Contemporary Religion

Abstract
The phrase shattered communion expresses the splintered sharing or exchange of intimate thought and feeling—particularly on mental or spiritual levels. In Christian ecclesiology, communion literally denotes a relationship of recognition and acceptance, whether between different Christian churches or among individual Christians and their church. The concept of shattered communion can be likened to the deep divisions that have fractured the Anglican Communion worldwide over recent decades. This division is manifest in the emergence of competing bodies such as the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) and the Global South Fellowship of Anglicans (GSFA). The ongoing struggle between adherence to Anglican tradition and deviations from biblical practices has become a serious concern, and unless addressed, this fractured state may persist indefinitely. At the core of this shattered communion lies a contentious issue: same-sex marriage, or the marriage of individuals of the same gender, often termed gay marriage. The controversy surrounding this issue has prompted calls for renewed ecumenical dialogue within the Anglican Communion, which historically consisted of provinces in relationship with the See of Canterbury, the Church of England. This paper employs both historical and phenomenological approaches to examine the impact of same-sex marriage debates on the Anglican Communion worldwide. The theory of unity in diversity is utilized as a framework to analyze the broken communion, particularly within the global Anglican context. Additionally, biblical interpretations and contemporary claims by various Anglican provinces regarding same-sex marriage are discussed.The findings reveal that the prolonged interval of ten years between bishops’ meetings at Canterbury, combined with the persistent presence of liberal clergy advocating for same-sex marriage, have contributed significantly to the failure to reconcile differing perspectives on this issue. Furthermore, the ten-year gap between Lambeth Conferences is identified as a departure from the principles of ecumenical dialogue, hindering timely and effective resolution of conflicts within the Communion.
Keywords: Shattered, Communion, Anglican, Worldwide

A Comparative Religious History of Central-Eastern Europe, 1500-2000: Problems, Methods, Perspectives 

A decent amount of scholarly contributions from the first quarter of this century have highlighted the need for a global religious history of Europe. Following the masterly insights by Burkhard Gladigow (1939-2022), a first collective endeavour in defining an Europäische Religionsgeschichte | European History of Religions is due to Hans G. Kippenberg et al., Europäische Religionsgeschichte: ein mehrfacher Pluralismus (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht | UTB, 2009, 2 vols.), discussed in a previous EASR | IAHR Conference (Messina 2009). While firm advances were made towards a Western-Central European history of religions in post-Renaissance, little or for certain areas and topics quasi nothing was done for a comparative and generalist religious history of Central-Eastern Europe. This IAHR panel would contribute to this purpose, by selecting new approaches in dealing with the sophisticated diversity of previously unexplored religious landscapes of Central and Eastern Europe, from 1500 to 2000. Interactions, entanglements and confrontations between religious agencies will thus be privileged, along with pertinent questions on method and perspectives. New researches on past historians of religions working on such data and their inherited misconceptions may be included as well.

https://iahr2025.org/program/

I wonder if you’ve ever ‘left’ your religious group, or what you think of those who do. If so, this collection of 27 short chapters might be for you. Arranged in three parts – ‘Historical and major debates’, ‘Case studies’ and ‘Theoretical and methodological approaches’ – it heralds an emergent field of study encompassing those who abandon, desert, reject or simply quietly leave the religious world that nurtured them or hosted them for decades.

The 27-chapter volume is organised into three thematic sections: Historical and Major Debates, Case Studies, and Theoretical and Methodological Approaches. In their introduction, the editors explain that authors will explore acts of becoming nonreligious, and other movements including leaving religion for another religion, or changing one’s position in a religion (for example, from an orthodox to a more liberal stance).

Edited by religious scholars Daniel Ensted, Göran Larsson, and Teemu
T. Mantsinen, the anthology Handbook of Leaving Religion is divided into three parts: the first focuses on historical and major debates, covering antiquity and the major world religions in six chapters; the second, consisting of thirteen chapters, on contemporary case studies; the third, consisting of seven chapters covering a variety of disciplines, on theoretical and methodological approaches.

The Handbook of Islamic Sects and Movements is a successful attempt to move beyond the traditional anthologies, encyclopedias and handbooks on the topic, helping broader audiences to better understand the‘diverse Islams’ and the current tensions among Muslims. Editors Muhammad Afzal Upal and Carole M. Cusack along with 31 professionals contributed to this 33-chapter volume, covering major aspects of contemporary Islamic sects and
movements. The editors, who view sects as groups of individuals who share a set of beliefs and interconnected convictions, examine sects and movements together and include ‘heretical’ movements that consider themselves Islamic but are rejected as such by many Sunni and Shi’a Muslims, as well as splinter groups and faiths that emerged from Islam but no longer consider themselves part of the Islamic community such as the Ba’hai faith. The handbook also pays specific attention to political manifestations of Islam.

The editors of the Handbook of Conspiracy Theory and Contemporary Religion state that the purpose of this volume is “to establish the study of conspiracy theory and religion as a significant interdisciplinary subfield of religious studies” (527). Toward that end, they have assembled a sizeable
cast of contributors for a book of substantial length.

The seventeenth volume of the prolific and inspired Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Religion (BHCR) series focuses on the strange and wonderful world of conspiracy theories, and the complex relation that these theories have with religiosity. If a conspiracy theory is a deus ex machina that explains circumstances in a non-verifiable way, then perhaps religion is a conspiracy theory itself? Deftly handled by the editing team of Asbjørn Dyrendal, David G. Robertson and Egil Asprem, the handbook is divided into three parts—Explanations, Correspondences, and Locations—and under these headings the chapter authors endeavour to cover a myriad conspiracy theories linked to established religions (Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, etc.), with new religious movements (Aum Shinrikyo), and with popular culture
discourse (the Church of the SubGenius, and popular music for example).

With more than 1,8 billion followers, Islam is the second largest religion in the world. As a faith, Islam is often referred to as al-deen, which is derived from the diversity of its thought. Islam will always face dynamic changes from within and at the same time will have to deal with various advances in civilization, such as modernization, states as well as social, cultural and political developments at different points in time. As a result, Islam and Islamic thought are differentiated from one another. Islam is a revelation from God and immutable, while Islamic thought is a subjective truth according to one’s understanding of the objective of revelation. The spread of various sects and movements in Islam has shown that Islamic thought is in a constant state of development and does not remain static. Moreover, because Islam has spread throughout the world, it is embedded and developing in a variety of peoples and cultures, from Africa to Asia and beyond.

The Handbook of Islamic Sects and Movements, published in Brill’s Handbooks of Contemporary Religions series,offers a rich collection of 33 essays on movements in contemporary Islam. Upal, a cognitive scientist of religion at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, and Cusack, a historian of religion at the University of Sydney who focuses on contemporary trends, serve as the volume’s editors.

In recent years, cases of alleged human trafficking by religious and spiritual minorities have come to light in Argentina, accompanied by the incorporation into the language of anti-trafficking bureaucracies of categories such as "cult," "brainwashing," and other derivatives. This terminology is used in the judicial sphere, the media, and public campaigns. This has provoked controversy and rejection by courts and people qualified as "victims," who pointed out the discriminatory content of such terminology and its applications. This paper presents the outlines and some advances of a research project that critically addresses this phenomenon through a case study: the Buenos Aires Yoga School. In this case, the alleged victims organized themselves to intervene in the judicial file in support of the defense, disputing the rhetoric deployed by the prosecution, and raising claims of a constitutional nature. This event represents a novel development in the context of public policies against human trafficking in Argentina, offering a unique opportunity for analysis.

This article investigates the case of Jewish Spiritual Renewal (JSR) to illuminate the evolving landscape of Jewish textuality and therapeutic literacies shaped by spiritual, neoliberal, and therapeutic discourses. Based on qualitative methodology, utilizing case studies and long-term field work, it highlights the continuing importance of texts in contemporary Jewish expressions of devotion. Despite JSR's primary focus on embodied spiritual experience, the article shows how Jewish texts are integrated into study sessions, workshops, courses, and rituals, to promote therapeutic insights and spiritual development. Aligning with other modern forms of Jewish spirituality, JSR posits that Jewish texts are valuable insofar as they facilitate personal growth and self-transformation. This is achieved through the intentional selection and performance of texts, particularly those from Jewish esoteric traditions, Kabbalah, Hasidism, and ethical literature (Musar), often interpreted in a psychological context.

L'istruzione superiore cattolica, quando è fedele ai principi cristiani, non si limita alla trasmissione di conoscenze tecniche o scientifiche, ma si propone di formare un popolo intero. La fedeltà al Vangelo si manifesta non solo nella dottrina insegnata, ma nel modo in cui si vive la ricerca della verità, della giustizia e della dignità umana. In un mondo sempre più frammentato, l'università cattolica è chiamata ad essere uno spazio di dialogo, di consapevolezza etica e di impegno per il bene comune. Educare, in questo contesto, è evangelizzare: è coltivare menti critiche e cuori compassionevoli, capaci di trasformare la società alla luce dell'amore cristiano. Perdere questa identità significa trasformare l'essenza stessa dell'istituzione in un simulacro. Nascita e vita delle istituzioni 1-Le istituzioni nascono, crescono, maturano, invecchiano e muoiono. E, nel caso di un'analogia, possono, invece di invecchiare e appassire, esplodere nella vita producendo semi e lanciando germogli. C'è una "prevedibilità biologica" nella vita delle istituzioni che nascono fecondate dall'humus dei grandi ideali. Quattro sono i momenti inevitabili e necessari della loro vita: la fondazione, il consolidamento, l'istituzionalizzazione e il predominio della struttura. Dopo questi momenti, cesserà di esistere o si trasformerà in un'altra istituzione con altri e nuovi ideali o sarà ancora in grado di vivere l'esperienza della rifondazione con il ritorno alle origini, nella ricerca della prima fedeltà.

In today's multicultural and pluralistic workplaces, effective conflict resolution and professional ethics demand frameworks that transcend purely procedural approaches and incorporate deep cultural and moral insights. This study explores the integration of Islamic ethical principles with contemporary conflict management theories to develop a comprehensive model suited for diverse organizational contexts. Through qualitative comparative analysis, the research identifies synergies and gaps between modern secular conflict resolution methods and Islamic values such as justice, reconciliation, patience, and forgiveness. An integrated synergy-conflict model is proposed that situates diversity at its core and emphasizes ethical leadership, consultation, and culturally sensitive dispute resolution processes. Practical implications for policy development, cross-cultural training, and leadership are elaborated to foster inclusive, harmonious, and productive workplaces. The findings suggest that embedding Islamic ethics alongside modern procedural techniques enriches conflict management efficacy, promotes social cohesion, and transforms diversity-induced tensions into innovation and synergy. Future research is encouraged to empirically validate this integrative framework and explore its adaptability across varied professional environments.

The Taiwanese movement Fóguāngshān is the main organised Buddhist provider to the Chinese diasporic community in Europe, as well as the principal Chinese Buddhist networker within institutional Euro-Buddhism. However, attracting local non-Chinese people, and especially building membership among them, is proving notoriously difficult. Based on twenty-five semi-structured interviews, the article (1) explores why non-Chinese locals in Vienna started to engage with Fóguāngshān, and (2) systematises their reasons for eventual disengagement. It concludes that the majority of respondents in the Austrian case study can be characterised as “seekers,” while only a small minority express a Buddhist identity. The Vienna Fóguāngshān temple serves them primarily as a short-term venue.

This chapter outlines the current state of East Asian religiosities in Austria, divided into five areas: (1) Buddhism; (2) Christianity; (3) ethnic religions; (4) alternative traditions/holistic offerings; and (5) popular religious realities. In doing so, the relevant scholarship is mentioned and subsequently addressed systematically. Next, three main thematic lacunae in the research are discussed: (1) historical documentation; (2) sociological examination; and (3) material-aesthetical exploration. Finally, a range of challenges for the scholar of East Asian religiosities in Austria (and beyond) are addressed, including (1) language; (2) cultural competence; (3) accessibility; (4) ephemerality, marginality, and clandestinity; (5) historical blindness; (6) conceptual complexity; and (7) systemic discouragement.

The article discusses Hans Jørgen Lundager Jensen’s view of the relationship between the study of religion as an academic discipline and religious education in Danish high schools. For Hans Jørgen, the societal relevance of our discipline lies in the education of high school teachers who can communicate solid knowledge of the world’s religions and challenge stereotypes and prejudices. Hans Jørgen’s ideas on the study of religion as academic teacher training were formed during his own studies in the 1970s of what was then called the Study of Christianity (kristendomskundskab), but they are equally relevant today. His views have inspired the author of the present article in his work on improving religious education in the Nether-lands.

Danish author Naja Marie Aidt tragically lost her 25-year-old son Carl in 2015. Her book When Death Takes Something from You Give It Back: Carl's Book (2017) is a powerful example of trauma literature. But it is also a spiritual exploration of loss of meaning and language and the process of creating new meaning. On the cover of Carl's Book is a meditative drawing by Olga Fröbe-Kapteyn, The Central Spiritual Sun. Aidt thanks the Fondazione Eranos, Ascona for the permission to reproduce the drawing, but otherwise does not mention Eranos in the book. Nevertheless, this paper argues that Eranos provides a key to understanding Aidt's criticism of New Age metaphysics and strategies of re-enchantment. Apart from the obvious reference to Eranos on the cover, the paper explores the following four themes connected to Eranos: "Antiquity and Myth," "Jungian Dreams and the Romantic Unconscious," "The Vision in the Rothko-Chapel (Perennialism, Synchronicity)," and "Shamanism."

Написанная в 2007 году и переведённая на русский язык в 2017 году книга «Секулярный век» являет собой развитие философской и повествовательной стратегии, которая присутствовала в предшествующих работах автора. Как специалист по философии Гегеля, Тейлор исходит из видения истории как онтологически обусловленного процесса, каждое событие которого вписано в универсальный процесс. В этой грандиозной по замыслу и исполнению тысячестраничной работе Тейлор исследует основополагающий для современности процесс — наступление секулярности и трансформацию религии, произошедшую в западном мире или, как определяет ареал своего исследования автор, в североатлантическом регионе мира, включающем Западную Европу и Северную Америку. В центре внимания Тейлора так называемое «социальное воображаемое», интегральное описание того, как люди воспринимают и описывают себя в своей повседневной жизни. Будучи более универсальной, чем рационально артикулированные теоретические средства самоописания, воображаемое...

The term "Romanian solution" usually describes the policy of mutual accommodation, worked out over the past 15 years, between the State and the Churches in Romania. Partly as a result of this the Romanian Orthodox Church today enjoys considerable benefits. Now some of the smaller Churches in Romania, in particular the Baptists and the Pentecostals, have begun to adopt this policy of accommodation as well. There have been regular reports about the advantages which cooperation with the government brings: 1 for example, permission to build new churches, openings for special visitors from abroad, an improved theological training for priests and pastors, and tolerance of the growing number of faithful (including young people), and of the small-scale fellowships created for them. The Romanian authorities, it would seem, have decided that religion will continue to exist for much longer than predicted, and that it must therefore be tolerated. Nevertheless, the "Romanian solution" is at present showing another facet of its character. The imprisonment of at least 22 religious believers over the past six months indicates the State's answer to those who demand more than the privileges offered within the confines of the "solution".2 But .jmprisonment is only one aspect of the present policy of the State. An alternative method for removing malcontents is emigration, and this is sometimes made obligatory. This has the added advantage of giving the government a good record on emigration in the face of stickler international organizations monitoring human rights. s But to be fair, the Romanian state officials are baffled by religious believers. The number of faithful continues to expand, and yet believers complain that they are deprived of their rights. In the 'State's view, religious believers should be grateful that the Churches are gaining strength and that they are tolerated by a system which is opposed to their world-view. Recently the Romanian government has become increasingly concerned over human rights activists within the country. Since the emigration of the writer, Paul Goma, to France in 1977' the responsibility of

This article aims to bring into comparative resonance and contrast, aspects of the of the "Dissenting Academies" of 17 th -19 th centuries of English history and aspects of the contemporary experience of Muslim educational institutions in the UK. The paper emerges out of thinking and reflection around the intersection between three principal sources, namely: relevant research and publications relating to historical dissenting Christian Academies; relevant research relating to contemporary Muslim educational institutions; personal positioning within a religious tradition related to the historical Dissenting Christian traditions; and professional experience as an external examiner working with contemporary Muslim (and other religious-based) educational institutions, as an external panellist on panels to validate some of the awards at such institutions and, as University manager exploring possible collaborative partnerships with such. On the basis of bringing these sources and perspectives together, the paper then seeks to undertake a comparison between contexts of historical Dissenting Academies and contemporary Muslim institutions out of which critically to explore and discuss what might be learned from the resonances and contrasts identified.

This article presents a structured, factual profile of David Miscavige, ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion and Chairman of the Board of the Religious Technology Center. Drawing on official publications, legal documents, institutional records, and recognized public appearances, it traces his leadership role, administrative initiatives, and global religious influence since the mid-1980s. Intended for readers interested in contemporary religious studies, new religious movements, and organizational leadership in faith communities, the article is framed to support academic and journalistic inquiry.

sports, leisure time, etc. In this regard, the new theory extends market theory which focuses on intra-religious competitors only. The ten chapters of this book and the appendix with numerous tables and short biographies of the 73 interviewees provide a mine of information. Stolz and his co-authors offer insightful accounts of the different sizes of the types and delineate rich descriptions and analyses of the contents, practices, identities, and values which characterise each type. In addition, relying on economic and cultural arguments, the authors aim to explain why the significant shifts took place during the 1960s. Although there is not much to be criticised if one shares the main assumptions of this volume, the developments of the four decades from the 1960s to the late 2000s remain somewhat under-examined and the authors underestimate that the changes of the 1960s primarily set in motion shifts of norms and attitudes which, in the course of two or three decades, evolved to form the current highly competitive 'I-society'. The new theory of religioussecular competition thus invites scrutiny of the competitive regime of industrial society and the developments towards the I-society. Presumably this would also point to historical and current circumstances of co-operation and mutual support of 'religious suppliers' as well as social engagement and volunteer work of individuals instead of constant competition and rivalry. Ultimately, Stolz and his co-authors have written a very lucid and easily understandable book which proposes a challenging theory and which is highly recommended to scholars in the sociology of religion, religious studies, and cultural studies. An English version (to be published by Ashgate) and a French version (to be published by Labor et Fides) will appear in 2015.

Shamanism, prevalent among Siberian tribes, is a spiritist practice involving communication with spirits through mediums, often with hereditary or neurotic tendencies. This practice, distinct from religious beliefs, resembles Spiritualism and may offer insights into its origins. Shamanic rituals, often involving trance-like states and spirit guardians, are believed to cure neurotic afflictions and provide a connection to the spirit world.

Shamanism, a practice distinct from religious beliefs, involves communication with spirits through mediums, often with hereditary or neurotic tendencies. The training is arduous, involving physical and mental exercises, and culminates in a consecration ceremony. Siberian shamans, categorized as “black” or “white,” serve as priests, healers, and prophets, with varying degrees of power and influence.

Shamanism, a practice involving communication with spirits, is distinct from Spiritualism in its focus on non-human entities rather than deceased humans. While Shamanism is prevalent in primitive cultures, its practices and beliefs can offer insights into the nature of non-human spirits, potentially aiding Spiritualists in distinguishing between genuine and deceptive communications. The author suggests that the spirits manifesting in Shamanistic rituals may be poltergeists, bound to specific locations and cultures, and that Spiritualists should be cautious of such entities when seeking communication with departed spirits.

On 17-18 July 2009, the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia and the College of Arts from the University of Western Sydney cosponsored a workshop, which was held at the University of Western Sydney (Parramatta Campus). The workshop addressed various relationships between religion and the state through comparative investigations of historical cases and contemporary developments, and this edited book is an outcome of that meeting. This volume includes a number of chapters that were fi rst presented at that workshop as well as invited contributions. The editors would like to thank Alan Nixon and Elena Knox for the help they provided with this workshop and book.

The most important extremist movement in South East Asia is Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), which has several branches in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Associated with al-Qaeda, this movement has successfully organized its structures in a way that ensures its financial resources, various cores, communication networks, and the quality of recruiting young Muslims are not merely coincidental.
As a religious organization, JI of Singapore was established in the late 1980s under the leadership of a missionary named Ibrahim Maidin. It is said that this man was not educated in religious schools but developed his Islamic perspectives through personal readings. He was appointed as the leader of the Singapore branch by Abu Jibril, a leader of Malaysia’s JI. With the involvement of Ibrahim Maidin and other JI leaders in the Afghanistan war, the group was listed as a terrorist organization.

Maurice Nicoll's Psychological Commentaries on the Teaching of G.I. Gurdjieff and P.D. Ouspensky comprise the most extensive published explanations of their esoteric Christianity. Its five-volumes provide some of the clearest commentary on their worldview on record. It is read by Fourth Way adherents and non-adherents alike due to its psychological insights and inspirational tone. Although indexes were previously available for these mammoth volumes none provided in one place for each chapter and verse or category for the entirety of Nicoll's commentary.

Maurice Nicoll's Psychological Commentaries on the Teaching of G.I. Gurdjieff and P.D. Ouspensky comprise the most extensive published explanations of their esoteric Christianity. Its five-volumes provide some of the clearest commentary on their worldview on record. It is read by Fourth Way adherents and non-adherents alike due to its psychological insights and inspirational tone. Although indexes were previously available for these mammoth volumes none provided in one place for each chapter and verse or category for the entirety of Nicoll's commentary.

Shaped by G. I. Gurdjieff and then P. D. Ouspensky, the Fourth Way represents one of the most heralded and often misunderstood twentieth-century spiritual growth movements. Especially known as "The Work," the Fourth Way involves intensely focused practices that are regarded as the "conscious labor" and "intentional suffering" necessary for breaking out of the mechanistic "sleepwalking" to which all are prone. The British psychiatrist Maurice Nicoll (d. 1953) emerged as one of the movement's few widely recognized second-wave teachers, and it was he who penned its most studied publishing legacy. He was known to have read Swedenborg with seriousness before and after working with both Gurdjieff and Ouspensky, yet until this current study, no researcher has identified with specificity the depth and nature of the Swedenborgian strata in Nicoll's psycho-spiritual formation.

The Demise of Religions begins with a short introduction outlining what is meant by demise and to what extent in religion and new religious movements can this decline be measured. There are several examples of new religious movements in this edition, including Knutby Filadelfia, the Panacea Society and the Rajneeshis. The contributors superbly bring together these examples to create a comprehensive depiction of the rise and fall of a range of new religious movements, Throughout the book, various contributors offer several explanations for the decline and ultimate disappearance of new religions movements, some of which include failed prophecy, generational socialisation, and replacement. In doing so the reader is provided with an extensive overview of the current landscape of new religious movements and their decline.

The theory of cultural transfer usually includes the fields of intellectual history, literature, material culture, art, and science, but it can be applied no less fruitfully to the religious sphere, whether to the exchange and influence of religious ideas or religious practices. Religious transfers and the mobility of religious practices were explored in stand-alone studies, although religious transfer is usually seen as part of cultural
transfer in the broadest sense of the word. This paper focuses on the emergence of European neo-Protestant
missionaries, especially from the Seventh-day Adventist Church. In the interwar period, Adventism was already established in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (later Kingdom of Yugoslavia). Adventism’s
roots in this region date back to the late 19th century, with the first Serbian-speaking believers appearing in
1901–1902 and the first church building erected in Kumane in 1905. Despite internal growth, the Adventists faced scrutiny from the SOC clergy and local authorities, particularly as their pacifist stance clashed with  state expectations during the turbulent 1920s and 1930s. The Adventist community faced internal divisions influenced by the global schism that led to the formation of the Seventh-day Adventist Reform Movement.
The chapter analyzes the emergence, development, and challenges of the Adventist religious movement in interwar Yugoslavia. It sheds light on how religious transfers impacted the socio-religious landscape of the
period, focusing on Adventism’s growth, internal schisms, and external opposition. By examining the movement’s interactions with the Serbian Orthodox Church, state authorities, and other religious groups (such as
the Nazarenes), the paper provides a nuanced understanding of how a neo-Protestant group navigated its position as a religious minority amidst political, cultural, and social complexities.

During the past decade, every denomination has recorded a decline in church attendance despite a continual increase in the US population. Research organizations including the Barna Group, Pew Research, and the Hartford Institute of Religion Research conducted an untold number of surveys providing statistics that ascertain reasons for declining church attendance and why people are leaving the church. Failure to address the issue of declining attendance will lead to more church failures and an increased number of people with no church affiliation. This research document will review data from the Barna Group, Pew Research, and the Hartford Institute of Religion Research that provides statistics to ascertain reasons for declining church attendance among Millennials. Surveys of Millennials, specifically the unchurched, will be conducted to outline reasons why they have stopped attending church. Finally, this research document will outline five top reasons for the decline in church attendance among Millennials and offer solutions that will help make the worship experience more palatable.

Oggi, di fronte all'urgenza di un Nuovo Umanesimo che possa trasformare la coscienza individuale e collettiva dell'umanità, abbiamo bisogno di una nuova antropologia e di un nuovo mito unificante, fatto di pluralismo, pace e di solidarietà tra i popoli che possa al contempo consentire la salvaguardia delle diverse identità e la sopravvivenza sul pianeta e del pianeta con tutte le sue specie viventi. Ma ciò non è possibile se non cambia la coscienza degli esseri umani. Senza un'etica alternativa il nostro mondo rischia lo sterminio e il disastro ecologico.

The concept of “home” holds dual significance for LGBTQ+ individuals. It can be a sanctuary, nurturing comfort with identities and aiding in coming out. However, it can also be a place of hostility, reinforcing LGBTQ+ prejudice. Similarly, home preserves family traditions and sustains Jewish identity and practice, but by performing rituals and ceremonies at home, it can also reflect antisemitic attitudes and expressions present in the broader society. This study demonstrates this queer-Jewish juxtapose by presenting a textual analysis of four queer Jewish blessings dedicated to marking and establishing the LGBTQ+ Jewish home. Each of these variations on traditional blessings is characterized by intertextuality with Jewish sources and the appropriation of queer language, symbols, representations, and narratives. The texts present the Reform Jewish liturgy as an agency in the effort to establish the home—both temporary and permanent—as a safe and protected space for LGBTQ+ individuals, with faith and tradition playing a key role in realizing this vision. However, the blessings also reveal heteronormative trends that undermine the radical nature of queerness, such as the sanctification of the institution of marriage. Thus, it appears that the liturgical field may not only be discovered as a harmonious solution in the contemporary encounter between Judaism and queerness but also as a space for the reproduction and preservation of traditional hegemonic structures and perceptions.

Independent scientific and professional organizations began
to suffer especially after the introduction of the so-called
law on “foreign agents”. Ideological control over science, together
with espionage, begins to directly influence the state
of academic rights and freedoms. The topic of human rights
has almost disappeared from teaching, and research in the
field of queer sociology is in fact banned. However, the most
vulnerable are those who either teach or demand respect for
human rights at the university, and then the loss of employment
is the result of a direct ideological confrontation with
the rector, such as for the author of this text.

A theory of religion that when it came out did not really resemble any of its contemporaries, is Martin Riesebrodt's The Promise of Salvation: A Theory of Religion (henceforth TPS). True, his definition of religion is close to Melford Spiro's definition, which Riesebrodt himself also acknowledged: "a complex of practices that are based on the premise of the existence of superhuman powers, whether personal or impersonal, that are generally invisible" (TPS 74-75), and in its short version "a system of practices with relation to superhuman powers" (TPS 169). True is also that Riesebrodt's comparative approach, use of analy tical terms, as well as his focus on "a specific kind of social action" (TPS 66) were strongly influenced by Max Weber. Moreover, practices have already become an important scholarly focus after Mauss, Foucault, and Bourdieu's work on the subject. Nevertheless, Riesebrodt's emphasis that religion can and should be defined was a departure from Weber's famous hesitation to do so, and Weber focused on (social) actions rather than practices. Riesebrodt's approach to practices was also quite different from that of Foucault and Bour dieu, of whom the first can be identified with the constructivist approach that Riesebrodt rejected (TPS 7-8), and the second whose concept of habitus Rie sebrodt dismissed as overly rigid (TPS 85). Neither did Riesebrodt pursue a developmental explanation, such as e.g. Robert Bellah in Religion in Human Evolution (2011; see Seth Abrutyn's chapter in this volume) and Jürgen Haber mas, who used Riesebrodt in Also a History of Philosophy (2023). Riesebrodt, in contrast, strove for a cross-historical analysis. Nor did Riesebrodt try for a naturalistic explanation of religion such as the cognitive approaches that have been popular in recent decades . Moreover, as I elaborate on below, he strongly criticized the functionalist, postmodern, postcolonialist, and critical study of religion.

The concept of Sulhu and the Islamic teaching methods was neglected by so many Muslims who are preaching today. Islam is the religion that promotes the principle of peaceful coexistence and alternative dispute resolution (Sulhu). It has the best preaching methodology which can solve the problem that so many preachers have today. Lack of wisdom and good words are among the problems of religious preaching. As a result, some preachers are promoting religious intolerance among the adherents of different faiths out of ignorance. Islam in particular, acknowledged and accommodates other religions that exist despite their differences. Based on the above highlighted problems, the purpose of this study is to look into the role of Islam in alternative dispute resolution and teaching methods for peacebuilding. The finding of the study shows that Islamic teaching method and adoption of Sulhu are the best way of the maintenance of peace. The study submitted that Islam played a significance role in resolving disputes and conflicts right from it day one for peaceful coexistence. The study recommends that individuals' contributions and government efforts are required for an amicable settlement of disputes, and adoption of good preaching methods by scholars is essential. Thus, Sulhu should be formally recognized as one of the best methods of resolving disputes in Shari'ah Courts. The study adopted qualitative research method and both primary and secondary sources of data were used.