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Vicarious Religion as A Methodological Challenge in Modern Sociology of Religion Muhammad Jamil; Raden Rezeki Alam; Dody S. Truna; Rifki Rosyad
MSJ : Majority Science Journal Vol. 4 No. 3 (2026): MSJ - August
Publisher : PT. Hafasy Dwi Nawasena

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.61942/msj.v4i3.640

Abstract

This study explores the concept of vicarious religion introduced by Grace Davie to explain the transformation of religiosity amid modernity, a process initially predicted to trigger total secularization. The concept refers to a phenomenon in which religious practice is carried out by an active minority on behalf of a passive majority who, despite not participating routinely, still expect religion to be present as a guardian of morals and collective identity. This study aims to explain the theoretical framework of vicarious religion, identify its forms of manifestation, and analyze the methodological challenges it raises for modern sociology of religion. The findings show that vicarious religion is manifested through delegative rituals, beliefs entrusted to specific authorities, moral representation in public issues, and the reactivation of religion’s role as a “reservoir of meaning” in times of crisis. Methodologically, this phenomenon challenges conventional quantitative approaches that measure only physical attendance, and encourages the use of interpretive and mixed methods to capture the latent dimensions of religiosity. In conclusion, there has been a shift from obligation-based to choice-based religion, in which religion continues to perform significant social and symbolic functions through mechanisms of representation.
Beyond Representation: Reconstructing Muslim Hero Identity through Procedural Rhetoric in Islamic Video Games Yuana Ryan Tresna; Hendri Waluyo Lensa; Dody S. Truna; Rifki Rosyad
MSJ : Majority Science Journal Vol. 4 No. 3 (2026): MSJ - August
Publisher : PT. Hafasy Dwi Nawasena

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.61942/msj.v4i3.642

Abstract

The representation of Muslims in digital games has received increasing scholarly attention, yet existing research has largely focused on visual imagery, narrative representation, and ideological discourse while overlooking the procedural nature of gameplay. This article argues that Muslim hero identity in Islamic video games cannot be adequately understood through representational analysis alone. Instead, identity emerges through players' interaction with computational systems that organize ethical choices, moral responsibility, and religious meaning. This study aims to reconstruct the concept of Muslim hero identity by integrating Representation Theory, Procedural Rhetoric, and Digital Religion into a unified conceptual framework. Employing a qualitative theory-building approach, the study combines systematic literature review, qualitative content analysis, critical discourse analysis, and theory synthesis to examine how identity is constituted through interactive gameplay rather than static representation. The analysis demonstrates that procedural mechanics, player agency, moral agency, and religious meaning-making collectively shape the construction of Muslim hero identity. Based on these findings, the study proposes the Procedural Muslim Hero Identity Framework (PMHIF), comprising five interconnected dimensions: Representational Foundation, Procedural System, Interactive Moral Agency, Religious Meaning-Making, and Procedural Muslim Hero Identity. The framework reconceptualizes Muslim hero identity as an emergent, participatory, and ethically situated process enacted through gameplay rather than merely represented through narrative or visual symbols. By moving beyond representational paradigms, this study extends Procedural Rhetoric into the domain of Digital Religion and offers a new interdisciplinary framework that contributes to Game Studies, Islamic Media Studies, and the broader scholarship on religion and interactive digital media.
Religious Authority in the Digital Age: A Critical Review of the Theme of Authority in Heidi A. Campbell's Digital Religion and Its Implications for Contemporary Hadith Studies Luthfil Aziman; Fayumi Hasan; Dody S. Truna; Rifki Rosyad
MSJ : Majority Science Journal Vol. 4 No. 3 (2026): MSJ - August
Publisher : PT. Hafasy Dwi Nawasena

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.61942/msj.v4i3.645

Abstract

This article presents a critical review of the theme of religious authority as elaborated by Pauline Hope Cheong in Chapter Five of Heidi A. Campbell's edited volume Digital Religion: Understanding Religious Practice in New Media Worlds (Routledge, 2013). Employing a qualitative library-research approach with thematic content analysis, this study reconstructs Cheong's three analytical logics—disjuncture and displacement, continuity and complementarity, and dialectics and paradox—and projects their relevance to contemporary Hadith studies. The findings indicate that, first, Cheong's tripartite framework is a robust meta-theoretical instrument for mapping the dynamics of religious authority in digital culture. Second, the displacement logic resonates with the phenomenon of unauthorized fatwa circulation and the “democratization” of hadith citation in cyberspace, which threatens the epistemic monopoly of the ulama. Third, the continuity logic finds parallels in the strategic adaptation of hadith scholars and pesantren-based institutions in producing digital content for verifying narrations (takhrīj). Fourth, the dialectical logic offers a more nuanced perspective for reading the paradox of digital authority within Hadith Studies, namely that an audience's digital literacy can simultaneously erode and reinforce the authority of muḥaddith. This article concludes that integrating Cheong's framework with the classical epistemology of ʿulūm al-ḥadīth—particularly the principles of isnād, ʿadālah, and ḍabṭ—is urgently needed to formulate a methodology for evaluating the authority of hadith narrations on digital platforms.
The Performative Power of the Quran: A Phenomenological Study of I'jaz Ta'thiri in Ruqyah Shar'iyyah Practices in Bandung, West Java M. Dewangga Widhia; Muhtar Solihin; Dody S. Truna; Jajang A. Rohmana
International Journal of Nusantara Islam Vol 13 No 2 (2025): International Journal of Nusantara Islam
Publisher : UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.15575/ijni.v13i2.54121

Abstract

This study investigates I'jaz Ta'thiri, understood as the miraculous or transformative influence of the Qur’an, within the perspective of the Living Quran, particularly through the subjective experiences of patients undergoing Ruqyah Shar'iyyah in Bandung, West Java. Employing a qualitative research design and phenomenological approach, the study explores how individuals from different social and professional backgrounds—including musicians, academics, and housewives—experience and interpret the Qur’an during ruqyah practices. Data were obtained through in-depth interviews and analyzed to identify patterns in participants’ experiences and meanings. The research demonstrates that the Qur’an is perceived not only as a sacred text to be read and understood but also as a performative force that operates within embodied, psychological, and spiritual experiences. Three principal dimensions of its influence were identified. First, somatic resonance refers to bodily responses experienced by participants, including sensations and perceived physical healing that occurred without direct medical intervention. Second, metaphysical visualization describes intense inner experiences, such as memories or flashbacks related to past sins and symbolic visions of Nur (divine light), which participants associated with their spiritual condition. Third, psychospiritual transformation reflects profound changes in emotional and spiritual states, particularly the movement from anxiety, fear, and inner unrest toward tranquility and Sakinah. These findings indicate that Ruqyah Shar'iyyah practices in Bandung provide a significant example of the Living Quran, in which Qur’anic verses become dynamically integrated into lived religious experiences. The Qur’an consequently functions as an active source of physical, psychological, and spiritual transformation, demonstrating how its meaning and power are continuously constructed through embodied religious practice and individual experience.
Co-Authors Abdul Hanan Abdul Syukur Ach Hakiki Ahmad Ali Nurdin Ahmad Deni Rustandi Ahmad, Ikhsan Ai Siti Nurmiati Al-Fikri, Muchsin Albustomi, Ahmad Gibson Ana Lustiyowati Andini, Andini Anisa Nurhasanah Arifuddin, Nawawi Bahar Asep Muhyidin Asep Muhyidin Asep Saeful Muhtadi, Asep Saeful Asep Supriadin, Asep Awangga, Panji Guniwa Aria Busro, B. Chaima Hammami Dadang Kahmad Dede Rodin Dian Nurrachman, Dian Elmi Hamidah Sully Erita Riski Putri Erus Effendi, Erus Faishal Dhia Pratama Faradiba Hasni Pitaloka Fatkhuri, Fatkhuri Fauza Zahrotul Aini Fayumi Hasan Ghofar Taufik Hakiki, Ach Halim, Syaiful Hannah, Neng Hendri Waluyo Lensa Hidayat, Dede Ilim Abdul Halim Indah Rahmawati Jajang A Rohmana Luthfil Aziman M. Dewangga Widhia Marlida, Siti Marzal, Novrizon Mimbar, Asep Saeful Mochamad Ziaul Haq Mohammad Rofiqul A’la Mohammad Ziaul Haq Muhamad Azhan Azhari Muhamad Fadjr Lionel Ferdinand Muhammad Dimas Anugrah Muhammad Jamil Muhibuddin Muhibudin Wijaya Laksana Munir Munir Najihah, Bannan Naelin Nana Supiana Napilah, Paridah Nawawi Bahar Arifuddin Nurwadjah Ahmad Pratama, Faishal Dhia Qoriah A. Siregar Qurotul Aeni Raden Rezeki Alam Rahman, Mohammad Taufiq Rahmat, Efendi Rifki Rosyad Rojaya Rojaya Rosihon Anwar, Rosihon Rosyad, Rifki Setia, Paelani Siswanto, Mikael Adi Solihin, Muhtar Sully, Elmi Hamidah Susanti Vera Tatan Setiawan Tetep Abdulatip Tukma Triputri Daulay Wahyudin Darmalaksana Waliyajati, Roro Sri Rejeki Waluyajati, Roro Sri Rejeki Wibisono, Muhammad Yusuf Yuana Ryan Tresna Yunus, Ruslan Moh. Zakaria, Tatang