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God is: children’s Bibles and Bible storybooks’ presentation of religious values
Get PDFThis article considers children’s Bibles and Bible storybooks as vehicles for the transfer of God concepts from one generation to the next – as God is considered central to the portrayal of the confessional attributes of the religious collective. It identifies both the commercial and religious imperatives controlling the prevailing attributes assigned as characteristic of the divine. The presentation of the nature of God is found to align with the commercial target audience for children’s Bibles: mothers and female caregivers who purchase the books on behalf of their charges and read and interpret the Bibles to the child. But it also coincides with the preferred attributes associated with a supernatural being by young children. Ultimately, God is found to be consistently portrayed by means of maternal attributes of love, protection and care in contrast to the more ambivalent portrayal of God in the adult biblical text
Understanding beyond language: perceiving meaning in reality
Get PDFThis article is an attempt to develop a counter-argument to the contention that meaning is bound by language. Locating itself within the realist ontology of language developed by Saint Anselm of Canterbury, it will be argued that language comprises representations of entities perceived both extra to the perceiver and through introspection. Thus, a language game cannot be a closed system in the sense that by its very existence representations of extralinguistic being are contained therein. If truth is defined as that which is the case, the task of the perceiver becomes apprehension of being beheld without the cloud imposed by symbols: representations are not what they represent, instead they serve as windows onto a view of what is. Following exploration of psychological studies on contemplation, it is argued that it is in desymbolised moments of attentive awareness of being that meaning, unfiltered by the representativeness of language (and indeed, other symbolic systems), can arise. It will be proposed that in contemplative traditions, being is not reduced in perception, and the moment of meaning comes to the fore in the engagement and encounter with being
Paradigms, beliefs and values in scholarship: A conversation between two educationists
Get PDFScientific paradigms constantly play a role in scholarship, but researchers tend not to examine the roles of the belief and value systems associated with them. From time to time, however, a researcher may be confronted with a situation where such an analysis is unavoidable. This article takes the shape of a conversation between two researchers who have been working for several years in quite different research paradigms in the field of Religion Studies/Religion Education/Religion in Education. They investigate the possibility of collaboration as they were initially trained at the same university. After their graduate studies, their ways parted, and they developed quite different scholarly paradigms as well as belief and value systems. Their conversation not only highlights the differences in their respective current worldviews, belief systems, value systems, and academic approaches to Religious Studies, but also shows in practical terms how different scholarly paradigms (with their concomitant belief and value systems) can impact on researchers’ (views of) scholarship, science practice and research in Religion Education and Religion in Education
The relationship between locus of control and ethical behaviour among employees in the financial sector
Get PDFUnethical behaviour is a rapidly escalating trend in the current work situation, where – within organisations – there appears to be a decrease in ethical behaviour at a national as well as international level. Employees within the financial sector form a specific area of interest concerning ethical behaviour in South Africa. Various incidents of unethical conduct are reported within the financial sector, necessitating a specific focus on factors which may influence ethical behaviour. Current research supports a person-situation-interaction approach to ethical decision-making, where both individual and situational factors influence the decisions of individuals. Research indicate that individual factors such as locus of control may influence ethical behaviour. The way these variables are related among employees in the financial sector in South Africa, however, has not as yet been demonstrated. In order to determine the relationship between locus of control and ethical behaviour, Schepers’Locus of Control Questionnaire and the Work Beliefs Questionnaire were administered to 100 employees in the financial sector in Bloemfontein. Statistically significant relationships(p?0,05) were found between internal locus of control and ethical behaviour, external locus of control and ethical behaviour, as well as autonomy and ethical behaviour. Recommendations were made in the light of the results regarding the development of strategies and interventions to minimise unethical behaviour within organisations
Die profiel van die adolessente seun as mentee aan die Weskus
Get PDFAdolescent boys long to be mentored by an adult male. This influence of the mentor in the life of the adolescent brings forth great changes and consequently the adolescent experiences a higher quality of life. This mentee is not necessarily mentored by his biological father. The adolescent boy as mentee has certain needs within the mentoring relationship, which the mentor has to understand and interpret correctly. If the mentor understands the mentee better within his generation, the relationship may be strengthened. This article focuses on the profile of the adolescent boy as mentee on the West Coast and indeed from the viewpoint of the adolescent
Flagging philosophical minefields at the Synod of Dort (1618-1619) – reformed Scholasticism reconsidered
Get PDFThis article investigates the phenomenon of reformed Scholasticism (of about 1550-1700), as it occurred at the Synod of Dort (1618-1619) and its Canons. More specifically, it focuses on the central problem at the Synod, viz. the relationship between God and human beings, as expressed in the ideas contained in the Canon regarding divine election and reprobation. As illustration the positions of two leading figures in the clash between the Calvinists and the Remonstrants, namely that of Gomarus (1563-1641) and Arminius (1560-1609), are philosophically analysed. In spite of the fact that neither viewpoint was eventually accepted by the Synod, their theologies clearly reflect the dominant scholastic philosophy of the time. This analysis is carried out in the context of the problemhistorical method of historiography developed by D.H. Th.Vollenhoven (1892-1978), one of the fathers of Christian philosophy
Towards a theory of presuppositions: Kuyperian contributions
Get PDFOne of the most important themes of contemporary philosophy of science was the discovery of presuppositional beliefs and frameworks as factors influencing scientific research. This article explores the development of a theory of presuppositions within Kuyperian philosophy. The authors discussed in this study represent a few Kuyperian families: Dooyeweerd, Vollenhoven (briefly), Wolterstorff, Klapwijk, Duvenage and Botha. The perspective is both historical and systematic. Historically, it refers to the main authors who contributed to establishing the basic features of such a theory. Systematically, the article tries to evaluate the proposals of each contributor by assessing their value and limits. In doing so, the author often defends his own preferences and indicates the directions to be followed
Law, religion and organ transplants
Get PDFCurrently any organ donation in South Africa, whether from a living or a dead donor, is donated altruistically, which means that it is the free choice of the donor or the family of the deceased to donate organs. There is no financial compensation for the donor. Nearly all religions support altruistic organ donations as it serves or promotes life. But, despite the positive attitude of the followers of different faiths towards organ transplantations, there is a worldwide shortage of transplantable organs,especially kidneys. Many patients die while waiting for a transplant organ from an altruistic donor. The question may therefore be asked whether the different religions should not also support the clamouring for the financial rewarding of an organ donor. In this article the emphasis is on the Christian and Muslim faiths to try and fathom their position in this regard. In conclusion, however,we argue that financial compensation to donors, as a general practice, should be allowed irrespective of religious arguments, as the decision to donate altruistically or to receive compensation is an expression of personal autonomy
Some views of Xhosa women regarding the initiation of their sons
Get PDFNotwithstanding attempts from the Eastern Cape Department of Health and other organisations to regulate the process of initiation, each year initiates still die or are mutilated. The challenge is to keep the boys safe without interfering with the traditional customs. It appears that women?s voices are rarely heard on this issue. Through a literature review the author attempts to understand the rite of initiation from a cultural perspective. The general meaning and specific usage of concepts such as "culture?, "traditional?,and "masculinity? are explained, as well as how these concepts are used in the article. A questionnaire was designed and administered to establish the views of Xhosa women on the ritual of initiation. On comparing these results with results from previous research,it shows a decline in the number of women who favour the traditional way of initiation without medical intervention. Although this indicates a shift in women\u27s views, a conflict is evident, as there is still overwhelming agreement that traditional initiation is a prerequisite for becoming a man who is respected by his community. The empirical research indicates that although women are forbidden to take part in discussions on this subject,some women did take the liberty to express their opinions