Digital Commons Network^™

Indonesia, Modernity And Some Problems Of Religious Adaptation, June Mcdaniel

Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia

This article discusses the challenges of adaptation for Indonesian religion. It describes the ways that the major Indonesian religions have changed to fit the requirements of being recognized religions, and focuses as an example on the ways that Balinese Hinduism has changed to become Agama Hindu Dharma Indonesia. It also examines the traditional theological problem of "faith and works" in the Indonesian context, and the concerns used to balance modernization and religious freedom.

The Imam And The Pastor: Attempts At Peace In Nigeria Using Interfaith Dialogue, Jinelle Piereder

Laurier Undergraduate Journal of the Arts

No abstract provided.

Re-Emerging Pietism: The Emerging Church As Postmodern Pietism, Tysen Dauer

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Germany in the seventeenth century was ripe for religious reform: the Thirty Years War had created doubts about the correctness of contemporary religious institutions, theologians of most denominations were engaged in abstract, scholastic theological controversy, and inter-denominational conflict was increasingly off-putting. It was into this climate which Pietism emerged as an alternative way of doing religion. Its central tenants were: (1) a more extensive use of Scripture, (2) a reinvigorated spiritual priesthood, (3) an emphasis on orthopraxy, (4) irenic conduct in religious controversies, (5) the establishment of seminaries as centers of personal spiritual cultivation, and (6) sermons emphasizing faith and …

Transnational Historical Fiction In A Postsecular Age: A Study Of The Spiritual Theses In The Works Of Luis Alberto Urrea And Bahiyyih Nakhjavani, Mary Anna Sobhani

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study, employing a postsecular theoretical prism, analyzes the spiritual theses given expression through the historical fiction of Mexican-American, or Chicano, author Luis Alberto Urrea and exiled Persian Bahá'í author Bahiyyih Nakhjavani. This study examines three novels: Nakhjavani's The Woman Who Read Too Much, Urrea's The Hummingbird's Daughter, and its sequel Queen of America. These novels express world-views in which the spiritual has particular importance, not as a supersession of quotidian reality but in an integral partnership with it, the baseline upon which postsecular thought is built. This study concludes that such an expression of world-views signals towards …

Emerging From The Shadows: Civil War, Human Rights, And Peacebuilding Among Peasants And Indigenous Peoples In Colombia And Peru In The Late 20th And Early 21st Centuries, Charles A. Flowerday

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

Peacebuilding in Colombia and Peru following their late-20^th and early 21^st century civil wars is a challenging proposition. In this study, it becomes necessary as indigenous peoples and peasants resist domination by extractive industries and governments in their thrall. Whether they protest nonviolently or rebel in arms, they are targeted for human-rights violations, especially murder, disappearance and displacement. The armed actors, state, insurgency, paramilitaries or drug traffickers, destroy civic institutions (local or regional government) and the civil (nonprofit) sector and replace them with their own authoritarian versions. Therefore, peacebuilding has emphasized rebuilding civic institutions, civil society and local …

A New Approach To The Restoration Of Cimabue’S Santa Croce Crucifix, Isaac Messina

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

On November 4, 1966 floodwaters submerged Cimabue’s late thirteenth-century Santa Croce Crucifix in Florence and stripped off nearly half of its original paint. Soon regarded as a key symbol of the flood’s catastrophic effects on the city’s rich artistic legacy, the crucifix was carefully conserved, but no attempts were made to hide the extensive scars left by the disaster. Instead, lead conservators Umberto Baldini and Ornella Casazza adopted an abstract approach to filling the work’s loss that claimed to honor the flood while providing a seamless viewing experience for the contemporary audience. This thesis shows that their theory and practice …

Printing And Protestants: An Empirical Test Of The Role Of Printing In The Reformation, Jared Rubin

Economics Faculty Articles and Research

The causes of the Protestant Reformation have long been debated. This paper seeks to revive and econometrically test the theory that the spread of the Reformation is linked to the spread of the printing press. I test this theory by analyzing data on the spread of the press and the Reformation at the city level. An econometric analysis that instruments for omitted variable bias with a city's distance from Mainz, the birthplace of printing, suggests that cities with at least one printing press by 1500 were at minimum 29 percentage points more likely to be Protestant by 1600.

Roosevelt, Boy Scouts, And The Formation Of Muscular Christian Character, Gordon J. Christen

Religious Studies Honors Projects

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, many prominent Christians and political leaders saw a degenerative influence in industrializing America. For them, urban culture had eroded gender roles, personal strength, and moral fiber. So-called “Muscular Christians” prescribed physical exertion and wilderness experience to cure these ills. I argue that these values were embodied in idealized characters such as Theodore Roosevelt, Jesus, and the Boy Scout to give a form to cultural remedies. In the process, they became the terms upon which proper Americanism, and proper Christianity, were constructed.

Alternative Histories: Observing Theosophical ‘Truths’ In Hindu Nationalism, Celia Garrity

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Though the Theosophical Society promotes the universal wisdom found at the core of all religions, the Society locates India, particularly Hindu India, as the unwavering source of spiritual wisdom valuable worldwide. As a result, the Theosophical Society has reconfigured its own Hindu ‘truths’ within its teachings. This Independent Study Project observes the influence of the Theosophical Society’s reconfiguration of Hindu values on Indian national identity. During the struggle for Indian Home Rule, the Theosophical Society’s use and defense of Hinduism became a tool of the Home Rule movement. Relying predominantly on archival research conducted at the Theosophical Society of Adyar’s …

Introduction To Against Harmony: Radical Buddhism In Thought And Practice, James Mark Shields

Faculty Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Avant - Propos, Eamon Maher, Catherine Maignant

Articles

No abstract provided.

The State Of Mormon Folklore Studies, Tom Mould, Eric A. Eliason

Mormon Studies Review

No abstract provided.

Beyond "Surreptitious Staring": Migration, Missions, And The Generativity Of Mormonism For The Comparative And Translocative Study Of Religion, Thomas A. Tweed

Mormon Studies Review

No abstract provided.

Mormon Studies Review Volume 1, Mormon Studies Review

Mormon Studies Review

No abstract provided.

Mormon Studies In The Academy: A Conversation Between Ann Taves And Spencer Fluhman, Mormon Studies Review

Mormon Studies Review

No abstract provided.

The Oak And The Banyan: The "Glocalization" Of Mormon Studies, Melissa Wei-Tsing Inouye

Mormon Studies Review

No abstract provided.

An Assessment Of African Christianity In A Transforming Context, Dyron Daughrity

All Faculty Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

The Making And Unmaking Of An Autocrat: Edwin Eells And The Skokomish Reservation, 1871-1885, Adam Bradford Griffith

All Master's Theses

Much has been written about Ulysses S. Grant's Indian Peace Policy. This paper will examine the progress of its implementation on the Skokomish Reservation in Washington Territory through the work of Indian Agent Edwin Eells and analyze the likely causes of his autocratic style of management. The paper will show that Eells' professional mindset was modeled by missionary parents with a tradition of intense, narrowly focused religious commitment and influenced general white racism towards Indians. However, while the peace policy was based on an earlier European colonial model, the paper will also show that while Eells attempted to exert his …

The American Socio-Political Spider Web And The Rise Of Global Christianity, Michael F. Younker

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

No abstract provided.

Joseph F. Smith: The Father Of Modern Mormonism, Alexander R. Harrison

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Joseph F. Smith (1838-1918) was the father of modern Mormonism. Nephew of the founding Prophet, President Joseph Smith Jr. (1805-1844), Joseph F. Smith was the sixth president of the Mormon Church. During his presidency (1901-1918), he redefined Mormonism. He helped change the perception of what a Mormon was, both inside and outside the faith. He did so by organizing the structure of the faith theologically, historically, ideologically, and institutionally. In doing this, he set the tone for what Mormonism would become, and set a standard paradigm for the world of what a Mormon is. Joseph F. Smith became the second …

Messianic Jewish Liturgical Practices, Elizabeth Ames

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis explores the current liturgical practices of mainstream Messianic Judaism in the United States using literary and ethnographic research. It examines the historical, biblical, and theological basis for the worship practices used. The origins of their worship practices are evaluated to ascertain whether they reflect charismatic Christian, Jewish denominational or biblical practice. A combination of literary research and qualitative research are used to define the movement; give a brief but comprehensive history of it; and, finally, explain and examine its worship practices. Leaders of the Messianic movement were interviewed for the qualitative research. The findings revealed that a distinction …

Seeking A Comprehensive Worldview: The Religious Seeker In The Modern World, Michael Gregory

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Anecdotally, the casual observer of anthropological phenomenon may be led to believe that every human is basically the same. Indeed, many may assume that groups of people possess identical beliefs, religions, and expressions that hardly vary across different cultures and generations. Throughout the plethora of different cultures and the countless varieties of religious expression and experience it may seem that all of humanity is merely following the same lifestyles and worldviews as their parents and ancestors with very little change save for the gradual evolution in society. A religious studies scholar, or any scholar of the humanities, however, may notice …

Seeking A Comprehensive Worldview: The Religious Seeker In The Modern World, Michael Gregory

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Anecdotally, the casual observer of anthropological phenomenon may be led to believe that every human is basically the same. Indeed, many may assume that groups of people possess identical beliefs, religions, and expressions that hardly vary across different cultures and generations. Throughout the plethora of different cultures and the countless varieties of religious expression and experience it may seem that all of humanity is merely following the same lifestyles and worldviews as their parents and ancestors with very little change save for the gradual evolution in society. A religious studies scholar, or any scholar of the humanities, however, may notice …

Rhetorical Ripples: The Church Of The Subgenius, Kenneth Burke & Comic, Symbolic Tinkering, Lee A. Carleton

Theses and Dissertations

Humor has long been an effective way to engage difficult sociopolitical topics in a way that avoids polemical confrontation and provides opportunity for pleasure, catharsis and self-knowledge. In the context of today’s polarized politics and protest, creative satirical performance that deploys “symbolic tinkering” can provide a “comic frame of reference” that, according to Kenneth Burke, more effectively conveys its message while providing reflexive insight. The satirical Church of the SubGenius naturally practices this rhetorical frame in their multimedia creations. Using the lens of Burke’s Attitudes Toward History, this essay is an analysis of SubGenius rhetoric with a focus on …

Holiness Through The Ages: An Historical Reader Of Christian Writers On Holiness,, Robert E. Coleman, Robert A. Danielson, Faith E. Parry

Academic Books

No abstract provided.

Religious Iconography In "Twilight": Veneration And Fandom, Jacqueline E. Swaidan

LUX: A Journal of Transdisciplinary Writing and Research from Claremont Graduate University

The mysterious and dark atmosphere, the overwhelming focus on the main characters, and the constant contrast of dark and light in Twilight (2009) recall traditional Christian religious imagery. But more that that, this paper will argue that Twilight, the first of the romantic fantasy films adapted from the successful book series by Stephenie Meyer, draws explicitly on traditional Catholic religious imagery and ceremony to engender religious devotion in its fans. Images from the first Twilight film suggest that the creators of Twilight used religious imagery to captivate their audience. Christian constructs such as Eden’s eternity, Edward’s Christ-like abstinence, and …

Mythogony (The Creation Of Myth): A Comparative Religion Study Of Sai Culture, St. Shane Sanders, Dr. Lanier Britsch

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The scope of my research was the analysis of a syncretic paradigm extending from east to west. India houses the three major ashram(a)s of a new religious movement and sub-culture, united by a mythological belief in their guru, Swami Sathya Sai Baba. The village born guru boasts a following of one million, which is made up of indigenous Indians as well as foreigners coming from as nearby as Nepal and Burma to as far as San Francisco, London, Trinidad and Portugal to name but a few of the nationalities of the people I interviewed. The culture incorporates the religious thought …

Volume 39, Issue 3 (2013) Summer 2013

Journal of Mormon History

ARTICLES

--Monogamy Underground: The Burial of Mormon Plural Marriage in the Graves of Joseph and Emma Smith, Lee Wiles, 1

--William Smith’s Patriarchal Blessings and Contested Authority in the Post-Martyrdom Church Christine, Elyse Blythe, 60

--When Mormonism Mattered Less in Presidential Politics: George Romney’s 1968 Window of Possibilities, J. B. Haws, 96

--“Prepared to Abide the Penalty”: Latter-day Saints and Civil Disobedience, J. David Pulsipher, 131

--Almon W. Babbitt, Joseph E. Johnson, and the Western Bugle: An LDS Frontier Newspaper at Kanesville, Nicholas D. Harmon, Michael S. Huefner, and Shauna C. Anderson Young, 163

--Into the Fray: Sam Houston’s …

Active Religion: James Ireland, The Separate Baptists, And The Great Awakening In Virginia, 1760-1775, Cooper Pasque

Masters Theses

In the mid-eighteenth century, the religious fervor of the Great Awakening entered Virginia. Evangelical Baptists soon threatened to undermine the authority of the Anglican Church and its planter patrons. Despite their efforts to quiet the Baptists, evangelical religion took root in Virginia by the end of the American Revolution. Historical works on these events offer valid but incomplete explanations. Puzzling dynamics in the Virginian context require a more complex interpretation. The life of James Ireland provides a unique window into possible answers. His autobiography provides evidence for what appears to be the most fundamental reason for evangelicalism's successes in Virginia. …

Learning Experiences And Perspective Transformation In Evangelical Faith-Based Adult Nonformal Education Programs, Philip Gerke

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The study adapted an existing instrument to examine perspective transformation and its associated factors in participants of evangelical faith-based adult nonformal education in the Midwestern United States. Stratified random one-stage cluster sampling of 11 churches produced a nonprobability sample (N = 597) that was significantly (p < .05) different from the population of the geographical location of the study. An 86% majority self-reported a level of agreement or stronger of perceived transformation of perspectives, but differences predicted by gender were insignificant. The difference in perceived perspective transformations between respondents aged 40-59 that had the highest levels and respondents aged 60 and above that had the lowest levels was significant. The factors of influential individuals, personal reflection, and thought-provoking learning assignments significantly predicted all four factors of perspective transformation; the Writing Assignment factor was a significant negative predictor of only the Perception of Change factor, and a significant positive predictor of only the Future Benefits factor. The study recommended that additional research on faith-based frames of reference and age category differences. The study also recommended that faith-based practitioners consider emphasizing transformative learning experiences and personal reflection in their programs for adults.