Torn Between Boundaries: Bodies-in-Pain, Christianity and Feature Film

<p>The central argument of this dissertation, contrary to the secularisation thesis which predicts the decline of Christianity, is that Christian-inspired values tacitly influence embodied experience. Crossing disciplinary boundaries, various theoretical perspectives and empirical studies, the case of bodies-in-pain is used as the focus for empirical analysis. This study draws heavily on Mellor and Shilling's (1997) ideal-type analysis of Medieval Catholic and early Modern Protestant forms of embodied sociality and knowledge to produce an original model of bodies-in-pain. This model is then used as a comparative heuristic tool to assess to what extent bodies-in-pain can be identified as communicating meaning in the 'reel world' of fiction films. Three films that on the surface do not appear to have explicit Christian motivation are chosen for detailed examination. These are: Se7en (1995), Minority Report (2002) and Cape Fear (1991). The final chapter relates the bodies-in-pain models to a pre-existing audience response study focused on Cronenberg's film Crash (1996) to indicate what it is about the body that allows it to be depicted and constructed in certain ways. Overall this dissertation departs from the idea that Christianity must be at odds with secular society, instead, secularisation is reframed as a catalyst for social change that does not mean the end of Christian influence in society. In light of this, I claim Christianity remains socially and institutionally significant for contemporary Western people and the way in which they make sense of the body.</p>

Torn Between Boundaries: Bodies-in-Pain, Christianity and Feature Film

<p>The central argument of this dissertation, contrary to the secularisation thesis which predicts the decline of Christianity, is that Christian-inspired values tacitly influence embodied experience. Crossing disciplinary boundaries, various theoretical perspectives and empirical studies, the case of bodies-in-pain is used as the focus for empirical analysis. This study draws heavily on Mellor and Shilling's (1997) ideal-type analysis of Medieval Catholic and early Modern Protestant forms of embodied sociality and knowledge to produce an original model of bodies-in-pain. This model is then used as a comparative heuristic tool to assess to what extent bodies-in-pain can be identified as communicating meaning in the 'reel world' of fiction films. Three films that on the surface do not appear to have explicit Christian motivation are chosen for detailed examination. These are: Se7en (1995), Minority Report (2002) and Cape Fear (1991). The final chapter relates the bodies-in-pain models to a pre-existing audience response study focused on Cronenberg's film Crash (1996) to indicate what it is about the body that allows it to be depicted and constructed in certain ways. Overall this dissertation departs from the idea that Christianity must be at odds with secular society, instead, secularisation is reframed as a catalyst for social change that does not mean the end of Christian influence in society. In light of this, I claim Christianity remains socially and institutionally significant for contemporary Western people and the way in which they make sense of the body.</p>

Christian Influence in the Bau-Jagoi Bidayuh Traditional Funeral Customs

The arrival of Christianity in the 19th century has greatly affected the traditional beliefs and customs of the Bidayuh in Sarawak, Malaysia. One of the rituals affected is that relating to funeral customs. This paper focuses on the influence of Christianity and modern lifestyle on the traditional Bidayuh funeral rites in this 21st century. The data were gathered from two funerals of traditional Bidayuh in Kampong Duyoh and Suba Baru of the Jagoi area; in Bau district. Traditional Bidayuh funeral customs are heavily influenced by their animistic beliefs and pagan/traditional rituals. Typical to any of the traditional funeral amongst the indigenous tribes of Borneo, a Bidayuh funeral is advised by a traditional priest. It is also a common trait to see it as a communal event where the whole village is involved during the wake and the funeral procession. With the conversion of most Bidayuh into Christianity, the traditional Bidayuh funeral and rites have been a rarity and exclusive only to those pagan Bidayuh. Younger generations are not exposed to the rites and tradition as funerals are in accordance to the Christian rituals. Even with the last remaining pagan Bidayuh, Christian influence could be seen in the traditional Bidayuh funeral rites and rituals.

Introduction

The Introduction describes the revitalization of one of the most controversial religious and political movements in recent American history. During a period of significant demographic and cultural change, a large number of religious and political conservatives have migrated into the Pacific Northwest. Many of these migrants are influenced by the claims of Christian Reconstruction, or “theonomy.” From their base in northern Idaho, these latter-day theonomists are developing the work of R. J. Rushdoony, Gary North, and others of the first generation of the writers of Christian Reconstruction, reiterating their optimistic view of the future, an eschatological position known as postmillennialism, as well as their expectation that the expansion of Christian influence around the world will be marked by changes in government and by a widespread return to the demands of Old Testament law.

The Influence of Christianity on the Philosophy of John Rawls

This article is about a contrastive analysis of Rawls’s views in mutually different periods of his philosophical development in relation to possible influences of Christian thought on his overall philosophy. The evidence of such Christian influence on his philosophy is conducted through his examination of sociability and morality as an essential ontological feature of a human being. The second principle of justice is especially emphasized as a view that has a source in Christian thought.

Living with Scripture, Living in a Democracy

RésuméLes chrétiens ont souvent fait face à des tensions entre leur identité chrétienne et leur statut de citoyens d’une démocratie. Ces tensions constituent une forme particulière de l’inévitable problème fondamental que rencontrent les chrétiens dans toute société au sein de laquelle ils vivent. À la suite de Saint Augustin, on peut exprimer cela en terme de la difficulté à articuler la double appartenance, à la cité de Dieu d’une part et à la « cité des hommes » de l’autre. En dépit de ces tensions, et en vertu de la providence divine, la participation des chrétiens peut aussi contribuer à des bénédictions temporaires pour la société à laquelle ils appartiennent. L’histoire du monde occidental en fournit bien des exemples, dont fait partie l’émergence même des démocraties. Dans le contexte postchrétien actuel, ces fruits historiques de l’influence chrétienne sont souvent dissociés de leurs racines et deviennent par conséquent instables, ou sont contrecarrés par des difficultés, voire des impasses. Ayant conservé leurs racines, les chrétiens peuvent souvent clarifier les choses et proposer des solutions. La contribution chrétienne peut s’avérer fructueuse, par exemple dans le contexte contemporain de l’opposition entre la version libérale de la démocratie de l’Europe occidentale et la version non libérale de l’Europe de l’Est. L’auteur conclut en mentionnant cinq points devant retenir l’attention concernant la participation de chrétiens à la vie d’une démocratie : il s’agit de rester attaché à l’Église qui constitue la communauté politique du Royaume à venir, de considérer l’identification à un organe politique terrestre comme demeurant secondaire, de promouvoir des activités au bénéfice de la société depuis le sein de l’Église, de tenir compte du fait que les objectifs moraux dans le contexte de la société doivent être différents de ceux que l’on adopte dans le contexte de l’Église, et de demeurer fidèle à un style de vie prophétique par la parole et les actes.SummaryChristians have traditionally experienced tensions between their Christian identity and their citizenship in a democracy. This tension is a special variant of the inevitable underlying classical challenge for Christians in all societies where they live. Following Augustine, this can be expressed as the challenge to combine the dual citizenships of the city of God and the ‘city of man’. Despite such tensions, under God’s providence the participation of Christians can also lead to temporary blessings for their societies. Western history provides many examples of this, the development of democracy being one of them. In the current post-Christian context these historical fruits of Christian influence have often become detached from their roots and therefore become unstable or burdened by difficulties and even deadlocks. Being still connected to that root, Christians can often provide clarification and contribute to solutions. This Christian contribution can be made fruitful, for example, in the contemporary clash between Western European liberal and Eastern European illiberal versions of democracy. The article concludes with five points of attention for Christian participation in a democracy: staying anchored in the Church as the political community of the future kingdom, considering earthly political identifications as secondary, developing public grass roots activities from within the Church, realising that moral aims in the context of society have to be different from those in the context of the Church, and remaining faithful to a prophetic lifestyle in word and deed.ZusammenfassungChristen erleben für gewöhnlich Spannungen zwischen ihrer Identität als Christ und als Staatsbürger in einer Demokratie. Diese Spannung stellt eine besondere Variante der unvermeidlichen klassischen Herausforderung dar, der Christen in jeglicher Gesellschaftsform begegnen. Gemäß Augustinus mag sich dies in der Schwierigkeit ausdrücken, die doppelte Staatsbürgerschaft in der ,,Stadt Gottes“ und der ,,Stadt der Menschen“ miteinander zu vereinen. Trotz derartiger Spannungen kann durch die Vorsehung Gottes auch der Einfluss von Christen zu vorübergehenden Segnungen für ihre Gesellschaft führen. Die westliche Geschichte liefert viele Beispiele hierfür, und die Entwicklung der Demokratie ist nur eines davon. Im gegenwärtigen nachchristlichen Kontext haben sich diese historisch gewachsenen Ergebnisse christlichen Einflusses häufig von ihren Wurzeln gelöst und wurden daher unstabil oder von Schwierigkeiten und sogar Blockaden überfrachtet. Solange Christen immer noch mit diesen Wurzeln verbunden sind, sind sie oftmals in der Lage, für eine Klärung von Situationen zu sorgen und zu Lösungen beizutragen. Dieser christliche Einfluss kann zum Beispiel im gegenwärtigen Konflikt zwischen liberalen westeuropäischen und illiberalen osteuropäischen Formen von Demokratie genutzt werden. Der Artikel schließt mit fünf Punkten, die für den Beitrag von Christen in einer Demokratie zu berücksichtigen sind: Christen bleiben in der Gemeinde als der politischen Gemeinschaft des künftigen Reiches Gottes verhaftet, säkulare politische Zuordnungen werden als sekundär betrachtet, öffentliche Basisaktivitäten werden aus der Gemeinde heraus entwickelt, in der Einsicht, dass sich ethische Zielsetzungen im gesellschaftlichen Kontext von jenen im Gemeindekontext unterscheiden müssen und unter der Voraussetzung, dass Christen einem prophetischen Lebensstil in Wort und Tat treu bleiben.

The Power of Porridge: Udmurt Ritual Food

Автор размышляет о главенствующей роли каши в ритуальных трапезах удмуртов. При этом он опирается на свои многолетние полевые исследования, проведенные главным образом в Башкортостане, где удмурты проживают компактно и не подверглись христианскому влиянию, а также на наблюдения в Удмуртии и Татарстане. Задействованы комментарии респондентов, зафиксированные непосредственно в ритуальном процессе. Рассматриваются деревенские общинные моления, где каша является своеобразным завершением, окончательным синтезированным результатом ритуальных действий. Не игнорируются более интимные обряды, проводимые на уровне семьи или рода по поводу календарных или семейных праздников. This article reflects on the importance of porridge as ritual food in Udmurt ceremonies. It concentrates on village animistic ceremonies in which porridge is the final synthetic product, but also examines more intimate calendar ritual ceremonies at the level of the family. The field research was mainly carried out in Bashkortostan, where Udmurt communities have been protected from Christian influence. However, it takes into account case studies from Udmurtia and Tatarstan. The article examines the ingredients of porridge - water, grain, butter, meat - and shows how central they are to the Udmurts’ life and how they have changed in recent decades. Finally, it reflects on the symbolism of porridge, from the gendered aspect of its fabrication to its suggestion of wealth and of Udmurt ethnicity.

Biblical Background of Earth Conceptualization in English Linguoculture (the Motif of the Creation of Man in John Milton’s Epic Poem Paradise Lost)

The main purpose of this paper is to describe the cognitive signs of dust in the acroconcept “earth/ land” in the aspect of Christian influence on the consciousness of native speakers of English. For material the author turned to English fiction of different periods and monolingual English dictionaries. The key methods applied in this paper are descriptive, conceptual, comparative, and interpretative. According to the study, the structure of the macroconcept “earth/land” in English linguoculture contains religious signs related to the Christian cult, namely to the motif of the creation of man. The English version of King James Bible states that God created man from “dust of the ground”. The analysis of dictionary entries revealed 17 cognitive signs of dust, including the following: ‘dry natural matter’, ‘decay’, ‘confusion/fuss/disturbance’, ‘humiliation/low state, ‘ground/surface’, ‘small dry particles of dirt’, ‘dust cloud’, ‘low value’, ‘residue/waste ready for collection’, ‘individual particle’, ‘gold dust’, ‘corpse’, ‘(mortal) body of man’, ‘ashes/soot/coal/brick/chalk/garbage’, ‘place of burial’, ‘money/cash’, and ‘silicosis/respiratory disease’. The author found 15 of the aforementioned cognitive signs of dust in John Milton’s Paradise Lost, some of which express syncretic concepts. The article singles out six clusters of cognitive signs of dust in modern English linguoculture: 1) agricultural: the Garden of Eden; 2) somatic; 3) material; 4) territorial: a) place of residence, b) place of rest; 5) valuable, of ambivalent nature; 6) mental, emotional and moral. The third – material – cluster is the most diverse in terms of the number of cognitive signs.