無論是東方或西方古代社會，宗教信仰與政治信仰二者的關係都是相輔相成的；尤以中國古代殷周時期，宗教與政治的信仰、權力、組織、制度更是合為一體。筆者的興趣與關注，正是周初宗教人文轉向的課題。周室承繼殷權的宗教文化傳統，從祭祀天神、地衹、鬼靈、祖宗等現象出發，透過一套象徵系統的詮釋方式，傳達出一種對宇宙、人事獨特的理解與信念。然而，夏、殷之例不遠，僅以祭祀、占卜等活動尚不足以「祈天永命」來確保國祚久安，故強調「敬德」的主體修養活動以彌補宗教活動的不足；周室遂以此信仰體系為背景，經由「敬」的自我省察工夫，把對超越界的崇敬與追尋，回返到主體對自我的覺知與省察，神秘的宗教性格遂轉化為「敬德」價值理性的生發，「敬德」與「服天命」或「受天命」之間自始產生了聯結，兩者形成了緊密的因果關係：前為因，後為果；這有效地說明天命屬意周室的正當性。此時，「天命有德→敬德保民→祈天永命」三者恰好結成牢固的繩索，「敬德」成了國祚久安的必要條件，開顯出全新的、倫理的、道德的人文面相。 　　周初宗教人文轉向的關鍵處就是，周公等人以人民根植在祭祀、占卜活動中對超越界的情感為基礎，把一貫的宗教情操巧妙地轉移至「德」價值本體上；在周公等人自覺意識的作用下，神人關係的宗教情操順利地轉化為道德情操，周初宗教精神自此一大躍進，展現了新的宗教精神，從而指點出它的道德與倫理向度；宗教理性與人文理性因而結合、消融，人文意義與價值自始受到重視與肯認。職是之故，筆者擬以周初「天命觀」與「敬德」價值理性二者互為辯證的關係為進路，從二者的形成、關連與作用面切入，分別描述周初宗教人文化的歷史進程，並就其統貫之理作一系統性的闡述。 / The relations between the religious and political beliefs are complementary either in the eastern or eastern society which beliefs, authorities, organization, systems were combined into a whole especially during the Ying-Chou period of the ancient China. The writer's interests and concerns are rightly focused on “the humanistic turn of the early Chou religion”. The Chou empire inherited the religious, cultural tradition from Ying authority, starting out from the phenomena of worshiping the heaven deity, earth deity, ghosts, ancestral spirits and expressed an unique understanding, belief for the cosmos and the living world through the interpretative way of a set of symbolic system. Whereas, that the examples of Shia, Ying authorities went just ahead made Chou empire realized that only relying on the worshiping, divining activities was insufficient to “appealing to the heaven for the eternal life of nation”; hence, they proclaimed further the subjective deed― “respecting virtue” ―for supplementing the deficiency of religious activities; given that, the Chou turned its outwardly respecting and searching for the transcendent back to the inwardly subjective awareness and introspection on self, grounded on the inherited belief system, by way of the introspective work “respecting” of self that resulted in the transformation from the mystic, religious characters into the arising of the value-ration of “respecting value”. Thus, there was connection between “respecting virtue” and “obeying the heaven's destiny”, “accepting the heaven's destiny”; the former the cause, the later the effect. The close causation occurred within them that effectively explained the legitimacy of the bestowed destiny from heaven on Chou. At this time, “the heaven bestowing destiny on those who have virtue→respecting virtue for the purpose of protecting people→appealing to the heaven for the eternal nation” these three nodes were rightly strung into a firm rope so that “respecting virtue” became the necessary condition of the eternal nation that discovered the wholly new, moral, ethical and humanistic aspects. 　　The key point of the humanistic turn of the early Chou religion was Chou-Kong and others, based on people's emotions rooted in the worshiping, divining activities for the transcendent, ingeniously turned people's inherited religious sentiments to the “virtue” itself. Under the function of Chou-Kong's self-consciousness, the religious sentiment of relations between gods and men smoothly transformed into the moral sentiment that made the religious spirit in the early Chou pushed a giant leap and opened a fully new religious spirit that directed to its moral and ethical dimensions. The religion-ration and humanity-ration were thus combined and melted; from this on, the humanistic meanings and values were acknowledged and regarded with esteem. On the grounded of that, the writer tries to make a systematic explication for its reason of unity by describing separately the historical process of the humanization of the early Chou religion from the aspects of formations, correlations and functions of both the view of “heaven's destiny” and the value-ration of “respecting virtue” among which the inter-dialectical relations used as an approach in this text.

馬來西亞華人的年節習俗與神話傳說，結合了在地化生活經驗的實踐，融通多元種族的文化習俗，也沿襲繼承了傳統，在文化抉擇認同感上是具有革新的適應性與長遠的價值觀，這項象徵著宇宙歷史永恆的回歸，賦予了每個檳榔嶼華人經歷一個生命禮俗的「通過儀式」而產生不朽的生命能量。 檳榔嶼鍾靈毓秀，位於馬來西亞北部，享有印度洋上的「綠寶石」和「東方明珠」稱譽，自1786年開埠迄今，具有逾2百多年悠久歷史，是馬來西亞第二大城市，更是擁有華裔族群最多的一個州屬 。以檳榔嶼華人年節習俗與神話傳說作為一個研究個案，是基於檳榔嶼原初為南渡馬來半島的華人移民定根的橋頭堡，並且佔全國華人人口比例最多的一個州屬，而且州的主政權一直以來是由華人所主導。 隨著華裔先民的南遷移居定根，華人年節文化薪火相傳地在異域開枝散葉，有關華人的年節習俗和神話傳說也就隨著傳統文化的傳播，注入在地新文化元素，形塑出具有特殊性的檳榔嶼華人年節文化與華人年節的神話傳說、民間故事和傳統習俗。年節習俗和相關神話傳說的傳承，千百年來一直被完整地保留在那永恆的神聖時空，並且與時並進，衍生出非凡的象徵意義和文化意涵，深深地影響著檳榔嶼的華人世俗社會。 本論文主題分為三大部分，探討檳榔嶼「華人年節習俗與傳統文化」，專注於華人年節的一些傳統風俗習慣、文化與宗教祭祀信仰，並結合在地化的生活禮儀，反映出移民原生情感聯繫的移植，充滿了兆驗和禁忌；「年」的傳說在時間和空間中所產生的概念與面向、特殊的人日撈生慶祝儀式、新春廟會活動的象徵意義以及峇峇娘惹的元宵節活動，展現出先民在日常生活中的原始思維方式，經過長期的經驗累積、生活情境體會、人生成長智慧的啟發，以及生命禮俗的通過儀，詮釋出華人社群文化的認同與文化混生現象。 其次，華人在新春節日中的祈福求財啟智慧的民俗信仰與傳統習俗文化的傳承關係密切，本文將探討福、祿、壽、喜、財等五福神話傳說的來源與發展，尤其是檳榔嶼華人最為重視的地域性福德正神廟請火祈願儀式以及五方五土龍神與唐番地主財神的敬奉，更是充滿著華人對佛、道、民間信仰的神明傳說、神聖空間特性、象徵意義的崇高想像，以及背後所涉及隱匿性的黨派組織所構成的華人社會根源，尤其與華人日常生活習俗息息相關。 最後一部分將探討檳榔嶼華人對天公信仰的崇拜，天公信仰是檳榔嶼各籍華裔社群，尤其是閩南籍福建人士認為天大過年的一個節日，這也是一種原始情懷的延伸，從原初華人聚集的姓氏橋周姓橋民及天公壇古廟每年盛大的祭拜天公儀式當中，可以窺視究竟。本論文亦試圖結合臺灣與檳榔嶼華人春節慶典與民間習俗傳說的世俗經典文化，作互文性的比較，從中區別兩地華人傳統春節慶典儀式和春節習俗傳說在生活層次條件下的發展。 / The study of this topic is with great value. It is important to compare with the differences of the Chinese new year festival and customary legends between Taiwan and Penang , then it should promote the understanding between each other. The traditional Chinese new year festival in Penang intergrated the multi-enthic cultures and customs, either to inheritate the traditional, or to create the new local culture from the cultural identity. Penang Island is established in 1786, which is the second largest city with most enthic group of Chinese lived. It is located at the northern part of Malaysia Penisula and known as “Emerald” or “Pearl of Orient” on the Indian Ocean. This thesis is study mainly on the traditional Chinese New Year Customary Legends of Penang Island. The Chinese New Year Culture is moved with the Chinese anscestors accordingly and spread widely on the island. The Traditional Chinese New Year customary legends are dessimanated with new local culture elements which added into it, and becomes the unique custom in the region that affected the local born Chinese of Penang Island thoroughly. The main topic of the thesis is divided into three parts, firstly, to study the traditional and regeneration of the Chinese New Year. It is related to various traditional customs, cultures and beliefs in religious worship which integrated with the local etiquette. Secondly, to study the God of wealth in folk custom, especially the custom legend regarding about the Penang Fu De Zheng Sheng(God of wealth) in lightening the ritual fire ceremony. Lastly but no least, to study the Supreme God festival in Chew Jetty.

This research work is set out to investigate healing practised in Africa today. There are many ways of healing in African; others are classified as foreign because they came out of Africa especially from European influence while others are considered local or traditional. The research shall dig out the influence of what is known as foreign methods or approaches of healing in Africa today and what African healing can learn from other methods of healing practised today. There shall be contemporary stories and facts about the situation of healing today and relevant statistics where necessary. The research also comes out with appropriate suggestions on how to combat contemporary illnesses of today. This includes what should be improved and how. This work covers the whole of Africa. / Philosophy & Systematic Theology / M.Th. (Systematic Theology)

This research work is set out to investigate healing practised in Africa today. There are many ways of healing in African; others are classified as foreign because they came out of Africa especially from European influence while others are considered local or traditional. The research shall dig out the influence of what is known as foreign methods or approaches of healing in Africa today and what African healing can learn from other methods of healing practised today. There shall be contemporary stories and facts about the situation of healing today and relevant statistics where necessary. The research also comes out with appropriate suggestions on how to combat contemporary illnesses of today. This includes what should be improved and how. This work covers the whole of Africa. / Philosophy and Systematic Theology / M.Th. (Systematic Theology)