Journal Description
Religions
Religions
is an international, interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed, open access journal on religions and theology, published monthly online by MDPI.
- Open Access— free for readers, with article processing charges (APC) paid by authors or their institutions.
- High Visibility: indexed within Scopus, AHCI (Web of Science), ATLA Religion Database, Religious and Theological Abstracts, and other databases.
- Journal Rank: CiteScore - Q1 (Religious Studies)
- Rapid Publication: manuscripts are peer-reviewed and a first decision is provided to authors approximately 22.8 days after submission; acceptance to publication is undertaken in 4.6 days (median values for papers published in this journal in the second half of 2023).
- Recognition of Reviewers: reviewers who provide timely, thorough peer-review reports receive vouchers entitling them to a discount on the APC of their next publication in any MDPI journal, in appreciation of the work done.
Impact Factor:
0.8 (2022)
Latest Articles
Research on Buddhist Cosmology from the Perspective of Religious Comparison
Religions 2024, 15(6), 694; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15060694 (registering DOI) - 3 Jun 2024
Abstract
With regard to the assertion of the nature of the world, primitive Buddhism advocates “all phenomena that arise from causes” and opposes the existence of “God” or “Creator”, who created everything in the universe, which is significantly different from monotheistic beliefs such as
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With regard to the assertion of the nature of the world, primitive Buddhism advocates “all phenomena that arise from causes” and opposes the existence of “God” or “Creator”, who created everything in the universe, which is significantly different from monotheistic beliefs such as Brahmanism, Christianity, and Islam and is therefore often called “atheism”. This paper introduces the Buddhist cosmology of Mount Sumeru and the tri-sahasra mahā-sahasra lokadhātu under the perspective of comparative religions and the first human beings who came to this world from the ābhāsvara-deva as recorded in the Buddhist scriptures and explores the question of whether Buddhism is atheistic. It is believed that the key to the debate between Chinese and Western scholars on whether Buddhism is atheistic is the difference in understanding the concept of “God”. Buddhism does not deny the supernatural power of “ghosts and gods”, so its essence is still theism.
Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Otherness-Reception and Self-Rediscovery in the Dialogue and Comparative Study of Christianity and Buddhism)
Open AccessArticle
Beyond Fun: The Need for Emotional Balance in Children’s Worship
by
Daniel Jesse
Religions 2024, 15(6), 693; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15060693 (registering DOI) - 2 Jun 2024
Abstract
This paper examines the emotional balance in children’s worship and the need to move beyond the focus on fun. The author argues that while having fun is important, it should not be the main focus of worship. This paper discusses the myth of
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This paper examines the emotional balance in children’s worship and the need to move beyond the focus on fun. The author argues that while having fun is important, it should not be the main focus of worship. This paper discusses the myth of the always happy child and the consequences of adults trying to regulate the feelings of children. The author suggests that children need to be given space and opportunity to use their own voice and shape their emotions. This paper concludes that churches should listen carefully to what children want and need in their services and adjust their ministry accordingly. The children should have a say in how their worship is done and their opinions need to be respected.
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Open AccessArticle
Technology and Sacrifice
by
Massimo Leone
Religions 2024, 15(6), 692; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15060692 (registering DOI) - 31 May 2024
Abstract
This paper investigates the complex relationship between technology, religion, and sacrifice, positing this last term as a pivotal concept for understanding the evolution and impact of technological advancements. Through a detailed examination of various cultural and religious frameworks, it explores how artificial intelligence
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This paper investigates the complex relationship between technology, religion, and sacrifice, positing this last term as a pivotal concept for understanding the evolution and impact of technological advancements. Through a detailed examination of various cultural and religious frameworks, it explores how artificial intelligence and other modern technologies both challenge and redefine traditional notions of the sacred and the profane. By analyzing historical and contemporary practices, the study highlights the paradoxical role of sacrifice in the digital age, serving as both a metaphor for the loss inherent in technological progress and a foundational principle that shapes the ethical landscapes of innovation.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rethinking Digital Religion, AI and Culture)
Open AccessArticle
Responses to Climate Change and Natural Disasters in Pre-Modern Korea: Missional Implications for the Korean Church
by
Bright Myeong Seok Lee
Religions 2024, 15(6), 691; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15060691 (registering DOI) - 31 May 2024
Abstract
The relationship between natural cycles and human actions in causing climate change and its impacts on society have been a subject of debate. This paper explores the responses of pre-modern Koreans to climate change and natural disasters. The focus of this paper is
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The relationship between natural cycles and human actions in causing climate change and its impacts on society have been a subject of debate. This paper explores the responses of pre-modern Koreans to climate change and natural disasters. The focus of this paper is on the societal reactions to these natural calamities and disasters during the Koryŏ dynasty (936–1392 A.D.) and their influence on Korea afterwards. This paper investigates the reasons behind the retention of primal religious worldviews in the face of ecological crises while other major imported religions were abandoned. The research method involved in this paper is archival research, and the literature sources include ancient records and other ecotheological resources. Through an analysis of the archival research and ecotheological resources, this study sheds light on the interpretation of climatic events in pre-modern Korea. Furthermore, based on the research findings, it presents missional implications for the Korean church in the post-pandemic era. This study underscores the importance of the church’s responses to environmental awareness, collective responsibility, and spiritual support in addressing the challenges of climate change and provides missional implications for the Korean Church in response to the post-COVID-19 era based on the results of the research.
Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Religion and Spirituality in Times of Crisis)
Open AccessEssay
Christianity and Anthropogenic Climate Change: A Broad Overview of the Catholic Church’s Response and Some Reflections for the Future
by
Mariana Roccia
Religions 2024, 15(6), 690; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15060690 (registering DOI) - 31 May 2024
Abstract
Religions play a key role in shaping our worldviews, values, and behaviours and this includes our interactions with the environment. Fuelled by the development of the technocratic paradigm, Christianity has historically received a bad reputation for perpetuating anti-environmental views. Nonetheless, the development of
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Religions play a key role in shaping our worldviews, values, and behaviours and this includes our interactions with the environment. Fuelled by the development of the technocratic paradigm, Christianity has historically received a bad reputation for perpetuating anti-environmental views. Nonetheless, the development of ecotheological strands and the emergence of faith-based organisations focusing on climate justice have aided in producing the much-needed environmental reformulations. As such, this paper seeks to provide a broad overview of the role of Christianity in shaping worldviews, from those hindering environmental action to more contemporary ecotheological approaches discussing climate change, particularly Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato si’. Christianity’s preparedness to navigate climate change will be theorised in relation to empirical evidence and the work of European faith-based organisations, as well as the methodological opportunities that the field of ecolinguistics can offer to inform effective communication.
Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion and Planetary Climate Crisis)
Open AccessArticle
Melito of Sardis on Tyranny and the Reign of Marcus Aurelius
by
Chrysovalantis Kyriacou
Religions 2024, 15(6), 689; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15060689 (registering DOI) - 31 May 2024
Abstract
The article examines perceptions of tyranny in Melito’s On Pascha and Apology, both written under Marcus Aurelius (161–180). This is the first systematic treatment of a key theme in Melito, approached not only from a theological perspective but also in the context
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The article examines perceptions of tyranny in Melito’s On Pascha and Apology, both written under Marcus Aurelius (161–180). This is the first systematic treatment of a key theme in Melito, approached not only from a theological perspective but also in the context of the Second Sophistic and Roman political developments. By proposing a more precise dating for On Pascha, we trace the development and consistency of Melito’s thought and arguments in regard to the relationship between Roman Empire and Christian communities in Asia Minor during the second half of the second century CE.
Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Early Christian Communities: Exploring Theological Diversities before Christian Empire)
Open AccessArticle
The Christology of Cyril of Alexandria
by
Daniel A. Keating
Religions 2024, 15(6), 688; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15060688 (registering DOI) - 31 May 2024
Abstract
Cyril of Alexandria is best known for his teaching on Christ (Christology). Beginning with the wider soteriological framework for Cyril’s teaching on Christ, this study will first establish the core principles and then move to consider contested and controversial aspects of Cyril’s Christology.
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Cyril of Alexandria is best known for his teaching on Christ (Christology). Beginning with the wider soteriological framework for Cyril’s teaching on Christ, this study will first establish the core principles and then move to consider contested and controversial aspects of Cyril’s Christology. By drawing attention to Cyril’s frequent statements that the Incarnate Christ acts both “as man” (as a human being) and “as God”, I will offer support for there being two active natures in Cyril’s view of Christ and will propose that Cyril’s Christ acting “as man” opens the way for recognizing the specific human activity of Christ that is intended as a model for human imitation. The study will conclude with considerations on the wider ecumenical impact of Cyril’s Christological doctrine.
Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Christology: Christian Writings and the Reflections of Theologians)
Open AccessArticle
Interdependency and Change: God in the Chinese Theology of Xie Fuya (1892–1991)
by
Kenpa Chin
Religions 2024, 15(6), 687; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15060687 (registering DOI) - 31 May 2024
Abstract
Xie Fuya (1892–1991), a major Chinese Christian thinker, has contributed much to the development of Sino-theology. However, his work has yet to receive the recognition it deserves. As a thinker who is well-versed in both Chinese and Western philosophies while dedicating himself to
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Xie Fuya (1892–1991), a major Chinese Christian thinker, has contributed much to the development of Sino-theology. However, his work has yet to receive the recognition it deserves. As a thinker who is well-versed in both Chinese and Western philosophies while dedicating himself to the exploration of the philosophy of religion, Xie presents a dual feature in his writings. On the one hand, his work engages in a dialogical discourse between Eastern and Western philosophies. On the other hand, his writings represent an ambitious attempt to interpret traditional Chinese philosophical tenets within the context of Christian theology, transverse from the level of human nature to the level of ontological existence, representing an innovative model of contemplation in the field of Sino-theology. This contribution is of immense value to the development of Chinese philosophical thought. For this reason, this article attempts to illustrate, through Xie’s writings in various stages of his life, his relentless effort to promote the integration of Eastern and Western philosophies within the framework of Chinese thought. His most notable accomplishment in this East–West confluence effort is his unique assumption of God’s attributions as both zhonghe (literally “middle harmony”, connoted as interdependency by Xie) and bianyi (change).
Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue History and Theology of Chinese Christianity)
Open AccessArticle
Revisiting the Institution of Bnay and Bnoth Qyōmo in the Syriac Tradition
by
Malatius Malki Malki
Religions 2024, 15(6), 686; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15060686 (registering DOI) - 31 May 2024
Abstract
A group of Syriac Christian believers existed during the fourth century called the Bnay Qyōmo (with their female counterparts known as the Bnoth Qyōmo): the Sons and Daughters of the Covenant. There has been considerable controversy about the nature of this archaic
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A group of Syriac Christian believers existed during the fourth century called the Bnay Qyōmo (with their female counterparts known as the Bnoth Qyōmo): the Sons and Daughters of the Covenant. There has been considerable controversy about the nature of this archaic Syrian monastic movement or, as it is known to some scholars, the Syriac “Proto-Monastic Tradition”. The controversy has not only been about the name, but also the origin, habits, and ascetic way of life of the Bnay Qyōmo. The intention of the present article is not to elaborate on the various terminology used to describe the Bnay Qyōmo or the nature of their vows and expected duties as introduced by Aphrahat and other Syrian Fathers, for these have been studied by many scholars. Rather, the intention of this article is to review some of the material discussing this group by key Syriac Fathers to present a fresh reading of the historical record to better apprize the order’s regulations and its social and ecclesiastical roles within the Syriac-speaking Church during the fourth and fifth centuries AD. The main Syriac writers who dealt with this topic were Aphrahat, known as “the Persian Sage” (ca. 260–345), and Rabūla, Bishop of Edessa (flor. 420s). Whilst the order appears to have declined by about the eighth century, understanding the roles of the Bnay Qyōmo during the earlier period (the focus of this writing) is crucial for explaining the development of the Syriac Tradition.
Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Patristics: Essays from Australia)
Open AccessArticle
Dealing with the Trustworthy Gospel in a Post-Christian Australia
by
Peter Christofides
Religions 2024, 15(6), 685; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15060685 (registering DOI) - 31 May 2024
Abstract
What is truth? We have entered another period fraught with Gospel confusion—beyond postmodernism to what can be called “post-Christianity”. This is not unusual—so we should not be overwhelmed. This happens periodically, as early as Gal 1:9: “If anybody is preaching to you a
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What is truth? We have entered another period fraught with Gospel confusion—beyond postmodernism to what can be called “post-Christianity”. This is not unusual—so we should not be overwhelmed. This happens periodically, as early as Gal 1:9: “If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned”. It is all a question of the Gospel, or put another way, evangelism (the communication or announcing “the good news of God”). Evangelism is proclaiming and living a distinct message of Jesus Christ. Jesus is Himself the embodiment of the “good news”. The Gospel has been challenged, eroded and corrupted over the centuries—yet rediscovered by those who practice exegesis of the Biblical record of the New Testament. This article moves on to look at how secular philosophy—rather than Christian philosophy—and other “forms of the truth” have influenced the current situation we find ourselves in.
Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Continental Philosophy and Christian Beliefs)
Open AccessArticle
A New Voice of German Nationalism: An Analysis of Friedrich Schleiermacher’s Nationalist Expression, 1799–1813
by
William Stewart Skiles
Religions 2024, 15(6), 684; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15060684 (registering DOI) - 30 May 2024
Abstract
Friedrich Schleiermacher emerged as a prominent advocate for German nationalism in the Wars of Liberation from Napoleonic domination in the early nineteenth century. Alongside his work as a pastor and theologian in Berlin, and also as the co-founder of the University of Berlin,
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Friedrich Schleiermacher emerged as a prominent advocate for German nationalism in the Wars of Liberation from Napoleonic domination in the early nineteenth century. Alongside his work as a pastor and theologian in Berlin, and also as the co-founder of the University of Berlin, Schleiermacher developed German nationalism from a distinctly Protestant perspective, one that sought the preservation of Protestantism in the German lands under Napoleonic domination. While it would be an overstatement to suggest that Schleiermacher’s nationalism was anti-Catholic, he certainly sought to preserve and maintain Protestantism in the German lands. His vision of the German nation-state emphasized Germany’s role as a divine instrument of God’s will in the world. He assumed the cultural unity of the peoples in German lands, that is, an area of land in which the peoples are bound together by the common use of the German language. In his distinct role as a pastor, theologian, and academic, he was devoted to the cultivation of German national consciousness and the establishment of a German nation-state. Schleiermacher’s work would help to provide a cultural foundation for the emergence of the German nation-state more than half a century before the establishment of the German empire.
Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Faith and Secularization: From National Religions to Religious Nationalisms)
Open AccessArticle
Approach to Psychic Wholeness: Psychoanalytic Theory in Daoist Supreme Deity Talismans of XuHuo
by
Fang Liu
Religions 2024, 15(6), 683; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15060683 (registering DOI) - 30 May 2024
Abstract
The Supreme Deity Talismans of XuHuo, as the mysterious visual artforms in Daoism, are significant ritual images created by Daoists during the Song and Yuan dynasties. This article explores the creation process of the SDTXH by applying psychoanalytic theory to analyze the
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The Supreme Deity Talismans of XuHuo, as the mysterious visual artforms in Daoism, are significant ritual images created by Daoists during the Song and Yuan dynasties. This article explores the creation process of the SDTXH by applying psychoanalytic theory to analyze the literature related to their drawings in Daozang. The ritualistic concentration involved in writing the SDTXH resembles Jung’s systematic exercises aimed at eliminating critical attention, thus creating a vacuum in conscious. This vacuum serves as the key premise for active imagination, through which the unconscious is integrated into the conscious. Fuqiao, in fact, is a symbol dynamically depicting the process of the unconscious being inseminated by the conscious through immersion within it. This integration, or unity, represents the embodiment of concepts such as “mandala”, Guizhong, and Taiji. The SDTXH originate from Guizhong and essentially serve as archetypal images, similar to the sandplay images constructed by the clients. As the language of the unconscious, the SDTXH effectively bridge the conscious and unconscious, enabling the unconscious content, namely the archetype, to be symbolically expressed and bringing order to the creator through active imagination. The emergence of the SDTXH signifies the practitioner’s progress towards achieving psychic wholeness.
Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religiosity and Psychopathology)
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The Khadira Wedges and Architectural Lore: Re-Examining the Materials Used in the Making of the Vajrakīla in India, 6–8th Century AD
by
Mingzhou Chi
Religions 2024, 15(6), 682; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15060682 (registering DOI) - 30 May 2024
Abstract
This research examines the Vajra-kīla made from khadira wood from a technological history perspective, focusing on the use of the kīla in Indian rituals and its contrasts with Indrakīla and other deified forms in various practices. The Indian prototype of the pronged instrument
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This research examines the Vajra-kīla made from khadira wood from a technological history perspective, focusing on the use of the kīla in Indian rituals and its contrasts with Indrakīla and other deified forms in various practices. The Indian prototype of the pronged instrument can be traced back to architectural tools. During Indian rituals, monks incorporated architectural customs into maṇḍala construction, including striking wedges made of khadira wood, tying five-colored strings, driving the kīla into the ground no more than four fingers deep, and never retrieving the wedges. Consequently, the majority of these disappeared without a trace. By exploring its early forms and materials, we can also understand the causes of the geographical imbalance in the remaining quantities of kīla.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buddhist Literature and Art across Eurasia)
Open AccessArticle
The Indigenization Strategies of Catholic Painting in Early 20th Century China
by
Xinyi Zhang
Religions 2024, 15(6), 681; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15060681 (registering DOI) - 30 May 2024
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The spread of Christianity to China initiated a process of indigenization, particularly evident in Christian art. This study explores the indigenization of early 20th-century Chinese Christian paintings through literature reviews, case studies, and comparative research. The analysis covers four forms of primary research.
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The spread of Christianity to China initiated a process of indigenization, particularly evident in Christian art. This study explores the indigenization of early 20th-century Chinese Christian paintings through literature reviews, case studies, and comparative research. The analysis covers four forms of primary research. First, it explores the indigenization of Christian concepts, tracing their development from the introduction of Nestorian Christianity in the Tang dynasty through the establishment of Fu Jen Catholic University in the Republican era. Matteo Ricci’s implementation of the “Ricci Rule” during the late Ming dynasty, subsequently expanded by Celso Costantini, played a crucial role in the indigenous adaptation of Christian painting in China. The second facet focuses on the Beijing Catholic School of Painting, led by Chen Yuandu, a group that innovated Chinese Christian art by integrating local artistic expressions with traditional depictions of saints, assimilating symbols from Chinese literati painting, and preserving time-honored Chinese painting techniques. The third facet examines the strategy behind Christian painting methods. Fourth, this study discusses how the Fu Jen School faced varied reception and evaluations from domestic and international audiences under the complex social currents of the Republic of China and how the artists reflected the national spirit and artistic responsibility in their narrative paintings. Fundamentally, the practice of Christian painting at the early 20th-century Catholic School is not only an innovative artistic endeavor but also a significant case of cultural exchange between East and West and religious localization.
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Open AccessArticle
Bodhisattva and Daoist: A New Study of Zhunti Daoren 準提道人in the Canonization of the Gods
by
Tianyu Lei
Religions 2024, 15(6), 680; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15060680 (registering DOI) - 30 May 2024
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Although the portrayal of Zhunti Daoren (Cundī Daoist 準提道人) in the Canonization of the Gods (Fengshen yanyi 封神演義) is relatively subdued, it has garnered considerable scholarly interest owing to the pivotal role he fulfills in advancing the narrative and the profound cultural connotations
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Although the portrayal of Zhunti Daoren (Cundī Daoist 準提道人) in the Canonization of the Gods (Fengshen yanyi 封神演義) is relatively subdued, it has garnered considerable scholarly interest owing to the pivotal role he fulfills in advancing the narrative and the profound cultural connotations encapsulated within the character. Scholars have put forward three distinct hypotheses: “Zhunti Daoren as a Buddhist deity”, “Zhunti Daoren as a Daoist deity”, and “Zhunti Daoren as the Panchen Lama”. Based on the theory that the figures in the novels of gods and demons (Shenmo xiaoshuo 神魔小說) embody symbolic characteristics, as well as the sociocultural background of Ming–Qing times, this study uses literary image analysis to investigate these three different interpretations. A basic examination is also performed to explore the correlation between Zhunti Daoren and Jieyin Daoren (Welcoming Daoist接引道人), with the aim of illustrating the relationship between the cult of Zhunti and Pure Land Buddhism in late imperial China.
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Open AccessArticle
Gender-Based Violence in Some Pentecostal Churches—A South African Study
by
Sinegugu Ndlovu, Azwihangwisi Helen Mavhandu-Mudzusi and Magezi Elijah Baloyi
Religions 2024, 15(6), 679; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15060679 (registering DOI) - 30 May 2024
Abstract
One of the most devastating practices to be normalised in modern times is gender-based violence. Women and girls in South Africa can no longer enjoy the freedom that was promised by the country’s Freedom Charter during the dawn of democracy. Rape, killing and
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One of the most devastating practices to be normalised in modern times is gender-based violence. Women and girls in South Africa can no longer enjoy the freedom that was promised by the country’s Freedom Charter during the dawn of democracy. Rape, killing and other forms of female persecution have become common practices, and the most worrying part of this is that the perpetrators of this violence seem to enjoy more freedom than their victims. Unfortunately, this kind of violence is no longer a secular issue but something that is now encountered in religious circles, places in which most people would hope to be sheltered and protected. The article investigates these kinds of violence within the parameters of religious institutions, specifically Pentecostal churches, and also makes some suggestions as to what kinds of approaches we need as a country to eliminate this pandemic. This article uses a desktop/secondary approach to gather data and to reach the conclusions made as a bases for the argument.
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(This article belongs to the Section Religions and Humanities/Philosophies)
Open AccessArticle
From Myths, Ci and Fu Works to Temple Worship: A New Inquiry into the Evolution of Fu Fei 宓妃, the Goddess of the Luo River
by
Ting Song and Yuanlin Wang
Religions 2024, 15(6), 678; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15060678 (registering DOI) - 30 May 2024
Abstract
Luo Shen 洛神 (The Goddess of the Luo River), also known as Fu Fei 宓妃 (Consort Fu), governed the Luo River and was a deity with distinctive representativeness and influence in the Luoyang area of China. To date, research has been centered around
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Luo Shen 洛神 (The Goddess of the Luo River), also known as Fu Fei 宓妃 (Consort Fu), governed the Luo River and was a deity with distinctive representativeness and influence in the Luoyang area of China. To date, research has been centered around literary works and paintings, particularly Luoshen Fu 洛神賦, with little exploration into the belief of the Goddess of the Luo River. In this paper, specific and detailed textual research is made on the origins and historical transformations, as well as functional shifts, of the Goddess of the Luo River from the perspective of belief in the deity. Based on extant ancient documents and stele inscriptions and combined with anthropological field research, five new ideas are described. First, rituals honoring the Luo River were present in ancient times, yet the deity of the Luo River was initially a male entity called Luo Bo 洛伯, not the goddess Consort Fu. Second, Consort Fu first appears in Li Sao 離騷 as a goddess from the Kunlun Mountains. Third, during the Eastern Han dynasty (25–220), driven by the political and cultural needs of rulers to maintain regime stability, the Goddess of Kunlun, Consort Fu, became the Goddess of the Luo River. Fourth, in the medieval period, the image of the Goddess of the Luo River underwent a historic transformation, evolving from a deity governing the Luo River to a beauty yearning for secular love, merging with the historical figure of Zhen Fei 甄妃 (Consort Zhen) from the Cao Wei dynasty (220–266), forming a unified literary and artistic figure that significantly broadened the social influence of the Goddess of the Luo River. Fifth, the state-sponsored worship of the Goddess of the Luo River reached its peak during the Tang (618–907) and Song (960–1279) dynasties, and afterward, it gradually declined to a local folk belief due to a shift in the political center. The transition of the belief in the Goddess of the Luo River from official to folk realms, deeply intertwining with people’s lives, is a historical reflection of the eastward shift in the imperial center after the Tang dynasty. It also signifies a transformation of the function of the belief in the Goddess of the Luo River, from a political guardian deity ensuring the nation’s peace and the government’s stability to a protective deity for ordinary people’s family stability and prosperity of descendants.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Interplay between Religion and Culture)
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Preservice Teacher Views on Critical Religious Literacy to Counteract Epistemic Injustice in Teacher Education Programs
by
Erin Reid
Religions 2024, 15(6), 677; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15060677 (registering DOI) - 30 May 2024
Abstract
While there has been growing scholarly interest in the role of religious literacy in K-12 teacher education, scholarship on how preservice teachers understand religious literacy as an aim of social justice-oriented education remains limited. This empirical case study of one teacher education program
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While there has been growing scholarly interest in the role of religious literacy in K-12 teacher education, scholarship on how preservice teachers understand religious literacy as an aim of social justice-oriented education remains limited. This empirical case study of one teacher education program in a Canadian university examines the perspectives of preservice teachers and how they view critical religious literacy (CRL) as a means of addressing the potential harms of religious illiteracy. Using empirical data collected in personal interviews and focus groups, this qualitative case study employed philosophical analysis centered on a theoretical framework that includes the concept of epistemic injustice. The data show that preservice educators feel unprepared to engage with religiously diverse students, to navigate issues related to religious diversity, or to respond to the potential epistemic harms of religious illiteracy, such as exclusion, discrimination, or polarization. As such, this paper contends that to reduce the potential epistemic injustices related to religious illiteracy in their programs and in K-12 classrooms, teacher educators ought to include CRL as an educational aim in preservice teacher education.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religious Diversity and Social Studies Education)
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The Development of the Thunder God’s Image from the Tang to the Song Dynasty: The Case of Deng Bowen
by
Tianjie Yin
Religions 2024, 15(6), 676; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15060676 (registering DOI) - 30 May 2024
Abstract
Belief in the Thunder God has been important in China since ancient times. During the Tang Dynasty (618–906), the Thunder God was personified and incorporated into official rituals. Due to the increasing presence of Tantric Buddhism in China during the Tang Dynasty, in
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Belief in the Thunder God has been important in China since ancient times. During the Tang Dynasty (618–906), the Thunder God was personified and incorporated into official rituals. Due to the increasing presence of Tantric Buddhism in China during the Tang Dynasty, in Daoism (particularly the Divine Empyrean lineage 神霄派), several Thunder Gods formed a military organization, among which Deng Bowen (鄧伯溫) was considered as a marshal who largely preserved the characteristics of the Thunder God from the Tang Dynasty, featuring traits of a half-human and half-bird. This study focuses on interreligious influences and aims to elucidate the logic that informs the evolution of the Chinese Thunder God’s image through Deng Bowen’s case. Through the analyses of iconography and text analysis, this study discusses how Deng’s image was blended with the image of the Hindu deity Garuda (迦樓羅), which was introduced to China during the Tang Dynasty through Tantric Buddhism. This study will also explore how Deng’s image evolved from before the Tang Dynasty to the period after the Song Dynasty and will indicate that the Tang Dynasty was a significant period for the development of Thunder God worship as well as its iconography.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Interaction of Daoist, Buddhist and Confucian Thinkers in the Sui and Early Tang Dynasty)
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Marriage as Institution
by
Carla Danani
Religions 2024, 15(6), 675; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15060675 (registering DOI) - 30 May 2024
Abstract
The text develops philosophical considerations on the “institutional” dimension of marriage. First of all, the meaning of “institution” is problematized, as it is so much disputed and controversially interpreted today. On the one hand, in fact, it is circumscribed to denote a repressive
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The text develops philosophical considerations on the “institutional” dimension of marriage. First of all, the meaning of “institution” is problematized, as it is so much disputed and controversially interpreted today. On the one hand, in fact, it is circumscribed to denote a repressive reality—restraining, delaying, even disciplining—considered necessary and rescuing by some scholars, yet harmful and dangerous by others. On the other hand, accentuating its verbal form, “institution” is also understood in terms of movement, as the novelty that results from the act of instituting, as a discontinuity that opens a field of possibilities. Paul Ricœur considers institutions as part of the ethical tripod, i.e., of the ways through which human beings can flourish. In the context of these divergent understandings, this paper secondly considers the possibility to speak of marriage as an institution and to take marriage rituals as an example both of rite of passage and aggregation rituals. Bourdieu says that the separation achieved in rituals has a “consecrating” effect. Third, the paper questions whether functional and symbolic changes in marriage and marriage rituals can affect their institutional status and problematize their consequences.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Promising Images of Love: Religion, Norms, and the Mediatisation of Weddings)
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