Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University. / The dissertation is a descriptive history of three major movements in religious healing in the United States which have been especially prominent during the years 1940-1960. The division of these movements has been made from the standpoint of their respective methodologies, thus distinguishing three approaches: healing through pastoral (religio-psychiatric) counseling, healing through liturgical worship, and healing through applied metaphysics. Part One of the dissertation describes the historical background of each of these three movements, and Part Two presents the theology of healing in each approach, with a final chapter correlating concepts in all three movements. Individual and denominational differences within each approach are recognized. [TRUNCATED]

<p>This study examines the experience of visitors to the shrine of Sainte Anne de Beaupré in Québec, Canada. Drawing on ethnographic data, narratives and historical research, this project describes the ways in which Saint Anne is meaningful to people. I focus on the themes of pilgrimage and tourism, devotional expressions, visionary experiences and religious healing.</p> <p>While the earliest visitors to the shrine were primarily motivated by stories of the miraculous, contemporary visitors have many different motivations, blurring the scholarly boundaries constructed between pilgrimage and tourism.</p> <p>Devotional expressions at Sainte Anne de Beaupré, understood as “media of engagement” or “relationships of presence,” encompass a wide range of practices, meanings and functions. Power is invested and diffused through Saint Anne by forming “cogent connections” to her through the media of devotional expressions.</p> <p>This study also considers visionary experiences that are associated with Saint Anne, especially visions that are related to pilgrimage and religious healing at Sainte Anne de Beaupré. Rather than focusing on the “epiphany” of the visionary experience itself, I suggest that agency is key to understanding visions, particularly as they relate to issues of empowerment.</p> <p>Finally, I situate pilgrimage, devotional expressions and visionary encounters in the context of religious healing. The term healing encompasses a broad range of meanings, and I demonstrate that journeys to Sainte Anne de Beaupré involve a quest for therapy, self-transformation, identity and/or personal empowerment.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

北斗崇拜是一個悠遠的信仰母題，它作為文化基因被各個宗教傳統所分有。任何一個微小的儀式細節背後都有一個大的信仰傳統作為其理論支持，本文意在討論北斗崇拜作為一個龐大星辰信仰的分支如何在法教儀式中實踐。本文將北斗崇拜聚焦於星命與本命的議題，選取台灣北部獅場補運和台灣南部進錢補運兩則大型補運儀式作為田野研究對象；從魂魄觀、性命觀兩個角度討論北斗崇拜在補運儀式中所載負的療癒特質，進而檢視法教和道教在儀式傳統、療癒觀念上的區別。最後，從文化、社會兩方面重新審視漢人的「致—治」病的觀念，試圖說明一個完整的宗教療癒理論可以將疾病與治療平行放在社會文化脈絡中進行考察。本文試圖建立「北斗崇拜——補運儀式——宗教療癒」這一範式，將其視為日常生活中解決生命危機和災厄困境的一種宗教邏輯，而非一個儀式操作上的絕對標準，試圖說明北斗崇拜如何在時間、空間各個方面影響著台灣漢人的日常生活。 / The Great Dipper worship has a long history and tradition, it is assimilated into various religions as a Cultural Gene.Every ritual action is supported by a big theoretical system, this article is intended to explain how are the Great Dipper worship practicing in the Faism ritual as a branch of the huge stars belief.This article focuses on the subject of star mandate(星命)and destiny, chooses the Luck Replenishing Ritual by exorcising of Northern Taiwan and Luck Replenishing Ritual of Southern as the locations of field investigation, to analyze the healing practice of Great Dipper both in view of soul-body and nature-life, so that we can explain the difference between the Fa and Dao in ritual and healing concept .At last, re-examine the concepts of getting and healing disease through both cultural and social approaches. This article attempts to explain a complete religious healing theory can place disease and its treatment both in a social and cultural context. The article tries to establish a paradigm about the Great Dipper worship, Luck Replenishing and Religious Healing, by which to discuss how the Great Dipper worship affects the daily life in society of Han nationality in various dimensions to help them solve life crisis and disaster as a religious logic rather than an absolute standard of ritual.