Stylistic features of Yunus Abdullahi's “Yalaimi’s” Arabic praise poems to Prophet Mohammed

Eulogizing the prophet has generated controversies among the Muslims just as this genre of poetry has been mostly ignored and seen as having no significant content. In the Islamic era (Al-AsrulIslami) the prophet permitted Hassan bnThabit to compose poem to defend Islam and praised him. Later he condemned referring to him as Allah or son of Allah as a form praise. The aim of this study is to identify the methods used by the poet to eulogies the Prophet and describe the stylistic feature of the poem. The method of research is descriptive and analytic. The result of the study reveals that the author used three major methods to praise the prophet which include reference to his spiritual status, emphasis on his practices and tradition and describing his religious struggle. The styles used by the author include clarity of language, use of imagery, Iqtibas (adaptation and citation of Quran verses) and rhetorical question. It is recommended therefore, that the poems should be completely translated to English for wider circulation.

Was Niccolò Oddi a Jesuit?: Pamphlets, News, and His Disputed Deathbed Religious Profession

This essay explores the life and career of Niccolò Oddi (1715–67). Associated with Ludovico Maria Torrigiani, the pro-Jesuit secretary of state during the pontificate of Clement xiii, Oddi was not himself a member of the Society, but a man who would defend it in the years when the survival of the order was the principal issue that occupied the papal court, and when Europe was abuzz with polemical anti-Jesuit tracts. As papal nuncio in Switzerland, Oddi opposed the printing and circulation of anti-Jesuit publications; later, he became the archbishop of Ravenna and a cardinal. By some he is considered a Jesuit, for he seems to have joined the Society just before his death by making religious profession. Did this really happen? Or, was it part of propaganda employed by the Jesuits themselves? Or, was it a myth circulated by Society’s enemies? Oddi’s case may be considered informative for many reasons. His alleged religious profession before dying, which was discussed in the newspapers of the time, can be interpreted as an important episode in the political-religious struggle that accompanied the suppression of the Jesuits between real and fake news.

Religion and spirituality in prevention and promotion in mental health

The role religion and spirituality (R/S) can play in the promotion and prevention of mental health is not strictly defined, and the influence of culture is probably decisive. Aspects of R/S can be tentatively conceived of as epidemiological factors sometimes associated with better or poorer mental health (as is clear for at least one aspect—that is, religious struggle). Three main targets of prevention are suggested: (1) to consider how R/S may contribute to mental hygiene and educate accordingly, (2) to address religious struggle and positive elements of R/S in people with mental problems, and foster the therapeutic alliance and compliance, and (3) to prevent associated disabilities in those with mental disorders, and consider R/S as a field in need of care, with special attention to how R/S relates to existential concerns and the recovery process.

Kostroma anti-religious campaigns of the 1920–1930s

The article analyses the reasons, methods and forms of anti-religious struggle in Kostroma land in the 1920s – 1930s. The article focuses on the activity of Kostroma branch of the League of Militant Atheists, whose efforts, in the author’s opinion, were aimed at building the ideological basis for the coming anti-church and anti-religious terror. The author of the article argues that fight against god was one of the meaning-forming ideologies of the emerging Soviet system, though aggressive atheistic propaganda in Kostroma turned out to be ineffective as Orthodox traditions allegedly were particularly strong here. The conclusion is made about the planned and purposeful destruction of the religious shrines of Kostroma and its historical appearance. After the attempts of a polemical dialogue with the Church in the first post-revolutionary years in the 1920s the Bolshevik government used the tactics of satirical ridicule of religion and religiosity, using all propaganda arsenals at the disposal of the state. It is claimed in the article that having being defeated at the front of anti-religious propaganda and agitation in the 1920s, the authorities did not hesitate to switch to repressive and punitive measures in the 1930s. Soviet and Communist Party leaders are depicted in the article as those who considered physical destruction of churches and the most active and influential part of the clergy to be the only effective means of fighting religion in Russian cities.

The history of Maximus the Greek’s epistles against Luther (in defense of icon worship)

The Russian scholarly tradition describes the religious struggle against Lutherans, starting with the works by Maximus the Greek. A. I. Ivanov’s guidebook includes six words related to the publicist’s anti-Protestant polemic. Although, the Epistle against Heretics on Worship of Holy Icons is a special variant of Epistle 6 by Iosif Volotsky the Apostle and does not belong to Maximus the Greek. Another work, The Epistle against Lutherans is the treatise by Starets Artemius. Maximus the Greek is the author of the Epistle against Luther on Worship of Holy Icons. It exists as an intravitam manuscript (mid-16th century) with the author’s corrections and as a copy from the Pomorskoye Sobraniye (18th-19th centuries), without the author’s corrections, but with several fuller archetypal readings. Maximus the Greek’s relying on oral sources resulted in misrepresenting the Lutherans’ teaching of icon worship: he assumed Lutherans to worship icons of Jesus Christ, the Virgin, and John the Baptist. Of concern is the manuscript’s dating. Maximus the Greek meant to disprove Luther’s teaching of non-worship of holy icons and constructed his speech on appeals to Luther. Vocatives, appellatives, and imperatives are the expressive components reflecting the mood and emotional state of the indignant author. These should indicate that the Epistle was written before Luther’s death in 1546. However, Maximus the Greek writings tend to follow a polemical script, and in this Epistle, the learned monk quotes Luther’s address to him, suggesting that it was written before 1552 when Messingheim appeared in Moscow with protestant works.

Anti-Religious and Internal Political Struggle in the Tuvan People’s Republic in the Context of Socialization of Tuvan Women

The paper deals with the issues of anti-religious and internal political struggle in the Tuvan People’s Re-public, which existed as an independent state from 1921 to 1944. In the first years, Buddhism had a strong influence in the Republic, so the lamas were a serious threat to the then government. Since 1929, a struggle began with them, in which the Tuvan People’s Revolutionary Party played an important role, guided in its work by the Comintern’s instruc-tions. Using the example of socialization and eman-cipation of Tuvan women, who made up almost half of the adult population, the paper shows how the anti-religious struggle was waged. It is concluded that women were a potential labor resource that needed to be involved not only in the internal politi-cal struggle, but also in economic activities. In this regard, the struggle was against everything that could hinder the processes of socialization and emancipation of Tuvan women, including Buddhist lamas and religion.

Let Him Who Is without Sin Cast the First Stone: Religious Struggle among Persons Convicted of Sexually Offending

Religiousness and spirituality have been identified as important factors in promoting desistance from sexual offending and as helpful coping resources with negative psychological consequences related to public registration. However, the potential mental health benefits, and detriments, of religiousness and spirituality for persons convicted of sexually offending have not been widely examined. Given the moral implications of their behavior and stigmatization by society, including from religious and spiritual communities, this study aimed to examine levels of religious struggle and their associations with symptoms of mental health among 30 men on the Maryland Sex Offense Registry. Relative to the normative sample, the mean level of spiritual transcendence, constructive perceptions of spirituality that develop within social, cultural, and educational contexts, was significantly lower within this sample. Conversely, religious struggle mean scores indicated that the men in this sample experienced significantly greater difficulties relative to God and their faith community. Greater levels of religious struggle were significantly related to higher neuroticism, greater self-reported shame, depression, anxiety, and hopelessness, as well as lower levels of self-compassion. Based on these preliminary findings, religious struggles may adversely influence the mental health of persons convicted of sexually offending. More research is needed to gain a better understanding of the associations between religiousness, spirituality, and mental health in this population. Future directions for research and clinical implications for mental health providers, including spiritually informed treatment approaches with persons convicted of sexually offending, are discussed.