This thesis examines the role of the cultural discourse on the indigenous religious traditions of China and their place within an officially sanctioned construction of Chinese culture. It starts by examining the concept of culture as it developed in the modern era, its place within the construction of national identities, and the marginalizing effects this has on certain members of national populations. Next it turns to the development of the cultural discourse within China from the mid-1800s to the Cultural Revolution, highlighting the social and legal transformations as they restricted and reframed the practice and articulation of religious traditions in mainland China. Following these early articulations of a cultural discourse in China and the subjugation of religious traditions to secular standards of legitimation, it examines the official presentations and governmentally sanctioned forms of the Daoist tradition in post-Mao China during a “cultural revival,” through an analysis of official publications and online presentations. Finally, it examines the way teachers and administrators package Chinese culture for a foreign audience through the Confucius Institute. This thesis argues that, despite greater freedom to explore indigenous traditions previously written off as “superstitious” within the cultural revival of contemporary China, the official cultural discourse in China continues to operate within the parameters of a modern cultural identity that marginalizes ritualistic forms of religion, allowing these religious forms to survive in an official space only as exotic images, sanitized and secularized activities, or ethical ideals.

This study examines the influence of various Western mystical traditions on Leonard Cohen’s second novel, Beautiful Losers. It begins with a discussion of Cohen’s public remarks concerning religion and mysticism followed by an assessment of twentieth century Canadian criticism on Beautiful Losers. Three thematic chapters comprise the majority of the study, each concerning a different mystical tradition—Kabbalism, Gnosticism, and Christian mysticism, respectively. The author considers Beautiful Losers in relation to these systems, concluding that the novel effectively depicts the pursuit of God, or knowledge, through mystic practice and doctrine. This study will interest scholars seeking a careful exploration of Cohen’s use of religious themes in his work.

In recent years there has been a considerable increase in the amount of empirical research done in the area of the sociology of religion. Most of this type of research has been a gradual attempt of working toward the possibility of establishing a casual relationship between religious beliefs and human social behavior.

This thesis examines how different types of connection – intimacy, community, and compassion – can positively impact the cultivation of well-being and ways of knowing. Using Scholarly Personal Narrative methodology (narrative storytelling supported by scholarship) I describe my journey from the 15-years I lived as a monastic yogic nun, followed by a period of heartbreak, to my recent experience as a tip-toeing Buddhist and mid-life graduate student who yearned for community, a place to belong, and an opportunity to be heard, seen and valued. I explore how the pain and suffering of loneliness, grief, loss, and change, when met by presence, patience, awareness, care and flexibility, can help to strengthen one's relationships with the self, others and surrounding environment. I close by outlining how contemplative pedagogy (learner-oriented, introspective and experiential learning) can help to create new ways of knowing, improve cognitive functioning and well-being, and cultivate compassion. I demonstrate how these three connections can transform the higher education learning experience from an abstract, impersonal view of reality to an authentic, interconnected, and intimate one that help students develop long-lasting and meaningful relationships well beyond the classroom walls.

This thesis approaches the connection of the experience of sound/music and the experience of religion. The investigation applies a methodology of lens analysis, using the religious and mystical theories of Rudolf Otto and William James, to the case-study of Mantric chanting in a contemporary diasporic, orthopractic tradition of Sikh mysticism--3HO Kundalini Yoga. It is concluded that the experiences of sound/music and of religion are connected insofar as they are intrinsically corporeal experiences that exhibit a paradoxical immersive transcendence; Immersive because of how inescapably corporeally based they are, and yet transcendent because of how they can transport one’s consciousness to states of knowing, feeling, and understanding that are camouflaged from ordinary (non-musical, non-religious) mundane corporeal experiences.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T19:20:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Marcelo Consentino.pdf: 1415146 bytes, checksum: 182ad9d82d1c1bf902f13f92bf986c48 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-11-22 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The purpose of this dissertation is to contribute to the studies which search to investigate the relationship between the Christian tradition and the modern culture, and therefore to bring elements to answer two fundamental questions: (1) what is living and what is dead in Christianity and in modernity, and (2) what should live and what should die in Christianity and in modernity. In order to do that, the problem will be studied according to the work of the modern Christian philosopher Vladimir Soloviev, especially rich by the efforts of the author to be ultramodern and ultraorthodox. The First Chapter will be dedicated to investigate the scientific basis in the work of Soloviev, especially his notions of anthropology and historiography, with special emphasis in the historical development of Christianity and modern civilization. The Second Chapter is dedicated to Soloviev s philosophical evaluation of the human condition and the history of humanity. The Third Chpater is dedicated to Soloviev s theology, that is, on how the human condition and the history of humanity are seen on the light of Christian Revelation according to orthodoxy. The Fourth and Last Chapter, which should be hold as a conclusion, is dedicated to investigate, particularly in the last of Soloviev s books, The Tale of the Antichrist, the ultimate points of convergence and divergence between the ideals of the Christian tradition and the ideals of modern culture / O propósito desta dissertação é contribuir para os estudos que visam investigar as relações entre a tradição cristã e a cultura moderna, e assim trazer elementos para responder duas questões fundamentais: (1) o que é vivo e o que é morto no cristianismo e na modernidade, e (2) o que deve viver e o que deve morrer no cristianismo e na modernidade. Para tanto se abordará o problema a partir da obra do filósofo cristão moderno Vladimir Soloviev, particularmente rica pelo esforço do autor de ser a um só tempo ultra-moderno e ultra-ortodoxo. O Primeiro Capítulo será dedicado a investigar as bases científicas na obra de Soloviev, em especial as suas noções de antropologia e de historiografia, com ênfase especial no desenvolvimento histórico do cristianismo e da civilização moderna. O Segundo Capítulo é dedicado à avaliação filosófica de Soloviev da condição humana e da história da humanidade. O Terceiro Capítulo é dedicado à teologia de Soloviev, ou seja, a como a condição humana e a história da humanidade são vistas à luz da Revelação cristã segundo a ortodoxia. O Quarto e último Capítulo, que deve servir como conclusão, é dedicado a investigar, em especial no derradeiro livro de Soloviev, O conto do Anticristo, os pontos definitivos de convergência e divergência entre o ideal da tradição cristã e o ideal da cultura moderna

The study was designed to be a critical assessment of the Snow-Machalek Conversion Typology. Data were collected from Mormon converts in the British Isles, and an attempt was made to apply the typology to these converts. It was assumed that if the typology could be effectively applied to Mormon converts, strong correlations would be found between its dimensions and quantitative measures of conversion. It was also assumed that social integration of converts would play an important part in the conversion process. The application of the typology proved to be very difficult; however, some dimensions seemed to be more useful than others. Social integration was very important for British converts to Mormonism. An alternative theoretical emphasis to the study of conversion is offered which stresses the importance of social integration in the development of a new global perspective.

The relations between faculty religiosity, changes in reliaious beliefs, and commitment to scholarly openness were examined through a survey of 257 faculty at three universities. A new measure of scholarly openness was developed for this study because of ambiguities in previous indirect and attitudinal measures. Patterns of faculty religiosity as a function of education, graduate school prestige, academic discipline, and educational period of religious change are generally compatible with previous studies, but patterns for scholarly openness are not. Faculty religiosity and scholarly openness were negatively correlated for those Faculty who had never experienced sinnificant reliaious change and for those who had changed from one religon to another, congruent with the hypothesis that religious faith and scholarly openness are incompatible, but the correlations were not strong. However, the two dimensions were uncorrelated for faculty who had changed in either more religious or less religious directions. Six factors contributing to religious change were identified by principle components analysis from responses to 31 reasons for change presented in Likert format and from scores assigned to faculty self-descriptions. Correlations between factor scores and scholarly openness suggest that the process of personal interaction concerning religious beliefs may be particularly significant in nullifying the antithetical relationship between religious faith and scholarly openness.

In this paper we will examine, in survey fashion the hermeneutical programs formulated by supernatural orthodoxy,1 the natural religion school,2 and the attempts to find an alternative to these in the post-Enlightenment period of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. A preliminary overview is in order to map out the direction of the discussion and to suggest a common uncritical assumption held by all major programs, viz, the use of non-biblical literary models for interpreting the immanent character of the Scriptures. 1. Orthodoxy has reference to the Protestant interpretation of the Bible which accepted the possibility of divine intervention into history. This intervention included the miraculous activity of God on behalf of his people and the communication of information to his inspired writers. 2. The natural religion school denied the miraculous intervention of God preferring a rational description of the world in terms of unbreakable laws derived from science.

The mental health literacy (MHL) rates of Christian clergy in the United States remains underinvestigated in the current literature. This gap of knowledge is problematic for the large numbers of individuals with mental illness who seek assistance from clergy and may receive inadequate care for their concerns. As theoretically designated by the behavioral models of health care and MHL research, denomination-type, educational variables, and demographic characteristics were investigated as potential predictors of MHL. A sample of 238 Christian clergy from throughout the United States completed the web-based Mental Health Literacy Scale and demographic questionnaire. Results of analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed no significant differences among MHL scores of Evangelical Protestant, Mainline Protestant, Catholic, and Historically Black Protestant groups. Results of the multiple linear regressions showed that number of years of postsecondary school, degree-type, age, and geographical location were not significant predictors of MHL scores. Higher numbers of clinical MH training courses and female gender did significantly predict higher levels of MHL scores. The findings provided the first parametric measure of a diverse, national sample of Christian clergy and indicated a need for increasing MHL trainings. Results also provided counselors and counselor educators with information useful for initiating and modeling interprofessional trainings, collaborations, and referral partnerships with clergy who currently serve as front-line mental health workers to millions of U.S. residents. The results may also inform social justice initiatives to reduce mental health care disparities in underserved populations.