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Deus ex Machina of the War in Ukraine
No full textA muddy torrent of quasi-theological apocrypha, dicta, narratives, and sermons contributes to what the Russians euphemistically call the “special military operation” in Ukraine. It bursts forth from the quills and lips of senior Orthodox hierarchs, including the Russian patriarch himself, as well as smaller figures who together constitute an eco-system within and around the Moscow Patriarchate including priests, lay theologians and activists. This torrent has swollen and become potent enough to rotate the millstones of war
Values and Secularism
No full textSecularisation, in the sense of radical differentiation between po-litical and ecclesial, is a key to understand the category of values. Thearticle outlines the modern theories about secularisation, places thecategories of values in the framework of these theories, and illustratesthrough the case study of the Russian Orthodox Church, how the ideaof values can be abused. When “traditional values” are weaponized,culture wars can evolve to real wars, like the one in Ukraine. Russia’scase of such an evolution cohered with the transformation of the So-viet militant secularism to the post-Soviet militant anti-secularism,on which the Russian political and ecclesial leaders have embarkedand which they have instrumentalized. Paradoxically, this is leadingto a self-imposed secularisation of the Russian Orthodox church andits alienation from the original Christian principles
Religion, Human Rights, and Surveillance
No full textIn this article, I am not addressing populism and freedom of expression per se, i.e. as two issues that I closely focus upon. Rather the perspectives are intertwined in the overall discussions and examples. Surveillance technologies can be used to stimulate populism and limit freedom of expression, as well as they can contribute to the opposite.The outcome does not only depend on the technology and its capacities, but on the persons, citizens, states, religious groups, and companies who use it. After centuries of technological innovations alongside industrialisation, the concept of surveillance has been associated with a Big Brother society, i.e. asymmetrical surveillance by the state or employer to surveil citizens or employees with different tools, visible or invisible. The aims of surveillance are a multitude: protection, security,efficiency, steering of behaviour and opinions, prevention of unwanted actions, et cetera. After the 9/11 terror attack in New York and Washington in 2001, the idea and implementation of surveillance technology has increased unimaginably, in parallel with a political view of the ‘war against terror’, and in parallel with possibilities for advanced technology that has become an essential part of how we, as humans, understand our life as individuals and as communities. One consequence of the paradigm is a certain gaze upon religious communities, where some become more visible than others
Make Sweden Great Again! For whom?
No full textThis study examines how “The Other” is portrayed in the Sweden Democrats’ (SD) latest electoral manifesto from 2022. Drawing on Ruth Wodak’s perspective on radical right-wing populist rhetoric, along with qualitative content analysis and critical discourse analysis, the essay explores how various discursive constructions emerge to justify excluding “The Other”. The results indicate that immigrants, especially those of non-European and Muslim background, are consistently depicted as threats, criminals, oppressive towards women and undesirable. These findings align with previous research on the discriminatory language used by radical right-wing populist parties towards “The Other” represented by immigrants and Muslims. Moreover, this discriminatory discourse is legitimized through references to violence and gang crime but also broader societal issues such as unemployment, housing shortage and violence against women.
Catholicism and the Catholic Church in Contemporary Ireland : The Church-State Relationship, the Societal Role of Catholicism and the Applicability of Secularisation Theory in the Aftermath of the Ryan, Murphy and Cloyne Reports
No full textAbstract Throughout the period of 1972-2022 and previously, Catholicism has been a robust aspect of Irish national culture and identity and the institutional Catholic church has enjoyed a degree of sociopolitical influence and extensive co-operation with the Irish state. This has led to characterisations of Ireland as an outlier amidst secularisation patterns worldwide, whilst the 2009 scandals following the publication of the Ryan, Murphy and Cloyne Reports into clerical sexual abuse have led to claims of the collapse of Irish Catholicism and the church. Both the former and latter depictions of the Irish case appear to be rooted in the conflation of overlapping theoretical and practical issues. At the theoretical level, the cultural role of Catholicism as an aspect of individual and community identity appears most relevant to its longevity but has been frequently conflated with religiosity, as measured by churchgoing, belief in divinity and prayer and other forms of religious participation reported via flawed quantitative methods. This appears to have led to Ireland’s mischaracterisation as a highly religious state. The unsuccessful application of modernisation-based secularisation theory to Ireland therefore appears to have been flawed. Re-examining the Irish case reveals that, whilst secularisation theory does not prove adequate, some of its predicted outcomes are observable via significant shifts in the sociopolitical outlook of Irish Catholics and their rejection of clerical authority prior to the scandals. However, the continued prevalence of Catholic practice and identity show that this does not represent the predicted rejection of religious affiliation, thus strengthening the case for the key significance of Catholicism’s social and cultural role and the inapplicability of secularisation theory. The collapse of the church since 2009 also appears questionable, with legal and practical factors such as constitutional exemptions, ownership of schools and policy consultation via the Structured Church-State Dialogue Framework complicating the church-state dynamic. The state’s approach appears to be primarily rooted in pragmatism and a reluctance to meet the cost and workload of altering the status quo, rather than in the perceived views of the electorate, and has stagnated following a brief period of backlash after the Reports. As such, both Catholicism as an aspect of society and culture and the institutional church, as considered wholly separate from one another, are likely to remain robust in the near term
The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint : Lars Levi Laestadius' Bible use and criticism of the Church of Sweden
No full textLars Levi Laestadius (1800-1861) was active as a priest in the Swedish church in the northernmost parts of Sweden. After experiencing a transformative and life-changing spiritual breakthrough, which he himself has later called his rebirth and the moment when he received a living faith, he came to gather large audiences and give rise to a revival movement, which still bears his name today. Although Laestadius was active as a priest, he sharply criticized many conditions in the contemporary church. The purpose of this essay has been to investigate whether, and if so how, this criticism as presented in his sermons and writings can be linked to his Bible use, i.e. his reading and interpretation of the Bible and the authority he gives the Bible. For my study, I have closely read a large number of his extant sermons and published writings. The study also briefly summarises the central elements of Laestadius' theology, as well as what he perceives to be the Church's main mission. The study shows how his criticism is based on his use of the Bible and also how, through a far-reaching allegorical interpretation of the Bible, he uses different texts from both the Old and the New Testaments in his argumentation
Male Sexual and Reproductive Rights : Social and Legal Barriers for Men to Achieve Parenthood
No full textThis research focuses on the possibility of discrimination towards men and any violation of men's right to parenthood. In modern times, the obsolete prejudices about men and their detachment from the upbringing of children started fading; thus is urged to examine the actual situation of men in the matter. That is to say, this paper addresses the issue from its ontological definition to the stipulated by legal bodies. It reviews the data about fathers’ (singles or in a same-sex relationship) personal experiences and society's reception of this new form of family. It compares the situation between men and women, analyzes the information, and intends to discover if there is any pattern that reflects a bias against men and the desire to become a father
Human Rights Violations in the Name of Football : A Qualitative Content Analysis on the Human Rights Violations against Migrant Workers during the preparation and delivery of the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar
No full textThe 2022 FIFA World Cup for men's football has received massive criticism since it was announced in December 2010 that Qatar would host it. With a significant history of human rights violations, many were shocked that Qatar was elected. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and media reported on the ongoing abuses in the country and warned about the consequences of Qatar hosting the World Cup. Therefore, this thesis will examine these consequences and how preparations for the World Cup affect human rights in Qatar – specifically migrant workers' rights. The focus will be on Qatar, companies working with the World Cup, and Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), addressing and analyzing their responsibilities and obligations. The thesis is a descriptive analysis discussing how migrant workers' rights were violated and neglected. It is also a normative analysis that will analyze what should and could have been done to prevent it. Both Qatar's legal system and the regulation of international standards for human rights and business will be analyzed in the text. This thesis will shed light on the football world and its relation to human rights, as well as who bears the primary responsibility to ensure human rights in the preparation and execution of the World Cup. It will discuss how football and human rights affect each other, aiming to show that football organizations influence societies and social structures. Football is not only a sport but a tool that can either improve or worsen people's availability to human rights. This thesis is based on two different theories: A Marxist perspective on conflict theory and Corporate Social responsibility theory. To answer the research questions through these theories, this thesis has used a qualitative data analysis method to analyze different reports and documents from NGOs, Qatar, FIFA, and the United Nations. The thesis concludes with a summary highlighting FIFA as the prime duty bearer during the preparation and delivery of the World Cup, as well as acknowledging that Qatar, FIFA, and companies' lack of improvement and monitoring contributes to the enforcement of modern slavery/forced labor
Impediments to the elimination of child labor : A critical review of child labor policies and laws of Liberia
No full textChild labor is a pressing issue in Liberia, as it is in many other developing countries. Poverty is a significant factor that drives child labor in Liberia, as many families rely on the income generated by their children to survive. While the government has developed numerous policy interventions and laws to address the issue, recent reports show that the prevalence of child labor within the ages of 5-17 is still very high This study aims to critically evaluate the effectiveness of governments efforts by critically examining key policies and laws set up by government in relation to established international legal standards to combat the scourge. It relies on Bacchi's "What's the problem represented to be?" (WPR) policy analysis approach.The analysis revealed that there are gaps in policy and law that has stalled government‟s efforts in achieving its resolution to reducing the prevalence of child labor. The minimum age for employment is below international standards, hazardous work is allowed for children aged16 and above, domestic work is not included in the list of hazardous work, light work is not defined or regulated, and penalties for violating child labor laws are weak. In addition, enforcement of child labor laws is weak, particularly in the informal sector, where most child labor takes place.These gaps are incompatible with international standards hindering progress towards eliminating child labor in the country. This study argues that effective policies are crucial to child labor elimination in Liberia, without which children will continue to be engaged in exploitative work which puts them at risk and denies them of their fundamental human rights