Science as a Vocation

Weber, Max

doi:10.1007/978-1-349-25249-7_17

Cited by 590 publications

(250 citation statements)

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“…The traditional function of religion-ultimate meaning-making in the face of this-worldly illness, suffering and death (Weber 1948;Berger 1967)-thus becomes an important asset in game design (cf. Wagner 2012;Leibovitz 2014).…”

Section: Revelations Of a New Worldmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Indeed: tapping into current trends and extrapolating these to the future, sci-fi worlds seem to be dominated by scientific reasoning instead of faith and technological practices, methods and artefacts instead of magic. More than anything else, science fiction would seem to exemplify the "disenchantment of the world" (Weber 1948). To paraphrase Max Weber, like in the real world, in futuristic sci-fi universes such as Star Trek:…”

Section: Science Fiction-based Religion: a Blind Spotmentioning

confidence: 99%

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‘Things Greater than Thou’: Post-Apocalyptic Religion in Games

et al. 2018

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Abstract:In the literature on religion in games, two broad types of religion have been depicted: on the one hand, historical religions-Christian, Muslim and Buddhist narratives, tropes and symbols-and, on the other hand, fiction-based religion, referring to fantasy, myth and popular culture. In this article we aim to describe, analyze and explain the emergence of a new, unacknowledged repertoire. Building on two case studies-Fallout 3 and Horizon: Zero Dawn-we argue that modern technology (computers, AI, VR, androids) itself is becoming a sacred object of veneration in fiction, specifically in post-apocalyptic games that imagine man-made annihilation. Although the themes and topics differ, this emergent form of techno-religion in game narratives is generally located in a post-apocalyptic setting. Although they are fictitious, we conclude that such narratives reflect developments in real life, in which technology such as artificial intelligence is feared as an increasingly powerful, opaque force.

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Section: Revelations Of a New Worldmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Science Fiction-based Religion: a Blind Spotmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Things Greater than Thou’: Post-Apocalyptic Religion in Games

et al. 2018

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“…Since that worldview contains angels, spirits and an interventionist God, the notion here is that any culture that has not been subjected to the critique of the Enlightenment is likely to be hospitable to Pentecostalism. Given that secularisation theory assumes religion declines as the world becomes less 'enchanted', the idea that Pentecostal churches grow when there is a match between their worldview and the prevalent culture is effectively another way of expressing secularisation theory (Weber 1918(Weber (1946). …”

Section: Growth Of Elimmentioning

confidence: 99%

George Jeffreys: Pentecostal and Contemporary Implications

Kay

2018

Religions

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Abstract:The life and work of the Welsh evangelist George Jeffreys resulted in the planting of two denominations in the UK between 1915 and 1962, when he died. The Elim churches continue to this day to be one of the larger classical Pentecostal denominations in the UK, while the Bible Pattern Fellowship dispersed on Jeffreys' death. The disputes that led to Jeffreys' departure from Elim were said to have arisen from his adherence to British Israel doctrine, though his supporters believed they arose from his championing of local church ownership and democracy. This paper considers sociological and other reasons for Jeffreys' remarkable success in the interwar years and his eventual departure from a denomination he founded. It concludes by reflecting on topics (such as the importance of debate and law) that have relevance for contemporary Pentecostalism.Keywords: George Jeffreys; Elim; British Israel; schism; Pentecostalism; revivalism; 1930s IntroductionGeorge Jeffreys has been called the greatest British evangelist since John Wesley and George Whitfield (Cartwright 2002, p. 808). Unlike the other two, he self-identified as a Pentecostal. He preached throughout the British Isles during his adult life and planted the Elim Pentecostal denomination, which continues to flourish to this day.While the analysis of historical causation is fundamentally problematic, given the interaction between indeterminate human agency and social and cultural factors that can be theorised according to a variety of positions, this paper will outline the stages in the life of Jeffreys and end by adducing possible causes of his successes and failures, some of which utilise sociological theory.While the 'great man' notion of history has been criticised (Butterfield 1949, p. 7), it is evident that, in the case of the creation of an organisation from nothing, the originator must be the chief cause of its existence. Without Jeffreys, there would have been no Elim, since it is impossible to believe a movement of its type would have arisen spontaneously or through the variable effects of culture. In speaking of Jeffreys, we have three main sources of information: his own statements, the statements of those who knew him, and what he did. We may be able to infer traces of his inner life with reference to his position within a particular social group at a particular point in time (e.g., in his attitude to debt), but, equally, we may be wrong in making these inferences, since Jeffreys was atypical, as is borne out by the remarkable achievements of his life. First StridesBorn into a bilingual Welsh-English coal mining family in Wales in the Victorian era, Jeffreys began with the psychological advantage of a stable home coupled with economic sufficiency; his father and elder brothers were all employed at the upper level of wages earned by manual workers.Religions 2018, 9, 60; doi:10.3390/rel9020060www.mdpi.com/journal/religionsReligions 2018, 9, 60 2 of 11The independent chapel (one of many dotted all over Wales) was a fixed point in the family's ex...

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“…But how are such claims to be interpreted in this age of pluralism (or polytheism, to use Weber's characterization 15 ), where everyone is free to worship the god of his choice, and no one is entitled to ask which is the True God. We Abrahamites want to turn our face away from this multiplicity of gods who may all be false gods, but can certainly not all be true.…”

Section: S T U D Y In G M Y M O V E M E N T : S O C Ia L S C Ie N C Ementioning

confidence: 99%