In this collection of articles, Isherwood writes about his teachers, his conversion to Vedanta, and various literary concerns.

Issues of race, gender, nationality and religion have been the breeding ground of conflict and oppression throughout history. This book provides an engaging assessment of the dangers of defining the self against the other.

My Guru and His Disciple is a sweetly modest and honest portrait of Isherwood's spiritual instructor, Swami Prabhavananda, the Hindu priest who guided Isherwood for some thirty years. It is also a book about the often amusing and sometimes painful counterpoint between worldliness and holiness in Isherwood's own life. Sexual sprees, all-night drinking bouts, a fast car ride with Greta Garbo, scriptwriting conferences at M-G-M, intellectual sparring sessions with Berthold Brecht alternated with nights of fasting at the (...) Vedanta Center, a six-month period of celibacy and sobriety, and the pious drudgery of translating the Bhagavad-Gita. Seldom has a single man been owed with such strong drives toward both sensuality and spirituality, abandon and discipline; out of the passionate dialectic between these drives, My Guru and His Disciple has been written. (shrink)

Lisa Isherwood, one of the founding editors of Feminist Theology journal reflects on the development of Feminist Theology over the past 20 years and looks to its future. Avenues for the future include development of the area of Atonement Theologies and working to get it disseminated to seminaries and various clerical training institutions. Feminism in Europe, particularly Central or Eastern Europe, also has a place in the next 20 years of Feminist Theology and the journal.

Life is a constant search for meaning, and reflective minds need to find deeper and more comprehensive meaning than that normally proffered by the orthodox teaching of any creedal religion. When this book was initially published in 1964, religion had begun to recognize the importance of psychology and psychology had considered a spiritual principle in man. Miss Isherwood’s purpose in writing this book is to relate science and religion more closely. Her theme is that the evolution of consciousness from (...) protozoa provides a link which not only gives grounds for faith in life and an inspiration for carrying development forward, but which reveals that, as we continuously work at deepening our insight into the realms of spirit, the life process appears to us as steadily more meaningful. Her engaging writing style makes this a fascinating glimpse at a philosophy of religion starting to engage with science. (shrink)

Has Christianity, a religion with incarnation at its heart, devalued the flesh through an over-emphasis on the cross? In this article Lisa Isherwood's response is an overwhelming 'yes'. Isherwood argues that the devaluation of the flesh has hindered Christianity's efforts to address the genocidal realities of global capitalism. She suggests that a return to the tree found in Eden and sensuously engaged with by our foremother Eve, will provide a sounder base for the development of a Christo-ethic that (...) can offer alternatives to advanced capitalism. (shrink)

Vedanta is the philosophy of the Vedas, those Indian scriptures which are the most ancient religious writings now known to the world. ...

This article examines what it is to think through queer eyes, that is what may queer theory offer to the study of theology. It shows what queer is in this context and challenges the reader to think in other ways. The article examines how queer theory helps to illuminate the radical nature of incarnation at the same time as examining some of the concerns expressed by theorists about the nature of the queer theological project.

In this exclusive Interview Ada María Isasi-Díaz responds to questions about her work in theology, and the social and political challenges for Mujerista Theology in the first half of the twenty-first century. She discusses some of the biggest shifts in theology since she first engaged with it, and the challenges of growing ‘a Hispanic garden in a foreign land.’ A focus of the interview is Mujerista Theology and how it has developed over the last 20 years and is adapting for (...) the future. (shrink)

This paper asks whether Christianity has always been queer, is the very nature of it beyond what one might expect from reality? Does the core of Christianity destabilise the categories by which subsequent Christian leaders have created doctrine, developed ethics and controlled the faithful? Is this queer core located in the very notion of incarnation itself, an event that truly changes all we thought we knew about the nature of materiality? The paper is not attempting to find a queer past (...) in order to justify a queer present and solidify a queer future but rather to suggest that fluidity, rupture and unexpected outcomes should be at the heart of the Christian enterprise. It also follows that if the categories which have been used to exclude are themselves queered then Christianity becomes a far more inclusive way of living. The paper also asks whether the very notion of monotheism itself is a barrier to what may be understood as the fluid volatile core of incarnational religion. What does the queer theologian do with the ONE? (shrink)

The author argues that Christian theology needs to examine itself in the light of the events surrounding September 11th. Not only has some Christian theology lent itself to the creation of imperialistic mindsets that could be argued to be the root cause of the violence before and after September 11th but it now seems to sit on the fence. The author suggests that this, like so many in Christian theology, is ultimately a christological question and that we need to dislodge (...) the dualistic lens through which we view Jesus if we are to make progress in this bleeding world. Dualism lends itself to hierarchy and hierarchy to division and exploitation against which background even the most horrifying acts can be understood. Christianity can no longer hide its head and claim that exploitative interpretations are misunderstandings—it needs to look again at its central doctrines. (shrink)

This article is a response by a body theologian to Indecent Theology written by Marcella Althaus-Reid. The author takes Eve Ensler as a companion in a journey which attempts to spit out phallocentric meaning and engage with wicked and wordy cunning linguists as they move towards more honest telling-theology from the body. The author examines the divine masquerade, which is encouraged by some Christian theology and calls for a stripping away of such pretence and an acknowledgement of what play we (...) are actually engaged in so that we may come closer to what it is we are attempting to express about the divine. (shrink)

This article demonstrates the levels of domestic abuse in the UK and USA. The author argues that it is a mistake to see this as a purely private and therefore pastoral matter but it is rather a public and systematic problem and such is the stuff of public theological and ethical debate. The article demonstrates some ways in which Christian theology has been used to devalue women and thus create a climate in which abuse and death are both possible and (...) even acceptable. The author considers how theology can be instrumental in the creation of more mutually empowering models of masculinity and femininity. (shrink)

This paper takes issue with the Slim for Him programmes which suggest that Christianity has no place for the fleshy, indeed that the devil lurks in ample bodies. It investigates the way in which women have suffered a reducing rhetoric which has had its genesis in certain kinds of theology but has exacted a great price on the flesh of women. The paper therefore offers a fleshy Christology as a counter rhetoric in the hope that women may once again dance (...) in their skins and offer another set of values on their broad hips. (shrink)

This article considers the question of capitalism and the underlying aspects of Christological construction through comparing the approach of a Radical Orthodoxy theologian and feminist theologians. The author is concerned that feminist scholarship has been hijacked by male theologians who wish to offer a quite conservative agenda while appearing radical. The article shows that we can not change the outcomes if we are not willing to examine and change the underlying theories even if they are matters of doctrine.

This paper examines how a radical incarnational starting point would change the way we view the economic order. It highlights the way in which the current system creates extreme poverty and suffering for the many and asks if this can be tolerated by Christians. It also examines the Christian underpinnings of such a system and suggests that other Christian roots would lead to alternate and more inclusive systems.

The recent development of CRISPR/Cas9 technology has rekindled the ethical debate concerning human germline modification that has begun decades ago. This inexpensive technology shows tremendous promise in disease prevention strategies, while raising complex ethical concerns about safety and efficacy of the technology, human dignity, tampering with God’s creation, and human genetic enhancement. Germline gene editing may result in heritable changes in the human genome, therefore the question of whether it should be allowed requires deep and careful discussion from various perspectives. (...) This paper explores Islamic perspectives on the concerns raised and highlights the ethical principles in Islam that should be taken into consideration when assessing the permissibility of CRISPR/ Cas9-mediated human germline gene editing. As argued in this paper, human germline gene editing would be considered lawful for medical purpose under certain conditions. It should not be applied on humans until the safety and efficacy issues are resolved. Robust ethical guidelines and strict regulations are necessary to preserve human dignity and to prevent premature and misuse of the technology. Maqasid al-shariah’s principles of preservation of human life, lineage, and dignity and ‘preventing harm takes precedence over securing benefit’ are among the guiding principles in assessing the permissibility of CRISPR/Cas9-mediated human germline editing from an Islamic perspective. Further discussions are important to address the controversies as well as to explore the related ethical principles. (shrink)

The discovery and invention of new medical applications may be considered blessings to humankind. However, some applications which might be the only remedy for certain diseases may contain ingredients or involve methods that are not in harmony with certain cultural and religious perspectives. These situations have raised important questions in medical ethics; are these applications completely prohibited according to these perspectives, and is there any room for mitigation? This paper explores the concept of darurah and its deliberation in the formulation (...) of fatwas on medicine issued by the National Fatwa Council of Malaysia. Darurah has explicitly been taken into consideration in the formulation of 14 out of 45 fatwas on medicine thus far, including one of the latest fatwas regarding uterine donation and transplantation. These fatwas are not only limited to the issues regarding the use of unlawful things as remedies. They include issues pertaining to organ transplantation, management of the corpse and treatment of brain dead patients. While deliberation of darurah in medicine may vary from issue to issue, darurah applies in a dire situation in which there are no lawful means to prevent harm that may be inflicted upon human life. Nevertheless, other aspects must also be taken into the deliberation. For example, consent must be obtained from the donor or his next of kin to conduct a cadaveric organ transplantation. (shrink)

Natural forms, often characterized by irregularity and roughness, have a unique complexity that exhibit self-similarity across different spatial scales or levels of magnification. Our visual system is remarkably efficient in the processing of natural scenes and tuned to the multi-scale, fractal-like properties they possess. The fractal-like scaling characteristics are ubiquitous in many physical and biological domains, with recent research also highlighting their importance in aesthetic perception, particularly in the visual and, to some extent, auditory modalities. Given the multitude of fractal-like (...) scaling manifestations, we explore potential commonalities in the way they might affect aesthetic preference within and across different physical and sensory domains. We use a range of visual and tactile stimuli to explore the equivalence of fractal-scaling effects on aesthetic preferences within and across visual and tactile modalities. Our results suggest that, despite some superficial differences, the underlying dimensional structure mediating the preference across the two domains is remarkably similar. The qualitative nature of this dimensional structure as well as suggestions for future research are discussed. (shrink)

The field of bioethics aims to ensure that modern scientific and technological advancements have been primarily developed for the benefits of humankind. This field is deeply rooted in the traditions of Western moral philosophy and socio-political theory. With respect to the view that the practice of bioethics in certain community should incorporate religious and cultural elements, this paper attempts to expound bioethical tradition of the Malay-Muslim community in Malaysia, with shedding light on the mechanism used by the National Fatwa Council (...) to evaluate whether an application of biological sciences is ethical or not. By using the application of the genetically modified food as a case study, this study has found that the council had reviewed the basic guidelines in the main references of shari'ah in order to make decision on the permissibility of the application. The fatwa is made after having consultation with the experts in science field. The council has taken all factors into consideration and given priority to the general aim of shari'ah which to serve the interests of mankind and to save them from harm. (shrink)

Advancement of modern agricultural biotechnology has brought various potential benefits to humankind, but at the same time ethical concerns regarding some applications such as genetically modified foods have been raised among the public. Several questions are being posed; should they utilize such applications to improve quality of their life, or should they refrain in order to save themselves from any associated risk? What are the ethical principles that can be applied to assess these applications? By using GMF as a case (...) study, this paper discusses possible answers to these questions from Islamic perspective. Such answers are based on the understanding of the Islamic concept of maslahah and mafsadah as well as the Islamic principles of priority. There is no specific GMF that has been declared as unlawful by Muslim scholars thus far. Nevertheless, they generally state that any GMF that contains unlawful substance is prohibited in Islam. Such statement can be understood since Islam puts highest priority to preserve shari’ah which prescribes the lawful and unlawful things in human life. Priorities have also been given to preserve human health and environment therefore any GMF that may inflict harm on both entities is also considered as unlawful. (shrink)

This paper describes maslahah, a fundamental concept in Islam and its application in deliberating permissibility of human germline gene editing from an Islamic perspective. This paper refers to He Jiankui’s research that led to the birth of the world’s first gene edited babies, who were edited to be protected from HIV. The objective, procedure, and output of the research were assessed against the conditions of maslahah. It can be concluded that the experiment did not meet the conditions; it is inconsistent (...) with the objectives of shariah and some fundamental Islamic teachings that it did not preserve greater benefit, hence it could be considered impermissible. (shrink)

Advancements in science and technology have not only brought hope to humankind to produce disease-free offspring, but also offer possibilities to genetically enhance the next generation’s traits and capacities. Human genetic enhancement, however, raises complex ethical questions, such as to what extent should it be allowed? It has been a great challenge for humankind to develop robust ethical guidelines for human genetic enhancement that address both public concerns and needs. We believe that research about public concerns is necessary prior to (...) developing such guidelines, yet the issues have not been thoroughly investigated in many countries, including Malaysia. Since the novel often functions as a medium for the public to express their concerns, this paper explores ethical concerns about human genetic enhancement expressed in four Malay science fiction novels namely Klon, Leksikon Ledang, Transgenesis Bisikan Rimba and Transgenik Sifar. Religion has a strong influence on the worldview of the Malays therefore some concerns such as playing God are obviously religious. Association of the negative image of scientists as well as the private research companies with the research on human genetic enhancement reflects the authors’ concerns about the main motivations for conducting such research and the extent to which such research will benefit society. (shrink)

Gerald Sykes -- Aldous Huxley -- Gerald Heard -- Christopher Isherwood -- John van Druten -- Marianna Masin -- J. Crawford Lewis -- Dorothy F. Mercer -- Kurt Friedrichs -- Swami Atulananda -- Jane Molard -- The Countess of Sandwich -- John Yale -- Joan Rayne -- Durgacharan -- Pravrajika Saradaprana.

Investiga a produção científica na temática Epistemologia e Historiografia da Ciência da informação a partir dos Anais do Encontro Nacional de Pesquisa em Ciência da informação, de dados da Plataforma Lattes e da literatura indexada na Base de Dados da Ciência da informação. Identifica o coletivo de pesquisadores que dão continuidade e consistência ao trabalho epistemológico e historiográfico da área. Destaca, na temática abordada, um grupo que consegue produzir mais que a maioria dos demais pesquisadores. Pesquisadores com alunos na pós-graduação (...) tendem a publicar mais artigos em colaboração do que os outros autores que se não encaixam nesse perfil. Os resultados permitiram a descrição de perfis de pesquisadores a partir de um recorte. Conclui que as pesquisas sobre a referida temática, alinhadas aos preceitos dos estudos métricos, podem permitir o desenvolvimento de teias conceituais e metodológicas da Ciência da Informação. (shrink)