Digital Commons Network^™

Reflections On The Christchurch Massacre: Incorporating A Critique Of Islamophobia And Twail, Cyra Akila Choudhury

Faculty Publications

On March 15, 2019 in Christchurch, New Zealand, a white supremacist entered a mosque full of worshippers and gunned down over 50 people. He was welcomed into the house of worship as Muslim immigrants and converts were about to start their Friday prayers. News of the attack spread quickly across the globe. Social media news feeds and online sources provided near-instantaneous updates. There were calls to prioritize the lives and stories of the victims and survivors. Although there were calls not to glorify or even humanize the shooter, people understandably professed interest in his writings and his motivation. Once it …

Approaches Of The Republic Of Uzbekistan To Combating Extremism Among The Youth, Sh Ruziev

ProAcademy

In contemporary conflict ridden world the struggle against extremism within youth environment has become increasingly more multifaceted, preventive and unconditionally obligatory in the context of state youth policy implementation. The task of early prevention of the likelihood of adolescents and young people of Uzbekistan falling under the Influence of violent ideology !s carried out by Joint efforts of state and public organizations with the active involvement of the general public and, especially, its most active layer — the youth themselves. Such a comprehensive and integrated policy, which has its own internal and international aspects, represents a unique experience that has …

Pax Yearbook 2018, Subiaco Abbey And Academy

The Pax, 1927; 1946-2020

Yearbook of Subiaco Abbey and Academy for the 2017-2018 school year.

Missing May, Emma Patton

Children's Book and Media Review

Summer and Uncle Ob are grieving. After Aunt May’s death, they realize May was the heart and soul of their little family. May was the mother figure Summer always needed and had been since Aunt May and Uncle Ob adopted her when she was six years old. Summer is devastated at the loss of Aunt May, but she is also saddened that Uncle Ob seems completely lost without May. Summer wishes that Ob loved her enough that she could be the reason for him to keep on living and trying, but she can see that she is not enough. Luckily, …

Preparing For The House Of God: Nepali Muslim Narratives Of The Hajj, Megan Adamson Sijapati

HIMALAYA, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies

This essay focuses on first-person narratives from Nepali Muslims directly before and after their journeys from Kathmandu to Mecca, for the Hajj pilgrimage, in 2005-2006, collected and translated by the author. To date, studies and public representations of Muslims in Nepal in the period of Nepal’s long transition to secularism have focused predominantly on the population’s mobilization of religious identity and its religio-political aspirations, productions, and experiences that help to constitute it as a collective. These representations have been key in affirming Muslims’ rights as a minority in a newly secular federal republic of immense ethnic and religious diversity and …

Longing, Belonging And The Politics Of Naming: The Case Of The Khache, Anisa Bhutia

HIMALAYA, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies

In Tibet, Muslim traders and subsequent settlers from Kashmir were called Khache. Over the years, this term has come to acquire multiple significations. By engaging with the complex history of the group and their eventual return to Kashmir, this paper tries to uncover these very significations and how the idea of Khache represents a coming together of the Himalayan region (Tibet, Nepal, Kashmir, Darjeeling, Kalimpong). In their multi-layered notion of belonging, there is a strong sense of attachment to the imagined Tibet, reflecting a harmoniously lived life, while further complexities emerge from their repatriation to the ancestral land of Kashmir. …

Identity Negotiation, Saudi Women, And The Impact Of The 2011 Royal Decree: An Investigation Of The Cultural, Religious, And Societal Shifts Among Women In The Saudi Arabian Public Sphere, Maha Alshoaibi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Historically, Saudi Arabian culture has been deeply rooted in tradition, religious customs, family-oriented structures, and gender derived expectations for men and women alike. Saudi Arabian culture emphasizes a patriarchal family structure where men financially provide for their family whereas women are expected to manage internal household duties such as raising children, upholding household affairs, and working within a limited scope of employment. The concept of Saudi Arabian women integrating into the public workforce has been a source of contention and debate for the last several hundred years. Due to recent changes in political and economic events, a royal decree issued …

The Abbey Message, 2018 Winter

The Abbey Message, 1940-2021

The Abbey Message publication, produced by Subiaco Abbey, dated Winter 2018.

Religion And Progressive Politics In The United States, Ruth Braunstein, Todd N. Fuist, Rhys Williams

Sociology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

In recent decades, scholars interested in the role of religion in American public life have largely focused on the Christian Right or the role of religion in civic life. Compared to these extensive literatures, relatively little attention has been paid to the role of religion in liberal/progressive politics. Progressive religious voices are more widespread and more racially, socioeconomically, and religiously diverse than is typically recognized. Moreover, while these actors seek influence within the most visible political realms of elections and policymaking, they also focus on shaping the cultural identities, narratives, and discourses that undergird democratic life. This article offers a …

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, Emma Patton

Children's Book and Media Review

Margaret just wants to be like everyone else. After her family moves from New York City to a suburban town in New Jersey, Margaret is confronted with questions she’s never had to face before. In her new town, every family is heavily involved in their respective church communities, but Margaret’s family is not religious. Margaret is also entering a new phase of her life. Her new friends talk about boys and the development of their bodies, and they seem to demand that Margaret do the same. Once she sees how far along these girls are, she suddenly feels so immature …

Islam & Interfaith Dialogue: Innovative Diplomacy Between The United States And Islamic Republic Of Iran, Kristyn Rohrer

Honors Student Research

This meta-communicative study provides an analysis of global interfaith dialogue as it pertains to peace and conflict, with a primary focus on Islam. The Islamic Republic of Iran and United States have a complicated history. Their diplomatic relationship is rife with manipulation, radicalism, and a disregard for human dignity. Currently, the US is imposing hundreds of sanctions and restrictions on Iran, from nuclear energy to medicine, as a result of President Trump’s decision to back out of the Iran Deal. However, other forms of dialogue are affecting positive relations between the two countries. Interfaith dialogue between North American Mennonites and …

The Installation Of The Human: Whiteness, Religion, And Racial Capitalism, Benjamin Robinson

Religious Studies Theses and Dissertations

Over the past thirty to forty years, the academic study of religion has brought the category of religion into crisis, unveiling its Christian architecture and its formation as a settler-colonial category of European expansion. While the proliferation of research on the genealogy of religion has opened new and important vantages for study, we remain conflicted about what is at stake. In this dissertation, I argue that the modern-colonial construction of religion is organized by a racial-theological operation that categorically separates people into humans, subhumans, and nonhumans, by which the social, economic, and political inequalities of racial capitalism have been made …

A Newcomer's Guide To Kabbalah, Ernest M. Oleksy

The Downtown Review

Kabbalah is a mystical and highly spiritual form of Judaism. Popularized by its endorsement by high-profile celebrities like Madonna, the average layperson knows enough about Kabbalah to recognize it as a vaguely familiar term, but not much else. This article strives to serve as an entry-point for both an intellectual and a popular audience to help familiarize readers with core components of Kabbalah and to help to begin fostering an appreciation for this very sophisticated faith. Matters of history, philosophy, science, doctrine, and more pertaining to Kabbalah will be discussed in this article

The Cult Of Names, Shaydanay A. Urbani

Capstones

The Mormon church keeps extensive records of its members. This is a personal story about how I tried to get my record removed, 15 years after leaving the church, as well as a short history of naming, women, and theology.

Inside C3: Portrait Of A Megachurch, Andrew Chandler, Reece T. Williams

Capstones

Our project centers on C3 NYC, a popular evangelical megachurch that has exploded in popularity despite allegations of abuse and financial impropriety currently swirling around it. Through photos and an accompanying audio piece that features voices from current and former members of the church, our piece seeks to go inside of C3

https://audioproject.wordpress.com/

Telling The Good News, Allyson R. Escobar

Capstones

In light of recent clergy abuse scandals, cover-ups and leadership shake-downs, it is a divided time in the Catholic Church: but this isn’t the whole story. My final capstone project is a critical essay of how Catholicism (and religion overall) is represented in mainstream media--particularly in secular news publications and entertainment (horror films) in the United States. By examining the coverage and how conversations differ within members of the Catholic Church--from journalists and critics to active Catholics, religious men and women--this project calls for greater accountability, fairness, faith representation in all media, and the overall claim that there are Catholic …

La Religion Dans René De Chateaubriand, Emmanuel Buteau

World Languages and Cultures Theses

Dans ce mémoire, on soumet René de Chateaubriand à une analyse épistémologique, en vue d’arriver à une interprétation plus approfondie que celle qu’on obtiendrait d’après une approche qui se penche purement sur les thèmes du romantisme du 19^e siècle. Ayant conçu un schéma inductif qui provient de l’expérience du récit lui-même, on est arrivé à des motifs dyadiques dont un aspect biographique-descriptif, un aspect narratif-déclaratif et un aspect confessionnel-dévotionnel. Dynamiques, les relations de ces motifs entre eux constituent la base théorique d’une approche interprétative portant simultanément sur un engagement herméneutique et phénoménologique.

Paper: An Ecowomanist View On The Dakota Access Pipeline, Ariana Raya

Womanist Ethics

This paper examines the Dakota Access Pipeline using ecofeminist and ecowomanist philosophies, provides a brief historical background of African American and Native American communities, explains the dangers of the pipeline to the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, and offers constructive alternatives.

Faith And Fury: The Temple Mount And The Noble Sanctuary: The Story Of Jerusalem’S Most Sacred Space, Leah Christopher

Children's Book and Media Review

A rough stone enshrined in a golden dome connects three major religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Why is it so important? Located in the Old City of Jerusalem, the stone and its presence in temples and mosques figure prominently in stories about Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, David, Solomon, Alexander the Great, Jesus Christ, Constantine, and Muhammad. For thousands of years, the rock has survived through war and peace, destruction and reconstruction atop what is known as the Temple Mount to Jews and Christians or the Noble Sanctuary to Muslims. Enter the legendary and true history up to the present day of …

Calling My Name, Bailey Ondricek

Children's Book and Media Review

Taja is a young girl growing into herself. This story chronicles the thoughts and feelings of the middle schooler as she contemplates themes of love, religion, education, and friendship up until her high school years and acceptance to university. The author’s final acknowledgement at the end of the book effectively summarizes the heartfelt theme, “And to every young person who’s ever struggled with departing from your family’s or community’s teachings: it’s OKAY to follow the voice inside.” Indeed, Taja’s raw exploration of God and sin model a form of questioning and discovery that validate the very natural questions common to …

Purity, Meagan Andrus

Children's Book and Media Review

Shelby made three promises right before her mother died: one, that she'd love and listen to her father; two, that she'd love as much as possible; and three, that she'd live a life without restraint. When her father asks her to attend a father-daughter Princess Ball with him, two of her promises come into conflict. Shelby doesn't think she can live without restraint and maintain the ball's idea of "purity." To remedy this conflict, she and her best friends come up with a plan for Shelby to lose her virginity before the ball. As she goes about trying to find …

No Parking At The End Of Times, Meagan Andrus

Children's Book and Media Review

Sixteen-year-old Abigail lives in a van in San Francisco with her parents and her twin brother, Aaron. They sold their house and everything they owned, following a pastor named Brother John, to prepare for the end of the world. After a few weeks, the apocalypse still hasn't happened. Abigail is worried about Aaron, who disappears every night, and she's also worried about her parents, who don't seem to be doing anything to make a more permanent home. When she follows Aaron one night to find him meeting up with other homeless teenagers, she's at first upset and then relieved to …

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock, Meagan Andrus

Children's Book and Media Review

Leonard Peacock plans to go to school, come home, shoot his ex-best friend Asher Beal, and then kill himself. But first, he has to give the few friends and important people in his life some farewell gifts. He reminisces on how he got to where he currently is and how life never gets any better. Alternating between moments of truth and clarity and moments of self-loathing and despair, Leonard's journey is full of many ups and downs. Ultimately, Leonard realizes he doesn't have it in him to kill Asher, who we later find out sexually abused Leonard for two years …

Goldeline, Karen Abbott

Children's Book and Media Review

Goldeline is an orphan adopted by the leader of a gang of forest bandits. She is fairly happy in her bandit life, although she is uncomfortable with her role of stopping the travelers that the gang robs and is sympathetic to their plight. One day she discovers a boy about her own age hiding in a carriage and decides to save him. They become friends, but when they fight, she helps him find his way to the village. He reveals the band's location and this costs Goldeline her only home, sending them both fleeing into the least safe regions of …

Communicating Information On Nature-Related Topics: Preferred Information Channels And Trust In Sources, Emily J. Wilkins, Holly M. Miller, Elizabeth Tilak, Rudy M. Schuster

Environment and Society Student Research

How information is communicated influences the public’s environmental perceptions and behaviors. Information channels and sources both play an important role in the dissemination of information. Trust in a source is often used as a proxy for whether a particular piece of information is credible. To determine preferences for information channels and trust in various sources for information on nature-related topics, a mail-out survey was sent to randomly selected U.S. addresses (n = 1,030). Diverse groups of people may have differing communication preferences. Therefore, we explored differences in channel preferences and trust by demographics using regression models. Overall, the most preferred …

“You Believe Your Thing, I’Ll Believe My Thing”: How Christian College Students Communicate With Peers About Religion, Samantha Phelan

Communication Studies

This phenomenological study examines how Christian college students communicate with their peers about religion. Six undergraduate college students at a private university in San Francisco were individually interviewed about their experiences at the university and how they feel about discussing their religion among friends. Of the participants, three were male, and three were female. All participants self-identified as Christian. Interviews lasted approximately 30 minutes. They were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results showed that students tended to avoid religious conversations, but bonded with other Christian students over the shared experiences of growing up in their faith. In …

After School Satan: Mimicry And Counteridentity As Strategies For Religious Resistance, Lacey Corey Brown

Kaleidoscope: A Graduate Journal of Qualitative Communication Research

The Satanic Temple strategically constructs their identity using counteridentifying symbols, such as Satan, to metaphorically resist Christian dogma in the context of U.S. American law and popular opinion. Through mimicry, they use faith as a tool of resistance to challenge the presence of The Good News Club, an Evangelical student program, in public schools. This paper rhetorically analyzes The Satanic Temple’s website to examine the communicative tactics used to shape the counter spiritual reality within their newly established and subversive After School Satan club. This paper concludes that without communicative adaptation and dialogue with parental stakeholders, The Satanic Temple ultimately …

The Obama Judge And The Foundations Of The Rule Of Law, Bruce Ledewitz

Ledewitz Papers

Published scholarship collected from academic journals, law reviews, newspaper publications & online periodicals.

Worry In The Pews: Exploring Levels And Causes Of Worry Among Church-Goers, Jennifer Lee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A large body of research indicates that worry, anxiety, and depression are present in the modern American psyche at increasingly high levels. Everyday worry can lead to further mental health issues, interpersonal problems, and reduced physical wellbeing and should be reduced when possible. Previous research has examined the benefits of church attendance with varied results; however, understanding the relationship between church attendance and everyday worry could be useful in reducing the effects of worry on this population.

The purpose of this quantitative study was to measure self-reported levels and causes of everyday worry among church-goers from three congregations and to …

Book Review: Becoming Better Muslims: Religious Authority And Ethical Improvement In Aceh, Indonesia (By David Kloos) & Chinese Ways Of Being Muslim: Negotiating Ethnicity And Religiosity In Indonesia (By Hew Wai Weng), Charlotte Setijadi

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Indonesian Islam has earnedsomething of a bad reputation in recent times. Amid reports of risingintolerance against religious minorities, terrorism attacks, high-profileblasphemy cases and the growing political influence of hard-line Muslim groups,it is easy to take an alarmist stance and assume that Indonesia’s approximately225 million Muslims are heading down the path of puritanism. Indeed, evenseasoned analysts of Indonesia often forget that Indonesian Islam isheterogeneous, and that the everyday experiences of Muslims from differentsocio-cultural backgrounds are extremely diverse. This is why Hew Wai Weng’sand David Kloos’ respective books are much-needed additions to contemporaryscholarship on Islam in Indonesia.