The Journal Religious Dialogue and Cooperation is published by the Centrе for Intercultural Studies and Research at the Faculty of Philosophy at the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, which is conceived as an international scientific journal for all areas of religion. The journal publishes original scientific papers (statements from original empirical research on religion) and reviewed scientific papers (systematic reviews, analyses, processes, and interpretations of research findings and theoretical knowledge from a particular area of religion).
Center for Intercultural Studies and Research, Faculty of Philosophy, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF UKRAINIAN CHURCHES: CASE STUDIES OF THE UKRAINIAN GREEK CATHOLIC CHURCH AND THE ORTHODOX CHURCH OF UKRAINE
The paper explores the phenomenon of the digital presence of Ukrainian churches between 2014 and 2025, focusing on two major denominations – the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). Following the Revolution of Dignity, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and amid the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war, religious organizations in Ukraine have actively entered the online space, utilizing social media, streaming platforms, mobile applications, and other digital tools to communicate with believers. This digital transition has profoundly reshaped how religious services are delivered and has become a crucial means of maintaining spiritual support during times of crisis. The study is based on the analysis of official church documents, digital platforms, and media resources of the UGCC and OCU, as well as on scholarly literature concerning digital religion and media communication. Additionally, the paper also analyzes the legal aspects of this digital presence, including the regulation of religious content on the Internet, compliance with data protection legislation, copyright issues, and the protection of freedom of conscience in the digital environment. The research also addresses the problem of fake religious resources and disinformation, which have become serious concerns in contemporary Ukrainian society.
Copyright (c) 2026 Nadiia Volik https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
THE SPACE OF THE SACRED AND THE PROFANE: A SOCIOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION OF THE NARRATIVE ROLE OF THE GARDEN IN CHRISTIAN AND ISLAMIC TRADITIONS
The garden functions not merely as a site of cultivation but as a semiotic space where religious narratives inscribe boundaries between the sacred and the profane. This paper undertakes a sociological interpretation of the garden’s narrative role, focusing specifically on the Christian and Islamic traditions. The paper examines the garden as a religious space and symbol that actively participates in the social construction and demarcation of both spheres. Historically and mythological, the garden serves as the primordial setting for creation and fall (Eden), the locus of revelation or profound spiritual experience (Gethsemane), and the ultimate representation of paradise (Heaven/Jannah). Sociologically, this narrative function reveals how religious communities organize, perceive, and interact with space and nature, creating a distinction between the ordered, sanctified and ideal space of the garden and the chaotic, temporal or fallen reality of the profane world. The objective of this research is to explicate the complex sociological dimensions embedded within these religious spatial metaphors. The paper will analyze how the garden, through its narrative manifestation, both separates and connects the sacred and the profane, thereby influencing the social practices, ethics, and cosmological understanding of believers in both traditions.
Copyright (c) 2026 Emina Rustemoska https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION AND THE BREAKDOWN OF INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS AS AN AFTEREFFECT OF DEFILEMENT OF THE HUMAN INTERIOR
Today, the world needs more than ever for an elevation and advancement of spirituality, for a non-abuse of the sacred, so that we do not have pollution of the environment and pollution of interpersonal relationships. This article will analyze the defect of the crisis in general and the spiritual crisis in particular. As known, man, is between two decisions: to decide to sacrifice himself for the good, or to think only about the realization of his own desires, that is, to sacrifice the other to realize his desires. Therefore, the reflection of man towards the environment is an unfolding of what he has inside him. When the Qur’an defines man, it shows that he is essentially the main cause of problems, disorders, perversions, crises, etc.. This is understood from the terms with which man is defined in the Qur’an: haluan (Man was created not calm, unbearable), dhaluman jahula’ (... he is unjust, barbaric), etc.. The ecological crisis and the lack of interpersonal relationships, which above all is an after-effect of the defilement of the soul, also show the general condition of humanity and the planet, regarding the extreme threat to the natural human environment, including air, land, water, and plant and animal species. This paper will analyse the compactness and distinction between the idea and behaviour of man, with special emphasis on the believer, which reflects on the personality of man, as well as his influence on having an attitude towards others and the environment. While writing this paper, investigative and comparative methodology and analytical methods will be used to compare the various ideas written in this field with the Scriptures. So, the main point is the critical approach to attitudes of man towards others and the environment.
Copyright (c) 2026 Qani Nesimi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
THE RELIGIOUS ROOTS OF THE ECOLOGICAL CRISIS: AN ANALYSIS OF LYNN WHITE’S CRITIQUE OF WESTERN CHRISTIANITY
Lynn White, in his famous essay “The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis,” analyses the connections between Christianity and the ecological crisis. His main argument is that the worldview promoted by Christianity, especially its interpretation of human dominion over nature, has influenced people’s stance towards the environment, contributing to the ecological crisis. White argues in his article that the Western Christian tradition, with its anthropocentric attitude towards the environment, shapes humanity’s view and utilisation of natural resources. In this article, we will analyse White’s critique of Christianity and its role in contributing to ecological devastation throughout history, particularly in the context of the scientific and technological revolution, explore White’s suggestions for reexamining the religious and philosophical foundations of a new, more ethical relationship with the environment, including his proposal to draw inspiration from the ecological teachings of St. Francis of Assisi. We will particularly focus on the key ideas of Christian critics of Lynn White’s ideas. Finally, we will contrast Lynn White’s criticisms with Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si’ and the responses it offers to today’s ecological crisis from a Christian perspective. According to Pope Francis, the answer to the ecological crisis lies in integral ecology and ecological conversion, two key concepts in the encyclical. We will specifically address these concepts in the paper, as they are central to changing the paradigm of the Catholic Church in its relationship to the environment and the ecological crisis facing humanity.
Copyright (c) 2026 Ivica Kelam https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
GLOBALIZATION AND CHRISTIANITY’S GREAT END
This paper explores the dual impact of globalization on Christianity. It argues that globalization may serve as the ideal vehicle for achieving Christianity’s ultimate goal of worldwide conversion through improved communication and travel, succeeding where past empires failed. Simultaneously, however, globalization presents an existential challenge to “modern imperial Christianity,” characterized by its triumphalism and claims of superiority, by fostering a dynamic exchange of competing religions and worldviews. There are two main Christian responses to this shift: a smaller faction that violently resists globalization and a larger group that seeks to adapt and reform its theology for the new global reality. Ultimately, this paper suggests that globalization signals the end of imperial Christianity and necessitates a fundamental reformulation of what it means to be Christian in a global world.
Copyright (c) 2026 Alexander Y. Hwang https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENTALISM IN EUROPEAN CULTURE
Religious fundamentalism represents a highly contentious and evolving topic within contemporary European culture. This research examines the phenomenon through its historical, political, and cultural dimensions, encompassing various religious traditions including Catholicism, Protestantism, Orthodoxy, and Islam. Fundamentalism is viewed as a response to modernisation, secularisation, and globalisation, while also serving as an ideological mechanism for maintaining identity and tradition. Particular emphasis is placed on its interplay with national identity, pluralism, and democracy, as well as the resulting cultural conflicts. Migrations, the influence of media and emerging technologies, and the institutional response of the European Union are identified as pivotal elements shaping the current dynamics of religious fundamentalism. The ultimate determination is that fundamentalism should not be perceived merely as an external threat, but rather as an intrinsic component of European cultural and political reality, which concurrently challenges and redefines the continent’s future.
Copyright (c) 2026 Nikolche Gjurgjinoski https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
BULGARIAN NEW AGEISM AND CIVIC-RELIGIOUS IDEOLOGY
The politicization of theology and religion, on one hand, and the “theologization” of politics, on the other, are fundamental characteristics of the relationship between religion and globalization. Globalization enhances, at least in the short term, religion, and religiosity. In this way, globally oriented religions are integrated into the global political discourse on the world order as a competing ideology, whose authority significantly surpasses that of the political and economic system. Globalization raises questions about the new forms, functions, and roles of religious ideologies in the global space. A global religion example is New Age, while a new form example is civil religion. This paper would try to answer the question of whether Bulgarian New Age could shape a civil-religious ideology, whose messages, symbols, and rituals could support the moral integration of (part of) Bulgarian society. Especially in the perspective of Peter Berger, according to whom historically, in Orthodox societies, churches have never functioned as voluntary associations based on the conscious choice of believers, unlike Protestant ones. The analysis indicates that the Bulgarian New Ageism activates followers towards beneficial for society activities. The messages express the historical memory for right and wrong, that is, the reproduction of sacred traditions regardless of specific confessions. They are associated with a revivalist spiritual movement, a consequence of social crisis, uniting people under an ideological banner and missionary vision. They call for moral integration in society, including agnostics and atheists.
Copyright (c) 2026 Yana Fileva https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
FROM ANCIENT TOLERANCE TO CONTEMPORARY CONFLICTS: INTERRELIGIOUS AND INTERETHNIC RELATIONS, GLOBAL SECURITY, AND THE BALKANS
This paper examines the evolution of tolerance from its mythological and philosophical roots in the ancient world to its contemporary role in interreligious and interethnic relations. It argues that the Balkans, far from being a perpetual zone of conflict, represent a microcosm of coexistence in which religious diversity has shaped identity, culture, and politics. Combining comparative historical analysis with empirical data collected among university students in Macedonia, the study explores how religion continues to function as a fundamental marker of belonging even in secularized societies. Drawing on religious studies, sociology, and security theory, the paper analyzes the dual role of religion—as both a force for peace and an instrument of political mobilization—and identifies education and religious literacy as among the most sustainable paths toward peacebuilding and global security.
Copyright (c) 2026 Ratko Duev https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
From 23-27 June more than 70 scholars from 20 countries from all over the world gathered in Krushevo at the Third World Conference for Religious Dialogue and Cooperation, where we met to discuss the pressing religious conflicts of this world. Religion is often perceived as a problem. The Conference explored how to make religion a resource for international dialogue and peace. Aware that we cannot solve all problems, as scholars we believe that creating spaces of dialogue between and within religions offers valuable opportunities for promoting peace. Religion today is often misused for political purposes and for supporting wars, while secular ideologies try to exclude religion from the public sphere.
Copyright (c) 2026 Zoran Matevski https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
GLOBALIZERS TENDENCIES OF RELIGIOUS INTEGRALISM TO CIVILIZATIONS
This year’s paper for the Conference on “Religion and Globalization” has the theme: religion as a globalizer. The subject of the research is narrowed to the Problematic Question: How do integrist and integralist elements in major world religions stimulate globalization processes, and how is the globalization of national cultures into large civilizational wholes implemented through religious-integralist tendencies? The aim of the research is to point out the strong connection between religious integrism, cultural-political integralism and the globalization of national cultures into unique spiritual civilizations. The methods that will be used in the research are: observation method, cross-cultural method, comparative approach, content analysis... Practical contributions: in the area of interreligious tolerance, interfaith cooperation and intercultural dialogue. Scientific contribution: understanding the significance of the social background of religious integralism, researching the globalization of local and national cultures, deepening cognitive insights into the relationship: religion → culture → globalization. Social significance, primarily, in the advancement of scientific disciplines: sociology of religion, civilization studies and cultural studies.
Copyright (c) 2026 Zoran Milosavljević https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
PEACE INSPIRED BY CONSCIENCE: PRAYER, MARTIAL ARTS, AND QIGONG AS CULTURAL PRACTICES IN A GLOBALIZED WORLD
Globalization has accelerated cultural exchange but also intensified competition, fueling wars, climate crises, disasters, and cyber threats that heighten global anxiety. In response, this paper explores conscience-centered peace practices rooted in Tai Ji Men, a qigong and martial arts Menpai with a long tradition of spiritual cultivation. Drawing from over two decades of personal practice, the study highlights how prayer, martial arts, and qigong can foster inner calmness, moral action, and collective resilience. Special attention is given to the Bell of World Peace and Love, a global cultural initiative through which world leaders have pledged to uphold conscience and harmony. The paper also examines the Tai Ji Men case, a prolonged legal and human rights controversy in Taiwan, as a litmus test for freedom of belief and cultural diversity. Through analysis of lived experience, international engagement, and the broader human rights discourse, the study argues that conscience awakening and cultural-spiritual practices can generate nonviolent, resilient forces for peace. Ultimately, resolving structural injustices such as the Tai Ji Men case is essential not only for Taiwan’s democratic development but also for strengthening global solidarity and advancing sustainable peace.”
Copyright (c) 2025 Ting-Yu Li https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
ENERGY-ORIENTED GROUPS AND THEIR OPPONENTS: TWO CASE STUDIES
The paper explores the popularity of spiritual movements that draw on Eastern energy concepts: Ki in the case of Reiki and Tantric ideas about erotic energy in Western groups inspired by Tantrism. The focus is also on their opponents and critics, especially in the second case study.
Copyright (c) 2025 Rosita Šorytė https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
RESEARCH ON THE ATTITUDES OF YOUTH TOWARD RELIGION, ETHICS, AND EVERYDAY CHALLENGES
This paper presents the findings of an original sociological survey conducted among 193 young respondents from five educational institutions in Skopje, North Macedonia, examining the relationship between religion, ethics, and everyday challenges. The study was implemented across secondary and higher education institutions, including Orthodox and Islamic theological schools as well as the Faculty of Philosophy. It aimed to capture how young people perceive religiosity, ethics, and moral values in the context of their daily lives and psychosocial difficulties. Results demonstrate that 81% of respondents believe ethics in religion significantly influence their daily behavior, with the dominant understanding of religiosity grounded not in ritual, but in applied moral values and belief in God. Statistical analysis reveals strong positive correlations between religiosity and coping mechanisms: those who consider themselves more religious report that faith helps them to overcome stress, anxiety, and ethical dilemmas. Conversely, a strong negative correlation (r ≈ –0.98) was observed between age and psychosocial problems, showing acute vulnerability among adolescents aged 15–18. Furthermore, a notable majority support the introduction of ethics and religion into formal education, arguing that religious knowledge enhances coexistence and tolerance in a multicultural society. The findings highlight the dual role of religion as both a personal resource for resilience and a communal mechanism for fostering interethnic and interfaith harmony. This research contributes to broader debates on the role of religion in education, ethics, and youth well-being, positioning Macedonia as a case study of a multiethnic, multiconfessional society grappling with contemporary global challenges.
Copyright (c) 2025 Olivera Trajkovska https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
ANTI-CULT ACCUSATIONS OF POLITICAL SUBVERSION AND SEXUAL ABUSE: TWO CASE STUDIES
This paper explores two facets of anti-cult criticism of groups labeled subversive or deviant in China and the West. The methodology is based on an examination of available scholarly literature, media reports, and court decisions analyzed through theories of social control. The first case study concerns labeling as xie jiao and banning Qigong-based movements in China. The second discusses accusations of sexual abuse targeting religious and esoteric groups in various Western countries.
Copyright (c) 2025 Massimo Introvigne https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
HORIZONS OF EXPECTATION AND RELIGIOUS INTERACTION IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY OTTOMAN MACEDONIA: A GADAMERIAN PERSPECTIVE
This paper dives into how different religious groups got along in Ottoman Macedonia during the first half of the 19th century. Our main goal is to figure out how people’s long-held beliefs and their hopes for the future shaped relationships between Orthodox Christians and Muslims, and also the tensions that popped up among Christian groups themselves (like Greeks and Slavs). We’re looking at this through the ideas of Hans-Georg Gadamer, especially his concept of “fusion of horizons”—which helps us see how past experiences and present understandings blend together. We’re also bringing in Reinhart Koselleck’s idea of a “horizon of expectation” to show how future dreams actually influenced how these communities interacted day-to-day. The study starts by explaining Gadamer’s way of thinking about understanding, where conversations mix old and new viewpoints. Then, it explores the historical setting, describing the millet system that allowed for different religions to coexist, how people lived side-by-side, and even shared holy places. We also look at the growing friction between the powerful Greek Orthodox Church and the rising Slavic Orthodox communities. We’ll dig into specific historical moments – like Muslims and Christians together honoring the Orthodox Monastery of Saint Naum, and the mid-19th- century Tanzimat reforms that promised everyone equal rights – using this particular way of looking at things. Our main point is that these religious interactions weren’t fixed; they were more like ongoing conversations, full of both understanding and misunderstanding, all driven by each community’s unique past and their hopes for what was to come. Ultimately, using Gadamer’s perspective helps us get a richer, more detailed understanding of inter-religious relations in 19th-century Ottoman Macedonia, moving past simple stories to see the complex ways different views were handled and sometimes even brought together.
Copyright (c) 2025 Martin Tasevski https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
THE PRACTICE AND VISION OF CONSCIENCE CULTURE: A GLOBAL CIVILIZATIONAL OPPORTUNITY THROUGH MULTILATERAL COLLABORATION
In today’s era of rapid globalization and change, humanity enjoys unprecedented convenience and connectivity, yet faces value conflicts, social injustice, and cultural homogenization that threaten global peace and coexistence. Confronted with this global moral crisis, Conscience Culture is emerging as a vital pathway for building consensus and restoring a shared ethical and value-based foundation. As a universal value that transcends religions, cultures, and ideologies, conscience serves not only as an inner moral compass for individuals but also as a crucial driver of practical action, international cooperation, and mutual trust. This paper draws on the Ti-Yong (Essence- Function) concept of Tai Ji Yin-Yang Philosophy, positioning conscience as the core essence (體, ti) of culture and morality, while its external expression (用, yong) is realized through moral intuition (良知, liangzhi) and moral capability (良能, liangneng). Together, these guide individual action and institutional design, achieving an organic integration of inner awareness and the practice of justice. Using Tai Ji Men’s global conscience and peace initiatives as examples, this paper demonstrates how the cultural resilience of Conscience Culture—flexible yet firmly rooted—can help resolve the tensions and challenges posed by contemporary globalization. It further shows how Conscience Culture can guide humanity toward peace, fairness, and the moral renewal of humankind, opening new horizons for “global civilization.”
Copyright (c) 2025 Jason Cherng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN OR THE KINGDOM ON EARTH – RELIGION AND THE PROCESS OF GLOBALIZATION
This paper explores the phenomena arising from the complex interplay and multifaceted relationships between religion and the process of globalization. In comparative - descriptive manner we examines the mutual impact and relational dynamics between religion and globalization, analyzing the accompanying societal challenges: syncretism, secularization, homogenization, “world religion”, versus the genuine freedom of being, the spiritual aspiration toward Truth, and the authentic values that foster mutual human recognition of diversity, love, and cooperation. In doing so, the study offers insight into the position of religion, with the accent on Christian antropologie, within the process of globalization and how contemporary global trends influence the collective value system, shape traditional practices, form identity, and contribute to the emergence of current social anomalies and religious doctrines.
Copyright (c) 2025 Naum Ilievski https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
THE INFLUENCE OF ISLAMIC TEACHINGS ON THE POLITICAL ATTITUDES AND GOVERNANCE PRACTICES OF MUSLIMS IN MACEDONIA: A SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
This research investigates the influence of Islamic teachings on the political attitudes and governance-related practices of Muslims in North Macedonia. Focusing on the intersection of religion and politics, the study examines how Islamic principles shape perspectives on democracy, participation in elections, voting behavior, and engagement in political life. Using survey data collected from Muslim communities, the research explores the extent to which religious beliefs inform decisions to participate in or abstain from political processes, as well as perceptions of governance within the framework of Islamic values. By narrowing its focus to the sociological institution of politics and governance, this study provides valuable insights into the role of religion in shaping political behavior and attitudes in a diverse and multi-religious society.
Copyright (c) 2025 Enis F. Muarem https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
THE ATTITUDE OF THE CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC POLITICAL PARTY VMRO DPMNE TOWARDS ITS MEMBERS OF THE MUSLIM FAITH
Macedonia is living the fourth decade of its independence, building a new political system, different from the previous one. The new political system rests on democratic values, in an age of neoliberal pluralism. The new political system builds а mosaic of multi-ethnicity and multi-confessionalism. Political parties are the key factor within the political system, in which citizens organize and articulate their political participation. It is easier for the Macedonian left, represented by the political party SDSM, to accommodate the new situation as former communists and atheists and to nurture contemporary multiconfessionalism. The challenge is for the right, represented by the VMRO DPMNE political party, which from its establishment to the last Congress of 2021, its first ideological determinant was Christian democracy. Given that Macedonia is a multiethnic and multiconfessional environment, the parties are striving for their representativeness. Election analysis shows that the right is present in environments with Muslim faith. Further in the composition of the parliamentary caucus or mayors, the establishment of citizens with Muslim faith in the VMRO DPMNE party may be observed. It can be assumed that the Christian Democrats have Muslim members. A real sociological challenge is to investigate the attitude of this party towards its members of the Muslim faith, how it approaches and mobilizes them. As well as analyzing Muslim members’ attachment to the party, what their motives for membership are, how they are organized within the party, what common beliefs or values they share. An examination of this interrelation may provide the answer, why this party after 30 years of its existence and profiling as a Christian democratic party, at the last Congress in 2021, adopted a doctrine in which it profiled itself as a people’s party.
Copyright (c) 2025 Emil Dimitriev https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
DEEP INSIDE OF A PARALLEL UNIVERSE: RELIGIOUS ELEMENTS SURROUNDING THE STUDENT MOVEMENT IN SERBIA
Following the collapse of the concrete canopy at the newly reconstructed train station in Novi Sad, which killed sixteen people, Serbia has been witnessing the largest student movement in Europe since 1968. Students of diverse ideological, political, and religious backgrounds have come together to demand justice and accountability from a corrupt political establishment. This paper will strive to explore the religious and quasi-religious elements of the movement – rituals of silence, pilgrimage, ascetic endurance, and communal feasting – interpreted through a functional and anthropological approach to religion inspired by Durkheim. The study combines qualitative media discourse analysis of secular and religious communications (November 2024 to June 2025) with the author’s direct anthropological observation of protest events. This dual perspective enables an examination of how collective rituals and moral symbols emerged both in representation and in practice. The protests drew strong reactions from Serbian Orthodox Church dignitaries and other public voices, which will be examined through critical discourse analysis, focusing on how churchstate relations and religious or ideological divisions were framed. The question of various collective subjects fulfilling the usual societal functions of religion will be posed.
Copyright (c) 2025 Danica Igrutinović https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
ON RELIGIOUS MORALITY AND UNIVERSAL RESPONSIBILITY AND DIALOGUE ACCORDING TO KUNG’S GLOBAL ETHICS
This paper explores the concept of universal responsibility and global ethics as essential foundations for achieving lasting peace in the modern interconnected world. It emphasizes that genuine peace cannot be established through violence or coercion but through the cultivation of ethical values, moral awareness, and interreligious dialogue. The study argues that every human action has both personal and universal dimensions, demanding responsibility not only toward oneself but also toward humanity, nature, and future generations. Within this framework, dialogue emerges as a fundamental ethical and communicative method for understanding, cooperation, and peaceful coexistence among individuals, nations, and religions. Drawing on the ideas of thinkers such as Emil Brunner, the Dalai Lama, Emmanuel Levinas, and especially Hans Küng, the paper highlights Küng’s project Global Ethics as a crucial attempt to establish a shared moral framework based on humanism and dialogue. The work underscores the necessity of interreligious understanding and the development of a universal ethical paradigm grounded in justice, compassion, tolerance, and responsibility. The conclusion calls for an ethical revolution centered on humanism and global solidarity, affirming that universal ethics should guide humanity toward building a more humane, just, and harmonious world.
Copyright (c) 2025 Dejan Donev https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
From 23-27 June more than 70 scholars from 20 countries from all over the world gathered in Krushevo at the Third World Conference for Religious Dialogue and Cooperation, where we met to discuss the pressing religious conflicts of this world. Religion is often perceived as a problem. The Conference explored how to make religion a resource for international dialogue and peace. Aware that we cannot solve all problems, as scholars we believe that creating spaces of dialogue between and within religions offers valuable opportunities for promoting peace. Religion today is often misused for political purposes and for supporting wars, while secular ideologies try to exclude religion from the public sphere. Persecution and discrimination of religious minorities continue in different parts of the world. Religions are expected to act as a voice for peace, forgiveness, coexistence, tolerance, and understanding. The essence of religion is to celebrate the creation of the world, not its destruction. However, religions have produced a divided society, with divided identities, divided education, divided loyalties, divided worldviews, which may and often does lead to polarization and conflicts. Instead, religions can promote values that bind and unite, inspire flourishing interreligious relations.
Copyright (c) 2025 Zoran Matevski https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
CURRENT SITUATIONS IN THE CHRISTIAN CONTEXT FROM THE ASPECT OF THE GENDER PERSPECTIVE
This study aims to analyze three key dimensions: the historical-cultural approach, theological interpretations, sociological analyses, and narratives, with a particular emphasis on the Old Testament and gender asymmetry in the creation myth, as well as the Apostle Paul’s teachings on women. The historical-cultural approach seeks to investigate the historical foundations of gender roles within Christianity and the various interpretations that have shaped societal attitudes and norms concerning gender. Additionally, this research will examine the manifestations of gender within Christian communities, particularly the status of women in the Christian tradition and the role of Christianity in shaping and reinforcing gender stereotypes. This involves an exploration of gender dynamics across different Christian denominations, highlighting both progressive and conservative perspectives. Furthermore, this study will address women’s activism and the role of feminist theology, commonly referred to as Christian feminism, within Christian communities. It will examine contemporary challenges faced by women in their efforts to resist patriarchal traditions and explore potential avenues for transforming patriarchal structures within religious institutions. Ultimately, this research aims to assess the broader impact of the Christian tradition on modern society and its influence on religious and cultural frameworks from a gendered perspective.
Copyright (c) 2025 Stefan Vasev https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
CHRISTIANITY OF FUNDAMENTALISM AND SECULARISM: ARE THERE HINTS OF SOCIAL TEACHING WITHIN THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH?
The scientific paper before us will question the role, scope and importance of Orthodox Christianity in social issues, especially in the case of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC). The topic of the scientific work is focused on questioning the connections between the specifically Orthodox experience of religion and its place in contemporary (Serbian) society. Therefore, the views of church dignitaries of the Serbian Orthodox Church regarding the role of the Orthodox faith in social issues were selected as the subject of research. Through his research, the author has set himself the goal of predicting the possibilities of establishing and building the social teaching of the Serbian Orthodox Church. The increasingly active role of religious communities and churches in contemporary society: from culture, through politics and economy to the natural environment points to the legitimate social significance of the basic assumptions of this scientific paper. The questioning of theoretical assumptions, religious conceptions and spiritual-political phenomena: fundamentalism, integralism and secularism on the example of an isolated case study in the ideas and value positions of dignitaries and theologians of the Serbian Orthodox Church leads to an indisputable innovative contribution and scientific justification of the research. After all, the SOC has always been the foundation of the national rallying of the Serbian ethnos, and the main lever of national identity, so the overall justification of the topic is greater. In the paper, the author started from the initial assumption that the current opinion in the Serbian Orthodox Church is not favorable towards the establishment of the social teaching of the Serbian Orthodox Church. The research was based on numerous methods in social sciences, such as: observation, case study, content analysis, comparative approach...
Copyright (c) 2025 Vladan Stanković https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE AS A KEY TO INTERETHNIC COOPERATION IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country characterized by the interconnectedness of ethnic and religious affiliation, the country is home to three main ethnic groups (Serbs, Croats and Bosnians) who are members of three different religions (Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Islam). The history of Bosnia and Herzegovina is accompanied by deep religious and ethnic divisions and aspirations. The cause of conflict and intolerance in the country is often because of the different interest between all three religious parties. The intention of the authors of this paper is to draw attention to the importance of religious dialogue in interethnic relations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as the main key for spreading a culture of peace, mutual tolerance and understanding.
Copyright (c) 2025 Milica Šiljak https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
SERGE RAYNAUD DE LA FERRIÈRE’S DOCTRINE READJUSTMENT: THE UGB AND THEOCRACY
Serge Raynaud de la Ferrière (1916-1962) left his native France to the Americas. He knew the predominance of America for the New Age of Aquarius that was about to begin. In 1948 he founded the Great Universal Brotherhood (UGB) in Caracas, Venezuela, a worldwide and cultural institution to re-educate humanity. After traveling the five continents, he returned to Europe in 1953. Right after he re-established communication with his disciples in America, he noted that his work and literature was being deformed. He even said that he couldn’t recognize his own foundation! Consequently, he began readjusting his work and wrote most part of his extensive literature. In this period, Ferriz, his fourth and last emblematic disciple appeared. He translated under his supervision some of his most important texts, and among other tasks he asked him to write his books’ prologue, exegesis and be his Literature’s Coordinator. In the context of the New Age, R. de la Ferrière discusses theocracy and mentioned some precursor signs for its advent. These are briefly discussed in this essay. They were misinterpreted by his other emblematic disciples – contrary to his idea of a government of wise people. They believed in absolute authority and autocratic government that in various instances they applied it in the UGB. Ferriz asserts that this was probably the seed that caused their failure to follow R. de la Ferrière’s Readjustment and created an ideological and doctrinaire difference between their beliefs and R. de la Ferrière’s thought. In 1990, to safeguard the original UGB and R. de la Ferrière’s thought, Ferriz left in Exodus the deformed UGB and created a new one.
Copyright (c) 2025 Rita Santillán https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
NAVIGATING FAITH IN A SECULAR STATE: ISLAMIC LAW AND MUSLIM PRACTICES IN MACEDONIA
This study explores the multifaceted implementation of Islamic law among the Muslim community in North Macedonia, a secular country. It examines how Muslims navigate and practice various aspects of Sharia in their daily lives, despite the secular framework of the state. The research focuses on key religious practices such as religious marriage (Nikah), the giving of obligatory charity (Zakat), and the observance of fasting during Ramadan. It investigates the challenges and adaptations faced by the Muslim community in maintaining their religious obligations while complying with secular laws. This study provides insights into the dynamic interaction between Islamic law and secularism, highlighting the resilience and creativity of Muslims in preserving their religious identity. The findings contribute to a broader understanding of religious coexistence and the practical realities of implementing religious laws in a secular context.
CHRISTIANITY AND SECULARIZATION FOLLOWING THE IDEAS OF ŽELJKO MARDEŠIĆ
Following the interpretation of the famous Croatian sociologist Željko Mardešić (Jakov Jukić), this paper analyzes secularization in the context of contemporary sociology of religion. Considering various social, cultural, and religious changes, the presented secularization process is the origin of the sudden and unexpected flourishing of various forms of new religiosity and the alarming appearance of relics of the past, i.e., the increasingly present fundamentalism and integralism in major religions. According to Željko Mardešić, the secularization process consists of three levels and includes society, the Church, and – most deeply – the individual person. The individual finds themselves in a strange gap. On the one hand, secularization swallows up and annuls the sacred, while, on the other hand, the individual produces the sacred, which is not a substitute for traditional religion, but something completely new and opposed. Željko Mardešić sees the future of Christianity following in the footsteps of the Second Vatican Council, which seeks the effort of sincere questioning its state on the part of Christianity; to choose either political religiosity or authentic religiosity with no political security. It is important to note that Christianity, deprived of its many worldly roles, in the new secularization context is encouraged to focus on ritual celebration and spiritual immersion to creatively transform society and cultural life. In this context, there emerges an increasingly acceptable interpretation according to which, using Željko Mardešić’s words, secularization is seen as a happy event for historical Christianity, because it draws Christianity a little closer to the original evangelical truth and a more authentic living of the goodness of its members. This event manifests in rejecting the collectivist and ideological vision of Christianity and advocates accepting the light of goodness rather than one’s own group, supporting freedom and the free human in a group defined by the community of people who believe in the person and teachings of Jesus Christ.
Copyright (c) 2025 Vlaho Kovačević https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
A METASYSTEMIC PERSPECTIVE OF CHRISTIAN PSYCHOTHERAPY IN DEFINING LEADERSHIP AND ITS CRITERIA
The purpose of this paper is a description of the concept of leadership as a key component in the Christian church community, as well as the criteria of a healthy leadership style not only in its internal framework, but in the overall social context. This paper is a qualitative-descriptive study with research on leadership, styles and personality of the leader according to Christian theology, and applying a metasystemic perspective within wider domains of society. We define criteria for healthy leadership in correlation with social deviations of the same, observed and described in the framework of Christian psychotherapy and application of the Transactional Analytical methodology in the analysis of the focused phenomena. Leadership in the Christian Church has an antinomian character and a pastoral dimension. The personality of the church leader is formed according to the criteria of the degrees of spiritual development. The presented model of church leadership with qualities of antinomy has its applicability in the social system of secular leadership, where the function of leadership paradoxically merges into a duty of service against its deviant social phenomena of identification (nation, party, state).
PRIDE AND PUNISHMENT: THE CHURCH, THE STATE, AND PRIDE PARADES IN SERBIA (2012-2024)
A process of desecularization, sacralizing the nation, and retraditionalizing gender roles has been ongoing in post-Yugoslav Serbia since the late 80s, but has gained new steam since 2012, when a new government of a coalition similar to the 1990s politics was formed, albeit this time with the ostensible aim of joining the EU. Against the backdrop of these processes, Serbian identity has been constructed in a particularly masculine way. And although the use of homophobia to Other the ‘Enemy within’ is not new in Serbian nationalism, a notable shift has been observed as Serbia has been pushed to accept LGBT bodies as part of its Europeanisation process, which is now further complicated by the war in Ukraine. The pride parades, which Serbia has had to endure due to its European integration process, and the tactical decision to appoint a lesbian prime minister, have contributed to the impossibility to openly rely on stereotypical homophobic means of othering. As such, the focus of the ‘enemy’ within shifted from the homosexual to other ‘Others’: Albanians, migrants traversing the Balkan route, non-maternal women, and most recently, ‘gender ideology’ in biology textbooks and gender-sensitive language. Tracing the debates in the Serbian media, especially with regard to the discursive chasm between LGBT communities/feminisms and the Serbian Orthodox Church, but also with changes in the dominant media discourse, this paper contends that nationalist othering in Serbia is consistently reshaped in order to accommodate the changing political climates. It demonstrates the moving boundaries in the construction of the nation, which constantly fluctuating representations of identities stereotypically associated with LGBT communities, masculinities and femininities, ‘Serbhood’, and Orthodoxy.