Dostoevsky's Christianity

The article refutes the widespread view that Dostoevsky's Christian beliefs were strictly Orthodox. It is proved that Dostoevsky's religious and philosophical searches' central tendency is the criticism of historical, ecclesiastical Christianity as a false, distorted form of the teaching of Jesus Christ and the desire to restore this teaching in its original purity. Modern researchers of the history of early Christianity find more and more arguments in favor of the fact that the actual teaching of Jesus Christ is contained in that religious movement, which the church called the Gnostic heresy. The exact philosophical expression of the teaching of Christ was received in the later works of J.G. Fichte, whose ideas had a strong influence on the Russian writer. Like Fichte, Dostoevsky understands Christ as the first person who showed the possibility of revealing God in himself and gaining divine omnipotence and eternal life directly in earthly reality. In this sense, every person can become like Christ. Dostoevsky's main characters walk the path of Christ and show how difficult this path is. The article shows that Dostoevsky used in his work not only the philosophical version of true (Gnostic) Christianity developed by German philosophy (Fichte, Schelling, Hegel), but also the key motives of the Gnostic myth, primarily the idea that our world, filled with evil and suffering, is created not by the supreme, good God-Father, but by the evil Demiurge, the Devil (in this sense, it is hell).

Ethics and Values in the Digital Environment: by the Example of Parody Videos on TikTok

The ethics of the comic is a relatively new interdisciplinary field of knowledge that is gaining new relevance with the development of a variety of social media. The purpose of this article is to review the existing research and show by examples how ethics and values are closely related to the specific functions of social media, such as distributing parody content and commenting on it. The main focus of our study is a parody which can be defined as communicative behavior in the form of a text, movement, or even a song, imitating the characteristics or behavior of the object being ridiculed. Unlike a literal quotation, a parody reproduces the original in a distorted form for the purpose of mockery. Within this article modern ethical approaches to the evaluation of parody as well as the main functions of parody in the digital environment are considered. Based on the examples of parody videos on TikTok the particular ways of expressing social problems and cultural traumas by using the comic strategies are identified. Furthermore, the issues of algorithmic censorship concerning such videos as well as the problem of the moral autonomy of users are discussed.

Taking Soundings

This chapter introduces themes that are important throughout this work. Augustine’s doctrine of original sin continues to hold sway for many theologians and the chapter briefly discusses recent works that have taken his thinking seriously in the light of evolution. The chapter also begins to map the relationships between sin, evil, natural evil, and moral evil. This blurring between natural and moral evil represents the most recent example of why an adequate understanding of sin that takes account of humanity’s embedded relationship with the natural world is so important. The chapter begins with a very brief discussion of shame, conscience, and evolutionary explanations of religion in early human societies. Following this is a brief review of Western theological explanations for the persistence of evil through a review of current literature on original sin. The chapter then argues, following traditional sources, that sin is worth exploring in order to understand virtue; in other words, an exploration of vices helps to elucidate the meaning of virtues. The chapter then comments on the common dichotomy between natural and moral evil and argues for a much greater blurring of that boundary in thinking through the biocultural origins of sin and guilt. J.M. Coetze’s novel Disgrace captures the complex and ambiguous interlacing of human sin and animality. The rest of the present volume intends to show more clearly what that blurring signifies as well as the distinctive nature of human sin and its symbolic character, which has semiotic properties amounting to a grossly distorted form of wisdom, shadow sophia.

“Merit to Admire”: European Political Experience in the Private Committee’s Practice

The article examines ideological interaction between the Russian Empire and Europe in the 18th — 19th centuries basing on the analysis of extensive historical and theoretical material. The reforms of the early reign of Alexander I were developed within the framework of the Private Committee using European political experience and philosophical concepts of the Enlightenment. The theories of the “philosopher king”, “social contract”, “separation of powers” and others were used while discussing reforms, but in a rather truncated or distorted form. The experience of the French revolution was the reason for the selective and careful application of enlightened terms and concepts by Alexander I and his entourage. Nevertheless, the preparation of reforms within the framework of the Private Committee combined quite harmoniously their enlightened context and monarchical character.

Josafat Kuntsevych and “Marvelous Conversion” of the Patriarch Nikon: The Story of one Legend

The hagiographic works of the late 17th — first half of the 18th century related to the figure of the first martyr of the Uniate Church in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Josaphat Kuntsevych (1580–1623), describe the “miraculous conversion” of the Patriarch of Moscow Nikon (1605–1681) to Catholicism. This event is associated with Nikon’s profanation of the image of Josaphat, and the subsequent repentance of the Patriarch and his appeal to the intercession of Kuntsevych. The conversion of Nikon, according to the Uniate hagiographers, became the main reason for the subsequent disgrace and detronization of the Patriarch. The description of this “miracle” created around 1672 (Korona złota nad głową zranioną b.m. Iozaphata Kuncewicza, Wilno 1673) is overgrown later with various details and circumstances that are born of rumors and speculations, but also reflect a certain historical reality, albeit in a somewhat distorted form. The article analyzes the latest known version of the “miracle” (S. P. Ważyński, Kazanie na uroczystość Bł. Jozafata Kuncewicza, Wilno 1762) and discusses the stages of different plot lines formation. Assumptions are made about which real events could influenced the folding of the legend, and why this legend is especially actualized in the Uniate hagiography of Kuntsevych in the middle of the eighteenth century.

Pharisaism: the image and meanings

The article deals with the image of Pharisaism as a multidimensional and complex phenomenon with a wide semantic field. The authors trace the way of formation of this image, from the text of the New Testament and the writings of the Holy fathers of the Church, to the analysis of the meanings of this concept in modern Orthodox literature. The authors distinguish and consider various aspects of the image of Pharisaism: moral, religious-psychological, existential. These aspects reflect different features of the image, but in the aggregate they give an opportunity to describe the whole image of Pharisaism. The article contents the analysis of Pharisaism as a distorted form of religious consciousness, and a comparative analysis between the Pharisaism and the true religiosity, as it is understood in the tradition of Russian religious philosophy, is carried out. The authors also analyze the manifestations of Pharisaism at the level of social and religious phenomena, which allows them to move from the consideration of Pharisaism as an internal order phenomenon to its analysis as a social phenomenon. The article raises the question of the institutionalization of Pharisaism as one of the problems accompanying the modern religious revival in Russia. The authors make correlations between Pharisaism as a personal phenomenon and Pharisaism at the institutional level. Based on this comparative analysis, the authors conclude that Pharisaism at the social level accompanies the process of institutionalization of religion.

The Religious life of Romanians in 18th-20th century Hungary, reflected in the works of researchers in the Hungarian space

Aim. We tend to believe that the religious life of Romanians in the diaspora – living in the proximity of the Romanian borders (we do not take into account the groups that left towards Spain, Italy, Germany, and so on at the beginning of the third millennium) - is a taboo subject. The Orthodox (Romanian) clerical elite focused less on the assiduous study of the religious life of their Romanian brothers outside the borders; in this case, in Hungary. Therefore, we have the scientific duty—but more importantly, the moral duty—to bring to light the truths that are either not known or are known in a distorted form. The road of Voniga (Giula-Giroc) that we followed during the PhD research period was a blessing from the point of view of a scientific void/niche. Methods. In our study, we have applied two “simple” components: the archive and the specialised bibliography. Results. The archive was largely preserved only by Elena Csobai and Emilia Martin. The respectable ladies professionally structured the archive (Romanian Orthodox Church in Hungary) and saved hundreds of research sources from the depth of history. Conclusion. As Moisa noted (2011), the puzzling ethnographic, linguistic, cultural, and historical bulk material is without a doubt focused on the Church. The church is inextricably linked to the lives of Romanians in Hungary. Going through the tens of thousands from the mentioned fields, even superficially, there is an undeniable truth: the spirituality is present, more or less, in the writings of most of the select researchers who have worked in the scientific field for the past three decades.

Simulation of Phase Angle Control and Condition Based Synchronization Techniques for Parallel Inverters

Parallel connection of inverters is one useful method for solving the high power requirements. It reduces the current stress on inverter switches and makes the way for continuous supply to the load.Though any one of the inverter supplying the load gets faulted, the other inverter connected would supply the load. But the problem in this kind of set up is that it needs synchronization techniques for parallel operation or else the inverters will operate in unsynchronized manner and the supply would be in distorted form for the motor load leading to overheating of the load. This paper proposes two software drive control techniques for the parallel operation of inverters in synchronized condition.These software techniques are implemented and results are analysed in the MATLAB environment.

TWO WORLDS – TWO INTEGRATIONS: THE SPECIFICITY OF CONNECTION OF CIVILIZATIONS WITH ISLAMOPHOBIA

The article explores the geostrategic, geoeconomic and geophilosophical aspects of Islamophobia in the context of integration. They distinguish and reveal 12 ways of thinking in relation to Islamophobia: 1) Islamophobia as a form of racism in the world historical perspective 2) Islamophobia as a form of cultural racism 3) Islamophobia as a form of confrontation between East and West 4) Islamophobia as a form of globalophobia 5) Islamophobia as a form of intolerance and stigmatization 6) Islamophobia, on the one hand, is a form of protest of the Eastern world representatives against the insults of the feelings of Muslim believers in Europe, and on the other, the result of an encroachment not only on the freedom of action of the people of the Western world, but also on their freedom of thought 7) Islamophobia as a distorted form of knowledge of the East among Europeans and their lack of orientalism 8) Islamophobia as a form of epistemological racism 9) Islamophobia as a form of national or ethnic identification 10) Islamophobia as a form of immigrant phobia 11) Islamophobia as a form of migrant phobia 12) Islamophobia, on the one hand, is a new form of racism in Europe, and on the other, a form of neo-racism in relation to the peoples of Eastern civilization.

Pelanggaran Asusila bagi Perumah Tangga dalam Kajian Agama Buddha

The crime of decency often occurs in the life of the community, in fact the crime is increasingly increasing, for that need serious handling and cooperation between law enforcement with the community. This crime of morality can affect the lives of children, youth and householders. A distorted form of behavior is what happens is adultery, rape and obscenity. In domestic life, the perverted behavior that occurs is the crime of adultery. The type of research is descriptive research with literature review approach. Sources of data carried out come from the main source of the criminal law code and books of Buddhist literature that support in this study. This study is to find out sociologically and religiously about immoral violations for householders in Buddhist studies. Many householders do not yet know how to deal with violations of immorality in the family environment and what should be done in juridical, sociological and religious aspects. The sustainability of domestic relationships is influenced by economic problems and compatibility between partners. These two main issues become very important to note, because it is the main problem that becomes the main problem in the family. Awareness in obeying the rules needs to be increased so that the emerging moral problems can be prevented which in the end if they remain will be easy to overcome.