FROM EIDOS TO THEOS: REBOOTING RELIGION, REASON & RESPONSIBILITY
Call for Papers – 2026
From Eidos to Theos: Rebooting Religion, Reason & Responsibility
Religious belief in the twenty-first century is a creative and critical quest that transcends boundaries of traditional religion and reason, doctrine and data, politics and poetics. Amid migration, digital transformation, ecological crisis and changing notions of justice, religious belief emerges not merely as a private conviction but as a shared horizon where responsibility, imagination and solidarity converge. The Journal of Dharma invites contributions that rethink the relationship between philosophy, religion and public sphere under the theme From Eidos to Theos. This call encourages dialogue among philosophers, theologians, scholars of religion, scientists, artists and activists engaged with pressing questions such as climate and consciousness, digital identity, economic justice, ethical pluralism, mysticism and meaning. As we bid farewell to the first quarter of this century, the study of religion and philosophy calls for renewed depth and purpose. Belief is a living practice of interpretation, belonging, dissent and creation, not a static inheritance. Our vision is to foster scholarship that bridges traditions and disciplines, nurturing an ethos of pluralism and responsibility. Selected papers, after peer review, will be published in four issues. The submission deadlines are indicated in brackets.
January–March 2026 (5 November 2025)
Responsibility in Times of Polarization: Conscience, Dissent and Ethico-Political Imagination
What does it mean to act conscientiously when moral clarity is obscured by ideology, populism or apathy? This issue explores how religious and philosophical traditions sustain moral integrity, inspire prophetic dissent and challenge structures of domination. We welcome contributions on political theology, prophetic resistance, Buddhist kingship, Islamic governance, dharma and dissent, civic virtue and theological responsibility. Articles may also engage questions of moral conscience, ethics in public life and philosophies of democratic resilience.
April–June 2026 (5 January 2026)
Between Mind and Mysticism: Mapping the Limits of Religious Experience
Mystical and ecstatic states bring us to the threshold of language, where silence and altered consciousness reveal what reason cannot contain. This issue engages themes such as ecstasy, emptiness and the unspeakable in the human quest for the divine; psychedelics, spirituality and the science of experience. We invite studies on apophatic theology, mystical emptiness, bhakti and longing, Sufism and fanā, Zen and no-mind and the power of silence in religious practice. Contributions may also explore visual theology, contemplative traditions, neurotheology and transpersonal philosophy.
July–September 2026 (5 May 2026)
Sacred Earth & Common Destiny: Interfaith Ecology and the Ethics of Sustainability
The ecological crisis calls humanity to rediscover its place within the web of life. This issue explores how religious traditions and philosophical insights cultivate ecological awareness, moral responsibility and interfaith solidarity. We invite reflections on dharma and ecology, Islamic eco-ethics, ahiṃsā and sustainability, spiritual activism, interfaith environmentalism, and sacred duty in relation to the UN SDGs. Articles may also examine how data-driven environments shape ecological spirituality, reimagining Earth as a sacred trust and humanity’s common moral destiny.
October–December 2026 (5 July 2026)
Virtue, Value and the Marketplace: Ethics and Economics in Religious Thought
Confronted by inequality, consumerism and ecological fatigue, how can religion and philosophy speak to wealth, poverty and responsibility? This issue revisits visions of moral economy across traditions—Adam Smith’s moral sentiments, Gandhian trusteeship, Islamic finance, Buddhist frugality and Hindu dharma. It also addresses theology of poverty, prosperity gospel, countercultural poverty and spirituality in late capitalism. Contributors may engage virtue and vocation, theology of wealth and stewardship, and ethical alternatives to exploitative economic systems.
An Ongoing Theosafari
The Journal of Dharma invites scholars to join a dialogue where thought becomes responsibility—toward Humanity, the Earth and the Transcendent. Moving from Eidos (form/idea) to Theos (theological depth), this continuing journey seeks wisdom beyond critique, fostering comparative, interdisciplinary and constructive visions that renew belief as a living tradition of ethical creativity.
