Mark R. Wynn
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199560387
- eISBN:
- 9780191721175
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199560387.003.0007
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion
This chapter continues the discussion of Chapter 6, by examining the human significance of a number of built and natural environments, unrelated to pilgrimage practice. Again, the three models of the ...
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This chapter continues the discussion of Chapter 6, by examining the human significance of a number of built and natural environments, unrelated to pilgrimage practice. Again, the three models of the differentiated religious significance of place and the various accounts of the formal qualities of knowledge of place developed in earlier chapters are put to use. The chapter draws on the literature on the phenomenology of sacred space, and the work of Wendell Berry, Erazim Kohák, and Christopher Day, among others. It maintains that religiously significant knowledge of place is not to be understood in purely ‘subjective’ or in purely ‘objective’ terms, and that we should avoid an over-sharp distinction between the meaning of ‘sacred’ and of ‘profane’ space.Less
This chapter continues the discussion of Chapter 6, by examining the human significance of a number of built and natural environments, unrelated to pilgrimage practice. Again, the three models of the differentiated religious significance of place and the various accounts of the formal qualities of knowledge of place developed in earlier chapters are put to use. The chapter draws on the literature on the phenomenology of sacred space, and the work of Wendell Berry, Erazim Kohák, and Christopher Day, among others. It maintains that religiously significant knowledge of place is not to be understood in purely ‘subjective’ or in purely ‘objective’ terms, and that we should avoid an over-sharp distinction between the meaning of ‘sacred’ and of ‘profane’ space.
Roger Scruton
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195166910
- eISBN:
- 9780199863938
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195166910.001.0001
- Subject:
- Music, Opera
A tale of forbidden love and inevitable death, the medieval legend of Tristan und Isolde recounts the story of two lovers unknowingly drinking a magic potion and ultimately dying in one another's ...
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A tale of forbidden love and inevitable death, the medieval legend of Tristan und Isolde recounts the story of two lovers unknowingly drinking a magic potion and ultimately dying in one another's arms. While critics have lauded Wagner's Tristan und Isolde for the originality and subtlety of the music, they have denounced the drama as a “mere trifle”—a rendering of Wagner's forbidden love for Matilde Wesendonck, the wife of a banker who supported him during his exile in Switzerland. The book explodes this established interpretation, proving the drama to be more than just a sublimation of the composer's love for Wesendonck or a wistful romantic dream. It attests that Tristan and Isolde has profound religious meaning and remains as relevant today as it was to Wagner's contemporaries, offering also a keen insight into the nature of erotic love, the sacred qualities of human passion, and the peculiar place of the erotic in our culture. It is an argument which touches on the nature of tragedy, the significance of ritual sacrifice, and the meaning of redemption, providing a fresh interpretation of Wagner's masterpiece. This account of Wagner's music drama blends philosophy, criticism, and musicology in order to show the work's importance in the 21st century.Less
A tale of forbidden love and inevitable death, the medieval legend of Tristan und Isolde recounts the story of two lovers unknowingly drinking a magic potion and ultimately dying in one another's arms. While critics have lauded Wagner's Tristan und Isolde for the originality and subtlety of the music, they have denounced the drama as a “mere trifle”—a rendering of Wagner's forbidden love for Matilde Wesendonck, the wife of a banker who supported him during his exile in Switzerland. The book explodes this established interpretation, proving the drama to be more than just a sublimation of the composer's love for Wesendonck or a wistful romantic dream. It attests that Tristan and Isolde has profound religious meaning and remains as relevant today as it was to Wagner's contemporaries, offering also a keen insight into the nature of erotic love, the sacred qualities of human passion, and the peculiar place of the erotic in our culture. It is an argument which touches on the nature of tragedy, the significance of ritual sacrifice, and the meaning of redemption, providing a fresh interpretation of Wagner's masterpiece. This account of Wagner's music drama blends philosophy, criticism, and musicology in order to show the work's importance in the 21st century.
C. Stephen Evans
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198263975
- eISBN:
- 9780191600579
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019826397X.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
The English term ‘history’ can refer to an actual series of events, and also to the narrative or account constructed about those events; in looking at the links between Christian faith and the ...
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The English term ‘history’ can refer to an actual series of events, and also to the narrative or account constructed about those events; in looking at the links between Christian faith and the historical character of its founding narrative, it is crucial to distinguish these two senses of history and the different kinds of problems related to each. This chapter and the next address the question of why it matters that the events actually occurred: a question that is entirely distinct from the question of whether the events did in fact occur. Regardless of the answer to the factual question, an examination can be made of the significance the events would have had if they had occurred, and the cost that might have to be paid if belief in the historicity of the narrative had to be abandoned. The previous chapter distinguished two strategies for divorcing the religious meaning of the narrative from its historicity: the rationalist/moralist option and the romantic/existentialist option. Both claim that the religious functions of the narrative are independent of whether the events actually occurred, and to this end both sometimes characterize the narratives as mythical or at least as containing mythical elements. This chapter looks at the complex set of questions that are raised by the category of ‘myth’ in sections that address: the senses of myth; Søren Kierkegaard versus C. S. Lewis on Christianity and myth; the uniqueness versus the mythical character of the Gospel story; demythologizing and remythologizing the incarnational narrative; the essential historicity of the Gospel; and the appeal of the non-historical myth.Less
The English term ‘history’ can refer to an actual series of events, and also to the narrative or account constructed about those events; in looking at the links between Christian faith and the historical character of its founding narrative, it is crucial to distinguish these two senses of history and the different kinds of problems related to each. This chapter and the next address the question of why it matters that the events actually occurred: a question that is entirely distinct from the question of whether the events did in fact occur. Regardless of the answer to the factual question, an examination can be made of the significance the events would have had if they had occurred, and the cost that might have to be paid if belief in the historicity of the narrative had to be abandoned. The previous chapter distinguished two strategies for divorcing the religious meaning of the narrative from its historicity: the rationalist/moralist option and the romantic/existentialist option. Both claim that the religious functions of the narrative are independent of whether the events actually occurred, and to this end both sometimes characterize the narratives as mythical or at least as containing mythical elements. This chapter looks at the complex set of questions that are raised by the category of ‘myth’ in sections that address: the senses of myth; Søren Kierkegaard versus C. S. Lewis on Christianity and myth; the uniqueness versus the mythical character of the Gospel story; demythologizing and remythologizing the incarnational narrative; the essential historicity of the Gospel; and the appeal of the non-historical myth.
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- June 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780804758611
- eISBN:
- 9780804763141
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Stanford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.11126/stanford/9780804758611.003.0004
- Subject:
- Law, Constitutional and Administrative Law
This chapter discusses how the celebration of Christmas and Chanukah has been drained of their religion meaning. It begins by looking at the litigation over Christmas and Chanukah symbols on ...
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This chapter discusses how the celebration of Christmas and Chanukah has been drained of their religion meaning. It begins by looking at the litigation over Christmas and Chanukah symbols on courthouse steps and other public property. Here, as with the Ten Commandments, we see legal battles where victory is more dangerous than defeat. Religion, in order to win the dubious honor of appearing on the lawn of city hall, must be stripped of its real meaning. The chapter also considers how the economic side of these holidays, combined with the battles over the public square, have resulted in a remarkable victory for the commercialization of religion. The true history and meaning of both Christmas and Chanukah have become changed almost beyond recognition.Less
This chapter discusses how the celebration of Christmas and Chanukah has been drained of their religion meaning. It begins by looking at the litigation over Christmas and Chanukah symbols on courthouse steps and other public property. Here, as with the Ten Commandments, we see legal battles where victory is more dangerous than defeat. Religion, in order to win the dubious honor of appearing on the lawn of city hall, must be stripped of its real meaning. The chapter also considers how the economic side of these holidays, combined with the battles over the public square, have resulted in a remarkable victory for the commercialization of religion. The true history and meaning of both Christmas and Chanukah have become changed almost beyond recognition.
John Parrington
- Published in print:
- 2021
- Published Online:
- June 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780198801634
- eISBN:
- 9780191926082
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198801634.003.0023
- Subject:
- Psychology, Evolutionary Psychology, Social Psychology
This chapter addresses how religion might have originated and why it still maintains such a strong hold on the human mind, even amidst the science and technology of the twenty-first century. Since ...
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This chapter addresses how religion might have originated and why it still maintains such a strong hold on the human mind, even amidst the science and technology of the twenty-first century. Since this book is concerned primarily with aspects of consciousness that can be examined scientifically, the approach here is to ask what material reasons one can find to explain belief in the supernatural, and link this to this book’s theme, which is how culture has shaped the human mind. One suggestion is that such belief arose as a by-product of response mechanisms that evolved to protect our species in its first phase of existence. Another feature of human beings is what has been called our ‘theory of mind’—the capacity to understand that other humans have thoughts and desires, and have some idea what these might be. Yet while helping humans to survive, such attributes may have led to supernatural beliefs. This chapter looks at the relationship between religion and other changes in society and social consciousness. It also looks at the question of how non-religious individuals find meaning in life, and why meaning is so central to the unique ways in which human beings navigate life.Less
This chapter addresses how religion might have originated and why it still maintains such a strong hold on the human mind, even amidst the science and technology of the twenty-first century. Since this book is concerned primarily with aspects of consciousness that can be examined scientifically, the approach here is to ask what material reasons one can find to explain belief in the supernatural, and link this to this book’s theme, which is how culture has shaped the human mind. One suggestion is that such belief arose as a by-product of response mechanisms that evolved to protect our species in its first phase of existence. Another feature of human beings is what has been called our ‘theory of mind’—the capacity to understand that other humans have thoughts and desires, and have some idea what these might be. Yet while helping humans to survive, such attributes may have led to supernatural beliefs. This chapter looks at the relationship between religion and other changes in society and social consciousness. It also looks at the question of how non-religious individuals find meaning in life, and why meaning is so central to the unique ways in which human beings navigate life.
