This study investigates and evaluates the effects of an eighteen-hour weekend encounter group and three twelve-week groups--a weekly counseling group, a Bible discussion group, and a church attendance group, upon selected personality and behavioral variables, group morale and social integration. Subjects were forty-eight volunteers from a 250-member Protestant, evangelical church in a suburb of a Texas city of five-hundred thousand people. Six men and six women were randomly assigned to each of the four groups. Data analyzed were the pre-, post-, and post-post-experiment scores of the Personal Orientation Inventory, the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire, and the sociometric variables based on Bonney's "Criteria for a Better Group on Sociometric Scales". The .05 level of significance was required for rejection of the null hypotheses. The statistical analyses were accomplished by applying a one-way analysis of co-variance design to the raw scores from the Personal Orientation Inventory, the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire, and two of the three sociometric variables--mutual choices and opposite sex choices. The sociometric variable, choices between upper and lower quarters, was computed with the z formula. The sociometric data, mutuals and opposite sex choices on the encounter group, were further analyzed using the single-factor analysis of variance with repeated measures. It was hypothesized that the participants in the weekend encounter group would show a significantly greater change in self-actualization, positive personality and behavioral changes, social integration and group morale than would the participants in the other groups. It was further hypothesized that the weekly counseling group would show a significantly greater change in the selected variables, social integration and group morale, than would the Bible discussion or church attendance groups. It was also hypothesized that the Bible discussion group would show a significantly greater change in the selected variables, social integration and group morale than would the church attendance group. Statistical analyses failed to confirm the research hypotheses. The participants in the eighteen-hour encounter group did not show a significantly greater change in the selected personality and behavioral variables, group morale and social integration, than did the participants in the other three groups, at the conclusion of the eighteen hours or the twelve-week sessions. A partial significance was achieved by the participants in the counseling group. No significant changes were indicated by the Bible discussion or church attendance groups. The findings of this study partially support the assumption that psychological groups could enhance the ministry of the church. Therefore, it is recommended that further study on psychological-religious groups be initiated.

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between student leadership and alcohol use. Previous literature had examined alcohol use of leaders and non-leaders in high-use organizations — Greeks and athletes. This study extends that literature by focusing on leaders and non-leaders in low-use organizations, and by examining students with multiple leadership roles. The research used existing data from the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey. A random sample of 2,000 respondents was obtained from the Core Institute at Southern Illinois University – Carbondale. Respondents were leaders and non-leader members of minority and ethnic organizations and religious and interfaith groups. From this total sample, 624 students were active in minority organizations only, 865 were involved in religious groups only, and 511 were active in both. Dependent variables were drawn from four questions on the Core Survey concerning average number of drinks per week, consumption of five or more drinks at one sitting, negative consequences of alcohol use, and alcohol-related beliefs. No statistically significant differences were found in the alcohol use of leader and non-leaders who were active only in minority groups. Significant differences were found however, between leaders and non-leaders who were active only in religious groups. For these groups, leaders consumed alcohol, engaged in high-risk drinking, experienced negative consequences, and ascribed to alcohol-related myths at a lower rate than those not in leadership positions. Student in dual leadership positions across the whole sample reported significantly higher alcohol use than student involved in one leadership position. Students with leadership roles in both minority and religious organizations drank approximately three times as much (9.75 per week) as those who are leaders in only one type of organization (2.75 per week). The results of this study, understood in the context of the existing literature on alcohol and leadership in high-use organizations, suggest that a Leader Factor may exist: Leaders of student organizations tend to drink at least as much as non-leaders, and those with multiple leadership roles have the highest rate of involvement with alcohol. The single exception to this rule is leaders who are active in religious groups only. / Master of Arts

No

The Christian Right has been a major contributor to the policy process since the 1980s, helping shape the national agenda by illuminating a number of social issues and influencing elections with strong grassroots campaigns. For political scientists, Christian Right organizations provide a rich source of information for studying interest group activity, electioneering, and general political theory. In particular, their efforts to lobby various policy issues such as prayer in school, education, abortion, and traditional marriage, has caused them to become a distinct coalition of advocacy groups, and the focus of much research by many scholars. However, as we advance into the twenty-first century, new biotechnology-related issues have emerged that challenge Christian Right organizations and their values. The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the involvement of the Christian Right between 2001 and the beginning of 2009 in legislative debates regarding stem cell research policy, and attempt to distinguish its effective and non-effective lobbying strategies, and the general perception of its influence. This study addressed three research questions. First, to what extent do Christian Right organizations participate in the legislative process regarding stem cell research? Second, what is the perceived influence of its lobbying activities on federal stem cell research legislation? Third, in what ways does the Christian Right engage in lobbying legislators on stem cell research legislation? Within these broad research questions, the following subsequent study objectives were pursued: 1) learn about the reasons for the Christian Right’s influence or lack of influence; 2) understand the goals of its advocacy efforts; 3) learn about its use of outside and inside lobbying strategies; 4) better understand the approach used by Christian Right organizations in lobbying legislators who were undecided about a particular stem cell research legislation; 5) learn about the kind of rhetoric it used; and 6) find out what, if any, forms of coalition building it engaged in as part of its advocacy efforts. In addition, this study examined why legislators voted against the majority of their political party when it came to stem cell research legislation. The epistemological approach for this study was qualitative. Data consisted of verbal responses to semi-structured questions during telephone interviews with representatives from Christian Right organizations, advocacy groups that support the expansion of stem cell research policy, former legislators, and current staff members. In addition to the in-depth interviews, data was also obtained through organizational and government documents. Finally, this dissertation analyzed the Christian Right and its participation in the development of stem cell research legislation through the lens of the advocacy coalition framework. In doing so, the study captures of the essence of the stem cell debate and the role of the Christian Right within it, and offers a new theoretical framework for examining the Christian Right.

Probe into religious life in the Czech Republic would certainly be beneficial for the Czech sociology and religious studies, her research and treatment would not necessarily have to be based on several years of research activity. Due to the type of work I have therefore decided to focus on selected Czech city whose religious life might yield representative results. The task was daunting. The main stumbling block appeared to be time-consuming and the amount of data required for processing. The entire probe is based on socio-anthropological empirical research to not even bring religionistic theological knowledge, although it is clear that their job does not shirk. In culturologistic context is the focus of interest in the work of churches and religious associations as a subculture, their inner and outer life, forms of communication with the urban community and defining against her and against other religious groups. In this context attention is paid to the question of how different religious groups perceived their predominantly atheistic environment. Processed results should bring both the synthetic evaluation of the religious life of the city selected as the more general conclusions about the importance and possibilities of life in contemporary Czech society and last but not least, the conclusions...

<p>The aim of this paper is to describe and explain how the separation between state and church effects the power relations between state and religious groups and organizations. Former state church, The Swedish church, is in this paper, not included in the definition of religious groups. The reform (“stat-kyrka reformen”) took place between 1995 and year 2000.I’m examining if religious groups had any influence on the reform. My expectation is to give a clearer picture of religious groups and its power position in Swedish politics and society. A process-tracing method is used. I use different theories, theory of power and influence and theory of collective action. The reason for the decision to separate church and state was to handle social changes such as increasing secularism, pluralism and multiculturalism. This paper can however conclude that the state, after the reform, has shown an even greater, less secular, determination to connect with religious groups. I can also conclude that these religious groups had influence on the reform itself, partly because of its power resources and partly because its ability for collective actions.</p>

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2016-09-29T13:24:45Z No. of bitstreams: 1 josewellingtondesouza.pdf: 358939 bytes, checksum: 6f7c7da146d116a6609fe8eae5eef39e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Diamantino Mayra (mayra.diamantino@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-09-30T13:52:46Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 josewellingtondesouza.pdf: 358939 bytes, checksum: 6f7c7da146d116a6609fe8eae5eef39e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-30T13:52:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 josewellingtondesouza.pdf: 358939 bytes, checksum: 6f7c7da146d116a6609fe8eae5eef39e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-08-11 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / O objetivo deste trabalho é analisar a relação entre desagregação e magia entre moradores da periferia de Liberdade-MG. Ex-agregados rurais que em sua maioria usam explicações mágicas para explicarem fenômenos sociais cotidianos. A análise de tal relação foi possível através da observação do conjunto de crenças compartilhadas pelos moradores, e do uso destas crenças, oriundas de diversos grupos religiosos, para explicar a disputa dos moradores por bens escassos, e os problemas encontrados no processo de obtenção destes bens e de adequação à vida urbana. Ao longo do trabalho outros problemas relacionados à relação entre desagregação e magia são apresentados, mas sempre com o intuito de esclarecer as formas através das quais esta relação se estabelece. A partir daí tem inicio a analise da disputa dos grupos religiosos pelo monopólio da definição da Realidade, e pelo monopólio da ação mágica sobre esta realidade. / This work aims to analyse the relationship between desegregation and magic among people from suburbs of Liberdade MG. Most of ex aggregates from rural areas use magic in order to explain the social phenomenon in their daily routine. The analysis was constructed after watching a group of beliefs that came from various religious groups in order to explain the fight for rare riches and the problems that they found during the process of getting these riches and the adaptation to the life in the city area. During this work, other problems related to the relationship between desegregation and magic are showed, but these problems always have the aim to clarify the ways through this relationship occur. After that, it begins the analysis of the battle for the total control (monopoly) of the definition of Reality and for the control of the Magic action on this reality among religious groups.

The aim of this study is to get a better understanding of the transition out of an aberrantclosed group. This thematic literature study is based on 16 articles of people leaving criminalgangs, closed religious groups, and white supremacy groups. The different articles focus onprocesses that lead people to leaving their groups or the different changes and experiencespeople went through as they left. Three themes highlight the common experiences oftransitioning out of these groups are: disillusion, the experience of loss, and the struggle withcreating a new identity. Some people experienced disillusionment with their groups whilethey were still inside the group while others' experience of disillusionment with their formergroup came after they had left it. People who left their groups often began to shift their pointof reference, whereby they started to compare themself with norms and values that existed intheir new setting, although this could take time. Their previous group's narratives sometimesweighed heavily on their minds. Some people felt as if they had gone astray after they hadleft their former groups. The disillusionment and the different losses people went throughlead some of the people into what can be described as an identity crisis. A place where somefelt not only alienated from their former group or the society that they entered but sometimesalso felt alienated from themself, a mental state of disorientation. Some people struggled withwhat can be referred to as a hangover identity. Although they tried to get rid of their previousideas and thought patterns they were still haunted by them. For some people their newidentities both helped them distance themselves from thoughts and feelings connected to theirformer identity but also helped them see themself as something else then a former member oftheir group. Others struggled to access desired roles and identity. They instead experiencedthe pains of goal failure where they were held back because of societal views of their formerroles.

Yes / A new legal framework has been developed in Great Britain over the last ten years which protects individuals against unfair treatment on the grounds of their religion or belief. This framework regards all the major faith groups, secular belief systems (such as Humanism or Atheism), and non-belief on formally equal terms. There has also been a rapid growth of research interest in religion/belief in contemporary scholarship on equalities. This report provides a critical overview of this extensive research base relating mainly to England, Scotland and Wales up until 2008.

Cette thèse analyse la portée actuelle des droits humains au sein des groupements religieux à travers la question de la discrimination des femmes dans l’accès aux fonctions cultuelles. Si actuellement, le principe de liberté de religion conditionne l’appréhension juridique du caractère discriminatoire de l’exclusion des femmes de certaines fonctions cultuelles, l’enracinement de l’égalité des sexes dans les sociétés contemporaines amorce de nouveaux traitements et réflexions en ce qui concerne les atteintes aux droits des femmes et les discriminations sexuelles liées au religieux, au niveau du droit positif et dans le cadre des droits internes de certaines religions. / This thesis focuses on the current impact of human rights within religious communities, through the topic of women’s discrimination in access of some religious functions. If the principle of religious freedom conditions the legal understanding of discriminatory nature of women’s exclusion from some religious functions, the implantation of gender equality in contemporary societies initiates new treatments and reflexions about women’s rights violations and gender discriminations from religious, at the level of positive law and of some religious laws.