Religion and Spirituality in Time of COVID-19

{{unknown}}Religion and Spirituality in Time of Corona Virus
The Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is due to change the current world order. Besides the economic implications, many social agents and institutions are adversely affected by this viral phenomenon. The global extent of the disruptions in educational institutions, religious practices, entertainment industry, including the media, have been totally unprecedented. The lack of predictability around this virus aggravates anxiety eliciting extreme measures, and some panic too. In any case, it has emerged that the defeat of COVID-19 requires a concerted effort led by the civil administrators.
The initial response of religions to the phenomenon of the novel virus has been a subject of debate, even in Kenya. It is a plain fact that religious gatherings have been early triggers for the spread of the contagion in […]

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Religious Antecedents of Secularisation and Secularist Consequents on Religion

Religious Antecedents of Secularisation, and Secularist Consequents
on Religion: Insights from Social Sciences
 
Sahaya G. Selvam, sdb
Abstract
Religion and secularism have a reciprocal relationship. The roots of political secularism and social secularisation could be traced within religion, and the rise of a secularist culture elicits a reactionary feedback from religion in the form of religious spirituality at best, and fundamentalism and fanaticism at worst. Basing itself on the historical context of the watershed events in European history that marked the rise of secularisation and secularism, the present paper points out the antecedents of secularism situated within religion. The paper argues that religion can be described in its four dimensions: creed (a set of beliefs explaining the mystery dimensions of life), code (a set of ethical principles and prescriptive and proscriptive directives), […]

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Spirituality of Youth in the 21st Century

Dimesse Centre, Nairobi, 22 October 2019
A presentation made to the Kenyan Association of Vocation Animators (KAVA).
The presentation has three parts:

What is special about the youth of 21st Century?
What is spirituality?
Dimensions of Youth Spirituality

The first part explores the characteristics of the youth of 21st Century. It focuses on the following aspects:
a. It begins by pointing out to the fluidity of the 21st century… what will be the nature of the following in the year 2100: education, job-market, media, science & technology, politics, social structures? No one really knows in details. One thing is sure: it is going to be much different from that of today.
b. Consider the demographic truth. Africa is still going to have a high level of youth population. Causing a youth-bulge! Would we […]

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News Report on Book Launch

{{unknown}}NAIROBI , 31 August, 2019 / 3:37 AM (ACI Africa).-

A book on how principles of psychology can be applied to the ministry of Christian churches within the African context has been launched in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi.

“Indications show that Christianity is vibrant in most parts of Sub-Saharan Africa and pastoral challenges are also many being that the history of Christianity in most parts of the African continent is relatively short,” author of the book, Rev. Prof. Sahaya Selvam has noted.
“More scientific approaches are needed to understand and respond to these pastoral situations,” Fr. Selvam has further explained what motivated him to write the book that focuses on Africa.
“Africa has specific issues like anomalous experiences such as hearing voices or possession like behavior hence the need to apply psychological principles in the African context,” the Salesian of Don Bosco missionary said Thursday, August 29 […]

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