Sugihyono, Nicolien Meggy Sumakul , Mangiring Sinaga
et al.
This study explores the phenomenon of the Star of Bethlehem as described in Matthew 2:1– 12 through an interdisciplinary lens that integrates scientific inquiry and theological interpretation. Employing a qualitative, literature-based method, the research critically examines various astronomical hypotheses—including planetary conjunctions, comets, and supernovae—alongside symbolic and theological readings grounded in biblical and patristic sources. The findings demonstrate that naturalistic explanations fail to fully account for the unique characteristics of the star, such as its guided movement, selective visibility, and stationary positioning above a specific location. In contrast, theological interpretations suggest that the star may represent a supernatural or angelic manifestation, functioning as a divine sign of revelation. This study concludes that the Star of Bethlehem is best understood as a theologically significant event that transcends empirical categories, offering a model for engaging sacred texts through both scientific and spiritual frameworks.
In August 1990, Pope John Paul II issued the Apostolic Constitution, Ex corde Ecclesiae (born from the heart of the Church), on the identity and norms governing Catholic universities. Article 4 of the introductory section of that document stresses the honour and responsibility of a Catholic University, including those in Africa, to consecrate itself without reserve to the cause of truth. his truth contains the meaning of nature, mankind and God, and all of their relationships. It anchors freedom, the role of religious faith, the dignity of every human person, cultural dialogue and justice. Echoes of Ex corde Ecclesiae and related ecclesiastical documents that serve as instruments of truth and justice are heard and amplified in the 2018 Apostolic Constitution, Veritatis Gaudium (the joy of truth) of Pope Francis. In the light of these documents and rooted in sacred scriptures, this article discusses some long standing socio-political, economic, religious, ethical and cultural challenges and elements of falsehood and injustices confronting Africa and her institutions. In attempting to offer remedies to these challenges, this work engages in a biblical, contextual and theological reflection on the notions of truth (ʾǝmet, alētheia) and justice (mišpāṭ, dikaiosynē). It aims at fostering and inspiring God's saving hope that does not disappoint (Rom 5:5; 8:24), among readers in Nigeria, as well as promote growth in the mission of the Church in Africa and beyond.
Background. The article is devoted to the study of the so-called parody religions. Parody religions are religious movements that have gained popularity under the influence of mass culture at the beginning of the 21st century, the purpose of which is to mock and reduce to absurdity the doctrines and ritual practices of world religions through protest forms.
Purpose. The purpose of the study is to find out the potential for institutionalization of parody religions and their consolidation as the full-fledged participants in the socio-cultural and religious life in Russia.
Methodology. The work uses the method of expert interviews. Nine specialists (including Doctors of Philosophy and Doctors of Science) in the field of philosophy, psychology, religion, and mass media were selected as experts.
Results. The following conclusions were made in the work. The main purpose of creating parody religions is self-expression of young people and their unification in the fight against theism; the main factors of creation are secularization, westernization of Russian culture, and urbanization. The degree of influence of parody religions on Russian public culture is insignificant. Despite the lack of need for legal regulation of parody religions, they require public control, prevention of their transformation into destructive sects, etc.
Practical implications. The results can be applied when lecturing in the sociology of culture and the sociology of religion. The practical implication lies in the possibility of using separate materials of the work in the implementation of state confessional policy.
EDN: LPNXDR
Dr. Fednand-Manjewa M'bwang, Professor Ernest Van Eck
The study attempts to pursue the shifting focus of New Testament scholarship concerns from Biblical criticism models to contextualization perspectives of bible reading that reflect African contextual and existential challenges. Scholars have conceived the leper's narrative as reflective of either application of Jesus' divine power, or manifestation of God's empire, or, a pattern of service to God and humanity, which indicates a shift of focus from traditional biblical criticism toward modern contextualization of Biblical text approach. This contextualization shift compels the use of qualitative data collection and analysis methodology comprising grounded theory informed by oral narratives and biblical theology. Thus, this research poses the question: how can we contextualize the African cultural healthcare system in biblical narratives to procure a transformative evangelical engagement that resonates with the biblical theological significance of Jesus? Mijikenda healthcare practices, often involve traditional healing methods, can in ways be compared to Christian healing such as the role of one’s faith, prayer, and the use of spiritual and physical remedies. However, there are also very significant differences, especially concerning the source of healing power and the role of intermediaries such as ancestors. The thesis proposed for this study is that contextualizing African cultural practices to procure a transformative evangelical engagement, compels the use of biblical theological-based universal significance of Jesus Christ to evaluate the uniqueness of culture. The reading of the leper's narrative in the contexts of a biblical worldview and Mijikenda cultural HCS to procure an evangelical engagement in tune with biblical theological significance of Jesus Christ, points to interdisciplinary study of religion that blends cultural perceptions with Christian Christological perspectives. This approach imparts hermeneutical skills for using biblical narratives to effect inter-cultural church missions.
There have been controversies about Christians’ disposition towards political leadership or civil authorities. The Apostle Paul (Romans 12:14-13:1-10) instructs Christians to submit to political authorities; given that certain Christians had shunned all restraint because of their heavenly calling and lost respect for earthly authorities. The burden of this study is the appropriate attitude required from adherents of Christianity towards unfair, ungodly, and despotic leaders. Christians are facing high-level of opposition and marginalization in Nigeria
especially in recent times. For instance, most scholars usually treat Romans 13:1-10 thus neglecting Romans 12:14-21. Whereas Romans 12:14-21 is the preceding part of Romans 13:1-10. Therefore, the study employed a historical-critical reading of Romans 12:14-13:10 as a composite unit and its applicability to Christians’ socio-political responsibilities in Nigeria. Primary data is elicited from the Bible with the aid of exegetical tools, while secondary data were sourced from works referencing the selected biblical text and on political governance in
Nigeria. Data was content-analysed within the ambit of a phenomenological approach whereby attention is placed on Christians’ disposition towards political leaders and civil authorities. Political obligation theory has been found appropriate and deployed for this study. Hence, the paper recommends that Christians should avoid contemptuous or indifferent disposition to civil authorities and political leaders. Christians occupying political offices should
enliven their Christian virtues amidst persecution and repression.
With the increased availability of streaming services and access to international content a feature of today’s media consumption, can social media be used to explore the potential of global cinema to inform audiences about religion and society? As a media form, movies play a role in educating as well as entertaining society at large; narrative arcs from Bollywood, Hollywood, and beyond inform audiences about contemporary religious concepts. This research makes use of a practice-based journalistic methodology to explore the educative role movies can play in informing audiences about religious and societal concepts; the researcher produces a creative artefact appropriate for the discipline of journalism (in this instance, a social-media-based curated collection of movie reviews), with a contribution to the wider knowledge that is contextualised by this study. Using a deductive approach, the researcher narrows down an initial list of films, from a global selection of cinematic output, that covers religious and societal themes through a range of lenses (such as characters’ well-being, trauma, religious practice, and cultural values). The concepts and ideologies explored through this study and the construction of a social-media-based movie database suggest that cinema can play an active role in informing audiences about religion and society, instead of merely entertaining across cultures. The concepts and ideologies explored in this paper, through the construction of a social-media-based movie database, show that religious and societal issues in movies can be an important aspect of the lives of millions in the cinema-going audience.
This article discusses the meaning of faith and kufr from the perspective of Islamic theological schools. Faith and kufr in particular in the four main schools, namely Mu'tazilite, Murjiah, Ash'arite and Maturidiyah. Some of the important themes focused on in this article are amal
(action), sahadat (confession of testimony), tasdiq (convincing belief), and ma'rifah (sincerely believed knowledge). Despite differences in views, all traditions recognize the importance of the concepts of faith and kufr as foundational in religious practice. Tolerance and mutual respect within this diversity of views are key to maintaining ukhuwah islamiyah in Muslim religious life. This article reviews the views of four schools of Islamic theology on faith and kufr. Mu'tazilites emphasize that faith is not only related to belief, but is also influenced by good deeds as a reflection of sincere faith.
Meanwhile, the Murjiah consider faith to be in the
heart and not bound by deeds, but rather by beliefs believed in the heart. Ash'arites attribute faith to belief in the heart and recognize the importance of deeds in strengthening faith and earning God's pleasure. On the other hand, the Maturidis emphasize the importance of a
sincere understanding of faith and kufr, which will affect the way one practices faith on a daily basis. The formulation of the problem in the article is how can the spirit of ukhuwah islamiyah be maintained in the diversity of views on faith and kufr among Muslims? Despite the
differences in views, this article emphasizes the importance of tolerance and mutual respect
in maintaining Islamic brotherhood in the religious life of Muslims. By respecting each other's
differences, Muslims can live in harmony and peace, practicing their respective religions with
understanding and compassion. the spirit of ukhuwah islamiyah can be maintained in the
diversity of views on faith and kufr among Muslims.
Timotius Bakti Sarono, Tjerlang Munir, Sutrisno
et al.
One must never forget that it is God alone who has ultimate authority over all things in heaven and on earth. The power of the Church is based strongly on discipleship that is entrenched in individuals and their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. In general, the term Christianity as a supernatural religion is still in some ways foreign to the ears of the church of God. Even supernatural concepts may be considered heretical if they are not understood correctly. Where there is a lack of information about the mystical supernatural world, everything that smells of occultism is convicted as a violation of the second law and is considered as a sin. Supernatural Christianity actually invites people back to the church of God to find the essence of their spirituality
that is manifested in "intimacy" by God’s creatures in daily life. The research method adopted in this study was a descriptive qualitative method in which some of the literature related to the topic of supernatural life in Christianity was analysed. The results of this study indicate that Christians are a representation of God's own presence because the knowledge of the Creator God is all present in the Lordship of Christ. The search for the Creator in the supernatural universe is not an endless search, but a clear search with a definite identity found in Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. The church must invite the congregation to fall down in peace in the presence of God so
that the bond between God and His church can be strengthened and then the Church of God will be able to practice the teachings of God more fully in the lives of believers’. Believers must master the gifts of the Holy Spirit and use them to strengthen their own theological identity, while they
should also practice the different spiritual gifts in a personal way that allows them to introspect and serve God in spirit and in truth.
Already in the oldest cultures, numbers were used not only for counting, but humans used them to tame and organise the world and attributed to them magical, mystical and causative powers. It is difficult to characterise all cultural and linguistic areas in which the number three plays a very important role and performs many functions. Out of necessity, this article will limit itself to selected ones: various contemporary and past religions; folk culture; sports; children’s rhymes and counting books; phraseological idioms, proverbs and maxims. Triads occur extremely often in the physical and mental world of many societies, because the number three is considered lucky, perfect, often even sacred, basic in many areas of life (among others in folklore, in fairy tales, in literature, in games and plays, spells, aphorisms, wishes).
The article examines the role played by Arab traders in the spread of Islam on the east coast of Africa in the 19th century. The impact of Arab culture on the modern life of the people of East African States is also being considered.
The history of the spread of Islam is more than a thousand years old; in this work, special attention is paid to the study of the period of the Muscat rule of Zanzibar, the influence of the Arabs also on the economic, social, political, cultural (linguistic) spheres of the local population (African tribes). It also examines the impact of Arab culture on the modern life of the population of East African states.
The relevance of the topic is based on the fact that at the moment there are about two billion Muslims, which makes the youngest of the world’s religions the second largest adherents, after Christianity; the origins of the spread of Islam are still of interest to scholars of the Arab world, as well as researchers of the world community. This explains the range of sources and literature chosen by the author – the works of Arab, English-speaking and Russian scientists.
History of Africa, Ethnology. Social and cultural anthropology
Since the middle of the 20th century, Christian churches have been involved internationally in development activities. In recent years, international agencies and national governments have recognised the role of religions in international development. This article reviews theological views on international development. For this purpose, official documents of the Roman Catholic Church, the ecumenical movement and the World Evangelical Alliance/Lausanne Movement are compared regarding concepts of development and its role in the mission of the Church and views on the world and humankind, actions and actors of development and eschatology. The study finds wide agreement in many aspects, but also some differences between the theological traditions. It discusses theological aspects that are relevant for the praxis of Christian development work and identifies issues that may need further research.
Christianity, Practical religion. The Christian life
This article unpacks aspects of the Eucharist and how it is understood in various churches using a literature study methodology. It also looks at the notion of the “people of God’. The Greek word εὐχαριστία (eucharistia), means "thanksgiving", appears fifteen times in the New Testament and is a critical aspect of the Christian faith. The weekly celebration of the Eucharist on Sunday’s is an requisite activity of the Church because the Eucharist establishes the
Church as the Body of Christ. The Eucharistic celebration is also known as the Divine Liturgy and is believed to impart the actual Body and Blood of Christ to the faithful. In the act of communion, the entire Church, those past, present, and even forthcoming are unified in eternity. It is the source of her life, the superlative act of her thanksgiving and of her sacrifice of praise to the creator God. The Holy Eucharist is the very core of Christian life, and the
means by which each believer is nourished by God's grace and tender mercy. At the Divine Liturgy, the Church is continuously changed from a human community into the Body of Christ, the temple of the Holy Spirit, and the holy People of God.
En época pisistrátida se produce en Atenas una profunda transformación cultural que afectó al mundo religioso, pues los tiranos procuraron integrar en la pólis los rasgos de la cultura rural. Así los cultos rurales se transforman para atender a las necesidades de la nueva vida urbana. De este modo se fomentó el desarrollo del teatro como fenómeno integrador del campo en la ciudad.
The article deals with symbolic and archetypal aspects present in three missionary churches built during the period of Jesuit-Guarani cultural fusion, under an imaginary perspective, based in Gilbert Durand’s anthropological theories and Mircea Eliade’s history of religions. This investigation sought to interpret the architectural remnants present in photographs, taken by the author, of the missionary churches selected, in an attempt to understand their symbols and archetypes. The investigation field was composed of churches ruins from three reductions that occupied part of the current territories of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, considered World Heritage by UNESCO. It was decided to carry out a bibliographic search, with published documents and visual sources, which indicates the state of conservation of an old piece today. Since symbols and archetypes are timeless, the epistemological choice that allowed looking at the past from a contemporary perspective is considered relevant. The approach chosen for the investigation is of a symbolic hermeneutic nature. The article introduces the theme, deals with the epistemological and methodological aspects of the research, presents the symbology observed in the images of the buildings photographed and makes the final considerations.
As the profile of religions in the world is changing rapidly, religious diversity is becoming a more common phenomenon nowadays in almost every society. Indonesia and European Union (EU) are not an exception to be more diverse and plural societies. Although religious diversity gives such richness of culture in society, religions are known as vulnerable entities. Many social problems caused by religions brought about various conflicts and violent actions on a big scale and also numerous hostilities, discriminations, and hatred on a small scale. Many regulations have been issued to address such social tensions both in Indonesia and the EU. However, many conflicts, hostilities or discriminations are recurring in both Indonesia and EU states. Interestingly, in many cases, hostilities and discrimination even done by the apparatus of the state. The current paper is dedicated to explore how these countries deal with religious diversity and whether there are social tensions and discriminations occurred. Religion as a common phenomenon in the world should be seen more as a challenge for every country rather than a contentious threat.
The objective of Islam is to establish economic equality, social justice, and fairness in all spheres of the life of individuals and societies. Islam put a very clear prohibition on slavery and discriminated social grades and caste-systems, and asserts on the human dignity through the golden principles of universal brotherhood among all human and gave a special honor to the women. These principles are considered integral parts the UN charters and constitutions of civilized world for establishing exploitation free society. In the view of Islam, in the divine religions as well, all races of human, white and black or brown are born from Adam and Eve. Allah, the almighty creator, has made them vary in colour, language and has placed them in different lands, but before Him they are all one and cherished by Him alike, and he is most honoured who is most righteous. Islam described the rights and duties of all kinds of people as all are equal in gender as human being. This paper examines the rights of individual in the lights of Holy Quran specially Surah al-Nisa verse 36 and the Sunah specially the last sermon of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
En este artículo se trata el papel del santuario de Apolo Amicleo en la configuración de la realidad social lacedemonia, la expansión espartana por Laconia y Mesenia y en los acuerdos exteriores en el contexto del papel cívico del Amicleo. Asimismo, también se trata cómo estos hechos han afectado a la configuración de los ritos que tienen lugar durante las Jacintias.
The foreign invaders have come to occupy Sindh always time to time. There is no instance in the history that any one belonging to Sindh soil has invaded on any country of the world. Many religions and cultures erupted on the other soil, and flourished on the soil of Sindh. The people of this soil have shown their hospitality, generously and respects for all the human being but in return they have got atrocity, brutality and unkind response from these foreign invaders. The people of Sindh have got their Sufi nature. The 10th century of Hijra was the country of foreign invaders who occupied Sindh made the Sindh in the chains of slavery and detritus. The mind, thoughts, education, culture and history of Sindh. The 10th year of Hijra proved be the worse. And full of ups and downs of the history of Sindh.
<p>How to understand the growing population, in Brazil and in the world, of those without any religious affiliation: the so-called irreligious people? Are we entering a non-religious or post-religious era, in which the only thing left from traditional religions all over the world, is an introspective spirituality of silent meditation? Doesn’t this modelization of religion serve the omnipresent system of capitalistic domination – and its liberal “gospel”? Religious education, in the complexity context of this new “global village”, with its religious and post-religious pluralism, could or should deal only with the pedagogical dimensions between and beyond all faith traditions? Are we moving into the possibility of a general theology of religions and a post-religions theology focused on spirituality, which goes beyond not only one religion but religions as such? Or is this kind of theological pretension nothing more than a (wrong) philosophy of history? This paper attempts to give the first answers to these questions, exploring post-regional and transreligious theories, as the starting point.</p>