Multiple Modernities: The Role of World Religions in an Emerging Paradigm

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 393-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Offutt
Keyword(s):  
World Religions ◽  
Multiple Modernities

scholarly journals Introduction: Evidence for entheogen use in prehistory and world religions

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 43-62
Author(s):  
Michael Winkelman
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Serotonergic System ◽  
Complex Societies ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
World Religions ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
Serotonergic Receptors ◽  
Hominin Evolution ◽  
The World

This introduction to the special issue reviews research that supports the hypothesis that psychedelics, particularly psilocybin, were central features in the development of religion. The greater response of the human serotonergic system to psychedelics than is the case for chimpanzees’ serotonergic receptors indicates that these substances were environmental factors that affected hominin evolution. These substances also contributed to the evolution of ritual capacities, shamanism, and the associated alterations of consciousness. The role of psilocybin mushrooms in the ancient evolution of human religions is attested to fungiform petroglyphs, rock artifacts, and mythologies from all major regions of the world. This prehistoric mycolatry persisted into the historic era in the major religious traditions of the world, which often left evidence of these practices in sculpture, art, and scriptures. This continuation of entheogenic practices in the historical world is addressed in the articles here. But even through new entheogenic combinations were introduced, complex societies generally removed entheogens from widespread consumption, restricted them in private and exclusive spiritual practices of the leaders, and often carried out repressive punishment of those who engaged in entheogenic practices.

Cosmopolitanism, the clash of civilizations and multiple modernities

2011 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 252-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Casanova
Keyword(s):  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Alternative Conceptions ◽  
Clash Of Civilizations ◽  
Global Order ◽  
Normative Claim ◽  
World Religions ◽  
Western Modernity ◽  
Multiple Modernities ◽  
The World ◽  
Secular Modernity

The article examines the three alternative conceptions of the emerging global order with special reference to the place and role of the world religions in that order. (1) Cosmopolitanism builds upon developmental theories of modernization that envision this transformation as a global expansion of western secular modernity, conceived as a universal process of human development. Secularization remains a key analytical as well as normative component. Religions that resist privatization are viewed as a dangerous ‘fundamentalism’ that threatens the differentiated structures of secular modernity. (2) Huntington’s conception of the ‘clash of civilizations’ maintains the analytical components of western modernity but stripped of any universalist normative claim. Modernity is a particular achievement of western civilization that is grounded in the Judeo-Christian tradition. The world religions are the continuously vital core of what are essentially incompatible civilizations doomed to clash with one another for global hegemony. (3) The model of ‘multiple modernities’ is presented as an alternative analytical framework that combines some of the universalist claims of cosmopolitanism, devoid of its secularist assumptions, with the recognition of the continuous relevance of the world religions for the emerging global order.

A Response to Amos Yong

2002 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-40
Author(s):  
Donald Gelpi
Keyword(s):  
Charles Sanders Peirce ◽  
World Religions ◽  
Paschal Mystery ◽  
The World ◽  
The Church

AbstractThis response by Donald Gelpi appreciates the accuracy of the reviewer's suggestion that the author's experience of charismatic prayer has very much conditioned both the author's written theology and his way of doing theol ogy. More particularly he acknowledges how it has conditioned his under standing of the role of the charisms in the shared faith of the Church, the centrality of the charisms in the practice and theology of the sacraments, and the role of the Spirit in the Paschal Mystery and in revealing the divinity of Jesus. Gelpi proceeds to discuss his notion of 'Christological knowing' as the unique knowledge of Jesus resulting from practical assimi lation to Him in the power of the Spirit—an experience that lies at the heart of Gelpi's Christology and is seen to provide it with its proper object of reflection, as Yong has correctly observed. Gelpi offers affirmation and fur ther elaboration on Yong's recognition of the importance of the philosophy of Charles Sanders Peirce in his own theological work. He joins Yong in the hope that the theological directions he has pursued and proposed might provide an experiential context for dialogue among the world religions.

scholarly journals Popular religions and multiple modernities

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (25) ◽  
pp. 38-57
Author(s):  
Cristián Parker
Keyword(s):  
Latin American ◽  
Eastern Asia ◽  
World Religions ◽  
Multiple Modernities ◽  
Sociological Approach ◽  
Northern European ◽  
Historical Processes ◽  
Theoretical View ◽  
Independent Churches ◽  
Multiple Interactions

Religious diversity and pluralism is increasing in Latin America. The religious field that was some decades ago totally Catholic has changed radically. Not only Pentecostalism or NeoPentecostalism but other Evangelicals as well as independent churches of various denominations and forms, non-affiliated people and many diverse (ethnic, afro-American , New Age, etc.) and diffuse religious expressions are growing. The main argument of this paper is that this religious changes toward pluralism can be fully understood in the context of multiple modernities theory, provided that it be revised and modified. A new sociological approach is needed. The classical sociological concepts and theories, beginning with secularization, must be criticized and replaced with a more complex theoretical view. Latin American historical processes must be compared with what is happening in other regions of the world and not only with the West. World religions are answering each one by their own path to multiple interactions with modernities. The key understanding of changes must come from a better insight of popular religions worldwide. Latin American, Eastern Asia, Islam regions, are good examples of popular forms of religious revitalization that contrasts with the Northern European case. They put in evidence the fact that new ways of producing sense and spiritual search in non-Western geo-cultural areas are framing specific relationships between religion and modernities and bringing about new religious pluralisms.

Presbyterians, Religious Diversity, and World Religions

2019 ◽  
pp. 437-456
Author(s):  
Martha L. Moore-Keish
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Religious Diversity ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
World Religions ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
Traditional Religions ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
African Traditional Religions ◽  
The Church

This chapter on Presbyterians, religious diversity, and world religions offers a few important caveats and then describes major themes in Presbyterian engagement of religious diversity: the sovereignty and freedom of God, the significance of Jesus Christ, the work of the Holy Spirit, the nature of revelation, the role of scripture, and the church. It then walks through the five centuries of Presbyterianism, noting how Presbyterians have engaged with and interpreted the changing world of many religions, drawing from philosophical, theological, and historical sources. It briefly describes Presbyterian interaction with the particular religious traditions of Judaism, Islam, African traditional religions, and Hinduism. The chapter concludes with a brief discussion of contemporary challenges and theological trajectories.

Geography of Religion

1998 ◽  
pp. 48-55
Author(s):  
Liudmyla O. Fylypovych
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Pattern ◽  
Statistical Data ◽  
World Religions ◽  
Natural Factor ◽  
Geography Of Religion ◽  
Geographical Regions ◽  
The World ◽  
Historical Retrospect ◽  
The Relationship

The geography of religions is one of the religious sciences, which is intended to study the spatial pattern of the process of the origin and distribution of different religions, to give a modern religious map of the world and statistical data on the spread of different religions, to predict the prospects of changing confessions in the territorial configuration of their activities. Within this science, the role of the natural factor in the emergence and distribution of religions of a certain denominational certainty in different countries and continents is explored, the autochthonality of certain religious entities of certain geographical regions is revealed, it turns out in the historical retrospect of the appearance of other religions there and, accordingly, the fate of local currents, the spread world religions, the conditions of origin and ways of possible overcoming of inter-confessional and interreligious confrontation are considered, the relationship between ethnic and religious denominations in religious mobility is revealed, mapping of religions is carried out.

Power, other-worldliness, and the extended mind

2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 370-389
Author(s):  
ADAM GREEN
Keyword(s):  
Philosophy Of Religion ◽  
Extended Mind ◽  
Analytic Philosophy ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
World Religions ◽  
Natural Power ◽  
The Cross ◽  
Religious Praxis

AbstractIn this article, I use the extended mind literature to elucidate religious phenomena that are normally left well outside the purview of analytic philosophy of religion. I show that the extended mind literature casts light on how the potential relationships of the ordinary believer to extra-natural power dictate cross-culturally re-occurring ways of structuring religious praxis. This application of the extended mind illuminates a diverse but subtly interconnected set of religious phenomena, from the cross-cultural appeal of magic as a negative category to the role of other-worldliness in the major world religions.

The Connection between Moral Commitments and Psychological Health

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramezan Mahdavi Azadboni
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Health ◽  
Value Function ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Moral Values ◽  
Moral Value ◽  
World Religions ◽  
Moral Commitment ◽  
And Function ◽  
Role And Function

The significant role of moral values and moral commitments in human life is neglected neither by philosophers nor by psychologists. One of considerable points regarding the role and function of moral value concerns psychological function and achievement. This paper deals with the psychological role and function fulfilled by moral commitment. According to religious teachings psychological aspect of human life has connection with moral commitment. The writer attempts to explain how moral values and commitment could be related to psychological health. The discussion is confined to general understanding of moral values in all world religions but mostly the references are limited to Islamic teachings.   Keywords - moral, value, function, psychology

scholarly journals Ken Wilber’s Integral Spirituality

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 172-173
Author(s):  
A. E. Ulanova
Keyword(s):  
Philosophy Of Mind ◽  
Common Ground ◽  
Integral Theory ◽  
World Religions ◽  
Ken Wilber ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
The Future ◽  
Yoga Meditation

The book of Ken Wilber, a philosopher, psychologist and the founder of integral theory, is devoted to the role of spirituality, faith and religion nowadays and in the future. The author systematically applies the holist integral theory to many aspects of spirituality, considering modern methodologies and philosophical and religious traditions. He analyzes various practical approaches to the states and the stages of consciousness, views parallels and finds common ground between the Western and the Eastern, scientific and meditative branches of various spiritual systems, and complements them to build his own project – integral postmetaphysics – an area that, according to K. Wilber, can withstand the criticism of postmodernism. Although the author sometimes presents the ideas in a rather partial manner, one should note his erudition and his broad outlook on world religions, phenomenology, behaviorism, structuralism, yoga, meditation, philosophy of mind, psychophysiology and many other spheres. Certainly, the integral theory is a sphere of philosophic analysis that tends to be ambiguous and not universal in application. As it is noted by K. Wilber: “An integral map is just a map. This is not a territory. It would be an obvious mistake to confuse them” [Wilber, 2006: 2]. Nevertheless, it seems that this book can be useful for those interested in the development of holism and modern approaches to spirituality.

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