Religion and secularism

"In The Cypresses Believe in God & Graham Greene’s Monsignor Quixote: Through the lens of J. Philip Gleason and Contending with Modernity",
by Rick Regan, explores the themes of faith, ideology, and modernity in "The Cypresses Believe in God" by José María Gironella and "Monsignor Quixote" by Graham Greene. The analysis is framed through the perspective of Professor John Philip Gleason’s work "Contending with Modernity", which examines the Catholic Church's response to secularism.

This article aims to show how modern Turkish discussions on science are used to achieve
certain social and political goals. Since the Young Turks, the conflict hypothesis −the view
that science and religion are necessarily and inevitably in conflict− was embraced by the
secularist elites and used to legitimise certain policies. The Galileo Affair ranks at the top
of the list of historical incidents that cause people to believe that the conflict hypothesis is
a plausible model for understanding the relationship between science and religion. This
article will not only refer to historical data to test the validity of this hypothesis, it will
also try to reveal the Western context that gave rise to conflict hypothesis’ emergence
and acceptance by science popularisers. Last but not least, Turkish myths concerning
Galileo and the way these myths were exploited in Turkish discussions on secularism
will be analysed.

This essay explores the debate among Muslims about whether Islam can be authentically itself without control of the state in the name of Islam. A range of Muslim voices are considered. Ali Abd al-Raziq (in the 1920s) and Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na‘im (in recent decades) offered quite different arguments for the compatibility of Islam with the secular state. In the mid-twentieth century, in contrast, Sayyid Abul Ala Mawdudi argued passionately against secularism as fundamentally opposed to Islam. More recently, Wael Hallaq and Ovamir Anjum have problematized the very concept of the modern nation-state, suggesting that Muslims should pursue distinctive Islamic forms of governance, with Anjum proposing a renewed form of the caliphate. The essay concludes with reflections on this debate from a Christian perspective.

This paper attempts to understand how BJP has dealt with the Muslim question in Assam. It argues that while Muslims have remained as Hindutva's primary political Other in Assam, the frames of religion and indigeneity have shaped BJP's overall politics according to which it has maintained a distinction between Indigenous and the Immigrant Muslims in the state. However, such a distinction has been characterized by much socio-political stress and tensions which reflects BJP's eventual otherization of Muslims in the state.

After ‘secularism’, ‘Social Justice’ is a very important concept in India, about which social scientists and Indian politicians differ much in perception and application of such precept in practice. The concepts of Social Justice and Secularism are thus much discussed and debated not only in the Parliament and Supreme Court, but also in the public places, as they affect people of every walk of life in the present day India, particularly after the casteist and communal politics in the post-Independence period. Such concepts are enshrined in the Constitution of India are discussed here, to understand social, economic and political processes. As these concepts embrace each and every aspect of human life from birth to death and perhaps, even after, necessity arises to adapt and adopt Secularism and Social Justice in the right perspective. As they are also connected with the principles of human rights, study has to be made keeping in mind that such concepts, while applying for rights of certain groups do not violate or override the rights of other groups, as all groups belong to the same Indian society.
In view of the above, the Social justice can be achieved through the processes of secularism:
1. Utopian concepts of egalitarianism in all spheres of Indians can be achieved only by true and complete secularization of Indian society leading to Social Justice.
2. Therefore, religion should definitely be treated as personal concept instead of putting it on national agenda.
3. As the ideals of Social Justice can be materialized by actual commitment, keeping reality in mind, all efforts should be taken to have uniform civil and criminal laws in the Indian context.
4. If the secularization process is completed in true spirit, then there will not be any objection to such uniform civil code.
5. For this broad minded, educated and liberal scholars of secular but religious personalities should be consulted without any discrimination on any factor.
6. In such process, not only the Indian Constitution, but also all Acts and rules can be secularized to the satisfaction of all sections of Indian society.
7. But, unless all Indians follow them strictly, the ideals may not be implemented.
8. Therefore, the people should not only be taught about their rights, but also others should sincerely help them to get their rights with responsibility.
Thus, it is believed that Indians would achieve Social Justice through secular principles.

Al centro della crisi afghana vi è l'ostilità tra India e Pakistan, due paesi dotati di armi nucleari che si sono confrontati in ben tre guerre, l'ultima delle quali, nel 1971, ha provocato la secessione dell'ala orientale del Pakistan, approfondendo la diffidenza di Islamabad verso il suo vicino meridionale e la sua percezione di insicurezza sullo scacchiere regionale. Diversi analisti temono che con il ritiro delle truppe occidentali dall'Afghanistan l'ostilità tra questi due paesi sfoci in una guerra per procura combattuta sul territorio afghano secondo linee etniche -da una parte i neo-talibani e i loro alleati, come la rete Haqqani, sostenuti dal Pakistan (e presumibilmente dall'Arabia saudita), e dall'altra le minoranze etniche, guidate dai tagiki, sostenute dall'India (e presumibilmente dall'Iran). La posizione indiana in Afghanistan è sempre stata contrapposta a quella pakistana. Negli anni precedenti alla Partition, il Congresso Nazionale Indiano sostenne le rivendicazioni autonomiste del Khudai Khitmatgar contro il nazionalismo pakistano della Lega Musulmana. I governi dell'India indipendente coltivarono relazioni cordiali con Kabul, soprattutto a partire dagli anni '60, in una fase in cui, non a caso, le relazioni tra Afghanistan e Pakistan peggioravano per la questione del Pashtunistan. Nel corso degli anni '80 il Pakistan sostenne i mujaheddin sunniti e, nel decennio successivo, i talibani, mentre New Delhi sosteneva la Repubblica Democratica d'Afghanistan,

Religion has traditionally provided individuals with a sense of identity and meaning. However, globalisation has disrupted its centrality, giving rise to alternative frameworks. Increasingly, people identify as ‘spiritual but not religious’, seeking alternative sources of belonging. This research sought to identify the journey of the phenomenon of irreligious conversion. Through semi-structured biographical interviews with young Chilean adults, two major typologies were identified based on the emotional life stories told by the participants: the flexible-tranquil narratives and the painful-conflictive narratives. The former are characterised as those transitions which did not involve major difficulties for the secular convert so that their transformative process was carried out peacefully and without much questioning by their significant others. Those with strong prior religiosity demonstrated the application of ‘reconciliation strategies’ to avoid potential conflict. The latter were shown to have a turbulent disaffiliation path, experiencing violent situations in their families and complexities with their own identity. This was especially true for those who came from highly religious groups, as the family style was predominantly permeated by their previous denomination. Ultimately, irreligious socialisation is identified as the culminating event that problematises religious thinking and open the way toalternative  frameworks of meaning. The findings advance sociological understanding
of disaffiliation in Latin American contexts, contributing to the literature on
deconversion by offering a nuanced typology and urging future research of secular and neo-spiritual identities.

Translators usually keep themselves quite busy getting texts from a source language into a target language. In this article I would like to mix it up a bit more and consider “third language” material, ie, the presence in a work being translated of important words and phrases from ...

Both supporters and opponents of the headscarf ban in Turkey refer to the freedom of the individual. This case makes it necessary to address the headscarf problem in the context of discussions on freedom. This study aims to evaluate the headscarf problem in the context of two approaches that we call “the enlightened perspective” and “the liberal perspective.” The enlightened perspective supports the headscarf ban in Turkey and is based on a particular interpretation of the idea of positive liberty. According to this interpretation, freedom means the manifestation of the rational self. Hence, people’s freedom is connected with the sovereignty of their true lifestyle. Because religion equals “the irrational,” the religious lifestyle is a deviation from the true way of life. For that reason, the use of the headscarf, which is a sign of a religious lifestyle, in the public sphere is seen as a threat to the correct lifestyle. The liberal perspective addresses the demand for the abolition of the headscarf ban in the context of the individual’s freedom of belief. In this sense, it is possible to say that behind the liberal perspective’s assessments about the headscarf issue lies the idea of negative liberty. Negative liberty means the lack of any outer intervention or pressure that limits the individual’s choices and actions. The headscarf ban is a restriction for a woman who chooses a life in accordance with Islamic values and sees covering her body as a necessity for such a lifestyle. According to the liberal perspective, wearing the headscarf must be seen as a lifestyle choice and thus respected. Allowing this choice is a requirement for freedom.

In this study, I explore the area of possibility of a historiography that recognizes and incorporates the sacred as an essential part of how reality is conceived. The opportunity is the crisis of the secularization
thesis and the loosening of secularism’s grip on historiography that open the space for alternative historiographical approaches. These alternative approaches would prioritize understanding the sacred on its own terms, rather than subordinating it to secular explanations.

This chapter explores the correlations between religion and film studies and the geographies of religion. Using perspectives from the latter to foreground overlooked aspects of the former, I argue that investigations of the religious problematic via film are productively enriched when refocused on the question: what kind of space does religious cinema constitute? Rather than offering a single answer, I highlight the various phenomenological, ritual, and ethical spaces that cinemacomprising production, text, and reception-can construct. In the first section, I briefly trace the "spatial turns" that religion and film scholarship has taken since its inception, observing the field's evolving geographical and global consciousness over the past four decades. Next, I consider how scholars of religion have adopted spatial sensibilities when reflecting on the nature of cinematic experience

The rationale behind the formulation of this thesis, titled “Challenging Atatürk? Kemalist’s laicism mitigation policies in 1950s in Türkiye” stems from the discernible trend of receding secularist principles within the state apparatus, juxtaposed with the ascendancy of political Islam, notably exemplified in the contemporary context of President Erdoğan’s governance in what is often referred to as the “New Türkiye”. The historical starting point of political Islam in the country started from the period of the Democratic Party (DP) under Adnan Menderes’s government (1950-1960). This decade is particularly appreciated by the Erdoğan regime, which tries to mythologise it by exaggerating its religious significance and portraying it as an 'Islamic oasis' emerging in the 'Kemalist desert' of the 20th century. DP's political legacy has been appropriated by the current President of Turkey, who considers himself an aficionado and continuator to Menderes’s policies.
​However, the purpose of this study is not to make a comparative examination of the two historical periods with regard to the relationship between politics and Islam. Instead, the study will be delve into the DP's ten-year period of power. It will thoroughly investigate the policy of mitigation Kemalist’s laicism (laiklik) pursued by the DP through the integration of Islam into its political narrative and applied politics in the 1950s. Specifically, the ideological means and symbolisms to which the DP resorted in order to legitimize this policy of mitigating Kemalist laicism as well the reactions to this policy, both from Kemalist’ s intellectuals and conservative and extreme Islamic circles will be analyzed.
​The DP, with its rise to power, criticized the authoritarian laicism policies of the Atatürk - İnönü period (1923-1950), which had led to the elimination of religion from the public sphere and its confinement to individual consciousness. Islam was considered by the Kemalist elite to be the main obstacle to the modernization of the country. On the contrary, for the DP, the concepts of Islam and modernization could coexist harmoniously. The DP sought to establish a new paradigm of secularism by enhancing the visibility of Islam, especially in the public sphere and education, while at the same time keeping its distance from fanatical Islamic demands. The DP aspired to relieve the citizens ’s long-suppressed religious sentiments through the premium on religion and in this way to benefit politically. Furthermore, in the Western side, of which Turkey aspired to become a part after World War II, religion was seen as a "weapon" against the spread of communism. 

Keywords: laicism, Kemalism, Democratic Party (DP), Islam, reactionary Islam.

only by intentions…" n.d., p. 11) -a Prophetic Ḥadīth narrated by al-Nawawī (d. 1277) While Sherman Jackson is well-known for his research and theorisation on Islamic law and African American Islam 2009;, this monograph proves that Jackson can tackle a wide range of intellectual questions with prowess; this monograph also shows how Africana studies and Islamic studies can intersect in important ways, bringing Blackamerican theorists in conversation with Islamic studies, such as James Baldwin (1). "It should be clear by now that there is a confessional dimension to my thesis and its application. This should neither alarm nor surprise. As Talal Asad observes, 'The question of secularism has emerged as an object of academic argument and of practical dispute'" (11). The concept of "secularism" is oft conceptualised as an intergenerational trauma from one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, the Thirty Years War. This sectarian, ostensibly religious war was known as the "Great Schism." This "age of religious wars" ushered in the concept of the secular public square and nation-state, where religion and secularism "implies a necessary dichotomous relationship" with each other, which Jackson calls "civilisational failure or civilisational schizophrenia" (3, 11). Jackson defines secularism as "excluding religion from the public

Religijos kritika kaip kritika embrioninėje formoje: mistifikacijos ištakos ir perspektyvos Savo pranešime pagrinde sieksiu trijų dalykų: identifikuoti ankstyvojo K. Marxo santykį su religijos kritika, paaiškinti šio santykio neredukcionistinį pobūdį ir aktualizuoti jį šiuolaikiniame filosofiniame bei sociologiniame kontekste. Kalbant apie pranešimo struktūrą, pirmiausiai atkreipsiu dėmesį į istorinį ir intelektualinį laikotarpio kontekstą, vėliau pateiksiu preliminarią "kritikos" apybraižą bei tai, kaip ji pasirodo ankstyvuosiuose Marxo tekstuose, iš kurių svarbiausiu laikau 1843 m. parašytą "Dėl Hegelio teisės filosofijos kritikos", ir galiausiai remiantis šiuolaikiniais autoriais pateiksiu keletą argumentų kaip bei kodėl, mano manymu, "kritika" yra vis dar reikšmingas įrankis ar netgi ginklas teoriniame lauke. Bendriausia prasme, noriu iškelti religinės mistifikacijos apskritai problemą bei apmąstyti ją tiek jos praeities ištakų, tiek ateities perspektyvų atžvilgiu. Religinė mistifikacija šioje perspektyvoje nėra taikoma išimtinai religinėms doktrinoms ar jomis grįstoms bendruomeninėms bei individualioms praktikoms, anaiptol, kaip viliuosi iliustruoti pranešimo eigoje, (religinė) mistifikacija yra idealizuota abstrakcijos galia, sėkmingai glūdinti ir sekuliaraus pasaulio ribose.

Kendine özgü laiklik anlayışıyla din ve devletin kesin hatlarla birbirinden ayrıldığı Fransa’da, eğitim sistemi de bu anlayış doğrultusunda yapılanmış, din ve inançlara resmi eğitim sistemi içerisinde yer verilmemiştir. Ancak, Fransa’nın Alsace-Moselle bölgesi bunun istisnası sayılabilir. Günümüzde Fransa’nın sınırları içerisinde yer almasına rağmen, kendine özel tarihi geçmişi dolayısıyla bu bölge, din eğitimi yaklaşım ve uygulamaları bakımından Fransa’nın diğer bölgelerinden ayrılmaktadır. Literatür incelemesi yoluyla verilerin toplandığı bu çalışmada; Alsace-Moselle bölgesinin, devlet okullarında din eğitimi lehine sahip olduğu ayrıcalığın hangi nedenlere dayandığı, bu bölgede din eğitiminin yasal dayanaklarının neler olduğu, hangi din eğitimi yaklaşım veya modellerinin benimsendiği, din eğitimi bağlamında hak ve özgürlükler açısından farklı din veya inanç mensuplarının, hususen Müslümanların, durumlarının ne olduğu sorularına yanıtlar aranmıştır. Bu araştırma neticesinde, Alsace...

This paper examines how changing social values in Western societies have affected public discourse, motivating social exclusion and cancel culture. It critiques both contemporary progressive movements and liberal ideologies. What we now call ‘tolerance’ demands complete approval of all views, which paradoxically leads to intolerance towards those who merely disagree respectfully — the very essence of traditional tolerance.

Keywords: tolerance, relativism, liberalism, pluralism, tyranny, the Enlightenment, Japanese culture, Christianity, Islam.

A guiding assumption of the interfaith movement is that, if harnessed in particular ways, religious traditions can be a force for the common good.  Many in a secular society doubt this, given the violence and abuse that has been done in the name of religion. This essay first observes how the religious/secular divide, which relegates religion to the private sphere, attempts to address the problem of religious violence. It then considers why, today, people in the interfaith movement say that the secular solution is inadequate and doesn’t avoid violence as well as secularism’s proponents had hoped. Although the interfaith vision of building bridges and working together for the common good inspires many people, especially after 9/11, we must also observe what a second generation of critical interfaith activists have found missing from this approach, and how the coercive dimensions of secularism are sometimes replicated in its emphasis on the “common.” This essay concludes by asking how interfaith leaders can work for the common good while prioritizing solidarity with those affected by both every-day and extraordinary forms of religious violence.

Semanticsdeals withthestudy ofmeaning."Meaning'' is awarenessofcultural context and the relationship between a word with other words in a text. This article analyses the meaning of"beneficence'' only in the Holy Quran usingsemantics based on thelinguistic contextby studying of syntagmatic and paradigmaticrelations. The synonyms of beneficence are piety, good and justice. Also its substitutes are "good deed'', "goodness'', "the good action'', "bounty'', "disbursemen (Infaq)'', "voluntary charity (Sadaqah- Sadaka)'' and "Alms (Zakat)''.The opposite terms are "oppression'' and "offence''. Wecan discoverthetrue meaning ofbeneficence by analyzingthese relationships. The beneficence is any good deed thatgoodandits virtue is apparent and clear which allpeople are interested in it with piety ofself and human beings does it in its appropriate position...

magistro grato memorique animo 1 Desde un punto de vista geográfico, Europa es un continente que no existe. Su condición peninsular la convierte en realidad en un apéndice de Asia (Dawson 1945: 15), con una unidad geográfica que no le es natural, sino el producto de un largo proceso histórico de definición por contraste a partir de motivos primordialmente extrageográficos. En Grecia estas contraposiciones geográficas tomaron la forma de distinciones políticas en cierto modo fundacionales. En el contexto del siglo V a.C., Europa se circunscribía políticamente a la Grecia continental, frente al Peloponeso y las islas del Egeo, pero para la imaginación cartográfica de Anaximandro y Hecateo de Mileto los confines eran más amplios: abarcaban desde las columnas de Hércules hasta el Cáucaso, en oposición a las otras dos grandes regiones del mundo conocido: África (Libia) y, sobre todo, Asia. Lo griego no se entiende sin esta última confrontación, al mismo tiempo cultural, religiosa y, principalmente, política, como una deliberada voluntad de afirmación frente a lo que estaba, sin embargo,

This paper undertakes a critical and analytical examination of the transformative dimensions of translation as conceptualized by the Moroccan philosopher Taha Abdurrahman. Central to Abdurrahman's intellectual project is the call to transcend the pervasive Eurocentrism that characterizes contemporary translation theories. Abdurrahman offers a nuanced critique of the translation methodologies employed during the Abbasid period, particularly the uncontextualized appropriation of Greek philosophy. He contends that this approach led to the marginalization of Islamic philosophy, reducing it to a mode of mere transmission and dependency, initially on ancient Greece and subsequently on the modern West. To address these historical inadequacies, Abdurrahman advocates for an innovative translation strategy termed taʾṣīliyya, which translates literally to "authenticating." This strategy emphasizes a transformative process whereby the source text is integrated into the receiving culture, aligning with its specific epistemic and cultural needs, irrespective of the original context. Abdurrahman posits that this method is essential for fostering an autonomous Arab/Islamic philosophical tradition, one that is not subsumed under external theoretical paradigms, even if this necessitates deviating from conventional criteria of accuracy and faithfulness. This paper critically engages with the theoretical foundations and proposes practical applications of Abdurrahman's translation paradigm. It situates his framework within the broader historical trajectory of translation in the Arabic intellectual tradition and contemporary translation studies. Furthermore, it interrogates the theoretical and methodological ramifications of eschewing conventional norms of fidelity and accuracy, notwithstanding their entrenched and restrictive nature.

This article discusses the reasons, why, unlike their Serb and Croat neighbors, the Bosniaks embraced Islam. Though somewhat gradual, the process was both collective and earnest, amounting to a phenomenon rarely witnessed in the latter periods of Islamic civilization in general, and the expansion of the Ottoman Caliphate in particular. Different scholars have provided different perspectives on the enduring mystery. However, as religion has been politicized and nationalized in the Balkan region, and politics and nationalism have become intertwined with religion, the task of reconciling conflicting perspectives and establishing the truth has become increasingly complex. This article posits that, besides, several secondary socio-political and economic factors, religion was the primary driver behind the conversion of the Bosniaks. The unique faith and rituals of the Patarens in Bosnia, along with their Bosnian Church, had a notable impact on a large number of Bosniaks, including those in positions of power and authority. The Bosniaks were distinguished by their inclination towards openness, inquisitiveness, and pursuit of truth, unlike the Serbs and Croats who often let ethno-nationalism and faith-based chauvinism shape their religious and socio-cultural choices. A research methodology that integrates descriptive, interpretative, and analytical historical methods is employed in the entire work.

While the scholarship on premodern Chinese Buddhism has explored the tradition’s rich diffusion throughout various realms of sociocultural life, the study of modern Chinese Buddhism leans heavily towards its monastic, institutional, and overtly “religious” forms. This split mirrors the logic of modern secularization, whereby religion should be rationally differentiated from the broader social fabric, institutionalized, and delimited within its own discrete functional sphere. This article rethinks the putative rupture between Chinese Buddhism’s past and present incarnations. Through the prism of cinema, a technology that arrived on Chinese shores at the same moment as the Western concept of religion, I illuminate the overlooked continuities between premodern and modern diffusions of Buddhist thought and culture. Drawing from film theory, evolutionary anthropology, and religion and media studies, the first section constructs a selective genealogy of proto-cinematic phenomena across the history of religions
in China. I highlight three transmedia genres—lantern shadow plays, medieval “transformation tableaux” paintings, and late imperial vernacular novels—that illustrate how Buddhistic “sight and sound” was enmeshed with religious pedagogy, ritual practices, social ethics, and popular entertainment in premodern society. The second section examines the ways in which film’s advent, indigenization, and growth overlapped with coeval transformations of the Chinese religious field during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. At a time when traditional religiosities were being institutionalized or anathemized by political power, the cinema, I argue, served as an intermedial space where Buddhist morals, myths, aesthetics, and epistemic sensibilities continued unobstructed, at least until the early 1930s. Finally, I conclude with brief reflections on some avenues for future research in Chinese Buddhism, secular Buddhism, and religion and media studies.

The Bharatiya Janata Party garnered sweeping electoral gains in the North East in the recent Lok Sabha elections. Its victory run, if it has to continue, will depend on keeping its ethno-regional allies together and divert resentment against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019.

The process of secularization can be defined as a shift in the focus of European thought from the transcendent God, the otherworldly, and the suprahuman, towards immanence, that is, towards the world and the human condition in the world. Secularization represents a transition from theism to humanism. Given this definition, it is often concluded that secularization has led to the exclusion of God from thought and the removal of religion from society. Nevertheless, post-secular thought offers a more nuanced and sophisticated perspective. As postulated by numerous theorists, secularization was not a departure from theism and religion in general, but rather a departure from a specific conception of God and a particular mode of religiosity that had been dominant for an extended period. Most contributions to this volume identify the moments of secularization and humanism, not as the elimination of God but on the contrary as an opportunity that various thinkers recognized to liberate the divine from the constraints of hegemonic European theology and religiosity. This perspective suggests that secularization did not erase God but rather created an opportunity for the humanization of religion through ethical, social, or political activation. The papers in this volume take different approaches and offer different responses to the question of how the divine and the transcendent reappear in the discourse of humanism.

The study deals with the difficulties and challenges being faced by the
practice of baptism in contemporary secular society. Based on empirical research on the practice of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren, the author argues for an open, inviting, communicative, and responsible practice of baptism that does not erase present tensions but deals with them creatively and situationally. The Church should take seriously the basic inclusive impulse of the Gospel while being aware of its baptismal responsibility, which consists primarily in the subsequent pastoral care of the baptised. The results of the study may inspire those who are involved in the pastoral ministry in similar contexts.

Bu çalışma, Ali Fuad Başgil ve Sıddık Sami Onar gibi iki önemli Türk hukuk insanının Cumhuriyetin ilk yıllarında vuku bulan önemli siyasal, hukuksal ve toplumsal olaylar hakkındaki düşünce ve görüşlerinin Joakim Parslow tarafından değerlendirildiği İngilizce makalenin çevirisidir.

The notion of personhood has been a central concern across disciplines, especially gaining prominence amidst the challenges of the 20th century: secularism, global conflict, and existential insecurity. This paper explores various 20th-century conceptualizations of personhood, highlighting their interdisciplinary nature—encompassing philosophy, theology, psychology, ethnography, and anthropology. Focusing on Russian philosophy and Eastern Orthodox theology, it examines Lev Karsavin's concept of "symphonic personhood" within the context of "all-unity," proposing that such perspectives offer insights into human uniqueness and freedom, contrasting secular depersonalisation. This study underscores the enduring relevance of personhood amidst contemporary socio-cultural contexts and theological paradigms.

This paper examines the critique of Voegelin in Kelsens "Secular Religion". While Kelsen sets out with the false premise that secular world view can in principle have no religious character, his critique of Voegelin remains largely unimpaired by this mistake. With convincing arguments Kelsen criticises (1) Voegelins interpretation of modernity as an age of gnosticism, (2) Voegelins reinterpretation of enlightened and secular philosopher as gnostics in disguise and (3) Voegelins rejection of modern politics and, to a lesser degree, modern science. I have also uploaded the critical margin notes that some person (unfortunately I do not know any more who) had been so friendly to sent me.

ÖZ II. Dünya Savaşı ertesi değişen uluslararası konjonktürle birlikte Türkiye'de Kemalist modernleşme sorgulanmaya başlanmış, demokratikleşme yönünde yeni bir sürece girilmiştir. Bu süreçte liberal/muhafazakâr söylemler eleştiri ve önerilerini daha güçlü bir şekilde ifade etme imkânı bulmuşlardır. Böylesi bir konjonktürde Ali Fuad Başgil ve Ahmet Emin Yalman'ın öncülüğünde bir grup fikir adamı tarafından 1947 yılında Hür Fikirleri Yayma Cemiyeti kurulmuş ve cemiyetin yayın organı olarak da Hür Fikirler Mecmuası yayınlanmıştır. Mecmua, cemiyet kadar uzun ömürlü olamasa da-1948 ve 1949 yıllarında 11 nüsha yayınlanmıştır-yayınlandığı dönemin siyasal bağlamı dikkate alındığında ve ayrıca ele aldığı meseleler ve bu meseleleri ele alış biçimi itibariyle oldukça etkilidir. Bu incelemede, kimi kaynaklarda Cumhuriyet dönemi liberal düşünce geleneğinde ilk sivil hareketi olarak da ifade edilen Hür Fikirleri Yayma Cemiyeti'nin süreli yayını olan Hür Fikirler Mecmuası monografik olarak ele alınmış ve mecmuadaki yazılar temalaştırılarak incelenmiştir.

Incendiul care a cuprins catedrala Notre Dame din Paris a constituit un șoc și o palmă pe obrazul creștinătății. Un șoc, dată fiind locația, măreția catedralei și viteza amețitoare cu care a fost înghițită de foc; o palmă pentru că scotea la lumină ușurătatea cu care, creștinismul (nu) își îngrijește nici cele mai complexe tezaure ale credinței și civilizației sale. Am coborât, ușor, în teologia catedralelor, în sunetul orgii și în bogăția colecțiilor de artă spre a putea sublinia posibila pierdere precum și riscurile la care sunt supuse toate acestea de către o lume secularizantă, grăbită, prea deschisă către alții, uitând de sine.

Umjetnost u navještaju tematizira posredničku ulogu umjetnosti, ulogu premosnice između vjere i života. U tom se okviru ističe kršćanski navještaj istine, koja je u svojoj najdubljoj biti spasonosna, sučeljava s izazovima postmoderne estetike: estetika plošnoga i površnoga, »like« estetika, konzumerizam i sekularizacija. Kršćanski navještaj pred izazovima postmodernog estetizma uzima za svoje polazište liturgiju kao mjesto autentično lijepoga i svetoga o kojoj sam papa Franjo govori u apostolskoj pobudnici Radost evanđelja: »Crkva evangelizira i sama je evangelizirana ljepotom liturgije, koja je ujedno i proslava evangelizacijskog djelovanja i izvor novog poti- caja na sebedarje«. Evangelizacija umjetnošću ide ukorak s mistago- gijom, uvođenjem u kršćanska Otajstva. U tom okviru, Crkva nije samo naručiteljica umjetničkih djela, nego prostor umjetničkogastvaralaštva. Crkva njeguje kulturu lijepoga i zbog toga predstavlja okvir, polazište i odredište umjetničkoga stvaralaštva koje se nalazi u trajnoj potrazi da lijepim izrazi sveto. Crkva naviješta evanđelje ne podređujući svijet kulture, već prožimajući ga, stavlja svoj naviještaj na radosnu službu ljudima svih vremena. Umjetnost koja se sjedinjuje s crkvenim navještajem stoga smjera oplemeniti čovjeka otvarajući mu prostora slavlju (doksološka dimenzija) i kerigmi (evangelizacijska dimenzija). Na posljednjoj dionici razmišljanja, postavlja se pitanje – kakvu umjetnost treba Crkva i kakvom umjetnošću Crkva može autentično naviještati – a odgovor dolazi od drevnih teoloških načela sadržanih u izvornoj kršćanskoj istini lijepoga ukorijenjenog u estetici križa (kenotička) i slave (doksološka). Iz primjera otačkog učenja (Augustin) i tradicije prikazivanja Kristova raspeća, Crkva danas ne traga za formalnom, atraktivnom ljepotom već upravo za ljepotom koja spašava. Pitanje o lijepome u kršćanstvu – što je lijepo – preobraća se u pitanje – tko je ljepota. Odgovor na to pitanje daje i ikonografija proslavljenoga Krista koji otvara prostor gledanju slave Očeve i života budućega vijeka. Ljepota umjetničkih djela otkriva ono temeljno iskustvo koje je opisao sv. Ivan: Što bijaše od početka, što smo čuli, što smo vidjeli očima svojim, što razmotristmo i ruke naše opipaše o Riječi, Životu – da, Život se očitova, i vidjeli smo i svjedočimo (...) (1 Iv 1, 1-4). Umjetnost pripušta čovjeka posred događaja kojim Bog u Kristu spašava čovjeka. Pruža mu kušati taj novi svijet koji dolazi. Umjetnost tvori put ljepote (via pulchritudinis) koji vodi u Božje Otajstvo.

The theory of the modern state considers that freedom consists in the absolute autonomy of the individual. This consideration of politics and law as a relationship between "absolute equals" - with revolutionary roots - besides being metaphysically contradictory, is one of the causes of the current intellectual confusion, whose main symptoms are relativism, skepticism and ethical indifferentism. Now, since a society cannot function without there being something "in common" among its citizens, - and all reference to human nature, also to its sociability, has been renounced - this task is entrusted to the State, which establishes relationships of an external type that are sustained by means of power. This presents numerous dangers such as possible arbitrariness of the ruler, lack of social stability, permanent threats of conflicts, lawlessness, etc., which prevent people from attaining the level of freedom, security and peace they need. When any idea of "the co...

A binaristic approach to the phenomenon of the secular and religious has long been considered axiomatic in conceptualizing Turkish republican history. This chapter problematizes this binaristic sca old through a genealogical-historical engagement with Turkish neo-spiritualism, which emerged as a novel intellectual discourse for reevaluating spiritual or transcendental matters with a new (scienti cally credible) language in early republican Turkey. The chapter traces neo-spiritualist conceptualizations of spirit/soul (ruh) and memory (hafıza), utilizing them as unexpected entry points into a complex net of generative relations and entanglements that Turkish secularism has enacted by and through its simultaneous engagements with modern science and preexisting religious traditions. Shedding light on the suppressed yet enduring impact of Muslim cultural memory within the republican (secular) sociocultural sphere, the chapter ruminates on the potential of these neospiritualist concepts to explicate what the secular and religious entail in modern Turkey (and beyond) in more imaginative, inquisitive, and deconstructive ways.

This book is the outcome of my doctoral study that I conducted at the University of Coimbra from 2017-2023. It analyses an Indian case study that explores how Hindu nationalists challenged the established discourse of human rights and secularism during a film controversy in the north Indian district of Varanasi in 2000. This film controversy is also analyzed in a broader national political context in line with the rising tide                of Hindutva politics since 2014. This book is an attempt to analyse the complexities of modern theories and their implications in a non-Western society. The book concludes that Indian secularism offers theoretical and practical tools to address real contemporary conflicts of a religious nature. However, it cannot eliminate the conflicts between Hindu nationalism and freedom of expression and dissent; it has failed to prevent the communalization of public space, the rise and dominance of Hindutva and the suppression of dissent. This book is presented in a research format in order to provide a comprehensive understanding of the research processes and scientific method adopted in this study.

Background and Aim: Increasing age increased the risk of acute and chronic diseases, but decreased functional capabilities of individuals and the power of the senses and perception. The changes in the areas of biological, psychological and social threatened quality of life for older persons, as far as keeping them from performing daily activities. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of neurofeedback training on the quality of balance control under dual tasks conditions motor-balance and cognitive-balance in elderly men. Materials and Methods: The research method is quasi-experimental that is conducted by Pretest/ post-test method. subjects were 60 years and older in Tabriz, Iran and were selected on a voluntary basis. Thirty elderly volunteers were randomly divided into two groups: experimental and control groups. The TUG was measured under conditions of dual-task motor-balance (Run the test with a full cup of water transport) and Dual Task balance-cognitive (Countdown test with random numbers); before and after the neurofeedback training (Up to 15 sessions in 30minute 3 times a week for 5 weeks). Results: The results showed that neurofeedback training was significantly increased performance in elderly motor dual-task (p =0.001). But in dual-task cognitive performance, although the improvement had taken place, not statistical significant differences were observed (p =0.051). Conclusion: The results suggest that the balance neurofeedback protocol improves balance performance under dual-task conditions, especially dual-motor task.

(1) Background: As a common problem, Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs) is vastly experiencing by the present world and which is severe in Bangladesh. Nowadays the road traffic accidents have occurred by the tobacco consumption habits where mostly tobacco control law is avoided in Bangladesh. The study aims to investigate the effects of tobacco control law on road traffic accidents in Bangladesh. (2) Methods: This cross-sectional study included 424 questionnaire surveys with drivers (bus and truck) and 10 KIIs. Chi-squared tests were used to measure differences between various parameters (related to tobacco control law and RTAs), while logistic regression models were used to determine the relationship among tobacco control law, RTA risk factors and socio-demographic features. (3) Results: This study result shows 75.9% of respondents are tobacco users where 76.4% have knowledge about tobacco control law. About 93.4% know that smoking in public transports is strongly prohibited by the law where 80.7% of them abide by the tobacco control law daily. Therefore, about 64.6% of respondents were involved in RTAs. A statistically significant association was found between RTAs and knowledge of drivers about tobacco control law (p>0.013) and having knowledge on "smoking in public transports is prohibited by the law" (OR=2.945, p=0.016) is also strongly associated with road traffic accidents. (4) Conclusion: A vast majority of the heavy vehicle drivers are well known about tobacco control law and they are obliged to the law in public transports with satisfactory level.

Zwei Einsichten sollen von mir aus der Sicht des Judentums näher beleuchtet werden: zum einen der Irrtum, dass die Moderne dem Säkularismus zum Siegeszug verholfen hätte. Hier möchte ich gerne die Unterscheidung von säkularem Staat und säkularer Gesellschaft anwenden. Wir leben in Deutschland in einem bekenntnisneutralen Staat, der aber mit allen Religionsgemeinschaften, die dazu willens sind, strategische Partnerschaften eingeht. Im Grunde hat die Entwicklung zu dieser Möglichkeit vom Ende des dreißigjährigen Krieges bis 1918 gedauert und ist so richtig erst in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland als Aufgabe wahrgenommen worden: eine staatliche Moderation der säkularen und bekenntnisspezifischen Stimmen in Deutschland. Nutznießer dieser Auflösung des Bündnisses von Thron und Altar war z. B. das Judentum, das sich im 19. Jahrhundert nur schwer gegen die Doktrin vom "christlichen Staat" behaupten konnte. Zweitens die Koexistenz religiöser und säkularer Diskurse. Hier ist ein paradigmatisches Beispiel die Errichtung der School of Jewish Theology an der Universität Potsdam 2013. Bei der Pluralisierung der Theologie hat sich die deutsche Universitätspolitik gegen eine "Säkularisierung" der Universität und den Ersatz von Theologie durch Religionswissenschaft entschieden. Stattdessen wurde auf Pluralisierung gesetzt mit der Einführung islamischer und jüdischer theologischer Zentren an staatlichen Universitäten.

In this contribution, I discuss under the heading "inversed hermeneutics" a process wherein the conceptual, classificatory terms of a foreign knowledge system are used to interpret one's own concepts and their underlying assumptions. A key function of "inversed hermeneutics" is to induce a deliberate alienation and thus momentarily placing the cognizing subject into a liminal state of "unfamiliarity." This method should help to introduce and probe new ways of classifying things.

began when people started reading newspapers."-"Modernity came to an end when people stopped smoking." 1 The coffeehouse has become a place of nostalgia. Evoking one of modernity's dreams of itself, it appears as the quintessential embodiment of the Habermasian public sphere, equally accessible to every citizen interested in the trade of knowledge, ideas, opinions, and gossip described by Habermas in provocatively idealistic terms as "communication without domination" ("herrschaftsfreie Kommunikation"), while smoke is curling up and gathering under the high ceilings, a sure sign of the presence of independent and critical spirits, indulging in the aristocratic as well as heretic pleasures of thought. Obviously, the nostalgia conveys a sense of difference-this is no longer our age. It has become possible to speak about the end of modernity in many places, among them, more recently, the field of Judaic Studies. At the same time, inquiries into the possibility of declaring the end of modernity go along with a new and heightened interest in the beginnings of modernity, including Jewish beginnings of modernity. Here I would like to outline, first of all, the contours of a certain general sense of unease regarding the category of modernity in Jewish history, and I would like to highlight some of the virtues of a genealogical approach to inquiries regarding the "borderlines" of modernity in Jewish history. The paper will then turn to recent reconsiderations of "the religious" and "the secular"-an area of study and debate that seems crucial for the analysis of Jewish beginnings of modernity, because it is here that many of our basic assumptions about continuity and change in Jewish religious, cultural and political life are shaped and articulated. Finally, I will-in a rather summary fashion-present a case study featuring God, the Hebrew language, and "peoples pure of speech." I will emphasize that modernity had many beginnings, among them Jewish beginnings, and I will argue that negotiations on secularization as well as re-sacralization-and some entanglements between the two-shed new light on the JBDI / DIYB • Simon Dubnow Institute Yearbook 6 (2007), 169-187. 1 For this illuminating "small theory" of modernity I would like to thank Chava Turniansky and Amnon Raz-Krakotzkin.-The following reflections benefitted immensely from challenging observations and stimulating comments David Ruderman offered in conversations that began in Amsterdam, but did not end there, and for which I remain very grateful.