This thesis considers the development of Quakerism from 1647 to 1700. Changes affecting the movement in this period are often explained as the result of the Quakers' desire for socio-political respectability – that is, their desire to reduce persecution and social exclusion. This thesis does not deny the importance of socio-political factors. However, it argues that they have been exaggerated as a historical force, and that theological factors driving change have been comparatively neglected. The thesis therefore explores the Quakers' desire for 'theological respectability', by examining the scope and impact of their constructive engagement with outsiders. The project begins with an investigation into the Quakers' understanding of their personal experience, noting both continuities and underlying theological changes which cannot be explained in socio-political terms – namely, a changed view of divine immanence, a strengthened group identity, and the loss of a sense of prophetic vocation. The rest of the thesis explains these developments in their theological context. The Quakers' engagement in Christological debate forms the central case-study. Individual chapters examine the Quakers’ earliest Christology, first responses to criticism, the early career of William Penn, the intellectual development of Robert Barclay's Vehiculum Dei, the Quakers' place in the early Enlightenment, and the Keithian controversy. In particular, the need to articulate a positive theology of the Incarnation led the Quakers into conversation with many influential figures outside the movement, which in turn encouraged an increasingly derivative understanding of the Light within and more optimistic view of physical matter. These shifts relate directly to the religious changes explored in the first part of the thesis. This study illustrates the necessity of theological analysis as part of historical investigation and provides a sustained intellectual history of seventeenth-century Quakerism, demonstrating its important contribution to the intellectual landscape of the early Enlightenment.

Almost daily emotional worship pours from a warehouse-sized evangelical church in the small rural community of Santa Cruz, Costa Rica. Within twenty years an evangelical presence has gone from virtually non-existent to standing alongside the Catholic Church in the area’s religious landscape. Scenarios like this are going on throughout Latin America as evangelical faith has become firmly rooted in the region. In this thesis I provide another ethnographic research context to the growing body of literature focused on Pentecostalism/evangelicalism in Latin America. Like others addressing this dynamic, I explore the factors and motivations that lead people to become evangelical. I approach these questions with particular emphasis on the characteristics of evangelical faith as it is constructed and practiced during church services. Through participant observation during church services and interviews with practicing evangelicals in and around Santa Cruz, I highlight the relationship between the characteristics of an evangelical faith and the factors and motivations that lead people to seek it. To be religiously active in the manner of my informants requires deep commitment and is not a faith adopted and practiced lightly. Those who become evangelical and sustain the demanding practice are likely to seek it for spiritual solutions to difficult life situations.

“A Theological Paradigm – Spirituality – as a belief synthesis in a religious, dogmatic, and philosophical context,” pursues an understanding of spirituality from a theological paradigm within a religious, dogmatic, and philosophical context. Contemporary manifestations of practical and relevant day-to-day situations are taken as vantage points in order to unfold the meaning and implications of stories as metaphors for reality. Two basic statements guide the unfolding of the research process, namely firstly that a belief synthesis is shaped by religion as foundation. It entails that the belief synthesis represents a living framework that incorporates the origin, different definitions, worldwide landscapes, religious movements, as well as the epistemic understanding of spiritual and religious experiences. Secondly, that a belief synthesis incorporates spirituality as an experience. It entails that in this experience of spirituality, the following constitutive dimensions and developments can be distinguished: the relation between religion and spirituality, the revival of the academic discipline spirituality, a working definition of spirituality, which includes a general theory of spirituality and methodological aspects of spiritual development. To develop the research focus on the belief synthesis as a theological paradigm, specific theological and philosophical aspects of the palaeontologist-theologian Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955) and the German American systematic theologian Paul Tillich (1886-1965) are investigated. With regard to Teilhard de Chardin, the emphasis falls on his development of a positive process - a new kind of spirit (Hope) – that humans can experience in their contemporary evolving worlds. With regard to Tillich, the emphasis falls on his method of correlation explaining the contents of the Christian faith through existential questions and theological answers in mutual interdependence. The research focus on mentioned theologians brings about a closer but different clarification of the term spirituality as belief synthesis in religion as well as the influence of Christian spirituality and the impact that it had on our quest to understand the Christian experience in Christian spirituality. The closer, but different clarification of the term spirituality is elaborated on and subsequently justified by a discussion of different definitions of Christian spirituality, as well as a tentative indication of the road to a new kind of Christian spirituality - which entails a transformation of Christian spirituality that includes mysticism. Finally, the terms Spirit and Hope are identified and discussed as integral parts of the belief synthesis as theological paradigm. At the same time, their significance respectively for the belief synthesis are indicated. The importance and crucial role of hermeneutics are subsequently elucidated within the theological paradigm of spirituality. The research conclusion culminates in the open statement that more than one religion, philosophy, or intuitive infinite belief can be accommodated in a person’s religious life and can satisfy humans in their expectations, experiences, hopes, and fears, in their vulnerable existence. / Dissertation (MA(Theol))--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Dogmatics and Christian Ethics / unrestricted

No description available.

Over the course of three studies, this dissertation quantitatively examines the relationship between mystical experience and mental health, first in general, and then in the context of naturalistic psychedelic use. The first study of the dissertation proposes a model for understanding the within-population variability of this relationship, and identifies a “relational triad” of three factors which help to explain it: belongingness/social connectedness, mindfulness, and spirituality. The dissertation’s second and third studies draw upon longitudinal data collected from individuals planning to take a psychedelic substance in a naturalistic context, and apply the “relational triad” model to help predict the quality of individuals’ psychedelic experience (Study 2), as well as individuals’ mental health trajectories in the aftermath of a psychedelic experience (Study 3). Baseline mood, as well as the three “relational triad” factors identified in Study 1, were found to be implicated in individuals’ psychedelic experiences and their post-experience mental health trajectories. Finally, clinically-oriented recommendations are offered based on this set of empirically-derived findings, and a screening/predictive measure is proposed.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-04T18:27:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 THAIS ANTUNES.pdf: 427113 bytes, checksum: d1f598d1e920e59696fe46b0f0c6f195 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005-11-24 / The Psychology of Religion within the area of Human Sciences aims at studying the psychological aspects related to human religious experience. It does not seek to define religious behaviour but how the meanings of such behaviour take place inside the psychological structure. Psychologically speaking, religion can either trigger or block human development. For a science that seeks to understand man as a whole, to exclude the religious dimension of the human being from the psychological thinking is not to evaluate and understand the real influence of the religious development in mental functioning, in health and in psychological treatment. In this aspect, the aim of this study was to analyse phenomenologically the religious experience of Catholics in their relationship with personal development. For this, a qualitative approach was used, and, through statements collected in non-directive active interviews, phenomological analyses were made. Four people over 18 were interviewed. They were indicated by religious leaders and considered by them practicing Catholics . The result of the study showed that the participants religious experience is related to personal development. Such a relationship occurs in subjective and specific changes that resulted into the change of the behaviour of the subjects, who reported an improvement in life quality. Thus, we can understand that the religious experience gave these subjects a personal development. / A tarefa da Psicologia da Religi?o no ?mbito das ci?ncias humanas ? estudar os aspectos psicol?gicos relacionados ? experi?ncia religiosa humana Ela n?o procura definir o que ? a conduta religiosa, mas sim como os significados desta conduta se d?o no interior da estrutura psicol?gica. Psicologicamente, a religi?o pode ser uma mola propulsora ou bloqueadora do desenvolvimento humano. Para uma ci?ncia que procura entender o homem na sua totalidade, excluir do pensar psicol?gico a dimens?o religiosa do ser humano, ? deixar de avaliar e entender a real influ?ncia do desenvolvimento religioso no funcionamento mental, na sa?de e no tratamento psicol?gico. Neste sentido, o objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar, fenomenologicamente, a experi?ncia religiosa de cat?licos em sua rela??o com o desenvolvimento pessoal. Para isso, foi utilizada uma abordagem qualitativa e, atrav?s de depoimentos colhidos em entrevistas n?o diretivas ativas, realizou-se an?lises fenomenol?gicas. Foram entrevistadas quatro pessoas, maiores de 18 anos, indicadas por l?deres religiosos e consideradas, por estes l?deres, cat?licas praticantes envolvidas . O resultado deste estudo mostrou que a experi?ncia religiosa dos participantes est? relacionada com o desenvolvimento pessoal. Esta rela??o ocorre num sentido de mudan?as subjetivas, particulares e singulares que trouxeram como conseq??ncia, mudan?as no comportamento dos entrevistados, os quais relataram sentir uma melhora na qualidade de vida. Dessa maneira, podemos entender que a experi?ncia religiosa proporcionou, para estes sujeitos, crescimento pessoal.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-27T13:48:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ADELMAN SOARES ASEVEDO.pdf: 276999 bytes, checksum: 108d9b5a8bc8818cde099a1c27eb0fa0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-12-17 / Mediumship related to the religious experience and mental health is the theme of this paper, which has the spiritual mediumship as its specific object of investigation. The present study was developed based on various fields of human knowledge, such as anthropology, psychopathology, knowledge about mental health and its recent achievements. Concepts of religious experience, mediumship and psychopathology are worked in order to clarify questions which were inserted in this study, and these questions have to do with mediumship, religious experience and mental health. The methodology used was the review of the classical bibliography with concepts and cases that exemplify psychic manifestations. From this review, assumptions were made on the central theme - mediumship, religious experience and mental health. Concepts of umbanda and kardecist spiritism were used to illustrate and identify the diversity of the theme. From the perspective of psychic suffering, mediumship, religious experience and mental health were addressed together in order to show that it is possible to develop mental health experiencing suffering and anguish, since they are welcomed and thus able to restore the notion of the self. This study contributes to the understanding of mediumship as religious experience which leads towards the good exercise of mental health, since individuals who are able to develop their psychic experiences become important for the well-being of the whole community. / A mediunidade correlacionada à experiência religiosa e saúde mental é o tema desta dissertação, que tem como objeto específico a própria mediunidade. O seu estudo envolveu pesquisa em diversos campos do saber como antropologia, psicopatologia, conhecimentos sobre saúde mental e sua conquista. Conceitos de experiência religiosa, mediunidade e psicopatologia são trabalhados a fim de clarear perguntas inseridas neste estudo: mediunidade, experiência religiosa e saúde mental. A metodologia utilizada foi a revisão da bibliografia clássica com conceitos e casuística que exemplificam manifestações mediúnicas. A partir dessa revisão, foram feitas digressões sobre o tema central mediunidade, experiência religiosa e saúde mental. Conceitos da umbanda e do espiritismo kardecista foram utilizados para ilustrar e identificar a diversidade do tema. Sob a perspectiva do sofrimento psíquico, mediunidade, experiência religiosa e saúde mental foram abordadas conjuntamente para mostrar que é possível construir saúde mental vivendo experiências de sofrimento e angústia, desde que bem acolhidas,contribuindo assim para a restauração da própria noção do eu. Este estudo contribui para o entendimento da mediunidade enquanto experiência religiosa que pode caminhar para um bom exercício da saúde mental, visto que indivíduos que conseguem elaborar as suas experiências mediúnicas tornam-se elementos de importância capital para o bem estar da coletividade.

Submitted by JAYANE SANTOS GUIMARÃES null (jayguimaraes@yahoo.com.br) on 2018-01-16T18:18:03Z No. of bitstreams: 1 OKJAYANE Segunda revisao - pronto - impressao 2.pdf: 1300481 bytes, checksum: 6b958a83bf482ef46d0fcccdfe83c70a (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Aline Aparecida Matias null (alinematias@fclar.unesp.br) on 2018-01-17T10:46:39Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 guimaraes_js_me_arafcl.pdf: 1300481 bytes, checksum: 6b958a83bf482ef46d0fcccdfe83c70a (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-01-17T10:46:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 guimaraes_js_me_arafcl.pdf: 1300481 bytes, checksum: 6b958a83bf482ef46d0fcccdfe83c70a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-12-04 / A experiência religiosa é um fenômeno de destaque em toda a história da humanidade, e que perpetua na contemporaneidade. Todavia, mesmo com diversas mudanças paradigmáticas, ainda é comum que a maioria das instituições religiosas tradicionais compreendam a sexualidade unicamente através de sua finalidade reprodutiva, reforçando a visão cis-heteronormativa. Contudo, na década de 1960, nos Estados Unidos, surge a teologia inclusiva, através da pioneira Igreja da Comunidade Metropolitana, com uma visão diferenciada da teologia tradicional. Esta nova teologia vai ao encontro compreensivo das diversidades sexuais humana. Abordando os aspectos compreensivos alusivos à Igreja e sua relação com as diversidades sexuais humanas, esta dissertação corresponde às análises das falas de quatro colaboradores/as homossexuais (três homens e uma mulher), e uma mulher transexual, frequentadores/as de Igrejas Inclusivas e tem o objetivo de compreender as suas experiências religiosas. A partir do método qualitativo fenomenológico, foi possível desvelar o mundo-vida dos/as colaboradores/as a partir de um diálogo mediado pela seguinte questão norteadora: Fale para mim como tem sido sua vivência homoafetiva e sua prática religiosa desde sua infância, adolescência, fase adulta, ou seja, até o momento em que passou a conhecer e a frequentar a Igreja Inclusiva. Para as análises compreensivas das falas, ancoramos nos saberes de Mauro Martins Amatuzzi, acerca da fala autêntica e experiência religiosa. A partir das análises das falas, emergiram as seguintes categorias: (1) Nos horizontes da experiência religiosa na infância; (2) Nos horizontes da experiência religiosa na adolescência; (3) Nos horizontes da experiência religiosa na fase jovem adulta/ adulta; (4) Nos horizontes da experiência religiosa inclusiva, e (5) Silenciamento das lésbicas. Compreendemos que, após as análises, a exclusão dentro de instituições religiosas tradicionais foi um dos principais motivos que contribuiu para o sofrimento e conflito subjetivos presentes na trajetória dos/as colaboradores/as, portanto, esta dissertação pretende criar um diálogo construtivo com a finalidade de desencadear reflexões pertinentes na família, escola, mídia e na igreja a fim de desconstruir posturas homofóbicas e sexistas de modo a instituir uma ética da amorosidade, do respeito e da inclusão. / Religious experience is a prominent phenomenon throughout the history of mankind, and perpetuates it in contemporary times. However, even with several paradigmatic changes, it is still common for most traditional religious institutions to understand sexuality solely through its reproductive purpose, reinforcing the cis-heteronormative view. However, in the 1960s, in the United States, inclusive theology emerged, through the pioneering Church of the Metropolitan Community, with a differentiated view of traditional theology. This new theology goes to the understanding encounter of the human sexual diversities. This dissertation, which deals with the comprehensive aspects of the Church and its relation to human sexual diversity, corresponds to the analyzes of the statements of four homosexuals (three men and one woman), and a transsexual woman, attending Inclusive Churches, and the purpose of understanding their religious experiences. From the phenomenological qualitative method, it was possible to unveil the world-life of the collaborators from a dialogue mediated by the following guiding question: Tell me how has been your homoaffective experience and your religious practice since childhood, adolescence, adulthood, that is, until the moment he came to know and attend the Inclusive Church. For the comprehensive analyzes of the speeches, we anchor in the knowledge of Mauro Martins Amatuzzi, about authentic speech and religious experience. From the analyzes of the speeches, the following categories emerged: (1) In the horizons of religious experience in childhood; (2) On the horizons of religious experience in adolescence; (3) In the horizons of religious experience in the young adult / adult phase; (4) In the horizons of inclusive religious experience, and (5) Silencing of lesbians. We understand that, after the analysis, the exclusion within traditional religious institutions was one of the main reasons that contributed to the subjective suffering and conflict present in the trajectory of the collaborators, therefore, this dissertation intends to create a constructive dialogue with the purpose of triggering relevant reflections in the family, school, media, and church in order to deconstruct homophobic and sexist attitudes in order to institute an ethic of love, respect, and inclusion.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2016-02-03T18:54:19Z No. of bitstreams: 1 reinaldodasilvajunior.pdf: 2122791 bytes, checksum: f8e972056841d4d1bd61f8769c412028 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-02-05T10:51:22Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 reinaldodasilvajunior.pdf: 2122791 bytes, checksum: f8e972056841d4d1bd61f8769c412028 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-02-05T10:51:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 reinaldodasilvajunior.pdf: 2122791 bytes, checksum: f8e972056841d4d1bd61f8769c412028 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-03-14 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Tratamos nesta tese da relação do brasileiro com o sagrado reconhecido como feminino, a partir desta temática central tocamos em questões transversais como: sincretismo, gênero, experiência religiosa, diálogo inter-religioso, Ethos; além de discutir a própria viabilidade de uma ciência da religião, pensando aí sua epistemologia e seus métodos de investigação. A complexidade da proposta nos levou a uma estrutura que dividiu o texto em duas partes: na primeira destacam-se as discussões mais teóricas, do campo epistemológico e metodológico; procuramos aí nos ancorar nos pensamentos da Fenomenologia, da Psicologia Analítica de Jung, na Psicologia Pragmática de James e no estruturalismo, buscando alguns conceitos que servissem de referência para pensar a experiência religiosa do brasileiro com este sagrado feminino. No campo metodológico procuramos apresentar uma dinâmica aberta, que envolve uma série de modelos de investigação, como a pesquisa participante, a etnografia e a coleta de dados para uma análise quantitativa. Na segunda parte do trabalho nos dedicamos à análise das experiências observadas em campo, procurando fazer a articulação com os conceitos propostos na primeira parte, para daí poder construir uma compreensão da importância deste sagrado feminino na constituição do Ethos de nosso povo. A expressão do sagrado feminino é mais do que um capricho; se apresenta como uma força de resistência e como uma necessidade das pessoas, que encontram nesta expressão uma identidade e uma possibilidade de sentido para sua religiosidade. / We treat this thesis the relationship between the Brazilian recognized as the sacred feminine, from this central theme touched on cross-cutting issues such as syncretism, gender, religious experience, interfaith dialogue, Ethos, and to discuss the viability of a science of religion, there thinking its epistemology and its methods of inquiry. The complexity of the proposal led to a structure that divided the text into two parts: first there are the more theoretical discussions, the epistemological and methodological field, try to anchor there in the thoughts of the Phenomenology of Analytical Psychology of Jung, in Psychology James and pragmatic structuralism, seeking some concepts serving as benchmarks to think the religious experience of Brazil with this sacred feminine. In the methodological field try to present an open dynamic, involving a number of different research as participatory research, ethnography and data collection for quantitative analysis. In the second part of the work dedicated to the analysis of the experiences observed in the field, looking to make the link with the concepts proposed in the first part, then to be able to build an understanding of the importance of the sacred feminine in the constitution of the Ethos of our people. The expression of the sacred feminine is more than a whim; presents itself as a force of resistance and as a need for people who are in this expression an identity and a sense of possibility for their religiosity.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2018-04-20T17:42:43Z No. of bitstreams: 1 flaviaribeiroamaro.pdf: 1610704 bytes, checksum: 0e6077e1d78576a741f2f6e4817cc697 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2018-09-03T12:11:32Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 flaviaribeiroamaro.pdf: 1610704 bytes, checksum: 0e6077e1d78576a741f2f6e4817cc697 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-09-03T12:11:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 flaviaribeiroamaro.pdf: 1610704 bytes, checksum: 0e6077e1d78576a741f2f6e4817cc697 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-03-28 / Para os médiuns os fenômenos mediúnicos conjeturam uma dimensão imaterial, intangível, efêmera, subjetiva e particular, que se constrói e é significada no plano material da realidade objetiva da vida cotidiana. Tais manifestações comunicam códigos simbólicos expressos por uma linguagem sociocultural extremamente rica semanticamente. Parto da hipótese de que uma linguagem supostamente transmitida pela doutrina espírita constitui uma das principais razões pela qual muitos sujeitos justificam sua adesão ao corpo de crenças, valores e preceitos morais baseados nas codificações feitas por Allan Kardec. E, por conseguinte, se sentem identificados com tal cosmovisão compartilhada, que prevê basicamente a possibilidade da vida além da morte, de uma continuidade para a trajetória do espírito através da reencarnação e da comunicação com o espírito dos mortos. A religião Espírita assim como qualquer outra religião é capaz de aferir orientações comportamentais responsáveis por guiar a conduta do indivíduo no cotidiano, fornecendo sentidos e significados imbuídos na construção da realidade dos sujeitos. Para um enquadramento analítico da manifestação mediúnica recorro ao discurso construído por meus interlocutores - os médiuns espíritas- acerca da experiência religiosa da mediunidade. Entendo como relevante a pergunta: o que essa experiência mediúnica significa para eles? A presente pesquisa visa discutir os possíveis sentidos elaborados em torno das práticas mediúnicas na religião Espírita, a partir dos relatos, das experiências e das memórias de vida de médiuns kardecistas da cidade de Juiz de Fora- MG. Para tanto, empreendo uma investigação de caráter qualitativo, elaborado com base em uma etnografia desenvolvida em centros espíritas Kardecistas da cidade, articulada à análise documental e bibliográfica acerca da mística espírita. / For the mediums, the mediumship phenomena conjuncture an immaterial dimension, intangible, ephemeral, subjective and particular, which is built and meant in the material plane of the objective reality of everyday life. Such manifestations communicate symbolic codes expressed by an extremely rich sociocultural language in its semantic ways. I start from the hyphotesis that a language supposedly transmitted by the spiritual doctrine is one of the main reasons why many subjects justify their adherence to the body of beliefs, values and moral principles based on the codifications made by Allan Kardec. And therefore, they feel identified with such shared worldview, which basically foresees the possibility of life beyond death, a continuity to the spirit’s path through reincarnation and the communication with the spirits of the dead. The Spiritualist religion as any other religion is able to assess behavioral guidelines responsible for guiding the conduct of the individual in its daily life, providing senses and meanings imbued with the construction of the reality of the subjects. For an analytical framework of mediumism manifestation, I resort to the discourse constructed by my interlocutors – the spiritual mediums - about the religious experience of mediumship. I consider important the question: what this mediumship experience means to them? This research aims to discuss the possible meanings developed around the mediumship practices in the Spiritualist religion, taken from the reports, experiences and living memories of Kardecists mediums from the city of Juiz de Fora – MG. To this end, I engage a qualitative research, prepared based on an ethnography which was developed in Kardecists spiritual centers of the city, linked to the documentary and literature analysis about the spiritualist mysticism.