HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies
January 27, 2016
Celia Kourie
10 citations
The article reviews recent developments in the study of spirituality and mysticism, noting that contemporary spiritualities now encompass the full range of human experience. New variants such as Contemplative Studies have emerged alongside traditional approaches. Research increasingly crosses inter-religious boundaries, natural mysticism is prominent, and neurotheology offers insights into the mystical mind. Debates continue over the value of techniques and methods in the mystical journey, while mystical silence is highlighted as especially valuable for modern, fast-paced life. The author aims to contribute to ongoing research in this domain.
HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies
August 28, 2015
Pieter F. Craffert
10 citations
Possession is not a single phenomenon but a collective term covering a wide range of experiences, including illness labels and dissociative states. Cross-cultural and neuroscientific research shows that possession involves complex neuro-cultural processes and often functions as a cultural technique for being a Self or as a solution to underlying problems. The growth of exorcism in Southern Africa partly stems from viewing Jesus as a successful exorcist, yet there is little critical reflection on possession as a cultural practice. These insights suggest that exorcism should be reconsidered as a clear-cut practice worthy of emulation.
HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies
February 23, 2023
S. Supriyanto
8 citations
The text explains the Sufi concept of al-Hulul, or unity with God, which involves cleansing the heart and purifying the soul to achieve true happiness by directly connecting with God. It describes how Sufism is more accommodating to local culture, particularly among the Javanese, who blend religion and culture. Religion represents obedience to God, while culture provides values and symbols for dynamic living. The religious system integrated into society shapes the socio-religious order mutually, though it is not a standard system. Javanese life tends toward mystical and magical traits, closely aligned with religious characteristics.
HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies
July 29, 2021
R. A. Northover
3 citations
Emile Durkheim’s theory that religion originates from society and collective sentiments is critiqued using speech act theory, cognitive neuroscience, and southern African ethnography. David Lewis-Williams’ shamanism, with its emphasis on altered states of consciousness, trance dance, and potency, is proposed as a more plausible origin of religion than Durkheim’s totemism. Durkheim’s sociological reduction of God to society and his dismissal of individual psychological experience are criticized. While Durkheim helped demystify religion and establish social constructionism, he overestimated collective affect and underestimated the role of individual altered states. The study posits shamanism rather than totemism as the probable origin of religion.
HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies
May 21, 2012
Stephen D. Edwards
Hope involves states and stages of consciousness development that can be enhanced through breath control, meditation, prayer, and related practices central to spiritual healing traditions. Breath control alone may lead to pure, transcendent, or cosmic consciousness, but its effects on consciousness can be anchored and amplified through further contemplative and intercessory meditation and prayer, varying across people, groups, contexts, and traditions. A specific method called One Breath is associated with pure consciousness and the experience of hope, typically leading to further spiritual practice, healing, and transformation. Ongoing spiritual practice is crucial for improving consciousness development, healing, and hope for individuals, societies, the planet, and the cosmos.
HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies
August 18, 2010
Andries van Aarde
This article engages with Pieter Craffert's book that portrays Jesus as a Galilean shaman, using the "shamanic complex" to explain how traditions about Jesus were layered and reconfigured within the same cultural area. Jesus' healings and encounters with spirits are interpreted through alternate states of consciousness as polyphased consciousness. The article offers both appraisal and critique, arguing for a different judgment rather than a paradigm shift. It evaluates scholars who focus on stratifying the Jesus tradition as complementary to a culturally sensitive reading scenario, rather than opposing approaches.
HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies
August 18, 2010
John J. Pilch
A reinterpretation of an ancient Christian practice suggests that placing a finger on the nostril during prayer, described by the Church Father Epiphanius among the Tascodrugites, may have been a deliberate technique to induce an altered state of consciousness. Drawing on anthropological and neurophysiological evidence, the gesture's capacity to affect brain function is explored as a pan-human potential. This framework is then applied to two biblical passages: Ezekiel 8:17 and Jesus' experience in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:43-44), arguing that these texts may also describe similar practices for achieving altered states.