فصلنامه اندیشه نوین دینی
پیاپی 38 (پاییز 1393)

Numerous explanations have been proposed by scholars and researchers in different scientific fields for the near-death experience phenomenon which has almost similar elements and components throughout the world. Despite of scientific studies and attempts carried out on explicating the nature of near-death experience, it has been addressed by various scientific and theological criticisms. Initially the paper deals with stating the whatness of the near-death experience and features and effects of experience on the next life of the experimentalists. After that, the critics viewpoints are analyzed. The results indicate that the mentioned phenomenon could be known as a spiritual journey to metaphysics world and by virtue of the similarity between the near-death experience and Abrahamic Religions and Islamic theology, the existence of soul and hereafter life is proved experientially and relatively.

Three approaches of theism, atheism and agnosticism have been the focus of the philosophy of religion with a great deal of controversies. Adherents of each one try to overcome the opposing argument and to prove its own claim. One of the necessary predispositions for arbitration between these claims is determining the dominant pattern and evaluation criteria among which evidentialism, fideism, reformed epistemology, and advisable and pragmatist approaches are considered as examples of these criteria. Virtueoriented epistemology is a modern approach highlighting the function of rational virtues in epistemic value of the beliefs. According to this approach, it is known that the way of connecting belief to truth is the fact that it is originated from practicing rational virtues. Therefore, to evaluate epistemic value of every belief, the quality and quantity of the mentioned virtues in the operating epistemic process should be detected. Having an overall investigation on the prevalent types of arbitration between theism and atheismand also providing a short report on virtue-oriented epistemology narrated by Zagzebski, the paper intends to show epistemic value of believing in God against the lack of it based on the mentioned approach.

Discussion of the semantics of word of God is one of the most important and earliest philosophico-mystic discussions in Islamic world. Since early days of Islamic thought, scholars of different schools of thought and ideology has been always argued on the status of words for the possible and material affairs in that what the meaning of the word of God is when attributed to something. To answer this question, different theories have been proposed by scholars including verbal word proposed by some scholars of Adliyyeh, inner word by Asharites, and the inherent characteristics signifyingthe essence of God proposed by group of philosophers. Putting emphasis on three fundamental principles of Sadrian Hekmat i.e. genuineness of existence, spiritual subscription with the meaning of existence, and doubt in the reality of existence, the study investigates the nature of word of God based on Allameh Tabatabaie􀀅s viewpoint coming to this conclusion that word of God includes any matter discovered from divine intensions, whether the type of that matter is word and sound, the type of external existence, a material or an abstract existence.

Methodology of understanding of religious texts is among the fundamental issues of methodology in religious studies in that what tools, approaches and strategies could be used to understand religious texts. In the meantime, reason is of particular relevance. Regarding the function of reason to understand religious texts, there has always been disagreement among Islamic thinkers including contextualists and rationalists. For contextualists, in understanding the sacred texts, reason does not receive much validity. Unlike them, rationalists maintain authority and validity for it. Does Ghazali apply rationalism approach in understanding religious texts or contextualism approach? In terms of methodology, there seems to be conflict between these two views i.e. one cannot be inclined to contextualism and accept rationalism simultaneously. What is the way to unite these two approaches? Ghazali is among the thinkers who unite these two approaches. This paper examines Ghazalis integration method.

As one of the facts of the world, praise of creatures has been mentioned in the Holy Quran and many narrations. The majority of the commentators, especially the latter ones believe that in addition to the fact that these verses are indicative of the creatures innate language, they are conveyance of speech language, too. Since praising is derived from knowledge, for them, all creatures enjoy knowledge. According to his particular view about knowledge in transcendental philosophy, in his final viewpoint, Mulla Sadra considers that knowledge is irrelevant to substantive categories. For him it is among the categories of existence and proving the concurrency of science with existence, he assumes degrees of intensity and weakness for it. Accordingly, every creature enjoys knowledge to the scope of its existential degree. Therefore, he proposes a rational illustration of the praise of the worlds creatures being conducted by the paper. Keywords: Existence, Nature, Science, Praise, Existence Degrees, Rational Explanation, Transcendental Philosophy.

Although the discussion of self and body has engaged human thought since ancient times, in the new ages, a new look has been taken and various opinions have been proposed. The physicalists have denied the duality of soul and body while degenerating the spiritual states to physical ones. On the contrary, Muslim Scholars have accepted duality of soul and body. However, according to the fact that mere acceptance of otherness of soul and body will not be led to non-physicality of body, some scholars have believed in abstraction and some other ones in non-abstraction of soul. These opinionsshow the significance of the discussion; therefore, logical reason and religious teachings could be a solid criterion to determine the correct thoughts from the incorrect ones as well as to create a correct understanding of the truth. Noting to the evidences, the study will make conclusions on distinction of soul and body and also abstraction of soul.Keywords: Self, Soul, Mind, Body, Physicalism, Duality of Soul and Body, Abstraction of Soul.

Infallibility is one of the characteristics of angels arising from religious texts. Muslim scholars have consensus on the existence of this trait but their conflicts and disagreements revolves around its acceptance or rejection as an inherent trait of angels. That is to say, the main conflict is that whether all of the divine occult agents are infallible and never make mistakes or only some of them possess this gift, and errors and mistakes may bepenetrated into the nature of angels. The study deals with investigating the reasons of both parties and at the end it will be clarified that in general, reasons and evidences of the proponents of infallibility of angels have more strength. The reason is that in addition to proposing abundant valid traditional reasons, they have also found rational evidences for it and they have been successful in providing responses for the opponents questions. Keywords: Angels, Infallibility, Inherent Characteristic, Proponents, Opponents, the Nature of the Satan.

Alvin Plantingais is one of the most outstanding figures in the field of reformed epistemology. According to him, like the beliefs derived from perception, religious beliefs are considered to be fundamental; therefore, they need no justification. However, this viewpoint applies some tools that may be led to religious fundamentalism. Since Plantingas theory does not determine any criteria regarding the content of the fundamental beliefs and the conditions he defines for its legitimization, it also makes the entrance of the fundamental beliefs possible. Therefore, as the western people believe that Muslims are the promoters of religious fundamentalism, this study has indicated that the reformed epistemology which is derived from Christianity can justify the religious fundamentalism. Hence, in order to avoid accusation of expanding the religious fundamentalism, it is necessary for religious epistemology to continue not to abandon evidentialism Keywords: Alvin Plantinga, Reformed Epistemology, Fundamentalism, evidentialism, Religious Fundamentalism.

In philosophical texts, the primary focus is on proving The Necessary, and monotheism is taken into account as derivatives of proving The Necessary while mystical texts have their focus on monotheism. Rather than focusing on proof of Gods existence, Qurans focus is on monotheism. Firstly, philosophers try to recognize God by acquiring and holistic knowledge and secondly, in philosophy, both God and creatures are from types of existence but each one has a different level of existence, while mystic has non conceptual knowledge about God and for him, only God is existed and except God nothing else neither himself nor any other creature is existed. When the Quran is talking about God, obviously, it mentions a personal God. Focusing on three groups of Islamic texts (Quran text, Mystical texts, and philosophical texts) the paper has been an attempt to analyze the attitude of each text about Proofs of Gods Existence and at the second view, the similarities and differences of these three approaches are mentioned.