Ingvild Sælid Gilhus

Religion, laughter and the ludicrous

When the ludicrous appears in a religion, it affects the entire religion. Consequently, the ludicrous should be analysed in a systematic way as part of the religious totality. The comic forms are interesting because they are ludicrous, but they are even more interesting because they have a considerable power to generate meanings. The present article concentrates on structural and phenomenological aspects of the ludicrous in religions. The article (1) Discusses methods and pitfalls in an investigation of the ludicrous in religious texts, (2) Describes the structure of comical incongruities in religion, (3) Interprets the meanings of laughter as an opening up of the human body, and (4) Suggests a connection between the transcending functions of mystical and ludicrous experiences.

The Tree of life and the Tree of death: A study of Gnostic symbols

This article is an analysis of the symbol of the Tree in Gnostic religion. The most striking characteristic of this symbol is that its qualities and functions are determined more by anthropology than by botany. In Gnostic religion the physiological processes of human fertilization and gestation are used as metaphors for the process of making a spiritual man. The Tree is life-giving, and can be perceived as being either female or male. In the latter case, the male generative Tree is opposed by a female Tree of death. The symbol of the Tree is applied both in Christian Gnostic systems and in systems which are not Christianized. The Tree can be personalized and may be associated either with Jesus or with Eve. In the Conclusion, the problem of the Tree as a universal symbol is discussed.

Theosophy and Popular Fiction

Theosophists explored the occult dimension in different ways, popular fiction being one of them. This chapter concentrates on the early stage of Theosophy: books published roughly 1880-1940, a period which generally displayed a lively interest in supernatural matters. It gives a broad overview of English authors and works, and demonstrates the palpable influence of Theosophical beliefs on the themes, plots and characters in these works. Similar to how Romans used Greek myths to understand their world, Theosophists, rooted in British colonialism, applied mythological conceptions in order to explore their world and sketch a utopian future which would see the spiritual marriage of East and West. The themes of magic and the pursuit of a spiritual path are some of the key Theosophical elements which are embodied in plots and characters, some of them furthermore showing the influence of feminism. Keywords:fiction; gender; magic; spiritual path; Theosophy

New Age in Norway

The background of the New Age in Norway was, like in other countries, the countercultural movement of the late 1960s, characterised by political radicalism, the anti-war movement, hippie culture, the use of psychoactive drugs, pop music, a growing ecological awareness, and an interest in Asian religions. In the early 1970s, New Religious Movements of Asian provenance such as Hare Krishna (ISKCON), Ananda Marga, the Divine Light Mission of guru Maharaji Ji, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s Transcendental Meditation as well as the Western, sufi-inspired Eckankar and the Christian-inspired Children of God had representatives in Norway. Through information meetings and courses, for instance at the universities, the representatives of these movements contributed to increase the general awareness of Eastern religions and to nourish countercultural religious syncretism and alternative spirituality in Norwegian youth culture. In the 1970s there existed several distribution centres for alternative thought and lifestyle, including religious ones. Most important among them were the countercultural work communes in Hjelmsgata 1 in Oslo and on Karlsøy in Troms. In 1976 Karma Tashi Ling, a centre for Tibetan Buddhism, was opened in Oslo. It attracted people from countercultural milieus as well as Buddhists. Magazines and periodicals were important vehicles for alternative thought in the 1970s when thirty-six different titles, most of them short-lived, were published (Ahlberg 1980: 221). The most important were Vibra (appearing in 1969), Gateavisa (the Street Paper, published 1970-), Vannbæreren (Aquarius, 1974– 78), Arken (1978–1989) and Josefine (1971–1977). While occultism, Christian mysticism, and alternative religious movements and therapies were among the topics of Gateavisa in the early 1970s, the publication soon changed its profile and largely stopped carrying articles on these topics. The religious part of the counterculture was then continued by Vannbæreren, which was the largest countercultural magazine in the Nordic countries. Vannbæreren published many articles about ecology and religion. The tradition of Vannbæreren was continued by Arken, which started out as a more broadly countercultural publication, but became a vehicle of anthroposophical thought, while Josefine

The Construction of Heresy and the Creation of Identity: Epiphanius of Salamis and His Medicine-Chest against Heretics

The article is about Epiphanius’ use of metaphors in the Panarion to create boundaries between acceptable and non-acceptable religion. The stress is on how the various inventors of so-called heresies were made similar to different species of harmful animals, and how a comparative system of serpents and other animals was applied metaphorically. This explanatory model has multiple references to biblical texts. The article shows the persuasive power and emotional impact of the use of animals to describe heresies.