Showing papers in "Review of Religious Research in 1998"
TL;DR: In this article, an Introduction to the Psychology of Religion and Coping is presented, and the Mechanisms of Coping: The Conservation of Significance, the Transformation of significance, the Outcomes and the Problem of Integration.
Abstract: 1. An Introduction to the Psychology of Religion and Coping I. A Perspective on Religion 2. The Sacred and the Search for Significance 3. Religious Pathways and Religious Destinations II. A Perspective on Coping 4. An Introduction to the Concept of Coping 5. The Flow of Coping III. The Religion and Coping Connection 6. When People Turn to Religion: When They Turn Away 7. The Many Faces of Religion in Coping 8. Religion and the Mechanisms of Coping: The Conservation of Significance 9. Religion and the Mechanisms of Coping: The Transformation of Significance IV. Evaluative and Practical Implications 10. Does It Work? Religion and the Outcomes of Coping 11. When Religion Fails: Problems of Integration in the Process of Coping 12. Putting Religion into Practice
2,480 citations
229 citations
TL;DR: In this article, women in Islamic societies have become more actively involved not only in learning their rights under the sharia (Islamic law) but in rereading this law to improve their status and gain increased equality and freedom.
Abstract: In an age when Western feminism is continuously undergoing redefinition, the struggles of women in Muslim countries are often overlooked. This volume illustrates how women in Islamic societies have become more actively involved not only in learning their rights under the sharia (Islamic law) but in rereading this law to improve their status and gain increased equality and freedom. Surveying Iran, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Egypt and Arab societies in general, the essays in feminism and Islam focus on such subjects as crimes of honor and the construction of gender in Arab societies; law and the desire for social control; women ad entrepreneurship; family legislation; and the political strategies of feminists in the Islam world.
136 citations
128 citations
TL;DR: The Evidential Argument from Evil: A Second Look/William P. Rowe as mentioned in this paper The Argument from Inscrutable Evil: a Second Look, a Second Answer, and an Explanation/William L. Alston Rowe
Abstract: Preface Introduction: The Evidential Argument from Evil/Daniel Howard-Snyder The Problem of Evil and Some Varieties of Atheism/William L. Rowe Pain and Pleasure: An Evidential Problem for Theists/Paul draper Some Major Strands of Theodicy/Richard G. Swinburne Aquinas on the Sufferings of Job/Eleonore Stump Epistemic Probability and Evil/Alvin Plantinga The Inductive Argument from evil and the Human Cognitive Condition/William P. Alston Rowe(R)s Noseeum Arguments from Evil/Stephen Wypkstra The Problem of Evil, the Problem of Air, and the Problem of Silence/Peter van Inwagen The Skeptical Theist/Paul Draper Defenseless/Bruce Russell Some Difficulties in Theistic Treatments of Evil/Richard Gale Reflections on the Essays of Draper, Russell, and Gale/Peter van Inwagen On being Evidentially Challenged/Alvin Plantinga The Evidential Argument from Evil: A Second Look/William L. Rowe The Argument from Inscrutable Evil/Daniel Howard-Snyder Some (Temporarily) Final Thoughts on Evidential ARguments from Evil/William P. Alston Bibliography Contributors Index
116 citations
TL;DR: The relationship between religion and body weight was explored in this paper, where three dimensions of religiosity (practice, identity, and comfort) and three measures of body weight (underweight, overweight, and overall body mass) were examined.
Abstract: Most religions have proscriptions or prescriptions regarding the consumption of food ; yet little attention has been given to the relationship between religion and body weight. This paper explores two major questions : (I) Is religion related to body weight, especially the prevalence of obesity? (2) Does religion intensify, mitigate, or counterbalance the effects of body weight on well-being? Two data sources are used in this exploratory study. First, state-level ecological data on religion and body weight show that body weight is somewhat higher in states with a higher proportion of church and temple members. Second, a national sample of adults surveyed in 1986 is used for the bulk of the analysis (N=3,497). Three dimensions of religiosity (practice, identity, and comfort) and three measures of body weight (underweight, overweight, and overall body mass) are examined. Religious practice is associated with all measures of well-being and generally acts to counterbalance the negative effect of body weight on well-being. Obese persons are more likely to be depressed and have lower levels of health satisfaction despite their higher levels of religious practice.
95 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss the conversion process from childhood experiences to adolescence and post-conversion, the transformed self: the new being - change - beliefs, practice and habits, maintenance and socialization, cultural transition, relations with parents, ex-friends and the society.
Abstract: Part 1 Muslims in Britain: immigrant Muslims of Britain - the history of Muslims in Britain, the contemporary Muslim community native British Muslims - the history of native British Muslims - the Liverpool Mosque and Muslim Institute, the Woking Mission, the contemporary native British Muslims - the Islamic Party of Britain, the Association for British Muslims Da'wah strategy in Britain - indirect Da'wah approach, direct Da'wah approach. Part 2 On the way to conversion: childhood experiences - happiness versus unhappiness, father figure in childhood - absent or withdrawn father, mother - father's substitute and independence from her, parents' affiliation and upbringing regarding religion, Freud and religious conversion conversion and adolescence - conversion age, emotional and cognitive issues in adolescence, rebellion conversion, Eriksonian concept of identity - moratorium and conversion at a later age. Part 3 Conversion process: background analysis - religion, socio-economic status immediate antecedents of conversion - emotional antecedents, cognitive antecedents conversion motifs (patterns) social influence in the process of conversion and the conversion process model - the convert as a social type, conversion through marriage, conversion process model. Part 4 Postconversion - the transformed self: the new being - change - beliefs, practice and habits, maintenance and socialization, cultural transition, relations with parents, ex-friends and the society. Part 5 Conversion through Sufism: Sufism - the agent of Islam, Sufism in the West Sufism and new religious movements (NRMs) in the West - resemblance between Sufis and NRMs' members with regard to their background the group of Shaykh Nazim - mission in Britain, initiation to the group, Dhikr and the belief of lower-self, basic teachings of the Shaykh which play major role in attracting converts and some features of the group, leader-member relations, psychotherapeutic treatment findings on Sufi and non-Sufi differences regarding their backgrounds and conversion experiences.
87 citations
TL;DR: In this article, acknowledgements list of tables and figures is presented for recognizing and acknowledging Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Business Ethics in economics and business ethics, including acknowledgements and acknowledgements.
Abstract: List of Tables and Figures - Acknowledgements - Economics and Ethics - Judaism - Christianity - Islam - Business Ethics - Index
73 citations
TL;DR: This paper used 20 years of GSS data (1974-94) to investigate trends in confidence measures across a range of institutions, including religious institutions, and found that younger cohorts members who attend religious services less frequently reported significantly lower confidence in religious institutions than younger cohort members who attended religious services more frequently.
Abstract: The debate over the secularization theory has generated numerous studies that focus on patterns of religious attendance or on religious beliefs and practices. However, there has been a subtle shift in focus in this debate as some have argued that secularization should be viewed as declining religious authority. A recent study suggests that declining religious authority may be operationalized by examining the public's confidence in religious institutions over time. This study uses 20 years of GSS data (1974-94) to investigate trends in confidence measures across a range of institutions, including religious institutions. The results indicate a general decline in confidence that cuts across several American institutions, but the declines among younger cohorts have been particularly great for religious institutions and financial institutions. A more detailed analysis reveals that, unlike older cohort members, younger cohorts members who attend religious services less frequently report significantly lower confidence in religious institutions than younger cohort members who attend religious services more frequently. This finding has important implications for the ability of religious organizations to retain or bolster legitimacy and authority in the eyes of the American public. Language: en
48 citations
TL;DR: The authors found that salience of religion is more important than parental attendance, marriage, or children when predicting respondent's church attendance, and that churches would do better trying to recruit friends of parishioners rather than children of loyal members.
Abstract: Using data from the General Social Survey we find that when predicting respondent's church attendance, salience of religion is more important than parental attendance, marriage, or children. The findings are a result of an analysis of church attendance beginning with parental attendance, then adding marriage and children, and finally adding salience. Our conclusion is that church attendance is more a function of current social location than social history. Theoretically and practically. the conclusion is that churches would do better trying to recruit friends of parishioners rather than children of loyal members.
41 citations
TL;DR: A copy of the 1833 sermon, The Relation of Christianity to Civil Government in the United States, and unpublished letters responding to its thesis form the core of this critical analysis of the historical foundation of debates in church-state relations, and the First Amendment as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: A copy of Reverend Jaspar Adams' 1833 sermon, The Relation of Christianity to Civil Government in the United States, and unpublished letters responding to its thesis form the core of this critical analysis of the historical foundation of debates in church-state relations, and the First Amendment.
TL;DR: In this paper, a survey of Japanese Values and Behavior is used to study the relationship between a lack of work involvement and increased religious organizational participation in Japanese society, finding that the importance of occupational affiliation as a source of social support for the Japanese is reflected in a correlation between lack of involvement in work and increased involvement in religious organizations.
Abstract: This study proposes that many of the unique characteristics of the modern Japanese religious landscape are due to the limited social role these organizations currently play. Specifically, while churches in the U.S. and in many other countries provide a great many social services to their members, in Japan secular organizations and institutions are more likely to provide those same services. This relationship is studied using data from A Survey of Japanese Values and Behavior. Results support the proposed set of hypotheses. Whereas studies conducted in the U.S. consistently demonstrate the importance of religious affiliation for families, no such relationship exists for the Japanese respondents. Instead, the importance of occupational affiliation as a source of social support for the Japanese is reflected in a correlation between a lack of work involvement and increased religious organizational participation. Results suggest that studies of cross-national differences in religions must go beyond a comparison of theologies and individual religious behavior to include broader social strucntral differences.
Abstract: By now it probably is no surprise that competition stimulates Catholic commitment, but many would not expect that the same is true for innovation. This study is based on the 171 dioceses of the continental United States. Using the percentage of Catholics in the population encompassed by the diocese as an inferential measure of the degree of competition faced by the church locally, the data show that the less Catholic the context, the higher the level of commitment and the higher the rates of innovation such as the admission of unordained men and women to leadership positions. The findings are replicated among Southern and non-Southern dioceses and then again with states rather than dioceses as the units of analysis.
TL;DR: This article used data from the General Social Surveys (GSV) to analyze differences in the effects of religious attendance upon subjective health among a sample of non-Latino White, non-Latinino Black, and Latino adults.
Abstract: Religion and health research has not adequately addressed how the salutary benefits of participating in religious services differ among major racial and ethnic groups. This research uses data from the General Social Surveys to analyze differences in the effects of religious attendance upon subjective health among a sample of non-Latino White, non-Latino Black, and Latino adults. Modeled after a study by Levin and Markides (1986), first-order regressions of religious attendance on subjective health alternately controlled for social support, socioeconomic status, and subjective religiosity. The association between attendance and health tends to hold up among Whites and younger Black and Latino women, but controlling for subjective religiosity explained away bivariate associations among younger respondents in all three race/ethnic groups. Support for the socioeconomic status hypothesis was expected among Blacks and Latinos, but the results did not provide much evidence.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss the relative appeal of strictness and authoritativeness in terms of the current stage of modernity, and conclude with a discussion of how the relative attraction of strong authority in the ideal-church model can be explained.
Abstract: After briefly reviewing Kelley's ideal-church model, and relevant aspects of modernization theory, we set forth hypotheses about who favors church strictness, an essential aspect of Kelley's model Data came from a sample of Middletown residents (N = 567) It was necessary to distinguish strictness and authoritativeness While respondents did not believe church strictness is important, authoritative preachers were highly favored Regression analyses showed that strictness was somewhat more important to the less educated Authoritativeness was mainly valued by fundamentalists, and to a lesser extent by authoritarians and political conservatives We conclude with a discussion of how the relative appeal of strictness and authoritativeness can be understood in terms of the current stage of modernity
TL;DR: This article explored environmentalist attitudes amongst persons whose religiosity does not fit conventional patterns: the so-called alternative' or countercultural' spiritual community (e.g. New Age, Neo-Paganism).
Abstract: The relationship between religiosity and environmentalism has previously been examined by studying conservative versus liberal Christian affiliation. This study explores environmentalist attitudes amongst persons whose religiosity does not fit conventional patterns: the so-called alternative' or countercultural' spiritual community (e.g. New Age, Neo-Paganism). This network of individuals finds commonalty and solidarity not through organizational ties or a singular theology, but through an overriding ideology that challenges the alleged rigidity and dualistic dogma of mainstream society, and so suggests a new form of social movement. Central to this critique of the mainstream is the notion that the earth is just as sacred as the heavens, and so by preserving the earth, one is being spiritual. Excerpts from in-depth interviews with 22 alternative spiritualists feature numerous key environmental/spiritual themes. These excerpts indicate that issues such as religiosity, liberal versus conservative affiliation, and environmental politics can take on different meanings when explored outside of mainline Christianity.
TL;DR: This article examined the relationship between several measures of religiosity and prejudice for Catholics, Protestants, Latter-day Saints, and those with no religious affiliation, and found that both linear and curvilinear relationships between religious and prejudice are negligible for most groups.
Abstract: This paper examines the relationship between several measures of religiosity and prejudice for Catholics, Protestants, Latter-day Saints, and those with no religious affiliation. The data are from undergraduate students at several universities in the United States. The religious dimensions are biblical orthodoxy, experiential religiosity, frequency of religious attendance, and set-assessed importance of religion for the respondents. The measures of prejudice or racism include a racism scale, a proximity scale, and a measure of attitudes towards affirmative action programs. Both linear and curvilinear relationships between religiosity andprejudice are negligible for most groups. The exception was the Latter-day Saint or Mormon sample; for this group the relationship between religiosity and prejudice was negative, not positive. This result is explained in terms of the recent history of the church, the effect of its missionary program on the attitudes of the missionaries, and the hierarchical structure of the LDS church.
TL;DR: This paper conducted a national survey of sexual trauma among Catholic nuns and found that sexual abuse was not uncommon, both across the lifespan and during religious life, followed by sexual exploitation, sexual harassment within the religious community (exclusively by nuns), and sexual harassment at work (primarily by men, both clergy and lay).
Abstract: Much of the research on sexual trauma and religion has focused on male clergy perpetrators and child sexual abuse. In response to this limitation, we conducted a national survey of sexual trauma among Catholic nuns. Sexual trauma was not uncommon, both across the lifespan and during religious life. Childhood sexual abuse was most prevalent (although lower than in the general population), followed by sexual exploitation (primarily by priests and nuns), sexual harassment within the religious community (exclusively by nuns), and sexual harassment at work (primarily by men, both clergy and lay). Past and current sequelae of the trauma included psychological and spiritual dysfunction. Childhood sexual abuse consistently predicted sexual re-victimization in adulthood. The severity of the abuse, age of the victim, and gender and religious status of the abuser modified victims' reactions to and willingness to discuss the trauma. These findings have implications for education, intervention, and policy in religious communities with respect to sexual trauma, and may prove useful to health professionals who treat abused women.
TL;DR: Strenski as discussed by the authors examined claims, some anti-Semitic, some not, for the Jewishness of Durkheim's work and showed that the claim can nevertheless open up a fruitful enquiry into the relation of the writer to French Jewry.
Abstract: Discussing the work of Emile Durkheim, the author of this study discounts the theory that there is anything "essentially" Jewish in his work. He seeks to show that Durkheim's sociology (especially his sociology of religion), was formed in relation to 19th and 20th century Jewish intellectual life in France. The book examines claims, some anti-Semitic, some not, for the Jewishness of Durkheim's work. In each case Strenski overturns the claim while showing that it can nevertheless open up a fruitful enquiry into the relation of Durkheim to French Jewry. For example, Strenski shows that Durkheim's celebration of ritual had no innately Jewish source, but derived crucially from work on Hinduism by the Jewish Indologist Sylvain Levi, whose influence on Durkheim and his followers has never been acknowledged.
TL;DR: This is not an easy book to read as discussed by the authors, since many people view problematic behavior that our society labels as addiction either as a cognitive-behavioral deficit or as a disease.
Abstract: This is not an easy book. But "no pain, no gain" may hold more true in the intellectual realm than in other areas, at least in the form of "no effort, no understanding." And this book offers real understanding. As its Preface observes, many people view "the problematic behavior that our society labels as addiction" either as a cognitive-behavioral deficit or as a disease. "But there are more options," Mercadante points out. "Theology can make a contribution by offering alternative views that avoid both excessive blame and excessive victim-
TL;DR: This paper found that one-half of the clergy referred distressed seniors to mental health professionals, while among the remaining pastors about 25% provided counseling and prayers and another 25% felt that problems were not serious enough to require either counseling or professional referral.
Abstract: Some evidence suggests that religiosity contributes to the subjective health of senior citizens, especially in the African American population. When facing potentially stressful problems, many African American seniors turn to the church and clergy for help. Consequently, we explore how their clergy respond to seniors' psychological problems, whether they seek advice from professionals, and what they typically do in dealing with a distressed senior. Data from a representative sample of pastors of African American congregations indicate that one-half of the clergy referred distressed seniors to mental health professionals, while among the remaining pastors about 25% provided counseling and prayers and another 25% felt that problems were not serious enough to require either counseling or professional referral. A discussion of these findings is provided.
TL;DR: The relation existant entre les organisations religieuses, la recherche en sciences, and le renouveau religieux est tres forte.
Abstract: La relation existant entre les organisations religieuses, la recherche en sciences religieuses et le renouveau religieux est tres forte. L'A. montre que ce renouveau religieux a besoin d'une nouvelle collaboration parmi les chercheurs et les leaders, qui, tous deux, ont la tâche de decrire la realite sociale et religieuse. Dans ce domaine, il souligne l'importance de H. P. Douglass qui a mene nombres d'enquetes de sociologie religieuse dans quelques communautes religieuses des Etats-Unis. En 1975, il est a noter que le monde des organisations religieuses a change, affectant alors la recherche.
TL;DR: This paper examined different religious organizational cultures that exist subinstitutionally in two geographically contiguous Roman Catholic dioceses and found that they result in a very different cultural ethos, sense of religiosity, and sociocultural dynamics in the two diocese.
Abstract: We examine different religious organizational cultures that exist subinstitutionally in two geographically contiguous Roman Catholic dioceses. They result in a very different cultural ethos, sense of religiosity, and sociocultural dynamics in the two diocese. Using survey data, interviews, public and diocesan statistics, and historical demography, we document such differences at three levels: episcopal leadership styles, clergy roles and problems, and laity religious orientations. To summarize such differences we construct ideal types, speculate about causal order in the emergence of religious organizational cultures, and suggest several issues for policy and future research.
TL;DR: The Salvation Army as discussed by the authors is part of the network of American churches, located in the margin between special purpose groups and recognized Christian denominations, and it lies in the boundary between mainline and evangelical denominations.
Abstract: Most sociologists, using a multidimensional church-sect typology, refer to The Salvation Army as a sect. I use a single criterion, orientation toward secular society, from which to reinterpret the Army's history, including the American experience. I review present official statements of theological and social beliefs and survey a sample of Salvation Army officers to determine their agreement with officially stated positions on the Bible, homosexuality, women, and abortion. I compare their views with those ofevangelical seminarians and a GSS sample of conservative, moderate, and liberal Protestants and conclude that the Army is moving toward the church category while retaining some sectarian traits. It is part of the network of American churches, located in the margin between special purpose groups and recognized Christian denominations. Within the network of Christian denominations it lies in the margin between mainline and evangelical denominations.
TL;DR: In this article, a sample of 1,239 female Anglican clergy in the United Kingdom responded to twenty-five statements exploring their perception of clergy-women as compared to clergymen, finding that the majority of women see themselves as having different gifts to offer to ministry, compared with the gifts offered by clergymen.
Abstract: A sample of 1,239 female Anglican clergy in the United Kingdom responded to twenty-five statements exploring their perception of clergy-women as compared to clergymen, The findings suggest that the majority of clergywomen see themselves as having different gifts to offer to ministry, compared with the gifts offered by clergymen. Only a small proportion of clergywomen, however, equate differences with superiority.
TL;DR: Using the Salvation Army's efforts in Japan as a case study, the authors demonstrate the usefulness of labeling theory in the analysis of missionary efforts. But their efforts were not successful and little significant lasting change was instituted as a result.
Abstract: Using the Salvation Army's efforts in Japan as a case study, this article seeks to demonstrate the usefulness of labeling theory in the analysis of missionary efforts. The moral entrepreneuring nature of missionary enterprises and the manner in which these symbolic crusades can pose challenges to those who control the deviance process in a society is examined. Particular consideration is given to crusades by Salvationists against the prostitution trade and alcohol consumption, as well as their evangelism and other social welfare programs. Success in these programs was far from guaranteed. They confronted an entrenched power structure in Japan that was selective in choosing what it wanted from foreign missions and successful in many ways in transforming mission efforts into programs that suited its interests. Resistance to missionary designs included the Japanese government's offering of incentives for mission programs that utilized deviance designations that were less conflictual. Programs were adapted to meet social welfare needs with novel but acceptable methods. In a short period of time at the turn of the century the Salvation Army in Japan went from a small, little known foreign mission group to a household name throughout much of Japan. The courageous efforts of members to "rescue" women from work in brothels and stigmatize a prostitution system that held women against their wills galvanized public opinion. Though this labeling campaign continued for years, little significant lasting change was instituted as a result. Except on an individual level in the lives of the relatively few women they assisted, the Salvationists failed to curb substantially the prostitution trade. Still the attention they drew to their efforts and the recognition that flowed from it went a long way toward giving them the credibility needed to be able to gain both government and public support for the social services that have been the mainstay of their work in Japan. One of the biggest sources of religiously influenced social change in the world over the past century has been organized missionizing activity carried out around the world by numerous missionary societies. Scholarly studies focusing on these efforts, particularly on Christian missions in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, have proliferated in recent decades. Much of this research has highlighted the "cultural imperialism" of the enterprise (Schlesinger, 1974:363), a thesis that is evident in numerous monographs and continues to be very influential. There is much that can be done, however, to better illuminate the cultural transfer that has occurred in this process, as well as the resistance to that transfer, the transforming relations between the cultures involved, and the manners in