Protest kobiet. Wizerunek katolicyzmu w wytwórczości współczesnych polskich reżyserek

In the second decade of the 20th century (especially in the years 2016-2020), a significant number of films by Polish female directors were released in which Catholicism and the Catholic Church were attacked. They were: W imię… [In the Name of…], Body/ciało [Body], Twarz (Mug) and Córka boga [The Other Lamb] – all directed by Małgorzata Szumowska; Dzikie róże [Wild Roses] by Anna Jadowska, Pokot [Spoor] by Agnieszka Holland and Kasia Adamik, Wieża. Jasny dzień [Tower. A Bright Day] by Jagoda Szelc, Powrót, [Back Home] by Magdalena Łazarkiewicz, Maryjki [Marygoround] by Daria Woszek, as well as a documentary Komunia [Communion] by Anna Zamecka. The polemic related to the above-mentioned movies commented on the religiosity of Catholics and the quality of the institutional church (priests, hierarchies, methods of ministering and teaching), religious control and repression of corporeality and sexuality (including female sexuality), and Catholicism as the foundation of the patriarchal system. These films also feature elements of the "positive program", a proposal for a new cultural paradigm (new spirituality), organized around Nature, with the suggestion of matriarchy. From the point of view of social communication, the content and poetics of above-mentioned the films were similar, according to the author, to the content of the protests of the Ogólnopolski Strajk Kobiet (Polish Women's Strike), which demonstrated in 2016 and 2020 against the tightening of abortion laws.

Two Kinds of Sectarianism

In the era of the early republic, Thomas Jefferson at the University of Virginia headed the leading effort to promote nonsectarian higher education, freed from religious control. Throughout the colonies the Presbyterians, representing in alliance with New Englanders the Reformed heritage, had become the principal rivals in establishing colleges. They pointed out that Jefferson’s views were not neutral, but just a different sort of sectarianism. That led to conflicts, especially in the South, where Jefferson’s ally, Thomas Cooper, was eventually removed from the presidency of the University of South Carolina. Within a generation of Jefferson’s death, rather than steadily liberalize as he had imagined, most American colleges were under more traditionalist Protestant influence. In 1845 Presbyterian William H. McGuffey became Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Virginia.

The Cambridge Mental Health Film Club: lessons to learn, feedback, expansion and development of a standard operating protocol

AimsTo report on our progress and feedback running the Cambridge Mental Health Film Club. To share the recent development of a Standard Operating Protocol to help others organise Mental Health Film Screenings in order to foster discussion, engage the public, reduce stigma about mental health and build understanding.BackgroundCinema lends itself to exploring social and mental health issues such as stigma in an enjoyable way within a limited time and budget. Viewing a film with those from different backgrounds and having a chance to discuss perspectives on meaning and significance is an effective way to promote a collaborative stance and expand perspectives. We have been running a Mental Health Film Club in Cambridge for the past 3 years and have recently celebrated our 10th screening.MethodWe give details of our screenings and feedback. We also share our Standard Operating Protocol which covers important topics such as resources to find suitable films, obtaining copyright permission, finding suitable venues, supporting open discussions, use of social media and promoting inclusivity.ResultOur Mental Health Film club shows three films a year and over time has opened up to both professionals and members of the public who are interested in discussing mental health through movies and supporting recovery. We have screened many challenging and interesting films: from the impact of religious control on emergent adolescent sexuality (‘The Miseducation of Cameron Post’) to a classic film on Alcohol Dependency (‘Days of Wine and Roses’). We also support local festivals with a similar mental health theme (e.g. MEDFEST) and have recently run a very successful screening with the University of Cambridge Psychiatry Society which was introduced by a student offering subjective experience of growing up with a sibling with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (‘Life, Animated’). We promote screenings and publish all film discussions on our website (www.tinyurl.com/psychfilmclub) and Twitter in order to contribute to resources for educational use within Psychiatry training and to further involve the wider public. Feedback shows that our sessions are highly rated at helping audiences see mental health in a new way with post film discussion especially valued.ConclusionOur experience and practical advice can inspire others to start a Mental Health Film Club and promote cohesion, resilience and collaborative thinking within their locality. For future events we plan to expand into more public engagement via local Film Festivals. We welcome delegates ideas, experiences and film recommendations.

The Role of Religion in Turkish-Uzbek Relations

This article analyzes the role and place of religion in Uzbek-Turkish relations. In both countries, the Sunni sect of Islam is predominant. In Uzbekistan, religion is separated from the state, and religious activity is fully controlled by the state. The ruling party in Turkey makes extensive use of Islamic elements in governing. Mirziyoyev's rise to power in Uzbekistan marked the beginning of religious cooperation. In Uzbekistan, where religious control has been strong for many years, various forms of religious education, such as Islamic finance and foundation work, have been inactive. Today, after Saudi Arabia and Iran, Turkey claims to be a leader in the Islamic world. The extent to which Turkey's experience in religion and state relations is relevant to Uzbekistan is important.

COVID Crisis and churches moving online – will it hasten the consumerism and commercialization of religion in Protestantism? A Sociological and Theological analysis

A consequence of Protestantism‟s aversion to monopolistic religious control is the sprouting and growth of unorganized religious establishment by enterprising individuals in Protestantism. This aversion is justified within the context of a reformed understanding of anthropology in a twofold manner. Firstly, that the corruption in human nature makes power concentrations dangerous. Secondly to prevent human beings from slacking in their duty that arise due to human weaknesses, Adam Smith‟s idea of competitive religious markets perform better than ones where there is monopolistic control. While Protestant theology insulates us from the dangers of power concentration and slothful duty that stem from weakness in human nature, it opens us out to new problems such as consumerism, commercialization and commodification of Christianity. With the dawn of the COVID crisis and most churches and ministries being forced to move online for broadcast and connectivity, the issues of commercialization and consumerism in religion will find new avenues for manifestation. The subject of this article is to extract wisdom and strategies to deal with the same from the early church which was placed in a very similar context of commercialization and commodification of religion.

Arresting Alternatives

Ancient Greek descriptions of ecstatic and mystic rituals, here broadly labeled as Bacchantic worship, regularly include elements of moral corruption and dissolution of social unity. Suspicions were mostly directed against unofficial cult groups that exploited Dionysiac experiences in secluded settings. As the introduction of copious new cults attests, Greek religion was receptive to external influences. This basic openness, however, was not synonymous with tolerance, and pious respect for all deities did not automatically include their worshippers. This article reconsiders the current view of ancient religious intolerance by regarding these negative stereotypes as expressions of prejudice and by investigating the social dynamics behind them. Prejudices against private Bacchantic groups are regarded as part of the process of buttressing the religious authority of certain elite quarters in situations where they perceive that their position is being threatened by rival claims. It is suggested that both the accentuation and alleviation of prejudice is best understood in relation to the relative stability of the elite and the religious control it exerted.

Music—An Ever-Changing Landscape

Music is universally a key part of life, with a diversity of styles and usage from love songs to warfare and religion. The variations are immense, and always changing. This introduction has a historical outline, with a rapid overview of early instruments and music. Music developed partly from a gradual relaxation of religious control of what was acceptable. The Renaissance in art and literature contributed, but they require language and knowledge of the symbolisms. Music has none of these restrictions, and our responses are totally personal. There has been a major role of scientific inputs into instruments, concert halls, distribution of music via printing and notation, plus the electronics of recorded music and broadcasting. These factors altered compositional styles. The following chapters will expand on these highly diverse and numerous scientific and technological features and their musical consequences.