DOCSLIB.ORG

Colonization & Missions

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Colonization & Missions COLONIZATION & MISSIONS: A CRITICAL REVIEW OF MONOTHEISM IN THE 19th CENTURY ©Charleston C. K. Wang I. Introduction Christianity is one of three great faiths that proclaim the One God. Judaism precedes Christianity by two thousand years or more, and Islam follows by a more precise six hundred. The 19th century is a defining watershed period for all three faiths and the protagonist was a Europe powered by the industrial revolution on the one hand and novel ideas of progress on the other. The result was an internal weakening of Christian belief within the nations of Europe but an unprecedented strengthening of European political power outwards in the form of colonialism. It was the hundred years that reshaped both the political and religious map of the world. It is impossible to discuss all the ramifications and this paper will focus critically on the legacy of a dominant Europe on the three Monotheistic faiths. II. A Quick Prelude: During any contemporary dialogue involving Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, an adequate way to begin the search for consensus is to mention Abraham.1 Everyone at the table will agree that Abraham was their patriarch, spiritual if not actual – beyond that there are few certainties. For a few thousand years, Abraham was patriarch of the Jews. Then Christianity began in Jerusalem with the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. While drawing upon the Old Testament which includes the Torah, Christians became practitioners of a new and separate religion which flourished not in its place in origin, but first in Mediterranean Europe and then across that entire continent. Islam 1 began with the gradual revelation2 of the Quran to Muhammad followed by the Hijrah or migration of the first Muslim community from Mecca to Medina (also known as Yathrib).3 While started by a small band of refugees fleeing from the polytheism of Mecca and who acknowledged the other peoples of the Book, Islam established itself as a separate religion and rapidly spread throughout the Middle East including Persia, eastward across South and Southeast Asia and westward across North Africa and into Europe. With the expansion of Christianity and Islam, both of which acknowledged the prophets of the Old Testament, the source of Monotheism became the minority religion, especially when the number of believers is the criterion. As territorial gain and loss hung in the balance with the spread of Christianity and Islam, a clash between the two became inevitable. This clash occurred around the Mediterranean rim and the Balkan region of Europe. Because Christianity was established in Europe before Islam, the latter became viewed as invaders of Christendom for centuries during the medieval age and into the Renaissance. The first check on the spread of Islam into Europe through Spain occurred in 732 at the Battle of Tours (also known as the Battle of Poitiers).4 In 827 Aghlabi rulers of Tunis occupied Sicily until 878, and from 909-1071, Sicily again fell under the control of Fatimid rulers who also united North Africa and Egypt under a Ismaili-Shitte Caliphate. 1 See, e.g., Feiler, B., Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of the Three Faiths (William Morrow 2002). 2 The revelation spanned a period of twenty-three years during which Mohammad heard the voice of God while in a trance. 3 The Islamic calendar begins with the Hijrah which occurred in 622 C.E. This small community of outcasts called themselves Muslims because they had surrendered themselves to Allah3 which they proclaimed in the shahadah that “there is no god but Allah and that Mohammad is his Prophet.” 4This battle was fought on October 10, 732 between forces under the Frankish leader Charles Martel and an Islamic army led by Emir Abd er Rahman. During the battle, the Franks defeated the Islamic army and Emir Abd er Rahman was killed. The result of this battle stopped the northward advance of Islam from Spain. 2 In the second millennium, troubling Christendom was the prolonged Muslim presence in Jerusalem since 638, and more so, the immediate threat against Constantinople, the gateway into Europe from the east. The response was to launch the Crusades in 1095, a war of religion conducted with the blessings of Popes.5 Over a three hundred year period, Jews found themselves caught in the cross-fire, especially during the later Crusades when the enemy was proclaimed to include the remaining pagan and heretical principalities of Europe. When the Crusaders entered Jerusalem in 1099, Jews were expelled from the city. Hostility and plunder were directed not just against Muslims and Jews but also against Christians. For example, the Fourth Crusade never reached Palestine but instead sacked Constantinople. This crusade served to worsen the already strained relationship between the Christian East and West. The Byzantine Empire later recovered its capital, but its strength was spent. Abandoned by Western Christendom, Constantinople fell the last time to the Ottomans.in 1453. Turkish interest in Europe continued for another two hundred years: siege was laid on Vienna in 1529 and a climactic battle was fought before the gates of Vienna again in 16836. From the vantage of Europe, the successful defense of Vienna marked the end of the Muslim encroachment through the Balkans as did the Battle of Tours ended the threat through Spain almost a thousand years earlier. The 5 It has been customary to count the Crusades as eight in number i.e. the first - 1095-1101;the second, headed by Louis VII, 1145-47; the third, conducted by Philip Augustus and Richard I of England 1188-92; the fourth, during which Constantinople was taken, 1204; the fifth, which included the conquest of Damietta 1217; the sixth, involving Frederaick II (1228-29); Thibaud de Champagne and Richard of Cornwall (1239); the seventh, led by St. Louis, 1249-52; the eighth, also under St. Louis, 1270. 6 During this time, Turkish pashas ruled in Budapest and Belgrade. 3 Treaty of Karlowitz in 1699 marked the beginning of the fragmentation of the Ottoman Empire. Wars inevitably leave lasting and bitter memories. In the Muslim world, the Crusades are viewed to this day as cruel aggression and savage pillage by Christendom on Islam. Europeans, especially those in and around the Balkans remember the Ottoman Islam incursions with comparable distress. III. Monotheism in the 19th Century In his book The Crisis of Islam, Professor Bernard Lewis introduces the 19th century very aptly thus: For most historians, Middle Eastern and Western alike, the conventional beginning of modern history in the Middle East dates from 1798, when the French Revolution, in the person of a young general called Napoleon Bonaparte, landed in Egypt. Within a remarkably short time, General Bonaparte and his small expeditionary force were able to conquer, occupy, and rule the country. There had been, before this, attacks, retreats, and losses of territory on the remote frontiers, where the Turks and the Persians faced Austria and Russia. But for a small western force to invade one of the heartlands of Islam was a profound shock.7 What is even more shocking was that the French were forced out of Egypt not solely by a Muslim army but by a detachment of the British fleet.8 Barbara W. Tuchman describes this dramatically: In the closing year of the 18th century Englishmen were once again fighting on the beach before Acre, five hundred years to the decade since the Crusaders had lost Acre for the last time. The famous fortress dominating the seaward approach to Palestine and the military highway along the coast had been a prize of arms uncounted times during its embattled career of some thirty centuries. … Now 7 Bernard Lewis, The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror, p54. (The Modern Library 2003). 8 Id. at p.55. 4 suddenly, after centuries of Islamic sleep, British gunboats boomed in the harbor and fierce Mamelukes desperately defended the walls while a European army laid siege by land. This time, oddly enough, the British were defending the fort, not attacking it. They were fighting on the side of the Turks against … the army of Napoleon beneath them.9 Even as the besieger lay beseiged outside Acre, Napolean issued his promise to restore Palestine to the Jews, but the proclamation was unimplemented as he was soon obliged to withdraw from Palestine. Rivalries amongst the Europeans notwithstanding, the dawning of the 19th century brought the age of European colonialism to the Dar-al-Salem and Europe was unstoppable. The now effete Ottoman Empire, like the Byzantines before them, found itself unable to defend the interests of Islam against invasion by the various emergent nation-states of Europe. The end result was the roughshod balkanization of the house of Islamic into roughly four spheres of influence: (1) the Middle East and North Africa to Britain, and France, (2) the Caucasus and trans-Caucasus to Russia, (3) greater India to Britain, (4) Southeast Asia to Britain (Malaya and Borneo) and the Netherlands (the Indonesian islands). Germany and Italy were latecomers to this part of the world; the former had to content itself with seeking common cause with an emerging Turkey and the latter with elbowing for scraps in Africa. In the 19th century, the tables have turned and the Christian version of Monotheism clearly dominated the debate over colonies. IV. A Curious Concession: A Mission of Biblical Prophecy or An Act of Realpolitik? 9 Barbara W. Tuchman, Bible and Sword: England and Palestine from the Bronze Age to Balfour, p. 158 (Ballantine Books 1956) 5 Since the fabled arrival of Joseph of Arimathea in Britain, the people of that island has been drawn towards the Holy Land through two forces: (1) the on-going quest for Biblical truth and to connect with God and (2) in the 19th century, the imperial need to control the route to India (and China)10.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Monism and Monotheism in Al-Ghaz Lı's Mishk T Al-Anw R
    Monism and Monotheism in al-Ghaz�lı’s Mishk�t al-anw�r Alexander Treiger YALE UNIVERSITY It is appropriate to begin a study on the problem of Monism versus Monotheism in Abü ˘�mid al-Ghaz�lı’s (d. 505/1111) thought by juxtaposing two passages from his famous treatise Mishk�t al-anw�r (‘The Niche of Lights’) which is devoted to an interpretation of the Light Verse (Q. 24:35) and of the Veils ˘adıth (to be discussed below).1 As I will try to show, the two passages represent monistic and monotheistic perspectives respectively. For the purposes of the present study, the term ‘monism’ refers to the theory, put forward by al-Ghaz�lı in a number of contexts, that God is the only existent in existence and the world, considered in itself, is ‘sheer non-existence’ (fiadam ma˛∂); while ‘monotheism’ refers to the view that God is the one of the totality of existents which is the source of existence for the rest of existents. The fundamental difference between the two views lies in their respective assessments of God’s granting existence to what is other than He: the monistic paradigm views the granting of existence as essentially virtual so that in the last analysis God alone exists, whereas the monotheistic paradigm sees the granting of existence as real.2 Let us now turn to the passages in question. Passage A: Mishk�t, Part 1, §§52–43 [§52] The entire world is permeated by external visual and internal intellectual lights … Lower [lights] emanate from one another the way light emanates from a lamp [sir�j, cf.
    [Show full text]
  • JOSHUA L. MOSS Source: Melilah: Atheism, Scepticism and Challenges to Mono
    EDITOR Daniel R. Langton ASSISTANT EDITOR Simon Mayers Title: Satire, Monotheism and Scepticism Author(s): JOSHUA L. MOSS Source: Melilah: Atheism, Scepticism and Challenges to Monotheism, Vol. 12 (2015), pp. 14-21 Published by: University of Manchester and Gorgias Press URL: http://www.melilahjournal.org/p/2015.html ISBN: 978-1-4632-0622-2 ISSN: 1759-1953 A publication of the Centre for Jewish Studies, University of Manchester, United Kingdom. Co-published by SATIRE, MONOTHEISM AND SCEPTICISM Joshua L. Moss* ABSTRACT: The habits of mind which gave Israel’s ancestors cause to doubt the existence of the pagan deities sometimes lead their descendants to doubt the existence of any personal God, however conceived. Monotheism was and is a powerful form of Scepticism. The Hebrew Bible contains notable satires of Paganism, such as Psalm 115 and Isaiah 44 with their biting mockery of idols. Elijah challenged the worshippers of Ba’al to a demonstration of divine power, using satire. The reader knows that nothing will happen in response to the cries of Baal’s worshippers, and laughs. Yet, the worshippers of Israel’s God must also be aware that their own cries for help often go unanswered. The insight that caused Abraham to smash the idols in his father’s shop also shakes the altar erected by Elijah. Doubt, once unleashed, is not easily contained. Scepticism is a natural part of the Jewish experience. In the middle ages Jews were non-believers and dissenters as far as the dominant religions were concerned. With the advent of modernity, those sceptical habits of mind could be applied to religion generally, including Judaism.
    [Show full text]
  • 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.
    [Show full text]
  • 'ONE' in EGYPTIAN THEOLOGY Jan ASSMANN* That We May Speak Of
    MONO-, PAN-, AND COSMOTHEISM: THINKING THE 'ONE' IN EGYPTIAN THEOLOGY Jan ASSMANN* That we may speak of Egyptian 'theology' is everything but self-evident. Theology is not something to be expected in every religion, not even in the Old Testament. In Germany and perhaps also elsewhere, there is a heated debate going on in OT studies about whether the subject of the discipline should be defined in the traditional way as "theology of OT" or rather, "history of Israelite religion".(1) The concern with questions of theology, some people argue, is typical only of Early Christianity when self-definitions and clear-cut concepts were needed in order to keep clear of Judaism, Gnosticism and all kinds of sects and heresies in between. Theology is a historical and rather exceptional phenomenon that must not be generalized and thoughtlessly projected onto other religions.(2) If theology is a contested notion even with respect to the OT, how much more so should this term be avoided with regard to ancient Egypt! The aim of my lecture is to show that this is not to be regarded as the last word about ancient Egyptian religion but that, on the contrary, we are perfectly justified in speaking of Egyptian theology. This seemingly paradoxical fact is due to one single exceptional person or event, namely to Akhanyati/Akhenaten and his religious revolution. Before I deal with this event, however, I would like to start with some general reflections about the concept of 'theology' and the historical conditions for the emergence and development of phenomena that might be subsumed under that term.
    [Show full text]
  • Original Monotheism: a Signal of Transcendence Challenging
    Liberty University Original Monotheism: A Signal of Transcendence Challenging Naturalism and New Ageism A Thesis Project Report Submitted to the Faculty of the School of Divinity in Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Ministry Department of Christian Leadership and Church Ministries by Daniel R. Cote Lynchburg, Virginia April 5, 2020 Copyright © 2020 by Daniel R. Cote All Rights Reserved ii Liberty University School of Divinity Thesis Project Approval Sheet Dr. T. Michael Christ Adjunct Faculty School of Divinity Dr. Phil Gifford Adjunct Faculty School of Divinity iii THE DOCTOR OF MINISTRY THESIS PROJECT ABSTRACT Daniel R. Cote Liberty University School of Divinity, 2020 Mentor: Dr. T. Michael Christ Where once in America, belief in Christian theism was shared by a large majority of the population, over the last 70 years belief in Christian theism has significantly eroded. From 1948 to 2018, the percent of Americans identifying as Catholic or Christians dropped from 91 percent to 67 percent, with virtually all the drop coming from protestant denominations.1 Naturalism and new ageism increasingly provide alternative means for understanding existential reality without the moral imperatives and the belief in the divine associated with Christian theism. The ironic aspect of the shifting of worldviews underway in western culture is that it continues with little regard for strong evidence for the truth of Christian theism emerging from historical, cultural, and scientific research. One reality long overlooked in this regard is the research of Wilhelm Schmidt and others, which indicates that the earliest religion of humanity is monotheism. Original monotheism is a strong indicator of the existence of a transcendent God who revealed Himself as portrayed in Genesis 1-11, thus affirming the truth of essential elements of Christian theism and the falsity of naturalism and new ageism.
    [Show full text]
  • PLUTARCH and “PAGAN MONOTHEISM” Frederick E. Brenk
    PLUTARCH AND “PAGAN MONOTHEISM” Frederick E. Brenk When the Georgian poet, Rustaveli, visited Jerusa- lem in 1192, he recorded seeing on the frescoes of the Monastery of the Holy Cross, alongside Chris- tian saints, portraits of the Greek sages “such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Cheilon, Thucydides, and Plutarch, just as they are to be found in our monastery on Athos”.1 One of the great religious and philosophical aspects of late antiquity was monotheism.2 In the second century the only really well-known monothe- istic religious groups were the Jews and Christians. Jews and Judaism were 1 S. Brock, “A Syriac Collection of Prophecies of the Pagan Philosophers”, in S. Brock, Studies in Syriac Christianity. History, Literature and Theology (Hampshire 1992) ch. VII (origi- nally OLP 14 [1983] 203–246 at 203). 2 See G. Fowden, Empire to Commonwealth. Consequences of Monotheism in Late Antiq- uity (Princeton 1993); P. Athanassiadi & M. Frede (eds), Pagan Monotheism in Late Antiquity (Oxford 1999) and the review by M. Edwards, JThS 51 (2000) 339–342; R. Bloch, “Monotheism”, in Brill’s New Pauly, IX (2006) cols 171–174; C. Ando “Introduction to Part IV”, in idem (ed.), Roman Religion (Edinburgh 2003) 141–146; L.W. Hurtado, One God, One Lord. Early Christian Devotion and Ancient Jewish Monotheism (Philadelphia 2003); J. Assmann, “Monotheism and Polytheism”, in S. Iles Johnston (ed.), Religions of the Ancient World (Cambridge 2004) 17–31; M. Edwards, “Pagan and Christian Monotheism in the Age of Constantine”, in S. Swain & M. Edwards (eds), Approaching Late Antiquity. The Transformation from Early to Late Empire (Oxford 2004) 211–234; M.
    [Show full text]
  • Are Jews the Only True Monotheists? Some Critical Reflections in Jewish Thought from the Renaissance to the Present
    University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Departmental Papers (History) Department of History 2015 Are Jews the Only True Monotheists? Some Critical Reflections in Jewish Thought from the Renaissance to the Present David B. Ruderman University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/history_papers Part of the History of Religion Commons, Intellectual History Commons, Jewish Studies Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Ruderman, D. B. (2015). Are Jews the Only True Monotheists? Some Critical Reflections in Jewish Thought from the Renaissance to the Present. Melilah: Manchester Journal of Jewish Studies, 12 22-30. Retrieved from https://repository.upenn.edu/history_papers/39 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/history_papers/39 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Are Jews the Only True Monotheists? Some Critical Reflections in Jewish Thought from the Renaissance to the Present Abstract Monotheism, by simple definition, implies a belief in one God for all peoples, not for one particular nation. But as the Shemah prayer recalls, God spoke exclusively to Israel in insisting that God is one. This address came to define the essential nature of the Jewish faith, setting it apart from all other faiths both in the pre-modern and modern worlds. This essay explores the positions of a variety of thinkers on the question of the exclusive status of monotheism in Judaism from the Renaissance until the present day. It first discusses the challenge offered to Judaism by the Renaissance thinker Pico della Mirandola and his notion of ancient theology which claimed a common core of belief among all nations and cultures.
    [Show full text]
  • Drawing from Mysticism in Monotheistic Religious Traditions to Inform Profound and Transformative Learning
    112 Drawing from Mysticism in Monotheistic Religious Traditions To Inform Profound and Transformative Learning Michael Kroth1, Davin J. Carr-Chellman2, and Julia Mahfouz3 1University of Idaho--Boise, 2University of Dayton, and 3University of Colorado-Denver Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to introduce the processes and practices of mysticism found within the monotheistic traditions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, in an attempt to identify areas where these might inform, elaborate, and deepen our understanding of profound and transformative learning theory and practice. Keywords: monotheism, mysticism, profound learning, transformative learning theory “Mysticism has been called ‘the great spiritual current which goes through all religions.’” ~Annemarie Schimmel (2011, p. 4) The purpose of this paper is to introduce the processes and practices of mysticism within the monotheistic understandings of mysticism in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in an attempt to identify areas where these might inform, elaborate, and deepen our understanding of profound and transformative learning theory and practice. This article will briefly propose: 1) connections between mysticism, profound and transformative learning; and 2) examine the underpinnings of mysticism as both an experience and a process to inform transformational and profound learning theory. For this initial discussion, we have primarily drawn from some of the key texts and thinkers which have interpreted mysticism from the perspectives of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. By examining mysticism through three examples from monotheistic religions, this paper suggests that mysticism as an experience and process is strongly linked with profound and transformational learning and could be used to unpack ideas of transformative learning and also to help explicate the relationship of profound learning to transformative learning.
    [Show full text]
  • View the Curriculum
    Program Mission The Mission of the Department of Religious Studies is to: 1. Introduce the methodologies of religious studies as an academic discipline 2. Advance the profession of religious studies through a commitment to scholarly research, publication, interpretation, and discussion 3. Cultivate an understanding of religious pluralism, including non-religious perspectives, in order to create global citizens in a religiously diverse world, and 4. Promote informed public dialogue about religion and its influence on society and culture. Program Learning Goals 1. Develop religious literacy in order for students to become responsible global citizens 2. Engage students in their own learning 3. Encourage students to analyze religion through the lenses of different world views 4. Connect theory and practice using examples from world religions 5. Challenge student presuppositions and ask students to reflect upon their inherited traditions 6. Analyze written, visual, or performed texts in religious studies with sensitivity to their diverse cultural contexts and historical moments 7. Argue from multiple perspectives about issues in religious studies that have both personal and global relevance 8. Demonstrate the ability to approach complex problems and ask complex questions drawing upon knowledge of religious studies Degree Learning Outcomes/Student Learning Outcomes 1. Clarify the difference between religious studies and theology 2. Contextualize religious phenomena 3. Use logic and theoretical methods to analyze religious issues and solve problems 4. Argue from multiple perspectives about issues in religious studies that have personal and global relevance 5. Demonstrate the ability to approach complex problems and ask complex questions drawing upon knowledge of religions 6. Communicate answers to real world problems 7.
    [Show full text]
  • A Comparative Study of the Concept of God in Hinduism and Islam
    International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 3, Issue 2, February 2013 1 ISSN 2250-3153 A comparative study of the concept of God in Hinduism and Islam Abid Mushtaq Wani Abstract: In this research paper we will discuss the concept of God in Hinduism and Islam, the two major world religions. The theme of this paper is to show that monotheism is at the core of both these great religions. Islam is strictly monotheistic but Hinduism has pantheistic and henotheistic tendencies as well. While monotheism means the oneness and transcendence of God pantheism means that the Supreme Being is immanent in His creation and is present everywhere and in everything. Henotheism is the belief in one Supreme Divinity with the belief in other lesser deities. I. INTRODUCTION he concept of God is the basic tenet of almost all religions. I said almost because renowned religions like Buddhism and Jainism T do not hold the belief in an Absolute Creator of the world. Theologians usually define God as all-powerful, all-knowing, transcendent, eternal and infinite. My research paper is about the concept of God in one of the two major world religions of the world; Hinduism and Islam. We shall hypothesize that the unity of God is the central part of both these great religions. While Hinduism is pantheistic when Vedanta is taken into consideration, Islam is purely monotheistic. Most of the Hindus worship many gods and goddesses but they believe that they are the manifestations of One Absolute Being. I have consulted the basic sources of both these religions.
    [Show full text]
  • Understanding in the Study of Bengal Renaissance Philosophical Thought1
    Studia Religiologica 50 (4) 2017, s. 321–334 doi:10.4467/20844077SR.17.020.8461 www.ejournals.eu/Studia-Religiologica Phenomena of Religious Consciousness in the Genesis of Neo-Vedantism: Understanding in the Study of Bengal Renaissance Philosophical Thought1 Tatiana G. Skorokhodova Penza State University [email protected] Abstract The influences of the phenomena of religious consciousness on the thinking and philosophy of Modern India are described in the article, based on the Bengal Renaissance works of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, especially those of the inaugurator Rammohun Roy. He created the basic foundations of Neo-Vedanta philosophy predominantly owing to the special phenomena of re- ligious consciousness. The basic phenomena are primordial religious experience and the experience of contemplation and understanding of an Other religion (Islam and Christianity). Derivative phe- nomena are “monotheistic revolution” (term by G. Pomerants) and dialogue of religions in personal consciousness. Opening the resemblance of Vedanta and other religious traditions’ meanings to dialogue helped to achieve a new interpretation of the darśana. The novelty of Neo-Vedantism lies in the appearance of mighty ethical and social vectors of thinking. The combination of the aforesaid phenomena created the method of philosophising – free dialogue between one’s own tradition and another in order to enrich indigenous thought. Keywords: Vedanta, Neo-Vedantism, the Bengal Renaissance, Rammohun Roy, religious con- sciousness, understanding of other religion, dialogue Słowa kluczowe: Wedanta, Neowedanta, bengalski renesans, Rammohun Roy, świadomość religij­ na, zrozumienie innej religii, dialog The influence of religion on the genesis and development of modern Indian philoso- phy in the nineteenth and early twentieth century is a significant theme in research.
    [Show full text]
  • PHILOSOPHIZING MONOTHEISM a Workshop in Philosophy and Theology ABSTRACTS
    SCHOOL OF PHILOSOPHY – UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN PHILOSOPHIZING MONOTHEISM A Workshop in Philosophy and Theology ABSTRACTS Wednesday, 10th May 2017 10h – 18h SPEAKERS Itzhak Benyamini Ward Blanton Joseph Cohen Aubrey Glazer Maureen Junker-Kenny Elad Lapidot Mahdi Tourage Raphael Zagury-Orly Coordinated by Itzhak Benyamini and Joseph Cohen 1 ABSTRACTS Three Modalities of Philosophizing Monotheism: Sacrifice, Election, Justice Joseph Cohen, University College Dublin, Ireland Raphael Zagury-Orly, Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem, Israel Our first question shall be: according to which modality are we to think the rapport between philosophy and monotheism? Indeed, this rapport has always been, in and throughout the history of Western thought, a complex one. From mutual exclusion to the efforts of synthesizing or conciliating both in one unifying discourse, to the numerous projects where one seeks to subjugate or contain the other, the alliance between philosophy and monotheism has never ceased to trouble philosophers and theologians alike. According to which idea and from which place can one maintain the singularities of both philosophical logos and monotheism whilst assuring the incontestable effects they both cause on each other? Undoubtedly, and in order to deploy our interpretative hypothesis, we will focus on the intricate dynamic between Judaism and Christianity and how this dynamic has surged in the history of philosophical thought. Consequently, our interpretative gesture will consist in developing three ideas – sacrifice, election, justice – by which is opened a certain address of both philosophical logos and monotheism. This address will show how and why both philosophical logos and monotheism incessantly read one into the other, inform and awaken each other whilst, at the same time, always fail to seize, comprehend or understand the singularity of the other.
    [Show full text]