Religions and Mysticism
Year:2010 | Volume:42 | Issue:1|Papers Count:7

In this paper, we study the existing relations between science and religion in the views of Ian Barbour, Peters and Alister McGrath (with a particular focus on 19th, 20th and 21st centuries). It is interesting to note that while McGrath supports the dialogical model; Peters, on the other hand, argues for the hypothetical agreement model, and finally we have Barbour who favors the correlational model. Then we attempt to present these respective models in relation to these thinkers and explore also their respective differences and similarities. We have tried to present these models in a diagramic format. Finally, we have put forward a framework in regard to these different models of interactions between science and religion in the Middle Ages and 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.

A doctrine which has played a significant role in the beliefs of the Jews, the Christians and the Moslems is the issue of the Garden of Eden and the renowned tree in it (one tree in Islam, and two trees in the Judaism and Christianity, i.e. the tree of life and the tree of knowledge). This essay deals with a comparative study of the forbidden tree in Judaism and Islam, and for this sake we have compared a number of Jewish and Islamic texts, to detect what are the resemblances and differences between them; what ideas are exclusive to Islamic texts or to Jewish texts, and probably what ideas have been conveyed from Jewish texts and folklore to Islamic traditions and literature. The outcome of this essay is the removal of ambiguity from some traditions in both religions and the detection of the Israelite origin of some of so called Islamic traditions.

Manifestation of God emanates from His own love, and creation is not but manifestation. Thus if there was not manifestation, the world would not come into being. On the other hand, manifestation is the starting point of servants love toward God. The kind of mystic's manifestation determines his special kind of love, putting him in a particular category of lovers of God. The impacts of this issue may be studied both theoretically and practically. Explaining various types of Manifestations of Glory and the Beauty, in brief, and introducing two well-known groups of mystics i.e. followers of the mystic trend of spiritual intoxication (Ashab al-Sukr) and those of the mystic trend of sobriety(Ashab al- Sahw) who enjoy respectively the elegant manifestation and the regal one, the present article deals with the theoretical impacts. It then discusses the effects and influences of their enjoying various manifestations in theoretical aspects and in the field of loving God. Achieving this goal, the micro theories of affection, befriending, love, and the unity of existence originating from the macro theory of divine love are studied in the article. Comparing and analyzing the ideas of Ashab al- Sukr and Ashab al- Sahw about the above- mentioned issues, the article indicates how different manifestations give rise to fundamental changes in mystics’ perceptions and interpretations of major issues of existence such as divine love.

In Razi’s view, faith and safety, is a root taken from the words of “Tasdigh (confirming)” and “Aman (safety)” and in literature it means “recognization and confirimation by heart”and “admitting by words”; when recognition by heart is achieved, verbal confession is also achieved. He believes that the conceptual bases of faith are “recognition and accepting by heart” and “verbal confession” and practice is out of the conceptual scope of faith; because the reference of practice to faith causes its repetition. He believes that faith must be based on reason and in trying to explain his views on faith, he has been influenced by others in some aspects and has also influenced other’s views and in some respects, his views have been different from those of other Asharite theologians.

The process theology is one of the theological systems which spread during postmodern period. This kind of theology tries to revive the spiritual system. David Ray Griffin is one of the process theologians and has many systematic researches. According to his idea, spiritual system in pre- modern considers the world in a way that is subjugated to an all-powerful Being that unilaterally intervenes in all issues. The modern world view denies the God totally. Criticizing both of the world views, Griffin tries to apply some elements of both of systems to propose new theology which draws inspiration from Whitehead's process philosophy. Some important doctrines in process theology are pan-experientialism in which all of persons are ordered collections of transient opportunities of experiment, Whitehead's naturalistic theism, emphasis on Whitehead's non-sense perception and integration in religious, aesthetic, and moral intuition to the most general doctrines of science in an integrated world view. This article criticizes Griffin's opinions about process theology. The reductionism in his interpretation of the God's power and creativity and to devalue them into creature's power and creativity, without logical explanation and just to resolve some problems in traditional theology such as problem of evil and free will in human, are samples of reductionism in Griffin's thought.

In this article, we try to answer to two questions. The first one is "What is the meaning and the consequences of the absence of esoteric experience in the works of Rumi?" In answering this question, firstly we explain the notion of "the absence of esoteric experiences". Then after a short examination of this notion in the works of Muslim and Christian mystics, in the middle ages, we discuss the Rumi`s point of view about and his approach to the esoteric experiences and in the next step, we talk about the consequences of his view and his approach to this notion. These approaches are humiliating the esoteric experiences, silence and finally pointing to them implicitly. In the last section of the article, we reach the second question: how we can say that Rumi is a mystic despite the absence of esoteric experiences in his works? We discuss five viewpoints concerning mysticism including those of Turner, McGinn, Underhill and Russell, based of which Rumi could be recognized as a mystic.

Death and afterworld are among those vexing questions for humankind. In both eastern and western literature there are many works attempting to describe afterworld and resurrection as a journey to the other world. Sanaei’s Seir-al-Ebad Elal-Ma’ad and Ardaviraf Nameh are two examples of such journeys. Based on the Gnostic experiences of resurrection, the two texts depict exciting and marvelous images of afterlife. The present paper attempts to compare the two texts regarding the most prominent common themes in Gnostic experiences. It tries to verify the hypothesis based on which such out-of-the-way descriptions are symbolic representations of the meanings. Symbolic expressions not only describe or explain ineffable experiences, but also play an important role in rationality and reaffirming the faith and beliefs about resurrection. To this end, Sanaei and Viraf use symbolic images such as going beyond the time, seven-day sleeps, constellations and stars, wild animals, and handmaidens to portray concepts like immortality, paradise, inferno, and inherent meaning of deeds.