Digital Commons Network^™

Words With God, Krista Fassett

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

As a studio artist using multiple media, I investigate subjectivity of the female body as depicted within the context of evangelical doctrines and traditions. I explore misogyny and the absence of bodily autonomy in the bible, which designates women as property to be owned, purchased, and sold. Some overlapping themes include religious trauma, domestication, submission, and virginity. The intertwining of topics allows me to share my lived experience, and ignite conversation into certain religious doctrines that simultaneously live among cultural and political lines.

Emphasizing ‘holy’ scripture, my art varies through domestic materiality and includes crocheted textiles, oil paintings, installation with …

Mashiah: Messianism In Jewish Apocalyptic Literature Of The Second Temple Period, Fred R. De Leon

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This Thesis challenges notions that have dominated biblical scholarship for more than a hundred years. Up until the end of the twentieth century scholars uniformly believed that the concept of a suffering Messiah was not part of early first century CE Judaism. It was believed to a be a Christian creation. There is however startling evidence of messianic precursors to Jesus, including one who is introduced as the 'Prince of the Congregation' in recently published fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls. This is not surprising since the authors of the Tanakh lay the groundwork for an evolving and malleable concept …

Mary Julia Workman: Catholic Progressivism In Los Angeles (1900-1920), Jose Castro

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Mary Julia Workman was a social activist in the early twentieth century. She was the founder of the Brownson Settlement House in Los Angeles. By the 1900s. during the Progressive Era, Mary Julia Workman, a Catholic activist, led a group of women to help the immigrants that were segregated and discriminated in the growing city of Los Angeles. Although Catholic activism was influenced by the Protestant Progressive ideology, Mary Julia Workman provided social justice to the marginalized. Her Americanization methodology would be focused to learn from the foreigner culture and adapted it to our society. Meanwhile, the Americanization efforts promoted …

Religion And Spirituality In Clinical Practice: An Exploration Of Reluctance Among Practitioners., David Drew, Jessica Banks

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Across the United States, an overwhelming majority of the population claim that religion and spirituality beliefs shape their worldview and assist in coping with life stressors. Yet, the literature has shown that mental health practitioners reported discomfort integrating religion and spiritually in clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to explore whether license-holding mental health professionals in Southern California develop reluctance toward addressing religion/spirituality with their clients. Through snowball sampling, 52 clinicians composed of social workers, counselors, marriage and family therapists, nurses, psychologists, and psychiatrists were recruited across Southern California (N =52). The participants were measured descriptively based on …

Church Based Interventions With Human Trafficking In Southern California: A Denomination Study, Michael Dale Dewit

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The focus for this research project was to explore the development of human trafficking mercy ministries within South Coast Presbytery. South Coast Presbytery consists of 21 churches belonging to the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), a Christian denomination with member churches throughout the United States. The study was conducted following a constructivist paradigm with a PCA church belonging to South Coast Presbytery to determine the role of the church and the presbytery in addressing human trafficking through the development of mercy ministries. Interviews were conducted with 11 church members. Five major themes emerged from analysis of the interviews: 1) Effects …

The Development Of Political Secularism In A Nascent State, Tabassum Farooqui

Theses Digitization Project

This study will explore the rise, fall and revival of political secularism in Bangladesh. The exclusion or inclusion of political secularism is a controversial issue in many nascent states, because political groups often use religion as a political tool to manipulate the masses. In some newly-independent states, religious sentiment of citizens may be manipulated by different regimes; yet, the unique style of adopting religion may or may not increase religious tolerance in government.

A Burkean Analysis Of Jehovah's Witness Apocalyptic Rhetoric, Katherine Elizabeth Kacarab

Theses Digitization Project

This thesis uses principles from Burke's Rhetoric of Identification to examine how apocalyptic prophecies foster and maintain an apocalyptic group identity. Jehovah's Witnesses were used as a sample apocalyptic group because they comprise a group with a heavy textual and symbolic focus on the apocalypse.

Feelings And Concerns About Community Services And Social Economic Conditions Of Catholic Charities Members, Stephan Ernie Oldham

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to explore the feelings and concerns of clients of Catholic Charities in relation to the community services and the low socioeconomic conditions they are currently experiencing.

Hiv/Aids Service Providers' Views Of Spirituality As A Mechanism For Client Coping, Jody Lynn Reimer

Theses Digitization Project

This study will contribute to the profession of social work by assessing services provided to persons with HIV/AIDS in regards to spirituality as a coping mechanism. A goal of this study is to encourage social workers to examine their own viewpoints regarding spirituality as a coping mechanism for clients with HIV/AIDS and how well they integrate this method of coping into treatment. Service providers within this population will be able to evaluate and improve their use of a client's spirtual world view as a tool for coping with iving with HIV/AIDS.

Spirituality And Compliance Correlates Of Hemodialysis Patients, Paula Luz Ferro, Gloria Del Fernandez

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of a study of spirituality and its relationship to the compliance of hemodialysis patients is to consider changing the approach of the treatment team in the dialysis setting. The interdisciplinary treatment team at the dialysis center consists of physicians, nurses, dietitians, and social workers. One of the many roles of the dialysis social worker is to facilitate the adjustment to and acceptance of the patient's need for dialysis.

A Qualitative Study Of Spiritual And Alternative Practices In Social Work, Alissa Carrie Wilson

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study is to more closely examine social workers who are practicing or familiar with spiritual and alternative techniques. These approaches are seen as highly relevant to social work values of cultural competency and empowerment.

The Role Of Religious Beliefs And Practices In The Lives Of African American Family Caregivers, Lisa Renee Hebert

Theses Digitization Project

Examines whether religious beliefs or practices have a positive or negative influence on the perceived level of stress and coping ability of African American family care providers. Through interviews with three African American females who are caregivers for spouses diagnosed with adult onset brain disorder it was revealed that all caregivers felt their spirituality and/or religious practices shaped how they approached providing care. Religious practices and spirituality affected how they felt about providing care for their spouses and how they dealt with difficult challenges.

Language As A Tool For Self-Inquiry, Alice Elizabeth Griffin

Theses Digitization Project

This thesis examines he areas of consciousness and language that are implemented within the oral teaching tradition of the spiritual lineage of Ramana Maharshi. It examines how language is used by the teacher's consciousness to assist their student's development towards their own enlightened state of consciousness.

The Catholic Church's Approach To Restoring Its Image In The Face Of The Sexual Abuse Crisis, Ryan David Lanier

Theses Digitization Project

The public relations response of the church to the sexual abuse malady is the focus of this project. The purpose of this project is to evaluate the discourse and actions of the church according to image restoration theory.

Afro-Caribbean Religion And Rituals: Dugu, Voodoo, Santeria, And Brazilian Religions/Cults, Eva Archangel Lopez

Theses Digitization Project

This thesis will explore and discuss the religion and rituals (ancestral cult) of Afro-Caribbean societies, people of African and indigenous heritage. This thesis will also seek to answer the question of extent to which Americans have become tolerant of other people's culture and what influence, if any, have transmitted from the Afro-Caribbean people to other North American societies. The religion and rituals of four Afro-Caribbean groups will be discussed in this study.

Psychological Well-Being And Spirituality: Constituents Of Successful Aging, Dorothy Sheilah Armstrong

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Holy War As An Instrument Of Theocratic And Social Ideology In Judaic, Christian, And Islamic History, Robert Bruce Brown

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Referrals For Therapeutic Counseling By Catholic Parish Priests And The Implications For Clinical Social Workers, Mary Anne Zapor

Theses Digitization Project

This positivist research design project focused on the question: How do parish priests deal with people who are in need of therapeutic counseling? Central to this study was the hypothesis, that priests refer people to professionals, when there is no conflict expected between values and morals of the church and the values and moral of the professional therapist.

A Marketing-Communications Plan For An Innovative Teleservice For A Nonprofit Religious Organization, Allan Howard Beeber

Theses Digitization Project

Telemarketing -- Marketing - Communications strategy.

Christian Public Relations Strategies And "The Last Temptation Of Christ": A Case Study, Donald Gene Beehler

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Mysticism: Its Relationship To Religious Experience And Psychopathology, Richard Paul Jager

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Concepts Of Supernatural Punishment For Worldly Moral Misconduct, Dwight Derrell Wash

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

The Heavenly Dimension: Some Visionary Descriptions Of The World Of Spirit, Arnold Arias

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.