Religion Commons^™

Infertility, M. Therese Lysaught

Institute of Pastoral Studies: Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

The Figure Of Adam In Rom 5:12-21 And 1 Cor 15:21-22, 45-49: The New Creation And Its Ethical And Social Reconfigurations, Felipe De J. Legarreta

Dissertations (6 month embargo)

The Adam and Christ antithesis in Paul resembles other Jewish interpreters of the story of the creation of man and of the fall that draw ethical implications. Yet Paul uniquelly interprets the story of the origins in an eschatological perspective that calls believers to transform their lives after the image of the new Adam Christ in order to attain the eschatological resurrection in Him.

Haiti's Troubles: Perspectives From The Theology Of Work And From Liberation Theology, Lys Stéphane Florival

Dissertations (2 year embargo)

This dissertation examines "signs of the times" in contemporary Haiti, concentrating on the harsh realities of work and workers in the context of entrenched poverty and ecological devastation. It seeks to formulate a Christian theological-ethical framework that will empower movements of both the Church and Haitian society to engage the problems of the degradation of work and exploitation of workers. This investigation adopts the critical method of correlation using insights from certain modern theologies of work (Chenu, John Paul II, and Miroslav Volf) and from liberation theology (Gutiérrez, Godefroy Midy, and J-B Aristide) to analyze key features of the realities …

The Logic Of The ‘As If’ And The Existence Of God: An Inquiry Into The Nature Of Belief In The Work Of Jacques Derrida, Colby Dickinson

Theology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

The religious thematics at play in the work of Jacques Derrida have often provided an ongoing platform from which to struggle with the entire scope of his work, thus moving the seemingly peripheral discourses on religion within his oeuvre to the center stage. Despite repeated attempts to come to terms both theologically and philosophically with the conditional nature of representations, the problematics of representation are perhaps nowhere more forcefully demonstrated than in the work of Derrida. Indeed, for Derrida, the ‘as if’, as a regulative principle directly appropriated and modified from its Kantian context, becomes the central lynchpin for understanding, …

Interests, Rights And Standards Of Care In The Context Of Globalized Medicine, Hille Haker

Theology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Historically speaking, medical ethics responded to the ideological misuse of scientific (or pseudo- scientific) research and gave priority to the individual patient’s right to be respected in any medical intervention. This right has been confirmed in several guidelines, from the Helsinki Declaration to the European Oviedo Convention of Human Rights in Biomedicine and many professional ethics codices.

For most works on medical ethics, the right of the patients is spelled out as respect for their interests, justified by freedom as basis of autonomy, moral agency, and a modern understanding of the individuals’ right to decide on questions of their (good) …

Catholic Sexual Ethics - A Necessary Revision: Theological Responses To The Sexual Abuse Scandal, Hille Haker

Theology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

Fragments Of The Historical Jesus: A Reading Of Mark 11,11-[26], Edmondo Lupieri

Theology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

Moral Analysis Of A Procedure At Phoenix Hospital, M. Therese Lysaught

Institute of Pastoral Studies: Faculty Publications and Other Works

A Catholic hospital in Phoenix “acted in accord with the Ethical and Religious Directives, Catholic moral tradition and universally valid moral precepts” in carrying out a controversial procedure on an ill pregnant woman that resulted in the death of the unborn child, theologian M. Therese Lysaught said in a moral analysis of the situation. Phoenix Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted determined that the November 2009 procedure constituted a direct abortion, and he subsequently stripped St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center of its Catholic status. (See Origins, Vol. 40, No. 31, for more documentation on the case.) In discussions leading up to …

Infanticide, M. Therese Lysaught

Institute of Pastoral Studies: Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

Liturgy And Ethics, M. Therese Lysaught

Institute of Pastoral Studies: Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

Penitence, M. Therese Lysaught

Institute of Pastoral Studies: Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

Religion, Science, And The Conscious Self: Bio-Psychological Explanation And The Debate Between Dualism And Naturalism, Paul J. Voelker

Dissertations

This dissertation approaches metaphysical and metaethical questions concerning the nature of the human person, the existence and nature of God, and the nature of moral judgment through contemporary neuroscience, cognitive science, scientific moral psychology, and analytic philosophy of mind. Contrary to proposals that seek a harmonious integration of "religion and science" this dissertation argues that contemporary bio-psychological sciences give one ample reason to be skeptical of many of the metaphysical and metaethical claims embedded in religious traditions like Christianity and Buddhism. The first three chapters of the dissertation focus on the metaphysical issue of mind-body dualism while the fourth chapter …

Filiación-Fraternidad: The Hope Of Human Existence In Light Of Global Disparity. Exploring The Theological Anthropologies Of Karl Rahner And José Ignacio González Faus., Scott M. Myslinski

Dissertations

This dissertation argues that there is a need for Christian theology to critically re-examine human existence through social and structural categories in response to the current direction of globalization which threatens the humanization of human existence. Specifically, there exists a need for a contemporary Christian theological anthropology that is in dialogue with the social sciences and that attempts to develop an understanding of human sin, grace, and redemption in structural and social categories in order to offer an alternative vision of what it means to be human in light of the prevailing anthropology that is at the heart of the …

So That Love May Be Safeguarded: The Nature, Form, And Function Of Obedience As A Heuristic Device For The Theology Of Hans Urs Von Balthasar, Daniel Paul Burns

Dissertations

Hans Urs von Balthasar's literary body of work is enormous. His style is erudite and often abstruse. As a result, it is often difficult to systematize and arrange his work into coherent and consistent categories. This dissertation offers the singular category of obedience as a heuristic device to help render the entire von Balthasarian corpus more understandable. For von Balthasar, the word "obedience" is multivalent and rich in meaning. It cuts across all aspects of human relationships, of human relationships with God, and even God's relationship with Himself. This dissertation claims that the meaning of the word "obedience" is central …

Trilectic Of Testimony: A Phenomenological Construal Of The Eucharist As Manifestation-Proclamation-Attestation, Donald Lee Wallenfang

Dissertations

This thesis seeks to revolutionize thinking the sacrament, in particular the Eucharist. Instead of construing the Eucharist in terms of substance or symbol, the Eucharist is construed phenomenologically as manifestation-proclamation-attestation. In this way, the particular emphases of Catholic (manifestation), Jewish and Protestant (proclamation, attestation) thought converge around the question of the phenomenality of the religious phenomenon, specifically the Eucharist-phenomenon. Representative of each of these three faith traditions, the following prominent thinkers are placed in dialectical confrontation: Jean-Luc Marion (Catholic, manifestation), Paul Ricoeur (Protestant, proclamation/attestation) and Emmanuel Levinas (Jewish, proclamation/attestation). Building on the seminal work of Louis-Marie Chauvet, Symbole et sacrement: …

Patriarchy, Christianity, And The African Hiv/Aids Epidemic: Rethinking Christian Marriage In Light Of The Experiences Of Hiv Positive Women In Tanzania, Melissa Danielle Browning

Dissertations

Given that women and girls carry the heaviest burdens of the African HIV/AIDS epidemic, their lived experiences should be the starting point for any pedagogy of prevention. In light of this claim, this dissertation project uses qualitative fieldwork with HIV positive women living in Mwanza, Tanzania to ask why marriage is an HIV/AIDS risk factor. By beginning with women's experience as a hermeneutical lens, this dissertation seeks to establish a creative space where African women can imagine new alternatives to HIV/AIDS prevention that would promote human flourishing and abundant life in African communities. The aim of this dissertation is to …

The Principle Of Subsidiarity And Catholic Ecclesiology: Implications For The Laity, Kathryn Reyes Hamrlik

Dissertations

This dissertation examines the principle of subsidiarity as articulated within the body of Catholic social thought, and explores its validity within the governance structure of the Catholic church. Special attention is given to the status and role of the laity, and the implications of subsidiarity with regard to lay authority and decision-making in the church. Chapter One outlines some problems with ecclesial governance today, discusses the current status and role of the laity, and proposes an application of subsidiarity in the church. Chapter Two provides an overview of how the laity has been understood throughout church history to the present …

The Relationship Of Canon And Messiah: The Convergence Of Jan Assmann And Walter Benjamin On A Theory Of Monotheistic Canon, Colby Dickinson

Theology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

This paper focuses upon the relationship between the German Egyptologist Jan Assmann and the German-Jewish late modern literary critic Walter Benjamin as regards the movement from canons to messianic forces. It therefore traces the evolution in Assmann’s thought from issues surrounding the processes of canonization to his development of a form of ‘weak thought’ in relation to religious violence before then turning to Benjamin’s portrayal of a ‘weak messianic force’ moving through history which is only conceivable in close proximity to a scriptural legacy and a divine (or ‘pure’) violence, as he saw it. Additionally, this essay draws a line …

Randi L. Rashkover And Martin Kavka, Eds., Tradition The Public Square: A David Novak Reader, Colby Dickinson

Theology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

This article reviews the book Tradition the Public Square: A David Novak Reader, edited by Randi L. Rashkover and Martin Kavka .

Autonomy And Care In Medicine, Hille Haker

Theology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

This paper argues that the core principle of bioethics, autonomy, is rooted both in the 20th century history of the development of new medical technologies as in political liberalism transferred to medical practices, rendering the medical decision-making of patients a centerpiece of medical interventions. The paper shows how the ambiguity in the interpretation of autonomy reflects the ambivalence of bioethics towards making normative claims on the moral agents insofar as these go beyond the respect for a patient’s autonomy. In the second part, the paper analyzes the alternative approach of care ethics, which intends to emphasize both the vulnerability and …

The Highest Good And The Best Activity: Aristotle On The Well-Lived Life, Philip William Bauchan

Master's Theses

The question of how Aristotle characterizes eudaimonia, or living-well, in the Nicomachean Ethics has long been a contentious issue amongst Aristotelian scholars. The secondary literature has been roughly divided between inclusivist readers, who argue that Aristotle designates both theoria, or contemplation, and the practical virtues, and exclusivist readers, who argue that Aristotle singles out theoria alone. This thesis seeks to forge a middle ground between these two perspectives by focusing on the central claim of Book I that the eudaimonia is virtuous activity. Reading Book X in light of Book I's claim then allows one to show that both the …

Introducing The Common Good Index And A Common Good Immigration Ethic, Ana Bedard

Dissertations

The U.S. and Mexican bishops, in their influential pastoral letter Strangers No Longer, frame immigration ethics through the lens of solidarity with the immigrant. This frame leads them to erroneously interpret the preferential option for the poor and ignore potential harm to poor U.S. citizens caused by recent undocumented immigration from Mexico and other countries. A better framework to immigration ethics is a specified common good approach, which is created in this dissertation. This approach uses the definition of the common good found in Catholic social thought and concretizes it through using a theological anthropology based in Martha Nussbaum's human …

Theology As Improvisation: Using The Musical Metaphor Of Attunement To Think Theologically, Nathan Crawford

Dissertations

This project places itself within the tradition of Christian theology which has sought to think about its thinking of God. In so doing, the tradition has seen it necessary to do this thinking in light of one's contemporary situation. Thus, this project carries this line of thought through by thinking the thinking of God within the contemporary context. The thesis of the project is that theology is improvisation. This thesis is advanced through an analysis of the idea of attunement in both theology and improvisation.

The project articulates the nature of theology as improvisation by analyzing the nature of attunement …

A Diachronic Analysis Of The Use Of Scripture In The Variant Versions Of The Apocryphon Of John, David Creech

Dissertations

This dissertation explores at length the Apocryphon of John's ambivalent treatment of the Jewish and Christian scriptures. Although Moses is explicitly corrected at five points in the text--four times mentioned by name (NHC II 13,18-21; 22,22-25; 23,3-4; and 29,6-10) and one time by inference (NHC II 21,9-14)--the Genesis account of creation is nonetheless the basis for the Apocryphon's cosmogony and anthropogony. It is argued that the Apocryphon's uneven treatment of the Bible is the result of a development of the text in the midst of a dispute with other early catholics.

Mario L. Aguilar, Contemplating God, Changing The World, Colby Dickinson

Theology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

This article reviews the book Contemplating God, Changing the World, by Mario L. Aguilar.