Religious studies, as a complex of academic academic disciplines, studying the social nature of religion - its history, development and place in culture and society, is being created today. Religious knowledge is formed, the controversy of reports at conferences, in the pages of monographs and professional journals takes place. An all-Ukrainian scientific journal Mandrivets, a joint project of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and the Mandrivets publishing house, is included in the list of scientific specialties in (...) philology, history, philosophy, in this context. (shrink)

Worldview Religious Studies brings the study of religion, spirituality, secularism, and other mixed attitudes of life under the overarching scheme of worldview studies. This book introduces and defines worldviews more generally before establishing a framework specific to religious studies. The drive for meaning-making is explored through ritual-symbolic activities, ideas of 'play', and the power of emotions to transform simple ideas into values and beliefs that frame identity and signpost destiny. Identity and its sacralisation are discussed (...) alongside gift/reciprocity theory in their relation to ideas of merit, karma, and salvation in Eastern and Western traditions. This theoretical background is used to introduce a new classification of worldviews - natural, scientific, ancestral, karmic, prophetic-sectarian, mystical, and ideological. Organised thematically by chapter, this book brings together familiar and unfamiliar authors, theories, and sources to challenge students and teachers of Religious Studies, Theology, and Ethics. It introduces worldview religious studies as a framework through which to re-think human endeavours to identify, cope and even transcend life's flaws and perils. (shrink)

Ukrainian religious studies have deep roots. We find the elements of it in the written descendants of the writings of Kievan Rus. From the prince's time, the universal way of vision, understanding and appreciation of the world for many Ukrainian thinkers becomes their own religious experiences. The main purpose of their works is not the desire to create a certain integral system of theological knowledge, but the desire to convey their personal religious-minded perception of the divine (...) nature, harmony, beauty and perfection of God created the world. (shrink)

The liberation of religious studies from mechanical inclusion into the structure of the so-called scientific-atheistic theory of Marxism, the isolation and designation of it into an independent branch of humanitarian knowledge, actualized the issue of the correlation of religious studies disciplines, in particular the philosophy of religion, and theology or theology. The last terms we use here are unambiguous. Historically, the first one serves to define the theological theory of Catholicism and Protestantism, and the second one (...) is Orthodoxy. (shrink)

The author nationally recognized for the quality and depth of his teaching in religious studies has written the first full-scale introduction to the history and methods of the study of religion.

Academic Writing Manual for Religious Studies - İlahiyat Alanı Makale Yazım Kılavuzu.

This new textbook provides a clear, informative and rigorous guide for students taking Religious Studies GCSE with all the major exam boards. It covers the philosophy and ethics content of the key GCSE specifications and examines these themes from the perspectives of Christianity, Roman Catholicism and Islam. Throughout the book, emphasis is placed on the scriptural basis of each religious view and on other sources of authority in each religious tradition. The development of core ethical and (...) doctrinal questions is explored, and key thinkers and theologians are introduced to give a sound understanding of complex issues. Chapter by chapter, the book covers such topics as religious texts and sources of authority; the existence and nature of God; revelation and religious experience; the problem of evil; science and religion; death and life after death; human nature and personal relationships; human rights, conflict and crime; and global issues. There is also a dedicated chapter on study skills and exam techniques, and each chapter includes student-friendly features such as revision summaries, questions and activities. While the book has been designed with the new GCSE specifications and reforms in mind, it encourages students to see the full significance of these issues by going beyond the narrow confines of their own specification. As such, Religious Studies for GCSE will be the ideal companion for investigating this rich and fascinating area of human life. (shrink)

In a recent defence of what he calls "study by religion," Robert Ensign suggests that alleged divine revelations represent public forms of knowledge, which should not be excluded from the academy. But at least according to two major Christian thinkers, namely Thomas Aquinas and John Calvin, revelation is received by an act of faith, which rests on evidence that is person-relative and therefore not open to public scrutiny. If religious studies is to remain a public discipline, whose arguments (...) may be evaluated by believers and non-believers alike, it should maintain its defeasible but not yet defeated presumption of naturalism. (shrink)

In the Department of Religious Studies at the Institute of Philosophy of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, which is currently the only academic institution in the country, the President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, with his approval, adopted in his Annual Address to the Verkhovna Rada the provision on "ensuring the teaching of all forms of education in higher education institutions since September 2011" academic religious studies as a normative philosophical discipline, and in secondary school (...) - a comparative history of religions. " The clericalization of education, to which, contrary to the Constitution of Ukraine, the political-mindedness and polyconfessional nature of its citizens, the V. Yushchenko during his years of presidency, and the Ministry of Education, was at his discretion, was unclear to us, and thus unacceptable. Therefore, we did not participate in the work of the various commissions, which, according to Yushchenko's instructions, began to act at the ministerial level, and especially instilled in educational structures in the western region of the country. We go to secular modern Europe, and we strive to live in the time of its Middle Ages. (shrink)

The lack of academic religious studies in India has several causes: the choice of the secular University of London as model for the first universities in India in 1857, the secular constitution, the secularist approach of the first prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, and the explosive relation between major faith traditions. However, with the waning of the Indian secularist framework and the continued power and influence of Hindutva ideology, there is a need to discuss different models for (...) religious studies in India. In this article, the point of departure is Banaras Hindu University, one of the few universities in India that has religious studies, but also a faculty of Hindu theology. The focus is on the history of BHU and the recommendations of several educational commission from the 1930s to the 60s, with a note on recent attempts at BHU of renewing value education. The aim is to highlight one alternative for developing religious studies in India, whose primary goal is the formation of good citizens enabled by a set of universal human values instantiated in local traditions. (shrink)

May of this jubilee year was marked, perhaps, by a record number of scientific meetings, in particular, in cities already traditional religious studies activity. International conference "Christianity is the basis of European civilization", scientific conference "Christianity and person" and the X International round table "History of Religions in Ukraine ".

This article aims to enlarge the conversation about religion and public education by inviting readers to think about the benefits to be gained in society by providing a comprehensive religious studies curriculum in our public schools. In such a program, students will develop knowledge and understanding about various religious traditions, forge greater respect for the religious (and nonreligious) other, and think through existential concerns that have interested human beings for thousands of years. While recognizing that such (...) a program is deeply contentious, we nevertheless reason that students, as participants in a democracy as well as members of a global community, must have the skills, tools, and knowledge to function in a religiously diverse world. (shrink)

Report to the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Dm. TABACHNIKU In the Department of Religious Studies of the Institute of Philosophy of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, which is currently the only academic institution in the country, with great acceptance adopted the position of President Viktor Yanukovych initiated in his Annual Letter to the Verkhovna Rada of "providing teaching in all forms of higher education in September 2011" the property of academic religious (...) class='Hi'>studies as a normative philosophical discipline, and in secondary school - a comparative history of religions. ". (shrink)

The prominence of religion in recent debates around politics, identity formation, and international terrorism has led to an increased demand on those studying religion to help clarify and contextualise religious belief and practice in the public sphere. While many texts focus on the theoretical development of the subject, this book outlines a wider application of these studies by exploring the role of religious studies scholars and theologians as public intellectuals. -/- This collection of essays first seeks (...) to define exactly what makes an intellectual "public". It then goes on to deal with a few questions of concern: How do public intellectuals construct knowledge in religious and theological scholarship? What is the link between public intellectuals of higher education and their role in society? Do higher education institutions have a responsibility to endorse public intellectualism? -/- Looking at the individual and collective role of religious studies scholars and theologians in public life, this book will be of great interest to all scholars and academics involved in religious studies and theology across the academy. (shrink)

Ethics for OCR Religious Studies: The Complete Resource for AS and A2 is the perfect guide for students taking AS and A2 courses in the OCR GCE Religious Studies specification. Ethics for OCR provides a rigorous and accessible introduction to both historical and contemporary ethical debates. Drawing on insights from recent examiners’ reports and mark schemes, and following the OCR course outline closely, Mark Coffey and Dennis Brown’s landmark book includes: - Up-to-date discussions of key debates (...) in religious ethics - Ethical theories set in their historical context - Attention given to contemporary developments in law, science, technology, and society - A thorough guide to writing the perfect exam answer - A detailed exposition of OCR’s assessment criteria and how best to meet them - Profiles of leading ethical, philosophical and religious thinkers, a chapter by chapter glossary, and helpful chapter summaries - Discussion points, activity boxes and past paper questions The most comprehensive book on the market, Ethics for OCR Religious Studies provides a rigorous and accessible introduction to both historical and contemporary ethical debates, including chapters on sexual and environmental and business ethics. Written with verve and clarity, the book’s user-friendly style and attention to detail will help students of all abilities to achieve their best. (shrink)

As already mentioned, based on a number of goals and methods of classification, Ukrainian religious studies have been divided into two disciplines - academic and theological. The former, in particular, is characterized by historicity, tolerance, non-confession, objectivity and pluralism. Instead, theological religious studies, based on the belief in the truth of Divine Revelation and the indisputable authority of Scripture, are characterized by apologetic and confessional aspirations, which are accordingly manifested in affirming the truth of a particular (...) religious doctrine and religious belief. Some peculiarity of this division is the fact that according to which the classification principles of foreign religious studies are shifted into the sphere of internal and external specifics of the study of religious phenomenon, as opposed to domestic religious studies, whose study is often based on the ideological and supernatural components of the worldview what religion. (shrink)

In March this year is 20 years old Ukrainian Association of Religious Studies - all-Ukrainian secular public organization. UAR united on a voluntary basis scientists-religious scholars, teachers of religious studies disciplines of educational institutions, employees of museums, and other educational institutions of Ukraine. Membership in the Association is individual and collective. The work of UAR is based on public principles.

First Published in 1996. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

In this important work, Jim Kanaris provides a unique approach to the study of religion, aiming to alleviate the methodological and ideological barriers that divide philosophers, theologians, and social scientists. This is a "philosophy of religion" for a wider audience than that designation usually circumscribes, and, for that reason, Kanaris opts for the broader "philosophy of religious studies." He hybridizes insights principally from the works of Bernard Lonergan and Martin Heidegger but also those of Jacques Derrida, Charles Winquist, (...) and Tyler Roberts, among others. Kanaris combines this with a distinctive hermeneutical approach that gives rise to what he calls "enecstatic" philosophy, one that manages the irreducible complexity of one's individuality, a singularity, in the negotiation of one's objects of concern. Toward a Philosophy of Religious Studies is unlike any other book in religious studies. It provides a unique way to surface personal involvement in the study of religion without compromising scholarly objectivity and philosophical integrity. (shrink)

Ukrainian Religious Studies - Ancient and at the same time relatively young branch of humanitarian knowledge. Ancient because it has its roots yet Kievan Rus. It is then that there are written works in which religious processes are described in certain religious denominations in the ancient Ukrainian lands. Thus, in the "Tale of the Times of the Years", the process of the introduction of Christianity in Rus'-Ukraine is described, the historical, psychological and ideological foundations of choice (...) are revealed. Volodymyr the Great faith for his people. Young because it does not have its deep professional tradition and, as a separate sphere of scientific knowledge, begins to develop only in the second half of the nineteenth century in the creative work of the ideologists of the communal movement and is primarily associated with the names of M. Drahomanov and O. Pobetny. To this religious studies we developed mainly in its theological form, not at the level of professional employment, but as an addition to the study of other problems of social or spiritual life, the study of the history of Ukraine. (shrink)

Ukrainian religious studies has recently entered the world scientific community and the educational process. Along the way, many difficulties awaited him. First, it was necessary to determine the content, structure, representation of Ukrainian religious studies, to navigate the world of foreign science of religion, in the existing teaching methods. Secondly, to outline the forms of entry of Ukrainian religious studies into the international scientific and teaching community. Acquaintance with Western science, which proved to be (...) heterogeneous, based on various methodological approaches and methodological means, coincided with difficult internal transformations that underwent all humanitarian knowledge in Ukraine after world-view and political changes in society. In pursuit of its identity, domestic religious studies went, on the one hand, by contrasting itself with theology, and on the other, by actively distinguishing itself from so-called scientific atheism. As a result of these processes, domestic religious studies was eventually constituted as a coherent, structured science of religion, seeking to develop its own models of teaching religious studies. (shrink)

Ukrainian religious studies has recently entered the world scientific community. Acquaintance with Western science, which has proven to be heterogeneous, often based on different methodological approaches and methodological means, has coincided with difficult internal transformations that have undergone all humanitarian knowledge in Ukraine after worldviews and political changes in society. In pursuit of its identity, domestic religious studies went, on the one hand, by contrasting itself with theology, and on the other, by distinguishing itself from scientific (...) atheism. At first, the emergence of religious studies from the bosom of ideologized social science was more relevant. In the form of a critical study of religion, Soviet-era religious studies were included in scientific atheism. Therefore, religious studies came not as knowledge of religion, but as its critique. (shrink)

This essay advocates dual-inheritance theory for the renewal of Religious Studies. Not by Genes Alone , by Peter J. Richerson and Robert Boyd (2005), presents this approach in an admirably clear manner. To make my case, I survey the development of Religious Studies since the Enlightenment, with special attention to the American context. The historical survey brings us to the dawn of the twenty-first century, where Religious Studies is often unnecessarily limited to sui generis (...) Religious Studies and its postmodern critics. Neither approach engages regnant Darwinian theoretical frameworks of gene-culture coevolution productively. In this context, I situate the contributions of dual-inheritance theory as presented by Richerson and Boyd and offer examples of its utility for progress in Religious Studies, its ability to open cooperation across disciplinary boundaries, and its salutary demystification of religion as a culturally unique and coherent phenomenon. I conclude by addressing concerns scholars of religion might entertain regarding the issue of reductionism and how an emergent science of religion might contribute to the traditional concerns of religion-and-science dialogue as it has evolved in the English-speaking context. (shrink)

The aim of this essay is to show the significance for a new situation of Barth's attack upon some of the historical scholarship of his day over fifty years ago. Barth was motivated by Christian theological concerns, but what he stood for has important implications for New Testament studies generally, and in particular for its purpose and place within a Religious Studies syllabus. If what is written has a mildly polemical edge this will betray the scarcely veiled (...) theological interests which prompt the warning against New Testament studies that spurn theology and a theology that spurns the New Testament. But the argument depends upon considerations arising from the character of the New Testament material and the educational reasons for studying it outside the Christian church. Within the theological circle, liberal protestantism is at last emerging from under the cloud cast over it by the dialectical theology. The rediscovery of Schleiermacher is rightly being followed by a rediscovery of Troeltsch. But for reasons for which dialectical theology is itself partly to blame this is being accompanied in some quarters by a failure to insist upon the importance of the Bible for Christian theology. Despite all their differences, liberals and dialectical theologians agreed in defending biblically rooted theologies. Some of those engaged in revising the map of recent theological history need reminding that the emphasis upon the theological use of the New Testament which has dominated the work of Barth and Bultmann has more than a narrowly confessional interest. It is directly relevant to the recent swing towards Religious Studies in British universities and colleges of education. (shrink)

What is the relationship between religious studies and theology? Do both have a place within the university? This paper will argue that no clear distinction can be drawn between religious studies and theology on the level of the methods they employ. Each is multidisciplinary and each is able to address questions of religious truth. They can be distinguished only by asking `What is the question which each is attempting to answer?'. Religious studies addresses (...) the question of the meaning and truth of any religion. Theology is interested in the question of the meaning and truth of one particular faith. By adopting the language of one particular faith, the theologian is able to explore particular religious questions in some depth. (shrink)

Science and education are different phenomena, but they must be closely interconnected. It is impossible to say that we currently have it in Ukraine. They are practically the process of their formation in parallel. What do we have here?

An annotated list of online resources for religious studies and philosophy of religion. This was an internal departmental document from the late 1990s. It should never have gone into the public domain. Please don't waste time with it. I am trying to have it removed.

The discussion article raises questions about the strategy for the survival and development of contemporary Ukrainian religious studies. The author proposes the author's position on the ways of overcoming the crisis in which the national science of religion is now located.

By the decree of the Presidium of the Higher Attestation Commission of Ukraine of 08.02.1996. Approved composition of the Specialized Academic Council D. 01.25.05 on specialty 05.00.11 - Religious studies. The Council was established at the Department of Religious Studies at the Institute of Philosophy of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Being the only one in Ukraine on its profile, it is the main link in the system of certification of scientific personnel of the (...) highest qualification in this specialty. (shrink)

The Society "Knowledge" of Ukraine began the activity of the Department of Religious Studies. The Council of Lecturers is formed consisting of 24 people, among them are well-known philosophers, historians, sociologists - religious scholars: Doctors of Philosophy B.Lobovik, M.Zakovich, A. Kolodnyy, Yu.Kalinin, P.Kosuha, M.Rybachuk, P.Yarotsky, candidate of philosophical sciences M. Babiy, S. Golovashchenko, V. Yelensky, M.Kyryushko, O.Sagan, V.Suyarko, L.Filipovich and others.

The present article proposes that the notion of forgery be incorporated as an analytic category within religious studies. Following a brief outline of three key periods of religious studies, the factors that have made researchers hesitant to deal with the topic are examined. Religious forgeries are then discussed in terms of different parameters, such as the age of the fabrication, the extent of the forgery and the mode of revelation. With the exception of forgeries created (...) simply for “the fun of it,” religious document forgeries are motivated by the desire to legitimate the authority of certain opinions, systems of religious ideas, and/or the forger. For the most part, the people who manufacture sacred forgeries are not cynical or sinister. Rather, many religious forgers produce documents expressing ideas in which they really do believe and which they hope to promote via their fabrications. (shrink)

This concluding comment draws upon the common themes articulated by the preceding contributors about how Sociology of Religion and Religious Studies can influence each other, as well as considering some of the obstacles to that. It concludes with some intellectual suggestions for furthering some of our common interests.

Cover -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Acknowledgements -- How to use this book -- Answering examination questions -- Timeline -- Part I Philosophy of religion -- Ancient philosophical influences -- 1 Plato -- 2 Aristotle -- 3 Soul, mind and body -- The existence of God -- 4 Arguments based on observation -- 5 Arguments based on reason: the ontological argument -- God and the world -- 6 Religious experience -- 7 The problem of evil -- Part (...) II Religious ethics -- 8 What is ethics? -- 9 Moral absolutism and moral relativism -- Normative ethical theories: religious approaches -- 10 Natural moral law -- 11 Situation ethics -- Normative ethical theories -- 12 Kantian ethics -- 13 Utilitarianism -- Applied ethics -- 14 Euthanasia -- 15 Business ethics -- Part III Developments in Christian thought -- 16 Introduction -- Insight -- 17 Augustine's teaching on human nature -- 18 Death and the afterlife -- Foundations -- 19 Knowledge of God's existence -- 20 The person of Jesus Christ -- Living -- 21 Christian moral principles -- 22 Christian moral action -- Glossary -- Bibliography -- Index. (shrink)

Discusses three concepts crucial to an understanding of the nature of religion: anxiety, guilt, and freedom. The various essays examine these from the viewpoint of several different religious traditions, movements and thinkers. Contents: Editor's Preface. Donald Gard: A Personal Perspective. Part I. Guiltless Morality; The Family of Changing Woman: Nature and Women in Navaho Thought; The Sacraments as "Fear-provoking" and "Awe-inspiring" Rites in the Greek Fathers; The Doctrine of Karma; Two Concepts of Predestination in Current Islamic Thought. Part II. (...) The Spirit of Medieval Penitents; The Evolution of Freedom as Catholicity in Catholic Ethics; Agape and the Liberation Movements. Part III. Calvin's Idea of Freedom in the Ethics of Schleiermacher and Barth; Creativity and Freedom in the Thought of Martin Buber; The Liberating Visions of C. G. Jung; 'The World's Most Perverse Habit'; Appendix: Study Questions. (shrink)

Ron Geaves, Religious Studies, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Chrisrianity, Islam The Continuum International Publishing Group, New York, 2006.

At the scientific base of the Ukrainian Association of Religious Studies, a Center for religious scholarly consultations and expertise was formed.