Christianity

Read more about the article Lecture: A Christian site, Jewish sanctification agents, spiritual discourse – The sanctification process of Kursi to the Sea of Galilee
Economy and business / Geography / Israel / Magic and paganism / Methodology and models / Science/medicine and technology / State politics and law

Lecture: A Christian site, Jewish sanctification agents, spiritual discourse – The sanctification process of Kursi to the Sea of Galilee

Kursi is a Christian pilgrimage site to the Sea of Galilee, which has become the subject of contemporary spiritual urban legends - mainly around the "enchanted benches" installed at the site by the Nature and Parks Authority. This site, which has undergone a sanctification process by neo-shaman activists in recent years, is an opportunity to follow in real time the formation of a holy site - as well as to witness the growth of an alternative sacred geography in the Land of Israel.

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April 2, 2024
Read more about the article Lecture: The Film “Noah” (2014) as an Intersection Between Alternative Spiritualities and Popular Culture
Art (music\film\literature etc.) / Feminism gender and sex / Judaism and Kabbalah / Myth / Popular culture and mass media

Lecture: The Film “Noah” (2014) as an Intersection Between Alternative Spiritualities and Popular Culture

The film Noah (2014) is analyzed in this lecture as a cinematic Midrash, that presents three different contemporary worldviews, and promotes eco-feminist values while criticizing materialism and fundamentalism. The lecture presents central theses formulated in a couple of articles published by Prof. Marianna Ruah-Midbar Shapiro and Dr. Lila Moore as part of this research project.

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December 26, 2023
Read more about the article Session: Around the Temple- Holy Places and Contested Spaces in Israel
Disputation or conflict / Geography / History / Identity / Israel / Judaism and Kabbalah / State politics and law

Session: Around the Temple- Holy Places and Contested Spaces in Israel

How is the Holy Land perceived and shaped by thinkers of new religions? In this session, at an international conference that dealt with new religions, four researchers (from the USA, Scotland and Israel) presented different religious approaches: by Freemasonry, channelers, Jewish and Christian groups. The session was moderated by Prof. Marianna Ruah-Midbar Shapiro, at a conference of CESNUR (Center for Studies on New Religions), and the lectures were videotaped.

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November 12, 2023
Read more about the article Lecture: The Status of Symbols in Virtual Divinasion – Between Iconography and Arbitrariness
Art (music\film\literature etc.) / Magic and paganism / Methodology and models / Popular culture and mass media / Science/medicine and technology / Typology and comparative study

Lecture: The Status of Symbols in Virtual Divinasion – Between Iconography and Arbitrariness

Does the statue represent God? Is the flag sacred? What is the status of the sacred symbols, and what happens to them when they move to the cyberspace? In this lecture, computerized icons in religious/spiritual/magical ceremonies and their status were examined and analyzed. The lecture is part of a research project in which an article was published and lectures were presented in other directions.

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November 3, 2023
Read more about the article Article: “The Most Powerful Portal in Zion”—Kursi: The Spiritual Site that Became an Intersection of Ley-lines and Multicultural Discourses
Feminism gender and sex / Geography / History / Identity / Israel / Judaism and Kabbalah / Magic and paganism / Myth / Science/medicine and technology / State politics and law

Article: “The Most Powerful Portal in Zion”—Kursi: The Spiritual Site that Became an Intersection of Ley-lines and Multicultural Discourses

This article deals with the sanctification process of a site in the Land of Israel, by the Alternative Spirituality, or Neo-Pagans/Shamans. The site, that has a Christian history, and is directed by an Israeli governmental authorities, has become a focus if an invention of tradition that synthesizes a variety of discourses and traditions. Though it is percieved as a hub in a network of power sites arrayedthroughout Israel and the whole planet, some view it as the most powerful spiritual site on Earth.

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June 19, 2023
Read more about the article Article: The film “Noah” (2014) as an Environmental Cinematic Midrash
Art (music\film\literature etc.) / Feminism gender and sex / Judaism and Kabbalah / Myth / Popular culture and mass media

Article: The film “Noah” (2014) as an Environmental Cinematic Midrash

The film Noah (2014) is a cinematic Midrash. What does this mean? That it creatively interprates the biblical story of Noah anew, fills in existing gaps in the story, and striving at delivering an ideological message. This article surveys the sources of inspiration integrated in the film - from the sages' midrash to Zen Buddhism stories, and explains the film creators' interpretative choises and their message.

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December 1, 2022
Read more about the article Lecture: Kursi, From the Miracle of the Swines site to the Enchanted Bench Site – An Alternative-Spiritual Invention of Tradition Revolving a Christian Site Sponsered by the Israel Nature And Parks Authority
Economy and business / Geography / Israel / Magic and paganism / Methodology and models / Science/medicine and technology / State politics and law

Lecture: Kursi, From the Miracle of the Swines site to the Enchanted Bench Site – An Alternative-Spiritual Invention of Tradition Revolving a Christian Site Sponsered by the Israel Nature And Parks Authority

This lecture describes the sanctification process of a (historically Christian) site in the Land of Israel, by the Alternative Spirituality, or Neo-Pagans/Shamans, and analyses the invention of tradition revolving Kursi. In addition to this lecture, there is another one, as well as two articles (in English and Hebrew) that describe different aspects of the sanctification process of Kursi. See links below. The lecture takes part in a research project that deals with the Alternative Sacred Geography of the Land of Israel, by Ruah-Midbar Shapiro. The lecture was included in a session dedicated to "A Geography of Memory", chaired by Anat Kidron, held at the 60th conference of the Israeli Geographical Association - 2020, at the University of Haifa.

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January 31, 2022
Read more about the article Research article: “The Enchanted Benches” at Kursi National Park as Case Study for the Formation Processes of Alternative Sacred Geography
Economy and business / Geography / Israel / Magic and paganism / Methodology and models / Science/medicine and technology / State politics and law

Research article: “The Enchanted Benches” at Kursi National Park as Case Study for the Formation Processes of Alternative Sacred Geography

This article deals with the sanctification process of a (historically Christian) site in the Land of Israel, by the Alternative Spirituality, or Neo-Pagans/Shamans. The article analyses the factors that made Kursi a suitable candidate for a sactification process, and presents a model that examines various aspects and elements that contribute to an Alternative Spiritual sactification process of factors in the site. In addition to this (8,500 words, Hebrew) article, there is another (English) article that describes different aspects of the sanctification process of Kursi, and a lecture on a similar subject. See links below. The article takes a part in a research project that deals with the Alternative Sacred Geography of the Land of Israel, by Ruah-Midbar Shapiro. The article is part of a special issue of Horizons in Geography (edited by Anat Kidron) that was dedicated to the "Functional Places and Collective Memory" (how functional sites - such as a road signs, sports stadium or film theatre - are designed as to construct a collective memory and conciousness). Horizons in Geography ("Ofaqim bGeographia") is a journal published in Hebrew by the University of Haifa.

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November 23, 2021