试论普兰丁格宗教认识论的基本特征

阿尔文·普兰丁格是当代美国著名的宗教哲学家。本文力图从分析哲学的方法、有神论认识图景、复合型认知结构和改革宗的认识论四个角度,扼要勾画普兰丁格的宗教认识论的基本特征,从总体上把握其学说观点,并从一个侧面揭示当代基督教哲学认识论思想的潮起潮落。     

阿奎纳的信念理性化建构与普兰丁格的知识合理性扩展

在宗教信念的知识地位及其认知合理性方面,基督教与哲学之间始终存在着一种张力关系。为消解哲学挑战所带来的"合理性难题",阿奎纳和普兰丁格从自身的立场及其所面对的问题出发,或者按照哲学的标准以理性方式重构基督教信念体系,或者反思证据主义原则而对合理性概念做出新的界定,提出了各具历史意义的应对策略,从而深化了我们对理性与信仰关系的认识。     

分析的魅力:普兰丁格对分析哲学的利用和改造

阿尔文·普兰丁格(Alvin Plantinga,1932～)是当代美国著名的宗教哲学家.其研究领域广泛,学术影响深远,特别在知识论的研究上有很深的造诣,被称为当今英美宗教哲学界的"三巨头之一"[1].综观普兰丁格的学术生涯及其研究成果,不难发现其学术探究的方法别具一格.     

普兰丁格论神义论

对于恶的难题,传统神义论由于忽略了“上帝”与人类语言中“上帝的概念”之间的差别,从而造成了上帝似乎需要在人的理性面前称义的局面。普兰丁格为此提出了一种“辩护”的替代方案,试图说明上帝允许苦难与恶的可能原因。普兰丁格还以旧约人物约伯的故事为例说明,人不能以自己的理性假设来要求上帝。     

论多位一体是莱布尼茨宗教哲学的基础

<正>多位一体与作为辩证法的三位一体产生于古希腊思想,而作为宗教奥秘的三位一体思想在基督教思想中得到凸显。西方哲学史从古希腊开始就从本体论、逻辑学、认识论等各个角度展示着多位一体的思想,只不过各个历史阶段侧重点不一样。莱布尼茨从认识论的层面对多位一体的思想作了深入论     

基督教中国化与中国基督教的转型北大核心

深入推进我国宗教中国化是目前中国五大宗教面临的共同任务。中国基督教中国化问题可能要比其他宗教更加艰巨而且复杂,因其固有的非传统性结构问题,以及传统性和非传统性思想问题导致的不稳定性问题。今天我要简单谈两个涉及基督教中国化的问题,一个是中国基督教现代性问题,另一个是中国基督教由救赎基督教向道德基督教转型问题。     

宗教市场，对谁开放？

宗教市场论是当前宗教社会学研究中颇为流行的、以经济学供需关系解释宗教现象的一种理论。该学说引入国内后,深得学界某些研究者推崇,被视为一场“哥白尼式革命”。客观地说,宗教市场论从“市场”角度诠释宗教现象,为人们全面、理性认识宗教打开了一扇新的窗口。然而,谬误离真理只差一步,当前某些学者提出的“开放（中国）宗教市场”论不仅无助于解决中国的“宗教问题”,反而会扰乱中国“宗教市场”,其消极作用不容低估。     

马克思的宗教批判:理解模式与实质

马克思对于宗教的态度是一个重要的理论与现实问题。国内外学术界对马克思的宗教批判的理解可以归纳为6种主要模式:"鸦片论"、"意识形态论"、"简单模糊论"、"经济替代论"、"新宗教论"和"调和论"。对于宗教产生的根源、消亡的条件马克思有着独特而深刻的论述,不能把马克思的宗教批判简单地理解为旧唯物主义的回归。马克思的宗教批判是西方哲学中宗教批判传统的继续和深化,其中一个重要问题是共产主义作为一种价值、理想在形上层面的重建。马克思的宗教批判对基督教思想家有着巨大的影响。     

论普兰丁格的“保证”思想——兼论“保证”对“盖梯尔问题”的解决

知识论首先关注的是知识的定义。但"知识就是被辩护的真信念"这个经典定义却遭到了"盖梯尔问题"的打击。普兰丁格致力于知识论大厦的推倒重建,建立起了以"保证"为核心的知识论体系,他认为这有助于解决"盖梯尔问题"。他的思想有一定的启发,但也存在其偏颇之处。     

“神学的秘密就是人本学”——读费尔巴哈论宗教篇章

费尔巴哈关于论宗教的篇章,考察并论述了人的一般本质、宗教的一般本质、基督教的本质,得出了"神学的秘密就是人本学"的结论。     

Comparing Biographical Backgrounds of Religious Founders and Converts to Those Religions: An Exploratory Study

This paper is an exploratory, preliminary investigation of the possible links between the biographical backgrounds and developmental trajectories of major religious figures such as Jesus Christ, Muhammad, Buddha, and Baha’u’llah, and the backgrounds of those who convert to these religions (or certain groups within these religions) in the West. This article ends with the hypothesis that in terms of biographical backgrounds and motivations for conversion, followers’ narratives resemble those of their religious leaders in some areas.

一支突起的异军——再议宗教社会学及其在中国的进展

本文从宗教的社会性及其特性来强调宗教社会学是一门独立的社会科学,并再次论述了这门学科的研究方法。宗教社会学近两年来在中国的发展,可谓"异军突起",本文从四个方面评述了这种"异",并提出随着学科的发展,学科界线的走向问题。     

A Commentary on Religious Conflicts and a Call for a Focus on the Best the Traditions have to Offer

The casual observer of the religious traditions cannot get a very good impression when attending to the daily news. One might easily conclude that much of the troubles in the world today are caused by religious conflicts and the inability of the religious communities to get along. Sometimes, it appears that the planet would be better off without religion at all. Tragically, most of the general population are perhaps religious illiterates who focus on religious differences and conflicts rather than similarities and what they offer at their best. While there are a number of efforts by scholars and others to improve interfaith respect and conversation, our world would be better off if we focused on the best the religious traditions have to offer rather than the worst as well as respecting and being open to traditions other than our own. This could be accomplished if religious education and training were greatly altered.     

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.     

Searching for salvation: An analysis of US religious searching on the World Wide Web

The goals of this research were to answer three questions. How predominant is religious searching online? How do people interact with Web search engines when searching for religious information? How effective are these interactions in locating relevant information? Specifically, referring to a US demographic, we analyzed five data sets from Web search engine, collected between 1997 and 2005, of over a million queries each in order to investigate religious searching on the Web. Results point to four key findings. First, there is no evidence of a decrease in religious Web-searching behaviors. Religious interest is a persistent topic of Web searching. Second, those seeking religious information on the Web are becoming slightly more interactive in their searching. Third, there is no evidence for a move away from mainstream religions toward non-mainstream religions since the majority of the search terms are associated with established religions. Fourth, our work does not support the hypothesis that traditional religious affiliation is associated with lower adoption of or sophistication with technology. These factors point to the Web as a potentially usefully communication medium for a variety of religious organizations.     

Searching for salvation: An analysis of US religious searching on the World Wide Web

Ministerial itinerancy is characteristic of, although not exclusive to, the British Methodist Church. Rational choice theorists Finke and Starke have claimed that, historically, itinerancy has served to promote and reinforce instrumental commitment to the local church. This article develops and assesses a rational choice analysis of the effects of ministerial itinerancy on the organisational commitment of Methodist congregations and their ministers. It concludes that rational choice theory can only offer a partial analysis and fails to take into account less instrumental forms of organisational commitment. The article surveys the current debate within the Methodist Church about the future of ministerial itinerancy and suggests that the Church may be in the process of recognising that ‘moving ministers’ is not necessarily good at ‘moving congregations’ to embrace the national Church's priorities. The article predicts that itinerancy will remain an important feature, but not a defining characteristic, of the Methodist ministry and will no longer tend to ‘go with the job’.     

Assessing Belief in the 10 Commandments: The Multidimensional 10 Commandments Questionnaire

Instruments designed to assess various aspects of religion are widespread, but few have been constructed to assess specific religious values and beliefs. The purpose of the present research was to address this limitation by providing preliminary evidence for the reliability and validity of the Multidimensional 10 Commandments Questionnaire (M10CQ), a self-report instrument that measures belief in the 10 Commandments. Data from three separate samples provided evidence supporting the reliability (i.e., internal consistency) of the M10CQ subscales. Other results indicated that women endorsed many of the 10 Commandments more strongly than men, and that various Commandments predicted people’s mental health (less hostility), their parenting style (more authoritarian and authoritative parenting), and their interpersonal attachments (a more trusting bond with others). The findings reported in this research help to identify the ways in which religious values and beliefs are integrated with multiple aspects of people’s lives. The discussion highlights the usefulness of the Multidimensional 10 Commandments Questionnaire (M10CQ) for studying religious beliefs and values.

The richness of ordinary life: Religious justification among Chile's business elite

Based on the analysis of 75 in-depth interviews with managers and businessmen of Chile's main economic conglomerates, this article is concerned with the justification, on religious and moral grounds, of the establishment of a neo-liberal economic model during Augusto Pinochet's regime (1973-1989) and, most importantly, with the representation of business as a religious vocation. The value granted to wealth creation as a path to salvation, as formulated by the conservative religious movements Opus Dei and the Legionaries of Christ, is one possible response to the Church's call in Vatican II for the greater involvement of the laity in their cultures and societies. In the context of an increase in pluralism during the 1960s and 1970s, the perceived shift of the Catholic Church to the Left, and the threat that the political project of Salvador Allende's socialist government (1970-1973) posed to the elite's centenary lifestyle, the practice of more conservative forms of Catholicism has allowed for a restoration of the historical bond between the elite and its religious tradition. The case of Chile's elite can be seen as an example of an increase in pluralism which does not lead to a weakening of religious belief and practice, but to their strengthening.     

The richness of ordinary life: Religious justification among Chile's business elite

Based on the analysis of 75 in‐depth interviews with managers and businessmen of Chile's main economic conglomerates, this article is concerned with the justification, on religious and moral grounds, of the establishment of a neo‐liberal economic model during Augusto Pinochet's regime (1973–1989) and, most importantly, with the representation of business as a religious vocation. The value granted to wealth creation as a path to salvation, as formulated by the conservative religious movements Opus Dei and the Legionaries of Christ, is one possible response to the Church's call in Vatican II for the greater involvement of the laity in their cultures and societies. In the context of an increase in pluralism during the 1960s and 1970s, the perceived shift of the Catholic Church to the Left, and the threat that the political project of Salvador Allende's socialist government (1970–1973) posed to the elite's centenary lifestyle, the practice of more conservative forms of Catholicism has allowed for a restoration of the historical bond between the elite and its religious tradition. The case of Chile's elite can be seen as an example of an increase in pluralism which does not lead to a weakening of religious belief and practice, but to their strengthening.     

Drifting from the mainstream: the religious identity of Australian core Catholic youth

Religious communities have an obvious interest in passing on their beliefs and practices to future generations. Many traditional churches, however, report major difficulties in retaining the interest and involvement of adolescents. This paper seeks to explore some of the beliefs and values of Australian core Catholic youth (14‐ to 15‐years‐old). Fifty‐eight semi‐structured interviews were conducted with adolescents with a pre‐existing connection with parish communities. Most adolescents interviewed expressed either strong or weak familial pattern of church attendance and predicted a likely decrease in their future participation. The experience of older siblings, reported religious beliefs and a lack of supportive social networks either at school or in the wider community will be commented on.