The Sacred and the Profane: Menstrual Flow and Religious Values

2021 ◽  
pp. 097168582110065
Author(s):  
Shefali Kamat ◽  
Koshy Tharakan
Keyword(s):  
Religious Practices ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
World Religions ◽  
Religious Texts ◽  
Sexual Discrimination ◽  
Religious Rituals ◽  
Menstrual Flow ◽  
Mary Douglas ◽  
Religious Perspectives ◽  
Feminist Perspectives

Most religious texts and practices warrant the exclusion of women from religious rituals and public spheres during the menstrual flow. This is seemingly at odds with the very idea of ‘Religion’ which binds the human beings with God without any gender and sexual discrimination. The present article attempts to problematize the ascription of negative values on menstruating women prevalent in both Hinduism and Christianity, two major world religions of the East and the West. After briefly stating the patriarchal values that restrict women from participating in religious rituals and shaming them during menstruation as seen from both these religions, the article highlights the alternate feminist perspectives in beliefs that positively value the menstruating bodies. Thus, the notion of profanity is revalued as sacred in these alternate religious perspectives. Drawing from the writings of Mary Douglas, we then examine the connection between the notion of purity/impurity and menstruation and argue that what makes something pure or impure depends upon the archetype the society chooses to represent itself. In itself, nothing is either pure or impure in the sense of having a value or disvalue. This argument is exemplified through a feministic-hermeneutic approach to the religious practices in two major world religions. The article concludes by uncovering the patriarchal values held by religions as the cause of menstrual taboos in religious practices and argues that the notions of purity/impurity and sacred/profane are the results of the valuations made—from a patriarchal or feministic perspective.

Thinking About Religious Texts Anthropologically

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-182
Author(s):  
Joel S. Kahn
Keyword(s):  
Muslim World ◽  
Religious Practices ◽  
Anthropology Of Religion ◽  
Religious Literature ◽  
Religious Texts

This paper addresses the conference themes by asking what contribution anthropology can make to the study of religious literature and heritage. In particular I will discuss ways in which anthropologists engage with religious texts. The paper begins with an assessment of what is probably the dominant approach to religious texts in mainstream anthropology and sociology, namely avoiding them and focussing instead on the religious ‘practices’ of ‘ordinary believers’. Arguing that this tendency to neglect the study of texts is ill-advised, the paper looks at the reasons why anthropologists need to engage with contemporary religious texts, particularly in their studies of/in the modern Muslim world. Drawing on the insights of anthropologist of religion Joel Robbins into what he called the “awkward relationship” between anthropology and theology, the paper proposes three possible ways in which anthropology might engage with religious literature. Based on a reading of three rather different modern texts on or about Islam, the strengths and weaknesses of each of the three modes of anthropological engagement is assessed and a case is made for Robbins’s third approach on the grounds that it offers a way out of the impasse in which mainstream anthropology of religion finds itself, caught as it is between the ‘emic’ and the ‘etic’, i.e. between ontologically different worlds.

scholarly journals MODEL SINKRETISME ISLAM DAN KEJAWEN: KAJIAN HISTORIS-FILOSOFIS ATAS SERAT SASANGKA JATI

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 87
Author(s):  
Abdullah Safiq
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Qualitative Approach ◽  
Religious Practices ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Spiritual Awareness ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
True Knowledge ◽  
Depth Interviews

This study aims to examine the model of Islamic syncretism and variants ofKejawenteachings in Indonesia. Using a qualitative approach, based on historical-philosophical data analysis of the Sasangka Jatimanuscripts,completed within-depth interviews and observations on the living and religious practices of the Pangestufollwoers in Tulungagung, East Java, the results of the study indicate that there is a pointof similarities and differences between the essence of "theIslamic pillars " and "Jalan Rahayu" contained inthe book of Sasangka Jati. The equality of the essence of 'IslamicPillars ' and "Jalan Rahayu", can be seen from the creed, prayer, thanksgiving, fasting, and pilgrimage. From here then the insight of thinking of human beings becomes widelyopen. So that, the true knowledge can be ascantilever for religion. Spiritual awareness used to be a guide toknowledge, with the main goal being to obtain or attain the true sense of awareness.

Religious Interaction in Early Medieval Kamarupa: An Insight into the Kalikapurana

2021 ◽  
pp. 037698362110520
Author(s):  
Rashmi Rekha Bhuyan
Keyword(s):  
Historical Context ◽  
Early Medieval ◽  
World Religions ◽  
Religious Texts ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
Early Medieval Period ◽  
Brahmaputra Valley ◽  
History Of ◽  
First Millennium ◽  
Other World

Like all other world religions, Brahmanism and Buddhism, the two prominent religious traditions of India, have histories of development and transformations since their inception. Depending on the socio-economic and political scenario, religions are subject to change, often in their basic beliefs and rituals, and at a certain point of time, the interaction between diverse religious traditions also becomes inevitable. Although opponent by nature in their early philosophies, Buddhism and Brahmanism got entwined at a certain phase of history, when many Buddhist deities and rituals were accommodated within the purview of Brahmanism and vice-versa. In the history of Brahmanical tradition, this interaction is traceable in the narratives of Puranic texts composed during the first millennium years of the Christian Era (ce). For the present study, one such Puranic text: the Kalikapurana, composed in Kamarupa (early Assam) during the early-medieval period, has been taken into account to understand the process of interaction between Brahmanism and Buddhism in the historical context of early Assam. Being primarily Brahmanical religious texts, the Puranas contain traces of Buddhism only in ‘covert’ form: in the form of myth. Focussing on some myths narrated in the Kalikapurana, the present study will discuss the existence of Buddhism in the early-Brahmaputra valley prior to the coming of Brahmanism. It will help us to understand the strategies adopted by the immigrant Brahmins to accommodate the prevailing traits under the purview of Brahmanical Hinduism.

Religious Traditions in Politics: Confucianism

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Youngmin Kim ◽  
Se-Hyun Kim ◽  
Ji Hye Song
Keyword(s):  
Chinese History ◽  
World Religions ◽  
Late Imperial China ◽  
Mainland Chinese ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
Social Actors ◽  
Late Imperial ◽  
Religious Rituals ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Religious Aspects

Because of the missionary activities of Jesuits in late imperial China and the world religions paradigm that emerged in the late 19th century, scholars tend to view Confucianism as a world religion. However, Confucianism does not fit into disciplinary boxes neatly. Accordingly, Confucian religiosity has been the subject of much debate among scholars. The answer depends largely upon how one defines religion and Confucianism. However, Confucianism and religion are not self-evident categories, but historically conditioned entities. Central to the theoretical discussion of Confucian religiosity has been the idea of transcendence. To many, Confucianism does not seem a type of religion because it does not put God at the center of attention. To others, Confucianism upholds immanent transcendence as its ideal, which does not impose an other-worldly standard but instead suggests human perfectibility. By invoking the notion of immanent transcendence, scholars caution us not to take European Christianity for granted and not to close our eyes to the array of alternative forms of religion. In addition to this theoretical debate, there have been other types of study on religious aspects of Confucianism. Anthropologists and historians have been studying practices of Confucian religious rituals in Chinese history. Rituals were a powerful method that rulers, throughout the dynasties, have employed to legitimize their rule. As with other rituals, imperial authorities patronized various rituals in the hope of attaining the support of their subjects. However, from its inception, Confucian rituals became complex interpretive arenas in which various social actors disputed, accommodated, negotiated, and rearticulated the Confucian orthodoxy according to their interests. Throughout the 20th century, mainland Chinese politicians and intellectuals often stigmatized Confucianism as the cause of China’s downfall. However, Confucianism, which had been regarded as only a hindrance by the Communists, currently appears to be a resource with which to remake China.

III. The Contemplative Pedagogy Coward

Horizons ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-133
Author(s):  
Maureen L. Walsh
Keyword(s):  
Religious Practices ◽  
World Religions ◽  
Contemplative Practices ◽  
Contemplative Pedagogy ◽  
Religious Others

When I was asked about contributing to this roundtable on contemplative pedagogy, I was honored to be included in the mix. Yes, I have experimented in my teaching with contemplative practices for about five years now, and so I fit the group's focus in that way. And yes, my postdoctoral work focused on university pedagogy, and so it would seem like I would be a natural for this sort of roundtable. But before I go any further, I feel as though I need to out myself for who I truly am—instead of being a contemplative professor, I am a contemplative coward. No doubt, I have been impressed reading about and witnessing other professors’ thoughtful uses of contemplative practices in the classroom. And I even dabble in having my world religions students “go through the motions” of religious practices from Buddhism and Islam. But as I spent time thinking through my approach in anticipation of this roundtable, it became clear that my efforts have been nothing short of cowardly, due to the fact that, first, I have questioned my own ability to lead students in contemplative exercises, and second, I have been wary of asking students to engage in the practices of religious others in a serious way.

Dialogue Beyond Belief: The Role of Participation in Religious Practices as the Meeting Point for Muslim Christian Encounter

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 196-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dejan Azdajic
Keyword(s):  
Belief Systems ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Religious Practices ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Normative Beliefs ◽  
Sociological Approach ◽  
Natural Context ◽  
Islam And Christianity ◽  
Actual Participation

In spite of a commendable proliferation of Muslim-Christian initiatives in recent years, progress has been slow. Islam and Christianity are essentially two rival belief systems each claiming doctrinal and theological superiority. Any serious dialogue that goes deeper into these issues and attempts to discover new hermeneutical bridges inevitably reaches its explanatory limit. In this article, I argue that there may perhaps be new ways to overcome this historic standstill. Borrowing from insights gained from a sociological approach to the study of religion, it becomes evident that it is necessary to distinguish between religion as a set of normative beliefs and the concrete implementation of those beliefs through religious practices. The application of theory into authentic forms of embodied religiosity is the responsibility of believers themselves. They concretize the normative prescriptions through a contextualized, local interpretation that is both pragmatic and meaningful in order to make sense of their everyday lives. To understand religion intellectually, it is necessary to consider its fundamental anthropological dimension. Hence, the study of religion must ultimately include the study of human beings in their natural context and from their point of view. Moreover, I provide evidence that true insight is contingent upon actual participation in the religious practices themselves. Building on this argument, this article suggests that Muslim-Christian relations would significantly benefit from including shared participation in sacred religious performances as part of the strategy for a successful encounter.

Kant on Religious Moral Education

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 373-394 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis vanden Auweele
Keyword(s):  
Moral Education ◽  
Moral Philosophy ◽  
Religious Practices ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Moral Perfection ◽  
Human Agent

AbstractWhile scholars are slowly coming to realize that Kant’s moral philosophy has a distinctive theory of moral education, the import of religion in such education is generally neglected or even denied. This essay argues that Kant’s reflections on religion in parts II and III of Religion within the Boundaries of Mere Reason interpret religion specifically as one aspect of moral education, namely moral ascetics. After first clearly distinguishing between a cognitive and a conative aspect of moral education, I show how certain historical religious practices serve to provide the conative aspect of moral education. Kant defines this aspect of moral education as practices that render the human agent ‘valiant and cheerful in fulfilling his duties’ (MS, 6: 484). By this it is meant that certain practices can inspire moral interests either by justifying rational hope in living up to a certain standard of moral perfection (Christology) or by endeavouring to unite human beings in a universal, invisible ethical community that inspires cooperation rather than adversity (ecclesiology).

Psychological Function of Religious Practices

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hossein Yousofi
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Religious Involvement ◽  
Religious Practices ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
World Religions ◽  
Detailed Explanation ◽  
Effective Role ◽  
Physical Phenomena ◽  
The Relationship

There are different sorts of disorder in human life. Some disorders take place directly in the human body which some disorders happen in the soul that is why we are not able to classify them as physical phenomena. The link between bodily health and spiritual health due to religious involvement by a committed person is a general accepted fact and finds a significant favor among the scholars. Avicenna, a great Muslim philosopher and physician, admitted and defended the relation between physical and mental health. The aim of this paper is to deal with the relationship between human bodily-mental health and religious involvement. An argument and detailed explanation is given on why and how religious involvement by a committed person will warrant human mental and bodily health. This paper while presuming that all world religions are in common in this regard but is limited to Islamic perspective. It will be articulated on the basis of Islamic teachings that praying as a first value advice in Quranic verses and other religious practices play an effective role to warrant human health.   Keywords - spiritual, Quranic perspective, physical health

scholarly journals Peak-experience and the entheogenic use of cannabis in world religions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark S. Ferrara
Keyword(s):  
Pivotal Role ◽  
Religious Practices ◽  
Peak Experiences ◽  
World Religions ◽  
Abraham Maslow ◽  
Peak Experience ◽  
History Of Religion ◽  
History Of ◽  
Unitive Consciousness ◽  
Self Transcendence

AbstractThis paper demonstrates that cannabis can evoke “peak-experiences”—the name psychologist Abraham Maslow gave to fleeting moments of expanded perception indicative of self-transcendence—when used alongside more traditional religious practices such as meditation, fasting, contemplative prayer, and sacramental ritual. For that reason, religious seekers around the globe have deployed cannabis as a deliberate psychoactive to trigger the peak-experiences that stir feelings of ecstasy, wonder, and awe and resolve the “dichotomies, polarities, and conflicts of life.” As such, peak-experiences exemplify a form of spiritual revelation that has played a pivotal role in the history of religion, and because of its ability to elicit unitive consciousness at the heart of mystical insight, cannabis has been utilized as a mild entheogen across culture and tradition for millennia.

scholarly journals Fortune Telling Rituals Using Incense in Modern Chinese Religious Practices

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 25-50
Author(s):  
Elena E. Voytishek ◽  
Song Yao ◽  
Alexandra V. Gorshkova
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Religious Practices ◽  
Folk Beliefs ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Religious Rituals ◽  
First Time ◽  
The Universe ◽  
Written Sources ◽  
Fortune Telling

Based on Chinese written sources and the authors' research field materials, the paper analyzes features of Taoist Buddhist practices using incense, as well as the purport of the 24 combinations that arise during fortune telling using three incense sticks – a practice used in rituals dating back to the early Middle Ages which still occupies a prominent place among China's religious practices today. The techniques that are concurrently characteristic of Buddhist practices, Taoist services as well as traditional folk beliefs hold a prominent place during the ritual. General terminology is primarily used in the comments supplementing the rituals in the original sources. These religious rituals involve ancient representations of Heaven as a “source of moral definitions” which reacts to human deeds through various signs, the teachings of the all-encompassing Qi as the energy of the universe and its numerological embodiment, worldview ideas including ancient Taoist beliefs and practices related to the cult of ancestors as well as worship of Heaven and various spirits, and basic Buddhist postulates of rebirth, karma and retribution for committed acts. Conducting fortune telling rituals using incense naturally embodied folk beliefs, which was instrumental in the ongoing teachings of morality to many generations across almost two millennia. Tables and comments on the 24 fortune telling combinations are published in Russian for the first time.

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