Language:
English
Year of publication:
2020
Titel der Quelle:
European Judaism
Angaben zur Quelle:
53,1 (2020) 1-27
Keywords:
Lévinas, Emmanuel
;
Midrash History and criticism
;
God in rabbinical literature
;
God (Judaism)
;
God (Christianity)
;
God (Islam)
;
Secularism
;
Religion Comparative studies
Abstract:
The challenges of faith moved from battling scientific perceptions to struggling with post-modern despair, rooted in a pessimistic reduction of humanity to power structures. Midrash, as a mode of charitable reading of scriptures, offers a model for wider commitment to charitable conversation with the other. Applying a Midrashic approach towards both texts and people means seeking good intentions and ethical potential in the words, deeds and thoughts of the other. Thus, trust and commitment to Midrashic dialogue is the leap of faith, arching over the seemingly forced understanding of humanity as mainly concerned with the construction of power structures. Noting that committed adherents of a religion are nurtured with the will and capacity to perform charitable reading of scriptures, but at the same time are exposed to the danger of being trapped in their distinct semantic networks, this article offers a continuous dialectic tension, moving back and forth between committed charitable reading and self-criticism.
Abstract:
The following is a reflection on the way in which we can comprehend the divine in the secular world. The article attempts to show that the concept of God does not necessarily conflict in any way with secularism as such. Rather, the article suggests that the obscuring of God's voice can be attributed much more to the duelling modernist tendencies of Manichaeism on the one side, and value-nihilism on the other.
Abstract:
This article addresses the problem of defining the terms ‘secularism’ and ‘religion’ and the difficulty of accepting the strict separation of religion from politics that some say is needed for a truly secular society. It offers a ‘relationship model’ for religion that sees it as the practice of balancing the responsibilities arising from the relationships between oneself, God, fellow human and living beings and the environment. Examining the attitudes of the Founding Fathers of European secularism, it argues that secular society can only exist if we face the shadows of our colonial past and the literalist theological narrative which is quickly being digested within some Muslim communities. This narrative and how it is affecting Muslim communities in Europe, as well as the shadows of the colonial past, pose a danger to secular society and affects all communities across Europe and these are conversations that need to be held.
Description / Table of Contents:
Lavie-Levkovitch, Moshe. A Jewish perspective. 1-9.
Description / Table of Contents:
Wedman, Trevor. A Christian perspective. 10-17.
Description / Table of Contents:
Hussain, Taniya. A Muslim Perspective. 18-27.
URL:
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