Magic between Europe and India: On Mantras, Coercion of Gods, and the Limits of Current Debates

Kód výsledku v IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F68378076%3A_____%2F21%3A00539293" target="_blank" >RIV/68378076:_____/21:00539293 - isvavai.cz</a>

Nalezeny alternativní kódy

RIV/46747885:24510/21:00008610

Výsledek na webu

<a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/2/87" target="_blank" >https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/2/87</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rel12020087" target="_blank" >10.3390/rel12020087</a>

Jazyk výsledku

angličtina

Název v původním jazyce

Magic between Europe and India: On Mantras, Coercion of Gods, and the Limits of Current Debates

Popis výsledku v původním jazyce

Several scholars have criticized the efforts to explain Indian mantras as spells, but much is left to clarification. Why do submission-versus-coercion characterizations keep reoccurring, albeit disputed? Why does the difference between this-worldly and other-worldly goals also keep its important role in discussions about mantras? Furthermore, how are these ideas tied to analyses of the beliefs of practitioners? We identify three main positions concerning mantras: They are explained as spells, prayers, or both at the same time. However, the criteria for determining whether mantras are magical practices or religious practices apparently allow for characterizing the very same mantra as either of the two or even as ‘magico-religious’. The general theories of magic are not able to explain this problem. In the last part of this article, we analyse the role that the concept of supernatural powers plays in the debates. It was a whole structure of interconnected ideas, deeply rooted in Christian belief in a biblical God and fallen angels, which formulated the dominant characterization of magical practices in modern scholarship on India. We propose a three-step scheme which shows how the originally coherent account of Christian theology gradually dissolved into a set of problematic ideas that have typified discussions of Indian mantras over the last six or more decades.

Název v anglickém jazyce

Magic between Europe and India: On Mantras, Coercion of Gods, and the Limits of Current Debates

Popis výsledku anglicky

Several scholars have criticized the efforts to explain Indian mantras as spells, but much is left to clarification. Why do submission-versus-coercion characterizations keep reoccurring, albeit disputed? Why does the difference between this-worldly and other-worldly goals also keep its important role in discussions about mantras? Furthermore, how are these ideas tied to analyses of the beliefs of practitioners? We identify three main positions concerning mantras: They are explained as spells, prayers, or both at the same time. However, the criteria for determining whether mantras are magical practices or religious practices apparently allow for characterizing the very same mantra as either of the two or even as ‘magico-religious’. The general theories of magic are not able to explain this problem. In the last part of this article, we analyse the role that the concept of supernatural powers plays in the debates. It was a whole structure of interconnected ideas, deeply rooted in Christian belief in a biblical God and fallen angels, which formulated the dominant characterization of magical practices in modern scholarship on India. We propose a three-step scheme which shows how the originally coherent account of Christian theology gradually dissolved into a set of problematic ideas that have typified discussions of Indian mantras over the last six or more decades.

Druh

J_imp - Článek v periodiku v databázi Web of Science

CEP obor

—

OECD FORD obor

60304 - Religious studies

Projekt

—

Návaznosti

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Rok uplatnění

2021

Kód důvěrnosti údajů

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Název periodika

Religions

ISSN

2077-1444

e-ISSN

—

Svazek periodika

12

Číslo periodika v rámci svazku

2

Stát vydavatele periodika

CH - Švýcarská konfederace

Počet stran výsledku

23

Strana od-do

87

Kód UT WoS článku

000623129400001

EID výsledku v databázi Scopus

2-s2.0-85100258174