Research On Religion » Hinduism

Christian Novetzke on Kung Fu Fighting and Eastern Religions (Encore Presentation)

tonygill — Sun, 16 Apr 2017 08:00:52 +0000

While we take a break for the Easter holiday, what better way to celebrate than to talk about religion and martial arts. The following is an encore presentation of our discussion with Christian Novetzke from back in 2012.

Get into the octagon with Prof. Christian Novetzke, associate professor at the University of Washington’s Jackson School of International Studies, as we spar intellectually about the relationship between the martial arts and Eastern religions. We walk through Prof. Novetzke’s syllabus for the class he recently offered at the UW entitled “Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting: Seminar on World Cultures through the Asian Martial Arts.” We start by discussing Christian’s name and his “accidental” discovery of karate. The first interesting challenge that arises in this interview is to define yoga as a martial art. Prof. Novetzke does this by relying upon the concept of “self-actualization,” which he contends is related to all of the martial arts and moves us into our discussion of how religion and philosophy form a fundamental underpinning of these physical activities. Whilst talking about yoga, we also discuss the recent criticism levelled on this form of martial art by Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church. This sets up an intriguing discussion of what constitutes religion and the relationship between religions such as yoga and Christianity. We then also chat about Driscoll’s commentary regarding the connection between mixed martial arts (MMA) and Christianity, with Prof. Novetzke noting that a surprisingly high number of MMA fighters are also outwardly devout Christians. We then return to Eastern religions and other martial arts covering different aspects of Zen, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, and Confucianism. Throughout the conversation we also reflect upon educational pedagogy (i.e., how we teach our subjects of expertise) and what students pulled from this rather unique and interesting course. Recorded: March 12, 2012.

Religion and Public Memory: A Cultural History of Saint Namdev in India, by Christian L. Novetzke.

Zen and the Martial Arts, by Joe Hymans.

Tao of Jeet Kune Do, by Bruce Lee.

Zen Flesh, Zen Bones, edited by Paul Reps.

Yoga: Discipline of Freedom, by Barbara Miller.

Blood in the Cage, by L. Jon Wertheim.

RELATED PODCASTS

Andrea Molle on Spirituality and the Martial Arts.

Matthew Moore on Buddhism and Political Theory.

Eleanor Power on Rituals, Community, and Signaling

tonygill — Sun, 24 Jul 2016 08:00:08 +0000

Walking across hot coals. Piercing your cheeks with sharp skewers. Pulling your skin with sharp hooks. What would possess individuals to do such things? And are they crazy?! Dr. Eleanor (Elly) Power, a postdoctoral fellow at the Santa Fe Institute, explains what would motivate people to engage in such “odd rituals” and the fascinating and extensive ethnographic study she conducted for several years in two small villages in India. Our conversation begins with explaining the concept of “ritual,” which Dr. Power defines as a symbolic, repeated, and public activity. While acknowledging the presence of private rituals, Elly focusses attention on the public aspect of rituals as the public displays make “odd behaviors” (e.g., firewalking) as it seems to be counter to what many people would consider “rational” behavior. We review some previous explanations for such “extreme” ritualistic actions such as people are simply irrational or are deluded by ancient beliefs. Elly notes that many of these explanations that rely upon “timeless” traditions are not quite true given that some of these practices are relatively new. Dr. Power then turns to an explanation that relies upon the idea of signaling behavior amidst uncertainty, noting that many different academic fields began studying the importance of signaling around the same time. Relying on insights from anthropology, economics, and sociology, Elly argues that many of these public rituals that involve costly behavior help members of a society identify which individuals are the most trustworthy and likely to be cooperative. Such signals are important in coordinating behavior and building community relations. Dr. Power describes the nature of her two years of fieldwork, including intensive surveys and mapping out the various network connections between individuals. She finds that those who are involved in these public rituals are often at the center of important social networks. Interestingly, individuals who are “spiritually possessed” tend not to be as connected. We discuss what “possession” means and how it can range from a few short minutes of shaking at a church service or more intense behaviors in private. The conversation concludes with some of Elly’s reflections on what she has learned, and what has surprised her, over the course of her studies. She notes that people around the world are often the same despite different cultures and we all tend to worry about our reputations. Recorded: June 16, 2016.

Institute for the Study of Religion, Economics, and Society at Chapman University (info on graduate student colloquia).

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Christian Novetzke on Kung Fu Fighting & Eastern Religions

tonygill — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 08:00:50 +0000

Get into the octagon with Prof. Christian Novetzke, associate professor at the University of Washington’s Jackson School of International Studies, as we spar intellectually about the relationship between the martial arts and Eastern religions. We walk through Prof. Novetzke’s syllabus for the class he recently offered at the UW entitled “Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting: Seminar on World Cultures throug the Asian Martial Arts.” We start by discussing Christian’s name and his “accidental” discovery of karate. The first interesting challenge that arises in this interview is to define yoga as a martial art. Prof. Novetzke does this by relying upon the concept of “self-actualization,” which he contends is related to all of the martial arts and moves us into our discussion of how religion and philosophy form a fundamental underpinning of these physical activities. Whilst talking about yoga, we also discuss the recent criticism levelled on this form of martial art by Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church. This sets up an intriguing discussion of what constitutes religion and the relationship between religions such as yoga and Christianity. We then also chat about Driscoll’s commentary regarding the connection between mixed martial arts (MMA) and Christianity, with Prof. Novetzke noting that a surprisingly high number of MMA fighters are also outwardly devout Christians. We then return to Eastern religions and other martial arts covering different aspects of Zen, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, and Confucianism. Throughout the conversation we also reflect upon educational pedagogy (i.e., how we teach our subjects of expertise) and what students pulled from this rather unique and interesting course. Recorded: March 12, 2012.

Religion and Public Memory: A Cultural History of Saint Namdev in India, by Christian L. Novetzke.

Mark Driscoll’s post on mixed martial arts.

Zen and the Martial Arts, by Joe Hymans.

Tao of Jeet Kune Do, by Bruce Lee.

Zen Flesh, Zen Bones, edited by Paul Reps.

Yoga: Discipline of Freedom, by Barbara Miller.

Blood in the Cage, by L. Jon Wertheim.

Timothy Shah on the Case for Religious Liberty

tonygill — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 08:00:19 +0000

What case can be made for promoting religious liberty worldwide? Why is religious freedom often considered the “first freedom”? And should religious liberty really be a strategic objective for US foreign policymakers? Prof. Timothy Shah — associate director of the Religious Freedom Project at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs and an a visiting assistant professor at Georgetown University — joins us to discuss the recent monograph he authored under the auspices of the Witherspoon Institute’s Task Force on International Religious Freedom. Tim starts the program by explaining what the Witherspoon Task Force saught to accomplish and also details how his own interests in religious freedom grew from a tragic incident in Gujarat, India. We then dip into a variety of justifications for why religious liberty should be a major concern for both policymakers and civilians around the world, starting with the anthropological reasons behind religious freedom. Justin Barrett’s research, recently discussed on a separate podcast, serves as our anchor here as Tim argues that the innate tendency for humans to seek out the transcendent provides an important justification for promoting religious liberty and the human dignity it requires. Dr. Shah then covers the moral case for religious freedom and summarizes how three religious traditions — Judaism, Christianity, and Islam — view the subject. The topic of apostasy figures into this discussion, particularly as it pertains to the recent case of Youcef Nadarkhani in Iran. Following the moral case for religious freedom, Tony brings up the issue of political and strategic justifications, noting that political rulers often dislike religious freedom since they fear it may promote conflict within their borders, as it did in India. Tim answers these concerns arguing that religious freedom is certainly better than other political options and we engage in a thought experiment based on a scenario where everyone in a population had the same beliefs. That exercise proves enlightening. Along the way, we also ruminate about why so many secular elites — be they policymakers or academics — tend to downplay the vital importance of what is often called “the first freedom.” A few stories about Tony’s visit to the Witherspoon Institute and a 2011 colloquium on religious liberty at Princeton Theological Seminary are sprinkled throughout the interview. Recorded: March 13, 2012.

Religious Freedom: Why Now? Defending an Embattled Human Right, by Timothy Shah.

Berkley Center Conference on Religious Freedom & Health Care Reform (March 22, 2012) mentioned in podcast.

God’s Century: Resurgent Religion and Global Politics, by Monida Duffy Toft, Daniel Philpott, and Timothy Shah.

Freedom of Religion, Apostasy and Islam, by Abdullah Saeed and Hassan Saeed (mentioned in interview).

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Thomas Farr on Religion, Religious Liberty, and US Diplomacy.

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Allen Hertzke on Religious Liberty.

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Allen Hertzke on Religious Liberty

tonygill — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 09:00:37 +0000

One of the recurring themes of the Research on Religion podcast series is religious liberty — including the causes for, consequences of, and threats to such freedom. Prof. Allen Hertzke — Presidential Professor of Political Science at the University of Oklahoma — joins us to give his overview of this topic based on his research conducted both in the United States and globally. Prof. Hertzke recounts how his interest in religion and politics developed, and how he became increasingly involved in studying religious freedom on a global scale. We talk about what impact academic scholarship might have on promoting religious freedom as well as offer some speculations as to why intellectual and policy elites have often been dismissive, or outright hostile, to this basic civil liberty. We then dissect the importance of religious freedom examining it on the theoretical dimensions of equal worth, dignity, reason and community. We then move on to some of the more empirical examples of how religious freedom has promoted positive developments in the world, and how and why we’ve seen some backtracking on its spread over the past decade. Recorded: November 3, 2011.

RELATED LINKS

Prof. Allen Hertzke’s bio at the University of Oklahoma.

Freeing God’s Children: The Unlikely Alliance for Global Human Rights, by Allen Hertzke.

Representing God in Washington: The Role of Religious Lobbies in the American Polity, by Allen Hertzke.

Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

John Templeton Foundation.

Institute for Global Engagement.

Echoes of Discontent: Jesse Jackson, Pat Robertson and the REsurgence of Populism, by Allen Hertzke.

“Septics, Sewers, and Secularization: How Government Flushes Religious Liberty Down the Drain,” a guiding paper by Anthony Gill mentioned on the podcast.

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Thomas Farr on Religion, Religious Liberty, and US Diplomacy.

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Monica Toft on Religion, Terrorism, and Civil War

tonygill — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 08:00:38 +0000

A week before the 10th anniversay of the September 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Prof. Monica Duffy Toft of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government joins us to discuss what we have learned about religiously-motivated violence over the past decade. This podcast represents our second discussion on the book God’s Century: Resurgent Religion and Global Politics (co-authored with Daniel Philpott and Timothy Shah), the first being focused on the role of religion in promoting democracy. Our attention here turns to why religious groups and individuals would be prompted to violence. The discussion is far-ranging, looking not only at Islamic terrorism, but includes an examination of the Irish Republican Army in Northern Ireland, Hindu nationalism in India, and the influence of Buddhism on the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka. Prof. Toft provides definition of terrorism and “informal violence,” the latter which encompasses such “spontaneous” events as ethn0-religious riots. She argues that looking at, and including, informal violence in the analysis of terrorism is crucial for understanding the phenomenon of religiously-motivated violence. Prof. Toft lays out her explanation for the increasing salience of religious violence, focusing both on institutional factors such as how states regulate religious organizations and the importance of political theologies. The confluence of these institutional and ideological factors helps explain why religious terrorism and civil war has increased since the 1970s. Our conversation also considers the recent rampage of Anders Behring Breivik in Norway. We also discuss the role of religion in civil wars such as Sudan, Yugoslavia and other parts of the world. Prof. Toft finishes the interview with her thoughts on whether religious violence is likely to subside in the future. Recorded: August 29, 2011.

RELATED LINKS

Monica Duffy Toft’s website at Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government.

Initiative on Religion in International Affairs at the Belfer Center (Harvard University).

God’s Century: Resurgent Religion and Global Politics, by Monica Duffy Toft, Daniel Philpott, and Timothy Samuel Shah.

Securing the Peace: The Durable Settlement of Civil Wars, by Monica Duffy Toft.

The Geography of Ethnic Conflict: Identity, Interests, and Territory, by Monica Duffy Toft.

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Dan Philpott on Religious Resurgence and Democratization.

Eli Berman on Religious Terrorism.

Ron Hassner on Sacred Spaces and Conflict.

Nathan Brown on the Muslim Brotherhood.