Bibliography: p. 98-100. / This study examines the cultural implications of the methodology followed by Muhammed b Idris al-Shāfiʻī in the process of Islamic legalism. With reference to Clifford Geertz's model of religion as a cultural system, Shāfiʻī's methodology is presented as a process which expresses a certain cultural reality. That reality expresses an interrelationship between a world view- the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammed, and a social context of legal differences. The cultural significance of this interrelationship facilitates the extension of the religious experience beyond the ritual itself and thereby influences the life of society, their ethos. As consequences of a cultural process, rituals such as the salah and fasting emerge as environs which reflects a particular social context and expresses a physiological realty- the world view. The concept of intention (niyyah), an important principle in Shāfiʻī 's legal thought, is shown to enhance the interrelationship between the world view and the social context. A sociological discourse is propagated rather than a purely legal dicta in order to portray Shāfiʻī as a theologian whose specific style and methodology have been motivated by a specific social ideal. This ideal represents Shāfiʻī 's ideas of the social composition and structure of the ideal Islamic ummah (community) under the leadership of the Prophet Muhammed. In support of this hypothesis, Shāfiʻī is located within a socio-historical context which shaped and influenced his legal thoughts. Shown to be motivated by a cultural reality rather than mere legal differences with his earlier contemporaries, Shāfiʻī 's ideas express the ideal to experience the aura of the ummah who was once led by the Prophet Mohammed. Shāfiʻī 's systemisation of the legal process and his unique conception of the Sunnah are presented here as a means whereby Shāfiʻī sought that physiological reconciliation with the Prophet and his ideal ummah. His legal principles within this system become symbols which had a specific function- to motivate people to experience a realty in which their actions are modeled on a world view, the ' tradition or Sunnah of the Prophet.

Bibliography: leaves 105-116. / This minor dissertation engages a theoretical feminist discourse to identify the lack of benevolent female relationships in the development of religious mythology. The study explores two diverse belief systems, Hinduism and Shi'ism, in order to demonstrate that the feminine is reduced to a subservient and controlled creative force across different religious and cultural systems. The study further develops the roles of the woman in the religious tradition, as mother and nurse to the hero and the guardian of male symbols and language. I have drawn on the feminist critical analysis of Luce Irigaray, and on classical Hindu and Shi'ite myth, to discern ways in which the femaile has been alienated from patriarchal social reality, due to the male-defined construction of the sacred, divine and submissive woman.

Bibliography: leaves 131-139. / 'Absolute poverty', wrote Robert McNamara, President of the World Bank, in 1978, is "a condition of life so limited by malnutrition, illiteracy, disease, squalid surroundings, high infant mortality and low life expectancy as to be beneath an reasonable definition of human decency" (Cited in Kevin Watkins 1995:13). That remains a powerful description of the reality experienced by a large segment of the population in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC). Although this study does not measure poverty directly, the various literature reviewed reveals the nature and extent to which poverty is prevalent in the SADC region.

Includes bibliographical references. / This thesis aims at analysing how African liberation theologies can be seen as expressing the ideas of postcolonial .theory and hence producing a decentred and embodied form of Christianity in the postcolonial context. Of course, today debate goes on as to whether or not African liberation theologies have largely died out as a theological tradition in these first years of the twenty-first century. Because of space-constraints, this is one question that I hope to pursue in another work later. However, in this thesis my only aim is to argue that African liberation theologies can be seen as expressing the ideas of postcolonial theory and hence producing a decentred and embodied form of Christianity in the postcolonial context. But before analysing, let us have a good grasp of our context of discussion.

Annexure to thesis: CORD : a curriculum for Catholic high school religious education : 15 intertwined process-strands : a book for teachers / composed and compiled by Michael Burke. Pietermaritzburg : Centaur publications, 1991. ISBN 0 947472 68 1. / Bibliography: pages 181-187. / Finding a satisfying approach to Religious Education is a problem even to schools with a specifically religious character; it is even more of a problem to multi-faith public schools. The root of the problem may lie in the monolithic way that "religion" and "religious education" are perceived. Everyone develops ways of making sense of life, however inadequate, and everyone possesses the same range of faculties for doing so. In a broad sense, this is religion - even if only some are conditioned to call it this - and any assistance given to awakening the faculties concerned is religious education - even if only some recognise it as such. Agnostics often possess highly developed faculties that in believers are seen as belonging to the fabric of their faith. In devising a programme of Religious Education for Catholic Schools, my starting point was to examine the range of faculties involved and how learning and growth happen in practice. It became apparent that, just as a language is approached by many routes (such as learning to understand, speak, read, write, and appreciate it) so too a number of processes operate in parallel to produce the effect called Religious Education. The analysis crystallised fifteen distinct learning processes. Some are immediately recognisable as "religious"; others are partly motivated and orientated by religion; still others are religious only in implicit ways.

Bibliography: leaves 132-140. / This dissertation examines the book of Ruth from a postmodemist, literary and womanist perspective. The main methodology is postmodemist literary criticism, but it employs intertextual and autobiographical approaches as well. Chapter 1 is an exploration of the plot of Ruth and reveals that in order for the end goal of the plot to be achieved "emptiness has to return to fullness." It is shown that Ruth's action (her decision to return with Naomi) is the catalyst that begins the process that ultimately leads to the denouement of the plot. The fact that it is the two women, Ruth and Naomi, who drive the plot forward, indicates that the Book of Ruth is a woman's story. Chapter 2 demonstrates that the significance of narrative time for any literary analysis lies in the fact that the amount of time allowed for the retelling of the events rarely corresponds to the time it took for the events to happen. Since Ruth is a short story, the choice of what to tell, what to omit as well as how long to dwell on details are indeed significant. In other words it is shown that literary time is only spent on those aspects which are crucial for the advancement of the narrative. Since the reader's main goal is to see how the conflicts are resolved, the literary time spent on the resolution of the conflicts is an indication of where the weight of the story needs to lie. In this case, it is certainly with Ruth and Naomi judging from the amount of time spent on dialogues between the two women. They are therefore the ones that contribute to the resolution of the conflicts of the plot. Chapter 3 reveals that in the book of Ruth the narrative voice or the perspective of attitudes, conceptions and worldview are those of a woman. The fact that the book of Ruth is named after a woman; the fact that at the very outset all the males in the story die and it is the women that take over the narrative; the fact that in the end the women of Bethlehem declare that Ruth is better to Naomi than seven sons are just some of the reasons that substantiate the argument that the narrative voice in the book of Ruth was that of a woman. It is also shown that this narrative voice (whether overt or covert) subverts gender and ethnic expectations. Chapter 4 outlines the way in which biblical characters are portrayed. The subsections of chapter 4 deal with the characterisation of each major character: Naomi, Boaz, and Ruth. Chapter 4 is the longest chapter since it is difficult to evaluate characterisation without engaging the other facets of literary criticism as well, such as plot and dialogue.

Includes bibliographical references. / Our thesis is that the prophet in the Old Testament period was an ordinary man with a specific ministry. His ministry was both to communicate the word of God to man and also to be consulted by man about the hidden things of life. We consider some of the many factors which went to constitute the prophet the man he was and thus enable him to have that assurance of being God's spokesman. These factors are both the religious experiences to which he laid claim, and the many human influences that derived from his family life, the accumulating tradition which he inherited and upon which he was nurtured, and the varied experiences that cmne his way in his personel life.

Includes bibliographical references. / In the field of social and psychological services delivery, counsellors are often confronted with clients whose lifestyles, being and functioning is informed by a particular culture or religious persuasion. Here mainstream theories of intervention may not be appropriate to facilitate maximum client participation in change processes. Different counselling approaches geared towards being client rather than counsellor or organisation specific becomes necessary and need to be developed. Counselling systems should therefore consider cultural paradigms and encourage the notion of diversity in its approaches. This thesis attempts to contribute to this position by examining the role of lslam in counselling and psychotherapy. It argues that Islam as a religious and cultural tradition can and should form part of cross-cultural counselling approaches.

Bibliography: leaves 241-246. / The Coloured people of the Cape Flats, which lie at the foot of Table Mountain adjacent to Cape Town, represent a people unique in many ways. Racially, they are the product of the mixing of several groups over the period of many years, but culturally they are very similar to the Whites who rule present-day South Africa. They have a strong religious heritage going back to their origins, and all the best known denominations and churches are to be found among them, and are generally well-supported. However, in the course of the past years, a considerable number of Independent Churches have appeared, and it is the purpose of this study to describe these groups as to their origins and make up, and to enquire into the reasons for their appearance. An early problem faced was that of classification, and when none of the widely-used forms put forth by authors in the field seemed to fit these particular groups a system based upon the individual's view of his linking to God and his personality type, revealed in his worship experience and practice, was devised. This is a division into Participant Type and Observer Type Churches. Case histories of meetings held by representatives of each of these groups reveal the differences between them, and also give insight into the manifestations of the differing personality types. Attention is given to the Independent Church Ring, an attempt to bring together into one body many of these groups, and a chapter is included on the leadership of the churches. The role of women in the churches is examined briefly, and an attempt is made to explain why the same people who formed no Independent Churches while in District Six immediately upon their expulsion became active in such a program in spite of the availability of the same denominations within which they had worked for many years. In a final chapter, the classifications here given are compared with a more general model suggested by Professor J. S. Cumpsty and which to a degree grew out of the findings of this same research.

Bibliography: leaves 197-204. / As part of the process of South Africa's transition to democracy, the government, the media, and other institutions have recognized the need to understand and recover African Traditional Religion as the indigenous religion of this country. Much remains to be done to entrench this recognition. There is a growing demand for literature that will document and analyse African Traditional Religion not only as an indigenous religious heritage but also as a contemporary living religion in South Africa. This thesis seeks to address the need for recognition, documentation and analysis of African Traditional Religion with specific focus on the role of ritual speech in AmaXhosa religious practice way of religious practice. Written from the perspective of an academic and a practitioner, the thesis attempts to further a clearer understanding of amaXhosa practice of African Traditional Religion as well provide a useful resource for students of African Traditional Religion. In historical, anthropological, and other academic literature on African Traditional Religion in South Africa, scholars have tended to focus on one aspect of religion, such as sacrifice, the divination techniques of sangomas, or the veneration of ancestors in rituals dealing with death. This thesis argues, however, that a more comprehensive perspective on African Traditional Religion can be gained by focusing on the meaning, power, and performance of ritual speech that runs through all of these religious practices. Ukuthetha, or, ritual speaking which produces ukuvuma, ritual acceptance, agreement, or consensus, lies at the heart of amaXhosa religion. Distinguished from ordinary speech by its heightened intensity and its performance which occurs within a sacred time and place, ukuthetha, or ritual speech, is the medium linking the physical and spiritual world within the amaXhosa worldview. As this thesis focuses on the analysis of amaXhosa ritual speech, chapters on ukuthetha which occur during ritual performances associated with sacrifice, divination, and funerals provide a profile of different types of speech acts within the framework of African Traditional Religion. These speech acts are examined against the background of two theoretical perspectives. One theory, associated with Maurice Bloch, argues that ritual speech is a form of social control, limiting what can be said. The other theory, associated with Stanley Tambiah, maintains that ritual speech is creative performance, expanding the scope of what can be said. The thesis tests these theoretical perspectives against the evidence of amaXhosa ritual speech, finding aspects of both social control and creative performance in African Traditional Religion. Although the analysis of amaXhosa ritual speech in this thesis focuses primarily on religion in the traditional rural context, a chapter on tradition and change considers new challenges for ritual speech in sacrifice, divination, and funerals within urban environments. Adapting to new contexts, the signifying practices of ukuthetha maintain the integrity of amaXhosa religion. By focusing on the meaning and power of ritual speech in different ritual settings and social contexts, this thesis hopes to contribute to our understanding of the continuity and coherence of African Traditional Religion in South Africa.