This diploma thesis, entitled "Eucharistic prayer and its reintroduction in contemporary Reformed churches," deals with the historical development and present form of Eucharistic prayer, as well as the possibilities of its application in liturgical orders to the Lord's Supper in the Reformed churches. The aim of the work is to explore the essence of the liturgical and theological contribution of the Eucharistic prayer for the eucharistic liturgy of the Reformed churches. The work consists of six chapters. At first, deals with the Eucharistic prayer as one of the possible elements of the liturgical renewal of the Lord's Supper in Protestant churches, whose liturgical orders do not include the Eucharistic prayer owing to historical development. It also discusses the historical development of the Eucharistic prayer from its Jewish roots, through the emergence of the Roman canon to its removal by the reformers from the liturgy of the Lord's Supper. The work also focuses on the comparison of two particular Reformed churches, the Reformed Church in America and the Reformed Christian Church in Slovakia, on their approach to the use of Eucharistic prayer and on the reflection of the contribution of Eucharistic prayer to the liturgical orders of the Reformed churches in general.

The purpose of this study is to determine and present as completely and as clearly as possible what the Book of Mormon teaches concerning prayer in order that one may gain a greater understanding of prayer and become more conscious of the need to make prayer a part of his life. It is also the purpose of this study to show how the Book of Mormon can aid the teacher by pointing out the many scriptural passages that could be used in teaching prayer. These teachings on prayer have been classified under the following chapter headings: Some Basic Essentials of Prayer, Why People Pray and for What, Words that Express a Prayer Was Offered, How Answers to Prayer Were Given, Why God May Not Answer Our Prayers as Desired, The Relationship of Prayer to Gospel Principles, Why People Do Not Pray, and Jesus Christ Prays.In the various chapters will be found lists of references. The place where the verse or portions of verses are located will be cited first; then the name of who is speaking or writing, or who the reference is about; and finally the verses or portions of verses are quoted.

In 2017 the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) released a revised vision and approach for the department of national defence, entitled “Strong, Secure, Engaged” (“Strong, Secure, Engaged: Canada’s Defence Policy” 2017). This document has a dedicated section on diversity and the significance of drawing upon the different backgrounds and cultural experiences each member brings with them when entering the organization. This section confirms the commitment of the Canadian government and the CAF to ensure that diversity and inclusion are priorities at all levels of supervision and management of personnel. However, many years removed from the implementation of this policy, the inclusion of diversity remains a topic of contention and is a struggle that the institution faces daily. . While the topic of equality and inclusion has many dimensions and considerations, especially within the CAF, this thesis will address the impact of the historical influence that Christian practices and traditions have had and continues to have upon the institution and its aim to enhance diversity and ensure the inclusion and equal treatment of all members. The thesis will question whether the CAF can succeed in its commitment to creating a safe and respectful workplace in light of privileges that exist for Christian beliefs and practices, which often go unaddressed or remain hidden in plain sight. This exploration of this question led to the analysis of legal rulings concerning the freedom of religious expression within the Canadian context; three crucial CAF policies that address the rights and freedoms of serving members; the summary trial of Lt(N) Scott in 2003; and an in-depth examination of the current research and scholarship regarding equality, inclusion, and the accommodation of diversity. What emerged from this analysis was an understanding that the CAF must recognize longstanding privileges favouring Christian practices if the organization intends to succeed in implementing initiatives, policies and procedures focusing on inclusion and diversity. Ultimately, this thesis aims to apply the findings of the examination of Christian privileges and to suggest practical steps that the CAF can implement to create change within the culture of the CAF. Drawing upon the concepts of the lived religion method, Lori Beaman’s deep equality approach, and the concept of mutual respect, this thesis intends to encourage the CAF to look beyond current models and approaches of managing diversity and difference as if it is a problem to be solved. Instead, this thesis intends to encourage the CAF to focus on actively listening to the complexity of the needs of its members. The research and analysis suggest that engaging in this process will permit more voices to be heard and allow diversity to strengthen the institution instead of being a problem that needs accommodation.

The primary speaker of Louise Glück's The Wild Iris is a wanderer in her own garden. She relentlessly searches for God among her foxgloves and daisies, straining to hear God's voice. Two other speakers, God and the collective plants of the garden, offer their perspectives without acknowledgement by the human speaker. Many critics read these two other speakers as, in fact, narcissistic projections of the human speaker, a God and a world made in her own image. In this thesis, I clarify that the kind of narcissistic projection that occurs in The Wild Iris is actually productive for genuine spiritual experience and encounters with the divine, not self-deluded illusions. If these two other speakers are in fact animated by the human speaker, it is through poetry's ability to facilitate encounters with alterity. With Michel de Certeau's concept of metaphorai in mind, I argue that the speaker's eventual communion with God is particularly made possible by her use of metaphor, which allows her to linguistically traverse the distance between her and God.

This doctoral thesis is on the subject of Islamic and Shia liturgy or prayer. it covers its history, philosophy and doctrinal content / This dissertation explores the historical, doctrinal, and philosophical aspects pertaining to Twelver Shīʿī liturgy. In doing so, it brings to light the broad historical contours which established its textual development and proliferation from the period of the Imāms until that of Shaykh ʿAbbās al-Qummī. This historical development entailed the production of the liturgical genre as a textual tradition that developed from the 2nd/8th century. It is believed that portions of this early textual tradition went on to form the basis of later liturgical collections such as al-Kulaynī’s Kitāb al-duʿāʾ, Ibn Qūlawayh’s Kāmil al-ziyārāt and al-Ṭūsī’s Miṣbāḥ al-mutahajjid. This is also indicative of a profound interest in liturgical material by both the scholars who compiled this material and the faithful who performed it, which is evidenced by the repeated copying and transmission of such texts in various parts of the Muslim world. These liturgical texts (duʿāʾ and ziyāra) are also replete with philosophical and theological motifs which underly their function as a means of developing Shīʿī piety and a religious identity that focuses upon complete submission to the Imāms of the People of the House (ahl al-bayt). Considering the above, the texts, when recited and enacted, may be described as a form of performative theology in the Twelver Shīʿī tradition. It is this performative theology which aided in the development and fortification of Twelver Shīʿī identity, especially in light of their minority and often beleaguered social-political position at various times in history. Through an in-depth investigation into the culture and practice of the rigorous and systematic transmission of liturgical texts, this dissertation provides, for the first time, clear evidence of a method for preserving the liturgical compositions that were attributed to the Imāms. With a selection of words and phrases drawn from these texts, a sensitive analysis is made of their theological and cosmological underpinnings. It is hoped that such an analysis will pave the way for further consideration of this, until now, somewhat neglected field of Islamic Studies. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / This dissertation explores the historical, doctrinal, and philosophical aspects pertaining to Twelver Shīʿī liturgy. In doing so, it brings to light the broad historical contours which established its textual development and proliferation from the period of the Imāms until that of Shaykh ʿAbbās al-Qummī. This historical development entailed the production of the liturgical genre as a textual tradition that developed from the 2nd/8th century. It is believed that portions of this early textual tradition went on to form the basis of later liturgical collections such as al-Kulaynī’s Kitāb al-duʿāʾ, Ibn Qūlawayh’s Kāmil al-ziyārāt and al-Ṭūsī’s Miṣbāḥ al-mutahajjid. This is also indicative of a profound interest in liturgical material by both the scholars who compiled this material and the faithful who performed it, which is evidenced by the repeated copying and transmission of such texts in various parts of the Muslim world. These liturgical texts (duʿāʾ and ziyāra) are also replete with philosophical and theological motifs which underly their function as a means of developing Shīʿī piety and a religious identity that focuses upon complete submission to the Imāms of the People of the House (ahl al-bayt). Considering the above, the texts, when recited and enacted, may be described as a form of performative theology in the Twelver Shīʿī tradition. It is this performative theology which aided in the development and fortification of Twelver Shīʿī identity, especially in light of their minority and often beleaguered social-political position at various times in history. Through an in-depth investigation into the culture and practice of the rigorous and systematic transmission of liturgical texts, this dissertation provides, for the first time, clear evidence of a method for preserving the liturgical compositions that were attributed to the Imāms. With a selection of words and phrases drawn from these texts, a sensitive analysis is made of their theological and cosmological underpinnings. It is hoped that such an analysis will pave the way for further consideration of this, until now, somewhat neglected field of Islamic Studies.

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This thesis tries to discuss the consignation prayer (formula) of the West Syrian PRES as seen in the Nomocanon chapter 4.8 in relation to manuscripts before and after the time period of the Nomocanon. Liturgical and theological significances of the consignation prayer is also explored through this thesis. An inductive historical-critical method is applied for this study, with the help of the underlying theory that the Nomocanon of BarHebraeus has contributed to a liturgical centralisation within the West-Syrian tradition in relation to the consignation prayer of the PRES. The oldest manuscripts used in this study are dated to the 10th century and the recent ones to the 20th century, thus analysing and studying the liturgical development of the West-Syrian PRES’s consignation prayer.

Sacred spaces have long existed due to their importance as a symbol of belief. Structures are designed to be timeless and forever lasting, representing the essence of faith. In this case, a Mosque has been designed for a site in La Jolla, California, keeping the sacred practices of the religion in mind during design composition. This includes the importance of connectivity for every man and woman, to God. The segregated praying areas for men and women are essential aspects of the design; from entering the site, the common area or courtyard at the center, to the separate walkways for each gender, symbolize the importance of gender segregation and yet a common ground for unity and equality at the holy site. A walk through the corridor leads to the washing area for self cleansing and ritual ablution in preparation for entering the sacred space for prayers, the entrance to a space for a spiritual connection with God. / Master of Architecture

This dissertation is an ethnography of an African American sacred music tradition – the trombone worship bands of the United House of Prayer for All People (UHOP) – that examines the ways in which musical aesthetics mediate racial and economic marginality and religious authority. Musical worship featuring these “shout bands,” involves UHOP members in an embodied performance of religious discourse, including actualizing the boundaries of sanctified interiority, confirming the charismatic authority of the organization’s sacralized leader, and constituting the independence and sovereignty of the UHOP Kingdom. The project is animated by a central question: given continuities in repertoire, performance practice, and theology between UHOP shout bands and other Black gospel practices, why is musical worship at the UHOP organized around the trombone rather than the human voice? The dissertation answers this question dialectically by showing how shout band music-making offers solutions to the ethical and theological issues members face, while UHOP theological discourse capitalizes on the sensory affordances of musical practice. The opening chapter introduces the role of the shout band in the context of UHOP worship services, framing musical practice as the enactment of sacred divisions of space and subjectivity. This chapter also depicts the feedback loop between worship practice and scriptural interpretation by introducing UHOP-specific idioms of Biblical literalism and re-enactment. Chapter two dilates on the connections between musical microsocialities and forms of authority through an analysis of the “figure of call-and-response” as a medium for the bishop’s charismatic authority. In the final chapter, I survey a variety of UHOP state-mimetic forms – that is, forms appropriated from the symbolic repertoire of the United States government – as points of entry into the ways that members actualize a shared notion of “freedom.”