‘Ekam sad viprā basathudhā vadanti’ - inclusivism - the idea of a reformed Hinduism in the iconographic program of the Birla temples

The fundraising activity initiated by the Birla family in India resulted in the construction of more than 20 Hindu temples, commonly referred to as the Birla Mandirs. Although they vary in terms of architectural forms and iconographic programs it seems, that one basic and common theme remains - to show reformed Hinduism as a religion that is the pillar of the identity of the people of New India. It is understood at the same time as separate but also higher than other great religions, yet assuring a place within its confines for all of them. It is – as the authors argue in this paper - the practical realization of the thought expressed in the Ṛgveda(I 164.46) and repeatedly referred to in the Birla temples as ‘ekam sad viprā bahudhā vadanti’, which seems to be the motto of all foundations of the Birla family.

Nie tylko hurysy: wildān muḫalladūn i ġilmān w Koranie i muzułmańskiej literaturze religijnej

Not only Houris: wildān muḫalladūn and ġilmān in the Koran and Muslim Religious Literature In descriptions and discussions of the Muslim concept of paradise, much space is always devoted to the famous – as well as infamous – Houris. My article, however, is devoted to another paradise thread, that is, an analysis of fragments of the Koran where “immortal youths” (wildān muḫalladūn) are mentioned. These are verses 56: 17–19 and 76: 19. In slightly different words (ḡilmān muḫalladūn) they are also referred to in verse 52: 24. This topic has not yet been sufficiently covered in the studies in the field of Arabic and Islamic studies. Christian Luxenberg devoted some space to him in his controversial work on the Syro-Aramaic reading of the Koran. Much more space has been devoted to “immortal youths” by Muslim scholars, both classical and modern, not avoiding references to the ambiguities that may arise in connection with these verses.

Filozofia, rytuał i performatywność w starożytnej myśli indyjskiej na przykładzie upaniszady Ćhandogia 6.2.4

Philosophy, ritual and performativity in ancient Indian thought on the example of the Chandogia Upanishad 6.2.4 The paper discusses cosmogony presented by Uddālaka Āruṇi attested in the Chāndogya Upaniṣad (6.1-6), according to which world forms arise by giving them a name. I argue that the experience that motivates the thinking of Uddālaka is ritual, the essence of which is to give people and objects a name, thanks to which their status dramatically changes for the duration of the ritual. An analysis of a selected passage of the king’s coronation described in the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa (5.3.4) reveals the fundamental importance of the verses uttered during preparation of the water for the consecration. The reconstruction of an experience that influences philosophical thought makes it possible to see its coherence and depth, and the fact that this experience is a ritual, a common experience of humanity, enables it to be better understood by those who grew up in other philosophical traditions as well.

The Reformation as a Process of Transformation

The Reformation is described mostly as an upheaval. In fact, it is worth considering this period as transformation. The article is an attempt to modify the usual perception of this historical period. At the very beginning the paper discusses the idea of transformation from a sociological perspective. Then it introduces a comparison of the Reformation with other transitions and the late Middle Ages. This allows at the end to define the Reformation as a kind of consequence of medieval times and their transformation.

Clergy (Kler) by Wojciech Smarzowski – The Image of Catholic Priests in Polish Movies After 1989

Clergy (Kler, 2018) by Wojciech Smarzowski has aroused great controversy and many discussions about the position and role of the Catholic Church in contemporary Poland. I would like to look at the portraits of priests in the film in relation to the images previously created in Polish cinema. I am not going to analyze particular examples, but point to selected motifs and characters in order to interpret the images of clergymen and the church in their context. I will consider both the construction of individual characters and the image of the Catholic Church as an institution.

O potrzebie antropologicznych badań organizacyjnego wymiaru religii

On the Need for Anthropological Study of the Organizational Dimension of Religion Qualitative research on religion often overlooks its organizational aspect, even though most of religious life takes place within an organizational framework. Religious organizations are active on many levels: they educate and control religious specialists, shape religious materiality, and in many other ways influence how relationships with the sacred are conceptualized and lived out. The organization of religious life has implications that should be studied by researchers interested in lived religion, especially when they deal with such issues as religious experience, the integrative role of religion, ritual efficacy, and the transmission of practices and beliefs.

German Nationalism and Its Influence on the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland 1917–1939

The roots of German nationalism among members of the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland are bound with the activity of German authorities who tried to separate the German community in the occupied Kingdom of Poland during the First World War. German nationalism of the era was based on religious, social, and political factors, such as the idea of a unified German nation both within and outside of the German Reich. According to this idea, the German state was to be the defender of the German people worldwide. Such ideas woke the separatist tendencies inside the Augsburg Church. The political situation in the Second Polish Republic and spread of the national socialist ideology in the 1930s increased the separatist tendencies in the Church and led to a conflict with its pro-governmental Consistory and the General Superintendent, later Bishop Juliusz Bursche.

‘Bolszewizm starożytności’, czyli chrześcijaństwo jako Rewolucja. Perspektywa Nowej Prawicy Alaina de Benoist – wybrane aspekty

“The Bolshevism of Antiquity” – Christianity as Revolution. The Perspective of Alain de Benoist’s New Right: selected aspects The topic of the article is the interpretation of Christianity by Alain de Benoist, thinker of the New Right. He believes that Christianity has brought about a revolution in the world-view of European peoples. Stating that it is ‘Paganism’ that was the original and authentic basis of European spirituality, mentality, and axiology, Benoist calls Christianity the “Bolshevism of Antiquity”. The article outlines the concepts of Christian desacralisation of the world, the inaugural dissociation, and the theory of progress. The analysis showed that the foremost revolutionary trait of Christianity is the radical dualism of the created and uncreated being, which is in direct contradiction with the pre- Christian / European ontological monism.

Tradycja ustna i pisemna Koranu a jego miejsce we wczesnym islamie

The Oral and Written Traditions of the Qur’an and Its Place in Early Islam The paper considers the form, status, and importance of the Qur’anic message in the first two centuries of Islam. The argument is that the term “Qur’an” could not have originally referred to the final body of revelation in a text form. Rather, the concept of the Qur’an must have functioned among the faithful as a term for oral transmission before the scripturalization of the revelation, and it is this oral function of the Qur’an that is primal to its literate function. It seems that just as in Judaism and Christianity, in Islam the process of remembering, passing on, collecting, and codifying the textus receptus, along with its stabilization and sacralization, was a centuries-long self-propelled operation shaped primarily by the oral tradition (especially in the presumed culture of illiterate people).

Assyrians Without Borders: Middle Eastern Christians Towards a New Form of Citizenship in Sweden

This article presents a case study of a Swedish-based NGO, Assyrians Without Borders (AWB), whose priority objective is to help Middle Eastern Christians, mainly Assyrians/Syriacs, in need in their homeland. The paper argues that Assyrians/Syriacs in Sweden have developed three forms of citizenship – religious, political and democratic. All three forms are transnational and have the potential to challenge the idea of national citizenship as being the dominant model of citizenship. Participating in AWB is understood as practising democratic citizenship, a concept seen as the Swedish ideal of model citizenship. The paper claims that AWB empowers its members and helps them to construct a mutually reinforcing dual Assyrian-Swedish identity.