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Viewpoint: Hinduism And The Academy: Towards A Dialogue Between Scholar And Practitioner, Ravi M. Gupta

Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies

Gupta articlulates a rationale as to why the position of both the academician and the practitioner are necessary for meaningful religious dialog.

Book Review:Against Dogmatism: Dwelling In Faith And Doubt, Michelle Voss Roberts

Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies

Book Review of Against Dogmatism: Dwelling in Faith and Doubt. Madhuri M. Yadlapati. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2013, 204 pp.

The Background And Meaning Of The Image Of The Beast In Rev. 13:14, 15, Rebekah Yi Liu

Dissertations

Problem

This dissertation investigates the first century Greco-Roman cultural backgrounds and the literary context of the motif of the image of the beast in Rev 13:14, 15, in order to answer the problem of the author’s intended meaning of the image of the beast to his first century Greco-Roman readers.

Method

There are six steps necessary to accomplish the task of this dissertation. These steps are taken in the form of the exegetical studies which are done in six chapters, respectively. Following the introductory chapter, the second chapter is a brief history of the historical interpretations of the image of …

Earthly Destruction: Catholic Social Teaching, War, And The Environment, Daniel Cosacchi

Dissertations

For more than 1700 years in Christian theology, there has been a chasm between just war thinking and pacifism. Advocates of these two ideological positions have attempted to bridge this divide in a number of ways through the centuries. Some, such as Glen Stassen, have brought together thinkers on both sides of the divide to propose a just peacemaking theory. Others, such as Michael Schuck, Mark Allman, and Tobias Winright, have added new stages to just war thinking in order to make that existing tradition more robust. Some groups may identify as contingent pacifists. These would generally accept the criteria …

Private Conscience And Public Dissent: The Influence Of Revisionist Theological Rhetoric In Australian Public Life, Gerard Calilhanna

Theses

Catholic parliamentarians in Australia are often in decisive roles in parliamentary debates and play crucial roles in votes for and against particular Bills, deciding their fate in Parliaments. These Bills may often have a direct relationship to the conformity of laws in a parliamentary jurisdiction with the natural or moral law. The Catholic parliamentarian is both a Catholic and an elected representative, with implications for his or her life in parliament and upon decisions made as a parliamentarian. Impressing upon these parliamentarians is the traditional Catholic understanding of conscience in conformity with Apostolic Tradition that obliges adherence to the Magisterium …

Paul Helm's "Compatibilist" View Of Divine Providence In Light Of The Frankfurtian Debate., Simon Sang-Kyun Ko

CTS PhD Doctoral Dissertations

It is easy to find in prominent scholarly opinion today that to maintain its comprehensive divine determinism the Reformed Christian tradition must endorse metaphysical compatibilism to affirm some semblance of creaturely freedom. Arguably, one of the two Reformed scholars who have promulgated this idea the most is Paul Helm. Interestingly, while Helm’s “no-risk” view of divine providence started off with pretty straightforward classical compatibilism, it has since morphed into what is akin to source incompatibilism. At the heart of this transformation is Helm’s increasing interest in the feasibility of “irreducible agency, despite the fixity of the future” (or to use …

Meeting With God On The Mountains: Essays In Honor Of Richard M. Davidson, Jiří Moskala

All Books

This Festschrift in honor of Dr. Davidson is divided into four parts that reflect upon his main areas of study, lectures, and publications: (1) Old Testament Exegesis; (2) Intertextuality, Typology, and Ancient Near Eastern Background; (3) New Testament Studies; and (4) Theology and Church History.

Disengagement From Ideologically-Based And Violent Organizations: A Systematic Review Of The Literature, Steven Windisch, Peter Simi, Gina Sott Ligon, Hillary Mcneel

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

Research on disengagement from violent extremism is an emerging field of inquiry. As compared to the related field of radicalization, there have been fewer studies of disengagement. Further, little effort has been made to conduct a large scale, systematic review of what is currently known about disengagement from violent extremism. This type of meta-literature assessment can play an important role in terms of informing strategies and programs designed to facilitate exit. To help fill this gap, our project systematically examines the disengagement literature to determine the range and frequency of various exit factors identified in previous studies. We also rely …

Persuasive Strategies In A Chauvinistic Religious Discourse: The Case Of Women's Ordination, Eun-Young Julia Kim

Faculty Publications

Currently one of the most divisive issues in some Christian communities centers on women’s ordination. This study critically analyzes a religious discourse which defends and justifies the Southern Baptist Convention’s opposition to women’s ordination by using a sociocognitive approach as an underlying theoretical framework. The analysis aims to illustrate how a religious text both assumes and tries to formulate unified mental models to control the beliefs of the audience and promulgate dominance by assigning sovereign values to certain interpretations so that readers will understand certain texts as they see them. In doing so, the current study also hopes to demonstrate …

Clergy Characteristics As Predictors Of Mental Health Literacy, Jodi Vermaas Vermaas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The mental health literacy (MHL) rates of Christian clergy in the United States remains underinvestigated in the current literature. This gap of knowledge is problematic for the large numbers of individuals with mental illness who seek assistance from clergy and may receive inadequate care for their concerns. As theoretically designated by the behavioral models of health care and MHL research, denomination-type, educational variables, and demographic characteristics were investigated as potential predictors of MHL. A sample of 238 Christian clergy from throughout the United States completed the web-based Mental Health Literacy Scale and demographic questionnaire. Results of analysis of variance (ANOVA) …

The Relationship Between Christian Religiosity And Heterosexism In The Southern United States, Patricia Hare

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The internalization of heterosexism places lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals at disproportionately higher risks of depression and self-destructive behaviors. For LGB Christians, this phenomenon is often exacerbated. Although literature on heterosexism has increased, little research has examined more insular, religious environments. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between Christian denominational religiosity and heterosexism and to compare the degree of religiosity and heterosexism between members of 5 Christian denominations and between same-sex sexuality perspectives in the southern United States. Guided by the attribution theory, a correlational, cross-sectional survey design was used to analyze degree of religiosity …

Animism Among Western Buddhists, Daniel S. Capper

Faculty Publications

Myriad instances of animist phenomena abound in the Buddhist world, but due to the outdated concepts of thinkers such as Edward Tylor, James George Frazer, and Melford Spiro, commonly scholars perceive this animism merely as the work of local religions, not as deriving from Buddhism itself. However, when one follows a number of contemporary scholars and employs a new, relational concept of animism that is based on respectful recognition of nonhuman personhoods, a different picture emerges. The works of Western Buddhists such as Stephanie Kaza, Philip Kapleau Roshi, and Gary Snyder express powerful senses of relational animism that arise specifically …

The Maternal Personhood Of Cattle And Plants At A Hindu Center In The United States, Daniel S. Capper

Faculty Publications

Religious experiences with sacred nonhuman natural beings considered to be “persons” remain only vaguely understood. This essay provides a measure of clarification by engendering a dialogue between psychoanalytic self psychology on one side and, on the other, religious experiences of cattle and Tulsi plants as holy mothers at a Hindu cattle sanctuary in the United States. Ethnographic data from the Hindu center uncover experiences of sacred maternal natural beings that are tensive, liminal, and colored with affective themes of nurturance, respect, and intimacy, much like psychoanalytic maternal selfobjects. Devotees protect cattle and ritually venerate plants because these actions facilitate a …

Organizing The Church In Afghanistan, Kenneth L. Alford Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Development, history, and organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also sometimes referred to by the following nicknames: the Mormon Church or the LDS Church) among coalition forces serving in Afghanistan, 2001-2014. Discusses creation of the Kabul Afghanistan Military District, Relief Society in a war zone, the use of "Mormon Battle Buddies," proselyting and meeting restrictions, living the Word of Wisdom in a combat zone, etc.

Early Christianity, Gaye Strathearn

Faculty Publications

As Jesus stood on the Mount of Olives at the end of his forty-day resurrected ministry, he directed his apostles to be witnesses “in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8; see also Matthew 28:19–20). In giving this direction, he rescinded the command he gave when he first called them to “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans” (Matthew 10:5). The shift in emphasis and direction brought significant challenges for the fledgling church. It is in the church’s response to meet those challenges that we see many …

The “Spirit” That Returns To God In Ecclesiastes 12:7, Dana M. Pike

Faculty Publications

Influenced by the Restoration doctrine of premortality, some Latter-day Saints have employed the KJV translation “the spirit” in Ecclesiastes 12:7 to support the doctrine that spirit personages leave their mortal bodies at death. Furthermore, Latter-day Saints have sometimes asserted, again citing Ecclesiastes 12:7, that a premortal spirit being can only “return” to God because it previously came from him. This verse has thus become one of several in the Old Testament that some Latter-day Saints have employed as support for premortal existence, a doctrine that is so important in the broader plan of salvation.

Buddhist Phenomenology And The Problem Of Essence, Jingjing Li

Comparative Philosophy

In this paper, I intend to make a case for Buddhist phenomenology. By Buddhist phenomenology, I mean a phenomenological interpretation of Yogācāra’s doctrine of consciousness. Yet, this interpretation will be vulnerable if I do not justify the way in which the anti-essentialistic Buddhist philosophy can countenance the Husserlian essence. I dub this problem of compatibility between Buddhist and phenomenology the ‘problem of essence’. Nevertheless, I argue that this problem will not jeopardize Buddhist phenomenology because: 1) Yogācārins, especially late Yogācārins represented by Xuanzang do not articulate emptiness as a negation but as an affirmation of the existent; 2) Husserl’s phenomenological …

Postmodernism And Budhism: A Postmodern Woman In A Modernizing Land, Ruthanne Joy Wenger Hughes

Senior Theses

Religion and postmodernism are two paradigms that guide my experience of life. Although it is not necessarily intuitive, these two paradigms do intersect and inform each other, shaping the way I engage with the world. With this understanding, I spent the Spring 2015 semester in the Kingdom of Bhutan and examined my time through a postmodern lens, writing a travel blog at www.bhutanbricolage.weebly.com that mediates my experiences there and my thoughts about Buddhism and postmodernism.

Ua3/9/7 Message, Wku President's Office - Ransdell, Wku Philosophy & Religion

WKU Administration Documents

Email from WKU president Gary Ransdell to faculty & staff regarding anti-Muslim sentiments. Includes messages from Eric Bain-Selbo and Lhousseine Guerwane.

X-Men, Dragon Age, And Religion: Representations Of Religion And The Religious In Comic Books, Video Games, And Their Related Media, Lyndsey E. Shelton

Honors College Theses

It is a widely accepted notion that a child can only be called stupid for so long before they believe it, can only be treated in a particular way for so long before that is the only way that they know. Why is that notion never applied to how we treat, address, and present religion and the religious to children and young adults? In recent years, questions have been continuously brought up about how we portray violence, sexuality, gender, race, and many other issues in popular media directed towards young people, particularly video games. These issues rarely include religion, despite …

In Memoriam, No Author

Verbum

In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay's first paragraph.

The Office of Campus Ministry continues to mourn the loss of Fr. Joe Lanzalaco, who passed away a little more than three months ago. We have each written an open letter to share what Fr. Joe meant to us.

The Myth Of A Secular Economy: Capitalism's Unarticulated Theology, Daniel F. Sebastian

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The discipline of modern economics has been categorized as based in mathematics and thus dealing only with facts. Religion, on the other hand, is considered one of the primary institutions in society that engenders different values. The stark separation between these two fields is typical of the modern fact-value distinction. The goal of this project is to provide, relying heavily upon Peter L. Berger, a detailed analysis of the value-laden social functions of religion and consider whether economics, specifically capitalism, also carries out these functions. The thesis blurs the lines between economics and religion by showing that capitalism engages in …

Following The Good Shepherd Retreat For Children And Parents Preparing To Receive The Sacraments Of Reconciliation And Eucharist, Olivia Rico

Pastoral Institute

I will develop and implement two retreats for the First Communion children and parents that attend Christ the King Cathedral Parish and School in Lubbock; TX. These retreats will serve as teaching tools to help participants develop a more in depth theological understanding of the Church's teaching on the Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Eucharist. Furthermore, the retreats will include prayer experiences that will demonstrate to all participants the need to pray always both within and outside the Christian community. Finally, the parents will receive tools that will assist them in preparing their children for their First Reconciliation and First …

Preliminary Pages, No Author

Verbum

No abstract provided.

Full Issue, No Author

Verbum

No abstract provided.

If God Didn’T Satisfice, We Could Still Exist, Rick Repetti

Publications and Research

Theodicies of satisficing – defenses of God’s goodness that justify creating minimally satisfactory beings/worlds – originate with Robert Merrihew Adams (1972, 1979). Adams (1972) argued that in creating imperfect beings God was graceful in giving the undeserved gift of life. There have been many objections to Adams’s argument; e.g., Jerome A. Weinstock (1975) objected that God still would have been graceful in granting undeserved life to superior beings, and, among others, E. Wielenberg (2004) objected that grace doesn’t erase the imperfection of creating imperfection. However, Adams’s theodicy arguably maintains two points: (a) non-existing superior beings cannot be harmed by not …

Symposium Introduction: Beyond Secular Order: The Representation Of Being And The Representation Of The People By John Milbank, Justin Kh Tse

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

What does Beyond Secular Order have to do outside of the quibbles of the theology and religious studies academy? What might Milbank be saying to plebeians like me who have to live our lives in a world whose order is understood as ‘secular’? Milbank’s answer is to present two sequences, signaling that Beyond Secular Order is not to be read so much as a technical text, but as art, poetry, music, perhaps even a map. As an artist, poet, and musician (and geographer), Milbank has crafted a first sequence on ‘modern ontology’ tracing the strands of modern philosophy that serves …

Public Ethics As A Canadiana “Theologica Publica”, David G. A. Pfrimmer

Consensus

This paper explores how a paradigm of the “public commons” can describe the relationship and contribution of various ‘public’ actors. The paper will explore how we might think differently about ‘public(s)’ and why “public ethics” could serve as a distinctively Canadian ‘public theology’ of ‘belonging.’ Paper presented as “Capital Theology: Religion and Politics in the 21st Century” at the Canadian Theological Society. Ottawa, June 2015.

Sex Abuse In The American Catholic Church And The Attempt At Redemption, Jeffrey A. Nelson

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

The paper analyzes the apologia of Catholic leaders as they responded to accusations that surfaced in 2002 regarding priestly sex abuse in the United States. A study of the apologetic techniques used is offered, noting particularly bolstering, transcendence, and differentiation. Though it was Catholic leaders themselves who used the differentiation approach in their apologia, in their reaction to that rhetoric the audience members may have been influenced by the media and/or the leaders’ peers. Thus, rhetorical efforts by those two sources also are studied. The investigation concentrates primarily on the four-month period beginning January 9 when coverage was most intense, …

Computational Methods For Coptic: Developing And Using Part-Of-Speech Tagging For Digital Scholarship In The Humanities, Caroline T. Schroeder, Amir Zeldes

College of the Pacific Faculty Articles

This article motivates and details the first implementation of a freely available part of speech tag set and tagger for Coptic. Coptic is the last phase of the Egyptian language family and a descendant of the hieroglyphs of ancient Egypt. Unlike classical Greek and Latin, few resources for digital and computational work have existed for ancient Egyptian language and literature until now. We evaluate our tag set in an inter-annotator agreement experiment and examine some of the difficulties in tagging Coptic data. Using an existing digital lexicon and a small training corpus taken from several genres of literary Sahidic Coptic …