Digital Commons Network^™

Is Religion "Just" Supernatural Agency, Social Support, Or Meaning?, A. Taylor Newton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is longstanding tension in the study of religion between those who believe religion can be reduced to general psychosocial processes and those who think that religion is somehow unique. One way to test these two possibilities is to compare religious versions of mechanisms to nonreligious versions. If religion is somehow unique, then the religious versions should explain variance in outcomes that the nonreligious versions do not. Three studies confirmed religion's independent predictive power. Exposure to a religious supernatural agent reduced cheating more than exposure to a nonreligious supernatural agent (Study 1), receiving religious social support during a stressful task …

Framing Racial Inequality Reassessing The Effect Of Religion On Racial Attitudes, Jerrold C. Kaufman Ii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Building on previous work on racial attitudes among the religious, this study reassesses the effects of religion on individuals’ beliefs about racial inequality. This study relies on recent developments in the sociology of culture, which conceives of culture as a frame through which individuals interpret the world in which they inhabit (Benford and Snow 2000; Harding 2007; Small 2002, 2004). Religion is held to be an important social institution that provides substance to the frames that individuals employ for interpreting racial inequality. Two particular developments from this literature inform this study: first, that individuals can employ different, even contradictory, frames …

Encountering Questions Of Religion In Psychotherapy: A Hermeneutical-Phenomenological Study Of Religious Patients' Experiences, Jonathan Ahern

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents a hermeneutical-phenomenological investigation of having one's religious or spiritual views called into question in psychotherapy. A review of the literature revealed very few studies exploring the experiences of religious or spiritually devoted psychotherapy patients and a complete lack of studies describing the lived phenomenon of having one's religious or spiritual views called into question in psychotherapy. Three self-described "religious" or "spiritually devoted" former psychotherapy patients provided in-depth descriptions of having their religious views or practices called into question in psychotherapy. Participants' descriptions--gathered first in writing and then by way of a hermeneutic interview--comprised the empirical qualitative data …

Religion And Sex A Look At Sexual Frequency As It Relates To Religious Affiliation, Religious Attendance, And Subjective Religiosity, Doris Elaine Stanley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research addresses the relationship between sexual activity and religion. In particular, the analysis focuses on the impact of religious affiliation, religious public participation and subjective religiosity on the frequency of sexual activity. Religious categories are operationalized as conservative Protestants, moderate Protestants, liberal Protestants, black Protestants, Catholics, Jews, non-affiliates, no religious preference, and other Protestants. The results of the analysis indicate that conservative Protestants and black Protestants are more sexually active than other religious categories. Attendance at religious services has a negative effect on the frequency of sex activity. Subjective religiosity is not related to sexual frequency. Conclusions and directions …

Religiousness, Coping, And Locus Of Control As Predictors Of Anxiety., Rebecca Brooks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In order to evaluate the cognitive appraisal and meaning-making components of the Transactional Model (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) and Meaning-making Model (Park & Folkman, 1997) of coping, several specific forms of appraisal and coping strategies were analyzed in the present study. It has been proposed that religiousness and time influence the meaning-making process (Park, 2005); therefore, an interaction of intrinsic religiousness and time were key variables in the study as well. A survey designed to address relationships among locus of control, type of situation, intrinsic religious orientation, specific coping styles, and maladaptive psychological symptoms was administered to 240 students of …

Religio-Political Groups And The Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process, Catherine Ruth Orsborn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a quagmire of interests working against one another. In this paper, I explore the specific role of religio-political groups in the conflict. I particularly examine the ideological political and religious foundations of Gush Emunim and Hamas, paying much attention to the question of why they are attractive to people in our current era. I argue that these groups are continuously effective in opposing the current quest for a peaceful resolution to the conflict, and that they continue to grow as the result of an identity crisis brought about by factors related to globalization and the failure …

The Spirit Of Stuff: What I Learned When I Sold (Almost) Everything, Rachel Tamsen Perry Schrank

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The following document is a report submitted in conjunction with a video project. The video is a personal documentary, filmed in Denver, Colorado and Mexico City, Mexico, which explores the spiritual connection that people have with their material objects. The report is comprised of a project proposal and a post-production report. The proposal discusses the theoretical underpinnings of the project, and offers a plan for the film's production. The post-production report discusses my filmmaking process in retrospect, reviews production problems and solutions, and includes a final schedule and budget.

Please visit my website at http://www.upupintothesky.com, or contact the author at …

A Sociological Study Of Atheism And Naturalism As Minority Identities In Appalachia., Kelly E. Church-Hearl

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study aims to provide a sociological understanding of people who hold minority beliefs about spirituality and religion and to improve our sociological and social-psychological understanding of a-religious and alternatively religious people. Data were collected through indepth interviews with 10 atheist and 11 naturalist respondents. The study examines the religious histories of the respondents, how they left mainstream religion, how they adopted a minority identity with regard to religion/spirituality, and their personal experiences living in a predominately Christian area. I hypothesized that atheists and naturalists would hold minority identities and feel subordinated or oppressed by the dominant group: Christians. …

Teaching Science In The Bible Belt Of The South, Carole Crosby Gilbert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This is an inquiry that utilizes personal ' passionate ' participatory research (He & Phillion, 2008) to delve into the conflicting experiences encountered by science educators as they teach in the predominantly Christian environment of the rural South. Science standards require teachers to instruct students about scientific concepts that directly contradict theological ideology. Veteran and new teachers alike skate the edges of the chasm that separate science and religion in the performance of their job which is complicated by the homogeneity of the population. Church involvement is an integral part of this community. Christian churches anchor their respective communities providing …

The Place Of Theology In A World Come Of Age: A Comparative Analysis Of The Writings Of Dietrich Bonhoeffer And Paul Ramsey., Dave Buckner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the twentieth century dawned in the western world, there were voices both inside and out of the Christian Church that began to question religion's central place in man's daily life. Had humanity finally progressed to the point where religion was no longer necessary? Had we at long last developed the characteristics and perspectives that religion had attempted to engrain within us? Or were the rules and regulations of religion still needed to ensure the continued advancement of civilization? This is a study of two opposing voices in that debate: theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer and ethicist Paul Ramsey. What follows is …

Living And Thriving In The Land Of Milk And Honey: Religion And The Success Of Mexican Immigrants To The United States, Jamie Dodge

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the role of religion in promoting the success of Mexican immigrants, as measured by typical U.S. standards of success, including income, education, assets (such as homeownership), and health, including access to health insurance, controlling for age, education, gender, and ability to speak English. These measures are analyzed against various indicators of religiosity. The hypothesis driving the research is: religiosity increases an immigrant's success in the United States. This hypothesis was informed by social capital theory, and a distinction is made between bridging and bonding forms of social capital. The results show only a very weak correlation between …

The Impact Of Religiosity On Sexual Victimization Experiences And Reporting Behaviors Among College Students, Nicole Bauer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship between religiosity of female college students and sexual victimization experiences. These experiences include the reporting behaviors that take place subsequent to an act of sexual victimization. The study utilized secondary data gathered from the forth wave of a longitudinal study funded by the National Institute of Justice between 1990 and 1995. The study used multidimensional levels of religiosity to analyze and to assess its impact on the sexual victimization experiences. Findings ascertained that certain behavioral measures of religiosity were consistently found to be a protective factor against sexual victimization. On the other hand, subjective measures …

Japanese Worldviews, Ideologies, And Foreign Aid Policy, Richard Warren Shannon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project studies the ideational factors influencing Japanese foreign aid policy. It builds on previous research in political science on perception and foreign policy decision-making, Japanese political economy, economic and technological development, foreign aid, and in anthropology on perception, worldview, and international development.

The main goal of the research is to answer the question of how Japan's historical experiences with technology, development, and foreign relations (and key leaders' views of those areas) from 1850 to 1945 have influenced current aid policies. Second, the project aims to answer whether the Japanese development concepts of "modernization," internationalization and translative adaptation accurately reflect …

The Social Construction Of Physical Activity/Christianity Relationships At Christian Summer Camps, Jared Ginter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis I explored, through participant observation, interviews and document analysis, how a relationship between physical activity and Christianity is socially constructed through the leadership at a Christian summer camp. Ontario Pioneer Camp (OPC), through its Leaders In Training (LIT) program, placed a strong focus on physical activity in 'creation' as a connection between physical activity and Christianity. Some of the more experienced leaders had a well thought out understanding of additional connections between physical activity and Christianity; however, they did not formally teach them. The leaders at LIT and Adventure Camp identified that having good leaders was the …

The Spiritual Competency Scale: A Comparison To The Aservic Spiritual Competencies, Linda Robertson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Spiritual and religious beliefs are significant aspects of a person's worldview and have been well established within many disciplines as a resource for physical and mental health. Therefore, they are relevant topics for counselors. The governing bodies of the counseling profession support the discussion of these beliefs in counseling. To meet the ethical mandates for competency in this area, the Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling (ASERVIC) produced the Spiritual Competencies. Despite these efforts, spiritual and religious material continues to be neglected in counselor training programs. In the absence of a formal measure of spiritual competency, curricular …

The Function Of Mythology And Religion In Ancient Greek Society., Cara Leigh Sailors

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The ancient Greeks are prime subjects of study for those wishing to understand the roles that religion and mythology play in a society and how the two interact with each other. This paper covers what I feel after my study of Greek mythology and religion are the eight functions of mythology: history, education, explanation - both of the natural world and the culture of each society, legality, genesis, what happens after death, and entertainment; as well as the two function of religion: civic and spiritual. In the first chapter, in order to show each of the mythological functions, I summarize …

Eschatological Thought And Religiosity Among Christians: Patterns And Relationships, Ingrid Emelia Hellstrom

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In contrast to research on fundamentalism and death anxiety, there has been very little empirical research on the relationship between a person's eschatology, religious thought and behavior. This study attempts to identify associations between eschatology, religiosity, locus of control, death anxiety, and an individual's concept of God. Respondents were 226 college students who completed a questionnaire designed to assess how religious, psychological, and demographic variables predict eschatological beliefs and attitudes. Most respondents were Christian, Caucasian, and female. Eschatological beliefs were directly associated with religious involvement, hope, a deistic and wrathful image of God, and death anxiety. These beliefs, along with …

The Struggle For Acceptance: Continued Resistance To Female Ministers In Rural Holston Conference., Thelma June Neal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to determine if ordained women clergy experience resistance or lack of receptivity to their appointments. If so, does the resistance more readily occur with churches in a rural area? The focus of the study was women clergy of the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church. My study reveals there are Methodist women clergy who continue to have churches outright refuse their projected appointments. My study also reveals that this problem is more often found with churches in rural areas where the culture is connected to long-standing scriptural interpretations and traditions that do not theologically and …

Social Buffering By God: Can Prayer Reduce Stress In An Experimental Setting?, Amanda Cornell Schwartz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Social networks are associated with positive health outcomes such as higher ratings of life-satisfaction, reduced risk of mortality, and decreased cardiovascular responses. Similarly, religiosity has been found to be beneficial to both physical and mental health. Specifically, religious involvement has been associated with decreased blood pressure and heart rate. Further, a social presence during a stressful event has been associated with reduced stress as measured by heart rate, blood pressure, and lower self-reported stress. However, this social buffering may not extend to a perceived presence, such as a higher deity. The current experiment examined whether prayer could reduce stress responses …

The Emergence Of The Maya Tlaloc: A Late Classic Religious Icon, Amanda Toyie Groff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Iconography has the capability to memorialize and guarantee one's place in history; iconography can also provide powerful insight into human culture, and explore social and cultural values in a visual manner. Iconography can incorporate information about group identities, allegiances, religious affiliations, propaganda, and acceptance within both modern and ancient societies. By studying a specific iconographic figure, the Central Mexican god Tlaloc, as a visual representation of a belief or identity, we can glean a greater understanding of the cultural transmission of iconographic symbols. The substantial use of this icon, in both Central Mexico and the Maya region, reveals iconography as …

Addressing Domestic Violence Among Small Baptist Church Clergy, Katherine Lieftink

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to survey and discuss how small Baptist church clergy address domestic violence (DV) with the goal of studying how clergy in small Baptist churches view domestic violence and how they address the problem of domestic violence within their congregation. The Baptist faith was selected since they form the largest portion of the Protestant faith in the United States. The sample consisted of clergy from small Baptist churches located within the geographic limits of Brevard County, Florida. Interviews were conducted with ten small Baptist church clergy. The interview questions were constructed to ascertain specific areas …

Freedom Now!: Four Hard Bop And Avant-Garde Jazz Musicians' Musical Commentary On The Civil Rights Movement, 1958-1964., Lucas Aaron Henry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this study, I examined musical recordings from the jazz idiom that relate to events or ideas involved in the Civil Rights Movement during the mid-1950s through the mid-1960s. The study focused on the four following musicians' recordings: Charles Mingus, Fables of Faubus; Sonny Rollins, The Freedom Suite; Ornette Coleman, Free Jazz; and John Coltrane, A Love Supreme. The study relies primarily on the aforementioned recordings, critics analysis of those recordings, and events that took place during the Civil Right Movement.

The study concludes that these recordings are not only commentary about ideas and events but …

Religion And Crime: A Study Of Inmates In State And Federal Prisons In The United States., Dhanalakshmi Thirumalai

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Persistent high levels of crime in this country have provided support for the need for public programs that help in reducing crime rates through effective interventions. Spirituality and religion are considered to play a major part in determining an individual's attitude towards committing a crime. This study analyzed if inmates in State and Federal prisons in the US are involved in prison religious activities and personal prayers in order to determine if criminality (measured by offense type) of inmates affects their participation in religious activities. Based on logistic regression analysis, gender, race, and marital status of inmates were found to …

Lifestyle Intervention Program With Calcium Supplementation To Promote Weight Loss And Body Fat Reduction In Overweight Individuals., Candee Meredith Spence

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a significant difference in weight loss, body fat, waist circumference, or diet quality among participants taking calcium or placebo supplements in a lifestyle intervention program. Three participants ages 52-55 completed the 14 week program. Two participants took 1,000 milligrams calcium while one participant took a placebo. Changes in diet were analyzed by Nutribase IV and self perception. Anthropometrics were analyzed by analysis of variance, alpha level 0.05. There was significant decrease in weight and waist circumference for the calcium group and decrease in bioelectrical impedance for the placebo group; …

Religiosity And Aggression In College Students., Shanea J. Watkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined whether high and low religiosity had any relationship to a person’s five measures of aggressiveness. The participants in this study consisted of 274 female and 202 male undergraduates. The results revealed that: (A) high scores of Religious Conflict and Hostility to Church yielded higher scores of aggression, (B) high scores of Religious Orthodoxy, Religious Solace and Religious Tranquility yielded lower scores of aggression, (C) high scores of Religious Conflict and Hostility to Church yielded higher scores of total aggressiveness, and (D) high scores on Religious Solace and Religious Orthodoxy yielded low scores of total aggression. Frequency …

Characteristics Of Elders As Leaders In Christian Churches/Churches Of Christ In The Year 2010: A Delphi Study, Peter N. Cummins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compose a profile of characteristics of a competent elder as a leader of Christian churches/churches of Christ for the year 2010. An essential component of this composition was the identification of issues that elders are likely to face in the 21st century church. A second objective was to identify effective ways in which elders can be prepared to meet the challenges of leading congregations in the beginning of the 21st century. A Delphi Technique was applied in this study since it is a particularly efficient research tool used in building consensus and in …

The Role Of The Church In Peruvian Political Development., Mary Helen. Mooney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dept. of History, Philosophy, and Political Science. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis1976 .M64. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 40-07, page: . Thesis (M.A.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1976.

George Meredith's Ideas Of Religion., Mary Ellis Duncan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Every man is to a greater or less degree a product of the influences surrounding his life. The more commonplace minds of the race, no doubt, are chiefly affected; and occasionally we find a man or woman of so keen an intellect, so striking an individuality, that it is difficult to trace the influence of his age upon him. Rather he becomes a power in forming the opinions of the next generation, stands in advance of his own period. Of this individualistic type if George Meredith, one of the greatest of the nineteenth century writers, if not foremost among them.

History Of The Churches Of Louisville With Special Reference To Slavery., Homer E. Wickenden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the one hundred and forty years of Louisville's existence, it has grown from a log cabin settlement with no churches to a city with 269 churches and church property valued at over $30,000,000. It is impossible to measure the moral and religious force that they have exerted on the city. It can best be appreciated when one thinks of what the city would be without them. Few of us would care to live in such a city. In the field of education, Louisville churches have contributed much. Some of the first schools in the city were conducted by ministers, …

The Religious Element In The Popular Ballads., Elizabeth Phillips Mcconathy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study of the religious element in the popular ballads is based largely on Mr. George L. Kittredge's edition of Mr. Francis J. Child's collection of English and Scottish popular ballads, the completeness of which, up to this time, has not been disputed.* Mr. Kittredge has printed in his volume one or more versions of every ballad which Mr. Child has given as an authentic folk ballad (omitting Nos. 33, 279, 281, 290 and 291), besides including a few of somewhat doubtful origin. It has not been judged necessary for the purposes of this article to discuss more than …