A teoria do mercado religioso parte da constatação do pluralismo religioso e chega à conclusão que, em tal situação, religião se torna um assunto de escolha pessoal ou familiar e se estabelece uma situação de concorrência entre as religiões subordinada à lógica da economia de mercado. Assim, as religiões reduzidas à esfera da vida privada não podem mais realizar a função tradicional das religiões de legitimar a totalidade da ordem social. Este artigo analisa a tese da subordinação (...) da religião à lógica da economia de mercado e propõe como hipótese de que a tradicional função da religião de “absolutizar o relativo e legitimar o arbitrário” é exercida hoje pelo próprio sistema de mercado capitalista e que, por isso, a lógica da economia de mercado se tornou o modo de pensar “natural” nos dias de hoje, até mesmo para pensar a religião. Para isso, dialoga principalmente com o pensamento de P. Berger, P. Bourdieu, M. Weber, W. Benjamin, K. Marx, F. Hinkelammert, H. Assmann e mostra como o tema da fé no e sacralização do mercado aparece nos discursos dos economistas. Palavras-chaves : Mercado religioso. Capitalismo. Idolatria. Economia e religião. Teologia e economia.The theory of the religious market begins with the observation of religious pluralism and comes to the conclusion that, in this situation, religion becomes a matter of personal or family choice and it is established a situation of competition among religions subordinated to the logic of the market economy. Thus, religions reduced to the sphere of private life can no longer perform the traditional role of religions in legitimizing the whole social order. This article analyzes the thesis of the subordination of religion to the logic of the market economy and puts forward the hypothesis that the traditional function of the religion of "absolutizing the relative and legitimizing the arbitrary" is exercised today by the capitalist market system itself; and, because of that, the logic of the market economy has become the "natural” way of thinking today, even to think about religion. To this purpose, it dialogues mainly with the thought of P. Berger, P. Bourdieu, M. Weber, W. Benjamin, K. Marx, F. Hinkelammert and H. Assmann, showing how the theme of faith in and sacralization of market appears in discourses of economists. Keywords : Religious market. Capitalism. Idolatry. Economy and religion. Theology and economics. (shrink)

This article starts with a historical questioning of postmodernity religious phenomenon, revisiting the "Masters of Suspicion", trying to detect the "perversions" of religion. The article presents the spirituality as something different from religion. Spirituality as the expression of the ancient spiritual traditions and religion as their historical formulations. It is argued that a Holistic Spirituality would seek convergences between all spiritual traditions. From that point we examine some of the major contemporary challenges, namely neoliberalism, postmodernity, as well as matters relating (...) to Justice, Peace and Ecology. The holism is indicated as output to a new paradigm. Finally, we intend to combine the holistic paradigm to the paradigm of liberation theology. Thus, the article concludes with practical issues: the problem of mediations of God's Kingdom, for example: a) the Christian churches today would be mediating the Kingdom? What about the religious life); b) some urgent issues of justice, peace, ecological respect, option for the poor and oppressed, looking for a non-capitalist economic model and more direct democracy, the need for active non-violence, the presence of grace in the midst of strategic and tactics mediations, as well as practice Spirituality following the Master of Galilee. (shrink)

O presente artigo analisa as ligações entre a Cáritas Brasileira e a Economia Popular Solidária a partir do trabalho do Agente de Cáritas. A problemática central do artigo remete às representações sociais que esses Agentes constroem em seus relatos sobre os princípios da Teologia da Libertação que norteiam os projetos em economia solidária da referida instituição religiosa. A metodologia de base qualitativa e etnográfica consistiu na realização da revisão bibliográfica, consulta a materiais institucionais, observação in loco e (...) entrevistas semiestruturadas com Agentes que atuam na Economia Popular Solidária no estado do Ceará. A análise das representações sinaliza que a própria noção de “Reino de Deus” na terra pressupõe a vinculação profunda entre religião e economia, mística e movimentos sociais, religião e Estado, configurando, dessa forma, um projeto de sociedade contra hegemônico que se vislumbra mediante a transformação radical da base econômica e moral do tecido social contrapondo individualismo à solidariedade. Palavras-chave: Cáritas Brasileira. Economia Popular Solidária. Caridade Libertadora. Teologia da Libertação.This article examines the links between Brazilian Caritas and Popular Solidarity Economy from the work of Caritas Agent. The central issue of the article refers to the social representations that these agents build in his histories about the principles of Liberation Theology that guide the projects in solidarity economy of that religious institution. The basic methodology used was qualitative and ethnographic; It consisted in literature review, consultation to institutional materials, observation in loco and semi-structured interviews with agents who act in the Popular Solidarity Economy in the state of Ceará. The analysis of representations indicates that the very notion of "Kingdom of God" on earth presupposes deep linking between religion and economics, mystic and social movements, religion and state configuring a project of a counter hegemonic society who sees through the radical transformation of the economic and moral base of the social tissue opposing solidarity to individualism. Keywords : Brazilian Caritas. Popular Solidarity Economy. Liberating Charity. Liberation. (shrink)

Resumen: Las finanzas pueden servir a los derechos sociales en una economía de mercado, porque en ella están subordinadas a la economía real, y tienen carácter limitado, pero no en el capitalismo porque en él las finanzas son autorreferenciales, no tienen término, y conducen a una sociedad indefinidamente endeudada, en la que las deudas son impagables. Abstract: Finance can be useful for social rights in a market economy. This is due to the fact of the subordination of finance (...) to real economy and due to its limited character. In contrast, finance in a capitalist economy is self-referential, are boundless and lead to a society in which debts are unpayable. (shrink)

Resumo O objetivo deste artigo é sintetizar os principais elementos do confronto entre o pensamento do teólogo reformado Karl Barth e o do filósofo alemão Ludwig Feuerbach com relação aos temas da religião, teologia e antropologia, que na abordagem de ambos apresentam conexão direta. Para tanto, este estudo inicia-se com uma panorâmica apresentação feuerbachiana da interpretação antropológica da teologia e religião, particularmente a partir de sua obra mais famosa “A Essência do Cristianismo”, que conduz às suas conclusões de (...) ataque à teologia e re-significação da função da religião. A seguir, a reação de Barth às idéias de Feuerbach são contempladas, a partir de sua visão teológica teocêntrica. Nesse sentido, há a exposição de duas fases da reação barthiana ao pensamento de Feuerbach. Na primeira delas Barth apresenta certos elementos de concordância e aproveitamento das noções feuerbachinas, ao passo que na segunda fase a discordância é total. Em suas conclusões o artigo aponta que o debate entre Barth e Feuerbach gira em torno da idéia de reducionismo teológico ou religioso, tão presente nos debates epistemológicos dos estudos em Ciências da Religião. Palavras-chave : Barth; Feuerbach; teologia; religião; antropologia.This article aims to summarize the main elements of the confrontation between the reformed theologian Karl Barth’s conception and the German philosopher Ludwig Feuerbach’s thought concerning religion, theology and anthropology, which maintain straight connection in both approaches. For so much, this study begins with a feuerbachian panoramic presentation of the anthropological interpretation of theology and religion, particularly from his most famous work “The Essence of the Christianity”, which leads to his conclusions of attack upon theology and a re-signification of the function of religion. Thereafter, Barth’s reaction to Feuerbach’s ideas is discussed from his theocentric theological perspective. In this sense, there is an exposure of two phases of barthian reaction to Feuerbach. Firstly Barth presents topics of agreement with feuerbachian notions, while in the second phase the disagreement is total. Among the article’s conclusions there is an indication that the Barth-Feuerbach debate deals with religious or theological reductionism, usually present in epistemological discussions on Religious Studies. Key words : Barth; Feuerbach; theology; religion; anthropology. (shrink)

A pesquisa quantitativa tem sido predominante nos estudos sobre oração. A partir de uma abordagem qualitativa baseada na análise de conteúdo, este estudo examina as relações entre oração e saúde. Os dados são provenientes de 104 vídeos com entrevistas gravadas com participantes de igrejas Católicas, Protestantes e Pentecostais. A análise levantou quatro categorias descritivas do uso da oração: 1. Como estratégia de coping (enfrentamento) (62,5%); 2. Para manter viva a espiritualidade (15,3%); 3. Como técnica de empoderamento mútuo (8,6%); 4. Como (...) ponto de mudança no processo existencial (13,4%). Correspondem a estas categorias, respectivamente, os tipos de oração: 1. Petição, Lamentação; 2. Descanso, Sacramental, 3. Intercessão; 4. Conversão, Chamado; Movimento do Espírito. De acordo com a literatura corrente, a oração proporciona formas de conexão orientadas “para dentro/si mesmo” ; “para cima/divino” e “ para fora/outro” . Os resultados sugerem uma modalidade de conexão ainda não estudada: a conectividade epifânica – que se origina no sagrado, vem ao encontro do humano, e marca um ponto de mudança no processo existencial. Os achados indicam estreita relação entre oração e saúde mental e espiritual, como diminuição da ansiedade, direção e propósito na vida, e apontam a importância de maiores estudos na interface entre teologia e psicologia da religião. Palavras-chave: Oração. Coping religioso espiritual. Saúde mental e espiritual. Psicologia da religião. Subjetividade.Quantitative research has been prevalent in the studies on prayer. Using a qualitative approach based on content analysis, this study examines the relationship between prayer and health. Data come from 104 recorded interviews of participants from Catholic, Protestant and Pentecostal traditions. The analysis found four categories that describe the use of prayer: 1. Prayer as a religious coping strategy (62,5%); 2. Prayer as a discipline to keep spirituality alive (15,3%); 3. Prayer as a technique of mutual empowerment (8,6%); 4. Prayer as a turning point in the existential process (13,4%). The types of prayer corresponding to these categories are: 1. Petitionary and Lamentation; 2. Rest and Sacramental; 3. Intercessory prayer; 4. Conversion; Calling; Movement of the Spirit. According to the current literature, prayer provides inward, outward and upward connectivity. The results indicate an additional connectivity not yet studied: the Epiphanic connectivity, which comes from sacred to human and marks a turning point in the existential process. The outcomes suggest a close relationship between prayer and spiritual and mental health by decreasing anxiety, making meaning and purpose in life, and point out the relevance and need for further studies on the interface between theology and psychology of religion. Key words : Prayer. Spiritual religious coping. Mental and spiritual health. Psychology of religion. Subjectivity. (shrink)

O Brasil é o país com a maior população católica. A evolução de variáveis socioeconômicas na década de 1990, aí incluindo casamentos, fertilidade, renda, moradia entre outras, revelam que nenhuma mudou tanto quanto a composição religiosa da população brasileira. O Censo é a base de dados mais usada nos estudos no tema, porém, as estatísticas estão hoje paradas no Censo 2000. A Pesquisa de Orçamentos Familiares 2009 – POF/IBGE permite medir a religiosidade brasileira recente detalhando subgrupos religiosos com classificação comparável (...) a do Censo e possibilidade de cruzamentos com uma gama maior de variáveis. Este estudo processa microdados da POF de 2003 e 2009, quando o contexto econômico difere das décadas anteriores, permitindo estudar as relações entre economia e religiosidade num contexto de expansão. Mostramos que: i) há velocidade de queda do catolicismo dez vezes mais rápida do que a observada entre 1872 e 1980, mas similar à dos anos 1990, embora as novas filiações sejam não apenas nos grupos evangélicos pentecostais, mas mais nos protestantes tradicionais; ii) ao contrário dos países europeus mais católicos que vivem contração econômica (PIIGS), as localidades brasileiras mais católicas vivem expansão mais forte que as demais; iii) os brasileiros se mostram na mediana de frequência a cultos religiosos em 150 países; iv) as mulheres, embora mais religiosas que os homens, tornaram-se menos católicas; v) os jovens mostram uma fuga mais acelerada do catolicismo. Palavras-chave: Religião. Economia. Max Weber. Mapa das Religiões no Brasil.Brazil is the country with the biggest Catholic population in the world. The evolution of socio-economic variables during the 1990s such as marriage, fertility, incomes, housing among others, revealed that no other variable changed as much as the religious composition of Brazilian population. Demographic Census is the mostly widely used survey in religious studies. However, these statistics are today only available until 2000. Microdata from national Family Expenditure Surveys (POF/IBGE) allow us to measure the recent Brazilian religious evolution by detailing religious subgroups and also by exploring a richer array of correlated variables. This study processes microdata from POF in 2003 and 2009 when the economic context differs from the previous decades. It allows us to study the relation between economy and religion during a boom. This article aims to show that: i) The speed of the fall in Catholicism in Brazil is two times faster than the one observed in 1990, although similar to the one observed in the 1990s; the destinies of the Catholics however are less the Pentecostal Evangelicals and more the Traditional Protestants. ii) In contrast to major European Catholic countries that are facing a recession, the Brazilian localities with a catholic population have experienced an economic expansion. iii) Brazilians are on the World median in terms of attendance to religious activities. iv) Although females are more religious than males, they are less catholic. v) There is a faster reduction of Catholics among the youth in Brazil. Key words: Religion. Economy. Max Weber. Maps of Religions in Brazil. (shrink)

In The Theological Metaphors of Marx, Enrique Dussel provides a groundbreaking combination of Marxology, theology, and ethical theory. Dussel shows that Marx unveils the theology of capitalism in his critique of commodity fetishization. Capitalism constitutes an idolatry of the commodity that undergirds the capitalist expropriation of labor. Dussel examines Marx's early writings on religion and fetishism and proceeds through what Dussel refers to as the four major drafts of Capital, ultimately situating Marx's philosophical, economic, ethical, and historical insights (...) in relation to the theological problems of his time. Dussel notes a shift in Marx's underlying theological schema from a political critique of the state to an economic critique of the commodity fetish as the Devil, or anti-God, of modernity. Marx's thought, impact, and influence cannot be fully understood without Dussel's historic reinterpretation of the theological origins and implications of Marx's critiques of political economy and politics. (shrink)

A ascensão das denominações pentecostais no mercado formal da religiosidade brasileira simboliza uma verdadeira quebra de paradigmas. Da marginalidade, do estigma de “seita” que caracteriza este segmento, passaram a ocupar um plano privilegiado no campo econômico e espiritual. Essa exponencial visibilidade social em detrimento de outras denominações religiosas, sobretudo da católica, baliza o marco contextual dessa pesquisa. Entremeio a uma inusitada percepção espiritual da pós-modernidade, ou simplesmente um mega projeto de marketing, o fato é que os neopentecostais ocupam uma (...) posição de destaque no mercado religioso brasileiro. As novas possibilidades de percepção do sagrado são corolários do espaço urbano. Verdadeira profusão de entendimento e amplitude da realidade faz das concepções explicativas vinculadas ao tradicionalismo religioso uma leitura romântica e inverossímil. Porém, nesse mesmo espaço, enquanto uma minoria declara-se sem religião, uma multidão de pessoas lota os templos pentecostais. Em boa medida, o espaço exerce uma pressão no direcionamento das escolhas individuais, entretanto são as condições socioeconômicas que acabam por representar um dos fatores mais significativos desse processo. Palavras-chave: história, sociologia, religiãoThe ascension of Pentecostals denominations in the formal market of Brazilian religiosity symbolizes a real breach of paradigms. From marginality or from the stigma of “sect” that characterizes this segment, they proceeded to occupy a privileged plan in economic and spiritual field. This exponencial social visibility in detriment of other religious denominations, especially the Catholic, guides the contextual landmark of this research. In the middle of an unusual spiritual perception of post modernity, or simply a mega marketing project, the fact is that the neopentecostals occupy a position of prominence in Brazilian religious market. The new possibilities of perception of the sacred are corollaries of urban space. True profusion of understanding and breadth of reality makes the explanatory concepts related to religious traditionalism into a romantic and improbable reading. However, in the same space, while a minority declares itself as no religion, a crowd of people fills the Pentecostal churches. Largely, the space exerts a pressure on the direction of individual choices, but the socioeconomic conditions turns out to be one of the most significant factors in this process. Key words : history, sociology, religion. (shrink)

O presente artigo objetiva refletir sobre os impactos da globalização econômica na cultura contemporânea. O processo acelerado de transformação da cultura e das relações sociais distingue-se de outros processos de mudança estrutural porque as mudanças no campo da economia desde a década de 1980 provocaram uma grave crise cultural. O que mais caracteriza os novos tempos é a expansão do mercado que se torna omniabrangente e omnipresente, transformando as relações humanas em relações de mercado. Globalização neoliberal e (...) a expansão do mercado se articulam e isso gera profunda crise da cultura. A racionalização produzida pela modernidade reduziu o ser humano e a natureza aos interesses produtivos. A crise na primeira modernidade faz emergir outra redução: a razão substituida pela sensação. Daí caminha-se para um radical individualismo, até ao indiferentismo e a recusa de se buscar um sentido ou significado para a experiência e a vida humana. Essa realidade oferece riscos para o Cristianismo e as religiões. Elas podem ceder à tentação do mercado, à satisfação do desejo, do gozo superegóico, com dupla conseqüência: ou oferecendo uma religião de consumo e da prosperidade econômica, ou o fundamentalismo que leva os fiéis à renunciarem à sua autonomia e se submeterem às lideranças religiosas da “Ordem Simbólica”. Na conclusão o artigo apresenta as mais recentes críticas do cristianismo a essa realidade, retomando o pensamento de João XXIII, Paulo VI e João Paulo II. Palavras-chave : Cristianismo; Globalização; Economia; Cultura Contemporânea, Ensino Social da IgrejaThis article aims to reflect on the impacts of globalization economy in contemporary culture. The accelerated transformation of culture and of social relations differs from other processes of structural changes because change in the field of economy have caused serious cultural crisis since the 1980s. What best characterizes the new era is the expansion of market that has increasingly been “all embracing” and “omnipresent”, thus transforming human relations in market relations. Neoliberal globalization and the expansion of market articulate themselves thus producing a deep crisis of culture. Rationalization produced by modernity has reduced human being and nature to productive interests. Crisis in early modernity brings out another reduction: the one of reason replaced by sensation. In this way one can say that it has emerged a radical individualism and even a kind of indifferentism as well as the refusal to look for a sense or a meaning to the experience and human life. This reality presents some risks to Christianity and religions. They may succumb to the temptation of the market, satisfaction of desire and hiper egoic enjoyment, with double consequence: or by offering a religion based on consumerism and on economic prosperity, or by offering a fundamentalistic perspective that leads believers to renounce their autonomy and submit themselves to the religious leaders of the "Symbolic Order ". This articles ends up by presenting the most recent criticism of Christianity to this reality, returning to the thought of the popes John XXIII, Paul VI and John Paul II.] Key words : Christianity; Globalizing; Economics; Contemporary culture, Church’s Social Teaching. (shrink)

Christian economic theology is distinguished from Christian social ethics by its methodological reflection on the emergence, formation, and proper boundaries of the economic sphere, as well as transcendental reflection on the conditions of possibility of economic science. In practice, this often amounts to anxiety about the authority of Christianity in the economic sphere, as well as about the extent to which Christianity can be held responsible for the system of impersonal economic domination known as capitalism. This review essay draws (...) upon three recent works on or about Christian economic theology, and argues that this genre's anxiety about Christian authority manifests in the ways that it draws temporal boundaries between ancient, medieval, and modern economies. Ultimately, its ambivalence about economy itself is traceable to Aristotle's understanding of money as containing two natures, one defined by quality (use value) and the other by quantity (exchange value). Christianity here becomes a cipher for quality. (shrink)

Análise dos principais desafios do pluralismo religioso para o contexto teológico latino-americano. Como resultado de nossa pesquisa, formulamos três eixos norteadores da temática: I. A importância pública das religiões para os processos de promoção da paz e da justiça, associada ao valor da mística e da alteridade na formação de espiritualidades ecumênicas e como elas incidirão nos processos religiosos e sociais, favorecendo perspectivas utópicas, democráticas e doadoras de sentido. II. A necessidade de mudança de lugar teológico a partir da realidade (...) das culturas religiosas afro-indígenas. III. A contribuição da teologia feminista da libertação para o debate do pluralismo religioso. Metodologicamente, reunimos a produção teológica latino-americana em torno das questões do pluralismo religioso, identificamos os aspectos principais, especialmente os que interpelam mais diretamente o método teológico e sistematizamos os pontos que consideramos mais desafiadores em torno dos três eixos já referidos. A pesquisa mostra que, diante do pluralismo religioso, faz-se necessária para a teologia das religiões uma atenção especial à articulação entre a capacidade de diálogo dos grupos religiosos e os desafios em torno da defesa dos direitos humanos e das lógicas inclusivas. Palavras-chave: Método teológico. Teologia das religiões. Pluralismo. Teologia da libertação.This paper analyses the main challenges of religious pluralism for the theological Latin American context. The research was formulated around three topics: (i) the public importance of religions for the peace processes and promotion of justice. It takes into account the way in which the ecumenical formation of spiritualities, in the middle of mysticism and alterity, affects religious and social processes, allowing the emergence of new utopian, democratic and meaningful perspectives; (ii) the necessity of rethinking theological locus, shifting to a starting point of afro-indigenous cultures; and (iii) the contribution of feminist liberation theology to the debate of religious pluralism. Our method was to bring together the principal questions around religious pluralism in Latin American theology, identifying its principal aspects, focusing mostly those aspects that directly interpellate the theological methodology. Those aspects were systematized around the three topics mentioned above. The paper shows that, concerning religious pluralism, it is necessary for the theology of religions special attention to the relationship between the capacity for dialogue of religious groups around the defense of human rights and inclusiveness. Keywords: Theological methodology. Theology of religions. Pluralism. Liberation Theology. (shrink)

Resumo O artigo trata da análise crítica de Jürgen Habermas a respeito das consequências do modelo neoliberal de integração global via mercado, em especial o desequilíbrio entre política e mercado, o fim do compromisso com o Estado social e o déficit democrático no nível transnacional. Para o filósofo alemão, a concepção neoliberal de sociedade desestatizada do capitalismo global atinge o nexo entre Estado nacional, democracia e justiça social, marginalizando o Estado e a política, em favor da privatização dos (...) serviços públicos e sendo insensível às questões de justiça social, aos custos sociais do crescente aumento da pobreza, desigualdade e exclusão social, mesmo em países abastados da Europa e América do Norte. Ao deslocar o fiador da integração social para além das fronteiras nacionais, o capitalismo global foge ao controle estatal e esvazia o poder dos Estados nacionais, em termos de substância democrática e de política social, e gera um déficit de legitimação, ao transferir competências nacionais para agências ou organismos transnacionais, cuja legitimação não deriva da sociedade civil ou de uma esfera pública politicamente constituída. Em contrapartida, Habermas defende um poder democrático capaz de domesticar politicamente o mercado globalizado, reconstruir a democracia estatal-social num nível transnacional, em vista de uma ordem socialmente mais equilibrada, e compensar o déficit social e de legitimação democrática, no âmbito transnacional. Depois de recapitular alguns problemas que se solucionaram nas formas de Estado nacional, o artigo descreve como a globalização econômica afeta a soberania cultural, econômica, administrativa e jurídica, política, social e trabalhista dos Estados nacionais, e quais as possibilidades de reenquadrar politicamente os mercados, estendendo a democracia estatal para além das fronteiras nacionais. Com isso, quer-se mostrar que a obra de Habermas não é cega para a relação democracia-capitalismo, para os efeitos colaterais da “colonização da política pela economia”, para a influência corrosiva da economia capitalista na despolitização da esfera pública e da política.The article presents Jürgen Habermas critical analysis of the consequences of the neoliberal model of global market integration, in particular the imbalance between politics and market, the end of the commitment to the welfare state and the democratic deficit at the transnational level. For the German philosopher, the neoliberal conception of the privatized society of global capitalism undermine the nexus between national state, democracy and social justice, marginalizing the state and politics in favour of privatization of public services and being insensitive to questions of social justice, the costs increasing poverty, inequality and social exclusion, even in wealthy countries in Europe and North America. Moving the guarantor of social integration across national borders, global capitalism is beyond the state control and exhaust the power of national states in terms of democratic substance and social policy and creates a legitimacy deficit by transferring national powers to agencies or transnational corporations whose legitimacy does not derive from civil society or from a politically constituted public sphere. In contrast, Habermas advocates a democratic power able to politically neutralize the global market, rebuild the welfare-state democracy in a transnational level in view of a more socially balanced order, and compensate the social deficit and democratic legitimacy in the transnational order. After reviewing some problems that have been solved in national state forms, the article describes how economic globalization affects the cultural, economic, administrative, juridical, political, social and labor sovereignty of the national states, and what are the possibilities of politically reframing markets, extending welfare-estate democracy beyond national borders. In this way, we want to show that Habermas’ work is not blind to the relation between democracy and capitalism, to the collateral effects of the “colonization of politics by the economy”, to the corrosive influence of the capitalist economy on the depoliticization of the public sphere and politics. (shrink)

O objeto de análise deste artigo é o processo de formação da PJB, isto é, seu método pedagógico e suas opções políticas. A análise se desenvolve a partir de uma contextualização histórica que busca identificar as mudanças ocorridas no método da PJB nas décadas de 1980 e 1990. Conclui-se que, durante os anos 1980, a PJB enfatizava a dimensão política em suas atividades de formação e participava dos diversos movimentos sociais que se organizavam em torno da proposta de redemocratização do (...) Brasil. No entanto, nos anos 1990 ocorre uma reformulação do método, o qual passa a direcionar a formação para as dimensões pessoal e teológica, com uma prática voltada para o interior da Igreja Católica. Contribuíram com essas mudanças fatores internos, como o retorno do movimento pentecostal no cenário religioso católico que dificultou a articulação da PJB com os grupos de jovens paroquiais, e fatores externos, como o advento da cultura pós-moderna na sociedade brasileira que trouxe consigo o predomínio de práticas individualistas, isto é, destituídas de base coletiva/comunitária. Palavras-chave: Religião. Juventude. Catolicismo. Teologia da Libertação. Pastorais da Juventude.: The object of this article is the formation process of the PJB , be it, its pedagogic method and its political options. The analysis is developed from a historical background in order to identify the changes occurred in the PJB method along the 1980 and 1990 decades. We can conclude that, during the 1980s, the PJB emphasized the political dimension in its formation activities and participated in several social movements, which were being organized around the proposal of Brazilian redemocratization. However, along the 1990s a reformulation of the method occurs and it passes to direct its formation to the personal and theological dimensions, having its practice turned to the inside of the Catholic Church. Internal factors, such as the back of Pentecostal movement to the catholic religious scenery, which has represented some drawbacks to the PJB articulation with the parish youth groups, as well as external factors, such as the arrival of the postmodern culture to the Brazilian society, which has brought the predominance for individualist practices, be it, without collective/communitarian basis, both contributed to these changes. Keywords: Religion. Youth. Catholicism. Liberation Theology. Youth Pastoral. (shrink)

RESUMO: Não há, no pensamento de Marx, uma elaboração sistemática acerca da religião, embora haja uma crítica a ela enquanto crítica social das condições materiais de existência, que é o fundamento dela. Para Marx, a religião, entendida especificamente como superstição, idolatria, “ópio”, a qual conforma o homem e embaraça a sua consciência, deve ser negada, mas não se trata pura e simplesmente de um desprezo, de uma proibição ou perseguição à religião, nem tampouco de uma negação em geral a ela, (...) uma vez que ela é uma questão privada e deve ser respeitada, mas de desvelar o véu religioso presente na sociedade e no seu ordenamento político, no Estado, que oculta a exploração e a opressão humana. A crítica à religião como crítica da realidade social, da qual ela nasce e é expressão ideal, contribui, de certa forma, para a emancipação social do homem. ABSTRACT: it is not to be found in Marx’s thought a systematic elaboration concerning religion, although there is indeed a critical appraisal of it as a result from his social critique of material conditions of human existence which is its foundation. In Marx’s perception, religion is understood specifically as superstition, idolatry, “opiate”, something that pushes man to accommodation and twists his conscience, and as such should be dismissed, this act being not, however, a mere refusal, prohibition or persecution, or a wide negation of it, considering that it is a private issue and as such should be respected, but as an effort to cast off the religious veil covering society and its political ordainment commanded by the State, and hides exploitation and oppression of human beings. Critique of religion as an evaluation of social reality, from which religion derives, is an ideal proposition that to a certain extension contributes to the social emancipation of men. (shrink)

For centuries pilgrimages are present in Christianity. For Catholics, the importance of devotions and visits to the Marian sanctuaries is indisputable. The number of visitors and pilgrims to these temples make the local economy an important destination of religious tourism. In order to understand the economic determinants of religious tourism, two sanctuaries were studied, namely, Aparecida and Fatima. Given the large collection of statistical information of the Portuguese Sanctuary, it was verified through the Vector Autoregressive model that Gross Domestic (...) Product and Unemployment have a causal unidirectional relation with the pilgrimages. The Autoregressive Distributed Lag model revealed that an increase in Gross Domestic Product and international arrivals in the short term positively impacts the number of pilgrims. Through the Ordinary Least Squares regression, significant statistical relationships between climatic factors and visitors in the Sanctuary of Fatima were found. The Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average forecast method was applied to the number of monthly visitors to the Sanctuary of Aparecida and to the number of pilgrims in the Sanctuary of Fatima, the results show a strong seasonality and that the first and last months of the year are periods of low demand. The results of this study allow a new look at religious tourism in the Marian context, the empirical results allow those responsible for establishing public policies, tourism agents and the administration of the Sanctuaries to direct their actions. Measures planned and executed jointly between the various agents can benefit residents, visitors, pilgrims, the tourism sector, the local economy and the Sanctuaries themselves. (shrink)

O processo de desenvolvimento da história (e demais ciências) das religiões, com objeto e metodologia próprios, pode ser analisado por meio das discussões que aprofundaram as relações entre a defesa do caráter racionalista do homem ocidental e a persistência de formas religiosas de expressão no transcorrer dos séculos XIX e XX (bem como neste início de século XXI). Por meio do estudo da história da teologia e das religiões, são estabelecidos critérios para o julgamento das convergências entre movimentos religiosos, (...) também de suas especificidades, aqui discutidos à luz de pressupostos subjacentes em obras de Émile Durkheim (1858-1917), Rudolf Otto (1869-1937) e Mircea Eliade (1907-1986). A escolha dos autores se justifica pelo fato de representarem, cada qual a seu modo, estágios teórico-analíticos no desenvolvimento das ciências das religiões que abarcam o conflito entre racionalismo ocidental e formas religiosas. Pelo que guardam de semelhança ou contradição, especialmente pela presença do sagrado em sua argumentação, os três autores vêm a confirmar uma suspeita (do religioso) ou hipótese (do cientista): a religião persiste. Palavras-chave: Ciências da Religião. Teologia. Émile Durkheim. Rudolf Otto. Mircea Eliade.The process of the development of History (and other sciences) of Religions, with its object and methodology, can be analyzed by the discussions that deepened the relations between the defense of the rationalist character of the western man and the persistence of religious forms of expression in the 19th and 20th centuries (as well as in the beginning of the 21th century). Studying the History of Theology and of Religions, the criteria for the judgment of the convergences within religious movements can be established, as well their specificities, discussed here under the subjacent ideas found in Émile Durkheim (1858-1917), Rudolf Otto (1869-1937) and Mircea Eliade (1907-1986). The selection of these authors can be justified by the fact that they represent each one on his own way, the theoretical analytical stages in the development of the Sciences of Religions that enclose the conflict between western rationalism and religious forms. Considering what they have in common and in contradiction, especially for the presence of the holy in their argumentation, the three authors confirm a suspicion (of the religious man) or a hypothesis (of the scientist): the religion persists. Keywords: Sciences of Religion. Theology. Émile Durkheim. Rudolf Otto. Mircea Eliade. (shrink)

This essay armies that Kant's philosophy provides a justification for free markets. The myths about Kant are that he was a recluse, knew nothing about business, and that his epistemology divorced reason from reality, while his primary interest was metaphysics. Yet Kant's categorical imperative demands obedience even in the face of uncertainty about the external world. Adam Smith described this principle as the inward testimony of an impartial observer. Smith and Kant put individual decisions at the center of morality, but (...) agreed that people have a tendency to make morally inferior choices. Those who propose to regulate the economy are as troubled by this tendency as those they regulate. The self-sacrifice prescription is economically, psychologically, and morally unstable. In recommending market competition. Smith was unconsciously applying a Kantian formula. Market decisions are individual decisions. Individuals prefer to do business with those they trust: this is an incentive to honesty. A morality that depends upon incentives is imperfect but superior to a morality imposed by force. (shrink)

(The interpretation of contemporary religious phenomena from Weber’s point of view: some notes inspired on a critical reading of The New Map of Religions ) - DOI: 10.5752/P.2175-5841.2011v9n23p674 Resumo Dentre alguns usos equivocados recorrentes das contribuições teóricas de Weber apresentadas em A Ética Protestante e o Espírito do Capitalismo , podemos citar: tratar suas interpretações como conhecimento nomotético e não ideográfico, como o pretendido pelo autor; o tratamento dos tipos ideais de capitalismo e das éticas das religiões puritanas, bem como (...) o do catolicismo analisados no livro citado, como se fossem realidades empíricas, e não construtos conceituais abstratos; a busca da replicação contemporânea da relação, inclusive concebida como monocausal, encontrada entre a ética protestante e o surgimento e o desenvolvimento do capitalismo que surgiu na Inglaterra e Alemanha. Nesse artigo pretendemos apresentar parâmetros para a interpretação de fenômenos religiosos contemporâneos a partir das contribuições teórico-metodológicas de Weber, chamando a atenção para equívocos comuns ligados ao entendimento inadequado da proposta epistemológica weberiana apresentada e exercitada no livro citado . Fazemos isso seguindo a estrutura básica de um ensaio, no qual apresentamos uma leitura crítica da análise apresentada no artigo intitulado Novo Mapa das Religiões . Palavras chave : Weber. Metodologia. Religião no Brasil.This article aims to provide parameters for the interpretation of contemporary religious phenomena from the theoretical and methodological contributions of Weber, drawing attention to common misconceptions related to inadequate understanding of his theoretical and epistemological proposals presented in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism . Among some of the recurring misuses of the theoretical contributions made by Weber are: a) the treatment of his interpretations as nomothetic knowledge rather than ideographic, as intended by the author; b) the treatment of ideal types of the capitalism, of the puritan religious beliefs, and of the Catholicism as if they were empirical realities and not abstract constructs; c) the search for the contemporary replication of the relationship between the Protestant ethic and the emergence and development of Capitalism in England and in Germany. In short, this essay presents a critical reading of the analysis presented in the article titled New map of religions . Keywords : Weber. Methodology. Religion in Brazil. (shrink)

The economic theory of the consumer, which assumes individual satisfaction as its goal and individual freedom to pursue satisfaction as its sine qua non, has become an important ideological element in political economy. Some have argued that the political dimension of economics has evolved into a kind of “secular theology” that legitimates free market capitalism, which has become a kind of “religion” in the United States [Nelson: 1991, Reaching for Heaven on Earth: The Theological Meaning of (...) class='Hi'>Economics. (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc, Savage, Maryland); 2001, Economics as Religion: From Samuelson to Chicago and Beyond (The Pennsylvania State University Press, University Park, Pennsylvania); Thurow: 1983, Dangerous Currents: The State of Economics (Random House, New York); Milbank: 1990, Theology and Social Theory, Beyond Secular Reason (Basil Blackwell, Cambridge, Massachusetts)]. Consumer theory in its ideological form provides an important base for this religion and is no longer merely a positive framework for understanding consumer choice or estimating market demand. The paper explores the view of the human being, the “anthropology,” that is implicit in the economic theory of the consumer and compares its “theological” implications with the corresponding theological anthropologies in the Judaeo-Christian tradition. The paper outlines the assumptions of consumer theory and then focuses on three aspects of the theory from a critical theological perspective: the individual in community, property ownership, and human destiny (or “eschatology” in theological terminology). The principal conclusion is that consumer theory, viewed from this perspective, leads to a reductionist and existentially harmful view of human beings. The maximization of individual satisfaction raises genuine ethical issues when viewed as a political and religious value. The paper argues that the issues could be ameliorated if economists would include more explicit treatment of a social dimension and ethical alternatives in consumer theory and if theologians would give greater attention to economic theory. (shrink)

Innovation encompasses the introduction of novel concepts, products, services, and methodologies designed for the betterment of humanity, often with the anticipation of yielding economic advantages. It is the driving force behind transformative shifts, notably within the technological realm. The societal ramifications of innovation stem from the intentional execution of inventive human endeavours. In the contemporary landscape, the vanguard of innovation is inhabited by a novel socioeconomic entity recognized as the knowledge worker. Within this scope, the present research endeavours to construct (...) a comprehensive framework elucidating the progression of innovation from conceptualization to practical application. The study posits that the genesis of innovative endeavours resides within individual consciousness, subsequently translating into tangible actions spanning immediate surroundings, markets, and organizational landscapes. The overarching aim remains the enhancement of societal well-being and the holistic prosperity of individuals, encompassing both material and spiritual dimensions. This article forges epistemological connections between anthropology, theology, and economics. This scholarly nexus is made feasible by situating oneself within theological domains that scrutinize human conduct, specifically moral theology and theological anthropology, while simultaneously drawing upon the profound reservoir of insights encapsulated within economic theory. Resumen La innovación abarca la introducción de conceptos, productos, servicios y metodologías novedosos diseñados para el mejoramiento de la humanidad, a menudo con la expectativa de generar ventajas económicas. Es la fuerza impulsora detrás de cambios transformadores, especialmente en el ámbito tecnológico. Las repercusiones sociales de la innovación derivan de la ejecución intencionada de esfuerzos creativos humanos. En el panorama contemporáneo, la vanguardia de la innovación está constituida por una nueva entidad socioeconómica conocida como el *trabajador del conocimiento*. En este contexto, la presente investigación se propone construir un marco integral que explique la progresión de la innovación desde su conceptualización hasta su aplicación práctica. El estudio sostiene que el origen de los esfuerzos innovadores reside en la conciencia individual, traduciéndose posteriormente en acciones tangibles que impactan el entorno inmediato, los mercados y las organizaciones. El objetivo general sigue siendo la mejora del bienestar social y la prosperidad holística de las personas, abarcando tanto las dimensiones materiales como las espirituales. Este artículo establece conexiones epistemológicas entre la antropología, la teología y la economía. Este nexo académico es posible al situarse dentro de dominios teológicos que examinan la conducta humana, específicamente la teología moral y la antropología teológica, mientras se aprovechan las profundidades de los conocimientos de la teoría económica. (shrink)

Este artigo tem por objeto o estudo do lugar da religião nas sociedades de mercado. Para isso coloca em questão o conceito de religião como a expressão de fé em entes transcendentes ou sobrenaturais, porque ele se aplica bem a religiões deístas como o cristianismo, mas deixa em segundo plano o fundamento mesmo do fenômeno religioso: a sacralidade. Recuperando a teoria de Durkheim, este artigo parte da hipótese de que a sacralidade é fundamental também nas sociedades de mercado. (...) Abandonando o conceito de religião derivado da fé, propõe uma explicação sociológica da religião nas contemporâneas sociedades de mercado por sua sacralidade. A argumentação é organizada em cinco passos: (1) o “crepúsculo dos grandes deuses” nas sociedades de mercado, (2) a crítica ao conceito de religião relacionada a fé, (3) o resgate da contribuição de Durkheim para o estudo da religião como fato social (4) o fetichismo da mercadoria como base da sacralidade do mercado (5) o lugar das atuais religiões nas sociedades de mercado. Palavras-chave: Religião. Sacralidade. fetichismo da mercadoria . Mercado. Fato Social.This article aims to study the place occupied by religion in contemporary market societies. It calls into question the concept of religion as the expression of faith in transcendent or supernatural beings, because it is well suited to theistic religions like Christianity, but leaves in the background the very foundation of religious phenomena: the sacredness. Recovering Durkheim's theory, this article assumes the hypothesis that sacredness is essential also in market societies. Abandoning the concept of religion derived from faith, it proposes a sociological explanation of religion in contemporary market societies by its sacredness. The argument is organized in five steps: (1) the "twilight of the great gods" in market societies; (2) criticism to the concept of religion related to faith; (3) recovering the contribution of Durkheim for the study of religion as a social fact; (4) the fetishism of merchandise as the base for the sacredness of the market; (5) the place of current religions in market societies. Keywords: Religion. Sacredness. Commodity Fetishism. Market. Social Fact. (shrink)

Vivemos, hoje, sob a hegemonia do paradigma tecnocêntrico, mercadológico e midiático. A Tecnociência, o Mercado e a Mídia se constituem em autênticos horizontes no interior dos quais se desvelam todos os âmbitos da experiência humana. Isso posto, o que o ser humano e a religião se tornam nessa nova situação epocal? A Tecnociência tornou-se horizonte de compreensão do ser humano em relação ao mundo e si próprio. Não apenas nossos estilos de vida, nosso modo de trabalhar e viver, são (...) condicionados pela técnica, mas também nossa identidade mais profunda é dada pela diferença técnica. Somos ainda vítimas da “absolutização do Mercado”: uma autêntica mercantilização da vida e, portanto, também da cultura e da religião. O mercado vai se impondo como único cenário de nossa trama civilizacional atual. Nossos fluxos vitais e também os valores e símbolos culturais e religiosos se tornam mercadoria de consumo e de descarte. Em tal contexto, a religião corre o risco de ser acometida por um duplo reducionismo. Esse tem sido o preço que a religião decidiu pagar em troca do direito de cidadania em um mundo dominado pela Tecnociência, pelo Mercado e pela Mídia. Palavras-Chave : Tecnociência. Mercado. Mídia. Religião. Mercantilização da vida. Absolutização do Mercado.We live, today, under the hegemony of a techno-centric, market-based and mediatic paradigm. Techno-science, the Market and the Mass Media are authentic horizons, in the interior of which are uncovered all of the scopes of the human experience. Having said that, what does human kind and religion become in this new era? Techno-science has become a horizon of comprehension of man regarding the world and of himself. Not only our lifestyles and our way of life and work are conditioned by technology, but also our deeper identity is lost by the technical difference. We are still victims of the “absolutization of the market”: an authentic mercantilization of life and, therefore, culture and religion. The market presents itself as the only setting of our present civilization’s story line. Our vital fluctuations, as well as the values and religious and cultural symbols become merchandise to consume and discard. In such a context, religion runs the risk of being attacked by a double reductionism. This has been the price that religion decided to pay in exchange for the right of citizenship in a world dominated by techno-science, by the market and by the Mass Media. Keywords : Techno-science. Market. Mass Media. Religion. Mercantilization of life. Absolutization of the market. (shrink)

A dinamicidade do mundo atual chama a atenção. A rotatividade confronta-se com o permanente. Pensar ações pastorais no mundo atual supõe clara compreensão da realidade. Nesse sentido, a arquidiocese de Belo Horizonte encomendou uma pesquisa realizada em 2012 intitulada “Valores e religião na Região Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte”. Essa reflexão pretende apresentar os dados dessa pesquisa e apontar desafios no âmbito teológico-pastoral. A pesquisa atesta a presença do pluralismo e da mobilidade religiosa e critica a falta de diálogo inter-religioso. Valoriza (...) a moral social e questiona a moral sexual da Igreja Católica. Apresenta satisfação em face as celebrações e sugere maior formação das lideranças religiosas. O grande desafio é pensar uma igreja toda ministerial. O diálogo entre clero e leigos deve ser uma constante, rompendo as centralizações. Revisitar a identidade eclesial, repensando os traços de sua especificidade e estando aberta à criatividade e ao espírito novo que deve conduzir o ser cristão é um desafio itinerante. Palavras-chave: Religião. Igreja Católica de Belo Horizonte. Identidade. Teologia. Pastoral.The dynamics of today´s world calls our attention. Changes are confronted by permanence. To reflect on pastoral actions nowadays you need a clear understanding of reality. For this purpose, the Archdiocese of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, commissioned in 2012, a survey called “Values and religion in the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte”. This article presents data from this survey and points out challenges in theological and pastoral sphere. This research confirms the presence of pluralism and religious mobility and criticizes the lack of inter-religious dialogue. It values the social morality and question the sexual morality of the Catholic Church. It also shows satisfaction concerning religious celebrations and suggests more training of religious leaders. The major challenges are to think of a whole ministerial church. The dialogue between clergy and laity should happen steadily, thus breaking the centralizations. The main challenge is to revisit the ecclesial identity, to rethink the traces of its specificity and open up to creativity and new demands that should drive all Christians. Key-words : Religion. Catholic Church of Belo Horizonte. Identity. Theology. Pastoral. (shrink)

Dissertação ANDRADE, Jackson Martins de. Religião, pluralismo e sociedade : uma análise do discurso paulino e sua contribuição para a comunidade cristã atual em seu diálogo com a sociedade de pluralismo religioso e Cultural. 2014. Dissertação – Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências da Religião, Belo Horizonte.

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Reviewed by:Just Capitalism: A Christian Ethic of Economic Globalization by Brent WatersNicholas Aaron FriesnerJust Capitalism: A Christian Ethic of Economic Globalization Brent Waters LOUISVILLE: WESTMINSTER JOHN KNOX PRESS, 2016. 260 pp. $40.00In Just Capitalism, Brent Waters offers a wide-ranging defense of economic globalization, the market state, and the pursuit of affluence, which together provide a means to spread human flourishing around the globe. For Waters, the free-flowing economic exchange (...) enabled by globalization does not inherently conflict with Christian tradition, and it can be harnessed in a responsible manner to share and communicate the goods of creation. He argues that breaking down global barriers to market participation expresses a preferential option for the poor and provides a means for achieving the work of the Spirit by spreading the materials goods that lift people out of poverty and alleviate suffering. The book's primary contribution is its broad explanation of recent work on the economics of globalization and Waters's ability to put this literature into a theological conversation. The argument is particularly timely for Christian ethicists who are concerned with developing the tools to respond to expanding movements toward isolationism and economic protectionism in the United States and Europe.Part 1 of Just Capitalism claims that moral theology has not properly interrogated the common view that affluence fundamentally conflicts with the Christian tradition. By contextualizing both the biblical sources and the traditional theological voices that support this view, Waters shows that these sources assumed an economic model in which resources are scarce and wealth is built by exploiting the poor. Instead, Waters argues that our present economic system is based on increasing productivity, and therefore wealth is not necessarily exploitative. In fact, he claims that the pursuit of affluence can be beneficial for helping to lift people out of poverty. Rather than retreating from engagement with wealth and the market, Christians should recognize that free exchange is a necessary, though not sufficient, condition for human flourishing (15). [End Page 213]In part 2, Waters develops a notion of koinonia, whereby human flourishing depends on communicating the goods of creation in the associations of civil society. Responding to worries about the homogenizing forces of market economies that make individuals into producers and consumers, Waters offers the church as a communicative association that stands in tension with capitalist markets by cultivating reciprocity instead of consumption, breaking down barriers in a gathering community, and being nonterritorial in its scope (150–51). Because communicative associations like the church are essential to the vitality of civil society, the challenge is to "embrace the dynamism of global markets in order to promote more widespread prosperity," while establishing the requisite political stability that allows these associations to exist (159).Nevertheless, Waters does not spend much time elaborating on specific moments when the church should come into conflict with capitalism—he notes that his reservations only give him "two-and-a-half-cheers" for globalization, rather than three (14–15). In his desire to show compatibility with globalization, he neglects to give a sense of when communicative associations could justifiably remove themselves from the system of exchange. This relates to Waters's final chapter on capitalist responses to environmental devastation, which relies on his earlier development of a stewardship model, one that seems to reduce creation to its instrumental value for human "delight" (89–90, 92, 111, 115). Waters admits that the pursuit of affluence requires short-term environmental damage, especially in developing countries; nevertheless, he thinks that affluent societies will better preserve the environment (through "national parks and wildlife preserves") (217), and some environmental exploitation is needed to form these affluent societies. This will probably be insufficient for environmental ethicists who resist the notion that creation's purpose is to be ordered to promote human flourishing (204). He is clear, however, that "Eden is a garden, and not a wilderness" (203).Nicholas Aaron FriesnerBrown UniversityCopyright © 2018 Society of Christian Ethics... (shrink)

Dois aspectos básicos orientam a reflexão sobre a Teologia da Libertação: o primeiro aborda o passado e discute seu surgimento e desenvolvimento; o segundo é direcionado ao futuro e aponta desafios. No processo de formação da Teologia da Libertação três questões são analisadas ​​: a libertação, a práxis e os pobres. Em cada uma, destaca-se o aspecto da própria Teologia da Libertação. A libertação surge dentro do contexto econômico e político e é compreendida nos campos da antropologia (...) e da teologia, numa leitura dialética da realidade. A práxis mudou a ênfase doutrinária da teologia, passando a indagar sobre questões levantadas pela fé à prática dos cristãos, à Igreja e às pessoas, e como a teologia reflete sobre essas questões. A compreensão da noção de pobre e da pobreza deixa de estar ligada à carência de bens materiais e passa a ser entendida no contexto da exploração dos seres humanos pelo sistema dominante. As perspectivas futuras da teologia apontam para a ampliação do conceito de libertação para os campos do diálogo inter-religioso, para a questão das mulheres, da etnia e da ecologia. Palavras-chave: Libertação. Práxis. Pobre. Método. Igreja Católica.Two main aspects guide the reflection on liberation theology: one addresses the past and discusses the emergence and development of such theology, and the other points out the future and the possible challenges to be faced. In the process of formation of liberation theology three main issues are analyzed: liberation, praxis, and the poor. On each of these issues, we emphasize the aspect of liberation theology itself. Liberation emerges within the economic and political context and is then understood in the field of anthropology and theology, from a dialectical reading of reality. Praxis shifted the emphasis from doctrinal theology to ask what issues are raised by the faith and practice of Christians, the church and the people, and how theology reflects on such issues. The understanding of the notion of poor and poverty is no longer linked to the lack of goods but comprehended in the context of the exploitation of human beings by dominant system. The future perspectives of theology bind to the broadening of the concept of liberation for the sectors of inter-religious dialogue, the issue of women, ethnic and ecology. Keywords: Liberation. Praxis. Poor. Method. Catholic Church. (shrink)

The following article starts by summarising how much modern capitalism is characterised by its religious structure. The world of branding — consumer goods becoming religiously attractive — and religious metaphors that have become necessary to describe contemporary neoliberalism are key examples. A second step consists in describing four typical aspects of religious capitalism in the following of Walter Benjamin's fragment `Capitalism as Religion' from 1921. Against this background I thirdly summarise Hans G. Ulrich's theological ethics concerning the economy. At (...) the centre of Ulrich's ethics we find his emphasis on God's economy that relieves us from all our worries enabling us thereby to become cooperators of God acting and working in an ethical way. A final step discusses Ulrich's rejection of an ethics of striving for God as the summum bonum by showing that desire or will do not necessarily contradict with the priority of God's grace. (shrink)

Da ficção científica para a ficção religiosa: ideias para pensar o cinema de ficção científica como o culto da religião vivida (From Science Fiction to Religious Fiction: ideas to think on Science Fiction cinema as the cult of lived religion). DOI - 10.5752/P.2175-5841.2012v10n26p552 Este artigo tem como objetivo refletir sobre a chamada religião vivida como uma forma de repensar o papel da teologia e das ciências da religião na contemporaneidade. O estudo da religião vivida será investigado na relação entre (...) o cinema de ficção científica e a religião, propondo que, nesta relação, há uma forma de religião vivida intensa e viva. Sugere-se, assim, que o cinema seja hoje uma forma de culto e ritual, cumprindo parte do papel que os mitos e ritos sagrados desempenham na vida das pessoas, ao longo dos tempos. O artigo contém quatro partes: introdução sobre a religião vivida; religião vivida no caso específico do cinema; o cinema de ficção científica como uma forma de religião; aplicação da teoria no filme “Contato” (Robert Zemeckis, USA 1997); conclusões sobre a vivência religiosa em forma de mito e rito nos filmes de ficção científica e as consequências disso para a teologia e as ciências da religião. Palavras-chave : Cinema de ficção científica. Religião. Culto e rito. Religião vivida.: This article aims at reflecting about the so-called lived religion as a way of rethinking the role of theology and religion in contemporary society. The study of the lived religion will investigate the relationship between the cinema of science fiction and religion, suggesting that, in this relation, there is particular and intensive form of lived religion. The present article suggests that cinema today is a form of cult and ritual which performs part of the role that sacred rites play in the lives of people along the time. The article contains four parts: introduction about the lived religion; lived religion in the specific case of cinema; the cinema of science fiction as a form of religion; the application of theory in the movie “Contact” (Robert Zemeckis, USA 1997); conclusions on the religious experience in the form of myth and rite in science fiction movies as well as the consequences for theology and religious studies. Keywords : Science fiction cinema. Religion. Cult and rite. Lived religion. (shrink)

A “globalização” é um fenômeno desafiante. É um conceito que apresenta diversas significações e utilizações. Há certa imprecisão conceitual sobre a “globalização”, especialmente no campo teológico, encontrando-se outras categorias que também são utilizadas com a intenção de representá-la: “mundialização” e “internacionalização”. A complexidade dessas realidades faz surgir ainda conceitos como "globalidade” e “globalismo”. Como compreender esses fenômenos, suas dimensões e todas essas terminologias? E como alguns teólogos têm se apropriado dessa realidade? Este artigo discute e define esses diversos conceitos, amparando-se (...) em alguns autores das Ciências Sociais, e explicita e justifica a razão de se trabalhar com a categoria "Globalização” no campo teológico. Mas a intenção principal deste texto é verificar o impacto desse fenômeno e a reação a ele nas teologias da Libertação e do Pluralismo Religioso, especialmente diante da realidade da pobreza e do pluralismo religioso. A conclusão aponta, brevemente, para a articulação entre essas duas teologias de forma a dar outro enfoque à “globalização” e contribuir para a superação dos principais desafios contemporâneos gerados por ela. Palavras-chave: Globalização; Mundialização; Internacionalização; Globalismo; Teologia da libertação; Teologia do pluralismo religioso. ABSTRACT Globalization is a challenging phenomenon. The concept presents several meanings and uses. There is a certain conceptual vagueness about globalization, especially in the theological field, other categories being also used with the intention of representing it: mundialization and internationalization. The complexity of those realities brings about concepts such as globality and globalism. How can we understand those phenomena, their dimensions and all those terminologies? And how have some theologians appropriated that reality? This article discusses and defines those various concepts, with basis on some Social Science authors, besides making explicit and justifying the reason for working with globalization in the theological field. It aims mainly at verifying the impact of that phenomenon and the reaction to it in the theologies of Liberation and Religious Pluralism, especially in face of the reality of poverty and religious pluralism. The conclusion points out briefly the articulation between those two theologies so as to present another approach to globalization and to face the main contemporary challenges generated by it. Key words: Globalization; Mundialization; Internationalization; Globalism; Theology of Liberation; Theology of Religious Pluralism. (shrink)

Interseções e interações entre mídia, religião e mercado: um objeto dinâmico e instigante (Intersections and interactions between media, religion and market: a dynamic object and thought-provoking) - DOI: 10.5752/P.2175-5841.2014v12n34p284 Editorial - Dossiê: Religião, Mercado e Mídia.

The essay revisits the complex phenomenon of religion, in light of the articulations and differentiations between theology, philosophy of religion, and religious studies, particularly within the social, cultural context of modernity and the Enlightenment categories of rationality, freedom, and science, in major thinkers such as Max Weber and Ernst Troeltsch.

El fenómeno religioso se hace presente en las culturas respondiendo a cuestiones humanas importantes. Forma la comprensión de la vida y elabora cosmologías. Desde sus intuiciones, se organiza elaborando los sentimientos de sagrado, realidades simbólicas, ritos, ética, etc. que construyen formas de relación social y comunitaria. Palabras clave: Religión; Teología; Filosofia; Antropología; Sociología; Cultura e moral. ABSTRACT The religious phenomenon is present in cultures as a response to fundamental human questions. It shapes the understanding of life and elaborates cosmologies. With (...) basis on its intuition, it organises itself elaborating the feelings of the sacred, symbolic realities, rites, ethics, and so on, which establish forms of social and communitarian relations. Key words: Religion; Theology; Philosophy; Anthropology; Sociology; Culture and morals. (shrink)

What capitalist economics call business or trade cycles with their recessions and depressions, and Marxists, in terms of surplus value and exploitation, call crises are fundamental misunderstandings of what Bernard Lonergan conceives as the true intelligibility of the rhythms of production and monetary circulation of the advanced exchange economy. In his circulation analysis he expresses the intelligibility of macroeconomic dynamics in terms of a pure cycle that involves the anti-egalitarian flows proper to new surplus or productive goods expansion (...) and the egalitarian flows proper to basic or consumer goods expansion, which Marxists correctly complain are not fully carried out. Crucial to the smooth expansion are (1) the crossover payments between surplus and basic monetary circuits in harmony with the phases of economic development, (2) the re-understanding of profit not as a criterion of economic activity but as involving a group interest that does not strictly 'belong' to capitalist entrepreneurs, and yet cannot be negotiated by a socialist bureaucracy. The issue is not greed on the part of either capitalists or workers but ignorance, which this analysis tries to correct. /// O presente artigo mostra de que modo aquilo que na economia capitalista é considerado como um ciclo de negócio ou de comércio com as suas respectivas reces-sões e depressões, e os Marxistas, interpretando o fenómeno em termos de mais-valia e de exploração, chamam de crises, é concebido por Bernard Lonergan nos termos de uma verdadeira inteligibilidade dos ritmos de produção e da circulação monetária próprios à economia de mercado avançada. Lonergan exprime na sua análise da circulação económica a inteligibilidade da dinâmica macroeconómica em termos de um puro ciclo que envolve as cadências anti-igualitárias próprias a novos excedentes comerciais ou expansão dos bens produtivos e as cadências igualitárias próprias à expansão dos bens básicos ou de consumo, o qual os Marxistas, com justiça, consideram que no capitalismo não são completamente cumpridas. Lonergan mostra, assim, que crucial para uma expansão equilibrada é necessário (1) o cruzamento de pagamentos entre excedentes e circuitos monetários básicos em harmonia com as fases do desenvolvimento económico, (2) uma nova compreensão do lucro não como critério da actividade económica, mas como envolvente do interesse grupal que não pertence estritamente a empresários capitalistas, e contudo não pode ser negociada por uma burocracia socialista. Deste modo, mostra-se que o problema fundamental da economia não é o egoísmo da parte dos capitalistas ou dos trabalhadores, mas sim a ignorância, problema este que Lonergan, mediante a sua análise, tenta corrigir. (shrink)

IN THE PAST DECADE, RELIGIOUS ACTIVISTS HELPED PASS LIVING WAGE legislation in 177 municipalities across the United States. Drawing on concepts from social movement theory, this essay analyzes the framing success of these religious actors, particularly their mediation of theological inheritances, language, and rituals for broader political audiences. Much of the success of religious actors comes from their universalizing of ethical tropes such as "worker dignity" that resonate with dominant United States' culture while simultaneously not disrupting neoclassical economic ideals. This (...) approach entails significant ideological risks, for example, promoting independence from government as an ultimate value, but this framing strategy does introduce, at minimum, an effective triage mechanism in the U.S. capitalist economy and, optimally, a pathway for citizen economic education that funds future transformative politics. The essay concludes with suggestions for future framing for the movement. (shrink)

O presente artigo pretende situar a candente questão das teologias índias no tempo atual e o desafio essencial do reconhecimento da alteridade indígena e dos direitos que acompanham essa singularidade. Inicia-se com a reflexão sobre as controvérsias que envolvem o tema das teologias índias no contexto eclesial contemporâneo. A seguir, discute-se o difícil aprendizado que envolve a tomada de consciência dos povos indígenas como “povos distintos”. Nota-se na atual conjuntura da Igreja católica romana um particular embaraço nesse delicado campo, e (...) uma tendência a entender a diversidade religiosa como momento passageiro ou conjuntural. A questão da alteridade ganha uma peculiar atualidade para a teologia cristã, que vem provocada a ampliar o seu campo de compreensão. Tal aprendizado envolve a ampliação do olhar e também o resgate de valores que são fundamentais, e que nem sempre estão presentes no repertório cristão, como o resgate da espiritualidade terrenal desses povos indígenas. A vida espiritual expressa pela teologia índia revela-se “cosmoteândrica”. Nos rituais andinos celebra-se uma grande comunhão que integra a comunidade humana, o meio ambiente e a divindade geradora de vida. Encontra-se uma viva consciência da imanência de Deus e da sacralidade da criação, da transparência de Deus e de sua diafania por toda parte. Essa espiritualidade recupera valores que são essenciais para o ser humano e que estão esquecidos e abafados em nossa sociedade marcada por uma lógica egocêntrica e pela racionalidade do mercado. Palavras-chave: Teologia índia; alteridade; espiritualidade terrenal; espiritualidade cosmoteândrica. ABSTRACT The present article aims to situate the discussion of the Indian theologies nowadays. It also seeks to situate the essential challenge of the recognition of native alterity as well as the rights that go with such peculiarity. This paper first begins by reflecting on controversies that cover the question of the Indian theologies in the current days.. After that, a detailed discussion on the difficulties of general apprenticeship involving consciousness of the native people as “a different people ” is made. Expressive difficulties on the part of the Catholic Church in dealing with diversity as well as its tendency to comprehend diversity as a conjunctural and not a structural subject are currently observed. The discussion on alterity has required full attention on the side of Christian theology, which has broadened understanding on such issue. Apprenticeship concerning the question of alterity involves expansion of vision and also the recovering of those values which have always been present on Christian repertoire. It is important to emphasize here that one of those basic Christian values to be considered are those related to the recovering of terrestrial spirituality of native people. The spiritual life expressed by the Indian theology appears to be "cosmoteandric". In the Andean rituals, celebration and integration of human community, environment and divinity, are always present. A lively consciousness of the immanence of God, as well as awareness of the sacrality of the creation and the transparency of God and of his manifestation in everywhere is often found among Indian people. Such spirituality recovers values considered of strong importance for human being but unfortunately put aside in our society which is undoubtedly marked by an egocentric logic and by the rationality of economy and market. Key words : Indian theology; alterity; terrestrial spirituality; cosmoteandric spirituality. (shrink)

O artigo trata basicamente da romaria e dos santuários populares católicos. Nascido de uma palestra feita a reitores de santuários católicos da América Latina, o artigo enfoca também o discipulado cristão como essencial no acolhimento aos romeiros. Sua perspectiva, porém, é a das ciências da religião e não a da teologia. A abordagem leva em conta as teorias sociológicas e psicoantropológicas hoje usadas na leitura do fenômeno das romarias nas religiões em geral e no cristianismo em especial. Após um (...) rápido olhar sobre o sentido do discipulado na teologia e na Bíblia, o autor enfoca mais especificamente a abordagem psicoantropológica hoje em uso na sociologia dos santuários e das romarias. Finalizando, tece algumas considerações sobre a pastoral dos santuários e a necessidade de inserir o acolhimento religioso dos romeiros num contexto marcado pelo chamado turismo religioso. Palavras-chave: Santuários católicos; Pastoral das romarias; Discipulado; Psicologia da religião; Turismo religioso. ABSTRACT This article focuses on a discussion about Christian discipleship in the pastoral context of popular sanctuaries of the Catholic Church in Latin America. It is a reflection presented during the Latin American Congress of Catholic Sanctuaries in Aparecida, Brazil, in 2005. It considers different questions involved in the discussion, from the viewpoint of modern psycho-anthropology of pilgrimages and sanctuaries. After a short biblical-theological explanation of the meaning of Christian discipleship in theology and in the Bible, the article attempts to show what modern Brazilian and English-speaking experts in Anthropology and Pastoral Theology think about pilgrimages both in Christian and in non-Christian religions. Finally, it discusses the sanctuaries’ pastoral and the need to insert a religious welcome to pilgrims in the context of religious tourism. Key words: Catholic sanctuaries; Pastoral of pilgrimages; Discipleship; Psychology of Religion; Religious tourism. (shrink)

RESUMO: No presente artigo, propõe-se apresentar e explicitar o estatuto teórico da categoria marxiana do valor, conforme determinado no contexto da crítica da economia política, em sua fase madura. Em especial, pretende-se discutir o modo como Marx aborda a relação da determinação categorial do valor com as demais que compõem e constituem a formamercadoria dos produtos do trabalho humano. Nesse sentido, a teoria marxiana do valor aparece como exposição crítica do modo de produção capitalista a partir da análise categorial (...) da mercadoria, tendo como meta revelá-la na sua dimensão mais essencial: a de veículo de realização da valorização do valor. A forma valor, acompanhando o desenvolvimento da argumentação marxiana em Grundrisse e O Capital, é analisada em sua configuração de determinação em processo, que se desdobra, pressupõe e implica um conjunto de outrasFormen que se articulam em momentos de diferenciação e desenvolvimento reais que se expressam concretamente nas objetivações do trabalho humano existindo como momentos do capital. Mercadoria, mercado e capital perdem todos sua aparência de exterioridade recíproca de "coisas" para se desvelarem realizações de um modo sócio-histórico de produzir a vida humana. ABSTRACT: The present article aims to present and explain the theoretical status of the Marxian category of value, as determined in the context of the critique of political economy in its mature phase. In particular, it discusses how Marx presents the relationship of categorical determination of value with other relationships that compose and constitute the commodity form of the products of human labor. In this sense, the Marxian theory of value appears as a critical exposition of the capitalist mode of production, based on the categorical analysis of the commodity and aiming to reveal it in its most essential dimension: as the vehicle for implementing the appreciation of value. Value, according to the development of the Marxian argument in the Grundrisse and the Capital, is analyzed in its configuration as a determination process that unfolds, presupposes, and implies a set of other formen. These are articulated in moments of real differentiation and development that are concretely expressed in objectifications human labor existing as moments of capital. Goods, market, and capital lose all their appearance as the reciprocal externality of "stuff", to reveal realizations of a socio-historical mode of producing human life. (shrink)

Islamic sociologist Ali Shariati is a leading figure of the reconstruction of religious thought in the Islamic world known especially for his anti-capitalist stance and leftist reading of Islamic history. In the philosophy of history that he developed, he classified religions as religions of tawheed and religions of shirk. According to this new reading of history, the main struggle is not between religion and secularism but between religions of tawheed and of sheerk. The issue of the gaining and the distribution (...) of the property is central to his classification. Shariati argued that followers of tawheed and of sheerk can be found in all religions including Islam. To support his argument Shariati explored how capitalistic understanding of Islam has been developed and legalised while anti-capitalist messages and orders of Islam were marginalised and illegalised just after the death of the Prophet Mohammed. He analysed the rivalry between his close companions over the content of a proper Islamic economic order and how this rivalry gave way to two contradicting understanding of Islam, marks of which can be seen today in the contemporary Muslim world. He coined the term ‘abluted capitalism’ to define the economic policies of Muslim sovereigns to make Islam compatible with capitalist economic principles. (shrink)

I discuss how the scientificity characterizing Adam Smith’s political economy has to exteriorize social conflict in order to sustain its objectivation of social interaction in terms of regulative laws. I claim that this exteriorization constitutes an internal point of subversion, not only because it resists economic objectivation, but first and foremost because it forces Smith to employ political strategies that both contradict and guarantee the scientificity of his theory. I show how the place of conflict in modern economy, (...) according to Smith, can actually be determined in three different ways: as a concrete place when it comes to the confrontations between workers and capitalists; as a theoretical place in the sense of being an arbitrary disturbance of the spontaneous organization of the market; and as a place that, as being the intersection between economic naturalization and social contingency, problematizes the scientificity of Smith’s political economy. In this sense, I develop three cases where Smith invokes an argumentative circularity that reveals the paradoxical politics of his economic scientificity, beyond its official laissez-faire politics: State coercion, monetary power and capitalist competition. (shrink)

Esta aula inaugural, proferida por Raimon Panikkar no Institut Superior de Ciènces Religioses de Vic, em 2002, analisa o problema da irrelevância a que está condenada a teologia nos dias atuais, a marginalização do teólogo e das faculdades de teologia. O texto procura investigar as causas desta lamentável situação e se pergunta pela possibilidade de mudança deste quadro. Organizada a reflexão nestes três pontos, o escrito diagnostica um desvio da rota evangélica como uma das possíveis causas da perda (...) de relevância da teologia. Investigando a interna relação entre filosofia e teologia, o presente texto desvela os distintos aspectos deste matrimônio. Por um lado, chama-se atenção para a confusão entre os domínios de cada disciplina, por outro, reafirma-se a necessidade de um urgente reenlace entre alma e corpo, filosofia e teologia, respectivamente. Além de abandonar o divórcio com a filosofia, para ressuscitar, a teologia cristã, como expressão da religião da Palavra, deve fazer-se cada vez mais ouvinte do Mistério, abrir-se ao símbolo, evitando converter a fé em uma ideologia. Palavras-chave:Teologia; Filosofia; Cristianismo. ABSTRACT The Aula Magna delivered by Raimon Panikkar in the Superior Institute of Religious Science in Vic, in 2002, analyses the problem of irrelevance to which the theology of the present times, the marginalization of the theologian and the faculties of theology are condemned. The text tries to investigate the causes of this lamentable situation and asks about the possibility of changing this state of affairs. Organized as a reflection on these three points, the text diagnoses the straying from the evangelical pathway as one of the possible causes of this loss of relevance of theology. Investigating the internal relationship between philosophy and theology, the present text reveals the distinct aspects of this union. On one side, it calls attention to the confusion of the dominion of each discipline and on the other; it reaffirms the necessity of an urgent reuniting of the body and the soul, philosophy and theology respectively. Besides abandoning the divorce from philosophy, in order to resurrect Christian theology as an expression of the religion of the Word, it must also become increasingly the listener to the Mystery, opening itself to the symbol, avoiding the conversion of faith into ideology. Key words: Theology; Philosophy; Christianity. (shrink)

Resumo: As apropriações de conceitos da teoria marxista por parte de teólogos da libertação podem ser consideradas incoerentes, seja pela histórica relação de condenação mútua entre marxistas e clérigos, seja pela distinção entre religião e economia-política, típica da modernidade. Diante disso, o conceito de afinidade eletiva de Weber, na interpretação do sociólogo franco-brasileiro Michael Löwy, possibilita renovar os estudos dos fenômenos sociais nos quais o marxismo e a teologia cristã parecem fundir-se em uma crítica social radical, como (...) class='Hi'>teologia da libertação. Esse instrumental analítico permite identificar o sentido no qual algumas categorias marxistas são apropriadas, em forte confluência nos marcos do cristianismo de libertação. Para isso, em uma análise bibliográfica referenciada na obra de Löwy, apresenta-se o desenvolvimento do conceito de afinidade eletiva na tradição webero-marxista, identificando elementos dessa convergência na teologia do cristianismo de libertação. Por fim, buscam-se exemplos desses elementos em textos de diferentes expressões da teologia da libertação. Trata-se de um exercício teórico que almeja colaborar para a consolidação de uma abordagem específica do tema.: The appropriation of concepts of Marxist theory by liberation theologians can be considered incoherent, whether in terms of the historical relationship of mutual condemnation between Marxists and clerics, or in terms of the distinction between religion and political economy that is typical of modernity. However, Weber’s concept of elective affinity, in the interpretation of the Franco-Brazilian sociologist Michael Löwy, makes it possible to renew the studies of social phenomena in which Marxism and Christian theology seem to merge into a radical social critique, as in the case of liberation theology. This analytical approach enables us to identify the sense in which some Marxist categories are appropriated within the framework of liberation Christianity. In a bibliographical analysis that makes reference to Löwy’s work, we present the development of the concept of elective affinity in the Weberian-Marxist tradition and identify elements of its convergence with the theology of liberation Christianity. Finally, we look for examples of these elements in texts from different expressions of liberation theology. (shrink)

Tendo como base os dados colhidos no último Censo do IBGE (2000), percebe-se um novo declínio de adeptos da Igreja Católica, que agora somam 73,8%. Começa a ocorrer uma perda da hegemonia católica sobretudo em razão do crescimento pentecostal. Mas na verdade, o Brasil continua a ser um país com grande pertença cristã (em torno de 90%). Mas já se começa a vislumbrar uma situação nova, marcada pela destradicionalização e pela pluralização do campo religioso. A teologia cristã se vê (...) convocada a pensar esta nova realidade, sendo desafiada a elaborar respostas novas e criativas para esta situação emergente. Palavras-chave: Catolicismo; Pluralismo religioso; Teologia; Religiões. ABSTRACT Based on data collected in the last IBGE Census (2000), one notices a decline in the number of Catholics, now reaching 73.8%. A loss of the Catholic hegemony can be felt, resulting mainly from the growth of the Pentecostal Church. In fact, Brazil goes on being a country of wide Christian adhesion (around 90%). However, a new situation, marked by the fall of tradition and a religious pluralism, begins to take shape. Christian theology is challenged to consider that new reality and to elaborate new and creative responses to the emerging situation. Key words: Catholicism; Religious pluralism; Theology; Religions. (shrink)

This article studies the traditional economic, political and religious alienation in Brazilian society. This retrospective study will analyze the causes and consequences of this alienation, from colonial times until the mid-twentieth century. It was only in the 1940's that Brazilian people began, slowly, to have a voice in the decision taking processes that affected their fate. Brazilian society was established under the aegis of Catholicism, the official religion of the State until 1891, and was ruled by an elite that dominated (...) the economic, political and religious spheres, controlling all the means that were necessary to keep them in power. The underprivileged majority, without any political participation, lived on the crumbs within the acceptable limits for the elite. This process was methodical and systematic. In the mid-twentieth century, for reasons that will be discussed in this article, there was a brief but intense popular interest in taking control of their own fate. This phenomenon was soon aborted by the historical happenings that marked the 1960’s. This study will focus in pondering: is there really a possibility of change in the Brazilian society or is it an unachievable utopia? (shrink)

Resumo O cenário religioso mutável e plural do nosso tempo implica na teologia cristã, particularmente aquela produzida nas universidades, espaços catalisadores de questões mundiais, sendo a religiosa uma das mais relevantes. O objetivo deste artigo é verificar como a teologia acadêmica, especialmente aquela produzida na universidade, expressa essa característica da atualidade: a pluralidade. O método é a análise qualitativa de estudos que valorizam o plural na fé e na teologia cristã. A hipótese é que as perspectivas ecumênicas (...) e inter-religiosas são fundamentais para uma teologia plural hoje. E isso requer uma revisão tanto no aspecto formal e epistemológico da teologia, quanto em seu conteúdo. A conclusão é que a teologia precisa ser construída como conhecimento plural, não só porque dialoga com culturas, ciências e diferentes formas de crer, mas também porque ela mesma é plural. Resumen El escenario religioso, cambiante y plural, del nuestro tiempo implica en la teología cristiana, particularmente la que se produce en las universidades, espacios catalizadores de las cuestiones mundiales, siendo la religiosa una de las más relevantes. El objetivo de este artículo es verificar como la teología académica, en especial la producida en la universidad, expresa esta característica de la actualidad: la pluralidad. El método es el análisis cualitativo de estudios que valorizan el plural en la fe y en la teología cristiana. La hipótesis es que las perspectivas ecuménica e interreligiosa son fundamentales para una teología plural hoy. Y esto exige una revisión tanto en el aspecto formal y epistemológico de la teología, cuanto en su contenido. La conclusión es que la teología necesita construirse como conocimiento plural, no solo porque dialoga con culturas, ciencias y diferentes formas de creer, sino porque ella misma es plural.The changing and plural religious scenario of our time implies in Christian theology, particularly that produced in universities, spaces that are catalysts for world issues, with religion being one of the most relevant. The objective of this article is to verify how the academic theology, especially that produced in the university, expresses this current characteristic: plurality. The method is the qualitative analysis of studies that value plurality in faith and in Christian theology. The hypothesis is that ecumenical and interreligious perspectives are fundamental for a plural theology today. And this requires a review both in the formal and epistemologia aspect of theology, as well as in its content. The conclusion is that theology needs to be constructed as plural knowledge, not only because it dialogues with cultures, sciences and different ways of believing, but also because it is itself plural. (shrink)

Resumen: Desde el principio ha sido muy obvio que el capitalismo es un tipo de empresa engañosa. Por otro lado, el capitalismo ha estado vinculado a la acumulación masiva de riqueza. Como se indica, el capitalismo ha estado vinculado a la explotación, a una creciente desigualdad de la riqueza, a colapsos económicos y a conflictos internacionales. La economía política ha estudiado durante mucho tiempo cómo interactúan las dos caras del capitalismo. ¿Es posible arreglar los problemas del capitalismo preservando sus beneficios, (...) como afirman sus partidarios? Algunos anticapitalistas sostienen que limitar o eliminar el capitalismo es la única manera de acabar con él. La teoría tendrá el mayor impacto en el resultado de esta situación. Los economistas ven los mercados como un lugar en el que todos reciben un trato justo a la hora de valorar y recompensar las contribuciones económicas a la sociedad. El reino del mercado, en vez de culpar los defectos sociales e individuales de manera global, culpa la carencia del individuo manera particular. La clave para formular una predicción sólida de la caída del orden actual es la tesis marxiana de que las relaciones de producción constituyen la base de toda civilización. En otras palabras, las estructuras de clase sustentan las instituciones políticas, culturales e ideológicas. De ello se desprende que una sociedad postcapitalista sólo puede desarrollarse en la medida en que surjan nuevas relaciones de producción, o de clase (o más exactamente, relaciones “sin clases”). De forma similar a cómo surgieron nuevas relaciones económicas a lo largo del tiempo cuando Europa pasó de una sociedad feudal al capitalismo industrial, y cómo se construyeron nuevas sociedades sobre estos sistemas, en las próximas generaciones surgirán nuevas manifestaciones de crecimiento masivo de la producción para que la especie humana experimente menos épocas de crisis económica. A finales de 2007, la economía mundial se desplomó rápidamente, obligando a los bancos a declararse en quiebra y a necesitar rescates gubernamentales. La principal idea errónea de las economías de mercado, que se autorregulan de forma natural, quedó rebatida. La catástrofe brindó la oportunidad a los individuos de reevaluar cuestiones de larga data que habían quedado sin resolver porque desafió las nociones preconcebidas. La obra fundamental de Marx, “El Capital”, según las librerías de todo el mundo, tuvo un espectacular aumento de ventas tras la crisis. En algunos aspectos, el marxismo parece estar regresando. Debido a la tradición crítica que creó, que abarca las humanidades y las ciencias sociales, el marxismo no puede entenderse adecuadamente dentro del marco del siglo XIX. Marx fue capaz de influir en el agua que bebemos y en el aire que respiramos incluso en lugares donde fue rechazado. El marxismo es omnipresente, como han demostrado las dos primeras décadas del siglo XXI. Mientras sirvan de catalizadores para el bienestar y el desarrollo de la sociedad, las tendencias económicas contemporáneas como el espíritu empresarial y la libre empresa no son desalentadas por el marxismo moderno. (shrink)

Resumo Este artigo procura apresentar e discutir tentativas recentes em filosofia social de analisar e interpretar o capitalismo, a partir de uma perspectiva praxeológica. O practice turn em teoria social procurou superar o dualismo entre agência e estrutura, ou entre ação e sistema, por meio da noção de prática social. Seria possível então interpretar o capitalismo como um tipo especifico de prática social? Para tentar encaminhar essa questão, explicita-se brevemente, em um primeiro momento, em que consiste o practice turn em (...) teoria social. Num segundo momento, analisa-se e se discute a proposta de Rahel Jaeggi de conceber a economia como uma rede de práticas sociais. Em seguida, expõe-se e se avalia a tentativa de Christian Lotz em ver, no dinheiro, a chave para compreender aquilo que ele chama de esquema capitalista. Por fim, conclui-se, chamando a atenção para os potenciais e desafios ligados ao empreendimento de interpretar o capitalismo em função de uma teoria da prática, sugerindo que um aprofundamento na análise da imaginação especificamente capitalista, vinculando-a com a típica plasticidade e diversidade do capitalismo, possa ajudar a avançar nesse campo.This paper aims to present and discuss recent attempts in social philosophy to analyze and interpret capitalism from a praxeological perspective. The practice turn in social theory sought to overcome the dualism between agency and structure, or between action and system, through the notion of social practice. Is it then possible to interpret capitalism as a specific type of social practice? To try to address this question, I briefly introduce, in a first moment, the practice turn in social theory. In a second moment, I analyze and discuss Rahel Jaeggi’s proposal to conceive the economy as a network of social practices. I then explain and evaluate Christian Lotz’s attempt to see money as the key to understanding what he names as “the capitalist schema”. Finally, I conclude by drawing attention to the potentials and challenges of interpreting capitalism as a social practice, suggesting that a deeper analysis of specifically capitalist imagination, linking it with the typical plasticity and diversity of capitalism, may help to move forward in this field. (shrink)

The Market as God captures how our world has fallen in thrall to the business theology of supply and demand. According to its acolytes, the Market is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. It knows the value of everything, and determines the outcome of every transaction; it can raise nations and ruin households, and nothing escapes its reductionist commodification. The Market comes complete with its own doctrines, prophets, and evangelical zeal to convert the world to its way of life. Cox brings (...) that theology out of the shadows, demonstrating that the way the world economy operates is neither natural nor inevitable but shaped by a global system of values and symbols that can be best understood as a religion. -/- Drawing on biblical sources, economists and financial experts, prehistoric religions, Greek mythology, historical patterns, and the work of natural and social scientists, Cox points to many parallels between the development of Christianity and the Market economy. At various times in history, both have garnered enormous wealth and displayed pompous behavior. Both have experienced the corruption of power. However, what the religious have learned over the millennia, sometimes at great cost, still eludes the Market faithful: humility. (shrink)

This is a critical-hermeneutical and historical-comparative study on Political Economy, Economic History and Social Thought, applied to the American utopias in the 19th century and its role in the colonisation of the United States (US) west. This review is based on a heterodox economic approach, used in the disciplines of Religion and Economics. It gives a general view of religious and ideological utopias, as cooperative enterprises of intentional life in farms and workshop, making a comparative analysis of efficiency (...) and sustainability. This study attempts to explain the colonial paradox of American utopias because the last established, with more inversion, they were the first to fall. This study shapes the development of the western territories, from the Quaker’s Holy Experiment framework and its support for the utopias experiments in the expansion to Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. Contribution: This review offers a descriptive and explanatory study on the colonisation of the US west, under the hermeneutical turn from heterodox economic approaches, to deal with some current contradictions and anachronism in the mainstream view. Also, there is a systematisation of the American utopias, divided into religious and ideological experiments, with a comparison. (shrink)

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Reviewed by:Biblical Economic Ethics: Sacred Scripture’s Teachings on Economic Life by Albino BarreraRaymond Kemp AndersonBiblical Economic Ethics: Sacred Scripture’s Teachings on Economic Life By Albino Barrera LANHAM, MD: LEXINGTON BOOKS, 2013. 353 PP. $89.65; KINDLE, $54.49You will not find much direct application of biblical theology to pressing economic issues in this book. Albino Barrera, a Dominican monk who teaches economics and theology at Providence College, gave (...) us that in well-received earlier works on market complicity, political economy, and the evils of scarcity. Keeping to this book’s title, he now gives us a remarkable collation of recent studies on the social and theological contexts of the Bible itself. He seems quite confident that given a comprehensive review, we will intuit modern implications for ourselves and be drawn closer together by our common heritage.Written for a wide audience, Barrera’s clear and readable book compiles fascinating snapshots of the diverse cultural situations and beliefs that unfold across the millennium-spanning canon. Even biblical scholars will enjoy this lively, up-to-date tour of their field.As a monastic, Barrera is careful to show that those New Testament texts that seem to call for divestment of property describe a situation-related special calling and do not make poverty an end in itself. Yet he stresses how the “preferential status of the poor” and the “devaluation of wealth” are prime norms that recur throughout both the Old Testament and New Testament and that he sees backed by both revelation and natural experience.One may find the book limited by the procrustean selectivity that seems inevitable when pre-formed notions (e.g., what is proper to our modern discipline of ethics or to the field of economics) shape our apperceptions of ancient [End Page 205] peoples’ concerns. From Barrera’s viewpoint, ethics has to do primarily with the promulgation and refinement of set norms. So his main goal is to uncover abstract principles and norms for behavior that recur insistently across scripture’s enormous diversity. This, he does beautifully. But in the process, he lets the recurrent trump the emergent.For example, Barrera seems to not fully appreciate the revolutionary impact where Jesus finally declares it impossible for people to bolster their personal stature by pursuing such norms (see, e.g., Mk 10:27). Little attention is given the apostles’ insistence (with Ps 14 and Ps 53) upon this same ethical impasse. For when they find the normative redefined by Christ’s excruciatingly holistic love command, they not only discover their own incapacity but also find themselves catapulted into the totally grace-dependent motivational dynamic described by Paul’s Christian freedom (Rom 3:12, 5, passim, 11:32; Gal 3:22; Jas 2:10).Evidently preoccupied by his quest for the normative, Barrera bypasses the historical priority of Paul and virtually ignores how his grace-responsive freedom pervades the later Gospels and Acts. (He relegates the Paul material to the tail end and accords it but a fraction of the space.)Freedom for Barrera is a social norm—freedom from oppression, slavery, poverty, hunger, and so forth (and he forcefully shows how this is a recurrent theme). But was not Paul, like Jesus before him, hounded and persecuted for his notorious freedom in the use of norms—even those of Mosaic law? Did not the Gospel reduce the normative to a minimum in favor of life-shaping, person-responsive love as the free gift or “fruit of the Spirit”? All of us—the rich and powerful, along with the poor and oppressed—discover our corporate brokenness exposed before God’s grace. Yet in our concomitant response to that same grace, we find our actions newly motivated and gradually reshaped—bonded into covenant community through his judgment of healing re-creation.Again, Barrera does well to stress Sabbath law’s normative force, as mandating times of rest. But one could wish to hear more on how the apostles parleyed this priestly provision into something new, in joyful direct response to a gracious Lord—a freely sabbatic, playfully creative ethic. [End Page 206]Raymond Kemp AndersonWilson CollegeCopyright © 2015 Society of Christian Ethics... (shrink)