{"title":"Dialogueness – A Determinant Attribute of Philosophical, Artistic and Religious Consciousness of Pope John Paul II","authors":"R. Gorban","doi":"10.1080/10477845.2021.1979303","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10477845.2021.1979303","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract To reveal the dialogical nature of personalistic discourse of John Paul II based on the principles of religious studies, and thrash out the contribution of the Catholic thinker to the development of shared intentions of modern culture. The study is carried out using ideographic and biography-based methods, specific for humanitarian perception. They enabled to find out and reveal the main intention of creative life of 264th Pope and monadic nature of his personality. As a result of the analysis of philosophical works, papal documents and biographical facts about Wojtyla, the study proves that he confirmed dialogueness, a shared intention of the new civilization, implementing his personal vocation in his philosophical and pastoral activity. The materials of the study can be a useful source when solving the issue, bound with self-discovery, creative life and implementation of personal vocation under conditions of sudden core paradigm change. Philosophical legacy of John Paul II is researched under the context of new anti-postmodernist tendencies for the first time. It is emphasized that he became involved in the formation and development of the new civilization on a dialogical principle through his philosophy, artistic and pastoral activities, arisen from dialogueness as the basic property of his consciousness.","PeriodicalId":35378,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Religious and Theological Information","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48484744","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The New Dharma: A Select Bibliography of Secular Buddhism","authors":"Wayne Finley","doi":"10.1080/10477845.2021.1963072","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10477845.2021.1963072","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract In 1997, Stephen Batchelor published his ideas about a new form of Buddhism free of religion in the book Buddhism Without Beliefs. This concept of Buddhism would later be known as Secular Buddhism. Since then, Batchelor has published several books explaining the ideals of Secular Buddhsim. Other authors examing Secular Buddhism include Noah Rasheta, Sam Harris, and Robert Wright. This article presents a general overview of the themes of Secular Buddhism, author biographies, and reviews of their respective works related to Secular Buddhism.","PeriodicalId":35378,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Religious and Theological Information","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48476970","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Symbolic Efficacy of Plants in Rituals and Socio-Religious Ceremonies in Morocco, Northwest of Africa","authors":"N. Chaachouay, L. Zidane","doi":"10.1080/10477845.2021.1942433","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10477845.2021.1942433","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Religious ceremonies and practices have long influenced human perceptions and uses of nature. Plants in particular play a prominent role in rituals and socio-religious practices and provide the cultural and historical depth of these relationships. Understanding human-floral relations is often fundamental to the cause of meaningful wildlife conservation. This research aims to investigate the cultivated and wild plant species used for rituals and religious purposes among the Moroccans, and to further understand the symbolism of these rituals. Intensive fieldwork was carried out between January 2016 and January 2020 in different parts of Morocco by an investigation approach, applying different tools such as semi-structured interviews, individual interviews, field observations, participation in the ritual activities, and published papers. The scientific name of plant species was identified using standard and relevant literature. The results revealed the Moroccan people possessed a sound knowledge of the ritual plants and the great diversity of plants used in many Morocco rituals and religious ceremonies. From the results, we identified a total of 112 plant species used for rituals and socio-religious ceremonies. These rituals and religious purposes plant species were classified into 21 categories. The most frequently mentioned families were Apiaceae (10 species), followed by Fabaceae and Lamiaceae. This study demonstrates that many plant species play an important role in rituals and socio-religious ceremonies in Morocco. However, further research is recommended for an in-depth understanding of the role of the links between traditional uses of plant resources and the conservation of biodiversity.","PeriodicalId":35378,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Religious and Theological Information","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10477845.2021.1942433","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42957691","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Nations Shall Come: Accounts of Western Christian Pilgrimage to the Holy Land","authors":"R. Ridinger","doi":"10.1080/10477845.2021.1929283","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10477845.2021.1929283","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The practice of journeying as a pilgrim to the Holy Land pursuant to religiously defined and sanctioned purposes and objectives within Christianity has generated a significant body of cultural institutions and artifacts during the last two millennia. Access to the complex range of experiences and knowledge encountered by the traveler for the sedentary literate population of western Europe took the form of personal accounts, a genre whose initial structure drew upon the travel writing of the late Roman Empire. This article explores the creation and evolution of pilgrimage stories from the fourth to the twenty-first century, the varied array of women and men (both laity and clergy) who wrote them, and examines the research literature based upon them in the humanities and social sciences.","PeriodicalId":35378,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Religious and Theological Information","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10477845.2021.1929283","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44140623","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Analysis of Friday Sermon Duration: Intellectual Reflection of Classical and Contemporary Islamic Scholars","authors":"A. H. Usman, Azwar Iskandar","doi":"10.1080/10477845.2021.1928349","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10477845.2021.1928349","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Long Friday sermons in Malaysia have existed and functioned every week with no changes in terms of the quality of the sermon presentation. Indeed, the assessment of the quality of Friday sermon (khuṭbah) delivery is often linked to the process of preaching over the pulpit. Many stakeholders still question the quality of sermons because Muslims must listen to them as part of fulfilling the requirement of attending Friday’s prayer. Furthermore, some of the congregation falls asleep during Friday sermons due to the influence of the times like hectic work schedule, and a less pleasant atmosphere in the mosque. Given this situation, the current article analyses the Hadiths that discuss the delivery duration of the Friday sermon. Based on a content analysis of sermons, this study finds that both classical and modern scholars agree that shortening the sermon is a sign of one’s expertise in religious affairs. This is because the congregation tends to be less focused on receiving a sermon if the delivery is too long. Furthermore, the attractiveness and presentation of the Preacher (Khaṭīb) are based solely on solemn sermon texts, while the issues conveyed do not follow current developments.","PeriodicalId":35378,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Religious and Theological Information","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-05-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10477845.2021.1928349","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48138700","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Presence, Manifestation, and Visitation in Abrahamic Religions: The Notion of “Presence” in Shi’ism","authors":"SeyedAmirhossein Asghari","doi":"10.1080/10477845.2021.1926629","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10477845.2021.1926629","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Robert Orsi’s History and Presence identifies a major lacuna in the modern understanding of religion. If secularism is characteristic of the modern era, Orsi argues that it is not the absence of the faith. Instead, it is the approval of a certain kind of religion in which the \"real presence,\" an interaction of sacred, metaphysical realm in the everyday life of the faithful, is ignored. While considering Orsi’s critique, this paper investigates the notion of presence in Shīʻī Islam along with a brief study of similar notions in Catholicism and Judaism. This paper argues that the notion of presence or ḥuḍūr plays a significant role in everyday life of Shīʻī Muslims and attempts to define it according to the context of visitation prayers and the narrations of the Shīʻī Imams. It moreover suggests that this overlooked aspect in the modern study of religion could provide grounds for a more empathetic dialogue of religions.","PeriodicalId":35378,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Religious and Theological Information","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10477845.2021.1926629","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48844620","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Komerad Martin: Luther as an East(ern) German","authors":"Wendell G. Johnson","doi":"10.1080/10477845.2021.1924946","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10477845.2021.1924946","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Martin Luther was an east German, a fact often overlooked or ignored. He was born and died in Eisleben, studied in Erfurt, and launched what would become the Reformation in Wittenberg, broadly dated with the posting of the Ninety-five Theses on the door of the Castle Church in 1517. He was sequestered as “Junker Jörg” in Eisenach, his mother’s hometown, because of his refusal to recant his theology at the Diet of Worms (1521). While there (more precisely at the Wartburg), he translated the New Testament into German (1522). Luther used a form of middle German spoken in the Saxon court, which Luther claimed was the most widespread dialect. He used popular German, rather than scientific or academic German. By the end of the 1520s, over 10,000 copies of his translation of the New Testament had been sold throughout Germany. Also in eastern Germany, Luther and Philip Melanchthon composed the so-called Torgau Articles, the basis of the Augsburg Confession (1530), in Torgau, where Luther’s wife, Katharina of Bora, is buried. The present study discusses resources on Luther’s life and teaching within the geographical context of the former German Democratic Republic. Also included is a survey of East German historiography on the Wittenberg Reformer.","PeriodicalId":35378,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Religious and Theological Information","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10477845.2021.1924946","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46843303","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mohammad Mohsen Zarifpooya, Fatemeh Sadrnabavi, M. Fouladiyan
{"title":"Transformations in the Mourning Rituals of Muharram among Afghans Residing in Iran (Mashhad)","authors":"Mohammad Mohsen Zarifpooya, Fatemeh Sadrnabavi, M. Fouladiyan","doi":"10.1080/10477845.2021.1921922","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10477845.2021.1921922","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Among the significant contributions that religious rituals make are the production and reproduction of the identity and culture for the residents of a society. Some of the factors emphasizing the importance of examining the formation and modification of mourning rites of Afghan refugees include the marginalization of the Afghan refugee community in Mashhad, the need for creating a social network for identity restoration, and the impact of the mourning ritual on the production and sustainability of this social category. This study investigates the transformations in the mourning Muharram rituals among the Afghans residing in Mashhad and evaluating the relation of these transformations with the host societies. In this study, 12 Afghan immigrants living in Golshar (an area in Mashhad, were selected to participate in interviews. Given the cultural sensitivities of the geographical setting, it is vital to note that these participants were all male. The results of the study demonstrate considerable qualitative and quantitative transformation in the mourning ceremonies.","PeriodicalId":35378,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Religious and Theological Information","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10477845.2021.1921922","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43886054","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Review of “The Qur’ān: What Everyone Needs to Know®”","authors":"R. Halaseh","doi":"10.1080/10477845.2021.1904371","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10477845.2021.1904371","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":35378,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Religious and Theological Information","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-04-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10477845.2021.1904371","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45160090","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Animal Imagery in the Satanism of Anton LaVey","authors":"G. Andrade","doi":"10.1080/10477845.2021.1876334","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10477845.2021.1876334","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The Church of Satan has used animal tropes recurrently. This article analyzes some of the most important animal representations that Anton LaVey came up with, both for esthetic and ideological purposes. Seizing on the long traditions of Satanism, LaVey embraced goat imagery to a significant degree. He also chose this particular animal for its associations with Pan, and the themes surrounding sexuality. Likewise, he embraced the snake, lion, and panthers. Yet, his choice of animal symbolism went beyond the esthetic. As he established the Church of Satan, LaVey hoped to construct an ideology that would emphasize humans’ animalistic aspect. In this endeavor, he also made use of animal imagery.","PeriodicalId":35378,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Religious and Theological Information","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-04-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10477845.2021.1876334","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42379020","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}