宗教道德的排他性与利己性

一、宗教道德的排他性 宗教道德的特点之一,是它的排他性。 比如基督教道德的第一要义是: "你要尽心、 尽性、尽意爱主你的上帝,这是诫命中的第一,且 是最大的。" (《马太福音》第22章,第37、38 章)这就是说,如果信仰上帝,就是最高的道德。 否则,就是没有道德。其他宗教也都认为只有自己 信奉的教义才是神圣的和绝对可靠的,对此不允许 有丝毫的怀疑。他们都宣称自己的道德规范也是宇 宙性的、永恒的,宗教经典的正确性是超时空的,     

浅谈宗教工作与反宗教渗透

宗教是一种具有历史延续性的传统文化模式和具有现实渗透力的社会意识形态.因此,各种政治势力都可以借助宗教把自己的思想意识和文化价值理念传播出去,在更大范围内发生影响.     

宗教信徒必须有宽广的胸怀

我是一个基督教牧师,也是中国宗教代表团中唯一的妇女。我愿意以自己的体会来谈谈宗教信徒应该促进人间的和平与彼此谅解。 我常听见周围不信宗教的人,以赞赏的口吻说：“宗教是劝人为善的。”他们认为信宗教的人都善意待人。然而事实上世界上还有人以宗教的名义制造不和,甚至进行战争,把宗教与恶行联系了起来。这是对宗教的亵读,也是我们宗教信徒的耻辱。 以宗教名义煽起敌意的人,总是把自己所信奉的宗教,连同自己对某些教义的理解,视为衡量一切事物的唯一准则,认为与它不合的就不能容忍,这是很危险的极端的态度。我相信一切真善…     

从天人关系看墨子的宗教思想及其特质

墨子是我国先秦时期著名的思想家.他始创的墨家学派和儒家被并称为"当世之显学",可见当时其影响之深远.为了阐明自己的思想,他提出了一系列主张.研究者们从多个角度对这些主张进行了分析,但对"天志"、"明鬼"、"非命"这三个观点从天人关系的角度分析墨子宗教思想的还很少,而且在他们的分析中还认为"非命"与"天志"的观点相对立,从而得出墨子的宗教思想具有矛盾性的结论.笔者以为这一结论还有值得探讨的地方,因此想就这一问题谈一谈自己的见解.     

“倡导宗教和谐座谈会”在北京召开

1月28日下午,中国五大宗教在北京举办"倡导宗教和谐座谈会",发表了<倡导宗教和谐共同宣言>.会议认为,宗教和谐是宗教关系的新境界,是全球化时代的新理念.保持和促进宗     

浅议宗教工作与反宗教渗透

宗教是一种具有历史延续性的传统文化模式和具有现实渗透力的社会意识形态。因此,各种政治势力都可以借助宗教把自己的思想意识和文化价值理念传播出去,在更大范围内发生影响。宗教渗透与宗教传播、宗教交流有着本质的区别。宗教传播是以宗教世界观、人生观和价值观为手段,跨越特定的空间和时间界限争取信徒、扩大宗教影响的一系列宗教性活动。在这     

进攻性宗教冲突与防御性宗教冲突:基于地缘政治的分析

在地缘政治意义上,当出现地区性宗教力量破坏现有基本稳定的宗教地图时,如果没有跨宗教间的有效上层权威,那么有两种宗教冲突趋势。具备绝对宗教优势又有军事能力的宗教群体倾向于通过"自助"来确保宗教生存空间权力的最大化,这是进攻性宗教冲突;而防御性的宗教冲突则以获得相对安全的生存空间为抗争目的。进攻与防御之间的平衡受到基于地缘产生的威胁程度和冲突各方对威胁认知的影响。本文基于中东冲突的宗教分析,对比中国的周边宗教冲突局势,认为如果宗教地缘"征服"和"拓展"难以避免,保护区域安全需要宗教权力优势方面和弱势方面都维持预防性的和平,同时外界既提供威慑力量又促进各方有效对话机制的建立,还要扶助冲突地经济水平的提升。     

斯宾诺莎究竟如何看待宗教?

学界一般把斯宾诺莎定性为无神论者,可是斯宾诺莎自己曾经否认无神论的指控。解决这一身份问题的关键不在于"无神论"一词的历史含义,而在于斯宾诺莎对宗教概念的理解。斯宾诺莎认为新宗教与迷信相对立,他并不相信传统启示宗教的神学,由此我们可以同情地理解斯宾诺莎为自己的辩护,但仍不得不将无神论者的身份冠与他。     

浅谈宗教与迷信的区别

宗教是一种世界观,各种宗教都有自己成文的教义,教规和规范化的宗教活动仪式,有自己的正式宗教组织,如基督教是信奉上帝,以《圣经》为经典,信奉的教义是创世说,原罪与救赎说,天堂与地狱,有自己的特定的宗教仪式,宗教节日和宗教组织。佛教、伊斯兰教,道教,虽情况不一也有各自的宗教组织,经典、教义,宗教活动仪式和宗教节日。正当的宗教活动都必须是爱国守法的,并得到政府部门     

宗教在美国社会中的地位

美国是个宗教色彩很浓厚的国家。有３０多万个基 督教教堂、犹太教会堂、清真寺以及其他宗教活动场所。很多社会学家认为，在发达国家中，美国的宗教色彩最浓厚。据１９９０到１９９３年的国际性调查，８２％的美国人认为自己信仰宗教，而英国、德国和法国，比例分别是５５％、５４％和４８％。 维吉尼亚大学宗教系教授彼得奥克斯博士说，美国浓厚的宗教色彩和美国的历史有密切的关系。美国人不管是穆斯林、犹太人、基督教徒，都受到美国历史上一系列“宗教觉醒运动”的影响。如独立战争期间的宗教大觉醒，传播了天赋人权观念；南北战争期间…     

Profiling Religious Maturity: The Relationship of Religious Attitude Components to Religious Orientations

This study examined the relationships between religious orientation and components of religious attitudes. Religious orientation was measured using Batson, Schoenrade, and Ventis' (1993) Religious Life Inventory. Affective, cognitive, and conative components of attitudes toward religious beliefs and practices were measured using an instrument constructed for the study. Participants were undergraduate students from four educational institutions in the United States. Systematic relationships were found among the dimensions of religious orientation and the components of religious attitudes. Means and Quest orientations had very similar profiles, characterized by high Cognition scores and relatively low Affect and Conation scores. By contrast, modestly low Cognition scores and significantly high Affect and Conation scores characterized the profile of the Ends orientation. Results are discussed in terms of the concept of mature religiosity.     

Religious Fundamentalism,Religious Coping,and Preference for Psychological and Religious Treatment

Religion may not be simply another variable in the assessment of treatment-seeking but an alternative worldview about the nature of suffering and its appropriate treatment. This study examines the relation of religious fundamentalism and religious coping on relative preference for psychological or religious help-seeking in 142 undergraduate students. Higher levels of religious fundamentalism and deferred religious coping were found to be associated with greater preference for religious rather than psychological help-seeking. The results suggest that religious issues need to be included in the investigation of help-seeking.     

Implications of Religious Identity Salience,Religious Involvement,and Religious Commitment on Aggression

Social identity can affect perceptions of external threats and the type of response elicited to those threats. Religion is a social identity with eternal group membership and revered beliefs and values; thus, religious identity salience, religious commitment, and religious involvement may have implications for aggressive responses to perceived threats to a person’s religious identity. In a sample of 176 Christians, Muslims, and Jews, we investigated whether people respond aggressively to collective threat as a function of religious identity salience, religious commitment, and religious involvement. Religious commitment was positively related to anger only when religious identity was salient. Religious involvement was negatively related to anger and hostility only when religious identity was salient. Religious identity salience appears to act as a moderator by either enhancing perceptions of threat or by activating internal religious beliefs and values.     

Metaphor,Religious Language,and Religious Experience

Is it possible to talk about God without either misrepresentation or failing to assert anything of significance? The article begins by reviewing how, in attempting to answer this question, traditional theories of religious language have failed to sidestep both potential pitfalls adequately. After arguing that recently developed theories of metaphor seem better able to shed light on the nature of religious language, it considers the claim that huge areas of our language and, consequently, of our experience are shaped by metaphors. Finally, it considers some of the more significant implications of this claim for our understanding of both religious language and religious experience.