scholarly journals Fantastic theology of Robert Sheckley: A pseudo-secular world

2020 ◽  
pp. 167-176
Author(s):  
S.V. Ryazanova
Keyword(s):  
Spiritual Development ◽  
Image Of God ◽  
Consumer Society ◽  
Formal Similarity ◽  
Value System ◽  
Fantastic Literature ◽  
Cultural Phenomenon ◽  
Religious Systems ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Image Of God

The article considers one of the views on God existing within the modern Western literary tradition and out-side of religious systems. The image of God was chosen as a cultural phenomenon relevant for interpretation, which exists both in religious and secular discourse. The research involved the creative heritage of Robert Sheck-ley – one of the most popular authors of fantastic literature in the mid-20th century. The analysis was based on fantastic tales, since they provide the opportunity to prove all strategies for social behaviour, as well as different views on life. The image of God created by Sheckley was reconstructed using intertextual analysis, which helps identify original mythological and religious narratives and individual allusions. This provides the opportunity to define the features of Sheckley's individual fantastic theology and find the reasons for using the image of God in secular literature. The analysis revealed that the used religious names, denominations and plots bear only formal similarity with the traditional ones. They are used and interpreted arbitrarily. God is interpreted as being anthro-pomorphic, pragmatic, partial and not interested in the fate of his creation. Communication with God is described as commercialised and is built on the model of the consumer society. The works of Sheckley indicate the possibil-ity and necessity of contact between the man and God with the obligatory personal participation of the individual. The American writer creates texts that are modernised in terms of the plot using traditional Christian ideas about the spiritual development of people and the need to preserve the Christian value system as a universal one. In this connection, Sheckley offers possible behavioural models for the created image of God.

GENESIS OF OLD BELIEVERS ANTHROPOLOGY

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-57
Author(s):  
Oleg V. Parilov ◽  
Lev E. Shaposhnikov
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Spiritual Development ◽  
Image Of God ◽  
Consumer Society ◽  
Negative Experience ◽  
Old Believers ◽  
Original Works ◽  
Game Simulation ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Image Of God

Introduction. The modern globalized postmodern consumer society, total game simulation, colossal disconnection is extremely destructive for the individual. The Old Believer outlook, which affirms the soborn-person, attached to the fundamental foundations of the national religious culture, the bearer of higher transcendent meanings, acquires a particular urgency today. Accounting for both positive and negative experience of Old Believer anthropology will allow to determine the ideal of an integral convinced person who overcomes the extremes of conformism and fanaticism. Materials and Methods. The article is prepared on the basis of the original works of the Old Believer authors; pre-revolutionary, Soviet, modern Russian and foreign studies of Russian culture and the Old Believer worldview. The methodological basis was: a civilizational approach to history, methods of hermeneutics, comparative-historical, the unity of historical and logical, analysis, synthesis, analogy. Results of the study. The article deals with socio-cultural, spiritual factors of the borderline era of the 17th century, under the influence of which a unique Old Believer anthropology is formed, reflecting the worldview characteristics of the Russian Middle Ages and Russia of the new time. The dynamics of Old Believers’ views on man during the XVII–XX centuries is investigated; revealed spiritual, historical reasons for the transformation of the anthropological views of the Old Believers. Discussion and Conclusion. It is established that the early Old Believers, as representatives of the medieval people’s Orthodox consciousness, affirm a person of a sacral, conciliar, but individually immature. However, under the influence of modern trends, Old Believer gives rise to the idea of the charismatic personality of the Old Believer apostle. For the Old Believers of modern times, anthropocentric tendencies, significant existential interest, exaltation of man as the Image of God, especially his reasonable abilities, are characteristic. But due to the self-consciousness of the last defenders of Holy Russia, the guardianship, the Old Believers miss the fact of the damage to human nature, underestimate the need for spiritual development.

Adoption and the Image of God

1992 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 247-260
Author(s):  
Ronald J. Nydam
Keyword(s):  
Spiritual Development ◽  
Image Of God ◽  
Adopted Children ◽  
Heinz Kohut ◽  
Theological Perspective ◽  
God Representations ◽  
Ontological Foundation ◽  
The Image Of God

Presents some of the basic struggles that may surround extrafamilial adoption. Examines both psychologically and theologically the possible effects of the process on a child's view of God. Draws on the works of Ana-Maria Rizzuto and Heinz Kohut to offer a way of understanding the God-representations that adopted children may employ. Presents Paul Tillich's existential-theological perspective as an ontological foundation for the various conceptions of God of adoptees. Suggests that adoption, as one of many human dilemmas, may deeply influence both psychological and spiritual development.

The theological value of autonomy

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adiel Zimran
Keyword(s):  
Image Of God ◽  
Human Freedom ◽  
The Will ◽  
Abrahamic Religions ◽  
Age Of Enlightenment ◽  
Way Of Thinking ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Image Of God ◽  
Will Of God

Abstract Western liberalism is based on two different humanistic traditions: First, the biblical tradition of the Abrahamic religions, according to which man was created in the image of God; and, second, the tradition that developed in the age of Enlightenment, which claims man’s absolute independence of any heteronomous or transcendental being and views the very existence as a goal in and of itself. Each one of these two traditions restricts the autonomy of the individual in different ways, thus influencing the constitutional structure one of whose principal functions is to safeguard the autonomy of the citizens. This article deals with the theological value of autonomy. It analyzes the tension between the humanistic-anthropocentric worldview, which sanctifies human freedom, and the humanistic-theocentric way of thinking, which sees God as the source of all norms and holds that the freedom of man is limited by the divine imperative. Subsequently, the article presents three different models of understanding the relations between the will of God and the will of man, through an analysis of the exegesis of three Jewish thinkers on the stories of man’s creation in the image of God and the sin of the Primordial Man. These models represent three attitudes towards the theological value of autonomy. After having presented the different models, I shall compare them to each other and explicate the conceptual differences between them. To conclude, I shall further assess the contribution of these models to contemporary discourse on autonomy and liberty.

The Law of Homicide

2011 ◽  
pp. 97-112
Author(s):  
David Novak
Keyword(s):  
Death Penalty ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Image Of God ◽  
The Political ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Rabbinic Judaism ◽  
The Law ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Image Of God

This chapter argues that the law prohibiting murder is the Noahide commandment most immediately and rationally evident. The rabbis considered its prohibition from two distinct points of view, the theological and the political. In theological terms, murder is the intentional taking of another human life, a life created in the image of God. In political terms, murder wrecks social life. Regarding murder at the individual level, the rabbis differentiated criteria for the punishment of Jews and gentiles. For Jews who commit murder, the death penalty is employed only under the strict standard of “hatra'ah,” or forewarning. Such a dispensation was not available to non-Jews. The law of homicide also deals with the morally knotty issue of abortion. Rabbinic Judaism permitted abortion only when the mother's life was in danger, but for Noahides, abortion was proscribed in every case.

scholarly journals PHILOSOPHICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL IDEAS IN THE WORKS OF PERSONALITIES OF FRATERNAL SCHOOLS (XVI – XVII CENTURIES)

2020 ◽  
pp. 98-108
Keyword(s):  
Image Of God ◽  
Historical Period ◽  
Dual Nature ◽  
Knowledge Of God ◽  
Philosophy Of Life ◽  
Surrounding World ◽  
Spiritual World ◽  
Self Knowledge ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Image Of God

In the article the author tries to analyze the representation of philosophical and anthropological ideas in the works of fraternal schools in the XVI–XVII centuries. It is noted that man was considered in the unity of soul and body as a microcosm and one that was created in the image of God. Self-knowledge was interpreted as a way of liberation from the burdens of the surrounding world, dependence on earthly sensuality. In particular, Stefan Zizaniy had a rationalist vision of the dogmas of orthodox Christianity. The work of Kyrylo Tranquillion-Stavrovetsky shows a neo-Platonist tradition associated with humanism. In accordance with the traditions of the Renaissance, the philosopher turns to the idea of double truth, considering wisdom from the standpoint of theology and practical philosophy of life. K. Tranquillion-Stavrovetsky, according to the Stoic doctrine, regarded man as a dual nature. But the philosopher also emphasized the unity of soul and body, because they are strongly interconnected. It is noteworthy that the scientist reveals the problem of soul and body from the Renaissance-humanistic moral-ethical and epistemological positions. Isaiah Kopynsky emphasizes that self-knowledge and cognition of the surrounding world does not occur through the study of nature and observation of natural phenomena, but, on the contrary, through immersion in your inner spiritual world through “smart deeds”. It contributes to the knowledge of the outside world, self-knowledge and knowledge of God. I. Kopynsky’s views are close to early Hesychast Byzantine theology. The anthropological views of the theologian are focused on the individual who takes an active part in the historical process. In his works, M. Smotrytsky also pays special attention to the transcendent nature of the human spirit, in particular, analyzing the question of the interaction of action and will. The author concludes that the philosophical and anthropological ideas of the fraternal schools were formed in the context of European philosophical culture and were a reflection of the cultural and historical features of the historical period we are studying.

scholarly journals THE IMAGE OF GOD WITHIN MAN – THE FOUNDATION OF SPIRITUAL PERFECTION

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-75
Author(s):  
Leontin POPESCU ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Image Of God ◽  
Human Being ◽  
Time And Space ◽  
God's Image ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Image Of God

The human being is a mystery, he is not only nature, and he is not only soul, but these two together and more than that, he represents the divine seal on the individual. The human being can only be defined as a being impossible to define. Man created in God’s image is immortal, unique, non-recurring and we can even say impossible to clone. Beyond these statements, deep within himself, man discovers himself as a being animated by light and grace that do not come from within, but from the outside, as tension that is above all laws and mechanisms caused by it and which could be altered. Not only by means of his soul, but also by means of his body can any man achieve uniqueness, which makes it so that no body is completely identical to another. We find proof in finger prints or even in the composition of strands of hair, which differ from man to man. With each body, as with each soul, God wanted to make one of His special thoughts come alive. That is why it is not allowed to treat people as simple, identical copies of the same reality, but each person should be considered and treated as a unique value in time and space.

scholarly journals PATH OF SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT IN PHILOSOPHICAL AND RELIGIOUS VIEWS OF THE UKRAINIAN MIDDLE AGES AND THE EARLY MODERNISM REPRESENTATIVES IN THE CONTEXT OF THE DOCTRINE OF THEOSIS

2020 ◽  
pp. 117-127
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Spiritual Development ◽  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Mystical Experience ◽  
Human Person ◽  
Image Of God ◽  
Main Task ◽  
Divine Grace ◽  
The Will ◽  
The Image Of God

In the article the author tries to analyze the vision of the path of spiritual formation in the philosophical and religious views of the Ukrainian Middle Ages and the early modernism representatives in the context of the doctrine of theosis. It is noted that the doctrine of deification is considered fundamental to the theology of holiness. Theosis, the idea of which is to renew the image and the likeness of God in a person, is the main goal of life from the standpoint of the Eastern Church. After all, the combination of the Divine and human natures opens the way to God for a person. As a state of subjective experience of a human person, theosis is considered in hesychasm, which interprets it as synergy - an interacting combination of energies of man and God. The path to the development of knowledge about God is connected with the ascetic rejection from the worldly life, and the path to the union with Him is connected with the union of the Divine and human natures in a person. Followers of hesychasm believe that theosis is the practice of the subjective experience of a human person; synergy is the interacting combination of the energy of man and God. The main task of austerity is the attainment of divine grace. It dissolves the will of man in the process of a human being transformation. The doctrine of theosis had an impact on the formation of the theocratic idea in the culture of Kiev Rus, in which love of wisdom played an important role in human understanding themselves as the image of God. Analyzing the views of the Ukrainian Middle Ages and early modernism representatives on the path of spiritual development of man, the author concludes that they were characterized by the vision of deification as a person’s approach to God through self-exploration and moral improvement. Theosis is the final result on the path of spiritual growth for the representatives of the Middle Ages and early modernism philosophical conception, who attached great importance to gaining inner mystical experience and sought to experience spiritual ecstasy as the ultimate goal in the mystical path to deification.

scholarly journals An Examination of the Significance of the Trinitarian Theology of St. Augustine

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Zolt Salontai
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Image Of God ◽  
Trinitarian Theology ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
Doctrine Of The Trinity ◽  
Essential Function ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Image Of God ◽  
The Trinity

Despite the noble efforts of modern Christian theologians in attempting to revive popular level interest in the classical Christian doctrine of the Trinity, there has been within the everyday praxis of the individual Christian a discernible neglect and ignorance of this cardinal doctrine. However, with the 20th century advent of Freudian and Jungian psychology, a new opportunity has arisen for a Trinitarian revival in the popular consciousness of the faithful. Due to an increasing level of interest in the notion of understanding the conscious and unconscious cognitive processes that govern the human psyche, there arose an indubitable opportunity for a re-examination of the Trinitarian theology of those writers who based their Trinitarian discourse upon the self-consciousness of man as created in the image of God. Therefore, the essential function of this paper is to explore the Trinitarian theology of St. Augustine, who being the originator of psychological analogies in Trinitarian discourse warrants exceptional contemporary interest given the aforementioned increased receptivity to psychological self-awareness.

scholarly journals Christian in search of freedom: history and present

2017 ◽  
pp. 5-10
Author(s):  
Tetiana Gavryliuk
Keyword(s):  
Free Choice ◽  
Image Of God ◽  
Ordinary Citizen ◽  
The Core ◽  
Self Development ◽  
The World ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Right ◽  
Theological Understanding ◽  
The Image Of God

Being as it is - the eternal request of the human spirit. Responding to this request, humanity has formed a number of ideological paradigms that acquire new shades according to a certain era in the range between idealism and materialism, given about two and a half thousand years ago. The problem of interpreting the surrounding reality only appears, at first glance, as something of a minority for an ordinary citizen, as the prerogative of the mysterious philosophy inherent in individuals. At the same time, understanding and interpretation of being is the core of personality, since it is an expression of a human's outlook. As you know, the prevailing outlook determines the attitude of man to the world and to himself. He asks a certain direction as self-development of the individual, and its implementation in society. Humanity has won the right to free choice and free affirmation of philosophical paradigms step by step in recent centuries and often in a rigid controversy with Church Christian fundamentalism. Freedom in Christianity is a key characteristic of the theological understanding of man, since it is one of the fundamental components of understanding the image of God in man.

Persons Together

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan L. Mittleman
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Image Of God ◽  
Jewish Tradition ◽  
The Political ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Human Flourishing ◽  
Political Dimensions ◽  
Market Relations ◽  
The Image Of God

This chapter moves into the political and economic aspects of human nature. Given scarcity and interdependence, what sense has Judaism made of the material well-being necessary for human flourishing? What are Jewish attitudes toward prosperity, market relations, labor, and leisure? What has Judaism had to say about the political dimensions of human nature? If all humans are made in the image of God, what does that original equality imply for political order, authority, and justice? In what kinds of systems can human beings best flourish? It argues that Jewish tradition shows that we act in conformity with our nature when we elevate, improve, and sanctify it. As co-creators of the world with God, we are not just the sport of our biochemistry. We are persons who can select and choose among the traits that comprise our very own natures, cultivating some and weeding out others.

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