LIBERALIZMO FILOSOFIJOS PARADOKSAI

Author(s): Alvydas Jokūbaitis / Language(s): Lithuanian Issue: 90/2016

The aim of the paper is to demonstrate that after the publication of Political Liberalism by John Rawls we have to take a fresh look on the problem of the identity of liberal philosophy. Liberals do not have any independent moral and political philosophy. Their philosophical identity is based on a critique of the positions of their opponents and not on any positive doctrine. To gain a better understanding of the philosophy of liberalism we have to investigate the relationship of this philosophy with illiberal doctrines. Liberal moral and political philosophy is dependent on the objects of its critique. Liberal philosophy faces four paradoxes: 1) political liberalism equates illiberal and liberal political positions and this is the reason why the identity of liberal political philosophy remains elusive; 2) liberals advocate moral individualism, however, this individualism does not necessarily lead to moral philosophy of liberalism; 3) liberal moral philosophy has gaps which can only be filled with elements of illiberal moral philosophies; 4) liberals cannot establish their identity with philosophical arguments, they can only do this with the help of ideology. What today goes by the name of the philosophy of liberalism is a version of civil religion.

Instytucje religijne i polityka na Ukrainie: zagadnienie tożsamości w czasach wojny

Author(s): Laurent Tatarenko / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2017

The paper proposes to examine how the political upheavals, occurred in Ukraine after 2014, have impacted the image and the actions of the local religious institutions in the public arena. “National” rhetoric reinforced by the violent conflict in the eastern part of the country has led different religious hierarchies to redefine themselves through the question of relations with the new political power but also towards new attitudes of the civil society. Using statistical sources provided by state agencies and recent sociological surveys, our analysis attempts to highlight and to explain some recent evolutions of the Ukrainian religious map. The problem of the politicization of the confessional structures studied through the project of building a unique local Church, which has been recently put back on the agenda and which let see in detail the competition between the orthodox clergy of the Kyivan and the Moscow Patriarchates, the latter being often accused of connivance with the enemy. In counterpoint, the reflection also offers a sketch of the religious situation of the territories occupied by Russia or pro-Russian forces. Finally, the study shows that, despite the slogans initially stated by the supporters of the Russkij mir, religious divisions did not serve as a basis for the conflict and their mention became secondary in wartime propaganda. Moreover, the war seems to have led to a more distant attitude towards religious structures with a timid but continuous decline in the number of believers, especially in areas close to the fighting.

CULTURE FACTOR IN THE POLICY OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN

Author(s): Marina Kameneva,Elena Paymakova / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2020

The article notes that the theme of culture and cultural policy for modern Iran is not a marginal issue. Culture is seen by the country’s leadership as an important component of its state political and ideological doctrine. There is analyzed the role of the Islamic factor and cultural heritage in the cultural policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran over four decades of its existence. In this context, particular attention is paid to the role of the theory of the dialogue of civilizations proposed by M. Khatami as well as to the changing attitude towards it in the public consciousness of Iranian society, depending on the situation that is developing both inside Iran and around it in the international arena. It is emphasized that the theme of “Iran and the West”, which has a long tradition in the cultural discourse and attracts the attention of both government officials and the general public, is becoming particularly acute in the country today, contributing to its politicization. An attempt is being made to show that Iranian culture is increasingly becoming an important factor in the foreign policy activities of the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran, contributing to the strengthening of the country’s position in the world arena as a whole and the country’s leading role in the region, the realization of the idea of exporting the Islamic Revolution and implementing Iranian cultural expansion outside the country.

Operativne mjere komunističkih represivnih službi prema Katoličkoj crkvi u Hrvatskoj od 1951. do 1965. godine

Author(s): Miroslav Akmadža / Language(s): Croatian Issue: 3/2021

After the establishment of communist rule in Yugoslavia and the elimination of all political opponents, the Catholic Church remained the only strong and well-organised institution in which the communists saw a possible opponent. This is why the communist authorities carried out a series of repressive and political measures in order to prevent its public activities and weaken its influence in society. Bishops and priests were assassinated or imprisoned, Church property was confiscated, religious publications and seminaries were banned, religious schools were closed and ordinands pressured to give up on studying for priestly vocations, a propaganda campaign was launched against the Church and its priests, priests were scrutinized (especially through clerical associations) and recruited as informants for the secret services, and a series of other measures was carried out with the goal of weakening the influence of the Church in society. The main operational role in the implementation of these measures was played by law enforcement services, primarily the State Security Administration and the other services of the Secretariat of the Interior as well as the Counterintelligence Service, which concerned itself mostly with ecclesiastical persons performing compulsory military service in the Yugoslav People’s Army. These services’ annual reports for Croatia from 1951 to 1965 and their analyses and studies, which only became available to the public in the Croatian State Archives in Zagreb in 2017, offer us insights into law enforcement’s views on the conditions in the Catholic Church, their assessments of its ‘hostile’ activities, and the ways in which they planned their activities and carried out certain anti-Church measures. In addition, this paper is the first to present the actual numerical indicators of priests and other Church officials or persons closely connected to the work of the Church who were in various ways employed as a part of the collaborator networks of communist secret services in their activities regarding the Catholic Church in the stated period. It is important to highlight that the vast majority of these persons agreed to collaborate due to pressure or blackmail, for the most part failed to produce the results that the State Security Administration had expected of them, and were therefore often removed from the collaborator network. The State Security Administration benefited little from this network, and the fact that it failed to achieve its goals in its struggle against the Catholic Church confirms this.

POPE FRANCIS’ “CULTURE OF ENCOUNTER” AND “FRATERNITY”: ENHANCING THE POSTSECULAR DISCOURSE IN IR

Author(s): Joanna Kulska / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2021

On February 4, 2019, the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together was signed by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam Ahmad al-Tayeb in Abu Dhabi. The moment marked a historical breakthrough in the area of interreligious dialogue becoming one of the broadest commented interreligious initiatives of the last decades. But it also symbolized the changing role of religious discourse in its relation to the political discourse as well as their mutual “entanglement”. Soon the series of events that followed visibly evidenced the growing role of the religious ideas and religious actors in the global discussion on the most problematic contemporary issues and their increasingly collaborative relations to non-religious actors, both at governmental and non-governmental level. As such they became the exemplification of the new postsecular discourse that had been conceptualized two decades ago calling for a more inclusive approach towards religion in the public sphere as well as for a “mutual process of learning” between the religious and the secular domains. In the area of international politics, it has been further developed into the concept of the religious and inter-religious engagement, proposing some practical tools for a more effective exploitation of the religious potential. Adopting the IR perspective, the article aims to analyze both normatively and empirically how the religiously based initiatives and ideas have contributed to international debate developing its own concepts such as “culture of encounter” and “fraternity” that from a secular point of view represents the call for political inclusion and non-discrimination of minorities (Petito, Daou, and Driessen 2021, 10). Based on the examination of the Holy See’s documents and through application of comparative, interpretative, and discourse analysis methods, the main focus will be put on Pope Francis’ teaching who formulated both concepts as the leading topics of his pontificate. Realized in the global context through interreligious dialogue, they constitute the exemplification of what Jodok Troy (2021) called “global politics from below”.

NELSON MANDELA – UN MODEL AL RECONCILIERII CA EXPRESIE A INTEGRITĂȚII ȘI LIBERTĂȚII DE CONȘTIINȚĂ

Author(s): Mihail Ciopașiu / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 2/2020

Nelson Mandela is one of the most appreciated political leaders of the last century, who fought for human dignity and for the reconciliation between the black and the white people in South Africa. After almost fifty years of the domination of Apartheid, the society was very divided, and many people suffered from racial discrimination. Even though Mandela faced 27 years of detention in this regime, he was prepared to change the society though his personal example and his policies. The way he forgave his former opponents and his model of reconciliation after becoming South Africa’s president, made Mandela a model of forgiveness, reconciliation and hope. Many people question what the pillars of Mandela’s policies were and whether the Christian values stood at the base of his approach. If his faith was the source of his public policies, why was Mandela so reluctant in publicly affirming his faith? This article is examining these questions based on Mandela’s affirmations, what his closest collaborators mentioned about him, and analyzing some of the biographies written about Nelson Mandela.

WHY ARE THE RAELIANS AND OTHER NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS NOT CONSIDERED ‘RELIGIONS’ IN POLAND? A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE DEFINITIONS OF RELIGION USED BY THE SUPREME ADMINISTRATIVE COURT IN THE SOCIOLOGICAL CONTEXT

Author(s): Maciej Krzywosz / Language(s): English Issue: 4/2020

In 1980, in Poland, there were about 30 religious minorities. The socio-political transformation changed the religious landscape dramatically. In 1999, there were already 155. Not all new religions, however, were registered. In the case of the Church of Miracles, the Raelians, and the Order of Initiated Knighthood, registration was refused. The Ministry of the Interior and the Supreme Administrative Court decided that they did not fulfill the requirements of a ‘religion’. The purpose of this article is to examine, from a sociological perspective, the definitions of religion used by the court, by which the above new religious movements were not recognized as religions. The analysis shows that the court and administration ruled on the basis of substantial definitions of religion, reducing religion to believing in God or the sacred. Furthermore, the article presents the socio-cultural reasons behind the choice of such definitions, and reviews the scholarly debate on the issue.

(V čom) sú médiá náboženstvom?

Author(s): Terézia Rončáková / Language(s): Slovak Issue: 3-4/2021

In the more recent scholarly literature on media, pop culture or celebrity studies, there has been a growing tendency to identify media, stardom and other pop culture forms of cult with religion. An increasing number of concepts have sprung up such as “media as religion” or “stardom as religion”. The primary aim of this paper is to examine whether there are essential intrinsic similarities between religion and media. To answer this question, we have examined the structural similarities between media and religion (by comparing their use of ritual and liturgy; emotions; cosmology; myth and archetype). We came to the conclusion that media religion is a non-theistic religion without God, with an exclusive emphasis on social cohesion. The absence of verticality, lack of transcendence to eternity as well as the non-existing relationship with God as a person – have determined the remaining partial conclusions presented herein.

Problémy hodnotenia osobnosti Andreja Cvinčeka v slovenskej historiografii

Author(s): Patrik Griger / Language(s): Slovak Issue: 4/2021

In this article, we try to evaluate the views of the Catholic priest and the politician Andrej Cvincek in the writings of the Slovak historical science, which captures his activities in several processes and events of the Slovak History. However, it is not just about mapping the occurrence of this personality in the professional literature. The main objective of this study is to encourage the development of research into Cvincek's life story, by referring to the problems associated with his position in the Slovak historiography, as an important representative of Slovak political catholicism in the first half of the 20th century. In this work, we chronologically analyze his historiographical evaluation in several historical periods, in which he left his mark in the story of history. We also follow Cvincek's personality based on assessing his activities in political parties, in the Czechoslovak People's Party in the interwar period, in the Democratic Party in the period after World War II, similarly against the background of evaluation of his participation and influence in various important historical events, such as The April agreement, in which he participated as a politically active person. We can evaluate that the state of research of this personality has several shortcomings in Slovak historiography. Knowledge of his activities is very variable in different periods, especially depending on his involvement in political life. Another problem is that the deeper Cvincek biography is basically unexplored in the Slovak historical science. Only the events of which Cvincek was a part are examined. His research in religious and ecclesiastical history is also weaker, where as a Catholic priest and a Nitra canon, he would deserve more attention from Slovak church historians.

Odnowa w Kościele czy odnowa Kościoła? Odmienne wizje księży Blachnickiego i Dembowskiego

Author(s): Marek Nowicki / Language(s): Polish Issue: 686/2021

W październiku 1983 r. na pierwszy w Polsce Kongres Odnowy w Duchu Świętym przyjeżdża na Jasną Górę belgijski kardynał Leo Joseph Suenens, jedna z czołowych postaci II Soboru Watykańskiego. W auli Jana Pawła II staje przed tłumem zwolenników Pentecoste, oświadczając swoim charakterystycznym spokojnym, tubalnym głosem, że ostatni sobór jeszcze się nie zakończył. Wśród burzy oklasków dodaje, że „otrzymaliśmy dużo i uchwyciliśmy dużo, ale jeszcze nie wszystko...”, bo Bóg dał Kościołowi coś niezwykłego: nową Pięćdziesiątnicę, nowe zesłanie Ducha, olbrzymią łaskę Odnowy we wszystkich możliwych aspektach.

“ISLAMIC LAW AND INTERNATIONAL LAW: PEACEFUL RESOLUTION OF DISPUTES”

Author(s): Benedikt A. Graf / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2021

TEOLOGIA: WYZWANIE DLA INNYCH NAUK W ZEŚWIECCZONEJ EUROPIE

Author(s): Enrico Covolo dal / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2021

The study focuses on scientific and methodological questions related to Catholic theology. It demonstrates that theology can be considered “science” only when it meets certain conditions. But it is precisely from its specific epistemological characteristics, that theology derives its own power to provoke and challenge other sciences and to organize the universitas studiorum in an increasingly secularized Europe. The indications of the most recent pontifical magisterium related to theological renewal are decisive in achieving this goal.

KRYTYKA IDEI „BEZWYZNANIOWOŚCI” W UJĘCIU WOJCIECHA DZIEDUSZYCKIEGO

Author(s): Arkadiusz Lao / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2020

This article considers the polemic of the Polish philosopher Wojciech Dzieduszycki (1848–1909) against one of the progressive slogans of the 19th century. Dzieduszycki himself described this slogan as „irreligiousness”. This paper analyses Dzieduszycki’s arguments regarding the negative consequences following the exclusion of religion from the public sphere, in both past and Dzieduszycki’s times, and also shows the extremely positive role of religion in the lives of individuals, states, nations, and even entire civilizations. Without religion, the Polish thinker claimed, communities degrade and die. An interesting and nowadays very important discussion about the role of religion in social life has been paired in the article with the idea of „Polish messianism” disseminated by Dzieduszycki. (as an appropriate response to the civilisational crisis), as well as with the radical secularism in our current culture and politics.

RELIGION AS A BOND – A DELUSIVE HOPE OF POLITICS

Author(s): Jacek Grzybowski / Language(s): English Issue: S2/2020

Politics is on the one hand an attempt to implement certain good, a desire for achieving agreed objectives, on the other hand – as Max Weber says – a simultaneous attempt to avoid a particular evil. If in defining the notion of politics there are references to good and evil, purpose and desire, it has to include the non-political spheres – culture, axiology, religion. Mark Lilla argues that for decades we have been aware of the great and final separation that has taken place in Western Europe between political and religious life. This awareness implies a conviction, which is obligatory today in most countries and societies, that to separate politics from religion is a great achievement. For many thinkers and politicians this is an undisputed success from which the West learns to benefit while preparing other regions of the world for such separation. Therefore it seems that modern politics should be free from religious inspiration and temptation. On the other hand, a significant number of sociologists and political scientists show the vitality of religious attitudes, proving that in its deepest essence religion is an expression of human behaviour. Each person and each community always has an element of irreducibility which is an internal defence against reducing man to “here and now”, confining his world to what is useful and usable. It is our experience that a man is naturally open to transcendence. Thus, if man is ever to achieve individual and social reconciliation with himself, he will always look for rational and moral meanings. This situation creates a platform for the emergence of a completely new attitude in society and politics – attitude of seeking and pursuing spirituality in a world without religion. Increasingly, the understanding of religion manifests itself in a wide etymological sense, sociological and ethnological: religare – “to connect”, “to bind”, “to build community ties”. Religion so understood would be a great solution to the dilemma of separation – the adoption of religion (bonds) without a doctrine, while ensuring social cohesion, strengthening the feeling of being together, maintaining a spiritual connection.

ТИПОЛОГІЧНІ МОДЕЛІ ОРГАНІЗАЦІЇ ВЗАЄМОДІЇ РЕЛІГІЇ Й ПОЛІТИКИ В ЕТНОНАЦІОНАЛЬНОМУ ПРОЦЕСІ

Author(s): O. G. Bortnikovа / Language(s): Ukrainian Issue: 1/2017

The article analyzes the phenomenon of interactions in religion and policy in the ethnonational process in the ethno-national process and its importance in a formation of political nation in Ukraine. It is argued the position of the type of interaction as a criterion for defining the nature of interactions in religion and policy interaction (result of influence of one organization to another). As a result of structural-typological approach it’s given the typological characteristic of the organization of the religious and political interactions in the of ethno-national process. This article provides a structured overview of the main characteristics of the organization of religious and political interactions in the ethno-national process, depending on the type of relationship. These characteristics are disclosed in the five main types of interaction of religion and policy concerning in relation to: the direct goal-setting, according to which there are four main scenarios for such interaction; targeting based on the choice of the basic principles of interaction between carriers competing ideals; realization of purposes as the creation of the basic models of optimization of interaction; organizational and management model of differentiation of systems of mutual perception and the use of a synergistic approach. Presented typological model of organization of religious-political interactions allows us to consider possible schemes of determining the level of the influence of religious and political subjects on the formation of the Ukrainian political nation. It established a certain place of religious-political subjects in the structure of the religious and political space in the organization of the national state and the formation of a political nation. Classification of religious and political subjects that actor in the ethnonational process of a particular society, and is one of the first manifestations of the model of religious-political space of the state that is built on the principles of organization. Reflection in this model the depending in the organization of development of «nation of state» and the formation of «political nation» supposes the establishment of the whole complex of relationships between all religious and political subjects ethno-national in the process. It is urgent the identification of the character of relations (their equivalence, inequality, cooperation, etc.), the forms of relationships (hierarchical, network), their determinism, stochastic or randomness, and others.

ЛОГИКА СОВРЕМЕННОГО РЕЛИГИОЗНОГО СОЗНАНИЯ

Author(s): S. V. Kachurova / Language(s): Russian Issue: 3/2017

The article is a logical reconstruction of the main elements of modern religious consciousness. For this, a form of inference is used that should satisfy the requirement of system analysis. The most important role in this system is played by the phenomenon of secular consciousness. Here he acts as a general mediator (medius terminus). The originality of its ontological status is underlined. Accordingly, here arises the question of opposites (extreme terms), the opposition of which should remove this secular consciousness. To solve this problem, the author turns to the history of world religions. At the «junctions» of these religions, two forces always find themselves, the contradiction between which is the engine of this history. This, first, the strength of the religious tradition conservative element), and, secondly, the power of religious innovation (a revolutionary element). Contrary to popular belief about the decay of religious life, the author defends the thesis that in a certain sense this confrontation between religious tradition and religious innovation will always exist. As long as a person is alive and thinking, he will be concerned about the question of God. Only in modern times, the struggle between the old and the new in religion has one distinctive feature. In history, it was resolved naturally: old civilizations and cultures, the core of which was a certain religion, died and replaced by new ones. Now the entire responsibility for this withdrawal fell on the shoulders of the modern secular state. Thus, the reasoning of modern religious consciousness has developed completely in itself and for itself. It has acquired the following character: «religious tradition – secular consciousness – religious innovation». Here the author uses the «horizontal» form of inference, which Hegel suggested in his Science of Logic. This form allows not only to structure the basic elements of this system, but also to consider further ways of its development. The latter is especially important in connection with the complex of problems that arise before a secular state in connection with the theory and practice of conducting a religious expert examination. The causes of the emergence of the system of modern religious consciousness are analyzed. It establishes its relationship with the process of historical development of religion and philosophy.

ŠV. BAZILIJAUS DIDŽIOJO ORDINAS XVIII A. PABAIGOJE–1830 METAIS ЧИН СВЯТОГО ВАСИЛІЯ ВЕЛИКОГО НАПРИКІНЦІ ХVІІІ СТ.–1830-Х РОКАХ

Author(s): Mychailas Salamacha / Language(s): Lithuanian Issue: 2 (47)/2017

The structural transformation of the Order of Saint Basil the Great in the last third of the XVIII century is investigated in the article. It is also represented the process of formation of new provinces in the Order of Saint Basil the Great. There is also shown changes in position of basilian fathers after the divisions of Rechpospolita. The text illustrates the gradual reduction of amount of the monasteries through limitation of activity of the Order of Saint Basil the Great by the governments of the Austrian and Russian empires. It is also shown the process of final liquidation of basilian monasteries in 30th of ХІХ of century in the state of Romanovi as a result of hostile politics in relation to basilians.

TEZA CONVERGENȚEI IDENTITĂȚII NAȚIONALE ȘI RELIGIOASE DUPĂ DOMINAȚIA ATEIST COMUNISTĂ. PERSPECTIVA ROMÂNEASCĂ ȘI EUROPEANĂ ASTĂZI

Author(s): Henrieta Anișoara Șerban / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 1/2022

The paper addresses the thesis of the convergence of national and religious identity following the communist atheist dominance, in Romania and Europe. This specific research interest is investigated in the light of the sociological data gathered from diverse opinion polls. The perspective of religious identity as a founding, or at least consolidating, factor for national identity has been less "visited" lately. Terrorist events have brought fundamentalism, intolerance and violence to the fore. Discourse and the religious trigger of violence have often been correlated, and yet the correlation between religion and violence is not absolutely necessary. There are alternatives: we see at the level of discourse the possibility of a more or less vindictive wording, while the imperative "Blessed are the peacemakers!" and with a civic attitude and action generating rather hopes and renewed solidarities. Actually, one may notice nowadays a more fortunate correlation of religious principles and values with social security themes and with climate change themes. Pope Francisc is a promotor of change in this respect and a significant contemporary global actor. In the Romanian case, history has shown that religious identity has played a very important role in the constitution of the Romanian State, in a dissidence during the communist regime, but also, paradoxically, in certain cases, in a collaboration with security and the communist regime. Provided this historically confirmed inter-relation, in contemporary times, in the Romanian case, we see indeed a convergence of the national and religious identity and a confirmation of the announced thesis.

CREDINȚĂ ȘI RELIGIE: PUTERE SPIRITUALĂ INDIVIDUALĂ ȘI MANIFESTARE PUBLICĂ

Author(s): Lorena-Valeria Stuparu / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 1/2022

Faith as the main ”object” of religion and religion as a system of ”objects” of faith are interconditioned to the extent that these helps us to believe in the ”virtual” reality of another world, more and more foreign for us. But from a political perspective, religion no longer sends today to the sacred idea, but, in the best case, to a kind of respect for the historical “tradition”.The purpose of this study is to show that beyond cultural values indicating the permanence of an European spirit, the European Romania’s identity involves also questions about the meaning of faith and religion, about local forms of manifestation of the religious spirit which after 1989 became increasingly prominent. Whether works from the past or personalities who suffered in prisons for their faith are updated, whether new forms of manifestation of religious spirit or godliness appear, these are possible thanks to the freedom of expression which represents one of the most important democratic acquisitions after 1989. At the same time, this phenomenon involves questions about the creative potential of religion in the order of identity, but also about identification or distinction between faith and religion, taking into account the basic definitions according to which faith is the personal conviction in regard to the sacred thing, while the religion represents a system of religious beliefs.

LIMITĂRI ALE INFLUENȚEI RELIGIOASE ÎN PROCESUL DE LAICIZARE A STATULUI

Author(s): Enache Tușa / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 1/2022

The Church-State relationship is defined by the historical and cultural religious specifics of each community or nation. This aspect is an intrinsic element related to each national configuration as well as to the cultural and socio-political particularities of a society. Religious freedom is a fundamental element of democracy as well as the basic component in Church-State relations, the issue of religious pluralism being viewed very carefully in every society in which democracy operates.