Religion Commons^™

The Migration Of South Asians From India To Guyana: The Journey, Struggles In A New Land, Reasons For Changes Over Time And Their Cultivation Of A New Culture., Cynthia C. Harry

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Indians from different regions of India arrived in Guyana through indentureship in 1838. They were under a five-year contract and had to work on the sugar plantations for the duration of their indentureship. While they tried to persist their Indian culture, assimilation in their new environments and interaction with people of different cultures, allowed them to develop a culture unique to Indo Guyanese heritage.

This thesis focuses on the history of Indian diaspora in Guyana. It evokes the struggles they faced on the ships, and during and after indentureship. It also touches on the political and racial issues they had …

Rice, Reciprocity, And Generosity: Embedded Ecologies In Hindu Women’S Rituals, Zoe Carlson

CMC Senior Theses

Hindu women’s perspectives of the more-than-human world are illuminated through ritual. Researching ecological actions millions of people of different faiths across the world partake in every day, in the context of the climate crisis of our present time, is a vital project I undertake in this thesis. I look to Hinduism, which has traditionally been called an “ecological” religion, but without a clear definition of what “ecological” means. I use Vijaya Nagarajan’s theories about Hinduism, women, and ecology as a theoretical guide. I apply her theory of “embedded ecologies” to analyze how knowledge about the environment is layered in cultural, …

Sikhs And Colonialism: A Study Of Religious Identity Across Time From Guru Nanak To The British Raj, Samrath S. Machra

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis deals with how a religious community shapes itself in the face of powerful external pressures. It explores ways the Sikh religion (code, creed, and cultus) was influenced by its encounters with the British Empire and in process, gave birth to a new combinative tradition. This paper will look at where the Sikh people located themselves during the Colonial period, to understand Colonialism’s imprint on the Sikh tradition. It traces the thread of contact throughout Sikh history and argues that British contact resulted in religious and cultural exchanges which reoriented Sikh creed, code, and cultus. The resulting combinative tradition …

Hinduism As A Political Weapon: Gender Socialization And Disempowerment Of Women In India, Aindrila Haldar

Master's Theses

There is a growing use of religion as a political tool to control Hindu women in India, contributing to a rise in gender inequality. Immediate authoritative patriarchal domains such as household and politics, continuously speak of “protecting” Hindu women by disregarding their voices and needs. Consequently, potentially creating a loss of agency among women. This research will use inductive reasoning to understand the position of Hindu women in modern Indian society. Particularly, through the understanding of the involvement of religion in the political and household sphere. Hindu women are highly influenced by the expectations of what being an ”ideal” woman …

The Case Of Kashmir: Ethnic Mobilization And Insurgency, Kayla Hofmann

Politics Honors Papers

This paper analyzes ethnic identity and potential reasons for conflict through a constructivist lens. Using the case study of Kashmir, I explore the past and present events in the state and the salience of ethnicity, specifically Kashmiri Muslims and Indian Hindus.

Empowering Laity To Engage In Pastoral Care Ministry: A Proposal For Capacity Building And Supervision For Larger Congregation With Special Reference To Kohima Ao Baptist Church, Nagaland, India., Tsuwainla Jamir

Master of Theology Theses

This thesis explores how to provide effective lay pastoral counseling in a large congregation, with particular reference to Kohima Ao Baptist Church in Nagaland, India.

Beyond Slavery: Christian Theology And Rehabilitation From Human Trafficking, Christopher Michael Gooding

Dissertations (1934 -)

Is there life beyond slavery? In the past 20 years, there has been a significant increase in research related to human trafficking. However, very little of it has examined the ethical issues that survivors face as they attempt to reintegrate back into society, or that aftercare workers face as they attempt to assist survivors in the reintegration process. And there has been almost nothing written on how the tools of moral and political theology might offer insight into these issues. This dissertation attempts to begin to address this gap in the literature.In order to assess what the nature of …

Leaves Of The Bodhi Tree From East To West: The Symbol Of The Sacred Fig Tree In Ancient India, Southeast Asia And Contemporary Contexts, Amanda J. Spradling

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis examines the depiction of the Bodhi Tree, a common Buddhist symbol. Bodhi tree simply means tree of enlightenment and Buddha Shakyamuni reached enlightenment while in meditation beneath the particular tree species of ficus religiosa, or sacred fig. Though the sacred fig tree, as a native tree to India, has historically held significance, today it is principally known for its association with the Buddha, particularly his single most important life event, his enlightenment.

Tree worship and its universal practice is well understood and many studies of the Bodhi Tree explore its associated pilgrimage site, Bodh Gaya, and monument, the …

Rediscovering The Theology Of Lay Ministry And Presenting A Pastoral Plan: “The Integral Christian Formation Of Lay Leaders” For The Catholic Church In Tamil Nadu, India, Bernard Joseph Viagappan

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

Even after the Vatican II has categorically revealed the role and the place of the laity in the Church, there is so much of resistance and cynicism prevailing among the clergy and the people in the Indian Church about this clarion call of the Council. Around 90% of Catholics keep themselves passive in their faith practice. As we delay the promotion of active and full use of the lay potential, the greater the chance and number of the lay faithful losing their faith. A strong feeling of insecurity in the clergy leads to distrust of lay talents and charisms and …

Purifying The Sacred: How Hindu Nationalism Reshapes Environmentalism In Contemporary India, Owen Dunton Ellerkamp

Honors Papers

The transposition of the cultural, religious, and sacred onto physical geographies is practiced by humans everywhere as landscapes are canvases for meaning making and integral placeholders of histories. In the Indian context, this practice is distinct for several reasons. Scholars of Hindu traditions recognize that the place-oriented disposition and centrality of land to Hindu traditions and cultures is unprecedented and integral to identity formation in modern India. As India faces increasing environmental degradation, the preservation of “sacred geographies” is especially crucial to the identity of Hindu traditions. The rise of Hindu nationalist (Hindutva) political parties (e.g., the Bharatiya Janata Party …

Gospel Encounter With Subaltern India , Stanish Stanley

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

This work examines the role of religio-cultural resources in enabling the transformation of a broken community and people.

In the context of nineteenth and twentieth century British India, an oppressed community in India set out to explore the possibility of challenging and re-defining their own destiny. This oppressed section of Indians who lived in the margins of Indian caste defined society were considered socially and ritually polluting people and were subservient to various socio-economic and religio-cultural biases. The daily life routine of this oppressed community, called the Sambavars (Pariahs) of the Malayalam speaking princely State of Travancore in South India, …

The Unintended Legacy Of Hellenism: The Development And Dissemination Of The Buddha Image, Chukyi Kyaping

History Honors Papers

This paper traces the development and evolution of the Buddha image from the first century CE in Gandhara to the fifth century CE in Luoyang, China and discusses the circumstances that allowed the image to adapt to different cultural environments. The emergence of the Buddha image marked a significant shift in the perception of the Buddha himself, through which Buddhism had effectively transformed from a philosophy into a religion.

Due to the syncretic nature of the Gandhari region, the Buddha image incorporated elements from multiple cultures, most notably from the Hellenistic artistic tradition. The dissemination of the Buddha image, traced …

Renegotiating A Beheading: Literary Opposition To Varna Hierarchy In Shambuka's Story, Thomas Ahlers Nunan

Honors Papers

The Ramayana's Shambuka story is a controversial incident that has served as a site for the renegotiation of social power structures in India for thousands of years. Because the episode is fundamentally about India's system of caste hierarchy, or varna, any retelling will by its very nature engage in a formulation of social relation between different caste identities. Close readings of these retellings reveal the ways in which the adaptations and appropriations of each version create new literary meanings that provide insight into varna hierarchy as a normative body of social control. Despite the Shambuka incident's hegemonic history, transgressive participation …

"She's An All-In-One Guru": Devotion To A 21st Century Mystic, Angela Carol Rudert

Religion - Dissertations

Anandmurti Gurumaa is a multi-lingual teacher of meditation and "spirituality" situated at the intersection of Hindu, Buddhist, Sufi and Sikh mystical traditions. This dissertation, employing inter-disciplinary methodology, provides an in-depth study of Gurumaa and her rapidly developing, disciple-driven transnational spiritual movement. I introduce Gurumaa and her circle of devotees within the cultural context of globetrotting Indian gurus and examine issues of tradition and innovation in her mission. Through ethnographic writing, I specifically turn to examples of Gurumaa's pluralism, gender activism and embrace of new media to discuss continuity and change within the tradition of guru-bhakti (devotion to the guru). Because …

Powerful Hermeneutics: British Readings Of Hindu Texts And Concepts In Late Eighteenth-Century Bengal, David Fredrickson Burman

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

A Model For Enhanced Nurture Of New Believers In The Reang Tribe In India, Lalmuansanga Chawngthu

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The Reang tribal people live in Tripura State, Northeast India. The Reang are largely illiterate and most live in poverty. Sicknesses and starvation are common among this tribal group. Although Adventists and other Christian groups have had reasonable success evangelizing the Reang, many converts appear to become Christians in search of the material aid they need. The Seventh-day Adventist Church needs a systematic and comprehensive plan of spiritual nurture for its Reang converts that will lead them into mature discipleship.

Method

This study begins by developing a theological foundation for spiritual nurture based on selected biblical passages and the …

The History Of The Emergence Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In The State Of Manipur, India, Cornelius Kamei

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The Seventh-day Adventist church emerged in the state of Manipur, India, through a lay-led church planting movement. Currently, no written account exists of the early history of this work in Manipur. Today, the work in Manipur is clergy-dependent and growth in this region has stagnated. In order for the work to move forward successfully, there is a need to remember the early history of the work in this region.

Method

In the absence of earlier written works on the rise of Adventism in Manipur, oral sources were relied upon as primary sources for accuracy. The sources were gathered through …

Treatment Of A Wife's Body In The Fiction Of Indian Sub-Continental Muslim Women Writers, Hafiza Nilofar Khan

Dissertations

Ismat Chughtai of India, Tehmina Durrani of Pakistan, and Selina Hossain of Bangladesh depict some of the sociological, religious and legal aspects of wife abuse that is a chronic, yet little discussed anathema in a Sub-Continental Muslim wife's life. "Treatment of the Wife's Body in the Fiction of Indian Sub-Continental Muslim Women Writers," examines the fiction and autobiographical works of these women writers who problematize the deeply ingrained traditional modes of domestic violence as perpetuated upon the minds and bodies of Sub-Continental Muslim wives. Chughtai, Hossain and Durrani identify culture specific practices such as child marriage, dowry, polygamy, honor crimes, …

A Curriculum To Prepare Pastors For Tribal Ministry In India, Calvin N. Joshua

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The dissertation project establishes the existence of nearly one hundred million tribal people who are forgotten but continue to live in human isolation from the main stream of Indian society. They have their own culture and history. How can the Adventist Church make a difference in reaching them? There is a need for trained pastors in tribal ministry who are culture sensitive and knowledgeable in missiological perspectives.

Method

Through historical, cultural, religious, and political analysis, tribal peoples and their challenges are identified. The contribution of Christianity to India, particularly, the impact of the Adventist Church among tribals is reviewed. …

A Strategy For Evangelism Among The Bengali Folk Hindus Of Calcutta, Eric Kujur

Professional Dissertations DMin

The purpose of this study was to develop a strategy to reach the unreached Bengali Folk Hindus of Calcutta. First, general information on the target group was presented. This included information on their lifestyle and traditional religious beliefs and practices. This is a large group of people who do not belong to the castes and do not enjoy the benefits of financial, educational, and political status. A brief review of what Roman Catholic and Protestant churches have done for the Folk Hindus of Calcutta, with their medical, educational, spiritual, and social services, helped us to understand the strengths and weaknesses …

Church Growth In The Khasi-Jaintia Conference, Meghalaya, India, Khrawbor Kharbteng

Professional Dissertations DMin

The population of the Khasi-Jaintia Conference territory is made up of 80 percent Khasis and 20 percent other ethnic groups. The Khasis, an accepting and happy people, are receptive to the Christian message. This receptivity comes from their monotheistic concept of God and their admiration for the dedicated missionaries who brought the gospel but did not attempt to modify their culture, except for their refusal to accept social evils such as drinking, gambling, and sexual promiscuity. Seventh-day Adventism came to the Khasi region in 1915 with the arrival of E. G. Hardinge and family. The actual work of the Seventh-day …

A Training Program For Local Church Elders/Leaders In Northeast India, Kongyui Awungshi Shimray

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Local church elders and leaders in the Northeast India Union have regularly cared for nurturing and evangelism within the church. They have performed pastoral responsibilities because there are only eighteen paid district pastors in charge of over 130 organized churches and more than 300 companies. However, elders and leaders have no training to perform the task effectively. To enable local church elders and leaders to minister effectively, leadership training is required.

Method

The project considered first the concept of Christ's servant leadership as a basis for the work of elders and local leaders within the chinch. It also reviewed …

Using The Heritage Of The St. Thomas Christians To Develop An Outreach Strategy, Kunjunjukutty Yohannan

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The St. Thomas Christians in Kerala claim their spiritual heritage from Thomas the apostle. Yet they are not generally aware of a number of scriptural teachings including the seventh-day Sabbath, which Thomas and their forefathers observed. For the last one hundred years there has been no developed Seventh-day Adventist strategy to proclaim the full biblical message, which was their heritage, to this people group.

Findings

The St. Thomas Christians of Kerala, India, believe that Thomas the apostle took Christianity to India. Their very existence bears witness to it. Thomas is reported to have arrived in Kerala in A.D. 52. …

A Church Growth Study Of Three Churches In Kottayam, Robinson Stephenson

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Many of the churches in the North Kerala Section have been stagnant for years. In some churches over 50 percent of the members are inactive. This study analyzes the hindrances to the growth of three churches in the Kottayam District and suggests a strategy for church growth.

Method

The theological, historical, missiological, and practical dimensions of church growth were examined. A church growth approach was used which included an analysis of the factors involved in the growth and decline of three SDA churches in the Kottayam district. The growth patterns of three churches over the past ten years were …

A Church-Growth Strategy For Revitalizing The Kolhapur Church, Bhupal R. Chandanshive

Professional Dissertations DMin

The task of this dissertation was to study the factors that have affected the growth of the Kolhapur church in south Maharashtra and to develop a strategy to revitalize the church. Twenty-five years ago, Seventh-day Adventist churches in Maharashtra were spiritually lively and active. But in recent years the churches have become weak; the attendance is nominal and there is little vibrancy.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Kolhapur was viewed through the dynamics of church-growth principles, especially those applicable in the Indian context. The history of the church, together with membership statistics, provided information on the church over the last …

A Church Growth Study Of The Chachkapi Church In Bihar State Of India, Manohar Kujur

Professional Dissertations DMin

Chachkapi Church is the only growing church in its pastoral district. However, its growth is very slow. Adventism first came at Chachkapi in 1957 and by 1998 it had grown to 161 members. This shows its potential for growth. The church members are Oraon and the majority of the people who live around the area belong to the same community. Oraons were the first to accept Christianity in Chotanagpur South Bihar. Growth was by a people movement. According to present trends, churches among the Oraons are growing slower in comparison to the other tribals in Chotanagpur.

In an attempt to …

Urban Evangelism In India: An Evangelistic Project Conducted In The City Of Poona, John Willmott

Professional Dissertations DMin

After two thousand years in its advent to India, Christianity still remains an unknown entity to the main core of the population. There are more than 3,000 cities and 550,000 villages in India with a population of 683,810,051 people. The urban development in India presents the greatest challenge to the church. It must discover ways of employing effective methods of evangelism to reach the massive population. Guidelines for evangelistic outreach in the cities of India were drawn from certain theological implications for evangelism under the headings: evangelistic priority, participation, incarnation, and proclamation. An actual evangelistic project was carried out in …

Dr. Adolph A. Brux And Prayer Fellowship In The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, John Marschhausen

Master of Divinity Thesis

The purpose of this paper is to explore the case of Dr.Adolph A. Brux and his relations with The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod on the subject of prayer fellowship, and in doing that to discover what effect, if any, the work of Dr.Brux had upon the Missouri Synod. F. Dean Lueking, in his book, Mission in the Making, terms the period between 1920and 1940 "The Struggle for Vision" within Missouri. It is in this period that the case between Dr. Brux and the Missouri Synod took place, and it is during this time that one can begin to see the shift …

The Syrian Church In India, A. John George

Graduate Thesis Collection

This thesis is specially concerned with the section of the Church now called Mar Thoma Syrian Church; it has therefore to leave out of consideration the various groups which live apart from that section, once the occasions of separation have been noticed. Thus we shall see that the Syrian Church has a loose-knit unity until 1653; for the last fifty years that period under Roman Control. Then about half of the Christians became Jacobite in allegiance. The work of the Christian Missionary Society, missionaries in the nineteenth century, led the coversion of a few families to the Anglican faith and …

A History Of The Missionary Activities Of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints In India, 1849-1856, R. Lanier Britsch

Theses and Dissertations

The East India Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was officially opened in 1851, with the arrival of Elder Joseph Richards from England. He baptized several people, the most important of whom were James Patric Meik and his family, Maurice White, and Matthew McCune and his family. The Meiks and the McCunes contributed a great deal of service to the Church in Calcutta and Rangoon. Both of these families eventaully immigrated to Utah. Elder Richards left Calcutta after a few months there and before his return some months later, was preceeded by Elder William Willes. Willes …