Pharos Journal of Theology
May 1, 2025
Z. Kieliszek
7 citations
Catholic theology treats religious experience as an integral part of faith, merging the subjective dimension of spiritual life with the objective foundation of church teaching. This experience extends beyond inner mysticism to include liturgical practice, sacraments, and personal prayer, enabling direct contact with God. Analysis of biblical texts shows that such experience shapes a person's worldview, behavior, and life mission. Faith not only establishes moral guidelines but also alters cognitive processes, reshaping perception of reality so that the material and transcendent are seen as a unified whole. It also helps believers adapt to hardship by interpreting trials as part of God's plan and spiritual growth.
Pharos Journal of Theology
May 29, 2025
Philip Suciadi Chia
1 citation
Belief in malevolent entities such as the devil and evil spirits remains influential in modern Indonesia, where spirit possession is reported and addressed through Christian healing rituals. Drawing on sacred scriptures and contemporary cases, the article argues that these supernatural beliefs shape individuals' experiences and interactions with the spiritual realm. Christian healing rituals, rooted in local religious customs, are employed to counteract malevolent forces and restore spiritual and physical health. The research uses a mixed-method framework combining qualitative and quantitative analyses of real-life case studies and spiritual practices, offering a nuanced view of the interplay between occultism, religion, and healing in contemporary Indonesian society.
Pharos Journal of Theology
July 17, 2026
M. Nawa Syarif Fajar Sakti, M. Azfa Nashirul Hikam, M. Ikram Idris et al.
The article argues that modern religious pluralism in comparative theology has epistemological limits because it often avoids questions about the nature of ultimate reality, reducing religious diversity to mere symbolic or moral variation. Drawing on the perennial philosophy of Frithjof Schuon and Seyyed Hossein Nasr, it proposes that religious plurality is not epistemic relativism but a differentiated manifestation of a single transcendent reality. Doctrinal, ritual, and symbolic differences express the same metaphysical principle rather than contradicting ultimate truth. This framework reintroduces metaphysical reflection, offering an alternative to both exclusivism and relativistic pluralism that preserves theological distinctiveness while integrating religious diversity.
Pharos Journal of Theology
July 17, 2026
Emi Triani, Edy Suprayetno
Mohammad Iqbal's panentheism reconciles divine transcendence and immanence with human freedom and agency. Unlike absolute monism, his view affirms the distinct, substantial reality of the human ego (khudi) that matures through a dialectical relationship with a personal, creative God who is both vertically transcendent and horizontally immanent. The cosmos is real and interior to God's self-actualizing life. This framework harmonizes divine endurance, human agency, historical purpose, and causality and destiny. Beyond metaphysics, it counters Muslim fatalism by grounding an ontology of empowered participation, ethical co-creation, and human vicegerency, aiming to revitalize Islamic civilization against modern challenges.
Pharos Journal of Theology
June 15, 2026
Akhyar Anshori, Emi Triani
Modern life, dominated by rationalism and materialism, has created a spiritual crisis of alienation, anxiety, and loss of meaning. This article examines Sufi theology's potential to address these issues, focusing on two metaphysical doctrines: Ibn 'Arabī's Wahdat al-Wujud (Unity of Existence) and Ahmad Sirhindī's dialectical critique, Wahdat al-Syuhud (Unity of Witnessing). Through qualitative literature review and comparative hermeneutic analysis of primary Sufi texts, the findings indicate that Sufi theology offers insights into reality and human existence. Concepts like soul purification (tazkiyah al-nafs), divine love (mahabbah), and detachment (zuhud) provide a spiritual therapy for psychological, ethical, and existential challenges, and inspire Neo-Sufism as urban spirituality.
Pharos Journal of Theology
February 14, 2026
Manat Kanagatov, Tatyana Seryozhkina, Zukhra Ismagambetova et al.
In Turkic Kazakh culture, altered states of consciousness (ASC) were a normal, regulated way of interacting with a multi-layered reality, functioning as tools for diagnosis, sacred knowledge, and social order. Shamans acted as mediators between sacred and social realms, integrating personal experience with collective knowledge. Ritual spaces and objects held stable, myth-based symbolism. Under modern conditions, the shamanic tradition has shifted toward individualized psycho-spiritual practice while keeping its core symbolic codes. Archetypal shamanic structures persist in Kazakh folklore, cultural memory, and identity. The study synthesizes philosophy, ethnology, archaeology, and symbolic analysis to interpret these sacred practices and their contemporary transformations.
Pharos Journal of Theology
January 1, 2026
I. G. Suwantana, N. Perni, I. Agung et al.
Advaita Vedānta teachings in Balinese Hindu philosophy are not a mere copy of Indian thought but a localized expression of non-dualism. Through a hermeneutic analysis of Tattwa manuscripts like Tattwa Jñāna, Bhuwana Kosa, and Tuturan Bhatāra Rsi Agastya, the principle of unity between Ātman and Brahman appears strongly, though conveyed through symbolic and culturally distinct Balinese language. The Advaita concept shapes ethical and ecological consciousness in Balinese society, reflected in principles such as rwa bhineda, Tri Hita Karana, and the sekala–niskala balance. Interpretation is a dialogical, contextual process that discloses symbolic meanings negotiated within socio-cultural realities.
Pharos Journal of Theology
January 1, 2026
M. Nawa Syarif Fajar Sakti, Bagus Haziratul Qodsiyah, Muh Nur'Afwan et al.
Three Abrahamic mystical traditions—Sufism, Kabbalah, and Christian mysticism—treat nature as a form of non-verbal revelation, offering a spiritual foundation for ecological ethics. Sufism sees nature as tajallī (manifestation) guiding seekers toward divine love; Kabbalah frames nature within the myth of shevirat ha-kelim and the task of tikkun olam; Christian mysticism emphasizes creation's sacramentality and Christological icon of God's presence. While converging on the cosmos as a medium for encountering the Divine, they differ theologically. These perspectives reframe the environmental crisis as a religious calling, not merely a scientific or political issue, providing transformative insights for ecological justice and sustainability.
Pharos Journal of Theology
March 28, 2026
Se-Ho Jang, Mesuk Cho, Seon-Ok Jang et al.
This paper compares the religious ideas of Freud, Jung, and Frankl, arguing that each thinker's views were shaped by a historical perception that contemporary society had lost meaning. Freud claimed religion was a 'doll dream' satisfying unconscious desires, while Jung saw it as a symbolic expression of the collective unconscious providing archetypes for individuation. Frankl's humanistic perspective surpassed the others by asserting that existential orientation and transcendence are critical to psychological well-being. Using a comparative hermeneutic approach, the paper analyzes these views in relation to mental health crises, education, intercultural dialogue, and the search for meaning. The authors note that Western existential and psychoanalytic philosophy may not fully accommodate the richness of religious experience.
Pharos Journal of Theology
October 31, 2025
Sigit Hardiyanto, Arief Marizki Purba
Theological and ethical debates over artificial consciousness are examined through a qualitative synthesis of religious and scientific literature. Religious traditions view consciousness as an interplay of bodily and spiritual orders, conferring non-material significance, while AI research highlights replicable cognitive processing. Abrahamic theologies affirm an inviolable ontological threshold for humans, whereas selected Eastern traditions entertain a more porous conception that could accommodate artificial sentience. The study calls for a calibrated moral architecture that safeguards equitable, accountable, and human-centred AI evolution, counteracting technological idolatry, and advocates sustained interdisciplinary negotiation among theologians, researchers, and policymakers.
Pharos Journal of Theology
July 28, 2025
Ivan Th. J. Weismann, Johana Betris Tumbol, Randy Frank Rouw et al.
Postmodern society suffers from collective aggression and fragmented values. Carl Jung's theory of individuation—self-integration through archetypes—offers a lens for addressing these issues. This analysis examines Pancasila and Javanese local wisdom (Rasajati) as active archetypes for self-development. Pancasila functions as a dialogical partner in national development, providing correction, guidance, and peace, and its collective transformation can reduce mass aggression. Rasajati embodies existential practice through laku (reasoning–decision–action), guiding individuals toward Kasunyatan (ultimate reality) and cosmic consciousness, mirroring Jung's individuation. Both Pancasila and local wisdom serve as collective archetypes that mediate conflict, integrate the self, and restore social cohesion amid postmodern complexity.