Transforming Post-Catholic Ireland: Religious Practice in Late Modernity

Transforming Post-Catholic Ireland is the first major book to explore the dynamic religious landscape of contemporary Ireland, north and south, and to analyse the island’s religious transition. It confirms that the Catholic Church’s long-standing ‘monopoly’ has well and truly disintegrated, replaced by a mixed, post-Catholic religious ‘market’ featuring new and growing expressions of Protestantism, as well as other religions. It describes how people of faith are developing ‘extra-institutional’ expressions of religion, keeping their faith alive outside or in addition to the institutional Catholic Church.

Drawing on island-wide surveys of clergy and laypeople, as well as more than 100 interviews, this book describes how people of faith are engaging with key issues such as increased diversity, reconciliation to overcome the island’s sectarian past, and ecumenism. It argues that extra-institutional religion is especially well-suited to address these and other issues due to its freedom and flexibility when compared to traditional religious institutions. It describes how those who practice extra-institutional religion have experienced personal transformation, and analyses the extent that they have contributed to wider religious, social, and political change. On an island where religion has caused much pain, from clerical sexual abuse scandals, to sectarian violence, to a frosty reception for some immigrants, those who practice their faith outside traditional religious institutions may hold the key to transforming post-Catholic Ireland into a more reconciled society.

Relationships between Religion and Two Forms of Homonegativity in Europe—A Multilevel Analysis of Effects of Believing, Belonging and Religious Practice

This paper examines relationships between religion and two forms of homonegativity
across 43 European countries using a bivariate response binary logistic multilevel model. The model analyzes effects of religious believing, belonging and practice on two response variables: a) a moral rejection of homosexuality as a practice and b) intolerance toward homosexuals as a group. The findings indicate that both forms of homonegativity are prevalent in Europe. Traditional doctrinal religious believing (belief in a personal God) is positively related to a moral rejection of homosexuality but to a much lesser extent associated with intolerance toward homosexuals as a group. Members of religious denominations are more likely than non-members to reject homosexuality as morally wrong and to reject homosexuals as neighbors. The analysis found significant differences between denominations that are likely context-dependent. Attendance at religious services is positively related to homonegativity in a majority of countries. The findings vary considerably across countries: Religion is more strongly related to homonegativity in Western than in Eastern Europe. In the post-soviet countries homonegativity appears to be largely a secular phenomenon. National contexts of high religiosity, high perceived government corruption, high income inequality and shortcomings in the implementation of gay rights in the countries’ legislations are statistically related to higher levels of both moralistic homonegativity and intolerance toward homosexuals as a group.

A Pilot Study Addressing the Impact of Religious Practice on Quality of Life of Breast Cancer Patients During Chemotherapy

The aim of this preliminary study was to investigate whether religious practice can modify quality of life (QoL) in BC patients during chemotherapy. QoL and religion practice questionnaire (RPQ) scores were evaluated in a sample of BC patients in different moments. Before chemotherapy initiation, women with lower physical and social functional scores displayed higher RPQ scores. On the other hand, low RPQ patients worsened some QoL scores over time. Body image acceptance was positively correlated with religious practice and specifically praying activity. This preliminary study suggests the importance of religion in coping with cancer chemotherapy. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

Primary personality trait correlates of religious practice and orientation

The aim of the study was to examine the relationships between Eysenck's primary personality factors and various aspects of religious orientation and practice. Some 400 UK undergraduates completed questionnaires constructed from the Batson and Schoenrade Religious Life Inventory (Batson & Schoenrade, 1991) and the Eysenck Personality Profiler (Eysenck, Barrett, Wilson, & Jackson, 1992). As is generally found, all the religious variables correlated negatively with the higher order personality factor of psychoticism. In contrast, among the primary factors, those associated with neuroticism appeared to be the strongest indicators of religiosity. In particular, all the primary traits classically linked to neuroticism correlate positively with the quest orientation. However, fewer primary traits predict religious behaviour in regression and of these, a sense of guilt is the greatest and a common predictor of extrinsic, intrinsic and quest religiosities. Upon factor analysis of the significant personality predictors together with the three religious orientations, the orientations formed a single discrete factor, which implies that extrinsic, intrinsic and quest religiosities have more in common with one another than with any of the personality traits included in the study. This suggests that religious awareness may itself be an important individual difference that is distinct from those generally associated with models of personality. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Religious/spiritual coping in people with chronic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis

The objective of the present study is to investigate the use of religious/spiritual coping mechanisms in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis, by means of interviews using a sociodemographic questionnaire and the religious/spiritual coping scale. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression. A total of 123 individuals were interviewed, 79.6% of whom presented a high score for religious/spiritual coping and none of whom presented low or irrelevant scores. The variables that affected the religious/spiritual coping behavior were: gender, age group, treatment time, family income, and religious practice. In conclusion, the participants used religious/spiritual coping mechanisms as a strategy to cope with the disease, particularly women with a higher family income who attend church every week.

Everyday Indivisibility: How Exclusive Religious Practices Explain Variation in Subnational Violence Outcomes

This project explores the puzzle of religious violence variation. Religious actors initiate conflict at a higher rate than their secular counterparts, last longer, are more deadly, and are less prone to negotiated termination. Yet the legacy of religious peacemakers on the reduction of violence is undeniable. Under what conditions does religion contribute to escalated violence and under what conditions does it contribute to peace? I argue that more intense everyday practices of group members, or high levels of orthopraxy, create dispositional indivisibilities that make violence a natural alternative to bargaining. Subnational armed groups with members whose practices are exclusive and isolating bind together through ritual practice, limit the acceptable decisions of leaders, and have prolonged timeframes, all of which result in higher levels of intensity, intransigence and resolve during violent conflict. The theory challenges both instrumentalist and constructivist understandings of social identity and violence. To support this argument, I construct an original cross-national data-set that employs ethnographic data on micro-level religious practices for 724 subnational armed groups in both civil wars and terror campaigns. Using this data, I build an explanatory “religious practice index” for each observation and examine its relationship with conflict outcomes. Findings suggest that exclusive practice groups fight significantly longer with more intensity and negotiate less. I also apply the practice model to qualitative cases. Fieldwork in the West Bank and Sierra Leone reveals that groups with more exclusive religious practicing membership are principle contributors to violence, whereas those with inclusive practices can contribute to peace. The project concludes with a discussion about several avenues for future research and identifies the practical policy applications to better identify and combat religious extremism.

Religious Liberty Laws, Religious Practices, and Discrimination

A set of clarificatory questions I wish to address are: What qualifies as a religious belief? Can corporations have such beliefs? What qualifies a practice as a religious practice? What religious practices are/should be protected by RFRA laws?

Holistic Spirituality in the Thinking of Ellen White

Spiritualiteetti viittaa syvälliseen, inhimilliseen ulottuvuuteen ja ominaisuuteen, jonka tarkka määritteleminen on haasteellista, ellei mahdotonta. Sitä vastaa yhtäältä uskonnollisuuden kautta toteutuva, elämän tarkoitukseen ja syvemmän olemuksen etsintään liittyvä hengellisyys, mutta toisaalta myös kaikkea muuta hengen viljelyä ja mielekkään olemisen tavoittelua tarkoittava henkisyys. John Swintonin mukaan hengen ulottuvuus on se inhimilliseen olemukseen kuuluva, dynaaminen elinvoima, joka virkistää ja elävöittää ihmistä ja motivoi häntä etsimään Jumalaa, arvoja, merkitystä, tarkoitusta ja toivoa. Tämä tutkimus nostaa tarkastelun kohteeksi kokonaisvaltaisen hengellisyyden, jolloin huomio kiinnitetään niihin sidoksiin, joiden kautta hengen ulottuvuus liittyy muihin inhimillisen elämän olennaisiin toimintoihin ja näkökulmiin. Tällaisia ovat 1) ajattelu 2) teot ja käytännön toiminta 3) suhteet ja vuorovaikutusverkostot 4) tunteet ja kanssakäymistä ohjaavat asenteet 5) olemassaolon ja olemisen ulottuvuudet. Kokemusten merkitys, arvo ja mielekkyys hahmottuvat juuri hengen alueella, toisin sanoen sisäisesti, hengellisenä ja henkisenä asiana. Tutkimusmateriaalina tässä tutkimuksessa on amerikkalaisen vuosina 1827 1915 eläneen Ellen Whiten kuusi myöhäiskauden teosta vuosilta 1892 1905 ja tutkimusmenetelmänä on käytetty systemaattista analyysiä. Olennaista Whiten tavassa käsitellä uskonnon harjoitukseen liittyviä aiheita on hänen käytännöllinen ja elämän arkeen kiinteästi niveltyvä otteensa. Tutkimus paljastaa, että Martti Lutherin käsitykset ovat merkittävästi vaikuttaneet Whiten ajatteluun. Lähteistä paljastuu samankaltaisuutta hänen näkemystensä ja uusimman suomalaisen Luther-tutkimuksen Martti Lutherin tuotannosta esiin nostaman ajattelutavan välillä. Vaikka teologisen oppineisuuden kannalta White ja Luther ovat eri tasoilla, kummankin käsitys ihmisen ja Jumalan välisen suhteen perusolemuksesta on samankaltainen: Lähtökohtana sille on Jumalan rakkaus ja hänen armostaan lähtenyt toiminta. Toiseksi, ihmisen ja Kristuksen välinen, olemuksellinen yhteys, unio , on perustana sille, että Jumala hyväksyy ihmisen ja huolehtii hänestä nyt ja ikuisesti. Kolmanneksi, tämä ihmisen ja Kristuksen liittoutuminen ja yhdistyminen ilmenee yhteistoimintana ja kumppanuutena yhteisten tavoitteiden saavuttamiseksi maailmassa. White korostaa ihmisen ja Kristuksen välisen hengellisen suhteen vuorovaikutteista ja toiminnallista luonnetta, joka tulee ilmi epäitsekkyytenä, toisten ihmisten ja heidän tarpeittensa huomioimisena sekä myötätuntona ja kykynä asettua toisen asemaan. Terveellistä elämäntapaa ja kasvatusta koskevat ajatuksensa White liittää siihen laaja-alaiseen näkemykseen hengellisyydestä, jonka tavoitteena on ihmisen kokonaisvaltainen hyvinvointi. Hän ei näe spiritualiteettia elämän arjesta irrallisena tai erillisenä saarekkeena, vaan ihmistä kaikessa ohjaavana, voimaannuttavana ja mielekkyyttä tuottavana, ensisijaisena ulottuvuutena. Tutkimuksen kuluessa myös Whiten usein käyttämät Jumalalle antautumisen ja luonteen käsitteet nousevat tarkastelun kohteiksi. Hänen mukaansa ihminen ei tahdonponnistuksillaan yksin pysty tavoittamaan Jumalaa vaan hänen on lakattava Jumalan rakastavan kutsun edessä itse tahtomasta ja suostuttava liittymään Jumalan tahtoon ja tarkoitukseen. Tämä liittyy siihen sisäiseen muutokseen, jota White kuvaa luonteen käsitteen avulla. Jumalan armon vaikuttama tahdon uudelleen suuntaaminen muuttaa ihmisen olemusta, arvoja, asennoitumisen tapaa ja myötätuntoisen vuorovaikutuksen kykyä niin ettei ihminen ole enää aivan sama kuin ennen. Kysymys on toisaalta yhtäkkisestä ja kertakaikkisesta olemuksellisesta muuttumisesta, mutta samalla myös hiljaisesta, elämänmittaisesta kasvusta ja kypsymisestä. Juuri luonteen käsitteen avulla White kuvaa hengellisyyttä ja siihen kuuluvaa sisästä matkaa. Tässä tutkimuksessa spiritualiteettia lähestytään yleisinhimillisenä piirteenä ja ominaisuutena, jolloin huomio ei ole ensisijaisesti yksittäisissä opillisissa käsityksissä tai uskonnollisuuden harjoittamisen muodoissa. Tarkoituksena on luoda kokoava rakenne, jonka puitteissa holistinen spiritualiteetti voidaan selkeämmin hahmottaa ja yksilöidymmin ymmärtää.

O senso comum como fator de adesão às igrejas neopentecostais

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo descrever o fenômeno da adesão nas igrejas neopentecostais a partir da psicologia social, mais especificamente, da teoria das representações sociais. Desta maneira, nós procuramos identificar os elementos constitutivos das práticas religiosas decorrentes de um determinado grupo religioso neopentecostal correlacionando-os àss representações sociais. Destarte, este trabalho identificou e analisou o processo de utilização do senso comum religioso pela comunidade neopentecostal Igreja Mundial do Poder de Deus, como instrumento gerador de adesão, considerando-se os fatores emocionais pertinentes ao senso comum do grupo como força motivadora de adesão à igreja referida. Deste modo, chegamos a quatro temas básicos que nos possibilitaram identificar as representações sociais construídas na interatividade da igreja. Os temas foram: oferta de milagres e feitos extraordinários; a singularidade da Igreja Mundial do Poder de Deus; a batalha entre o bem e o mal; o líder espiritual e sua relação com os adeptos de sua comunidade. As representações sociais identificadas foram: representação social da igreja como lugar de bênçãos e feitos extraordinários; representação social dos demônios; representação social do divino; representação social do ungido de Deus. Tendo em vista as representações identificadas e analisadas, o que se conclui é que, na igreja pesquisada, o senso comum - enquanto significações circulantes entre os membros desta igreja - aliado a fatores emocionais que lhe são pertinentes, se constitui como fator causativo de adesão, na medida em que os sujeitos percebem que as soluções para suas demandas e males são ofertadas, pela igreja, de maneira identificada com os significados já presentes neste senso comum.

A Dança dos Orixás e suas Representações Sociais nos Candomblés Nagô

A presente tese tem como objetivo central a identificação e análise das representações sociais dos Orixás, a partir do compartilhamento social ocorrido em relação à dança dos Orixás nos ritos e nas festas de candomblé. O candomblé é uma religião de matriz africana, instituída no Brasil a partir da escravidão e tem com um de seus elementos centrais de sua estrutura teológica ritos e festas onde ocorrem incorporações ou transes de adeptos. Nestas festas e ritos, o transe se manifesta através das danças dos Orixás, onde o adepto desta prática religiosa ao incorporar o Orixá dança com as palavras cantadas e ao som da orquestra de atabaque. A metodologia utilizada foi a da observação sistemática, uma derivação do método etnográfico clássico aplicado à psicologia social. Foram observados 10 terreiros de candomblé de rito Keto na região metropolitana do Rio de Janeiro, em um período que se estendeu de antes da festa, durante a festa e o rito e o pós-festa. As observações foram categorizada de acordo com os objetivos desta tese sob duas grande categorias classificatórias: a estética e o movimento. As observações foram reduzidas a identificação do compartilhamento social existente sobre a dança dos Orixás entre os adeptos do candomblé e que participaram das festas e dos ritos. Os referenciais teóricos utilizados foram a teoria das representações sociais, assim como foi desenvolvida por Moscovici e Jodelet, e os estudos antropológicos brasileiros sobre o candomblé. O candomblé é uma religião que tem muitos interditos relacionados ao compartilhamento e a exposição dos ritos e fundamentos religiosos. A dança dos Orixás constituiu um objeto privilegiado para a identificação das representações sociais porque permite o compartilhamento social explícito no comentário estético que os adeptos daquela religião são permitidos a fazer. Estes comentários estéticos, apesar de condensados e lacônicos, são elementos centrais para a identificação do Orixá e para o estabelecimento de modos de vida, de códigos hermenêuticos e de relacionamento interpessoal na comunidade de candomblé. As observações foram discriminadas e analisadas e chegou-se a conclusão de que a dança dos Orixás é um processo central para a constituição de representações sociais sobre os Orixás porque permite o compartilhamento social que não transgride o segredo e o interdito. As representações do Orixá estão diretamente vinculadas ao conceito de que há uma transmutação do sujeito da vigília na incorporação e que este fenômeno é o indicador objetivo de que na incorporação há Orixá e que aquele sujeito da vigília não permanece

The Cult of 'Maria Regina' in Early Medieval Rome

This paper examines the importance of the cult of Mary to religious practice in early medieval Rome, with a particular focus on the manifestations of devotion to Mary in the decoration of churches such as S. Maria Antiqua and San Clemente.

Cows, milk and religion: the use of dairy produce in early societies

This review of documentary sources, particularly from Early Mesopotamia, Egypt, India and Europe seeks to show how the range of dairy products varied in different areas and to demonstrate that in many societies, cows and dairying played an important role in early religious practice. The range of dairy products consumed also varied greatly between different societies and the use of milk did not automatically imply that dairying technology was applied to its full potential. Also, in some cultures the consumption of milk was confined to certain sections of society.

Religion and Society 1600-1914

An overview of changes in denominational structure and popular religious practice

Love Thy Neighbor? Relationships between Religion and Racial Intolerance in Europe.

This article examines relationships between religion and racial intolerance across 47 countries by applying multilevel modeling to European survey data and is the first in-depth analysis of moderation of these relationships by European national contexts. The analysis distinguishes a believing, belonging, and practice-dimension of religiosity. The results yield little evidence of a link between denominational belonging, religious practice, and racial intolerance. The religiosity dimension that matters most for racial intolerance in Europe is believing: believers in a traditional God and believers in a Spirit/Life Force are decidedly less likely, and fundamentalists are more likely than non- believers to be racially intolerant. National contexts also matter greatly: individuals living in Europe’s most religious countries, countries with legacies of ethnic-religious conflict and countries with low GDP are significantly more likely to be racially intolerant than those living in wealthier, secular and politically stable countries. This is especially the case for the religiously devout.