Este trabalho aproxima as contribuições da teoria das representações sociais e dos estudos em memória social para a compreensão do campo religioso, especificamente o Espiritismo, reconhecendo a importância da recordação de personalidades para a dinâmica religiosa. Esta pesquisa objetiva analisar o conteúdo da representação social de perfeição, o conteúdo e estrutura da memória de personalidades do Espiritismo e a relação entre ambos. Trata-se de estudo descritivo, desenvolvido em duas etapas. Participaram 75 participantes auto-declarados espíritas - 38 na primeira etapa e 37 na segunda, sendo entrevistados 24 desses. Os participantes, em média, possuíam 37,3 anos de idade e 16,7 anos como espíritas. Na primeira fase aplicou-se, através da Internet, a técnica de evocações livres com o termo indutor “espíritos superiores”, na qual os participantes respondiam que pessoas se associavam ao termo. Na segunda, prosseguiu-se com as evocações livres e questionário, para caracterização dos participantes. A partir das doze personalidades mais lembradas, realizou-se entrevista semi-estruturada, com questões sobre características, virtudes, lembranças, hierarquia das personalidades, e questões sobre o significado da perfeição e como alcançá-la. Os dados das evocações foram analisados através das técnicas do quadro de quatro casas e construção de árvore máxima de similitude. As entrevistas foram analisadas mediante análise categorial temática. Assim, verificou-se que as personalidades mais recordadas foram: Chico Xavier, Jesus, Allan Kardec, Emmanuel, Bezerra de Menezes, Madre Teresa de Calcutá, Joanna de Ângelis, Gandhi, André Luiz, Francisco de Assis, Maria de Nazaré e Divaldo P. Franco. A representação social de perfeição foi expressa, de modo simplificado, na sentença: um caminho, difícil e longo, em que o ser humano sai da sua condição de inferioridade para a perfeição, através do conhecimento (proveniente do trabalho, do estudo e do auto-conhecimento), livrando-se do seu egoísmo e expressando o amor, tal como demonstrado e vivido por Jesus. Verificou-se, ainda, que essas memórias se organizam, principalmente, em dois modelos de valores complementares no Espiritismo: 1) conhecimento, inteligência, razão, estudo, livro e 2) amor, vivência, fé, trabalho, exemplo. Eles se constituem nas duas condições essenciais para se alcançar essa perfeição. O primeiro modelo está principalmente personificado na figura de Allan Kardec e o segundo, em Jesus. Nesse sentido, o Espiritismo opera na mente dos fiéis, uma síntese entre ambos os modelos, tendo em Chico Xavier a personificação dessa síntese, constituindo-se como tipo ideal de espírita. /// [en] This work resorts to the contributions of both social representations theory and the studies about social memory in order to understand the religious field – Spiritism in particular – considering the importance to remind personalities in religious practices. This survey aims to analyze the contents of social representation of perfection, the contents and structure of Spiritism personalities’ memory as well as their relation. This is a descriptive study carried out in two sessions involving 75 self-declared Spiritism subjects with 38 people in the first session and 37 in the sec ond, being 24 of them interviewed. The participants are, on average, 37.3 years old who have been engaged in Spiritism for 16.7 years. A free-evocation technique with an inducing term “Superior Spirits” was applied in the first session through the Internet as the participants claimed that people were associated with the term. In the second session, we used free evocations and questionnaires in order to characterize the participants. Based on the 12 most reminded personalities, we had a semi-structured interview with questions about characteristics, virtues, memories, personality hierarchy, and questions on the meaning of perfection and how to reach it. The evocation data were analyzed through the four-housed chart techniques along with the EVOC 2003 software and the construction of the maximum similitude tree. Analyzing the interviews through the thematic categorial analysis, we figured out that the most reminded personalities were Chico Xavier, Jesus, Allan Kardec, Emmanuel, Bezerra de Menezes, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Joanna de Ângelis, Mohandas K. Gandhi, André Luiz, Francis of Assisi, Mary (mother of Jesus), and Divaldo P. Franco. The social representation of perfection was simplified and expressed in the sentence: the hard and long way human being follow when leaving his inferiority condition to reach perfection through knowledge (obtained from labor, study, self-knowledge), getting rid of selfishness and expressing love, as demonstrated and experienced by Jesus. We also concluded that these memories are mainly organized into two complementary value patterns in Spiritism: 1) knowledge, intelligence, rationality, study, literature and 2) Love, experience, faith, labor, example. They comprise two basic conditions to reach that perfection. The first pattern is mainly personalized in Allan Kardec’s image, and the second in Jesus. According to this view, we can ascertain that Spiritism operates in the faithfull’s mind, a synthesis between both patterns, being Chico Xavier its personification and thus regarded as the ideal type of spiritist. / CAPES

Made available in DSpace on 2014-07-29T15:12:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dis Marcos Alexandro Abreu e Silva.pdf: 745368 bytes, checksum: 3b66fd4dbcdf1e21df44eb1b816fde53 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-11-25 / In this work it was developed a quantitative analytical methodology to determine the content of methyl biodiesel in diesel fuel through the fatty acid methyl ester reaction with the hydroxylamine hydrochloride in alkaline solutions, which they were acidified and converted to hydroxamic acids, followed by treatment with ferric ion to give the colored ferric hydroxamate complex, and afterwards extract in n-heptane and were analysed by UV-visible spectroscopy. It was made the optimization of the variables that interfere in the reaction, and parameters such as accuracy, precision and the limit of detection (LOD) among other parameters to assess the quality of the method developed it was also evaluated. The results indicated that the method has shown an excellent linearity in small intervals of biodiesel blend levels, an excellent determination coefficient of the calibration curve (R2 > 0.99) at a wide range of wavelength (420-440 nm). As well as it has also shown to be applied in a wide range of methyl biodiesel blend levels in diesel fuel (B1 to B20), and it is suitable to be used in the quality control procedures for the production of BX blends. / Desenvolveu-se neste trabalho uma metodologia analítica quantitativa para determinação do teor de biodiesel metílico em óleo diesel por meio da reação dos ésteres metílicos de ácidos graxos com o cloridrato de hidroxilamina em meio alcalino, os quais são acidificados e convertidos à ácidos hidroxâmicos, seguida pelo tratamento com íons ferro (III) resultando em complexos coloridos de hidroxamato férrico, posteriormente extraídos em n-heptano e analisados por espectroscopia de UV-visível. Fez-se a otimização das variáveis que interferem na reação, e também avaliou-se a exatidão, precisão, e o limite de detecção (LD), entre outros parâmetros, no sentido de avaliar a qualidade do método desenvolvido. O método mostrou excelente linearidade em pequenos intervalos de variação volumétrica de biodiesel, excelente coeficiente de correlação para a curva de calibração (R2 > 0,99), em uma ampla faixa de comprimento de onda (420 a 440 nm). Assim como mostrou ser aplicável em uma ampla faixa de teor de biodiesel metílico em óleo diesel (B1 ao B20), sendo adequado para o controle de qualidade da produção de misturas BX.

This thesis considers the various church building schemes that took place in Glasgow during the early nineteenth century, focussing upon one particular model – that of church extension – to examine the way in which the Established Church of Scotland negotiated a space materially and culturally within the rapidly shifting socio-spatial dynamics of a city in the midst of processes of urbanisation and industrialisation. In so doing, the study asks what such schemes reveal of the Church’s understanding of both the city and its own role within society. The arguments used to persuade influential actors within the city to support the cause of church building are examined, and it is claimed that these arguments both drew upon and reiterated a series of claims that C. Brown has identified as belonging to a discourse of the ‘unholy city’. The material plans of church extension are next considered, detailing the mechanisms by which it was thought to work and the role of social élites in its establishment. It is claimed that, while clearly in keeping with earlier church-building plans, church extension was fundamentally different in concentrating upon churches not as means of accommodating worshippers but as centre points of a mechanism for evangelism, capable of impacting upon the manners and morals of wider society. Attention is drawn to the key influence of the Reverend Thomas Chalmers in the creation and application this model. Finally, the impacts that this was designed to have upon the city are considered, and used as a means of gaining insight into the shape of society sought by proponents of church extension. The thesis concludes by suggesting that while church extension can be interpreted critically as a tool of the Establishment, it is better conceived as a form of evangelism in which social improvement was a fundamental part, inseparable from the movement’s spiritual aspirations. Thus, it argues for the importance of understanding the Church as a religious community whose task is to engage theologically with society, and as a collection of individuals who are each a part of the very society upon which they seek to impact.

This thesis undertakes an interdisciplinary analysis of new Church of England liturgies (Common Worship) from an ecotheological point of view: making use of reader response theory, literary analysis, a social scientific survey, liberation theology, environmental and political ethics and liturgical theology. Chapter 1 considers the theological, political and sociological influences on liturgical reform, which include, inculturation, the expression of ethics in the prayer of the Church, liberation theologies, technology, and agrarianism. Chapter 2 considers methods of liturgical change and the scope for making creation visible in liturgy. Chapter 3 finds justification in reader response theory for determining ecotheological priorities for critiquing liturgy. Analysis of Common Worship texts occurs: in Chapter 4, using literary analysis; in Chapter 5 via social scientific survey of clergy using Common Worship; Chapter 6 looks in details at Collects and Post Communions and undertakes an ecotheological rewriting of 9 sample texts. Chapter 7 identifies lessons for liturgical revision in general and for eco-liturgical reform in particular, paying particular attention to the dissonant creation theologies unearthed in Common Worship, the necessity for future revisions, and the importance and implication of technological change for liturgical writers and commentators.

Many local churches in Britain have adopted a neighbourhood paradigm, in which the neighbourhood is seen as the primary locus of mission and ministry. Social change increasingly calls that paradigm into question. This thesis engages in a reflective conversation between the sociological context of neighbourhood churches in the United Kingdom and theological themes which resource the self-understanding of such churches. Beginning with action research, and then through a review of literature from ecclesial sources, the neighbourhood paradigm is explored and then critiqued. The critique comes particularly through the sociology of individualization. Alternative models of church are explored as they begin to address these issues. The action research, analysis of the neighbourhood paradigm, and the study of individualization all point to ambivalence and hybridity as key experiences in late modernity. Theological reflection on individualization and ambivalence develops an understanding of Christian freedom which can engage with ambivalence and social change. This provides a theological resource for relating to the sociological context of local churches. This resource recognizes the essentially mixed and hybrid nature of contemporary lives and contemporary neighbourhoods, and provides a foundation for a renewed hybrid paradigm for neighbourhood ministry.

This collation of 8 of von Soden's manuscripts is a companion work to my earlier investigation into his manuscripts. A similar division of this thesis is employed, with the nucleus in sections III, IV & V. Section III, with the general and individual descriptions of the MSS involved, is an attempt to bring together in one place all the known details about the history, the format, the scribe, the script and any other relevant material. Section IV contains the Synoptic Collation of the Group in Acts and the Catholic Epistles. Section V is itself divided into six parts and is concerned with the singular and subsingular readings. The conclusion is that neither can logically be separated from one another as the interrelationship of individual MSS is far more complex than von Soden makes evident.

The Quaker community is committed to conflict resolution; it might be expected that the community itself is conflict free. This study explores this proposition and presents a counter narrative: conflict does exist among Quakers, with its roots in the culture of the organization. An ethnographic case study was undertaken in a context of observing participation, where the researcher was also actively responsible inside the organization. The project included: 39 semi-structured interviews with Key Informants, Grassroots Quakers and Edge Quakers; a collaborative inquiry workshop with 20 self-selected participants; recording of reflections over six months with a final workshop. The study finds a dominant community narrative telling how the Quaker task is to 'mend the world' and live in a'peaceable kingdom'. This is achieved by ignoring conflict within the organization, defensively following the maxim 'don't ask, don't tell, don't even think about it'. A distinctive pattern of conflict handling is revealed; aversion precedes avoidance, relationship is privileged above outcome, and moderation and restraint are required. Conflict which does surface and persists focuses on the interpretation of Quaker identity. The culture of aversion from conflict makes it difficult for Quakers to articulate conflict experience; they lack confidence and are hesitant. Counter narratives and personal narratives are not made public. Consequently there are very few collectively articulated stories about Quaker conflict handling. A constructivist narrative framework acknowledges the power in the internalised collective narrative. As proud individual nonconformists, Quakers minimise the coercive power of the collective narrative, which positions them as stultified in conflict, with their agency neutralized. It is argued that one way of creating radical change is to encourage the telling of more stories of Quaker conflict, providing new parts in the play.

The thesis attempts to address Orthodox Church concerns about the Protestant nature and ethos of the ecumenical movement, as it is encountered in the World Council of Churches, by examining Orthodox theological contributions to ecclesiology. This preliminary work is undertaken, as a first step, to establish points of dialogue with the theology of liberation and wider critical theories, in the search for a liberating ecumenism. At the same time, and in a second step (to follow the epistemology of the theology of liberation), this Orthodox theology is placed in a critical dialogue with the theology of liberation in the search for liberating ecclesiological perspectives that can contribute to the movement in ecumenism. This uneasy dialogue helps to recover absent epistemologies from ongoing ecumenical dialogues by re-reading orthodoxies, both ecumenical and ecclesiological, from a liberationist paradigm, and sets ecclesiology within the wider framework of contributions from critical theory. This dialogue between Orthodox theology and the theology of liberation helps to construct an ecclesiology that liberates ecumenism by setting ecclesiology and the ecumenical movement in the wider context of social movements. This thesis calls the ecumenical movement to ‘another possible world’ influenced by people-centred ecclesiologies, which transgresses the canonical boundaries in the ecumenical movement. To be ecumenical implies an Orthodox content to ecclesiology, otherwise the ecumenical movement is open to charges of pan-Protestantism. It is by embracing Orthodoxy that the ecumenical movement can move beyond hegemonic colonial projects and find a liberating praxis. This thesis proposes a dialogue that reflects the structure of the Final Report of the Special Commission on Orthodox Participation in the World Council of Churches. However, it engages with Orthodox ecclesiology and ecumenical histories from the perspective of the theology of liberation in the search for a liberating ecumenism and proposes a praxis that develops movement in the ecumenical and the ecclesiological through developing an ecclesiology from different peripheries of the Church.

The primary objective of this thesis is to identify why sectarianism has declined in Liverpool. In doing, it is necessary to identify what sectarianism was in a Liverpool context, whilst also outlining its development. In relation to this, the part played by nineteenth century Irish immigration, the Orange Order, and the Roman Catholic Church will be analysed. Although assessed, it is not the intention of this work to concentrate primarily on the sectarian violence that gripped the city, nor the complex relationship between sectarianism and politics in Liverpool: the latter having already been expertly covered by Waller (1981) and the former by Neal (1988). Nonetheless, in analysing the degeneration of denominational antagonism both the reduction in sectarian violence and the rapidity of its political disintegration will be considered. For a period spanning two centuries the sectarian divide in Liverpool soured relations between its residents. Indeed, the city’s political representatives were often elected on the basis of their ethno-religious pedigree. Politics continued to be influenced by religion until the mid-1970s. Weakening sectarianism, in the limited existing studies, is attributed largely to post-war slum clearance, but this thesis asserts that causality is much more complex. There are a range of factors that have contributed to the decline. As this thesis demonstrates, the downfall of sectarianism coincided with the creation of a collective identity; an identity based not on ethno-religious affiliations, but on a commonality, an acknowledgment that principles which united were more significant than factors which divided. Importantly, the success of the city’s two football teams, Everton FC and Liverpool FC, gave the city a new focus based upon a healthy sporting rivalry rather than sectarian vehemence. A complex interplay of secularism and ecumenism, the economic misfortunes of Liverpool and their political impact in terms of class politics, the growth of a collective city identity and the omnipotence of (non-religiously derived) football affiliations combined to diminish Liverpool’s once acute sectarian fault-line. This thesis examines how and why.

The Jesus People Movement was a large religious phenomenon that arose out of an amalgamation of the American counterculture and Hippie movements and American Pentecostalism. Beginning in 1967 the movement‘s early participants were mostly hippies who had claimed a conversion experience and instantaneous healing from drug addiction through an encounter with Jesus Christ. By the mid-1970s the growing phenomenon had attracted a broad range of youth, many of whom were not former hippies, but who did relate to the counterculture movement and the generation gap. Several enduring institutions arose from the heyday and have continued to impact American Pentecostalism and American Christianity more broadly. This thesis examines the historical links between the Jesus People Movement, American Pentecostalism, and the Hippie movement as well as the sociological and theological resemblance to American Pentecostalism. Based on the family resemblance analogy, the thesis concludes that the Jesus People Movement should be included as a significant part of the story of American Pentecostalism.