(Re)-Introducing Themes of Religion and Spirituality to Professional Social Work Training in the Land of ‘Saints and Scholars’.

This chapter begins by alluding to Ireland’s historical reputation as the land of “Saints and Scholars” and then briefly charts its demise from this position. A parallel process in relation to religiously motivated provision of health and social care is outlined. The inclusion of themes of religion and spirituality within the current professional social work codes in the USA and Britain and the framework for social work training in Northern Ireland is noted. In this context the lack of any substantive inclusion of themes of religion and/or spirituality within the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree at Queens University Belfast will be situated. A series of intersecting reasons for this lack of inclusion are proposed in terms of the experience of living through the recent troubled history of Northern Ireland and a variety of biases in academic thought.
A rationale for the re-introduction of inputs on religion and spirituality is articulated in terms of the widespread resurgence of these themes within health and social care and psychotherapy literature and the new emphasis on practicing in culturally sensitive ways in Britain. The first steps to re-introduce these themes under the higher context marker of “culturally competent practice” are described and an analysis of data from the students’ feedback presented along with illustrative quotations. The dissonance between the initial misgivings of staff and the overwhelmingly positive responses of students are highlighted. The chapter concludes with a discussion of lessons learned through the process with an emphasis on how the inclusion of these themes can result in better practice for service users, including those impacted by “the Troubles” in Northern Ireland.

Religion and the Senses in Early Modern Europe

Sensation is the subject of a burgeoning field in the humanities. This volume examines its role in the religious changes and transformations of early modern Europe. Sensation was not only central to the doctrinal disputes of the Reformation, but also critical in shaping new or reformed devotional practices. From this vantage point the book explores the intersections between the world of religion and the spheres of art, music, and literature; food and smell; sacred things and spaces; ritual and community; science and medicine. Deployed in varying, often contested ways, the senses were essential pathways to the sacred. They permitted knowledge of the divine and the universe, triggered affective responses, shaped holy environments, and served to heal, guide, or discipline body and soul.

The conservative principle in our literature : an address before the literary societies of the Hamilton Literary and Theological Institution, Madison County, N.Y. /

Mode of access: Internet.

Original Sanskrit texts on the origin and history of the people of India, their religion and institutions /

Vol. 2: Second edition, revised. Vol. 3: Second edition, revised and enlarged.

Towards an integrative theory of religion and politics

In the social sciences, debate on the relationship between religion and politics is mainly the subject of analysis in the sociology of religion and the theory of international relations. While each of these fields promotes different approaches to study their interdependency. The individual's perception of religion and politics is neglected by current research. The faithful, who participates in religious ceremonies, listening and behaving according to specific religious teachings, actively engaging in the liturgical life of the institutional form of his religion, has a specific way of understanding the relationship between religion and politics. I argue that this aspect is under-researched and misrepresented in the literature of sociology and international relations. However, a more complex analysis is offered by the study of nationalism, and especially by its ethnosymbolic approach, which includes at the micro and macro societal level the presence of myths and symbols as part of the individual's and the nation's life. An integrative theory analysing the connection between religion and politics takes into account the role of myths and symbols from the perspectives of both individuals and ethnic communities.

Militant Bodies: Policing Race, Religion, and Violence in the U.S. Sikh Diaspora

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-07

Religion and economy : a comment

McCleary and Barro (2206) analyse whether Max Weber was right in emphasizing the religious impact on work ethic. Thery find a positive correltion between belief in hell and work ethic (p=0.98). They conclude that "Weber may have been right in emphasizing the religion link with work ethic"(p.71). Howevern they fail to explore the link to Max Weber's work on Protestant ethic as they don't explore for denomination differences. Weber's hypotheses would suggest that we would mainly observe an effect for Protestantism within a society. Thus, compared to McCleary and Barro's findings such a result is very much in line with Max Weber's link between religion and work ethic.

Operations research for mining : a classification and literature review

In this paper, we describe the main processes and operations in mining industries and present a comprehensive survey of operations research methodologies that have been applied over the last several decades. The literature review is classified into four main categories: mine design; mine production; mine transportation; and mine evaluation. Mining design models are further separated according to two main mining methods: open-pit and underground. Moreover, mine production models are subcategorised into two groups: ore mining and coal mining. Mine transportation models are further partitioned in accordance with fleet management, truck haulage and train scheduling. Mine evaluation models are further subdivided into four clusters in terms of mining method selection, quality control, financial risks and environmental protection. The main characteristics of four Australian commercial mining software are addressed and compared. This paper bridges the gaps in the literature and motivates researchers to develop more applicable, realistic and comprehensive operations research models and solution techniques that are directly linked with mining industries.

Nangkha Nangdrik in the land of the Thunder Dragon : psychology, religion and the potential of mediation in the Kingdom of Bhutan

This article will consider the role that Alternative Dispute Resolution (‘Dham Kha Chen Ki Khendum’ or ‘Nangkha Nangdrik’) currently plays in resolving legal conflict in Bhutan. With a Constitution that has committed to the pursuit of Gross National Happiness, non-adversarial dispute resolution processes that promote continuing relationships and goodwill assume greater importance. One difficulty for Bhutan is that alternative dispute resolution procedures such as mediation (Dhum Drik) are being referred to in enactments of the Bhutanese National Council and National Assembly (bicameral parliament), without a shared understanding as to the characteristics and functionality of these procedures. This article will focus particularly on the current practice of mediation in Bhutan and investigate whether particular models of mediation are more suited to the Bhutanese context, given the particularities of Bhutanese culture, the search for gross national happiness, psychological understandings of happiness and the omnipresent influence of Mahayana Buddhism.