Showing papers on "Divinity published in 2020"

An Investigation into Textual Characteristics of the Early Greek Majuscule Pandects

Abstract: My main, official source of funding was the AHRC, which paid my living and maintenance. I also received grants to go to conferences and discuss my research from the AHRC, Christ's College and the Divinity Faculty.

American Babylon: Christianity and Democracy Before and After Trump

Abstract: Why did 81 percent of white evangelicals vote for Donald Trump in 2016? And what does this tell us about the relationship between Christianity and democracy in the United States? American Babylon places our present political moment against a deep historical backdrop. In Part I the author traces the development of democratic institutions from Ancient Greece through to the American Revolution and of Christian political theology from Augustine to Falwell. Part II charts the decline of democratic governance within American churches; explains the capture of evangelical Christianity by the Republican Party; and denounces the fateful embrace between white Christian nationalists and right-wing populists that culminated in Trump’s victory. An accessible and timely book, American Babylon is essential reading for those concerned with the vexed relationship of religion and politics in the United States, including students and scholars in the fields of divinity, history, political science, religious studies, and sociology.

The God’s aesthetics: material exchanges in the theological construction of the idea of divinity in ancient Israel

Abstract: The characterization of the sacred space in ancient Israel makes it possible to highlight the dimensions of the religious phenomenon, and thus identify the divinity of the place. Using the literary sources of the Hebrew Bible and images we will demonstrate that space was constitutive of divinity; moreover, the foundational institutions of the people are based on ritual practices. This paper presents evidence of the process of objective elaboration of the divinity – its presence – considering the peculiarities of ancient Israel. Our hypothesis is that in ancient Israel, religious presentness should be researched in the context of multicultural relations – almost always conflicting – between northern Israelites and the Arameans peoples. Theoretically, Yahweh’s aesthetics, originating from warrior deities, exalts the monarchical period. During this period, political conflicts have the same intensity as conceptual conflicts involving cultural agents. Thus, situated in symbolic environments, ritualistic art stands out strongly.

O culto eucarístico lucense como resposta ao priscilianismo? Ler na actualidade Argos Divina

Abstract: This work aims to answer the question of whether the perpetual exhibition of the Blessed Sacrament in the cathedral of Lugo was born as a reaction to the priscillianist doctrines, which contrary to the divinity of Christ in his Manichaean dualism, advocated a rejection of everything material, including the Eucharistic species. To this end, it presents the evolution of Eucharistic worship from the earliest times until the 16th century with the Protestant reform and the Council of Trent. Also included is the doctrine of the work Argos Divina (Santiago, 1700) by Juan Pallares y Gayoso, a lecturer from the Lucense cathedral, regarding the antipriscillianist origin of the Eucharistic exhibition, and the later interpretations of this work. Based on the above, taking into account the examination of historical sources, it is concluded that the “lucense” Eucharistic Exhibition is not prior to the 16th century.

Deconstructing the Miltonic Exaggerations in Paradise Lost

Abstract: Paradise Lost has become a controversial epic in misrepresenting characters especially among pious critics and religious scholars. Based on applying the deconstruction theory analysis on Paradise Lost, this paper discusses three main purposes about the Miltonic exaggerations in Paradise Lost: the infringement of God divinity, the high power position of Jesus Christ, and Oliver Cromwell; as the intended symbolic political figure by Milton.In fact, the Bible and the Holy Quran are considered two main sources to the paradise story, so they apparently deconstruct the Miltonic thoughts in this epic poem. According to deconstructionism in Paradise Lost, Milton consecrated the ideology of the Trinity concept which is not explicitly mentioned in the New Testament. He also exceeded the reasonable limitation of divinity by ignoring the role of the Great God and overstating the role of Jesus Christ as the whole mercy and justices. In addition, Milton came out with Paradise Lost after Oliver Cromwell’s death in order to express his grief about Oliver Cromwell and the Commonwealth fall as well.

Christology in Digital Era: A Socio-systematic Theology Contribution to the Sustainable Smart Society

Abstract: Theology, specifically speaking, Christology, owns exclusive position and tends react sentimentally toward secular disciplines out of its circle. Therefore, linking Christology and digital era falls to practical matter on how modern devices could be employed for religion advantages. This essay tries to evaluate reconciliation between them and see possibilities on how Christology could contribute to the sustainable smart society. However, divinity and technology are contrast square that offers less of space for dialogue, furthermore, it receives pessimistic tone concerning their health relationship. The expectation is, a socio-systematic sensitive approach of Christology may ground new perspective and results unexpected knowledge for the sustainable of smart society.

Can the Earth be Sacred Once Again? Christianity and Climate Change

Abstract: The following paper takes Pope Francis’ Encyclical on Climate Change as an opportunity to re-open the debate, begun in 1967 by Lynn White Jr., on the theological origins of the environmental crisis. I note that the Pope’s critique of consumerist modernity is strong, but his lack of a genealogical account of modernity remains a weakness of the text. I argue, with White, that the technological revolution which has caused climate change would not have been possible without Christian assumptions. The original disenchantment of the world was the Abrahamic revelation which disjoined divinity and nature, and contra to appearances, the disjunction was only exacerbated by the doctrine of the incarnation. With climate change, modernity is returning to this revelation in the form of the sobering experience of the precarity of the planet. Nature is now experienced as finite once again, and it includes us. Modernity, however, cannot be disavowed any more than disenchantment can easily be forgotten. A return to the Christian roots of disenchantment might help us to remember what we have forgotten: the virtue of contemplation, which could qualify modern attitudes of control and domination, and engender a Christian experience of reverence for nature. While this is a Christian response to the climate crisis, other religious traditions will need to come to analogous forms of earth-centered ethics if we are to achieved the integrated ecological pluralism needed for the future of civilization.

The role of ahl al-sunnah wa al-jamaah as manhaj (predecessor) and mazhab (school of thought) on progressing of worlds civilization

Abstract: Recent advancements in major technology and spread democracy to different parts of the world indicate civilization is still progressing. Peoples think that the civilization is beginning to collapse due to the problems such as terrorism and environmental destruction are growing, especially in Islamic countries. To mitigate more potential conflicts and destruction, it is necessary a global consciousness to construct a moderate thinking paradigm. In this article, we present an insight of Islamic approaches based on the fundamental implementation of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah that is sourced from divinity, humanity, integration, and equality. Its implementation as manhaji in the global civilization is thought as an appropriate paradigm that will bring up harmonious peaceful life among the unified societies.

Teaching on Religion and Violence

Abstract: I have many times now taught a course entitled “Religion and Violence” at Brite Divinity School and Texas Christian University. The Brite course is in-class; the TCU course is online with Master of Liberal Arts students. I will describe the difference between the two formats and also provide sample syllabi. The course has traditionally focused on the “why” question--“Why are human beings violent?”--rather than on ethical debates about pacifism vs. just war. Feedback from the online students often asked for another course focusing on peacemaking, now that the psychology of violence has become better understood. I therefore developed a new course called “Peacemaking in a Violent World,” which will also be described. I will make the argument that our culture as a whole would benefit from greater curricular attention to the psychology of violence, at all levels of education. I will also provide attendees with a bibliography for collection development in this area.

Una aproximación crítica al ciclo de Abraham en la literatura hispanoamericana contemporánea

Abstract: The Bible has been a source of inspiration for many types of artistic expressions, and its impact on different places and times is the subject of discipline, Cultural Biblical Studies. From this point of view, this article analyzes the retelling of the Abraham Cycle in the novel Sara from Sergio Ramirez (2015) through the construction of the characters, the role of the narrator and the use of intertextuality. In the novel, Sara is a woman of action, who criticizes the status quo and demands spaces of freedom. The past tense of the biblical narrative and the present tense of the autor are combined to offer a new interpretation based on a contemporary mentality that questions divinity and emphasizes the predominance of reason and feminism. Through the narrator, the author questions the reader and creates an intriguing text between tradition and innovation. From the point of view of a woman, Ramirez recreates, transforms, and invents the biblical texts, showing that the Bible is still an active creator of culture.

Massive Religiosity in Indonesian Poetry vs. Scarce Divinity in American Poetry

Abstract: As revealed by earlier research (Kadarisman 2008 and 2016), Indonesian poetry strikingly differs from American poetry in terms of massive divine presence in the former vs. divine absence in the latter. The present research moves on further to find out (1) how Indonesian poets express their religiosity, and (2) whether or not, with newly collected data, God is truly absent in today’s American poetry. Upon closer examination of Indonesian and American poetry, the research has come up with the following findings. First, most Indonesian poets express their religious experience with reverence and solemnity, although a few of them do so with complaint and humor. Secondly, it is true that there is no divinity in American poetry in today’s academia; but religious poems keep surviving in church communities. Briefly, religiosity is always there in poetry; but it differs across both countries in terms of degree, as determined by different socio-political systems and cultural beliefs. Keywords: massive religiosity, scarce divinity, Indonesian poetry, American poetry

The Thoughts On Divinity Philosophy Of Madhvācarya

Abstract: Mādhva's thought had a strong influence on Vaiṣṇava philosophy. Madhva enforces the Dvaita system that has significantly contributed to the study of Vedanta. The Aṇubhāṣya is his short treatise reflecting his interpretation of the Brahma Sūtra explaining his position of thought. In his primary doctrine of Divinity philosophy, he affirms the status of Brahman (the impersonal absolute), and the ātman (individual self) is dvaita (dual), and according to him that this is the position found in the Vedas. Direct examination of the written texts provides a holistic understanding of how Mādhva thought of Brahman ontology and reveals the mystical veil that he received direct guidance from Vyāsa, the author of the Brahma Sūtra and Vedas. This paper also provides an overview of Mādhva's philosophical and theological position of thought.

The Mothers and Daughters of Bhakti : Janābāī in Marathi Literature

Abstract: This article focuses on the writings of the lonely, orphaned poet Janābāī, a popular figure believed to have lived in fourteenth-century Maharashtra. By studying the oral tradition of grind-mill songs with which Janābāī is associated as a neglected field of bhakti composition, this article seeks to recuperate the elements of absence, exile, and dislocation central to the devotional lives and experience of bhakti poets, especially those like Janābāī who were and continue to be marginalized by gender and caste. Examining the ubiquitous way in which worship, divinity, and writing are figured as feminine in Maharashtrian bhakti as a whole, this article excavates the ways women’s oral traditions helped to shape Marathi literary and devotional ideals and deepen bhakti’s “theology of embodiment” into a poetics of exile and belonging.

Deisis in the paintings of christian egypt a depiction of the intercessory supplication

Abstract: The concept of intercession is deeply originated in the Eastern Orthodoxy through the reciting of the Intercession Prayer, addressing the Christ, as the main intercessor, and other holy figures including the Virgin, the saints, the martyrs and even angels to intercede on behalf of faithfuls and deliver their prayers to God. Deisis is one of the intercession theme aspects that is widely illustrated in murals and icons of Christian Egypt. It is represented in different compositions, but mainly consists of three main figures; the Christ Pantocrator flanked by the two main intercessors: The Virgin Mary and John the Baptist, then many other elements and figures were added emphasizing the divinity of the Christ and the intercession practice.This study aims to highlight the unique place of the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist in Orthodox liturgy and their important role as intercessors for the salvation of the mankind through the different depictions of the Deisis in Christian Egypt.The Deisis theme is widely represented in Christian Egypt on a different collection of materials specially paintings since the sixth century AD. The word Deisis is derived from the Greek word δέησις meaning supplication or prayer, mainly represented in artistic context including Virgin Mary and John the Baptist on either side of the Christ Pantocrator in different postures. The Deisis appears usually in two forms: either as independent unit, or as the central theme of a larger and more complex composition: The Last Judgment scene of which the Deisis constitutes the center; or the so-called Great Deisis, which is a fuller and more complete rendering of the Commemoration or Intercession Prayer, including the Deisis group, angels, prophets and various categories of saints and symbols of the four evangelists were added, all imploring the aid of Christ. This Great Deisis has a central place in the row of icon panels above the Royal Doors of the Iconostasis emphasizing the value and importance attributed to the intercession practice. This popular composition represents the unification between the three most important figures of the Christian hierarchy: Christ, the Virgin, and John the Baptist. Sometimes in a developed form of the Deisis, in addition to the Christ, the Virgin and the Baptist, also angels, apostles, prophets and other saints are depicted.The Christ Pantocrator “Ruler” or “Preserver of all” is represented either enthroned or standing, wearing a chiton and a himation, with the right hand raised in blessing and the left hand holding the Gospel. Scholars say that this composition also shows the Christ as ruler enthroned in his Kingdom between two interceding courtiers. After the Christ, there are many intercessors who please God by their deeds, they are acceptable to him, present in his Kingdom, and their voices are heard. They have been addressed during the service in specific order; the Virgin, The Angels, Archangels, St. John the Baptist, Disciples, Apostles, Prophets, Martyrs and Saints. As for the two prominent intercessors, the Virgin and John the Baptist, they were chosen for their privileged role as the first eye-witnesses of Christ’s divinity and consequently, enjoy a unique place in the Christian scheme of salvation.

Cyril of Alexandria and Julian the Emperor in dialogue for the ancient Greek philosophy and paganism

Abstract: In the 5th century, Cyril of Alexandria wrote a large apologetic work, as a response to Julian the Apostate"™s anti-Christian work Against the Galileans. Aside from the obvious divide of one being a Christian and one a pagan, Cyril's religious views were very different from Julian's. Julian's arguments against the Christian doctrine do not greatly differ from those used in the second century by Celsus, and by Porphyry in the third and he regarded the relations between Neoplatonic criticism of Christian Word. As a pagan, Julian had adopted the Platonic and Neoplatonic conception of the one God. Cyril doesn"™t stack up against the Platonic one. Cyril"™s goal in responding to Julian is, therefore, to help the skeptical reader to find the real faith. Cyril invokes precisely the evidence of Platonist philosophers in favour of the Trinitarian doctrine. Cyril shows, unlike Julian, that the Greek philosophers accept the three principal hypostases and using the term triad, they agree with Christian teaching. So, ancient philosophers as Porphyry supported that the substance of the divinity has proceeded towards three hypostases. Cyril doesn"™t only confront Julian"™s view against Christian, but he also confirms something that Justin the Martyr supported centuries ago about the "˜spermatic logos"™. In this paper, we will examine this two works, "˜Against the Galileans"™ of Julian and "˜Against Julian"™ of Cyril, not only from their theological opinions but as arguments using the "˜common images"™ (Iµa¼°IoIŒI„I±), the possible logical arguments, in supporting the positions of Julian and Cyril in a legal struggle.

Seeking the Feminine Divine: Mormon Women's Religious Authority and Power in Rachel Hunt Steenblik's poetry

Abstract: Literary theorists like Helene Cixous and other French feminists have written about _l’ecriture feminine_, a deconstructive force which allows female writers more freedom from male-dominated areas. Because Christianity has been historically male-dominated, Christian women have long used this idea to great effect, using their writing as a space in which they are free to assert power and authority. Mormonism, which arose in the 1830s during the Second Great Awakening, has grown to reinforce a patriarchal model for both family and church leadership, making Cixous’ separate space of writing necessary for Mormon women of the twenty-first century. The Mormon poet Rachel Hunt Steenblik’s volume _Mother’s Milk_ explores the idea of a feminine God, using poetry to teach theology with authority she is not afforded in traditional church spaces. Hunt Steenblik uses traditionally feminine themes alongside phrases and stories familiar to Mormon audiences to establish her authority as a Mormon woman. In doing this, she makes a space for theological ideas outside mainstream ecclesiastical authority, which is denied to women in the Mormon church. Hunt Steenblik’s poems explore the connection between femininity and God through the embodied experience of birth and a mother-daughter relationship to validate female religious authority as well as align the author with male prophetic leaders and mimic language from Mormon scripture to broaden the Mormon definition of divinity and leadership. Hunt Steenblik’s work asserts the need for redemption of humanity as a whole as well as of the feminine divine and female religious power.

Rites Rituals, Usages Of Vaddar Community

Abstract: Religion is secondary organization but it plays important role in fulfilling secondary needs divinity and religion of people religion only have power to explaintionary answers related to existence of man and his happy and sorrows. Religion forces people to act as the expectation of society. By this view religion work as powerful missions to control over society, religion is universal organization, in every well known society, past societies and present existence society religion exist in one on the other form. This present research study focus on basic elements of religion religious works, and relation between religion and science of vaddar community.

Divinity in Wealth Creation-The Spiritual way of Money Management

Abstract: Most spiritual thought leaders clearly seem to respect the importance of prosperity and financial security for your family. It is clear that financial security is important to achieve your personal and social goals in life. No matter what religion we follow or none at all, wealth creation for our families would be an essential goal for almost all. In this all too common endeavor, can we apply some lessons from the spiritual aspects of our life? Here the author mentions few lessons from spirituality (of every kind) that can help us do a better job of creating wealth.

The Journey of the Holy Family in Egypt and its Representations in Coptic Art and Christian Heritage

Abstract: The details of the Holy Family’s journey into Egypt are stated in the second chapter of the Gospel of St. Matthew. He is the only evangelist who mentions this story. He presents it as fulfillment of the words spoken by God to the prophet Hosea: “Out of Egypt have I called my son.” According to the Christian tradition, the promise of Egypt’s redemption was fulfilled by the visit of the Holy Family. When “an angel of the God appeared to St. Joseph in a vision, saying Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and escape to Egypt,” Information about their journey comes from physical landmarks, such as trees, caves, and springs that have been touched by the passing of divinity. The journey of the Holy Family to Egypt is one of the minor feasts in the Coptic Church. Because of the importance of the theme, it is represented with a variety of materials in both the East and the West. They may be intended for either decorative purposes or religious use.

Comparative Analysis Of Social Poetries Of Emily Dickinson And Migjeni

Abstract: This paper draws a comparison between two selected poets, Emily Dickinson and Milosh Gjergj Nikolla which were not separated from each other by a century but belonged to different gender groups and lived in different continents. In this paper we are going to analyse both of these poets’ major works and also we are going to emphasize what two poets have in common and what differs them. Inspired by the conditions and circumtancies of their nations, social theme was the main theme which left its impact on all their thinking and gave its tint to the majority of their poems. Not many poets or writers of that time were able to reflect on what concerned people, in this artistic and brave way as they did. They raised their voice against many issues and revealed this on their innovative and original creations. Both of them encouraged humans to indulge in a healthy level of doubt and scepticism, but not to the point of nihilistic despair. They searched for hope within another source – the human body comprising of a pure soul, which itself according to them, always contains a spark of divinity.

Religious Reformation and the Crisis of Providentialism in Cyril Tourneur’s The Atheist’s Tragedy (1611): A Cultural Materialist Reading

Abstract: The early modern period in England is characterised by philosophical and moral debates over the meaning and pertinence of Christian beliefs and teachings. One of the most controversial topics in this epoch is God’s providence and its supposed impacts on man’s daily life. In the wake of the Reformation and emerging philosophical schools, particularly in the second half of the sixteenth century, Providentialism was seriously put into question and the meaning and influences of God’s providence were, therefore, investigated. Epicureans and Calvinists were two prominent groups of religious reformists who cast doubt upon the validity and pertinence of Christian Providentialism as it was taught during the medieval period. These intellectual and philosophical debates were reflected in the literary productions of the age in general, and in Elizabethan and Jacobean drama in particular. Cyril Tourneur is one of the early modern English playwrights who inquired into the meaning and relevance of Providentialism in his last play, The Atheist’s Tragedy (1611). Adhering to a cultural materialist mode of criticism, I will show in this paper that Tourneur is a dissident dramatist who separates the realm of God’s divinity from man’s rational capacity in his tragedy and anticipates, hence, the emergence and development of new religious and philosophical visions in the Renaissance.

A Historical Survey of Evolution in the Concept and Status of “Man” Greek to Modern Times

Abstract: Study of human nature has been one of the most important questions to which man has come across Right from the period when man started thinking rationally, because of his curious and enquiring nature, he meditated about Universe, existence and nature of Man and his ultimate reality The religious tradition claims that when Man first came to earth, he knew the answer to these questions in the light of divine guidance It declared “Man” as the crown of all the creations and all the other things are created to serve him The civilizations that didn’t have the luxury of divine guidance developed mythological explanations It were the Greeks who for the first time developed an intellectual discourse to answer the basic question about the reality of Man and the Universe The medieval period was dominated by religious traditions All these traditions, though different from one another, seem to agree to the point that Man is a special creation and the center of the Universe with some amount of divinity attributed to him But after Renaissance, this view changed radically and the status of “Man” shrunk to an animal only who was thought-to-be guided by his own instincts and who was through and through a profane creation This research aims at studying the concept of “Man” in different civilizations and explores the evolution of this concept from Greek to Modern times through analytical research method

By Virtue of Yoga Powers: The Image of Divinity in the BAPS Swaminarayan Sansthā

Abstract: A siddha yogin (perfected yogi) can perform inexplicable feats like walking on water and levitating. The yogin obtains these powers, often explained in terms of divinity, by performing penance. These superhuman siddha yogins have historically been known to use yoga powers to command control, building authority by appearing to be extraordinary or divine. However, Hindu traditions contest whether miraculous powers confer divinity. While tantric traditions believe religious leaders claim divinity through the display of miraculous powers, bhakti traditions perceive supernatural powers with skepticism (Burchett 2012). This paper examines the extent to which yoga powers are the primary determinant of divinity and authority in contemporary Hindu religious traditions through a case study of the Bocāsanavāsī Śrī-AkṣarPuruṣottam Svāminārāyana Sansthā (BAPS), a devotional tradition in Gujarat. I analyze conceptions of two theological entities, Parabrahman (God) and Akṣarabrahman (Guru), to demonstrate how yoga powers construct and deconstruct divinity: BAPS simultaneously accepts and rejects yoga powers. For instance, devotees imagine God with yoga powers; however, they should not ground their belief in miracles. Swaminarayan canonical texts reconcile this difference by suggesting that yoga powers play a role in defining divinity but do not form a basis for devotional faith. Given the evidence that yoga powers alone do not grant authority to a divine figure, I argue that authority stems from multiple factors, with a virtuous life at the core. 1 Patel: The Image of Divinity in the BAPS Swaminarayan Sansth? Published by JHU Macksey Journal, 2020 Practitioners in Hindu devotional traditions like BAPS determine the authority of a religious figure by examining this person’s life.

Epistemological framework of hindu theology: a study in vedic hermeneutic perspective

Abstract: Numerous intellectuals got disconcerted to distinguish the study of theology and philosophy In discussions concerning God, they assumed it as a study of theology Oppositely, most people in the social environment termed it as philosophy Yet, no one named it as theology This truth occurred almost in each Hindu intellectual since they baffled to recognize the essence of Tattva and Darsana when comparing both words to Western Theology as well as Western Philosophy Most of them grasped that Tattva and Darsana as philosophy They addressed them less on theology For them, it is pure as philosophy, for instance, the Philosophy of Divinity and the Theo-Philosophy When talking about God, most Hindu scholars regarded it as a philosophy This arose for they did not apprehend the epistemological framework of Hindu theology This research must be carried out in order to acquaint and disseminate the epistemological framework of Hindu theology This type of research was qualitative research for the data was obtained in the form of descriptions of words or writings The method of data analysis was conducted through a descriptive qualitative way which was supplemented by interpretive methods The theory used was Vedic Interpretative theory based on Vedanta theories This research referred to library research It is further based on self-experience life as a lecturer and a writer I have been teaching for 32 years, wrote around 25 books, and be a speaker to deliver preach in several religious seminars more than hundreds of times This research inferred that a framework should be published to reveal the precise field of research on theology

The Nietzschean Body and the Death of God

Abstract: “God is dead!” This is one of the most famous claims in Nietzsche’s philosophy, difficult to fully affirm. While the higher men fail to overcome the ghost of God, Zarathustra joyfully affirms God’s death. This affirmation deconstructs the metaphysical and moral concept of “divinity,” turning it into a metaphor. The new metaphor of the divine, mainly developed through the figure of Dionysius, expresses the capacity of affirming life beyond the old values, related to the dead God. It also involves the creation of a higher body beyond the body of despair, associated with these values. The purpose of this paper is to study the relationship between the death of God and the body in Nietzsche’s account by analyzing the meanings of this death for the higher men, the question of the divine in Zarathustra’s account, and the status of the Dionysian body.

The Composition Entitled "God Divinity" was Inspired from the Book of John 1: 1-3, 10-11

Abstract: The composition entitled "God Divinity" was inspired from the book of John 1: 1-3, 10-11. Speaking of God as Creator in the midst of people who now doubt the existence of God. In this composition, researchers collaborate between European music and archipelago music, namely Sundanese ethnic music. The form used in this composition is the Free Form. This research uses qualitative methods with data collection techniques through literature studies and interviews in the process. Then this composition is displayed as a tangible manifestation of research that has been done at the Dome of The Harvest, in 2019. This composition was created with the aim of developing a wealth of culture, especially Sundanese artistic music in various spheres. Starting from the church, secular, educational institutions, and the government.

Pantheist Monstrosities: On Race, Gender, Divinity, and Dirt

Abstract: Most commonly attributed to the philosopher Baruch Spinoza, pantheism teaches that what we mean by “divinity” is the immanent, creative-destructive power of the universe itself. God, in other words, is the material universe. This heretical teaching infamously led to Spinoza’s 1656 excommunication from his Jewish community in Amsterdam. In subsequent centuries, pantheism has suffered nearly universal rejection—usually in the form of ridicule—by western philosophers and theologians. This chapter investigates the reasons behind this often panicked repudiation, suggesting that the horror over pantheism has less to do with theological orthodoxy or philosophical rigor than with a visceral reaction to matter, which is persistently racialized and feminized in the tradition that refuses to ascribe divinity to it.