Religion Commons^™

Earthly Alienization And Galactic Othering: How Star Wars Holistically Reimagines American History And Constructs A Pipeline To Christian-Imperial Humanitarianism, Taylor Valci

Effervescence: Yale Divinity School's Student Journal of Religion

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, the future of religion looks remarkably familiar. This essay argues that Star Wars offers a holistic reimagining of American racial formation in a speculative interstellar setting, translating historical practices of othering and alienization into the galaxy’s social and religious order. Across the Skywalker Saga (1977–2019), the Jedi Order functions as a galactic priesthood whose moral universalism authorizes intervention, governance, and salvation across the cosmos. Drawing on American religious history, critical race theory, migration studies, humanitarianism, and imperial studies, I show how alien species, racialized language, colorblind representation, and sacred bloodlines …

Theologians, Political Influencers, Organizers, Founding Mothers, White Feminists: Evangelicalism Recast As Revolution, Through The Life Works Of Hannah More And Phyllis Schlafly, Taylor Valci

Effervescence: Yale Divinity School's Student Journal of Religion

Nearly two hundred years and an ocean apart, Hannah More and Phyllis Schlafly occupied the same impossible set of roles: theologians, political influencers, organizers, founding mothers, and white feminists. What they shared most deeply, however, was evangelicalism. This essay argues that their life works require evangelicalism to be recast not as a stable denominational throughline, but as a reactionary religious revolution: a recurring form of conservative Christian mobilization that emerges when national security and Christian order are perceived as threatened by secularization, women’s expanding public authority, revolution, or global disorder. Read comparatively, More and Schlafly reveal how evangelical women turned …

Strengthening The Holy Athlete: Lay Ascesis And Athletics In The Works Of John Chrysostom, Stephanie R. Roston

Effervescence: Yale Divinity School's Student Journal of Religion

Contemporary fitness influencers often compel their audiences by appealing to the felt connection between physical and moral-spiritual conditioning, but this was also true for John Chrysostom and his attending congregations in late antiquity. Chrysostom believed that body and soul might be brought into healthy, transparent alignment through the cultivation of embodied training grounds for virtue, and he repeatedly utilized athletic imagery in his homilies and baptismal liturgy to emphasize that the cognitive attention necessary for such work is strengthened over time through repeated physical regimens such as fasting and vigils. Warning against hypocrisy, he looked to athletes and ascetics for …

Extraordinary Senses And Dreamscapes In Medieval Japanese Ōjōden Narratives: Reading Yoshishige No Yasutane’S Nihon Ōjōgokuraku-Ki, Qingxuan Wang

Effervescence: Yale Divinity School's Student Journal of Religion

This paper examines the affective and multi-sensorial narratives in Yoshishige no Yasutane’s Nihon Ōjōgokuraku-ki, the foundational collection of medieval Japanese Pure Land Buddhist rebirth tales (ōjōden). Composed at the threshold of a dark age in which Buddhist salvation through ordinary practice was believed to be impossible, the collection spoke directly to a faith community haunted by worldly suffering and their own spiritual inadequacy. Engaging with sensory studies and narratology, this paper challenges the binary divide between doctrinal expositions and didactic narratives in the study of Buddhism. Rather than treating the Nihon Ōjōgokuraku-ki as secondary supplements to scholar-monks’ …

Religious Practice And Attitudes Toward Immigration And Racial Justice In America, Amya Douglas

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

This study aims to understand how Christians’ knowledge of Scripture and involvement in the church have an impact on their social-political views, specifically, racial justice and immigration. By using the survey responses from the 6th wave of the Baylor Religion Survey, more frequent church attendance and reading Scripture were correlated with a greater recognition of racism in terms of being against white supremacy and white nationalism, supporting racial justice when asked about racial gaps, and possessing greater support for immigrants. This study highlights the distinction between religious affiliation and religious practice, and it suggests that certain policy sentiments can be …

A Qualitative Exploration Of Spirituality In People Living With Dyspnea And Serious Illness, Leah Mccann Klug

All Poster Presentations

No abstract provided.

Goddess In A Trash Can: Religious Ritual Disposal In New York City Public Parks, Zoe Oro-Hahn

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Practitioners of Afro-Caribbean religions, including Santería, Vodou, Espiritismo, and Las 21 Divisiones, utilize the New York City Public Parks system to hold rituals, connect with spirits and ancestors, and dispose of religious remains leftover from trabajos (workings) and brujería (witchcraft). Utilizing photos from Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, my thesis considers the religious, political, social, and practical rationale behind this phenomenon, explores the rituals occurring, and provides policy suggestions that balance religious needs of practitioners with the safety and wellbeing of New York City’s parks.

Catacombs In Context: Exploring Roman Architectural Influence In The Catacombs Of Rabat, Malta, Emily S.R Hodson

Classical Mediterranean and Middle East Honors Projects

Previously, scholarship on the Mediterranean catacombs has focused on isolated sites or on the religious significance and iconography of regional groups. By contextualizing the archaeological data through comparison and recentering the discussion on architecture, this research offers a contextualized, non-apologetic picture of ancient Mediterranean catacombs. This architectural comparison between the Roman catacombs and those of St. Paul and Abbatija Tad-Dejr in Malta reveals both significant architectural change and the persistence of archaic features, suggesting a high degree of cultural continuity under Roman provincial governance on Malta (218 BCE - c. 5th - 6th centuries CE). This, paired with the emergence …

Vernacular Religiosity: Liminality, Mentorship, And Communal Reciprocity In Women's Religious Communities, Megan J. Miller

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This thesis is a study on women’s religious communities, and the vernacularized traditions practiced by the women themselves from a folkloric perspective. Examining the creative and meaningful ways women find to interact with their faith on a daily basis, this thesis proposes a natural cycle of religious participation which allows the women to move between active and passive participation roles within their religious communities, and creates equitable spaces for women by relying on the communal reciprocity of the group.

By focusing on individual women and their experiences and belief practices as part of a larger community of religious practice, this …

From Viðkenning To Valarindi: The Enigma Of Goldberry And The River-Woman, Derek Simon

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

THIS IS A TWO-PART ARTICLE. IN ORDER TO READ OR DOWNLOAD THE OTHER PART, FOLLOW THE LINK AT THE END OF THIS ABSTRACT.

Building upon the previous examination of the eddic and skaldic contours of Goldberry’s River kenning names, this reading of Goldberry’s enigma focuses on the mythological referents of her kinship relations and their narrative consistency in the legendarium.  Tending to the intrinsic connection between “[t]he incarnate mind, the tongue, and the tale” (Tolkien, On Fairy Stories, 41), I contend that the poetics of kenning diction sustain if not demand a reading of the River-woman references mythologically through …

Community Accountability And Covenant At The Unitarian Universalist Congregation Of Atlanta, Serethiel Freeman

Emerging Writers

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta is a multi-faith, covenantal community united by a shared commitment to kindness, respect, and diversity, and it strives to use community accountability mechanisms to address harms that arise from unconscious bias. Currently, UUCA's commitment to diversity is falling short as the congregation struggles to use community accountability to address harm. The covenant is an essential part of the Unitarian Universalist faith tradition, and it has the potential to shape and guide the use of community accountability within a congregation. However, at UUCA, the covenant has not been interwoven into congregational life. This article argues …

Negotiating Identity: Local Religion Adherents And Majority Group Resistance In Indonesia, Tri Astutik Haryati, Amat Zuhri, Annisa Mutohharoh

The Qualitative Report

The existence of local religion adherents amidst a majority population is marked by structural and cultural rejection. This condition highlights fundamental issues surrounding freedom of religion and belief in Indonesia. This study aims to explore the experiences of local religion adherents in confronting structural and cultural resistance from an emic perspective, situating local religions within the broader academic discourse on the interaction between local wisdom and global religions. The participants consist of 11 adherents of local religions affiliated with Majelis Luhur Kepercayaan Indonesia (MLKI), an organization that supports followers of local religions and indigenous beliefs throughout Indonesia. Using a qualitative …

Mostly Haunted: A Socio-Spatial Analysis Of Ghost Tourism In England And Wales, Tom Clark, Joseph O. Baker, Christoper D. Bader

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

There is now a well-established literature on ghost tourism. However, much of this work examines aspects associated with the demand side of the industry, or the motivations and experiences of consumers. There are currently no studies that have sought to explore the supply of ghost tourism and the spatial, social, and economic relationships that exist between these places. Using Lower Tier Local Authorities (LTLAs) in England and Wales as the units of analysis, this study draws on a bespoke range of local government and Census data to examine the prevalence of ghost tourism and explore how these sites are differentiated …

Does Deference To Religious Authority Predict Support For Political Violence?, John W. Compton, Ann Gordon

Political Science Faculty Articles and Research

Does deference to religious authority undermine support for democratic norms, including those forbidding the use of violence for political ends? Scholars have struggled to answer this question, in part, we believe, because they have typically employed proxies for religious deference (e.g. Biblical literalism, worship attendance, and self-reported religiosity) instead of measuring it directly. We develop a new measure of deference to religious authority in politics (DRAP), using the 2024 Chapman Survey of American Fears. We find that (1) DRAP is strongly correlated with support for political violence; (2) other common measures of religiosity (e.g. Biblical literalism and self-reported religiosity) are …

Longevity, Resilience, And Thriving Of Women In Ministry: A Case Study Of Women In Ministry From A United Pentecostal Holiness Church, Eunice Cheryl Feltus Little

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The problem of ministry attrition caused by burnout is well documented. Research attributes the impact of burnout on the resilience, longevity, and thriving of ministry workers to role-related stress and adversity. High attrition rates throughout religious organizations and a lag in longevity and resilience contribute to a shortage of ministry workers. Some ministry workers leave the vocation because of stress and burnout, yet others persevere. Despite the possible adverse effects, many men and women find a sense of well-being and joy in ministry work. This qualitative distributive case study focused on those who stayed in ministry and the strategies …

Las Representaciones Figurativas Del Sitio Arqueológico Cuidad Del Jaguar (Honduras): Espacio Sagrado, Conceptos Compartidos Y Diálogo Entre Mesoamérica Y La Zona Andina, Geydy Rodríguez Wood

Actas seleccionadas del SIMPOSIO ARTE 4.2: Migraciones en la imagen prehispánica: transitando territorios del pasado al presente. 58º Congreso Internacional de Americanistas, Novi Sad, Serbia, 2025.

El sitio arqueológico Ciudad del Jaguar-T1, se encuentra ubicado en el noroeste de Honduras. Pertenece al Área Intermedia, considerada zona de frontera y paso entre Mesoamérica y la Zona Andina. Esta ubicación facilitó que, durante la época prehispánica, fuese un sitio de migraciones e interacción constante entre culturas del norte y del sur del continente, que dio origen a una civilización hasta ahora desconocida, que se formó, desarrolló y tuvo una significativa producción artística. En el presente trabajo propongo el estudio y la lectura e interpretación de las imágenes figurativas representadas en los objetos excavados, como también su utilidad y …

Meiji And Myth: The Emperor, Totemic Principles, And Unity, Ella Jean H. Fernandez

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the complex relationship between religion and state during the Meiji era (1868-1912). Specifically, how central governmental and religious figures craft a sense of unity and national identity. The primary research question of this study is: How did the Meiji Emperor’s development as a totem unite the people and grant credibility to the Meiji era (1868-1912)? A totem in this context is a functioning symbol that is both representative and sacred. This study was conducted through the analysis of primary source documents, Imperial shrine activity, and historical context sources. Through analysis of these …

Aging With Mercy, Thriving In Place, Emma Layne Katzman, Karen Weis, Jennifer Rugletic Washko

Entry Level Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstone Projects Class of 2026

Occupational engagement, spirituality, and quality of life are recognized as important dimensions of aging, however, these factors remain underexplored among older adults residing within faith-based communal living environments. This doctoral capstone experience, Aging with Mercy, Thriving in Place, consisted of two distinct but complementary components: an Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved mixed methods research study and a quality improvement initiative. The purpose of the research study was to explore occupational engagement, occupational role transitions, spirituality, identity, and perceived quality of life among older adults residing within a faith-based communal living environment. Quantitative data were collected using the World Health Organization Quality …

¡Salud! Sacrificing The Sacred Sip: A Critical Analysis Of The Impact Of The Spiritual Conquest On Alcohol Traditions In Central México, Elizabeth Vilchis

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

By thoroughly investigating the available primary sources, this thesis will convey the importance of the Mesoamerican inebriating drink pulque in both the ethos and mythos of ancient Nahua society, examining how the ritual use of pulque became problematic in the eyes of the Spaniards, by investigating the cultural and ideological contradictions or double standards that enabled the tensions, struggles, and violence with which the Spanish colonial regime repressed the ritual use of pulque. This thesis compares the Nahua ethos and mythos of pulque to the Christian ethos and mythos of wine, highlighting the parallels perceived by Spaniards in Central México …

Lucretius, Ovid, And Milton In Seventeenth-Century England: First Matter, Creation, And Food Of Angels, Conny M. Pfeifer

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Paradise Lost is a complex poem that not only contains John Milton’s rendition of the Genesis creation narrative and the Fall of humankind but also provides a voice for his unique theology. This dissertation argues that Milton’s creative use of the three disparate concepts of consuming and digesting knowledge, chaos, and the night sky allows him to respond to Lucretian atomism, to address questions regarding the mortality of the soul, and to navigate the scientific discoveries of the seventeenth century, especially the astronomical discoveries of Galileo Galilei. An examination of digestion, chaos, and night helps shed light on Milton’s unique …

A Neurophenomenological Perspective On The Self And Spirituality: The Role Of The Affective Core Self, Michael J. Winkleman, Andrew B. Newberg

Marcus Institute of Integrative Health Faculty Papers

The self is central to spirituality because the self is necessary for consciousness, and spiritual relations are fundamentally about the self. Diverse research illustrates the role of the downregulation of the right parietal lobe (rPL) in the spontaneous manifestation of spiritual experiences and during meditative practices. The functions of the rPL are central to the self, especially the embodied self. Disturbances of the rPL and embodied self-functions are associated with spiritual experience, exemplified in their association with “selflessness.” Many forms of self appear incompatible with spiritual and mystical experiences. An exception is the affective core self, the most ancient form …

The Lived Experience Of Tenders Of Community Grief Rituals, Margaret Y. Wilson

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this research study is to gain an understanding of the lived experience of tenders of community grief rituals, and how tenders make meaning of their experiences. This study utilized photo elicitation and a reflexive thematic analysis. Participants (N = 11) provided one to three photographs that captured their experience of grief and/or tending grief rituals. The results identified 10 themes supported by subthemes: (a) Grief Tender Wisdom About the Nature of Grief, (b) Life’s Many Experiences are Sources of Grief, (c) The Multifaceted Impacts of Grief-Body, Anger, Compassion, Empathy, Resilience, Gratitude, Joy, and Love, (d) The Nuances …

Kalunga Crossings: Waterscapes Of Terror And "Teachment" In The African Atlantic World, Dianne M. Stewart, Tracey E. Hucks, Solimar Otero

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

In this article, we think alongside historian of religions Charles H. Long to analyze the relationship between water and empire, explore theoretical approaches to water and modernity, and probe the significance of water in Africana ecologies and spiritual cultures, highlighting its suggestive contributions to restorative epistemologies of ecological co-habitation. Our investigation advances an Africana religious framework of “waterscapes of terror and ‘teachment’” that centers diaspora bodies of water as loci for analyzing history, materiality, and ecological regard. Teachment is an anti-colonial linguistic irruption, an all-encompassing term for Africana pedagogies and epistemologies that defy antiblack and anti-African colonial instruction. Examining how …

Sanando La Herida Abierta: The Open-Borders Debate, Latinx Feminist Voices, And Spiritual Activism, Amely Logan

Honors Program Theses and Research Projects

This thesis addresses the current discourse in philosophy—specifically, immigration ethics—that harms migrants, would-be migrants, and Latinx people in general. It proposes that these harms can be healed by taking seriously the contributions of Latinx feminists and paying special attention to spiritual activism. The thesis first introduces the open-borders debate in the philosophical literature and the harmful language and framing that affects migrant autonomy within the debate, specifically by looking at the work of Christopher Heath Wellman as a representative example. It reveals how, while border enforcement often results in literal mass casualties among immigrants, the language and framing around immigration …

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …

Live Wires: The Angelus Temple And The Timbre Of Power, Catherine Provenzano

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

This article is a media history and contemporary case study of The Angelus Temple in Los Angeles, founded by Aimee Semple McPherson in 1923. My analysis of the Angelus insists upon the centrality of a hyperaudible paradigm of worship that uses media to maximize the legibility of a Christian message, and, more than this, imagines that media itself as a living soul in need of redemption. Many contemporary megachurches employ savvy applications of sound and sound transmission as instruments of belonging as well as action, and these rely on high-budget investments in church infrastructure, software and personnel. I argue that …

The Influence Of Religion On Gender Roles, Julianna R. Cutcher

The Downtown Review: An Interdisciplinary Journal Written and Peer-Reviewed by Mandel Honors College Students at Cleveland State University

Religion plays a pivotal role in shaping cultural norms, values, and power structures within societies. Religious discourse, as a socially constructed form of knowledge, defines gender roles, norms, and stereotypes, often reinforcing systems of privilege that favor straight, cisgender, white, and male individuals. This paper explores how religious teachings contribute to gender inequality, limiting opportunities for women and marginalized groups while enforcing rigid expectations of gender identity and sexual orientation. The analysis highlights the intersection of religion and power, exploring the topic through four lenses: systems of privilege and inequality, gender, social implications, and media and culture; it also presents …

Sinners, John C. Lyden

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Sinners (2025), directed by Ryan Coogler.

Kelly's Whole Human Pedagogy: A Conversation With Eric Mortensen, Anna N. Kelly, Eric Mortensen

Journal of Contemplative and Holistic Education

This interview with Eric Mortensen, Professor of Religious Studies at Guilford College, was conducted by Anna Kelly as a part of her study, Whole Human Pedagogy: A Novel Framework for Education Abroad Praxis (2024). In this interview, Kelly and Mortensen discuss holistic pedagogy, largely referencing Mortensen’s experience leading religious studies study abroad programs in Asia. They touch on the themes of embodiment, emotions, relationality, and the purpose of holistic teaching and learning in international education. This interview was conducted with IRB approval.

A Religious Etiology Of Genito-Pelvic Pain And Pain With Penetration, Emily L. Carlson

Theses and Graduate Projects

Pelvic pain during penetration (PPDP) has been described using various diagnostic terms, including vaginismus, dyspareunia, and vulvodynia. The most recent and comprehensive classification is Genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder (GPPPD) which is characterized by psychological distress associated with pain during or in anticipation of vaginal penetration (DSM-5-TR; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2022). The etiology of PPDP is multifactorial, involving a complex interplay of biological, psychological, and relational factors. Religious and cultural influences may play a significant role in shaping individuals’ experiences of sexual pain. This study investigated the etiology of PPDP in relation to the religious influences among women raised in Judeo-Christian …