The Islamic Religion in Course Curriculums of High School History Textbooks in the Republic of Macedonia

History textbooks can and primarily should contribute to the strengthening of students’awareness of universal human values.However,history textbooks can also deepen the divisions,prejudices,and uncritical attitudes,contrary to the goals of education.The youth population,which is still building and creating their point of view towards the world is the main group in the education process.The learning period,in the elementary,as well as in the secondary education is of utmost importance for the development of every human.To that end,history,through the contents of the past largely shapes our perceptions of every individual,ourselves,and the others.Since we are living in a multiethnic and multi-confessional society,I have decided to conduct an analysis of the teaching contents of high school textbooks related to religion.Another reason for the analysis is the role of religion in the formation of Balkan nations,which have made it one of the key elements of their national identities.It is often given the role of raising and strengthening the national awareness,patriotism,as well as the country homogeneity,which most often leads to forming prejudices,divisions,and discrimination towards people of minority religions.The large volume of content related to the religion,and also the mere fact that Muslims are the second largest religion group in the population,I have decided to analyze the contents which are related only to the Islamic religion.The goal is to look for both the positive and negative sides of those contents in history textbooks in secondary schools,which are backed by state institutions that are supposed to take care of the development of competitive,creative,progressive,and ethically formed human potential.The critical review will give an additional impulse to the efforts of eliminating those parts of the teaching contents that create divisions and prejudices,especially in history textbooks,so that its studying can become the key factor in the building of trust between people of different religions.

New Perspective for the Philosophy of Religion: New Era Theory, Religion and Science

In this article,author expressed the meaning of“belief”,possible effective factors in human life,and how these factors can be effective on person and/or communities.With this respect,the meaning of religion,the possible interaction and relation between religion and science evaluated.42 past/present theories of religion and evaluation of the past/present works of the 87 philosophers of religion are explained.Author considered new synthesis(R-Synthesis),and also new era philosophy,new and re-constructed branches of philosophy,and some systems/constructions to express the new perspective for philosophy of religion.Author applied 27(+)possible definitive/certain result cases of the synthesis for R-Religion discipline specifically,and did the followings under new perspective:(i)eliminated some religious subjects,(ii)unified some religious subjects,(iii)modified some religious subjects,(iv)united some religious subjects in upper phase,(v)separated some religious subject,(vi)defined all religious subjects under one framework,(vii)integrated all religious subjects,(viii)defined new religious subjects,(ix)re-defined some religious subjects,(x)removed some religious subjects and put new religious subjects instead,(xi)added some religious subjects,(xii)kept/protected some religious subjects,(xiii)proposed progression for religious subjects,(xiv)changed the priority of some religious subjects,(xv)increased the importance of some religious subjects,(xvi)strengthened the ethics,(xvii)integrated philosophy branches under one framework,(xviii)others.Some of the purposes of this article are:(i)to define new synthesis method,(ii)to define good and/or correct new perspective and structure for philosophy of religion,science of religion,theories of religion,and related subjects,(iii)to extend the definition/limits of philosophy of religion with new perspective,(iv)others.As result of the synthesis,new perspective for philosophy of religion explained by considering the following concepts/sections:(a)theories of religion,(b)17 upper constructional philosophies and philosophy of religion,(c)eight complementary branches of philosophy of religion,(d)14 lower constructional philosophies and philosophy of religion,(e)science of religion,(f)new theory of religion and its relations with other disciplines.Author defined New Era Theory,New Era Religion,New Era Belief,Progressive Religion and their relations with other religions,beliefs,religious/non-religious movements,and the relation with other theories of religion.Also,power authorities and functional position levels in the New Era Belief,and Religion of God,Knowledge of God/gods,Nature of God/gods concepts are explained generally/specifically.

Religion and “Zero-Dose” Vaccination Status in Children Aged 12 to 23 Months in Benin and Togo: “Evidence of Demographic and Health Survey and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys”

Introduction: The relationship between religion and health has been a topic of interest in the past, and in recent years it has become increasingly visible in the social, behavioural, and health sciences. This work aims to study the influence of religion on the “zero-dose” vaccination status of children aged 12 - 23 months in Benin and Togo. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study which consisted in carrying out secondary analyzes using the databases of the most recent editions of the Demographic and Health Surveys in Benin and the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) in Togo. We extracted data concerning the vaccination status (“1 = zero-dose”, “0 = vaccinated”) of the children, the religious affiliation of the head of the household or the mother and other variables related to the child, the mother, the household and the environment. By means of a logistic regression, the adjusted effect of the religious affiliation of the head of the household or of the mother on the vaccination status at “zero-dose” was determined. Results: A total of 2430 and 933 children were respectively included in the study on behalf of Benin and Togo. The prevalence of “zero-dose” vaccination status in children aged 12 - 23 months was 33.91% (95% CI = 31.67 - 36.23) in Benin and this prevalence was 26.88% (95% CI = 23.50 - 30.55) in Togo. In Benin, there is no evidence in favour of the influence of the religious affiliation of the mother on the “zero-dose” vaccination status of children. In Togo, children living in households whose head was Muslim (ORa = 3.44;95% CI = 1.29 - 9.13) were more likely to be “zero-dose” than those coming from households run by individuals with no religious beliefs. Conclusion: Further research is needed to understand the basis for the excess risk of “zero-dose” vaccination status in children that appears to be associated with the Muslim religion.

An Introduction to the Culture of Zhuang’s Mo Religion Scriptures

Like all the religions in the world,Mo religion is a classic one believed by all Zhuang people.It believes in and worships the gods,having truth in a thing that life and death are manipulated by the gods,that life and death can be reincarnated,and that human beings can be recreated.It has a set of systematic interpretations of the universe,celestial bodies,life and death,misfortune,fate,soul,salvation,etc.It has the omnipotent,omniscient and the infinitely wise.The first Patriarch Bulotuo appeared as the supreme god and master.His professionals are called“pumo”and religious scripture of Mo religion is called“sɯ³⁵mo³⁵”!Mo religion’s activities are known as“hok⁵⁵mo³⁵”.

New Babylon Religion—The Religious Code for the Megalopolis Life: Common Home-Common Rules

The megalopolis is a unique system that offers unique opportunities for a person.But in return,this system requires respecting its rules of life,as well as creating and maintaining new social relationships.This is a very complex problem especially for religious sphere,because there are a lot of different religion representatives in megalopolis.Babylon is a symbol of megalopolis.Megalopolis problems can be called Babylon problems.New megalopolis religion(the religious rules)can be called New Babylon religion.In order to explore the religious code(rules)for the megalopolis life,this paper makes an analysis from the following three aspects:the religion problems existing in the megalopolis;the general sources of world religion;and the relationship between religion and modern science.Finally,the conclusion is drawn that the modern life of society in a megalopolis allows individualizing not only educational,but also religious sphere,which will create the necessary feedback effect and help to solve internal conflicts of residents at their initial stage,as well as to create common religious rules for megalopolis—our common home.

Philosophy of GodForm:Power Authorities, Functional Position Levels, Religion and Science

In this work,author expressed new R-Synthesis specifically.Good and/or correct perspective that must be behind the definitions and administration generally expressed.New perspective of the philosophy explained generally.Philosophy of GodForm is defined and expressed as connected/related with the following concepts:(a)basic principles,(b)17 upper constructional philosophies,(c)14 lower constructional philosophies,(d)eight basic philosophies.As special cases,Philosophy of Engineering and Technology,Philosophy of Wireless Administration and others defined as hybrid philosophies.17 specific components/units which can be considered to define the basic principles of the related formation,are proposed to be designed by GodForm and defined by the author.Philosophy of GodForm and its relation with Values and Positions specifically defined.New Era Theory and New Era Belief explained generally.Some specific religions/beliefs are defined as variants/forms of the Progressive Religion.Good and/or correct power authorities(R-Power Authority)are defined due to 29 categories.Functional position levels defined for the R-Power Authorities with a unique table.As result of the R-Synthesis,functional position levels of some philosophers,some scientists,and of Prophet Jesus,Prophet Mohamed,Prophets Mouses,Buddha,and of Confucius generally/specifically defined.Integration and past/present effects of some R-Power Authorities in 5 x 5 Ideal Political Construction specifically explained.New Era Belief,Concepts of GodX and Science relation explained with the following concepts:(1)Religion of GodForm,(2)Knowledge of GodX,(3)Nature of GodX.With this respect,some other characteristics of 7 GodX power authorities expressed with details as complementary information.Following concepts/systems defined to arrange and solve some/most/all religious problems,which are determined with R-Synthesis:(a)Religious Responsibilities and Positions,(b)Ideal Religious Administration,(c)Sustainable/Continuable Political Administration System,(d)Community Values Council/Authority for each world country,(e)Progressive Councils.15 general religious position categories defined to express their good and/or correct meanings/values/responsibilities in the religious system.21 general/specific cases/programs defined due to New Era Belief to solve possible past/present/future community values problems,to have continuous,judicious,and progressive administration about the 36 kinds of community values.Progressive Councils,which are related with the CUS-WW-HO,are defined.Progressive Religion Council and some of the related religious responsibilities expressed for the kind progressive religion studies due to the Philosophy of Progressive Religions.

Evolutionary Origin of Religions and Religious Evolution: Religious Neurosociology

The paper proposes that the evolutionary origin of religions is based on theory of mind as the product of interdependent division of labor between the forest specialist group (women and small children) and the woodland specialist group (men) in early hominins who lived in the mixed forest-woodland habitat. To complement each other’s work without interfering each other’s work, one specialist group had to recognize (imagine) that the other specialist group existed to think for themselves and to do different works. The result was theory of mind which is to recognize (imagine) that the others exist to think for themselves. (The forest-woodland groups became the hunter-gatherer groups for the Homo species in the savanna habitat.) Under existential pressure, hominins invented imaginary specialists as imaginary agents who existed to think for themselves and to do different works in imaginary division of labor to enhance survival chance. The result was religion with imaginary behaviors. Therefore, religion is defined as a set of beliefs and behaviors based on theory of mind that produces a shared imagination to enhance survival chance under existential pressure. This paper proposes that the religious evolution consists of the premodern imaginative religion for local society habitat starting from bipedalism, the modern rational imaginative religion for regional society habitat starting from the Axial Age, and the postmodern diverse rational imaginative religion for global society habitat starting from the Information Revolution. In conclusion, the religious brain is the imaginative brain, and the religious social behaviors are imaginary social behaviors. The religious evolution is the evolution of human imagination to enhance survival chance under existential pressure, such as the religious reinforcement of social bonds to enhance the survival chance of social group and the religious relief of stress and anxiety to enhance the survival chance of individuals.

A second thought on religionary theme in Updike＇s works

John Updike is a copious writer having a great influence on contemporary American literary history, whose artistic vision is mainly focused on the daily life of American middle class and their living conditions. The paper discusses the theme of religion in Updike＇s works from the perspectives of religion and science. It also analyzes the diversification of religion and summarizes the relationship between religion and the worldly life in America in the 20th century.

Analysis on the Architectural Characteristics of Three-religion-hall in Southeast Shanxi

The thought of "three religions in one" was an important spiritual belief in ancient China,and it has become a common practice in the society in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.At present,there are a large number of three-religion-hall in southeast Shanxi.Based on the field investigation and literature review,this paper focuses on analyzing the characteristics of three-religion-hall in southeast Shanxi in site selection,architectural space and decorative art,and expounds the architectural art and cultural value of three-religion-hall in southeast Shanxi.

Artistic Characteristics of Zhijiao Three-religion-hall Architecture

Three religions combined worship was an important spiritual belief in ancient China,which has become a common practice in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.Three religions combined worship refers to offering sacrifices to the ancestors of Confucianism,Buddhism and Taoism in the same temple,and such temples are called three-religion-hall.Zhijiao Three-religion-hall was built in the 15^(th) year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty.After many repairs and expansion,it finally became today’s pattern.Based on the culture of three religions combined worship,taking Zhijiao Three-religion-hall as research object,location,spatial characteristics and architectural decoration of Zhijiao Three-religion-hall are analyzed,and architectural art value of Zhijiao Three-religion-hall is expounded.

Religion and Philosophy of the Atharvaveda:A New Approach

The Atharvaveda Samhita(AV),being the second largest compendium in the Vedic literature of the Rgveda Samhita(RV),occupies a great position in the ancient history of religion and philosophy.But unlike the RV,the religion and philosophy of the AV have not been properly analysed,rather somehow misinterpreted.It has been portrayed that the religion of AV is primitive,full of magic and devoid of priestly religion.Again,the philosophy of AV does not represent anything new or original,even if it is a preacher of pseudo-philosophy.In the backdrop of this picture,the paper aims to revisit the old theories on the one hand and on the other hand,it has shown the religion and philosophy of the AV of a new dimension in the Vedic Corpus.This new dimension in the Vedic Corpus needs to be addressed properly.Thus,in the proposed paper,it has been tried to establish that the religious culture of AV fills up the gap of the total gamut of Vedic religion with its social responsibilities.For philosophy,it is the AV that represents more originality than the RV,not only in quantity but also in introspection.The philosophy of the Upanishad,which represents Brahman as the ultimate reality and creator of the world,has been more vividly represented.It has prepared a bridge between the Samhita and Upanishad in respect of philosophical concepts.All these have been elaborately dealt with documents and references in the proposed paper.

Three Kinds of Religion in Hungary Lessons of Three By-elections in Local Political Context

There has been a long tradition in the history of Hungarian intellectuals that dates as far back as the 1930s.It became well-known as the clash between the“populist”(nepies)and“urbanite”(urbanus)camps as two factions of the intellectual classes or status groups.However,the author’s historical investigations show that this clash originated during the first reform period of Hungarian history(1830-1848),when the“Centralists”under the leadership of József Eötvös confronted the“Municipalists”whose leading figure was Lajos Kossuth.The former group represented the Western Europe oriented faction,who heavily called into question the county system,while the members of the latter group warranted it as the bulwark of the Hungarian constitution.The conflict was renewed between the two world wars as“westernizing”urbanites opposed the“Magyar”-oriented populists.Also,after the regime change in the 1990s,this old clash posited itself politically first as the strife between the Hungarian Democratic Forum and the Free Democrats and later on it got the form of a European-oriented Leftist-Liberal wing facing the moderate Right.The desperate struggle between the two political wings appeared at the local level as well.The author describes a paradigmatic case of the overall contradiction in a case study.During the local elections in a Hungarian village the post-communist mayor was forced to run against a traditionally religious mayor,while the entire village population,including civil society,followed the desperate clash up to an unserviceable stage.At this point,a third mayor candidate stepped in competing with both former enemies and won the exceptional election.The new mayor transcended both the post-communist era and the oppositional mayor of traditional religious background,for as the great-grand child of a landowner in the period preceding the Second World War who was persecuted in the Communist era;this mayor restituted the continuity with the ancient landowner class.And at the same time,while jettisoning the old-fashioned religion,she exhibited a certain attachment to a new type,as it were,a postmodern religiosity.

Mark Twain's Inner Collision between Science and Religion——A reading of Twain's “The Diary of Adam and Eve”

In"The Diary of Adam and Eve",Mark Twain shows the life of the first human couple partly according to the Biblical story.But his writing is not exactly the same with the original record of the Bible.This paper attempts to analyze the reasons that account for Twain’s treatment of the Bible story from the aspects of science and religion.

Confucianism is a Philosophy Rather than a Religion

The Chinese Recorder, a journal produced by the Protestant missionary community in China, enjoyed a run of seventytwo years in which Confucianism was regarded as a religion by many missionary scholars. But is Confucianism a religion or a philosophy? There are different ideas in present literatus. This study attempts to prove that Confucianism is not a religion by distinguishing the definitions of religion and Confucianism and comparing them, and further points out that Confucianism is a philosophy.

A General Framework For Determining the Temporal and Evolutionary Dynamics of Religion-Based Website Popularity on the Internet

Religion-based websites are fast becoming a major pipeline for disseminating religious information to broad populations of individuals in the United States.Both mainstream religions and fringe religions are easily accessible to a large population of internet users. The purpose of this review is to develop and examine a general framework that uses simple mathematical and statistical models to interpret and measure temporal ‘snap shots’ in the popularity of religious websites. We extend this framework to include an evolutionary model that has the potential to predict long-term shifts or changes in the popularity of religious websites over time. Ultimately, the goal of this review is to introduce a new modeling framework for research into how the internet is changing the accessibility and views of populations of individuals who follow various religions on the internet and how this may in-turn affect the distribution of religion in the ‘real world’.

Discussion on Agricultural Religion in the Pre-Qin Period of China

Since ancient times,agricultural religion has been infiltrated into all aspects of economic,political and social life in China. Using rich historical data such as archeology,anthropology and ethnology,this paper discussed the historical process of agricultural religion in the pre-Qin period from animal worship to agricultural worship. It also discussed the agricultural objects,land,celestial nature,and labor ghosts.Finally,it revealed the inevitable trend of combination of social sacrificing activities.

Donating in good faith or getting into trouble? Religion and organ donation revisited

There is worldwide shortage of organs for solid-organ transplantation. Many obstacles to deceased and live donation have been described and addressed, such as lack of understanding of the medical process, the issue of the definition of brain death, public awareness of the need for transplants, and many others. However, it is clear that the striking differences in deceased and live donation rates between different countries are only partly explained by these factors and many cultural and social reasons have been invoked to explain these observations. We believe that one obstacle to both deceased and live donation that is less well appreciated is that of religious concerns. Looking at the major faiths and religions worldwide, it is reassuring to see that most of them encourage donation. However, there is also scepticism amongst some of them, often relating to the concept of brain death and/or the processes surrounding death itself. It is worthwhile for transplant teams to be broadly aware of the issues and also to be mindful of resources for counselling. We believe that increased awareness of these issues within the transplant community will enable us to discuss these openly with patients, if they so wish.

Samuel P.Huntington:Chosen Peoples?Gods,Nations,and Rulers——Religion and Nation in International Politics

In March of 2002,a Harvard Academy research team received a grant for the project“Religion in Global Politics”.The aim of the research was to provide a systematic,broad,and comparative analysis of the impact on global politics of religious beliefs and organizations.The project was led by the veteran Harvard scholar Samuel P.Huntington.The result of his research into the link between religion and national identity and the question how they influence international relations was never finished or published.From the available unfinished manuscripts and various draft papers from the Harvard University Archives Samuel P.Huntington Personal Archive,the article tries to establish the content of Huntington’s probably last article while also providing the missing references for the first time and attempts to put the writing in its context within the author’s oeuvre.

Humanistic Orientation of Religion and the Problem of Religious Violence:Biblical and African Perspectives

The contemporary society,despite its great achievements in the area of human development,remains increasingly menaced by the syndrome of religious intolerance and religious violence.Many theories may continue to be propounded for this syndrome,but all of them gravitate around the fact of human abuse of religion expressed in the perversion of the real purpose of religion.This essay argues that one of the fundamental causes of religious violence is the misguided religious consciousness that makes it difficult for people to reason properly on the common challenges of our common humanity.Incidentally,both the biblical and African approaches to religion can each be interpreted as having a basic humanistic orientation.This becomes a challenge to African theology as it faces the prevailing religious consciousness on the continent in search of genuine humanism and authentic African development.