This article surveys a seemingly straightforward topic: seventeenth- and eighteenth-century deism. It is approached from a historical and philosophical standpoint, chiefly via the analyses of Wayne Hudson. An in-depth study of Hudson’s work indicates that we are dealing with an unexpected diversity of views, as outlined in works such as The English Deists. His remarks concerning various concepts which pass for deist would seem to spoil the fun of those who would seek to create simple visions of history and of a range of analytical philosophers. These investigations into deism also take a broader perspective, showing it as a characteristically modern rendition of non-religious divinity, expressed by the term “the god of philosophers”. The history of the travails of the separation of philosophical concepts of divinity from religious beliefs is important for at least two reasons. For one, it highlights a philosophical tendency to present a structure of reality independent of traditional religious imaginings, and for another it allows us to consider human historically-conditioned expectations and claims through the variety of ways of portraying “the divine”.

The fundraising activity initiated by the Birla family in India resulted in the construction of more than 20 Hindu temples, commonly referred to as the Birla Mandirs. Although they vary in terms of architectural forms and iconographic programs it seems, that one basic and common theme remains - to show reformed Hinduism as a religion that is the pillar of the identity of the people of New India. It is understood at the same time as separate but also higher than other great religions, yet assuring a place within its confines for all of them. It is – as the authors argue in this paper - the practical realization of the thought expressed in the Ṛgveda(I 164.46) and repeatedly referred to in the Birla temples as ‘ekam sad viprā bahudhā vadanti’, which seems to be the motto of all foundations of the Birla family.

The paper discusses cosmogony presented by Uddālaka Āruṇi attested in the Chāndogya Upaniṣad (6.1-6), according to which world forms arise by giving them a name. I argue that the experience that motivates the thinking of Uddālaka is ritual, the essence of which is to give people and objects a name, thanks to which their status dramatically changes for the duration of the ritual. An analysis of a selected passage of the king’s coronation described in the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa (5.3.4) reveals the fundamental importance of the verses uttered during preparation of the water for the consecration. The reconstruction of an experience that influences philosophical thought makes it possible to see its coherence and depth, and the fact that this experience is a ritual, a common experience of humanity, enables it to be better understood by those who grew up in other philosophical traditions as well.

In descriptions and discussions of the Muslim concept of paradise, much space is always devoted to the famous – as well as infamous – Houris.My article, however, is devoted to another paradise thread, that is, an analysis of fragments of the Koran where “immortal youths” (wildān muḫalladūn) are mentioned. These are verses 56:17-19 and 76:19. In slightly different words (ḡilmān muḫalladūn) they are also referred to in verse 52:24.This topic has not yet been sufficiently covered in the studies in the field of Arabic and Islamic studies.Christian Luxenberg devoted some space to him in his controversial work on the Syro-Aramaic reading of the Koran.Much more space has been devoted to “immortal youths” by Muslim scholars, both classical and modern, not avoiding references to the ambiguities that may arise in connection with these verses.

This article presents Catalan independentism as a political religion. The main area of interest is the process of evangelisation to ensure the effectiveness of contemporary thought and the independence movement in Catalonia. The aim of the analysis is to verify the instruments and mechanisms through which an effective and permanent evangelization in the spirit of independentism is possible.

The topic of the article is the interpretation of Christianity by Alain de Benoist, thinker of the New Right. He believes that Christianity has brought about a revolution in the world-view of European peoples. Stating that it is ‘Paganism’ that was the original and authentic basis of European spirituality, mentality, and axiology, Benoist calls Christianity the “Bolshevism of Antiquity”. The article outlines the concepts of Christian desacralisation of the world, the inaugural dissociation, and the theory of progress. The analysis showed that the foremost revolutionary trait of Christianity is the radical dualism of the created and uncreated being, which is in direct contradiction with the pre- Christian / European ontological monism.