This study examines the formation and maintenance of young peoples' attitude to Christianity and seeks to ascertain which are the salient factors, or group of factors, involved in such processes. It was stimulated by the apparent gradient of decline in young people's active participation in the life of the Church in many parts of Scotland and by the thought that such decline may be due in some measure to young people's fundamental attitudes to Christianity. The empirical research, which forms the kernel of the study, was undertaken in 1986 among 6,838 secondary school pupils, aged 11 to 17 years, in non-denominational, denominational and independent schools within the Dundee area. Questionnaires relating to attitudes to religion and science were administered by teachers, mainly from Religious Education departments within the schools. The Francis Attitude towards Christianity Scale (ASC 4B) was used in connection with the attitudes to religion items. The data was analysed by means of the SPSSX statistical package. Each section of the study investigates available research literature relevant to the topic considered. Chapter 4 looks in detail at the main variables involved in the formation and maintenance of young people's attitudes to Christianity, viz. Pupils' sex, age, personal Church attendance and Sunday School attendance, parental Church attendance and parental encouragement, social class differences, peer group influence, type of school attended and attitudes to science. The effects of television viewing on young people's perceptions, including their perceptions of religion on television, was also considered. Among the basic conclusions reached by this study are there: - Parental example and encouragement are the most salient elements in the religious socialization of young people. Peer group influence is also shown to be a significant factor in the transmission of young people's attitudes to Christianity. Pupils' Church attendance has considerable influence on their attitudes to Christianity and the continuance of these and their attitudes to science are shown to have special importance for their attitudes to religion. The 13 to 15 year age period merits further and deeper examination. This appears to be a decisive stage in adolescent development, when significant changes occur in young people's perceptions of religion and in their attitudes to Christianity.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Ashland Theological Seminary, 1992. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 112-124).

This study investigates those factors which influence the development and formation of religious attitudes in students. While there is an increasing body of knowledge and indepth research evolving regarding this field of study there is little done in the Third World and it is the first done on students at Betikama, Kukudu and Aore Adventist High Schools. It is an "ex post facto" study and examines the effects of a number of variables-- school, age, gender, level of schooling, religion, parent's religion, religious practices, parent's schooling, country of citizenship, student future plans, number of years at school, the type of school, school life and school climate-- on the religious attitudes of students attending selected high schools. The significance of the study lies in attempting to identify those factors which assist in the development of propitious religious attitudes in students. The modus operandi of the schools in the study is to encourage students to adopt a world view and lifestyle that is consistent with the tenets and practises of Christianity as espoused by Seventh-day Adventistism. It is the purpose of this study to contribute to the identification of factors which would assist in the achieving of this objective. Those variables which were most significant in the formation of attitudes toward religion were related to the School Climate and School Life as perceived by the students. Other findings related to variables investigating Student Background, Personal Characteristics, Student Religious Practices, and Family Background. These results apparently found some variables to be significant while others appeared not to be as significant. The research seems to suggest that educators and administrators must be aware of the influence of various school experiences on the development of religious attitudes in students. If they want to succeed in their objectives, then school programmes, school curriculum, extra-curricula activities, teaching methods and teacher example should promote student worth, through such aspects as fair treatment, consistency, seeing students as individuals and nuturing caring environments. Further research may include identification of factors which seem to override the importance of gender and age on the religious attitudes of the students in the study. It may also be worthwhile to identify those facets of school life and climate which are most conducive to the development of positive attitudes toward religion.

No description available.

The present study used a delay discounting procedure to characterize choice behaviors in behavioral impulsivity regarding hypothetical monetary outcomes in relation to political, religious and sexual attitudes. Participants were presented with three separate metrics to measure their political, religious and sexual attitudes and then with delay discounting choices, regarding hypothetical monetary outcomes. In the delay discounting measure, participants were presented with a hypothetical scenario, a preference for a certain monetary amount now, or $1,000 at a later specified time. The survey was administered with 26 participants; however, four of the participants’ data were removed due to errors. Results indicated there was no significant relationship between AUC values and political attitudes - r (22) = .14, r2 = .02, p > .05, p = .26. Results indicated there was no significant relationship between AUC values and religious attitudes - r (22) = .27, r2 = .07, p > .05, p = .11. A significant relationship was found between AUC and sexual attitudes - r (22) = -.39, r2 = .15, p < .05, p = .048. Furthermore, the results indicated there was a significant relationship between AUC values and the communion subscale of sexual attitudes – r (22) = -.48, r2 = .23, p < .05, p = .01. The current investigation has implications for further understanding of choice and decision-making behavior and how to predict and influence the respective choices and decisions to improve the quality of life of all individuals.

This study was designed to investigate the function of an individual's level of Christian conservatism and one's current attitude toward seeking professional psychotherapeutic help.

Introduction The discovery and continued development of vaccines is arguably one of the most important innovations in human history. Vaccination greatly reduces the worldwide incidence and transmission of diseases, preventing permanent injury and premature death. Mass vaccination campaigns have led to the eradication or partial eradication of severe infectious such as smallpox and polio, have reduced childhood mortality, and has led to an overall increase in average health in the human population globally. Despite the documented benefits of vaccination, vaccine hesitancy is increasing, and the uptake of some vaccines is low. Vaccines have been so successful at preventing disease that portions of the population are now more afraid of the possible side-effects of vaccines then they are of the serious symptoms and maladies that vaccines prevent. Vaccine hesitancy is a serious concern for the global medical community. The incidence of infectious disease is inversely proportional to vaccine uptake; as fewer people are vaccinated against preventable diseases, the frequency at which people get sick increases. A reduction in vaccination rates due to vaccine hesitancy reduces herd immunity, which increases the risk for the whole population, especially immunocompromised individuals who are unable to receive vaccines. Vaccines that protect against high-risk strains of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) have recently been developed and released to the worldwide population. High-risk HPV strains can cause persistent infection and various cancers. Although HPV vaccines have been extensively tested and are recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization, uptake among some demographics is low. Understanding what factors impact HPV vaccine hesitancy can guide the design of effective interventions which can increase vaccine uptake. High HPV uptake will lead to a reduction of HPV associated cancers and reduce the transmission of high-risk subtypes. Research Significance Vaccine hesitancy is a growing challenge for the medical community and could potentially put global health at risk by undermining 200 years of progress towards eliminating infectious diseases. A better understanding of what factors impact vaccine hesitancy allows public health professionals to design better policies and interventions policies and helps primary care providers better address concerns the concerns of their patients. Better understanding of the factors which cause vaccine hesitance can be used to tailor education about vaccines. This leads to higher vaccine uptake and better community health overall. Methodology Electronically distributed surveys and statistical analysis were the primary tools used in this research. Surveys were used to generate data from a sample population, including: demographic factors, attitudes towards vaccination, and intent to vaccinate against HPV. Barriers to HPV vaccine uptake and factors that impact HPV vaccine acceptance were identified through statistical analysis, including confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, regression and univariate analysis. Findings We found that general attitudes toward vaccination had the greatest impact on the intent of parents to vaccinate their children against HPV. Parents who view vaccination positively intend to vaccinate their children against HPV or have already vaccinated their children against HPV. Parents who are somewhat unsure about vaccines are more hesitant about vaccinating their children against HPV. Knowledge about HPV increases intent to vaccinate. We found that traditionally religious parents who felt that religious adherence provided some protection against HPV were more hesitant about HPV vaccinations. We found that both a religious-focused intervention and an education-focused interventions increased parental intent to vaccinate more than a control intervention. Our study of Utah residents confirmed our earlier findings that general attitudes toward vaccination had the greatest impact on the intent of parents to vaccinate their children against HPV. Our study also confirmed that knowledge about HPV increases intent to vaccinate. We found that high religious practice negatively impacts parental intent to vaccinate. Cautious sexual attitudes also negatively impact intent to vaccinate against HPV. High religious practice is correlated with cautious sexual attitudes which explains the negative impact of high religious practice on intent to vaccinate. The findings of this research work will be used to inform future religious and educational based interventions in Utah and beyond.

This dissertation examines from a Vattimian perspective the challenge that euthanasia and assisted suicide posed to the sanctity of life ethos in Canada from 1972–2005. Gianni Vattimo’s central themes—metaphysics (absolute values), “event of being” (lived experiences that call absolute values into question), and passive-reactive nihilism (the use of “masks” or “disguises” to prevent the dissolution of metaphysics)—are pivotal to understanding the way religious and secular beliefs are interwoven within ethical, medical, legal and political discourses in Canada. Vattimo’s philosophico-ethical approach was specifically chosen because as a theoretical tool, it helps to illuminate the presence, weakening, and resilience of metaphysics in discourses surrounding an intentionally hastened death. To demonstrate how Vattimo’s major themes apply empirically to the research, a social constructionist approach was adopted in the form of a discourse analysis. Particular emphasis was placed on an examination of the three most important cases of death and dying in Canada, namely, Nancy B., Sue Rodriguez and Robert Latimer. The bulk of the evidence suggests that when these “events of being” challenged the sanctity doctrine as the ultimate foundation for life-terminating decisions, ethical, medical, legal and political discourses converged to promote three normative positions or authorizing discourses used in the tradition of Christian ethics: (1) stewardship—the view that since life is a “loan from God,” sacred, and of infinite worth, death cannot be intentionally hastened (“nature must take its course”); (2) value in prolonged suffering—the view that since suffering possesses transcendent meaning or purpose, its prolongation is justified in individual circumstances; and (3) the “slippery slope”—the view that any weakening of the sanctity of life ethos inevitably harms or threatens the community. Generally speaking, religious and secular advocates of the sanctity of life ethos reacted similarly in cases involving an intentionally hastened death. In other words, both the religious and the secular embraced metaphysics (absolute values), condoned and rationalized the prolongation of suffering, and relied on the “slippery slope” as a “mask” to maintain the sanctity of human life as first principle. The research strongly suggests that Canada is still significantly indebted to Christian notions when it comes to discussions surrounding the decriminalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide.

This dissertation examines from a Vattimian perspective the challenge that euthanasia and assisted suicide posed to the sanctity of life ethos in Canada from 1972–2005. Gianni Vattimo’s central themes—metaphysics (absolute values), “event of being” (lived experiences that call absolute values into question), and passive-reactive nihilism (the use of “masks” or “disguises” to prevent the dissolution of metaphysics)—are pivotal to understanding the way religious and secular beliefs are interwoven within ethical, medical, legal and political discourses in Canada. Vattimo’s philosophico-ethical approach was specifically chosen because as a theoretical tool, it helps to illuminate the presence, weakening, and resilience of metaphysics in discourses surrounding an intentionally hastened death. To demonstrate how Vattimo’s major themes apply empirically to the research, a social constructionist approach was adopted in the form of a discourse analysis. Particular emphasis was placed on an examination of the three most important cases of death and dying in Canada, namely, Nancy B., Sue Rodriguez and Robert Latimer. The bulk of the evidence suggests that when these “events of being” challenged the sanctity doctrine as the ultimate foundation for life-terminating decisions, ethical, medical, legal and political discourses converged to promote three normative positions or authorizing discourses used in the tradition of Christian ethics: (1) stewardship—the view that since life is a “loan from God,” sacred, and of infinite worth, death cannot be intentionally hastened (“nature must take its course”); (2) value in prolonged suffering—the view that since suffering possesses transcendent meaning or purpose, its prolongation is justified in individual circumstances; and (3) the “slippery slope”—the view that any weakening of the sanctity of life ethos inevitably harms or threatens the community. Generally speaking, religious and secular advocates of the sanctity of life ethos reacted similarly in cases involving an intentionally hastened death. In other words, both the religious and the secular embraced metaphysics (absolute values), condoned and rationalized the prolongation of suffering, and relied on the “slippery slope” as a “mask” to maintain the sanctity of human life as first principle. The research strongly suggests that Canada is still significantly indebted to Christian notions when it comes to discussions surrounding the decriminalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide.

This dissertation examines from a Vattimian perspective the challenge that euthanasia and assisted suicide posed to the sanctity of life ethos in Canada from 1972–2005. Gianni Vattimo’s central themes—metaphysics (absolute values), “event of being” (lived experiences that call absolute values into question), and passive-reactive nihilism (the use of “masks” or “disguises” to prevent the dissolution of metaphysics)—are pivotal to understanding the way religious and secular beliefs are interwoven within ethical, medical, legal and political discourses in Canada. Vattimo’s philosophico-ethical approach was specifically chosen because as a theoretical tool, it helps to illuminate the presence, weakening, and resilience of metaphysics in discourses surrounding an intentionally hastened death. To demonstrate how Vattimo’s major themes apply empirically to the research, a social constructionist approach was adopted in the form of a discourse analysis. Particular emphasis was placed on an examination of the three most important cases of death and dying in Canada, namely, Nancy B., Sue Rodriguez and Robert Latimer. The bulk of the evidence suggests that when these “events of being” challenged the sanctity doctrine as the ultimate foundation for life-terminating decisions, ethical, medical, legal and political discourses converged to promote three normative positions or authorizing discourses used in the tradition of Christian ethics: (1) stewardship—the view that since life is a “loan from God,” sacred, and of infinite worth, death cannot be intentionally hastened (“nature must take its course”); (2) value in prolonged suffering—the view that since suffering possesses transcendent meaning or purpose, its prolongation is justified in individual circumstances; and (3) the “slippery slope”—the view that any weakening of the sanctity of life ethos inevitably harms or threatens the community. Generally speaking, religious and secular advocates of the sanctity of life ethos reacted similarly in cases involving an intentionally hastened death. In other words, both the religious and the secular embraced metaphysics (absolute values), condoned and rationalized the prolongation of suffering, and relied on the “slippery slope” as a “mask” to maintain the sanctity of human life as first principle. The research strongly suggests that Canada is still significantly indebted to Christian notions when it comes to discussions surrounding the decriminalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide.