略论周人的天命思想

略论周人的天命思想杜勇在周人的宗教观念中,天与帝实为一神之异称,并非两种不同的神灵。周人在克殷前后将自己所尊之天与殷人所尊之帝刻意接合起来,从而使之成为可供万民普遍信仰的至上神灵。周人的天命思想就是周人以天帝为崇拜对象并由此产生的一种宗教观念,其基本...     

《山海经》刑天神话再解读

<山海经>是古代原始宗教崇拜的真实记录.刑天是从属于夏桀政权、代表太阳神崇拜的方国首领.刑天与帝争神的失败是商部族的天帝至上神崇拜战胜夏王朝的太阳神信仰的曲折表达.刑天断首后的干戚之舞,是运用军事巫术仪式震慑敌人、维护宗教信仰的重要手段.这种巫术仪式演变为宗庙祭祀舞蹈,通过祭祖仪式象征部族不灭、宗教精神永存.     

日本神道教的历史与现状

神道教是日本自古以来的民族宗教,它是在日本民族固有的神灵信仰基础上发展起来的宗教。它从一种基于万物有灵论的原始信仰、并原始神道,在与外来宗教文化的拒纳互动中,实现了自身的理论化、制度化,并曾在特定的历史条件下一度成为政教合一的、凌驾于一切宗教之上的国教。     

神的浮现与退隐——卜筮对早期中国上帝信仰的影响

占问对象的无限性使卜筮催生出至上神信仰和宗教意识.周革殷命后,在"天"的名义下实际信仰对象从殷人的神圣上帝转变为周人的德性祖考.失去上帝信仰的卜筮不仅沦为周初的政治工具,春秋时期还成为人本驱逐神本的舞台,加速消泯了上帝信仰.从催生到泯灭,卜筮对早期中国上帝信仰发挥了两种截然相反的作用,对早期中国宗教的夭折形成了深刻的影响.     

土家族原始宗教信仰的伦理意蕴

土家族原始宗教信仰,是一种包括图腾、祖先、自然崇拜于其中的多神信仰。其伦理意蕴主要体现在两个方面:一是宗教—道德的原始一体化存在,使宗教信仰直接表现为某种道德约束;二是经由长期的宗教道德信仰而形成的敬畏心理为道德的播植预留了肥沃的土壤。今天来看,土家族原始宗教信仰既可利于一种理性生态主体的培养,亦可利于克服个人主义,转化生成出合理的人际伦理原则。     

卜筮对早期中国至上神信仰的影响

在殷商、西周、春秋三个时期,卜筮对于中国早期至上神信仰的作用历经了从催生到消泯的变化：殷商时期,卜筮与至上神＂帝＂信仰有着表里与共的内在关系,卜筮催生宗教;西周以后,周人不再把＂帝＂而是把祖考作为信仰对象,卜筮沦为了政治的工具,与＂帝＂信仰发生了断裂;春秋时期,卜筮又成了人本精神所利用的舞台,周人借助对卜筮形式的肯定和卜筮结果的否定来彰显人的主体性,消泯＂帝＂信仰。卜筮在历史中两种截然相反的作用,对早期中国宗教的发生与夭折形成深刻的影响。     

傣族“魂、鬼、神”观念的起源——兼说壮侗民族的原始宗教

“魂、鬼、神”三个词在西双版纳傣语和德宏傣语中有严格的语音对应,可以断定这三种观念是原始傣族共同的原始宗教观念。西双版纳和德宏的傣族佛教在文字和教义上都有比较大的区别,本文论析了傣族的原始宗教“魂、鬼、神”的产生早于佛教,并根据语言学和民族学的证据,认为“魂、鬼”观念的产生至少可以上推到原始壮傣民族,“魂”的观念至少可以上推到原始壮侗民族     

论历史上宗教的总功能

本文根据马克思关于"宗教是这个世界的总理论"的论述,追述了宗教观念在古代社会生活中的总地位,宗教观念演变在人类思想发展中的作用以及人类信仰宗教的总效果。宗教观念作为一种意识形态,是古代社会的总理论,指导着国家和社会生活,同时也是人类思想的皮壳;宗教观念的演变就是人类思想皮壳的蜕变,反映了人类思想的进步;人类信仰宗教的历史表明,无论是原始宗教、国家宗教还是世界宗教,总体上并没有满足人类的需求也没有改变人类的总体状况,只有摆脱神祇思想的束缚,诉诸人类自身的创造力,人类才创造出了巨大的文明成果。     

佤族宗教的特质及其文化意义

中国西南地区的佤族宗教,具有原始宗教多神信仰的特点.论文通过对佤族宗教的神灵和信仰,佤族宗教的木鼓、铜鼓,佤族宗教民俗与占卜法术的详细分析,认为佤族宗教保存着较多原生古朴的特质,在西南少数民族宗教类型中具有典型意义.     

原始宗教灵物崇拜的载体--洋洋大观而又井然有序的昆仑

《山海经》记载的早期昆仑神话,是原始宗教的载体,贯穿灵物崇拜观念。原始的昆仑神话出现的是动物神和奇异的植物神,其中动物神具有令人恐怖的性质,奇异的植物则对人有保护作用,反映出先民对自然暴力的畏惧以及对自然创造力的依赖和歌颂。稍后出现的昆仑神境,其中的灵物不构成对人类的威胁和伤害,并且有巫师出现,反映出原始宗教与巫术的联姻。昆仑神境的物象洋洋大观而又井然有序,这是昆仑一词的本来含义,也是原始宗教王国的形态特征,反映出中国古代原始宗教既重想象又有逻辑性的思维方式。     

Rumi and the Universality of his Message

This article evaluates the universal message of Rumi to offer it as a hopeful alternative to the ignorance and lack of spirituality in modern times. Drawing upon Rumi's writings of the thirteenth century, it advocates an understanding that there is something beyond religion and scholarly learning that can open our eyes to the reality beyond this existence; for Rumi we must climb a spiritual ladder of love. Furthermore, Rumi envisioned a universal faith, embodying all religions, because he understood that the cause of every religious conflict is ignorance. The article implies that religiosity consists in something other than outward religions. Real belief is apparent only on the inside of a person, which is not visible. Therefore, through Rumi, the article makes it clear that the religion of love involves loving the eternal and invisible source of existence.     

`In every civilized community': Hume on belief and the demise of religion

This paper considers the claim that Hume washostile to religion and religious belief, andhoped for their demise. Part one examines hisapproach to belief, showing how commentatorstake him to see religious belief asnon-natural. Part two challenges thisconclusion by arguing, first, that Hume'sdistinction between natural and artificialvirtue allows the term ``natural' to coverreligious belief as well; second, that Humehimself never denies religious belief isnatural, and, third, that he takes religion tobe a necessary part of any flourishing society. The target of Hume's critical remarks onreligion, it is then emphasized, are forms of``false' religion, which arise from thecorrupting influence of passion, hypocrisy,bigotry, enthusiasm, and superstition. Atbest, it is concluded, the claim that Hume washostile to religion requires qualification,while the view that he was in favor of itsactual demise is largely unwarranted.     

Logic in religious and non-religious belief systems

The paper first proposes a new definition of religion which features a novel four-layered element and which does not involve any circularity (as some definitions do); thereby, it allows to clearly distinguish the phenomenon of religion from certain other worldviews, in particular from certain political ideologies (a number of other definitions do not). Relying on the findings, the paper develops two structural conceptual models which serve to describe religious and non-religious belief systems. Further, the definition and the conceptual models allow to establish a clear criterion to distinguish pivotal structural differences between religious and non-religious belief systems. The criterion is based on the concept of two kinds of rationality: first-level and second-level rationalities. These will demonstrate to what degree religion can be a rational enterprise, and what role logic can play in it. The result is a clear-cut line in the structures of religious and certain consistent non-religious belief systems (e.g. a scientific theory).     

Religion is natural

Despite its considerable intellectual interest and great social relevance, religion has been neglected by contemporary developmental psychologists. But in the last few years, there has been an emerging body of research exploring children's grasp of certain universal religious ideas. Some recent findings suggest that two foundational aspects of religious belief - belief in mind-body dualism, and belief in divine agents -- come naturally to young children. This research is briefly reviewed, and some future directions are discussed.     

Phenomenology and Theology—Reflections on the Study of Religion

The academic study of religious belief and practice is frequently taken to debunk the content of religion. This attitude impedes the science-theology dialogue and causes believers to react defensively toward studies of religion. I argue that a large, although not unrestricted, domain exists in which phenomenology of religion is neutral with respect to content, that is, compatible with either belief or unbelief. Theology can constructively interact with secular studies of religion, in some cases even explicitly hostile ones. Three themes emerge that elaborate on this interaction: (1) the claim that a scientific study of religion is capable of refuting belief is a logical mistake; (2) religious practice, and to some extent belief, can benefit from secular scrutiny; (3) the entirety of religious expressions is richer than the content that can be captured by analytical study of the phenomenon.     

Introduction: Belief as Cultural Performance

Abstract

Although the concept of belief has become a focus of critical discussion in other disciplines, sociologists of religion have tended to assume that belief is a universal phenomenon, structured around cognitive propositions which can be made explicit in the context of research surveys and interviews The articles in this special issue of the Journal of Contemporary Religion explore belief in the lives of young people in different religious, cultural, and national contexts to suggest more complex ways in which belief might be conceptualised and researched. While the ‘authenticity’ of belief is a significant value for young people across these cases, the authors show how belief can, in different contexts, be a marker of identity, an expression of socially significant relationships or an organising centre for the lives of individuals and groups. Belief can also be understood as the performance of embodied practices shaped by one’s spatial and cultural environment. In this wider context, training young people in propositional forms of belief is shown to be a particular kind of religious project, which can be unstable and have unintended consequences.     

THEORIZING RELIGION AND QUESTIONING THE FUTURE OF ISLAM AND SCIENCE

Will there be any joint future for science and Islam? Although such questions have recently received considerable attention, more basic questions are often ignored. This article aims at addressing some of those more basic questions through exploring the assumptions that underlie different possible understandings of the question about the future of Islam and science. By investigating the relation between conceptualizations of religion and the question about the future of Islam and science, it will be argued that different understandings of the concept of religion (i.e., whether it denotes real objects, whether it is universal, and whether it is belief centered) lead to extremely different readings of the question. Besides, it will be argued that different answers to the question about the future of Islam and science can be understood in terms of the inference to best theological explanation; thus, the criteria that one assumes for the best theological explanation result in different criteria for evaluation of the answers.     

William Robertson Smith: Sociologist or theologian?

William Robertson Smith is often considered to be the first modern sociologist of religion. I argue that Smith was truly a pioneering sociologist of religion, but of “primitive” and ancient religion only. He pitted primitive and ancient religion against modern religion, which for him was religion of the individual rather than of the group. I suggest that Smith's sociologising of religion, as revolutionary as it was, stops short. Where his sociology ends, his theology begins.     

Utilizing Religious Schemas to Cope with Mental Illness

Recent Gallup Polls suggest that 96% of Americans polled believe in God or a universal supreme being (Gallup, 1995). In addition, large percentages of Americans polled report that they pray or believe in miracles. It appears then that religious belief might be a useful coping strategy for those experiencing significant distress or illness. Although much of the research regarding religious coping and illness has focused on physical illness, it seems likely that religious coping would also be useful to those who are experiencing a mental illness. Existing data regarding the use of religious coping and mental illness is discussed, and Daniel McIntosh's theory of religion as a cognitive schema is applied to those suffering severe mental illness.