Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Supreme god'

This research explores the method and theological content in Stephen Charnock's discourses on the attributes and the existence of God with the intention to determine whether this material is structured upon the influence of the scholastic method. This is accomplished (1) by locating Charnock within his own academic and historical context and by interpreting his works according to the theological genre to which they belong, (2) by identifying the conceptual and methodological presuppositions that framed the discourses, (3) by examining and accounting for the order of exposition found in the discourses, and (4) by performing a descriptive analysis of the material seeking to identify traces of the scholastic method and style of argumentation. The findings of this investigation indicate that Charnock's discourses are theological sermons primarily intended for homiletical purposes and yet organised and reasoned per the scholastic method.

This thesis starts by describing the legal foundation of religious liberty in the United States and the evolvement of the religion clause jurisprudence. Then follows an outline of the main legal theories on religious liberty. It continues to describe a case study conducted on how Americans citizens perceive the protection of their religious liberty. Upon this there is a chapter where the detailed findings from the case study are described in juxtaposition to the relevant jurisprudence and how this can be applied to the overall legal framework protecting religious liberty.  The final chapter is a discussion on what conclusions that can be drawn.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2016-09-28T20:22:20Z No. of bitstreams: 1 rafaelcesarpitt.pdf: 614374 bytes, checksum: 1b9f6879969fed4b545f9fb3e86f37c7 (MD5)
Approved for entry into archive by Diamantino Mayra (mayra.diamantino@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-09-30T13:52:07Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 rafaelcesarpitt.pdf: 614374 bytes, checksum: 1b9f6879969fed4b545f9fb3e86f37c7 (MD5)
Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-30T13:52:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 rafaelcesarpitt.pdf: 614374 bytes, checksum: 1b9f6879969fed4b545f9fb3e86f37c7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-08-23
CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
A teodiceia é o conceito utilizado na modernidade filosófica para designar uma defesa ou justificativa da perfeição divina diante do problema do mal. O objetivo deste trabalho é mostrar que o livro de Schelling de 1809, a Freiheitsschrift, dispensa a elaboração de uma teodiceia ao oferecer um sistema da razão no qual o problema do mal é devidamente compreendido dentro da esfera da liberdade humana. Esse feito permite a Schelling demonstrar os atributos divinos da vida e da personalidade, ao mesmo tempo em que aponta para a ausência de relação entre Deus e o mal. Esse vazio entre o criador e o mal é possível, por um lado, pela concepção de criação, enquanto desdobramento do ser divino e, por outro lado, pela possibilidade do mal fundada exclusivamente na liberdade humana. O resultado desse vazio é a consequente dispensabilidade da defesa de Deus diante do problema do mal.
Theodicy is the concept used in modernt philosophy to describe a defense or justification of divine perfection before the problem of evil. The objective of this work is to show that the book of Schelling of 1809, the Freiheitsschrift, dispenses the preparation of a theodicy while offering a system of the reason in which the problem of the evil is properly understood inside the sphere of the human freedom. This achievement allows Schelling demonstrate the divine attributes of life and personality, while pointing to the absence of relationship between God and evil. This emptiness between the creator and evil is possible, firstly, through the conception of creation as an unfolding of the divine being and, secondly, through the possibility of evil founded exclusively on human freedom. The result of this emptiness is the dispensability of the subsequent defense of God before the problem of evil.

This thesis considers some conceptual problems in the constitutional voting rights doctrine of the U.S. Supreme Court. The court has expanded its theory of voting rights to cover matters other than the right of suitably qualified individuals to register and cast a ballot. The thesis considers the manner in which the Court has extended its theory. Chapters 2 and 3 discuss the Court's decision on votor registration and franchise laws. Chapters 4 and 5 deal with the application of voting rights doctrine to electoral districting disputes. Chapter 6 considers the problems raised by attempts to extend the reach of the doctrine to claims that certain forms of electoral structure dilute the voting power of racial (or other) minority groups. The subject of Chapter 7 is the right to be a candidate and the relationship between that right and the right to vote. Chapter 8 contains a short treatment of the Court's complex decisions on laws regulating election campaign spending, and considers the compatibility of the theory on which those decisions are based with the Court's broader constitutional voting rights doctrine. This broad survey of the Court's voting rights decisions is undertaken with the aim of highlighting inconsistencies in its characterisation of the constitutional right to vote. It is concluded (Chapter 9) that the Court has repeatedly retreated behind a limited conception of the right to vote as a right to register and cast a ballot, and to be protected against the various forms of voting-related discrimination which the Constitution explicitly prohibits. Possible explanations for the Court's preference for a narrow conception of the right to vote are considered in the text.

Submitted by Gabriel Cozendey Pereira Silva (gabriel.cozendey@yahoo.com.br) on 2016-02-24T15:08:50Z No. of bitstreams: 1 COZENDEY, Gabriel - Dissertação.pdf: 1949339 bytes, checksum: f68e5a02d6d72333a437e3b647bf7658 (MD5)
Approved for entry into archive by BRUNA BARROS (bruna.barros@fgv.br) on 2016-03-01T18:01:52Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 COZENDEY, Gabriel - Dissertação.pdf: 1949339 bytes, checksum: f68e5a02d6d72333a437e3b647bf7658 (MD5)
Approved for entry into archive by Marcia Bacha (marcia.bacha@fgv.br) on 2016-03-07T12:44:23Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 COZENDEY, Gabriel - Dissertação.pdf: 1949339 bytes, checksum: f68e5a02d6d72333a437e3b647bf7658 (MD5)
Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-07T12:44:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 COZENDEY, Gabriel - Dissertação.pdf: 1949339 bytes, checksum: f68e5a02d6d72333a437e3b647bf7658 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-23
O dever constitucional de eficiência administrativa consiste em norma reitora da atividade regulatória e das demais funções estatais. Este trabalho tem o objetivo de investigar seus sentidos, os tipos de norma em que se classifica e as estruturas argumentativas para a sua aplicação. Entende-se, por sentidos, os critérios usados para se considerar que uma conduta ou medida cumpre ou viola o dever de eficiência, incluindo consideração da relação entre meios para o exercício da atividade administrativa e resultados dessa atividade. Parte-se de diagnóstico de indefinição conceitual, na literatura jurídica brasileira, acerca desse dever constitucional, para investigar a existência de subsídios, na jurisprudência do Supremo Tribunal Federal, que viabilizem elaboração de conceito. Desse modo, verifica-se, na literatura, multiplicidade de definições. Além disso, o aspecto da análise custo-benefício, referido tanto na literatura sobre economicidade quanto nos textos sobre análise econômica do direito, sugere que o assunto também possa ser abordado de modo a correlacioná-lo ao conceito econômico de eficiência de Kaldor-Hicks ou de maximização da riqueza. Na jurisprudência, foi encontrada grande quantidade de sentidos de eficiência, a indicar que o STF pode não ter um posicionamento claro, senão em relação à concepção do dever constitucional de eficiência como um todo, pelo menos em relação a aspectos do conceito, a implicar a necessidade de elaboração, pelo tribunal, casuisticamente, de critérios para considerar que determinada conduta ou medida cumpre ou viola esse dever constitucional. Verificou-se, ainda, a ocorrência de aparentes divergências entre os ministros não apenas com relação à solução concreta de um caso, mas com relação à definição, em um mesmo caso, do sentido do dever de eficiência. Não se pode afirmar, no entanto, com segurança, que a concepção do dever de eficiência em um acórdão seja determinante, no STF, para a orientação dos votos. Ainda assim, um mesmo caso pode ter soluções distintas a depender do sentido de eficiência que se adote. Ademais, os acórdãos que parecem proceder a análise custo-benefício não se parecem referir a conceitos ou a critérios de eficiência econômica para fundamentar essa análise. Esses acórdãos também raramente fazem referência a dados empíricos. Quanto aos tipos de norma às estruturas argumentativas para aplicação, a literatura faz referência a teorias incompatíveis que dificultam compreender de maneira inequívoca como ocorre essa aplicação. O STF, a seu turno, faz uso de pelo menos 3 (três) estruturas argumentativas para aplicar o dever de eficiência: o consequencialismo, a análise custo-benefício e a ponderação de normas. O uso concomitante da análise custo-benefício e da ponderação de normas, contudo, enseja confusão entre o dever de eficiência e a máxima da proporcionalidade. Nesse contexto, a proposta conceitual busca tornar claros os sentidos, os tipos de norma e os modos de aplicação do dever constitucional de eficiência, mediante adoção de referencial teórico único que seja compatível com os achados de jurisprudência. Sendo assim, propõe-se a classificação do dever de eficiência como sobreprincípio e do dever de economicidade como postulado, com referência às concepções teóricas de Humberto Ávila, buscando-se evitar incorrer nos problemas diagnosticados na doutrina e na jurisprudência.
The constitutional duty of administrative efficiency is a standard norm for regulatory activity and other state functions. This study aims to investigate its meanings, norm classifications and argumentative structures for application. 'Meanings' consist in the criteria used to consider that a conduct or measure complies with or violates the duty to efficiency, including consideration of the relationship between the means for the exercise of administrative activities and the results of these activities. The study departs from a diagnostic of conceptual vagueness in the Brazilian legal literature, to investigate the existence of data, in the judicial precedents of the Supreme Court, which enable the development of a concept. The literature contains a plurality of meanings. Also, the aspect of cost-benefit analysis, referred to in literature on economicidade and in the texts on economic analysis of law, suggests the possibility to correlate economicidade to the economic concepts of Kaldor-Hicks efficiency or of wealth maximization. In judicial precedents, there was a great amount of efficiency meanings, indicating that the Supreme Court may have not a clear position in relation to at least some aspects of the the constitutional duty of efficiency, if not in relation to the concept as a whole. This unclear position might explain a necessity that the court prepares, case by case, criteria for considering that certain conduct or measure complies with or violates the duty of efficiency. There was also the occurrence of apparent disagreements between judges, not only with respect to the solution of a concrete case, but also with respect to the definition, in a case, of the meaning of efficiency. However, the conception of the duty of efficiency in a judgment does not necessarily determin the orientation of votes in the Supreme Court. Still, the same case can have different solutions depending on the meaning of efficiency adopted. Furthermore, the judgments that seem to carry out cost-benefit analysis do not often refer to economic efficiency criteria in support. These judgments also rarely reffer to empirical data. As for the norm classification and the argumentative structures for application of the duty of efficiency, the literature refers to incompatible theories that make it difficult to understand unequivocally how this application happens. The Supreme Court, on its turn, makes use of at least three (3) argumentative structures to apply the duty to efficiency: consequentialism, the cost-benefit analysis and ponderation. Concomitant use of cost-benefit analysis and ponderation, however, gives rise to confusion between the duty of efficiency and the standard of proportionality. In this context, the conceptual proposal carried out by this study seeks to make clear the meanings, the norm classifications and the modes of application of the constitutional duty of efficiency, by adopting a single theoretical framework that is consistent with the case law findings. Therefore, this study proposes the classification of the duty of efficiency as sobreprincípio and the duty of economicidade as postulado, with reference to the theoretical conceptions of Humberto Ávila and seeking to avoid incurring in the problems diagnosed in doctrine and in judicial precedents.

Hahlo and Khan have aptly described South African law as a ‘three-layered cake’. This dissertation is not so much concerned with the ingredients of the cake, but with the Cape Supreme Court which was used to ‘bake’ the third layer, and the judges who were employed to supervise the task. However, in order t wet the appetites of the legal gourmets, an attempt has been made to analyse the ingredient of judicial precedent, and to serve it up in the form of ‘icing’.

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2017-09-21T12:30:05Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Genival Oliveira Carvalho.pdf: 1756034 bytes, checksum: e0478d164885000155abe6684ba347b1 (MD5)
Made available in DSpace on 2017-09-21T12:30:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Genival Oliveira Carvalho.pdf: 1756034 bytes, checksum: e0478d164885000155abe6684ba347b1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-09-14
Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES
The thesis focuses on a philosopher of great relevance, Gabriel Marcel, who was forgotten in researches and began to be recovered in the second half of the twentieth century. In the writings of this philosopher we seek to develop a theme which emerges and occupies a central role in his works, for instance, the Hope in the Absolute Thou as the supreme source of consistency and meaning of life. In this direction, we begin by pointing Marcel's perspective on the twentieth century and its anguish. Afterwards, some authors with whom he dialogues (Camus, Sartre and Heidegger) for whom existance has no perspective. Subsequently, we point out how Marcel presents hope as the source of the meaning of life, to conclude that this source is an Absolute Hope in the Absolute Thou
A tese focaliza um filósofo de grande relevância, Gabriel Marcel, que ficou esquecido nas pesquisas e começou a ser recuperado na segunda metade do século XX. Nos escritos deste filósofo se busca desenvolver um tema que emerge e ocupa papel central nas suas obras, o saber, a Esperança no Tu Absoluto como fonte suprema de consistência e sentido da vida. Nessa direção, começa-se apontando o olhar de Marcel sobre o século XX e suas angústias. Depois, alguns autores com o quais ele dialoga (Camus, Sartre e Heidegger) para os quais a existência não tem perspectiva. Em seguida, aponta-se como Marcel apresenta a esperança qual fonte de sentido da vida, para concluir que essa fonte é uma Esperança Absoluta no Tu Absoluto

Même si la question du souverain bien et de ce qui le constitue était au fondement des systèmes moraux des Anciens, elle semble n'être plus à l'ordre du jour pour nous, les Modernes. Pourtant, nous dit Kant, l'homme ne peut rien vouloir si ce n'est sous l'idée d'une fin et il a besoin, pour pouvoir mettre un terme à la série de ses fins, de concevoir un inconditionné, une fin " architectonique" sienne, dont le nom est le " souverain bien ". En abordant à nouveau la question du sens universel de la vie humaine, Kant adhère à une conception antique de la philosophie pratique dans laquelle celle-ci, en tant que téléologie morale, enseigne à l'homme en quoi doit consister la fin absolument nécessaire de sa conduite et comment il peut l'atteindre. Il élabore donc, comme les Anciens, une théorie du "summum bonum" dont le point d'orgue est la réponse aux deux questions pratiques de la philosophie. Que puis-je espérer (question de l'essence du souverain bien) ? Que dois-je faire (question de la conduite menant au souverain bien) ? Mais la Révolution copernicienne consiste, en éthique, à découvrir que le concept du bien et celui du bien le plus grand sont déterminés par la loi morale. La morale kantienne formule d'abord la loi morale, pour ensuite définir le bien et le souverain bien, tandis que les Anciens faisaient l'inverse. Ces points de méthode sont responsables d'une théorie qui s'oppose aux morales antiques par plusieurs aspects. Elle conduit à l'idée d'une hétérogénéité de fins humaines qui implique une conception du souverain bien comme une synthèse contenant un rapport de subordination, le bonheur conditionné par la moralité.

This research has analyzed the influence of a British legal education and professional training on the judges who were appointed to the Supreme Courts of Southern Africa in the colonial period from 1827 to 1910. In Part I the history of legal education in England, Scotland and Ireland was discussed as the eighteen barristers and advocates who were studied in Part II were appointed from these three jurisdictions. Part II highlighted the early professional careers of these men following an excursus on the opportunities available at 'Home'. Part III examined and analyzed aspects of their judicial careers in Southern Africa in the light of the material discussed in Parts I and II. There was a considerable range of both experience and subsequent judicial ability among those judges appointed from the English Bar. Several were competent, with the exception of two judges, one apponted at the end of his career (Cole), and another whose appointment was brief owing to serious ill health (Ebden). The Irish judges were, on the whole, able, with the exception of FitzPatrick who was charged with incompetence, and though this was not adequately proved, detracts from his career. Of all the judges studied the Scot, Menzies, was the most outstanding, notable for his intelligent scrutiny of the authorities and his intellectual grasp of the law. This research has revealed that it is impossible to predict the subsequent colonial judicial performance of barristers and advocates appointed from England, Scotland and Ireland in the nineteenth century. Neither previous educational performance at a British university or professional competence at the English, Irish or Scots Bars proved to be an accurate barometer of judicial potential.

I denna uppsats studeras hur avvägningarna mellan allmänna och enskilda intressen hanteras avde dömande organen och hur de olika sakägarna resonerar utifrån de olika intressena. Arbetet har genomförts som en fallstudie där fyra olika byggprojekt studerats. Gemensamt för alla är att de ligger i Stockholms innerstad och har mött motstånd i form av överklaganden. Det finns lite olika definitioner för vad allmänintresset är, somliga menar att allmänintresset är ensammanslagning av flera enskilda intressen medan andra definierar att det bestäms av folkets valda representanter. Det ideologiska tillvägagångsättet som diskuteras är utilitarism, enhetligt, rättighetsbaserad ochdialogbaserad. För att tolka domstolarna domslut används fjäder- och balansvågsmodellen där fjädervågsmodellen symboliserar gränsen för vad man som sakägare är skyldig att tåla. Balansvågsmodellen symboliserar det beslut som tas baserat på de sammanvägda för- och nackdelarna. Det första fallet är kvarteret Plankan 24 där Svenska Bostäder vill bygga nya bostäder i den oexploaterade innergården, planen har mötts av kritik från de boende som menar att luftkvaliteten, bullernivåerna, ljusinsläpp, rekreationsytor, barnens miljö och kulturmiljön avsevärt kommer att försämras. Mark och miljööverdomstolen anser att de skäl som de klagande åberopat inte är tillräckliga för att planen inte ska genomföras. Fall nummer två handlar om Orgelpipan 6, en hotellbyggnadskomplex och en av citybanans uppgångar mittemot centralstationen. De klagande menar bland annat att ett nytt hotell kommer att skapa obalans på en redan obalanserad marknad, att ljusförutsättningarna kommer att försämras och att byggnaden kommer att för skada Stockholm. Länsstyrelsen anser inte att deklagomål som kommit in är tillräckliga för att planen inte ska vinna laga kraft. Det tredje fallet handlar om Mårtensdal 6, ett kontorskomplex som ska bli 125 meter högt. De klagande är befintliga hyresgäster som anser att deras verksamhet inte ska behöva flytta och Fortum Värme AB som anser att höjden på byggnaden riskerar att inskränka deras verksamhet pga. att den är högre än deras egen skorsten. Mark- och miljööverdomstolen beslutar att Fortums överklagande bör accepteras och upphäver därför planen pga. av allmänintresset. Det sista fallet är byggandet av Nobel Center på Blasieholmen bakom Nationalmuseum. De klagande är gemensamt emot planen då det kommer påverka riksintresset och kulturmiljön. I Mark- och miljödomstolens domslut går man på de klagandes linje och upphäver planen för att planen innebär påtaglig skada på kulturmiljön och riksintresset. Den ideologi som tycktes vara den som tillämpades mest var en blandning mellan utilitarismenoch enhetliga. Den rättighetsbaserad ideologin användes inte alls och den dialogbaserade är något som används tidigare i planprocessen. Något entydigt samband i domstolarnasbedömningar har dock inte kunnat konstaterats, det kan bero på att varje fall är unikt och har dess egna förutsättningar. Kommunen och övriga sakägare resonerar på olika sätt när det kommer till avvägningar mellan allmänna och enskilda intressen. Generellt gör kommunen avvägningar genom ett utilitaristiskt och enhetligt tillvägagångsätt medan sakägarna använder olika tillvägagångssätt beroende påom de representerar ett företag, en förening eller är en privatperson.
This paper examines how the balances between public and private interests are handled by the appeals court and how the different stakeholder’s reason based on the different interests. The work has been carried out as a case study in which four different construction projects were studied. Common to all is that they are in Stockholm's inner city and have met with resistance in the form of appeals. There are slightly different definitions for what the public interest is,some believe that the public interest is a combination of several individual interests, while others define that it is decided by the elected representatives of the people. The ideological approach under discussion is utilitarianism, unitary, rights-based and dialogical. To interpret the court's verdict, the dynanometer and beam scale model is used wherethe dynamometer model symbolizes the boundary of what you as a stakeholder are obliged toendure. The beam scale model symbolizes the decision that is made based on the weighted pros and cons. The first case is Kv. Plankan 24, where Svenska Bostäder wants to build new housing in the undeveloped courtyard, the plan has been met by criticism from the residents who believe that the air quality, noise levels, day light, recreation areas, children's environment and the cultural environment will deteriorate significantly. The Land and environmental court consider that the reasons cited by the complainants are not sufficient for the plan not to be implemented. Case number two is about Kv. Orgelpipan 6, a hotel building complex and one of the new entrances for the new commuter track, Citybanan. The complainants believe, among otherthings, that a new hotel will create imbalance in an already unbalanced market, that the lighting conditions will deteriorate and that the building will harm the character of Stockholm. The County Administrative Board does not consider that the complaints received are sufficient for the plan not to get implemented. The third case is about Mårtensdal 6, an office complex that will be 125 meters high. The complainants are existing tenants who feel that their business should not need to relocate and Fortum Värme AB who believes that the height of the building risks reducing their business because it is higher than their own chimney. The Land and environmental court decide that Fortum's appeal should be accepted because the public interest of Fortums appeal is greater than the office building to be higher than the chimney. The last case is the construction of the Nobel Center at Blasieholmen behind the NationalMuseum. The complainants jointly oppose the plan as it will affect the national interest and the historical culture environment. The Land and Environmental Court cancels the plan because it involves significant damage to the historical cultural environment and the national interest. The ideology that seemed to be the one most applied for the court was a mix between utilitarianism and unitary. The rights-based ideology was not used at all and the dialogue-based is something that is used earlier in the planning process. However, no clear connection in the judgments of the courts has been found, it may be because each case is unique and has its ownconditions. The municipality and the other stakeholders reasoning in different ways when it comes to the delimitation of public and private interests. In general, the municipality balances through autilitarian and uniform approach, while the business owners use different approaches depending on whether they represent a company, an association, or a private person.

If Supreme Court behavior is structured largely by the policy preferences of the justices, political scientists ought to consider the source of those preferences. Religion is one force that can strongly shape a judge’s worldview and therefore her votes. In this paper, I examine the effect of religion on U.S. Supreme Court votes in 11 issue areas plausibly connected to religious values. Catholic justices vote in ways that more closely adhere to the teachings of the Catholic Church than non-Catholic justices even after controlling for ideology. These results may indicate that Catholic theology is different from Protestant or Jewish theology. It is also possible that on some issues there is not much of a theological difference, but religious values play a more prominent role in public life for Catholic justices.
text

The study of pneumatology is important and necessary in theology, and also in the church. What Christians have to know and understand about it must be taught clearly. The nature and work of the Spirit of God should be mastered by every believer in Jesus Christ. In this way, wrong concepts and teachings can be rejected by the Christian way of life, in the church especially in Africa. It is very noticeable that Africans, in their traditional worldview are conscious of the existence of the Supreme Being, spirits, divinities, ancestral spirits and the spiritual world with its diversity. Africans, Christians and non-Christians believe that around them there are invisible spiritual beings and because of this consciousness they are haunted by the wish to discover what is really going on in the invisible world of the spiritual realm. Most Africans consider the existence of the ancestral spirits as a very important matter and they are in daily need to consult them about every event happening among them in their traditional context. In every event they believe there is always somebody, meaning a spirit, behind what is happening. A death or an accident cannot happen without having been caused by a spirit especially an ancestral spirit. The ancestral spirits are thought to be active in the lives of their living descendants on earth. Ancestral spirits are ambivalent in their relation with the living. They can bring good things to their descendants if they are well treated. They harm and molest them when they are angered by their descendants. The fact that Africans have been confronted with the Gospel has had an impact on the lives of Africans. We have to acknowledge that many things in the conduct of African culture have changed or are going to change in the practical lives of Africans. Although the Gospel has had an impact on the people in Africa, it is unfortunately observed that some Africans do not manifest real change. Christian Africans, despite this encounter with the Christian faith, usually revert to traditional practices in case of hardships like accident, incurable diseases and barrenness, for example. The context of religious pluralism which Africans are experiencing, presents an open door to syncretism. Traditional practices are seriously against the biblical teaching and practices. Christians in the church are found (many times) to be involved in these traditional practices where they fear the attacks of their ancestral spirits or the misfortunes by other spirits. The Spirit of God is active in the world and also in Africa. Christians have to rely on God and not on their ancestral spirits for the sustenance and support in different domains of life. The solution to this on-going attitude of Africans to the spirits can only come from the Word of God. It is absolutely important to continue with the proclamation of the Gospel to Africans. This proclamation of the Word of God must be taken seriously by the church and Christians in Africa. It is only the message from the Bible that can free Africans from their belief in the ancestral spiritual world.
PhD (Dogmatics), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

This thesis finds out how the concepts of the divine in African Traditional Religions are similar or different, particularly in Ghana and Lesotho and in other parts of Africa in general. In doing so, the researcher combines literature review of eminent scholars who have studied the religious and socio-cultural life of the people of Ghana and Lesotho in particular and Africa in general, with personal field study through dissemination of questionnaires, interviews and personal observations. Through this approach he finds out the various religious phenomena that reveal the concept of the divine in the two countries concerned and in other African countries through comparison of their worships and socio-cultural activities in order to come out with the differences and the similarities that may call for synthesis of the concept in Africa. He also finds out how the concept of the divine in Africa has been influenced by foreign religions and culture particularly Christianity, Islam, Western culture and Education. And how their services and disservices have affected the concept of the divine in Africa. The researcher also looks at the issue of monotheism as against polytheism in African religious perspective to find out whether the African Traditional Religions are polytheistic, monotheistic or monolatry. The study reveals that the concept of the divine, in the two countries under study, ends up in one Supreme deity-God- .but that the approach to the concept is not always the same. There are some differences and similarities, which also prevail in other African Traditional Religions and in Christianity. There is also a look into whether the term "African Traditional Religions" is appropriate for the religious belief and practices found in Africa, and whether a synthesis of religious practices in Africa would be possible in future. In the final analysis the study reveals that the African concept of the divine as pertains in the two countries is not different from that of Christianity and Islam but that the approach to the concept differs due to differences in the perception of the divine through sociocultural and religious milieus.
Religious Studies & Arabic
D. Litt. et Phil. (Religious Studies)

This research work is set out to investigate healing practised in Africa today. There are many ways of healing in African; others are classified as foreign because they came out of Africa especially from European influence while others are considered local or traditional. The research shall dig out the influence of what is known as foreign methods or approaches of healing in Africa today and what African healing can learn from other methods of healing practised today. There shall be contemporary stories and facts about the situation of healing today and relevant statistics where necessary. The research also comes out with appropriate suggestions on how to combat contemporary illnesses of today. This includes what should be improved and how. This work covers the whole of Africa.
Philosophy & Systematic Theology
M.Th. (Systematic Theology)

The theme running through this dissertation is intended to prove that the Supreme Court has a role to play in the promotion, enforcement and sustenance of a proper democratic system of government, good governance and fundamental human rights and freedoms in Ghana. The Study would therefore address the role of the Supreme Court in the development of Constitutional Law in Ghana, with particular emphasis on the court's contribution to the underlying concepts of the Fourth Republican Constitution of 1992; the guiding principles of constitutional interpretation and the vexed issue of whether the court should adopt a mechanical and literal approach to the interpretation of the Constitution or adopt a liberal, beneficent and purposive approach. The Supreme Court has asserted in the locus classicus decision: Tuffuor v Attorney-General [1980] GLR 637 that the 1979 Constitution as the supreme law, must be construed as a living political document capable of growth. Is there any evidence now to support that claim? The study shall also investigate the question of the power of the Supreme Court to review legislative and executive action. We shall also examine the role of the Supreme Court in the interpretation and enforcement of the Constitution and Fundamental Human Rights and Freedoms in relation to the rights and obligations of the individual and the State with the view to achieving good governance. The 1992 Constitution itself is founded on the premise that there are limitations to the enjoyment of fundamental human rights and freedoms. What is the extent of such limitations as determined by the Supreme Court? What has been the Supreme Court's contribution to the sustenance of political stability and democratic governance and, especially, in matters relating to coup d'etats and to enforcement of the Constitution itself as distinct from the enforcement of fundamental human rights and freedoms? Has the Supreme Court power to enforce the Constitution and the existing law where there is proven case of injustice and illegality? Has the Supreme Court power to enforce Directive Principles of State Policy as formulated in chapter 6 of the 1992 Ghana Constitution?
Jurisprudence
LL.D.

This study is the product, chiefly, of fieldwork, undertaken in Sierra Leone, which sought to interview and experience contemporary Limba religio-cultural practices. Using a systematic approach, the goal was to provide a broader understanding of Limba religion, as well as to discover the effect of Limba religiosity, and the tenacity with which the Limba hold to their culture and religion, on the National Pentecostal Limba Church (NPLC) over the past three decades. The study begins with an introduction, which outlines its objectives and structure, the research methods, and its general outline. This is followed by a basic introduction to the socio-history of the Limba people, their origin, environment, language, politics, economy and other socio-cultural characteristics, in order to provide an understanding of the background on which their religion is formed. The heart of the study is a detailed examination of Limba religious beliefs and their intersection with Christianity. It includes a definition of Limba religion and its components. This seeks to identify the current state of Limba religion amidst the changes it has experienced and continues to experience as a result of internal and external influences, and to provide a template for this study, an analysis of the Limba belief in a supreme creator God whom they call Kanu Masala, his epithets, attributes and activities, Limba worship and worship methods, the Limba understanding of the spirit world, humankind, sin and salvation, and the roles of sacred specialists. The study concludes with an examination of the causes of the tenacious loyalty with which some Limba Christians hold to their traditional religious beliefs and practices, their reluctance to part with them, and the effects of their dual religiosity on the NPLC, as well as the church's response, and the resulting reciprocal effects over the past three decades in Sierra Leone. This study fills a gap in the extant literature about the ethno-theological landscape of Sierra Leone, and provides a detailed study on the intersection of African Traditional Religion and Christianity.
Systematic Theology & Theological Ethics
D.Th. (Systematic Theology)

This study which is the product of library research and fieldwork seeks, on account of the persistent marginalisation of African Traditional Religion (ATR) in Sierra Leone by Islam and Christianity, to investigate the place of ATR in inter-religious encounters in the country since the advent of Islam and Christianity. As in most of sub-Saharan Africa, ATR is the indigenous religion of Sierra Leone. When the early forebears and later progenitors of Islam and Christianity arrived, they met Sierra Leone indigenes with a remarkable knowledge of God and a structured religious system. Successive Muslim clerics, traders, and missionaries were respectful of and sensitive to the culture and religion of the indigenes who accommodated them and offered them hospitality. This approach resulted in a syncretistic brand of Islam. In contrast, most Christian missionaries adopted an exclusive and insensitive approach to African culture and religiosity. Christianity, especially Protestantism, demanded a complete abandonment of African culture and religion, and a total dedication to Christianity. This attitude has continued by some indigenous clerics and religious leaders to the extent that Sierra Leone Indigenous Religion (SLIR) and it practitioners continue to be marginalised in Sierra Leone's inter-religious dialogue and cooperation. Although the indigenes of Sierra Leone were and continue to be hospitable to Islam and Christianity, and in spite of the fact that SLIR shares affinity with Islam and Christianity in many theological and practical issues, and even though there are many Muslims and Christians who still hold on to traditional spirituality and culture, Muslim and Christian leaders of these immigrant religions are reluctant to include Traditionalists in interfaith issues in the country. The formation and constitution of the Inter-Religious Council of Sierra Leone (IRCSL) which has local and international recognition did not include ATR. These considerations, then beg the questions: * Why have Muslim and Christian leaders long marginalised ATR, its practices and practitioners from interfaith dialogue and cooperation in Sierra Leone? * What is lacking in ATR that continues to prevent practitioners of Christianity and Islam from officially involving Traditionalists in the socio-religious development of the country? Muslim and Christians have given several factors that are responsible for this exclusion: * The prejudices that they inherited from their forebears * ATR lacks the hallmarks of a true religion * ATR is primitive and economically weak * The fear that the accommodation of ATR will result in syncretism and nominalism * Muslims see no need to dialogue with ATR practitioners, most of whom they considered to be already Muslims Considering the commonalities ATR shares with Islam and Christianity, and the number of Muslims and Christians who still hold on to traditional spirituality, these factors are not justifiable. Although Islam and Christianity are finding it hard to recognise and include ATR in interfaith dialogue and cooperation in Sierra Leone, ATR continues to play a vital role in Sierra Leone's national politics, in the search and maintenance of employment, and in the judicial sector. ATR played a crucial part during and after the civil war. The national government in its Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) report acknowledged the importance and contribution of traditional culture and spirituality during and after the war. Outside of Sierra Leone, the progress in the place and level of the recognition of ATR continues. At varying degrees, the Sociétié Africaine de Culture (SAC) in France, the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC), the Vatican, and the World Council of Churches, have taken positive steps to recognise and find a place for ATR in their structures. Much about the necessity for dialogue and cooperation with ATR can be learnt in the works and efforts of these secular and religious bodies. If nothing else, there are two main reasons why Islam and Christianity in Sierra Leone must be in dialogue with ATR: * Dialogue of life or in community. People living side-by-side meet and interact personally and communally on a regular basis. They share common resources and communal benefits. These factors compel people to be in dialogue * Dual religiosity. As many Muslims and Christians in Sierra Leone are still holding on to ATR practices, it is crucial for Muslims and Christians to dialogue with ATR practitioners. If Muslims and Christians are serious about meeting and starting a process of dialogue with Traditionalists, certain practical issues have to be considered: * Islam and Christianity have to validate and accept ATR as a true religion and a viable partner in the socio-religious landscape of Sierra Leone * Muslims and Christians must educate themselves about ATR, and the scriptures and teachings of their respective religious traditions in order to relate well with Traditionalists These are starting points that can produce successful results. Although at present Muslims and Christians in Sierra Leone are finding it difficult to initiate dialogue and cooperation with Traditionalists, all hope is not lost. It is now the task of the established IRCSL to ensure the inclusion of ATR. Islam and Christianity must remember that when they came as strangers, ATR, played host to them and has played and continues to play a vital role in providing hospitality, and allowing them to blossom on African soil.
Religious Studies and Arabic
D.Litt. et Phil. (Religious Studies)

Ce mémoire entend mettre en lumière la solution au problème du mal développée par Philippe le Chancelier dans la Summa de bono (1225-1228). À cet effet, notre analyse se polarise sur la notion du mal qui occupe à la fois le système des transcendantaux et la division du bien créé découlant du principe du souverain bien. La somme est bâtie d’après la primauté de la notion du bien transcendantal, et fut rédigée par opposition avec la doctrine manichéenne des Cathares, en vogue au XIIIe siècle, qui s’appuyait sur la prééminence de deux principes métaphysiques causant le bien et le mal, d’où devaient procéder toutes les choses de la Création. Ceci explique que nous ayons privilégié de seulement examiner les notions du bien et du mal en un sens général, car c’est au stade universel de l’ontologie du bien que l’auteur défait la possibilité du mal de nature, en amont des ramifications du bien créé, déployées, à l’envi, dans les questions de la somme où les réponses sont assignées à des problèmes spécifiques. Nous offrons ici, pour la première fois, une traduction en français d’une série de questions ayant permis de mener à bien ce projet.
This master’s thesis intends to clarify Philip the Chancellor’s answer to the problem of evil in the Summa de bono (1225-1228). To this end, we focus on the concept of evil as located within the transcendental system and the division of created good resulting from the supreme good. This sum, which is conceived from the primacy of the transcendental notion of good, was drafted in opposition to the Manichean doctrine of Cathars, a belief popular in the thirteenth century, which states that two metaphysical principles cause good and evil and it is from these principles that all things are created by nature. For this reason, we decided to study the concepts of good and evil only in a general sense, because the author dismantles the possibility of natural evil at the universal level of the ontology of the good and, prior to the deployment of the created good, it is through the sum’s questions that specific problems can be resolved. Here, we offer for the first time a French translation of several questions useful to this project.