Sacred Intelligence: Exploring Humanity and Human Intelligence Through Religious Communication in India

Author Information

Jerry Joseph Onampally, University of Mumbai, India
Mathew Martin Poothullil John, University of Mumbai, India
Sunder Rajdeep, University of Mumbai, India

Abstract

This paper examines the interrelationship between humanity and human intelligence through the lens of religious communication, focusing specifically on the Syrian Catholic community in Kerala, India. Situated within India’s pluralistic spiritual environment, the study considers how religious discourse—embodied in scripture, liturgy, devotional music, rituals, and oral narratives—shapes emotional intelligence, ethical behavior, and human values. While acknowledging broader Hindu, Buddhist, Islamic, Christian, and Sikh traditions, the primary emphasis is on how Syrian Catholic communicative practices cultivate moral consciousness and cognitive empathy. The research adopts Symbolic Interactionism to explore how individuals interpret divine messages and sacred narratives to negotiate identity, purpose, and ethical responsibility. Simultaneously, Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory informs the analysis of interpersonal, intrapersonal, and existential intelligences emerging through religious engagement. Religious communication is approached as a semiotic system that nurtures not only theological knowledge but also humanistic reasoning and spiritual insight. The methodology involves a post-recorded qualitative content analysis of homilies, liturgical chants, and community storytelling, employing ELAN software for multimedia annotation and discourse mapping. Data from both urban and rural Syrian Catholic contexts reveal that religious expression fosters emotional regulation, resilience, self-awareness, and social cohesion. In light of the communication on Religion, Culture and Peace, this study underscores how localized religious communicative practices contribute to a global understanding of humanity and intelligence. It calls for renewed attention to religious narratives as reservoirs of ethical wisdom, essential for cultivating peace, dignity, and spiritual intelligence in a rapidly transforming world.

Save as a Favourite

• Category: Digital Humanities

Posted by James Alexander Gordon

All Posts