Courts of law throughout the world have concluded that teaching and practicing shunning is protected by religious liberty. They are right.
Massimo Introvigne
Confucianism: “Atheism” or Religion? 4. The “Official Religion of Imperial China”?
A long process made the “Way of the Ru” an ideology governing the bureaucracy, education, and the imperial rites. The label “official religion” may however be misleading.
Jehovah’s Getuigen en mijden. 4. Hoe zit het met minderjarigen?
Tegenstanders beweren dat ‘zelfs kinderen’ uitgesloten worden. Ze noemen 17-jarigen ook ‘kinderen’, en maken van een zeldzaam (maar begrijpelijk) voorval een groot probleem.
Confucianism: “Atheism” or Religion? 3. For Heaven’s Sake
Confucius’ notion of “Heaven” (Tian) was not necessarily religious. Rather than “a religion,” traditional Confucianism may be regarded as a “religious tradition.”
Jehovah’s Getuigen en mijden. 3. Mijden in theorie en praktijk
Er bestaan een aantal fabels over mijden. Er gelden uitzonderingen, bijvoorbeeld voor familieleden die in hetzelfde huis wonen. Het is pijnlijk voor zowel degenen die mijden als degenen die gemeden worden. Het doel ervan is om zowel de gelovigen te beschermen als de zondaar tot berouw aan te zetten.
Jehovah’s Witnesses and Shunning. 4. What About Minors?
Opponents argue that “even children” are disfellowshipped. They call 17-year-olds “children” too, and turn a rare (but understandable) occurrence into a major issue.
Jehovah’s Witnesses and Shunning. 3. Shunning in Theory and Practice
There are several myths about shunning. It has exceptions, such as for cohabiting relatives. It is painful for both shunners and shunned. Its aim is both protecting the believers and inducing the sinners to repent.
Confucianism: “Atheism” or Religion? 2. In Search of Confucius
Scholars believe a sage called Kongzi (Confucius) did exist between the 6th and the 5th century BCE. He was a traditionalist who tried to restore the way of the ancient scholars.
Jehovah’s Getuigen en mijden: 2. Zich terugtrekken en uitsluiten
Zich terugtrekken is niet hetzelfde als inactief worden. En voor kleine fouten kan iemand niet uitgesloten worden, alleen voor ernstige zonden waarover geen berouw wordt getoond.
Confucianism: “Atheism” or Religion? 1. Is There Religion in China?
Confucianism is now presented in China as non-religious and an early form of atheism. To address the issue, we should first ask what “religion” in this discussion means.
Massimo Introvigne
Massimo Introvigne (born June 14, 1955 in Rome) is an Italian sociologist of religions. He is the founder and managing director of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), an international network of scholars who study new religious movements. Introvigne is the author of some 70 books and more than 100 articles in the field of sociology of religion. He was the main author of the Enciclopedia delle religioni in Italia (Encyclopedia of Religions in Italy). He is a member of the editorial board for the Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion and of the executive board of University of California Press' Nova Religio. From January 5 to December 31, 2011, he has served as the "Representative on combating racism, xenophobia and discrimination, with a special focus on discrimination against Christians and members of other religions" of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). From 2012 to 2015 he served as chairperson of the Observatory of Religious Liberty, instituted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to monitor problems of religious liberty on a worldwide scale.