Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Origins Of Great Traditions, Joseph J. Reidy

KSU Distinguished Course Repository

This course is a systematic examination of five centers of civilization in Afro-Eurasia during their defining moments. The course focuses on the historical contexts that gave rise to China’s classical philosophies, India’s transcendental world-view, the Judaeo-Christian-Islamic synthesis, African mythoreligious systems of thought, and Latin-European culture in the West. The course’s content emphasizes cross-cultural influences and connections.

Epiphanius's Condemnation Of The Nazarenes: When Orthodox Christianity Is Threatened By Jewish Practice, E. Andrews

The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research

In 377 AD, Epiphanius of Salamis wrote the Panarion. In the Panarion he labeled 80 religious sects as heretics. Among those groups was a Jewish-Christian sect called the Nazarenes. The Nazarenes believed that there is one God, that Jesus was the Son of God and the Messiah, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, and that both the Old and New Testaments were to be used as Scripture. For Epiphanius, the only fault of this sect was in their continued observance of the Law of Moses. It is important to explain why Epiphanius concluded that they were …

The World Parliament Of Religions, The Swami, And The Evangelist: Contextualizing Late 19th-Century American Responses To Hinduism, Anne Richards

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

This article explores how Hinduism and other religions and philosophies outside the Christian traditions were received by Americans influenced by secularism, science, globalization, and expanding U.S. imperialism in the late 19th century. The article also explores the role of two missionaries, John Henry Barrows and Swami Vivekananda, arguably the most influential participants in the World Parliament of Religions of 1893.

Get Karma, good—well rubbed into you—absorb it, wallow in it, and then you will batter down all the obstacles of life.
—New York Times book review, 1896

Ethnicity, Religion And Violence In Bosnia-Herzegovina, Jusuf Salih

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

The violence that erupted in the Balkans at the end of the second millennium made fierce enemies of people who had lived together in peace as neighbors, friends, classmates, and married couples. Nationalism, chauvinism, and religious fanaticism quickly grew stronger, leading to the disappearance of centuries-long harmony among its inhabitants. Among the reasons for the conflict were the experienced communist leaders who skillfully used religious slogans to advance their campaigns; also, religious leaders became close associates to political leaders with hopes that they would attain the religious rights denied and limited during the old governance. As a result, nationalism and …

Tantric Alchemy Of The Soul: A Philosophical Analysis And Synthesis Of Jung And Kashmir Shaivism, Derek C. Wolter

Oglethorpe Journal of Undergraduate Research

One of the most fascinating parts of intellectual globalization is the dialogue that occurs between two vastly removed systems of thought. One particular area of interdisciplinary dialogue that has emerged in the last century is between Western psychology and traditional Eastern religious and philosophical thought. Two particular disciplines that bear a striking resemblance ripe for comparative study are Jung’s psychology and Indian Tantrism. Some of this dialogue has already taken place, to a limited extent by Jung himself, but more so by modern pundits of Tantrism, particular Buddhist Tantrism. While some truly important work has been done in the comparative …

Forging The Mormon Myth, Maryanne Hafen

Oglethorpe Journal of Undergraduate Research

The work of the forger Mark Hofmann frames many key problems and changes in Mormon historiography. More specifically, it reveals a tension between versions of Mormon history that are propagated in the religion. On one hand, there is a documented and literal history. On the other, a sacred and engaging myth. However, these two cannot coexist harmoniously.

Intercultural Connectivity: Intertwined Through Islamic Design, Sandra Bird

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

This paper is a critical inquiry examining the works of an art exhibit, Geometric Aljamia: A Cultural Transliteration, hosted during Kennesaw State University’s Year of the Arabian Peninsula. It includes a brief interdisciplinary discussion of the importance of geometry to the development of Islamic art and design. The contemporary artists who produced these works under study integrate drawing and paper-cutting techniques that display characteristics of art found throughout the Muslim world.

An Essenceless Creation: An Investigation Of Theistic Existentialism, John T. Lane

Oglethorpe Journal of Undergraduate Research

Abstract: The primary objection that most Mainstream Christian theologies, most notably Calvinist theologies, hold against existentialism is that existentialism is incompatible with mainstays of theistic dogma, namely the theistic perception of sin and the concept of Imago Dei. However, upon closer examination, it would appear that existentialism’s rejection of essences is not wholly incompatible with all Mainstream theist doctrine. In this paper I will probe the alleged inconsistencies between Mainstream theist doctrines and the fundamental existentialist tenets of “existence precedes essence” and existential angst. Furthermore, I will argue that these two schools of thought are not just compatible, but also …

Why I Am Not A Materialist, John Cramer Dr.

Oglethorpe Journal of Undergraduate Research

Materialism is a world view that insists the world is nothing but matter. My purpose here is to show it is not a viable world view. Its monism creates severe difficulties for it, centered on the nature of the human mind and the truth of beliefs. Nor is it fit for human consumption because it denies human uniqueness and denigrates human needs.

Mythological Links To Shinto Architecture, Grace B. Djokoto

Oglethorpe Journal of Undergraduate Research

The practice of shrine worship has been present in Japan for centuries. The construction of shrines emanated from the belief that the kami, or spirits, needed a dwelling place. The many elements of the shrine have a connection to an aspect of the Shinto mythology. This investigation examines the major elements of a Shinto shrine and the mythological significance of each.

Inuit Myth In The Film “Brother Bear”, Tali M. Schroeder

Oglethorpe Journal of Undergraduate Research

The objective of this paper is to examine the 2003 film Brother Bear and note any mythological aspects that are accurately represented. The film displays an Inuit village and many correct cultural features of Inuit myth and legend. The paper examines the usage of music and dance, animal spirits, revenge, and shamanism in both the film and in Inuit culture. In my research, I found that the film represented these and other facets of Inuit myth extraordinarily well. While some parts of the film were inaccurate, the mythological parts were accurately represented for the most part. The depictions of Inuit …

In Search Of The Self: Eastern Versus Western Perspectives, Derek C. Wolter

Oglethorpe Journal of Undergraduate Research

In analyzing a mythological work, a proper understanding of the nature of the self and its relation to the Cosmos is essential. Alan Watts, the late British philosopher, proposed that there were two great myths of the self—myth here not used in the sense of something false, but rather as a way of interpreting oneself and one’s reality. In the West, there is a dualistic conception of the self where there is a clear distinction between creator and created, and Man and the self is viewed as an artifact of creation. In the East, there is a non-dualistic conception of …

The Action Of Grace In Territory Held By The Devil: Flannery O’Connor And Cormac Mccarthy, Scott A. Singleton

The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research

This paper compares the lives and work of Flannery O’Connor and Cormac McCarthy. The two authors share similarities in their backgrounds, careers, and work. The paper begins with an examination of biographical information of both authors to contextualize their work and note commonalities in their lives and careers. The central idea is that Flannery O’Connor and Cormac McCarthy both create grotesque characters to reveal the depraved condition of humanity in order to highlight the need for redemption and the possibility of divine grace. To prove this, examples are discussed from multiple pieces of work by O’Connor and McCarthy including The …

Religion And Politics In Romania: From Public Affairs To Church-State Relations, Lavinia Stan, Lucian Turescu

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

In November 2010, Romanian legislator Liviu Campanu, representing the governing coalition, proposed Daniel Ciobotea as Prime Minister of a cabinet of "national union." The suggestion was surprising because Ciobotea is leader of the Orthodox Church, accounting for 86.8% of the country's population (International Religious Freedom Report, 2009). It would not be the first time when the Orthodox Patriarch assumed such a political role - Miron Cristea headed the government from 1938 to 1939. While Ciobotea quietly ignored it, the proposal reflected not only deep dissatisfaction with the government, but also the respect the Orthodox Church enjoys among Romanians. The Church …

Book Review: Religion Crossing Boundaries: Transnational Religious And Social Dynamics In Africa And The New African Diaspora, Akanmu Adebayo

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

Review of Religion Crossing Boundaries: Transnational Religious and Social Dynamics in Africa and the New African Diaspora, by James Spickard and Afe Adogame. (2010). Leiden: E.J. Brill; ISBN-I0: 90-04-18730-8

African Catholicism And The Diaspora Phenomenon: A Socio-Political Analysis Of African Priests In The Diaspora, Iheanyi Maurice Enwerem

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

Religious agents, including Catholic priests, are no exception with regards to involvement in the diaspora phenomenon. Among them, especially in the most recent time, are those who, for the purposes of this paper, are identified as "African Catholic priest-diasporas" (African priest diasporas, for short); that is, those Catholic priests from Africa who, for a variety of reasons, relocated from the continent to reside in a foreign country where they exercise their priestly ministry. This new and growing group of diasporas obviously forms part of the "African Diasporas"-a group African Union (AU) considers as Africa's "sixth region" (Auma, 2009). The paper …

Islam, Globalization, And Freedom Of Expression, Muhammad Daiyabu Hassan

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

The exercise of freedom of expression by a segment of the secular establishment, mainly among members of the literary and intellectual elite in the West, in relation to Islam, constitutes a major obstacle in the search for common grounds between the Islamic world and the West. Due to historical factors, the church seems to have assented to the continuous secular attacks on Christianity. Some examples in this regard are Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code and Martins Scorsese's film adaptation of Nikos Kazanstzaki's The Last Temptation of Christ. To this segment of Western secular cultural thinkers, nothing is sacred. The …