Ethics in Religion Commons^™

Full Issue - Spiritus 5, Vol 2 (2020), Spiritus Journal

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

This special journal issue devoted to Spirit-empowered leadership.

John Thompson, guest editor.

Religious Naturalism, Myriad Nature, And Justice: A Reply To Kahn And Keller, Carol W. White

Other Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Reframing Joseph Cardinal Bernardin’S Consistent Ethic Of Life In The Light Of The Crisis Of Our Common Home And Pope Francis’ Integral Ecology, Anatoly Angelo R. Aseneta

Theology Department Faculty Publications

The article is based from the a defended dissertation of the same title. As raised by Pope Francis in Laudato Si’ and as evidenced by the various ecological problems we face, the crisis of our common home harms both non-human and human life. It is becoming more evident that to consistently defend human life inevitably means caring for our common home. Joseph Cardinal Bernardin’s moral vision of a consistent ethic of life (CEL), reframed in the light of the crisis of our common home and Francis’ call for an integral ecology, provides a moral framework that inseparably links the protection …

Calvin Theological Journal (Vol 55 No 2 - November 2020), Calvin Theological Seminary

Calvin Theological Journal

From the Editor: Karin Maag - 233 / Articles: Zwingli, Erasmus, and the Roots of Reformed Sacramental Theology by Amy Nelson Burnett - 235 / Worship and Calvin’s Theology of the Body in His Anti-Nicodemite Writings by Bonnie Pattison - 255 / Ritual Seeking Rationale: Public Profession of Faith in the Christian Reformed Church by Ryan L. Faber - 277 / Sermon: “The End of Living” — A Sermon on Ecclesiastes 7:1–14 by Benjamin M. Oliveira - 309 / Short Study: Review Article: Contemporary Trends of Evangelical Missions Contextualization by Gil S. Suh - 315 / Calvin Bibliography 2020 - …

Minecrafting Bar Mitzvah: Two Rabbis Negotiating And Cultivating Learner-Driven Inclusion Through New Media., Owen Gottlieb

Articles

In 2013, a boy with special needs used the video game Minecraft to deliver the sermon at his bar mitzvah at a Reform synagogue, an apparently unique ritual phenomenon to this day. Using a narrative inquiry approach, this article examines two rabbis’ negotiations with new media, leading up to, during, and upon reflection after the event. The article explores acceptance, innovation, and validation of new media in religious practice, drawing on Campbell’s (2010) framework for negotiation of new media in religious communities. Clergy biography, philosophy, and institutional context all impact the negotiations with new media. By providing context of a …

Designing Analog Learning Games: Genre Affordances, Limitations And Multi-Game Approaches, Owen Gottlieb, Ian Schreiber

Articles

This chapter explores what the authors discovered about analog games and game design during the many iterative processes that have led to the Lost & Found series, and how they found certain constraints and affordances (that which an artifact assists, promotes or allows) provided by the boardgame genre. Some findings were counter-intuitive. What choices would allow for the modeling of complex systems, such as legal and economic systems? What choices would allow for gameplay within the time of a class-period? What mechanics could promote discussions of tradeoff decisions? If players are expending too much cognition on arithmetic strategizing, could that …

Catholic Social Teaching And Sustainable Development: What The Church Provides For Specialists, Anthony Philip Stine

Dissertations and Theses

The principles of Catholic Social Teaching as represented by the writings of 150 years of popes as well as the theorists inspired by those writings are examined, as well as the two principal schools of thought in the sustainability literature as represented by what is classically called the anthropocentric or managerial approach to sustainability as well as the biocentric school of thought.

This study extends previous research by analyzing what the Catholic Church has said over the course of centuries on issues related to society, economics, and the environment, as embodied in the core concepts of subsidiarity, solidarity, stewardship, the …

Binding With Ancient Logics: The In/Per/Sub-Version Of Faërian Drama In The Cabin In The Woods, Janet Brennan Croft

Journal of Tolkien Research

Faërian Drama is a term developed by J.R.R. Tolkien in his essay “On Fairy-stories,” which he describes as plays which the elves present to men, with a “realism and immediacy beyond the compass of any human mechanism,” where the viewer feels he is “bodily inside its Secondary World” but instead is “in a dream that some other mind is weaving” (63-64). Smith of Wootton Major is a prime example from his own writing; other examples of the genre include Dickens’s A Christmas Carol and the movie Groundhog Day. When we read or view a work containing an example of …

Two Books On Peace Education And Advocacy From The Philippines, Patricia M. Mische

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Peace Education In The Philippines: Measuring Impact, Jasmin Nario-Galace

The Journal of Social Encounters

In this essay I discuss the education and experiences that were important for my formation as a Peace Educator and Advocate. The essay also briefly looks at the issue of peace research, teaching and activism, and how we at the Miriam College –Center for Peace Education believe that research and teaching are important but not enough. I recount research I helped to conduct that shows that peace education had a positive impact on those who participated in it, and then go on to describe our successful Iobbying efforts with the Philippine government and at the United Nations. I conclude with …

Peace Education In The Philippines: My Journey As A Peace Educator And Some Lessons Learned, Loreta Navarro-Castro

The Journal of Social Encounters

In this essay I discuss the development of Peace Education in the Philippines. I also discuss my journey as a peace educator and organizer of peace education. I conclude with lessons that I learned in my work that may be useful for others interested in Peace Education and Advocacy.

Reflections On Peace Education And The Philippines, Patricia M. Mische

The Journal of Social Encounters

This essay, written at the request of JSE editors as an introduction to its special section on Peace Education in the Philippines, discusses the meaning and importance of educating for peace in a globally interdependent but fractured world; shares reflections from the author’s personal journey as a learner/teacher/researcher engaged in peace education, with special attention to her experience in peace education in the Philippines from 1979 to 2020; and introduces two very accomplished Philippine peace educators and their work.

The Mischaracterization Of The Pakhtun-Islamic Peace Culture Created By Abdul Ghaffar Khan And The Khudai Khidmatgars, Shelini Harris

The Journal of Social Encounters

Abdul Ghaffar Khan and his Khudai Khidmatgar Movement, whose peace activities included nonviolent resistance to British rule in India, have remained relatively unknown despite the magnitude of their achievement and significance (100,000 strong peace army). Even among appreciative peace scholars their nonviolence has been mischaracterized as an adoption of Gandhi’s teachings; Khan is referred to as the Muslim Gandhi. I argue that this is due to a reliance on biased colonial sources, concomitant racist characterization of the Pakhtuns and Islam, and an insufficient understanding of violence. I illustrate how this movement’s motivation and inspiration were deeply rooted in Pakhtun culture …

Jesus, The Last Scapegoat: A Chinese-Indonesian Christian Theological Imagination For Peacebuilding And Reconciliation, Hans Harmakaputra

The Journal of Social Encounters

After enduring the systematic oppression under Suharto’s three-decade regime (1967-1998) in Indonesia through discriminatory policies, Chinese-Indonesians suffered an enormous loss in the 1998 riots that signified the end of Suharto’s regime. Many Chinese-Indonesians were killed, raped, and displaced. A few years later, the new government abolished the discriminatory policies against Chinese-Indonesians, and they started to enjoy equality as citizens of Indonesia. However, negativities that resulted from the traumatic experiences cannot be diminished easily. This essay suggests a Chinese-Indonesian Christian theological imagination of Jesus’ crucifixion that aims to deal with communal trauma and contribute to the peacebuilding and reconciliation efforts. This …

Catholic Conscience And Nuclear Weapons, Joseph J. Fahey

The Journal of Social Encounters

This essay briefly explores the history of Catholic ethics on war and peace. It then discusses Catholic social teaching regarding nuclear weapons, and the movement from conditional acceptance to the position of the unacceptability of even possessing nuclear weapons because they are intrinsically evil. The essay concludes with a discussion of the meaning of this development for policy makers and those who work in the nuclear weapons field as well as for average Catholics.

The Economics Of Love, Débora Silva Viana

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis I argue that the obligation to love based on the Christian tradition requires Christians to disperse their resources in a way that significantly evens out wealth distribution and increases social justice. Christians disagree on the terminology and some tenets of the goal of the Christian life (e.g., deification, beatific vision, communion with God, salvation). However, the requirement to practice love is common to all of these concepts, thus making love normative for Christians. I argue that when love takes such a prominent role in one’s life, then it naturally influences how one manages one’s resources. If love …

From The Tree Of Knowledge And The Golem Of Prague To Kosher Autonomous Cars: The Ethics Of Artificial Intelligence Through Jewish Eyes, Nachshon Goltz, John Zeleznikow, Tracey Dowdeswell

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This article discusses the regulation of artificial intelligence from a Jewish perspective, with an emphasis on the regulation of machine learning and its application to autonomous vehicles and machine learning. Through the Biblical story of Adam and Eve as well as Golem legends from Jewish folklore, we derive several basic principles that underlie a Jewish perspective on the moral and legal personhood of robots and other artificially intelligent agents. We argue that religious ethics in general, and Jewish ethics in particular, show us that the dangers of granting moral personhood to robots and in particular to autonomous vehicles lie not …

Capitalism And Biblical Ethics, Sarah D. Stewart

Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy

There has been a growing trend in some expressions of Christianity to view Capitalism as fundamentally incompatible with the Christian faith. This article looked to a variety of sources to argue that Christianity and Capitalism are not fundamentally incompatible. Rather, Capitalism developed alongside developments in Christian theology during the Middle Ages. This traditional form of Capitalism is defined and argued for in this article. The article attempts to demonstrate that the elements that allow Capitalism to thrive are compatible with Christian ethics. The case is made by first examining the historical development of Capitalism and its relationship to Christianity. From …

De Libero Conscientia: Martin Luther’S Rediscovery Of Liberty Of Conscience And Its Synthesis Of The Ancients And The Influence Of The Moderns, Bessie S. Blackburn

Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy

One fateful day on March 26, 1521, a lowly Augustinian monk was cited to appear before the Diet of Worms.[1] His habit trailed behind him as he braced for the questioning. He was firm, yet troubled. He boldly proclaimed: “If I am not convinced by proofs from Scripture, or clear theological reasons, I remain convinced by the passages which I have quoted from Scripture, and my conscience is held captive by the Word of God. I cannot and will not retract, for it is neither prudent nor right to go against one’s conscience. So help me God, …

Concerning Grief In End Of Ice (2020 [2019]) By Dahr Jamail, And A Denali Sumitography, Theodore Walker, Lillie R. Jenkins

Perkins Faculty Research and Special Events

THE END OF ICE (2020 [2019]) by Dahr Jamail bears witness to “unstoppable melting” of glaciers, with special reference to glacier melt on Mount Denali. In the near future Mount Denali will not be the ice-covered mountain that appears on seven postage stamps in this Denali sumitography (in ancient Latin “sumit” indicates postage stamp):

ALASKA 1937 USA, 3 US cents.

Alaska Statehood 1959 USA, 7 US cents.

Denali National Park and Reserve 1972. USA, 15 US cents.

Alaska Statehood 1984. USA, 20 US cents.

Alaska Highway 1992. USA, 29 US cents.

Mount McKinley (Denali) 2001. USA, 80 US cents. …

A Review Of Spiritual Development And Transformation Among College Students From Jesuit Higher Education, Thomas G. Plante

Psychology

The college experience can be a critically important and enriching time for personal as well as academic growth and development. For many students, college is their first foray into a more independent world and lifestyle no longer under the careful, and sometimes critical, eyes of their parents, families, and schoolteachers. When students go far away from home to attend college, they need to find ways to live independently, manage their many needs, and attend to the rigors of academic life in higher education. Additionally, the college years offer a unique and important period for spiritual growth, development, and transformation. The …

Humanism In The Americas, Carol W. White

Faculty Contributions to Books

This chapter provides an overview of select trends, ideas, themes, and figures associated with humanism in the Americas, which comprises a diversified set of peoples, cultural traditions, religious orientations, and socio-economic groups. In acknowledging this rich tapestry of human life, the chapter emphasizes the impressive variety of developments in philosophy, the natural sciences, literature, religion, art, social science, and political thought that have contributed to the development of humanism in the Americas. The chapter also features modern usages of humanism that originated in the English-speaking world in the nineteenth century. In this context, humanism is best viewed as a contested …

Literacy Sponsorship And Official Paratexts: Promoting Character Literacy Through The For The Strength Of Youth Booklets (1965-2011), Daniel S. Malinconico

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Literacy sponsors continue to play a dynamic and integral role in acquiring and learning literacy knowledge and skills (fluency) within discourse communities. This thesis examines how a religious literacy sponsor, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, utilizes the For the Strength of Youth (FSOY) publications and official paratexts to actively promote religious literacy and character development in the lives of adolescents. This thesis focuses specifically on the 2011 edition of the FSOY to explore the impact that recent advancements in digital technology have had on the evolution of the main-body text and official paratexts. A textual and paratextual …

Pink And Blue Lenses: Duoethnographic Reflections On Biological Sex In Conservative Christian Education, Phillip A. Olt, Linly Stowe

The Qualitative Report

In this duoethnography, we explored how experiences in conservative Christian high schools were viewed through the different lenses of our binary-constructed, biological sexes. Our perceptions varied along the axes of gendered roles, gendered responsibilities, and romance and sexuality. Through reflecting on our own experiences, we critiqued what we were taught and the lasting repercussions those teachings left on our lives. The approach of indoctrination proved counterproductive in our schools, as graduates left unprepared to enter meaningful romantic relationships or to encounter a world outside their previously sheltered environs.

Miguel A. De La Torre, The Politics Of Jesús: A Hispanic Political Theology, Ramón Luzárraga

Journal of Hispanic / Latino Theology

No abstract provided.

Philanthropy From The Perspective Of The Holy Quran: A Case Study Among Muslim Community In Gansu Province, China, Zhan Qin Mao

Student Works (2020-2029)

It is Allah s commands being the main motivation and reason for people to seek philanthropy according to Islamic sharia. The study aims at clarifying the conceptual and jurisprudential framework of philanthropy by among the Mu Jim Community in Gansu Province in China. The theoretical par1 of this study was based on the descriptive and historical approaches, while the empirical side is based on analytical approach. This was done by using questionnaire as a research instrument through which data was collected by targeting a sample of those engaged in charitable work in the charities and centres in Gansu. The study …

Sister Helen Prejean And The Death Penalty: Decades Of Fighting Capital Punishment, University Marketing And Communications, Helen Prejean

DePaul Download

Sister Helen Prejean has dedicated her life to opposing the death penalty after she witnessed an execution in her home state of Louisiana. Her efforts have sparked a national dialogue on capital punishment and she has helped shape the Catholic Church’s position on the topic. In 2011, she donated her personal archives to the university to help the DePaul community continue to learn from her work. On this episode of DePaul Download, Sister Helen talks about life’s work and what keeps her going.

Pluralism As A Social Practice: A Pragmatist Approach To Engaging Diversity In Public Life, Mary Leah Friedline

Religious Studies Theses and Dissertations

My dissertation lays a theoretical framework for rethinking the ways in which political and moral philosophers conceive pluralism and diversity in public life. I argue that many philosophers who write on the topic do not have a sophisticated understanding of religion, are not sufficiently attentive to historically produced power differentials, and/or do not adequately recognize the intersectional dimensions of diversity. Building on Jeffrey Stout’s notion of democracy as a social practice, and supplemented with Cornel West’s understanding of democratic faith, I use my more complex account of diversity to argue that pluralism is best approached as a social practice, instead …

Book Review: Fear Of The Other: No Fear In Love, Grady King

Discernment: Theology and the Practice of Ministry

Fear of the Other: No Fear in Love, by William H. Willimon, Nashville: Abingdon, 2016. 91 pages, $12.

Piety And Mayhem: How Extremist Groups Misuse Religious Doctrine To Condone Violence And Achieve Political Goals, Noah Garber

Religious Studies Honors Papers

This thesis examines the way in which various groups have used religion as a justification for violent action towards political ends. From the Irgun, which carried out terrorist acts in Palestine, to the Palestinian Islamist organization Hamas, which has waged war on Israel, to the Buddhist leadership of Myanmar, which has waged a genocidal campaign against Rohingya Muslims living in the country, these groups have employed a narrow interpretation of their religious texts as a means to justify the actions they take. It is explained that it is not the compulsion of religious doctrine itself that is to blame, rather, …