Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Keeping Faith: A Qualitative Study On Religiosity Among Young Catholics In Ireland, Michael A. Clements

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Ireland is a country that is well-known for its Catholic heritage. Despite its global perception as a Catholic country, the Emerald Isle has experienced rapid secularization within the last 30 years, during which rates of Church attendance and Catholic self-identification have fallen dramatically. Likewise, the legalization of abortion, gay marriage, and divorce, concepts contrary to Catholic teaching, further reflect the island's departure from Catholic Orthodoxy. Should the Catholic religion have a future in Ireland, it will lie in the hands of its devout youth: a demographic with relatively little representation in the literature.

Using a hybrid interview and survey format, …

Leadership Lessons From Christ And Clergy, Noah Edmonson

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The purpose of this study is to develop effective pastoral leadership competencies based on the transformational and servant leadership theories and the life of Jesus. Christ’s life and ministry in the four Gospels was evaluated using Dr. Bernard Bass’s transformational leadership theory and Larry C. Spears’ servant leadership theory. Five competencies were identified by the interviewer to be further investigated for their effectiveness in the application of pastoral leadership. An interview process was conducted with the local Southern Baptist pastors to discuss the effectiveness of the competencies in their ministries. The results of this research indicated the affirmation of the …

Nineteenth-Century American Religion And Politics In The West: Doctrinal Shifts In Mormonism And The Creation Of Utah, Katherine Manning

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

American religion and politics have always been closely intertwined. Though America was founded on ideals of religious pluralism and tolerance, the actual landscape of American religion often resembled the opposite of these ideas. As a religious majority, Protestants in the nineteenth-century believed in a specific American identity—one which championed the “virtuous” family and a capitalist market system. Yet, some religious organizations challenged these norms, making them the object of intense persecution. One of the most famous of these examples is the Mormons. From their “peculiar” beliefs to their separatist goals, Mormons presented the American people with a religious group which …

The Menstrual Taboo And Modern Indian Identity, Jessie Norris

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Throughout the 20th century India underwent several political and cultural changes, including their independence from Britain in the 1940s and their declaration as a secularized nation. However, even secular India has been unable to remove itself from a religious practice that functions within it, the menstrual taboo. The Hindu menstrual taboo has survived for thousands of years, which begs the question: Are Hindu beliefs and values fundamentally Indian? The practice and history of Hinduism in India has informed the mistreatment and negative stigmas associated with women and menstruation. Restrictions are placed on menstruating women in India, including exclusion from religious …

Redefining The Roles Of Women And Sexual Ethics In The Roman Catholic Church, Kenneth Nauert

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The Second Vatican Council was one of the most seminal councils in the history of the Roman Catholic Church, and had far reaching and engaging effects on the wider universal institution. One of the most important outcomes of Vatican II was not the reforming of orthopraxy, but the dialogue that developed within the Church regarding specific issues, two of which are the transforming dynamic of women’s roles in Church life and of Catholic sexual ethics. The decades following Vatican II became a new era of religious dialogue amongst Catholic scholars and theologians, which established new discussions on women’s ordination and …

Letters To Mei Lanfang, Alexandra Dare Norman

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

As a male actor of female Dan characters, Mei Lanfang (1894-1961) is known throughout the world as the most representative performer of Chinese opera – particularly for his performance of Concubine Yu in the Peking opera Farewell My Concubine. A feminist analysis of his work in this opera reveals a series of assumptions about the definition of “Woman” in both theatre and life. This project is solo performance piece formatted in a series of open letters to Mei Lanfang, interspersed with personal stories investigating what it truly means to be a Woman – as an actor, a Christian, a feminist, …

Bethlehem Chapel: How A Place Can Be Reinterpreted By Government, Maya Lemaster

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

An important source of legitimacy for all types of government is the creation of or building up of a sense of nationhood for the citizens of the state. This can be achieved in many ways, including through the use of physical nationalist symbols. In my paper, I address this topic by exploring how the Communist government of Czechoslovakia reinterpreted and changed the traditional meaning of the historical Bethlehem Chapel in Prague in order to fit their own ideology. I found that the Communist government emphasized the communal aspects of the Hussite movement and ignored religious associations. My research is primarily …

Understanding The Mystery: Weighing Cessationist And Continuationist Debate Of Prophecy In The Pauline Epistles, Nicholas Bratcher

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The use of spiritual gifts such as tongues and prophecy has been a major source of controversy within Christianity over the past century. As its use flourishes in Africa, Asia and South America, many in the Western Church remain skeptical of its use, some even questioning the true conversion of these "charismatic" Christians. This thesis seeks to weigh the relevance of this cessationist debate with what Paul’s true concerns are in his letters. As such, it both praises and critiques cessationist and continuationist argument using modern scholarship to determine Paul’s actual, intended meaning of his words. It weighs the text …

Your Faith Has Saved You: A Literary Understanding Of The Relationship Between Physical Healings, Faith, And Salvation In Luke-Acts, James Benjamin Hussung

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The two-volume first-century work, Luke-Acts, presumably written by Paul’s sometime companion, Luke the physician, follows the story of Jesus’s birth, earthly ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension in the first volume and then the spread of Christianity from Jerusalem to Rome by the apostles in the second. Within this story lies a recurring motif of physical healings from various diseases and even death. These healings are predominantly performed by Jesus; however, in Acts especially, the apostles also perform healings similar to those of Jesus. Often, these physical healings are accompanied by faith, forgiveness of sins, and salvation. This thesis has two …

The Emergence Of Believer's Baptism As A Political Event, Jamey Yadon

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

During the Protestant Reformation, the most well-known reformers left the classical church-state relationship largely unchanged. The early Anabaptists, who called for much faster changes than the Reformation’s leaders were attempting, argued for a separation of the church from the wider culture. The radical reformers were also the first to argue for the practice of believer’s baptism—that the church should only baptize those who had made a personal commitment to Christianity. Studied as a part of the historical narrative, the emergence of believer’s baptism is charged with political meaning. This project is an exploration of that significance: namely, that believer’s baptism’s …

Jesus, I Trust In You: St. Thomas Aquinas' Jubilee, John A. Sohl

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The concept of “Life Reporting” is a completely new idea, at least in terms of how I have experienced it. In today’s world of blogs and social networking, it is essential for broadcast journalists to embrace their own lives in the same world of professional and ethical reporting. As I describe my experience of St. Thomas Aquinas’ Jubilee, I have no choice but to provide the context and build-up of this intense passion toward my overarching point. Working through all the communities of which I have been a part, from attending St. Luke Catholic Church all the way to the …

An Interpretation Of Genesis 1:1-2:3 In Light Of Ancient Near Eastern Traditions And Modern-Day Science, Rebecca J. Morgan

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

In the fields of religion and science, people seek to comprehend the world in which they live. According to the Judeo-Christian religious tradition, the universe and all its elements were created by an omniscient, omnipotent God in accordance to his holy design and purpose. This explanation, articulated in the book of Genesis, has influenced several thousand years of human history. However, the literal 24-hour days-of-creation explanation and interpretation deduced from the Genesis 1:1-2:3 creation account is contested by recent scientific discoveries as an invalid explanation for the origins of the universe and mankind. To explore the “how” and “why” questions …

"Lord Keep Us Safe This Night": Religious Imagery In Depression-Era Rural Quilts, Kelsey N. Mattingly

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This thesis investigates specific quilts from rural areas during the Depression era in relation to their religious imagery. Databases from the Kentucky Historical Society, International Quilt Study Center and Museum and the Quilt Index provide records of assessment. This analysis focuses on religious imagery in quilts, but I will look at the religious communities that collectively created them with a specific attention to the roles that church groups and the practice of group quilting played in their productions. I will present the resulting analysis drawn from my written work to uncover why certain quilts exhibited religious imagery where others did …

Mattathias' Other Son: The Story Of The Maccabean Revolt (A Novel), Ameliah E. Given

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

In Jewish primary and secondary literature regarding the Maccabean Revolt, Judas, the son of the man who began the revolt, is depicted as a warrior of epic proportions. Despite a Seleucid king’s attempt to squelch out Jewish practices, Judas propelled the people to religious freedom through his military strategy and might. After his untimely death in battle, his younger brother Jonathan finally succeeded in gaining political freedom for the Jewish people. Throughout his lifetime, Jonathan’s feats of valor rivaled, if not surpassed those of his brother Judas. Despite this, Jonathan’s story and life are not given the attention they deserve. …

The Concise Guide To The Modern Calvinist/Arminian Debate, David J. Leonhardt

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The Calvinist/Arminian debate is not a new issue to the Protestant Church; however, it is an issue that has resurged within contemporary Christianity. One major offense committed in this controversial debate occurs when a person or group uses a term from the opposite side in a way that is not the proponent’s original intent or meaning. Furthermore, misconceptions concerning the actual doctrines maintained by either side have become commonplace in the debate. In order to correct this problem, this thesis will serve as a guide for understanding the Calvinist/Arminian debate. It will provide information on the founders of the two …

The Israeli Armored Paradigm In The Yom Kippur War: An Evaluation, Joseph C. Leonhardt

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The Yom Kippur War of 1973 saw Israel suffer nearly twice the casualties and triple the duration of the previous war. This is in contradiction to the fact that Israel, following its spectacular success in the Six-Day War of 1967, was in a far better position than it had been in 1967. This work will analyze the problem of Armor preeminence in the Israeli Defense Force first to prove the existence of preeminence, then to qualify its effect in the war and then to qualify its importance in the differing factors between the 1967 and 1973 Wars. This will be …

Learning To Talk To An Other: Stories And Thoughts On Community Organizing In A Divided Nation, Greg James Capillo

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Unlike other fields of philosophy, we cannot simply agree to disagree about morality as practiced in politics. At some point, our moral values become policies that those who may not share those values must follow. The way we construct these disagreements and agreements then are vital to the continued functionality of our nation. In this essay, I will examine how John Rawls, Alasdair MacIntyre, and Jeffrey Stout construct the concept of justice and apply their thoughts to the dispute surrounding mountain top removal coal mining in Eastern Kentucky. John Rawls believes in a universally applicable, rationally generated form of justice. …

Roads To The Great Eucatastrophie: The Christian Mythology Of C.S. Lewis And J.R.R. Tolkien, Laura Ann Hess

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze how C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien created mythology that is fundamentally Christian but in vastly different ways. This task will be accomplished by examining the childhood and early adult life of both Lewis and Tolkien, as well as the effect their close friendship had on their writing, and by performing a detailed literary analysis of some of their mythological works. After an introduction, the second and third chapters will scrutinize the elements of their childhood and adolescence that shaped their later mythology. The next chapter will look at the importance of their …

A Journey Into The Land Of No Return: Death Attitudes And Perceptions Of Death And Afterlife In Ancient Near Eastern Literature, Leah Whitehead Craig

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Using Adrian Tomer and Grafton Eliason's Comprehensive Model of Death Anxiety, this paper analyzes literature of the Ancient Near East in order to discover death attitudes of the authors and the culture. This paper will examine works from four languages of the Ancient Near East, and therefore four cultures: Sumerian, Akkadian, Ugaritic, and Hebrew language groups. Texts are examined in English translation, with the exception of some passages in the Hebrew chapter. Images of death and afterlife, particularly regarding the underworld, are described. Tomer and Eliason's model is used to analyze the images to determine death attitudes of the authors …

Communication Within The Church: Characteristics Of The Post-Modern Church, Natalie King

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

In the modem church, all forms of communication are used together in order to create a truly meaningful, religious experience for both believers and non-believers in Christ. Communication and socialization in the form ofspirituality, dynamic leaders, small-group interaction, and a sense of community play an enormous role within the post-modem church and are vital on all levels in order to help people, both churched and unchurched, choose a church as their church home.

Breathing Zen: Thomas Merton's Search For 'The Death Of Self', Angela Fairbanks

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Thomas Merton, a well known American monk of thetwentiethcentury,distinguishedhimselfasawriter, a social activist, and a religious thinker. Among his manifold interests, he was intensely devoted to the study of otherreligions, particularly Zen Buddhism. This study seeks to examine Merton's relationship to Zen and discern how he was simultaneously able to participate in this Eastern tradition and also remain a Roman Catholic. A 100kat Merton' s books, journals, and letters suggests that his understanding of the fundamental aspects of Zen closely cohered with his lifelong desire to live a contemplative life. Also, Merton's perspective on religious plurality was characterized by an openness …

Robert Elsmere As A Reflection Of The Tractarian Controversy (1833-1890), Katherine Litchfield

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Between 1833 and 1890, the controversial Tractarian or Oxford Movement created a turmoil in British society. In 1888, amid the religious and political consternation of that time, Mary Augusta Arnold Ward published Robert Elsmere, the story of an Anglican priest who came to question and ultimately reject his faith because of the truths he uncovered in his studies of history. This thesis illustrates how the novel captured the religious conflict of the individuals and families who were caught in the midst of the Tractarian period in British history.

Dialogue And The 1993 World's Parliament Of Religions, Cory Hollon

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This paper is a report on the 1993 World's Parliament of Religion held in Chicago between August 28 and September 4. A report on the proceedings of the Parliament is given, followed by a description of the document sponsored by the Parliament, the "Global Ethic." Finally, from these events, conclusions about the prospects and problems of interreligious dialogue are drawn.

Principal Figures, Activity Issues And Doctrines That Shaped Medieval Church Supremacy, Wayne Hallett

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This paper will explore the principal figures, activities, issues and doctrines that shaped the ascent of the Medieval Church, with emphasis on the period from 1000 to 1300 A.D. Some of the important ground did begin earlier though, and influential concepts were carried forward from the Gospels, the early Church fathers, and writers such as St. Augustine. Monasticism, art, and pilgrimage and the veneration of relics and saints played important roles in promoting the goals of the Church and the molding of the Medieval mind. Some of the important papal bulls. decrees, and canons of the Church councils reflect characteristics …

The Role Of Religion In The Psychology Of Coping With Lifestyle Changes And Traumatic Life Events, Tricia C. Drury

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This paper presents a survey of research on the role of religion in the psychology of coping with lifestyle changes and traumatic life events. Specifically, it offers a comprehensive literature review concerning individual differences in religious coping, styles of religious coping, the use of religious coping strategies by older adults, the role of religion in coping with illness, and the role of religion in coping with death. Published literature suggests that religious coping strategies are used frequently and by all types of people in dealing with problems. Suggestions for future research and a personal statement concerning religious coping are also …