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Vietnamese Traditional Narratives as Ecological Parables Promoting an Ecological Ethos

This paper explores the ecological dimensions of Vietnamese traditional narratives (folktales, legends, and myths), arguing that they function as ecological parables that encode moral, spiritual, and practical lessons about humanity’s relationship with the natural world. While ecocriticism has examined the ecological themes in various literary traditions, the ecological insights within Vietnamese folklore remain largely unexplored. This study addresses that gap by conducting an ecocritical readi

[Book Review]David Thang Moe. Beyond the Academy: Lived Asian Public Theology of Religions.

In Beyond the Academy, David Thang Moe offers a bold, timely, and deeply contextual vision for thinking and practising public theology in Asia. Moe’s most significant contribution arises not from the heights of academic institutions but from living the faith and witnessing grassroots Christian communities in Myanmar. Moe argues for a “lived Asian public theology of religions” that takes seriously the realities of religious pluralism, mass poverty, and ethnic conflict. Moe combines ethnographic r

[Book Review]Yuval Noah Harari. Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI

Yuval Noah Harari’s Nexus A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI offers a forceful warning against the advent of artificial intelligence dominated networks. He asserts that because computers have developed the ability to pursue goals and make decisions, this introduces a fundamental change in our information networks (p. 204). Such networks not only imitate and surpass human intelligence but rather have the potential for creating a whole new reality: new political struc

Charitable Instruction: Towards a Catholic-Thomistic Response to Misinformation

One of the problems the Philippines faces is the plague of mis-information, and this paper provides the groundwork for a possible Catholic-Thomistic response. In this work, the re-searcher attempts to answer the question of why Catholics need to solve this problem and what they can do to solve it. The paper resolves this question by arguing that it is the obli-gation of Catholics to share the truth through charitable in-struction. The work then suggests that training programs deal-ing with misin

From Living in the Shadows to Facebook Livestreams: The Impact of Social Media on Current Mediumship Practice of Mother Goddesses Worship (Đạo Mẫu) in Vietnam

This paper explores the transformative impact of social media on mediumship practice within the context of Mother Goddess-es worship (Đạo Mẫu) in contemporary Vietnam. By examin-ing the ways in which spirit mediums and practitioners utilise social media platforms, the study reveals that these digital spaces facilitate the open expression of belief, foster connec-tions among practitioners, and enable the sharing and promo-tion of spiritual services as well as the online trade in ritual costumes a

Understanding Media Consumption, Preferences, and Satisfaction of South and Southeast Asian Religious Online Media Consumers: The Case of Radio Veritas Asia’s Website

The way people communicate, gather, and process infor-mation continues to evolve in response to new communication technologies. With the rise of the internet and digital media, the use of traditional media platforms, such as radio, decreased. Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a non-profit Catholic radio station, transitioned from shortwave broadcasting to a digital online format to address the decline in its radio listenership. With these changes in RVA, this study aimed to understand the me-dia consump

Understanding Pope Francis’ Framing of Technology in Laudato Si’ and Fratelli Tutti in Light of Shannon Vallor’s Technomoral Virtues

In an era defined by rapid technological advancements, tech-nosocial issues have emerged, positioning technology as a double-edged tool that can either foster human flourishing or contribute to moral and societal decline. These challenges provide an opportunity for the Catholic Church to reassess its moral teachings and establish guidelines for technology. Pope Francis addresses these concerns in his papal encyclicals Laudato Si’ (2015) and Fratelli Tutti (2020), where he critical-ly examines th

Religion and Social Communication 23, No. 2 (2025)

Understanding News Avoidance in Social Media: A Systematic Literature Review

In the age of digital media, news avoidance behaviour is con-tinually increasing. This behaviour has brought new challeng-es for society and democracy. Research on news avoidance has recently experienced a surge, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there are many uncertain-ties on this topic, and this systematic literature review attempts to resolve them. This research uses the PRISMA framework to answer the research questions. Two databases are used for this study: Web o

A Figured World Study of the Online Faith Discourse of a Philippine Catholic Parish Facebook Page

his sociolinguistic study examines the Facebook page of a Catholic parish in the Philippines as a figured world. The figured world framework is a way of viewing a particular locus of interaction as a product of social and cultural construction. This lens, which has been widely used to examine education contexts, is applied in this study to the novel context of online religious community interactions. By using the figured world approach to discourse analysis, this research extends the view of soc

An Ecosystemic Approach to Digital Christianity: How Faith and Identity Formation Evolve Among Youth in Singapore

This sociological and ethnographic study develops and employs an ecosystemic approach to examine the effects of digitalization on religious beliefs and practices among young Christians in a Pentecostal megachurch in Singapore. Through extensive fieldwork and qualitative data analysis, this paper uncovers how the religious identity of young Christians evolves within a dynamic ecosystem shaped by indirect and direct digitalization. It outlines how Christian beliefs and practices transform indirect

Confucian Values and Their Contemporary Applications on Social Media

This research explores the ethical implications of using social media and fostering interfaith dialogue across religious traditions and cultures, utilizing Confucian principles as a framework for analysis. This research delves into the nuanced exploration of the Confucian Golden Rule within the Analects focusing on the Confucian concept of Ren, a central virtue emphasizing humaneness, benevolence, and social harmony, which offers valuable guidance for ethical media practices.