Signs, Tokens, and Points of Contact: Religious Symbolism and Sacramentality in Non-Western Christianity

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 127-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
The West ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
African Christianity ◽  
Religious Symbolism ◽  
Western Religion ◽  
Therapeutic Substance

The development of Christianity as a non-Western religion since the middle of the 20th century has generated changes that distinguish it from the expressions of faith inherited from the West. Christian religious innovation and new ways of expressing the faith have become the hallmarks of African Christianity. One way in which these religious changes are discernible is the use of “signs and tokens”, that is, physical substances that in the hands of religious functionaries acquire a sacramental value and that for example serves as support to the sorts of interventionist ministries associated with Pentecostal/charismatic ministries. A classic example of the new sacramental substances is the widespread use of the anointing oil. The anointing oil has become an important “point of contact” in African Christian rituals of healing and supernatural interventions. The use of oil for anointing is not necessarily new in the historic Christian traditions. However, in contemporary African Christianity, it has been reinvented and instituted in healing and deliverance and exorcism rituals that go beyond what was familiar in the older religious traditions. In this essay, we reflect on new sacraments also re-designated as signs and tokens such as the reinvention of the anointing oil as a therapeutic substance in contemporary forms of African Christianity. The new ritual order and the perception of sacraments as therapeutic substances helps us to understand what non-Western Christians, through popular religious innovations, consider important in a faith whose liturgical standards were originally set by Western missionaries.

Intégration et transformation d’une figure de la danse classique par la danse coréenne – une analyse comparée de la Pirouette en dehors et du Hanbaldeuleodolgi basée sur la notation Laban

2017 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 309-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyung-Eun Shim ◽  
Blandine Bril
Keyword(s):  
Detailed Analysis ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
Cultural Exchange ◽  
The West ◽  
Dance Movement ◽  
Classical Dance ◽  
Central Figure ◽  
Mechanical Constraints ◽  
Classical Ballet ◽  
Korean Dance

Due to cultural exchange between the West and Asia since the beginning of the 20th century, the Korean dance has integrated quite a few aspects of classical dance while transforming its figures. The transformation itself is what we are interested in. We focus on a central figure in classical ballet, la pirouette en dehors, which in the Korean dance is known as the Hanbaldeuleodolgi. Our research aims at understanding how is expressed in both cultures (France and Korea), a dance movement which comes under similar mechanical constraints (producing rotational forces) while displaying a unique aesthetic to each context. The detailed analysis of this figure is carried out based on the theory of Rudolf Laban.

scholarly journals Yoruba Customs and Beliefs Pertaining to Twins

Twin Research ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 132-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernand Leroy ◽  
Taiwo Olaleye-Oruene ◽  
Gesina Koeppen-Schomerus ◽  
Elizabeth Bryan
Keyword(s):  
Belief System ◽  
Traditional Religion ◽  
The West ◽  
Traditional Beliefs ◽  
Southwestern Nigeria ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
The World ◽  
African Slaves ◽  
Basic Features ◽  
Supreme Deity

AbstractThe Yoruba are an important ethnic group mainly occupying Southwestern Nigeria. Mainly for genetic reasons, this very large tribe happens to present the highest dizygotic twinning rate in the world (4.4 % of all maternities). The high perinatal mortality rate associated with such pregnancies has contributed to the integration of a special twin belief system within the African traditional religion of this tribe. The latter is based on the concept of a supreme deity called Olodumare or Olorun, assisted by a series of secondary gods (Orisha) while Yoruba religion also involves immortality and reincarnation of the soul based on the animistic cult of ancestors. Twins are therefore given special names and believed to detain special preternatural powers. In keeping with their refined artistic tradition, the Yoruba have produced numerous wooden statuettes called Ibejis that represent the souls of deceased newborn twins and are involved in elaborate rituals. Among Yoruba traditional beliefs and lore some twin-related themes are represented which are also found in other parts of the world. Basic features of the original Yoruba beliefs have found their way into the religious traditions of descendants of African slaves imported in the West Indies and in South America.

scholarly journals PEMIKIRAN JAMALUDDIN AL-AFGHANI (JAMAL AD-DIN AL-AFGHANI) (1838 – 1897 M)

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-24
Author(s):  
Akmal Hawi
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
19Th Century ◽  
The Other ◽  
The West ◽  
Unique Position ◽  
Islamic Reform ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
The People ◽  
The One ◽  
The 19Th Century

The 19th century to the 20th century is a moment in which Muslims enter a new gate, the gate of renewal. This phase is often referred to as the century of modernism, a century where people are confronted with the fact that the West is far ahead of them. This situation made various responses emerging, various Islamic groups responded in different ways based on their Islamic nature. Some respond with accommodative stance and recognize that the people are indeed doomed and must follow the West in order to rise from the downturn. Others respond by rejecting anything coming from the West because they think it is outside of Islam. These circles believe Islam is the best and the people must return to the foundations of revelation, this circle is often called the revivalists. One of the figures who is an important figure in Islamic reform, Jamaluddin Al-Afghani, a reformer who has its own uniqueness, uniqueness, and mystery. Departing from the division of Islamic features above, Afghani occupies a unique position in responding to Western domination of Islam. On the one hand, Afghani is very moderate by accommodating ideas coming from the West, this is done to improve the decline of the ummah. On the other hand, however, Afghani appeared so loudly when it came to the question of nationality or on matters relating to Islam. As a result, Afghani traces his legs on two different sides, he is a modernist but also a fundamentalist. 

scholarly journals THE EASTERN PHILOSOPHER AND THE WESTERNIZED PROPHET

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (2 (24)) ◽  
pp. 129-140
Author(s):  
Vicky Tchaparian
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
Gospel Of Matthew ◽  
Golden Rule ◽  
Ethical Principle ◽  
The West ◽  
Prose Poems ◽  
Unique Structure ◽  
The World ◽  
Human Sense

Gibran Khalil Gibran is one of the few Lebanese authors who has bridged the East and the West and is justifiably considered a citizen of the world. His book of highly estimated prose poems, The Prophet is one of the most widely read books of the 20th century. It reveals Gibran’s philosophy about different aspects of life, mainly the precept in the Gospel of Matthew about the importance of the human sense of mutuality which summarizes a Christian’s duty towards his/her neighbor and states a fundamental ethical principle. In addition to this golden rule, The Prophet reflects Gibran’s beliefs in Christianity. Being a true mirror of the Sufi mysticism of Islam, it also shows his idealistic opinion on pantheism. From this perspective, the research will focus on the combination of his beliefs in Christianity, Islam, and pantheism in The Prophet, as well as his firm conviction in creating the united and unique structure of a Christian-Muslim synthesis which he deeply adhered to.

scholarly journals Rehabilitation of Utopia as a Symptom of the Crisis of the Russian and Western Civilizations

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 7-26
Author(s):  
Rimma I. Sokolova
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Positive Attitude ◽  
Negative Attitude ◽  
The West ◽  
System A ◽  
History Of ◽  
New Ideas ◽  
Reduction Of Uncertainty ◽  
The Ideal

The article discusses such a new phenomenon of modernity as the rehabilitation of utopia, which has not yet become widespread, but it is a serious symptom of the crisis of civilization in Russia and in the West. It is shown that attempts to rehabilitate utopia are associated with the situation of crisis, uncertainty, unpredictability caused by the ongoing transformations of the modern epoch. Under these conditions, the utopia is not only a reflection of the existing situation but also an opportunity for the formation of new ideas and the reduction of uncertainty. Many astute researchers in both the West and Russia demonstrate a positive attitude towards utopia, as they see the opportunities offered by utopia, especially in times of crisis. It is noted that in Russia there is a gradual overcoming of the negative attitude to utopia, which was associated with the collapsed socialist system. A summary history of utopia shows that utopia is a significant factor in history that accompanies the development of mankind throughout history. Despite this, in the earlier decades of the 20th century and the beginning of 21st century the “death of utopia” was declared, it was driven by ideological and political reasons and by globalization in general. Meanwhile, at present its importance is again actualized in relation to the complex international situation. Therefore, both in the West and in Russia there is a growing demand for the ideal concepts of the future of human existence in the form of utopia.

Tribute and Trade

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
Cultural Exchange ◽  
Early 20Th Century ◽  
The West ◽  
Global Modernity ◽  
Economic Interactions

In the 18th and 19th centuries, relations between China and the West were defined by the Qing dynasty’s strict restrictions on foreign access and by the West’s imperial ambitions. Cultural, political and economic interactions were often fraught, with suspicion and misunderstanding on both sides. Yet trade flourished and there were instances of cultural exchange and friendship, running counter to the official narrative. Tribute and Trade: China and Global Modernity explores encounters between China and the West during this period and beyond, into the early 20th century, through examples drawn from art, literature, science, politics, music, cooking, clothing and more. How did China and the West see each other, how did they influence each other, and what were the lasting legacies of this contact?

Orientalism Revisited

2021 ◽  
pp. 214-230
Author(s):  
Elvan Ozkavruk Adanir ◽  
Berna Ileri
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
17Th Century ◽  
Social Structures ◽  
Positive Contribution ◽  
The West ◽  
Eastern Culture ◽  
The Social ◽  
Definition Of

Orientalism is a Western and Western-centric broad field of research that studies the social structures, cultures, languages, histories, religions, and geographies of countries to the east of Europe. The term took on a secondary, detrimental association in the 20th century which looks down on the East. However, this chapter will not dwell on the definition of Orientalism that is debated the most; instead, it will discuss the positive contribution of Orientalism to Western culture. Even though the West otherizes the East in daily life, when it comes to desire, vanity, luxury, and flamboyance without hesitating a moment it adopts these very elements from the Eastern culture. It could be said that this adaptation brings these societies closer in one way or another. The highly admired fashion of Orientalism in the West starting from the 17th century until the 21st century will be the focus of this study.

Comparing Pantheons

2020 ◽  
pp. 184-208
Author(s):  
Ian Rutherford
Keyword(s):  
The West ◽  
Religious Traditions

The Greeks associated a number of their deities with Anatolia, and there are many general resemblances between the two pantheons, and some types of deity seem to be common to both – e.g. fate goddesses, goddesses of springs. However, there are very few Greek theonyms which have close Hittite parallels, and examination of the evidence leads to the conclusion that there was no significant Hittite influence on the Greek pantheon, which is surprising, given that there was contact between Hittites and Greeks. Perhaps any interaction there was with Anatolia was with the West, i.e. Arzawa and earlier Assuwa, about whose religious traditions we are less well informed.

Vedānta

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen H. Phillips
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Indian Philosophy ◽  
True Self ◽  
Political Leaders ◽  
The West ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
Classical Systems ◽  
Sri Aurobindo ◽  
Hindu Community ◽  
The Individual

Indian philosophical speculation burgeoned in texts called Upaniṣads (from 800 bc), where views about a true Self (ātman) in relation to Brahman, the supreme reality, the Absolute or God, are propounded and explored. Early Upaniṣads were appended to an even older sacred literature, the Veda (‘Knowledge’), and became literally Vedānta, ‘the Veda’s last portion’. Classical systems of philosophy inspired by Upaniṣadic ideas also came to be known as Vedānta, as well as more recent spiritual thinking. Classical Vedānta is one of the great systems of Indian philosophy, extending almost two thousand years with hundreds of authors and several important subschools. In the modern period, Vedānta in the folk sense of spiritual thought deriving from Upaniṣads is a major cultural phenomenon. Understood broadly, Vedānta may even be said to be the philosophy of Hinduism, although in the classical period there are other schools (notably Mīmāṃsā) that purport to articulate right views and conduct for what may be called a Hindu community (the terms ‘Hindu’ and ‘Hinduism’ gained currency only after the Muslim invasion of the South Asian subcontinent, beginning rather late in classical times). Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902), the great popularizer of Hindu ideas to the West, spoke of Vedānta as an umbrella philosophy of a Divine revealed diversely in the world’s religious traditions. Such inclusivism is an important theme in some classical Vedānta, but there are also virulent disputes about how Brahman should be conceived, in particular Brahman’s relation to the individual. In the twentieth century, philosophers such as Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, K.C. Bhattacharyya and T.M.P. Mahadevan have articulated idealist worldviews largely inspired by classical and pre-classical Vedānta. The mystic philosopher Sri Aurobindo propounds a theism and evolutionary theory he calls Vedānta, and many others, including political leaders such as Gandhi and spiritual figures as well as academics, have developed or defended Vedāntic views.

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