Suchergebnisse

Studies of Polish pedagogy of religion are most often situated in the area of the Roman Catholic tradition of Christianity, in its catechetical or kerygmatic current. This current aims at "education to faith" and "in faith". The center of such a formula is the proclamation of the kerygma of salvation and the formation of the faithful who identify with their own ecclesial tradition. Adopting the formula in question, both Roman Catholic and evangelical religious education treats pedagogy as its auxiliary science providing a conceptual and methodological apparatus for the realization of goals primarily related to the local version of the theology, doctrine and teachings of a particular church. However, pedagogy of religion practiced in the kerygmatic stream is not the only stream of this sub-discipline. In addition to it, hermeneutic and critical pedagogy of religion or religious-information pedagogy, among others, are indicated. For critical pedagogy of religion, it is important to take care of the relationship between religious education and social reality. Its goals involve education for critical self-awareness and emancipatory competence, including the ability to unmask the forms of symbolic violence present in interpretations of religious texts and the social practices derived from them, as well as education for social commitment to equality and justice, opposing marginalization, exclusion, discrimination and symbolic violence in the broadest sense. The article presents content analyses of selected textbooks for teaching evangelical religion and attempts to situate the model of religious education emerging from them on the map of the indicated trends.

"This book offers a new interpretation of the rich narratives of Arab secularism contending that secularism as a set of ideas and a social movement is destined to loom large on the political and legal horizon of most Arab states. Youssef M. Choueiri provides a study of three moments in the development of secularism in the Arab World, the Machiavellian, the Alfierian and the Gramscian. It is within such a scope that secularism in its interaction with state-building projects, women's emancipation and religion is treated as an intellectual current and a discursive entity embedded in the political process of its diverse societies. Through the chapters Choueiri demonstrates how secularism occupies a pivotal presence in the religious and political life of the Arab world, exploring such interrelated configurations as indigenous contributions, diverse reforms and the impact of Western states. He concludes that secularism has become a moral prerequisite and a required vehicle in creating the necessary conditions for the success of democracy in the Middle East. Narratives of Secularism tackles the complexity and contemporary ramifications of the subject in a way that no previous single study has been able to. It will be relevant to both students and academics dealing with topics related to the Middle East including religion, politics, anthropology, and history"--

"Religion, Supernaturalism, the Paranormal, and Pseudoscience" provides a comprehensive rejoinder to the challenges posed to science, scientific anthropology, evolutionary theory and rationality by the advocates of supernatural, paranormal, and pseudoscientific perspectives and modes of thought associated with the current rise of irrationalism, antiintellectualism, and emboldened religious fundamentalism and violence. Drawing upon H. Sidky's scientific anthropological background and ethnographic field research of supernatural and paranormal beliefs and practices in several cultures over three decades, the book answers several important questions: Why do humans have a proclivity for the supernatural and paranormal thinking? Why has humanity remained shackled to sets of ideas inherited from a violent past that have no basis in reality and which bestow an illusionary solace, promote bloodshed, endless cruelties and fervent hatreds, and have come at a high cost? Why have ancient superstitions been held as sacred, inviolate truths while other aspects of the archaic belief systems of which they were a part have long been discarded? Why have not humans outgrown religion and paranormal beliefs?

The article analyzes the metamorphoses of religious faith in contemporary society and especially the influence of the process of globalization and secularization on religion. The specific hypothesis of the study is related to the fact that at the global level, one aspect of the recent religious changes is the scale taken by the religious movements, aiming at both the revival of tradition and the global and local manifestation of new religious movements. The main purpose of the research is to study religious movements that are conceived as responses to globalization. It gives us the opportunity to analyze the New Age movement and the discourse of spirituality in the universalist way. Based on the purpose, the following objectives were developed: identifying the role of religion in contemporary society; description of the paradox of modernity with the emergence of new religious movements; projecting religious mutations on today's multicultural society. The main study methods used are the method of direct observation, the method of content analysis and the method of social documentation. By means of these methods it was identified about the cultural manifestations of religious and spiritual metamorphoses as basic elements of the global society through which cultural identity and religious identity are affirmed. This research results in several findings: the crisis of traditional values leads to the permanent search for new cultural and religious models, the differentiation of contemporary society in multicultural and multi-religious terms has created individual variants of perception of conceptions about life, group identity leads to the change of personal identity.

Millions are leaving churches, half of all churches do not add any new members, and thousands of churches shutter their doors each year. These numbers suggest that American religion is not a growth industry. Yet, more than 1000 new churches are started in any given year. In Church Planters, sociologist Richard Pitt uses a series of in-depth interviews with church planters to understand what moves people who might otherwise be satisfied working for churches to the riskier role of starting one.

'The Secular Religion of Fandom' examines the function of fandom, specifically the visiting of spaces which have been recently deemed worthy of sanctification and a newly elevated status of importance. It examines how such pilgrimages are used as a means for forming and maintaining a common language of culture, creating a replacement apparatus based on more traditional frameworks of religious worship and salvation, while becoming an ever more dominant mechanism for constructing individuality and finding belonging in a commodified culture

This innovative volume introduces readers to a variety of disciplinary and methodological approaches used to examine the intersections of religion and migration. A range of leading figures in this field consider the roles of religion throughout various types of migration, including forced, voluntary, and economic. They discuss examples of migrations at all levels, from local to global, and critically examine case studies from various regional contexts across the globe. The book grapples with the linkages and feedback between religion and migration, exploring immigrant congregations, activism among and between religious groups, and innovations in religious thought in light of migration experiences, among other themes. The contributors demonstrate that religion is an important factor in migration studies and that attention to the intersection between religion and migration augments and enriches our understandings of religion. Ultimately, this volume provides a crucial survey of a burgeoning cross-disciplinary, interreligious, and global area of study.

Includes index. ; "The World's Parliament of Religions": p. 293-328. ; Mode of access: Internet.

"In this work, Bron Taylor examines the evolution of "green religions" in North America and beyond: spiritual practices that hold nature as sacred and have in many cases replaced traditional religions. Tracing a wide range of groups - radical environmental activists, lifestyle-focused bioregionalists, surfers, new-agers involved in "ecopsychology," and groups that hold scientific narratives as sacred - Taylor addresses a central theoretical question: How can environmentally oriented, spiritually motivated individuals and movements be understood as religious when many of them reject religious and supernatural worldviews?" "The "dark" of the title further expands this idea by emphasizing the depth of believers' passion and also suggesting a potential shadow side: besides uplifting and inspiring, such religion might mislead, deceive, or in some cases precipitate violence. This book provides a global tour of the green religious phenomenon, enabling readers to evaluate its worldwide emergence and to assess its role in a critically important religious revolution."--Jacket.