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Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
Apocalypse Across Contexts: Reactions To Sudden, Unwanted, And Comprehensive Change, Patrick Morrison
Apocalypse Across Contexts: Reactions To Sudden, Unwanted, And Comprehensive Change, Patrick Morrison
Honors Theses
For much of human history, people have maintained a fascination with the end of the world. The apocalypse refers to the final moment in human history, with apocalyptic thought focusing on questions of how and when this will occur. The apocalypse is among the most durable transhistorical phenomena, adapting to changes in technology, social structure, and theology. Apocalyptic thought often arises from conditions of “relative deprivation,” where subjugated members of society envision the apocalypse as deliverance from their present hardship. The Biblical works of Daniel and Revelation, among other notable apocalypses, fueled the anxieties and imaginations of Europeans during the …
Maize From Sacred To Profane, Gizela Thomas
Maize From Sacred To Profane, Gizela Thomas
Honors Theses
This thesis is a broad study of how corn has influenced the political, social and economic structure of the Americas from the early inception of the first Native American civilizations to the present day. Divided amongst four chapters that aim to explain how corn’s development has changed the power dynamic across North and South America, this thesis depicts how corn has sustained state power and how its development as a commodity has transitioned to empowering corporate interests. The first chapter uses a variety of primary sources such as religious texts and artifacts to illustrate corn’s sacred role as the creator …
Ecumenical Trends: Three Forms Of Ecumenism Within Christianity, Peter Donnelly
Ecumenical Trends: Three Forms Of Ecumenism Within Christianity, Peter Donnelly
Honors Theses
This paper broadly discusses the concept of ecumenism based off of my personal experiences as a Christian and a series of interviews that were conducted. To understand ecumenism, I introduce ecumenism in relation to other concerns of a congregation and detail its historical and biblical groundings. I also introduce a framework by which to understand faith, and draw on this to make sense of the different ecumenical trends that I noticed within Christianity. These three trends are the governmental faith and order ecumenism, the service-oriented life and action ecumenism and the more exclusive biblical ecumenism. I conclude by speculating on …
Lessons From Florence: The Savonarolan Movement, Joseph Kiernan
Lessons From Florence: The Savonarolan Movement, Joseph Kiernan
Honors Theses
This thesis examines the life of Girolamo Savonarola (1452-1498), a Renaissance preacher from Ferrara, Italy. From his early beginnings as a student of theology, to his years spent preaching from the pulpit in the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral in Florence, this paper shows how his life transformed into one driven by the Will of God. The thesis is divided into three sections. The first section covers the early life of Savonarola and how hatred for the materialistic and sinful world, along with the teachings of his grandfather, drove him towards religion. The second section focuses on Savonarola executing the …
Why Are We So Interested In Buddhism?, Victoria Leach
Why Are We So Interested In Buddhism?, Victoria Leach
Honors Theses
Buddhism in American mainstream society and an identification of the categories of the New American Buddhist. The introduction is a critical look at the type of Buddhist practitioner including demographics and their personal history that introduced them to the Buddhist tradition, discovered by previous researchers. This also takes into account Buddhism in popular culture. Then to continue that research I employed my own methods, influenced greatly by phenomenology, to go out into the field to conduct my own qualitative study on local Buddhist groups to see if my experience corresponds to previous research. I collected data on demographics, religious history, …
Les Catholiques Et Les Huguenots Au Seizième Siècle En France: Un Conflit De Religion Ou Une Lutte Pour Le Pouvoir?, Olga M. Borodulina
Les Catholiques Et Les Huguenots Au Seizième Siècle En France: Un Conflit De Religion Ou Une Lutte Pour Le Pouvoir?, Olga M. Borodulina
Honors Theses
Although the Massacre of Saint Bartholomew and the French Wars of Religion are well-known historical events, there remain some mysteries as what led to such violent tensions between fellow French people. Were religious differences to blame, or was the bloodshed caused by the political intrigues of nobles like Catherine de Medici? Perhaps the economic climate of the age added to the discontent of the common people and the Huguenots were a convenient scapegoat? Then again, it might have been all of those factors and more than led to decades if not centuries of tension in France. This thesis explores the …
Governing Religion: A Study Of Religions Function Across Three Distinctly Different Societies, Sky Kochenour
Governing Religion: A Study Of Religions Function Across Three Distinctly Different Societies, Sky Kochenour
Honors Theses
Religion’s place in political order is a controversial subject. How does the function of religion compare to that of political order? Can it support a society in the same way? My research attempts to answer these questions by investigating three distinct time periods and cultures. I first examine the primitive people of the Azande tribe in Africa, an example of a society based mainly on religion. My research then turns to the fifth and sixth century Greeks, a society in flux, attempting to hold on to religion in the throes of a logical revolution. Finally, I turn to America to …
The Role Of Religious Orientation And Religious Emphasis On God Attributions, Rebecca S. Hoffenberg
The Role Of Religious Orientation And Religious Emphasis On God Attributions, Rebecca S. Hoffenberg
Honors Theses
Religion exists as one of the greatest driving forces for a person’s political beliefs and overall outlook on life. In an attempt to understand such a complex phenomenon, researchers have examined factors that influence a person’s likelihood of acquiring religious beliefs. Past research has suggested a relation to religious emphasis in the home and future religious tendencies. This present study examined the role of acquisition of religious beliefs (via religious emphasis in one’s childhood home) and religious orientation on a person’s likelihood of making god attributions. It was hypothesized that religious emphasis and intrinsic religiosity would increase a person’s likelihood …