, at the same time, difficult issue, which includes seeking and finding the roots of different ideas or arts. One of the most critical challenges in this research and other studies in ancient subjects is that because of the antiquity of the time and the topic, it is almost impossible to provide any theory with certainty; although much effort has been made to base the content on valid documents and certain assumptions. Some of the images in the article are taken by the author and some of them are received from available sources. It was intended to provide a detailed view of the process of influence of Manichean art book on handwritten Qur’ans in the early centuries of Islam while categorizing the impresses. Current study can lead researchers to more extensive investigations in similar fields. The art of the Muslim artists had been mainly focused on calligraphy and inscriptions. One of the reasons which can explain the popularity of calligraphy as well as illumination is the restrictions that would not allow some of the other types of art. The ornamentations and illuminations in the Islamic-era manuscripts, including the holy Qur’an, had been very basic during the first centuries, but gradually developed into more complex and varied shapes and motifs. On the whole, this development may be categorized in two general epochs of the earlier basic works and the later more complicated ones. The focus in this paper is bestowed upon the earlier more basic Qur’ans. The characteristics of the book art are different in each era: it is uncomplicated and more basic in the 4th century, consistent in the 5th and 6th centuries, profound and splendid in the 8th century, and detailed and luxurious in the 9th and 10th centuries. However the art which was employed by Manicheans in the mid-3rd century AD, to adorn their religious books, was taken by Muslim artists about four centuries later. Even some researchers believe that following the decimation of Manichean communities, a considerable number of their artists had been appointed by Muslim rulers to produce and create artworks in their own styles at their workshops. Continuation of the Manichean art is thus evident in the Ghaznavid and Seljuk eras, as well as in the art of the Mughals, until its peak and zenith in the Ilkhanid era. The artistic style of the Ilkhanid-era miniatures is clearly reminiscent of the detailed quality and characteristics of the Manichean art. This kind of art, turned into one of the most important Islamic arts, or in other words, the most significant Islamic art, for reasons mentioned in the article. The main purpose of the given topics, images and analysis is to find out: 1. if the Manichean book art had a recognizable effect on Islamic art book, and 2. if so, how can we describe and classify different types of these effects of the Manichean book art on the Islamic book art? At the end we try to explain the mentioned influences that can be divided into several principal categories. In this paper, after introducing a brief, but important background for the discussed beliefs and arts, we represent the central subject and conclusion. To gain a deeper understanding of works of art (especially the religious ones) it is essential to know the beliefs behind them, so it is recommended for interested readers to study about the thoughts and philosophies of the two mentioned religions of Manichaeism and Islam. As examples of the discussed influences (of Manichean book art on book art of Qur’ans in early centuries of Islam) we can point out the following elements: using the blue background, gilding books, favoring oblong letters in writing the texts, adorning headings, and utilizing punctuations or very little decorations in lines. By studying the above mentioned elements in detail, it is possible to comprehend these influences. This study can be an introduction to later investigations on impressions of religious arts on each other in different lands and eras.
The notion of inequality arises in the process of comparing objects and usually characterizes the difference of the objects in terms “more” or “less”. The inequality of people and economic entities in society can both stimulate and suppress the initiative. It, as different processes and phenomena, has its positive and negative effects. On one hand, an inequality stimulates the successful development of a number of members and groups of a community. That is a positive effect. But such progress is at the expense of some other members and groups of a community. That is a negative side of an inequality. Some elements and parts of the community degrade, collapse, disappear. In this article we regard the Russian Federation, its population and regions, and some foreign countries as subjects of inequality. Some of the dangers of geopolitical inequality for the economy of Russia and of inequality in the country for the Russians and the subjects of the Russian Federation are discussed in the paper. The author says that geopolitical inequality destabilizes the world community, threatens the peaceful existence of different countries, Nations, cultures, religions. Inequalities in the development of constituent entities of the Russian Federation and tremendous gap in incomes and property status of Russians, induce a risk of growth in the number of law violations, public discontent, social unrest and class stratification of society.
This article attends to ecumenicity as the second reformation. The ecumenical organisations and agencies hugely influenced the theological praxis and reflection of the church during the past century. The First World Council of Churches (WCC) Assembly in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, has been described as the most significant event in church history since the Reformation during the past decade. We saw the emergence of two initiatives that are going to influence ecumenical theology and practice in future, namely the Receptive Ecumenism and Catholic Learning research project, based in Durham, United Kingdom, and the International Theological Colloquium for Transformative Ecumenism of the WCC. Both initiatives constitute a fresh approach in methodology to ecumenical theology and practice. Attention will be given in this article to conciliar ecumenism, receptive ecumenism, transformative ecumenism and its implications for the development of an African transformative receptive ecumenism. In doing so, we should take cognisance of what Küng says about a confessionalist ghetto mentality: ‘We must avoid a confessionalistic ghetto mentality. Instead we should espouse an ecumenical vision that takes into consideration the world religions as well as contemporary ideologies: as much tolerance as possible toward those things outside the Church, toward the religious in general, and the human in general, and the development of that which is specifically Christian belong together!’
Between 1945 and 1980, evangelicals emerged as a key political constituency in American politics, helping to form the Religious Right and work for the election of Ronald Reagan and other conservative Republicans. This article argues that they embraced a distinctive type of revivalist nationalism, centered around the mass revival. Case studies of Billy Graham, Bill Bright, Jerry Falwell, and Ronald Reagan offer a narrative of postwar revivalist nationalism and demonstrate that evangelicals renegotiated the relationship between personal salvation and national renewal during this period, facilitating their mass entry into partisan politics. Billy Graham presented in his early crusades an unsophisticated assumption that mass conversion would lead to national renewal. Later revivalists such as Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, sought to reorient revivalism toward directed political organization, leading in the 1970s to decreasing emphasis on personal conversion and increasing focus on the political process. By the 1980 presidential election, the Religious Right had completely abandoned the priority of personal conversion and sought instead to revive the “principles” of a Christian America. Ronald Reagan embodied this principle-oriented revival, and helped crystalize a revivalist nationalism that remains embedded in contemporary evangelical politics.