Anticlerical Discourse in Modern Russian Science

One can often read about the religious revival that came about in Russia after the collapse of Soviet power, both in the media and in scientific literature. According to opinion polls, the majority of Russians are believers, mostly orthodox Christians. The Russian state clearly patronizes religion, at least some specific ("traditional") religions. In socio-political discourse, the prevailing view is that religion is a good thing, and if sometimes religion is a source of problems, it is associated with some deviations from the norm, a perversion of the very essence of religion. This point of view can easily be found in Russian scientific periodicals. However, a critical attitude towards the growing role of religion in Russia is also often expressed in Russian science. The article highlights the main reasons for the dissatisfaction of scholars with the current state of affairs. It is also shown that such works have no influence on the religious situation in Russia. Although anti-clerical sentiments are quite clearly expressed in Russian science, they do not fall into the socio-political discourse, since there is simply no such force in Russia that could consistently promote the principle of secularism. In search of an additional electoral resource and a replacement for the Soviet ideology, the authorities did everything to enhance the importance of religion and strengthen the authority of religious leaders. As a result, today, despite the fact that the real level of religiosity of the population is apparently much lower than is commonly believed, politicians (even opposition ones) are not ready to openly doubt the positive role of religion, fearing PR problems.

Violence in Pacific Islander Traditional Religions

An Element on the role of violence in the traditional religions of the Pacific Ilands (Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia) and on violent activity in islander religious life after the opening of Oceania to the modern world. This work covers such issues as tribal warfare, sorcery and witchcraft, traditional punishment and gender imbalance. and moves on to consider reprisals against foreign intruders in the Pacific and the continuation of old types of violence in spite of massive socio-religious change.

Thematic Preoccupations of D. A. Ọbasá and Ṣóbọ̀ Aróbíodù on Religion and Colonialism

The works of D.A. Ọbasá and Ṣóbọ̀ Aróbíodù, the two intelligensias of Yorùbá poetry, have been the focus of earlier scholarly works in Yorùbá, with little attention given to the comparative study of their poetry. Therefore, this essay is a comparative analysis of the two poets’ poems with particular reference to issues relating to religion and colonialism. Our findings reveal that Ṣóbọ̀ Aróbíodù usually comments on issues in a direct manner while Ọbasá comments both directly and indirectly on religious and colonial issues. Also, Ṣóbọ̀ Aróbíodù’s comments on religion are basically to commend Christianity as introduced in Nigeria by the European missionaries, while Ọbasá’s poetry usually satirizes or lampoons Islamic and traditional religions. Generally, Ọbasá’s view is mainly on Yorùbá ideology while religion and colonialism are the primary foci of Ṣóbọ Aróbíodù’s poetry. ̀ Therefore, there is no gainsaying that both poets advocate against religious autocracy. They both believe that colonialism is actually good, but they also argue that it also has a lot of disadvantages, which destroyed Yorùbá cultural heritage. Besides, both poets see colonialism as a movement that brings to the fore African modernization. The essay concludes that Ṣóbọ̀ and Ọbasá are both social poets in the areas of religion and colonialism.

The problem of religious unity in modern Kazakhstan

The respect for religious diversity that Kazakhstan promotes appears to be under strain at home. Kazakhstan’s legislation guarantees equal treatment of all religions, but acknowledges the historical role of Hanafi Islam and the Russian Orthodox Church. The purpose of the article is to highlight the results of an analytical and comparative study of religious communities operating in the territory of modern Kazakhstan. A comparative method is used as the main method in the classification, typology, assessment and generalisation of religious communities. In general, the presented analytical data should be related to comparative religious studies. Both are so-called traditional religions that have been present in the Kazakh territory for many centuries. Authorities seem unwelcoming of ‘new’ religious movements that have gained followers in Kazakhstan in recent years. However, due to the rise of religious extremism and terrorism around the world, religious tensions were found here. The study concluded that since gaining independence, religious activity in Kazakhstan has increased. Keywords: Religious and ethnic tolerance, SAMK, ROC, religious expectations, terrorism.

BUDDHISM: AN OVERVIEW OF ITS PHILOSOPHY AND DEVELOPMENT IN RUSSIA

It is a positivist philosophy that assumed a religious character, and it appeared in India after the Hindu Brahmin religion in the fifth century B.C. In the beginning, it was opposed to Hinduism and tended to take care of the human being. It also included a call to mysticism and harshness, and the rejection of luxury, and the call for love, tolerance, and doing good. After the death of its founder, it turned into false beliefs of a pagan nature, and its followers exaggerated its founder until he worshipped him. We conducted a literature study by reviewing various sources and using a descriptive analysis approach and a historical approach in presenting this article. It is considered an ethical system and a philosophical doctrine based on philosophical theories, and its teachings are not revelations but rather opinions and beliefs within a religious framework. Old Buddhism differs from New Buddhism in that the former is ethical, while New Buddhism is Buddha's teachings mixed with philosophical views and mental measurements about the universe and life. Buddhism has spread to all corners of the world, including Russia. Buddhism is considered one of the traditional religions in Russia, which is legally part of Russia's historical heritage. In addition to the historical monastic traditions of Buryatia, Kalmykia, and Tuva, Buddhism is now spreading throughout Russia, with some ethnic Russians converting to it. The main form of Buddhism in Russia is the Gelukpa school of Tibetan Buddhism, with other Tibetan traditions in the minority. Although Tibetan Buddhism is most often associated with Tibet, the religion spread to Mongolia, and via Mongolia, it was brought to Russia.

Digital Religion

This article focuses on the role of digital media in the shift toward a “post-secular society.” Whereas classical sociologists presented technology and religion as incompatible by depicting technology’s spread as a powerful force of rationalization, disenchantment, and, ultimately, secularization, such assumptions have been contested as modernist ideologies rather than empirical assessments. By reviewing the literature thereon, the authors suggest, firstly, that traditional religions spread through digital media; secondly, that religious contents play a large role in digital media; and, thirdly, that there is an emergence of religions of digital media, placing digital technology itself at the center of religious speculation. As a consequence, the authors argue that this digitalization of religion makes clear that sociological assumptions about the incompatibility between technology and religion and related theories about progressive secularization and disenchantment have become problematic.

Religionin the Information Society (Sociological Etude)

The main central questions asked in the article are the following: Is the role of religion belittled in the contemporary information society? If culture turned into mass-culture, is it possible that the same fate awaits religion? If it is so and religion will lose its significance for and influence on society, then what final result will this process bring? Are we moving towards an areligious society? But if the processes go vice-versa,they can evoke an opposite reaction and traditional religions will fill with fresh energy and begin a full-blooded life. According to the authors of the article, an information space is simply a superficial cover of man’s spiritual life. That is why a virtual cyber-church will never replace a real temple. It is a parody and simulation of a real church. And the day will come when man escapes from the slavery of this simulation and virtual reality and will return to the eternal truth and genuine religious faith. It seems that man enfeebled by the illusion of pseudo-religion and pseudo faith has a serious exam to pass.It can be easily seen that pseudo-religion which is constructed in the artificial virtual space has no future and that any experiments in this sphere are, from the very beginning doomed to failure. Religious life means a live communication with the transcendent and it is lost in the case of virtualization. The internet can be a fine means for spreading the word of God, but it (Internet) has its own rules of speech that are not relevant for the language of the divine service. We think that a digital expression of religion is absurd and nothing more.

The Spiritual Features of the Experience of qi in Chinese Martial Arts

I argue in this article, grounding on a phenomenological analysis of the experience of qi in Chinese martial arts, that the experience of qi in this framework can share the features of a secular spiritual experience, in other words of a spiritual experience that is not religious, at least not necessarily. I put in evidence five features that can characterize the experience of qi in Chinese martial arts and that arguably pertain to spirituality: (1) the importance of individual experience; (2) self-transcendence and the quest for authenticity; (3) the connection with a transcendent dimension; (4) the importance of corporeity and at the same time the apprehension of a dimension which cannot be reduced to corporeity; (5) the use of imagination in order to grasp a transcendent dimension that presupposes the use of metaphors. Consequently, the experience of qi in Chinese martial arts suggests the possibility of a form of spirituality that is not necessarily bound to religion and that at the same time is not a mere rejection of traditional religions. At the same time, I argue that the experience of qi in Chinese martial and energetic arts reveals radical possibilities of human experience at the core of which are fundamental transcendental structures of human experience, i.e., the experience of our body and the experience of the world through our body. This suggests the idea that phenomenology has an important potential for the investigation of spirituality and opens towards a research field that can be deeper explored.

Religious Fanaticism and Changing Patterns of Violent Crime in Nigeria

Fanaticism has brewed into different forms in the Nigerian context – and the gravest is religious fanaticism. It has taken hold of most clans, religions, and ethnic groups across Nigeria. Religion has always existed in Nigerian societies and also has fanaticism but the level of violence precipitated by this fanaticism is apparently unprecedented. This paper journeys into the beginning of religious fanaticism in Nigeria and its changing patterns of violence. It highlights the root causes of religious violence in Nigeria and visible patterns in this violence. The paper adopted structural-functionalism theoretical formation and gathered data from textbooks, e-books, journals, online articles, newspapers, and magazines. At the end, the paper recommends that Nigerian governments initiate comprehensive programs to reconcile the religious differences that have evolved over time between Christianity, Islam, and African Traditional Religions.