Digital Commons Network^™

The Awakening Of Islamic Pop Music, Jonas Otterbeck

Music & Performance in Muslim Contexts

Awakening – an Islamic media company formed in London – has created the soundtrack to many Muslim lives during the last two decades. It has produced three superstars (Sami Yusuf, Maher Zain and Harris J.) among a host of other artists. As the company celebrates their first 20 years in the industry, Jonas Otterbeck examines their remarkable rise to success and their established reputation as one of the most important global enterprises producing pop music inspired by Islam.

Otterbeck thoroughly describes the history and development of new Islamic popular music genres, in particular pop-nashid and Islamic pop, for the first …

What In Hell Conflicts With God? The Divine Promulgation View Of Hell Confirms The Reality Of Hell Does Not Make God A Moral Monster, Kara Y. Harris

Masters Theses

The aim of this thesis is to demonstrate that God is not morally at fault for humans consigned to eternal punishment in hell. In this work, I contribute to the ongoing conversation of hell in the following ways: (1) I provide an exposition on the words translated as hell in the Bible; (2) I uncover the progressive nature of the doctrine of hell as sin increases and God advances His plan of salvation to rescue humans from such an eternal fate; (3) I argue that Christianity and the biblical doctrine of hell are bound principally as Christ’s work on the …

Animating Plastics: Shinto And Environmentalism In Sayaka Ganz’S Reclaimed Creations, Erin Inouye

Oswald Research and Creativity Competition

Sculpture artist Sayaka Ganz uses found plastic objects to create intricate recreations of nature. From the pair of horses in Emergence II to the monumental whale Nanami, Ganz’s work breathes new life into discarded plastic materials that would otherwise lay dormant in landfills and trash cans. Ganz herself attributes her attraction to working with alternative sculptural materials to the emphasis on Shinto animist beliefs engrained in her throughout her upbringing.

This presentation will explore the ways in which Sayaka Ganz’s Reclaimed Creations series demonstrate Aike P. Rots’s theory of the Shinto Environmentalist Paradigm which asserts that the “animistic” beliefs …

Teaching Digital Cultural Heritage And Digital Humanities The Current State And Prospects, Sander Münster, K Fritsche, Heather Richards-Rissetto, F Apollonio, B Aehnlich, V Schwartze, R Smolarski

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

Digital literacy and technology education has gained much relevance in humanities and heritage related disciplines during the recent decades. Against this background, the purpose of this article is to examine the current state of educational programs in digital cultural heritage and related disciplines primarily in Europe with supplemental information from the US. A further aim is to highlight core topics, challenges, and demands, and to show innovative formats and prospects.

Full Issue

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

The Seven Churches Of United Methodism, Revisited, John Lomperis

The Asbury Journal

The United Methodist Church is on the verge of what is expected to be a primarily two-way schism. But the denomination is already rather divided between seven main sub-churches: the global regions of Africa, Europe, and the Philippines, and the four main ideological factions within the United States (American traditionalists, the genuine Methodist middle, institutionalist liberals, and liberationist progressives). Each of these subchurches has important internal divisions, but also distinct characteristics setting them apart. Recognizing the particular features of each is crucial for understanding how the coming schism will impact and is being prepared for by different United Methodists.

Pottery Horizons Of The Jalul Ceramic Assemblage In The Iron Age Iia-C From Square G4 In Its Historical And Geographical Context, Michael Christian Orellana Mendez

Dissertations

Problem

Several scholars have debated the traditional and low chronology of the Iron Age in Southern Levant using pottery as one of their main pieces of evidence. Both approaches disagree in regards to the dates assigned to the early Iron Age II pottery. To achieve a better understanding of the problem, the still rudimentary knowledge of Iron Age II pottery in Transjordan needs to be improved. Since 1992, Tall Jalul—the largest tell site in the central Jordan plateau—has been due for a comprehensive study of its ceramic assemblages. The site produced Iron Age IIA-C pottery in stratified layers, and it …

The Temple Past, Present & Future, Stephen D. Ricks, Jeffrey M. Bradshaw

Interpreter Foundation Books

Taken as a whole, 3 Nephi 19 presents us with a ritual sequence unlike anything else we encounter in ancient or modern scripture. Mormon’s account of the second day of Jesus’s threeday ministry among the Lamanites and Nephites at the temple in Bountiful (3 Nephi 26:13)1 begins with additive scenes of kneeling (3 Nephi 19:6, 18, 16–17), proskynesis (3 Nephi 19:19, 27), baptism (3 Nephi 19:11–13), temple prayer (3 Nephi 19:6–10, 17–18, 20–24, 20–35), Aaronic priestly blessing (3 Nephi 19:25), and high priestly intercessory prayer (3 Nephi 19:19–24, 27–29, 31–35).

Teachings Of Church Leaders On Christ’S Final Seven Statements, John Hilton Iii, Megan Cutler, Emily K. Hyde

Faculty Publications

In 1929 Reverend James Reid wrote about the Savior’s directive from the Sermon on the Mount to “pray for them that despitefully use you” (Matthew 5:44). Although many might feel this is an impossible task, Reid offers a reminder: “Yet the words stand, and challenge us today, because He who spoke them passed His own test, and passed it triumphantly. . . . For, as [Luke] tells us, when they crucified Him, and had done their devilish work on his poor body. . . . His first word [on the cross] was a literal prayer for His enemies, ‘Father, forgive …

World Enough, Tracy Fessenden

Mormon Studies Review

I value reviews that help me decide whether a book is likely to light up the classroom, so I will say it straightaway: Americanist Approaches to The Book of Mormon will. Classroom friendliness in the humanities feels especially pressing now, as the larger share of our students set foot in our fields to fulfill distribution requirements on their way to degrees in business or STEM. If your class in American literature or history or religious studies is the one experience of your discipline that students who take it are likely to seek, a semester’s offering built around this book will …

Subtle Hebraic Features In The Book Of Mormon, Amanda Colleen Brown

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Donald W. Parry combines a lifetime of insights about the Old Testament and Book of Mormon into one volume. Written for a nonacademic audience, this book provides a glimpse into some of the Book of Mormon’s literary complexities that originate from Hebrew grammar and style.

Giving The Book Of Ether Its Proper Due, Brant Gardner

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Illuminating the Jaredite Record collects ten papers by different Book of Mormon scholars. This is the second publication from the Book of Mormon Academy at Brigham Young University, a collection of scholars interested in the Book of Mormon. As with the first volume, the authors approach the text from different perspectives and thereby illuminate different aspects of the text.

Connecting Faith Through Theatre : Barazan’Yee As A Semi-Ritual Performance In Thai Muslim Communities, Khalid Midam

Manusya, Journal of Humanities

This research paper examines the creative process used to connect young Muslims with their experience, their faith, and their community through a community-based performance. It also stresses the different levels of connections that resulted from the performance itself. The author sought to reconnect Barazan’yee, an important Arabic poetic chant, to people in the Bangkok Islamic community using tools from community theatre. The performance design process allowed them to tell their own story in relation to Bar’zanyee poetry in ways that are meaningful to them and their community, thus connecting their lives to the life of Prophet Muhammad. The first …

Perspectives On Malay Language Use And Autonym Preference Among Urban Malays In South Thailand, Christopher M. Joll, Srawut Aree

Manusya, Journal of Humanities

This article offers theoretical and ethnographic perspectives on language ideology and autonym preference among bi-lingual urban Malays in Pattani’s provincial capital. The first of its two substantive sections presents a concise summary of the most relevant insights provided by linguistic anthropologists and sociolinguists who have written on language ideology and the role of language in identity formation. The primary purpose of the second section is to explore the heuristic utility of these theoretical insights on a range of ethnographic vignettes where a range of language-related issues have historically represented a significant source of mistrust between the local Malay majority and …

Cultural Intelligence Development And Study Abroad: The Effect Of Destination, Luke Zirkle

Senior Honors Theses

Cultural intelligence (CQ) is an emerging field in a globalized world. As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, study abroad opportunities at higher educational institutions have become widely-accepted means for developing students’ CQ. While a number of variables seem to impact CQ development through study abroad programs, one variable seems as yet to have been largely unexplored. This research examines anonymous archival data from juniors in Liberty University’s Global Studies program during the spring semesters of 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 to observe a potential pattern that suggests the role of a study abroad host-culture on the student’s CQ development. Though …

A Theology Of Confirmation From The Canon Of Scripture, Peter Pellicaan

Theses

In the last forty years, scholars have commonly referred to confirmation as the “sacrament in search of a theology.” While various works have offered a theology of confirmation in recent years, they have not employed an explicitly biblical method. In contrast, the early Church Fathers and ecclesiastical writers engaged an biblical method by employing a typological interpretation of scripture in order to understand baptism and the eucharist. In this sense, circumcision, the crossing of the Red Sea and the waters referred to in the creation narrative have been understood as prefiguring baptism; the Passover inaugurated by Moses in Egypt is …

Religion And Theatrical Drama, Charles A. Gillespie Ed., Larry D. Bouchard Ed.

Catholic Studies Faculty Publications

With an introduction on how to redefine our thinking about religion and theatrical drama, these nine essays on contemporary and classic plays rehabilitate the link between theatrical performance and dramatic stories for the study of religion. These new and distinctively interdisciplinary perspectives will be of interest to scholars working in the fields of religion, theology, theatre and performance studies, literary studies, and philosophy.

Remnant Or Replacement? Outlining A Possible Apostasy Narrative, Nicholas J. Frederick, Joseph M. Spencer

BYU Studies

Since early in the twentieth century, it has been common for Latter- day Saints to speak of a “Great Apostasy” that occurred in the centuries following the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Such a general apostasy has been viewed as providing the basic motivation for the Restoration, begun in earnest with Joseph Smith’s First Vision in 1820. The traditional apostasy narrative has centered on the argument that the church founded by Jesus Christ once possessed the same organization, doctrine, and authority restored in the nineteenth century but that, over time, these crucial components were either lost or corrupted. It …

Signs Of The Times: Racism, Tribalism, And Disinformation Before The Comings Of Christ, Luke Drake

BYU Studies

Each of the major narrators/compilers of the Book of Mormon evince varying degrees of understanding that their work is destined for modern readers who would face a set of modern concerns.² This essay suggests that Mormon’s editorial hand—on display both in the redaction of the words of Samuel the Lamanite and in the narration of the events surrounding Samuel’s ministry—can be understood to address pressing issues faced by latter-day readers: specifically, the perils posed by racism, “tribalism,” and disinformation.

Life And Times Of John Pierce Hawley: A Mormon Ulysses Of The American West, Adam Oliver Stokes

BYU Studies

In recent years there has been a growing effort to expand the definition of “Mormonism” within Mormon studies. “Mormonism,” in twenty-first-century scholarship, refers not only to the largest organization in the restoration tradition—namely, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, headquartered in Utah—but also to other branches and movements within the restoration tradition. Joseph Smith’s movement includes the Reorganized Church (RLDS, now known as the Com- munity of Christ), the Bickertonite church (Church of Jesus Christ), the Strangite church, and the Elijah Message church, among others. In large part, this expanded understanding of what qualifies as “Mormon” has come …

Latter-Day Saints And Images Of Christ’S Crucifixion, John Hilton Iii, Anthony Sweat, Josh Stratford

BYU Studies

In his classic 1897 work The Ministry of Art, Frank Bristol proclaimed, “Art has glorified Christianity. It has set forth her doctrines, portrayed her saints, and even her very God and Savior. Limited only by the necessary restrictions of her powers, art has been a teacher of things divine.”¹ The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (herein referred to as “the Church”) also employs the power of visual art to portray its central doctrines and perpetuate its sacred history. Religious paintings adorn hallways and classrooms of Latter-day Saint meetinghouses, fill the walls of sacred temples, and accompany …

Front Matter

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Lost Sheep, Lost Coins, And Lost Meanings, Jenny Rebecca Rytting

BYU Studies

Three of the best known and most loved of Jesus’s parables occur together in the fifteenth chapter of Luke as a response to the Pharisees’ disapproval of Jesus’s association with sinners: the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin (also known as the lost drachma or lost groat), and the lost (or prodigal) son. In the teaching and preaching traditions of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, these parables (especially the first two) have primarily been interpreted as a call for missionary work, particularly reactivation. For example, President David O. McKay suggested that the three parables represent …

The Early Development Of Latter-Day Saint Women’S History An Interview With Jill Mulvay Derr, Cherry Bushman Silver

BYU Studies

This piece is half of an interview conducted by Cherry B. Silver on August 8, 2019, in the BYU Studies offices. The second half of the interview was published in BYU Studies Quarterly 59, no. 3. Many thanks to Laurel Barlow for transcribing the recording.

Challenging Bias Against Women Academics In Religion, Karma Lekshe Tsomo Phd

Theology and Religious Studies: Faculty Scholarship

In today’s world, people access knowledge instantaneously on Internet-connected devices such as laptops, smartphones, and smart televisions. We can ask Siri and Alexa any question imaginable while driving or cooking a meal. The source for this readily accessible information is a changing array of digital, tertiary knowledge-sharing platforms. The day-to-day decisions we make, along with our opinions and views of the world, are shaped by the knowledge we glean from these sources. Bias exists on these digital platforms and matters, especially to underrepresented and oppressed populations, such as women and people of color. This volume attends to bias in knowledge …

Thinking Reasonably About Indeterministic Choice Beliefs, Andrew Kissel

Philosophy Faculty Publications

Recent research suggests that, regardless of the truth of libertarianism about free will, there appears to be a widespread belief among nonphilosopher laypersons that the choices of free agents are not causally necessitated by prior states of affairs. In this paper, I propose a new class of debunking explanation for this belief which I call ‘reasons-based accounts’ (RBAs). I start the paper by briefly recounting the failures of extant approaches to debunking explanations, and then use this as a jumping off point to articulate several alternatives, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each.

Phenomenology Of Death: The Religious Dimension In The Ethical Thought Of Emmanuel Levinas, Changhyun Kim

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation explores Levinas’s phenomenology of death in order to unveil the religious dimension in his ethical thought through examining the political moment of the third party. I argue that death is neither a pure phenomenon transparently intelligible in the noema-noesis structure of intentionality nor a mere non-phenomenon totally irrelevant to the phenomenological investigation. Rather, death is a para-phenomenon whose unfathomable feature calls into question Levinas’s two important philosophical precedents: 1) Husserl’s transcendental phenomenology, in a methodological sense, and 2) Heidegger’s ontological interpretation of death, in a thematical sense. On the one hand, Levinas faces in the para-phenomenality of death …

Maledictum Bulgaricus: Bulgaria’S Perpetual Stagnation Due To Its Negative National Narrative And Political Nostalgia, Yoana Sidzhimova

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis explores how Bulgaria has internalized negative outcomes in occupation, war, and it's transition to a democracy to fuel a negative national narrative and lead to the rise of political nostalgia. Then negativity and degree of political nostalgia in Bulgaria has only increased with time, stagnating the nation's development.

Defending The Humanities: Making A Case For Eighteenth-Century Studies, Katherine Gustafson, Heather King, Scott R. St. Louis, Linda Zionkowski

Peer Reviewed Articles

While the percentage of humanities majors has long been on the decline, the more recent experiences of the Great Recession, its aftermath, and the outbreak of Covid-19 have introduced a variety of daunting and intertwined challenges to scholars in these disciplines. Financial and occupational anxieties surrounding higher education threaten not only to crowd out humanities departments but also to alter the very understanding of what higher education is. While some students attend college to prepare themselves for engaged citizenship or to learn in a community, many also attend as a pathway to employment and expect a prompt return on investment. …

Hymnals As Historical Documents: A Contextualisation Of The Church Hymnal And Its Representation Of The Church Of Ireland And Its People 1864–1919, Nicole Robinson

Doctoral

Congregational hymn-singing has played a central role in the worship of the Church of Ireland for centuries. This dissertation takes into account the first three editions of the Church Hymnal, published between 1864 and 1919, and discusses the reasons behind their publication before analysing their content with regard to main themes, sources, and contributors. The information acquired through this analysis is then looked at within the wider context of the times in which they were published. This contextualisation unlocks broader themes within the hymnals relating to the Church of Ireland, not just as a religious denomination, but as a …