Advanced Technology (Quantum Mechanics) Applied: The Science Behind Scriptural “Miracles”

Excerpted from Scriptural and Secular Parallels

Author(s): Eloise T. Choice / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2017

Nanotechnology ( the mechanics of Quantum Theory) is science, engineering, and technology conducted at the nanoscale, which is about 1 to 100 nanometers (1 billionth of a meter) on the metric scale and involves imaging, measuring, modeling, and manipulating matter at this length scale (10-9). Therefore, nanotechnology, nanoscience and nanobiology involve the ability to see and to control individual atoms and molecules “the internal movement of matter with a certain external cause” (Tudor 227) at the nanoscale. The focus of this discussion is on the “miracles” described in the Judeo/ Christian Old Testament and the Christian New Testament. This paper postulates that God, Jesus, the heavenly angels, and their human emissaries (Moses, Aaron, Elijah, the disciples/apostles) harnessed and applied similar scientific techniques (albeit far advanced beyond what mankind has done today) to accomplish what are often referred to as “miracles” (secular “magic”). Therefore, what we in the religious communities have long referred to as “miracles” (as are recounted throughout Holy Scripture and non-canonical Scriptures) were actually the result of advanced technologies applied. In the case of most of the Biblical “miracles,” the creation, restructuring and/or replication of physical matter were conducted at the atomic and molecular levels (10 -9). However, one in particular may have been conducted at the giga scale (10 9) when “… the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.” (Joshua 10:13). Nonetheless, this discussion proposes that these extraordinary events, manifestations of Divine intervention, were all accomplished in either of two ways: (1) A force of energy – referred to in Scripture as the Holy Spirit -- was tapped, harnessed, calibrated and channeled directly by way of Divine Word – the voices/ commands of God and Jesus -- to the intended target and (2) A force of energy – the Holy Spirit – was tapped, harnessed, calibrated and channeled indirectly by way of conduits such as rods, by way of Divine and human hands and the human body to the intended target. As the reader will come to realize over the discussion of this Theory, the ways in which these supernatural events came about sometimes overlap. Moreover, not all of the Biblical “miracles” will be discussed here.

AFRICAN AMERICAN RELIGIOSITY FROM A CO-CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE IN THE 1950S AND 60S

Author(s): Péter Gaál Szabó / Language(s): English / Issue: 22/2016

Co-cultural discourse proves fruitful in delineating African American response to white challenges even in the context of religion. The paper attempts to map the nature of the response on the basis of one aspect of this intercultural communication theory, i.e., the communication tactics of assimilation, in speeches and sermons of leaders of the Black Church and the Nation of Islam.

Ali Abdurazik i teorija odvojenosti islama i politike: kritičko vrednovanje

Author(s): Seid Halilović / Language(s): Serbian / Issue: 1/2018

A year after Atatürk abolished the institution of the caliphate, Ali Abdel Razek, an Islamic scholar from the traditional al­Azhar University, published a not-too-thick volume entitled Islam and the Foundations of Political Power and initiated a new and dynamic discussion of completely unexpected proportions about the relationship between Islam and politics. Distinguished professors of al-­Azhar had an urgent meeting and made a decision that Abdel Razek should be stripped of his title of an Islamic cleric because of the views he had expounded in his book. However, despite this, in the following decades his book became one of the most popular texts among the contemporary Muslim thinkers in the Egyptian scientific and political circles and beyond. On the basis of a detailed analysis of the contents of this book we notice that Abdel Razek persistently attempts to show that the caliphate did not have any benefit for the Muslims, and that it even was a source of permanent injustice and evil. He concludes that the political power, the state and even the judiciary should not be connected with religion, because they are exclusively political phenomena. He also insists that the Prophet Muhammad was a purely spiritual leader and that he had never contemplated the concepts of political authority or the state. For this reason he explicitly claims that politics and religion are mutually incompatible and warns Muslims that they must follow the latest results of human reason in the field of political science if they wish to consolidate the foundations and structure of the political power in their societies. However, we notice that, due to his frequent and generally objective criticism of the Caliphs and their policies in various historical periods, Abdel Razek ignores the fact that in the Quran and the Islamic tradition there are frequent references to the political power, the judiciary, defense issues, economic control, and the organization of internal and international politics, that is, that both the Quran and the Islamic tradition contain teachings about a different policy that leads one toward eternal bliss. Such policy, the ultimate purpose of which is the enlightenment of man and society, was written about extensively by the representatives of a brilliant political philosophy and political jurisprudence in Islam, who relied on the cognitive credibility of the religious texts and the various categories of theoretical and practical reason.

Altarul Reîntregirii

Frequency: irregular and other / Country: Romania

Altarul Reîntregirii is a tri-annual academic journal of „1st December 1918” University in Alba Iulia. Sponsored by Orthodox Archbishopric of Alba Iulia, Altarul Reîntregirii publishes peer-reviewed papers from religion, theology, bioethics and history domains.

Ambrozjańska krytyka astrologicznej koncepcji fatum Juliusza Firmicjusza Maternusa. Analiza Quaestio CXV

Author(s): Grzegorz Babiarz / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 3/2015

The polemic of Ambrosiaster against Julius Firmicus Maternus has been presented in five points. The first point is introduction. The second point describes fate in terms of an act of disbelief because it depreciates the Creator and contributes to portraying him as unjust and tyrannical. The third point presents a method of Astrology used to build a false worship: by rejecting the concept of miracle and prayer. Another point concerns the effects of rationality disorder induced by the logic of fate. The last point shows the destruction of the structure of a person trapped in irrationality. Ambrosiaster proves that he knows the work of Firmicus perfectly. He treats it as a serious threat to Christianity. In addition, Quaestio CXV is a testament to a growing disparity between cultural demonology and the one presented in the revealed teaching. The teaching of this author constitutes a part of a wide socio-religious context of the 4th century. It also opens up the field for discussion about the internal condition of Christianity of the tolerance period and its impact on the development of religious and social behaviours.

AMIKOR (KOLLEKTÍV) BŰN VOLT MAGYARNAK LENNI A FELVIDÉKEN

Author(s): Alfréd Somogyi / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: 1/2017

After the second world war, the plan was to create a nation-state from the renewed Czechoslovakia. The head of the state, Edvard Beneš’s intention was, to make the Germans and Hungarians, living in the country, disappear. He blamed these two nations, and the German and Hungarian minorities living in Czechoslovakia for the collapse of the country in 1938. The creation of a nation-state was supported by the Great Powers. In 1945, the Red Army liberated the former territories of Czechoslovakia and in the absence of a central government, Edward Beneš started to rule by issuing presidential decrees. He issued 143 decrees, amongst them those proclaiming the collective war crime of Germans and Hungarians, loss of their citizenship, confiscation of their properties, and it sent them to forced labour. This started their expulsion from their homeland. Hungarians were deported to Czech territory, then expelled to Hungary, finally forcefully resettled to Hungary in exchange for Slovaks living in Hungary. The plan was to "shift" 400.000 Hungarians to Hungary. In the end, 90.000 people were deported, out of them 50.000 of reformed religion. This paper deals with the effects of the deportations, resettlements from the reformed church’s point of view.

An Application of Category of Fraternity to the Grassroots Ecumenism on the Basis of Pope Francis’ Encyclical Letter Fratelli tutti

Author(s): Przemysław Kantyka / Language(s): English,Polish / Issue: 20/2020

Although the encyclical of Pope Francis Fratelli tutti does not speak directly about ecumenism, the category of fraternity developed in it can and should apply in the ecumenical movement, especially in the grassroots contacts of Christians from different Churches. Top-down ecumenism, i.e. doctrinal dialogues and meetings of Church leaders, by themselves – although necessary – are not able to bring about an effective reconciliation of Christians living in different Churches and Ecclesial Communities. The hermeneutical key proposed by Pope Francis in the form of the category of the fraternity has a wider application than ecumenical relations. The article examines the determinants of this category and its possible application to the ecumenical movement. An example of the successful application of the idea of ​​fraternity in the activities of the International Ecumenical Fellowship is also given.

An Aristotelian Account of Evolution and the Contemporary Philosophy of Biology

Author(s): Mariusz Tabaczek / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2014

The anti-reductionist character of the recent philosophy of biology and the dynamic development of the science of emergent properties prove that the time is ripe to reintroduce the thought of Aristotle, the first advocate of a “top-down” approach in life-sciences, back into the science/philosophy debate. His philosophy of nature provides profound insights particularly in the context of the contemporary science of evolution, which is still struggling with the questions of form (species), teleology, and the role of chance in evolutionary processes. However, although Aristotle is referenced in the evolutionary debate, a thorough analysis of his theory of hylomorphism and the classical principle of causality which he proposes is still needed in this exchange. Such is the main concern of the first part of the present article which shows Aristotle’s metaphysics of substance as an open system, ready to incorporate new hypothesis of modern and contemporary science. The second part begins with the historical exploration of the trajectory from Darwin to Darwinism regarded as a metaphysical position. This exploration leads to an inquiry into the central topics of the present debate in the philosophy of evolutionary biology. It shows that Aristotle’s understanding of species, teleology, and chance – in the context of his fourfold notion of causality – has a considerable explanatory power which may enhance our understanding of the nature of evolutionary processes. This fact may inspire, in turn, a retrieval of the classical theology of divine action, based on Aristotelian metaphysics, in the science/theology dialogue. The aim of the present article is to prepare a philosophical ground for such project.

AN INSTANCE OF ESOTERIC IMAGINATION: FRITZ LANG’S METROPOLIS (1927)

Author(s): Roxana Elena Doncu / Language(s): English / Issue: 12/2017

A pioneer of the science-fiction genre, Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1927) has fascinated and puzzled critics and audiences alike. Although the futuristic skyscrapers of Metropolis seem to belong more to the science-fiction tradition, the film is overloaded with symbolic and religious meanings. While the Christian symbolism has been noted and analysed by various reviewers and scholars, its esoteric side has been neglected, maybe as it was often conflated with the religious. However, esotericism is associated with the main idea of the movie, mediation. The esoteric mediates between religion and science, pointing to the birth of modern science from Renaissance Cabbalism, Hermeticism and Neoplatonism.

Analele Universității de Vest din Timișoara. Seria Teologie

Frequency: 1 issues / Country: Romania

Analele Universității de Vest din Timișoara, seria: Teologie has been founded into the year 1995. Then, the Orthodox Theology Department of the Faculty of Letters, History and Philosophy has stepped into the second year from its foundation. During time, dozens of studies, book reviews, obituaries, scholar articles, essays, and other similar were published into the issue’s pages.

Nowadays, the issue came to the no. 22nd and reflects the results of the academic research of the theological staff and of some of the students, too. The scientific committee of the issue is made of some important theologians, from the Orthodox Church and from other Christian Churches, as: Teresa Ferro, Roberto Giraldo, Dimitrios Gonis, Philipp Harnoncurt, Ioan I. Ică (jr.), Dumitru Megheșan, Gheorghios Metallinos ș.a.

ANESTEZIA ŞI TERAPIA INTENSIVĂ

Author(s): Dorel Săndesc / Language(s): Romanian / Issue: 22/2016

In the medical landscape, disease and illness as byproducts of life in the flesh were understood by theology as participation in God’s saving activity and interaction in the created world. From this perspective, the anesthesia or intensive care is a story that demonstrates into the banality and pain of human existence. At this point the theological norms, historical traditions, social and human needs etc become critical and insignificant. According Cioran „all saints are sick, but luckily not all sick people are saints... Through sickness we understand the saints, and through them, the heavens”.

Anna, die Schule und der liebe Gott. Der Verrat des Bildungssystems an unseren Kindern [Anna, škola a láska k Bohu. Zrada vzdelávacieho systému na našich deťoch] (Jana Juhásová)

Author(s): Jana Juhásová / Language(s): Slovak / Issue: 1/2015

Review of: PRECHT, Richard David: Anna, die Schule und der liebe Gott. Der Verrat des Bildungssystems an unseren Kindern, München: Goldmann Verlag 2013, 347 s. ISBN 978-3-442-31261-0 by Jana Juhásová

Antygrawitacyjne aspekty religijności człowieka

Author(s): Czesław Walesa / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 3/2016

Gravity is a natural force found in different dimensions. Mental gravity includes inertia, addiction, mindlessness and other similar processes or states. Anti-gravity, on the other hand, includes activity, freedom, openness, mindfulness, etc. Religiosity is a personal and positive relation of human to God. Processes of religiosity – according to its structural definition – include the following clusters of processes (parameters): (1) religious awareness, (2) religious feelings, (3) religious decisions (preferences), (4) a bond with a community of believers, (5) religious practices, (6) religious morality, (7) religious experiences, and (8) forms of confessing the faith (especially prayerful and sacrificial acts and the sense of mystery). The article is meant as an analysis of anti-gravitational processes of religiosity in the above mentioned domains. It presents a specific language about and a fragment of the language of religiosity.

Apokatastaza według Miłosza

Teologia sensu i nadziei

Author(s): Jerzy Szymik / Language(s): English,Polish / Issue: 20/2020

Spór o „nadzieję zbawienia dla wszystkich” był (jest?) jedną z najciekawszych debat teologii przełomu XX i XXI w. Popularnie – choć z uproszczeniem – funkcjonuje on jako spór o apokatastazę (gr.: odnowienie). Czesław Miłosz w swoim dziele literackim stosuje pojęcie apokatastsis, jednak wyraźnie w znaczeniu nie tyle „nadziei na puste piekło”, ile nadziei na ostateczne spełnienie wszechrzeczywistości. Jest to dla niego nic innego jak biblijny szyfr sensu – „nieprzepadania szczegółów” (jak pisze) w Bogu i ocalenie tak człowieka, jak świata.

Apologie katolicismus na indexu zapovězených knih

K některým aspektům sporu okolo spisu Evangelium a církev Alfreda Loisyho

Author(s): Tomáš Petráček / Language(s): Czech / Issue: 2/2020

In this study, the author deals with the thought of Alfred Loisy (1857–1940), especially the reasons for his disputes with the ecclesiastical authorities, which ended in his works being put on the Index and eventually in his excommunication. He examines his apologetic work The Gospel and the Church and the subsequent treatise Autour d´un petit livre not only in the context of the time, but also in terms of the further development of Catholic biblical science. In the main part of the study, the author analyses the strengths and difficulties of Loisy’s thought and the main reasons why his approaches, especially redaction criticism and form criticism, to the study of the New Testament and the beginnings of the Church were sharply rejected at his time by the ecclesiastical authorities.

Approaching the relationship between religion and science through language games

Author(s): Daniela Stanciulescu / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2015

Generally, applying Wittgenstein phrase“ language games” into the science and religion relationship, reflects the futility of attempting to identify the truth beyond linguistic communities in which each of them takes part. Starting from the idea that through semantic assumption of some concepts, specific to a particular language game by another language game, the principles of comprehension can be violated, the postmodernist thinkers consider necessary the compartmentalization of the two types of discourses, scientific and religious. Therefore, the statements should be regarded as moves in a game. Each category of utterance operate according to some rules, without which there can be no “language game” and whose change, even minor, leads to changing the whole game.

Argumenty logiczne w średniowiecznej filozofii i teologii muzułmańskiej: Al-Ghazali, Awerroes, Ibn al-Munadżdżim

Author(s): Damian Kokoć / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 2/2012

Philosophical legacy of ancient Greeks greatly influenced the shaping of Medieval Islamic thought. Especially popular were writings of Aristotle, particularly his logical works. Muslims very quickly noticed that logic is a very practical tool, both in discussions with non-Muslims, as well as polemics within Islam itself. This article focuses on three thinkers:Al-Ghazali, Averroes and Ibn al-Munajjim. Al-Ghazali’s ideas exemplify how logic was used in theological disputes within Islam itself. Averroes , in turn, in one of his major works „The Decisive Treaty”, tries to refute accusation aimed at impiety of philosophers. Ibn Rushd shows that philosophy is not contrary to the principles of faith but just opposite. He states that the Qur'an encourages to learn and deepen the philosophy, because it is the best way to cognition of the truth and it based on syllogistic deduction. Concluding, the article presents how logic was used in disputes with non-Muslims by referring to Ibn al-Munajjim letter.

Around the Bloc: China Flexes Its Muscles in Central Europe

Author(s): TOL TOL / Language(s): English / Issue: 10/25/2016

China threatens to take action against Slovakia after President Andrej Kiska meets with the Dalai Lama, while Czechs send mixed signals.

Around the Bloc: Estonian Art Exhibit Causes Uproar

Author(s): TOL TOL / Language(s): English / Issue: 10/18/2016

New museum reacts to criticism from religious groups and others, removing offending part and calling this a learning experience.

Around the Bloc: Kazakhstan School Hijab Ban Upheld

Author(s): TOL TOL / Language(s): English / Issue: 10/25/2016

Adopted in January, the ban, which prohibits any kind of religiously affiliated clothing, has not deterred students from wearing hijabs until now.