فصلنامه اندیشه نوین دینی
پیاپی 37 (تابستان 1393)

Religious pluralism is among the important problems of new theology with its own principles and tools. One of the principles of religious pluralism is division of religion into two elements of pearl and shell. The theory of essence and shell of religion could be led to religious pluralism, taking the subject as it may, a religious analysis or a religious manner of life. The present paper claims that while religious pluralism includes internal cases of disagreement and losses, its foundation-essence and shell-not only has been void of a capacity to illustrate the relation between religious propositions and teachings but also it has incorrectly separated the areas of faith and right deeds from each other. According to the inter-religious approach, based on the above-mentioned theory, none of the religious teachings could be called accidental and no religion would like to divide its teachings into accidental and essential. Also, in the area of “religious manner of life”, despite of putting emphasis on the contents of religion, redemption is concomitant to full compliance with faith and good deeds simultaneously; therefore, there is no way of disintegration in religion.

Regarding the role of religion in different aspects of human life, two viewpoints, one positively and the other negatively, are widespread among scholars. The present paper has dealt with the former, the importance of religion role in social life and development of societies. Since scholars of the former, including Max Weber, have claimed that Protestant is the only school of progress in societies and undermines the efficiency of other religions, in addition to casting doubt on his exclusive viewpoint, using Tokugawa religion by his student Robert Bellah, the present paper intends to explain the efficiency of Islam in development of societies. Accordingly, due to comprehensiveness of Islam and noticing social aspects of religion along with individual aspects, the main purpose of the paper is that whether development and improvement have been taken into account in Islam or not. Despite of Islam’s consideration on this issue, the question is that why Islamic societies have not achieved growth and development as much as the western societies?

Analysis of the political and social affairs shows that sometimes thought uses language as a tool to achieve its aims. Development and promotion of the idea of justice is not an exemption of this issue and it could be implemented by obtaining this modeling. Language can be used in the service of justice as well as a tool for its dissemination. The first step in this regard is explaining the basic principles of language based on foundations and main themes of justice which lead to extension of justice in the society and it will be integrated with folklore. This study is in this line and aims at identifying and explaining the function of language and linguistic system in development and promotion of justice using text analysis method, Hadiths and Islamic Narrations and interviewing experts and professionals in the field of Islamic sciences. Finally the relation between linguistic system and justice development in organization has been sketched in the form of a conceptual model.

Human being has been accompanied with religion since the beginning of the creation and so will be in all stages of life. During recent centuries, however, some given ideas have claimed no need of religion for human. The most prominent reason for adherents of this idea lies in development of human in scientific growth. From western world, Malinowski, and from Islam world thinkers, Shahid Motahary, believe that religion has some features for which no substitution can be found in any way. Regarding uniqueness of religion, Malinowski only puts emphasis on its particular functions. In a macro view, in addition to particular functions of religion, Shahid Motahary has pointed to its innateness as an important factor in eternity of religion. For him, religion is respondent to real needs of human nature and in this way he considers authenticity for religion. On the contrary, with an instrumental look upon religion, functionalists have focused on its non-substitutable capabilities and even they advise unbelievers of religion to maintain it in the society.

Like other theological and ideological subjects, the Prophet’s infallibility has become more prominent with emergence of theology and, with regard to different theological sects of different ideas in the field, it has become more precisely scrutinized. In addition to the Quranic verses which stipulate infallibility of the prophets especially the beloved Prophet of Islam, there are lots of narrations and historical events suggesting that early Muslims of Islam believed in Prophet’s infallibility. The pretext of some writers of infallibility entries in the Quran and Islam encyclopedias such as Sam Simon, Paul Walker, and Jeffrey is those narrations which undermine the Prophet’s infallibility. This study attempts to respond the orientalists’ claims about the Prophets’ infallibility through citing theological, rational, historical, and philosophical reasoning. The reason of their reliance to these narrations and outward of the verses is due to lack of proficiency on religious sciences and rules of inferences of Islamic teachings. Incomplete information from Islamic historiography, interpretation rules, philosophical and theological principles, and Islamic culture as well as comparison of Islamic teachings with Christian’s have brought about misinterpretation of orientalists.

Pre-creation knowledge of God and its role in creation of the servants’ actions and their destiny (hereafter prosperity and adversity) as embodiment of their mundane world is an old, sweet, attractive and at the same time precise, delicate and complicated story. In this regard, Mulla Sadra believes that firstly, the servants’ actions–including optional and obligatory-are effect and function of their prior existence and establishment in knowledge of God, and their destiny (hereafter prosperity and adversity) as embodiment of actions in their mundane world is fixed and inviolable. Secondly, mission of God’s messengers, sending messengers and descending books from heaven-with regard to inviolability of servants’ actions and their destiny from prior knowledge of God-have no other effects except providing the ground and impetus for servants to reveal what is in their conscience. Thirdly, ethical evils attributed to servants-unlike existential and natural evils which are nonexistent and relative affairs-including credit affairs are considered to be against reason and religion commands. The study is a critique of the above-mentioned three arguments.

This study has been conducted to demonstrate the compatibility or incompatibility of Divine prior knowledge and human authority in Boethius and Nelson Pikes’ viewpoints. In this regard, initially, it was attempted to formulate an argument for incompatibility of God’s prior knowledge and human authority, considering the required features for God’s prior knowledge from Boethius and Pike’s viewpoints and finally it was concluded that based upon the accepted regulations of Islamic philosophy from Boethius’ viewpoint, the conflict between divine knowledge and human authority refers to one`s misconception on God. However, because of mingled natural necessity and necessity by the other, compatibility of Divine knowledge and human authority cannot be proved. Finally, it is concluded that the best possible solution for removing the incompatibility between Divine prior knowledge and human authority is Shiite scholars’ viewpoint which is known as “the one in a middle state to the two extremes”.

In the first place, the present paper scrutinizes corporeal resurrection philosophically from Mulla Sadra’s viewpoint as well as fundamental position of the principle of existential gradation. In this way, it is inferred that the principle has a fundamental position in all of the corporeal resurrection components including soul, imaginary body, imagination, and enjoyable and painful affaires so that without considering this principle, corporeal resurrection known by the philosopher will not be established. At the end, matching Mulla Sadra’s corporeal resurrection and the principle with verses and narrations, it is concluded that regarding resurrection discussion, three groups of verses and narrations are mainly involved and Mulla Sadra’s corporeal resurrection is retractable with all three groups.

Prophecy (נְבוּאָה) is among the basic teachings of the holy Quran and the Old Testament. The prophet’s conditions and ranks, revelation and prophets modes during revelation are among the common discussions of the two in the field. There are some discussions in the Old Testament about prophecy which are not mentioned or less is dealt with them in the Quran; of which may be counted Prophecy of women, group prophecy, and false prophecy. Prophetesses, called mother of Israel, like prophets were embarking on prophecy and foretelling. However, one may not find any reference to a prophetess in the Holy Quran and only the names of twenty five prophets have been stipulated. Comparison of these teachings of the Old Testament with those of Quran is the focus of this study.

There are different viewpoints about religious freedom. One of the verses in the field is “there is no compulsion in religion”. Nevertheless, one may not find a concept of agreement on religious freedom among commentators and so is the case of “no compulsion”. One, therefore, determining the different senses related to the type of freedom involves various and sometimes contradictory views. Relying on the viewpoints of Allameh Tabatabie, Shahid Motahari and Ayatollah Javadi Amoli, this paper intends to determine the real case of freedom of the mentioned verse. Among the causes differentiating views is plurality of commentators’ viewpoints about the occasion of revelation of the verse. In addition, definition of religion has a significant effect on determining the real case of freedom in the mentioned verse. Accordingly, it could be said that among the revelation positions of the verse, the story of women whose children were Jewish is closer to reality and, given such the case, one may interpret the verse, and consequently the word freedom, more reasonably. Meanwhile, the holy verse speaks in the space of legislative freedom taken from naturally created freedom.