عنوان

God's Rage:

Number

LA122799

.Language of Text, Soundtrack etc

انگلیسی

Title Proper

God's Rage:

General Material Designation

[Article]

Other Title Information

Muslim Representations of hiv/aids as a Divine Punishment from the Perspective of the Cognitive Science of Religion

First Statement of Responsibility

Jonas Svensson

Place of Publication, Distribution, etc.

Leiden

Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.

Brill

Text of Note

Research from a number of disciplines indicates that the interpretation of hiv/aids as a divine punishment for illicit sexual practices dominates both a contemporary intra-Muslim public religious discourse and perceptions of the disease among Muslims. This dominance persists despite the existence of alternative theological interpretations, and despite seemingly contradictory empirical evidence. The present article develops a hypothesis on why this is the case and poses it against existing attempts at explanations. The theoretical basis for this hypothesis is elaborated with the help of findings from within the cognitive science of religion, and particularly the notion of an "epidemiology of representations." According to the hypothesis, a combination of general psychological and cognitive factors and specific contextual factors provide the notion of hiv/aids as a divine punishment, with a selective advantage in certain social contexts over both theological alternatives and non-religious understandings of the disease. The article finally puts forward some predictions that may be tested empirically in further research. Research from a number of disciplines indicates that the interpretation of hiv/aids as a divine punishment for illicit sexual practices dominates both a contemporary intra-Muslim public religious discourse and perceptions of the disease among Muslims. This dominance persists despite the existence of alternative theological interpretations, and despite seemingly contradictory empirical evidence. The present article develops a hypothesis on why this is the case and poses it against existing attempts at explanations. The theoretical basis for this hypothesis is elaborated with the help of findings from within the cognitive science of religion, and particularly the notion of an "epidemiology of representations." According to the hypothesis, a combination of general psychological and cognitive factors and specific contextual factors provide the notion of hiv/aids as a divine punishment, with a selective advantage in certain social contexts over both theological alternatives and non-religious understandings of the disease. The article finally puts forward some predictions that may be tested empirically in further research.

Date of Publication

2014

Physical description

569-593

Title

Numen

Volume Number

61/5-6

International Standard Serial Number

1568-5276

Subject Term

cognitive science of religion

Subject Term

divine punishment

Subject Term

epidemiology of representations

Subject Term

hiv/aids

Subject Term

Islam

Jonas Svensson

Call Number

10.1163/15685276-12341343

Electronic name

p

[Article]

275578

a

Y