Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Intersection Of Grief And Religion: How Religious Beliefs Impact The Experience Of Complicated Grief In College Students, Brenna Snively

Psychology Honors Papers

This study evaluates how religious beliefs affect the experience of complicated grief. Students at Ursinus College were asked to complete a survey with questions relating to religious beliefs as well as symptoms of complicated grief and questions regarding the loss of a loved one. This information was utilized to evaluate the relationship between strength of religious beliefs and complicated grief. The research was unable to support the hypothesis that religion affected complicated grief however there was evidence that aspects of religion, such as believing in the afterlife, may affect experiences of complicated grief.

Worldviews Impacting Leadership Within U.S. National Security: Christianity Vs Secularism, Remy Goldsmith

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

Worldviews influence and impact all aspects of life. This is because the way one chooses to see the world affects the decisions one chooses to make. Whether choosing a job, a religion, or a partner, all are affected by one’s worldview. This is also because worldview is where virtues derive from. The establishment of virtue is the cornerstone of building character and developing ethics. In other words, it forms the moral compass that an individual uses to base their decisions. As that stands, this means that worldviews and virtues are applicable and impactful toward leadership and decision-making within national security. …

Preserving Faith Amidst Disruption: The Impact Of Obama And Biden’S Woke Foreign Policy On Christian Values In Africa And Its Effect On American Democracy Promotion, Christophe Mwungura

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

In May 2023, Uganda enacted a law criminalizing homosexuality. The Ugandan parliament and President Yoweri Museveni defended the enactment of this law, arguing that homosexuality directly violates Ugandan cultural norms and Biblical doctrines. In response to this legislative action, the United States immediately condemned the law and threatened to withdraw the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), along with other forms of assistance and investments. Despite this, many Ugandans, supported by their leaders, publicly expressed their willingness to accept the aid suspension rather than repeal the law. This article will examine the promotion of LGBTQ rights in Africa, …

The Practice Of Silence And Solitude And Its Results, Lizzie Suwala

Senior Honors Theses

Silence and solitude as a spiritual discipline is seen across many different worldviews including Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Humanism, and can be exercised alongside disciplines like prayer, meditation, and mindfulness. Each worldview has a unique purpose in why silence and solitude is practiced such as to commune with God, to prepare one’s heart for times of prayer, to avoid suffering, to experience revelations, and to find peace in an anxious world. Loneliness stems from unmet expectations of social interactions that lead to aversion in one’s current relationships and within themselves. Understanding the purpose of silence and solitude leads to the …

Race And Religion: Gen Z’S Religious Participation Along Racial Lines, Zoe Swaim

Global Tides

In a time of widespread religious decline, Generation Z students on college campuses continue to engage in evangelical campus ministries. Building on the Landscape Study of Chaplaincy and Campus Ministry (LSCCM 2019-2022), this study examines the motivations behind the religious engagement of BIPOC students within the secular environment at Harvard College, specifically within the Asian American community. Data was collected through a series of structured interviews with Harvard campus ministers and students from various racial and ethnic backgrounds, along with a content analysis of campus ministries’ online content. Findings from this study affirm that a common desire for a sense …

Naturalist Thomas Hardy's Inadvertent Support Of The Gospel Narrative When Portraying Sexual Abuse And Shame In Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Hannah Carmichael

Master of Arts in Classical Studies

In his novel Tess of the D’Urbervilles, the naturalist author Thomas Hardy attempts to critique the 19th-century Christian perspective on sexual abuse. Instead, he inadvertently critiques legalism, exposing it as the antithesis of true Christianity. Secular scholars believe that Hardy’s novel is blaming the Victorian era’s sexual ignorance for the stigma and shame surrounding sexual abuse. Christian scholars believe that Hardy’s naturalistic worldview simply lacks a moral standard. However, I believe that Hardy’s novel exposes an issue far deeper than sexual ignorance and lacks something far more substantive than a moral standard; his novel addresses the devastating consequences of …

Christian Nukes: The Effects Of Christian Ethics On Support For Nuclear Strikes, Jack Jogerst

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Over the last several decades, constructivist and realist scholars of international relations have acknowledged the empirical holes in deterrence theory and debated the conditions contributing to the non-use of nuclear weapons since 1945. While constructivists have argued that a strong norm of non-use has constrained state behavior through a logic of appropriateness, realist scholars have contended that a logic of consequences prevents their utilization. In the last decade, a wave of survey experiments have measured the validity of these theories. Though these studies generally seem to reaffirm the realist perspective, the literature largely overlooks the micro-level variables that might be …

Psychology Of Altruism: A Phenomenological Study Of Christian Leaders, Joshua G. Belk

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Altruism is fundamentally a part of Christianity, but this phenomenon has never been researched from the perspective of Christian leaders. More than simple kindness or generosity, altruism can be defined as actions and behaviors which place a person’s own interests subordinate to another’s. This qualitative study interviews 31 Christian leaders to establish an understanding of what altruism is in the context of Christian faith. The study found that Christian leaders’ experiences with altruism redefines what was previously known about the phenomenon and its role in our lives. Examining the Christian rationale of altruism provides a richer conception of altruism and …

Islam And The Environment, Jon Armajani

The Journal of Social Encounters

This is a transcript of a presentation at the Thirty-Fourth Annual Peace Studies Conference at the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University on September 18, 2023. The presentation provides (1) some background information about Islam; (2) related ideas about Christianity; (3) a discussion of some verses in the Quran, which relate to the environment, and some Islamic interpretations of them; (4) an analysis of Ibrahim Abdul-Matin’s ideas on Islam and the environment; and (5) a tribute to Father Rene McGraw, OSB.

Submitting Plans With Open Hands, G. Allen, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

There’s a truth God has taught me throughout college and I’m sure will continue to teach me as I get older. Two passages of wisdom the Lord has used in service of continually reminding me of this lesson are Proverbs 16:9 – “The heart of a man plans his way but the Lord establishes his steps.” – and James 4:14-15, “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’– yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your …

The Heart Of A Servant Leader, Lewis Shepherd

Press Releases

On Monday, January 15, people across America and in many places of the world will pause to pay tribute to the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

It is often when we reflect on the life of Martin King that we pay particular homage to his intellectual accomplishments. Yes, they are quite impressive when one considers he entered college at the age of 15 and completed a bachelor’s degree by 19, a master’s by 21, and a Ph.D. at 26, but Martin King was more than mere diplomas and academic regalia.

Women In Religious Leadership Roles, Amanda Wadkins

MSU Graduate Theses

The experiences of women in leadership have been well studied in academia, but there remains a gap in the literature regarding and understanding of the experiences of women who are in religious leadership roles. I examined what challenges these women experience in their roles, and how they make sense of those challenges, using the constant comparative method of data analysis to analyze interviews with 12 women who have leadership roles within their protestant church or nonprofit organization. The results indicate that these individuals experience challenges that are consistent with past research on women in leadership. However, the results also illustrate …

A Brief History Of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints With Emphasis On The Charismatic Roots Of The Race-Based Priesthood Denial, Wayne A. Denton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation provides an overview of the history of race relations and the evolution of authority in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). It traces the early charismatic leadership of Joseph Smith and his liberal racial views, which increased tension between the LDS church and broader American society. After Smith's death, Brigham Young instituted racist policies like slavery in Utah and a priesthood ban for black members to reduce tensions. In the Progressive Era, LDS scholars theologically entrenched the priesthood ban despite their progressive leanings. A push towards correlation and centralized control of doctrine in the twentieth …

Experiences Of Appalachian People With Conflicting Christian And Lgbtq+ Identities, Zacharias Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the experiences of six LGBTQ+ individuals living in Appalachia who have felt conflict between their LGBTQ+ and Christian identities. Using data from six one-on-one intensive interviews, the study examines the various kinds of conflict participants experienced, the strategies they used to manage those conflicts, and the role that Christianity played in their lives. The author found that participant conflicts were grounded in struggles to find acceptance from others while living authentically, to reconcile ideological disputes with the church, and to accept themselves as LGBTQ+ and/or Christian. Included among their various management strategies were finding accepting people and …

A Phenomenological Investigation Of The Meaning Making Experiences Of Christian Women Who Had An Abortion, Anne E. Stocker

Dissertations

Whether or not a woman should have an abortion is a hotly debated topic, and little information is known about how women make sense of their abortion experiences. Even less is known about how women make sense of abortion experiences in the context of their religious or spiritual belief system. This qualitative study explores the phenomenon of how women who have had an abortion make meaning of their abortion experience in the context of their Christian identity. This phenomenon was explored via research questions related to a woman’s experience of having both an abortion history and a Christian identity, how …

Services To Help Caregivers Of Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Stephanie Garcia

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a mental health disorder for which the cause is unknown and for which there is no cure. This only exacerbates the psychological distress placed on caregivers of children diagnosed with ASD. The purpose of this qualitative study, using the phenomenological approach was to describe the services and assistance that caregivers of children diagnosed with ASD identified as most beneficial to them. Twelve participants were interviewed via phone. Each interview was audio-recorded with participants reporting the services and assistance they identified as helpful or believed would be helpful, specifically to them. Interviews were transcribed and data …

Religion And Atheism In Everyday Day Life Of The Ukrainian Educators In The 1920s-1930s, Oleksandr Lukyanenko, Vitaly Dmytrenko, Vita Dmytrenko

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article illustrates the process of formation of the atheist worldview of Soviet citizens under the pressure of Bolshevik propaganda in the context of student-teaching communities of higher educational institutions of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. The study shows two poles of the life of teachers: the limit of involvement in the work in the societies of militant God-fighters and the marginal position of the believers with all the resulting negative consequences for the personality, which the atheistic totalitarian state tried to create for a person. Along with highlighting the state-wide patterns of the anti-religious struggle in the Ukrainian socialist …

Peace In The Middle Of The Storm, Ronald Washignton Dr, Sandra L. Guzman-Foster Ph.D.

The Journal of Faith, Education, and Community

The march towards biblical Revelation and restoration began at Calvary and continues today. A comforter and Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth (BIBLE) are given to sustain believers in these times. As educators and more so as followers of Jesus the Christ, there are certain truths we hold. Among them is that we are just passing through this life. In our traversing of this life, we accept the command to spread the good news, utilize our gifts, and do all unto the glory of God. So as educators, the main question throughout the COVID pandemic, with political and social unrest in …

Religion And Growth, Sascha O. Becker, Jared Rubin, Ludger Woessmann

ESI Working Papers

We use the elements of a macroeconomic production function—physical capital, human capital, labor, and technology—together with standard growth models to frame the role of religion in economic growth. Unifying a growing literature, we argue that religion can enhance or impinge upon economic growth through all four elements because it shapes individual preferences, societal norms, and institutions. Religion affects physical capital accumulation by influencing thrift and financial development. It affects human capital through both religious and secular education. It affects population and labor by influencing work effort, fertility, and the demographic transition. And it affects total factor productivity by constraining or …

The Effects Of Centering Prayer On Well-Being In A Sample Of Undergraduate Students: A Pilot Study, Alejandro Eros, Thomas G. Plante

Psychology

Contemplative practices have likely been used for self-awareness, concentration, creativity, and well-being since the dawn of time. While practices such as yoga and Buddhist meditation have been extensively studied in recent decades, Christian contemplative practices have received less attention in empirical research. This study aims to investigate the effects of centering prayer, a Christian contemplative practice, on mental health and well-being. The research focuses on college students enrolled in a religious studies course that incorporates centering prayer into the curriculum. It is a pilot study because it is the first to explore centering prayer in an undergraduate setting. Using a …

Exploring The Effects Of Christian Worldviews On Heart Rate, Stress, And Adjustment After Loss In Bereaved Individuals, Emma Radini Ratnavel

Honors Scholar Theses

The objective of this study is to investigate the correlation between Christian values, perceptions of God, and physiological stress, assessed through heart rate, among individuals who are experiencing grief due to the loss of a loved one. Previous studies have analyzed various physiological effects on the body. There are very few studies that examine the correlation between Christian values and heart rate in bereaved participants. To explore these topics further, this study analyzes 59 undergraduate students who have recently lost a loved one, identify as a Christian, and are at least 18 years old. The participants' perceptions of God and …

Review Of Imagining Persecution: Why American Christians Believe There Is A Global War Against Their Faith, Revd Helen Paynter

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

“In A Religious Celebration”? The Religious Defense Of Lgbt Rights In U.S. Federal Courts, Kelsy Burke, Emily Kazyak, Maia Behrendt

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

This article advances scholarship on the relationship between sexuality, religion, and the law within the United States by analyzing case summaries and court opinions of the federal appellate cases decided between 1990 and 2020 that involve a religion-based claim being used to advance or defend gay and lesbian rights. Contrary to dominant public narratives that position religion uniformly in opposition to progressive sexual values, these cases show how Americans’ religious beliefs and practices include diverse sexual identities. We find that the courts’ reactions to such cases, however, illustrate the tension within legal discourse and hesitancy for the courts to equate …

The Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences And The Leading Causes Of Death In Adults- The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study On Christian Adults, Chantel Monet Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Prior research has examined the varying frequencies, risk factors, and impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on various populations. There is little to no empirical research, however, on the frequencies, risk factors, and impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in Christians specifically. As a result, it is uncertain if psychological practices, policies, or existing psychoeducation is applicable to Christians impacted by ACEs. Through a quantitative survey method design, this study examined the relationship between ACEs, health risk factors, disease conditions, and physical health, as studied in the original ACE study, in a sample of Christian adults. Specifically, a sample of …

Philanthropic Traditions In Religions; A Comparative Study Of Jews, Islam, And Christianity, Ahmad Sobiyanto, Nurwahidin Nurwahidin

Journal Of Middle East and Islamic Studies

The philanthropic tradition is one of the recommended acts of worship in Islam which is part of the pillar of Islam, zakat. However, it turns out that this tradition also developed in other religions and became interesting to learn. The purpose of this study is to describe qualitatively about philanthropic traditions in the teachings of major religions in the middle east, namely Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. Descriptive qualitative method (using content analysis techniques) is a type of literature research through books, journals and other relevant sources used in this research. That the religions of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity each have …

The Future Of The Cyber Theater Of War, Elizabeth Cook

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

Few could imagine how it would develop when the air was the new theater of war. The literature showcases that a lack of imagination and state-level institutionalized power structures, particularly in the U.S., hampered the progress of air as a new theater of war both in thought and application. Today, a similar lack of imagination on the cyber theater of war is a great source of insecurity in the world system; it sets the stage for strategic shocks like the ones to the U.S. on December 7, 1941, and 9/11. To avoid this, states should imagine how a convergence of …

Diversity In The American Church: A Case Focus On The Korean Immigrant Church, Claire Lee

Global Tides

There are ethnic factions that exist within the Christian Church in the United States, and every ethnic faction seems to be marked by a set of theological or cultural features that distinguish it from other factions. This paper explores the socio-political history, function, and future direction of the Korean Immigrant Church (KIC). Specifically, this paper analyzes the origins of the robust connection between the Korean immigrant population and Protestant Christianity, the functional importance of the KIC, and demographic changes within KICs in the 21st Century. This paper also discusses a broader application of the KIC to other ethnically homogeneous Christian …

Jesus Was A Refugee: Parables As Contemporary Rhetoric, Luke Litz

Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

This paper performed a rhetorical analysis of the "Refugee" ad released by the He Gets Us campaign by identifying the rhetorical devices employed in the ad, interpreting their meaning, and evaluating the effectiveness of the ad. This advertisement is delivered in the form of a parable, which demonstrates that while the He Gets Us campaign purports to be targeting people who find Jesus unrelatable, this ad particularly targets the evangelical community and provokes them to change their posture toward immigration in the United States. However, it is too early to tell whether the ‘Refugee’ ad will be effective at winning …

Handbooks, Policies, And Power: Discursive Language And Lgbtqia+ Representation In Christian University Handbooks, Kaitlin Merlino

Honors Projects and Presentations: Undergraduate

For many years, tensions have existed between Christianity and the LGBTQ community, most apparent in contexts such as politics and education. One site of conflict is within the realm of Christian higher education, specifically in regards to campus-wide regulation of same-sex behaviors. This research examines the language in sexuality-based rules as communicated in four Christian universities' handbooks. Bakhtin & Holquist (1981) demonstrate the innate tension between dialogue and the social context within which it is understood. Therefore, since language is not neutral, the words creating these rules are in themselves a site of tension for the university, its contributors, its …

Nationalist And Non-Nationalist Christianity In The United States, Aaron Epperson

University Honors Theses

Christian nationalism has broken into the American news cycle over the last few years through its connection to former President Donald Trump, and it's closely associated with violent events like the January 6th insurrection and the Charlottesville, VA, Unite the Right rally. However, its close association with Trump and depiction in a 24-hour news cycle makes defining what Christian nationalism is--and is not--difficult for those unfamiliar with nationalism and the broader American Christian tradition. This paper hopes to briefly explore what Christain nationalism is within the United States through an exploration of nationalism itself and a discussion of nationalist and …