Hasil untuk "Religions. Mythology. Rationalism"

Robbe Vermeiren

We present two algorithms for constructing orthonormal bases of rational function vectors with respect to a discrete inner product, and discuss how to use them for a rational approximation problem. Building on the pencil-based formulation of the inverse generalized eigenvalue problem by Van Buggenhout et al. (2022), we extend it to rational vectors of arbitrary length $k$, where the recurrence relations are represented by a pair of $k$-Hessenberg matrices, i.e., matrices with possibly $k$ nonzero subdiagonals. An updating algorithm based on similarity transformations using rotations and a Krylov-type algorithm related to the rational Arnoldi method are derived. The performance is demonstrated on the rational approximation of $\sqrt{z}$ on $[0,1]$, where the optimal lightning + polynomial convergence rate of Herremans, Huybrechs, and Trefethen (2023) is successfully recovered. This illustrates the robustness of the proposed methods for handling exponentially clustered poles near singularities.

Tuğberk Yakarlar, Efe Peker

Recent scholarship has studied the extensive transformation of Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) over the past two decades as embodying a form of religious populism that mobilizes civilizational antagonisms. Based on a directed qualitative content analysis of Friday sermons, official publications, online material, broadcasts, and public statements by Diyanet leaders, this article makes three contributions. First, while confirming that the Diyanet promotes the civilizational unity of the ummah and casts Turkey as the spiritual custodian of a transhistorical Islamic world, the analysis shows that anti-elitist framings characteristic of populism are barely present in its rhetoric. Second, the article provides a detailed examination of <i>gönül coğrafyası</i> (geography of the heart), a widely invoked yet understudied concept through which the Diyanet reimagines Ottoman-Islamic heritage as a sacred topography of civilizational belonging and responsibility. Third, it examines how Europe is situated both outside and within this imagined geography: at once a constitutive and menacing “other” marked by Islamophobia and cultural decay yet also a moral frontier inhabited by Muslim diasporas through whom Turkish Islam extends its reach. By drawing such symbolic boundaries, the Diyanet frames Islam as both religious patrimony and ethical alternative to Western modernity, portraying itself as a key actor in the re-sacralization of modern life across borders.

Dilpreet Kaur, Saikat Panja

If $G$ is a finite group, an irreducible complex-valued character $χ$ is called rational if $χ(g)$ is rational for all $g\in G$. Also, a conjugacy class $x^G$ is called rational, if for all irreducible complex-valued character $χ$, the value $χ(x^G)$ is rational. We prove that for $q$, a power of prime, the group $\mathrm{PSL}_2(q)$ has same number of rational characters and rational conjugacy classes. Furthermore, we verify that this equality holds for all finite simple groups whose character tables appear in the $\textit{ATLAS of Finite Groups}$, except for the Tits group.

Jan Perszon

The subject of this article is the crisis of Western culture (Christianity) in terms of its sources and consequences. The author attempts to present the diagnosis of European culture by John Paul II and Benedict XVI. They associate its crisis with the internal weakness of Christianity (the Catholic religion) and the influence of philosophical trends and ideologies with the purpose of creating a “new culture” on the ruins of the old one. Postmodern thought, which not only breaks with the rationalism of the Enlightenment but questions (in the name of individual freedom) the truth and the ability to get to know it, plays a special role in this respect. The anti-Christian narrative adopted by intellectual elites in the West, which in some manifestations becomes an ideology of secularism, is thus a consequence of philosophical assumptions. The author suggests that the popularisation of a model of life according to the principle “as if God did not exist,” i.e. the acceleration of de-Christianisation processes (e.g. in Poland) is significantly related to the development of the so-called new media, especially in the form of virtual reality.

S. Venkatesan

Stuttering is a distinct speech fluency disorder affecting people of all ages, from children to adults. Although recognized for centuries, the understanding of stuttering—including definitions, classifications, and the history of stuttering research in Eastern and Western contexts, as well as the influence of religion, mythology, and scriptures up to the 18th and 19th centuries. This bibliographic review seeks to highlight only few key developments and timelines in stuttering research. The review identified approximately 96 notable works, including books, chapters, and original research articles, from 511 sources collected through various online and offline databases. These contributions were systematically organized, coded, and analyzed according to themes, publication years, journal names, and publishers. The results were visualized using a harvest plot and followed PRISMA-2020 guidelines. The review concludes with a summary of insights and implications for future research directions.

Moh. Ashif Fuadi, Moh. Mahbub, Nor Huda Ali et al.

This research explains the Islamic revelation in the context of the synergy between fiqh and tradition. Using qualitative methods, this research concludes that: first, the pribumization of Islam is the result of the thought of K.H. Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur) by seeking harmonization between fiqh and tradition. Gus Dur referred to the compromising process of Islamization by the Walisongo in spreading Islam in Nusantara as a very effective instrument or medium in the spreading of Islam. Secondly, in the Islamic Pribumization discourse, Gus Dur used the fiqh methodology of al-'ādah muhakkamah and al-'tsābit bi al-'urf ka al-tsābit bi al-nash, which were seen as capable of paying attention to the needs present in the local culture. For example, the greeting assalamu’alaikum is interpreted in the good morning greeting only in the relationship of mu’amalah, not up to the level of worship, in the custom of marriage by carrying out the conditions of harmony, but still given space in expressing their respective cultures while not contrary to religion. Third, based on its historical flow, religious values within culture in the Pribumization of Islam substantially shifted towards the discourse of Islam Nusantara and are now transformed into one of the indicators of religious moderation, namely accommodating a local culture so that it has a relevant relationship therein.

Ronald J. Allen

Thinking in binary categories has often characterized both the Christian community and communities beyond the church. This pattern of mental operation typically sees binary categories as self-contained and often as mutually exclusive, e.g., male/female, judgment/salvation, and religious/secular. However, some interpreters call binary thinking into question and point to possibilities of more nuanced perspectives, perhaps most well-known with respect to more expansive views of gender: the categories of male and female are not mutually exclusive but are reference points among clusters of sexual and gender expression and preferences. Process theology offers preachers ways to transcend binary exclusivism. Several convictions of process thought come into play: the divine aim that all things work together for optimum becoming, the dipolar nature of God, the internal relationship of all things, and especially the perception that a binary is an invitation for creative transformation in thinking beyond the binary pattern about how the elements in the field of the binary might relate with one another so as to honor diversity as part of moving towards optimum becoming. The article begins with a statement of the problem, summarizes key elements of process thought that come into play, sketches how a preacher might seek the creative transformation of binary impasses, and brings forward three case studies of binaries that illustrate this approach in action.

Besnik Sinani

The Wahhābī movement within Sunni Islam—a substantial section of the larger Salafi movement—has been often depicted in both western academic studies and Muslim polemical writings negatively as devoid of spirituality, obsessed with a particular creedal understanding that drives its well-known salvific exclusivism, and with rigid legalism. This depiction is partly due to Wahhābism’s historical opposition to Sufism, the branch of Islamic knowledge and practices that has theorized, defined, and delineated Islam’s vision of the spiritual transformation taking place in the believer’s journey towards God. That opposition notwithstanding, the article argues that beyond terminological distinctions, one can locate in Wahhābī texts common Islamic themes of spiritual transformation. Primarily, such texts can be found in Wahhābī publications of the writings of 13th century Damascene Muslim scholars like Ibn Taymīya (d. 728/1328) and his most celebrated student, Ibn Qayyim al-Jawzīya (d. 751/1350). Building on that tradition, Wahhābī scholars have additionally produced texts that display core ideals of the Muslim spiritual goals. Such texts have additionally advanced the movement’s theological concerns and have driven the efforts towards “the purification” of Islamic sources from what Wahhābis deem to be heretical practices and beliefs accumulated throughout the centuries. Wahhābī prophetological texts, the article argues, serve as primary sources where both Wahhābī spiritual ideals and their sectarian reparatory agenda can be identified. The book of the late Saʿīd b. Wahf al-Qaḥṭānī (1952–2018), a well-known Saudi Wahhābī author of the second half of the twentieth century, <i>Raḥmatan li-l-ʿĀlamīn Muḥammad Rasūl Allāh</i>, serves as a representative text of these aims and ideals. Wahhābī spirituality, as identified in the work of al-Qaḥṭānī, has been depicted here as “normative spirituality” in order to point to its intended purpose of engendering praxis that is grounded in Islam’s well-known notion of prophetic <i>imitatio</i>.

Tomohiro Hirano, Alexis Akira Toda

"Rational bubble", as introduced by the famous paper on money by Samuelson (1958), means speculation backed by nothing. The large subsequent rational bubble literature has identified attaching bubbles to dividend-paying assets in a natural way as an important but challenging question. Miao and Wang (2018) claim to "provide a theory of rational stock price bubbles". Contrary to their claim, the present comment proves the nonexistence of rational bubbles in the model of Miao and Wang (2018). We also clarify the precise mathematical definition and the economic meaning of "rational bubble" in an accessible way to the general audience.

Evgenia Fotiou

This article examines the revitalization of the ancient Greek religion in modern Greece and the way some of its adherents approach mythology. This religious movement challenges the dominant religious discourse in modern Greece by claiming legitimacy through indigeneity, while making important arguments regarding the perceived spiritual and value crisis in their culture. At a time that right-wing extremisms and fundamentalisms are rising globally, this religious movement places emphasis on worldview and imagines a kind of citizen who engages with universal ideals while maintaining a strong connection to a unique ethnic identity. At the same time, Ethnikoi Hellenes challenge prevailing understandings of religion by making ‘logos’ or reason central to their theology. Thus, they challenge the association of Indigenous religions with “irrationality”, while pointing out the inconsistencies and irrationalities of monotheistic religions, which they consider responsible for the widespread “cultural” crisis facing humanity. The example of one group’s engagement with geomythology has been used to demonstrate that they do not conceive religion and science as contradictory but complementary, thus exhibiting transreligiosity.

Isabella Guanzini

In their different languages, codes of expression, practices and worldviews, art and religion share a reflexive intention to symbolize the chaos, suffering and ambivalence of the real. In particular, the aesthetic programme of Christianity has sought to combine the opposites of divine revelation attested in Scripture: chaos and cosmos, earth and heaven, betrayal and reconciliation, wounding and transfiguration, cross and resurrection, sin and forgiveness. This paper aims to explore this compositional dialectic, which over the centuries has oscillated between idealization and realism, despair and aestheticization, the ideology of pain and the mythology of redemption. In order to better understand this aesthetic religious programme in all its ambivalences and polarizations, reference will be made to two emblematic contemporary artists, Alberto Burri and Anselm Kiefer. Their aesthetic programme revolves around the memory of the suffering and wounds of history and in seeking to understand these develops a compassionate perspective on them. In their works, the artistic gesture is what saves reality from its horror and reveals a ‘wounded beauty’ that does not remove the signs of its struggle and contingency.

Theological engagement with quantum physics has, to this day, been dominated by the Copenhagen interpretation. However, philosophers and physicists working in the “quantum foundations” field have largely abandoned the Copenhagen view on account of what is widely seen as its troublesome antirealism. Other metaphysical approaches have come to the fore instead, which often take a strongly realist flavor, such as de Broglie‐Bohm, or Everett's “Many‐Worlds” interpretation. In the spirit of recent quantum foundations work, this article introduces a collection of studies aimed at taking quantum theology “beyond Copenhagen.” The present article advocates a commitment to “quantum fundamentalism,” which could resolve some of the enduring ontological problems faced by existing theological work with quantum mechanics, especially in discussions of quantum special divine action. Taking quantum fundamentalism literally would mean a departure from the Copenhagen interpretation, and the article suggests the need for a new research program to lay the groundwork in the natural theology of quantum foundations.

Muhammed Yusuf Akbak

Sûfîler, tasavvufî hikmetleri aktarırken kelimelerin yetersiz kaldığı yerlerde güzel sanatlardan faydalanmış ve bu sayede düşüncelerini halkın anlayabileceği şekilde aktarmaya gayret etmişlerdir. Tasavvufî düşünceyle inşa edilen sanat eserlerindeki etkileyicilik artmış ve bu eserler daha geniş alanda yayılma fırsatı bulmuşlardır. Geleneksel seyirlik sanatlar arasında yer alan gölge oyunu da sûfîler tarafından yorumlanmış, oyunda kullanılan unsurlar tasavvuf düşüncesinin aktarılması noktasında işlevsel bir araç olarak değerlendirilmiştir. Oyunun temelinin hangi kültüre dayandığı ve çıkış noktasında tasavvufun olup olmadığı tartışmalı bir konudur. Ancak Anadolu coğrafyasında gölge oyununun ortaya çıkışına dair nakledilen rivayetlerin bir kısmının Şeyh Küşterî isimli sûfîye dayanması, tasavvuf ve gölge oyunun bu coğrafya bağlamında temeldeki birlikteliğine işaret eden ögelerden bir tanesidir. Çalışmamızda gölge oyunu temelinde sûfîlerin âlemin varlığına dair değerlendirmeleri ve bu bağlamda gölge oyununun tasavvuf düşüncesini ifade etmedeki işlevselliği ortaya konulmaya çalışılmıştır. Gölge oyununda hem yapısal anlamda hem de oyunda zikredilen perde gazelleri içerisinde pek çok tasavvufî unsurun barındığı görülmektedir. Bu çalışmada oyun sadece yapısal anlamda değerlendirilmiş perde gazellerine yer verilmemiştir. Gazellerdeki tasavvufî unsurlar başlı başına hacimli bir çalışmanın konusu olmaya adaydır. Sadece oyunun çıkış noktasına dair rivayetler değil gazellerdeki bu unsurlar da gölge oyununda tasavvufun ne denli etkin bir rol aldığını sergilemektedir. Çalışmamızın giriş bölümünde gölge oyununun kökeni, Şeyh Küşterî ve oyunun temel karakterleri olan Hacivat ile Karagöz’ün tarihî ve tasavvufî şahsiyetleri incelenmiştir. Bahsi geçen isimlerin sûfî çevrelerle münasebetleri oyundaki tasavvuf düşüncesinin tesirini kavramak adına katkı sağlayacaktır. Ana metinde sûfîlerin gölge oyunu üzerine yaptığı değerlendirmelere yer verilmiştir. Oyunun temel unsurları olan gölge ile ışık metaforlarına dair İbnü’l-Arabî (ö. 638/1240) ve Mevlânâ Celâleddîn-i Rûmî (ö. 672/1273)’nin açıklamalarına değinilerek bahsi geçen sûfîlerin varlık anlayışında bu kavramların konumu incelenmiştir. Çalışmamızın son bölümünde ise sûfîlerin varlık anlayışlarını ifade ederken kullandıkları kavramların gölge oyunundaki karşılıkları ve gölge oyunun tasavvufî yapısı izah edilmiştir.

Haiyang Wang

A rational spherical triangle is a triangle on the unit sphere such that the lengths of its three sides and its area are rational multiples of $π$. Little and Coxeter have given examples of rational spherical triangles in 1980s. In this work, we are interested in determining all the rational spherical triangles. We introduce a conjecture on the solutions to a trigonometric Diophantine equation. An implication of the conjecture is that the only rational spherical triangles are the ones given by Little and Coxeter. We prove some partial results towards the conjecture.

Simen Westbye Moe

Nicaise--Ottem introduced the notion of (stably) rational polytopes and studied this using a combinatorial description of the motivic volume. In this framework, we ask whether being non-stably rational is preserved under inclusions. We prove this holds for a large class of polytopes, leading to a combinatorial strategy for studying stable rationality of hypersurfaces in toric varieties. As a result, we obtain new bounds for non-stably rational hypersurface in projective space, improving the ones given by Schreieder when the field has characteristic 0. We also obtain similar bounds for double covers of projective space and some new classes of non-stably rational varieties in products of projective space.

Umi Sumbulah, A. Purnomo, J. Jamilah

This article discusses about the dynamics of interaction and harmony among believers in 41 Christian villages spread over 15 districts in East Java. Although called the Christian Villages, they are populated by Muslims, Catholics, Hindus, and Buddhists. The social diversity is formed through kinship and marriage. The Christian villages, which are called “Pancasila Villages” and “Villages of Diversity”, are melting pots that unite all wisdom, teachings, mythology, and religious traditions. The current qualitative research conducted in Christian villages in Jombang, Malang, and Situbondo go into the following results: first, the esoteric-inclusive interpretation that religion is a way of life that directs its adherents to achieve peace and happiness becomes the basis for religious people to respect each other and guarantee religious freedom; second, interfaith awareness that all religions have an exoteric dimension in the variety of rites to approach God is a basic principle in building harmony; third, the diversity meaning of symbols in the form of values, rituals, and sacred objects are embodied in the interactions of daily life. Religious moderation manifests in tolerance, inclusivism, equality, and cooperation in various cultural spaces. Further researches on interaction pattern and level of religious moderation would be worth investigating. Artikel ini membahas dinamika interaksi dan kerukunan umat beragama di basis desa Kristen yang berjumlah 41 desa yang tersebar di 15 kabupaten di Jawa Timur. Meski disebut Desa Kristen, desa ini juga dihuni pemeluk Islam, Katolik, Hindu, dan Budha. Keberagaman masyarakat terbentuk melalui kekerabatan dan perkawinan. Basis Desa Kristen yang dijuluki “Desa Pancasila” dan “Desa Keragaman” adalah melting pot yang menyatukan semua kearifan, ajaran, mitologi, dan tradisi keagamaan. Hasil penelitian kualitatif yang dilakukan di desa-desa Kristen di Jombang, Malang, dan Situbondo ini menunjukkan: pertama, interpretasi esoteris-inklusif bahwa agama adalah cara hidup yang mengarahkan pemeluknya untuk mencapai kedamaian dan kebahagiaan, menjadi dasar bagi umat beragama untuk saling menghormati dan menjamin kebebasan beragama. Kedua, kesadaran lintas agama bahwa semua agama memiliki dimensi eksoteris dalam ragam ritus untuk mendekati Tuhan merupakan prinsip dasar dalam membangun harmoni. Ketiga, makna keragaman simbol berupa nilai, ritual, dan benda sakral diwujudkan dalam interaksi kehidupan sehari-hari. Moderasi beragama terwujud dalam toleransi, inklusivisme, kesetaraan, dan kerjasama dalam berbagai ruang budaya. Penelitian lebih lanjut tentang pola interaksi dan tingkat moderasi beragama layak dilakukan.

Burcu Barsakçı, Mohammad Sadek

Let $S$ be the collection of quadratic polynomial maps, and degree $2$-rational maps whose automorphism groups are isomorphic to $C_2$ defined over the rational field. Assuming standard conjectures of Poonen and Manes on the period length of a periodic point under the action of a map in $S$, we give a complete description of triples $(f_1,f_2,p)$ such that $p$ is a rational periodic point for both $f_i\in S$, $i=1,2$. We also show that no more than three quadratic polynomial maps can possess a common periodic point over the rational field. In addition, under these hypotheses we show that two nonzero rational numbers $a, b $ are periodic points of the map $φ_{t_1,t_2}(z)=t_1 z + t_2/z$ for infinitely many nonzero rational pairs $(t_1, t_2)$ if and only if $a^2 = b^2$.

Cátia Tuna, Isabel Costa

Michelle Blohm

On 25 December 1961, John XXIII convoked the Second Vatican Council with his apostolic constitution <i>Humanae salutis</i>, praying that God would show again the wonders of the newborn Church in Jerusalem “as by a new Pentecost”. Not six years later, in 1967, a group of students at Duquesne University in the United States prayed while on retreat for an infusion of the Holy Spirit that they might also experience the power of Pentecost. They received what they reported to be the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and out of the spiritual experiences of that retreat arose what would become an international movement known as the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. This movement, influenced by Pentecostalism, would develop its own embodied praxis of prayer that seeks a renewed encounter with the power of the Holy Spirit made manifest at Pentecost. This article analyzes the embodied prayer language of the Renewal by drawing from Louis-Marie Chauvet’s distinction between language as mediation (or, symbol) and language as tool (or, sign). It will use Chauvet’s distinction as a hermeneutic to flesh out the relationship between post-Vatican II charismatic prayer practices and their intended purpose of participating in the encounter of Pentecost.

Ibrahim Zein, Ahmed El-Wakil

There has been much speculation as to the type of calendar that was used by the pre-Islamic Arabs and the early Muslim community. The Hijrī calendar is said to have been adopted by ‘Umar b. al-Khaṭṭāb during his Caliphate despite evidence suggesting that it was instituted as soon as the Prophet emigrated to Madīnah. In this paper, we argue that a number of competing Arabian calendars existed up until 17 AH/AD 638, after which the Hijrī calendar was adopted as the definitive calendar of the Muslims. We propose that attempts at reconciling dates emanating from different calendars for major events in the Prophet’s life led to miscalculations which subsequently affected the chronology of the <i>sīrah</i>. This study ultimately argues that a purely lunar calendar was used by the pre-Islamic Arabs in parallel to a lunisolar calendar, and that specific dates reported in the covenants of the Prophet and in the historical works could shed new light in reconstructing the chronology of major events in the Prophet’s life.