The Draw of Religion

Author(s):  
Nicolette D. Manglos-Weber

Since the 1960s, a certain variety of Charismatic Evangelical Christianity has rapidly been assuming the religious mainstream in Ghana, as in other countries of West Africa and, indeed, around the world. This chapter is based on research in southern Ghana into the appeal of these new groups. I examine them as part of a youth-oriented religious movement, specifically adapted to the lifestyles and concerns of Ghana’s young, upwardly mobile, educated populations, who disproportionately end up migrating abroad. I focus in particular on the accessibility and portability of Evangelical Charismatic Christianity as a form of religious membership they can take with them wherever they travel, and on the ways in which the environment within these new Evangelical organizations gives young people a sense of aspirational promise for their own futures.

Africa ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 640-645
Author(s):  
Ebenezer Obadare

In the immediate aftermath of ‘9/11’, it took very little for the axiom that adherents of evangelical Christianity and reformist Islam inhabit discrepant, permanently warring publics to solidify. With the very air laden with ‘the clash of civilizations’, the dominant narrative quickly became one of mutual antagonism, in which both religions were positioned as irreconcilably foundational in major global conflicts. As is often the case in such moments of heated contention, it was easy to overlook the counterintuitive fact that, in various parts of the world, especially in those communities where adherents of both faiths have lived in close proximity, there has always been a direct sharing and transfer of experiences in religious practices and evangelizing stratagems. Such ‘spiritual economies’ (cf. Rudnyckyj 2010) do not imply that theological differences are erased; they suggest, rather, that competing faiths, in their attempts to expand and preserve themselves, frequently cross boundaries to appropriate the other's devotional and conversionary strategies.


Author(s):  
Nicolette D. Manglos-Weber

The introduction to the book presents its central argument about religious membership as a basis of social trust. It explains the background of the research, particularly trends in immigration to the United States and the historic place of the religious congregation as a vehicle for integration. It describes the changes that have occurred in immigration since the 1960s, and how greater diversity among immigrants has led to wide variation in patterns of integration. It also explains how these trends, along with the global rise in Evangelical Christianity, have affected how new immigrants interact with the religious landscape of the United States, and in particular how they view available options for religious membership. Finally, it presents the central research questions of the study, and gives an overview of how the research was conducted.


2007 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-105
Author(s):  
Clive Moore

Dame Sybil is one of Brisbane's most famous drag personas. In 1962 Dame Sybil was one of the founders of Brisbane's annual Queen's Birthday Ball, the longest continuously running annual gay celebration in the world. The balls have become extravagant dance parties, far removed from their humble origins in a house at Mt Tamborine. Back in the 1960s and 1970s, gays and lesbians were a persecuted minority who held private house parties and preferred to stay out of sight. The groundbreaking Queen's Birthday Balls were an important part of the cultural and political ‘coming out’ of the modern queer community. It is difficult to appreciate the importance of the balls as ever more popular meeting places where Brisbane's gay and straight worlds mingled. Now the dance parties are attended by thousands of mainly young people, and rigid gender and sexual boundaries have become less obvious. The venues have changed over the years, moving through various nightclubs in Fortitude Valley and most recently to the Ekka pavilions. They are replete with great stage performances and wonderful costumes. With Dame Sybil and some of the original partygoers in attendance, the Queen's Birthay Balls remain a special marker of Brisbane's not-so-accepting past and the resilience of the city's gay subculture.


2001 ◽  
pp. 85-90
Author(s):  
O. V. Kozerod

The development of the Jewish religious movement "Khabad" and its organizations in the first quarter of the twentieth century - one of the important research problems, which is still practically not considered in the domestic Judaica. At the same time, this problem is relevant in connection with the fact that the religious movement "Khabad" during the twentieth century became the most widespread and influential area of Judaism in Ukraine and throughout the world.


2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-168
Author(s):  
Hisanori Kato

Indonesia is known for its multicultural social setting, with approximately three hundred local ethnicities and five hundred local languages. Religions also have infiltrated into the life of Indonesia. Among six officially recognized religions, Islam occupies the majority religion in the country, and the total number of Muslims is almost two hundred million. That makes Indonesia the most populous Muslim country in the world. However, we also know that the legacy of pre-Islamic civilizations, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and indigenous religions, is still deeply rooted in Indonesian soil. With this socio-cultural background, Indonesian Islam has developed with the influence of local traditions. We see several Islamic rituals and practices that seem to have been "Indonesianized". Yet, this localized version of Islam is by no means favoured by more religiously strict Islamic groups. In 2015, Nahdlatul Ulama, the largest Islamic organization, launched the so-called Islam Nusantara movement, which upholds the essence of local culture in Islam. This newly-emerged religious movement also presents a profound question in relation to the authenticity of religion, that is, whether religions are able to maintain the "original" rituals and practices without historical,  geographical and regional influences. We will explore the development of the Islam Nusantara movement with this question in mind.


AKADEMIKA ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-221
Author(s):  
Minahul Mubin

A novel titled BumiCinta written by Habiburrahman El-Shirazy takes place in the Russian setting, in which Russia is a country that adopts freedom. Russia with various religions embraced by its people has called for the importance of human freedom. Free sex in Russia is commonplace among its young people. Russia is a country that is free with no rules, no wonder if there have been many not embracing certain religion. In fact, according to data Russia is a country accessing the largest porn sites in the world. Habiburrahman in his Bumi Cinta reveals some religious aspects. He incorporates the concept of religion with social conflicts in Russia. Therefore, the writer reveals two fundamental issues, namely: 1. What is the characters' religiosity in the Habiburrahman El-Shirazy'sBumiCinta? 2. What is the characters' religiosity in the BumiCinta in their relationship with God, fellow human beings, and nature ?. To achieve the objectives, the writer uses the religious literary criticism based on the Qur'an and Hadith. It emphasizes religious values in literature. The writer also uses the arguments of scholars and schools of thought to strengthen this paper. This theory is then used to seek the elements of religiousity in the Habiburrahman El-Shirazy'sBumiCinta. In this novel, the writer explains there are strong religious elements and religious effects of its characters, especially the belief in God, faith and piety


2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 98-104
Author(s):  
Halima Krausen

In our plural society, interfaith marriages and multicultural families have become a new normal and are either considered problematic for the religious communities or welcomed as a contribution to a secular and more peaceful world. In the course of my work with European Muslims, I could accompany such families through a few generations. In this article, I am going to outline some typical challenges and crises in such relationships and their effects on young people growing up in mixed families, adding my observations of how they can be dealt with. Ultimately, there is a chance that, through dialogue, it provides a meaningful learning environment that prepares young people for the diverse reality of the world today.


Transfers ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charissa N. Terranova

This essay focuses on a body of photoconceptual works from the 1960s and 1970s in which the automobile functions as a prosthetic-like aperture through which to view the world in motion. I argue that the logic of the “automotive prosthetic“ in works by Paul McCarthy, Dennis Hopper, Ed Ruscha, Jeff Wall, John Baldessari, Richard Prince, Martha Rosler, Robert Smithson, Ed Kienholz, Julian Opie, and Cory Arcangel reveals a techno-genetic understanding of conceptual art, functioning in addition and alternatively to semiotics and various philosophies of language usually associated with conceptual art. These artworks show how the automobile, movement on roads and highways, and the automotive landscape of urban sprawl have transformed the human sensorium. I surmise that the car has become a prosthetic of the human body and is a technological force in the maieusis of the posthuman subject. I offer a reading of specific works of photoconceptual art based on experience, perception, and a posthumanist subjectivity in contrast to solely understanding them according to semiotics and linguistics.


1995 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 496-517
Author(s):  
Abdullah Saeed

The prohibition of riba (interest) in Islam has been a hotly discussedissue among contemporary Muslims since the 1960s. Since rihd is perceivedby a considerable number of Muslims to be bank interest, andalmost all banking systems in the world, including those of the Muslimworld, are based on interest, many Muslims are concerned whether it islawful. For those who regard bank interest as rihd, any increase in a loantransaction over and above the principal is rihd because it involves anincrease over and above the principal. They contend that the fiqhi interpretationof riba is the interpretation and must be followed. For otherMuslims, the prohibition of riba is related closely to the “exploitation” ofthe needy and poor by the relatively well-off, an element that, for them,may or may not exist in modem bank interest. These Muslims have arguedthat the fiqhi interpretation given to riha is inadequate and does not takeinto consideration the moral emphasis associated with the prohibition.This paper looks at a) the overall context of the Qur’anic prohibitionof rihd; b) how the term is used in the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and in thefiqhlliterature; and c) the lack of moral emphasis in the current debate.Riba and the Qur’an: The Context of ProhibitionThe Qur’an’s condemnation and ultimate prohibition of riba was precededby its condemnation of several other morally unacceptable forms ofbehavior toward the socially and economically weaker strata of theMakkan community. From the very beginning of the Prophet’s mission, ...


Author(s):  
Дмитрий Викторович Кияйкин ◽  
Екатерина Андреевна Дворецкая

В статье раскрываются особенности сущностного понимания религиозного экстремизма и организационно-правовой профилактики данного явления. Обращено внимание на важность профилактической работы в рамках предупреждения антиобщественного (девиантного) поведения. Авторами рассматриваются причины и условия формирования религиозного экстремизма и наполнения им сети Интернет. Интернет-сообщество сталкивается с массовой информационной угрозой со стороны экстремистских организаций. Это связано с катастрофически быстрым распространением радикальных идеологий, всеобщей компьютеризацией и информатизацией общественных процессов, что облегчает процесс распространения материалов, носящих экстремистский характер. Религиозный экстремизм является источником вооруженных конфликтов во всем мире. Жертвами этого страшного явления, как правило, являются дети, подростки, молодые люди, кого легко заманить в сети идеологического обмана. Религиозный экстремизм опасен не только разрушением социальных объектов и ценностей, убийствами, террором. Гораздо опаснее сама идеология экстремизма, которая искажает мировоззрение и психику человека. В этих условиях эффективным является проведение профилактических мероприятий с молодым поколением, доведение до людей важности вопроса, осуществление контроля за неблагополучными семьями, обучение молодых лиц толерантности и уважению к окружающим людям. В работе определены направления работы правоохранительных органов по вопросу совершенствования механизма противодействия распространению экстремистской информации. Определена важность международного сотрудничества. The article reveals the features of the essential understanding of religious extremism and organizational and legal prevention of this phenomenon. Attention is drawn to the importance of preventive work as part of the prevention of antisocial (deviant) behavior. The authors consider the reasons and conditions for the formation of religious extremism and the filling of the Internet. The online community is facing a massive information threat from extremist organizations. This is due to the catastrophically lightning-fast spread of radical ideologies, the general computerization and informatization of social processes, which facilitates the process of distributing materials of an extremist nature. Religious extremism is a source of armed conflict throughout the world. The victims of this terrible phenomenon, as a rule, are children, adolescents, young people and girls - whom it is easy to lure into networks of ideological deception. Religious extremism is dangerous not only the destruction of social objects and values, murders, terror. The ideology of extremism itself, which distorts the worldview and the human psyche, is much more dangerous. Religious extremism is a source of armed conflict throughout the world. The victims of this terrible phenomenon, as a rule, are children, adolescents, young people and girls - whom it is easy to lure into networks of ideological deception. Religious extremism is dangerous not only the destruction of social objects and values, murders, terror. The ideology of extremism itself, which distorts the worldview and the human psyche, is much more dangerous.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document