At the 1955 Bandung Conference representatives of 29 independent Asian and African countries discussed matters ranging from national unity, decolonization, economic development and their role in international policy. The ten-point declaration of the conference, the so-called ‘Spirit of Bandung’, included the principles of nationhood for the future of the newly independent nations and their interrelations. After the Bandung Conference most ‘non-aligned’ Asian and African countries opted for philosophies of national unity to guarantee peace and stability. In the African case of Tanzania, the Ujamaa philosophy was secular although Tanzania had a ‘civic religion’. In the Asian case of Indonesia, the philosophy of Pancasila was ‘religious pluralistic’ by recognizing six ‘official’ religions. In both this and other countries, the philosophies of national unity are now contested. Therefore, 68 years after the Bandung Conference, experts from Africa, Asia and Europe address the questions:
- What philosophy, secular or religious, succeeds or succeeded in promoting peace and stability?
- Are there comparable philosophies of national unity from other countries?
In de huidige geseculariseerde samenleving kan de theologie op steeds minder belangstelling rekenen en wordt haar nog maar weinig maatschappelijk belang toegekend. Ten onrechte, zo toont deze bundel essays aan. Naar aanleiding van het eeuwfeest van de Radboud Universiteit (1923-2023) presenteren onderzoekers en docenten van de Faculteit der Theologie op toegankelijke wijze een aantal theologische inzichten over zowel de menselijke gebrokenheden als de grootsheid van de mens. Met de hoofdzonden en een paar deugden als leidraad, worden de grenzen, de horizonten en de dubbelzinnigheden van het menselijk bestaan lichtvoetig gethematiseerd.
In our modern secular society, theology is capturing progressively less attention and is being granted minimal importance within the wider community. Unjustly so, as this collection of essays demonstrates. On the occasion of the centenary of Radboud University (1923-2023), researchers and professors from the Faculty of Theology present a series of easily comprehensible theological insights concerning both human frailties and the greatness of humanity. Using the deadly sins and a few virtues as a guiding framework, these essays explore lighthearted the boundaries, horizons, and ambiguities of human existence.
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