[pt] O presente trabalho tem como objetivo refletir sobre o modo de ser da espiritualidade cristã inserida no contexto social ocidental contemporâneo. A proposta é a de que a espiritualidade cristã esteja fundamentada no seguimento radical a Jesus Cristo, em toda sua completude, e refletida em uma experiência cotidiana encarnada no meio das pessoas e vivenciada em uma biografia guiada pelo amor - demonstrando externamente sua relevância à sociedade, ao se oferecer em serviço de amor ao inimigo, promovendo a paz. O contemporâneo da sociedade ocidental é de natureza complexa e plural. Estruturado a partir dos processos de secularização e individualismo, apresenta à espiritualidade cristã o desafio de existir sem ser hegemônica, tornando-se uma dentre outras em um ambiente plural, ao mesmo tempo que passa a ser instrumentalizada para servir a um recorte de bem-estar pessoal. A encarnação pressupõe a historicidade, por isso, deve assumir a realidade plural, secular e individualista atual, religiosa e não religiosa. Para guiar a reflexão, metodologicamente, seguiremos o caminho de um encontro que considere a reflexão filosófica e a teológica. Primeiro, a espiritualidade laica, apresentada pelo filósofo Luc Ferry, em sua proposta do amor-paixão, imanentemente considerado, como o provocador de sentido na vida, sem a necessidade de um Deus ou um ideal metafísico, inserido no período por ele denominado segundo humanismo. Considera-se o papel do “amorpaixão” de Ferry em toda sua extensão e limites. Depois, a teologia encarnada e biográfica de Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a qual oferece uma proposta de amor-ágape que exceda à possibilidade humana, culminando no extraordinário do seguimento do Crucificado, que é o amor ao inimigo como o único discipulado possível para quem se posiciona no caminho da obediência ao seguimento. Após a contextualização histórico-social e das propostas de Ferry e Bonhoeffer, apresentase uma espiritualidade cristã que responda à contemporaneidade, performando-se como integral e integralizadora da vida, recuperadora da memória do cristianismo na sociedade, que ame o inimigo e que se encarne no cotidiano por meio da biografia do seguidor de Cristo. Como resultado, evidencia-se o papel, ainda relevante, do indivíduo cristão na sociedade atual enquanto agente promotor de reconciliação e paz, e de construção de relações comunitárias baseadas no amor. / [en] The aim of this work is to discuss how Christian spirituality is part of the Western social world. We propose that Christian spirituality is based on the radical commitment to follow Jesus Christ wholly, and observed in one s daily life incarnated in the world among people and guided by love – externally demonstrating its relevance to society, by offering oneself in loving service towards the enemy, promoting peace. The notion of being contemporary in an occidental society presents a complex and plural nature. It is structured based on the processes of secularization and individualism, and presents a challenge to Christian spirituality: to exist without being hegemonic, to become one among others in a plural environment, while it is exploited to serve to a segment that pursues its personal well-being. Incarnation implies historicity, then, it must assume today s reality that is plural, secular and individualistic, religious and non-religious. To guide the discussion, methodologically, we will follow the idea of an encounter that will consider both philosophical and theological issues. First, lay spirituality , as presented by the philosopher Luc Ferry, in his argument for passion-love , immanently considered, as the provocateur of the meaning in life , without the need of a God or a metaphysical ideal, inserted in the period he defines as second humanism . We discuss the role of Ferry s passion-love in all its extension and limits. Then, we focus on Dietrich Bonhoeffer s incarnated and biographic theology, which offers the possibility of agape-love that exceeds human possibility. It reaches its climax in the extraordinary represented by the decision to follow Christ, which means having love for one s enemy as the only possible commitment for those who set themselves on a journey to follow, as a disciple, Christ s teachings. After that social-historical contextualization and Ferry and Bonhoeffer s proposals, we present a Christian spirituality that answers the issues of contemporarity, acting as integral and integrating element in life, and recovering the memory of Christianity in society, which loves the enemy and incarnates in daily life by means of the biography of those who follow Jesus. As a result, we focus on the still relevant role of Christians in today s society as promoting agents of reconciliation and peace, and builders of community relationships based on love.

Boij, A. 2002: Jorden är mörk och svart. Vad som rör pastorer i Svenska Missionsförbundet när de ska predika om samhället. (The world is black and dark. What concerns pastors in the Mission Covenant Church of Sweden when they preach about society). Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis. Psychologia et Sociologia Religionum 16. 239 pp. Uppsala. ISBN 91-554-5488-7. The dissertation reflects a study of what pastors in the Mission Covenant Church in Sweden say in their sermons about society and social responsibility and represents an attempt at finding factors such as gender, education, age, values, and faith behind what has been said in the sermons. The results show that in general pastors have a negative picture of society irrespective of which of its aspects they are addressing. The pastors’ view of Christian responsibility for society is that it is primarily something for the individual to take, not for the congregation. Above all, Christian responsibility for society is about individual Christians' taking responsibility for her fellow human beings. For theoretical clarification the findings are discussed within the framework of the concept of secularisation, following Casanova (1994) sub-divided into differentiation, decline of religion and privatisation. In the study differentiation is identified when pastors do not relate theological reflection to their description and analysis of society. Thus they do not provide an integrated system of meaning for everyday life. As for privatisation, even when pastors are mainly speaking about public events, they are unable to place those events in a religiously interpreted context. According to the pastors social problems are to be met with private and individual solutions through Christians' actions to the benefit of their fellow men. The MCC is a part of what in Swedish can be called a popular movement, a kind of "social movement" or "voluntary organisation." The analysis shows that its pastors in their sermons do not embrace some of the central parts of the ideology that generally pertain to popular movements, namely concern with reforming society.

This thesis explores the hitherto undocumented disestablishment and reconstruction of the Anglican Church of Ireland, c.1868-1870, and argues that this experience was formative in the emergence of Home Rule. Structurally, the Church’s General Synod served as a model for an autonomous Irish parliament. Moreover, disestablishment and reconstruction conditioned the political trajectories of the Protestants initially involved in the first group to campaign for a federal Irish parliament, the Home Government Association (HGA). More broadly, both the HGA and the governance of the independent Church—the General Synod—grew from the bedrock of the same associational culture. The HGA was more aligned with the public associations of Protestant-dominated Dublin intellectual life and the lay associational culture of the Church. Although the political vision advocated was different from the normal conservatism of many of its Protestant members, culturally it was entirely grounded in the recent Anglican experience.

Grounded in the qualitative tradition, the aim of this study was to explore how principals perceive the processes governing, tensions inherent in and consequences, of the secularisation of public schools in South Africa, against the backdrop of the old apartheid system. Principals are key informants who bridge the gap between the political arena and the individuals who are affected at the implementation level and therefore provide a valuable lens through which the process of secularisation can be explored. Eight principals, who had been in this position of leadership for at least eight years, participated in semi-structured interviews, which were then subjected to a thematic content analysis. Principals perceived the process as characterised by a lack of consultation and transparency, with no clear guidelines provided to them and no follow-through from the education ministry. They also perceived tensions in the manner in which principals continued to embrace Christian principles in the management of their schools. Tolerance and respect of different religions were identified as positive outcomes of secularisation but these were perceived to have been offset by the negative consequences of a moral collapse, an ungovernable school and a loss of identity among the students. Through exploring the nature of key socialising agents, in the educational arena, it became evident that the participants often conceptualised themselves as martyrs and perceived parents as morally neglectful. The changing role of the school, as an agent of religious education, was also explored. Overall, all the principals strongly agreed that despite the good intentions of the government in fostering a democratic society, the impact of secularisation had resulted in some unintended effects, including a negative impact on the moral development of the students. In sum they perceived that the negative consequences of secularisation outweighed the promises of the government’s overall secularisation vision.

This paper is a case study in Religion in Peace and Conflict, in which the role of religion and religious expression in Swedish education is examined. The focus of this case study is on Swedish public schools. It begins with a literature review into the role of multiculturalism and cosmopolitan theories in Swedish government and policies with a discussion of how this extends into education. This is followed by an overview of the history of religion in Sweden and Swedish schools. The impact that different stakeholders, including teachers, students, administrators, and parents, might have within the Swedish school systems is excavated as well as the impact that the school space might have on integration. A field study in three different Swedish schools was conducted and is described in this paper. The results of the data suggest that there is a clear distinction between non-religious students and the religious students. The case study points to the overall finding that practicing religious students in the Swedish public school does not have the same freedom of conscience as the majority of students and that Swedish religion education is not neutral, as is the state intends. Some objections in regards to rights claims and majority-minority group dynamics are also explored and discussed.

Cette thèse est une recherche des moyens de formuler une éthique des identités culturelles appropriée aux sociétés multiculturelles dans le monde diversifié du présent. Elle prend appui sur l’appareil conceptuel du philosophe Charles Taylor, principalement sur sa conception de l’identité du moi, dialogique et enchâssée dans des cadres de signification historico-culturels. Une exploration des diverses identités culturelles qui s’expriment dans le monde à l’âge séculier nous montre la pertinence de la question de la reconnaissance des cultures et de la nécessité d’approfondir des méthodes de compréhension de l’autre, inspirées, dans le cas de Taylor, de l’herméneutique gadamérienne. Pour cela, une mise à distance de l’ethnocentrisme et une volonté d’ouverture à la différence culturelle, semblent indispensables. L’application pratique que déploie dans ses travaux la Commission des accommodements culturels du Québec montre que cela est possible et constitue peut-être une voie d’avenir pour des sociétés démocratiques où la différence culturelle pourrait être vécue d’une façon apaisée, posant les bases d’une éthique des identités culturelles. / This thesis is a research into the means of formulating an ethical theory of cultural identities adapted to multicultural societies in the present diversified world. It is based on philosopher Charles Taylor’s conceptual device, mainly on his conception of the identity of Self, dialogical and embedded in the framework of historical-cultural significance.. An exploration of different cultural identities expressed in a world of secular age, shows us the pertinence of the question on the recognition of cultures and on the necessity of going further into the methods to understand the other, inspired, as in the case of Taylor, by the Gadamerian hermeneutics. And for this, the distancing of ethnocentrism and a willingness to be open to the cultural difference seem indispensable. The practical application deployed in its efforts by the Commission of cultural accommodations in Quebec shows that this is possible and constitutes, perhaps, a way in future for some democratic societies where cultural differences could be lived peacefully, by laying a basis for an ethics of cultural identities.

William Hale White "Mark Rutherford", (1831-1913) est avant tout connu comme auteur d'une autobiographie romancée écrite sous la pression d'une intense inquiétude spirituelle et métaphysique. Né à Bedford dans un milieu de dissidents non-conformistes, ses écrits ne se font pas seulement l'écho de l'expérience poignante de la perte de la foi et de l'irruption du doute religieux sous l'effet de la critique biblique et du développement de connaissances dans le domaine des sciences, mais ils mettent aussi en évidence avec beaucoup de subtilité le très grand fractionnement du paysage religieux anglais dans une petite ville de province. White ne se considéra jamais comme un professionnel de l'écriture. Il avait cinquante ans lorsqu'il publia The Autobiography (1881) puis The Deliverance (1884), deux courts récits qui constituent lřhistoire fictionnalisée de son expérience personnelle dans lesquels il décrit les difficultés rencontrées par le narrateur-personnage principal dans son désir de trouver une forme de « délivrance » qui lui permette de refonder ses certitudes ébranlées en redonnant à son existence une orientation rassurante et clairement définie. Ce travail accorde une large place à l'histoire des idées religieuses et intellectuelles, aux relations entre religion et culture ; il s'efforce de reconstituer certains aspects du paysage religieux et idéologique de l'époque victorienne à partir de la prise en compte de l'itinéraire de White, qui est entièrement placé sous le signe de la rupture avec les formes les plus traditionnelles de croyance. Il s'intéresse aussi à la dimension sociale, culturelle et éthique des débats spirituels et religieux en Grande-Bretagne. / William Hale White "Mark Rutherford" (1831-1913) is best known as the author of a fictionalized autobiography written under the pressure of intense spiritual and metaphysical concerns during the Victorian period. Born in a non conformist background in Bedford, his writings not only mirror his loss of faith and the Victorian crisis of doubt triggered by Biblical criticism and the new developments in sciences at the time, but they also highlight with great subtlety the varied religious and political landscape in an English country town. White did not consider himself as a professional author. He was fifty when his first works were published. In his fictional autobiographical writings, The Autobiography of Mark Rutherford (1881) and Mark Rutherford's Deliverance (1884), William Hale White describes the agonies of religious doubt in the mid-19th century. This dissertation is not only a study of White's work and background, but also a study of the history of intellectual and religious ideas, as well as an analysis of the social, cultural, ethical and religious debates in Great Britain. The intellectual and historical approach of this work discusses the debates between culture, religion and ethics in the Victorian period.

<p>Boij, A. 2002: Jorden är mörk och svart. Vad som rör pastorer i Svenska Missionsförbundet när de ska predika om samhället. (The world is black and dark. What concerns pastors in the Mission Covenant Church of Sweden when they preach about society). Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis. <i>Psychologia et Sociologia Religionum</i> 16. 239 pp. Uppsala. ISBN 91-554-5488-7.</p><p>The dissertation reflects a study of what pastors in the Mission Covenant Church in Sweden say in their sermons about society and social responsibility and represents an attempt at finding factors such as gender, education, age, values, and faith behind what has been said in the sermons.</p><p>The results show that in general pastors have a negative picture of society irrespective of which of its aspects they are addressing. The pastors’ view of Christian responsibility for society is that it is primarily something for the individual to take, not for the congregation. Above all, Christian responsibility for society is about individual Christians' taking responsibility for her fellow human beings.</p><p>For theoretical clarification the findings are discussed within the framework of the concept of secularisation, following Casanova (1994) sub-divided into differentiation, decline of religion and privatisation. In the study differentiation is identified when pastors do not relate theological reflection to their description and analysis of society. Thus they do not provide an integrated system of meaning for everyday life. As for privatisation, even when pastors are mainly speaking about public events, they are unable to place those events in a religiously interpreted context. According to the pastors social problems are to be met with private and individual solutions through Christians' actions to the benefit of their fellow men. </p><p>The MCC is a part of what in Swedish can be called <i>a popular movement</i>, a kind of "social movement" or "voluntary organisation." The analysis shows that its pastors in their sermons do not embrace some of the central parts of the ideology that generally pertain to <i>popular movements</i>, namely concern with reforming society. </p>

In this study, I address the relationship between religion and politics in the Nordic countries, 1988–2012, against a background of increasing religious diversity alongside more or less continuous relationships between church and state. My aim is to analyse possible changes in the way religion is referred to by Nordic parliamentary parties, and in the way these parties use religion as a means to societal cohesion. I use theories on religious change and on the motives for using religion in politics to discuss a possible re-emergence of religion in politics, with the help of concepts such as functional differentiation, glocalisation and politicisation. I apply different forms of content analysis in a mixed-methods approach, using both substantial and functional definitions of religion. The thesis is based on four articles published or accepted for publication in peer-reviewed international journals: First, a study on religion in Nordic party platforms from around 1988, 1998 and 2008. Second, a study on religion in Danish, Norwegian and Swedish parliamentary debates, 1988/89, 1998/99 and 2008/09. Third, a study on the role of the majority churches in the final Nordic parliamentary debates on same-sex unions 1989–2012. Fourth, a study on Danish and Norwegian parliamentary debates on the wearing of veils among judges and policewomen in 2009. The major findings are that the references to religious diversity in party platforms and parliamentary debates have increased, which leads to a more complex understanding of the religious cleavage in politics, and that right-wing populist parties in particular politicise religion to achieve political influence. Furthermore, human rights have been increasingly used to address religious diversity as a political issue. I interpret these findings as continuous use of religion for societal cohesion in Nordic politics, through a model of different forms of politicisation using the concepts civil religion, human rights and nationalism. The thesis contributes to a better understanding of the religious cleavage, politicisation of religion, the impact of globalisation on the political debate about religion and changes as well as continuity regarding the use of religion in Nordic politics. / <p>Cover photography: Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt (chairman of The Moderate Party) debates with Member of Parliament Jimmie Åkesson (chairman of The Sweden Democrats) in the Swedish parliament Riksdagen on 19 January 2011. Photographer: Melker Dahlstrand/Riksdagsförvaltningen.</p> / NOREL / Impact of Religion

The diploma thesis delay with H. S. Chamberlain's thinking as a representative of biological determinism and racism, which id presented in the context of modern progress of secular thinking. Thesis further describes eugenics as the outcome of this way of thinking, which is presented in it's theory and the practice of Nazi "racial hygiene", but also at present, where eugenics practice in a certain measure still persists, under other names only.