Digital Commons Network^™

Christ And The Work Of Suffering, Melissa Wei-Tsing Inouye

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

Christ’s voluntary subjection to the horrible realities of this world transformed him forever. His vulnerability became his capacity to save and heal all humankind. Our own suffering develops our capacity for love, which is the power that makes us useful to others, and humility, which is the root of wisdom.

Death To Seducers! Examples Of Latter-Day Saint-Led Extralegal Justice In Historical Context, Craig L. Foster

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

Some people have suggested a strain of violence within nineteenth- century Latter-day Saint culture as violent as and perhaps more so than that of most Americans around them. Critics of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints point to a few well-known acts of extralegal violence as evidence of a culture of violence that permeated the early Church. But were these examples of violence really out of the norm of nineteenth-century American society? This article looks at examples of extralegal punishment for certain crimes, placing them and the examples of extralegal punishment in Utah within a greater historical and …

Idealism In Spinoza’S Metaphysics, Epistemology, And Ethics: A Friendly And Judicious Revision To The Active/Passive Distinction As Solution To Spinoza’S Attribute And Parallelism Problems, Sean Butler

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Spinoza’s doctrine of parallelism admits of certain observed inconsistencies that have long troubled Spinoza scholars. The scholarship over the last one hundred and thirty years or so has offered three dominant interpretations of Spinoza’s metaphysics as a result of the deficiencies with the doctrine of parallelism. These are 1) the subjective/objective distinction according to which the attribute of thought is understood as subjective and the attribute of extension is understood as objective, 2) materialism according to which the attribute of thought is claimed to depend on the attribute of extension, and 3) idealism according to which the attribute of extension …

Said The River: The Confluence Of Ecotheology And Water, Margaret Harrington Ferris

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Environmental water issues are increasingly in the consciousness of environmental advocates, as well as scientists and engineers. Water experts have approached water issues from a scientific and engineering framework, which has led them to preference material and technical solutions. Yet those solutions have been insufficient. The interdisciplinary field of water studies has been critical of the scientific-engineering approach. Several water scholars have posited that water issues are social-human problems first, and material-technical problems second. They call for alternative approaches that emphasize reconstructing water as a necessary precursor to formulating effective, enduring solutions to environmental water issues. Likewise, ecotheological scholars and …

Portrait Of A Heretic: The Development Of Walter Kaufmann's Philosophy Of Religion, Duncan William Gale

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This is a study of the philosophy of religion of Walter Kaufmann, specifically how he found his unique philosophical voice during the first decade of his career. It begins with Kaufmann’s work as a translator and commentator on Friedrich Nietzsche, examining the ways his interpretation of Nietzsche’s philosophy both informs and anticipates his own philosophical perspective. Attention is also given to Kaufmann’s work on Hegel and existentialism as it relates to his development. After these considerations, Kaufmann’s first original work of philosophy, Critique of Religion and Philosophy , is examined in detail, beginning with his appraisal of the field of …

Indigenous Healing In New Zealand: An Anthropological Analysis Of "Traditional" And "Modern" Approaches To Well-Being, Lillian T. Brice

Honors Theses

Drawing on contemporary anthropological approaches used by scholars of well-being and medical anthropology (i.e. Michael Jackson and Lisa Stevenson), I explore how indigenous healers in New Zealand blend “traditional” and “modern” elements to establish a creative and inclusive system. Specifically, I explore the use of herbal treatments, ritual chanting, and ceremonies that encapsulate Māori cultural values. I also explore the impact of biomedicine and New-Age wellness approaches on indigenous healing. I argue that Māori healing moves beyond the binary of “tradition” and “modern” as healers merge the past and present and combine the foreign and native. My research is based …

A List Of Elca Social Teaching And Policy Documents, N. A

Intersections

No abstract provided.

Strengthening Intergenerational Bonds Through The Practice Of Learning And Mission At First Baptist Church Valdese, Nc, Joshua Lail

Doctor of Ministry Projects

An education program was designed to encourage intergenerational unity among a mixed group of youth and adults at First Baptist Church in Valdese, NC. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed to determine the effectiveness of the program on the intergenerational experimental group. There was movement toward intergenerational unity from the pre-test to post-test in the experimental group. Insights were learned from the data, particularly that there were different rates of growth between the youth and adults, and the observation that participants may have liked the idea of working together more than actually working together. The younger participants …

Holistic Care: A Comparison, Noah Humphrey

Whittier Scholars Program

Scholarship deals with holistic care has demonstrated its contribution to patient well being. As used in my research, holistic care refers to a type of healthcare that focuses on the mind, body, and soul. In a more expanded sense, I use holistic health to refer to the use of the advancements within the medical field and spirituality to provide people with new talents and skills to benefit themselves and the science around them. My research question is this: do healthcare practitioners in the Los Angeles and Whittier area use holistic care in the way I have defined it? If so, …

Clinicians’ Perspectives On Distinguishing Between Religious/Spiritual And Psychotic Phenomena, Jessica K. Parker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Psychosis is a central concept in mental health, yet the concept is unclear. Clinicians are challenged with the task to be able to distinguish psychotic phenomena; however, little is known about how clinicians are able to distinguish religious/spiritual phenomena from psychotic phenomena, as both may be similar in presentation. The focus of this dissertation was on understanding the perspectives and distinguishing processes of mental health professionals when distinguishing between religious/spiritual and psychotic phenomena. Taking a generic qualitative framework approach, the study included face-to-face and telephone interviews with 10 licensed mental health professionals recruited through social media and snowball sampling. Interviews …

Childhood Religious Stress As A Predictor Of Adult Substance Use Disorders Among Sexual Minorities, Jennifer A. Schindler

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have taken considerable interest in the relationship between religious stress in childhood and substance use disorders in adulthood among sexual minorities because more individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, and bi/pansexual have a substance use disorder compared to heterosexuals. However, researchers have not yet completed an integrated analysis of religious stress, mental health, and age of awareness among sexual minorities. This study was important now because the societal climate has shifted to more extremes of intolerance and less acceptance for sexual minorities. The purpose of this study was to examine religious stress as a predictor variable for substance use …

Responding To The "Unknown Assailant": A Qualitative Exploration With Australian Health And Aged Care Chaplains On The Impact Of Covid-19, Kate Fiona Jones, Jennifer Washington, Matthew Kearney, Megan C. Best

IES Papers and Journal Articles

The global coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has brought about physical, psychological and spiritual challenges within health and aged care services across Australia. The aim of this study was to consider the impact of COVID-19 from the perspective of Australian chaplains. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 chaplains. A grounded theory analysis identified three overarching themes: (1) a changing healthcare environment; (2) the impact of the virus; and (3) chaplains responding to the crisis. Increased healthcare restrictions in response to COVID-19 raised levels of fear and anxiety among patients, residents, family members and staff, and generated feelings of isolation and disconnection. Chaplains …

Exploring The Resilience In Female Sex Trafficking Victims, Petra Torri

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study is aimed at exploring the resilience of human trafficking victims. More specifically, this research study focuses on the experience of female sex trafficking victims through the lese of practitioners who work with them. By understanding the causes that make females vulnerable to be recruited by traffickers, the way they get exploited, as well as how they are able to leave the trafficking situation, this dissertation provides an understanding about the factors that promote healing and resiliency from the trafficking experience. Feminist theory was used to illuminate existing literature on the subject, and data analysis was conducted using …

God Is An Undocumented Border Crosser, Harold J. Recinos Ph.D.

Apuntes: Reflexiones teológicas desde el margen hispano

Immigration is one of the biggest civil and human rights issues of our time. Global migration patterns reveal today that one out of every 35 people around the world (200 million; larger than Brazil or the fifth largest nation in the world) live in a region other than their homeland, while one of every seven persons residing in the United States is foreign born. Today, the total immigrant population living in the United States equals 47 million persons and undocumented immigrants represent nearly 12 million among them. In this brief essay, I will focus on the humanity of immigrant newcomers …

Discovering Counseling Methods That Military Chaplains Can Use To Increase Spiritual Resilience, Philip E. Ridley

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The research conducted in this project revealed most military chaplains possess innate skills that are valuable to counseling. Combining these skills with proven counseling methods increase service members’ spiritual resilience. Military chaplains’ empathy and the ability to actively listen to care-seekers is one such innate skill. Empathetic listening builds rapport and creates a safe client-focused environment. Within this safe environment, military chaplains can encourage service members with spiritual or practical wisdom. Additionally, military chaplains can provide assurance and peace through prayer, reading of sacred documents, or administering religious rites. These religious activities connect the care-seeker to their source of faith. …

Lost & Found: New Harvest, Owen Gottlieb, Ian Schreiber

Presentations and other scholarship

Lost & Found is a strategy card-to-mobile game series that teaches medieval religious legal systems with attention to period accuracy and cultural and historical context.

Set in Fustat (Old Cairo) in the 12th century, a great crossroads of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. The Lost & Found games project seeks to expand the discourse around religious legal systems, to enrich public conversations in a variety of communities, and to promote greater understanding of the religious traditions that build the fabric of the United States. Comparative religious literacy can build bridges between and within communities and prepare learners to be responsible citizens …

End Matter

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Responses To Mass-Incarceration By Faith Communities, Steve Everett Baber

Doctor of Ministry Doctoral Projects

This research project investigated some of the hindrances that preclude churches from taking more active and impactful roles to challenge and restructure America’s racially unjust penal system of mass incarceration. The research examines the evolution of the prison industrial complex, with a focus on mass incarceration and its racially unjust make-up.

The project involved research and review of theological and societal restraints that hinder American Christianity from seeing and responding to this tragic situation and living out God’s concerns and decrees beyond the walls of their respective churches into the public domain of public policies and actions.

The focused methodology …

Improving Spiritual Care By Chaplains For Service Members Who Witness Death, Beth M. Echols

Doctor of Ministry Doctoral Projects

This research studied the experience of military and Veteran Affairs chaplains who work with a spectrum of military veterans. The purpose was to better understand how chaplain training prepared or failed to equip spiritual care providers to minister to service members during and/or after the initial experience that they identified as traumatic.

The researcher asked nine open-ended questions to encourage and facilitate reflective responses. After grouping responses with similar answers, the researcher coded the chaplains’ responses to determine themes that would describe and somehow encompass the phenomenon of serving as a chaplain in a war theater. Throughout the study, the …

Exploring The Influence Of Virtual Reality On Adults With Indications Of Early Stage Dementia, Nicole Chilivis

Doctor of Ministry Doctoral Projects

Virtual reality (VR) has the potential to transport people to compelling worlds and bring positive spiritual benefits to persons with dementia and their caregivers. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand the influence of VR on participants with indications of early stage dementia. This study explored how five elderly participants in a Seattle-based Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) program experienced immersive virtual reality by means of a Windows Mixed Reality headset. Using an episode from the 2016 VR series, theBlu—a colorful and immersive underwater experience with soothing audio accompaniment—each participant spent up to one …

Salvadoran Women's Migration To The United States: Lessons Of Challenge And Hope For The Church, Michael Ramos

Doctor of Ministry Doctoral Projects

In this study, the researcher investigated the migration experience and resettlement of five Salvadoran women who sought refuge in the United States. Unlike refugees who have been placed after a vetting process, through an international placement program and the United States State Department, Salvadorans have often fled to the United States, with or without U.S. federal authorization. Often they have applied for asylum after arriving in the United States. This leaves many Salvadorans (1) separated from family members and loved ones, (2) facing possible economic hardship, and (3) vulnerable to detention and deportation. Yet, these immigrants have demonstrated—if we go …

A Study Of Bullying In The Catholic Healthcare Workplace, Luann Mary Trutwin

Doctor of Ministry Doctoral Projects

This phenomenological qualitative study explored the impact and understanding of bullying in Catholic, mission-driven healthcare facilities, specifically how leaders respond to and manage bullying in their workplaces. The research is intended to make a positive contribution to Catholic healthcare communities by providing healthcare providers, educators, and policy makers information and tools to prevent and manage bullying in the workplace. The study employed Catholic social teaching and a Benedictine based theological reflection model to guide the two main areas of exploration: leaders’ experiences of hearing complaints about bullying and tools available to them to stop bullying. An anonymous survey was sent …

Leadership Development In Grace Church: Adding Replication Culture Elements To Its Family Culture, Timothy N. Thomassian

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project addressed the problem of the lack of a systemic approach to developing potential leaders at Grace Church as it seeks to add replication-culture elements to its existing family culture. The problem was addressed in four steps: (1) exploring biblical leadership development principles using the examples of Moses and Joshua, Jesus and Peter, and Paul’s instruction to the church leaders to “equip the saints for the work of ministry,” (Eph. 4:11-12), (2) reviewing relevant books, articles, and other sources to discover leadership development principles as they relate to replication culture, (3) conducting face-to-face interviews with three leadership development pastors …

Nine Stories And The Society Of The Spectacle: An Exploration Into The Alienation Of The Individual In The Post-War Era, Margaret E. Geddy

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This thesis analyzes the thematic links between three of J. D. Salinger’s short stories published in Nine Stories (“A Perfect Day for Bananafish,” “Down at the Dinghy,” and “Teddy”), ultimately arguing that it is a short-story cycle rooted in the quandary posed by the suicide of Seymour Glass. This conclusion is reached by assessing the influence of T. S. Eliot’s poem “The Waste Land” on these stories, something that is understood through the Marxist frame of Guy Debord’s The Society of the Spectacle.

Bad Grammar In The Book Of Mormon Found In Early English Bibles, Standford Carmack

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

This study describes ten types of grammatical usage found in early modern Bibles with correlates in the original text of the Book of Mormon. In some cases Joseph Smith’s own language could have produced the matching grammar, but in other cases his own linguistic preferences were unlikely to have produced the patterns or usage found in the original text. Comparative linguistic research indicates that this grammatical correspondence shouldn’t be a surprise, since plenty of Book of Mormon syntax matches structures and patterns found in Early Modern English.

Full Issue

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

James E. Talmage And Scientific Consulting In Early Modern Utah, Gregory Seppi

BYU Studies

A devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, James E. Talmage (1862–1933) is perhaps best remembered today for his classic theological text Jesus the Christ.¹ He is also remembered by some for his extensive academic ties to Brigham Young Academy, the Latter-day Saints College, and the University of Utah.² Yet the image many Latter-day Saints have of Talmage sedately writing Jesus the Christ in the Salt Lake Temple has seemingly little in common with the trail-worn scientist covered in mining debris who emerges from his journals. Talmage spent much of his time from the …

Rawah, Rawah, Brandi Kilmer

TSOS Interview Gallery

No abstract provided.

The Residential Location Choices Of Chabad Households: An Analysis Of Decision Making With Non-Price Constraints, Chasity A. Mcfadden

Honors Theses

Where an individual chooses to live informs many of their economic decisions and may be the single largest economic decision one makes in their lives. Through understanding the way that people choose their residential locations, we are able to better understand the opportunities available to them. Within the Chabad community, there is a large focus on emissary work, which calls Chabad Jews to move outside of large Jewish communities in order to help secular Jews become more religious. There are also certain religious amenities that are necessary to live a Chabad life, such as a local synagogue. So the question …

Predicting Black Male Undergraduate Degree Completion At A Pwi Examining Single Indicators Of Religiosity, Anxiety, And Depression., Nickolas Spears Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Religiosity is a well-known protective factor for mental health as a coping and resilience source, which positively affects Black male college students' academic success. However, less is known about whether religiosity predicts degree completion and buffers Black males' mental health from a quantitative research approach. Black males have one of the lowest degree completion rates at four-year institutions. Students who experience poor mental health outcomes have lower degree completion. This study utilized logistic regression to investigate whether religiosity: (1) predicted degree completion among Black male undergraduate students and (2) moderated anxiety and depression. The results suggest Black males identify high …