What has come to be known within the Academy as, Identity theology, is presented in the literature as a monolithic belief system which supports and encourages terrorism and other forms of political violence. This dissertation argues that inattention to theological and social issues within the many Identity theology based groups in the US has led to a deeply flawed understanding of the relation between Identity adherents, terrorism and other political violence. Discussions about these groups in the literature are flawed and there is an imprecise understanding which has led to an inaccurate alignment of widely varied social groups with a pejorative classification that is neither descriptive of the various theologies at work, nor the social manifestations observed in these groups. Further, the research suggests that the academic community known as “Terrorism Studies” continues to contribute to the inaccurate understanding and that those inaccuracies are likely impediments to effective government policy in relation to the phenomenon known as Identity theology. The research presented here suggests that there are both theological and social distinctions, which can and should be delineated and understood by all those researching Identity groups. The research highlights four significant types or differences within what is now known as Identity theology, by highlighting the nuances between social groups including the Church of Israel, Covenant, Sword and the Arm of the Lord (CSA), Mission to Israel, KKK and Aryan Nations and suggests that a more precise understanding of the differences could lead to declining instances of violence and more openness to positive social change by those who currently follow these very different types of theological belief systems.

Due to the fact that Scripture is the authoritative Word of God (Belgic Confession. Article 5), the infallible written Word of God. is and stays the basis for Christian ethics. Scripture is not just another single source for Christian ethics among other sources, but it is the decisive source among all other sources. The question then arises - how is it possible in the ever-changing life situation of the modem day context of society? In an ever increasing secularized society places the Christian life and also the Christian ethics under more pressure. The acceptance of the authority of Scripture is therefore indispensable for Christian ethics. Scripture does however not present a text as an absolute answer for every possible or similar ethical problem. The deep-seated principles of Scripture must be exposed. From these principles norms should be derived that is applicable to the modem problem. The problem statement that follows from this culminates as the following: Can a thematic analysis of the Biblical dogma present a fundamental working foundation for Christian ethics in modem day society and serve as a corrective for the problematic approaches of a biblicistic as well as an over critical view of Scripture for the basis of ethics? The central theoretical argument of the study is the following: A thematic analysis of the Biblical dogma can indeed present a fundamental, working foundation for Christian ethics in modem day society and can serve as a corrective for the problematic approaches of a biblicistic as well as an over critical view of Scripture for the basis of ethics. In the second chapter the definitions of what could be defined as Christian ethical perspectives and principles is examined. In other words, the purpose of the chapter is to examine and to give a broad overview of the understanding of ethics, morality, morals etc. The qualified deontological approach is chosen due to the fact that normative approach with its focus on Scripture as authoritative therein plays a big role. The third chapter focuses on which view of Scripture and use of Scripture is normally applied in Reformed ethics in the use or interpretation of Scripture. Special attention is given to the authority of Scripture, view of Scripture and an attempt is made to convey the hermeneutical points of departure (axioms) in order to derive an intra-biblical use of Scripture. The chapter comes to the conclusion that even though the Christian ethicist does have in theory at his disposal a biblical-founded hermeneutical model it does not safeguard him against a faulty use or interpretation of Scripture in practice in the fourth chapter the present-day Scriptural principles that serves as basis and cadre for the interpretation of Scripture in light of the answering of Christian ethical questions is examined. In light of the present-day situation seems that although there is a sound hermeneutical axiom that serves as filters in the interpretation of Scripture in the reformed ethics, in practice either a biblicistic or a Criticism of Scripture approach to Scripture is chosen. The approaches of the fundamentalistic/biblicistic and Criticism of Scripture is examined and m e s to the conclusion that both, in their own way, does bring the authority and the message of Scripture in disrepute. In the event of the fundamentalistic and biblicistic approach the divine inspiration character of Scripture is overemphasized and all Scriptural Utterances is treated on the same level to such an instance that everything is sanctioned. In the event of the Criticism of Scripture the human fallible character is again overemphasized to the extent that the normative authority of Scripture for Christian ethics is not taken into account . The chapter comes to the conclusion mat a "third way” must be examined to circumvent the many pitfalls of either a fundamentalistic/biblicistic of Criticism of Scripture in the interpretation of Scripture in light of a modem day ethical problem. In the fifth chapter an adjudication and evaluation of the quality of the use or Interpretation of Scripture in light of capital punishment within the biblical view of a right to life is given as a representative of modem day ethical problems. In light of the principles given in Chapter 3 and 4 it is shown that Scripture is most often misused despite fair hermeneutical principles Only to reflect the ethicist own preconceived ideas. The last chapter indicates an approach that might possibly serve as an alternative/valid use or interpretation of Scripture in reformed ethics other than a typical biblicistic/fundamentalistic or Criticism of Scripture approach. The chapter draws to the conclusion that the contextual-paradigmatic approach is at this time the only capable approach of acknowledging the proper interpretation of Scripture to shed some light on the ethical problems of modem day society, without stepping into the boundaries of either a biblicistic/fundamentalistic of Criticism of Scripture interpretation of Scripture. The contextual-paradigmatic approach succeeds in preventing the ethicist to misinterpret Biblical texts that seems to be of importance to the debate of capital punishment and to make a scientific contribution lo important debates in South Africa today, especially those related to the interpretation of the Bible and its use in the development of South Africa. In this way an attempt is made to contribute towards and to provide guidelines for a healthy and responsible society and for the functioning of Christians within the current South African state. The message of the Bible must thus be established in a responsible and valid way, and communicated effectively to society. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Ethics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006

This research was concerned with the possible effects that religion, especially conservative Protestantism, has upon the performance of fatherhood. The influence of religion was assessed using the religious beliefs reported by fathers. The performance of fatherhood focused on the amount of time fathers spent meeting the physical needs of their young children. This research hypothesized that conservative Protestant fathers would spend more time meeting their children's physical needs than other Protestant fathers. Also hypothesized was that the level of conservative Protestant beliefs held by fathers is positively related to the proportion of time they spent meeting the physical needs of their children out of the total time spent by fathers and mothers combined. Finally, it was hypothesized that the level of conservative Protestant beliefs held by fathers was positively related to their membership in conservative religious denominations. In order to test whether conservative Protestantism has an effect upon the amount of time that fathers spend meeting the physical needs of their young children, this study will used data from the first wave of the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH), completed in 1988. Regression analysis was used to test the first two hypotheses and crosstabulation analysis was used to test the third hypothesis. The first two hypotheses were not supported. However, interaction was detected between the variables of race and conservative Protestantism. Specifically, Black conservative Protestant fathers consistently did more childcare than Black non-conservative Protestant fathers, and all other Protestant fathers, whether conservative or not. The third hypothesis was accepted because an index of conservative beliefs was established using denominational labels. Like other recent studies, there was a lack of consensus about which variables predict how much time fathers will spend with their children. This study also points out the need for further research concerned with conservative Protestants and the impact of their beliefs on families.

I am a draftsman, painter and printmaker. This first person statement is a written extension of the art that constitutes my thesis. It discusses the links between my work and the Enlightenment, Humanism, Catholicism, ethics and the Western canon as well as my use of perspective and other classical techniques in relation to history, language, high art, popular culture, propaganda, contemporary upheavals, Christian and Islamic Fundamentalism, globalization and the digital revolution. Furthermore, the main arguments draw upon my Cuban origin and European ancestry, the Cuban Revolution, my Belgian early education and eventual American hybrid identity. The overriding theme, however, concerns the continuing relevance of drawing, high art and history. As such, it forms a personal art theory and critique of contemporary culture. Supporting sources include history, art history, art theory, philosophy, science, religion and politics.

The main objective of this work, was to elaborate on the topic of Isabella I. of Castile. The main focus was an emphasis on historical facts, of which I derived from Czech and foreign literatures and historical compendiums. The first part describes the political and economic situation in the Ibe c y I b ' coronation. Further, I look at her biography with a focus on details that could testify about her character and personality. This section provides the basis and support for the second part of this thesis. Besides the historical books, I explore also studies in the field of psychology. In the second part I deal with the motives which led I b g g z d I' interested in her tendency to her fanatical behavior. The theme of the Spanish inquisition in this work occupies a marginal position. The whole work is written with the need to view Isabel from the most different ways. This is supported by typologies of her personality and her tendency to achieve her goals from her position. In conclusion, I summarize the thesis defense, which I had already set out in the introduction of this thesis. I wanted to defend this theory: "Isabela as the only one in the history of her family, was able to effectively complete the Reconquista. What helped her was - religious fanaticism, coupled with unusually strong internal...

“The More You Look, the more THERE IS to see…” From Hinekaro Goes on a Picnic and Blows up Another Obelisk (Christine Parker, Oceania Parker, 1995) In the 1990s New Zealand was in the grip of free market fundamentalism, neo-liberal deregulation of the economy having begun in the mid-eighties. The Maori protest movement was a major source of societal conflict and feminism had become the ‘F’ word. This study examines my writing and directing during the 1990s in New Zealand. It is proposed that the films contributed to national and international conversations around feminism, colonial struggles, spirituality and the supernatural. It is argued that these works offer a social critique of neoliberalism and the divisive effects of it, on women in particular. In the context of this appraisal neoliberalism is understood to be a set of beliefs that support the functioning of the global free market, with minimal government regulation, except to protect the functioning of private enterprise and the ownership of private property. The short films One Man’s Meat (1991), Peach (1993), and Hinekaro Goes on a Picnic and Blows up Another Obelisk (1995) and the feature film Channelling Baby (1999) are located in an oeuvre of female, Gay, and Maori film makers and artists responding to this environment. The recurrence of alternative utopias, the use of magic realism and the representation of the spiritual and supernatural in my work are also considered in relation to other films made in the period. A case is made that the films were part of a small vanguard of films responding to the 1990s status quo by offering alternative modes of discourse to the dominant economic rationalism. Rich in visual intensity and heightened narrative tropes, such as irony and fragmented narratives, my aesthetic choices, together with recurring themes of chance and fate, agency and identity, are considered to link the films together as a coherent study. While the works are located in an evolving feminist tradition in the 1990s, their continued relevance today, particularly in relation to foregrounding marginal voices and the disruption of dominant paradigms and expectations of female behaviour and identity, underpin the claim for originality.

Gegenstand der Arbeit ist eine Analyse der Ereignisse, die der Erstürmung der Babri-Moschee von Ayodhya durch Aktivisten der hindu-fundamentalistischen Bewegung am 30. Oktober 1990 vorhergingen. Dabei wird eine Untersuchung all der am Konflikt beteiligten Parteien und Organisationen, ihre Geschichte, Strategien und Taktiken vorgenommen: VHP, BJS/BJP, RSS, moslemische Organisationen, Kongreßpartei, Janata Dal. Die Arbeit zeigt die Wandlungen im Hinduismus auf, die sich durch die Ayodhya-Kampagne ergaben und beschreibt deren religiöse Symbolik. Es werden die rechtlichen Aspekte des Problems der Babri-Moschee im unabhängigen Indien analysiert und die Möglichkeiten der Lösung des Konflikts hinterfragt. Die Arbeit verdeutlicht den Stellenwert der Problematik eingebettet in die Gesamtentwicklung des Landes und deren hauptsächlichen politischen Ideen seit dem Jahre 1947. / The thesis analyses the events leading up to the storming of the Babri Mosque at Ayodhya by activists of the Hindu fundamentalist movement on 30th October 1990. In this context, all parties and organisations involved in the conflict, their histories, strategies and tactics are examined: Vishva Hindu Parishad, Bharatiya Jana Sangh/Bharatiya Janata Party, Rashtriya Svayamsevak Sangh, Muslim organisations, Indian National Congress, Janata Dal. The thesis demonstrates the changes within Hinduism revealed by the Ayodhya campaign and, in doing so, describes its religious symbolism. Legal aspects of the Babri Mosque issue in independent India are also analysed and possible scenarios of conflict resolution explored. The thesis illustrates the importance of the issue in the context of the country’s overall development and its central political trends since 1947.

This work is divided into two major topics: many-worlds (or multiverse) theories in cosmology and Richard Dawids string theory-based epistemology, or non-empirical confirmation theory, as he calls it. The former is discussed in part I and the latter in part II of this dissertation. These topics are not intertwined in this work, as are not the essays that compose each chapter: in part I, first chapter, probability arguments that are presented in the literature as indications a multiverse must exist are accessed, whereas the second chapter is concerned with analyzing the metaphysical view that motivates many-world theory building, namely, the need to find unconditioned explanations in physics. Non-empirical confirmation theory is built upon three arguments, the No Alternatives Argument, the Meta-Inductive Argument from the Success of Other Theories in the Research Program and the Unexpected Explanatory Coherence Argument. Each compose a chapter in part II of this work, as they encode different philosophical issues that require for their assessment different tools from the philosophers arsenal. Skeptical conclusions are drawn at the end of each chapter. The wide spectrum of questions this work touches are designed to give at least slight indication that critical exploration of foundational theories made upon grounds familiar to philosophers can be found as internal to scientific practice itself, if that practice is concerned with the discovery, refinement and revision of fundamental theories. / Este trabalho divide-se em dois grandes tópicos: teorias de muitos mundos (ou multiverso) em cosmologia e a epistemologia não-empírica, embasada na teoria das cordas, de Richard Dawid. O primeiro é discutido na parte I e o segundo compõe a parte II deste trabalho. Tais tópicos não estão ligados, e a problemática desenvolvida em cada capítulo deste trabalho é, em larga medida, independente das demais: no primeiro capítulo da parte I argumentos probabilísticos indicados a literatura em prol da existência de muitos mundos são analisados, enquanto no segundo capítulo os pressupostos metafísicos que motivam a construção de teorias de muitos mundos em cosmologia, a saber, o fundamentalismo que busca explicações não-condicionadas para os fenômenos com os quais lida a física, são discutidos. A teoria da confirmação não-empírica de Dawid, tema da segunda parte deste trabalho, tem por base três argumentos, a saber, o argumento das alternativas inexistentes, o argumento meta-indutivo do sucesso de outras teorias no programa de pesquisa e o argumento da coerência explanatória inesperada. Cada um destes argumentos é tema de um capítulo neste trabalho, posto que desvelam problemáticas filosóficas distintas que requerem, por sua natureza, ferramentas de análise diferentes. Conclusões céticas são indicadas ao final de cada capítulo. O amplo espectro de questões que aborda este trabalho é desenhado com o propósito de fornecer ao menos vaga indicação de que a exploração crítica de teorias fundamentais, levadas a cabo a partir de vieses familiares ao filósofo, pode ser vista como interna à própria prática científica, se esta prática é preocupada com a descoberta, refinamento e revisão de teorias fundamentais.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T20:28:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Bernardo Pereira de Lucena Rodrigues Guerra.pdf: 2065772 bytes, checksum: 8dc59fbda1134a24046d591f9f13a756 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-12-10 / The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of the battle against Terrorism and Terror on the Human Rights International Law. From the constitution of a mentality arisen post-Second World War, with its fundamental characteristics, and the most relevant Human Rights international instruments, it is asserted that Terrorism and the battle against Terror have represented an enormous challenge not the say the biggest one to Human Rights International Law. On the twenty-first century, humanity has witnessed the rebirth of an ancient phenomenon, re-dimensioned on its characteristics and proportions: the globalized and trans-national Terrorism. There are basically two actors directly related to contemporary Terrorism: the Islamic fundamentalism and the United States from George W. Bush doctrine. Although there are many international conventions about Terrorism, its provisions are not sufficient to combat the phenomenon, mainly due to the absence of an accurate and clear definition of Terrorism. The risks of a unilateral anti-Terrorism politics are extremely oppressive for humanity, as they are based on Human Rights violations, torture, and arbitrary detention of individuals for indefinite time, vilification on the innocence presumption, on the adversary system and on full defense. Not to mention the use of lies and the figure of the objective enemy as domination means. Considering this scenario, it is indispensible that the fight against Terrorism operates accordingly to Human Rights International Law, with full respect to Human Rights fundamental core and to the nondiscrimination principle, through the adoption of a global strategy against Terrorism, based on five principles. Humanity truly and deeply needs to experience the freedom from want, the freedom from fear and the freedom to live in dignity / O presente estudo tem por objetivo analisar a forma pela qual o combate ao Terrorismo e ao Terror tem impactado o Direito Internacional dos Direitos Humanos. Partindo da configuração da mentalidade emergente pós- Segunda Guerra mundial, com suas características fundamentais, e dos principais instrumentos internacionais de proteção dos Direitos Humanos, verifica-se que o Terrorismo e a luta contra o Terror têm representado um grande desafio - senão o maior deles ao Direito Internacional dos Direitos Humanos. Acontece que, em pleno século XXI, a humanidade tem testemunhado o ressurgir de um fenômeno antigo, redimensionado em suas características e proporções: o Terrorismo globalizado e transnacional. São basicamente dois atores diretamente relacionados ao Terrorismo contemporâneo: o fundamentalismo islâmico e os Estados Unidos da doutrina George W. Bush. Não obstante haja uma série de convenções internacionais que disciplinem o Terrorismo, suas disposições não se afiguram como sendo suficientes para combatê-lo, principalmente pela ausência de uma definição clara e precisa de atos terroristas. São assaz gravosos para a humanidade os riscos de uma política unilateral de combate ao Terrorismo, baseada na violação de Direitos Humanos, na prática da tortura, na detenção arbitrária de pessoas por tempo indeterminado, no vilipêndio à presunção de inocência, aos princípios do contraditório e da ampla defesa. Ainda mais utilizando- se do uso da mentira e da figura do inimigo objetivo como forma de dominação. Para tanto, indispensável que o combate ao Terrorismo se opere sob a égide do Direito Internacional dos Direitos Humanos, no mais amplo respeito do núcleo inderrogável dos Direitos Humanos e do princípio da não discriminação, por meio da adoção de uma estratégia global de combate a esse fenômeno. Afinal de contas, a humanidade precisa, verdadeiramente, experienciar a liberdade livre de necessidades, a liberdade livre do medo e a liberdade de viver na mais plena dignidade

Book Summary: The Routledge Handbook on Deviance brings together original contributions on deviance, with a focus on new, emerging, and hidden forms of deviant behavior. The editors have curated a comprehensive collection highlighting the relativity of deviance, with chapters exploring the deviant behaviors related to sport, recreation, body modification, chronic health conditions, substance use, religion and cults, political extremism, sexuality, online interaction, mental and emotional disorders, elite societal status, workplace issues, and lifestyle. The selections review competing definitions and orientations and a wide range of theoretical premises, while addressing methodological issues involved in the study of deviance. Each section begins with an introduction by the editors, anchoring the topics in relevant theoretical and methodological contexts and identifying common themes as well as divergence. Providing state-of-the-art scholarship on deviance in modern society, this handbook is an invaluable resource for researchers and students engaged in the study of deviance across a range of diciplines including criminology, criminal justice, sociology, anthropology, and interdisciplinary departments, including justice studies, social transformation, and socio-legal studies.