Illumine, Vol. 04, No. 1 (2005)
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Item What motivates the roadside shrines for young automobile accident victims?(Illumine, 2005) Tulpar, CarolAs recently as thirty years ago, impromptu roadside shrines of the type we see so commonly now were virtually non-existent in Canada and the U.S. Now nearly each time a road accident claims a young life, an ad hoc shrine springs up at the place where that life was lost. This paper explores, from various points of view, some of the possible motivations for these memorial shrines. In coming to terms with the changing zeitgeist, we may try to understand phenomena by viewing them through various lenses. Accordingly, in this essay, reference is made to material from ritual theory, morphic field theory, and post-modern thought.Item Guarding the Gates of Zion: Hasidic arguments against Zionism(Illumine, 2005) Shaffer, CarolynToday, it is common in the popular media to draw attention to the connection between Jewish religious fervour and Israeli nationalism, and justifiably so. Groups such as Gush Emunim exhibit the powerful convergence of Torah and nationalism. Because of this, it is easy to envision a directly proportionate relationship between the level of a Jew’s religious observance and his or her support for Zionism and the State of Israel. However, this is not and has never been an accurate view of the picture. Zionism’s roots were in the secular Jewish world, and from the start, it met strong opposition from the religious community. All Orthodox Jews, and notably the Hasidim, strongly opposed the Zionist movement from its inception, and while some Orthodox groups later embraced the Zionist cause, many groups remain resistant. In fact, some oppose the state even as they reside within it. This paper charts the history of Hasidic opposition to Zionism, examining the theological, political and social arguments. The opinions and policies of prominent Hasidic anti-Zionist rabbis and groups is discussed and briefly contrasted to those of Hasidic Zionists. Finally, the question of whether there is something inherently Hasidic in the opposition to Zionism is addressed.Item Revising Christian environmentalism: Locating a new ecological foundation in James M. Gustafson’s environmental ethics(Illumine, 2005) Patterson, AimeeTypically, secular environmental movements locate intrinsic value in biological life. While some recent Christian ecotheologies have appropriated this stance, Christian ethics has generally tended to relate value to human life, considering creation as instrumental to human needs. Seeing neither of these alternatives as authentically Christian, James M. Gustafson finds a middle way between “deep” and “shallow” approaches. His theocentric ethics centres value on God, rather than on human or general biological life. In order to bring Christian theology and ethics back to this focus, Gustafson utilizes evidences from the sciences as a source for theology. At the same time, he modifies so-called deep ecologies for a Christian context by indicating that, for the religious person, all things are not of intrinsic value, but find their value in relation to God. This allows theocentrism to encourage Christians in a more responsible attitude toward the environment that takes into account nonhuman goods.Item Notes on contributors(Illumine, 2005) Patterson, Aimee; Shaffer, Carolyn; Tulpar, Carol; Wagar, Samuel; Zolghadr, KhadijehItem Illumine: Vol. 4 No. 1 (2005)(Illumine, 2005)This is the full issue of Illumine, Vol. 4 No. 1 (2005).Item Women’s position in the Islamic World view in Mutahhari’s thought(Illumine, 2005) Zolghadr, KhadijehThis paper examines the thought of Murtada Mutahhari (1920-1980) on the issue of women in Islam or more specifically in the Quran. Mutahhari is a shi’i thinker and philosopher who is known as one of the influential figures in forming the Islamic Republic of Iran. Therefore, examining his thought is important in defining and evaluating women’s position in post-revolutionary Iran. Emphasizing that the standpoint of the Quran on women’s creation makes it clear that woman is neither inferior to man in her creation nor created from man or for man, Mutahhari relates the different Islamic laws and rights for men and women to different physical and psychological qualifications that have been assigned to them by nature. Nature has done this, in Mutahhari’s view, in order to provide humanity with a solid family foundation. However, in regard to women’s position in the society he believes that in Islamic perspective man and woman are regarded as both equal and similar whereas in the family they are equal but not similar.Item An explanation and understanding of Wiccan ritual: Approaching a deviant religious discourse in the modern West(Illumine, 2005) Wagar, SamuelThis article applies Foucault's idea of heterotopia and Verter's extension of Bourdieu's cultural capital / religious capital to the foundation rituals of the Wiccan religion. Wicca as a feminist, body-positive, and sexuality positive religion supports challenging alternatives to the cultural status quo and accumulates religious and cultural capital for its members. It can legitimately be seen as a contra-hegemonic religious movement in gender and sexuality.Item Introduction(Illumine, 2005) Robertson, David D.