Abbas, Syed Mobarak
Godda College : S.K.M. University, India
Christianity in the Land of Santhals: A Study
of Resistance and Acceptance in Historical Perspective(03U)
Christian missionaries have been engaged in
efforts to proselytize the people of Santhal Pargana since the nineteenth
century. The missionaries established educational and philanthropic centres and
gave Santhals the Roman script to communicate with them. However, socioeconomic
development accompanying Christianity has not been as spectacular as has been
in the neighbouring Chotanagpur. Except for those who converted, Santhals are
animists who live in a Hindu setting and remain influenced by their ethos, culture
and traditional festivals. The combination between the Hindu influence and
ethnic identity has encouraged the Santhals to resist Christianity.
Nevertheless, recent developments have produced a closer affinity between
Christian converts and the Santhals on moral issues thereby neutralizing the
impact of native values.
Organized panel, English
Abdu-Raheem, Musa A.
University of Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria
Practising Islam in a Multi-Religious Nation:
Nigeria as a Case Study(02V)
Islam recognizes natural diversity among human
beings in terms of colour, language, culture and religion. Since there is no
way one can avoid differences resulting from this diversity, Islam teaches that
its adherents should learn to live with and manage such differences in such a way
that peace will prevail all the time. Some of the teachings of Islam relevant
here include showing understanding when other people profess faiths or practise
tenets other than those of Muslims. In the end, Muslims are expected not to
lose sight of the importance of pooling resources with others to encourage
righteousness and discourage unrighteousness. This is with a view to making the
society free of crisis and better to live in.
Organized panel, English
Abe, Goh
Oita University, Japan
Ritual Performance of Laughter Festivals in
Japan(02P)
In present-day Japan, seven major ritual
performance 'warai' are observed in the months of January, February, May,
October, and December at different geographical locations throughout Japan. The
history and organization of the laughter festivals differ from each other,
reflecting where and how the festivals are held. But it is closely related to
our folk belief that entertaining gods with a ritual performance of laughter
would bring a good harvest, for example. Some of the festivals have a history
of over 300 years. And at the same time, the meaning and function of the
laughter festivals have been reinvented throughout history. I would like to
examine two major laughter festivals, one called Okoze (stone fish) or A
Mountain Godess festival at Owase, Mie on Feb.7, and the other one called Warai
(laughter) koh at Hofu, Yamaguchi, on the first Sunday of December. I will
explore the changing aspects of the festivals with regard to their function and
purpose in a historical perspective by utilizing data obtained from field
participation in the above two laughter festivals.
Organized panel
Abe, Hajime
Toyo Gakuen University, Japan
Religious Landscape in Japan(03P)
*respondent
Symposium
Abe, Nobuhiko
Harvard-Yenching Library, USA
Theology Confronted by Religions: The
Correlation between the Ideas of the Divine and Self(03Q)
Over the centuries theology has connoted
Christian theology, but now, in the context of religious pluralism, theology
must answer the challenges posed by religions. I argue that the correlation
between ideas about the divine (God) and ideas about the self exists
universally. The idea of self as a metaphor or symbol is always expressed with
two poles in tension: individual and field (contextual). To explore the tension
between the two types of self, I introduce two types of language games as a
heuristic device: subject-prominent language (subject-predicate structure) and
topicprominent language (topic-comment structure). These two types of self seem
to indicate different ideas of the self-reflexivity and thus different
directions of the self-transcendence: the external transcendence and the
immanent transcendence. I argue here that theology needs to evaluate carefully
these two types of self-transcendence as they are related to notions of the
divine.
Organized panel, English
Abe, Toshihiro
Kyoto University, Japan
Search for Reconciliation in a Transitional
Society: The South African Case(15E)
The South African Truth and Reconciliation
Commission (TRC) has been defined as being one of the prominent cases by which
post-conflict societies cope with difficulties. Discussions have tended to
criticize its effectiveness and limits. This tendency is more marked when the
discussion is on the applicability of that kind of activity to another society.
I deal with TRC's religious implication, and this standpoint is effective for
the analysis of the transitional society which is identified with its relative lack
of legitimacy of due process. Two prominent figures to whom I give my attention
are Desmond Tutu and Charles Villa-Vicencio, both who guided TRC theoretically
as well as practically. However, although, to some extent, the two Christian's
discourses have incompatibilities with each other, both still show a tangency
which can be interpreted as a unique function, which let the divided people
negotiate, in a sheer estrangement of post-Apartheid transitional society.
Organized panel, English
Adachi, Hiroaki
Doshisha University, Japan
Asceticism and Women's Freedom in Late
Antiquity(12N)
The Mediterranean World of late antiquity was
an age of great transformation. Many socalled pagan gods were, at least
publicly, expelled and the first Christian society in history appeared. What
was the role of women in this changing age? In this presentation, I would like
to point out the importance of the female ascetic tradition. Some feminists in
the 1980's pondered as to whether renunciation from the secular world could
make women free from fixed gender roles. There have been many criticisms about
their hypothesis, especially concerning the possibility for its verification.
However, we can be sure that the women in this age seemed to act independently
among many simultaneous sources and seemed to develop freedom to move and the
freedom to communicate. From the hagiographies of male disguised holy women,
through Thecla Acts and the Pilgrimage Diary of Egeria, to the feats of the
Empress Pulcheria or Melania the younger, the concealed paths of women in late
antiquity who were involved in forming the new society of this period will be
discussed.
Organized panel
Adekunle, Julius O.
Monmouth University, USA
Unifier or Divider? Religion, Politics, and the
Search for Peace in Nigeria(13L)
This paper examines the intersection of
religion and politics since the pre-colonial period. It focuses on how
political rulers, past and present, mix religion with politics. During the
colonial period, Christianity flourished in southern Nigeria and Islam
dominated the northern region. Nigeria is a secular state, but the current
political system suggests that religion constitutes a central part of its
politics. How does this approach support or affect good governance? Is religion
helping to unify or divide Nigeria? Frequent religious conflicts contribute to
the weakening of politics and many Nigerians have paid for it with their lives.
Today, there is tension everywhere. Given the adoption of the Sharia (Muslim
Law), the growth of churches, and the waves of conflicts between Muslims and
Christians, it becomes necessary to re-examine the role of religion in Nigerian
politics. The paper concludes that religion should provide peace and unity but
not divide Nigerians.
Organized panel, English
Adetona, Mobolaji Lateef
Lagos State University, Nigeria
The Role of Muslim Youth in the Implementation
of the Sharia in Nigeria(11O)
The 1999 return to civil rule in Nigeria has
enhanced the (re)introduction of the penal aspect of Islamic Law in Nigeria.
The Muslim youth, like other Nigerian youth that had been radicalized by the
long stay of military in government, played a major role in both the northern
and the southwestern parts of Nigeria. While the youth motivated the
constitution of volunteers, enforcers of the law known as Hisbah in the North,
made sure independent Sharia panels were established in the southwest. The
paper describes and analyses the activities of the youth in promoting the
implementation of Islamic Law in Nigeria.
Organized panel, English
Adibelli, Ramazan
Erciyes University Divinity Faculty, Turkey
A Model of Ethnico-Religious Cohabitation in
the XIXth Century: Turks, Greeks, Armenians, Moslems, Catholics, Orthodoxes and
Protestants at Kayseri (Turkey)(14C)
With the vertiginous progress of technology,
the world becomes like a small village where people belonging to different
ethnic, cultural, and religious communities are called to live together despite
the differences that separate them. However, history teaches us that such
cohabitation is not something new. For example, until the end of the XIXth century,
Kayseri (Turkey) had a population formed by different ethnico-religious groups
living in perfect harmony. This century, which ends at the end of the First
World War with the collapse of the empires and the foundation of the
nation-states, is also a watershed in this process of cohabitation. How was it
possible at that time to unify peoples apparently so dissimilar? Which
religious, socio-political and cultural factors produced such cohesion? Is it
not possible to transmit a model like this into our days where the religious
and ethnical differences tend to become factors for conflicts? This paper
proposes to find some answers to these questions.
Organized panel, French
Adogame, Afe Unuose
University of Bayreuth, Germany
Why Worry When You Can Pray to Daddy? African
Churches on Spiritual Warpath in Germany(01T)
African religious communities have become one
of the viable players in the reshaping of German religious landscapes. One of
their main ritual preoccupations is prayer and deliverance. One recurring
feature in member's narratives is the identification of the host geo-cultural
space as a new "spiritual war zone" and "Satan's
stronghold". Using the example of the Redeemed Christian Church of God
(RCCG), the paper discusses member's enactment of prayer as spiritual warfare
in their pursuit of "the good things of life" and in the battle for
the spiritual regeneration (remissionization process) of the public sphere. It
examines the prevalence of the "Daddy figure" in their prayer
ritualism, an appropriation which both underscores the epistemology and
symbolism of spiritual power and charismatic leadership. It contends that
ritual strategies and sensibilities are not necessarily evanescent and
short-lived among migrants who live in diaspora. Rather, ritual attitudes may
be largely enhanced and transformed by realities which confront immigrants in
the new context.
Organized panel, English
Afolayan, Funso Stephen
University of New Hampshire, Durham, USA
For God and the Nation: Religion and
Ethno-Political Violence in Modern Nigeria, 1985-2004(12S)
In the last two decades, Nigeria has witnessed
an unprecedented rise in the spate of ethnic and religious violence that had
resulted in the deaths of thousands of people, the burning of scores of
churches and dozens of mosques, while weakening the nation's democratic
institutions, providing excuses for military interventions, and threatening
Nigeria's continued existence as a united entity. Using oral and written
sources, this paper examines the nature and causes of ethno-sectarian violence
in Nigeria. Key issues to be explored include: the connections between
religious politics and secular ideologies; the varying roles of the state,
religious organizations, ethnic associations, local and international
fundamentalist groups, the media, and of civil society, in the generation or
otherwise of political violence in Nigeria. Finally, the paper offers
suggestions on the way out of this quagmire of violence and instability,
without which the unity, progress, and survival of Nigeria will be irreparably
imperiled.
Organized panel, English
Afolayan, Funso Stephen
University of New Hampshire, Durham, USA
Religious Dimensions of War and Peace(12S)
*chairperson
Organized panel
Ahearn, David
LaGrange College, Japan
Globalization, American Religious Identity, and
the 'Theology of Japan'(04A)
Globalization confronts the contemporary world
with two profound challenges: first, constructing effective institutions that
facilitate meaningful participation from the widest diversity of participants;
second, fending off attempts to subject the new world order to hegemonic
control. In its attempt to reflect theologically on the problems of pluralism
and nationalism, the "Theology of Japan" maps out a useful agenda for
Western theology. Contemporary Americans particularly are having problems squaring
the realities of the new pluralism with U.S. historical self-identity as a
Christian nation. Like other historically-covenantal societies (e.g., Israel,
South Africa), Americans have tended to ground their national unity in a common
allegiance "under God", and thus views divergent religious identities
as outsiders or even threats. American theologians, too, have not yet given
sufficient critique to a resurgent religious-based nationalism, which
undermines its ability to participate creatively in the new globalized world.
Organized panel
Ahn, Shin
University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
What is Religion Doing in War?: Christianity
and Asian Religions in Early 20th Century Korea - The Case of Yun
Chi-ho(1865-1945)(16V)
Yun Chi-ho (1865-1945) was one of the first
Korean Christians to reform Korean society through ecumenical and educational
works. After Yun studied in Japan, China and the USA, he attended the World
Parliament of Religions of 1893 in Chicago, for he recognized the importance of
inter-religious dialogue and comparative studies of religions. He emphasized
differences more than similarities among religions and accepted both Confucian
ancestor rituals and the national Shinto shrine as acts of ancestor reverence.
As the only Korean representative, Yun criticized Western missionaries at the
Edinburgh World Missionary Conference of 1910 in that they had overlooked the
native people's perspective in Korea. In the paper I will explore how Yun
understood Christianity and Asian religions in his context by analyzing his
extensive diaries full of religious reflections on war, mission, and dialogue.
Organized panel, English
Akahori, Masayuki
Sophia University, Japan
Sufism: A Perspective for Peace and
Coexistence(02O)
*respondent
Organized panel
Akbik, Farouk
Sheikh Ahmad Kuftaro Foundation, Syria
Basic Doctrines of Nakshbandi School(03H)
In Islam 'sufism' comes from either suf in
Arabic which means 'wool', denoting the coarse and rough clothes sufists used
to put on as a sign of their rejection of the pleasures of this world; or it
comes from safa in Arabic, which means 'purity', denoting the strife of Sufists
to reach purification of the heart. In fact both meanings apply to these people
who believe the core of human beings is their own heart, which should be
cleansed from all dirts and spiritual diseases. In their training, some Sufists
seclude themselves from others and remain under the care, observation and
instructions of their spiritual masters. These masters devise different ways
for their aspirants to be able to remember God at all times. Once the aspirants
are given permission to go out to the world, they go to help others in various
ways. Some roam the world living almost on nothing , to the extent that some of
them have become famous with people flocking to them to be blessed with their
company and benefit from their wisdom. Since materialism has not been able to
quench man's thirst for true knowledge and happiness, there is a tendency in
today's world to look for such saintly masters. They are spiritual protectors
and pioneers for a better and more peaceful world.
Organized panel
Akhir, Noor Shakirah Mat
Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
The Spiritual Dynamic Elements In al-Ghazali's
Theory of Soul(03O)
This paper will address matters relating to the
dynamic aspects of al-Ghazali's theory of soul, particularly what is meant by
spiritual dynamic; that is, what can be inferred from al-Ghazali's teachings
regarding the spiritual development of the individual. This paper will discuss
how al-Ghazali's teachings can help this inner development, and show that
al-Ghazali's teachings can have counseling and motivating function. Al-Ghazali
urges the necessity of contemplating one's existence and attributes, the
purpose of this life and what is to come after this life ends. The relationship
between al-Ghazali's theory of soul and his theory of knowledge also will be
discussed. Thus, the discussion will also show the importance of knowledge to
one's inner development.
Organized panel, English
Akiba, Yutaka
Osaka Women's University, Japan
"Kenyu-Ichinyo" ? Happiness in This
World and the Next According to the Concept of Salvation in the Teachings of
Shinnyo-en(01D)
Shinnyo-en is one of the most active religious
groups in Japan. It expanded rapidly in the 1970s and 1980s and continues to
grow steadily. The teachings of Shinnyo-en are based on the final teachings of
the Buddha as expressed in the Nirvana Sutra. Shinnyo-en has a unique form of
spiritual training, called "sesshin." Sesshin training requires a
spiritual medium, called a "reinosha." The medium works as a
spiritual mirror through which sesshin trainees can objectively observe their
inner side and their shortcomings. The medium gives the sesshin trainee
"reigen" (words and phrases from the spiritual world) through which
they recognize the nature of their lives. Sesshin training is considered one of
the best opportunities for the Shinnyo-en follower to receive mystical powers.
Shinnyo-en teachings are based on a unique concept of salvation called
"kenyu-ichinyo." The term refers to the unity of the visible and
invisible worlds. Salvation transcends spiritual boundaries and is reflected in
both, the physical and spiritual realms.
Symposium, Japanese
Akita, Takahiro
Rissho University, Japan
The Possibility of Viewing Religion as
Culture(08V)
To comprehend culture--that which prerequisites
historical relics and cultural artifacts--in a broad and fair manner, a concept
which subsumes religion may be productive. When one pursues the historical
development of differing cultures from such a concept, a common human
denominator becomes apparent. It is possible to examine the process of change
in which this common element serves as a factor in assimilating differing
cultural aspects or maintaining their unique cultural diversity. It may be
assumed that religion, in any cultural context, serves the vital role of an
initial prompting device. In re-examining religion from a cultural perspective,
notions of "basic human similarities" or "fundamental cultural
necessities" may be discovered; thus, furthering our understanding of
cultural relativity, as well as advancing the creation of a new global perspective
to address the co-existence of varying religions.
Organized panel, Japanese
Akitomi, Katsuya
Kyoto Institute of Technology, Japan
How Does "Nature" Matter to
Philosophy of Religion in the Age of Science and Technology?(08Q)
In his work, "The Imperative of
Responsibility" H. Jonas' asserts that in the world at present, the
unprecedented development of modern technology threatens mankind. He provides a
key insight into the relation between technology and nature, namely that nature's
demise before technology spreads into human nature itself, thereby exposing the
vulnerability of nature at a global scale. In my report I will examine the
relation indicated in Jonas' book, and pursue the metaphysical, that is, the
religious background that his above-mentioned understanding involves. Further
considering how the understanding of nature can possibly relate to a
metaphysical or religious view of the world, I will single out the problem of
philosophy of religious view of the world, I will single out the problem of
philosophy of religion in an age of science and technology, from the aspect of
our relation to nature.
Symposium, Japanese
Akram, Ejaz
American University in Cairo, Egypt
Muslims and Human Rights in Europe(06W)
*respondent
Organized panel, English
Akrong, A. Abraham
University of Ghana, Ghana
The Discourse of Human Rights in the Context of
Ghanaian Traditional Religious Values and Norms(14L)
The purpose of the paper is to interrogate the
dominant contemporary view of human rights from the perspective of traditional
Ghanaian cultural norms and values that have shaped our appropriation and
understanding of the concept of human rights. The main argument of the paper is
that although contemporary view of human rights is regarded as international
and universal, local cultural norms and religious values of personhood,
community, collective and individual rights do affect the meaning of human
rights in a local context and its integration into local traditions of human
rights discourse. The paper highlights the areas of conflicts between the
traditional view of collective right and the contemporary international view of
individual rights and how this may affect the building of indigenous tradition
of human rights in Ghana. The paper suggests principle and bridge-building
structures that may help the integration of fundamental human rights into
traditional values of collective rights of society based on principles that
will improve the quality of human life. The paper argues that these principals
will help us to see both collective rights of society and individual right as
complementary poles of dealing with the subject of the improvement of the
quality of human existence.
Organized panel
Alberts, Wanda
University of Marburg, Germany
The Representation of Religious in European
Integrative Religious Education(16C)
Integrative or multireligious religious
education in state schools is one important aspect of the representation of
religions in the public sphere. The way religions are represented in religious
education has had a considerable impact on children's views on different
religions. It is therefore also potentially influential in the negotiation of
conflict and peace with respect to religions and world-views. The challenge of
this subject is to find a way of presenting the different religions from a
non-religious point of view and to avoid misrepresentation as far as this is
possible. In this paper, I outline the way religions are presented in different
current approaches to integrative religious education in Europe. I expose
problems of misrepresentation, and suggest an overall framework for a
representation of religions in integrative religious education that is in line
with basic insights from the academic study of religions.
Organized panel, English
Alberts, Wanda
University of Marburg, Germany
The Representation of Religions and the
Negotiation of Conflict and Peace(16C)
The discourse on different religious traditions
has a considerable influence on the negotiation of conflict and peace at
different levels of our global society. Representations of religions play an
important role in the mediation and negotiation of conflicts, but also in the
intensification of crises. This panel investigates the representation and
misrepresentation of religions in different spheres of societal life with a
focus on education, the interplay between institutionalized religions and other
forms of religion in contemporary societies, and conceptions of different
religions in various contexts. Our analyses are set in a comparative framework
with an emphasis on Japan and Europe and attempt to explore subtle and evasive
ramifications of religion and culture. We would like to reconsider the
discipline of Religious Studies in the light of these issues and explore its
potential and responsibility in the negotiation of conflict and peace.
Organized panel, * Session Abstract, English
Alla, Zaluzhna
Ukrainian State University of Water Management
and Natural Resources Application, Ukraine
Phenomenon of Holiness in Ukrainian Orthodox
Tradition(17Q)
As an influential legacy of medieval culture,
old Kyiv hagiography, with its strong national coloring, has been an enduring
presence in the history of the Ukrainian people. The saints represent the
finest example and highest attainment of the people. They embody the peoples'
spiritual aspirations and moral ideals. Holiness was not only recognized as a
spiritual value in Ukrainian tradition, it was raised to the high stage of
social hierarchy when material aspects, especially private property, gained
axiological weight. The image of the saint was a formative influence upon the
whole language of sacred symbolism in Ukrainian culture, not only during the
medieval era, but also in the most difficult periods of Ukrainian history.
Holiness represents the incarnation of the moral foundation of Ukrainian
culture. Likewise, holiness refers to the cultural and symbolic phenomenon that
lies beyond the mundane and which repairs the mundane through the expiation of
sins and transcendence of everyday life. Modern investigations of Ukrainian
hagiography overlook this aspect of the saint as ethical hero. The influence of
the saint's biography on personal moral development and the culture as a whole
remains significant in Ukrainian national consciousness.
Organized panel
Alla, Zaluzhna
Ukrainian State University of Water Management
and Natural Resources Application, Ukraine
Historical and Political Studies of Religion in
Russia(17Q)
*chairperson
Organized panel
Allahyari, Rebecca A.
School of American Research, USA
Homeschooling Politics: Schooling Alone for the
Social Good?(02I)
My ethnographic study, tentatively called
Utopian Devotions, explores the worldviews of Anglo, Hispanic, Native American,
and African-American homeschoolers who invoke "the sacred" in their
daily practices and longer term aspirations. Two years of fieldwork have
revealed a remarkable degree of "reflexive spirituality" (Roof 1999)
among parents and children engaged in homeschooling education. What I have
heard in interviews suggests that for many homeschooling is an on the ground,
experimental utopian practice interwoven with the urgency of visions of sacred
childhoods and the constraints of mundane life. While homeschooling might seem
at first glance as an another instance of the phenomenon of "bowling
alone" (Putnam 1995), many homeschoolers, although perhaps "schooling
alone," structure their homeschooling to gain the social capital they deem
essential to transform the world around them.
Organized panel, English
Alles, Gregory D.
McDaniel College, USA
I Did Not Want to Write a War Book: Das Heilige
in Context(02K)
Rudolf Otto always remained committed to
fostering the well-being of the German nation. He also remained committed to
the idea that theology, and later the study of religions, had a major role to
play in furthering that well-being. But as circumstances changed this idea went
through several variations: the insistence in the first decade of the 20th
century that cultivating Weltanschauung was the key to German national
well-being; the promotion of a cultural colonialism in the years just before
World War I; the organization of a Religioser Menschheitsbund to foster peace
and seek genuine justice for conquered nations after the war; and finally an
ambiguous relation to National Socialism. Otto wrote his most important book,
Das Heilige, during World War I, while a member of the Prussian legislature.
This paper will examine to what extent the war disrupted the union between
Otto's religious thought and his nationalism.
Organized panel
Alles, Gregory D.
McDaniel College, USA
The Cost of Religious Concepts: The Potential
Application of Economics in the Cognitive Study of Religion(15K)
Cognitive scientists differ considerably on the
cost of religious concepts. According to Pascal Boyer these concepts are
moderately costly; that is, they are minimally counterintuitive. According to
Harvey Whitehouse they are quite costly, maximally counterintuitive. But
according to Stewart Guthrie religious concepts are actually preferred because
they are least costly; what many have seen as counterintuitive traits are in
fact quite intuitive. This paper will explore the extent to which we can sort
out this disagreement by applying models from a discipline that is accustomed
to dealing with costs: economics. Such models have already proven useful in the
hands of cognitive psychologists such as John R. Anderson. This argument will
suggest that it is a mistake to try to identify a natural, preferred cost, such
as represented in Boyer's notion of a cognitive optimum, and will formulate the
kinds of tasks that an alternative model needs to perform.
Organized panel
Alles, Gregory D.
McDaniel College, USA
Critiques of Religious Studies from Economics,
Cognitive Science, and Philosophy(15K)
*chairperson
Organized panel
Alvstad, Erik
Goteborg University, Sweden
The Reading of Texts as Protection against
Ominous Dreams: An Apotropaic Ritual in the Rabbinic Culture of Late
Antiquity(04R)
As testified to in the rabbinic literature, the
dream was viewed upon as an ambiguous phenomenon in early rabbinic Judaism.
Usually considered to be of questionable status and value, but as a potential
guide to the future as well as to contemporary issues, the dream was not easily
dismissed. Situated in the intersection between folk belief and
institutionalized religion, between magical practice and scholarly discourse,
the oneiric conceptions and activities constitute what might be termed a
marginal practice in rabbinic Judaism. As such it has potential to elucidate
not only well-known cultural and religious patterns, but it sometimes also
yields more unexpected insights into the culture's beliefs and customs. This
paper will consider one aspect of Jewish dream culture: the ritual reading of
texts with the aim to transform bad dreams into good ones.
Organized panel, English
Amstutz, Galen
Ryukoku University, Japan
Modern Imagining of the "Uniqueness"
of Japanese Buddhism in Japan and in the West(02S)
The dominant 20th century perceptions of
uniqueness in Japanese Buddhism, either in Japan or in the West, are recent
products of selective intellectual hybridization. In Japan, historically, most
Buddhist organizations saw themselves universalistically and in terms of
traditional foreign lineages of authority. Insistence on uniqueness appears
mainly with modernist cultural nationalism after Meiji. Such crossbreeding has
tended to dominate interpretations of Japanese Buddhism but is often
contradictory: for example, Japan's ancient Buddhist art is handled as an
aestheticized phenomenon based on the model of European art appreciation. On
the Western side, various special interest groups have created their own
hybridizations (especially from arts and Zen) in ways shaped by orientalism.
Modern treatment of the Shin school shows the selectivity of these processes.
From a comparativist viewpoint Shin really was a distinctive
"protestant" form of Buddhism. However, Shin's importance has been
minimized in both modern Japanese and Western accounts, which suggests that
neither side has been seriously interested in any true historical uniqueness in
Japanese Buddhism.
Organized panel, English
Anderson, Carol
Kalamazoo College, USA
Symbols Worth Fighting For: Religious Conflict
in South Asia(05C)
Organized panel
Ando, Kiyoshi
Toyo University, Japan
Religious Activity and Psychological Health: a
Preliminary Survey(02M)
There have been some controversies regarding
religion's link to physical and mental health. In the present study, 260
members of Reiyukai completed a questionnaire including a GHQ (General Health
Questionnaire), psychological scales (measures of group identity, world
assumptions, locus of control, etc.), and several items that tapped their
religious activities. Preliminary analyses indicated that the psychological
health of the members was related to age, living standard, and belief in the
instrumentality of the religious activity. Furthermore, the members had a
tendency to believe in "benevolence of world" and
"meaningfulness of world" (Janoff-Bulman, 1985). A main point of
discussion is that belief in the instrumentality of the religious activity may
enhance the motivation to engage in virtuous behaviors (showing forgiveness,
expressing gratitude, etc.) in daily life, which reciprocally reinforce belief.
This process might lead to better psychological health via the resolution of
intra and inter-personal difficulties.
Organized panel, English
Ando, Yasunori
Tottori University, Japan
Doi Takeo and His Amae Theory : Psychotherapy,
human values, and beliefs(04U)
Doi Takeo is a famous psychoanalyst in Japan,
and his book Amae no Kouzou (1971) has been widely read and discussed. His Amae
theory is an original Japanese psychoanalytic theory. It attempts to both
elucidate the Japanese mentality and human relationships and to reconsider the
cultural background of the concepts of classical (western) psychoanalysis. Doi
himself is a Catholic believer, and his spiritual crisis in post-war Japan is a
typical model of creative illness. Through the process of integrating his
Catholic faith, the national problem of spiritual recovery in post-war Japan
and psychoanalysis as a new science, his Amae theory had gradually been formed.
As a result, the theory is an original psycho-religious theory that gives us a
profound insight into the relationship between psychoanalysis (or
psychotherapy) and human values, especially in religion.
Organized panel, Japanese
Andre, Joao Maria
University of Coimbra, Portugal
Toleranz, Interkultureller Dialog und
Globalisierung: Die Aktualitaet des Nikolaus von Kues(04N)
Organized panel
Andrews, Dale Kenneth
Tohoku University, Japan
The Sociological Aspect of Tatari (Curse) in
Rural Japan(13P)
In present day rural Japan there exists ample
evidence to suggest that people still adhere to a worldview in which the belief
in tatari (curses) maintains significant meaning and familiarity. Based upon
four years of fieldwork conducted in an agricultural village in Northern Japan,
I propose that not unlike many cultural phenomena tatari demonstrates notable
variation. On occasion, embedded within the dramatic religious context of
tatari itself, a sociological aspect can be denoted that reflects the tensions
found within the community. Through tatari the underlying social conflicts of
the village, which are rooted in the doctrines of status and authority, are
made manifest symbolically. Although tatari references fractured relations held
with the supernatural, it may be observed that tatari is sometimes perceived by
the villagers as relating a social disparity in the traditional social
positions attached to houses (families) and individuals.
Organized panel, English
Aneer, Gudmar
Power Structures, Identity and Fear in
Processes of Religious Dialogue(15P)
Akbar the great Mogul in 16th century India let
Shiis and then Hindus, Christians and people of other religions take part in
religious discussions in the House of Worship where formerly only Sunnis were
allowed. The Sunnis strictly following imitation (taqlid) felt that they were
loosing their position in the power structure of the country. They were
uncertain in their identity since the former borderlines towards other people
were gradually abandoned and they feared that they would suffer the penalty for
deviating from right religion. A Rabbi, an Imam and a Christian Pastor started
a group of religious dialogue in Gothenburg Sweden some years ago. Especially
the first two people were criticised we may assume for betraying their own
religion by socialising with the enemy. The Imam was gradually marginalised by
other Muslims who thus maintained their identity by keeping up the border lines
against the Jews. Fear of loosing identity and power prevailed and the group
was dissolved.
Organized panel, English
Annaka, Naofumi
Rissho University Faculty of Buddhist Studies,
Japan
Problems on the Development of Lotus Sutra
Buddhism in Modern Japan and World Peace(09M)
Buddhist orders, including that of Nichiren
Buddhism, took some roles in Japanese expansionist policy which started at the
beginning of Meiji Period. Though the tendency continued until the end of the
World War II in the case of Nichiren Buddhism, too much attention seems to have
been given to it. Of course, we cannot deny that the activities of Tanaka
Chigaku, who is said to have provided philosophical basis to the radical
right-wing activists by his Nichiren Shugi (Nichirenism), and Honda Nissho, who
contributed to spreading of Nichirenism and Social Education, gave great
impacts on the society. However, the activities of those who attempted to
realize peace through the thought of Lotus Sutra and Nichiren in contemporary
Japan have not been properly appreciated. We intend to consider the problem of
'Peace' and modern Lotus Sutra Buddhism by examining the cases of such
religious activists.
Roundtable session, Japanese
Antes, Peter
Universitaet Hannover, Germany
Islam in a Globalizing World(01O)
*chairperson
Organized panel
Antes, Peter
(02D)
Organized panel
Anttonen, Veikko Kalevi
The University of Turku, Finland
Space, Body, and the Notion of Boundary: A
Category-Theoretical Approach to the Issue of Sacrality(13F)
The paper explores the issue of sacrality from
the point of view of cognitive semantics, developed within the fields of
cognitive psychology and linguistics, to explain the principles of human
categorization. I will argue in support of the view that the notion of
sacrality, expressed and transmitted in various genres of oral tradition and in
written documents of a religious tradition, can be approached and explained on
the basis of social and cognitive constraints that structure human thinking and
behavior in general and various forms of religious representations in
particular. In my theoretical vantage point that I call "the conceptual
semantics of religion", space and body are seen as fundamental structuring
factors, which give rise to various forms of cultural and religious symbolism.
Places and sites set apart as 'sacred' are not only locations of power and
prestige, but also mnemonic devices through which strategically important
information can be mediated. They trigger forms of belief and behavior,
especially rituals, that contribute in maintaining and generating such highly
charged notions as faith, conviction and commitment.
Organized panel, English
Anuj, B.
SGM College, India
Snake Festival - A Cultural Identity in Tribes
of Jhahkhand(17S)
Jharkhand is a tribal populated state of India.
Numerous kinds of tribe live in the area and all have their distinctive social,
cultural and religious life style. Anthropologists, sociologists and social
scientists from the whole would concentrate to this area and promote research
works on the various ethnic groups residing in this most conspicuous part.
Tribes believe in various god and goddesses. They adopt specific worship
styles. In my paper, an attempt is being made to project a specific cultural
and religious identity of Tribes which is known as "Mansa" or
"Snake worship". Snake worship is held in the month of August or
September every year. Hindu tribes of Jharkhand worship lord Shiva. In Hindu
mythology, god Shiva is portrayed having three snakes round his neck. During
snake worship festival for tribes the ritual is conducted by Sokha. He brings
the snake from the forest and plays with it before the crowd gathered round
him. The snake is given some milk to drink. Some women observe three or four
days fast during the worship. The whole village contributes towards the
expenses. The snake worship festival has not only a religious significant
rather social implications also. The paper will focus the social-religious and
cultural implications of snake worship festival prevalent among the tribes of
Jharkhand.
Organized panel, English
Aoki, Takeshi
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science,
Japan
When They Turn East, Zoroastrians in Far East
(AD400-1992)(*co-author with Yan, Kejia)(01P)
We will clearify five things: (1)the route the
Zoroastians went eastward; (2)the story as a whole and the periods of the
Zoroastrians in Chine; (3)ethnic analysis (Persians and Parsis); (4)some
sociological features (Especially the Parsi diaspora) (5)Zoroastrians in Japan
Organized panel, English
Aono, Tashio
Seinan Gakuin University, Japan
Christian Belief and Violent Conflict(11N)
The main cause of violent conflicts seen
repeatedly in the history of Christianity has almost always been caused by the
exclusive Christian belief that the absolute salvation of humankind is possible
only through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If the absolute,
exclusive nature of this Christian belief is to be relativized, the attitude of
Christians who strive to solve religious conflicts will surely have to
drastically change. My thesis argues that the beginning steps in the process of
this relativization can be found in Jesus himself, and in Paul. As a New
Testament scholar, I would like to point out these initial stages, through
Biblical exegesis, and reflect on how we can integrate them in our own
approaches to establish peace among ourselves.
Organized panel, English
Apilado, Digna Balangue
University of the Philippines, Diliman,
Philippines
A Historical Interpretation: Pre-Christian
Beliefs and Practices Among Catholic Ilocanos(14E)
The Ilocanos are the dominant ethnic group in
the region of Northwest Luzon who are known for their religiosity and intense
devotion to the Roman Catholic religion. Despite their christianization, there
are many pre-Christian practices still followed by the Ilocano people. This
paper will identify specific pre-Christian practices, and will present two
possible historical explanations for the persistence of such customs. The first
is the historical role of the Roman Catholic religion as the prescribed
orthodoxy of the Spanish colonial state. Many aspects in the daily life of the
people remained outside the purvey of the clergy, and thus many practices that
are non-Christian in origin continued as before. The combined beliefs and
practices were an expression of the world view of the Ilocanos. The second possible
explanation is that the Catholic clergy, and the Church itself, have always
been tolerant of deviations from the orthodox teachings. So long as the
deviations do not assume forms that would challenge the status quo,
pre-Christian and unorthodox practices are allowed and even accepted as part of
the total belief system of the people.
Organized panel, English
Apple Arai, Shinobu
Institute of Oriental Philosophy, Canada
The System of Empowerment for Ordinary
Individuals in Tiantai Zhiyi's Liumiao famen(03M)
The thought of the Latter Days of the Law was
engendered through the event of persecution of Buddhism in Northern Zhou. This
persecution is one form of a critical response against a monk-based recluse
form of Buddhism. Daijo Tokiwa reads this persecution within the context of a
current of thought that calls for "Mahayana Bodhisattva Buddhism" to
be accessible to anyone, regardless of one's socio-religious status. Along
these lines, this paper focuses upon the "empowerment for ordinary
individuals" depicted in the Liumiao famen by Zhiyi (538-597). In this
text, which was taught at the request of a lay follower, Zhiyi outlines for
ordinary individuals seeking the Buddhist path practical methods of cultivation
that enable them to become bodhisattvas. The empowerment for ordinary
individuals discussed in the Liumiao famen serves as an exemplum to these
cultural concerns and a response to the current of thought passing through the
6th century in China.
Organized panel, English
Apple Arai, Shinobu
Institute of Oriental Philosophy, Canada
Religions, Power-Relations, and Human
Flourishing at the Crossroad of Violence and Respect: Daisaku Ikeda's
Interpretation of Nichiren's Doctrine(16P)
Truth claims in religious discourse inevitably
contain power-relations between "self" and "others," and,
when applied to the everyday world, the relations often generate forms of
violence that tend to one-sidedly stipulate and/or condition
"others." This presentation examines Daisaku Ikeda's interpretation
of Nichiren's doctrine, "the three meanings of Myo," which claims the
ultimate supremacy of the Lotus Sutra over any other teachings. The paper also
demonstrates that his interpretation is a translation of the truth claim in
religious discourse into the claim of human flourishing - character of humanity
- in ethical discourse. Analysis of the nature of power-relations in both
discourses will find that Ikeda's translation into human flourishing allows the
power-relations of ethical discourse to generate forms of respect when the
relations are applied into the everyday world. Finally, this paper discusses
that Ikeda's endeavor of the translation can serve as a work that lays a
foundation of dialogue among people who vary in religious tradition (among
other things).
Organized panel, English
Apple, James B.
University of Alberta, Canada
Analytic Parallels between Buddhist
Philosophical Thought and Socio-rhetorical Approaches to the Study of
Religion(05K)
The history of the history of religions has in
general provided two approaches to the academic study of religion: an
essentialist approach, carrying underlying theological presumptions, and a
socio-rhetorical approach incorporating post-modern critical techniques. This
paper examines parallels between classical Indian Buddhist analytical
procedures and socio-rhetorical approaches to the study of religion. Classical
Indian Buddhist philosophy developed a wide range of second order analytical
procedures for investigating categories within language and epistemology,
including the examination of definition along with reasoned analysis for
deconstructing "substantialist" ontological presumptions. The paper
juxtaposes these Buddhist philosophical investigative procedures with
socio-rhetorical approaches to defining "religion" and the categories
of essentialist/functionalist. The paper then re-describes these issues in the
framework of classical Buddhist reasoned analysis and provides a reinterpretation
of studying religion from the perspective of a "sliding scale" of
analysis where varying levels of essentialist assumptions may be provisionally
accepted according to a pragmatic socio-cultural context of application.
Organized panel, English
Arai, Kazuhiro
Kyoto University, Japan
Innovation in Organization and Expression of
Religious Emotion in a Sufi Order ? with Special Reference to the Jazuliya
Shadhiliya in Contemporary Egypt(03O)
Jazuliya Shadhiliya is a new Sufi Order born
out of contemporary urban Egyptian society. The group was mainly shaped by
changes that had occurred in the everyday lives of the middle classes of Cairo.
A key feature of this order is the efficient system of division-of-labor
according to which a Shaykh is found in the position of leader and the members
are divided up into sub-groups distinguished by differently colored hats
signifying the different roles and functions of these sub-groups. In light of
the modern nature of the administration and organization of this group, it also
has to be mentioned that they still condone and encourage the expression of
emotions and aggressive physical movements characteristic of ecstatic states
that have come to be generally criticized among modern Muslim intellectuals.
Although such an emphasis on the expression of emotion can be commonly seen in
traditional Sufi orders, modernization-oriented orders tend to highly regulate
or restrain above-mentioned activities. Therefore, I want to investigate how
this particular movement balances these two aspects (the emotional and
intellectual) in order to shed light on newly emerging modern Sufi orders.
Organized panel, English
Arai, Masami
Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Japan
Images of the West in Ottoman-Turkish
Discourses(10O)
Since the founding of the Ottoman Empire,
Turkey has constituted a part of Europe from various aspects. In the face of
Turkish invasion, Gregorios Palamas, a Greek archbishop of fourteenth century
Salonica, wrote with surprise that Turks did not see a big difference between
Islam and Christianity, I.e., monotheistic religions, saying that the time
would come when "we" would all agree. As a result of this attitude,
there existed many Christian ruling elite in the Ottoman Empire in spite of its
Islamic origins. Hence, the boundary between Islamic and Christian domains was,
in the eyes of the Ottomans, not clearly perceptible. In such an empire, the
reform movement inevitably emerged as an effort to execute the innovation
achieved in the western part of the same world where they lived. Thereby the
West could easily be set as the goal they should reach, whereas the reform was
carefully shown as an Islamic one.
Organized panel, English
Arai, Toshikazu
Soai University, Japan
The View of Life and Bio-Ethics in Pure Land
Buddhism(02J)
Pure Land Buddhism is founded on the belief
that our life transmigrates from one state of existence to another and that we
can be liberated from the pains of birth and death by relying on Amida Buddha's
Primal Vow. The driving force of transmigration is our action (karma), which in
turn is caused by our innate blind passions. This implies that all human
actions are by nature evil because they are motivated to satisfy human needs.
The corollary of this view is that any advanced technologies in our
civilization are evil because they are founded on immense sacrifice of life.
However, it is also true that we cannot live outside civilization even though
it was created by our blind passions. We need to examine each case of
technological endeavor with the thought that all living beings are interrelated
and that they all wish to shun pain.
Organized panel, English
Arakawa, Toshihiko
Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Japan
The Method of Understanding in Max Weber's
Sociology of Religion(05V)
At the beginning of Max Weber's "Religious
Groups (The Sociology of Religion)" in Economy and Society, Weber says,
"The essence of religion is not even our concern, as we make it our task
to study the conditions and effects of a particular type of community
action." This phrase is well known simply as Weber's empirical attitude to
the problem of origin or essence of religion, but its methodological meaning
has been given little attention. The latest studies on the genesis of the texts
in Economy and Society, however, have brought to light that the treatise
"on Some Categories of Interpretative Sociology", which was published
in 1913 separately in the journal Logos, is the indispensable conceptual introduction
to the substantial chapters, and the concept of community
action(Gemeinschaftshandeln) is the most important one in this treatise. Thus,
the "Religious Groups" needs to be reinvestigated from the view of
interpretative (understanding) sociology.
Organized panel, English
Araki, Michio
Kokushikan University, Japan
The Problem of Contact and Transculturation in
the Formation of Modern Japan(01F)
The understanding of religious phenomena as the
central task of History of Religions is now more urgent in the midst of the
crisis of the Twenty-first Century. What urges us now to engage in a
hermeneutics of contact situation began at the age of the Great Navigations,
which brought different cultures and religions of the world into radically new
hermeneutical situations. The history thereafter brought about the global
situation of colonialism, imperialism and all sorts of exploitation/alienation
and the formation of the West/Non-West, from which popular religion emerged to
overcome these crises. The whole development of world history involved contacts
in every phase of its process, and the concepts and categories produced during
this process, including those of religions, must be reassessed on the basis of
the hermeneutics of "contact situations." We will discuss a whole
range of hermeneutical problems of religion(s) dealing with each specific
historical experience involved in the "contact situations."
Organized panel, * Session Abstract, English
Araki, Michio
Kokushikan University, Japan
The Problem of Contact and Transculturation in
the Formation of Modern Japan(01F)
It is often pointed out that various elements
of modernity had been developing within the feudal society of Tokugawa Japan.
But the meaning of modernity changed completely when naval forces of Western
powers haunted Japanese coasts and a team of samurai visited Shanghai during
the Opium War to discover Western colonialism developing all over the world.
All-out efforts of the new nation-state of Japan to introduce Western systems
and institutions in Japan under the motto of "Japanese spirit and western
technology" to be even with Western nations, however, resulted in the
erosion of indigenous traditions. This presentation deals with the meaning of
transculturation, focusing on the aspects of religious life of fast-changing
modern Japanese society.
Organized panel, English
Araki, Michio
Kokushikan University, Japan
Conquests and State Religions in Ancient
Mesoamerica(15R)
*respondent
Organized panel, English
Arap Chepkwony, Adam Kiplangat
Moi University, Kenya
Forgiveness: The Divine Gift of Healing and
Reconciliation(15E)
The Kalenjin people of Kenya believe that there
is nothing that cannot be forgiven. Individuals are thus admonished to forgive
anyone who asks for forgiveness regardless of the offence. Forgiveness is
perceived as a divine gift that enables individuals to heal, reconcile and
create a peaceful environment. In this paper I shall explore how the Kalenjin
community puts this concept into practice, first by showing how forgiveness
brings peace within the family and then by demonstrating how the community
utilizes the concept of forgiveness to maintain harmony within itself and
amongst its neighbours. Finally, I will discuss how forgiveness becomes the
basis for reconciliation between individuals and members of the community and
the Supreme Being. The paper concludes by suggesting how the Kalenjin concept
of forgiveness can be of value to conflicts experienced in Africa and globally.
Organized panel, English
Arimune, Masako
Osaka University, Japan
The Current State of the Russian Orthodox
Church(05T)
Russia is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious
state, and its religious situation has been made more complex through the
drastic by the changes that have occurred in the structure of the government.
The Russian Orthodox Church was the state religion in pre-Communist times and
it is still the single most influential religious organization in the country.
However, it regards the existence of "alternative" Orthodox Churches
and the activities of Western denominations in Russia as a threat to its existence.
Consequently, the Russian Orthodox Church has shown tendencies of
restorationism, meaning that it seeks to revert back to the traditional
"Orthodox type" of church-state relations, closely cooperating with
the secular government in various spheres. This reactionary tendency can also
bee detected in the arguments regarding internal matters of the Church. Our
panel will discuss the current religious situation in Russia and present its
socio-cultural characteristics in comparison to Japan.
Organized panel, * Session Abstract
Arimune, Masako
Osaka University, Japan
The Problems of Liturgical Language in Russian
Orthodox Church: Tradition and Reform(05T)
This report will focus on the
religious-cultural aspect of the controversy; whether to continue the traditional
"sacred" Church-Slavonic (CS) or to pursue the "modern"
Russification. Russian Orthodox Church has been using CS, which was formed in
order to spread the religion among Slavic peoples. Since the 19th century,
however, difficulty in understanding CS has become a focal point of debate over
"Russification" of the liturgical language inside/outside the Church.
A priest who had started working toward this Russification since 1990s was
prohibited from his activities. The debate became more intense beyond solution.
The selection of (a) liturgical language(s) is an issue that various
traditional denominations face today and the selected language may provide a
yardstick for judging the relation of a denomination and its society.
Therefore, the debate above prepares the way for considering the relation among
the three: the Church, the government and the multi-confessional society of
post-Soviet Russia.
Organized panel
Arinin, Evgeny I.
Vladimir State University, Russia
Students Identification in Modern Russian
Pluralistic Society(05T)
Though 65% of students (2500 respondents)
consider themselves to be 'believers' in some sense, only 9% of them identify
themselves primarily as believers. The Bible is authoritative only for 3%;
priests are authoritative for 2%. These results show a considerable
indefiniteness and instability in their world orientation. They are rather
independent: 45% do not refer themselves to any of the given 'categories', and
73% think that only their own experience is authoritative. One can also clearly
see a religiously constructive approach towards political power: 82% believe
that a president should neither be an atheist or a non-Christian. The rating of
political leaders is very low, with approval at only 1%. 49% support the
equality of all religions general. It's impossible to name this worldview as
'deism' (56%) or 'Christianity' (only 26% believe in Christ's Resurrection),
when 65% say that they are believers.
Organized panel
Arnold, Philip P.
Syracuse University, USA
Iroquois Land Claims and Religious Freedom in
the USA(01F)
The Haudenosaunee (I.e., Iroquois) Thanksgiving
Address (Ohenton Karihwatehkwen) is an oration performed before all gatherings.
It affirms the reciprocal relationships and duties between human beings and
Creation. For the Haudenosaunee a sacred reality is embedded in a living world.
In contrast Americans understand how meaningfully inhabit the world as private
property. Material life is reduced to its monetary value. Over the last several
decades there have been several land claims brought by the Haudenosaunee
Nations in Upstate New York. Controversies between the Haudenosaunee and
"anti-Indian groups" like the Upstate Citizens for Equality (UCE)
over land claims that date back to treaty agreements on the eighteenth-century
reveal unexamined religious dimensions of American culture. Disputes over land
are considered religious issues for the Haudenosaunee and considered economic
or political issues for non-Native Americans. Leaving these matters to the
court does not reveal the cultural issues involved.
Organized panel, English
Arnold, Philip P.
Syracuse University, USA
Women, Religion, and War(03C)
*chairperson
Organized panel, English
Arnold, Philip P.
Syracuse University, USA
(12L)
Roundtable session
Asad, Talal
City University of New York, USA
(02L)
Roundtable session
Asai, Yoshifusa
Aichi Gakuin University, Japan
Zen Buddhism in the U.S.(08F)
Currently, Soto Zen missionary work of
non-Japanese is seeing some success and there are many Euro-American Zen
centers throughout America and Europe. In Japan, sharing the teaching and
ancestral worship of the members was closely linked; hence, a resident
minister's main income came from performing memorial services, rather than
teaching meditation. There were few resident ministers who received monetary
rewards for teaching Zen, although in America, especially in the mainland, the
income of Euro-American Zen centers came from the minister's teaching
meditation. The difference in sharing the teaching reflects the contrasting
spiritual needs of the Japanese and American members. In this speech, I will
examine whether Zen Buddhism in the U.S. still belongs to Japanese culture or
whether it has become a unique part of American culture.
Organized panel, Japanese
Asakawa, Yasuhiro
The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science,
Japan
The Space and Scenery in Pilgrimage: In the
Case of a Japanese Pilgrimage(03P)
This paper discusses how people live in the
pilgrimage space, which is the social space created by pilgrims traveling
there, with a case study of Shikoku Henro (Japanese Folk-religious pilgrimage).
This Japanese pilgrimage has ambivalent images. It is often described as not
only something cheerful, bright and vibrant, but also as dark and suffering.
Why does it happen? First, I review how religious studies have treated
pilgrimages in Japan, and then introduce the model about pilgrimage space made
by a geographer's achievement. Next, I verify the existence of a third
pilgrimage space located outside of both holy places and pilgrimage trails by
examining historical temple registers. Among many pilgrims, especially the poor
ones wandered around the space seeking for the help given by local residents
through local custom called settai. Lastly, I discuss how local residents
recognize and experience the pilgrimage space from the viewpoint of
anthropology.
Symposium, English
Asano, Haruji
Kokugakuin University, Japan
The People Requesting Daoist Rituals and Daoist
Priests(11H)
While the common people are involved in
religious activities within the framework of folk beliefs, they request Daoist
Priests, if necessary, to conduct Daoist rituals for them. Daoist Priests offer
Daoist rituals that people need on request. Daoist Priests play a role in
connecting people and the Daoist tradition. The relationship between Daoist
Priests and their clients described above has diversified the kinds of Daoist
rituals the Priests perform and made formation of Daoist' groups that conduct
rituals flexible. The relationship has also made Daoist Priests conduct Daoist
rituals that partly deviate from traditional ones. I would like to discuss
features of Daoist rituals of Taiwan focusing on the relationship between
clients and Daoist Priests, based on data obtained through fieldwork in Tainan
area in southern Taiwan.
Organized panel, English
Ashina, Sadamichi
Kyoto University, Japan
Tillich and Theology of Peace(13U)
*respondent
Organized panel, Japanese
Ashina, Sadamichi
Kyoto University, Japan
The Religious Situation in East Asia and Social
Justice: Mu-Kyokai Christianity in Japan and South Korea(15I)
From ancient times, religion and society have
exerted many-sided interactions with each other and it is necessary to
understand religions in their social contexts. This point of view also applies
to the religious situation of East Asia. In this panel, we aim to discuss the
religions of East Asia and their relations with social justice (against war,
poverty, discrimination etc.), and focus on the Mu-Kyokai Christianity of Japan
and South Korea as an example. It is because Mu-Kyokai Christianity has
historically been involved in the realization of social justice and can be
considered as a precious and representative example. We especially examine the
UCHIMURA Kanzo, KIM Kyo-Shin, HAM Sock-Hon, and ITO Michiko.
Organized panel, * Session Abstract, Japanese
Asoya, Masahiko
Kokugakuin University, Japan
Scientific Study of Shinto and Theological
Study of Shinto(02A)
It seems to me that there are currently two
types in the study of Shinto; the scientific study of Shinto and the
theological study of Shinto. The following fields are included in the scientific
study of Shinto: (1) history of religion, (2) Japanese history, (3) Japanese
folklore, (4) archeology, (5) Japanese mythology, and (6) history of Japanese
thought. The purpose of the theological study of Shinto is to study Shinto
itself from a theological perspective. Before World War II, almost all scholars
who were engaged in the study of Shinto were believers in Kamigami and
worshiped Tenno (the Emperor). Some recent scholars in the study of Shinto,
however, have tried to criticize Shinto and have taken a critical attitude
toward Tenno. I would like to make a distinction between these two types in the
study of Shinto; the scientific study of Shinto and the theological study of
Shinto.
Organized panel, English
Asoya, Masahiko
Kokugakuin University, Japan
The Development of Shinto in Folk Culture(06P)
Judging from its deep relationship to rice
cultivation, it can be assumed that Shinto emerged during the Yayoi period
during which paddy rice cultivation was first introduced to Japan. In Shinto,
the most important rites are the spring festival, in which prayers are offered
to the kami asking for an abundant harvest, and the autumn festival, in which
gratitude is expressed for successful harvests. Based on this relationship
between rice cultivation and Shinto rites, the way of life in Japan came to be
formulated based on putting one's trust (representing unconscious belief) and
faith (representing conscious belief) in the kami. Even today, the vast
majority of Japanese put their trust into the powers of the kami. I tend to
categorize Shinto shrines (jinja) into two types: (1)Ubusuna-type shrines, and
(2) Kanjou-type shrines. Ubusuna-type shrines are basically communal in
character and their function is to perform the spring and autumn festivals and
to offer prayers for peace in the village. Kanjou-type shrines ? which include
Inari shrines, Hachiman shrines, and Tenmangu shrines ? are shrines
characterized by individual prayer and worship. A syncretism of Shinto and
Buddhist deities is one of the defining feature of this type of shrine. In this
paper, I want to discuss the reason for the development of the Kanjou-type of
Shinto shrines.
Organized panel, English
Atiemo, Abamfo
University of Ghana, Ghana
Punish My Husband But Not so Hard: Religious
and Customary Values and the Legal Approach to Human Rights in Ghana(14L)
Currently Ghana is discussing a "Domestic
Violence Bill." The proliferation of radio stations that use both local
languages and English has helped the discussions to take place at the ordinary
people's level. Individuals and groups have expressed fears about various
aspects of the bill. These fears have generally been related to religious and
customary values about the privacy of the home, conjugal rights and
responsibilities of couples, the upbringing of children and the future of the
institution of marriage itself. With a culture that is largely attached to
customary and religious values and which frowns on litigation, it is no wonder
that the proposed legislation is being viewed with widespread discomfort and
suspicion. This paper examines the religious and customary values underpinning
these fears and suspicions, and explores a possible integrative approach that
combines traditional and religious understandings of social transformation with
legal approaches that seek to enhance the fortunes of human rights in
contemporary Ghana.
Organized panel
Awazu, Kenta
The Institute of Oriental Philosophy, Japan
Nationalism as Collective Memory(11I)
Nationalism is a modern myth and could be
understood as a certain form of social construction of the collective memory.
War memorials, national cemeteries, and related commemorational ceremonies, at
both the national and local levels, have an important roll for this
construction. This paper introduces the historical development of these kinds
of institutions in Japan and investigates them in terms of their symbols and
forms and tries to understand hybridized nature of nationalism spread among
advanced countries.
Organized panel, English
Aydin, Mehmet
Selcuk University, Divinity Faculty, Turkey
Le Role des Religiones d'Empecher la
Violence(14C)
Les Religions qui existent actuellement on les
possibiltes d'assurer la paix mondials. On peut voir tout ca dans toutes les
religions du Judaisme au Shintoisme. Bien que toutes les relgions offrent ce
qui est necessaire pour etablir la paix mondial pourquoi ne veulent-elles pas
charger de ces responsabilites? Porquoi ne peuvent-elles pas mettre fin au
conflits? La questions essentielle reside dans la reponse de cette questions.
Il faut souligner que les hommes ne connaissent pas sufisamment la religions a
la quelle ils appartiennent les hommes qui ne connaissent ni leur religion ni
celle des autre, ne s'agissent pas par les sentiments religiuex au contraire
ils agissent par des sentiments pragmatiques et par les sentiments d'interet. A
ce sujet les etablissement religieux et les chefs sprittueles portent de
grandes responsabilites. A cet egard, on ne peut pas dire qu'qu'ils
accomplissent ce qui leur incombe. A vrai dire, pour etablir la paix les chefs
spirituelles et les responsabilites doivent avoir conscientce de leur
responsabilites. Malgres toutes sortes de pressions politiques et economiques
il faut que tous les responsables puissent expliquer leurs idees pour assurer
la paix mondiale. Venez donc, informer les notes, et puis les membres des
autres religions. Rependons la tolerance et la solidarite des religions dans le
monde entier. A mon avis, c'est en agissant ainsi que nous pouvons parvenir a
la paix mondiale desiree par nous tous.
Organized panel, French
Azami, Noriaki
Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Japan
The concepts of Samaropa and Apavada in the
Doctrine of the Three Self-natures(14M)
In this paper, I studied the Doctrine of the
Three Self-natures (trisvabhava) in the Philosophy of Consciousness-only, and
focused more particularly on samaropa (sgro'dogs pa v) and apavada (skur pa 'debs pa š¸). In the Doctrine of Consciousness-only, samaropa means 'to see
something in the non-existent' and apavada means 'to take something existing as
non-existent.' According to the Yogacara school, samaropa and apavada are
frequently mentioned in commentaries on emptiness. The Yogacara school stresses
the importance of the fact that these two notions should be used in the
commentaries on the Three Self-natures. This paper examines several
commentaries dealing with the relationship between samaropa and apavada, and
the Three Self-natures in order to better understand this relationship.
Sanskrit originals were used as well as Tibetan and Chinese translations.
Organized panel, French
Azuma, Kentaro
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science,
Japan
Doctrine and Devoutness: A Study of a Catholic
Charismatic Movement in the Province of Capiz, Philippines(09I)
My paper focuses on the activities of a
Catholic charismatic movement named "The Divine Mercy," the largest
religious organization in the province of Capiz, Philippines, in order to show
the paradox of the coexistence of "orthodoxy" and
"heterodoxy" in their activities of "healing" and
"revelation." By emphasizing "orthodoxy" on the one hand
and by persisting in its "heterodoxy" on the other hand, "The
Divine Mercy" continues negotiating with official Catholic doctrine. In
other words, it does not only follow the Catholic Church, but shifts and
reforms the doctrine itself. Here, we have to re-examine the dichotomy of
"orthodoxy/heterodoxy" and to face the believer's
"devoutness" to shed light on their reality.
Organized panel, Japanese
Baba, Norihisa
University of Tokyo, Japan
Some Features in Doctrinal Expressions as Found
Between the Northern Agamas and the Pali Nikayas(05M)
The Northern four Agamas and the first four
Pali Nikayas have commonly been regarded as some of the earliest sources for
the philological study of Buddhism. Despite this tendency, these canons do not
necessarily correspond to one another. For example, the Northern Agamas include
passages that correspond to the Abhidhammas and Pali commentaries
(Atthakathas), but not to those found in the Pali Nikayas. Since the
Abhidhammas and Pali commentaries were composed later than the first four
Nikayas, a comparative study of the Northern Agamas and these Pali texts is key
to revealing new aspects of the history of early Buddhist canons. In this
presentation, by focusing on the doctrinal terms, I will show that some
expressions that occur in the Northern four Agamas correspond to statements
which appear in the Abhidhammas and Pali commentaries rather than those in the
first four Pali Nikayas.
Organized panel, English
Babkova, Maya
Moscow State University, Russia
The Doctrine of Equality of Keizan Zenji and
its Importance for Modern Society(14Q)
Keizan Zenji (1268-1325) was the forth
patriarch of Sotoshu, one of the most famous schools of Zen-Buddhism. His
doctrine of the equality of men and women, as well as of ethnic groups and
races was intended to save all human beings and discover their Buddha nature.
Later, his disciples used this doctrine to deny of any kind of discrimination.
As the problems of human rights, war and peace are very urgent in modern
society, these ideas of Keizan are still important and can be used in the world
movement for life without war. There are some organizations in Japan and Europe
which try to find a solution to these problems. The first section of this paper
examines the works of Keizan and other texts to learn his ideas in detail; the
second section examines the activity of the organizations mentioned above in
accordance with the doctrine of the Sotoshu patriarch.
Organized panel, English
Bachika, Reimon
Bukkyo University, Japan
Future Boundaries and Segregations in the
Religious Sphere: Focusing on Symbolizations and Values(13R)
What are the cultural conditions that tend to
determine segregation among religions? What would facilitate religions to
eliminate mutual distrust and develop affinities in order to be more relevant
to future societies? These are the main questions raised in this paper. They
are discussed from the perspective of Future Studies while focusing on
symbolizations and values, distinct core elements of culture. The paper argues
that every religion may be encouraged to maintain a particular spirituality,
its own symbolic universe and/or ritual community. These aspects of religions
are often engendered by means of symbolizations that are mainly cognitive in
nature. It is these elements that tend to generate difference and segregation.
Contrarily, in order to foster commonality, a precondition for religions to be
collectively relevant to future societies, religions could create a common
outlook on values and the ethical aspects of life. These, though also having
cognitive content, represent evaluation of meaning. The range of evaluation
evidently is much narrower than that of cognition. This, by itself, narrows the
extent to which religions are diverse. In sum, it is the cultural aspects of
the religions that appear to be most suited to discuss mutually admissible segregations
as well as common ground.
Organized panel, English
Baidhawy, Zakiyuddin
Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta, Indonesia
Building Harmony and Peace Through
Multiculturalist Theology Based Religious Education: An Alternative for
Contemporary Indonesia(03D)
Series of inter-ethnic and inter-religious
conflicts and violence in the last decade of Indonesia, had awakened a new
awareness of paradigm-shift in the framework of managing societal diversity.
This awareness reaches over education sphere in which the paradigm of living
together has to be implemented immediately in curricula including Religious
Education. Since the New Order era, Religious Education had been misused by
state in limiting the freedom of religions. In addition, it also presented
itself an exclusive model. In this context, one has to introduce Religious
Education that is more sensitive towards diversity and difference. For this
sake, Religious Education must be based on a multicultural perspective which
gains theological justification. This basis of theological argument is very
important regarding that Indonesian Nation is religious where Muslims are
majority. Based on this perspective, Religious Education for Peace and Harmony
illustrates its characteristics below: implanting the fourth pillar of
education ? how to live together ? in collective consciousness of religious
diversity and difference; encouraging sincere inter-human relation by spirit of
modesty and equality, trust, mutual understanding, and respect to similarities,
differences, and uniqueness; presenting closed relationship and interdependence
in a state of listening each other and tolerance towards different religious
perspectives in one or other issues with open mind; creative in finding better
way out to resolve inter-religious conflict, and creating reconciliation
through forgiveness and non-violence actions.
Organized panel
Bailey, Edward
Center for the Study of Implicit Religion and
Contemporary Spirituality, UK
The Study of Implicit Religion and Contemporary
Spirituality and Its Practical Applications(16J)
As suggested, this contribution begins by
defining the concept of Implicit Religion, describing why it began to be
studied in 1968, and the present situation of its study. It continues by
describing why 'contemporary spirituality' was paired with it in the 1990s, and
what it means. It then considers the 'fit' of each expression within a
tripartite model of the development of human consciousness. It concludes by
re-visiting the original 'mission statement', indicating areas in which the
relevance of the concept is now apparent, and other spheres in which its
applicability still awaits recognition.
Organized panel, English
Baker, Donald
Universith of British Columba, Canada
Daesoon Sasang: A Quintessential Korean
Philosophy(04D)
Though Daesoon Jinri-hoe is one of the newest
religious organizations in Korea, the basic assumptions of Daesoon philosophy
are the same basic beliefs and values which have guided Korean spirituality for
centuries. Its ethical principles reflect the same selfless concern for others
we find at the core of traditional Korean ethics. Its understanding of the
relationship between the mind and the body, and between human beings and gods, reflect
the traditional Korean assumption that those relationships are defined more by
ontological commonality than by ontological differences. Finally, Daesoon
philosophy addresses a religious question which has been at the core of Korean
religious concern from the very beginning. It draws on traditional concepts to
show Koreans how to reconcile their belief in human perfectibility with their
recognition of human moral frailty. In other words, Daesoon sasang provides
Korean answers to the religious questions Koreans ask.
Organized panel, English
Balasubramaniam, Arun
National University of Singapore, Singapore
The Dichotomy Thesis and the Scientific Study
of Religion(13K)
Donald Wiebe argues that there is a dichotomy
in the modes of inquiry within theology between an "insider" approach
involving prior commitment to religious beliefs, often defended by appeal to
faith and revelation, and an "outsider" scientific approach explaining
religious phenomena by appeal to reason and evidence. Since these two modes of
inquiry are incompatible theology is placed in the ironical position of
explaining religion by deploying a mode of inquiry that rejects an appeal to
the faith that generates the phenomena it studies. He recommends that we
surmount this theological schizophrenia by adopting the scientific approach in
academia, and confining the "insider" approach to seminaries. This
paper argues that the "outsider" approach of science cannot ignore
the "insider" approach that produces the phenomena it explains.
Wiebe's dichotomy thesis actually points to a complementarity in the two
approaches that has significant implications for any cognitive science of
religion.
Organized panel, English
Balci, Bayram
IFEA-Institut Francais D'Etudes Anatoliennes
D'Istanbul, Azerbaijan
Between Da'wa and Mission: Turkish Islamic
Movements in the Turkic World (Central Asia and the Caucasus)(04H)
Since Turkic Republics in Central Asia and the
Caucasus became independent, several Islamic movements originating from Turkey
developed missionary activities in this area. Until the collapse of Soviet
Union, they had only spread out of Turkey among the Turkish diasporas in
Europe. The paper will begin by examining the specifics of these movements in
the "motherland" and their charismatic leaders, Sait Nursi, Fethullah
Gulen, Suleyman Tunahan and Osman Nuri Topbas. An investigation of their
respective actions in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and
Azerbaijan will enable us to assess their comparative and relative successes,
and analyse their implementation methods and strategies in Central Asia and the
Caucasus. Our objective is to decode the nature of proselytism in each
movement, and identify the type of Islam they bring in to new believers. Such
interactions between Anatolian Islam and its Eurasian variants will contribute
to a finer understanding of the contemporary Islamic situation in the entire
Turkic world.
Symposium, English
Ballhatchet, Helen Julia
Keio University, Japan
Japan's First Protestant Leaders and the Role
of Women in Japanese Society(04G)
The first Japanese visitors to America in 1860
were shocked by the deference shown to women. In the 1870s, however, the low
status of Japanese women was a subject of concern for experts in Western
learning, and in the 1880s the government allowed elite women a decorative
place in public life in order to improve Japan's image abroad. Meanwhile,
Protestant missionaries and Japan's early Protestant leaders emphasised respect
for women as one of the factors which distinguished Christianity from
traditional Confucian ideals. In fact, women's education and the promotion of
the Christian view of marriage were important aspects of evangelistic activity.
What references did these early leaders make to the position of women in their
sermons and writings? Did they practice what they preached in their private
lives? Did they take a 'Christian' position that was clearly different from
that of non-Christian Japanese who were also influenced by Western ideas?
Organized panel, English
Bathgate, Michael R.
Saint Xavier University, USA
Pure Land Buddhism and Sacred Biography(15M)
The Pure Land movements within East Asian
Buddhism present a rich tradition of sacred biography, narratives as diverse as
they are fundamental to the doctrine, practice and experience of their adherents
throughout history. Founded on the story of a bodhisattva's primordial vow,
Pure Land Buddhism manifests a broad range of biographical traditions, from the
hagiography of founders, saints and saviors to the tales of ordinary people who
succeed in achieving rebirth in Amitabha's Land of Bliss. Addressing the
vicissitudes of individual figures and the genres in which they appear,
panelists will discuss the influence and implications of sacred biography in
the Pure Land tradition. Their presentations will contribute to the scholarly
investigation of these narratives, not simply as popular adjuncts to the
doctrinal formulations of elites, but as a central arena for theoretical
reflection and religious practice within the Pure Land tradition.
Organized panel, * Session Abstract, English
Bathgate, Michael R.
Saint Xavier University, USA
Telling Practices: The Narrative Implications
of Other Power in Shin Buddhist Biography(15M)
Tales of rebirth in Amida's Pure Land provide
an important resource for the study of Pure Land belief and practice. Narrating
the life of faith not only provides models of Pure Land practice; it also
constitutes a religious practice in its own right. By emphasizing not simply
the content of these narratives but their characteristic function(s) as
narrative, this study considers the historical relationship between birth
legends and the development of Pure Land doctrine, especially within the Shin
Buddhist tradition. Comparing the narrative functions of Edo-period myokoninden
with earlier genres of birth legend reveals the continuities in the Pure Land
biographical tradition, as well as the striking impact of Shin Buddhist visions
of the role of faith and practice in Pure Land salvation.
Organized panel, English
Baudy, Dorothea
Zurich University, Switzerland
Forbidden Religion: On the Relationship between
Religious History and Politics(11C)
Recent religiously motivated terrorist attacks
have led to discussions in many countries about banning certain religious groups.
Modern democracies have to solve a specific problem: The guaranteed freedom of
religion is a substantial part of their constitutions. Nevertheless political
decisions have to be made to protect the state. This paper explores the
regulation of religious practice from the vantage point of religious history.
Organized panel, English
Baumann, Martin
University of Lucerne, Switzerland
New and Unfamiliar: Religious Pluralism in
Scenic Lucerne (Switzerland)(03L)
Lucerne lies in the heart of Switzerland,
forming the capital of the canton Lucerne with its 350,000 inhabitants.
Religiously the canton has been dominated by Roman Catholicism since centuries,
forming a strong bastion against Protestant cantons such like nearby Zurich.
During the last two decades, however, processes of immigration, of conversion
to non-Christian religions as well as the leaving of the Catholic Church have
changed the religious landscape. In the shadow of impressive church towers,
which dominate the view of the scenic city, a variety of non-Christian
religions settled and founded new places of faith and veneration. A religious
pluralism with various mosques, Buddhist centers, Hindu temples and further
places of worship grew, hardly noticed by the general public. New and still unfamiliar,
these "new" religions now take steps to get out into the public,
striving for recognition and societal acceptance. The paper presents results of
the research project "Geography of religions of the Canton Lucerne",
describing and analyzing the religious pluralisation of the hitherto
mono-religious canton.
Organized panel, English
Baumann, Martin
University of Lucerne, Switzerland
Tamil Hindu Identity Abroad: Measuring the
Impact of Social Structure and Religiousness on Processes of Incorporation in
Germany(10R)
In recent years, increasing research on Tamil
Hindus and their endeavours to maintain their religious identity in the European
diasporic settings has emerged. Most of these studies are based on qualitative
ethnographic approaches. This paper intends to complement these findings by
presenting a quantitative survey study on Tamil people in Germany. The
presentation will provide statistical data on the extent of religious
orientation and practice of Hindu Tamils in Germany. Next, the paper will
single out factors related to social structure and migration, and show how
these social factors have an influence on religious orientation and practice.
Based on this, the role and significance of religiousness concerning one's life
in the diaspora will be scrutinised, raising the question of an integrative or
disintegrative function of religion in processes of societal incorporation of immigrants.
Organized panel, English
Baumann, Martin
University of Lucerne, Switzerland
Rooting Religions Abroad: Case Studies on Sri
Lankan Hinduism in Europe(10R)
Conflict in Sri Lanka caused the flight of
200,000 Tamil people during the 1980s and 1990s to Europe. The former asylum
seekers initially became immigrants, and subsequently many of them citizens
during their second and third decade of staying in a foreign country, opting to
remain in their chosen town or city in Europe. The majority of the Tamil
population is Hindu, venerating Murugan, Vinayakar, Shiva and a variety of
goddesses. In order to preserve their Hindu identity and to nurture the future
generations into keeping their Hindu practices and faith, this has led to
numerous temples have been established in a short span of time. The panel will
take-stock of this recent and ongoing case to root a religious tradition in a
culturally alien environment, analysing processes of religious reconstruction
and change, competition and negotiations, discourses of self-assurance and
identify maintenance.
Organized panel, * Session Abstract, English
Bauzon, Leslie
University of Tsukuba, Japan
The Impact of Spanish Colonialism on Filipino
Indigenous Religion(01F)
Spain colonized the Philippines for 333 years
from 1565 to 1898. Spanish influence on the Philippines and the Filipino
inhabitants was immediately visible following the imposition of Castilian
colonial sovereignty. The Spaniards transplanted their religious, cultural,
social, economic and political institutions halfway across the world to the
Philippine archipelago. In particular, aside from requiring the indigenous
Filipinos to swear allegiance to the Spanish monarch where before they only had
village chieftains called "datus," the Spaniards imposed the Roman
Catholic Christian religion requiring the local people to worship a new God,
where before they adhered to their primal indigenous religion which reflected
their serious effort to relate to the greater power they believe to be in
control of the natural phenomena happening around them. The imposition of the
Roman Catholic faith upon the Filipino population permanently influenced the
culture and society of the Philippines. This is due to the fact that the Spanish
friars who undertook the immense task of evangelizing the Filipino natives
looked at their missionary work and endeavor as involving more than simple
conversion. By Christianizing the Filipinos, the Spanish Catholic missionaries
were in effect remodelling Filipino culture and society according to the
Hispanic standard. The Spanish authorities congregated the scattered population
into clustered village settlements, paving the way for the emergence of the
present system of politico-territorial organization of villages, towns, and
provinces. At the same time, the compact villages permitted the process
enabling the Church to play a central role in the lives of the people because
it touched every aspect of their existence from birth to growth to marriage to
adulthood to death. This paper will demonstrate how the Filipinos responded to
the imposition of Christianity, leading to the appearance of religious
millenarian movements
Organized panel, English
Bayani, Ali Asghar
Islamic Azad University, Iran
Does Islam Crave for War?(12O)
History of humanity has never been safe from
war and its evil consequences. Sometimes these wars were formed under the name
of religion. In recent years, the possibility of clashes among religions has
been considered in some conferences and scientific meetings. The main questions
which are addressed in this paper include: Are muslims offer conquering the
world and attacking other nations? Is Islam a worldwide threat which endeavors
to annihilate other religions? What is the attitude of Islam toward war?
Organized panel, English
Beard, John Marcus
Syracuse University, USA
Malevolent Destiny of the Captive Maid:
Radegund Reflects on the Thuringian War(03C)
In this paper I will explore the role of war in
the life of the sixth-century queen and saint Radegund of Poitiers. Radegund
was a princess of Thuringia, kidnapped at a young age by Clothar, the warlike
king of the Franks, carried to Gaul, and later forced to marry her captor. In a
poem, Radegund reflects on the aftermath of this war and its repercussions in
her life. I will examine how Radegund's own writings and her hagiography deal
with the violence in her life - both external and within her own marriage - to
show how she was able to establish her own power and to become one of the most
influential women in Merovingian Gaul. Radegund thus shows how medieval women
were able to achieve some degree of power despite the violence in which their
lives were often enmeshed.
Organized panel, English
Beattie, Tina
Roehampton University, UK
Women on Top - The New Missionary
Position?(04H)
This paper critically evaluates the
relationship between religion and women's rights in human rights discourse, in
the context of a rapidly changing global scenario. It considers the rhetoric
and practice of both western campaigners and so-called 'third world' women with
regard to questions of justice, women's rights and international relations in
the context of the role and representation of religion as a significant aspect
of many women's identities, particularly in non-western communities. It asks to
what extent women's rights campaigners might be seen as western proselytisers
whose methods and values mirror those of colonial missionary movements, or if,
on the other hand, there is grassroots support for those who claim to represent
the interests of women worldwide that justifies their methods and priorities,
even although they frequently run into conflict with traditional religious
values and cultural practices.
Symposium, English
Becker, Carl B.
Kyoto University, Japan
A Buddhist View of ES Technology(01J)
The traditional Buddhist world-view would
oppose costly experimental genetic medicine (a) because it caters to cravings
rather than being conducive to enlightenment; (b) because it is a bad use of
limited resources which could relieve or avoid much greater suffering if
devoted to other approaches; (c) because their use could increase unfair
psychological and economic pressures upon potential donors, and create
unrealistic hopes among its purchasers. Under the rubric of "helping"
people, ES technology attempts to enrich its purveyors by preying upon the
cravings of the public.
Organized panel, English
Becker, Carl B.
Kyoto University, Japan
Various Forms of Spirituality in the World
(1)(04B)
*respondent
Symposium
Beckerlegge, Gwilym Trevelyan
The Open University, UK
Responding to Conflict: The Limits of Activism
in the Neo-Vedanta Tradition?(11U)
Swami Vivekananda has been hailed as an
architect of Neo-Hinduism. Although committed to internationalism and social
activism rooted in Vivekananda's Neo-Vedantic ethic, the Ramakrishna Math and
Mission founded by Vivekananda has also inherited his ruling that it should not
involve itself in political activity. This paper will explore the tension this
has created in the movement's responses to war, persecution and human rights
since its creation to the present day. It will also examine a different use of
Vivekananda's ideas by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which has adapted a
Neo-Vedantic ethic of service to realise the aims of its Hindutva ideology. The
controversial nature of Vivekananda's philosophy and achievements will be
explored with reference to a range of scholarly perspectives in order to
clarify the limits he imposed upon direct involvement in areas of conflict, and
to test competing judgements upon the internal coherence of his ideas and
legacy.
Organized panel, English
Beckford, James A.
University of Warwick, UK
The Balance between Difference and Equality:
the Case of Muslim Prisoners Britain and France(06W)
This paper analyzes many of the philosophical,
sociological and policy-oriented debates that concern the growth of religious
and ethnic diversity in Britain and France. Particular attention is given to
the major differences between these two countries' respective responses to
their Muslim minorities. The paper's main argument is that discourses of
difference and equality have followed different trajectories for reasons that
can be traced back to the religious and political history of each country. The
articulation between ideas of difference and equality is thrown into especially
sharp relief by distinctively British and French strategies for managing
religious and ethnic diversity in prison populations. This will be illustrated
by evidence drawn from my recently completed study of Muslim prisoners in
Britain and from Farhad Khosrokhavar's L'Islam dans les Prisons (2004).
Organized panel, English
Beckford, James A.
University of Warwick, UK
Dialogue between Sociologists of Religion in
Japan and Europe(12I)
This paper will analyse some aspects of the
many interchanges that have taken place since the 1970s between Japanese and
European sociologists of religion. Without trying to be an exhaustive account
of all exchanges, my argument will identify some specific features of the
dialogues that have - and have not - occurred. Emphasis will be placed on the
central role of ABE Yoshiya in guiding, facilitating and animating the
interchanges.
Organized panel, English
Beckford, James A.
University of Warwick, UK
Rethinking the Concepts of Religion, Sacred,
and Secular(17J)
*chairperson
Organized panel
Behrend, Heike
Institute of African Studies, 50923 Cologne,
Germany
Satan Crucified: Crusades of the Catholic
Church in Western Uganda, Africa(04H)
The concept of "crusade" and
"holy war" has gained new importance in some regions of Africa (and
not only there). Around 1995 in Western Uganda, a charismatic lay organization
of the Catholic Church started to organize violent "crusades" to
recreate moral order, establish a Christian modernity and fight an internal
enemy that was identified as "pagan", "witch" and
"cannibal". Discussing the connection between religion and violence I
attempt to show that in the crusades local rituals of regeneration and
cleansing merge with the (absolute) claims of Christian monotheism to form a
new radicalized structure of rejection and exclusion.
Symposium, English
Belayche, Nicole
Ecole pratique des Hautes Etudes, France
Images de Paiens et Ideologie Chretienne a
Trazers une Etude de Cas(15T)
The true image of pagan practices in Late
Antiquity is overshadowed and distorted by the range of literary documentation
available. Christian authors, and later legislation as well, have referred to
ritualistic practices as a whole as "magic". The picture they drew
fitted with their conception of polytheism as a gloomy world of impure demons.
It tended therefore to portray Christian identity as built over an opposition
of vera religio vs superstitio and forgery. Close examination of various
attestations does not support this ideological presentation. Bringing together
the Life of Severus Antiochenus by Zachariah scholastikos (in Syriac, circa
515) and contemporary documents (mainly curse tablets) from Syria and Egypt, we
may demonstrate 1) that the variety of pagan rituals remained as broad as
before and 2) that pagans and Christians alike called for "magical"
practices in competitive situations (e.g. festive concours and trials), I.e. as
a means of regulation in social relationships.
Organized panel, French
Beldi de Alcantara, Maria de Lourdes
University of Sao Paulo, Brazil
The Dialogue among Religious Discourses in
Brazil(14O)
The purpose of this panel is to perform an
interdisciplinary analysis of the various religious discourses co-existing
within the Brazilian setting. Using case studies, we will be able to observe
the result of religious dialogue and the symbolic migrations that occur among
religions. Taking as a starting point the presumption that the phenomenon of
religion cannot be entirely explained by isolated analyses, we propose as a
theoretical reference point the concept of hybridism applied by Nestor Canclini
and later by Homi Bhabha, in conjunction with the historical notion of Walter
Benjamim. The latter of these will refer us directly to the question of local
religions and their cultural dynamics. To paraphrase Marc-Auge: culture is not
all about religion, but religion is all about culture. Using this theoretical
framework, we will attempt to reveal the dynamic of religious discourse and its
representation in Brazil.
Organized panel, * Session Abstract, English
Beldi de Alcantara, Maria de Lourdes
University of Sao Paulo, Brazil
The Construction of Pentecostal Discourse among
the Kaiowa(14O)
In this paper I shall conduct an
interdisciplinary analysis of the concepts of ethnicity, tradition and
hybridism through a case study: Pentecostal Discourse on the Dourados Reserve
in the Brazilian State of Mato Grosso do Sul. The Dourados reserve has a strong
connection with the Presbyterian mission which has been there since 1928 and
continues to play a dominant role in the education of indigenous children,
educating generations of Indians, and as the main centralizer of celebrations
on the reserve. Its influence weakened when the Pentecostal churches began to
appear at the end of the 1970s, competing in the symbolic universe market. The
main difference between them lies in the fact that the pastor is no longer a
non-Indian; the Kaiowa have regained the word. It is important to focus on
which symbols migrate and how they construct this cultural dialogue. It is only
through an analysis of this symbolic circulation that we will be able to
understand the influence of the religion.
Organized panel, English
Ben Hadj Salem, Hajer
faculty of letters , sousse, Tunisia
Beyond Herberg: The Abrahamic Model and the
Islamic Foundations of Religious Pluralism in the United States(13O)
"The greatest contribution made by the
United States to global religious life is its demonstrating that, however vast
the pluralism, a vital religious culture can flourish." The US has a
culture of pluralism because it has been the setting for a multitude of
responses to religious diversity. Most of these responses have been in deference
to the need for genuine pluralism. With special emphasis on the American-Muslim
experience after 9/11, the paper will attempt to study the major stages through
which the pluralistic state of mind has evolved in the US. By focusing on how
world religious groups have interpreted and reinterpreted common and
distinctive myths and symbols to give meaning to diversity at different stages
of US history, the paper attempts to answer the following question: has the
post 9/11 atmosphere generated a more positive kind of advocacy for pluralism
as a necessary element in democratic ideology and theistic religion?
Organized panel, English
Benavides, Gustavo
Villanova University, USA
Agency, Magical and Mystical(01K)
The exploration of what constitutes agency is
to be found at the heart of divine representations on the one hand and of
impersonal mystical principles, on the other. In the first case, agency appears
at its most active, involving ultimately omnipotence, whereas in the second,
partly as the result of the paradoxes present in the concept of omnipotence,
agency must be left behind. Intermediate forms are found in magical agency,
whether magical action is attributed to gods or to humans. The presentation
will explore the extreme as well as the intermediate forms in which agency is
imagined. Using magical agency as point of reference, it will be discussed
whether purely sociological explanations of the magic/religion opposition are
justified.
Organized panel, English
Bernard, Rosemarie
Waseda University, Japan
Imperial Jingu: Or Why Ise Jingu Matters to the
Tenno(05P)
Ise Jingu is known as Japan's premier Shinto
shrine. Home to the mythological mirror of the imperial line, the shrine has
been a key center of ritual activity since the late seventh century AD.
Although no emperor visited Ise between then and 1869, nonetheless Ise has
remained through the present day a pivotal symbolic point in the cosmology of
emperorship. In this paper I explore the historical construction of Ise Jingu's
value to Japanese emperorship according to Shinto and imperial circles, with
special attention to the ceremonial cycle, officiants, and offerings. I also
examine the 'memory practices' that are involved in competing discourses about
the nature of continuity and discontinuity in the tenno-Ise relationship.
Organized panel, English
Bernard, Rosemarie
Waseda University, Japan
Ise Jingu and the Postwar Imagination of
Emperorship(09P)
Meiji period modernization had profound effects
on ceremonial practice, at Ise Jingu and elsewhere. In Ise, one of these
seminal changes was the relationship of the person of the emperor to the
shrines: on the one hand, imperial pilgrimage to the shrines was implemented,
and on the other the ritual responsibilities of imperial envoys and the upper
echelons of the priesthood were systematized. In this paper I consider how the
Meiji period tenno-Ise relationship was altered again in the postwar period. In
particular, I focus on the position of the "saishu" (master of the
ceremonies) and how the redefinition of its ceremonial role is related to the
creation of a new image for emperorship in the postwar period.
Organized panel, Japanese
Bernardin, Maria John
Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, India
Decline of Buddhism in the Tamil Country(13E)
This paper analyses the specific causes of the
decline of Buddhism in the Tamil Country and sets this within the broader
context of the history of Buddhism in the region.
Organized panel, English
Berner, Ulrich
Universitat Bayreuth, Germany
The Galileo-Affair ? a Conflict between Science
and Religion?(01S)
Historians of science and historians of
Christianity often have presented the trial of Galileo (1632) as a conflict
between science and religion. Thus it has become a paradigm for describing the
relationship between religion and science ? emphasizing either the basic
theoretical principles of the conflict or the specific politico-historical
circumstances of the trial. Historians of religion have very rarely
participated in this debate. Therefore, the Galileo-Affair will be analyzed
from this very point of view of the History of Religions, taking as the
starting point the fact that Galileo had not only opponents but also supporters
among contemporary theologians from various Christian denominations. The
interpretation based on this observation leads to a basic differentiation in
the concept of religion and to a more differentiated description of the complex
relationship between science and religion.
Organized panel, English
Berner, Ulrich
Universitat Bayreuth, Germany
The Imagistic Tradition of Dionysos in the
Graeco-Roman World(13T)
The paper deals with the cult of Dionysos in
different respects and on different levels, refering to the religious movement
that was suppressed in Italy by the famous senate decree (186 B.C.E.), to the
image of the god in the famous Greek novel by Longos, and to the significance
of the mystery cult in the life of a Greek philosopher (Plutarch). The central
question to be discussed will be whether Whitehouse's Modes of Religiosity
Theory provide's useful tools for the interpretation of the tradition of Dionysos.
Organized panel, English
Berner, Ulrich
Universitat Bayreuth, Germany
Religious Thought in German History(17T)
*chairperson
Organized panel
Beverley, James
Tyndale Seminary, Canada
WWMD? The Use of Muhammad in Debate about
Modern Islamic Terrorism(12O)
This paper examines the use of the Prophet
Muhammad in rhetoric about modern Islamic terrorism. This includes assessment
of material from Islamic terrorists, Muslims who oppose terrorism, as well as
critics of Islam who use alleged material about Muhammad to condemn both Islam
in general and terrorism in particular. WWMD? (What Would Muhammad Do?
duplicates the famous Christian acronym WWJD? (What Would Jesus Do?). In the
case of Muhammad, this paper will examine well-known material from the Qur'an
and the Hadith
Organized panel, English
Beyer, Peter
University of Ottawa, Canada
Shukyo, Zongjiao and Other Neologisms:
Constructing Religion in the East Asian Region of Global Society(04K)
A rather longstanding and influential
discussion within the study of religion has it that the idea of
"religion" is problematic from several perspectives, not the least of
which is that it is supposedly a fundamentally Western and even Christian
concept that is of little use for understanding the non-Western societies, whether
today or in the past. The more severe of these critiques goes further to claim
that religion is a conceptual tool in the service of modern Western imperialism
and colonialism. This paper argues substantially against such a restricted
understanding through a comparative examination of how a relatively consistent,
but highly contested, modern model of religion has become institutionalized in
most countries around the world, including in East Asia. The argument of the
paper extends the author's previous work by analysing this development not only
in China, Japan, and Indonesia, but also in other countries such as Korea,
Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. The paper concludes by pointing to the
necessity of keeping different institutional perspectives on what counts as
religion clearly separate from one another if we are to understand that complex
reality in today's world.
Organized panel, English
Beyer, Peter
University of Ottawa, Canada
Religion and Modernity in North-East Asia(16V)
*chairperson
Organized panel
Bhatia, Manohar Lal
University of Delhi, India
Religious Grants to Non-Muslims during the
Mughals: Conflict and Conciliation(06O)
In pre-colonial India the 'Ulama occupied a
prestigious position as the guardian, transmitters and interpreters of Islamic
religious knowledge. Some of them possessed expertise on legal issues and
advised the rulers whenever the need arose. The 'Ulama also held religious and
judicial offices of the Sadr, Qazi, Mufti, Muhtasib and in lieu of it they were
given subsistence grant in the form of revenue-free land or cash stipend. Under
the Mughals the state patronage to the religious people including the Sufis and
their institutions had become an established tradition based on Turko-Mongol
theory of distribution, partly influenced by indigenous ancient Indian practice
of Devdaya grants. The recipients of such grants have been classified into
different categories at different times. However classification of recipients
defined in historical literature reflects the practice prevailing under Akbar
and that it had very much continued under Aurangzeb also. The scope of grants
was not only limited to those possessing racial superiority and piety among
Muslims viz. traditional. Sayyids and Shaikhs but it also included. Dargahs,
Khanqahs and Hindu Sanyasis, Jogis and Brahmans of the temples. The purpose of
this paper is to explore the scope of Mughal revenue-free land grants as also
socio-economic status of the grantees. The aim of the paper is to explore
whether such a religious measure could result in 'distinct identities' or a
'class war' and how conciliation is attempted for peaceful coexistence of the
communities.
Organized panel, English
Binet, Ana Maria
University Michel de Montaigne-Bordeaux III,
France
Between Apology and Criticism : The Treaty of
Kabbalistic Science (1652) by D. Francisco Manuel de Melo (1608-1666)(11G)
First published in 1724, this treaty by a
Portuguese baroque writer deserves to be subjected to a close analysis in order
to disclose its fundamental ambiguity: under the cover of a critical view of
Kabbalah, this document, which was submitted to religious censorship, seems to
us to hide a very pronounced interest in this "forbidden" religious
field. We propose to examine to what extent this esoteric approach, very much
influenced by Pic de la Mirandola and Reuchelin, is in fact considered by its
author, who was brought up in a Jesuit college, as a partial alternative to
Christian doctrines. Moreover, in a country where any sympathy towards Jewish
religion might mean death, this issue is of particular importance.
Symposium, English
Bingemer, Maria Clara
Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil
Edith Stein and the Struggle against
Violence(06Q)
Edith Stein's life and mysticism is of interest
to both Jews and Christians. This Jewish woman who converted to Catholicism and
became a Carmelite nun without ever ceasing to be Jewish vindicates the common
ground of both religious traditions. Edith Stein's mystical experience and her
identification with the Crucified Christ helped her confront Nazi violence and
offer her life for her people, whom she understood as the people of Israel.
This paper attempts to consider her mysticism as a fight with interior and
exterior violence: the interior violence prompted by the conflict of being a
Jew attracted by Christianity, and the exterior violence of a Christ-centered
life carried out in the historical situation of her Jewishness. I will suggest
that the interreligious dialogue that took place in her life ? as reflected in
her writings and spiritual process ? is a dramatic symbol of her way of
overcoming violence.
Organized panel, English
Biswas, Subhasis
Jadavpur University, India
The Complexities of Buddism in North Indian
Society - Decline or a New Form of Existence: A Historical Analysis(13E)
The presentation is to examine from the
historical context how Buddhism which was an official state religion in the
time of Maurya rule in India became marginalized in the later period of history
of India, particularly in the medieval decades. It also examines how it existed
as a different cultural entity in the mainstream of India society. The
presentation ends with a critical review of a question --"Is Buddhism marginalized
in the country where it took it's birth or it took a rebirth in contemporary
Indian society?" After reviewing different new forms of existence of
Buddhism in India, we can answer this critical questions and the presentation
aims to do that.
Organized panel, English
Blanes, Ruy Llera
Social Sciences Institute - University of
Lisbon, Portugal
Music as Discourse: On Gypsy Pentecostal Music
and its Configurations(14S)
The study of musical practice in religious
contexts presents a good opportunity to understand the communicative,
propagandistic and interactive power of music through its
"discursive" capacity, not only through the textual dimension within
but also through the experiential and performance aspects. Through ethnographic
fieldwork developed within a transnational Gypsy Pentecostal movement in
Portugal (The Philadelphia Church), and applying textual and contextual
analysis, I will examine the politics involved in the creation and distribution
of contemporary Pentecostal music within this specific religious group, as well
as the religious and ethnic categories involved and the place of music within
the overall religious and collective practice. By this analysis, I will seek to
understand how music can affect or be affected by ideological and religious
conceptualizations. Furthermore, I will specifically address the role of music
in the construction of narratives of suffering and salvation, and how a sense
of religious community can create forms of expression that defy traditional
categories of "gypsy music" and "religious music".
Organized panel, English
Blum, Mark L.
University at Albany - SUNY, USA
Biography as Scripture: The Role of Ojoden in
Legitimizing the Pure Land Teaching(15M)
The genre of Pure Land biography called
wangsheng zhuan in China began in the seventh century as a biographical record
of people aspiring for or people achieving the Pure Lands of Amitabha Buddha,
Maitreya Buddha, and Avalokitesvara. Under influence of Song period collections
of such compilations dedicated to Amitabha's Pure Land and Genshin's Ojoyoshu,
the Japanese also began to compose their own ojoden, creating eight new texts
in the Heian period. The genre was interrupted after Honen, but revived in the
Edo period, when six new ojoden were compiled. One of the anomalies of this
genre is an ojoden text extant in Japan appearing in the early 16th century
that purports to tell the biographies of Buddhist in India who similarly aspired
to and/or reached the Pure Land of this buddha. This paper will examine this
text, the Tenjiku ojo kenki, against the background of the genre as a whole
both for the purpose of clarifying the role of this genre for the establishment
of the Pure Land school in Japan, and as a source for discerning how Indian
Buddhism was understood in medieval Japan.
Organized panel, English
Bocken, Inigo
(05N)
Organized panel
Bocking, Brian
SOAS, University of London, UK
Underlying Religiosity in East Asia(01P)
*chairperson
Organized panel
Bocking, Brian
SOAS, University of London, UK
Buddhism in West/West in Buddhism(02S)
*respondent
Organized panel
Bocking, Brian
SOAS, University of London, UK
'Mysticism' Revisited in the Light of
'Experience'(15K)
This paper reflects on the categories of
'mysticism' and '[mystical] experience' in the academic study of religions. In
a short paper entitled 'If You Meet the Buddha on the Map: The Notion of Mapping
Spiritual Paths' (published in Gavin Flood, Mapping Invisible Worlds,
Edinburgh: Traditional Cosmology Society, 1994) I differentiated between, on
the one hand, a 'map' or teaching of a spiritual or mystical path and, on the
other hand, the path itself. In light of current academic emphases on the
foundational status of narrative or discourse, and in particular Robert Sharf's
provocative claim (in Mark Taylor (ed.), Critical Terms for Religious Studies,
Chicago, 1998) that the category of 'experience' in the modern study of
religions is 'a mere placeholder c for the relentless deferral of meaning',
this paper considers what, if anything, can or should be salvaged from Sharf's
deconstruction of the notion of 'experience', especially mystical experience, within
the academic study of religions.
Organized panel, English
Bogdan, Carl Henrik George
Gothenborg University, Sweden
Occultism - Provocation and Appeasement(14G)
Occultism, understood as a specific esoteric
current formed in the middle of the 19th century, has often been viewed with
suspicion and, to a certain extent, fear by the western society at large. The
contributors to the panel are encouraged to investigate the complex
relationship of 19th and 20th century Occultism with specific aspects of
western society. Controversial subjects such as violence, sex and drugs have
often been laid at the door of occultist movements, often with little or no
understanding of the movements themselves. What consequences have the polemics
had for the self-understanding and the strategies of identity of occultist
movements? Furthermore, occultist organisations are quite often characterised
by internal strife as well as protracted disharmony with other groups claiming
to "map" the same occult "territory". To what extent are
these conflicts related to Occultism as such, and what are their relevance for
a broader discussion on methodology and definitions of Occultism?
Organized panel, * Session Abstract, English
Bogdan, Carl Henrik George
Gothenborg University, Sweden
Challenging the Morals of Western Society: The
Use of Ritualised Sex in Contemporary Occultism(14G)
Occultist spirituality is, to a certain extent,
characterized by antinomian traits which often challenge the morals and ethics
of Western society. One of these traits is the use of ritualized sex which
today is often referred to as "Sex Magick" or "Western
Tantra". In this paper the historical roots of the use of ritualized sex
in contemporary occultism will be discussed, with special focus on the
teachings of Aleister Crowley (1875-1947) and Gerald B. Gardner (1884-1964).
Furthermore, the questions to what extent the Western ritualized use of sex is
influenced by Buddhist and Hindu tantra, and how and when tantra entered the scene
of western occultism, will be addressed. Finally, it will be discussed how the
use of ritualized sex can be interpreted as a form of religious antinomism,
that is, as a way to challenge the accepted norms of society. By
contextualising ritualized sex I intend to address the problematic issue of the
relationship of occultist spirituality with religious change in modern Western
society.
Organized panel, English
Bongmba, Elias
African Churches in Houston(01T)
This paper explores the growth of African
Churches in Houston, Texas, arguing that the development of these churches is
linked to the increasing diasporization of Africa and the need to articulate a
complex identity which is Christian, global, yet undeniably African. I draw
from on-going contacts with African churches in Houston to demonstrate the
outworking of this identity formation in Africa's new religions in America.
Organized panel
Bongmba, Elias
(02L)
Roundtable session
Borgeaud, Philippe
University of Geneva, Switzerland
The Ancient Practices of Comparison as Topic
for the History of Religions(17C)
The ancient worlds should be taken as
laboratories for the study of conflicts related to religious identities and
cultural contacts. To take just one example, there are certain texts - written
in Greek, but drawing on non-Greek sources, most notably certain Egyptian
writings and also the Hebrew Torah - which enable us to observe the Greeks and
the non-Greeks observing each other, more in mutual reaction than in dialogue.
Research conducted on Moses provides a particularly clear example of this
process. Moses appears in texts very diversely culturally constituted, which
patterns of coexistence, exchange, conflict, transformation or rejection. This
paper presents one aspect of a research project on "Moses between Athens
and Jerusalem", in which the presenter is involved together with Th.
Roemer and Y. Volokhine.
Organized panel, English
Borgeaud, Philippe
University of Geneva, Switzerland
Conflict and Peace in Ancient History(17C)
*chairperson
Organized panel
Borysenko, Olesia
G.S.Skovoroda Philosophy Institute NAS Ukraine,
Ukraine
The Conflict of Ethnic and Religious
Identities: Ukraine and Japan(04T)
The aim of the paper is to compare two types of
ethnical and religious identities coexistence. The countries which were took
for the research (Ukraine and Japan) represent extreme examples of cohesion
between ethnic and religious factor. Ukraine is multicultural country, which
had not been a state for a long period (actually, till the end of XX century).
It is a "boundary country" which has a great experience of religious
pluralism because of existence of a huge number of religious traditions on its
territory. All this assisted to the forming of a certain type of religiosity
and a great experience of toleration. Japan is an Island country. It has strong
and stable government and religious traditions. It always was opened for the
foreign adoption but unsusceptible to any attempt of inner transformation. The
author investigates two types of forming national identities and the role of
religious factor in this process.
Organized panel, English
Boutchich, Brahim El Kadiri
Moulay Ismail University of Meknes, Morocco
Religion, Conflict and Peace(14C)
*chairperson
Organized panel, French
Boutchich, Brahim El Kadiri
Moulay Ismail University of Meknes, Morocco
Peace And Coexistence Between Muslims And
Christians In North Africa In The Middle Ages(14C)
The main issue in this paper is to defend the
idea that Muslims and Christians in North Africa have lived side by side
peacefully in spite of wars between them. The paper is divided into three
sections. The first aims at shedding light on the factors behind the arrival of
Christians and their settling in North Africa, especially economic and military
factors. The second section deals with Muslims' tolerance and acceptance of
Christians living in North Africa. The third section deals with the impact of
the co-existence between Muslims and Christians in North Africa and the
production of a common civilization, especially in some social and cultural
fields.
Organized panel, French
Boztemur, Recep
Middle East Technical University, Ankara
Religious Diversity, Multiculturalism, and
American Secularism: A Debate on Religious Pluralism in Contemporary American
Society(13O)
The Fulbright Program for "Religious
Pluralism and Its Public Presence in the US" aims to discuss religious
diversity and the development of mutual understanding among religions in the US
with the participation of the scholars of religion of various nationalities and
religious denominations. The basic teaching of the Program is to examine how
religious pluralism works in a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural society and how
it was internalized by various American communities. This paper deals with the
social and economic conditions that make religious pluralism work in American
society and analyzes the social roots of American religiosity. However, the
study also aims to discuss the use of popular religious feelings by
"neo-religio" movements. It will conclude with a debate about
American understandings of secularism and the state's policies toward various
belief systems with reference to Islam in the United States.
Organized panel, English
Braun, Willi
University of Alberta, Canada
Modes of Religiosity and Theories of
Persuasion(14T)
This paper exposes the theories of persuasion
that dominate studies on why people in the Graeco-Roman Mediterranean basin
affiliated themselves with emerging Christian associations. An account is given
of why these theories remain compelling and of why, however, they should be
questioned. This leads to an argument for a less logocentric theory of
persuasion that draws on the work of an ancient theorist (Gorgias of Leontini)
and a modern one (Harvey Whitehouse).
Organized panel, English
Breen, John
University of London, UK
Problems of Periodization in Shinto History:
Modern and Contemporary Issues(01Q)
Modern: The saisei itch declaration, the
"Shinto Buddhist clarification' edicts, the proclamation that 'shrines are
sites for the performance of state ritual' all attest to the Meiji Restoration
as pivotal in the history of Shinto. The pivotal nature of these moments is
much less apparent, when we shift our gaze from institutional, legal and
intellectual issues to that of Shinto in its relationship to the populace. I
will argue that an understanding of Shinto's modern relationship to the
populace depends on a reappraisal of 'The guidelines for regional
administration' of 1906 and the 'Boshin rescript' of 1908. Contemporary: The
critical import of Shinto directive of December 1945, which sealed the fate of
so-called state Shinto, is not disputed. I will focus on the Jinja Honcho and
its dispute with the Meiji jingo to argue that the start of the 21st century
marks a new turning point in contemporary Shinto.
Organized panel, English
Brekke, Torkel
Oslo University, Canada
The Ethics of War in South Asia: Some
Comparative Notes(06R)
The comparative ethics of war is growing
academic field. In this paper, I intend to explore the South Asian ideology of
war and warfare in order to find out whether India has produced something
comparable to the Christian tradition of just war. It has often been assumed
that the Hindu tradition follows its own logic in terms of ethics, a logic
summed up in the idea of karmayoga, where all action is transformed into ritual
as long as the actor has the right mental state. This assumption seems to make
any comparison between Hindu and Christian ideologies impossible. I intend to
look at the Hindu ideology of kingship in order to understand the Indian ideas
of right authority, which is a basic constituent of the Christian just war. The
other main elements of just war, just cause and right intention, must also be
explored in order to find out whether the Hindu tradition has taken any
interest in questions of jus ad bellum. We will see that there are different
strands of the idea of kingship and authority in classical India and that they
produce different kinds of legitimation for political action. A divine view of
kingship blends with the idea of ritual warfare and karmayoga in the epic
literature of India to produce ideas of holy war akin to those found in the Old
Testament. In a study of classical Hindu ideas of war the two great epics, the
Mahabharata and the Ramayana, must have a central position. There are several
texts dealing specifically with war and warfare, such as certain chapters of
the Kautiliya Arthashastra and the much later Nitisara of Kamandaki. The Jaina
author Somadeva is also interesting in a comparative approach to the subject.
Organized panel
Brodeur, Patrice C.
Connecticut College, USA
Conceptualizing the Applied Academic Study of
Religions: A Necessary Step to Empower Scholars of Religions to Increase the
Common(05K)
Most academic disciplines, from mathematics to
ethics, have developed applied sub-fields to address a broad range of concrete
social challenges. This paper first summarizes two specific reasons why such
development did not emerge in the academic study of religion over the last
century and then explores an alternative set of reasons requiring its
development now. Using a comparative disciplinary approach, the paper proposes
a conceptual framework to address the urgent need for better cooperation
between scholars of religions and a variety of social agents who face the
multi-sectorial challenges of managing religious pluralism and the increasing
eruption of religion-based violence in their respective nation-states. This
framework also provides suggestions for empowering scholars of religions to
increase their participation in interdisciplinary efforts to increase the
common good by becoming individually and collectively more effective social
actors in cooperation with a variety of policy makers in such fields as
politics, education, law, and health, to name but a few.
Organized panel, English
Bulbulia, Joseph
Victoria University, New Zealand
Evolutionary Game Theory and The Biology of
Religion(17K)
This paper surveys recent theoretical and
experimental research in the evolutionary psychology of religion. This paper
(I) uses costly signaling theory to show how the expected utilities that follow
from religious conviction may bring significant reproductive advantages to
those who live under their spell and (ii) summarizes recent experimental
evidence supporting this theory. I consider two common forms of supernatural
conviction: motivating beliefs in supernatural powers that police social
exchange and motivating beliefs in supernatural powers that heal.
Organized panel, English
Bulbulia, Joseph
Victoria University, New Zealand
Rethinking the Concept and Theory of
Religion(17K)
*chairperson
Organized panel
Burger, MK Maya
University of Lausanne, Switzerland
Karma Yoga Versus Rajayoga: Conflicts on the
Way to Peace(11U)
Mircea Eliade studied yoga in the city of
Calcutta, the heart of encounter during British rule. He was a disciple of the
philosopher Surendranath Dasgupta, who made popular the study of Pastanjali
yoga and included modern psychology in his approach. Preceding these eminent
scholars was another interpreter of yoga in Calcutta, Vivekananda, who
established a hierarchy among the different yoga, putting rajayoga in the first
place, as the theosophists did before him. If samadhI that yogis aim at is a
form of peace, how do they deal with the ongoing conflicts that characterise
the different paths of yoga, especially the conflict between action and
meditation? What new solutions have been brought into this problem by modern
scholars and practitioners of yoga? In what sense has the situation of
encounter with modernity raised new questions to that basically old
philosophical and practical problem? What are the conflicting options leading
to this goal? Is it still a goal? From the point of view of the history of
religions, I will particularly point out the options presented by contemporary
yogis (tradition of T. Krishnamacharya) that result from the ongoing process of
exchange between Western and Indian ways of resolving the conflicts. Why is
samadhi no longer the declared goal?
Organized panel, English
Calzadilla, Jorge Ramirez
Center for Psychological and Sociological
Research, Cuba
The So-Called NRM: the Breaking up of
Solidarity and the Religious Protest; Aggression against the Latin American and
Caribbean Identity(15F)
Nowadays, in Latin America and the Caribbean,
there are various religious trends which differ from traditional forms. They
have been called new religious movements by some scholars, while others have
referred to them as sects. In some cases, they are considered
"destructive". Politically, they range from the promotion of socially
evasive and uncommitted positions to the opposite. This would imply the need to
specify to what extent they have an impact on cultural identity. There are
enough elements to state that neoliberal globalization has had a significant
impact on the religious field in general, with diverse and contradictory
effects. This phenomenon brings about the decomposition of collective
identities which then induces recomposition and the search for alternatives
beyond the social world.
Organized panel, English
Carrasco, David
Harvard University, USA
Mexican Apparitions in the Contact Zone: La
Virgen de Guadalupe and the Altepetl/Hill of Sustenance(01F)
This illustrated lecture will discuss the
sacred 'orientatio' for Mexican religiosity expressed in the relationship
between places and apparitions associated with La Virgen de Guadalupe at the
Tepeyac. A new decipherment of a 'ritual map' of center and periphery dynamics
encoded in the "Nican Mopohua", the Nahuatl text of Guadalupe's
apparitions, will be offered. The recent controversy between those who argue
this tradition is a 'pious invention of Spanish priests' and those who see the
Guadalupe documents as reflecting a 'deeper river of Mexican devotion' will be
discussed.
Organized panel, English
Carrasco, David
Harvard University, USA
The Images of Quetzalcoatl in the Spanish
Conquest of Mexico(15R)
This illustrated presentation will explore the
intense controversy surrounding the question of whether indigenous peoples or
the Spaniards invented/applied the myth of Quetzalcoatl's return to the
Spaniards and Cortes. The paper, drawing on the hermeneutics of recovery and
suspicion in the fields of religious studies will summarize the positions of
Miguel Leon Portilla, H.B. Nicholson, James Lockhart, Inga Clendinnen, David
Carrasco and others. It will also explore the relation of the Quetzalcoatl myth
to the Aztec linguistic and religious 'game of arrival'.
Organized panel, English
Carreon, Emilie Ana
Universidad Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico
Contrary Views: Deployment of Body Parts(03I)
In this paper I focus on explaining one aspect
of the acculturation process?public manifestations of corporal violence related
to punishment, the death penalty and the exhibition of body parts?as seen
primarily in maps of towns included in the Relaciones Geograficas of the
sixteenth century, where the boundary between the place of punishment and the
place of sacrifice, began to blur. It is my belief that the study of this
aspect of colonial society will aid in explaining the process by which native
sacrificial practices have been misread, when the divergent concepts of
punishment and torture of either group are disregarded.
Organized panel, English
Carreon, Emilie Ana
Universidad Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico
The Human Body Exposed: Contrasting Views on
remains of the Dead(03I)
Various systems of ideas and practices
according to which people live and die, reflect aspects concerning worldviews.
The customs of conquering peoples who arrived and settled tested the conquered
groups' capacity to absorb and understand an influx of impressions resulting
from the exposure to new and unknown practices. Certain customs, such as those
related to funerary and punitive experiences, had to be calibrated into the
workings of indigenous thought and culture, where the manipulation and
exposition of body parts possessed a different purpose and/or meaning.
Organized panel, * Session Abstract, English
Casadio, Giovanni
University of Salerno, Italy
Dionysus' Image in the Post-Modern Age(13T)
After a critical survey of classical research
on ancient religion based on a cross-cultural anthropological approach, I
present evidence to assess the empirical productivity and explanatory value of
the theory of modes of religiosity proposed by H. Whitehouse, the most recent
anthropological model proposed in the field of religious studies. The case in
point concerns the cult of Dionysus, with focus on the imagistic message
encoded in and conveyed by the impressive fresco in the Pompeian Villa dei
Misteri.
Organized panel, English
Casarella, Peter
The Challenge of Dialogue According to the
Letter to John of Segovia of Nicholas of Cusa(05N)
Organized panel
Celador, Oscar
Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain
EU, Human Rights, and Religious Minorities(06W)
In this discussion of Muslim and human rights
in Europe, I am going to examine three areas: religious freedom and democracy,
religious freedom and diversity, and religion and minorities. In my analysis of
the status of Muslims in Europe, I will approach the regulations of the
European Union as an independent entity different from those of the member
States, and the local regulations of its member States. At the moment, the
European Union does not have a Constitution, a Supreme or a Constitutional
court. Then, there is no particular political provision for religious freedom
at the European Union level. In other words, there is no European Union policy
regarding human rights. As a consequence of this frame, each individual State
has its own policy in regard to human rights, and this policy used to depend on
the historical roots of each country. We, therefore, have fifteen different
conceptions of human rights and of religious freedom and neutrality working at
the same time in the former EU States.
Organized panel, English
Chan, Kim-kwong
Hong Kong Christian Council, China
Missiological Implications of Chinese
Christianity in a Globalized Context(01B)
As China enters into the World Trade
Organization, its political-economic influence is being felt globally.
Concurrently, Chinese Christian community is one of the fastest growing
Christian communities in contemporary Christendom, with conservative estimate
of more than 35 millions. Will China's influence in global religious affairs
resembles similar trends like its economic matters? This paper examines the
possible missiological implications on the increasing number of global Chinese
migrants, of whom many are Christians, to the shaping of global Christianity.
Organized panel, English
Chan, Kim-kwong
Hong Kong Christian Council, China
A New Messiah - The Eastern Lightening
Sect(15D)
One of the most controversial religious sects
in the current Mainland Chinese religious landscape is the Church of Almighty
God, commonly known as the Eastern Lightening Sect. Extensive reports exist on
the damaging effects of this group on other Christian communities?Protestant
and Catholic alike. This group is one of the most secretive sects in China.
Although the Chinese authorities have outlawed it, this sect keeps expanding
even beyond the border of China into Hong Kong, USA, Canada and Europe. This paper
attempts to analyze the few original documents and materials this sect has
produced during the past 10 years.
Organized panel
Chen, Bing
Sichuan University, China
Contemporary Significances of the Buddhist
Spirit of Harmony(17D)
Yuanrong (harmony), meaning "peaceful
flexibility without obstacles," perfectness, botherlessness,
no-attachment, no-inconsistency, or harmonious compromises, is an important
concept in the schools of Huayan and Tiantai, and Chan (Zen) Buddhism. The
philosophy of yuanrong recognizes that all beings are a harmonious and perfect
unity without any inconsistency or conflicts, and are flexible and identical to
each other, because they emerge from the ultimate being, One Real Dharma. This
philosophy, which the schools of Chinese Buddhism presented based on Indian
Mahayana teachings, is the basic principle for settling various relations of
Buddhism with Taoism or Confucianism, and with the secular society in China. By
practicing the spirit of yuanrong, not only in religious trainings such as
mediations or chanting, but also in solving all conflicts, Chinese Buddhism has
been tolerant and synthetic. The contemporary world is characterized by various
conflicts. We should be based on the spirit of harmony and create the
environment for peaceful development, in order to promote dialogues between
various religions or cultures, accept each other, and eliminate conflicts. For
accomplishing these aims, the Buddhist spirit of yuanrong is significant in the
contemporary world.
Organized panel
Chen, Bing
Sichuan University, China
Syncretism in Chinese Religions(17D)
Organized panel
Chen, Miin-Ling
Cathoric Fujin University, Taiwan
The problem of Entmythologisierung in Pure-Land
Buddhism: the Comparative Perspective of Honen and Shinran(07J)
In the history of Buddhism, the controversy
between Pure-Land as a directional concept (dualism) and Pure-Land as a concept
based on the subject mind (monism) has never ceased. Rebirth in the Pure-Land
and the question of future-life intention are the central issues of the
Pure-Land school. By comparing Honen and Shinran, this paper aims at clarifying
how traditional Pure-Land Buddhism can overcome the difficulty of dualism
without losing its own position.
Organized panel, Japanese
Chen, Weigang
Peripheral Justice and the "Civilizational
Conflict" in the Current Age of Globalization(10B)
Organized panel, English
Chen, Xia
Sichuan University, China
Xing (Body) and Shen (Spirit), Together and
Perfect: Contemporary Implications of the Taoist View on Body(16D)
The Taoist view on human bodies is that a human
being is a unification of xing (body) and shen (spirit), the interaction of
which promotes the constant achievement, development and elevation of a body. A
body is not a fixed entity, but something to be accomplished. Making a body and
a spirit contiguous to each other through various bodily manipulations, Taoism
aims not only to spiritualize a body but also to physicalize a spirit; it tries
not only to recognize the freedom of life by a spirit, but also to experience
it by a body. According to Taoist views, a body is endowed with sacredness and
value in itself. On the other hand, the Taoist view on a body is also
individualistic, and involves inconsistencies. From the viewpoint of modern
science, especially of biology, physiology and biotechnology, the Taoist view
is not verifiable. But it is philosophically valuable, because it realizes the
synthesis of the dualism between a spirit and a body. As Friedrich Engels put
it, "Historical facts should be respected, even though they are
scientifically wrong."
Organized panel
Cheng, Kwi-Hsia
Shuchiin University, Japan
Method and Theory in the Study of Religion(07K)
It's life pattern, we've predestined to be born
and acquainted with accumulation of right and wrong and to be mutually
dependent, to grow old and die. In Buddhism's method, has teaching two ways
"The satya" to solve a problem [ co-dependent, nonself-character,
sunyata ] to get the life peaceful and successful. The method of this study
uses personal meditation and through [ body, mouth, mind ] to make the [ ki ]
"Chi" correcting in One's body and home to get attempt smoothly, to
reach to the abundant. It's according with longer time to stay in one's home
and business area to get an increased the Chi's smooth environment. This
subject issued by improvement Sciences of the "Chi" by [ Harmony of
the Chi produce ] to get the peace return back to the environment and that
already had about 40 years ago, at America and Europe all over.
Organized panel, Japanese
Chi, Youngim
Cheju National University, Korea
The Tradition and Change of Korea's National
Memorial Cemetery(08S)
Today, every major city in the world has
cemeteries and monuments to honor heroes of the past including memorial
buildings and statues. For example, there are Arlington National Cemetery in
Washington, the Tomb of the Unknowns beneath the Arc de Triomphe in Paris,
Westminster Abbey in London, and National Memorial Cemetery in Korea that was
built after the Korean War. Smith, a historian, argues that it is nothing new
to mark the dead, and that the rediscovery and reconstruction of history might
be possible but its creation never happens. According to such modernist as
Hobsbawm and Anderson, however, the Tomb of the Unknowns and monuments were
created in modern times. The objective of this presentation is to shed light on
the creation of new things and the continuity between Korea's National Memorial
Cemetery and the past, based on the discussion above.
Organized panel, Japanese
Chidester, David
University of Cape Town, South Africa
A Colonial House of Dreams: Zulu Dreams,
Divination, and Religion in Nineteenth-Century South Africa(01F)
In Primitive Culture (1871), E. B. Tylor
supported his theory of religion, animism, by referring to reports about
"savage" dreams. Citing Henry Callaway's Religious System of the
Amazulu (1868-1870), Tylor invoked the dreams of a Zulu diviner, a
"professional seer" who becomes a "house of dreams," as a
classic example of animism because "phantoms are continually coming to
talk to him in his sleep." In the original account, however, the phantoms
were not coming "to talk" to the diviner. They were coming to kill
him. This paper explores the hermeneutics of dreams in relation to indigenous
practices of Zulu divination, colonial situations of violence, and imperial
theorizing about religion.
Organized panel, English
Chidester, David
University of Cape Town, South Africa
Questioning ' the Religious': Talking Outside
the West(10E)
*respondent
Organized panel, English
Cho, Sun Taek
Korea University, Korea
Colonial Legacy in Korean Buddhism and Buddhist
Scholarship(05D)
This paper will examine how a number of
important problems in contemporary scholarship on Korean Buddhism, specifically
and East Asian Buddhism in general, stem from a single source: the tendency to
view Buddhism in purely rationalistic terms. I will argue that this
rationalistic prejudice, in turn, derives from the history of Western
colonialism in Korea, and the circumstances of Korean modernization - a radical
cultural transformation imposed from outside. Furthermore, I will discuss the
viewpoint of Korean Buddhist intellectuals during the period of colonialism.
Overwhelmed by the powerful impact of "scientific" and
"rational" ideas imported from the West, on one hand and by the
colonial experiences imposed by Japan on the other, Korean Buddhist
intellectuals lost perspective, failing to understand the implications of
"scientific" and "rational."
Organized panel, English
Cho, Sung Youn
Cheju National University, Korea
Modernization and Folk Religion in Korea(08D)
Folk religion often is treated as a
superstition compared with other religions. This way of thinking has been
strongly influenced by school education. On the other hand, folk religion can
be regarded as a rich deposit of information on the traditional culture. In
this paper, I analyze folk religions in relation to the intensive process of
rapid modernization in Korean society.
Symposium, Japanese
Choi, Shin-Hann
Hannam University, Korea
Schleiermacher and Asian Religions in View of
Humanism or Religious Self-Formation and Self-Cultivation(11Q)
This paper aims to compare Schleiermacher's
concept of religion with Asian religions in the current situation of religious
pluralism, and to reveal that both can have dialogue in the horizon of
religious self-formation or self-cultivation. For Schleiermacher the epoch
making importance of religion is situated in the occurrence of a new
significance for life through a individual's intuition of the infinite. Each
religious intuition forms a human interior newly in every moment and elevates
it to a new dimension of humanity. In this dimension, even though one has
different religious teachings from tradition, they can meet and dialogue. In
this point of view we want to find the same structure between Schleiermacher's
religion and Asian religions. For both sides the fundamental question is
becoming a religious virtuoso. According to Schleiermacher's 'Speeches', the
religious virtuoso can build 'the communion of saints' with every other
confessor. The communion of saints is the community of religious virtuosos
whose interior is already newly formed and cultivated. In this sense sages in
Confucianism and Buddhas in Buddhism can dialogue with Christian saints,
because they seem to have the same structure of 'Frommigkeit' (Schleiermacher)
or 'seriousness' (T'oegye) in their own interiors.
Organized panel, German
Choudhary, Paras Kumar
Ranchi University, India
Religion of the Munda Tribe: Traditions and
Modernity(16S)
In the early stages of history, members of the
Munda tribe were nomadic. Later on, they cultivated land and settled in a
certain geographical territory. This community generally speaks mundari of the
Austroasiatic linguistic group. The Mundas have their own religious life. They
celebrate many festivals like Maghe, Parab, Phagu, Honba, Karma, and Soharai..
The Munda call the festival Maghe because it is celebrated in the Hindi month
of Magh (January). Similarly, the Phagu festival is celebrated in the month of
Falgun (February). They call their common sacred place Sarana. They do
different types of worship here including worship of their village god. The
Pahan is a village priest who plays an important role in all religious
activities. But nowadays they are also influenced by the Hindu religion. They
have started worshiping of Hindu gods and goddesses. A few of them have contact
with Christianity. However, due to the impact of various modern factors, many
traditional rituals have disappeared.
Roundtable session, English
Choudhary, Paras Kumar
Ranchi University, India
Socio-Cultural Dimension of Munda Tribes and
its Changes(17S)
In the early stage, the Munda were nomadic,
later they went into hunting, food gathering and fishing. At last they
cultivated land and settled in territorial units. The family of Munda tribes is
known as "Killies", who claim descent from one common ancestor. The
fraternities of mutual affection can be seen in their daily life. Their
families follow the rule of the patriarchal system. The Munda celebrate many
festivals, such as Mage Parab, Phagu Parab, Baha games, etc. This paper
explores the type of change that the various kinds of rituals have undergone as
a result of globalization and other factors which have impacted on the Munda
community.
Organized panel, English
Claerhout, Sarah
Ghent University, Belgium
Explaining the Paradox of Religious
Violence(02C)
The paradox of religious violence - that
religions promote a message of peace and charity and at once are a source of
violence as their message has to be spread - is often mentioned in the
literature. However, though this paradox is generally taken to be significant,
scholars never really analyse it. They do not seem to feel the need to explain
"this ambivalence of the sacred" scientifically. I will argue that
any theory on religious violence at least has to explain the nature of this
paradox. A hypothesis is proposed that accounts for the paradox and identifies
it as the litmus test for other theories. It reveals a necessary link between
this paradox and the structure of conversion in the Christian religion.
Concluding, I raise the question of whether the paradox of religious violence
is a universal human phenomenon or a typical feature of certain religions.
Organized panel, English
Claerhout, Sarah
Ghent University, Belgium
Freedom of Conscience and the Right to Convert:
Human Values or Christian Precepts? ( * joint presentation with De Roover,
Jacob)(04H)
In modern India, religious conversion has
become a bone of contention. Christians and secularists claim that the right to
propagate and change one's religion is part of the freedom of conscience. This
freedom, they say, is a fundamental human right, which should be protected by
any secular democracy. In contrast, many Hindus ? including the advocates of
Hindutva, but also moderate Gandhians and traditional swamis ? claim religious
conversion violates the very foundations of the Indian social fabric. Some even
plead for a constitutional ban on conversion in India. In our paper, we argue
that freedom of conscience is not as secular or neutral as it claims to be and
that the same holds for the right to religious conversion. These notions make
senseonly against the background of a religion like Christianity, which divides
the human world into one true religion and many false religions. Historically,
freedom of conscience became crucial in the Christian West, because of the
basic belief that all human souls ought to be left free to be converted by the
true God and His Spirit. Within this particular theological framework,
religious conversion became a fundamental right never to be violated by the
human authorities. Therefore, when Hindu spokesmen refuse to acknowledge
"the universal human right to conversion," they have a leg to stand
on. However, the fact that freedom of conscience is not a secular value does
not imply it should be replaced by a legal ban on conversion. The predicament
of religious conversion in India, we argue, should be revisited by examining
the way it was successfully resolved in the past, when a plural society
consisting of Hindus and Christians (and many other groups) was not torn apart
by the issue of religious conversion.
Symposium, English
Clarke, Peter Bernard
The University of London, UK
Assessing the Impact of Religious Change(06S)
This presentation examines theories on the
impact of religious change in the modern world as religions increasingly loose
their regional character and globalize. Theses critiqued include Weber's
easternization of the western mind hypothesis as developed by Campbell and
Horton's influential account of religious change in modern Africa, and
explanations of the rise of Islamist movements. Also critiqued are such units
of analysis of religious change as the impact-response framework.
Organized panel, English
Clarke, Peter Bernard
Oxford University, UK
Religious Change in a Secularizing World(06S)
*chairperson
Organized panel
Clarke, Peter Bernard
Oxford University, UK
Contemporary Movements of Religion(13I)
*chairperson
Organized panel
Cornille, Catherine Marie
Boston College, USA
Humility and Dialogue(02G)
One of the central conditions for the
possibility of interreligious dialogue is an attitude of humility with regard
to the truth of the teachings and practices of one's own religious traditions.
Humility indeed represents an important virtue in many religious traditions.
However, religious humility does not necessarily generate the epistemic
humility, necessary for dialogue. Most religions advocate humility toward, but
not about the ultimate goal and truth of the own tradition. This latter,
epistemic humility, presupposes a re-thinking of the status of truth within the
own tradition. In this paper, I explore possibilities, within Christianity, for
a more integral understanding of religious humility which would also include
attitudes about doctrine and truth.
Organized panel, English
Cox, James
University of Edinburgh, UK
The Impact of the Alaska Native Claims
Settlement Act on Indigenous Understandings of the Land(10U)
The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act
(ANCSA), which was passed by the United States Congress in 1971, must be seen
as the culmination of over a century of concerted but at times sporadic efforts
to assimilate the indigenous population into mainstream American culture. This
paper explores the secularising impact of ANCSA on indigenous understandings of
the land, which in traditional society was understood in terms of a 'religious'
relationship to the animals, sea mammals and fish that lived on the land and
within the adjacent seas. By re-defining land as ownership of corporate shares,
the United States government sought to ensure that any sense of spiritual
connection to the land held by the indigenous people was eliminated in favour
of making profits and increasing personal wealth.
Organized panel
Cremo, Michael A.
Bhaktivedanta Institute, USA
The Mayapur Pilgrimage Place, West Bengal,
India: A Mandala of Peace and Ecological Harmony(01L)
In 1486, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, an avatara of
Krishna, appeared at Mayapur, West Bengal. Mayapur is located in the Navadvipa
(nine island) region, the nine islands representing the nine processes of
devotional service that serve as the foundation of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's
movement. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu predicted his movement for spiritual peace and
love, which took in people from all castes and religions in India, would spread
throughout the world. The place of his appearance was later lost. In the late
nineteenth century, the Gaudiya Vaishnava acharya Bhaktivinoda Thakura
rediscovered the appearance place and constructed a temple there. Succeeding
acharyas in his line undertook further development of the site. Today the
prediction of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has come true. Each year, on the occasion of
his appearance, thousands of his followers from around the world gather at
Mayapur, in a striking display of peace among all peoples, in an atmosphere of
ecological harmony.
Organized panel, English
Crislip, Andrew
University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA
Healing Traditions of Late Antique Egypt:
Medicine and Religion in a Multicultural Society(12J)
Late antique Egypt was the inheritor of two
venerable cultures: the dominant Hellenistic culture brought by the armies of
Alexander the Great, and the indigenous Egyptian (or Coptic) culture. This
multicultural society gave birth to Christian monasticism. Christian monastics
did not generally live in strict isolation, but were engaged with nonmonastics
in wide range of spiritual, financial, and social activities. Among these
social functions, perhaps none was more prominent than the monastic's role as
healer--both of body and soul. Monastic healing has long been understood as a
charismatic gift, enacted through religious rituals; yet early Christian
monastics also practiced traditionally "medical" healing practices.
My paper will explore the complementarity and conflict between medical and
"spiritual" healing traditions in late antique Egypt as well as
Egypt's special place as heir to the medical traditions both Egypt and Greece,
which constructed the boundaries between medical and religious healing very
differently.
Organized panel, English
Crnic, Ales
University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
New Religious Movements in 'New Europe'(06E)
In the post-socialist countries of Central and
Eastern Europe we have been witnessing significant legal (and formal)
re-regulation of the field of religious activities. In these societies it is
possible to detect clearly articulated and well-led attempts of traditional
churches to acquire a dominant social status, comparable to the one they had
before the World War II. This is also connected to nationalism and the
concomitant emergence of a religious and national identity. On the other hand,
these societies are exposed to an invasion of New Religious Movements (NRMs),
which enter this re-opened spiritual area and thus present a challenge of
religious pluralism. Both processes lead to the formation of different and
often contradictory notions of religion. In practice, however, the social
status of religion is most frequently based on traditional notions, which are
better suited to the established churches and often push new religious groups
to the margins, as these are usually associated with negative stereotypes. NRMs
are often perceived as a threat to society, national identity and 'traditional'
religions. Generally it can be said that countries with a majority Orthodox
population are the least open to NRMs.
Organized panel, English
Cuevas, Martha Garcia
Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia,
Mexico
The Gods at Palenque's Incense Burners(03R)
According to the study of several ceramic
incensers, that have been discovered through archaeological explorations in the
temples of the Cross, Foliated Cross and the Sun in Palenque, we have
surprising data about the deities venerated in this Maya city of the Classic
period of 500-850 A.C. It is possible to recognize in the incensers a group of
deities whose identity is discussed in this paper. On the one hand we have
information of their specific archaeological contexts and on the other hand the
iconographic patterns which characterize each of the gods. Aside from that, we
have information from the extensive glyphic text and scenes represented in the
sculpture of stone and stuco, that are integrated in the architecture of the
ceremonial precinet. All these will permit us to appreciate some viable
explanations about the Palencan deities and their association with ritual
conducts and religious beliefs.
Symposium, English
Curbelo, Juana Berges
Center for Psychological and Sociological
Research, Cuba
The New Religious Movements in the Changes of
the Latin American and Caribbean Religiosity(15F)
The emergence and development of new non-traditional
religious trends and movements, is a substantial part of a transformation
process, which has had peculiar impact on Latin American and Caribbean
religiosity. Multiple systems of classification attempt "to put them in
order" and to explain their logic. However, the debate has also moved to
reflection on the concept of religion and forms of belonging. The New Religious
Movements have developed by synthesizing factors from different origins and
adapting them to various spaces in a perspective that is sometimes said to be
eclectic and other times selective. It is our interest to show the
differentiated styles of the new movements that are indicators of the high
complexity of the phenomenon. In the evaluation of their meaning in our region,
we will take into account their social and political implications and their
rejection of traditional models.
Organized panel, English
Cush, Denise Amelia
Bath Spa University College, UK
Should Religious Studies Be Part of the
Compulsory State School Curriculum?(02D)
How can education systems best respond to the
increasing recognition of the power of religion in international events and the
plurality of beliefs and values world-wide? States have taken different
approaches to the issue of including religion in school curricula. It can be
argued that religious freedom is best served by omitting consideration of
religion from the curriculum, by providing each pupil with religious education within
the confessional tradition of their parents, or by providing an education which
takes a non-confessional approach to a variety of religious traditions. Where
the latter approach is taken, options include having a separate subject called
religious studies, or teaching about religious traditions within such areas of
the curriculum as citizenship, social studies or the humanities. This paper
will argue that without a separate subject taught by specialist teachers,
education programmes will fail to provide young people with adequate
preparation for contemporary life.
Organized panel, English
Cush, Denise Amelia
Bath Spa University College, UK
Teaching about Religion and Faith
Development(05L)
*chairperson
Organized panel, English
Dahbany-Miraglia, Dina
Queensborough Community College, The City
University of New York, USA
Religion + Custom = Realities: Why Some Women
Are Not in Cyberspace(12C)
Cyberspace has created novel linkages between
individuals worldwide that could not have existed without computer and internet
technology. Nevertheless, "old habits die hard." The majority of web
sites, particularly religious ones, are controlled by men. The more traditional
religious the site, the less women contribute: a reflection of the established
media. Women tend to "secularize" their cyber selections to more or
less innocuous, "womanly," homemaker/children-oriented sites. Religious
discourse, commentary, interpretation and critique, in most Christian
divisions, as well as in Islam and Judaism, are like computers and the internet
"men's work." Religious women may e-mail prayers to specific
individuals, chat rooms, and other cyber loci; they may refer to particular
sources from their religious literatures; individual women will sometimes offer
interpretations; they may offer admonitions, advice, commands, suggestions,
resources and customary practices with reference to religion, spirituality and
religious literature. They rarely contribute to the religious discourses that
are dominated by men. This paper will delineate, within the varieties of
conventional media and cyberspace, the parameters of religious women's
participation in religious and religion-based discourse. Alternative modes of
expression: gifts, photos, jokes, personal writings, cards, will contribute to
the picture.
Organized panel, English
Dahiya, Neelima
Maharshi Dayanand University Rohatak, India
Women in Buddhist Text: Some Progressive
Shifts(10F)
This paper probes the position of women in the
early Buddhist society of India. This area of work enthusiates me because
violence against women exists in various forms in all societies. The recent
International Conferences on Women - Vienna-1993, Cairo-1994, Copenhagen-1995
and Beijing-1995 have taken note of elimination of gender based violence is
central to equality, development and peace. The Buddhist India from the 6th
cent. B.C. to 3rd cent. A.D. is characterised by mainly two features i.e.
growth of second urbanization and the development of new socio-religious order.
In the Brahmanical society the position of women was equal to sudras in the
social hierarchy. I have taken up Buddhist texts to explore the progressive
attitude towards women as against the brahminical attitudes towards women. Here
will be an attempt to see the text "Therigatha" recovered from
Burmese and Sinhalese manuscripts, published in 1883 and subsequently
translated. This is a collection of verses attributed to nuns. Other Buddhist
text will also be studied. These verses of "Therighatha" were uttered
to mark the attainment of liberation. So this paper will like to bring out the
spirit of women liberation of ancient India.
Organized panel
Daiguji, Makoto
Hokkiado University School of Medicine, Japan
Human Mind and Technology: From a Psychiatric
Point of View(06J)
Psychiatry has tried to solve many problems in
the human mind through a medical approach. However, looking at this approach
through a philosophical point of view, it is not a self-evident truth that the
mind becomes ill just as the body does. Still harder to accept is the approach
to treat the problems in the human mind using modern technology, which might be
seen as foreign matter when considering the human mind. Two kinds of approaches
are seen in the field of clinical medicine. One is orientated in clear evidence
and reasoning, I.e. evidence based medicine, and the other is orientated in
stories told by a patient, I.e. narrative based medicine. It is the fate of
clinical medicine to have to pay attention to both the generalism in natural
science and the individualism in human science. In this presentation I shall
discuss the relationship between the human mind and technological science from
a psychiatric point of view.
Symposium, English
Damian, Theodor
Metropolitan College of New York, USA
The Divine Trinity as Paradigm for Ideal Human
Relationships: An Orthodox Perspective(15U)
From an anthropological point of view violence
seems to be intrinsic to human nature. But from a theological point of view it
is not. It is acquired behavior due to circumstantial causes. As opposed to the
many zoological definitions given to man, Theology defines the human being as
the image of God. According to the Christian tradition God reveals himself in
history in three hypostasis, as a Trinity. It is then in the image of this
Trinity that man is created, and this is the basis of the human personhood and
at the same time the paradigm of our ideal relationship with one another. In an
age of war and violence, when the jungle within is cultivated by the outside
jungle, man needs to reflect seriously on the model he or she adopts, because
what one adopts, one is going to become. This paper intends to suggest that the
divine Trinity in the understanding of the Orthodox Tradition can offer such a
model.
Organized panel, English
Danfulani, Umar H.D.
University of Jos, Nigeria
The Cobra Is Running Wild: Narrating the Events
and Evaluating Causes of the Jos Crisis since September 7th 2001(01V)
The Jos crisis, which started on Friday 7th
September 2001, was obscured from international attention because of the
terrorist attack on the US that occurred a few days later. The crisis started
in Jos, the Tin City, and gradually spread to some of the surrounding towns and
villages, all within the Northern Senatorial District of Plateau State. Then in
a dramatic turn of events, it jumped over the Central Senatorial District and
completely engulfed the Southern Senatorial District of the State. This paper
focuses on chronicling the events of the Jos crisis from the time it started to
the present time. It intends to answer a series of vital questions with a view
to providing a comparative analysis between the events in Jos and in the US in
the month of September 2001. It will also explore the possibility of putting in
place a strategy that will lead both Muslims and Christians living in Jos to
say "Never Again" to the gloomy events that started on the 7th of
September, 2001.
Organized panel, English
Danfulani, Umar H.D.
University of Jos, Nigeria
Terrorists and Religious Fanatics in the
Middle-Belt: Towards a Blueprint for Sustainable Peace in Nigeria(02V)
The paper examines the causes of crises in the
Middle-Belt of Nigeria, locating the problem partly in the area of the
world-wide Islamic resurgence and the attempt by some Islamists to launch a
modern jihad in the area. It explores possible links between the attacks of
Islamic jihadists in the Middle-Belt with terrorist networks elsewhere in the
world. The other causal factors of the conflict border on the struggle over
economic, political and social control in the Middle-Belt. Thus, the struggle
has been between so-called minority Muslim settler communities and
predominantly Christian indigenous peoples. The paper provides a blueprint for
peace in the Middle-Belt by formulating a community-based conflict
resolution/prevention program and by calling on the Federal Government of
Nigeria to enforce the provisions of the Constitution with regards to so-called
settler communities throughout Nigeria.
Organized panel
Davis, Scott
Miyazaki International College, Japan
Head Splitting Laughter in East Asian
Religion(02P)
In this presentation I will examine vocabulary
pertaining to ancient Chinese ritual as seen on oracle bones from the Shang
dynasty, as well as the extension of these concepts into classical Chinese
texts. Concepts of splitting, speaking and sacred interaction are expressed in
related ways, to present an anatomy of humor and religion in archaic China. By
exploring families of words linked etymologically to these concepts, one
obtains a set of associated phenomenological qualities for the setting of humor
as the sacred. Moreover, consideration of the ways these concepts are prolonged
in the classical textual corpus gives us a sense of the modalities of usage of
these religious factors throughout the millennia of Chinese tradition.
Splitting operations are axiomatic to container-content symbolism such as
gourds/pumpkins/melons that play a prominent place throughout myth and humorous
imagination in East Asia. Japanese folk narrative especially puts these images
to frequent use.
Organized panel, English
Daw, Carl P. Jr.
The Hymn Society in the United States and
Canada, USA
The Theme of Peace in English-Language
Hymnody(11S)
If it is possible to see a correlation between
the colonizing and expansionist assumptions of the primary English-speaking
nations of the 19th-century and popular Christian hymns with militaristic
motifs ("Onward, Christian Soldiers," "Lead On, O King Eternal,"
etc.), it is no less evident that the experience of two world wars led to
disenchantment with such imagery in the latter half of the 20th century.
Spurred by the witness of the traditional Peace Churches, Christians of all
denominations have given new attention to the centrality of peace in the
teaching of Jesus and in Hebrew scripture. In particular, understandings of
peace have shifted from the private realm of spiritual contentment and the
public Constantinian model of pax (the cessation of hostility) to scriptural
communal goal of shalom (an environment of mutual goodwill, cooperation, and
shared prosperity). This new emphasis in faith and action is both reflected in
and stimulated by a significant body of new hymns, particularly from the United
Kingdom, the United States, and New Zealand.
Symposium, English
De la Garza, Mercedes
Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico
Gods and Supernatural Beings Among Mayan
People(03R)
The religious world among the pre-Colombian
Mayan people was expressed in very different images on many of their master
pieces. We can still admire, after centuries, wonderful examples of them. Many
of these images are clear references to supernatural beings, but not all of
them were Mayan gods. How do Mayas think about gods? Which were their
characteristics and qualities? Which one of these gods was the most important
and why? How have these gods changed over the centuries, and between one city
and another? These and other questions about Mayan gods, and their symbolic
structure, will be my focus in this paper. Topics such as worship, changes and
continuity in sacred Mayan thoughts after the Conquest, will be the subject of
the second symposium.
Symposium, * Session Abstract, English
De la Garza, Mercedes
Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico
The Solar God In Maya Religion(*co-author with
Rothstein, Mikael)(03R)
In this paper I talk about the meaning of the
Sun in Maya Religion. Drawing upon evidence from sculptural representations,
architectural creations, hieroglyphic inscriptions and other myths gathered in
colonial times -in Mayan language but Latin characters- I propose that the Sun
was the supreme celestial deity of the Maya. The Sun, called in Yucatan Maya
Kinich Ahau (Lord of the Solar Eye), was identified with Itzamna, the celestial
dragon, life principle associated with water. This is why it was also called
Itzamna Kinich Ahau by the Yucatan Maya. This deity was represented with
symbolic elements of both manifestations in sculpture. Also, the structure of
the cosmos in Maya thought answers to the solar trajectory. The equinox and the
solstices determining the four quadrants in which the three cosmic levels
-heaven, earth and underworld- are divided; and, at the same time, determining
the four seasons, joining in this quadrangular status, the space and the time.
Symposium, English
De Liberal, Marcia Mello Costa
Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, Brazil
Religion, Negotiation and Peace: A Biblical
Analysis and its Present-Day Social Representation(01N)
Peace is a theme broadly addressed by
religions. In everyday life people face various situations of conflict which
require solutions focused on solidarity rather than violence. Very often,
negotiation establishes the possibility of a solution that searches for
justice. Thus, this paper, in the light of an analysis on the category
"negotiation", will have as a starting point the biblical passage of
1 Samuel 25:18-35. The theoretical contribution of Herkenhoff (1990:119), on the
universal value of "equality", the repudiation of discrimination and
rejection of intolerance, will be considered. Peace in a broader sense has to
do with survival, well-being, identity and freedom. Religions based on
negotiation can contribute to the promotion of peace.
Organized panel, English
De Roover, Jacob
Ghent University, Belgium
Freedom of Conscience and the Right to Convert:
Human Values or Christian Precepts? ( * joint presentation with Claerhout,
Sarah)(04H)
In modern India, religious conversion has
become a bone of contention. Christians and secularists claim that the right to
propagate and change one's religion is part of the freedom of conscience. This
freedom, they say, is a fundamental human right, which should be protected by
any secular democracy. In contrast, many Hindus ? including the advocates of
Hindutva, but also moderate Gandhians and traditional swamis ? claim religious
conversion violates the very foundations of the Indian social fabric. Some even
plead for a constitutional ban on conversion in India. In our paper, we argue
that freedom of conscience is not as secular or neutral as it claims to be and
that the same holds for the right to religious conversion. These notions make
senseonly against the background of a religion like Christianity, which divides
the human world into one true religion and many false religions. Historically,
freedom of conscience became crucial in the Christian West, because of the
basic belief that all human souls ought to be left free to be converted by the
true God and His Spirit. Within this particular theological framework,
religious conversion became a fundamental right never to be violated by the
human authorities. Therefore, when Hindu spokesmen refuse to acknowledge
"the universal human right to conversion," they have a leg to stand
on. However, the fact that freedom of conscience is not a secular value does
not imply it should be replaced by a legal ban on conversion. The predicament
of religious conversion in India, we argue, should be revisited by examining
the way it was successfully resolved in the past, when a plural society
consisting of Hindus and Christians (and many other groups) was not torn apart
by the issue of religious conversion.
Symposium, English
De Roover, Jakob
Ghent University, Belgium
Religion, Secularism, and the Rule of Law: The
Rule of Violence?(10C)
Today, the rule of law is viewed as the
safeguard of society against the threat of violence. Historically, law became
the means to the moral reform of western societies, when Christian confessions
began to impose a strict church discipline. In this early modern development,
traditional practices were destroyed to be replaced with a legal system. Often,
these systems were imposed violently by church and state. Over time, law became
the foundation of harmony in the West, for our societies turned into
communities as a result of being re-structured by law. Today, we confront a new
predicament: various non-western groups are entering western society who were
not part of this historical development. Therefore, the rule of law will again
become a source of violence, as it tries to reform the traditional practices of
these groups through the imposition of a legal framework.
Organized panel, English
Deeg, Max
Unreal Opponents: The Chinese Polemic against
Hinayana Buddhism(03S)
Organized panel
Deegale, Mahinda
Bath Spa University College, England
Indigenous Religions and Environment: Toward
Sustainable Societies(10L)
*respondent
Organized panel
Deegalle, Mahinda
Bath Spa University College, England
One or Many Buddhism/s?: Japanese Buddhism from
a South Asian Perspective(02S)
This is an exploration of unity and diversity
of Buddhism in Asia. Japanese Buddhist schools and doctrines will be evaluated
to decipher any underlying, intrinsic links within the Buddhist traditions
across Asia.
Organized panel, English
Deegalle, Mahinda
Bath Spa University College, England
Buddhist Responses to Violence: Contemporary
Situation in Creating Peace in Sri Lanka(15G)
"Buddhist Responses to Violence"
examines the challenges that Buddhists face in contemporary Sri Lanka in
creating peace while eliminating terrorist activities and unhealthy social and
political forces that devastate religious atmosphere by making it impossible to
be genuinely religious. Identifying several nationalist and religious movements
and political activists, it argues the importance of taking into account the
'religious agency' that has been so far largely ignored in finding a viable
solution to the conflict in the process of creating peace. Three potential
threats to peace - LTTE, JVP and JHU - will be examined to understand
nationalist and religious opposition to the peace process. In particular, the
attention will be paid on the politics of the Jathika Hela Urumaya Monks who
have successfully entered into the Sri Lankan Parliament in April 2004 election
in the hope of creating a righteous state as a solution to violence, terrorism
and conflict in Sri Lanka.
Organized panel, English
Demura, Kazuhiko
Okayama University, Japan
Religious Struggle and Dialogue in Ancient
Christianity(12N)
*chairperson
Organized panel
Demura, Miyako
University of the Sacred Heart, Japan
Religious Struggle and Dialogue in Origen of
Alexandria(12N)
Although Origen caused much controversy during
his lifetime and his many writings were lost because of the heresy charges
against him in the 6th century, he had a strong influence on Western
spirituality (dogmatic development, Biblical exegesis, Monasticism, and the
Orthodox Church). With the process of globalization, we can recognize new and
important approaches which take the cultural situation of Alexandria as
Origen's religious background into consideration. In this study, I consider the
religious-cultural situation of Alexandria behind such an ambivalent
estimation, and approach the problem of the religious conflicts (anti-paganism,
anti-Judaism, anti-Gnosticism) and dialogues and gender in the context of the
religious pluralism of Alexandria.
Organized panel
Dessi, Ugo
University of Marburg, Germany
Conflicting Notions of Peace: the Interplay
between Institutionalized Religions and the Mission of Secular States(16C)
The interplay between religion and the
interests of the secular state in Japan has been the recent subject of a number
of detailed studies, especially in relation to the WWII period. In the case of
Shin Buddhism, it has been suggested that a certain adaptability of the
doctrines and the lack of a fixed code of precepts might have followed from a
conformity of interests with secular state, interests which ran counter to a
number of doctrinal assumptions. Through a comparative approach to different
reactions by religious institutions to the tragic events of the last years,
this paper describes the efficacy of Shin Buddhism in facing these concrete
situations without being unfaithful to the universalistic spirit of Buddhism.
This paper also highlights the ambiguities of a 'social engagement' that is not
always aware of its socio-political context and so exposed to the risk of
manipulation.
Organized panel, English
DeVido, Elise Anne
National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan
Mapping the Trajectories of Engaged Buddhism in
Taiwan and Vietnam(17M)
The impetus for this paper arose at the Fourth
Annual Conference on the Thought of Yinshun (Taiwan 2003) when Taiwanese
scholars assured me that Thich Nhat Hanh's concept of "Engaged Buddhism"
derived from Yinshun's (b. 1906) ideas about "Humanistic Buddhism."
After investigation, I found that in the 1930s-40s, Vietnamese Buddhist
reformers were directly inspired by not Yinshun but Chinese Buddhist reformer
Taixu's (1890-1947)" Humanistic Buddhism." The seeds planted by
Taixu's ideas in Vietnam not only resulted in institutions that organized and
educated a modernized samgha, but lay the framework for Thich Nhat Hanh's and
others' actualized Buddhism in the 1960s. By tracing the paths of humanistic
Buddhism from Taixu to Vietnam and from Taixu to Taiwan, it is hoped that this
paper may contribute to ongoing debates about the origin, definitions, and
varieties of Engaged Buddhism as it highlights both the innovations and
limitations of Humanistic Buddhism in Taiwan.
Organized panel, English
Dewey, William Joseph
The University of Tennessee, USA
Africans in India: Worship at the 'Tombs' of
Baba Ghor(14R)
Baba Ghor is the most important African Islamic
saint (pir) honored in scores of Indian cities and among the Indian Islamic
diaspora. His durga (tomb) in Ratanpur, Gujarat and the numerous chillas, or
memorial tombs, found elsewhere, are the principal foci of worship of many Sidi
(or African descent) Muslims. As a mystic Sufi saint, Baba Ghor's divine
blessing (or baraka) is mediated through the active participation of devotees
in music and dance. Using film clips and slide illustrations this paper will
focus on performances associated with worship and healing performed in the tomb
site at Ratanpur and a memorial tomb in Mumbai. The expressive and material
culture displayed at these devotional sites represent an intense (and at times
blurred) synthesis of African, Hindi and Muslim religious traditions. The
religion and expressive culture of this African diasporic community illustrates
the active fusion of both present and past, and imagined practices.
Organized panel, English
Dobbelaere, Karel
Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium
Comparative Research(12I)
Invited to Japan by Shin Anzai-sensei in 1984,
I was advised by Yoshiya Abe-sensei not to apply automatically to Japan
sociological concepts developed in the West, such as secularization and
pillarization, without first undertaking a comparative study of both societies.
So I spent the last three months of 1984 in Japan trying to understand this
country and its religions. In my paper, I want to reflect on the impact my
study of Japanese society and religion had on the development of my thinking. I
will discuss the following points: the importance of rites - which are rather
under-valued in religions of the book like Christianity; the emergence of
institutionalized pillars in NRMs; and finally, the cross-fertilization of
theoretical approaches by suggesting a way of integrating aspects of Rational
Choice Theory in order to extend our study of the process of secularization.
Organized panel, English
Dodina, Yevgeniya Yevgenievna
Odessa National Academy of Law, Ukraine
Interreligious Dialogue: Ways of Conflict
Resolution(01G)
Many people consider inter-religious conflict
to be a natural element of social life, a regular product of social
development, the principal feature of which is dissociation and conflict of
interests of among different religious groups, as well as the confrontation
between the believers and non-believers. The analysis of inter-denomination and
inter-church conflicts in Ukraine centers upon the following areas of conflict:
a) between the Orthodox and Catholic churches; b) between the Ukrainian
Orthodox Church (belonging to the Moscow patriarchy), the Ukrainian Orthodox
Church (belonging to the Kiev patriarchy) and the Ukrainian Autocephalous
Orthodox Church; c) between the churches traditional for Ukraine, and the New
Religious movement.This article will propose ways of solving these conflicts,
such as creation of an appropriate legal base aimed at the perfection of the
laws concerning the freedom of religion, as well as carrying out certain state
activities directed at the separation of the church from the state.
Organized panel, English
Doi, Hiroshi
Monotsukuri Institute of Technologists, Japan
Memorial Service of New Religion for the War
Dead in Modern Japan: Case Study of Konkokyo(Konko Faith) Rites(05J)
This presentation runs as fellows; 1. How memorial
service for the war dead have been studied in postwar Japan 2. Shinto and new
religion as vernacular religion of Japan 3. Memorial service of Konkokyo(Konko
faith) for the war dead The aim of this pre
Symposium, English
Doi, Hiroshi
Monotsukuri Instisute of Technologists, Japan
Cremation in Nineteenth Century Japan-from
Buddhist Custom to Hygienic Method(10M)
The purpose of this presentation is to explore
how cremation reconstructed in nineteenth century Japan. The cremation has hardly
any religious significance in present-day Japan. But this custom was once one
of the most important political/religious issues of Japan. Until the last
quarter of nineteenth century, cremation was constructed as a Buddhist custom
by anti-Buddhists. But, since the ban on cremation in 1873, this method of
disposal of the dead was argued in not only the (anti-)Buddhism context but
also in public health and/or the civic problem context. This ban was lifted in
1875 and the cremation has been reconstructed as a hygienic method for the
disposal of the dead, out of the Buddhism context. In the following years, the
cremation/burial has been constructed in a Buddhist/anti-Buddhist style. After
this era, the cremation/burial has been reconstructed as a hygienic/unsanitary
method for the disposal of the dead. The differences in cremation and burial
come from the level of modernity and do not come from religious ideas.
Organized panel, English
Doi, Hiroto
University of Tsukuba, Japan
Application of Modeling to Religious
Studies(14K)
In religious research, the study of language is
important. But we often face limits to language. Although our study depends on
language, illustrating concepts and key terms structurally will make
characteristics and problems clear. This report tries to attempt systematic
modeling on some religious thought by using UML (Unified Modeling Language) and
to find its application in comparative studies. We know UML has many
insufficiencies for its use in religious research, because originally UML is a
modeling language for software programming. But UML also shares various
concepts or systems of unified notation, and enables us to communicate with
each other and solve problems. I will show how this approach will contribute to
religious research, especially to inter-religious dialogue.
Organized panel, Japanese
Doi, Yumi
University of Tokyo, Japan
Transition in the Study of the Passion
Narratives(10S)
European text critiques of the Bible began at
the end of the 17th century by the Lutherans, who applied this method to the
texts of the Old Testament. At the beginning of the 19th century, it was
applied to the New Testament and developed along the basis of the rise of
historicism. Out of this, the Passion Narratives of the Gospels of the New
Testament were notable materials that evoked interest. Diverse trends such as
Judaism and Christianity, Hellenism and Hebraism, anti-Semitism, Nazism,
religion and violence, soteriology, eschatology, and so forth, have affected
the interpretation of the Passion Narratives. This presentation intends to
summarize the studies on the Passion Narratives from the 19th century up to the
contemporary period, by taking into consideration the above-mentioned social
and ideological backgrounds.
Organized panel
Dolce, Lucia
SOAS, University of London, UK
Localizing Buddhism in the Japanese Cultic
Context: A Ritual Approach(02S)
While it is difficult to speak of a single 'European'
approach to Japanese Buddhism, it may be noted that its study in European
institutions has been mainly carried out as part of Japanese studies rather
than 'Buddhology.' In the mid-nineteenth century there already was in Europe a
specific knowledge of the Japanese Buddhist pantheon and an interest in its
ritual use, as the collections of von Siebold in The Netherlands and Guimet in
France demonstrate. Early research in Japanese Buddhism reveals an attention to
its liturgical and devotional dimensions and its association with the workship
of kami, a pioneering approach that has continued in much of twenty-century
scholarship. This approach highlights the value of what we may call an
anthropological perspective on the study of Buddhism, and it is helpful in
rethinking the categories through which Buddhism (in the singular) has been
interpreted and in balancing the marginal treatment that Japanese Buddhism
receives in general works on Buddhism, where its 'uniqueness' unfolds only in
negative terms.
Organized panel, English
Doorn-Harder, Nelly
Valparaiso University, USA
Studying Religious Peacemaking in the Religions
of Abraham(03D)
In the aftermath of 9/11 and the Iraq war,
teaching Islam in the USA has become a nearly acrobatic and politically charged
act. Most of our students want to hear niceties about Islam while avoiding the
complexities of a lived religion. My school is of a religious character and
forms part of a network of 72 similar institutions. Since our students
constitute a fair representation of the religious outlook of the average,
conservative Christian American, we tried to fill what in fact is an empty
framework of notions about the Islamic other and the justification for the war
in Iraq with a curriculum that addresses the complex issues within individual
religions, while considering the processes of religious peacemaking and
inter-religious dialogue. Based on theories developed in the field of conflict
resolution and reconciliation, we work from an integrated approach that not
only looks at violence and peacemaking within Islam but also in Christianity
and Judaism. Understanding that violence is inherently present in all three
religions, students consider the issues in terms of social change,
relationships, subsystems, and potentials for transformation. In an effort to
help them understand how transformation from violence-mindedness to a mindset
of peace can take place, they study the personal dimensions of conflicts
(emotions, perceptions and spirituality), and the structural, cultural and
social dimensions of inter--religious conflicts. The final goal of these
courses is to convey that we all can be agents of peace by being involved in
the creation of new patterns, processes and structures.
Organized panel
Dopamu, Ade P.
University of Ilorin, Nigeria
Religious Understanding and Peaceful
Coexistence in Nigeria: The Yoruba Example(02V)
The impression that has gone abroad is that
Nigeria is the home of religious conflict. Many foreigners are scared of
traveling to Nigeria, and many investors are unwilling to come because of the
religious and ethnic conflicts allegedly tearing Nigeria apart. We sometimes
forget that Nigeria is a large country with over one hundred and twenty million
people, and when there is a crisis in one or two towns in Nigeria, we
erroneously assume that the whole of Nigeria is on fire. The intolerant
attitude that usually leads to such crises is not a phenomenon common to all
Nigerian people. This is why religious and ethnic crises are seldom found in
some parts of Nigeria. For example, cases of religious conflict in Yorubaland
are far fewer than those of other areas of Nigeria. It is known that religious
pluralism is a permanent feature in Nigeria, and one consequence of this
condition is religious conflict. At the moment the conflict between Islam and
Christianity is more intense than in the past particularly in the northern
parts of Nigeria. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to show that the
conditions that exacerbate religious conflicts are not allowed by the Yoruba to
create tension. The Yoruba cultural system creates an interesting web of social
and religious integration. The most important contribution of this paper is to
demonstrate how religious pluralism among the Yoruba offers to Nigeria a
concrete example of how to "live and let live" through religious
understanding, tolerance and harmony.
Organized panel, English
Dore, Mani-Samouth
National University of Laos, Laos
The State and the Statue - A Study of the
Socio-Political Role of Religious and Royal Symbolisms in Today's Laos(02W)
On the 5th January 2003, an official ceremony
was held in Vientiane (Lao D.R.P.) to erect a 3.5 ton bronze statue of King
Fa-Ngum, founder of the ancient Kingdom of Lane-Xang. In its superficial
contradictions (for instance those between the actual communist ideology and
the former symbolism of monarchy), this event has a deeper significance in the
field of economics, history, culture and religion. This paper will demonstrate
how, following the economic opening of the country in the late 1980's and the
ensuing adverse social and cultural consequences, the Lao communist party has
been stressing the role of the sangha (monks community) in the field of
education, ethics and tradition. To sum up, Buddhism together with the
historical Lao dynasty formed the main pillars of the Lao identity. Viewed from
this point of view, King Fa-Ngum who had conquered the Middle Mekong Valley
during the 14th century A.D. and had united it ideologically under Hinayana
Buddhism, was a national hero. In this paper, by showing on the one hand the
historical relationships of Buddhism to the State in Laos, and on the other
hand the aims of the Lao Government in organizing such an event and its impact,
we will focus on the re-establishment of religious and royal symbolism and
their role in modern Lao society.
Organized panel, English
Dorman, Benjamin
Nanzan University, Japan
Media "Ijime" and New Religious
Movements: Violence or Virtue?(01R)
This paper will examine the reporting of issues
concerning new religious movements by weekly magazines in the post-Aum era, and
will discuss media "ijime" (bullying by the media of individuals and
groups) as a form of violence. A former writer for one of Japan's ubiquitous
weekly magazines has used the term media "ijime" to describe the
tactics employed by these prominent and highly influential publications in
order to boost sales in an increasingly competitive market. New religious
movements, which have historically been treated negatively by the media in
general, are a regular target for many weekly magazines. Supporters argue that
these publications provide a welcome outlet for genuine news that is largely
unreported in the mainstream press due to the restrictive "press club
system" and other social constraints. Critics, on the other hand, hold
that these publications trample human rights, abuse freedoms, and trigger
unnecessary social concern and hysteria.
Organized panel, English
Dorman, Benjamin
Nanzan University, Japan
Religion, Peace and the Media(12C)
This panel aims to explore some of the
tensions, contradictions, and paradoxes that can arise when investigating
interconnections and convergences between three broad categories
?"religion," "peace," and "media." It is
inevitable that when looking at these terms, questions are raised not only over
definitions themselves, but also who the definers are and to what purpose the
language used serves. Such questions are critical when considering issues
relating to how media reporting reflects values that may be assumed to be
universal by some yet remain contested by others. Terms that stand in
contradistinction to each other ? freedom and repression, equality and
inequality, democracy and tyranny ? are often used in various media concerning
religion and peace, particularly during, or in the wake of, war. Using
theoretical perspectives, historical and contemporary examples with reference
to Japan and the United States, and responses by women to religious violence
promoted in cyberspace, the papers seek to identify some of the issues
involved.
Organized panel, * Session Abstract, English
Dorman, Benjamin
Nanzan University, Japan
Peace or Pressure? Religious Reporting during
the Occupation of Japan(12C)
This paper will discuss issues related to
religion, peace, and the media during the Occupation era (1945?1952), a period
of fundamental change for Japanese society. During the first years of the
Occupation, a paradoxical part of the wide-ranging democratic program employed
by the SCAP authorities was strict media censorship. The media, which had for
years promoted the official tenets of State Shinto, were granted freedom of
speech albeit with significant restrictions, particularly when it came to the
reporting of religion. Censors often baulked at mere references to Shinto
deities, leading one Occupation official to remark that censorship was "a
continual object of attack for much of which there was considerable
justification." On the other hand, the reporting of Christianity, widely
viewed as the religion of the conquerors and promoted as a fundamental teaching
of peace by the seemingly omnipotent figure of General MacArthur himself,
presented another set of problems.
Organized panel, English
Dourley, John Patrick
Carleton University (ret.), Canada
Religious and Secular Views: Clash of
Civilization?(03K)
*chairperson
Organized panel
Dourley, John Patrick
Carleton University (ret.), Canada
Carl Jung and S.P.Huntington and the Search for
Commonalities Beneath the Clash of Civilzations.(03K)
The paper would briefly and appreciatively
present Huntington's thesis that future wars will be fought between
civilizations bonded by differing religions. It would go on to show a profound
initial agreement between Huntington and Carl Jung whose ideas of the
participation mystique, representations collectives, (both borrowed from Levi
Strauss), the "isms" and the collective shadow jointly contend that
civilizations are bonded by archetypal powers. The more effective the bonding,
the less conscious and so less morally sensitive are those bonded in relation
to the differently bonded. Jung goes beyond Huntington in his contention that
the psyche itself moves to a conscious and historical actualization of the
human commonalities that Huntington refers to in passing as the distant
solution to the clash of civilizations. In identifying these commonalities and
their psychodynamics Jung completes Huntington in the search for a humanity
cognizant that its cultural/religious differences derive from a common source
and so should be an occasion for mutual embrace and enrichment rather than
enmity.
Organized panel, English
Dovlo, Elom
University of Ghana, Ghana
(14L)
Organized panel
Drott, Edward
University of Pennsylvania, Japan
Disharmony in the Land of Wa: Challenging
"Official" Buddhism in Pre-Modern Japan(12E)
It is commonly asserted that Japanese religions
demonstrate a keener attention to questions of orthopraxis than to orthodoxy.
Examples from pre-modern Buddhism generally support this assumption. It can be
argued that major medieval controversies did not involve heresies but
disagreements over the relative importance of certain forms of religious
practice. Another framework for understanding rifts in pre-modern Japanese
Buddhism focuses on the division between "official" ordained priests
and representatives of "unofficial" Buddhism: un-ordained ascetics,
hermits and wanders. Examples from medieval art and literature depicting
religious wanderers challenging ordained priests demonstrate the resonance of
these categories in the religious imagination of the day. The ways in which
these conflicts and their resolutions are framed illuminates the unique
dynamics at work in Japanese and particularly medieval Japanese religiosity.
Organized panel, English
Dube, Musa Wenkosi
Scripps College, USA
Talitha Cum Hermeneutics: Some African Women's
Ways of Reading the Bible(10N)
This paper will explore the various methods of
reading the Bible proposed and used by African women in the past fifteen years,
especially within the forum of The Circle of Concerned African Women
Theologians. The story of the bleeding woman and the little girl who returns
from death to life in Mark 5: 21-43 has become a central lenses/language. The
paper will focus on selected African women readers: It will highlight Mercy
Oduyoye's inculturation hermeneutics; Teresa Okure's hermeneutics of Life;
Musimbi R. A. Kanyoro's feminist cultural hermeneutics; Madipoane Masenya's
bosadi/womanhood hermeneutics and Musa W. Dube's postcolonial feminist project
of biblical interpretation and HIV/AIDS hermeneutics of liberation.
Organized panel, English
Dumbrava, Daniela
Association Roumaine d'Histoire des Religions,
Italy
Cosmography and Cartography, Dynamics on
Mapping Territories. The Case of Russia, Inner Asia and North China (XVI-XVII
centuries)(17Q)
Strabo considers the geographic knowledge
"dignified to the competences of philosophers" (Strabo, Geography I,
1, 1), such as the Anaximander of Miletus, Democritus, Diacearco, and even
Homer, Hecateus and Polybius. He explains that investigating the divine (the
celestial phenomena, the animals from the earth and from the sea) and human
realities (art of life and felicity) constitute elements fundamental to
philosophy. From this heterogeneous analysis, the reasons for travel are
divided between knowledge, material reasons (commerce, politics, war), and at
last, cultural and religious interactions. The enormous amount of primary and
secondary literature or contributions on the contacts, commerce, and
interactions from the period of the Asian conquest of Alexander the Great until
the Oriental times of the Roman Empire in Late Antiquity, are now divided into
very specific studies along disciplinary lines. This paper offers a short note
on the impact of geographic knowledge in the "Religions and Dialogue Civilisations".
It does this by analyzing the dynamics and the morphology of mapping
territories and by describing the transitions from the mythical representations
of Terra Incognita to the technical Asian process of mapping assumed by the
Jesuits, by the Russians or by the Qing elites. It also includes accounts of
the fantastic tales of ancient geographers to the new techniques and knowledge
of mapping. This entails looking at official reports, the diaries of
ambassadors and travellers in the early modern period-from the imaginary lines
drawn between Europe and Asia, to the real measures of overland and of Siberian
and Inner Asian rivers.
Organized panel, English
Dungaciu, Dan
University of Bucharest, Romania
Rethinking Nationalism and Religious Pluralism
in Post-Totalitarian Countries: the case of Ukraine, Republic of Moldavia and
Serbia-Montenegro(05E)
Religious pluralism usually means that in a
society there is no single religious tradition with a monolithic, unchallenged
worldview of the supernatural, but rather many divergent views. In modern,
religiously pluralistic societies, the religions can play vital roles as
sources of meaning for their adherents, but the state or the government should
not force people into sectarian religious observances, nor favor some religions
over others, or punish people for their religiosity. This is a typical Western
scenario. I will argue in my paper that the situation is different in South
Eastern Europe, and one main reason is the relationship between religion and
nationalism in this region. Due to the complicated (sometimes dangerous)
mixture between these two elements, the national state in this region
influenced, explicitly or implicitly, the religious attitude or beliefs of
people. To prove this, I shall focus on three case studies, Ukraine --the case
of the three Orthodox Churches; Republic of Moldavia --the case of Metropolis
of Bessarabia, and Serbia-Muntenegru --the case of Romanian/Vlah population.
Organized panel, English
Ehara, Takekazu
Kyoto University, Japan
Religious Education as a Form of Values
Education in the State-system : From a Comparative Perspective(02D)
In contemporary educational reform around the
world, the need to improve cognitive education, the central task of schooling,
primarily through strengthening basic academic subjects, has been widely
acknowledged. At the same time, however, the demand for developing values
education in tune with the multicultural society in which multiple value
systems coexist has also gained prominence. In particular, the role of religion
in public education has become one of the foci of educational debate. Values
education refers to the teaching and learning of principles, ideals, standards,
and life styles, which serve as general guidelines of behavior, and as frames
of reference in deciding and judging beliefs and actions. Values education
includes not only religious education, but also citizenship education, moral
education, multicultural education, etc. The overarching principle of various
forms of values education is that they assume the coexistence of multiple value
systems. This paper, based on the comparative study of religious education in
12 countries including Japan, will present an analysis of the different roles
religious education play in the school curricula, followed by a discussion on
the potential of religious education as a form of values education.
Organized panel
Ejima, Naotoshi
Taisho University, Japan
The View of Asia by Buddhist Groups in Modern
Japan(07S)
In this presentation, I'll show clearly how
traditional Buddhism groups in modern Japan have positioned themselves toward
Asia, and what their self-image is in respect to Asia. It is said that the
Sino-Japanese War have been an opportunity in which Japanese people began to be
have a strong consciousness of Asia. Following this opinion, I formulated the
hypothesis that Japanese Buddhism began to be aware of the Buddhism "of
Japan" at this time. Then I collected articles related Asia (period: before
and after the Sino-Japanese War) within Jodo-kyoho, which was the bulletin by
Jodo-shu, and clarified the self-image to Asia stated there. Moreover, the
self-image was also able to strongly have a correlation simultaneously with
their own state and Christianity. In this presentation, I will extend the
period and groups and discuss the relation between their self image and Asia,
their own state, and Christianity until World War I.
Organized panel, Japanese
El Sharkawy, Pakinam
Cairo University, Egypt
Muslims as a Minority and the American
Political System(13O)
The main aim of the paper will be to present
the political status of Muslim in America from a comparative perspective. The
relationship between the Muslim and the American political system will be
discussed through two level of comparison: the first will deal with the
situation of other religious minorities, while the second will analyses the
differences between before 9/11 and its aftermath.
Organized panel, English
Ellis, Stephen Derek
African Studies Centre, Netherlands
Religion in War and Peace in Liberia(15O)
In the wars that have occurred in Liberia since
1989, religion has played a notable role both in the organisation of violence
and in its dramaturgy. Fighters have committed atrocities that graphically
recall, or caricature, rituals that are central to some of Liberia's main
religious traditions. This paper considers the continuity of such practices in
war and peace and draws conclusions on the nature of stability in society.
Organized panel, English
Ellis, Stephen Derek
African Studies Centre, Netherlands
Religious Dimensions of Wars in Africa(15O)
*chairperson
Organized panel
Elmi, Qorban
Tehran University, Iran
Religion and Human Rights from the Viewpoint of
Islam(06C)
This paper attempts to study the relation
between religion and human rights from the viewpoint of Islam. The issue of
human rights is one of the most fundamental issues confronting humanity today,
and also one of the most sensitive and controversial. Observance of human
rights in the world should be a top priority. Respect for human rights and
compliance with their relevant norms and standards is not a posture adopted out
of political expediency or conformity with others. Rather it is the natural
consequence of religious teachings and precepts. It is possible to argue that
in the absence of an absolute morality and spiritual vision, which only
religion can provide, human rights may be hard, if not impossible, to observe.
Islam, like other religions, especially theistic religions, emphasizes the
importance of human rights. Truth, peace, justice, tolerance, equality and
brotherhood are the principles that enjoy a special position in Islam. The
Islamic teachings oppose all types of discrimination based on color, race and
economic divisions. Piety is the only criterion for the superiority of a human
being, which can be attained only as a person moves towards perfection.
Organized panel, English
Elmi, Qorban
Tehran University, Iran
Peace and War from Islamic Viewpoint(12O)
Religions have played a crucial role in the
history of humankind, particularly in regard to conflict and peace. Religions
have justified, motivated and mandated violence and war. At the same time, they
have encouraged the resolution of conflict and the need to create conditions of
global peace. Understanding the role of religion, both as a source of conflict
and of peace, is indispensable for all peace-makers. One guarantee of peace
between cultures and civilizations is peace between religions. We can say that
there will be 'no peace in the world until there is peace between the
religions.' Islam is a religion of peace. A systematic examination of Islamic
texts and Muslim history shows that peace is and has always been the original
position and final aim of Islam. From its inception, the Qur'an emphasized
peace as an intrinsic Islamic value. This fact is borne by both Islamic
teachings and the very name of "Islam." The terms "Islam" and
"peace" have the same root, Salaam. The expansion of Islam is to be
achieved through persuasion and the use of peaceful means, not by force and
compulsion. One can clearly see that peace was always the original position of
Muslims, and that war was either a punitive measure to annihilate tyranny and
oppression, or a defensive measure to stop aggression. Islam considers that
real peace can only be attained when justice prevails.
Organized panel, English
Engler, Steven Joseph
Mount Royal College, Canada
Religion, Agency, and Order: Theoretical Issues
and Historical Cases(01K)
The panel considers relations between the
themes of religion, agency, and order. Three issues are addressed: (1) the
extent to which religion is concerned with, or constituted by, relations
between individual and collective human agency, on the one hand, and views of
order, on the other (e.g., to what extent are obedience to divine commands,
action in emulation of sacred models, ritual propriety, godly self-interest,
etc., held to constitute, or their to obverse threaten, social and political
order?); (2) the extent to which transformations of these relations play a role
in religious history; and (3) the extent to which this hypothesized linkage is
predominantly Western.
Organized panel, * Session Abstract, English
Engler, Steven Joseph
Mount Royal College, Canada
Religion, Agency, and Order: Theoretical Issues
and Historical Cases(01K)
*chairperson
Organized panel
Engler, Steven Joseph
Mount Royal College, Canada
Charting the Map Metaphor in Theory of
Religion(11K)
Discussions of relations between language about
religion and religious phenomena often use geographical metaphors: map, chart,
landscape, site. This presentation argues that the theory of religion has been
hampered by an overly simplistic appeal to these metaphors. After sketching epistemological
critiques of the correspondence view of truth (i.e., the view that truth
happens when language "maps onto" reality in a one-to-one
correspondence), I argue that semantic theories (e.g., Donald Davidson) hint at
a very different sort of theory of religion: one in which the use and context
of maps and territory are more important than whether one is a true picture of
the other. Scholars of religion frequently cite J.Z. Smith's statements,
"map is not territory" and "there is no data for religion,"
as warrants for a naive, relativist constructionism. A more nuanced
appreciation for the metaphor of the map leads beyond this cul-de-sac.
Organized panel
Enomoto, Kaoru
University of Tokyo, Japan
A Term "Medium" in Religion ? In the
Case of Masaharu Taniguchi (the Founder of "Seicho-No-Ie") and the
Radio ?(03J)
From devices (television, radio, internet,
etc.) to a person who communicate with the spirit of the dead, a word
"medium/media" is used in many ways. The aim of this paper is to
observe how this word is used pluralistically in a religious term, referring to
the case of Masaharu Taniguchi (the founder of "Seicho-No-Ie"), who
had a keen sense of using various kinds of media as a mean of his mission.
Publishing magazines was the base of his mission, but he was interested in a
radio since its broadcasting was started in 1925 in Japan. In those days, he
frequently compared humans to the radio system in his magazines (for example,
he lectured that the mind of human being is able to reach a divine nature by
"tuning" his mind to that). In his mind, he seemed to have pictured a
radio as not only the media, the device of transmitting his thought, but as the
medium that extend the mind of human beings to the higher existence.
Organized panel, English
Erasmus, Johannes Christoffel
University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
Confronting the Challenge of Social
Exclusion/Inclusion in South Africa Through Religion(13L)
The purpose of this article is to establish the
overlap between religion and social exclusion/inclusion in South Africa. A
secondary question is whether the religious sector can help facilitate the
process from exclusion to inclusion. The article will focus on: 1. Exploring
the concept of social exclusion/inclusion. Special attention will be given to
the north/south debate and the appropriateness of the concept in SA.
Furthermore, the question of indicators relevant to the South African context
will be explored; 2. Examining the positive role of religion in South Africa.
Religious trends of the past century as well as the role of religion prior,
during and after apartheid will be explored; 3. A case study in Khayelitsha, an
area in the Cape Metropolitan Area where approximately 500,000 people live,
using points raised in the above discussion.
Organized panel, English
Erdely Graham, Jorge
Research center for theological and social
studies, Mexico
Apocalytism, Messianism, and Violence in
Contemporary Latin America(15F)
This paper explores the relationships between
messianism and the institutionalization of violence against women in Latin
America by presenting an ethnographic study of La Luz del Mundo ("The
Light of the world"), a Mexican-based and originated religious sect known
for its theocratic and aggressive transnational agenda. Quickly expanding to
different parts of the world and led by a patriarchal figure who is considered
by followers a living incarnation of deity, La Luz del Mundo has become in
recent years a paradigm for many scholars who study the interrelations of
apocalyptic religiosity, gender violence money and politics in Hispanic
non-mainstream movements. The wealth and publicly known political connections
of the organization with Mexico's most powerful political party, help explain
in part the impunity with which many alleged human rights violations have
occurred for decades in a country where corruption in the judicial system is
widespread.
Organized panel, English
Eslinger, Lyle
University of Calgary, Canada
The Unholy Alliance of Religion and Violence:
Aetiologies from Biblical Literature and Buddhist Psychology(*joint
presentation with Kawamura, Leslie Sumio)(02C)
The appalling acts of Muslim fundamentalists
leave no room to doubt that religion is a fertile ground for religious
violence. Though embarrassing to many members of implicated traditions,
religious violence provokes angry reactions from moderates and the
non-religious, for whom it poses a threat. There is no obvious way to resolve this
growing tension between ultra- and non-religious; scholarship can make a small
contribution toward easing it by exploring its sources (psychological and
classical). The authors of this paper propose to explore a classical story from
the Bible that reflects on the conditions for violence to emerge from religion.
Though Buddhism's nuanced reflexivity is a well-established perception (based
on texts such as the Dhammapada) the Bible is better known as an ideological
source of animosity and aggressive behaviour. Nevertheless, in the story of
Cain and Abel (Genesis 4), the Bible also includes at least one reflection on
the nature of human violence. Using Genesis 4 as a topical focus, our paper
offers an analysis of the roots of violence in religion.
Organized panel, English
Ess, Charles
Religion and ICT in Japan(16T)
*respondent
Organized panel
Euler, Walter Andreas
"De Pace Fidei" und die
Ringparabel(04N)
Als Vergleichspunkt fur den cusanischen Ansatz
zur Losung des Religionsproblems wird oft auf die Ringparabel hingewiesen, die
Lessing in sein Drama "Nathan der Weise" eingefugt hat. Allerdings
ist wohl noch nie ein systematischer Vergleich zwischen Cusanus' "De pace
fidei" und dem Konzept der Ringparabel vorgenommen worden. Dies ist das
Anliegen meines Vortrags. In diesem Zusammenhang ist zunachst zu klaren, ob
Cusanus die Ringparabel (in einer ihrer mittelalterlichen Fassungen) kannte und
ob umgekehrt Lessing von Cusanus beeinflusst wurde. Im Hauptteil werde ich mich
auf die je eigene religionstheoretische Losung des Problems der
unterschiedlichen religiosen Wahrheitsanspruche bei Cusanus und in der
Ringparabel konzentrieren. Letztlich kreisen beide Konzeptionen um die zentrale
Frage, wie sich Gewohnheit und Wahrheit im Bereich der Religion sowie der
Religionen voneinander trennen lassen. In diesem Punkt kommen Cusanus und
Lessing zu prinzipiell unterschiedlichen Antworten, die im Einzelnen erortert
werden.
Organized panel
Fadzil, Ammar
International Islamic University Malaysia,
Malaysia
Does the Qur'an Condone Killing: Revisiting the
Qur'anic Verses on Jihad with Special Reference to Malaysian's Government's
Notion of Jihad(06C)
September 11, 2001 marked a crucial turning
point for the Islamic notion of jihad. This tragedy has been linked to Muslim
terrorists. Terrorists have resorted to Qur'anic injunctions to justify their
action i.e. jihad which might give the idea that terrorism has its roots and
support in the Qur'an. This paper revisits the Qur'anic verses pertaining to
the concept of jihad which have been used to justify terrorism in order to get
more impartial and better interpretation of these verses. In addition, the paper
will highlight some of Malaysian government positions against terrorism.
Organized panel, English
Faivre, Antoine
Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, France
Western Esotericism and Polemics (1)
Esotericism, Scriptural Religions, and Religious Pluralism: Conflict or
Concordance?(10G)
*co-convener
Symposium, English
Farhadian, Charles
Westmont College, USA
Emerging Theology on an Asian Frontier:
Christianities, and the Future of Memories in Indonesia(02E)
Given its minority status, Christianity's
history and resilience in Asia warrant a re-examination of the contemporary
expressions of Christian theology in its wider Asian context. In order to tease
out themes within emerging Christian theology in Asia, this paper highlights
the complicated nature of the relationship between ethnicities in Asia and
Christianity by illuminating various responses to crises within Christian
minority groups in Indonesia. How are pre-Christian religious and cultural
practices drawn up into contemporary expressions of Christianity? In periods of
conflict and crisis, what sources of strength are employed by Christian
minorities? In what contexts are pre-Christian practices either discarded or
re-adopted by Christian groups? What can Western approaches to theology learn from
emerging theology in Asia? By teasing out the continuities and discontinuities
of Christianity and local traditions in Indonesia, this paper underscores some
of the promising Christian theological themes within the Asian context.
Organized panel, English
Fetzer, Joel Steven
Pepperdine University, Hong Kong
A Response to THE UNDERLYING TERROR: Public
Attitudes toward the Accommodation of European Muslims' Religious Practices
before and after September 11(01C)
Over nine million Muslims currently live in
Western Europe, which makes them the largest religious minority in the region.
There has been significant political controversy in various European states
over how best to recognize Muslims' religious rights. These questions have
become even more significant and contentious in the aftermath of the September
11 attacks by Islamic extremists. Using privately commissioned polls on
attitudes toward Muslim religious rights taken before and after September 11 in
Britain, France, and Germany, this paper determines the extent of popular
opposition to state accommodation of Muslim practices and tests several leading
theories of attitudes towards Muslims. We conclude that the most important
determinants of attitudes toward Muslims are education and religious practice.
Symposium, English
Filus, Dorothea Magdalena
Monash University, Australia
Religious Education in Japan: Can Problems Be
Solved?(06L)
It seems that the current debate on religious
education in Japan has come to a dead end. Unless the Constitution of Japan and
the Fundamental Law of Education are amended in regard to the relationship
between the state and religion, no religious education, except for chishiki
kyoiku (education in objective historical knowledge of religious leaders and
facts) will be permitted in public schools. However, some scholars argue that
such education will not contribute to a positive enhancement of moral values of
the young people and call for the incorporation of joso kyoiku (education in
religious ideals and sentiments) into the curriculum. However, this type of
religious education, being inevitably related to a particular religious
tradition, is at this stage not allowed in public schools. The papers in this
panel will discuss the current problems in the debate on religious education
and will aim at finding solutions by proposing reinterpretation of the Japanese
religious and social beliefs and values, and redefinition of the relationship
between religious and public spheres. Some innovative models of religious
education in private schools will be examined in order to enlighten the ideas
and methods of teaching religious education.
Organized panel, * Session Abstract, English
Filus, Dorothea Magdalena
Monash University, Australia
Religious Education in Japan: What Are the
Problems?(06L)
The infamous association of Shinto with the
pre-war Japanese state and the wartime collusion of other Japanese religious
institutions led to the post-war separation of religion and state. There has
therefore been no religious education per se in Japanese public schools in the
post-war era. However, growing social problems such as bullying and violence
perpetrated by juveniles, and in particular the 1995 Aum Shinri-ky? incident
have given rise to calls for the introduction of religious education in public
schools. Some critics argue that a lack of spiritual guidance and religious
education gives rise to juvenile violence. However, other critics are skeptical
about the effectiveness of religious education and argue that religious
education at school cannot solve social problems but only increase state
control. If however religious education is introduced in public schools, it
should be based on religious beliefs and social values of the Japanese people
and not on foreign ideals. These beliefs should be carefully reinterpreted in
accordance with global cultural trends for the purpose of religious education,
which should be committed to mutual tolerance.
Organized panel, English
Fitzgerald, Timothy
Stirling University, UK
Religion and Early European Colonialism:
'Religion' and Other Categories in 16th and 17th Century Travel Journals(16B)
Following the Reformation, the English language
word 'religion' was, in world terms, a parochial concept meaning Christian
Truth, usually Protestant Christian Truth. Its main contrast was with
'superstitious' systems of thought against which Protestants defined
themselves: in degrees of distance Catholic, Muslim, Pagan and 'Ethnicke' superstitions.
However, with voyage journals and the early beginnings of European colonialism,
something like ethnography emerged in the attempt to describe and classify the
regions being colonised, and 'religions' quickly become ubiquitous. Here is a
look at two interesting editors of voyage journals, Richard Hakluyt and Samuel
Purchas who published late 16th and early 17th centuries.
Organized panel
Fletcher, Paul
Lancaster University, UK
Commitment or Objectivity: Between Theology and
the Study of Religion(03Q)
The recent re-evaluation of the relationship
between Theology and Religious Studies arises as a specific effect of the
critical appraisal of the status of modernity and its fundamental critique of
theological claims. Indeed, such a postmodern questioning of modern rationality
and its pretensions highlights the manner in which modern critical analyses of
the world - of which Religious Studies is exemplary for our purposes - include
their own tradition-specific stances and a set of elided metaphysical
assumptions. The panel will utilise the intellectual space opened up by this
reassessment of the two academic disciplines and will attempt a set of critical
interventions which hope to expose the challenges that contemporary theology
and the study of religion pose for each other.
Organized panel, English
Flugel, Peter
SOAS, UK
Discourses on War and Violence in Jainism,
Buddhism and Hinduism(06R)
*co-convener
Organized panel
Flugel, Peter
SOAS, UK
Jain Attitudes towards Violence and War(06R)
Jains are often rightly portrayed as the most
radical advocates of non-violence. Yet, Jains are not pacifists. There are many
instances of Jain generals being celebrated for their heroic defence of kingdom
or country in Jain literature and journalism. Even today, there are soldiers in
the Indian army who come from Jain communities. The paper investigates
different interpretations of the concepts of 'legitimate self defence' and
'necessary violence' in the Jain tradition, and analyses the conflicting attitudes
of the Jains to violence and war.
Organized panel
Frahm, Eckart
Yale University, USA
Revision, Commentary, and Counter-Text:
Politically Motivated Interpretations of the Babylonian Epic of Creation(03N)
The Babylonian Epic of Creation celebrates the
city of Babylon as the center of the world, and extolls Marduk, the city's
patron deity, as king of the gods. Probably written in the 12th century BCE to
commemorate a major military victory, the epic served for many centuries both
as cult legend for the Babylonian Akitu festival and as a canonical text
studied in school. This enduring importance is surprising, for Babylonia fell
into a state of political turmoil soon after the epic's composition, later
coming under foreign, Assyrian domination. This paper will explore the textual
strategies that Mesopotamian "theologians" used to retain the
religious plausibility of the epic under radically altered political
conditions. I will argue that the Babylonian Erra Epic, an etiology of chaos,
was created to counter the Epic of Creation, and will consider Assyrian efforts
to appropriate and reinterpret it.
Organized panel, English
Franke, Edith
University of Hanover, Germany
Religious Diversity in Indonesia: National
Policies and Daily Realities(04I)
Religious diversity in Indonesia is shaped by
an Islamic majority as well as by various religious minorities. Although the
minority groups amount to no more than 13 % of the population they have a
significant presence and influence in Indonesia today. Not only the local
religious traditions but also the historical Hindu-Buddhist dynasties and the
Christian churches have contributed to the formation of a specifically
Indonesian approach to the coexistence of religions. Being neither simply
Islamic nor fully secularized, the Indonesian state tries to handle the variety
of religions with the help of a central state-philosophy: the pancasila. In
this paper I examine specific examples of how such concepts of national policy
are combined with daily realities and how these dimensions influence each
other. I focus especially on the integrative power of familiar neighborhood,
and the tradition of unification and integration in Javanese culture, and how
these forces provide a foundation for mutual understanding and social harmony.
Organized panel, English
Freiberger, Oliver
University of Texas, USA
Blind Ascetics and True Brahmans:
Interreligious Hermeneutics in Early Buddhism(03S)
Organized panel
Freitas, Maria-Otavia
Constructing the Association between Religion
and Conflict(13S)
Organized panel, English
Freston, Paul
Calvin College // Universidade Federal de Sao
Carlos, USA
The Browning of Christian Proselytization(04H)
The paper looks at the global proselytization
effort by Christian missions originating from the Third World, a growing
phenomenon on which very little sociological study has been done. This new
reality will then be related to the questions raised by the symposium,
regarding controversies surrounding, and real or attempted political
restrictions on, religious proselytism. How do these controversies affect the
phenomenon analysed? And how does the phenomenon of the 'browning' of Christian
proselytizing affect the debate on proselytism, its social acceptability and
political legitimacy? To what extent is the validity of various arguments for
or against proselytism cast in a different light when the identity of the
proselytizers changes radically, especially when the new actors have the
legitimacy of being from the oppressed 'South' and are not obliged to carry
post-colonial stigma?
Symposium, English
Frisk, Liselotte
Department of Arts and Languages, Sweden
New Religious Movements: Different Developments
Over Time(06T)
This paper discusses new religious movements
and their development over time. Five well-known new religious movements with
origins in the 1960Ls and 70Ls have been chosen: The Hare Krishna movement, The
Osho movement, Children of God/The Family, The Church of Scientology and The
Unification Church/The Family Federation. The movements are discussed in a
global perspective, but with a strong local emphasis on one European country:
Sweden. Several of these movements demonstrate an interesting and dramatic
development with many changes during their first decades. The paper discusses
in a comparative perspective questions such as: the death of the charismatic
leader and different alternatives of succession, charisma and
institutionalization, changes in organizational structure, and the second
generation. The developments of these movements are discussed in the light of
traditional sociological theories about the development of religious
organizations over time.
Organized panel, English
Frisk, Liselotte
Department of Arts and Languages, Sweden
New Religious Movements (2)(06T)
*chairperson
Organized panel
Fuchigami, Kyoko
Planned Parenthood Federation of Korea, Japan
The Religious View on Ovum Donation: Japanese
Couples and Korean Infertility Treatment(09J)
Since February 2003, in spite of criticism on
ethical grounds, more than 400 sterile Japanese couples have visited Korea to
obtain ovum donations, which are prohibited in Japan, and more than 200
children have been born in Japan via Korean ova. In my report, from a religious
point of view, I will study the process in which, after long and painful
infertility treatment, a sterile woman obtained ova from another woman and the
sterile couple came to accept the baby as their own. I will also discuss the
religious meaning of ovum donation in today's world.
Organized panel, Japanese
Fujii, Jun
Tokyo University, Japan
The Reinterpretation of Historical Records
about Kukai's Study in China(09O)
Kukai (774-835), the founder of the Shingon
sect, introduced the system of esoteric Buddhism - via China - to Japan.
Kukai's study in China distinctly influenced the formation of his thought.
Traditional studies have considered that Kukai had questions about his
understanding of the Mahavairocana sutra or esoteric Buddhism and went to China
in order to seek the truth of esoteric Buddhism. Next, these traditional
scholars have, intentionally or unintentionally, interpreted historical records
for the sake of the justification of their own theories. However, I want to
propose another possibility for the reason behind Kukai's study in China, using
the same historical records. Considering the historical situation at the time
before Kukai went to China, Kukai's first purpose for traveling to China must
have been for the study of ordinary Mahayana Buddhism, which helped the
reception of esoteric Buddhism.
Organized panel, English
Fujii, Kyoko
Hokkaido University, Japan
The Acceptance and Transfiguration of
Buddhadhaatu Theory in Chinese and Japanese Bouddhism(07M)
In this panel I would like to discuss the
problem on how the buddhadhaatu theory had been received and transfigured in
the Chinese Buddhism by taking up concretely the word fozhong, and to verify
the dissemination thought developed from an interpretation of the word. Next,
when Chinese Buddhism was introduced into Japan via the Korean Peninsula, as
there was also a friction with the native religion, Buddhism was established in
the form of harmonization of Shinto and Buddhism in Japan. The thought of
harmonization of Shintoism and Buddhism also changed with the progress at the
time and from the end of medieval times to modern times, the
anti-Shito-Buddhist syncretic system has appeared. In this phase I want to
verify how the dissemination thought previously developed in Chinese Buddhism
was received and developed in Japanese Buddhism.
Organized panel, Japanese
Fujii, Masao
Taisho University, Japan
Buddhist Ritual Structure and Folkloric
Beliefs(06P)
We have received Buddhism in 538 from Korea,
which had already traveled across the continental China and India and was
transformed in their folkloric beliefs and ritual behavior. Therefore, Japanese
Buddhism represents a two or threefold amalgamated structure. The structure of
Buddhist ritual in modern Japan is composed of three basic phases: 1) inviting
the Buddha, 2) holding a memorial service for the dead and prayer for the
peaceful life in future of the living together, 3) and sending off the Buddha
courteously. This ritual structure parallels the types of warm hospitality
given to a guest in daily life in Japan. This is why the idea of individual
relief in Buddhism was transformed into that of social welfare and prayer for
good harvest among Japanese villagers. Herewith I present the connection
between Japanese folkloric beliefs and the structure of Buddhist ritual in
modern Japan.
Organized panel, English
Fujii, Morio
Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Japan
"Otherness" in Modern Iranian
Nationalist Discourses(10O)
Iranian nationalist thinkers after the mid-19th
century frequently adopted anti-Arab discourses in relation to the necessity of
urgent reforms of their state and society. It must be noticed that their
"chauvinistic" anti-Arab discourses, attributable in particular to
the decline of Modern Iran to the 7th Arab occupation of the country, exerted a
great influence upon Iranian thinkers and writers tinted with nationalist
tendency in the 1930s. I will examine, in the framework of the constructing
process of modern "selfhood," the actualities of the so-called
"Arab" expressed as the symbols of the "otherness" for them
to overcome, thereby attempting to reconsider some uniqueness in their
discourses as well as historical problems for Iranian nationalist thinkers.
Organized panel, English
Fujimori, Yusuke
Shukutoku University, Japan
Japanese Buddhist Activities and Social Welfare
after the War(07P)
*roundtable
Roundtable session, Japanese
Fujimoto, Takeshi
Niigata Seiryo University, Japan
Three Viewpoints on Nature and Humanity in
Gerbert's "Historia Nigrae Silvae"(17T)
Erasmus of Rotterdam's rare book of circa 1527,
complete with his handwritten margin notes, has recently been discovered, along
with Martin Gerbert's "Histora Nigrae Silvae" (History of the Black
Forest), in the library of the Oberried Monastery in the Black Forest region of
Germany. In the same meticulous way a detective might go about solving a
mystery, Gerbert bases his statements on research of enormous ancient tomes,
archaeological finds, historical documents, and a variety of bibliographical
references. He reconstructs the history of the Black Forest and concludes that
it is also the history of the monasteries of the Benedictine Order. I will
discuss the three viewpoints Gerbert utilizes in his interpretation of history
-- suffering, loss, and the frontier -- and, finally, touch upon what is
brought about by the concept of frontier as the root of contention in the world
and in territorial disputes.
Organized panel, English
Fujimoto, Yorio
Association of Shinto Shirines, Japan
The Establishment, Extinction and Revival of
Shinto-Shrines within Hansen's Disease's Medical Treatment Facilities(11V)
At present, there are examples of Hansen's
disease sanatoriums with a Shinto shrine, a Buddhist temple, or a Christian
church among the 15 Hansen's disease sanatoriums in Japan. Among these
examples, some Shinto shrines had been established before the end of the Second
World War, but were practically abolished under the influence of the Shinto
Directive, which ordered the separation of the government and Shinto. However,
from 1954, as a part of social welfare activities for Hansen's disease
sanatoriums, the National Pietistic Woman's Joint Association, a related
organization of the Association of Shinto Shrines, reestablished a Shinto
shrine in Tama-zenshoen national sanatorium in Tokyo, and in the next year,
they newly established a Shinto shrine in Suruga sanatorium in Shizuoka
Prefecture. This presentation will reveal historical facts of the
establishment, extinction, and revival of Nagayo jinja, which was established
within Tama-zenshoen in 1934. Moreover, in comparison with other religious
facilities in other sanatoriums, this presentation will try to clarify a part
of social welfare activities by Shinto-related bodies and individuals of the
post war era, and propose some consideration on the roles and characteristics
of Shinto shrines within Hansen's disease facilitates.
Organized panel, English
Fujino, Yohei
Keio University, Japan
Christianity in Taiwan for the Study of Folk
Religion: the Case of the True Jesus Church(08O)
The number of Christians in Taiwan is the
second largest, following the number of Taoists, which is the largest.
Christianity in Taiwan has only been studied from the view of the history of
mission, not from the study of folk religion. In this presentation, I want to
approach this as the study of folk religion. For this purpose, I intend to do
this study by paying attention on how the citizens construct Christianity in
the social context. As an example for this study, I will use the True Jesus
Church. This is a proper case for this study since this Church was born in
mainland China and grew in Taiwan after World War II. As a result, I focus on
the aspect of the healing which citizens accept, and describe how they
construct Christianity in a social context.
Organized panel, Japanese
Fujiwara, Atsuyoshi
Seigakuin University, Japan
'Theology of Japan' in the Age of Nationalism
and Ethnocentricism(04A)
Contextualisation and the development of local
theologies are much discussed in the contemporary theological world. 'Theology
of Japan,' however, is not simply a contextualisation of western theology into
a Japanese soil. It is rather an attempt theologically to discuss the problems
of Japan. It involves not only a theological critique of Japanese culture and
religions, including Christianity, but also a constructive formation of culture
and Christian faith. These tasks correspond to the prophetic and priestly functions
of the church, respectively. My presentation shall focus on the latter. We have
already been witnessing nationalism, ethnocentrism, and the problems of the war
in the 21st century. Christianity often reinforces nationalism where Christian
influence is strong. We have not yet seen, for instance, a full-scale critique
of British imperialism or Korean nationalism by their native theologians.
'Theology of Japan' involves a critique of Japanese nationalism. This project
also is applicable to other religious traditions.
Organized panel
Fujiwara, Kuniko
Japan Soceity for the Promotion of Science,
Japan
The Development of Groups within/out of the
Catholic Charismatic Renewal in Malta: On the Specialization and Reorganization
of the Movement(03U)
The purpose of this paper, through focusing on
a case study, is to examine the process of specialization and reorganization in
the Maltese Catholic Charismatic Renewal. In 2004, there were some 75 groups in
the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in Malta. Each group usually consists of one
male leader and members numbering from the tens to the hundreds. Their main
activity is a weekly prayer meeting, while in some groups, practices such as
"anti-Black Mass," "Healing Services," or "Eucharistic
Adoration" take place according to the orientation of their leaders. These
practices lead to the gradual independence of such groups, or in some cases,
their breaking away from the main Charismatic Movement. In this presentation,
through employing an anthropological perspective, I intend to discuss various
aspects of this phenomenon of differentiation within the movement.
Organized panel, English
Fujiwara, Satoko
Taisho University, Japan
Religion and Higher Education in Japan: A
Survey Report(02D)
This paper reports on the survey result of
"Religious Studies in Japanese Undergraduate Curricula (2002)." Since
religion is nearly entirely excluded from school curricula in Japanese public
education, colleges, for most students, are the first places where they can
learn about religions and religious studies substantially. Ironically, such
undergraduate programs of religion have recently been downsized due to economic
difficulties. The situation is especially critical, given that religion is
gaining more and more attention worldwide and teaching about religion is a
major public role that scholars of religion can undertake for an increasingly
diversified society. Against such a background, this survey gives, for the
first time, the hard data about undergraduate curricula in which the study of
religion is a central focus. The data will be analyzed from a comparative
perspective to assist discussions with international panelists and audiences.
Organized panel
Fujiwara, Satoko
Taisho University, Japan
Possibilities of Religious Education in Secular
Schools(02D)
In the present world where religion plays a
large part in social issues, religious teaching has become a major concern.
While the word "religious education" has several meanings, what is
keenly discussed today is non-confessional teaching at secular institutions
(here "secular" indicates state-funded schools, non-sectarian private
colleges, etc.). Such religious education, which in English, is often called
"teaching about religion" or "study of religion/religious studies,"
is said to serve inter/multicultural education, citizenship education, values
education and some other important purposes. This panel starts by introducing
the current state of religious education in Japan and then discusses the
possibilities and the methodologies of religious education at secular
institutions through international comparison. Japan, where many consider
themselves to be non-religious and where monotheistic religions are minorities,
will provide an interesting case for comparison with England and other
countries/areas where religious education has a long history in publicly funded
schools. (* IAHR-UNU (United Nations University) special joint session
"Religion and Education Panel")
Organized panel, * Session Abstract
Fujiwara, Satoko
Taisho University, Japan
Religious Education and Peace(03D)
Does religion contribute to peace or war? In
order to answer this basic question, it is essential to reflect upon religious
education that shapes the views of religion among young generations. This panel
highlights the relationships between religious education and peace. Panelists
from Africa, Asia and Western countries report on the kinds of religious
education used for peace education that is attempted or needed, in their respective
societies faced with tensions and conflicts. While religious organizations such
as World Conference of Religion for Peace have recently been making progress in
peace construction through religious education, the issue is not confined to
religious communities. The prejudices of non-religious people against religion
can also cause conflicts. Therefore, this panel will be based upon developing
the discussion of the first panel on religious education in secular schools for
students with various religious and cultural backgrounds.(* IAHR-UNU (United
Nations University) special joint session "Religion and Education
Panel")
Organized panel, * Session Abstract
Fujiwara, Satoko
Taisho University, Japan
Revisiting the Concept of Religion(04K)
*respondent
Organized panel
Fukai, Tomoaki
Seigakuin University, Japan
Globalization and a 'Theology of Japan'(04A)
This organized panel will examine the nature of
the academic discipline of theology in Japan that reflects the contemporary
world trend of globalization. The 'theology of Japan' that we shall discuss is
neither a Japanese theology as the opposite end of globalization nor a theology
based on Japanese nationalism. It is rather a study that deals with 'Japan' as
an object of theological inquiry. How could such a theology be possible? What
are its characteristics? What kind of theology is necessary in the current
Japanese situation? These are the questions that we attempt to answer. In order
effectively to discuss these problems, this panel will host presentations from
scholars of various backgrounds. It will include three Japanese theologians and
one theologian each from the United States and South Korea.
Organized panel, * Session Abstract
Fukai, Tomoaki
Seigakuin University, Japan
'Theology of Japan' as Public Theology(04A)
One of the characteristics of modern religious
situation is privatised faith. Critique of religion by the Enlightenment
thought stripped religion of its social function, and ordered it out of the
public arena. Theology, likewise, was excluded from scientific scholarship, and
lost the floor. Theology became the matter of personal taste, or the discussion
of particular denominational creeds, or even coded discussion of the secret
society. Thus it, like the appendix, lost its raison deter in the modern
society. However, theology originally was far from such a modern appearance. It
had a social function as 'public theology.' It must, however, be noted that
there are two types of 'public theology.' One is patronised the government such
as the theology of Adolf von Harnack in Germany. The other is to relativise the
nation and to enable one to work out a policy as Reinhold Niebuhr attempted in
Irony of American History. I shall propose the possibility for 'Theology of
Japan' to develop the latter kind of public theology.
Organized panel
Fukamizu, Kenshin
Kanto Gakuin University, Japan
Internet Use by the Followers of Jodo Shinshu
Buddhism(16T)
The Internet is having considerable impact on
Jodo Shinshu, the biggest Buddhist denomination in Japan. To investigate this
impact, I conducted a questionnaire survey among 400 Jodo Shinshu followers. I
will report the following results. Firstly, those followers who use the
Internet actively for religious matters tend to be very active also in
attending services at their temples. Secondly, they show a more conservative
attitude towards Buddhist doctrine. Underlying these results, I focus on the
feature of the Internet as a Sending media. Before the Internet, ordinary
followers didn't have a Sending media. They only received the Buddhist doctrine
from charismatic priests. After the Internet, ordinary followers now have the
chance to send messages also. But they have no ability to send an innovative
message. Rather they have only conservative doctrinal messages to send, based
on their experience. I think this is why the followers who use the Internet show
a more conservative tendency.
Organized panel, English
Fukao, Noriyasu
Omi Brotherhood Senior High School, Japan
A Re-examination of Ethnic Identity of Japanese
Americans: - An Approach from Japanese Christian Churches-(09I)
This study is a re-examination of what I
investigated in my master's thesis at California State University Long Beach in
2001. The purpose of this study is to investigate how ethnic identity of
Japanese Americans is formed and how it is transformed in the multicultural society
of the United States. I focus on Japanese Christian churches as social and
cultural institutions and examine their roles in the formation of ethnic
identities of Japanese Americans. Throughout the questionnaire research in
three Japanese Christian churches in the Los Angeles area and the literature
review, it became clear that each individual creates an ethnic identity by
choosing various socio-cultural factors and that these churches function as
organizations to preserve Japanese language and culture and not to foster
Japanese assimilation into American mainstream culture. I will re-examine the
roles of these churches in the multicultural environment toward more diverse
changes in the 21st century.
Organized panel, Japanese
Fukasawa, Hidetaka
Hitotsubashi University, Japan
Reconsidering German Traditions in the Study of
Religion(02K)
*respondent
Organized panel
Fukasawa, Hidetaka
Hitotsubashi University, Japan
The Future of Religion: The Topos of the
Intellectual Construction of Religion ? Simmel and Anesaki on the Future Shape
of Religion(16R)
There is currently a widely shared scholarly
understanding that empirical studies of religion should refrain from engaging
in normative predictions about religion. However, the themes of the
"future of religion" and the "religion of the future" are
among the most popular themes in the modern study of religion. Particularly
from the mid-19th century up to the end of the Second World War, during a
period where the self-evident nature of religion was slowly disappearing in
society while modernity itself was still in formation, the theme of the
"future of religion" was a favorite topic in the intellectual inquiry
into religion. In this paper, I discuss two cases from two different
traditions, namely those of Georg Simmel, one of the pioneers of the sociology
of religion, and Masaharu Anesaki, the founder of religious studies in Japan.
By analyzing and comparing their discourses on the future of religion, I intend
to point out the common issues with which scholars of religion during that
period were confronted and how differing socio-cultural conditions led to
different visions of what form religion would take in the future.
Organized panel, English
Fukasawa, Hidetaka
Hitotsubashi University, Japan
Rethinking the History and Theory of the Study
of Religion(16R)
*chairperson
Organized panel
Fukui, Masaki
King's College, University of London, UK
Millenarianism amongst Japanese New Religions
with Special Reference to Kofuku-no-Kagaku - The Institute for Research in
Human Happiness.(16P)
Kofuku-no-Kagaku, established in 1986, has
consistently claimed its objectives to be soul-training and the creation of,
what it calls The Buddha-land Utopia. This means an Ideal World on earth where
everyone practises the Truth. Followers believe that this lifetime is the
greatest opportunity to achieve their objectives under the guidance of their
leader Ryuho Okawa, considered to be the incarnation of Buddha and the Grand
Divine Spirit, El Cantare. Its concept of transforming the world, because the
present world is understood to be in a state of crisis, can be defined as a
form of millenarianism in a sociological sense. Some researchers suggest that
almost all (if not all) Japanese new religions are millenarian. In this paper I
look at whether Kofuku-no-Kagaku, which came into existence in the middle of an
economic boom in Japan, is millenarian or not, and if it is, in what ways it
can be said to be so.
Organized panel, English
Fukunaga, Masaaki
International Research Forum on SAARC, Japan
Growth of Hindu Sacred Site in an Indian
Village, From Locality to Pan-India Frame: A study of Hanuman Mandir, Jaunpur
(U.P.)(01L)
Most of the Hindu pilgrimage centres has a long
history and religious continuity. Recently, North Indian rural society shown a
marked tendency of developing new pilgrimage centre as mark of Hindu revival
and integrity! This paper deals with a new Hindu pilgrimage centre, Hanuman
Gali Mandir (Jaunpur District, Uttar Pradesh), and details out the development
process and the socio-anthropological implications. This temple has been
projected, planned and constructed by the rural people. Although the site has
no connections with any religious history and legend, people believed this
Mandir as the site where the Lord Rama has spent one night during his sacred
journey. Today, the Mandir is one of the famous pilgrimage centres in
surrounding areas, attracting a large mass of people for rituals and devotional
singing. Such development strongly demonstrates the nature of religious mind of
rural people and the impact of Hindu revival and integrity for strong identity.
Organized panel, English
Fukushima, Eiju
Shinsyu Otani-ha / Higashi Honganji Temple,
Japan
Buddhism and Modernity in Nineteenth Century
Japan(10M)
The main theme of our panel is to consider the
transformation of religious thought and culture in Japan during a time of
radical social and cultural change that occurred between the last years of the
nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. The religious
thought in this period has been studied only in the context of the
modernization theory. However, we can also examine it from other perspectives.
Our focus of argument here will be on Buddhism in Meiji Japan. Beginning with a
paper on the modern reformation of the funeral system, we shall then introduce
the works of representative Buddhist thinkers of this period, that is, Sada
Kaiseki, Inoue Enryo, and Kiyozawa Manshi. The reconstruction of the funeral
system as a modern cremation style was also a starting point for the
transformation of Buddhism from a folk religious tradition to a
"religion." We shall therefore investigate the various aspects of
modernity and the construction of Buddhism as a religion from the perspective
of featuring Buddhism as a key concept.
Organized panel, * Session Abstract, Japanese
Fukushima, Eiju
Shinsyu Otani-ha / Higashi Honganji Temple,
Japan
Japanese Buddhism at the Turning Point of the
Century: Kiyozawa Manshi's Studies of Modern Civilization and Religion(10M)
The main theme of this paper is to introduce
the religious belief of Kiyozawa Manshi (1863-1903) who was a Buddhist priest
and at the same time a leading Japanese philosopher during the 30s of the Meiji
period. By focusing on Kiyozawa's religious thought, I shall consider the
characteristics of Japanese thought at the turning point of the century. His
criticisms of modern civilization and science are highly useful to study
Japanese society, thought, and culture at the time when the modernization of
Japanese society as "Westernization" started to be questioned. What
kind of logic did Kiyozawa adopt to relativize the idea of
"modernization"? What kind of religious truth did he actually reach?
I would like to locate his radical Buddhist faith in the streams of Buddhist
thought and Japanese thought at that time. Moreover, I shall investigate the
role of Buddhist thought in Japanese society and culture during this period.
Organized panel, Japanese
Fuller, Jason Dale
DePauw University, USA
Sweeping the Religious Marketplace: Creating
and Contesting Vaisnava Orthodoxy in Nineteenth Century Bengal(12E)
In nineteenth-century Bengal Kedarnath Datta
Bhaktivinode utilized emerging technologies and "Western" inspired
institutions in order to recover and re-appropriate an "imagined"
Vaisnava heritage which provided an alternative to both the Christianity of the
British missionaries as well as the secularist modernizing agenda of the
colonial bureaucratic establishment. Vaisnavism in Bengal during the eighteenth
and nineteenth centuries had developed an unfortunate but widespread image as a
degenerate and disreputable form of religion. Colonial missionaries saw in it
the paradigmatic expression of Hindu licentiousness and degradation. Local
Brahmins and those of privileged social status considered it to be an aberrant
variation on traditional caste Hinduism. So too, Vaisnavism found itself under
attack from the proponents of post-Enlightenment rationalism (indigenous and
exogenous) who chose to deem all but the most "modern" and
ratiocinative forms of religion to be anachronistic and regressive. This paper
addresses several key areas where imported technologies were utilized for
indigenous purposes by the opportunistic Bhaktivinode Thakur who in turn
effected a significant change in the extant tradition of Gaudiya Vaisnavism by
aiming to reverse the unfavorable perception of Vaisnavism and retrieving the
tradition from its marginalized status.
Organized panel, English
Furusawa, Yumi
University of Tokyo, Japan
Spiritual Care in the Context of Medicine and
Social Welfare(05B)
Spirituality is often represented as the fourth
pillar of palliative care. Increasingly, health care professionals are focusing
on spirituality and health. Holistic models of cancer and palliative care
frequently refer to spirituality as an important element. And furthermore, the
term spiritual care continually leaps to our eyes today. For example, nursing
programs and nursing literature are addressing patients' spiritual interests
and such topics as spiritual care, spiritual assessment, and spiritual
distress. So, what do they mean when they talk about spirituality and how do
they provide spiritual care for suffering people? Religion is a difficult
subject for any medical context in contemporary societies despite the religious
roots of the care of the dying. In my presentation, I speak about the spiritual
care scene in Japan, comparing to the relative situations in the world. To
examine this difficult and important issue, I wedge my way into both historical
and practical aspects.
Symposium, English
Furusawa, Yumi
University of Tokyo, Japan
Social Welfare, Hospital Chaplaincy and
Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Movement(10V)
In its history of eighty years, the clinical
pastoral education (CPE) movement has provided contributions to theological
education and pastoral care in US. Many articles state that CPE's genesis was
assisted by some of the prevailing influences in that particular era. The
development of social welfare system is quite one of the bases in the advance
of CPE although it has been less represented in previous studies. The history
of CPE suggests us what the role of religion in societies is. And it also
points out some ways of inter religious cooperation related to well being of
people. I examine how CPE as the association of hospital chaplaincy closely
related to the history of social welfare in US, comparing to the history of
religion and social welfare in Japan. It will be my answer to the question
whether the system like CPE would be enrooted in Japan or not.
Organized panel
Furusawa, Yumi
University of Tokyo, Japan
Engaged Buddhism in Japan(11E)
*respondent
Organized panel, English
Furusawa, Yumi
University of Tokyo, Japan
Religions and Care in Medical Contexts: The
Comparative Studies of Spiritual Care beyond Cultures(12J)
The term spiritual care in medical contexts
today refers to take care of spiritual needs of anyone in any cultures. Theoretically
yes, but how is it in reality? This panel intends to focus on religions (both
traditional and new, including spirituality of individuals) and care in medical
contexts beyond cultures. So many suffering and injured people are living with
strong needs of spiritual care in the world today. We have to reach for such
people if we would like to take care of them. However, it should be done
without violating their religious and spiritual dignity. How would it be
possible in cross-cultural situations? We have to wedge our way into both
historical and practical aspects to solve this difficult and important puzzle.
The presenters of this panel will deal with these issues while giving specific
examples of historical facts in articles and fields, or cases in practical
situations.
Organized panel, * Session Abstract, English
Fuse, Giko
Hokke Sect Jinmonryu, Japan
A Study of The Honjyaku Theory --The Theory of
the Fundamental Aspect (Hommon) and the Manifestation Doctrine (Shakumon) of
the Lotus Sutra in Nichiren Buddhism(08L)
A Study of the Honjyaku Theory (The Theory of
the Fundamental Aspect (hommon) and the Manifestation Doctrine (shakumon) of
the Lotus Stura) in Nichiren Buddhism Many Nichiren orders now exist in Japan.
The main cause of this factionalization is pointed out to be the dissimilarity
of views in "the Theory of the Hommon and Shakumon Sections of the Lotus
Sutra." This study considers this point from various perspectives.
Organized panel, Japanese
Fwatshak, Sati U.
University of Jos, Nigeria
Storms of Faith on the Jos Plateau since the
19th Century: Chronicling Episodes of Religious Conflicts(01V)
Inspiration for this paper came from the desire
to provide substantial historical data on and analysis of the ongoing crises in
Plateau state that takes the form of religious radicalism. Since the events of
September 7-12 2001, Jos and Plateau state in general have been going through
storms of "religious" conflicts. The storms linger on with occasional
outbreaks and the absence of genuine peace, in spite of measures taken by
government to end it. The fact that the crises seem to be insurmountable makes
Plateau state's case of religious conflicts unique in Nigeria. The existing
literature has been dominated by treatment of the problem as a phenomenon or
sociological problem among others, while discussions on the immediate causes
and effects are devoid of in-depth historical content. This paper argues that
the crisis has its roots deeply in history. In view of this, the paper suggests
that until such historical causatives are identified and properly settled, all
remedial measures will only treat the symptoms.
Organized panel, English
Fylypovych, Liudmyla
G.S.Skovoroda Philosophy Institute of NAS of
Ukraine, Ukraine
Controversial Interaction of New Religions and
Traditional Churches in Contemporary Ukraine(04T)
The religious map of Ukraine, that previously
was limited has become substantially diverse. This has created a situation 1)
of practical religious and world-view pluralism; 2) of conflicts between old
(historical, traditional) and new religions. Ukraine, that was previously based
on a distinctive, long-standing world-view, have been enriched by the
non-traditional approaches and lifestyles. It could be considered as a threat
to traditional unity and individual consciousness. The presence of the new
alternative religious phenomena shook the traditional world-view way of
thinking and foundations of Ukrainian society. There are different cultures and
conventions behind every non-traditional religion, and they are not the same as
indigenous world-views. The NRMs' relationships with the traditional churches,
State and society are not friendly or understandable. Contradictions between
NRMs and traditional churches could be solved, not so much by restrictions,
protests, and resistance, as through dialogue, joined work in solving different
problems in Ukraine.
Organized panel, English
Gaiya, Musa A. B.
University of Jos, Nigeria
The Use of Mystical Powers in Kutep/Jukun
Conflicts in Northern Nigeria(02V)
The use of mystical powers in conflicts in
Africa has become a common phenomenon. Stephen Ellis (2001) has told us how
such mystical weapons were used in the Liberian civil war between 1989 and
1997. Thugs in northern Nigeria, yan-ci-rani, gardawa, yan dabba and yan tauri,
have been known to use mystical powers in religious conflicts (see Mervyn
Hiskett 1987). The conflict between the Jukun and the Kutep in northeast of
Nigeria is a unique one. Both ethnic groups have a common ancestral origin and
they belong to the same church, the Christian Reformed Church. This paper looks
at why Christian communities would revert to the use of traditional means to
settle squabbles. The paper also shows the interactions between traditional
religious practices and Christianity in the lives of the Jukun and Kutep of
Taraba State in Nigeria.
Organized panel, English
Gaiya, Musa A. B.
University of Jos, Nigeria
State Violence against Women in Sharia Sates in
Northern Nigeria(11F)
There has been a worldwide outcry against the
death sentences passed on women condemned in some Sharia courts in Nigeria for
committing adultery. This came in the wake of September 11 2001 attack on the
US, which has given Islam a bad name, at least in Western media. The evidence
against the women was that they had children out of wedlock. The celebrated
cases were those of Safiya Tugartudu Hussaini and Amina Lawal, who might have
been stoned to death had national and international human rights organizations
not put out a fierce fight. The paper provides a detail account of these cases
and how they were handled by the various Sharia courts. It also considers how
the handling of such cases constitutes violence against women by the State.
Organized panel
Gaiya, Musa A. B.
University of Jos, Nigeria
The Use of Mystical Powers in Kutep/Jukun
Conflicts in Northern Nigeria(15O)
The use of mystical powers in conflicts in
Africa has become a common phenomenon. Stephen Ellis (2001) has told us how
such mystical weapons were used in the Liberian civil war between 1989 and 97.
Tugs in northern Nigeria, yan-ci-rani, gardawa, yan dabba and yan tauri have
been known to use mystical powers in religious conflicts (see Mervyn Hiskett,
1987). The conflict between the Jukun and the Kutep in northeast of Nigeria is
a unique one. Both ethnic groups have common ancestral origin and they both
belong to the same church, Christian Reformed Church. This paper looks at why
Christian communities would revert to the use of traditional means to settle
squabbles. The paper also shows the interactions of the traditional religious
practices with Christianity in the lives of the Jukun and Kutep of Taraba State
of Nigeria.
Organized panel
Galvao, Walnice Nogueira
University of Sao Paulo, Brasil
Religious hybridism in Brazilian Literature:
Euclides da Cunha, Guimaraes Rosa, Jorge Amado(14O)
Brazilian literary criticism often has to turn
to studies of religion in order to be faithful to its subjects. One has to cope
with the fact that few literatures in the world are so impregnated by religious
hybridisms. At least three of our main writers have given good space, or even a
central role, to this phenomenon. First of all, Euclides da Cunha (Os sertoes)
wrote a book about religious insurrection, which gave birth to the Canudos
peasant war. Then Guimaraes Rosa (Grande sertao: veredas) wrote about this
ubiquitous presence and its permeation of Brazilian society. And Jorge Amado
(Gabriela, cravo e canela) discussed the syncretism between the orixa's African
cult and Catholicism in Bahia. In order to analyse these and other writers, we
must be attentive to the function that religious hybridism plays in the
structure of their literary works.
Organized panel, English
Ganussah, Rebecca
University of Ghana, Ghana
Religion as a Paradoxical Factor of Conflict,
War and Peace(14L)
Religion (the term that comes from a Latin root
word "religare" which means "to bind") has been known to be
a crucial factor for good and evil, for peace and for conflict. Religion can
thus be said to be a paradox. It can be compared with electric energy which can
be harnessed to produce heat to boil or burn things ? depending on what gadget
one turns on ? or the proverbial Ghanaian tsetsefly which is known to have the
capability both to sting and emit poison and at the same time to blow cool and
soothing air on its victim. From this imagery of the tsetsefly or electricity,
depicting the nature of religion, as it were, the paper will be developed.
Illustrations and examples will be given from historical evidence. Suggestions
will then be made as to how, in my opinion, the positive power of religion can
be accessed for conflict resolution and peace in the contemporary global
society.
Organized panel
Gardaz, Michel
University of Ottawa, Canada
The Islamic Tradition and the Contemporary
Western Study of Religion: The Challenge of Muslim Intellectuals(12O)
In this paper, I would like to plead in favour
of the indispensable role of intellectuals as agents of religious
transformation in contemporary Muslim societies. The present situation of
intellectuals in numerous societies could be compared, to some extent, with the
"modernist crisis" of the Catholic Church at the end of the 19th
century. What is primarily at stake for intellectuals is the complete freedom
to analyse the Islamic tradition from a critical point of view. One of the
first steps in that direction is to create university programs of Religious
Studies (or give alternatives to the omnipotent theological perspective in the
majority of Muslim countries), comparable with those that we find in Western
Europe and North America. Without these programs, how will the intellectuals
(and in particular scholars of religion) be able to challenge the claims of
fundamentalists in contemporary Muslim societies. However, intellectuals who
preached for critical thinking, reforms of all sorts and at last modernity, were
often threatened with death, persecuted, and sometimes murdered, by the
conservatives elements of their respective societies. Their crime is to
challenge the age-old tradition. In short, Islamic fundamentalists showed, in
recent history, that the soul of Muslim societies is essentially religious and
that the social unconscious is composed of religious archetypes inherited from
the tradition.
Organized panel, French
Gardner, Richard
Sophia University, Japan
Humor and Religion: An Overview(02P)
The topic of humor and religion poses a puzzle.
As witnessed by notions such as homo ridens and homo religious, both humor and
religion have been regarded as defining the human condition. Somewhat
differently, both have often been held to be universals found throughout
history and across cultures. The relation of religion and humor, however, has
not formed a central topic for reflection in the study of religion. Both
classic and more current theorists of religion rarely give the topic extended,
if any, treatment. This paper will attempt, through offering a provisional map
of some of the ways humor and religion are related, to argue that the relation
of religion and humor is of more importance than has generally been recognized
and deserves fuller exploration and reflection.
Organized panel, English
Gardner, Richard
Sophia University, Japan
(06I)
Organized panel
Geaves, Ron
University College Chester, UK
Religion, the Sacred, and Spaces of
Contestation, Segregation and Difference: panel1(13F)
*chairperson
Organized panel, English
Geaves, Ron
University College Chester, UK
The Body as a Site of Contested Narratives: The
Role of Kavati Rituals amongst Murugan Devotees in Tamil Diasporas(14F)
The Kavati rituals, a pre-eminent feature of Murugan
worship, consist of the carrying of a burden in a procession with other
devotees, a universal feature of which is an act of physical mortification.
They have become a distinct marker of Tamil diaspora communities. Murugan, the
ancient Tamil war-god, is synonymous with Tamil language, culture and religion,
and can be represented as a Dravidian god, freed from the perceived despotic
tyrannies of Northern Aryan India. He is thus a potent symbol for migrant
communities that have had to struggle to achieve economic prosperity whilst
striving to preserve identity and ancestral traditions. I argue that Kavati
rituals can take on diverse meanings according to the struggles unique to
specific communities, and that the ritual act of self-mortification - that takes
place in the private realm of the body and re-enacts symbolically a number of
victories - becomes a significant feature in resolving the tensions of
diasporas in the public realm of identity formation.
Organized panel
Gebhardt, Lisette
Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universitat, Germany
Healing in Japan(06M)
Iyashi, a term that implies an urge for
"healing" within contemporary Japanese society, is haunting the media
and the markets ever since it emerged in the New Age wave of the 1970s. In the
late 1990s iyashi became one of the prominent key words marking the Zeitgeist
of the decade. Even in recent publications iyashi seems to have preserved its
validity as a keyterm that indicates certain needs of Post-Bubble-Japan. The
paper will analyze some manifestations of the Japanese iyashi boom, mainly be
referring to literary works and the so-called cultural discourse.
Organized panel
Geertz, W. Armin
University of Aarhus, Denmark
War, Violence, Feuding and Death in Hopi Indian
Mythology(04C)
The renowned linguist in Hopi studies, Ekkehart
Malotki, once observed in his discussion of the misguided popular conception
that the term hopi means "peace": As it turns out, there is not a
single word in the entire Hopi lexicon that captures our idea of peace. On the
other hand, the Hopi language contains an extensive vocabulary that relates to
the business of warc. [However,] one noun for "war" and two verbs for
"killing" do not make the Hopi a warlike people. Neither does the
fact that the domain of warlore was quite extensive in Hopi culturec. Also the
fact that Hopi oral history is brimming with violence, feuding, and death, on
an individual as well as a communal scalec, must not be taken too literally.
After all, even the Hopi kachina gods, whom one would expect to be spiritual
role models, are portrayed in Hopi mythology as death-dealing avengers when
they are wronged. None of these observations precludes the Hopi striving for
peace and harmony within religious or philosophical parameters. They only make
the Hopi appear more like the rest of humankind. Both Hopi and Christian
theology aim high at such ideals as brotherly love and peace, being fully aware
that the most hideous crimes have been perpetrated in the name of their
respective gods (Malotki 2002, 140-141. This paper will first explore the
misguided popular conception of the term hopi, followed by selected examples of
war, violence, feuding and death in Hopi Indian mythology.
Organized panel, English
Geertz, W. Armin
University of Aarhus, Denmark
Cosmologies, Theologies and Anthropologies of
War and Peace in Indigenous Religions(04C)
Ideas of war and peace as conceived by
indigenous religions the world over are formulated in their individual
cosmologies. These cosmologies not only deal with the origins and nature of the
universe, its structure, forms and purpose, but they also formulate basic
conceptions and attitudes formulated more or less systematically in their
individual theologies and anthropologies. Thus, ideologies of war and peace
occur in terms of what it means to be human and how humans should behave, which
again interrelate with ideas about gods, the ancestors, animal spirits and
various other-than-human beings. Indigenous religions and cultures have their
own distinctive emphasis on where war and peace are located in behavior and
attitudes. Some focus on humans, some on gods and others on broader
cosmological forces. But wherever the causal emphasis is from culture to
culture, these matters are usually of a social nature, I.e. reciprocal social
relations frame the forces at play. This panel will explore the various ways
that indigenous peoples conceive of and deal with violence and harmony, war and
peace.
Organized panel, * Session Abstract, English
Geertz, W. Armin
University of Aarhus, Denmark
When Cognitive Scientists Become Religious,
Science Is in Trouble: On Neurotheology from a Philosophy of Science
Perspective(10K)
This paper examines attempts by neuroscientists
and theologians to formulate what they call neurotheology, I.e. the study of
theology from a neuropsychological perspective. Some of it is respectable science,
but a lot of it consists in power struggles between religious interest groups
and scientists. Results are often a blend of attempts to debunk scientific
evidence, perform pseudoscientific experiments and/or use little understood
scientific results to legitimate religious techniques and claims. Much of the
experimental evidence, for instance on Transcendental Meditation, is lacking in
critical controls, as is the experimental work of experiential shamanists at
Michael Harner's Institute of Shamanic Study. Many of the personalities
involved are both scientists and believers, such as James H. Austen and Eugene
d'Aquili. Famous researchers of alternative states of consciousness, such as
Charles Tart, now give workshops in "Basic Training in Skillful Means"
[http://consciousness.arizona.edu/conference/tucson2004/index.php?page=workshops].
This paper will discuss the problems of neurotheology from the perspective of
the philosophy of science.
Organized panel
Geffarth, Renko
Martin-Luther-Universitat, Germany
The Masonic Necromancer: Shifting Identities in
the Lives of Johann Georg Schrepfer(12G)
As a contribution to the symposium's
perspective on "Western Esotericism and Polemics of Identity", the
paper will explore the spectacular life and death of the 18th-century
necromancer Johann Georg Schrepfer, who was a famous, yet ambiguous figure in
and beyond the Masonic scene of his age. He invented several personalities -
from coffeehouse keeper to French envoy - and managed to fascinate men of high
reputation by claiming to be in possession of 'secret sciences'. Being
prosecuted for imposture, he shot himself, leaving behind the unfulfilled
promise to reveal his secrets within his belongings. Main topics of the paper
will be the question of how Schrepfer performed his necromancy - not
technically, but with regard to the spiritual context - and how and why he
proselytized high rank members of the Saxon electoral court by calling spirits
like that of the Templars' last Grand Master. Was he an esotericist rather than
a swindler?
Symposium, English
Gencheva-Mikami, Iskra V.
University of Tokyo, Japan
Persecutions on the Balkans: past and
present(15N)
How to define persecution in its Balkan
context: religious, intellectual, political? Is it a phenomenon of the
historical past only? What are the roots and late modifications of this
phenomenon in the area of the Balkans? The paper is going to suggest some
possible answers to these and other related questions by analyzing the
following main problems: 1. The Roman Balkans: age of persecution. Christian
and Pagan Balkans. 2. The Theodosian Line: Christianity divided. Orthodox and
Catholic Balkans. 3. Persecution remodeled: modern uses of the past. Religious,
intellectual and political dimensions of the totalitarian persecutions in the
Balkans.
Organized panel
Gifford, Paul
SOAS, UK
Ghana's New Christianity and Globalization(05G)
Ghana like so many countries of Sub-Saharan
Africa has experienced an explosion of new churches over the last 15 years or
so. These churches are obviously 'Pentecostal', and this paper will examine the
kind of Christianity they represent. All dimensions - discourse, theological
vision, worship, rituals, music, media involvement, use of the bible,
conventions, finances, clientele - will be analysed to establish the extent to
which these churches represent something global, and the extent to which they
are African (or even Ghanaian). The changing nature of this Christianity will
be stressed, as also its diversity, and its role in the current socio-political
situation.
Organized panel, English
Gifford, Paul
SOAS, UK
Transformation of Minority Religious
Communities(05G)
*chairperson
Organized panel
Gill, Robin
University of Kent, UK
Altruism and Religious Belonging in the United
Kingdom(02I)
This paper will examine the empirical evidence
suggesting a link between altruism and religious belonging. It will review
evidence that those who are active in religious organisations are also
disproportionately active in a number of secular voluntary agencies concerned
with the care of vulnerable groups. It will also examine evidence of altruistic
attitudes among the religiously active, based upon correlations in social
attitude data. There is, however, an obvious theoretical problem that must be
analysed carefully concerned with causation. Are the religiously active engaged
in altruistic action in the community as a result of their religious
commitments? Or is it rather the case that those active in the community tend
in addition to be active in religious organisations? At this point the paper
will look carefully at data drawn from both quantitative and qualitative
studies and will suggest that a cultural theory of religious belonging offers a
possible explanation.
Organized panel, English
Ginnely, Emma
University of Edinburgh, UK
Disparate Meanings: Religion, Land and
Indigeneity in Context(10U)
This paper will reflect on a post-structural
analysis of the word 'indigenous', or more accurately the words 'indigenous
peoples' and 'indigenous religions', highlighting the disparate meanings
prescribed and ascribed to these words by three distinct groups: scholars of
religion, the United Nations and indigenous activists. Although there remain
serious problems with the use of the word 'indigenous' in general and
particularly in Asian and African contexts, its currency within international
law cannot be ignored, particularly in the light of indigenous claims to the
land. At the same time, these distinct groups and their different approaches
will be located within their own cultural and historical contexts. The
disparate meanings given to the word 'indigenous' highlight the interactions,
or lack thereof, between these groups. While there are similarities or
relationships between the ascribed and prescribed meanings given by indigenous
activists and international law, the meaning given by scholars of religion,
particularly in the UK, differs significantly. This paper aims to put forward
an argument for a politicisation of the academic process by exemplifying land
issues as a means of encouraging better academic interaction with others both
inside and outside the academy.
Organized panel
Girardot, Norman
Lehigh University, USA
Local and Global Aspects of Religion and Art:
The Case of Self-Taught/Outsider Art(15L)
In recent years in Europe and the United States
there has been a growing scholarly interest in so-called self-taught, outsider,
or vernacular art. This is an art that is broadly and controversially connected
with earlier "primitivist," "Art Brut," and "folk
art" movements in the history of Western art ? movements that often seem
to suggest some general, universal, or primal aspect to the aesthetic
intentionality, methods, and products of untrained and often
culturally/mentally marginalized artists. Another common trait associated with
contemporary Euro-American self-taught or outsider art is a
religiosity/spirituality that is often eccentrically "visionary,"
"shamanistic," "apocalyptic," and obsessive. Interesting
questions are raised by these frequently asserted but rarely examined
assumptions about certain artistic, religious, and psychological
"universals" in the field. This interdisciplinary panel will take up
some of these issues ? especially to begin the critical process of examining
the relation of outsider art and religion in more of a fully cross-cultural or
international context. Papers will be presented on nature and significance of
Japanese outsider art, Caribbean/African/African-American art, Euro-American
tradition, and on what has been called "world art."
Organized panel, * Session Abstract
Godwin, Joscelyn
Colgate University, USA
Renaissance Thinkers and Religion(01S)
*chairperson
Organized panel
Godwin, Joscelyn
Colgate University, USA
Western Esotericism and Polemics (2) Jewish and
Christian Kabbalah: A Battlefield of Identities and Rhetorics(11G)
*chairperson
Symposium
Godwin, Joscelyn
Colgate University, USA
Esotericism and Cultural Identity in the
Neo-Pagan Movement(13G)
Some neo-pagan groups in the later 20th century
have drawn on various esoteric streams, especially Theosophy, Ariosophy, and
modern initiatic orders. This has served to reinforce their cultural identity
by setting them off from three mainstreams which they reject: exoteric
Judeo-Christianity, secular materialism, and the "New Age." The
polemics surrounding these neo-pagan groups typically accuse them of racism,
and thus belong within a context of similar accusations made against C. G.
Jung, against Anthroposophy, and against "occultists" in general.
Several questions are raised by this: Can modern movements based on European
pagan traditions rightly lay claim to an esotericism? Is there something about
esotericism that inevitably aggravates the current orthodoxy? Are these
attacks, with their use of emotionally-laden terms, a surrogate for a polemic
against esotericism itself?
Symposium, English
Goldberg, David W.
Westminster College, USA
Neuroanatomy and the Religious Experience:
Scientific Demystification of Religion?(10K)
With advances in neuro-anatomy there has been a
drive to understand "religious experience" as a derivative from
neurological activity in the brain, activity that can be verified and attached
to concrete brain structures. For example, D'Aquili and Newberg, in Why God
Won't Go Away, suggest that the mystical experience of the transcendent is
derivative from a neurological state that decreases the feeling of self and has
the potential to lead to an experience of what they term Absolute Unitary
Being. They offer this neurological state, and its corresponding diminution in
the sense of 'self', as an evolutionary ground for the religious experience and
religion itself, implying further that the hermeneutic of this experience is
unitary as evidenced by the similarity in accounts of such experience. I
contend that the interpretation of neurological events is not unitary between
the religious traditions, nor across the human species, as the hermeneutical
experience of these brain-states are interpretive constructs, hence
contextualized. As a result, neurotheology, while providing a biological
understanding for brain-state relationships, misses the individuating
significance that is provided by interpretive de-construction of the event,
which comes from the societal and cultural constructs of reality into which all
humans, as well as the mystic, are thrust.
Organized panel
Golding, Douglas James
University of Queensland, Australia
Popular Culture, Religion and Spirituality in
Australia(13I)
In the sixty years since the end of World War
II, profound changes have taken place in Australian society, culture and
religious observance. These include becoming less European; less nationalistic
and less "religious"; and more a part of globalising, secular,
media-dominated, Western popular culture. The influence of mainstream religious
groups is being reduced by the impact of Islam, Buddhism, new religious
movements and other belief systems outside the Judaeo-Christian tradition, as
well as by "cultural dissonance" between the beliefs and values of
popular culture and those of religion generally. This has also led to some
revival of older spiritual traditions and the growth of a variety of new,
experiential spiritualities, as well as significant changes in some areas of
Australian law. The paper examines these trends and considers the varied
responses of mainstream Christian groups.
Organized panel, English
Gonyea, Wendy
Onondaga Nation Communications Office
(12L)
Roundtable session
Goto, Gijo
Myosenji Temple, Japan
On the Translator of Wu-liang-shou-jing(3)(07R)
It supposed that the approximately one person
translated about a lot of Buddhist scriptures until now. However, I think that
it always isn't right. As the translator of Wu-liang-shou-jing, had been
discussed whether zhu-fa-hu(Hu) translated or Jiao-xian/bao-yun(Xian_Yun) did.
I think that the sutra was translated by Hu and that Jiao/bao modified this
later. Therefore, I take the following way to prove it. First I detect the
translators of some part of the sutra by means of statistical philology. Second
I detect bi-gram(2 characters collocation) which distinguish a difference
between Hu and Xian_Yun in the sutra and verifies the result of first by it. In
above way, I showed that Hu translated 8-step-Buddha-Lifetime paragraph in the
sutra and Xian_Yun revised the part. (IBS 51-1 and 52-2) This time, I apply
this method to whole the sutra and it wants to show the translator of the sutra
by it.
Organized panel, Japanese
Goto, Masahide
Kyoto University, Japan
The Study of Mysticism: What Does it Mean for
the Kyoto School?(09E)
One of the characteristics of the Kyoto School
is to open-mindedly take into philosophical consideration the traditions of
mysticism East and West. I will reconsider the significance of the study of
mysticism in the Kyoto School by discussing Keiji Nishitani's philosophy of
religion. This issue needs to be looked at from two standpoints: from a
historical perspective and with regard to the structure and content of his
thought. 1) Nishitani's understanding of mysticism was deeply influenced by
both German Idealism and the accounts of the history of philosophy prevalent in
Germany at the time he wrote. We need to clarify these relations of influence. 2)
In Nishitani's philosophy, "ecstasy" becomes a central theme as he
searches for the grounds of the self (subjectivity). In this context, he
interprets the standpoint of mysticism as a standpoint of
"experience." I would like to examine the validity of this
interpretation.
Organized panel, Japanese
Gottschalk, Peter Eastman
Religious Pluralism in the Diaspora(03L)
*respondent
Organized panel
Gou, Bo
Sichuan University, China
Magnanimity and Secularization of Taoist Ideas
of Immortals, Found in Ming and Qing Novels(17D)
The aims of this paper is to summarize the
influences of the Taoist ideas of immortals on popular religious mentality, the
religious reflection of the spirit of the age (especially, an enterprising
spirit of commercialism), and the secularization or moralization of ideas of
immortals. For these purposes, the novels whose themes are "the sphere of
immortals" in the Ming and Qing periods are compared with those in the
preceding periods. The changes of ideas in the novels reflect the magnanimity
that Taoism acquired during the rapid process of Taoist secularization in the
Ming and Qing periods. These novels show us how the religious ideas of Taoism
influenced the secular society or the populace, and why Taoism became
influential among the general public, while it gradually lost its significance
in the political elite.
Organized panel
Gragg, Douglas L.
Emory University, USA
Another People. The Roman Senate's Suppression
of the Cult of Bacchus in 186 BCE(13T)
Organized panel, English
Grapard, Allan
University of California, USA
Problems of Periodization in the Study of
Shinto: The Classical Age(01Q)
A longstanding problem in the study of Shinto
is that of periodization, because it goes to the very core of the definition of
the cognomen. The question is what to call the set of shrines, the core ideas
related to history, mythology, and rituals, and the set of rituals that
preceded the general use of the term Shinto. There is no question that rituals
dedicated to a variety of Kami in either temporary or permanent sites of cult
have taken place for a very long time in Japan. I propose to discuss these
issues on the basis of an analysis of the Kojiki, Nihon shoki, Fudoki, Manyoshu
and other texts; on the basis of Jimmyocho and the Engi shiki; on the basis of
formation of the Nijunisha; and on the basis of the early history of
relationships between shrines and temples.
Organized panel, English
Greskova, Lucia
Religious Pluralism and Freedom of Religion in
Slovakia(*co-author with Jozefciakova, Silvia; Moravcikova, Michaela)(05E)
*co-author with Jozefciakova, Silvia;
Moravcikova, Michaela
Organized panel
Grieves, Vicki
Indigenous Reactions to Colonial Conflict and
Violence: Reflections on the Experience of the Worimi of the Seven Tribes, New
South Wales 1820 - 1860(04C)
Colonialism breeds a specific interpretation of
events that is found in contemporary archives and colonialist historical
accounts. Indigenous people in the throes of being dispossessed are constructed
as the "other": savage, brutal, unfeeling, inhuman. A re-reading of
these sources in the light of contemporary anthropological theory, historical
ethnographies and Indigenous cosmologies leads to a greater understanding of
the behaviour of Indigenous people as human and rational within their world
view. Examination of the Worimi reactions to the British colonial dispossession
of their lands over a sixty-year period, particularly in attempts at conflict
management, reveals the behaviour of Worimi within the religious philosophy and
cultural mores of their society. As open colonial warfare progressed across
their lands, the Worimi were utilising their religious beliefs in attempts to
restore peace.
Organized panel, English
Griffith, Alison Bond
University of Canterbury, New Zealand
The Imagistic Mode in Roman State Religion(13T)
Early in the Second Punic War Rome experienced
sequential and catastrophic military defeats, signaling to Romans a serious
rupture in the "pax deorum." Livy's account of the years 218-213
allows examination of the interaction between national calamity, popular panic
and subsequent change in religious behavior. The prelude and aftermath of early
battles are marked by prodigies whose number, frequency and peculiarity is
directly proportional to the increasingly anomalistic religious responses. The
cumulative stress caused Romans to take religious matters into their own hands.
Livy's account at 25.1.6-12 outlines the characteristics of Harvey Whitehouse's
"imagistic mode" of religiosity. The sudden adoption of foreign
practices privately and publicly in 213 indicates intense group cohesion and
spontaneous exegetical reflection. The lack of leadership and absence of
centralized control is apparent in the rise of "sacrificuli" and
"vates" and in the Senate's censure of the aediles.
Organized panel, English
Guittard, Charles
Society Ernest Renan. French Society for the
History of religions, France
Interpretations of Ancient Texts in a
Comparative Perspective(15T)
*chairperson
Organized panel
Guittard, Charles
Society Ernest Renan. French Society for the
History of religions, France
Problemes de la Guerre a Rome: Bellum Pium
Iustumque.(15T)
Les Romains ont etabli un cadre religieux pour
le deroulement des operations militaires, depuis l'enrolement des soldats jusqu'a
la conclusion des traites de paix. Des colleges de pretres sont specialises
(Saliens, Fetiaux).Des dieux sont invoques plus particulierement. Un rituel
particulier retindra notre attention: les Romains peuvent inviter les dieux de
l'ennemi a quitter leur ville pour venir etre honores a Rome (evocatio). Sera
etudie le sens de la formule "bellum pium justumque".
Organized panel, French
Gullin-Hofstedt, Britta
Umea University, Sweden
Messianic Time and Messianic Place. Cognitive
Aspects in Global Context(13L)
Messianism is a complex of beliefs and ideas
whose most important aspects are the ideas about a better future where a
'messianic figure' plays a more or less important role. African messianism and
American/Western messianism are treated in this paper as examples in order to
highlight 'messianic time' and create conditions for revealing the content,
which is of vital importance to the people involved in the process. I have
chosen to focus on two religious groups whose messianic content is very
outspoken. The African movement I focus on in this paper is Ama-nazaretha,
founded in 1911 by the Zulu leader Shembe and later led by his sons. It
strongly stresses African indigenous religious traditions and ideas related to
messianism. One of the issues I will discuss is if - and how - ideas and
content of the concept 'messianic time', have an impact on the process today.
The other movement is Millerism, representing the American/Western messianism,
and often used as a paradigmatic example. This movement was active in the 19th
century and has its heir in today's Adventist movements.
Organized panel
Guo, Wu
Sichuan University, China
Introductory Discussion of the Relation between
Jingmingdao and Confucianism in the Song and Yuan Periods(17D)
This paper is to study the backgrounds and the
contents of Confucian influences on a Taoist sect in the Song and Yuan periods,
Jingming Dao (Ways of Pure Light). There will be discussed the relation of
traditional Taoism with Confucianism, the social backgrounds of Song and Yuan
China, the cultural environment of Xishan, Jiangxi province, where the sect was
founded, and the personal careers of its leaders. It will be concluded that the
sect of Jingming Dao was a new type of Taoism which absorbed the many Confucian
ideas of Li (Principle), though it basically preserved traditional Taoist
beliefs and rituals.
Organized panel
Gwamna, J. Dogara
University of Jos, Nigeria
The Identity Question in the Jos Religious
Conflict(01V)
Jos has suddenly become one of the conflict
clusters in the Middle Belt zone of Nigeria since the September 7, 2001
ethno-religious crisis. Underlying the Jos conflict are twin factors of
ethnicity and religion, with the question of identity playing a defining role.
The so-called "indigenous" population is predominantly Christian
while the "settlers", represented in the main by Hausa-Fulani, are
Muslims. The problem is further compounded by politics and economic
considerations. While attempts have been made to resolve the continuing conflict,
the identity question has not attracted serious attention. This paper intends
to look at the power of identity in the Jos religious conflict and to proffer
possible viable solutions towards resolving the conflict for a more lasting
peace and religious co-existence.
Organized panel, English
Habito, Ruben L. F.
Southern Methodist University, USA
Social Engagement of Religion in Modern
Society(02I)
*respondent
Organized panel
Hackett, Rosalind
University of Notre Dame, USA
(02L)
Roundtable session
Hackett, Rosalind
University of Notre Dame, USA
(04H)
Symposium, English
Hackett, Rosalind
University of Notre Dame, USA
Religion, Peace and the Media(12C)
*respondent
Organized panel
Haga, Manabu
Japan
Various Forms of Spirituality in the World
(1)(04B)
*chairperson
Symposium
Haga, Manabu
Japan
Various Forms of Spirituality in the World
(2)(05B)
*chairperson
Symposium
Halkias, Georgios
University of Oxford, UK
The Prophesy of Pan-Tibetan Consolidation: A
Seventeenth-Century Church / State Fusion in Tibet(02W)
The institution of the Dalai Lama, the most
important feature of the Tibetan State since the 17th century, influenced the
politics of Tibet, the Himalayan borderlands, and Central Asia. The religious
leadership of the Dalai Lamas, reflected the political relationships, often
complex, that developed between Tibet, China, Mongolia, Ladakh, Bhutan and
Sikkim. Currently the Tibetan diaspora also depends on the 14th Dalai Lama
whose vision regarding Tibet-China, has earned him the Nobel price of peace. In
this presentation we will look at the legendary dual-power resources of the
Dalai Lama institution drawing on Tibetan national myths and Buddhist
discourses. The conjoining of sacred and secular power in 17th century Tibet
involved a continuous interplay of signs and their significance through the
monastic deification of incarnations and through the implementation of a
culturally embodied Buddhist soteriology that had a profound and lasting
psychological effect on its Tibetan leaders and people.
Organized panel, English
Halkias, Georgios
University of Oxford, UK
Religion and the State(02W)
*chairperson
Organized panel
Hallacker, Anja
Freie Universitat Berlin, Germany
Secret and Knowledge - How to Construct an
'Esoteric' Identity(13G)
The inquiry in "esoteric identity"
reveals a field of research as important for the single adherent as for
philosophy of history. The fascination of esoteric movements for European
scholars - for instance of the Rosicrucians at the beginning of the 17th
century ? not only results from the individual longing for wisdom, wealth and
immortality, but also from the philosophical idea of an ancient tradition of
wisdom, secretly passed over to posterity, as a philosophia perennis or
interrupted series of insights. Critical to this worldview is the direct
participation knowledge of a hidden secret, which as been in the world from its
beginning and that will reinstall it to a prelapsarian state. Sharing this
secret wisdom is not only supposed to bear the promise for power, but also an
enormous potential concerning the meaning of ones own life. This paper presents
a brief survey of the question of a "master narrative," emphasizing
the importance of secrecy in esoteric movements in the 16th/17th century.
Symposium, English
Hamada, Yo
Teikyo University & Teikyo University
Junior College, Japan
The Future of Inter-Religious
Dialogue:Reconsideration of Environmental Issues, Publicity, and
Coexistence(16O)
Today, I will first introduce a new concept of
inter-religious experience and its Japanese expression, Michigiwa Keiken, and
then discuss its applicability to environmental theories. Currently, most
environmental issues seem divided between theories for changing the system of
modern civilization and those for revising it. Lester Brown represents the
former and Bjorn Lomborg the latter. However, both sides look to outer
environments while suppressing descriptions of diverse inner environments and
inquiries into the interrelatedness between the two. In order to vitalize
environmental discourses beyond the sphere of specialists, we must connect
these two views of environment. To do this we need a new, flexible viewpoint
that can incorporate the environmental perspectives of various religious and
cultural traditions, as well as secular theories. The impasse over
environmental issues, which has been exposed through intellectual inquiries
surrounding coexistence and the public, will become a challenging topic in the
field of inter-religious dialogue.
Organized panel, English
Hanano, Judo
Waseda University, Japan
Original Enlightenment and Nichiren(08L)
*chairperson
Organized panel
Hanano, Judo
Waseda University, Japan
Theological Significance of Original
Enlightenment Thought(08L)
I believe that Japanese Buddhism's break with
past tradition in the early years of the Meiji Period to permit clergy to marry
and to eat meat is partially attributable to strong undercurrents of Hongaku
(Original Enlightenment) thought. This has made me to wonder whether Original
Enlightenment thought, which is forward-looking about humans' earthly desires,
and Japanese Buddhism's tolerance of marriage and the consumption of meat among
its priesthood might not share numerous common threads. In this context, I will
take a comparative look at the Buddhism of Shinran.
Organized panel, Japanese
Hanaoka-Kawamura, Eiko
Nara Sangyo University, Japan
The Absolute Infinite Openness in Christianity
and Buddhism(02Q)
The origins of the personal God in Christianity
and impersonal "emptiness" or "absolute nothingness" in
Buddhism are always personal and, at the same time, impersonal, as
"absolute infinite openness." The self-awareness of absolute infinite
openness is the self-awareness of the experience of the most personal dimension
and, always simultaneously, of the most impersonal dimension. It is this
dimension that will be inquired into in this paper.
Organized panel, English
Hanaoka-Kawamura, Eiko
Nara Sangyo University, Japan
The Problem of Life and Technology(10J)
In theism and organic philosophy, the cosmos,
or the world, and its history are looked upon as constituting a life. The
experience of such a life is represented by technology. However, due to human
reason, modern technology can lead to intellectual violence and the demonic.
Accordingly, I would like to discuss the relation between life and technology.
Organized panel, English
Hanazono, Toshimaro
The University of the Air, Japan
Research of Religion in Japan: Religious
Studies/Phenomenology of Religion(01A)
When reflecting on the progress of Religious
Studies in Japan during the past century, particularly in the Comparative Study
of Religion and the Phenomenology of Religion, we can come to a general
agreement that Western scholarship has triggered research of religion in Japan
and fundamental concepts and methodology from the West has been applied to
Japanese scholarship through the years. Before 1945, the influence from Europe
was most evident, and thereafter research of religion in Japan was influenced
primarily by the United States, in which the empirical standpoint became
dominant. As for fields of study, academic research and criticism of central
theories and fundamental religious concepts along with methodology seemed to
stand out. In the comparative study of religion, due to restrictions caused by
the environment and the inability to meet specific conditions required for
comparative research, rather than pursuing research in the classification of
religion or the typology of religion, there were many who sought to research
religious thought as well as comparative study focusing on the concept of kami
(gods), the concept of ritual, and the phenomenon behind religious communities.
The same can be said about the Phenomenology of Religion in the sense that rather
than pursuing a universal understanding of religion using the abundant source
of data from historical texts and fieldwork, we see more focus in conducting
original research to unravel the meaning and structure of specific religious
phenomenon. Recently, academic exchange has progressed and collaborative
projects with researchers around the globe have become more active.
Organized panel, English
Handa, Eiichi
Kaetsu University, Japan
Japanese Religious Consciousness(07I)
Due to the seriousness of global environmental
problems, the possibility of nuclear war, and the erosion of social values, it
has become necessary for Japanese people to re-asses their conventional
religious consciousness. Deeper insight into truth, especially by researchers
of Japanese religion and thought, can have a significant impact on solving
global problems. Japanese religious consciousness can be roughly classified
into two types: dedication to ascetic practice and faith (Dogen and Shinran are
good examples of this type), and the expression of religious consciousness
through an awareness of beauty (Saigyo and Basho are prime representatives of
this type of religious consciousness). Both of these types of religiosity are
grounded in a Japanese awareness of nature that is independent of specific
religious affiliations. This awareness and consciousness of beauty has the
potential to form the basis of a new peaceful civilization existing in harmony
with nature and transcending specific religious traditions and doctrines.
Organized panel, Japanese
Hanegraaff, Wouter J.
University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
Western Esotericism and Polemics (1)
Esotericism, Scriptural Religions, and Religious Pluralism: Conflict or
Concordance?(10G)
*chairperson
Symposium, English
Hanegraaff, Wouter J.
University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
Western Esotericism and Polemics (1)
Esotericism, Scriptural Religions, and Religious Pluralism: Conflict or
Concordance?(10G)
*co-convener
Symposium, English
Hanegraaff, Wouter J.
University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
Western Esotericism and Polemics (3) The
Shaping of Esoteric Identities(12G)
*chairperson
Symposium
Hanegraaff, Wouter J.
University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
Anti-Esoteric Polemics in Academic
Discourse(13G)
When contemporary academics discuss
"magic", in most cases they are dependent on Tylor's and Frazer's
intellectualist theories, Mauss' and Durkheim's functionalism, and Levy-Bruhl's
theory of participation. These theories may be mixed and combined in various
more or less interesting ways; but usually this is done within a general
context that is more basic than the theories themselves, and the validity of
which remains largely unexamined. This context is and remains essentially the
Tylorean/Frazerian triad "religion - science - magic". Its point of
departure is that "religion" (however defined) is something different
from modern science and rationality. That relatively unproblematic distinction
having been made, it is followed by the observation that there are certain
phenomena which are likewise quite clearly different from modern science and
rationality, but somehow do not quite seem to fit the model of
"religion" either. This third category is referred to by a variety of
names, the very abundancy of which already demonstrates that it is in fact a
waste-basket filled with left-overs: "magic", "the occult"
(resp. "occultism", "occult science"),
"superstition", "mysticism", "esotericism", "the
irrational", "primitive thought" (cf. "fetishism",
"idolatry"), and so on. Tacitly assuming such a triad, academics have
usually been in favour of "science and rationality", respectful at
least towards "religion", and quite negative about "magic and
the occult". This paper will explore some rhetoric strategies that have been
used by academics to exclude the third category - and thereby the scholars who
study it - from the domain of legitimate academic discourse.
Symposium, English
Hara, Shinjo
Rissho University, Japan
The Notion of Sin as Seen in the Lotus
Sutra(09M)
How did Nichiren, who proposed the
systematization of Buddhist teachings based on the Lotus Sutra, perceive the
basic human concept of religious sin during the period of mappo? Nichiren is
said to have coined the term hobo (more specifically, hiho shobo) or "acts
against the fundamental spirit of the Lotus Sutra," applying it to sins
committed in inter-personal relationships. The popular image of Nichiren is one
of radicalism and exclusivism, as exemplified by the term shakubuku or active
proselytization. On the other hand, some also emphasize Nichiren's moderation
and magnanimity, represented by the term shoju. In my understanding, it is
necessary to reevaluate Nichiren's methods for realizing a world based on the
Lotus Sutra from a multi-dimensional perspective. An examination of Nichiren's
thought in relation to individual sin and social sin provides a valuable
contribution to the understanding of sin in modern society.
Roundtable session, Japanese
Haraguchi, Takaaki
Tohoku Gakuin University, Japan
A Tragic Farewell Discourse?: In Search of a
New Understanding of Paul's Miletus Speech (Acts 20:18-35)(11N)
Paul's Miletus Speech (Acts 20:18-35) was given
as a farewell discourse before his journey to Jerusalem. In ancient Greek
literature there exits a genre of farewell discourse (Aesch. Ag. 1256-1330;
Soph. OC 1515-1554). In the tragic farewell speech the speaker accepts his
violent death as a fate and expresses his sorrow. Paul's Miletus speech is
expecting his imminent martyr's death. He expresses his determination to face
his tragic fate (Acts 20:23). The speech is filled with sorrow. We can conclude
that it contains tragic elements.
Organized panel, English
Harashima, Tadashi
Toyo Eiwa University, Japan
Missionaries and Japanese Culture(10W)
Missionaries are messengers to different
cultures and, as such come into conflict with the cultures of regions they are
sent to. They, however, bring something new to those cultures and thereby
transform them. In this panel discussion we will examine the relationship
between missionaries and the Japanese culture by denomination. Missionaries
work in response to their mission boards and clearly show their denominational
characters, while their personalities and personal dispositions cannot be
ignored. Five denominations are selected from among the many religious groups
that came to Japan, and one or a few missionaries of each selected denomination
will be introduced in connection with their activities in Japan. We will also discuss
how the missions to Japan appeared to the eyes of missionaries who were sent to
Korea so that we will be able to examine the subject in both the domestic and
international contexts.
Organized panel, * Session Abstract
Harding, John Sheldon
University of Lethbridge, Canada
Fueling the Fire of Reform: Challenging
Buddhist "Orthodoxy" in Modern Japan(12E)
Buddhists in the Meiji Era faced various
challenges and stimuli to reform, including persecution and modernization. Some
Buddhists directed resources to rebuilding traditional institutions after
domestic persecution waned in the early 1870s. Others, however, embraced the
impetus to reform their tradition. Their reformulations of Buddhism were
influenced by a complex and mutually reinforcing convergence of foreign and
domestic influences, intellectual trends, and competing religious
representations in an increasingly global milieu. By exploring ways in which
these Meiji reformers shaped and were influenced by this turbulent and dynamic
era, this paper will examine how conflicting forces and agendas served as
catalysts for forms of "new Buddhism" (shin bukkyo) in Japan.
Organized panel, English
Harding, Rachel
Iliff School of Theology, USA
Migrations of the Spirit: Meanings of Diasporic
Identity among African American Candomble Devotees(01T)
Candomble is an indigenous, Afro-Brazilian
religion, developed in northeastern Brazil during the late 18th and early 19th
centuries by enslaved west and central Africans and their descendants. From its
roots in Yoruba, Bakongo, Aja/Fon and other continental African communities,
Candomble was recreated and transformed in a New World context where the
experience of slavery, the re-negotiation of individual and collective
identities and the addition of some elements of Amerindian, Catholic and even
Kardecist spiritualities helped shape the tradition into a fundamentally
diasporic expression. In more recent history, Afro-Brazilian religion has been
discovered and embraced by increasing numbers of North Americans of African
descent (African Americans). Like their compatriots who are drawn to Cuban
Santeria and Haitian Vodou, African American devotees of Candomble often
articulate their attraction to the African-based religious tradition in terms
of ancestral connections and a larger diasporic black identity. The allure of
Candomble, however, is neither simple nor exclusively logical/rational. This
paper explores the experience of several African American Candomble initiates
-- in the dynamics of their relationship with the terreiros (temples/ iles) to
which they belong; their experience of identification with Yoruba and other
African spiritual energies (orixa/nkisi/voduns); and the tensions and
affinities between spiritual traditions in black USA communities and those of
Candomble. The paper particularly examines meanings of identity which are
developing from the "migrations" of rituals, practices and collective
commitments from one community of the diaspora to another.
Organized panel
Harel, Anat
Leiden University, Netherlands
The Day Rome Will Not Curse Us, Is the Day
Freemasonry Dies: Orthodox Catholicism and Dutch Masonic Identity,
1880-1910(12G)
In the latter decades of the nineteenth
century, the Dutch Order of Freemasons suffered from an identity crisis.
Between 1880 and 1917, the brethren struggled to determine anew the goal and
mission of Freemasonry. One of the factors playing an important part in the
shaping of the Masonic identity was the brothers' reaction to orthodox
Christendom, especially Roman Catholicism. By analysing the Masonic reactions
to orthodox Catholicism, the paper aims to show both the content and rationale
of Masonic antagonism to orthodox religion. As it turns out, the fight against
'ultramontane' religion served as an important identity marker for the Dutch
brethren in turbulent times. Furthermore, it led them to reconsider their
relationship to religion in its various forms.
Symposium, English
Harnischfeger, Johannes
University of Frankfurt, Germany
Islamisation and Ethnic Conversion in
Nigeria(04H)
In the Middle Belt of Nigeria, between the
Muslim north and Christian south of the country, ownership of land is contested
between Hausa-Fulani 'settlers' from the north and 'indigenous' ethnic groups
which are mostly Christian and traditionalist. The migrants, who are still a
minority, try to spread their faith among the 'native' population. Those who
convert tend to assume the language, culture, and political loyalties of the
Hausa-Fulani settlers. This process of ethnic conversion has been reinforced by
the recent Sharia campaign. With the call to fight for Sharia, indigenous
Muslims are put under pressure to prove that their new faith is more important
to them than their old 'tribal' loyalties. Where armed conflicts broke out,
most converts sided with the Hausa-Fulani migrants and fought, in the name of
religion, against their (former) Christian or traditionalist kin.
Symposium, English
Haruchika, Takashi
Taisho University, Japan
Beckh's "Buddhismus" and German Perception:
Toward Buddhism in the Early 20th Century(09S)
In this presentation, an aspect of the German
perception toward Buddhism in the early 20th century will be demonstrated by
introducing Hermann Beckh's (1875-1937) beliefs in Buddhism and his background
through his work, "Buddhismus" (1916). Several years after finish
writing "Buddhismus," Beckh left university to join Rudolf Steiner's
anthroposophy religious movement "Christengemeinschaft (Christian
Community)." However, it can be perceived from his "Buddhismus"
that Steiner's philosophy had given great influence to Beckh's perception of
Buddhism. Beckh's perception put extreme faith in yoga, the idea of which was
not mainstream at that time, and still does not play a dominant role in the
history of Buddhist research. However, his perception, which was influenced by
Steiner's German anti-rationalist tendencies, had become an antithesis against
the rationalist way of perception toward Buddhism supported by Hermann
Oldenberg and other academics.
Organized panel, Japanese
Harvey, Graham A
Open University, UK
"Violence with Impunity": Maori
Religious Action without Transcendence(01I)
Te Pakaka Tawhai defined the 'purpose of
religious activity' among his people as 'doing violence with impunity'. This
paper explores, elaborates and applies his insight to wider Maori religious
practice that places religious activity in respectful (careful and
constructive) relationship with beings that particular groups and individuals
engage. While these relationships may include human encounters with the divine,
the divinities do not transcend worldliness. Those beings which are truly
transcendent are irrelevant to ordinary and typical Maori religious practice.
Organized panel
Harvey, Graham A.
Open University, UK
The Violence of the Sacred: Studying
Religion(s) without Transcendence(01I)
The definition of religion (the object studied
by RS scholars) by reference to transcendence or sacrality is problematic. This
panel presents recent research among indigenous peoples (Native Americans and
Maori in particular) to demonstrate that this-worldly engagements can be
appropriately considered religious, that the pursuit of culturally defined
'health, wealth and happiness' is the business of religions. These pragmatic
concerns are of significance not only for indigenous religionists, but for
others too: thus the panelists will argue that all religion may be studied
without recourse to 'the sacred'.
Organized panel, * Session Abstract, English
Harvey, Graham A.
Open University, UK
Appropriation and Appreciation: Native American
Responses to Non-Native and Intertribal Involvement in Ceremonials(06G)
*respondent
Organized panel, English
Harvey, Graham A.
Open University, UK
Appropriation and Appreciation: Native American
Responses to Non-Native and Intertribal Involvement in Ceremonials(06G)
Non-native engagement in Native American and
other indigenous ceremonies is hotly contested. Common discourses link such
engagement (and even 'interest in' some such ceremonies) as theft and cultural
genocide. The papers of this panel discuss varying perspectives on these
issues. With varying emphases they seek to understand the motivations on all
sides, ponder mediating and complicating positions, and reflect on the critical
academic value of such discourses and practices.
Organized panel, * Session Abstract, English
Harvey, Graham A.
Open University, UK
Diaspora, Dislocation and Migration(10U)
Academics interested in indigenous cultures and
religious traditions often repeat the commonly held opinion that indigeneity is
irredeemably diminished or even destroyed by dislocation from its 'original'
location. By engaging with Maori diaspora communities and their performance of
cultural identities, including the narration of migration narratives, this
paper challenges such negative, simplistic, detrimental and even colonialist
discourse. It argues that while home and place are vitally important, migration
has always been part of indigenous experience and that diaspora can sometimes
be a creative opportunity.
Organized panel, English
Hasan, Perween
University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
Cultural Accommodation and Architectural Styles
in Pre-Modern Bengal(13B)
The paper will explore how architecture was
used to manipulate the identities and images of the ruling classes in Bengal
from the fourteenth to the eighteenth centuries. The rulers were Muslims: the
independent Sultans, and, later, the governors appointed by the Mughal emperors
in Delhi. Mosques and temples, those religious spaces identified with the
ritual practices of the two principal communities of the area, are used to
illustrate a regional style that traveled back and forth across religious boundaries
and was neither wholly Hindu nor Muslim, but Bengali. They were built either by
the rulers and their officials, or by the Hindu elite. This style, first seen
in Muslim architecture in the fifteenth century, had evolved from
Hindu/Buddhist temple architecture and the thatched hut of the Bengal village.
It continued in temples of the Mughal period, when Muslim architecture was
overcome by a provincial version of the imperial Mughal style.
Organized panel, English
Hase, Shoto
Otani University, Japan
Japanese Study of Religion and Japanese
Philosophy of Religion(02A)
While the field of Religious Studies is
descriptive, the Philosophy of Religion is normative and does not have the
dimension in which objective knowledge is the premise; therefore, it has been
viewed that the Philosophy of Religion is a theoretical field that, through
reason, creates boundaries in the study of religion, which is something that
should not be confined in a set of fixed truths. However, it seems to me that
this notion does not hold true when considering Philosophy of Religion
conducted in Japan. In fact, Nishida Kitaro, who stands as the central figure
in the Philosophy of Religion in Japan, states that Philosophy of Religion is
fundamentally related to existence and is the pursuit to clarify this
existence. This concept of existence is the same as the theory of
"faith" found in the thoughts of W. C. Smith. According to Smith,
one's faith is "the Quality of Human Life." Smith claims that the
study of religion has been conducted with the emphasis on "belief,"
which is an objective perspective (noema) and we must rather strive to
understand religion with the emphasis on "faith," which is a
subjective perspective (noesis). This is the direction in which Philosophy of
Religion in Japan has been pursuing in the study of religion; in other words,
Philosophy of Religion in Japan is a description of the existence through this
concept of faith.
Organized panel, English
Hase, Shoto
Otani University, Japan
On Turning Emptiness into an Image(07E)
Nishitani's philosophy of emptiness was made
deeper because of its relationship to the problem of nihilism. Nihilism, which
breaks down the significance of everything immanent, is absolute closure, which
can be expressed through the phrase "there is nothing within the Triple
Realms." Emptiness overlaps nihilism in as much as it leads to the
transcendence of immanent things. However, since emptiness breaks through the
closure of nihilism, it is absolute liberation. Hence, emptiness is grasped as
the sky or empty space which lies beyond the summit of the highest mountain
that humans can reach. This is frequently described as the realm of the Buddhas
that no man can attain. However, in Nishitani's thought at the end of his life,
emptiness comes down to earth from the transcendental sky and becomes something
that reflects human desire. In connection with this transformation, "brute
fact" came to be taken up for consideration in the place of
"nihilism." Moreover, the "image" which is the emptiness
that is reflected in desire, came to be taken up for consideration as that
which breaks through "brute fact" from within. I hope to consider the
problems associated with this transformation.
Organized panel, Japanese
Hase, Thomas
Universitat Leipzig, Germnany
Transatlantic Networks of Christian Separatists
in the 18th Century - A Case of Globalisation?(05G)
Radical pietists, separatist mystics and other
religious dissenters in Early Modern Europe maintained broad and complex
networks of communication that even reached the colonies on the North American
continent. The paper will present and analyze examples for these transatlantic
contacts and mutual influences that affected both American and European
religious history. I show how the reach of those heterodox milieus and the
mobility and communicativeness of its participants exemplify the rapid and
effective dispersion of religious symbols. Finally, I address the question of
whether the transnational interactions of 18th century religious dissenters
might be understood as some early instance of "globalization".
Organized panel, English
Hase, Zuiko
Japan
Some Problems of Comparative Philosophy of
Religion: with Reference to Bruno Petzold and Jyunyu Kitayama(09S)
The main purpose of my paper is to review the
meanings and significances of the comparative philosophy of religion. I will
refer to the realms of comparative philosophy in Japan, in comparison with the
ones of other countries. Then I will make particular reference to the thought
and actions of two thinkers: Bruno Petzold, who was a German Buddhist, but
ended his life in Japan, and Jyunyu Kitayama, who was a Japanese Buddhist, but
ended his life in Germany. While living in Japan, Petzold devoted himself to
disseminating the doctrine of Mahayana Buddhism in English. And no one can deny
that he belonged to Japanese Buddhism, without inclining to the Japanese
militaristic atmosphere before World War II. On the other side, Jyunyu Kitayama
wrote his dissertation in German. In his book, he proclaimed the significance
of a traditional understanding of Mahayana Buddhism in Japan vis-a-vis the
West.
Organized panel
Hasebe, Hachiro
Komazawa University, Japan
Gyoja and Buddhism(11R)
This paper deals with Buddhist ascetics (gyoja)
in contemporary Japan. The term gyoja refers here not only to practitioners of
Buddhist asceticism, but to practitioners of shamanistic techniques as well. On
the whole, the shaman and the priest tend to be regarded as mutually opposed
categories. That is to say, while the former deals with the problems of the
client confidentially, the latter performs public rituals and keeps a continuous
relationship to his followers. However, recent research has shown that Buddhist
ascetics combine elements of both, the priest and the shaman, in their
practice. Therefore, in this panel, I will report on concrete aspects of this
complex nature that characterizes the Buddhist ascetic, and I hope to
contribute to the elucidation of the world of "gyoja Buddhism."
Organized panel, English
Hasegawa, Masatoshi
Shukutoku University, Japan
Japanese Buddhist Activities and Social Welfare
after World War II(07P)
In Japan there have been pioneering social
welfare activities by Buddhists since ancient times. The ideas based on those
activities may affect modern and contemporary Buddhist social welfare
activities. Notably, these activities after the Meiji period have changed in
their formation and development of the Japanese social service, and now they
have been developing both in and out of the official social welfare system. At
this round-table discussion, we will divide those activities into four parts,
and would like to make the post-war development of them clear. We will also
take up some main Buddhist schools such as the Tendai, Shingon, Zen, Jodo, and
Hokke.
Roundtable session, * Session Abstract,
Japanese
Hasegawa, Takuya
Kyoto University, Japan
Paul Ricoeur's Theory of Religious
Language(08T)
After passing through a critical examination of
philology, phenomenology of religion, and psychoanalysis, can myth and symbol
still hold power? Such a question consists in the very ground of the
philosophical hermeneutics as conceived by Paul Ricoeur. On the one hand,
Ricoeur thinks that it is impossible for "modern" people who live in
the age of criticism to return to naive faith. However, on the other hand,
Ricoeur pays attention to the fact that symbol and myth are expressed by
language, and, such religious language effectively affects a human who
interprets it. On this point, the possibility of the reconstruction of myth and
symbol is abetted. But, if so, it is the specific nature of religious language
that must be considered. In this presentation, I want to clarify this problem
through examining the theory of religious language of Paul Ricoeur.
Organized panel
Hashimoto, Masanori
University of Tokyo, Japan
Shrine Materials and Shinto(08P)
Materials transmitted at Shinto shrines
represent important basic materials in the study of Shinto. Viewed from the
social position of shrines, however, these materials are relevant not only to Shinto
in the narrow sense, but to research in a broad range of other areas as well,
from social, political, and economic history, to literature and the arts.
Postwar historians, however, have shown little interest in shrine-related
historical materials, a trend particularly striking for the Edo period, which
represents the largest concentration of such materials. From the Meiji period
on, historiographical projects worked to investigate and reproduce main shrine
materials from periods up to the beginning of the Edo period, but materials
from the mid-seventeenth century on remain essentially unmined. The decade from
around 1965 saw the rise of local historiographical projects, and great
advances were made in the collation of historical materials, but shrine records
remain the subject of only desultory interest. Shrine chronicles, in
particular, remain virtually untouched, in part due to their quantity. In
conclusion, to further advance research on Shinto, much more work needs to be
done on the systematic collation and study of shrine-and Shinto-related
materials.
Organized panel, Japanese
Hastings, Tom
Family, Church or School - Where Lies the Heir
of Japanese Christianity?(04P)
*chairperson
Organized panel
Hatakama, Kazuhiro
Tenri University, Japan
Shinto and the Shirakawa Family during the Late
Tokugawa Era(12P)
The Yoshida family, which was authorized by the
Tokugawa shogunate, was the head of the Shinto school during the Tokugawa era.
However, the Shirakawa family, the Director General of the
Office-of-Shinto-Worship, began to interrupt the existing order and increased
followers in many parts of the country during the late Tokugawa era. It was one
of the features of the Shirakawa school's activity to respect conferment of the
certificates, the dogmatic difference could be covered and various religious
groups and philosophical activities could be absorbed. In this presentation,
Shinto in the modern era is viewed through paying attention to the Shirakawa
school's activity that related to various folk customs, popular religions, and
scholars of National Learning.
Organized panel, Japanese
Hataway, James Earl
University of Tennesse, USA
D.T. Suzuki and the Academy: Has Scholarship
Done Its Job?(13Q)
In recent years, the works of Suzuki Daisetz
Teitaro (better known in the West as D.T. Suzuki) have been subjected to
multiple scholarly criticisms. Suzuki has been labeled as a reductionist
thinker, a promoter of sectarian biases, and a supporter of Japanese imperial
expansionism. Consequently, the value of Suzuki's scholarship has come into
serious question, and his future reputation within the academy has become an
uncertainty. In this paper I attempt to re-examine Suzuki's reputation in the
academy in light of such criticisms. I argue that Suzuki, despite the
shortcomings of his work, is not without value to scholars of Zen Buddhism, or
the casual student of East Asian religious traditions. In so doing, I take
careful consideration of Suzuki's Sitz im Leben and the audience for whom his
work was intended.
Organized panel, English
Hattori, Kozui
International College for Advanced Buddhist
Studies, Japan
Nirvana and Peace(15C)
Nirvana is a religious and spiritual term that
shows the final goal of a Buddhist. Peace is a political and social word. I
have studied Nirvana in Early Buddhism from a philological standpoint. As we
are in times where World Peace is something that is to be thought about, I have
chosen "Nirvana and Peace" as my topic. In Early Buddhist texts, we
can see a sutra that defines Nirvana (=Nibbana), "The destruction of lust,
hatred, illusion is called Nibbana."(S.IV.251) The meaning of Nibbana is
generally said to be "the extinction of fire", I.e. the ceasing of
the three kinds of fire; raga, dosa, moha. I believe that the antonym of
'peace' is 'war.' This is caused by national lust (national interests), hatred,
and illusion, and only when these three kinds of fire are extinguished, will
Peace be realized in this world.
Organized panel, English
Hawley, C. John
Santa Clara University, USA
Religion and the Sinews of Identity in National
Diasporas(03K)
The fatwah ultimately pronounced against the
novelists Salman Rushdie resulted from the outcry raised principally by Muslims
living in Bradford, UK, and elsewhere outside the recognized Islamic world.
Some of the most virulent Zionism is financed in the United States.
Christianity often casts itself in outsider roles in "pagan" lands.
The point here is that one's religion can take the place of nationalism when
one is living in a land that is unwelcoming and uncanny. My paper will examine
this phenomenon as, first, a source and instance of conflict, but also as the
occasion for a transnational understanding of the unity that may be possible if
a common quest for transcendence can be understood. What has been called a
"clash of civilizations" by some may be seen in the more specific
context of individuals joining together against a projected "other"
that often shares a similar dedication to non-material values. A hermeneutic
for speaking across cultural divides shapes much contemporary literature.
Organized panel
Hayashi, Makoto
Aichi-Gakuin University, Japan
The Study of Japanese Buddhism and
Academism(02S)
Where did the academic study of Japanese
Buddhism start from? In Japan the disciplines of Religious studies and Buddhist
studies were introduced around 1900 by scholars who had studied in Western
countries. But Japanese Buddhism was outside their concerns. The "History
of Buddhism" published in 1894 by a Buddhist scholar, Senshou Murakami
marks the beginning of the empirical study of Buddhism. The Historiographic
Institute of Tokyo University collected historical records of temples, and some
researchers working there, such as Tsuji Zennosuke, were interested in the
history of Japanese Buddhism. In the 1920s Buddhist universities were
established and it became possible to study the theology of Japanese Buddhist
schools under the academic label of Buddhology. The above-mentioned three
disciplines - Buddhist studies, Japanese history and Buddhist theology - became
the vessels of the study of Japanese Buddhism. Among them, Japanese history
only could explore the history of Japanese Buddhism beyond sectarian
divisions.However, we must pay attention to the partiality that the historical
narrative on Japanese Buddhism has shown towards the Kamakura sects.
Organized panel, English
Hayashi, Makoto
Aichi-Gakuin University, Japan
Varieties of Tokugawa Religion(12P)
In this panel, American and Japanese
specialists in Tokugawa Religion present their latest researches and exchange
their views. The panel organizer chose not to set any unified theme or perspective
for this panel. The panelists, therefore, can present freely their studies
based on the historical materials and the perspectives of their own choice. For
this panel, Christianity, Shirakawa Shinto, Soto Zen, and Fujiko are picked up
as presentation topics. The panelists discuss new sources in respective fields
and thus attempt to provide "fresh look" to these subjects. The study
of Tokugawa Religion has long been dominated by Japanese scholars, but now
there appears to be brilliant books in this field written by non-Japanese,
particularly by American scholars. It is our hope that this panel will catalyze
future research and cooperation among American and Japanese scholars.
Organized panel, * Session Abstract, English
Hayashi, Michio
Sophia University, Japan
What Is Japanese Outsider Art(15L)
Organized panel
Hazama, Yoshiki
Kyoto Koka Women's University, Japan
An Aspect of Japanese Religious Mentality in
the Early Modern Japan;A Homogeneity of Christian with Ikkosyu(07K)
Japan had the most number of Christians during
the so-called "Christian Century" from the middle of 16th century to
the middle 17th century. At the time, the Jesuits exerted themselves to
evangelize the people in order to increase the number of their believers. As
proved by a letter of the Jesuits, it is just a group of Ikkousyu's pagans that
was the most huge obstacles of their missionary works, who believed in the
similar dogmas to European Protestantism. In this presentation, I will compare
the character of Kirishitan [Christians in Japan] to Ikkosyu's believers in
their faith, and prove a historical phase as follows : the European mentality
drastically changed during the Reformation by Martin Luther and others, but
such spiritual changes were also discovered by the Jesuits in the so-called
"Christian Century" in Japan.
Organized panel, Japanese
Hazama, Yoshiki
Kyoto Koka Women's University, Japan
The Religious Situation in East Asia and Social
Justice: Mu-Kyokai Christianity in Japan and South Korea(15I)
*respondent
Organized panel
He, Yansheng
Koriyama Women's University, Japan
Possibilities of Buddhist Thoughts (1)(09V)
*chairperson
Organized panel
He, Yansheng
Koriyama Women's University, Japan
Dogen's Zen as a Public Philosophy(17P)
"Public philosophy" as a field of
study that crosscuts the social sciences has in recent years garnered much
attention. As well, "public theology," which now reverberates in the
world of Christian theology, has ushered forth an energetic debate on the
public nature of theology. Taking suggestions from these new movements in
research, and while specifically utilizing Fukanzazengi, Tenzuokyokun, and
Shobogenzuo as my primary material, I will introduce the category of "public"
and thus attempt to explore the universality as well as the practical
application towards living, and moreover the interactiveness found in Dogen's
Zen.
Organized panel, Japanese
Heinamaki, Elisa
University of Helsinki, Finland
Inner Violence-Outer Violence: Mysticism,
Sacrifice and Modernity in the Thinking of Georges Bataille(03V)
The paper deals with the problem of violence in
the thinking of Georges Bataille (1897-1962), the influential French writer and
philosopher. The context is set by the fact that Bataille questions the project
of modernity in the name of a certain religiosity. In this religiosity,
violence - especially through the concept of sacrifice - plays a central role.
In my presentation I will address, firstly, Bataille's concept of sacrifice as
informed by his reading of Christian mystical thought. Secondly, I will try to
evaluate the necessity of violence. Does sacrifice, as a form of identification
with suffering, save from outer violence, as defenders of Bataille argue, or
should we try to get rid of sacrifice altogether? Finally, I argue that
Bataille's critique of modernity is a highly ambiguous project. The open
question we are left with is whether the problematic violence at the center of
Bataille's thinking is a problem of religion, or rather a problem of modernity.
Organized panel, English
Heinrich, Fritz
Georg-August-Universitat, Germany
An Endeavour to Re-Establish the Study of
Religions after 1945. Reflecting Notes on Gustav Mensching's 1948 Published
Geschichte der Religionswissenschaft(02K)
Three years after the end of the Second World
War with the capitulation of Germany, Gustav Mensching presented a small book
titled "Geschichte der Religionswissenschaft". One year later he
released in a second, revised edition both his 1938 published
"Vergleichende Religionswissenschaft" and his 1940 published "Allgemeine
Religionsgeschichte". Taken together the three books can be recognised as
ambitious efforts to provide a new basis for the Study of Religions. The
outline of Mensching's reasoning will be analyzed in regard to its performative
structure and its propositional contents. In particular the information he
provides about other scholars and about himself in regard to their positions
since 1933 will be highlighted. As a result his historiography can be perceived
as a resetting of the Study of Religions by eliminating unpleasant and awkward
features of others and his previous work to assert a central position in the
future development of the discipline.
Organized panel, English
Heisig, James W.
Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture,
Japan
Rethinking Interreligious Dialogue: Challenges
and Reorientations (2) Reconsidering Christianity(02G)
*respondent
Organized panel
Heisig, James W.
Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture,
Japan
Mysticism and Violence(06Q)
This panel proposes to consider what the
mystical tradition has to say about violence?violence against individuals,
against social order, and against nature?and its overcoming. In particular,
papers will be prepared on modern figures (Edith Stein and Simon Weil), on a
classical Eastern Christian thinker (John Cassian) and on Spanish classical
mystics (John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila) in comparison with the Islamic
tradition. The format will give 15-20 minutes to each presenter, followed by an
interchange among the participants and an open discussion with the floor.
Organized panel, * Session Abstract, English
Hendrikx, Valerie
University of Paris IV Sorbonne, France
Fas and Nefas : Religious Aspects of the Roman
Night(15T)
The banning of women from night sacrifices, for
which Cicero provides clear evidence, and more generally speaking the disgrace
linked to the sacra nocturna (with the noteworthy exception of the cult of the
Bona Dea), point to a nefas character of the night. That Agrippina or Commodus
should have been buried at night is another sign of this. One could tie up
these elements with the prohibition for the flamines to spend one night or more
out of Rome (something nefas accorded to Livy). Mythology too reflects such a
conception in making Night the mother of the Furies. Moreover night is the
moment par excellence for the coming out of these beings that appear closely
connected with darkness, as "ghosts", laruae or lemures ; it lends
itself to actions related to superstitio, magic and witchcraft (one is reminded
of Horatius' frightful witches).
Organized panel, English
Hendry, Donna Marie
Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
Expressions of Difference: Buddhist Identity
and Ethnic Conflict in Burma.(05S)
Buddhism has always been a dominant feature of
Burmese culture, being used as a rallying tool against colonial domination and
as a model of moral rule grounded in a dhamma-realm ideal. However, the
pervasiveness of Buddhism has also been problematic, with it becoming
implicated with the religio-ethnic conflict that has dominated Burmese politics
since 1948. It has become a part of a wider process of 'Burmanisation',
involving the state's attempt to eliminate ethnic differences and create a
homogeneous society modeled on Burman culture. This paper will discuss how
Buddhism has been integrated into Burman identity and has become a tool in the
Burmanisation process. It will examine the role Buddhism has in sacralising
Burman identity, and some of the challenges faced by Buddhism when it is
incorporated into state ideology in an ethnically and religiously plural
society such as Burma.
Organized panel, English
Hentrich, Thomas
Kyoto University, Japan
The Purity Laws as a Source for Conflict in the
Old and New Testament(02N)
The purity laws in Lev 21, 17-23 play a central
role in the subject of Disabilities and Religion. According to these
prescriptions, it was forbidden for priests with certain disabilities to enter
the temple and perform ritual sacrifices. It is possible that these purity laws
might have been a by-product of the theological struggle with the neighboring
Canaanite religion and its rites, since disabled and ill people seemed to have
been less isolated in the Ancient Near Eastern environment. A good example for
this is David's capture of Jerusalem, during which the ?Blind and Lame"
and their supposed impurity are placed at the center of the story (2 Sam 5,
6-8). In the New Testament, the purity prescriptions are an essential part in
Jesus' healing episodes. On many occasions Jesus disregards the current laws
and not only communicates with sick and disabled people, but in many cases
heals them despite repeated warnings from the established priesthood. In this
context, divine forgiveness of sins deliberately runs contrary to the literal
fulfillment of the letter of the law. In the eyes of the priests, these
violations of the purity and Sabbath laws are ultimately deciding the fate of
Jesus.
Organized panel
Hermansen, Christian Morimoto
Kwansei Gakuin University, Japan
Ecumenical Christian Cooperation and Social
Work in Kamagasaki, Osaka(10V)
As a part of their identity of being
Christians, individuals and groups have been attracted by the needs of
destitute people in the slum areas of Japanese cities since the late Meiji
period years. Kamagasaki in Osaka is no exception. Today, many groups work in
Kamagasaki, and in 1970 some of them formed a local ecumenical organization,
today called Kamagasaki Kirisutokyo Kyoyukai čLXgłŚFď. Ecumenical work often occurs at a
theological and theoretical level, less frequently at a practical level outside
the common worship service. As praxis focused organization Kyoyukai offers much
experience for a reflection on the relationship between faith, community
service and religious organization. In my presentation I will outline the
history of the Kyoyukai and discuss its achievements and future.
Organized panel, English
Herzog-Schroeder, Gabriele
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat, Germany
The Death of the Soul and the Shaman's
Ancestors (Yanomami, Southern Venezuela)(10L)
Even though the Yanomami of Northern Amazonia
cultivate gardens, their world view appears not to be typical for an
"agri-culture", but demonstrates a strong ideological emphasis on the
foraging way of life. In particular, the concept of hunting is powerful in
various aspects of their culture. The concept of person and soul shows to be
intertwined with shamanic strategies and a predatory notion towards the outer
world: the natural environment and cosmological spheres beyond. In presenting
the differential perspectives of the spiritual forces in respect to the genders
and other emic classifications, an ample model of power within the Yanomami
ideology can be illustrated. By analyzing the ideas of person, soul(s) and the
vital principles of humans, as well as other beings, the presentation points to
aspects of a Yanomami philosophy of environment and spirituality.
Organized panel, English
Herzog-Schroeder, Gabriele
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat, Germany
(12L)
Roundtable session, English
Hewitt, Marsha Aileen
Trinity College University of Toronto, Canada
Theoretical Approaches to Conflict and
Peace(2)(10C)
*chairperson
Organized panel
Hewitt, Marsha Aileen
University of Toronto, Canada
Religion in a Time of Terror: Religious
Violence from a Comparative, Interdisciplinary Perspective(10C)
The relationship of religion and violence
infuses most of the world's known religions on the levels of history, practice
and belief. This paper will explore the internal dynamics of religious violence
and religious terror/terrorism from philosophical, social theoretical and
psychoanalytical perspectives. Hannah Arendt's distinction between violence,
terror and power, Max Weber's concept of religion as world affirming and world
negating, and contemporary psychoanalytic ideas such as dissociation, psychic
equivalence and agency, provide a theoretical framework for understanding the
internal dialectic of domination and submission, command and obedience that
structures religious ideology. Both communal 'self' and 'other' are imaginary
constructs whose vitality and realness are conjured and sustained by religious
ideology, belief and practice. This paper will argue that religious ways of
thinking engage most typically in concrete modes of psychic equivalence where
the internal image is equivalent to the external world. The internal thought
processes of concrete reductivism and psychic equivalence are central to
religion's internal dialectic.
Organized panel, English
Hida, Tsuyoshi
Japan
A Study of Religious Language as seen in the
Shinto Classics(08T)
Religions in Japan, which are based on
classical Shinto and influenced by Buddhism, Confucianism, and Christianity,
have existed for hundreds of years in various forms, often with complex and
complicated features, sometimes integrated, sometimes divided into several
denominations. The variety of religion in Japan comes mainly from the various
linguistic origins of the Japanese language and the accepting nature of
Japanese people. This makes a sharp contrast with the Western linguistic
system, especially in "langage" (the potentiality of language),
"langue" (the linguistic system accepted by activities by society),
and "parole" (linguistic activities by people). According to my
study, I hope to reconfirm the Japanese religious identity in the synchronic
aspects of "KOTOTAMA," the prayers related to "MATSURI" in
the Shinto classics.
Organized panel, Japanese
Higashibaba, Ikuo
Tenrikyo Seminary, Japan
A Reflection on Reductionism: From Believer's
Perspective(05K)
The heated debate over the reductionist versus
nonreductionist approaches to the study of religions has cooled down in recent
years. One problem that appears in consequence is, however, the obscurity of
the position of the believer's point of view within the framework of the
interpretation of religions. Should it be ignored at all in our approaches to
the study of religions? This paper highlights the believer's view point and
attempts to reexamine the reductionist-nonreductionist issue from that
perspective.
Organized panel, English
Higashibaba, Ikuo
Tenrikyo Seminary, Japan
Christian Prayer in Tokugawa Japan(12P)
In 1600 the Society of Jesus published in
Nagasaki a small book of Christian prayers titled Orasho no
hon'yaku(translation of prayers). This book, written in Japanese, included 35
prayers and 11 articles of the principal Christian teachings. These
"prayers" were transmitted by Japanese Christians throughout the
Tokugawa period; they have survived the modern times and are still chanted by
their descendants. This paper explores the meaning of the prayers to Japanese
Christians during the Tokugawa period. It concerns itself with the following
questions: What were the contents of the prayers, how were they chanted, and
what do these observations show about the faith of Japanese Christians?
Organized panel, English
Hijiya-Kirschnereit, Irmela
Religion and Contemporary Japanese
Novelists(04W)
*chairperson, respondent
Organized panel
Hinga, M. Teresia
DePaul University, USA
Religion(s) and the Quest for Sustainable
Peace: Gendered and Postcolonial Perspectives from the "Global
South"(04V)
This panel will examine the theme of the
conference through gendered lenses that bring from the periphery to the center,
a critical examination of the role of women in the quest for peace. Papers in
this segment will problematize the rather generic and often a-historical ways
in which notions of religion and its connection with peace, or more often lack
of it in the world are discussed. Focusing on examples and cases studies
derived largely form the global south (and its diasporic, trans-border
manifestation, hence the neologism glocal South ), papers will examine not only
ways religion in which religion has been a factor in generating violence and
"un-peace" for women in the so call " Two-Third World" , it
will also critically examine women's responses to the crisis of violence and
conflict today as they increasingly assert their moral agency and reclaim their
space at the table as the global community seeks peace that is sustainable in
the contemporary world. Panelists will be drawn from Asia, Africa and Latin
America diasporic and transborder contexts in order to lift issues facing
people from the global South as they and their religions cross and even
transcend borders in an increasingly shrinking and globalized world. The papers
will also strive to give a historical analysis of the theme by foregrounding
post -colonial perspectives, implications and imperatives.
Organized panel, * Session Abstract
Hinga, M. Teresia
DePaul University, USA
Concerned and Engaged: Women, Religion and the
Quest for Just-Peace in Africa(04V)
Using specific examples from the African
religio- cultural and historical contexts, this paper will examine the nature
of religiously based violence and conflict and highlight implications for
women. It will examine for example the implications for women navigating the
intersection of Africa's triple heritage of religion and culture: namely
African Indigenous Religions, Islam and Christianity, as well as ways in which
these religious heritages have facilitated violence against women or have acted
as an antidote for the same. Beyond describing and examining the religious
roots of various forms of violence against women, which is a major concern for
women in Africa and beyond, I will foreground and critically respond to ways in
which African women are responding to and engaging the issues of violence as
they exercise their moral agency in naming and working to eradicate such
violence. This analysis will be historical and contextual as we examine for
example the role of women in various nationalist movements in the continent as
well as specifically women's movements actively engaged in the quest for peace
and justice. Specific attention will be given to the Circle of Concerned
African Women Theologians, a pan-African organization of women from various
religious traditions who have identified the critical hermeneutics of culture
and religion as integral to the overall quest fro sustainable solutions to the
issues that concern women and indeed the global community.
Organized panel
Hino, Okio
Juntendo University School of Medicine, Japan
Thinking about Cancer Philosophy(13J)
Although cancer is chiefly a hereditary
disorder of the somatic cells, it can also have environmental causes.
Carcinogenesis looks like an opened Japanese fan because affected cells grow
into many directions and the existence of clinical tumors on the edges of this
"fan" suggest many gene abnormalities. What I am learning from cancer
cells is "vigorous initiative, the habit of sudden resolutions and
desperate undertakings, and the grand capacity to do and to suffer." I
will discuss Cancer Philosophy in this paper.
Organized panel, English
Hino, Shoun
Gifu Pharmaceutical University, Japan
Possibilities of Buddhist Thoughts (2)(15Q)
*chairperson
Organized panel
Hino, Shoun
Gifu Pharmaceutical University, Japan
Salvation and Nembutsu(15Q)
Nembutsu appears to be a recognized means to
salvation. Some say that Amida devotees obtain salvation by means of nembutsu,
but this is not necessarily so. In the case of Shin-Buddhism, an Amida sect
having such a doctrine, salvation comes through the power of the Primal Vow of
Amida's directing of virtue. There are two types of religion, self-reliance and
grace. Nembutsu as a means of salvation is classified as a self-reliance type,
and is thus called jiriki (self-power) nembutsu. The power of the Primal Vow comes
under the grace type, and is called tariki (other-power) nembutsu. This
"other-power" nembutsu is examined under these headings: (I)
comparison with other types of nembutsu, (ii) comparison with bhakti in India,
(iii) nature of tariki, (iv) evaluation as a religion.
Organized panel, English
Hirafuji, Kikuko
Kokugaikuin University, Japan
Japanese Mythology from Multidisciplinary
Perspectives(17B)
In this paper, Japanese mythology is studied
from multiple academic perspectives - for example, comparative mythology,
religious studies, anthropology, archaeology, psychoanalysis, analytical
psychology, etc. In spite of scholars who study the very same Japanese
mythology, there is little communication between other scholars who study from
different points of view. Accordingly, in our symposium, a mythologist,
psychoanalyst, and an analytical psychologist will speak on their research into
myth. We will discuss how to analyze Japanese mythology from our own
perspectives and then what problems we may face in the future. We expect to
deepen our understanding of our individual points of view and obtain a new
perspective on studying Japanese mythology through our symposium.
Symposium, * Session Abstract, Japanese
Hiraki, Koji
The Eastern Institute, Japan
The Practice of Meditation in Theravada
Buddhism(09G)
India has a long tradition of Yoga, which
existed long before the advent of Buddhism. Unlike Yogic meditation, the
tradition of Buddhist meditation originates in Gotama's personal experience.
Theravada Buddhism regards this tradition as an essential technique to attain
Nirvana (Nibbana). According to Theravada Buddhist doctrine, practicing
meditation basically consists of Samatha (calmness of mind) and Vipassana (to
see things as they are). As Theravada Buddhism spread throughout Southeast
Asia, and monks and their followers in Burma (Myanmar) and Thailand began to
practice meditation, the way of practicing meditation was substantially
influenced and shaped by the local cultures of these countries.
Organized panel, Japanese
Hirano, Takakuni
Niigata University, Japan
The Development of Folkloric Beliefs in Shinto
and Buddhism(06P)
Japan opened its doors to the world as a result
of the pressure of the American mission in 1853 and half a century later, it
was reborn as an industrial society. Modern natural science is forming the
common sense in present day society. However, the Japanese did not contest this
conflict of values between traditional culture and modern science, but through
the concept of relative truth, created a harmonious combination of traditional
views and imported culture in their lives. This panel will cover the politico-religious
constructions reflected in the myths of the Kojiki and Nihonshoki, the
development of festivals and the artistic world, the ritual structure of
folklore and syncretic Buddhism, and the doctrine and ritual of Tenrikyo, a
religion that grew out of folk culture.
Organized panel, * Session Abstract
Hirano, Takakuni
Niigata University, Japan
The Structure of Japanese Mythology and
Religious Festivals(06P)
Most of human culture belongs to the category
of folklore whose historical origins are unknown. Ever since the mythical era,
the power of clairvoyance was based on shamanic rituals and interpretations
conducted by spirit mediums. The way this system worked can be depicted in the
following diagram s Deities
tc [ Oracle ] ¨ [ Medium ] ¨ [ Client ] The imperial
ancestral deity Amaterasu became the oracle of the highest deity Takamimusuhi
and the ancestral deity of the Nakatomi family, Amenokoyane, functioned as the
medium. However, because the oracle powers of the emperor were not hereditary,
imperial consorts or princesses with spiritual powers were sought, and a system
in which a female representative of the imperial house was sent to the Grand
Shrine of Ise was in practice from 673 until 1339. These techniques to call
down deities formed a ritual structure that developed horizontally. When these
techniques were taken out of the context of shrines, they turned into popular
forms of entertainment. Dengaku, Noh, Kabuki, and Manzai all have roots in
shamanistic ritual.
Organized panel, English
Hiraoka, Satoshi
Kyoto Bunkyo University, Japan
Buddhist Texts and Sectarian Affiliation(05M)
In order to ascribe a sutra to a certain sect,
various methods have been employed. Here I would like to introduce a new
approach to the question of how to attribute a specific sutra to a certain
sect, namely, the use of narratives and cliches in the extant Vinayas. This
method is clear, simple, and convincing, and it can be used not only to confirm
existing sectarian identifications, but also to identify the sectarian
affiliation of a number of other texts. If, for instance, we find the same
story in both a sutra related to an unknown sect and in all the extant Vinayas,
and we can confirm that the compilation of the sutra shares certain parallels
in terms of the narrative and stock phrases with only one Vinaya, then the
sutra can be safely ascribed to that sect. In this paper, some Chinese sutras
are presented as test cases for this methodology.
Organized panel, English
Hiraoka, Satoshi
Kyoto Bunkyo University, Japan
A New Approach to the Study of Sectarian
Buddhism(05M)
Sectarian Buddhism is known by various terms,
one of which is Hinayana (Lesser Vehicle) Buddhism. This, however, is a polemic
term, and the value of Sectarian Buddhism should not be underestimated on the
basis of such polemics. Early Buddhism is now studied primarily on the basis of
the texts transmitted by the various sects. Consequently, Mahayana Buddhism is
gradually coming to be examined more in relation to these texts of Sectarian
Buddhism, and less as a lay movement. This means that an understanding of
Sectarian Buddhism is necessary to form a complete picture of Indian Buddhism.
In Japan, Sectarian Buddhism has been studied as extensively as Early Buddhism
and Mahayana Buddhism, but recently a number of young scholars are shedding
light on it from various new standpoints. This panel will outline a number of
these fresh approaches in the study of Sectarian Buddhism.
Organized panel, * Session Abstract, English
Hiraoka, Shoshu
Todaiji temple, Japan
Japanese Views of the Soul(10P)
We use the word kaigen in Buddhist ceremonies.
Kaigen is the process of making the Buddhist idols open their eyes. Japanese
usually consider this idea as infusing the soul into the Buddhist idols. This
ceremony can be done only by a powerful monk I recognize Buddhist idols which
can have Buddha's soul as the web for receiving Heavenly Energy. Only selected
monks having the power to open and close the eyes can switch on and off the
Buddhist idols as receivers. This monk chants the Sanskrit spell for getting the
power of Buddha. In the case of Todaiji temple, Bodhisena, who was invited from
India 1250 years ago, to infuse the soul into the huge Vairocana Buddha Idol.
Symposium, Japanese
Hirohashi, Takashi
The Shinshukyo, Japan
Religious Organizations and International
Cooperative Activities(07L)
In Japan, non-governmental international
cooperative activities have greatly advanced since the 1980s, when an influx of
refugees from Indochina came to Japan. At the same time, the cooperative
activities of religious organizations became very active. Cooperative
activities of Christian NGOs, however, have kept up in Japan. The object of
this study is to examine the international cooperative activities of SHINSHUKYO
and KYOHA-SHINTO since the 80's. International cooperative activities of
religious organizations are included in activities of organizations of its own,
activities of organizations that are different from the organizations,
activities of individuals which are related to religious organizations. The purpose
of this study is to examine the relation between the goal and realities of the
activities of each organization, history, doctrine, and the teachings of these
religious organizations.
Organized panel, * Session Abstract, Japanese
Hiroi, Yoshinori
Chiba University, Japan
On the Spirituality of Nature in Contemporary
Japan(16J)
In Japan, spirituality has been closely related
with nature, as in the expression "eight million gods in nature."
This tradition can be seen in the architecture of Shinto shrines, where trees
and wood are its central elements. In the postwar period, however, and
especially through the years of rapid economic growth and urbanization, this
tradition has been neglected and is now almost missing in the minds of
contemporary Japanese. This means both the loss of the sense of spirituality
and the erosion of communal ties which are linked with this spirituality.
Recently, however, there are signs of new developments among the Japanese
people, in which they try to rediscover the roles of Shinto shrines and
Buddhist temples in local communities and use them as places for daycare
centers, senior-citizen care, environmental education, and so on. Based upon an
initial survey of such new developments, I would like to think about the meaning
of spirituality in contemporary Japan, paying particular attention to its
relationship with nature and community.
Organized panel, English
Hiroike, Shin'ichi
University of Tokyo, Japan
The Relationship between "Religion"
and Identity in Amdo(08I)
In the post-Mao era, the freedom of religious
belief became to be relatively admitted in PRC. Amdo-Tibetan area (Qinghai
etc.) is not an exception either, and self-images of people are connected with
their religions. When I taught in a college for ethnic minorities as a Japanese
teacher(2003-2004), I asked students to write a composition about Japanese
religions. Then following my instruction, " You can compare your own
religion with that", many Tibetan students compared Tibetan religion with
Japanese religion. On the other hand, some students used the term
"China" to describe their circumstances. Students of ethnic Tu,
Mongol, Hui, and Han discussed the problem according to their positions and
interests. If non-western people are forced to represent themselves by modern
terms, what kind of differences would emerge? The focus of this study is the
examination of the relationship beiween "religion" as a modern
concept and identity.
Organized panel, Japanese
Hirosawa, Takayuki
Taisho University, Japan
The Divine, Immanent in Human Being ` on the Buddhist
Notion"svayambh"(07G)
Buddhism is not atheism. But it was criticized
as atheism by Indian philosophers, and many scholars of the modern buddhology
also understood it as atheism. The Buddha is worshipped as the God of the gods,
the supreme God. Here we will investigate the combination of such religious
factor to philosophical one in Buddhism. The epithet svayambhu, which means
"self- dependent becoming and being", is applied to the fact that Gautma
became the Buddha without helping of teachers. Moreover svayambhu is literally
understood"Nature"like Aristotelian physis, and is immanent in human
being. It is the Supreme and at the same time inherent in all the beings as
nature. We in the modern days divide this "NATURE"into the nature in
the outer world and human nature, and lose sight of the transcendent one as
"NATURE". How can we criticize our civilization which is dependent on
only the desire of human beings from this point of view?
Organized panel, Japanese
Hiruma, Ryohei
University of Tokyo, Japan
Christian Humanism in Erasmus' Thought(01S)
In this paper I examine the validity of
"Christian Humanism " in Renaissance by analyzing
"religious" terms of Desiderius Erasmus. This concept is originally
defined as development of Renaissance Humanism that emerged in Italy in the 14th
century, and on the content of this concept, in contrast with the secularity
and practicality of Renaissance Humanism in Italy, the spirituality and
religiosity of Christian Humanism have been emphasized. Then the religious
thought of Erasmus who was the representative of this cultural movement also
has been interpreted as faithful one that led Martin Luther's Reformation, and
on the contrary its secularistic or cultural elements have been ignored.
Erasmus actually used the terms that were "christus" or "pietas",
but he applied those "religious" terms to the secret of success in
daily life or to the beautiful and correct style in Latin, that have nothing to
do with so-called "religion" today. Through analyzing the way in
which he used these terms in his "De vidua chrtistiana", I examine
the difference between Erasmus' "religion" and that of today, and the
validity of "Christian Humanism " as analysis concept.
Organized panel
Hoehe, Sybille
Philipps-University, Germany
Soka Gakkai and the Distillation of
"Value" in the Japanese Educational system(16C)
Since the New Komeito Party became part of the
Japanese governing coalition in 1999, it is said that despite a legal
regulation of the separation of state and religion, some connections between
the party and the lay-Buddhist organisation Soka Gakkai are still existent.
This paper shows how the New Komeito itself acts as an intermediary between
religion and politics in its bid to exert a positive influence. It does this
not only by imparting the peacemaking potential of the philosophy of Mahayana
Buddhism, but also by aiming at the "educational and cultural development
in the 21st century" to use words from the New Komeito`s Key Policy
Initiatives. In this paper, the concepts of "value" according to the founder
of Soka Gakkai, Makiguchi Tsunesaburo, and the president of the Soka Gakkai
International, Ikeda Daisaku, are examined in conjunction with the current
educational reform in Japan.
Organized panel, English
Hollerich, Jean-Claude
Sophia University, Japan
Problems with the Concept of History in the
17th and 18th Century Jesuit China Mission(01E)
The controversy over the Chinese Rites is more
than a question of a mere pragmatic adaptation of Chinese customs by the
Jesuits, for the whole concept of Universal Biblical History gets challenged by
the antiquity of China. The Jesuit China missionaries can be divided into two
groups, namely the Beijing Jesuits, who not only received the full support of
European society but also got their opinions published by the Society of Jesus
in Europe, and the so-called Figurists, who had maintained private contact with
some European scientists. The knowledge concerning China that was transmitted
by the Jesuits in Europe became a growing danger for the Church, for the Church
was challenged by the 'philosophers' who utilized the Jesuit accounts of China,
in their disputes with it. The failure of the Jesuits in China is also
explained by the impossibility of any change in the dogmatic concept of
Biblical History, for the claim of the universality of Biblical History closed
for a long time the door of the Christian missions in China.
Organized panel, English
Holt, John Clifford
Bowdoin College, USA
Ritual and Violence: a Recent Sri Lankan
Experience(05C)
This paper will focus on the relationships
between ritual and violence in contemporary Sri Lanka. I will try to understand
these relationships by considering the salience of Rene Girard's theory of
ritual and violence wherein the origins of ritual (and according to Girard, religion
and culture) are to be found. While Girard's theory of ritual
"scapegoating" is problematic in the Sri Lankan context, I argue that
ritual continues to be constructively generative in re-establishing normative
views in post-violence-ridden contexts. The period of 1989-90, when violence
between the Sri Lankan government and the Janata Vimukti Peramuna (JVP) was at
its height will provide the specific context for this paper.
Organized panel, English
Honda, Aya
Osaka University, Japan
Resettlement of Japanese Americans and Buddhist
Women's Associations(10F)
In 1899, the Jodo Shinshu (Pure Land) school of
Buddhism started its official Kaikyo (missionary) in the United States. Through
next several decades, dozens of Bukkyokai (temple) were formed on the west
coast at places with high Japanese population density. The Bukkyokai became
important place for these immigrants (Issei) who left their country, struggled
to find their ways in the new land. Various affiliated groups were organized, mostly
for the Issei and their children, Nisei. The Bukkyo Fujinkai (Buddhist Women's
Association), centered around Japanese women immigrants, was one of them.
Although most Fujinkai were dissolved during the wartime due to the internment
of Japanese and Japanese Americans, they were successfully reactivated after
the war along with the resettlement process of members. Their religious and
social activities and contributions cannot be dismissed throughout the early
postwar time, especially with respect to the reestablishment of Bukkyokai and
the reconstructing network between members.
Organized panel, English
Honda, Yoshinari
Soai University, Japan
Tun-huang Buddhist Manuscripts and
Mahavibhasa(09O)
Buddhist manuscripts found in Tun-huang show us
unique characteristic of the Buddhist studies developed and prospered in that
particular area during the Tibet's reign of China in the 9th century. Some
texts, written both in Chinese and Tibetan, included local Buddhist scholars'
own interpretations and expressions. A Buddhist text Mahavibhasa, the
collection of Abhidharma studies initially compiled in China and translated by
Hsuan-tsang, was introduced to Tun-huang around this time. The Mahavibhasa had
impact on the Tun-huang Buddhist studies; the text was clearly added local
connotations and put on new referrals by well known local Buddhist teachers.
One of the characteristics in the development of Tun-huang Buddhist studies
should be disclosed through examining those texts thoroughly while keeping the
comparative perspective of the original texts and the newly resumed texts.
Organized panel, Japanese
Hong, Jun
Fudan University, China
On Modern Korean New Sects -With Daesoon's
Thought as the Focus(04D)
From the later period of the Korean Dynasty to
the early period of Japanese occupation, there emerged numerous new sects such
as the East Learning initiated by Cui Jiyu in 1860, Zengshan Sect initiated by
Jiang Yichun in 1900, Duzong Sect initiated by Luo Zhe in1909, and Round
Buddhism initiated by Piao Chongbin in1916. The rise of these sects may be
understood with the internal and international situation of Korea as historical
background. Facing national distress, these sects reflect the spirit of
transformation, anxiety, equality, and revolt which played a positive role in
the processes of reform, revolution, independence and enlightenment.
Organized panel
Hori, Masahiko
Sapporo Gakuin University, Japan
Religion, Experience, and Culture(07U)
*chairperson
Organized panel
Hori, Masahiko
Sapporo Gakuin University, Japan
Natsume Soseki, William James, and
Spirituality(07U)
My presentation attempts to shed light on the
relationship between two leading representatives of modern thought: the
Japanese novelist, Natsume Soseki, and the American philosopher, William James.
Focusing on the "flow" of consciousness and the realm of the
subconscious in the two thinkers, James' influence on Soseki is unmistakable.
What is more, Soseki considered James a pioneer who had attempted to do in philosophy,
many of the same things he was trying to do through literature. Taking Soseki's
own views on these questions as my starting point, I wish to consider the
similarities and difference of these two thinkers from the vantage point of the
present day, particularly with regard their views on religion and spirituality.
The broader aim of my remarks will be to reappraise Soseki's "Japanese
spirituality" and James' "American spirituality" by intertwining
their respective views of nature and of life and death.
Organized panel, Japanese
Horie, Norichika
University of the Sacred Heart, Japan
Discourses on Spirituality in Japan after
1995(06M)
While New Age beliefs in Western society tends
to be thought of as being in conflict with the main Christian tradition, there
is no such tradition in Japan which stands against the rise of the new age.
Many Japanese regard themselves as non-religious (especially after the Aum
Affair, 1995) and feel affinity to what Western people might call New Age.
However, the new-age in Japan has not grown up to be a movement and instead is
consumed as a form of foreign culture. In this paper, I shall depict an outline
of the recent Japanese religious scene and give two examples concerning the new
age: that is, the healing (iyashi) boom and the use of the katakana word
supirityuariti ("spirituality").ÓThese two phenomena come from translations of two important key
concepts in New Age, healing and spirituality. Nevertheless, they assume
slightly different implications from the original meaning. Transformations of
their senses are to be understood in relation with Japanese popular religious
tradition.
Organized panel, English
Horiuchi, Midori
Tenri University, Japan
The Mikagura-Uta and Tenrikyo(06P)
In the last days of the Tokugawa Shogunate,
social anxieties took a variety of forms, in conjunction with the changing
conditions of society. This included the appearance of people exhorting forms
of popular salvation which were different from the mainstream beliefs of
Buddhism and Shinto. In 1838 Tenrikyo was founded. While the Foundress Miki
Nakayama was thought to be a possessed woman for many years, she acquired a high
reputation as a living deity who provided salvation for childbirth and
sickness. Tsutome-basho (a house for the Service) was built in 1864 and Miki
began to press for the fulfillment of the Service for the salvation and taught
the song Mikagura-uta from 1866 onward. Thus, the written doctrine was started
and because of an increase in believers there was also severe external
intervention. As a result, this awakened the consciousness of believers and
prompted the establishment of the Tenrikyo religious organization.
Organized panel, English
Hosaka, Shunji
Reitaku University, Japan
A Comparative Study on Diffusional Form of
Buddhism and Is(07M)
As universal religions, Buddhism and Islam are
spreading out to other areas. But We can find out diversity of their form of
diffusion. I would like to explain each diffusionsal form and try to compare
with each form bringing out from historical documents. Finally, I will consider
the origin of diversity by considering their doctrine.
Organized panel, Japanese
Hosaka, Shunji
Reitaku University, Japan
Buddhism in Indian History Revisited(13E)
Indian Buddhism has been widely accepted in
various areas of Asia and has been influential in the making of the cultures of
these areas. Indeed, a number of studies in various disciplines have been
conducted on the history of Indian Buddhism. However, an interdisciplinary
approach is most important for a comprehensive understanding. The purpose of
this panel is to discuss Indian Buddhism through an interdisciplinary approach,
trying to reconstruct its history. The panelists are Indian and Japanese,
trained in Sanskrit, Pali, and Tibetan, and have been working on Indian
Buddhism from the standpoints of philology, archaeology, history, and
comparative studies of religion and culture.
Organized panel, * Session Abstract, English
Hosaka, Shunji
Reitaku University, Japan
Meaning of Japanese Buddhistic Thought on
Leniency and Religious Symbiosis in Modern Society(15C)
Japanese has nursed the tradition of thought
peacefully through our history, which was a symbiotic philosophy with Buddhism
as the exotic religion together with Shinto. I believe this tradition has
derived from melting down the Buddhistic tradition on leniency and Shinto's
tradition of simple optimistic nature. In this report I will try to introduce
the tradition of philosophy of symbiosis and explain its historical background
by concentrating on three key phrases, "beyond affection of enmity and
hatred," "embodiment," and "the world view of
mandala." From the point of view of Japanese Buddhism, I would like to
have a share in the attempt to give hints for resolving world strife that is
caused by conflicts between religious.
Organized panel, English
Hosaka, Takahiro
Tokai University, Japan
Les Japonais, la Veneration de la Nature(14P)
Pour les Japonais, la veneration de la nature a
existe des l'epoque prehistorique. Non seulement elle a constitue la base de
toutes les grandes religions qui sont arrivees dans nos iles, comme le
bouddhisme et le taoisme, mais aussi elle s'est developpee dans la religion
proprement japonaise, le shinto. Ainsi, on peut considerer les yamabushi comme
un exemple caracteristique de pratiquants fideles a cette veneration. Il faut
preciser que la nature n'est pas consideree comme substance, car elle n'est pas
basee sur la nature elle-meme, mais plutot sur une relation entre les etres
humains et la nature. C'est pourquoi au Japon, le regard porte sur la nature se
rattache toujours a l'homme, aa des mentalites humaines et aussi a la societe.
On retrouve la tendance carateristique des Japonais a venerer la nature et les
choses naturelles a travers maints phenomenes de culture, et on peut meme dire
que la pensee bouddhique a ete transformee pour s'adapter a cette veneration.
Organized panel, French
Hoshikawa, Keiji
Taisho University, Japan
A Paradigm Shift in Dialogue among Religions:
Introducing of "Public Philosophy"(16O)
Inter-religious dialogue (interreligious
dialogue, dialogue between religions, dialogue among religions), which has now
been held in every corner of the world since the World Parliament of Religions
in 1893, is now searching for new roles in the modern world undergoing a
globalization which has given rise to a situation in which inter-religious
dialogue must change. In this panel, as well as tracing ideas of
inter-religious cooperation in a broad sense and discussing related practical
activities of non-government organizations, we intend to consider the future of
inter-religious dialogue from various perspectives, introducing new
perspectives related to theories of "public philosophy" and the
"public sphere." We are convinced that inter-religious dialogue will
come to have a more important role to our future world through incorporating
new perspectives from "public philosophy" and the "public
world." Moreover, these ideas about inter-religious dialogue will give
arise to discussions involving reconsideration of the "public element of
religion," and, at the same time, result in claims that inter-religious
dialogue must be modified. These points and perspectives are the fundamental
standpoints, expectations and aims of our presentations. We would like to
discuss actively the possibility and adequacy of such a paradigm shift with the
audience.
Organized panel, * Session Abstract, English
Hoshino, Seiji
University of Tokyo, Japan
Narrating Shukyo(Religion) in Early Meiji
Period(16V)
It has already been argued that shukyo is the
concept of the translation of modern "religion." Adding to these
arguments, I will focus on how shukyo itself had been narrated by those who
committed themselves to a certain religious tradition, especially Buddhism and
Christianity, in early Meiji period. At that time, with the background that the
clear consensus did not exist as to what the "religion" itself is,
they tend to speak of "religion" to defend their religious tradition
and to attack others. Following these narratives, however, we can see the
process that "religion" itself came to be considered as some
autonomous concept, which include each religious tradition. The cases I use are
mainly from printed media, thus the range of the argument is limited indeed.
However, I try to deepen the discussion by pointing out that they not only
publish the newspapers or magazines, but also organized the speech meetings.
Organized panel, English
Hosoda, Ayako
Niigata University, Japan
The Visions of Hildegard of Bingen(10S)
Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) wrote major
works of theology and visionary writings. We can observe the features of her
visionary books through her illustrations. However, it has not been fully
clarified why her visionary illustrations were chosen for given places of
miniatures. This paper examines the stylistic originality and iconographic
features of her writings. I especially would like to discuss the composition
and the meanings of illuminations of "Scivias" and "Liber
divinorum operum." The uniqueness of these two miniatures lies in the
scenes of the construction of salvation. Seeing the tradition of the style and
iconography, the question, how to present the meaning of the salvation in the
miniatures, will be clarified.
Organized panel, English
Hosoya, Masashi
Osaka University of Foreign Studies, Japan
On "Fundamental Imagination"(07E)
It was with the aim of overcoming nihilism that
Keiji Nishitani stressed the Mahayana Buddhist concept of emptiness. His essay
"Emptiness and Soku" represents one of the conclusions at which his
thought eventually arrived. The points at issue here are the problems of the
concept of "the turning of emptiness into an image" and the concept
of "the making transparent of being." It can be argued that these two
notions represent a putting into practice of the traditional Kegon doctrine
concerning the ontological linkage of "Ji" (phenomena) and
"Ri" (principle). According to Nishitani, the two extremes which
delimit "Ri-Ji-Muge-Hokkai" (the Dharma-realm in which principle and
phenomena interpenetrate), are the openness of the world itself (absolute
oneness), and the factual existence of all things (absolute multiplicity). In
the realm of "Ji-Ji-Muge-Hokkai" (the Dharma-realm in which all
phenomena interpenetrate), which transcends all reasoning, the function of
"soku," which mediates these two extremes, is called fundamental
imagination.
Organized panel, Japanese
Hosoya, Sachiko
University of Tokyo, Japan
The Role of Islam in Welfare Activities of
Voluntary Workers in an Iranian Welfare Institution(11V)
The purpose of this study is to examine how
recent Iranian female voluntary work observed today in the field of welfare,
relates to Islamic piety. After the Islamic Even today with government funded
welfare services, philanthropy and voluntary work based on Islamic values are
important parts of the Iranian welfare system. For this study, I will analyze
narratives of female voluntary workers who help with the bathing of elderly and
disabled people in a welfare institution called Kahrizak. According to these
narratives, because washing the bodies of elderly and disabled people is a good
deed, volunteer workers can expect to receive rewards from the God, for example
a good fortune, success, or good health. In the Kahrizak institution, welfare
activities are placed in the reciprocal relationship of volunteer workers with
God, the Emams, and welfare recipients, and this leads to gain man-power in the
welfare field.
Organized panel
Hossein Laghab, Hossein
Dept.of International Scientific and Research
Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, Iran
Dialogo entre Civilizaciones y Religiones,
Camino a la Paz y Seguridad Mundial(14C)
Todos los hijos de Adan forman un solo cuerpo,
pues nacieron todos de una sola esencia Cuando cae la desgracia sobre uno de
los miembros los demas pierden su habitual descanso. Si eres insensible al,
dolor ajeno, no mereces por nombre hijo de Adan. La decision de la ONU de
declarar el ano 2001, primer ano del nuevo milenio, como ano internacional del
dialogo entre las civilizaciones, es sin duda una de las acciones mas
importante. Es que la organizacion ha emprendido para logar la paz en el mundo
y el dialogo puede ser un paso preliminar que conduzca a la paz, seguridad y
justicia, y tambien en la situacion global actual require un dialogo entre las
culturas y civilizaciones, tanto para resolver las conflictos exitents y ayudar
a prevener los conflictos futuros ( no choque entre civilizaciones ).
Organized panel
Huang, Haide
Huaqiao University, China
Taoist Thoughts and Human Peace(10H)
Taoism is the traditional religion of China. It
had great influence in Chinese philosophy, religion and ethics. Taoist thought
contains two ideas, first that "Tao gives birth to myriad beings"
and, secondly, that "Tao conforms to its own nature." Myriad beings
and mankind are produced by Tao, and all things have the same nature. So it is
considered reasonable and proper that humanity's behavior must conform to the
principle of "nature". Taoism claims that harmonious cosmos and world
peace conform to the nature of Tao, but war disobeys the principle of
"nature". Tai Ping Jing suggests that war is the world's greatest
crime, and Yin Fu Jing that humanity's killing will result in the ruin of the
world. Therefore Taoist thought, averring the consistency of nature with man,
opposing war, looking forward to peace, has an important place in understanding
and interpreting conflict in the contemporary world.
Organized panel, English
Huang, Pochi
National Chengchi University, Taiwan
Religion and Violence: Reflections on Communal
Conflict between the Muslims and the Hindus in India(04S)
This paper deals with the problems of
communalism in modern Indian Subcontinent. Using the example of Hindu and Muslim
conflict, the issue of communalism is explored within social-historical
context. Indian Muslim was introduced to the Indian Subcontinent with
political, societal and cultural overtone. Political domination with religious
causes makes it difficult to have genuine inter-religious discourse between
Islam and Hinduism. Therefore, during the eras of the Delhi Sultanate and
Mughal Empire, there was no wide-ranging dialogue between these two traditions.
The political oppression and religious aggression of the Islamic kingdom only
antagonized Hindu and Muslim communities in the Indian Subcontinent. The rise
of modern nationalism at the end of the eighteenth century in Europe and its
subsequent dissemination to other continents brought a new point of departure
in British India. In terms of its goal of seeking independence, Indian
nationalism in the beginning was more of a political realization than religious
consciousness. Yet, in the process of political struggle against British
colonialism, Muslims, facing Hindu majority, felt more and more alienated from
common Indian course. In the end, communal passion dominated and Pakistan as an
"imagined nation" was carved out. This was the ultimate triumph of
the communalism on the Subcontinent. The terror of partition loomed ahead.
Organized panel
Humberto, Mario Ruz
Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (Mexico
National University), Mexico
Colonial Rituals(02R)
During the colonial period, few Spaniards lived
in remote Indian towns of the Guatemala northwest highlands and the
ecclesiastical survey was not always evident. This explains why so much of the
Maya prehispanic religion has survived, especially the prayers and rituals
performed into the caves and forest, now mixed with catholic elements. This
paper gives some examples of prayers and rituals and tries to explain why
specific saints have assumed the roles of the ancient deities, and how mestizos
and mulatoes sometimes shared a common body of rituals with Mayas.
Symposium
Hur, Nam-lin
The University of British Columbia, Canada
Buddhism in the Service of the Divine Country
in Early Modern Japan: War and Diplomacy(02W)
Did Japanese Buddhism, represented by Gozan Zen
monks, promote killing for the glory of the Divine Country? It seems that they
did in the Korean War, which began in 1592 when Japan invaded Korea and lasted
until 1598. Focusing on the role of one of the most prominent Zen monks, Seisho
Jotai (1548-1607), during the war, in this paper I explore the extent and
manner of Buddhist monks' involvement in warfare in a setting of premodern East
Asian geopolitics. Their involvement was threefold: articulation of the idea of
the Divine Country, which was used to justify Japan's foreign aggression;
conduct of the cease-fire negotiations and state diplomacy; and appeasement of
Korean war victims by offering memorial services.
Organized panel
Husein, Fatimah
Pascasarjana UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta,
Indonesia
Muslim-Christian Relations in Indonesia: The
Exclusivist Muslims' Perspectives(04I)
The relationship between Muslims and Christians
in Indonesia is an important subject. Apart from a few investigations on certain
conflicts in different areas of Indonesia, little effort has been devoted to
thoroughly examining the complexity of the relationship between the two
religious groups. This paper attempts specifically to investigate the
perspectives of the Indonesian exclusivist Muslims on Muslim-Christian
relations in Indonesia, especially during the New Order period (1965-1998). As
this might cover a broad discussion, the paper will mainly focus on the later
period of the New Order. In dealing with this subject, the paper will briefly
investigate the policies of the New Order governments on Muslims and
Christians. The paper then explores the backgrounds and concerns of the
exclusivists in relations to Muslim-Christian relations. Three main exclusivist
institutions are discussed in the paper: the Dewan Dakwah Islamiyah Indonesia
(DDII), the Komite Indonesia untuk Solidaritas Dunia Islam (KISDI), and the
Laskar Jihad. Key issues discussed by the exclusivists include the Christian
'other' and Christianisation.
Organized panel, English
Hvithamar, Annika
University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Between Nations. The Orthodox Church in
Denmark(01U)
In Denmark, the Russian Orthodox Church has
existed since 1741. But it is only with the Russian revolution in 1917 that a
larger number of Russians have emigrated. During the 20th century, this group
developed into a Russian Orthodox Diaspora. In Russia, Orthodox Christianity
was used to mould national identity, and even today this branch of Christianity
is looked upon as ethnic Russian. However, in Denmark, the Lutheran State
Church occupies the role of national religion, which leaves the members of the
Orthodox Church with two conflicting identities, national and religious. This
presentation is based on fieldwork studies among Orthodox Christians in
Denmark. It focuses on the relationship between national identity and diaspora
identity in the 21st century, especially among descendants of Russian
immigrants and ethnic Danish converts to the Orthodox Church.
Organized panel, English
Hwang, Sun Myung
Korean Society of New Religious Studies, Korea
Some Remarks on the Characteristics of New
Korean Religions(12D)
This paper will highlight some characteristics
of the new Korean religions in the context of globalization. One key feature of
these religions was millenarianism which flourished in the late 19th century in
many non-European societies, including Korea. This period coincided with the
onset of modernization in Korea, a process that was both painful and
tumultuous. Scholarly attempts to explain the rise and nature of Korean new
religions have been unsatisfactory. My paper will attempt to correct some of
the inadequacies and misunderstandings in the extant theories of Korean new
religions.
Organized panel, English
Hyodo, Akiko
Osaka University, Japan
The Concept of Seishin in the Taishyo period
on conflict between Omotokyo and Hentai-shinri(04U)
In the Taisho period (1912-1926) there appeared
a semi-academic journal titled Hentai-shinri (Abnormal Psychology), which was published
by Nihon Seishin Igaku Kai (Japanese Association for Mental Medicine). This
journal not only aimed at the establishment of the scientific psychotherapy but
also began reproaching the contemporary religious and spiritual groups as
superstitions. It especially attacked fiercely Omotokyo, one of the most
rapidly growing new religions and its method of spirit possession called
chinkon-kishin. But, seishin-igaku, which was advocated by Hentai-shinri, was
not what seishin igaku means today. This word was strategically used as an
antithesis to the materialism of orthodox medicine. Though the seishin-igaku of
Hentai-shinri has been regarded as a rationalistic movement, it shared the
common ground with chinkon-kishin. This common ground was constellated around
the word seishin. In this paper, the historical background and meaning of the
conflict between Hentai-shinri and Omotokyo over seishin will be discussed.
Organized panel, Japanese
Ibaragi, Daisuke
University of Paris X, Japan
L'Appropriation et la Nostalgie(07Q)
" < C'est la ma place au soleil. >
Voila le commencement et l'image de l'usurpation de toute la terre," dit
Pascal. De meme que la distinction du < mien > et du < tien >
justifie les regimes democratiques et capitalistes, la demarcation entre <
ce qui est a nous > et < ce qui est a vous > fonde encore le systeme
politico-juridique international d'aujourd'hui. Mais les Sages juifs ont
considere une telle division comme < la maniere de Sodome >, < la
methode de Cain >. En effet, le partage d'une domaine ne risque-t-il pas de
nous exciter au conflit dangereux? Cette etude a pour but d'analyser de maniere
philosophique le rapport entre le desir d'enracinement et l'exclusion d'autrui.
Symposium, Japanese
Ichida, Masataka
Nishi-Gunma Hospital Nurses' School, Japan
Folk Religion and "History from
Below"(08U)
The modernization in Japan influenced the folk
religious world view remarkably. This presentation examines such a process of
transfiguration, with the case of ritual in Kankokuheisha, which was a base
point of religious policies of State in community. In this case, I will focus
on Keta Shrine. Rituals in communities were grounded on native thoughts
originally, but agency of modernization gave different significance to rituals.
Inquiring into this problem, I adopt two methodologies, "History from
Below" as social history on the one hand, and a folk religious world view
as science of religion on the other hand. With these points, I will consider
the relation between community and State in modern history.
Organized panel, Japanese
Ichikawa, Hiroshi
University of Tokyo, Japan
Authority in Judaism in Conflict: From the
Ancient to the Early Modern Period(03G)
Rabbinic Judaism laid the foundation of modern
Judaism. Since the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, Rabbinic Judaism
has enforced the divine commandments in almost all spheres of ordinary Jewish
life. The authority of Rabbinic Judaism is first and foremost based on the
belief in the truth of the Halakhah tradition derived from the prophet Moses.
In reality, however, this was fundamentally a belief in the wisdom of the
sages. Since then, Judaism has encountered numerous crises and threats to its very
existence, but Judaism was always resurrected as a vital tradition through the
emergence of new movements of Jewish thought. The reason why the Rabbinic
establishment has not been dismantled as a result of the emergence of these new
movements lies in the unique authority structure of Rabbinic Judaism. The
Rabbinic tradition had established a system in which disputes concerning the
Halakhah were tolerated and claims evaluated based on their logical
consistency. Theological opinions could also be freely discussed, as we can see
in the Talmud. Paradoxically, these frictions and disputes guaranteed the
stability of Rabbinic authority. In this panel, we examine the nature of
Rabbinic authority and its relationship to rival sources of authority in the
period ranging from the emergence of the Rabbinic establishment to the early
modern period.
Organized panel, * Session Abstract, English
Ichikawa, Hiroshi
University of Tokyo, Japan
The Authority of Rabbi and the Recognition of
Controversy(03G)
As far as the human society is concerned, it is
natural to have conflicts and oppositions, and what is important for the
stability and confidence of society depends upon the rule of solving those
conflicts. We can recognize the sophistication of Jewish society that while it
had less irrational threat by physical powers, demanded differences in legal
opinions among Rabbis, instead of conforming to the authoritative opinion. But
such a recognition was limited to those with the title of Rabbi, and the
disciples should obey the master completely. So we deplore the characteristics
of the authority of Rabbi in the unique title 'Moshe Rabbenu (Our Rabbi Moses)'
that was attached to the Biblical Prophet Moses by Rabbinic Judaism. We are led
to the conclusion that the notion of divine authority of prophecy in the Bible
was replaced in Rabbinic Judaism by the notion of truth of the transmission,
and that this notion of authority is compatible similar notions in traditional
thought in Eastern religions.
Organized panel
Ichikawa, Hiroshi
University of Tokyo, Japan
The Reception and Transformation of
Philosophical Traditions in Intellectual Milieu of Three Monotheistic
Religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam(15N)
*chairperson
Organized panel
Ichiraku, Makoto
Otani University, Japan
The World That is Realized through the
"Awareness of One's Own Evil"; The Life Beginning from the
"Awareness of One's Own Evil"(05I)
In spite of our pursuit of the ideal of peace
and stability, human beings have continuously fought one another throughout
history. Even in this contemporary world, we still hurt and torment each other
repeatedly (this is what Buddhism calls "evil"), while at the same
time showing how pitiful and foolish it is to be like this. However, human
nature itself cannot relinquish this "evil" even after realizing it,
as we lack the true awareness of the suffering it causes. Therefore, in
Buddhism, one of the more important questions is how to overcome this evilness,
which Shinran tackled seriously. He saw that the darkness of human beings can
only be broken by Amida Buddha, who calls us with his Name and illuminates this
world with his Light. This presentation will elucidate what it means to realize
one's own evilness, and what kind of life such realization leads us towards,
according to Shinran's words.
Organized panel
Ichishima, Shoshin
Taisho University, Japan
Love and Compassion, Freeing from Nirvana
Abode(07G)
How the Love of Christianity and Compassion of
Buddha realized actually in this world? The author picks up the actual story of
September 11th 2001 and his own near-death experience during hospitalization
years ago. He picks up the story of the Tibetan scripture about the description
of fire river in the hell. He will introduce the elephant saved tourists from
Tsunamis Natural Disaster in Indian Ocean. We human beings can restore
instinctively awareness of Something Great in the extreme state of fasting. He
will introduce the actual yogi marathon monks at Mt. Hiei. And the
Lanka-avatara quotes the something great primordially poses even in common
human-beings. Finally he introduces how ladies and gentlemen experience pure
mind in the process of training tea ceremony where the people could get out of
fire house by the guidance of skilful means of the teaching of Buddha from the
Lotus Sutra.
Organized panel, Japanese
Igeta, Midori
Tsukuba Women's University, Japan
(08N)
Roundtable session, Japanese
Igeta, Midori
Tsukuba Women's University, Japan
The Emperor as the Symbol of the Purity or the
Innocence of the Japanese(13C)
The Emperor system of the Great Japan Empire
had the function of the nationalist religion. After World War II, the
Constitution of Japan takes in the policy of separation of religion and state
and the Emperor system has been transformed into the symbolic Emperor system. I
think it must be pointed out that this so called symbolic Emperor system is
absolutely based on the myth of the Emperor system of the past. If so, what
does this mean for the Japanese people who still support this system? In order
to examine this problem, I would like to pay attention to kegare (uncleanness,
impurity), which is opposed to the conception of "purity." From this
point of view, the Emperor as the symbol of unity of the Japanese symbolizes
"the purity of Japanese." With the Emperor, "the Japanese"
can neglect the violence in the wars by Japan or Japanese people, and regard
themselves as "the innocent."
Organized panel, English
Ignacio, Violeta Suarez
University of the Philippines in Pampanga,
Philippines
Spanish Methods of Religious Conversion in the
Philippines(14E)
Spanish missionaries in the Philippines used
the trickle-down policy of conversion, starting with the village chief and
family who, in turn, used their influence and example to convince their
subordinates to embrace the Catholic faith. Others were attracted to the new
religion through priests' kindness, patience and selfless devotion. Additional
attractions were charitable works like the establishment of orphanages,
schools, and hospitals where priests served as physicians experimenting with
herbal medicine. When restored to health, some Filipinos were so impressed that
they asked for baptism while others gratefully donated their material
possessions. Still others were drawn to the faith with the mistaken belief that
baptism possessed a miraculous curative power. In addition, colorful rituals of
the church especially on church holiday enticed others. Also helping remove the
barriers of distrust was the missionaries' knowledge of the Filipino language.
Priests studied the languages and dialects of Filipinos instead of teaching
Filipinos the Spanish language. Hearing strangers speak their language or
dialect created favorable impressions on Filipinos. And in line with the
conversion method of making Christianity permeate the culture, missionaries did
not replace non-Catholic practices without introducing a similar Christian
usage to take its place. When everything failed, the missionaries resorted to
compulsion of some sort. In general, all the methods used by the Spanish friars
in converting Filipinos proved to be highly successful. From then up to now,
the majority of Filipinos are Roman Catholic.
Organized panel, English
Iida, Takafumi
Toyama University, Japan
Formation of Religious Lives Among the Koreans
in Japan(09D)
History of Koreans in Japan originated in early
20th century and the population is 700 thousand today. Their religious
activities are composed of traditional ancestor worship and shamanic ritual,
Christianity, Buddhism and participation in Japanese religions. Ancestor
worship is generally kept in about 80% of the families. This is the tradition
of Korean Confucianism and at the same time, it serves as a re-formation of the
kinship network and national consciousness. Shamanic ritual is kept especially
among women from Cheju Island in the Osaka-Ikoma area. It shows unique
developments in the process of the network holding between Osaka and Cheju. Their
Christianity and Buddhism have been formed after the Second World War, however,
being influenced by the religious trends of homeland Korea. I consider these
activities not only from the formalism of preservation of the cultural
tradition or acculturation but from the view of "self construction
approach" and try to understand them as original formative processes in
their life building.
Symposium, Japanese
Iijima, Shuji
Kyushu University, Japan
Arrernte Now:Two Radical Forms of Violent
Life;Arrernte Fighting and Iraqi War(17K)
The aim of this presentation is to create an
alternative paradigm in religious studies through the survey of over 100 years
of scholarship on the Arrernte people. I want to focus on three main topics. 1.
The study of the history of the Arrernte people from London & Mueller
(1887) to Memmott (1991) 2. The current situation of the Arrernte as discerned
from my field research in Alice Springs (2000-2003) 3. Sharing the possibilities
of life with a people that have been treated by Europeans as either
"primitive" or as a "problem" The Arrernte people were
treated as "primitive" under the paradigm of Spencerean evolution
theory and are now increasingly considered a social "problem" under
the policy of self-determination. In the contemporary world, there are people
who have learned how to represent themselves through media such as the
world-wide web and others, who are perceived and shunned as alcoholics. In this
presentation, through the examination of the transition from
"primitive" to "problem," I try to set up an alternative
paradigm in which we could treat the Arrernte as a "potential" self
of us.
Organized panel
Iino, Lisa
University of Tokyo, Japan
A Factor Demarcating the Sacred and the Secular
in Aleppian Musical Tradition(14U)
In the Western classical music, we would take
it for granted that there are secular music as well as sacred music. In Muslim
society like Aleppo in Syria, the same classification could apply. However, we
sometimes find it difficult to distinguish between the sacred and the secular
in Aleppian musical tradition, as some repertoire and performers in both
categories are overlapping and interchangeable. In this paper, I begin by
introducing Aleppian traditional music, both religious and secular, mostly of
Muslims, and present some characteristics, musical as well as social, in this
musical tradition. Then I would argue that the demarcation line is neither very
clear-cut nor necessarily musical, and then explore the reason for this
ambiguity in demarcation, in addition with some reference to Aleppian Christian
musical tradition.
Organized panel, English
Ikari, Shohei
Rissho University, Japan
Religion and Art as Human Creation and
Worship(08V)
There has been a strong 1ink between re1igion
and art since prehistoric times. This relationship seems more pronounced the
farther back we look. For instance, when we try to 1ook back to the beginning
of both art and re1igion,we realize that it is very difficult to separate of
creativity itself. In terms of religion, art source of creativity itse1f. In
terms of religion, art expresses that which is difficult to articulate or
conceptualize. Art provides an effective method to understand and express the
images and feelings found deep within one's soul. It is as though such images
and fee1ings have been instilled within the very fabric of our being; nurturing
us with a fountain of religious portrayaI and sentiment. Re-evaluating the
relationship between re1igion and art from this vantage point reveals a new
perspective--a profoundly human origin to the diverse expressions seen in
religious art across "cultures."
Organized panel, Japanese
Ikeda, Akira
Wakayama University, Japan
Weber's Theory on the Development of Culture
and Modernization of Japan(05V)
In my paper, I want to point out the following
two problems. First, there is the question, "What is Weber's theory about
the modernization of Japan?" Second, is this theory correct? To begin, I
show that Weber analyzed the development of culture from three schemes dealing
with the relationship between religion and politics. First, there is political
power, in the form of military charisma, which can serve as the primary base of
development of self-political power. Second, there is another form of political
power that sees pacifically charisma as the base of self-political power. Both
types of political power have the ability to control religion. Finally, there
is the scheme that views religious power and political power as independent of
each other and both have self-charisma. Weber's theory about the modernization
of Japan has traditionally been interpreted by scholars to suggest that the
relationship between religion and politics falls within the last two schemes.
I, however, hold that it is the first scheme, political power as military
charisma, that has lead to the modernization of Japan.
Organized panel
Ikeda, Yutaka
The University of Tsukuba, Japan
In Search of an Original Position in the Field
of Biblical Studies(14B)
Even if it might sound a little bit naive, I
have long dreamed of finding an original way to read the scriptures with my own
Oriental eyes and heart, which would differ from the passive nature of western
thinking. On first glance, the Bible appears to be of no particular interest to
those who like me live to the far east of "Eden." In fact, the scope
of Genesis, the first book in the Bible, is undeniably limited to Semitic,
Hamitic and Indo-European people, the descendants of the three sons of Noah.
With this in mind, the question is whether the Biblical is still relevant to
me, a Japanese? Is there still room for me to make a meaningful contribution to
the study of the Bible? In search of an original position of my own, I would
like to consider in this paper the merit of a naturalistic approach by which
the scriptures can incorporate people from all cultural backgrounds.
Organized panel, English
Ikegami, Yoshimasa
Komazawa University, Japan
Shamanic Practitioners in Contemporary
Japan(11R)
*chairperson
Organized panel
Ikegami, Yoshimasa
Komazawa University, Japan
Shamanic Practitioners in Contemporary
Japan(11R)
The study of shamanic practitioners in Japan
has generally focused on popular shamans (minkan fusha) who live in remote
rural communities and operate relatively independently of established religious
institutions. Yet this focus has neglected much of the urban/regionally based
contemporary shamanic and spirit mediumship practice. This panel seeks to
re-situate the recent conversation about shamanism in contemporary Japan
through detailed and site-specific analyses of shamanic practices. How, for
instance, are we to understand the relatively new urban-based shamanic gyoja
who belong to "traditional" Buddhist denominations and engage in
varieties of spirit possession as a technique of healing practice? Similarly,
"New Age" style counselors participate in a style of "shamanic
practice" directed towards a younger client base and employ
semi-scientific therapeutic practices. How can we account for the
"migration" of shamanic-based practices into wider arenas of popular
acts of memorialization, especially of the war dead? We will reconsider the
classic definitions of shamanism and shamanic practice through detailed case
studies that suggest broader and more flexible understandings of these
resilient and transformative practices under conditions of modernity.
Organized panel, * Session Abstract, English
Ikehira, Noriko
Osaka City University, Japan
Daoism and Scriptures Composed in China(10H)
Ever since the Dunhuang document collection was
discovered in the early 20th century, the study of scriptures composed in China
has made great progress. However, it is now about to advance to a new phase;
from the phase in which researchers examined how Buddhism took root in China
while absorbing Chinese philosophy through those scriptures to the phase of
studying how traditional Chinese philosophy based on Confucianism and Daoism was
changed through them. Tiwei jing, a scripture composed in China, and Taishang
laojun jie jing, a Taoist scripture, both deal with the theme of the five
precepts lay followers should adhere to. I think it is probable that the former
had influenced the establishment of the latter. One common characteristic of
those scriptures is that both apply the five precepts to five activities,
correlating them to various natural elements such as the five stars, five
sacred peaks, and five viscera. Particularly worthy of emphasis is the
relationship between the five precepts and five viscera. For instance, those
scriptures preach that if one commits murder, he will have trouble with the
liver and if one steals, he will have kidney trouble. In my presentation, I
will first discuss the logical relationship between the five precepts as a code
of ethics and the physical aspect of the five viscera. I will then further
discuss how Taishang laojun jie jing, which was influenced by this scripture
composed in China, can be positioned in the history of Daoism.
Organized panel, English
Ikenaga, Eisei
Rissho University, Japan
Perceptions of Nichiren Buddhists Overseas: A
Preliminary Survey(02M)
The year 2002 marked the centennial of the
overseas propagation by the Nichiren sect in Hawaii. Descendents of
first-generation Japanese immigrants to Hawaii are now mostly past the fourth
generation. Hawaii has always been culturally diverse; however, many factors,
such as the repercussions of WWII, intermarriage, and gradual assimilation of
various ethnic groups into the American mainstream, have caused a general
erosion of identity with one's ancestors and the culture they represented.
Nichiren missionaries have necessarily had to make adjustments to address these
changes. Nonetheless, it remains difficult to gauge the needs and aspirations
of the younger generations. How knowledgeable are they of their forefathers and
their culture? Do they comprehend the basic concepts of their religion? What do
they expect from their religion in the future? Should propagation methods
change? I will address such questions in a survey of the present members of two
Nichiren temples in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Organized panel, English
Ikeuchi, Satoshi
International Research Center for Japanese
Studies, Japan
Views and Consensus of Islamic Scholars on
human cloning(01J)
In this presentation, various views of Islamic
scholars on the human cloning experiment and life engineering are examined.
Fatwas and statements by leading ulama from many parts of the Islamic world are
compared and consensus and variations are specified. Through these
considerations, Islamic understanding of human life and its sanctity will be
shed light on.
Organized panel
Ikoshi, Keisuke
Teikyo University of Science and Technology,
Japan
The Life History Approach on the Present
Challenges in Religious Studies(08J)
*respondent
Organized panel
Imade, Toshihiko
Kyoto University, Japan
The Human Life in the Face of Boundaries(11C)
Religion contributes to an attitude and a
conviction which make the human life very valuable. It has achieved an
essential role in the constitution of a notion of the traditional way of
thinking about God and the dignity of man. Simultaneously, religion has
problems: first, religious wars; second, "the tradition collapse."
What this means is that the traditional boundaries have become an ambiguity and
religion itself has been open to question. The aim of this report is to
reconsider the significance of human life in the face of these boundaries. It
attempts to reevaluate the original role of religion. I refer to Hannah
Arendt's concept of Publicness. On one hand, I make an issue of Solipsism, a
tendency which overcomes boundaries and denies the human plurality. On the
other, I deal with Publicness, a tendency which recognizes and reaches the
limit of boundaries and discovers the human plurality.
Organized panel, English
Imai, Naoki
Seinan-Gakuin University, Japan
Tillich's Thought of Peace(13U)
What can Tillich's theology of peace suggest to
people living in today's confused world? His distinctive concept of peace was
based on the idea of boundary as well as his thoughts on other subjects. The
panel will discuss problems of peace in the contemporary world in light of an
analysis of Tillich's ideas. The panelists are the members who translated
Tillich's Theology of Peace and have addressed the problems of peace. The panel
will include two kinds of studies. One is a fundamental study, which deals with
the theoretical problems of Tillich's theology of peace and the analysis of key
concepts, such as hope, creative justice, etc. The other is a practical study,
which deals with nationalism in general and particularly in Japan; ST, or
science and technology; glaubiger Realismus, which is the foundation of
Tillich's theology of peace, etc.
Organized panel, Japanese
Imamura, Nobutaka
Hokkaido University, Japan
French Academic Discourse on Painting and the
Fidelity to the Bible(14S)
In 1667 the Academie royale de peinture et de
sculpture in Paris started on its famous conferences, in which painters and
amateurs discussed one painting or sculpture selected from the king's
collection. At these conferences, religious paintings were, as is generally
known, judged not only by its aesthetic value but also by such religious
criteria as the fidelity to the Bible and the piousness of the painter.
However, what is important is that these religious criteria were actually very
ambiguous, though there seemed to have been concerned with the correctness or
the validity. In this study, focusing on records of these conferences, I would
like to consider this ambiguity of religious criteria for the judgment on these
paintings, and to give an example of approaches to the Bible by ordinary
people, who did not profoundly understand theological arguments.
Organized panel, English
Imanishi, Junkichi
International Institute for Postgraduate
Buddhist Studies, Japan
The Bhagavadg?t? and Buddhism(14M)
The Bhagavadgita is the most famous sacred text
of Hinduism, but its position in the history of Indian thought is still not
completely clear. In my opinion, the Bhagavadgita has to be regarded as a text
compiled by traditional Ksatriyas and Brahmins to counter the spread of
Buddhism that had been expanding all over India under royal patronage since the
time of King A?oka. The Brahmins used the Bhagavadgita to remind the royalty to
protect the caste system in the name of the Supreme God. The ethics expounded
in the Bhagavadgita have been the object of much attention and are considered
to be characteristic of it, but they actually constitute an adaptation of
Buddhist theory taken from the Prajnaparamitasutra. In short, the Bhagavadgita
intended to oppose Buddhism utilizing Buddhist ideas in order to protect and
rationalize the caste system. However, afterwards Buddhism found its own new
approach against this movement.
Organized panel, English
Imataki, Norio
Osaka Electro-Communication University, Japan
Mu-Kyokai Christianity in Japan and Social
Justice - Around Michiko Ito's Praxis -(15I)
In the Asian Pacific War, Mu-Kyokai Christian's
Tadao Yanaihara was forced to resign as the Tokyo Imperial University professor
because of his opinion to look for peace on absolute pacifism. Through the
persecutions and sufferings, he had a fellowship with Christians in Hansen's
disease sanatorium. They were kept in isolation by Japan's policy toward
leprosy based on the eugenic thought. But Yanaihara saw their prayers as the
hope to work for justice and peace of the national ideal. Michiko Ito succeeded
Yanaihara's thoughts and had worked in Hansen's disease sanatorium (Hoshizuka
Keiaien and Okinawa Airakuen) since she became a nurse, longing for fellowship
with the Spirit in sanatorium's church. I would like to inquire about her faith
and the praxis of Mu-Kyokai. It will be revealed that through her life of
symbiosis with leprosy, their works established justice and peace.
Organized panel, Japanese
Imo, Cyril O.
University of Jos, Nigeria
Religious Conflict, Suffering and Peace in
Nigeria(01V)
Religious pluralism is known to be greatly
interfering with the process of political transformation in contemporary
Nigeria. The relationship between the major religions in the country,
especially Islam and Christianity, is characterized by divisiveness, mistrust
and suspicion in a way that engenders perhaps one of the most important
Muslim-Christian political clashes in any nation-state in the world today. More
than other forms of pluralism, religious pluralism is increasingly becoming a
threat to national unity and peace in Nigeria. Although the religious conflicts
have affected the whole Nigeria, it seems the most devastating effects are felt
by the people of Northern Nigeria. The question is if there are particular
structural arrangements and demographic features of the Northern Nigeria that
are responsible for severe disturbances in the area since the 1980s. What are
the factors that can account for the main locations of religious disturbances?
To what extent do the organization and training of social control forces aid or
impede the prevention of the occurrence of most "spontaneous"
collective outbursts of violence? How do they determine the intensity to which
any incident will escalate? These are the questions that will be discussed. The
paper further examines how to ameliorate the scale of violence and suffering
being perpetrated by religious conflicts and how to enhance social and
political stability which will make for peace and progressive development.
Organized panel, English
Inaba, Keishin
Kobe University, Japan
Social Engagement of Religion in Modern
Society(02I)
While church-linked beliefs and values are
declining and becoming less a part of the cultural mainstream in certain
countries, religion maintains its traditional function of providing a
faith-based moral order for many societies. This panel will explore the social
engagement of religion and its role in modern society. Robin Gill's paper will
examine the empirical evidence suggesting a link between altruism and religion
in the United Kingdom. Rebecca A. Allahyari's paper will explore the worldviews
of Anglo-Saxon, Hispanic, Native American, and African-American homeschoolers
who invoke "the sacred" in their daily practices and longer-term
aspirations. Daren Kemp's paper will examine New Agers' social engagements with
links to holistic health movements, environmental movements, anti-capitalist
movements, and movements for corporate social responsibility. Anne Birgitta
Yeung's paper will examine social engagement and religion in Scandinavian
countries. Ruben L. F. Habito will respond to these papers.
Organized panel, * Session Abstract, English
Inaba, Keishin
Kobe University, Japan
Altruism and Social Engagement of Religion: The
Faith-Based Services in Japan(10V)
This paper will explore what faith-based
services in Japan contribute to civic life where religion has lost its
traditional function of providing a religiously based moral order of the
society and where people do not expect religion to play a major role in
cultural integration or moral order. At a time of globally enhanced interest in
religion's social responsibilities, there are some religious organizations in
Japan which have been concerned with social activism for the improvement of
society. This paper will also examine the social response to these religious
organizations.
Organized panel, English
Inagaki, Hisakazu
Tokyo Christian University, Japan
L'ethique de la memoire et de l'oubli -- vers
une philosophie de la religion au 21eme siecle(07Q)
*respondent
Symposium
Ingersoll, Julie
University of North Florida, USA
THE UNDERLYING TERROR: Religious Studies
Perspectives on the War on Terrorism(01C)
*respondent
Symposium, English
Ingersoll, Julie
University of North Florida, USA
Reflections on Gender and Violence in
Religion(17I)
*chairperson
Organized panel, English
Inose, Yuri
Hokkaido University, Japan
Factors Influencing Faith Succession(10F)
The purpose of this presentation is to declare
my findings concerning faith succession. Analysis was conducted using data from
questionnaire survey research, which covered the residential members of Soka
Gakkai in Sapporo City. The focus of the analysis was the parental influence on
second-generation members and the degree of their religious participation as
the factors influencing the second-generation members' faith succession. As a
general trend, female members tend not to withdraw themselves from their
religious activities compared with male members. Their current attitudes toward
faith show more earnestness. Female members tend to show more possibility in
faith succession than their male counterparts. A gender-based perspective is
essential to understand the development of a religious organization and the
mechanism of cultural transmission. I consider the mechanism to which gender
operates on faith succession.
Organized panel, English
Inoue, Madoka
University of Tokyo, Japan
Religious Conditions in Post-Socialist
Countries and the Challenges of a Religiously Plural Society(04E)
Against the backdrop of radical transformations
in the socio-political landscape and the search for new national identities,
post-socialist countries in Europe and Central Asia have experienced a
resurgence of interest in religion. Along with this has erupted a steady stream
of socio-religious conflicts, which in turn have prompted new governmental and
social controls over religious groups in general. Traditional religions are
faced with the double challenge of responding to these new legal realities at
the same time as they cope with the new religious pluralism; newer faith groups
find themselves restricted or even suppressed by state regulators even as they
struggle to compete with dominant religious establishments. This panel proposes
to review this situation in a number of the affected countries and to clarify
the phenomenon of religious pluralism in the context of its relationship to
political and cultural stability.
Organized panel, * Session Abstract, English
Inoue, Madoka
University of Tokyo, Japan
Control of Religions or Resacralization? : An
Examination of the Case of Religious Education in Public Schools in
Contemporary Russia(04E)
The issue of religion and politics has been a
particularly crucial point in debates and theories within religious studies
over the past decades. The main purpose of this paper is to clarify where we
should place the case of Russia in contemporary discussions and theories on
church/state relationships. To do this, I will examine the case of the
introduction of religious education to public schools in Russia in the last
decade. The aim of this case study is to survey how religion has been
introduced in terms of the legislative process and to analyze criticisms that
have been raised in controversies over the church/state relationship. I will
conclude by pointing out peculiarities of the Russian case as well as
characteristics common to contemporary situations involving religion and state.
Organized panel, English
Inoue, Nobutaka
Kokugakuin University, Japan
How Are the Concepts of "New
Religion" and "NRM" Related Mutually?(12I)
Organized panel
Inoue, Takemi
Otani University, Japan
Local Buddhism and its Transformation in
Nineteenth Century Japan: Shinbutsu Bunri in Shinano Province(16F)
In the initial stage of Japan's modernization
during the Meiji period (1868-1912), local religious traditions were radically
transformed by the "dissociation of kami and buddhas/bodhisattvas
('shinbutsu bunri')," imposed upon them by the government. This
presentation will focus on the agents, motives, and processes of the local
'shinbutsu bunri' as enacted in Shinano province. Analyses of the cases in Ono
village of Ina county, the Matsumoto domain, and the Suwa Shrine will reveal,
essentially, the political nature of the government's "religious
policies," including the changing of funerary rituals, though the
consequences of 'shinbutsu bunri' were more than just political. This study
will demonstrate how local Buddhist traditions in the regional religious
environment were transformed irreversibly by this policy, which was actually a
"cultural revolution" that paved the way for the emergence of State Shinto
and modern Japanese "irreligious" "religiosity."
Organized panel
Inoue, Tomokatsu
Osaka Musium of History, Japan
A Study of Changes in Traditional Japanese
Beliefs on Solar and Lunar Eclipses by the Modern Japanese Government(08D)
Since the late 17th century, the traditional
Japanese interpretation of the cosmos gradually lost its validity in the face
of the introduction of Western concepts. Conservatives attempted to maintain
the old interpretation of the cosmos and, in the late Edo era, joined the
campaign to exclude foreigners from Japan. However, the Meiji Government, based
on a Westernization policy, employed the Western awareness of the cosmos, and
abolished traditional folk views of it. The Western awareness of the cosmos is
scientifically valid, but many common Japanese people did not accept this
concept immediately. In this paper, I discuss the ideological manipulation of
the traditional beliefs by the modern state through the example of folk
understandings of the sun and lunar eclipses.
Symposium, Japanese
Inoue, Yoshiyasu
Sapporo Gakuin University, Japan
Religion and Discrimination: A Case Study of
One Buddhist Division(15J)
The needs for care, or welfare in a broad sense
are increasing in modern Japan. These needs are various, concerning personal
relations such as medical treatment, nursing, education, etc. However, as for
the present condition, there is a strong tendency to solve problems by therapy
known as "mental health care", and many people are depending on counseling.
As a result social aspects of these problems are rarely addressed. This report
concentrates on the problem of that part. The basis of analysis for this report
is "the discrimination graffiti case" which took place at a temple of
one of influential Buddhist division namely Jodoshin-shu-honganzi-ha. This case
is considered as representation of aggressive consciousness meanly against
group of people who try to address positively not only "mental health
care" but also the social aspects of the needs for care.
Organized panel, English
Inoue, Yukitaka
Ritsumeikan University, Japan
The Human Body Exposed. Contrasting Views on
Remains of the Dead(03I)
*respondent
Organized panel
Irons, Edward A.
Hong Kong Institute for Culture, Commerce and
Religion, China
New Chinese Religions in Perspective(15D)
Despite the growth of scholarship on Chinese
religions and the mounting volume of new data, new religious movements (NRMs)
in China receive surprisingly little scholarly attention. This is in contrast
to the concrete achievements of the NRM perspective in other areas, including
Japan, the US, Europe and Africa. This panel will describe contemporary Chinese
religions which can be considered "new." We will also offer an
overview of theoretical types and propose a typology which may be useful for
future research on contemporary Chinese religions.
Organized panel, * Session Abstract
Irons, Edward A.
Hong Kong Institute for Culture, Commerce and
Religion, China
Hot Pot or Big Mac? Towards a Classification of
Chinese NRMs(15D)
This paper gives an overview and listing of NRM
candidates from 1900 to the present. This will illustrate the problems with
defining and typing new religions. Anyone working in this area will bring
assumptions carried over from the study of traditions, assumptions from
studying other countries' NRMs, assumptions form practical roadblocks. The
classification system proposed (only partially modeled on food) attempts to
start a dialog on the factors which determine how Chinese NRMs form and grow.
The paper first surveys existing theoretical classification systems in NRMs,
then looks at Chinese religious groups over the past 100+ years. There may be
disagreement on what is included and excluded: this is the purpose.
Organized panel
Iseda, Nao
The United Church of Christ in Japan, Japan
Christianity in Modern Japan(09C)
*chairperson
Organized panel
Iseda, Nao
The United Church of Christ in Japan, Japan
Ume Tsuda and Christianity(09C)
In 1871 Ume Tsuda was sent to study in America
by the Meiji government at the age of seven. There she was cared for by Charles
and Adeline Lanman for eleven years and received the education of an American
girl. She was also baptized and became a pious Christian. Returning to Japan in
late 1882, she worked as a teacher and founded her own school in 1900 in order
to offer higher education to Japanese women. She lived through the Meiji,
Taisho, and Showa periods. Ozaki Kodo indicated three categories of Japanese
Christians in Meiji: 1) men, 2) the young, 3) and families with samurai
forebears. However, Ume Tsuda did not apply to any of these categories. I would
like to focus my attention on her Christianity. What I wish to show here is
that the emotional support and the great influence in her life was her faith in
Christianity, the Christian spirit, and other pious Christians.
Organized panel, Japanese
Ishida, Hoyu
University of Shiga Prefecture, Japan
Particularity and Universality Revealed in
Shinran's Teachings: Overcoming Exclusiveness(15Q)
This paper examines Shinran's teachings in
regard to the concepts of particularity and universality. It can be argued that
Shinran's particularistic position of entrusting himself single-heartedly to
Amida Buddha to attain rebirth in the Pure Land, viewed from the perspective of
the attainment of an ultimate religious experience, actually displays a
universal nature. Particularity refers here to a specific dogmatic position
advocated by a religion, while universality refers to a common ground of values
and functions a religion can share with other traditions on a global scale. One
problem most likely to arise from the exclusiveness a religion fundamentally
possesses is an overemphasis on sectarianism. I will discuss the relationship
between particularity and universality as they interrelate and coincide with
each other. Particularity is here understood as an individual expression or
experience of universality, just as universality manifests itself in
particularity.
Organized panel, English
Ishihara, Kohji
Hokkaido University, Japan
Artificial Environment and Designing Life(06J)
From the beginning, human beings have altered
their environment using tools and techniques. Moreover, since the start of the
modern age, we have created a fairly artificial environment adopting various
technologies. Biotechnologies, such as genetic engineering and manipulation of
reproduction, may be regarded as extensions of such modern technologies.
However, biotechnologies are essentially different from previous developments
in that the former has opened up the possibility of designing and exploiting
the human body. The question of continuity and discontinuity between (human)
biotechnologies and other technologies would be helpful when trying to
understand the nature of conflicts between biotechnologies and social values.
In my presentation, referring to recent arguments on embryonic stem cell
research and the new eugenics, I would like to discuss 1) the continuity and
the discontinuity between biotechnologies and others, and 2) the relationship
between biotechnologies and society, culture, and religion.
Symposium, English
Ishii, Kenji
Kokugakuin University, Japan
Modern Society and Shrine Shinto(08P)
Shrine Shinto stands at the crossroads of
modern society. Traditionally, relations between the parishioner and the
guardian god were self-evident relations for the Japanese based on the
existence of the local community. However, it is now clear that the weakening
of faith in guardian gods and parishioner behavior is happening. There is also
faith in Shinto which is kept in daily life, but this also now faces the crisis
of disappearance. Family Shinto altars exist in only 40% of all the households,
and only 10% actually worship them. Further, worship at shrines among the
Japanese is a little under 50%. Two polarization processes are occurring at the
social structure level, and shrines are no longer able to adapt to the realities
of modern society.
Organized panel
Ishii, Kiyozumi
Komazawa University, Japan
Choosing the Stillness: Characteristics of
Dogen Zen and Contemporary Zen Practice(17P)
In this paper, I would like to consider what
the characteristics of Dogen Zen are, and how they affect lay participants
during Zazen meetings (one-day sitting practice) in contemporary secular
society. First of all, I point out the basis of Dogen's thought as the
assertion of the necessity of ceaseless religious practice presented thought in
the Genjo-koan and Daigo fascicles of the Shobogenzo. Then, I clarify how these
practices are unified into Zazen (sitting practice) as a most conducive method
of Dharma teachings. I will also refer to the influence of Dogen zen on
participants involved in Zazen meetings focusing on mental and physical aspects
of their daily life.
Organized panel, English
Ishii, Kosei
Komazawa Junior College, Japan
Huayan Philosophy and Anarchism at the Dawn of
the Chinese Revolution: with Special Reference to Zhang Taiyan and Liu
Shipei(08M)
It is a well known fact that most reformers and
revolutionaries of the late Qing Dynasty took a great interest in Buddhism. The
Huayan Philosophy and the Mind-only Theory were very popular among
intellectuals in this period. Why were such old philosophies used as ideologies
for social reform? What did radical revolutionists who esteemed anarchism find
in Buddhist doctrines? I will investigate these questions through approaching
Zhang Taiyan (1869-1936) and Liu Shipei (1884-1919).
Organized panel, Japanese
Ishii, Kosei
Komazawa Junior College, Japan
Local Buddhisms and Transnational Contacts,
1868-1945(17E)
*chairperson, respondent
Organized panel
Ishii, Noriko
Sophia University, Japan
Constructing Christian Brotherhood: Makiko
Hitotsuyanagi Vories and Her American Mentors(04G)
Christianity provided salvation to Japanese
women suffering under the Confucian family system that justified concubinage.
Yet stressing the Christian ideals of marriage emphasizing monogamy and gender
equality decreased the marriage possibilities of Japanese women in Japan's
male-dominated society. My paper examines against this background the case of
Makiko Hitotsuyanagi Vories (1884-1969), a graduate of Kobe College. After
studying in the United States for nine years, she chose to marry William
Merrell Vories (1880-1964), a renowned American architect and missionary, and
together they founded the Omi Brotherhood Academy. Drawing on her own writings
and comparing them with the writings of her American mentors and friends ?
including Alice Mabel Bacon, her own husband William Merrell Vories, and
Charlotte B. DeForest ? I intend to examine the impact of Christianity on her
views of male-female relationships and the ways in which she sought to
influence future Japanese generations.
Organized panel, English
Ishii, Shudo
Komazawa University, Japan
Rethinking the History of Chan Buddhism(08G)
"Chan" is often thought of as a form
of absolute "experience" which transcends history. However, it is a
fact that this conception of Chan itself has been historically shaped. The
development of Chan Buddhism can be divided into several periods: the period of
the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, the Song Dynasty, and "Chan
Buddhism" in the twentieth century. Each period has its own
characteristics. The reception and adaptation of Chan in the countries
surrounding China, such as Korea, Vietnam and Japan is important, too, but this
issue will be omitted for reasons of time. Instead, I want to re-examine the
history of Chan Buddhism by reading a sample of texts characteristic of each of
the three periods.
Organized panel, * Session Abstract, Japanese
Ishii, Shudo
Komazawa University, Japan
Chan in the Song Dynasty(08G)
Chan was institutionalized in the Song Dynasty,
and with the establishment of Chan monasteries, the standardization of Chan
practice, and the compilation and publication of large amounts of Chan books,
the school succeeded in establishing its orthodox appearance. In this paper, I
will discuss the compilation of some contemporary Chan historiographies and
examine how the historical outlook of the Chan School took its shape during the
Song Dynasty.
Organized panel, Japanese
Ishikawa, Akito
Hokkaido University, Japan
Religion and Art in Paul Tillich(14S)
Paul Tillich's religious thought has a close
relationship with expressionist art. The concern here is Tillich's concept of
religious art in relation to his theological and philosophical thought. The
point of Tillich's theory of art is that religious art should be judged by its
import rather than its subject matter. Even if an artwork depicts traditional
religious symbols, Tillich does not always recognize it to be religious art,
and often affirms expressionist art, which depicts landscape or still life, as religious
art. The importance lays not so much in what the subject matter is as how it
expresses the ultimate reality. Through an investigation of Tillich's theology
and philosophy, the basis of his theory of art may be discovered and it will
suggest that Tillich's understanding of religious art is a clue to the new
relationship between religion and art in the 21st century.
Organized panel, English
Ishikawa, Hiroki
The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science,
Japan
Literacy and the Jesuit Mission in
Seventeenth-Century Northern Ethiopia(01E)
The Society of Jesus sent several missions to
Northern Ethiopia, from the middle of the sixteenth century to that of the
seventeenth century. The missionaries condemned the monophysite doctrine of the
Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and its practices such as the observance of the
Saturday Sabbath. Finally, in 1612, they succeeded in converting Emperor
Susenyos (r. 1607-1632) to Roman Catholicism. His pro-Roman Catholic policy,
however, brought about several rebellions. The popular commotion was so
serious, that the emperor was forced to proclaim a return to the old faith in
1632. Although the Northern Ethiopian mission ended in failure, the Jesuit
religious education attracted quite a few literate Ethiopians, and converted
them to Roman Catholicism. The purpose of this paper is to examine the
situation of literacy in seventeenth-century Northern Ethiopia, and to consider
the reasons why the Jesuit religious education attracted the Ethiopians.
Organized panel, English
Ishikawa, Iwao
The Eastern Institute, INC., Japan
The Fusion of Religions in the Dunhuang Tibetan
Manuscript Declining Age and its Significance in Religious History(17L)
The Declining Age, three Tibetan manuscripts
from Dunhuang (IOL Tib J 733, 734 part 1, 735), are prophecies in which the
temporal decline of the human world is described. It seems to me that
doctrinally, while showing the influence of Buddhist sutras concerning the
decline and the end of Buddhism, this text mainly consists of Taoist ideas. The
text's vocabulary partly comes from the Bon religion and shows few signs of
being influenced by foreign sources. From the viewpoint of the history of
Taoism, it is a manuscript that shows the infiltration of folk Taoism into Hexi
Tibetans. But from the viewpoint of the history of the Bon Religion, it shows
the process by which Old Bon Religion absorbed foreign religions and changed.
Organized panel, English
Ishikawa, Tomoko
Tomakomai National College of Technology, Japan
"The Jesus of History" in
Schleiermacher(12T)
D.F. Strauss criticizes F.E.D.Schleiermacher's
Life of Jesus(1864) for being depicting not "the Jesus of history"
but "the Christ of faith." Even though Strauss' view reaches a broad
consensus, at least it is true that Schleiermacher thinks it possible to
comprehend "the Jesus of history" with Christian faith. It is his
brief dialogue Christmas Eve (1805) that we can get a clue of this matter. In
Christmas Eve the characters argue how man should interpret the historical
Jesus, which is one of the most productive questions in the study of the New
Testament in the 19th century, and the scene provides us an atmosphere of
debate on the historical Jesus at that time. Schleiermacher is seldom mentioned
in modern Life-of-Jesus-Research, but he shouldn't be ignored, because he leads
us to consider its motif and significance as a whole---for whom and for what is
Life-of-Jesus-Research?
Organized panel, Japanese
Isomae, Jun'ichi
Japan Women's University, Japan
Buddhism in West/West in Buddhism(02S)
In this panel, we wish to rethink the notion of
Japanese Buddhism by examining Buddhist Studies in different regions and
different disciplines. Modern Buddhist Studies started under the overwhelming
influence of Western discourse about religions, and the framework of Japanese
Buddhism seems to come from the West. Accordingly, we first clarify the
relationship between Japanese Buddhism and Western influences. Secondly, one
panelist will make a presentation on the character and situation of Buddhism in
Japan compared with it it in the Western. Here we can obtain hybrid images
within so called Japanese Buddhism through these presentations, and discuss how
we should lead such structure of this hybridity into productive ground to study
Buddhism and religion. Following this, one discussant who studies another
Buddhist tradition in South Asia discusses whether he can discern the
distinguishing character of Japanese Buddhism based on listening to the above
three panelists' presentations. He problematizes the notion of diversity and
unity within what we call Buddhism. Lastly, one discussant from Religious
Studies sums up our panel in terms of how we can develop the possibility of
Buddhist Studies and the possibility to think of Japanese Buddhism related to
Religious Studies in a wider context.
Organized panel, * Session Abstract, English
Isomae, Jun'ichi
Japan Women's University, Japan
Questioning ' the Religious': Talking Outside
the West(10E)
In the colonial and postcolonial era, the
Western notion of "religion" has been disseminated in the non-West in
significant ways and through a multitude of forms. In the process, analyses of
religious phenomena have predominantly emerged through a binary discourse
categorizing "the transcendental" in opposition to "the indigenous."
This discursive space has been constituted in terms of the hegemonic notion of
"Westernization," wherein the indigenous emerges as a reflective and
reactionary form of identification vis-a-vis the transcendent. This panel aims
to undermine this discursive space by analyzing narratives of religious
phenomena that cannot be reduced to this binary framework. First, the panel
will problematize the transcendental element in religious phenomena by alluding
to and locating the distinct writings of Japanese philosophers in a comparative
perspective. Second, the panel will re-examine the indigenous as tangentially
related to the transcendental by comparing popular religious experiences in
Japan with perspectives stemming in South Asia. Third, the panel will analyze
the connotation of guilt and relief/salvation in Japan and its implication in
light of Christianity as indiginized. Finally, our respondent will discuss the
prospect and possibility that emerges through the panel's discussions of
religious phenomena as situated outside the West, raising the significance of
such a dialogue as it pertains to the IAHR Congress held in Tokyo.
Organized panel, * Session Abstract, English
Isomae, Jun'ichi
Japan Women's University, Japan
Rethinking 'Japanese Religion': The
Transcendental and the Indigenous(10E)
The term 'Japanese Religion' is constituted of
two words: 'Japanese' and 'Religion'. They both come from Western notions: The
word 'Japanese' connotes one particular form of a nation-state, whereas the
word 'Religion' derived from Christianity. There is conflicting for discussion
on how to bridge these two words under the name of 'Japanese Religion' because
'Religion' can not be reduced to within a boundary of one nation-state. Consequently
the term 'Japanese Religion' wears dualistic meanings. One is 'religion
particular to Japan', the other is 'religions in Japan'. The former emphasizes
Japanese uniqueness, while the latter does hybridity existed in Japan. The
uniqueness of 'Japanese Religion' is interpretated as the indigenous like
Shinto, whereas the hybridity is done as the transcendental like Christianity
and Buddhism. The important thing for our argument is how to connect and define
these two perspectives: the transcendental and the indigenous.
Organized panel, English
Isomae, Jun'ichi
Japan Women's University, Japan
The Character of Religious Studies in
Japan(16B)
The treatment of religion as a subject for
study in Japan was first undertaken around the turn of the 20th century.
Because the study of religion first appeared as an effort to find a sui generis
religion, religious studies were established at Tokyo University, the only
imperial university at that time, which had no affiliation to any particular
religious denomination. The character of religious studies at that time was
based upon the notion of separation between church and state, and therefore
became highly critical of State Shinto, a political-religious system promoted
by the imperial house. However, after Japan's defeat in the Second World War,
the occupying forces dissolved State Shinto, and religious studies soon lost
its political and educational significance. The number of lectures in Japanese
universities on religious studies has significantly decreased. Yet since the
war, religious studies in Japan have been transformed through an exchange with
anthropology, historiography, sociology, folklore and theology, and are no
longer reduced to the idea of sui generis religion.
Organized panel, English
Isshiki, Aki
Koshien University, Japan
Religion, Society, and State in Contemporary
East Asia(08S)
*chairperson
Organized panel
Isshiki, Aki
Koshien University, Japan
Regional Society under Military Occupation and
Christianity as Religion of the Ruler in Postwar Okinawa(08S)
The purpose of this study is to make clear the
following in postwar Okinawa: Under the military occupation, I discuss that
Christianity as the religion of rulers influenced Okinawan society from the
viewpoint of faith, and one of politics, economy, and military. The society in
the postwar was governed directly by U.S. Forces. Okinawan Christianity
actively missionized by the support of troops and chaplains from the
occupation's early days. Christianity was welcome as a religion of the
"emancipator" from Japanese force's control at first. However, the
occupation army changed into brutal rulers with growing tensions in East Asia,
and Christianity came to send shock waves through Okinawa society. According to
the detailed analysis of this process, though Christianity worshiped the same
God, it became a tool of control and suppression, and a principle of liberation
from such oppression. I investigate a principle to invent such a difference in
this study.
Organized panel, Japanese
Itai, Masanari
Kogakkan University, Japan
A Common Field of Religious Culture and Welfare
Culture in Japan(11V)
The purpose of this presentation tries to argue
relationship between the religious culture and welfare culture in Japanese
society. Here as one concrete example, we elaborate social activities of NPO
which tackles the barrier-free problem of various religious institutions
(shrine & temple). From there, the new relation between religious and
welfare needs can be seen.
Organized panel, Japanese
Ito, Masayuki
Aichi Gakuin University, Japan
The Religious Dimension in Japanese Popular
Culture(02H)
*respondent
Organized panel
Ito, Masayuki
Aichi Gakuin University, Japan
Various Forms of Spirituality in the World
(1)(04B)
This panel aims to explore various forms of
spirituality emerging and developing in contemporary societies. Since the late
1970s, many people in the world have attempted to find appropriate spiritual
expressions for themselves through participating in non-religious and
quasi-religious activities. Although the organizational forms of their
activities vary, each individual seems to seek new types of spiritual
expressions, showing particular interest in self-transformation. In this panel,
we illustrate and highlight the spiritual aspirations of participants in these
forms of spirituality by specifically focusing on non institutional religious
forms of spirituality.
Symposium, * Session Abstract, English
Ito, Masayuki
Aichi Gakuin University, Japan
Body and Spirituality in Contemporary Yoga
Boom(05B)
Since the mid-1990s, many people in Western
societies, and in particular the United States, have been attracted to
relatively new types of yoga. These forms of yoga emphasize breath-synchronized
movement in which a progressive series of postures is synchronized with a
specific breathing technique (I.e., Power Yoga and Astanga Yoga). Following
this trend, a large number of Japanese people, especially women in their
twenties and thirties, have begun to practice contemporary yoga over the last
few years. Today, Japan has a variety of yoga journals and many sports gyms
offer a number of yoga courses. In this paper, I explore the relationship
between the body and spiritually by focusing on contemporary yoga practices and
the intentions of their practitioners. I also analyze the distinct
characteristics of yoga by contrasting it with the New Age movement and Japan's
New Religions.
Symposium, English
Ito, Masayuki
Aichi Gakuin University, Japan
Life, Death, and Spirituality as Perceived by
Japanese People(11D)
This paper aims to explore contemporary
Japanese religious beliefs, especially beliefs related to death, and their
connection to the spiritual life of the Japanese. Death is one of the most
crucial events for human beings, calling into question the very meaning of
one's life. At the same time, the religious orientations of people emerge
vividly when they are forced to confront death. In order to understand deeply
rooted religious orientations, I have conducted interviews with a number of
Japanese who had lost family members or close friends in recent years. While
analyzing the beliefs of these people, I found that their images of the
afterlife are comparatively vague, inconsistent, and easily changing.
Nevertheless, all of my informants perform ancestor worship at home and/or in
the cemetery as part of which they report about their personal lives and
important events to particular ancestors with whom they had close
relationships. Thus, in contemporary Japan, people maintain a traditional
religious orientation in communicating with the spirits of deceased family
members.
Symposium, English
Ito, Miyuki
University of Tokyo, Japan
"The Death of the second person" in
Contemporary Japan(09J)
The philosopher V. Jankelevitch gave birth to
the concept of "the death of the second person." This concept was
taken up in Japan, especially by Yanagida Kunio, who underwent the traumatic
experience of his son's mental illness, suicide, brain death, posthumous kidney
donation, and death, in order to discuss brain death and organ plants. Whilst
the notion of "the death of the second person" is important in
shedding light on the problem of bioethics in Japan, it seems that the common
understanding of the notion is based on vague experiential knowledge that has
not yet been clearly defined or articulated. I elucidate the characteristics of
death in contemporary urban Japanese society, as well as examine the phenomenon
of "the death of the second person" therein. In doing so, my aim is
to present a bioethical perspective more tailored to the Japanese mentality.
Organized panel, Japanese
Ito, Zuiei
Rissho University, Japan
The Source and Development of the Six-fold
Nature (Z liu-xiang) Theory of
Hua-yan Sect(07M)
In this Study, I shall study some important
thought which has its ground in Da1a-bh[mi, and which was developed with the
striking features, from the viewpoint of intellectual history of Buddhism. In
Section,I seek the source and development of the Six-fold NatureZi1iu-xiang)Theory of Hua-yan SectŘľ@. The original meaning of the Six-fold NatureZis a formula for Upade1a in Da1abh[mika-s[tra. It is used as a style
for interpreting the s[tra in QDV. Fa-shang@ăof Di-lun
Sect n_@is regarded as abhisa/skqra˘ě, vyavahqražŕfor cultivating the Six-fold
NatureDHui-yuandChoweverCobserves that it is a noumenon(li)Cwith which sarva-dharma@are endowedDChih-yanqV, belonging to Hua-yan Sect,
according to beingL, understands that it is a lak2azaof Part]tyasamutpqdaN, which froms the
phenomena(shi)DAnd Fa-tsang@ came to establish as a theory the Six-fold Nature Prat]tyasamutpqda ZNproving distinctly Phenomena-phenomena-undividedł[. Thus, transformed from a form of recognition to the logic of
existence, the Six-fold Nature Theory in its historical development is raised
to the height of the dialectic of Prat]tyasamutpqda and preserved intactDI shall lucidly demonstrate such a development by means of
re-examination of material available to me.
Organized panel, Japanese
Itu, Mircea
Romanian Academy, Romania
John Cassian's Mystical Vision and Cosmic
Christianity(06Q)
Weber's distinction between rational and
mystical worldviews can be applied to the difference between approaches that
seek to dominate nature from those that seek harmony with it. This attitude, in
turn, easily passes over to the human world, so that as rationalized
civilization progresses, violence is done not only to nature but also to
beings. Some sort of reintegration of the mystical worldview is called for, and
for this we can turn with benefit to our study of the mystics. In particular, I
focus on the fifth-century mystic, John Cassian, and try to show how his views
of the descent of God in man (De incarnatione Domini contra Nestorium Libri),
of the primacy of mystical experience, and of free will and human virtues are
fundamental for spiritual fulfillment in union with the divine and for the
struggle with evil (Collationem Sanctorum Patrum). The aim of his mystical
vision is a path towards virtue that liberates one from violence in a profane
and modern existence, and in this liberation leads to religious redemption.
Organized panel, English
Iwagami, Kazunori
Musashino University, Japan
The Satisfaction of Desires and True Happiness:
The Problem of Desire in Buddhism(01D)
From the early stage of its history, Buddhism
has been interested in the analysis of the human mind and has regarded a mind
occupied with desire as a mental defilement. Consequently, Buddhism takes a
negative attitude toward desires to acquire such pleasures as wealth, prestige,
health and long life, which are regarded as essential in our lives. This
presentation discusses the problem of human desire from the Buddhist point of
view.
Symposium, Japanese