<p>A large part of modern Western philosophy defines selfhood as the self’s ability to master itself and psychological wellbeing as the actualization of self-integration. However, as this thesis argues, Kierkegaard’s understanding of longing for God challenges this understanding human identity, especially as it is articulated by Kant and the German Idealists. Through an examination of Kierkegaard’s <em>Concluding Unscientific Postscript</em> and his religious discourses, the thesis argues that Kierkegaard’s theology of longing both undermines the modern psychology understanding of autonomous selfhood and preserves a qualified understanding of autonomy. The thesis argues that Kierkegaard’s theology has much in common with Augustine’s understanding of longing in <em>The Confessions.</em> For Kierkegaard, the longing for God is not just a heteronomous desire for self-annihilation in God. The longing in question is relational and intellectual; it is a response to God’s illuminative self-revelation and self-communicative love. But as relational, the life lived in longing for God is not wholly autonomous either. In prayer the soul experiences its own neediness and imperfections as it begins to experience God’s perfection. Broadly conceived, the thesis explores Kierkegaard’s understanding of this <em>neither . . . nor . . . </em>, that is, his understanding of a religious life lived neither fully autonomously nor fully heteronomously. The thesis argues further that much contemporary scholarship cannot take Kierkegaard’s relational understanding of the God-relationship seriously and therefore misinterprets his understanding of human identity.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Text in Afrikaans / This thesis attempts to explore the relationship between eschatology and mission. This is done in the context of three ecumenical mission conferences held from 1910 to 1938. In the first chapter an overview is given of a number of the most important eschatological models, as well as an evaluation of these models to explore the author's own viewpoint. The broad eschatological lines through the ages are then followed and the relationship between eschatology and mission is indicated in a few important areas, namely the involvement of the church in social questions, unity in the church and the Christian hope. In the second chapter the mission conferences held in New York (1900) and Edinburgh (1910), which both occurred at a time of great optimism in the church, are discussed. At that time mission was especially seen as the salvation of the soul. In the third chapter the meeting held in Jerusalem in 1928, which took place in a time of great uncertainty for the church, is discussed. Here emphasis was laid upon the social task of the church. In chapter four mission in the shadow of the Second World War is discussed, concentrating on the meeting held at Tambaram (1938). During this meeting eschatology played an important role. There was a greater balance between the salvation of the soul and the salvation of the body. Church unity and a living hope also played an important role amongst the delegates. In the fifth chapter some conclusions are drawn for the church in general, while a few principles are indicated regarding eschatology and mission specifically for the Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk (Dutch Reformed Church). / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D. Th. (Sendingwetenskap)

The symbolic meal, known as the Eucharsit, Lord's Supper, Holy Communion, and many other names is of peculiar interest to the Christian church. This thesis presents the results of a psychological examination of the teachings of the church present both in creeds, statements, and by individual writers.

This study is an ethnohistorical examination of Indian religious responses to contact with Euroamericans on the Columbia Plateau, from 1600 to 1850. Plateau natives understood their encounter with European civilization primarily as a momentous spiritual event, and sought new sources of spiritual power to cope with their rapidly changing world. White people seemed to the Indians to have an abundance of spirit power, and many native religious efforts were aimed at capturing some of this power for themselves. These efforts included the protohistoric Prophet Dance, the syncretic "Columbian Religion" of the fur trade era, and the initial enthusiastic response to the first Christian missionaries on the Plateau. Each of these attempts was marked by great enthusiasm at first, and each was abandoned with bitter disappointment as the material condition of the natives worsened. By 1850, most Indians had abandoned the idea that the spirit power of the white people could ever be accessed by themselves, and new religious impulses took the form of nativist movements which sought to purge the natives of white influences.;Because both Roman Catholic and Protestant missionaries were active on the Plateau, I also compare the conversion efforts of the two faiths. to native eyes, the cultural flexibility, language skills, impressive ceremonies, and superior organizational structure of the Catholics compared favorably to the stem and incomprehensible doctrines of the Protestants. But in both cases most Indians accepted Christian doctrines only as a supplement, and not as a replacement of native beliefs. True converts proved rare before the reservation period.

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C. S. Lewis is very concerned about the naturalist assumptions which underlie much of modern knowledge. He attempts to show that the naturalist philosophy, when taken to its logical conclusion, undermines the validity of our reasoning processes and our moral judgments. He then attempts to offer an alternative philosophy which can serve as an adequate basis for our reasoning and ethics. Lewis sees three basic metaphysical possibilities: naturalism, dualism, and theism. Naturalism views the natural process as the ultimate reality. Everything that exists is either a part of or a product of this process. Dualism asserts that there are two equal, uncreated, independent, and self-existing entities. Theism regards God as the ultimate reality. He is the source of all things, including nature. We will discuss these three metaphysical theories in order, emphasizing their implications for epistemology and ethics. In the chapter on theism we will also present the concept of God which Lewis espouses, along with his reasons for doing so. We will then discuss Lewis's epistemology. We will examine first the theistic basis for it and then the relationship between reason and nature. Afterwards we will look at the reasoning process itself, considering the role of thinking, knowing, imagining, and language in that process. Finally, we will critique Lewis's epistemology from the perspective of a pragmatic epistemology. The choice of a pragmatic epistemology for this purpose is based on its widespread acceptance at the present time. This critique will point out some possible problems in both epistemologies and will suggest a possible resolution for them.

According to Kierkegaard, the knowledge of God begins with the recognition of various truths about oneself. Every individual, just by virtue of being human, has the capacity to develop an intuitive awareness of God. In this thesis, I explore the nature of this knowledge. In chapter one, I introduce a number of ideas important for understanding Kierkegaard's phenomenology of religious belief, including his distinction between objective and subjective reflection, his method (indirect communication), and his psychology. The first chapter concludes with a description of the range or domain of "natural religion." In the next chapter, I analyze the structural or formative elements of natural religion, the awakening of a God -relationship in the extremity of selfknowledge (an individual's awareness of the eternal, infinite, and possible aspects of the human "self"). In the final chapter, I explore two related peculiarities in Kierkegaard's treatment of religious knowledge: his contempt for inductive or probabilistic arguments, and his suggestion that the existence of God can become clear to a person with a different kind of certainty. I argue that although he overstates his polemic against theistic arguments, Kierkegaard is nonetheless correct in his account of the proper ground of belief in God. I conclude by juxtaposing Kierkegaard's views on belief in God with those of twentieth century probabilistic theologians and atheologians, as well as the "Reformed Epistemology" of Alvin Plantinga.

Drawing on the ritual theory of “rebounding violence” as developed by Maurice Bloch, the contemporary anthropologist, the thesis examined some kingship rituals periodically observed in Nepal and highlighted their political implications. The study also made an assessment of the concept of “divine kingship” in orthodox “Hindu” tradition and traced connections between religion and politics. In Nepal, kingship is taken as a symbol of sovereign power and national unity, and the king is often revered in public festivals as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, or as a representative of some other divinities such as Indra, Bhairava and the Buddha. The thesis explored such rituals, demystified the concept of “divine kingship,” and displayed through historical evidences how Nepali rulers have appropriated religious occasions for their own legitimacy.

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No demon has gained as much notoriety, recognition, or infamy in Jewish culture at the she-demon Lilith. Tracing her origins back to similarly-named demonesses in Ancient Sumeria, Babylonia, and Canaan, Lilith developed throughout Jewish history into a fully-realized seductress, succubus, murderer, and tormenter of men, women, and children. A well-known demoness during the ancient, rabbinic, medieval, and, to some extent, modern periods of Judaism, Lilith was associated with multiple ills of the sexual sphere including masturbation (or onanism, so named for the biblical figure Onan who “spilled his seed on the ground”), adultery, nocturnal emissions, impure thoughts, and bastard children. Her personality, focused as it is on these sexual ills, has remained remarkably constant throughout her 4,000 year development, a testament to her notoriety. Lilith did not spring, however, fully formed from the imagination of one group of people or in one particular place. Rather, a conception of the demoness slowly coalesced from a variety of ancient Middle Eastern sources even before she was integrated into the