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Thesis (Ph.D.)--York University, 2008. Graduate Programme in Sociology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 261-281). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:NR39050

Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on Feb 18, 2010). The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file. Thesis advisor: Dr. Nathaniel DesRosiers. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Notre Dame, 2003. / Thesis directed by Harold W. Attridge and Mary Rose D'Angelo for the Department of Theology. "December 2003." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 284-301).

Thesis (M.Tech.: Homoeopathy)--Durban University of Technology, 2008 / The 2001 Census revealed that roughly 78% of the South African population claimed to be of a certain religious standing, namely Christian (Statistics South Africa: 2001). One can assume that many Christians are exposed to, and partake in, the growing trend of complementary medicine. Aim The aim of this study was to determine the perceptions of homeopathy amongst Christian Church members in the Berea North area of Durban and assess how similar they are to the perceptions of certain Christian authors holding the view that homoeopathy is incompatible with Christianity. Methodology A survey method with self-administered questionnaires was employed. A total of 365 questionnaires were distributed and 174 completed questionnaires were returned (47.40%). The questionnaire consisted of 30 questions that were divided into 4 sections. The first section consisted of demographic questions while the remaining sections were related to the perception of homoeopathy. For most of the questions, possible alternative answers were given. A few of the questions allowed open ended answers. Data was analyzed by means of the SPSS (v.13) program. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for analysis and interpretation. More specifically, the Chi square test was used to determine relationships between certain qualitative variables. iii Results The majority of respondents (63.2%) perceived that homoeopathy is compatible with Christianity, with more females than males agreeing with that statement. Only 10.3% said it is not, and 24.1% were undecided. A similar majority (64.9%) answered “Yes” regarding whether Christians should use homoeopathy or not. The results showed that respondents who have made use of some form of complementary medicine e.g. reflexology, herbal medicine and acupuncture, are more likely to condone the use of homoeopathy amongst Christians. The overwhelming majority of respondents categorize homoeopathy as either natural (54%) or complementary (30%) medicine. Slightly more respondents categorize it as Eastern (8%) rather than New Age medicine (5%). Only 2 respondents (1%) categorized homoeopathy as occult. The results of the study showed that slightly more than half of the respondents perceive homoeopathy as operating on scientific principles (52.9%), and only 13.2% perceive that it does not with 32.8% undecided. 92.8% of respondents have a matric or higher level of education. Despite the high education level of respondents, 47.1% of respondents indicated that they only know something about homoeopathy and 25% indicated that they have either never heard of it or have only heard of it. The majority of respondents indicated that their knowledge of homoeopathy is inadequate (69%) but showed a desire to know more about homoeopathy (72.4%). iv Conclusion The conclusion that can be drawn from this study is that the majority of Christians surveyed did not share the views of the Christian authors who regard homoeopathy as incompatible with Christianity. On the contrary, the majority supported the use of homoeopathy, and were interested to find out more about it.

The interplay of religion and politics has been a consistent theme in the comparativepolitics of identity, and more specifically with regard to Middle Eastern politics Yetcoverage of religion and politics in the region is generally focused on the Muslimmajority and neglects the existence and impact of non-Muslim religious elements inMiddle Eastern societies. The most prominent of these are the various groups ofChristian Arabs.This work begins with a reassessment of common comparative theoretical approaches tothe study of religion and politics. It introduces a critical and dynamic constructivistapproach to religion, defining it as belief'. Using belief the political environment, andrelative demographics as a guide, it creates four general types of Christian groups as ameans to understand Christian group activation. These types match up with three generalmodes of engagement with the outside political culture in Middle Eastern contexts:competitive-nationalistic systems, neo-millet systems, and secular non-sectarian systems.These analytical tools are applied to the political activity of Christian groups in threeMiddle Eastern polities: Egypt, Lebanon, and Palestine. In Egypt, a stable neo-milletsystem is the result of the dominance of a single deferential organization amongChristians: the Coptic Orthodox Church. In Lebanon, years of competitive nationalisticpolitics have given way to an emergent neo-millet system as a result of the decline inidentity-based nationalistic parties and the increasing prominence of the traditionalChurch hierarchy. Among Palestinians, nominalism, deference, and voluntaristicactivism mix to create a neo-millet system with aspects of other systems of engagement.This study concludes that neo-millet systems are the natural outcome of a stronglyidentity-focused religious belief system among Arab Christians, one the author terms"tower-keep" theology. However, the dynamics of change fostered by new styles ofbelief, the challenges of responding to an eroding population base, and the influence ofdiaspora communities and coreligionists abroad all point to new systems of engagementto come in the future.

No description available.

This thesis focuses on various aspects of the social and political history of the Yazidi Kurds of Jabal Sinjar ( Iraq)during the British mandate. When relevant to the history of mandatory Sinjarit also deals with the neighbouring Yazidicommunity of Iraqi Shaikhan. Chapters I and II are primarily concerned with the society and economy of Jabal Sinjarin theperiod under consideration with particular emphasis on the socio-economic and political organization of the Yaziditribes settled in the area. They also provide a general historical perspective of the socio-economic development ofthe region. Chapter III discusses the late Ottoman period in detail with a view to defining community-state relations andthe development of Yazidi inter- tribalaf fairs in Jabal Sinjar. Chapters IV and V examine the history of the YazidiMountain in the years of the British mandate when the emerging structures of the Iraqi state had significantrepercussions on Sinjari society, especially on the attitude of a number of Yaziditri al leaders. These developments areanalysed primarily in the context of the policies implemented in the northern Jazirah by the British and Iraqiadministrations and by the French mandatory authorities who controlled its Syrian section. Particular emphasis is placedon the dispute between Great Britain and France concerning the elimination of the Syro- Iraqi border in the Sinjar areawhich affected relations between the Yazidis, the British mandatory administration and the Iraqi authorities ChapterVI gives an account of the Sinjari Yazidis' quest f or autonomy which became increasingly associated with theAssyro-Chaldean autonomist movement in the last years of the mandate.

The Neoplatonist philosopher Porphyry of Tyre (ca.232-305 A.D.) wrote Against the Christians, a fifteen-volume treatise targeting Christianity. Porphyry's attack was considered so scandalous that it was twice condemned to flames by Roman emperors. It is thus only in the works of Christian apologists that Against the Christians is extant, i.e. in a fragmentary state. The topic of this study is the twelfth book of Porphyry's treatise, the best known and probably the most challenging to Christians. Indeed, it deals with the Book of Daniel, which underlies a great part of Christianity's foundations as it allegedly foretells both Parousiai. It will first be demonstrated that the writing of the treatise can be dated to the 290s, which indicates it was not an immediate threat to Christians facing the Great Persecution (303-311). Then recent methodological approaches are presented in order to get a better insight of the content of Against the Christians. It is established that Porphyry wrote a detailed exegesis of Daniel with the intention of criticizing the Christian literal interpretation of the Scriptures by adapting history to prophecy. Finally it is suggested that Porphyry wrote his treatise in response to a Christian allegorical exegetical tradition of Daniel.

This review discusses the relationship between the Christian faith and business ethics, the academic work that had been done to enhance the understanding of this relationship and the opportunity for future research. The objective is to provide a research base for an empirical study on Malaysian Christians in business, their religiousness and ethical attitudes. / Religion is the most important source of a person's moral norms. Western business ethics is known to have Judeo-Christian roots and started off as an extension of religious ethics (De George 1986). As such the ethics of Christians in business is generally assumed to be consistent with the teachings of the Christian faith. Yet a couple of recent high profile criminal cases involving prominent self-declared Christians in business meant that a possible dichotomy between religious faith and business conduct surfaced. Therefore the question arises: can the relationship between the teachings of Christianity and the business ethics of its adherents be assumed? / This relationship had been of increasing interest since Christians in business are more up front and open about their faith in relation to the running of their businesses. There are ample inspirational writings based on Biblical precepts and principles intended to help Christians in business apply their faith to their business. However, theoretical and empirical research had been lacking. The volume of empirical studies had been very thin and the number of significant findings sparse. The findings were often inconclusive and sometimes contradictory. / Previous research on the relationship between Christianity religiosity and business ethics approached the concept of religion from the following angles: intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity after Allport's religiosity scale, religious intensity and frequency of religious practices, religious beliefs, Christian upbringing, and religious education. The review found the Love of Money Scale developed by Professor Thomas Li-Ping Tang which was founded on Biblical precepts. Since unethical business practices may be motivated by the love of money, the Love of Money Scale may provide new insights into the relationship between religion, love of money and ethical attitudes. / The review shows that important empirical research had been initiated in the study of the relationship between religion and business ethics. Although previous findings had been relatively weak and inconclusive, more recent studies had more positive findings. Further research would be helpful to establish the relationship on a more solid footing. / Thesis (DBA(DoctorateofBusinessAdministration))--University of South Australia, 2006