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The study of this particular Sura was chosen due to a number of reasons, which we will list in detail in the forward sections and remaining chapters. In addition to the linguistic and artistic characteristics, the most important characteristic of Surat Al-Rahman lies in its structure and internal division. I found out that it was possible to break up this Sura into dramatic divisions that build up with events. Therefore, I innovatively distributed the verses into specific sections leading to the division of this study into four chapters besides the Introduction, Preface and the Epilogue. These four chapters walk hand-in-hand with the chronological order of the verses. Each chapter contains a period from the history of the creation. The first chapter discusses the period of pre-physical creation as known. The second chapter deals with the period of existence of the Universe and in particular the earth, which was prepared to be the dwelling for human beings. This period ends with the end of the world. The third and fourth chapters combined deal with the period of resurrection and judgment. The former deals with the state of the disobedient and the latter deals with the state of paradise and its dwellers. Those two chapters were supposed to be combined into one chapter from the drama point of view because they deal with one period. However, necessity dictated having two chapters due to the portion of the Sura dedicated to this period and the number of verses covered. The other reason is the internal artistic division of this Sura, which was marked with clear distinctions between the two kinds of people, the obedient and the disobedient. This study will try to explore the miraculous and the inimitability of the Qur'an, and in particular Surat Al-Rahman.

In the contemporary period of Muslim-Christian dialogue and inter-faith study, there are only a few Western-trained Muslim scholars who are recognised for their study of other faiths and for their contributions to inter-faith dialogue. One such scholar was Ismaʿil al-Faruqi (1921-1986). Throughout his academic career he taught, published and was actively engaged in inter-faith study and dialogue. In the 1960s and 1970s, he was one of the main Western Muslim representatives in dialogue with the Vatican, the World Council of Churches and other Christian organisations. He and his wife were murdered in 1986. This study critically examines al-Faruqi's methodology of engagement with non-Muslims, its practical applications, and explores the reasons why he spent a lifetime involved in religious dialogue. In Part One, his life is presented as a biographical narrative and analysed using identity theory to ascertain some of the reasons and motivations for his lifelong commitment to dialogue and inter-faith study. Part Two introduces various methodologies for the study of religion that were available to him and then al-Faruqi is placed within the context of the history of Muslim-non-Muslim encounter. In Part Three, the development of his methodology is presented through his voice by documenting the stages of his thought as seen in his writings. His three-fold methodology of comparative study, meta-religious principles and dialogical applications are examined not only as theory but also in terms of their applications. It is in the application process that one can see the adjustments and contextual uses of the methods that he developed, such as his insistence upon ethics as a means / Dans le domaine actuel du dialogue musulman-chrétien et celui de l'étude interconfessionnelle, seuls quelques érudits musulmans diplômés en Occident ont été reconnus pour leurs études de religions autres que l'Islam et pour leurs contributions au dialogue interconfessionnel. Un de ces érudits fut Ismaʿil al-Faruqi (1921-1986). Pendant toute sa carrière académique, il a enseigné, publié et participé activement à l'étude et au dialogue interconfessionnels. Pendant les années 60 et 70, il fut l'un des principaux représentants Musulmans en Occident participant activement au dialogue avec le Vatican, le Conseil œcuménique des églises et d'autres organismes chrétiens. Il fut assassiné avec son épouse en 1986. Cette étude examine d'une manière critique la méthodologie qu'al-Faruqi a adoptée dans ses entretiens avec les non-Musulmans ainsi que les applications pratiques de celle-ci, et explore les raisons pour lesquelles il a consacré une grande partie de sa vie au dialogue religieux. La première partie de ce travail présente sa vie en forme de récit biographique, utilisant la théorie de l'identité comme outil d'analyse, afin de connaître les raisons et motivations pour lesquelles il a dédié sa vie au dialogue et à l'étude interconfessionnelle. La deuxième partie tent de définir les diverses méthodologies qu'al-Faruqi a pu utiliser pour étudier la religion; par la suite, il est question de situer al-Faruqi dans l'histoire des rencontres entre Musulmans et non-Musulmans. Dans la troisième partie, il s'agit de présenter, à travers la voix d'al-Faruqi lui-même, le développement de sa méthodologie et de tracer l'évolution de sa pe

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It has been recognized that Western bereavement programs, and the research on which they are based, rely primarily on models of female grief and fail to adequately take into account gender differences, especially men's experiences of bereavement. As a result, in contemporary research, fathers' grief has been studied primarily through the lens of mothers' grief. This comparative approach has lead to the perception, in some bereavement studies, that fathers' experience of grief is less intense and debilitating than that of mothers. This has been reported in studies of infant death, catastrophic accident death, and death from childhood cancer. The study to be discussed examines fathers' experience of bereavement, using both the ethical framework of the moral philosopher Paul Ricoeur, and phenomenological analysis. The findings from a series of interviews conducted with 5 bereaved fathers will be presented. The emergent themes will be discussed, specifically: 1) Bereaved fathers' experiences of social expectation and regulation; 2) bereaved fathers' challenges with issues of morality (for example, what it means to be a good father, a good spouse, etcetera.); 3) bereaved fathers' experiences with bereavement support services. By focusing on the experience of bereaved fathers', my study challenges the common practice of comparing fathers' grief to that of mothers will be avoided. This study is designed to show how the experience of bereaved fathers is gendered and must be examined in relation to social and familial expectations, as well as internalized standards of proper behavior. This study will contribute to building both a theoretical and clinical evidence base for the field of bereavement studies as well as to the interdisciplinary field of palliative care. / Les programmes de deuil occidentaux et la recherche qui les soutiennent ont été reconnus comme étant basés sur des models de deuil en grande partie féminins, donc qui échouent à tenir compte des expériences des hommes. En conséquence, la recherche actuelle en grande majorité étudie le deuil des hommes en comparaison avec le deuil des femmes. Cette approche comparative amène une perspective selon laquelle le deuil des hommes est moins intense et incapacitant que celui des femmes. Ceci a été reporté dans les études portant sur le deuil des nourrissons, les morts part accidents catastrophiques et les morts de cancer dans l'enfance. Cette étude examine l'expérience du deuil chez les pères, en utilisant l'approche étique du philosophe Paul Ricoeur ainsi que l'analyse phénoménologique. Les résultats d'une série d'entrevue avec cinq pères endeuillés seront présentés. Les thèmes saillants seront discutés, notamment 1) leurs expériences des attentes et des règles sociales, 2) les défis que les pères endeuillés perçoivent en rapport avec les questions morales (tel que, qu'est-ce qu'être un bon père, un bon époux, etcetera.) et finalement 3) leurs expériences des services de soutient au gens endeuillés. En mettant l'emphase sur les expériences des pères endeuillés, la pratique commune de comparer le deuil des mères et des pères se trouve évité. Cette étude a pour but de démontrer que l'expérience des pères est affectée par leur sexe et doit être examinée en relation avec les attentes sociales et familiales, ainsi que les standard de comportements adéquats qui sont intériorisés socialement. L'étude contribuera à bâtir une base théorique et empirique dans le domaine des études sur le deuil et apportera une contribution substantielle à l'approche interdisciplinaire qui prime en soins palliatifs.

<p>Scripture is the story of brokenness and healing, as it describes the brokenness of the relationship between God and humanity, and then points us to the means of reconciliation in Jesus. God has committed to the church a &ldquo;message of reconciliation&rdquo; and yet the church is itself often a place of broken relationships and conflict. My goal is to offer a means by which preachers can take a pro-active approach to healing damaged relationships by creating stronger bonds between pastor and people, restoring broken relationships between congregational members and confronting the underlying causes of conflict and factionalism within congregations. </p>

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Historically, Mark's account of Peter's denial of Jesus has been variously interpreted; that variety continues today. The earliest commentary on the passage, Victor of Antioch, interpreted the passage "literally," drawing theological inferences about apostasy. Shortly afterwards the Venerable Bede, influenced by the "School of Alexandria" and Augustine, "allegorized" the passage for the benefit of the faithful. In general, Victor and the "Antiochene School" can be said to have influenced the Eastern Church as evidenced in Theophylact and Euthymius. Bede and the Alexandrian allegorical method, via the Glossa ordinaria, influenced the West. The excesses of the allegorical method may have contributed to the search for a new hermeneutic by the Reformers, insofar as Calvin and others seem to have preferred the "literalism" of the Antiochene method. Allegorical interpretations of the passage in general yielded to more sober pastoral applications, not only in the Reformed tradition, but also among Catholic scholars (e.g., Lapide and Quesnel) and Pietists (e.g., Bengel). The emergence of the theory of Markan priority in the nineteenth century fueled hopes that Mark's version of Peter's denial would be the most historically reliable. Though the recognition of Mark's priority remained, trust in his historicity eroded with twentieth century scholarship. The emergence of Formgeschichte discovered the influence of transmission of the tradition on the final form of the story. The emergence of Redaktionsgeschichte discovered the influence of the author's theology on the tradition, in particular, that the author of Mark must have possessed an anti-Petrine bias to have included this pericope in this way. More recently literary criticism's impact on Biblical studies has suggested that the intended overall impact of the pericope on a reader was to provide a negative example for discipleship formation; a character with whom one may identify, yet improve upon. This line of interpretation mirrors some of the earliest interpretations of the Church, including Victor and Bede. This may be due to literary criticism's "bracketing out" the question of historicity and focusing on the "story world" of the text, which the earliest exegetes did unwittingly by naively equating the text with the events they purported to portray.

Bridal imagery is found in many religions, following the pattern of the soul, gendered female, longing for the male divine Beloved. Rich examples of this imagery are found in the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh scripture. Even though Sikhism is generally labeled as belonging to the nirguna school of devotional religion, the scriptures are full of passages describing a male Divine who enjoys his soul-bride, showing Sikhism's close connection to the saguna strand of devotion. Because all the poets canonized were men, any deviation from the pattern of a male devotee longing for a male Divine was rejected from the canon, as the case of Mirabai's inclusion and subsequent exclusion from the Sikh canon shows. I critique Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh's theory that bridal imagery is empowering to women, and apply John Stratton Hawley's theory about the reasons for the fixed genders of longing in bhakti poetry to Sikh bridal imagery.