Contributors join together in this tenth ACLARS volume to propose a framing of human rights in terms of African conceptions of human dignity. Following on the signing of the Punta del Este and Botswana Declarations of Human Dignity for Everyone Everywhere in 2018 and 2023, contributors discuss human dignity as an African and indigenous concept grounded in relationship, community, and an overarching ethic of Ubuntu. Chapters further explore human dignity’s many meanings and relation to other rights in the African context, as well as human dignity’s connection to basic human needs, state obligations, religion and theology, gender and age, and the environment.

Using Scripture and real-life stories, Patsy Clairmont illustrates how hearts and dreams can be rejuvenated and rebuilt and how the trip through the valley can lead to the mountaintop.

In Broken Planet, Dr Sharon Dirckx, scientist and apologist, offers a measured and thoughtful case for how there could be a God of love that allows natural disasters. The question of suffering is one of the greatest hurdles to Christian faith. When believers respond to the question of why there is suffering in the world, they often turn to the free-will defence. This states that humans make choices for good or ill that can bring about suffering in the lives of others. However, that doesn't explain why children die of cancer, or why the latest earthquakes, tsunamis or pandemics have been so destructive. These seem to happen not because of our choices, but in spite of them. So how do we make sense of these events? Dr. Sharon Dirckx blends argument, science and first-person narrative in this unique book, weaving answers to real questions with compassion and empathy, while also acknowledging the element of mystery we will always live with while on earth. Dr Dirckx addresses topics such as: If God exists, why would he make a world with earthquakes and tsunamis? Why is there so much suffering in a natural disaster? Are natural disasters God's judgement? Is my illness a punishment from God? What kind of God would allow natural disasters and diseases? If you have ever struggled to reconcile the idea of a loving God with all the pain in our world, this book will encourage you that belief in such a God is not as unreasonable as it may seem. In fact, it may be where God is revealed most profoundly.

This book is the most comprehensive and authoritative reference ever published on the wide range of martial arts disciplines practiced in cultures around the world. ABC-CLIO's Martial Arts of the World: An Encyclopedia of History and Innovation is the most authoritative reference ever published on combat disciplines from around the world and across history. Coverage includes Shaolin monks, jousting knights, Roman gladiators, Westerner gunfighters, samurai warriors, and heavyweight boxers. These iconic figures and many more are featured in this title, as well as representatives of less well known but no less fascinating systems, all vividly characterized by expert contributors from around the world who are themselves martial arts practitioners. Martial Arts of the World comprises 120 entries in two volumes. The first volume is organized geographically to explore the historic development of martial arts styles in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. The second volume looks at martial arts thematically, with coverage of belief systems, modern martial arts competitions, and a wide range of such topics as folklore, women in martial arts, martial arts and the military, and martial arts and the media.

Join author and filmmaker James Weeks as he delves into the ancient Ifa spiritual tradition that led his family to healing. Absorb his stories as he travels abroad, tapping into the spirit realm and showing us ways to commune with our ancestors while discovering our purpose on Earth. His story has already touched tens of thousands of lives. Complete with updated chapters, this new edition of Meditations Across the King’s River reaches deep into the soul, urging us to open ourselves to our spirit guides and embrace their gifts.

While endeavoring to tell this story, I needed clarification on which approach to take. I could present this work in an entirely academic format. However, I am reminded of what my comparative religions professor would say at the beginning of his lectures...” Intellectuals are boring. We will attempt to tell the story from the griot format. You may have wondered why I am writing this book. This is the third book in my series from the Yoruba-American Theological Arch ministry. Inspired by the library in the Oyotunji Village in South Carolina, these books are intended to educate our children, students, clients, and followers of our beliefs, customs, and traditions. The first book in the series, “Ile Ifa International,” was presented as a format for beginning worship and establishing your spiritual home, or “Ile,” as we call it. The second book, “The Voodoo Kings,” was presented to emphasize the elders in the Diaspora and their work. Art...art, love of culture and tradition, and respect for elders and teachers are essential to practicing the tradition. Due to the demonization of the tradition in Hollywood and other media sources, the beauty and refinement of art and the genius of the literature have been reduced to the default term “Voodoo” to represent the many manifestations of the tradition throughout the diaspora. We love the practice in all its images and attempt to educate beyond the simplifications. It is their birthright for Yoruba Americans, and you should know which tradition resonates with your soul or spirit. In this latest book. “Bablawo” looks at the Yoruba Americans' future and their vision for the future in the Diaspora.

In this book, Oyěwùmí extends her path-breaking thesis that in Yorùbá society, construction of gender is a colonial development since the culture exhibited no gender divisions in its original form. Taking seriously indigenous modes and categories of knowledge, she applies her finding of a non-gendered ontology to the social institutions of Ifá, motherhood, marriage, family and naming practices. Oyěwùmí insists that contemporary assertions of male dominance must be understood, in part, as the work of local intellectuals who took marching orders from Euro/American mentors and colleagues. In exposing the depth of the coloniality of power, Oyěwùmí challenges us to look at the worlds we inhabit, anew.

The moving story of her own search for God by the highly-acclaimed author of the bestselling A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam; The Battle for God: A History of Fundamentalism; and Islam: A Short History. In 1969, after seven years as a Roman Catholic nun -- hoping, but ultimately failing, to find God -- Armstrong left her convent. She knew almost nothing of the changed world she was entering, and she was tormented by panic attacks and inexplicable seizures. Her struggle against despair was fueled by a string of discouragements -- failed spirituality, doctorate and jobs, fruitless dealings with psychiatrists -- but finally, in 1976, she was diagnosed with epilepsy and given proper treatment. She then began the writing career that would become her true calling, and as she focused on the sacred texts of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, her own true inner story began to emerge. She would come to experience brief moments of transcendence through her work -- the profound fulfillment that she had not found in the long hours of prayer as a young nun. Powerfully engaging, often heart-breaking, but lit with bursts of humour, The Spiral Staircase is an extraordinary history of self.

What roles do queer and transgender people play in the African diasporic religions? Queering Creole Spiritual Traditions: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Participation in African-Inspired Traditions in the Americas is a groundbreaking scholarly exploration of this long-neglected subject. It offers clear insight into the complex dynamics of gender and sexual orientation, humans and deities, and race and ethnicity, within these richly nuanced spiritual practices. Queering Creole Spiritual Traditions explores the ways in which gender complexity and same-sex intimacy are integral to the primary beliefs and practices of these faiths. It begins with a comprehensive overview of Vodou, Santeria, and other African-based religions. The second section includes extensive, revealing interviews with practitioners who offer insight into the intersection of their beliefs, their sexual orientation, and their gender identity. Finally, it provides a powerful analysis of the ways these traditions have inspired artists, musicians, and writers such as Audre Lorde, as well as informative interviews with the artists themselves. In Queering Creole Spiritual Traditions, you will discover: how the presence of androgynous divinities affects both faith and practice in Vodou, Candomble, Santeria, and other Creole religions how the phenomenon of possession or embodiment by a god or goddess may validate queer identity and nurture gender complexity who practices the African-derived spiritual traditions, what they believe, and who their deities are how these faiths have influenced the art and aesthetic traditions of the West This landmark book opens a fascinating new world of thought and belief. The authors provide rigorous documentation and faultless scholarly method as well as personal experience and the testimony of believers. Queering Creole Spiritual Traditions sheds new light on two widely different fields: LGBT studies and the theology of the African diaspora. A thorough bibliography points the way to further study, and an extensive photograph gallery provides a unique look at the believers and their practices. Every library with holdings in queer theory, African mythology, or sociology of religion should have this landmark volume.