The article describes an experiment conducted by the author at the University of Leipzig in 2006. The experiment was an attempt to test the hypothesis that certain body postures described by the anthropologist Felicitas Goodman would, under certain circumstances, always lead to similar trance experiences. After a brief outline of Goodmans theory, the experiment is described in detail with emphasis placed on the interpretation of data. The result turns out to contradict the hypothesis and is then briefly discussed.

Writing dissertations, papers, or articles on a variety of religions, often foreign to us, sometimes even extinct, we more often than not find ourselves between two opposing theoretical camps, each deprecating the other, one being accused of »colonizing the Other,« the second of promoting a boundless relativism. Why does scientific explanation tend to »disenchant« its objects (Weber)? And what is the option, assuming we want to revert neither to the romantic Nacherlebnis of Dilthey, nor to the relativism inherent in much post-modernist work? I would like to speak about possible ways between these camps and will venture a third option, one that tries to evade the old and influential dichotomy of (subjective) interpretation and (objective) explanation.

The article deals with a subject matter still marginalised within the academic study of religions: the religious landscape of the GDR. It is argued that this subject matter ought to be accepted and explored as part of the European History of Religions. Based upon an overview of those few accounts already existing in the German speaking scientific community, the author presents some proposals for further academic analysis. However, the question whether the concept of socialism itself could be interpreted as a religionis not considered.

Apocalypticism as a literary genre has been a field of broad research for the study of religion. Scholars have also paid attention to its appearance in modern narratives. But those scenarios which »enable« the apocalypse to »generate« a sequel have been almost completely ignored to this day: however, amazingly many movies and contemporary narratives come to a continuation after the end. This offspring, labelled in this article as »post-apocalypse«, challenges existing concepts of apocalyptic patterns and requires a revision of established categories. This article, based upon an empirical study of modern movie narratives, intends to develop some features of such a categorisation . In addition, grounded in an explorative approach the article aims at offering some starting points for further research.

Insights from the study of religions can be applied to various practical questions, for instance, the influence of religion on mental health. But what about contract research by religious organisations, for example, for consulting services? In this article I will point out that the applied study of religions (Angewandte Religionswissenschaft) can still be scholarship critical of the scholar's perspective and of the religious ideology under examination. The basis for this is an empirical, social scientific, theory-based and hypothesis-testing methodology. Therefore, it is theory in the study of religions which is the actual subject of critical scholarship. Furthermore, it is argued that the problem of responsibility for any possible exploitation of research results lies with the individual scholar and is indeed a question of ethics.