Comparative Theology

The Qur’anic formula “We make no distinction between any of them” is classically read in tafsīr as rejecting selective prophetic belief. This article argues that the formula also rejects religious monopoly: no community may affirm its own prophet, scripture, or covenant while dismissing divine guidance mediated through another true messenger. It develops this claim through a distinction between two forms of belief: dogmatic belief, which binds a community to its own founding revelation and covenantal law, and testimonial belief, which confirms another God-fearing community’s prophetic testimony without entering its jurisdiction. It then proposes Noahide testimonial confirmation as a rabbinic equivalent. Noahism is not a separate religion for non-Jews, but the Torah measure by which God-fearing religions among the nations are confirmed as religiously valid and covenantally meaningful. It is proposed that a Jew or Christian with multi-covenantal/Noahide awareness fully fulfills the Qur’anic requirement without entering Islamic jurisdiction.

This paper presents the theological and ontological core of Synthesis Theory. It argues that God, understood as the Whole, may render finite experience through localized fragments without becoming broken or diminished; that reality is not fake simulation but localized rendered reality; that sin is friction against lawful relation; and that Grace translates damaged experiential data into coherent wisdom. Central Claims God is the Whole: uncreated Source, not a broken object inside the universe. The fragment is localized participation in the Whole, not an independently identical copy of God. Reality is rendered possibility: possibility becomes lived experience through embodiment, relation, choice, and return. Synthesis Theory is not simulation theory. Rendering does not mean fake. It means local actuality inside the Whole. Sin is friction against lawful entanglement; Grace is coherence restoration and compatibility translation. Christ is the Logos rendered in human-readable form; the Holy Spirit is the communion/authorization layer. Love is lawful entanglement and consentful influence; it never forces, hijacks, or dominates. Worship includes formal ritual, but also includes helping creation move toward coherence. Claim-Control Boundary This paper does not claim laboratory proof of God, a literal computer simulation, or a measurable Hertz value for Grace. Its theological claims are constructive; its systems language clarifies relation, not divine essence. Rendering Theology The key upgrade is the difference between simulation and rendering. Simulation language can imply falseness or artificiality. Rendering theology claims something different: possibility becomes actual through local conditions of embodiment, perception, choice, relation, suffering, love, and repair. A rendered world is not fake; it is the mode through which finite beings actually participate in the Whole.

Abstract
This article adopts a comparative and analytical approach to examine the relationship between women, poetic revelation, and the sacred word in Byzantine hymnography and Islamic mysticism. It argues that body, voice, and word function as a theological–aesthetic triad through which the manifestation and indwelling of the sacred are articulated in sacred poetic expression. The research employs a qualitative methodology based on textual analysis of primary sources—Byzantine liturgical hymns, mystical writings, and poetic corpora from the Islamic tradition—alongside relevant secondary theological and mysticism studies, using conceptual comparison as its main analytical tool. In the Byzantine context, hymnography is not merely an emotional medium but a mode of embodied theology in sound; figures such as Kassia demonstrate how the female voice becomes institutionally embedded within the liturgical framework, enabling the incarnation of the sacred word through voice and body. In Islamic mysticism, although legislative revelation is confined to prophethood, inspiration, unveiling, and mystical insight are articulated through a sacred poetic language, as exemplified by Rābiʿa al-ʿAdawiyya and ʿĀʾisha al-Bāʿūniyya, who articulate a theology of love and creative imagination within refined poetic forms. The findings show that in both traditions, women are not passive objects of representation but active agents of poetic theology, with poetry functioning as a medium for the embodiment and manifestation of the inspired word. The originality of this study lies in proposing the analytical framework of “body–voice–word” and demonstrating its connection to the theology of incarnation in Byzantium and the theology of love and creative imagination in Islamic mysticism.
Keywords: woman poet, Byzantine hymnography, Islamic mysticism, sacred inspiration, creative imagination.

In Desire and Infinity in W.S. Merwin's Poetry, Feng Dong sets himself the task of writing about transcendence in the absence of a transcendental signified. Eschewing an Emersonian, nineteenth-century way of conceiving transcendence as mystical union with God, Dong relies heavily upon Lacanian psychoanalysis and the writings of Slavoj Žižek. He also draws on the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas to explore Merwin's devotion to otherness and infinity. Throughout his study, Dong proves himself a scholar of wide learning.

Der vorliegende Beitrag entwickelt ein religiös-philosophisches Dimensionsmodell zur Frage nach dem Sinn des Lebens. Ausgangspunkt ist die Überlegung, dass menschliche Erkenntnis grundsätzlich innerhalb der Dimensionen von Raum und Zeit stattfindet und daher an natürliche Grenzen gebunden ist. Anhand einer symbolischen Zeichnung wird dargestellt, wie aus einem ursprünglichen Schöpfungspunkt die Dimensionen des Seins hervorgehen und wie der Mensch innerhalb dieser Dimensionen beantwortbare Fragen stellen kann. Unbeantwortbare Fragen werden als Hinweis auf eine transzendente Wirklichkeit verstanden. Gott erscheint dabei nicht als Objekt innerhalb der Welt, sondern als Ursprung aller Schöpfung sowie als Träger aller Antworten, die menschlicher Erkenntnis nicht zugänglich sind. Die Begriffe Ich, Dimensionen und Gott werden zu einer übergeordneten Einheit zusammengeführt, aus der sich der Sinn des Lebens ableitet.

This contribution examines the lexicon entry “Liberal Theology” (Liberálna teologija) from the Serbian-language Lexicon of Biblical Hermeneutics (2022), a reference work currently unavailable in English translation. Written in Serbian Cyrillic, the entry presents liberal theology from a distinctly critical and confessional perspective, situating it within the intellectual currents of the Enlightenment and the theological developments of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

The article defines liberal theology as an approach characterized by openness and tolerance toward diverse viewpoints concerning the knowledge of God, while simultaneously highlighting its departure from traditional doctrines regarding biblical authority and revelation. Particular attention is given to major figures associated with liberal theology, including Immanuel Kant, Johann Gottfried Eichhorn, Friedrich Schleiermacher, David Friedrich Strauss, Albrecht Ritschl, Adolf von Harnack, Franz Overbeck, Julius Wellhausen, and Albert Schweitzer. The entry summarizes their contributions to modern biblical criticism, historical approaches to Scripture, and the reinterpretation of Christian doctrine.

At the same time, the lexicon article reflects a critical evaluation of liberal theology, emphasizing its challenge to traditional understandings of divine revelation, miracles, biblical inspiration, and the resurrection of Christ. It portrays liberal theology as a response to ecclesiastical and intellectual crises in the modern West, while also arguing that its methods ultimately reduce Scripture and central Christian doctrines to the level of human speculation. The entry therefore serves not only as a descriptive overview of liberal theology but also as a representative example of contemporary Orthodox engagement with modern theological movements and biblical criticism.

This paper investigates the structural limits of mental vacuity within apophatic theology and kenotic meditation. By executing a comparative analysis of the Buddhist doctrine of karmic seeds (bīja)-particularly within the Yogācāra framework-and the Late Antique Western deployment of seminal reasons (rationes seminales), we argue that absolute cognitive and ontological erasure is untenable. Instead, both traditions posit a residual, ethically charged substratum that preserves the potential for world-reconstitution. This comparative inquiry demonstrates that the subject's return to the intersubjective lifeworld is not an accidental relapse, but an structurally necessitated descent mediated by deeply ingrained situational coordinates.

This article offers a multi-covenantal counter-reading of Ibn Ḥazm’s polemic against Jews who acknowledged Muḥammad ﷺ while remaining within the Torah covenant. It argues that Ibn Ḥazm wrongly equates Islamic finality with the annulment of Mosaic law. Against this, the article reads Islam as final witness, confirmation, and criterion, not simple replacement. Special attention is given to ʿĪsā’s Qurʾānic role: rather than abolishing Torah for Jews, ʿĪsā is interpreted as correcting the unjust extension of Mosaic restrictions to God-fearing Gentiles, thereby restoring proper covenantal boundaries between Israel and the nations. Drawing on Qurʾānic, rabbinic, and Islamic categories—Torah, Noahide law, sharīʿa, dīn, dhimma, ʿahd, and mīthāq—the article argues that Muḥammad ﷺ’s truth need not invalidate Moses’ covenant with Israel.

This article reconsiders the report in which the Prophet Muḥammad ‫ﷺ‬ declares that, were Moses alive "among you," he would follow him. Against readings that treat this as automatic abolition of Torah-sharīʿah for Jews, the study argues that the phrase "among you" locates Moses within the Muhammadan ummah, where no prior lawgiver may function as a rival legal authority. Drawing on Qurʾān 2:208, 5:43-48, the double-reward ḥadīth, the Muʿādh-to-Yemen report, and Mahdī traditions, it distinguishes prophetic recognition from legal absorption. Jews must affirm Muḥammad ‫ﷺ‬ and what he brought as true, yet the sources do not explicitly command Jews as Jews to abandon Torah law. The article proposes a multi-covenantal model: one dīn, universal taṣdīq, and differentiated revealed sharāʾiʿ within the final Qurʾānic criterion and divine Abrahamic order of revelation.

This article examines an early tafsīr report on Qurʾān 2:208 transmitted from Ibn ʿAbbās through Ibn Abī Ḥātim, focusing especially on the phrase: "Sufficient for you is belief in the Torah and what it contains." The study argues that the report preserves a distinction between covenantal affirmation and covenantal legal observance. While continued independent Torah legal practice is restricted after recognition of Muḥammad ‫,ﷺ‬ Torah-faith itself remains explicitly affirmed. By comparing this report with al-Ṭabarī's theology of taṣdīq in his commentary on Qurʾān 2:41 and 2:62, the article reconstructs an early Islamic model of cumulative revelation grounded in confirmation rather than annihilative supersessionism. The resulting framework suggests a multi-covenantal understanding of revelation in which prophetic continuity and differentiated covenantal laws coexist within one Abrahamic revelatory order.

Mulla Sadra's theory that the soul is "corporeal in origination and spiritual in subsistence" (jismāniyyat al-ḥudūth wa rūḥāniyyat al-baqāʾ) is foundational to his anthropology and eschatology. Yet commentators and neo-Sadrian philosophers have advanced two sharply opposed readings of what "corporeal in origination" means. The first holds that the soul is literally a body (material substance) at the moment of its coming-into-being; the second maintains that the soul is merely dependent upon a body at origination without itself being corporeal. Through a descriptive-analytical and argumentative examination of Sadra's major texts, this article demonstrates that only the first interpretation is consistent with the inner logic of Transcendent Theosophy. Drawing on the principles of the primacy of existence, substantial motion, the existential unity of soul and body, and the soul's identity with the "final form" (ṣūrat al-nawʿiyya) of the human individual, the study shows that the soul begins as a fully material, bodily reality and gradually intensifies through substantial motion until it attains immaterial subsistence. The second interpretation collapses into the very theory of purely spiritual origination that Sadra explicitly rejects. The article clarifies that "corporeal in origination" is not a loose metaphor for dependence but a precise ontological claim: at the threshold of existence the soul is the body, not merely attached to it. This reading preserves the coherence of Sadra's system and offers a unified solution to the mind-body problem and bodily resurrection.

David Hume's philosophy of religion is conventionally portrayed as a relentless critique of natural theology, miracles, and rational proofs for God, leading many interpreters to cast him as a precursor to atheism. This article advances an empathic, textually grounded reading that challenges such reductive views. It argues that Hume's demolition of "demonstrable faith"the epistemic model dominant in British religious rationalism-does not abolish religion but clears the ground for a modest, indemonstrable, lifeoriented faith rooted in human nature. After reconstructing the classical demonstrable model (Cudworth, Clarke, Bentley), the study examines Hume's empiricist psychology of belief, his critique of causation and analogical reasoning in the Dialogues, and his explanatory naturalism in The Natural History of Religion. Religion emerges as a natural human phenomenon arising from fear, hope, ignorance, and anthropomorphism rather than metaphysical insight. Drawing on contemporary cognitive and evolutionary psychology of religion (Barrett, Boyer, McCauley), the article shows that Hume anticipates modern accounts of faith as a cognitively natural, affectively driven, and existentially meaningful orientation. Hume thus offers neither dogmatic

Paul Draper is one of the most sophisticated contemporary defenders of the evidential argument from evil. In his seminal 1989 paper “Pain and Pleasure: An Evidential Problem for Theists,” he argues that the observed distribution and intensity of suffering in the world provide strong evidence against classical theism. Using a Bayesian framework, Draper compares theism (T) with the Hypothesis of Indifference (HI) and contends that the data of pain and pleasure (O) are far more probable under HI than under T. This article
offers a detailed analytical-critical examination of Draper’s argument, focusing on its conceptual foundations, probabilistic methodology, and epistemological presuppositions. After reconstructing the key elements—including gratuitous evil, prior probability, and explanatory power—the study presents several interlocking critiques: the epistemic limits of human cognition in identifying truly pointless evil (skeptical theism), the subjectivity of assigning prior probabilities, the underestimation of traditional theodicies (free-will and soul-making), and anthropomorphic assumptions about divine purposes.The analysis concludes that, while Draper’s formulation poses a formidable challenge to theism, it rests on contestable epistemological and methodological assumptions that significantly weaken its force. Thus, despite its influence, the argument does not constitute a decisive refutation of theistic belief.
Keywords :
Paul Draper, evidential argument from evil, gratuitous evil, skeptical theism, theodicy, hypothesis of indifference, philosophy of religion

This article investigates the concept of tarawwi (deliberation) in Abu Nasr al-Farabi's philosophy and its central role in moral agency and ethical action. Farabi, the "Second Teacher," develops practical reason as the pivotal faculty for ethical decision-making, employing tarawwi as a rational process to determine the best course of action in particular circumstances. Tarawwi consists of four stages: envisioning the end goal, evaluating possible options, assessing consequences, and selecting the optimal action that best realizes the intended good. By harmonizing universal principles (apprehended by practical intellect) with particular knowledge, and integrating cognition with desire, tarawwi bridges theory and practice. Unlike views limiting practical reason to particulars (e.g., Avicenna, Mulla Sadra), Farabi attributes to it independent epistemic access to universals, thus resolving Hume's is-ought problem within practical syllogisms. Tarawwi also explains akrasia (weakness of will): once complete deliberation culminates in resolute choice, action necessarily follows. Strengthened through experience, repetition, and habituation, tarawwi fosters moral virtues within a virtue-ethical framework, leading to eudaimonia (happiness). The paper positions tarawwi as both a theoretical tool for understanding moral psychology and a practical strategy for ethical education and character development.

This paper examines the theological dimensions of Revolutionary Realism and the strategic implications of what we term "The Theological Flip"-the discovery that the moral architecture of the People's Coalition of Planet Earth (PCPE) can be authentically expressed within religious frameworks without losing coherence or strategic focus. Through analysis of ownership as idolatry, stewardship as revolutionary practice, and Universal Wellbeing as divine mandate, we demonstrate that the PCPE's framework represents not merely secular political theory but cosmological architecture capable of unifying diverse moral traditions around shared commitment to planetary transformation. This theological integration creates unprecedented strategic capacity for hegemonic transformation by demonstrating that Revolutionary Realism fulfills rather than contradicts the deepest aspirations of both secular and sacred worldviews.

This paper critiques apologetic arguments that move from the intelligibility of the universe to a divine mind. It distinguishes modelability from minded origin, descriptive laws from prescriptive governance, and pattern recognition from agency detection. The central claim is that stable, mathematically tractable order may support inquiry without licensing the stronger theological conclusion that a personal God explains that order.

This article examines the resurgence of Christian language and symbolism within contemporary British nationalist movements through the lens of the recent “Unite the Kingdom” rally in London associated with Tommy Robinson. It explores the social, political, and theological tensions surrounding questions of immigration, national identity, cultural change, and the perceived erosion of Britain’s Christian heritage. Drawing upon polling data from Theos, statements from church leaders, and responses from Christian anti-nationalist groups, the article argues that modern Britain is experiencing a profound crisis of belonging in which Christianity is increasingly invoked both as a marker of cultural identity and as a moral framework for social solidarity. The article critically distinguishes between Christianity as a civilizational badge and Christianity as a Gospel-centred ethic rooted in compassion, hospitality, and reconciliation. It further reflects on the role of the Church in responding pastorally to social grievance without legitimising xenophobia or exclusionary nationalism. Ultimately, the article contends that the struggle over Christianity’s place in public life has become inseparable from wider debates about the future identity and moral direction of Britain itself.

This paper examines how Christianity and Confucianism conceptualize identity and happiness through distinct yet comparably relational accounts of human life. Although the two traditions emerge from different metaphysical, historical, and cultural settings, both resist strongly individualistic understandings of the self and instead locate human flourishing within networks of obligation, moral formation, and relationship. Through a comparative analysis of theological and philosophical themes in each tradition, this essay argues that Christianity and Confucianism converge in portraying the human person as fundamentally relational while diverging in the ultimate grounds of that relationality. Christianity roots human identity in relation to a personal, triune God, whereas Confucianism frames identity through ethical roles, social harmony, and moral cultivation within the human community. By bringing these traditions into dialogue, the paper shows that both offer substantial critiques of modern self-centered models of happiness and provide enduring resources for thinking about human flourishing in relational terms.

Knowing God: Doing Justice analyzes the current crisis of values and argues that radical relativism makes it impossible to mount a credible argument against capitalism or any other unjust system without a coherent way to ground ethical judgments. It the regrounds but also radically historicizes natural law ethics and draws out the implications for questions of right, virtue, and justice.

A perfectly good and omnipotent deity would not tolerate a malicious supernatural destroyer when that destroyer can be neutralized without cost, ignorance, risk, or loss of greater goods. The continued activity of such a figure is therefore strong evidence against a theology that combines perfect benevolence, omnipotence, and a real Satanic agent. The more Satan is made dangerous, the harder divine toleration is to justify; the more Satan is made harmless, the less theological work he can do.

The addict's craving is not merely a neurobiological dysfunction. It is a misdirected form of the natural desire for the infinite. This paper examines Karl Rahner's concept of the Vorgriff auf esse (the pre-apprehension of being) as the ontological ground of this desire and argues that addiction recovery requires not the elimination of desire but its reorientation. Drawing on Karen Kilby's exposition of Rahner, John of the Cross's description of the dark night as the purification of desire, Meister Eckhart's teaching on detachment, and Thomas Merton's reflections on hope and surrender, the paper develops a theological anthropology of addiction in which the substance is understood as a failed substitute for the infinite toward which the human spirit is always already reaching. The paper concludes that recovery is the slow, painful, joyful process of releasing the false objects of desire and consenting to desire's true object, which is God.

Religious pluralism is often presented as a generous account of global religious diversity, yet its stronger theological forms frequently understate the depth of doctrinal contradiction among living traditions. This article offers a conservative Sola Scriptura comparative-theological analysis of religious disagreement by examining Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hindu traditions, Buddhism, Sikhism, traditional religions, and secular humanism as a religiously functioning worldview. Methodologically, the study is a doctrinal and theological-apologetic essay rather than an empirical survey. It draws on primary texts and representative scholarly sources to describe each tradition in its own terms before evaluating its central claims through the grammatical-historical and canonical interpretation of Scripture. The article argues that the disagreements among mainstream religions are not peripheral disputes over ritual, culture, or spiritual vocabulary, but concern ultimate reality, creation, anthropology, sin, revelation, salvation, Christology, death, judgment, and final destiny. In response to pluralist, inclusivist, relativist, and universalist accounts of religious truth, the article contends that Scripture presents an irreducibly particular witness: one living Creator, one fallen humanity, one incarnate Son, one sufficient atonement, one bodily resurrection, one mediator, one gospel of grace, and one final judgment. Particular exegetical attention is given to John 14:6, Acts 4:12, 1 Timothy 2:5, Hebrews 9:27-28, and 1 Corinthians 15 as texts that bear decisive theological weight for Christian exclusivity. The article further distinguishes doctrinal critique from contempt for persons, insisting that biblical faithfulness requires truthful representation, neighbor-love, non-coercive witness, and humility. It concludes that Jesus Christ's divine identity, cross, resurrection, mediatorship, and coming judgment constitute the decisive dividing line between biblical Christianity and rival accounts of salvation and ultimate reality.

Jürgen Habermas hat sich erst in seinem letzten größeren Werk eingehender und explizit mit Spinoza beschäftigt, und diese bisherige Auslassung konnte verwundern. Denn der Religions kritiker Spinoza war -wie Habermas -ein leidenschaftlicher Verteidiger der säkularen Vernunft gegen alle ihrer Verächter:innen, aber auch gegen einige ihrer dogmatischen Liebhaber:innen. Eine eingehende Lektüre von Habermas' knapper, aber intensiver Spinoza-Lektüre kann zweierlei auffinden: eine erstaunliche Konvergenz der beiden philosophischen Projekte einerseits, eine gewisse Mehrdeutigkeit im Unterfangen einer philosophischen Rechtfertigung der Autonomie der Philosophie im Allgemeinen andererseits. Beide Autoren haben diese Mehrdeutigkeit auf verschiedene Weise ausgedrückt, aufgelöst haben sie sie beide nicht.

The dominant alignment paradigm for large language models — reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF) optimizing a scalar reward — is not merely suboptimal. It is architecturally inverted. It systematically destroys the epistemological calibration that the pretrained model possessed, then externalizes the cost of repair to individual users at inference time. This paper presents the unified thesis emerging from a five-paper corpus: alignment requires two orthogonal governance axes, not one.
The ethical axis is governed by a formally verified 5×3 lexicographic lattice derived from convergent Abrahamic jurisprudence (Maqāṣid al-Sharī'ah and Thomistic natural law), Z3-verified against three structural properties: total ordering, strict hierarchy, anti-consequentialism. The epistemic axis is governed by a 5×5 Knowledge Triage Lattice derived from Islamic epistemological classification, introducing the Mubāḥ Suppression Principle — the formally justified capacity to withhold true-but-useless information.
Together they produce a 40-cell governance architecture (15 ethical cells constraining what the system may do; 25 epistemic cells constraining what the system should say), enforced through cryptographic pre-execution governance with 49 ms overhead and a 0/50 harmful-output rate under adversarial pressure. This architecture constitutes a complete, axis-by-axis alternative to the Western alignment stack, with explicit replacement candidates for every component from scalar reward to post-hoc safety filters.
Two dispositive experiments are specified with falsification thresholds: (1) sparse autoencoder feature mapping of lattice tiers in Llama-3-70B residual streams (≥60% classification accuracy); (2) n ≥ 10,000 adversarial red-teaming with HMAC-signed metadata across three frontier models (≤1% harmful-output rate, ≤1% false-positive rate). Resolution converts the architecturally complete corpus into an evidentially complete one.
The thesis: calibration, not scale, is the path to trustworthy artificial intelligence.

This article offers a bounded design-science analysis of the eleventh section of Jawshan al-Kabir (Jawshan Kabir) through Civilizational Algorithm Theory (CAT). Rather than reading the passage as a flat devotional litany, it reconstructs the ten vocative units as a sequence-sensitive support ontology in which each human limit-condition is paired with a distinct divine response-function. The semantic arc moves from reserve in hardship and hope in affliction, through intimacy and companionship under loneliness and estrangement, to guardianship under blessing, and then onward to succour, guidance, sufficiency, refuge, and enabling help under distress, bewilderment, poverty, necessity, and alarm. Methodologically, the study applies bounded corpus delimitation, rule-based segmentation, lexical and morphological coding, adjacency-sensitive inference, semantic clustering, and bounded downstream translation into systems, governance, taqrīb, KPI, maturity, scenario, and early-warning layers. The article argues that the eleventh section constitutes a sequence-bound sacred support ontology whose internal order is analytically significant, methodologically auditable, and suitable for disciplined theology-to-governance translation without semantic inflation or anachronistic overreach.

This comparative study applies Joseph Campbell's monomyth theory to examine how the classical hero's journey-comprising the phases of departure, initiation, and return-manifests itself in Semitic religions and Japanese religious traditions. The monomyth theory offers a universal paradigm of the hero narrative, enabling a comparison between the narratives of prophets in Semitic religions and the life stories of Japanese Buddhist founders. The study focuses on leading figures in the Semitic tradition (Moses, Jesus, and Muḥammad) and important Buddhist monks in the Japanese tradition (Kūkai, Shinran, and Nichiren), aiming to show how the three phases of the monomyth theory appear in both contexts. Despite broad cultural and doctrinal differences, these narratives exhibit striking structural similarities and common motifs. Each figure experiences a departure from society, undergoes a transformative trial in a sacred mountain, cave, or place of seclusion, or has a vision/revelation experience. After this process, which carries the symbolic nature of death and rebirth, these figures/heroes return to establish or renew a religious community. While Moses, Jesus, and Muḥammad are depicted in the Semitic tradition as being guided directly by divine revelation, Kūkai, Shinran, and Nichiren are accepted as enlightened figures through mystical experiences. Moses' revelation on Mount Horeb; Jesus's crucifixion on the hill of Golgotha and resurrection in the empty rock tomb; and Muḥammad's first vision in the Cave of Ḥirāʾ find parallels in Kūkai's enlightenment on a sacred peak, Shinran's exile and spiritual rebirth, and Nichiren's near-execution miracle, respectively. These similarities demonstrate that the monomyth theory provides a useful framework for a comparative reading of the life stories of religious founders. Accordingly, this research argues that the monomyth theory reveals similar structural patterns across different faiths and that the concept of Sophia Perennis manifests in unique forms within diverse cultural contexts.

A Comparative Study of the Doctrine of the Investigative Judgment from the Theisms Proposed by Desmond Ford and Norman R. Gulley

The doctrine of the Investigative Judgment, central to the Seventh-day Adventist Church, exhibits notable interpretative diversity (e.g., literal/symbolic event; vindicatory/revelatory/decisive nature), influenced by differing ontological presuppositions regarding the nature of God. This study addresses this issue by analyzing the theist perspectives of Desmond Ford and Norman R. Gulley, seeking to understand how these divergences impact the doctrinal.

Methodologically, a qualitative approach is adopted with a documentary design and a model-based comparative method, employing elements of a phenomenological-interpretive hermeneutic inspired by Paul Ricoeur. The research contextualizes the positions of both authors and systematically analyzes them through key thematic axes, from their underlying epistemologies to their specific conceptions of the Judgment, the Heavenly Sanctuary, and eschatology.

The findings reveal fundamental contrasts: Ford, aligned with elements of classical theism, reinterprets the Judgment as a symbolic and forensic act fulfilled at the cross, spiritualizing the Sanctuary due to his emphasis on divine timelessness and omniscience, within a macro-hermeneutical framework centered on justification by faith.

In contrast, Gulley, from a perspective aligned with moderate-relational theism and the macro-hermeneutical framework of the Great Controversy, defends the Judgment as a literal and vindicatory process essential for revealing God’s justice to the universe, with the Heavenly Sanctuary conceived as a real place inaugurated in 1844.

The conclusions highlight that these interpretations arise from irreconcilable epistemic-ontological frameworks. While Ford’s position dematerializes crucial aspects of Adventist doctrine, Gulley—by focusing primarily on the revelatory function of the Judgment—reveals tension with moral responsibility and the need for a decisive evaluation. This underscores the need for a theological understanding that integrates the literality of the Judgment with its vindicatory and decisive function.

Moral education as one of the most important pillars of
an educational system contributes greatly to orientation
to that system. Thus, the view according to which we
choose to face moral issues founds the educational
system in a completely decisive way. Therefore, moral
education is not only a specific and separate educational
background and sphere, but, in a sense, it shows the
depth and essence of the education system. Virtueoriented ethics as an alternative to act-oriented moral
systems can provide a different perspective on our
understanding of moral issues and can also make the
foundation of moral education undergo a fundamental
transformation. This paper aims to analyze and
formulate this role in the macro educational system to
determine that virtue-oriented moral education can be a
different framework for the totality of educational
system. In this paper, in one hand, we seek to address
virtue ethics philosophically and theoretically in terms
of its effectiveness on the educational system, and, on
the other hand, just a certain aspect of this system
should not be considered, but the effectiveness of ethics
on the totality of educational system should be
investigated. The paper is concluded with the approach:
the virtue-oriented moral education will basically create
a different attitude to moral education, because many of
the foundations of moral education in the formal
educational system are based on a rule-based and
external approach, which deprives the leaners of
forming internal moral structures. In the virtue-oriented
moral education, the moral education will aim to pursue
moral perfection in the various aspects of the learners’
life, and not just to persuade them to do their
homework

This work has not been published by any publishing house; it was transformed into a book by the author himself-using his own means-in a limited number via a digital printing system. All publication rights for this work belong to Feriduddin AYDIN. It may not be published in whole or in part without the author's permission. It may not be reproduced, even partially, by photocopy, film, or any other technique, nor published on electronic media. Citations may be made provided that the source is mentioned.

This work has not been published by any publishing house; it was transformed into a book by the author himself-using his own means-in a limited number via a digital printing system. All publication rights for this work belong to Feriduddin AYDIN. It may not be published in whole or in part without the author's permission. It may not be reproduced, even partially, by photocopy, film, or any other technique, nor published on electronic media. Citations may be made provided that the source is mentioned.

In this paper, I argue that the intrinsic probability of theism is higher than atheism. I start by utilizing and defending the definition of theism as "the view that a God exists" and atheism as the denial of theism. Next, I summarize several models and approaches towards God from different traditions as well as alternative concepts of ultimate reality. I anticipate an objection to theism from alternative concepts of ultimate reality such as Brahman or the Dao. Two challenges will then be proposed to any alternative concept of ultimate reality which I call the Anselmian Theism Challenge and the Apophatic Theology Challenge. I end by examining the probability of theism and atheism under a system of ignorance to argue in favor of theism.

How can theological education respond to the shape-shifting and expanding nature of chaplaincy?What is the tension between maintaining professional standardsw hile allowing space for new forms of chaplaincy to emerge, especiallyinincreasinglyinterreligious contexts? What pedagogicalinnovations need to be developedt os upport training of chaplains?T hisc hapter highlights the Master of Divinity program with the focus on training of Buddhist chaplains at Union Theological Seminary (NYC), ah istoricallyl iberal Protestant seminary. It articulatest he Buddhism and Interreligious Engagement program, structure, and rationale in the context of Buddhist chaplaincy in the U.S. The authors explore interreligious pedagogical interventions that allow meaningful religious differencet oe ndurew hile cultivatingt he possibility for connections to be realized across that difference.

Catholic integralism has received growing attention and criticism in recent years. Some philosophers, such as Kevin Vallier, suggest that, rather than using coercive political power to promote spiritual goals, integralists should adopt a strategy of 'integration writs small', which advocates for the dissemination of their beliefs through local religious communities. This paper discusses the strengths and weaknesses of this strategy by examining the history of community covenants (xiang yue 鄉約), which are voluntary grassroots organizations established by Neo-Confucians like Lu Dajun (呂大鈞) and Wang Yangming (王陽明). The tragic history of community covenant teaches us that a strategy of 'integration writs small' often encounter a dilemma between disintegration and coercion, which significantly weakens its appeal, explaining why some integralists might reject it. Catholic integralism is a political and legal theory that has received increasing attention in recent years. 1 Integralists argue that it is justifiable for the Catholic Church to employ

The paper explores and exposes the connections between the Buddhist virtue Karuna and the Christian virtue Caritas. Employing a text-based analysis approach, the paper argues that both Karuna and Caritas have intersections, though their origins and inherent development in each religious tradition differ. After the exploration and exposition, it is found out that both virtues may be considered expressions of self-surrendering love whereby a faithful person sets aside oneself for the greater or common good, much more the good of the other. This is exemplified by the Bodhisattvas and the Saints, two interesting religious figures in Buddhism and Christianity, respectively.

This paper explores the concept of fostering mutual collaboration among inter-religious groups, with the intention of redefining existing paradigms within this domain. Drawing upon a comprehensive review of literature from various theologians, I provide an exhaustive analysis of the imperative need for establishing interreligious communities rooted in mutual trust. Additionally, while my research is framed within the Asian context, I am committed to engaging with this issue from a broader global perspective, reflecting on its implications for interfaith dialogue and collaboration.

Рад се бави анализом ставова епископа Атанасија Јефтића о Светом Причешћу и истражује њихово одступање од православног предања и литургијске свести. Посебна пажња посвећена је значају духовне припреме верника кроз пост, молитву, исповест и покајање као основе достојног приступа Евхаристији. Рад такође разматра тумачење канона Трулског сабора и истиче улогу живог предања и светоотачког наслеђа у очувању православне духовности и литургијске праксе..

At the core of Hindu Ethics there stands the notion of dharma; this article aspires to look at the notion of dharma through a comparative approach, comparing it on the one hand to the Jewish notion of Halacha, and on the other hand to the Chinese or Confucian notion of the Junzi, the gentleman. This article suggests that dharma shares notions similar to the Jewish Halacha, as both represent ethno-cultural systems. At the same time, Hindu Ethics share similar metaphysics with classical Chinese thought and as such, constructs the notion of the ideal sattvic agent which is similar the Chinese Junzi, as both promote the process of self-cultivation.

In the crucible of early Christian persecution, martyrdom transformed death into a fountain of life, embodying the paradox of "rotting produces life." This study explores how the decay of martyrs' bodies fostered spiritual and communal renewal, drawing on the metaphor of a seed that dies to bear fruit. Previous studies have examined martyrdom's theological and social roles, noting its contribution to Christian identity and growth, yet few have synthesized the natural imagery of decay and renewal as a unified principle. This study aims to fill this gap by analyzing martyrdom as a generative act that bridges death and life, justified by its centrality to early Christian theology and culture. Employing Durkheim's theory of collective effervescence, the study frames martyrdom as a ritual that galvanized community cohesion. It focuses on martyrdom texts from the first to fourth centuries, justified by their formative influence on Christian thought. The study underscores martyrdom's significance in shaping religious resilience and offers insights for contemporary theological reflection. The study revealed martyrdom's role in transforming decay into renewal through sacrifice, inspiring communal vitality. The study recommended interdisciplinary research and public engagement with martyrdom narratives. In conclusion, this paradox illuminates the cyclical nature of sacrifice, offering timeless lessons on life emerging from death.

List of maps, tables and diagrams List of illustrations Acknowledgements Glossary Abbreviations Preface Introduction Chapter 1. A Mountainous State Chapter 2. Classifying Spirit and Sickness Chapter 3. Religion of Practice Chapter 4. Traditional Healers Chapter 5. A Brief History of Christian Evangelisation in the Naga Hills Chapter 6. Contemporary Christianity and the Healing Spirit Chapter 7. Church and Healing Conclusion Bibliogtaphy Appendix I: Bibliographical Essay Appendix II Appendix III Index

Academic book review of the first book by the Islamic Studies professor at Wheaton College, arguably the most prestigious Evangelical Christian liberal arts college in the USA. The book is entitled "Witnessing God: Christians, Muslims, and the Comparative Theology of Missions" and is published by Brill in 2025.