Freedom of Speech and Criticism of Religion: What Are the Limits?1
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Mali 2018 International Religious Freedom Report
MALI 2018 INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REPORT Executive Summary The constitution prohibits religious discrimination and grants individuals freedom of religion in conformity with the law. The law criminalizes abuses against religious freedom. On January 31, the government adopted a new national Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) strategy that included interfaith efforts and promotion of religious tolerance. The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Worship was responsible for administering the national CVE strategy, in addition to promoting religious tolerance and coordinating national religious activities such as pilgrimages and religious holidays for followers of all religions. Terrorist groups used violence and launched attacks against civilians, security forces, peacekeepers, and others they reportedly perceived as not adhering to their interpretation of Islam. In the center of the country, affiliates of Jamaat Nasr al- Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) attacked multiple towns in Mopti Region, threatening Christian, Muslim, and traditional religious communities, reportedly for heresy. Muslim religious leaders condemned extremist interpretations of sharia, and non- Muslim religious leaders condemned religious extremism. Some Christian missionaries expressed concern about the increased influence in remote areas of organizations they characterized as violent and extremist. Religious leaders, including Muslims and Catholics, jointly called for peace among all faiths at a celebration marking Eid al-Fitr in June hosted by President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. In January Muslim, Protestant, and Catholic religious leaders called for peace and solidary among faiths at a conference organized by the youth of the Protestant community. The president of the High Islamic Council of Mali (HCI) and other notable religious leaders announced the necessity for all religious leaders to work toward national unity and social cohesion. -
The Founders and the Freedom of Religion: an Introduction
The Founders and the Freedom of Religion: An Introduction Religion has always been important in America. During the colonial and Revolutionary eras, religion permeated the lives of Americans. Blue laws kept the Sabbath holy and consumption laws limited the actions of everyone. Christianity was one of the few links that bound American society together from Maine to Georgia. The Bible, in addition to being the divine word of God that would guide people through life's journey to the next world, served as a textbook for history, a source book for morals, a primer for mothers to teach their children how to read, and a window through which to view and understand human nature. Because religion and morality were seen as necessary components of stable society, colonial and Revolutionary governments supported religion. Clergymen were among the most influential members of the community and many of them actively participated in government. The liberal religious traditions embodied in the charters and fundamental laws of Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and the Carolinas read very much like the declarations of indulgences promulgated by Charles II and James II that were so bitterly denounced by the Anglican clergy and members of Parliament. Like a magnet, however, these liberal policies attracted Dissenters to these religiously benevolent colonies. Although colonists often emigrated to the New World to escape religious persecution, many new Americans readily discriminated against others on the basis of religion. Nine of the thirteen American colonies authorized established churches--the Congregational Church in New England and the Anglican Church in the Middle and Southern colonies. -
Is Saving Lives Your Task Or God's? Religiosity, Belief in God, and Moral Judgment
Judgment and Decision Making, Vol. 12, No. 3, May 2017, pp. 280–296 Is saving lives your task or God’s? Religiosity, belief in god, and moral judgment Netta Barak-Corren∗ Max H. Bazerman† Abstract Should a Catholic hospital abort a life-threatening pregnancy or let a pregnant woman die? Should a religious employer allow his employees access to contraceptives or break with healthcare legislation? People and organizations of faith often face moral decisions that have significant consequences. Research in psychology found that religion is typically associated with deontological judgment. Yet deontology consists of many principles, which may, at times, conflict. In three studies, we design a conflict between moral principles and find that the relationship between moral judgment and religiosity is more nuanced than currently assumed. Studies 1 and 2 show that, while religious U.S. Christians and Israeli Jews are more likely to form deontological judgments, they divide between the deontological principles of inaction and indirectness. Using textual analysis, we reveal that specific beliefs regarding divine responsibility and human responsibility distinguish inaction from indirectness deontologists. Study 3 exploits natural differences in religious saliency across days of the week to provide causal evidence that religion raises deontological tendencies on Sundays and selectively increases the appeal of inaction deontology for those who believe in an interventionist and responsible God. Keywords: religion, normative conflict, inaction, indirectness, deontology, utilitarianism, Sunday effect 1 Introduction event, he declared it to be a direct and impermissible abortion and excommunicated Sister McBride. The tension between In late 2010, St. Joseph’s Hospital of Phoenix, Arizona, these positions appears to reflect different moral judgments. -
Sociology of Religion, Lundscow, Chapter 7, Cults
Sociology of Religion , Sociology 3440-090 Summer 2014, University of Utah Dr. Frank J. Page Office Room 429 Beh. Sci., Office Hours: Thursday - Friday, Noon – 4:00-pm Office Phone: (801) 531-3075 Home Phone: (801) 278-6413 Email: [email protected] I. Goals: The primary goal of this class is to give students a sociological understanding of religion as a powerful, important, and influential social institution that is associated with many social processes and phenomena that motivate and influence how people act and see the world around them. The class will rely on a variety of methods that include comparative analysis, theoretical explanations, ethnographic studies, and empirical studies designed to help students better understand religion and its impact upon societies, global-international events, and personal well-being. This overview of the nature, functioning, and diversity of religious institutions should help students make more discerning decisions regarding cultural, political, and moral issues that are often influenced by religion. II. Topics To Be Covered: The course is laid out in two parts. The first section begins with a review of conventional and theoretical conceptions of religion and an overview of the importance and centrality of religion to human societies. It emphasizes the diversity and nature of "religious experience" in terms of different denominations, cultures, classes, and individuals. This is followed by overview of sociological assumptions and theories and their application to religion. A variety of theoretical schools including, functionalism, conflict theory, exchange theory, sociology of knowledge, sociobiology, feminist theory, symbolic interactionism, postmodern and critical theory will be addressed and applied to religion. -
Inseparable Faith: Exploring Manifestations and Experiences of Faith-Work Integration in Young Alumni from a Christian University Emilie Hoffman Taylor University
Taylor University Pillars at Taylor University Master of Arts in Higher Education Thesis Collection 2017 Inseparable Faith: Exploring Manifestations and Experiences of Faith-Work Integration in Young Alumni from a Christian University Emilie Hoffman Taylor University Follow this and additional works at: https://pillars.taylor.edu/mahe Part of the Higher Education Commons Recommended Citation Hoffman, Emilie, "Inseparable Faith: Exploring Manifestations and Experiences of Faith-Work Integration in Young Alumni from a Christian University" (2017). Master of Arts in Higher Education Thesis Collection. 90. https://pillars.taylor.edu/mahe/90 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Pillars at Taylor University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master of Arts in Higher Education Thesis Collection by an authorized administrator of Pillars at Taylor University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INSEPARABLE FAITH: EXPLORING MANIFESTATIONS AND EXPERIENCES OF FAITH-WORK INTEGRATION IN YOUNG ALUMNI FROM A CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY _______________________ A thesis Presented to The School of Social Sciences, Education & Business Department of Higher Education and Student Development Taylor University Upland, Indiana ______________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Higher Education and Student Development _______________________ by Emilie Hoffman May 2017 Emilie Hoffman 2017 Higher Education and Student Development Taylor University Upland, Indiana CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL _________________________ MASTER’S THESIS _________________________ This is to certify that the Thesis of Emilie Hoffman entitled Inseparable Faith: Exploring Manifestations and Experiences of Faith-Work Integration in Young Alumni from a Christian University has been approved by the Examining Committee for the thesis requirement for the Master of Arts degree in Higher Education and Student Development May 2017 __________________________ _____________________________ Drew Moser, Ph.D. -
General Assembly Distr.: General 4 April 2019
United Nations A/RES/73/285 General Assembly Distr.: General 4 April 2019 Seventy-third session Agenda item 72 Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 2 April 2019 [without reference to a Main Committee (A/73/L.79 and A/73/L.79/Add.1)] 73/285. Combating terrorism and other acts of violence based on religion or belief The General Assembly, Recalling that all States have pledged themselves, under the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1 to promote universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, Recalling also its relevant resolutions, including resolution 73/164 of 17 December 2018 on combating intolerance, negative stereotyping, stigmatization, discrimination, incitement to violence and violence against persons, based on religion or belief, and resolution 73/176 of 17 December 2018 on freedom of religion or belief, Reaffirming that discrimination against human beings on the grounds of religion or belief constitutes an affront to human dignity and a disavowal of the principles of the Charter, Reaffirming also the obligation of States to prohibit discrimination and violence on the basis of religion or belief and to implement measures to guarantee the equal and effective protection of the law, Recalling that States have the primary responsibility to promote and protect human rights, including the human rights of persons belonging to religious minorities, including their right to exercise their religion or belief freely, Expressing deep concern at the instances of intolerance and discrimination and acts of violence occurring in the world, including cases motivated by discrimination against persons belonging to religious minorities, in addition to the negative projection of the followers of religions and the enforcement of measures that specifically discriminate against persons on the basis of religion or belief, __________________ 1 Resolution 217 A (III). -
(Dis)Believing and Belonging: Investigating the Narratives of Young British Atheists1
(Dis)Believing and Belonging: Investigating the Narratives of Young British Atheists1 REBECCA CATTO Coventry University JANET ECCLES Independent Researcher Abstract The development and public prominence of the ‘New Atheism’ in the West, particularly the UK and USA, since the millennium has occasioned considerable growth in the study of ‘non-religion and secularity’. Such work is uncovering the variety and complexity of associated categories, different public figures, arguments and organi- zations involved. There has been a concomitant increase in research on youth and religion. As yet, however, little is known about young people who self-identify as atheist, though the statistics indicate that in Britain they are the cohort most likely to select ‘No religion’ in surveys. This article addresses this gap with presentation of data gathered with young British people who describe themselves as atheists. Atheism is a multifaceted identity for these young people developed over time and through experience. Disbelief in God and other non-empirical propositions such as in an afterlife and the efficacy of homeopathy and belief in progress through science, equality and freedom are central to their narratives. Hence belief is taken as central to the sociological study of atheism, but understood as formed and performed in relationships in which emotions play a key role. In the late modern context of contemporary Britain, these young people are far from amoral individualists. We employ current theorizing about the sacred to help understand respondents’ belief and value-oriented non-religious identities in context. Keywords: Atheism, Youth, UK, Belief, Sacred Phil Zuckerman (2010b, vii) notes that for decades British sociologist Colin Campbell’s call for a widespread analysis of irreligion went largely un- heeded (Campbell 1971). -
Leven: Een Kwestie Van Genieten1
Leven: een kwestie van genieten1 Ik wandel door het bos. Het is een stralende, winterse dag. De zon schijnt. De bladeren kleuren bruin, geel, oranje, rood. Er ligt een dun laagje ijs op het water. Mijn vijf maanden oude zoontje bungelt in zijn draag- doek op mijn buik. Ik voel: het lichaam dat ik ben geniet op dit ogenblik. Ik zit thuis aan tafel. Kaarslicht werpt schaduwen op het muurkleed. Muziek uit Mali klinkt uit de luidsprekers. Ik eet een bord heerlijk gekruide Thaise vissoep en drink een glas Chardonnay. Ik voel: het lichaam dat ik ben geniet op dit ogenblik. Ik loop - vijf jaar geleden, ik herinner het mij als de dag van vandaag – ‘s ochtends vroeg van Thorung Phedi naar Thorung La (in de Himalaya), meer dan vijf duizend meter hoog. Overal om mij heen verblindend witte sneeuw, de blauwe hemel – letterlijk: “on top of the world”. Ik voel: het lichaam dat ik ben geniet op dit ogenblik. Ik zit op een rots, aan een kiezelstrand aan de kust van het Griekse eiland Amorgos. De Aegeïsche zee ligt diep blauw voor mij. Mijn vriendin zit op haar knieën voor mij. Zij pijpt mij. Ik kom klaar. Ik voel: het lichaam dat ik ben geniet op dit ogenblik. Vier momentopnamen uit mijn leven die ik niet beschreven vind in het ‘meest succesvolle Filosofieboek van 2002’, de door Joep Dohmen ver- zorgde bloemlezing Over levenskunst 2. Waarom niet? Zouden grote filosofen deze ogenblikken niet kennen? Zouden ze deze momenten van genieten niet beschouwen als behorende tot het goede leven? En ‘kleine filosofen’ dan? 1 Deze tekst verscheen in het tijdschrift Filosofie, (april/mei 2003) 2 Joep Dohmen: Over levenskunst. -
Religion–State Relations
Religion–State Relations International IDEA Constitution-Building Primer 8 Religion–State Relations International IDEA Constitution-Building Primer 8 Dawood Ahmed © 2017 International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) Second edition First published in 2014 by International IDEA International IDEA publications are independent of specific national or political interests. Views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the views of International IDEA, its Board or its Council members. The electronic version of this publication is available under a Creative Commons Attribute-NonCommercial- ShareAlike 3.0 (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0) licence. You are free to copy, distribute and transmit the publication as well as to remix and adapt it, provided it is only for non-commercial purposes, that you appropriately attribute the publication, and that you distribute it under an identical licence. For more information on this licence visit the Creative Commons website: <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/> International IDEA Strömsborg SE–103 34 Stockholm Sweden Telephone: +46 8 698 37 00 Email: [email protected] Website: <http://www.idea.int> Cover design: International IDEA Cover illustration: © 123RF, <http://www.123rf.com> Produced using Booktype: <https://booktype.pro> ISBN: 978-91-7671-113-2 Contents 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................. 3 Advantages and risks ............................................................................................... -
The Heritage of Non-Theistic Belief in China
The Heritage of Non-theistic Belief in China Joseph A. Adler Kenyon College Presented to the international conference, "Toward a Reasonable World: The Heritage of Western Humanism, Skepticism, and Freethought" (San Diego, September 2011) Naturalism and humanism have long histories in China, side-by-side with a long history of theistic belief. In this paper I will first sketch the early naturalistic and humanistic traditions in Chinese thought. I will then focus on the synthesis of these perspectives in Neo-Confucian religious thought. I will argue that these forms of non-theistic belief should be considered aspects of Chinese religion, not a separate realm of philosophy. Confucianism, in other words, is a fully religious humanism, not a "secular humanism." The religion of China has traditionally been characterized as having three major strands, the "three religions" (literally "three teachings" or san jiao) of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. Buddhism, of course, originated in India in the 5th century BCE and first began to take root in China in the 1st century CE, so in terms of early Chinese thought it is something of a latecomer. Confucianism and Daoism began to take shape between the 5th and 3rd centuries BCE. But these traditions developed in the context of Chinese "popular religion" (also called folk religion or local religion), which may be considered a fourth strand of Chinese religion. And until the early 20th century there was yet a fifth: state religion, or the "state cult," which had close relations very early with both Daoism and Confucianism, but after the 2nd century BCE became associated primarily (but loosely) with Confucianism. -
Hinduism and Hindu Philosophy
Essays on Indian Philosophy UNIVE'aSITY OF HAWAII Uf,FU:{ Essays on Indian Philosophy SHRI KRISHNA SAKSENA UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII PRESS HONOLULU 1970 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 78·114209 Standard Book Number 87022-726-2 Copyright © 1970 by University of Hawaii Press All Rights Reserved Printed in the United States of America Contents The Story of Indian Philosophy 3 Basic Tenets of Indian Philosophy 18 Testimony in Indian Philosophy 24 Hinduism 37 Hinduism and Hindu Philosophy 51 The Jain Religion 54 Some Riddles in the Behavior of Gods and Sages in the Epics and the Puranas 64 Autobiography of a Yogi 71 Jainism 73 Svapramanatva and Svapraka!;>atva: An Inconsistency in Kumarila's Philosophy 77 The Nature of Buddhi according to Sankhya-Yoga 82 The Individual in Social Thought and Practice in India 88 Professor Zaehner and the Comparison of Religions 102 A Comparison between the Eastern and Western Portraits of Man in Our Time 117 Acknowledgments The author wishes to make the following acknowledgments for permission to reprint previously published essays: "The Story of Indian Philosophy," in A History of Philosophical Systems. edited by Vergilius Ferm. New York:The Philosophical Library, 1950. "Basic Tenets of Indian Philosophy," previously published as "Are There Any Basic Tenets of Indian Philosophy?" in The Philosophical Quarterly. "Testimony in Indian Philosophy," previously published as "Authority in Indian Philosophy," in Ph ilosophyEast and West. vo!.l,no. 3 (October 1951). "Hinduism," in Studium Generale. no. 10 (1962). "The Jain Religion," previously published as "Jainism," in Religion in the Twentieth Century. edited by Vergilius Ferm. -
Religious Fundamentalism in Eight Muslim‐
JOURNAL for the SCIENTIFIC STUDY of RELIGION Religious Fundamentalism in Eight Muslim-Majority Countries: Reconceptualization and Assessment MANSOOR MOADDEL STUART A. KARABENICK Department of Sociology Combined Program in Education and Psychology University of Maryland University of Michigan To capture the common features of diverse fundamentalist movements, overcome etymological variability, and assess predictors, religious fundamentalism is conceptualized as a set of beliefs about and attitudes toward religion, expressed in a disciplinarian deity, literalism, exclusivity, and intolerance. Evidence from representative samples of over 23,000 adults in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and Turkey supports the conclusion that fundamentalism is stronger in countries where religious liberty is lower, religion less fractionalized, state structure less fragmented, regulation of religion greater, and the national context less globalized. Among individuals within countries, fundamentalism is linked to religiosity, confidence in religious institutions, belief in religious modernity, belief in conspiracies, xenophobia, fatalism, weaker liberal values, trust in family and friends, reliance on less diverse information sources, lower socioeconomic status, and membership in an ethnic majority or dominant religion/sect. We discuss implications of these findings for understanding fundamentalism and the need for further research. Keywords: fundamentalism, Islam, Christianity, Sunni, Shia, Muslim-majority countries. INTRODUCTION