The Economics Of The Guru,
2019
Denison University
The Economics Of The Guru, Margaret Mahoney
Denison Journal of Religion
This essay studies “Gurus,” specifically the globalization of Hinduism that has spread Hindu spiritual practices in the West and also influenced the practices in In- dia. In the United States, a focus on the self and individualism is a trait commonly found which has led to an increase in mindfulness practices. These practices travel around the world and are changed in the process, then come back to the “East” as comodified practices. Many modern gurus have latched onto traditionally Hindu practices and teachings and sell their own version of it in lectures and products that promise its consumers a better …
Gaston’S Economic, Religious And Political Intersectionality,
2019
Denison University
Gaston’S Economic, Religious And Political Intersectionality, Jack Droke
Denison Journal of Religion
Gaston county, North Carolina provides a perfect case to explore the intersectionality of the economy, politics, and religion that dominates power structures on a national scale. With an attention to the Loray Mill strike of 1929, this paper theologically analyzes the relationship between neoliberal economy and the prosperity gospel and questions whether the church is a setting of concessions when it should be acting as a voice for its constituents, regardless of what the upper class desires or has constructed.
What "Makes" A Religion?: Interactions Of Orthodoxy And Orthopraxy In Hinduism,
2019
Denison University
What "Makes" A Religion?: Interactions Of Orthodoxy And Orthopraxy In Hinduism, Eva Rosenthal
Denison Journal of Religion
This paper explores the complexities of the following question: In being Hindu, in what ways does one "practice" and in what ways does one "believe?" To what extent are ancient texts considered an un-debatable "source" for faith in divine presence? Gaining an understanding of what these texts are and how exactly they relate to both ritual and belief (because, as we will come to find, both ritual and belief are present in every facet of Hindu worship; what we are looking at is their interaction with one another and which seems to be of more importance in each given circumstance) …
A Necropolitical Analysis Of American Military Recruitment,
2019
Denison University
A Necropolitical Analysis Of American Military Recruitment, Sarah Curtin
Denison Journal of Religion
In light of postcolonial theorist Achille Mbembe’s idea of necropolitics or sovereignty’s right to kill, Curtin historically and ethically analyzes American military recruitment from a draft to an all-volunteer-force. Defining soldiering as a form of necropolitical labor because soldiers, especially low-ranked soldiers, jeopardize their own lives while carrying out their jobs at war, the author ethically suggests that (1) war must be understood as a path to death, (2) the U.S. should slowly downsize its military, and (3) religion such as Christianity must accentuate life over death.
Note From The Editor,
2019
Denison University
The Promises And Perils Of Radio As A Medium Of Faith In A Q’Eqchi’-Maya Catholic Community,
2019
College of the Holy Cross
The Promises And Perils Of Radio As A Medium Of Faith In A Q’Eqchi’-Maya Catholic Community, Eric Hoenes Del Pinal
Journal of Global Catholicism
Because their parish is large, dispersed, and overwhelmingly rural, FM radio is one of the few reliable means through which the Q’eqchi’-Maya Catholics of San Felipe in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, can communicate with each other en masse. Yet, because it is a one-way medium, it is also impossible to gauge how its intended audience is responding, or if is even there to receive broadcasted messages. Drawing on ethnographic material collected in 2005 (on the use of radio broadcasting to call together ritual participants) and 2016 (on an ultimately failed attempt to launch a radio station to serve rural parishioners), …
Conflict Between Religious Beliefs And Sexuality: An Autoethnography,
2019
Wurzweiler School of Social Work at Yeshiva University
Conflict Between Religious Beliefs And Sexuality: An Autoethnography, Carlos E. Gerena
The Qualitative Report
Despite the shift in attitudes in religious institutions toward homosexuals in the United States, there are some religions that continue to view same-sex behavior as a deviant and damning sin. For many, religious beliefs and values provide meaning and impact personal identity. Using autoethnography, I will explicate my own experiences with religious institutions and the ongoing conflict between religious beliefs and sexuality. I will discuss messages received from the Pentecostal church, family, and Latino community, and how these messages influenced my human development and emotional well-being. I show that internalization of the principles taught by the Pentecostal Church triggered a …
Producing An Lgbt Religious Organizational Identity: The Case Of Dignityusa,
2019
University of South Carolina
Producing An Lgbt Religious Organizational Identity: The Case Of Dignityusa, Nik Lampe, James Cavendish, J. E. Sumerau
The Qualitative Report
In this exploratory study, we examine the production of an organizational LGBT religious identity utilizing the case of DignityUSA. To this end, we engage in two interconnected analyses. First, we revisit and verify the findings of Loseke and Cavendish (2001) concerning the production of what they called a “Dignified Self,” which LGBT Catholics may use to integrate their religious-sexual-gender identities. Then, we expand on their analyses of DignityUSA in the late 1990’s to outline the ways DignityUSA constructs an organizational identity their members may draw upon to construct the Dignified Self and integrate their sexual/gender and religious identities. In so …
Faith In Democracy: Korean Churches As Engines Of Pro-Democracy Protest,
2019
Harvard College
Faith In Democracy: Korean Churches As Engines Of Pro-Democracy Protest, Will Matheson
Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Politics, Economics and World Affairs
This paper delves into the known aspects and political actions of Korean Christian churches to explore both their underlying causes and their broader social effects. Much of the scholarship on this period has pointed to the various actors who took part in the pro-democracy movement. However, it is equally important to explore the ties between these organizations, facilitated by the church as a social institution. While much scholarship has pointed out official joint-declarations and coalitions, this paper seeks to explore how aspects of the church itself created interpersonal networks among protesters and shaped their political action, not just as Christians …
Aimee Semple Mcpherson’S Pentecostalism, Darwinism, Eugenics, The Disenfranchised, And The Scopes Monkey Trial,
2019
Southeastern University - Lakeland
Aimee Semple Mcpherson’S Pentecostalism, Darwinism, Eugenics, The Disenfranchised, And The Scopes Monkey Trial, Margaret English De Alminana
Selected Faculty Publications
This article posits that the cultural battle waged by Aimee Semple McPherson in concert with William Jennings Bryan over evolution and modernism was largely focused on a popular social theory linked to eugenics. On July 21, 1925, in the city of Dayton, Tennessee, a twentieth-century watershed event became a harbinger of the age: The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes, popularly known as the Scopes Monkey Trial. The public remembers the event as spotlighting the fundamentalist-modernist controversy with respect to the teaching of evolution in the public-school curriculum against the protests of fundamentalist Christians who advocated Creationism. The …
Religion And Support For Political Violence Among Christians And Muslims In Africa,
2019
CUNY John Jay College
Religion And Support For Political Violence Among Christians And Muslims In Africa, Amy Adamczyk, Gary Lafree
Publications and Research
Researchers have found consistently that religion reduces criminal behavior. Yet rising levels of political violence are frequently attributed to a new wave of religious terrorism. Our study seeks to reconcile this apparent discrepancy by studying the attitudes of people living in 34 African nations. Using data from the Afrobarometer survey and mixed modeling, we examine the influence of individual and collective religiosity for shaping civic engagement and willingness to engage in political violence. While individual religiosity decreases support for violent political action, collective religiosity increases it. The effects of religiosity are the same for Muslims and Christians and the country …
Examining The Mechanisms Of Religious Ecology On Population Health And Material Well-Being,
2019
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College
Examining The Mechanisms Of Religious Ecology On Population Health And Material Well-Being, Joseph Andrew Clark
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
A growing body of research has addressed the relationship between community-level religious environments and important aspects of well-being, such as mortality, crime, and social mobility. This research argues that the prevalence of specific religious traditions shapes these important outcomes through a variety of mechanisms. While there is no shortage of mechanisms proposed by authors - such as local attitudes towards public institutions, gender norms, and social networks - these mechanisms remain themselves untested. A notable critique of this literature suggests that without evidence supporting the existence of these mechanisms as described, scholars involved in this research run the risk of …
Peer Victimization And Illicit Drug Use Among African American Adolescents In Chicago: The Moderating Effects Of Religious Affiliation,
2019
Case Western Reserve University
Peer Victimization And Illicit Drug Use Among African American Adolescents In Chicago: The Moderating Effects Of Religious Affiliation, Dexter R. Voisin
Faculty Scholarship
Objective: Investigators have examined the moderating effects of young people’s relationships with parents, teachers, and peers on victimization and on adverse outcomes such as drug use. However, the moderating influence of religious affiliation on the association between peer victimization and illicit drug use, the focus of this paper, has seldom been examined. Method: Participants were 638 low-income African American youth ages 12–22 (mean age = 15.8; 54% female and 46% male) in Chicago, IL. We conducted hierarchical logistic regression analyses to examine the moderating effect of religious affiliation on the relationship between peer victimization and illicit drug use. Results: Youths …
Social Class And The Stubbornness Of Family Myths: How Nonbeliever And Pagan Parents Cope With Intrusions On Parenting By Proselytizing Christian Family Members In The U.S. Bible Belt,
2019
Rollins College
Social Class And The Stubbornness Of Family Myths: How Nonbeliever And Pagan Parents Cope With Intrusions On Parenting By Proselytizing Christian Family Members In The U.S. Bible Belt, Amy Mcclure
Faculty Publications
Family scholars have documented how powerful institutions intrude upon marginalized parents. Yet, few have examined the effect that intrusion on parenting takes on a more intimate level. Guided by insights from theories of emotion management and family inequality, I compare how two religiously marginalized groups in the Bible Belt cope with a ubiquitous experience they face as parents—unwelcomed proselytizing by Christian family members. Based on participant-observation and forty in-depth interviews, I document nonbeliever and Pagan parents’ experiences with proselytizing by Christian family members to be common, intrusive, and often perceived as potentially harmful to children. Failing to enforce desired boundaries …
Mobile Application For Thai & Foreign Tourists Visiting Thai Temple,
2019
Suratthani Rajabhat University
Mobile Application For Thai & Foreign Tourists Visiting Thai Temple, Kewalin Angkananon, Piyabud Plodaksorn, Mike Wald
International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage
This research gathered requirements from Thai and foreign tourists to successfully design Thai and English Android and IOS versions of a mobile application to provide an enhanced experience for tourists visiting the Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan (PMW) Temple in Thailand. The content and user interface were designed based on theories and related research and three experts evaluated the prototype to improve the final application versions which were evaluated at the temple by Thai and foreign tourists. Analysis of the results showed that both the Thai and foreign tourists found similar high satisfaction with the performance of the Android and IOS mobile …
Religion And Spirituality In Clinical Practice: An Exploration Of Reluctance Among Practitioners.,
2019
California State University, San Bernardino
Religion And Spirituality In Clinical Practice: An Exploration Of Reluctance Among Practitioners., David Drew, Jessica Banks
Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations
Across the United States, an overwhelming majority of the population claim that religion and spirituality beliefs shape their worldview and assist in coping with life stressors. Yet, the literature has shown that mental health practitioners reported discomfort integrating religion and spiritually in clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to explore whether license-holding mental health professionals in Southern California develop reluctance toward addressing religion/spirituality with their clients. Through snowball sampling, 52 clinicians composed of social workers, counselors, marriage and family therapists, nurses, psychologists, and psychiatrists were recruited across Southern California (N =52). The participants were measured descriptively based on …
Why The Covenant Worked: On The Institutional Foundations Of The American Civil Religion,
2019
Chapman University
Why The Covenant Worked: On The Institutional Foundations Of The American Civil Religion, John W. Compton
Political Science Faculty Articles and Research
Scholars of American civil religion (ACR) have paid insufficient attention to the micro-level processes through which civil religious ideas have historically influenced beliefs and behavior. We know little about what makes such appeals meaningful to average Americans (assuming they are meaningful); nor do we know much about the mechanisms through which abstract religious themes and imagery come to be associated with specific policy aims, or what Robert Bellah called “national goals.” This article argues that a renewed focus on the relationship between civil religion and organized religion can help fill this gap in the literature. More specifically, I draw attention …
Social Support And Fundamentalism: Predictors Of Religious Internalization,
2019
Andrews University
Social Support And Fundamentalism: Predictors Of Religious Internalization, David Sherman, Karl G. D. Bailey
Adventist Human-Subject Researchers Association
We analyzed the relationships between religious internalization and social support, religious fundamentalism, and motivation for Divine and human relationships. 306 respondents from a religiously-affiliated university were recruited to completed an online survey. Our results suggested Divine relationships were most related to identification while fundamentalism was most related to introjection.
Supernatural Pilgrims: A Journey To A New Apostolic Reformation Congregation In The Ozarks,
2019
Missouri State University
Supernatural Pilgrims: A Journey To A New Apostolic Reformation Congregation In The Ozarks, Samuel Wayne Gingerich
Graduate Theses/Dissertations
Birthed out of the revival events of the 1990s, the New Apostolic Reformation is known for its charismatic leaders and provocative theology. As an emerging third wave Pentecostal movement, the New Apostolic Reformation is redefining the edifices of American Pentecostalism. While academics and journalists are currently focused on exposing the influence of some of its leaders such as C. Peter Wagner, Bill Johnson, Randy Clark, and Heidi Baker, there is little scholarship regarding the congregations and communities of believers who find themselves a part of this dynamic movement. This thesis takes a step towards understanding the larger story of the …
The Adventist Home: Networks Of Personal And Family Religious Practices,
2019
Andrews University
The Adventist Home: Networks Of Personal And Family Religious Practices, Karl G. D. Bailey, Duane C. Mcbride
Adventist Human-Subject Researchers Association
A network analysis of personal and family religious media use identifies Bible reading as a core religious practice. Nodes representing reading Ellen White’s and other religious authors’ writings occupy a position between infrequently-accessed religious media and core practices; reading these authors points Adventists to the ‘greater light’ of the Bible.
