Thesis (M.A.)--Denver Seminary, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [95-100] ).

Thesis (M.A.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2000. / Bibliography: leaves 123-124.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Columbia International University, 2008. / Typescript. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 135-138).

This project is a translation of ideas I have encountered in my journey through Women's Studies. With this interactive book, I offer a concise, understandable, and empowering method for self-discovery from one feminist's perspective. Traditional self-help materials often set the reader up as the one with the issue or problem and they rarely call out the functioning systems of oppression as a stumbling block or offer ways to circumvent them. With this project, I hope to shine light on the functioning systems of gender discrimination, racism, classism, and heterosexism, and to provide a framework for understanding. There are three main theoretical contexts for this project. The first context includes perspectives on language and the ways in which language limits women's communication with themselves and with each other. .The second is gender socialization and how it enforces norms of "appropriate" female behavior. The third context is recent work in feminist spirituality and the possibilities it offers for recovering a spiritual self in direct relationship to a higher being. By narrating my own experiences in these three areas, and by offering resources and tools for further exploration, I hope this thesis will enable readers to understand that it is not they who are sick or in need of "self-help" but the society and culture in which they live.

This thesis is a folkloristic examination of the religious beliefs and rituals associated with members of a religious movement known as Mission De L’Ésprit Saint. Mission De L’Ésprit Saint is a Quebecois religious denomination which believes that their founder was the physical incarnation of the Holy Spirit, and the movement strives to continue the teachings which were laid down during his lifetime. The major components of Mission theology and history, as well as an introductory consideration of their cosmology and worldview will be the major focus of this document, as well as a consideration of the role that Folklore has in understanding marginal religious movements.

In The Spirit of the Laws, Montesquieu distinguishes between governing regimes and positive law based on principles that emerge from relationships within the actual world and laws based on prejudices or ignorance which encourages one group to exert political power adverse to others. The reduction of the influence of prejudice becomes a central component of Montesquieu’s political theory. It requires the promotion of moderation and political liberty and becomes the central work of the legislator in “free and moderate” or self-governing states. Montesquieu’s conception of moderation and liberty requires him to develop a conception of liberalism in contrast to the approaches of both the ancient republics of singular institutions and the modern political theorists, Machiavelli and Hobbes. Both the ancient and modern conceptions of liberalism rely on a version of prejudice-inspired regimes that are inappropriate to modern self-government. The English Constitution provides the best practical example of a “free and moderate state” that can aspire to political greatness. England promotes political liberty in its two forms through the separation of powers and political partisanship, while it encourages moderation by the prudent harnessing of England’s “mores, manners, and received examples” in the form of religion, commerce, and politics (XIX, 27). The English Constitution demonstrates the difficulty of reducing prejudices for other states, and highlights Montesquieu’s ambivalence regarding man’s potential to govern himself given the constraints upon him. / text

This study aims to investigate associations in two areas in Stockholm County with diverse socio-economic conditions. The study intends to examine the impact these differences have on what role the bureaucrats and politicians in the two areas think that the associations should have. Bureaucrats are those who design guidelines for associations and that is why they have an important role in the conditions of the associations. A comparison between the two areas has been made to see if the requirement in the guidelines for the areas are different according to where the members live. The two areas that have been used to compare the guidelines of associations are Danderyd municipal and the district Spånga-Tensta. These two areas have economic and social resource differences. The study is based on qualitative approach in which interviews with bureaucrats and local politicians from each area were used to obtain a deeper understanding of what impact socio-economic conditions have on the associations. There are major differences in the range of associations between these two areas, this may be because of the different demands that the bureaucrats and politicians have on the associations. Guidelines for associations show clear differences in the role that the bureaucrats and politicians believe that the associations will play in the area. / Denna studie syftar till att undersöka förutsättningarna för föreningslivet i två områden i Stockholms län med skilda socioekonomiska förhållanden. Studien ämnar till att undersöka vilken inverkan dessa skillnader har på hur byråkraterna och politikerna i de båda områdena ställer sig till föreningslivets roll i respektive område. Byråkraterna är de som utformar riktlinjerna för föreningsbidrag, därför har de en viktig roll i föreningslivets förutsättningar. För att se om det ställs olika krav på föreningsmedlemmar beroende på vilket område de bor i har en jämförelse gjorts mellan riktlinjerna för respektive område. De två områden som har använts för att jämföra riktlinjerna för föreningsbidrag är Danderyds kommun och stadsdelen Spånga-Tensta. Dessa två områden skiljer sig gällande ekonomiska och sociala resurser. Studien är baserad på kvalitativ metod där intervjuer med byråkrater och lokalpolitiker från respektive område har använts för att få en djupare förståelse för vilken inverkan de socioekonomiska förhållandena har på föreningslivet. Det råder stora skillnader i utbudet av föreningar mellan dessa två områden, detta kan bero på att de krav som ställs på föreningarna skiljer sig åt. Riktlinjerna för föreningsbidrag visar tydliga skillnader i den roll som byråkraterna och politikerna anser att föreningarna ska fylla för området.

Postmodernusis XXI amžius yra lydimas visuomenės transformacijų, apimančių naujas socialines, ekonomines, politines ir kt. konfliktines situacijas ir grėsmes, besikėsinančias į kiekvienos valstybės (visuomenės, atskiro individo) saugumą ir stabilumą. Nacionalinio saugumo objektai bei subjektai yra tarpusavyje susiję, o jų pažeidžiamumas stabdo darnią ir visapusišką šalies raidą. Todėl nacionalinio saugumo klausimai ir problemos turi būti traktuojamos ir sprendžiamos holistiškai. Šalies ginkluotosios pajėgos, kurių branduolį sudaro Lietuvos kariuomenė, yra integrali visuomenės dalis, atspindinti visai visuomenei būdingas nuostatas ir vertybes. Profesionalių, visapusiškai išsilavinusių, motyvuotų, turinčių tvirtas pilietines ir patriotines nuostatas karininkų ugdymas yra efektyvus bei veiksmingas nacionalinio saugumo užtikrinimo būdas, nes kovos dėl ekonominių, politinių, teritorinių ir kitų įtakos sferų buvo, yra ir bus nuolatiniai kiekvienos visuomenės palydovai. Nauji postmodernios visuomenės bruožai: nuolatinės transformacijos, globalizacija, informacinių technologijų sklaida ir modernizacija, viršnacionalinių struktūrų įsitvirtinimas formuoja naujus tiek visuomeninio, tiek karinio ugdymo tikslus, formas ir funkcijas, sąlygoja naujus reikalavimus šiuolaikiniam kariui, pvz., tokius kaip identifikacija ne su tautos, valstybės, bet žmonijos gynėjo vaidmeniu. Todėl karininkų ugdymas Lietuvos karo akademijoje yra kompleksinis ir sisteminis procesas – karinių, universitetinių... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Postmodern XXI century is conducted by social transformations, involved new social, economical, political and etc. Conflict situations and threats, invading each state (society‘s, separate person) safeness and stability. Objects of national security are interdependent, and their vulnerability brakes harmoniously and versatile national development. Therefore questions and problems about national safeness must be treated and solved holistically. State’s armament, which nucleus is Lithuanian armed forces, is integral unit of society, reflective whole community typical attitudes and valuables. The education of professional, comprehensively educated, motivated, having strict public and patriotic attitudes. Postmodern century involves permanent transformations, globalization, modernization, transnationalisation, new social and military education tasks, shapes and functions and determines new requirements for modern soldier. This new educational tasks have changed the identity of soldier, i.e. his role and identification with the defender of the people became more obvious. Therefore education of officers in Military Academy of Lithuania is complex and systematic process – military, academical studies and commander – leader training adjustment to train professional, social and human value and expertise. The testing of cadets’ consciousness has been provided in General Jonas Zemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania. The tasks of this testing were to determine the cadets’... [to full text]

The present study focusses on the description and analysis of the religious beliefs and practices of a central Taiwanese spirit-writing cult or "phoenix hall" (luantang). A phoenix hall is a voluntary religious association of congregational character centring upon communication with the gods by means of the divinatory technique of "spirit-writing" (fuluan). While spirit-writing can be and is used as an oracle for the solving of believers' personal problems, its more high-profile application is for the writing of so-called "morality books" (shanshu), i.e., books of religious instruction and moral exhortation. Spirit-writing cults are nowadays the most important sources of such works. Much attention has been given to morality books as mirrors of the social concerns of their times, but comparatively little work has been done on the groups that produce them and the meaning these works have for them. An adequate understanding of the meanings and functions of morality books, however, is impossible without some knowledge of the religious groups that produce them and the role played by morality books in their beliefs and practices. It is the objective of this thesis to provide a detailed description and analysis of one such group, the "Temple of the Martial Sage, Hall of Enlightened Orthodoxy" (Wumiao Mingzheng Tang), a phoenix hall in the city of Taizhong that was founded in 1976 and has played a significant role in the modern development of the shanshu genre through the active and varied publications programme of its publishing arm, the Phoenix Friend Magazine Society. The study utilizes data extracted from the Hall's published writings as well as interview, observation, and questionnaire data collected during an eight month period of field research in Taizhong. Part I provides a macrohistorical overview of the development of spirit-writing cults on the Chinese mainland (chapter 1) and on Taiwan (chapter 2) since the nineteenth century, leading up to the case-example's microhistory (chapter 3). Part II is devoted to an account of the beliefs and practices of the Wumiao Mingzheng Tang, including descriptions and analyses of its organization, deities, ritual activities, concepts of moral cultivation, and of the body of morality book literature it has produced over the years. The appendix contains samples of the cult's morality book and scriptural literature, as well as of various liturgical texts.

Vikos Švobaitės aliejinės tapybos darbų kolekciją “Buities ir kultūros dvasia“ sudaro septyni, atskiri paveikslai, kuriuos jungia bendra tema bei idėja. Modernusis žmogus šiandien į daug ką žvelgia kritiškai. Tai, kas dar prieš pusšimtį metų jo seneliams ir tėvams buvo šventa, neleistina, dabar dažnai laikoma jau nevertu dėmesio, atgyvenusiu dalyku, nors, giedodami Vinco Kudirkos mums paliktą Tautišką giesmę – Lietuvos himną, tebekartojame :“Iš praeities tavo sūnūs te stiprybę semia“. Tiktai labiau įsigilinus, susimąsčius atsiskleidžia tos tariamos archaikos giluminė prasmė, reikalinga ir šiandienos egzistencijai. Mūsų protėviams gyvenamoji namų aplinka buvo sava, rodos gerai pažįstama, bet kartu ir paslaptinga. Taigi, savo darbų kolekcija norėčiau atkreipti dėmesį į Lietuvio namus, į tuos paprastus dalykus, kurių dažnai nepastebime. Žvilgterėti į paprasto Lietuvos žemdirbio dar taip neseniai, gal tik XX a. Pirmaisiais dešimtmečiais, gal vienu kitu dešimtmečiu anksčiau buvusią aplinką, pagrindinį dėmesį sutelkiant į gyvenamojo namo, seniau vadinto troba, pirkia, gryčia, vidų, į tai, kas buvo tiesiogiai susiję su žmogumi, šeima, jos buitimi ir siekiais. Taigi, noriu pasidairyti po lietuvio namus senovėje, žvilgterėti į juos ano meto žmonių tikėjimų akimis ir vizualizuoti tai aliejinės tapybos darbų kolekcijoje. Teorinėje magstrinio darbo dalyje naudojau literatūros informacinių šaltinių analizavimo, interpratavimo metodiką. Kūrybiniame darbe naudota aliejinės tapybos... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Vika Švobaitės oil paintings collection the spirit of everyday life and culture of seven, separate images connected by a common theme and idea. The modern man today in a lot of things to look at critically. This is what fifty years before his grandparents and parents had been saints, is excluded, is now often regarded as not worth attention, the subject of an obsolete, though, Vinco Kudirka singing National Song left us - the Lithuanian national anthem, repeat; In the past your sons draw strength. Only closer inspection, I became aware of the alleged archaic reveal deep meaning and need of today existence. Our ancestors have been resident in their own home environment seems familiar, but also mysterious. Thus, his collection of works I pay attention to the house to the simple things that are often missing. To see the average Lithuanian farmers more so recently, perhaps only in the twentieth century In the first decades of the decade, maybe one other previously existing environment, focusing on residential building, formerly known as farmhouse, cottage, inside of which was directly related to human , family, household and its goals. So, I want a look at the Lithuanian Hall in ancient times, to see to them at that time peoples beliefs through the eyes and visualize a collection of oil paintings. The theoretical part master used a literary analysis of information sources, interpretation methodology. Creative work used in oil painting techniques. I chose this technique because... [to full text]