This thesis determines the impact of Catholic activism in south-west France during the 1560s. Using manuscript and archival material, it examines the nascence, infrastructure and aims of the various ligues and associations of the period, and assesses their ability to secure hegemony by usurping local administrative and military apparatus. The thesis is divided into four parts: Part I studies Catholic activism at Bordeaux and the Bordelais. Chapters 1 and 2 establish the demography and structure of government there and evaluate antecedents to the ligues of the 1560s: namely the activities of the confraternity of Saint- Yves, the basoche and the syndicat of 1561. Chapter 3 examines the role of the Catholic nobility in the internecine struggles of the period, and Chapter 4 explores the post-1568 domination of military and bureaucratic offices at Bordeaux by a coalition of leading Catholic activists. Part II focuses on events at Agen and the Agenais. Chapter 5 details the establishment of an executive council of Catholic notables within the town, while Chapter 6 assesses the role of the local nobility in supporting this coalition government after 1563. Part III concentrates on affairs at Toulouse. Chapter 7 examines the birth of formal Catholic activism within the town, focussing on the enterprises of the confraternity, basochiens and militant court officials. Chapter 8 analyses the reinvigoration of Catholic endeavours at Toulouse after 1567, gauging the success of a policy to finance the Catholic war effort by sequestering Protestant goods, and appraising the somewhat anachronistic phenomenon of the croisade of 1568. Part IV considers the extent to which national and European dimensions influenced the form and nature of Catholic activism during the 1560s. Chapter 9 examines the impact of Catholic grandee patronage on the ligues of the south-west, and assesses the resurgence in confraternal activism after 1567. Chapter 10 examines the influence of Spain and the papacy on the evolution of the associations, and explores the level of reciprocity between ligueurs and European potentates. Chapter 11 details the ambitions of Catholic powers to remove the Calvinist queen of Navarre, Jeanne d' Albret, from power in Béarn and Navarre, and assesses the role played by the ligueurs in this enterprise.

Although researchers have long recognised the significance of religious value systems in sociology and in psychology, the role of religion in consumer research has not yet been completely acknowledged. In the consumer behaviour literature, religion has been studied from two main perspectives namely, religious affiliation and religious commitment. Religious affiliation is the adherence of individuals to a particular religious group while religiosity is the degree to which beliefs in specific religious values and ideals are held and practised by an individual. This research investigated the influence of religious affiliation and religiosity on selected aspects of consumer behaviour: shopping behaviour, retail store preference and external information search among three religious groups, Hindus, Muslims and Catholics. A mail survey was conducted among a sample of heads of households in Mauritius and six hundred usable questionnaires were obtained. Univariate, bivariate and multivariate statistical techniques were employed to analyse the data. Significant differences were found in the purchasing behaviour of Hindus, Muslims and Catholics. Devout consumers, those for whom religion is a central focus in life, also differed significantly in their purchasing behaviour from casually religious consumers, those for whom religion is expedient across all three religious groups. Religiosity and religious affiliation were found to be predictors of consumer behaviour in the presence of demographic and lifestyle variables, implying that the influence of religion on the value systems of the society and the effect of these value systems on consumer behaviour cannot be underestimated. The managerial implications of the research findings were discussed arid suggestions for further research were proposed.

The Popular party in the eighteenth century Church of Scotland has received little attention from historians and there has never been a comprehensive analysis of its nature and ideology. This dissertation is an attempt to remedy that defect. It commences by surveying the nineteenth and twentieth century literature which has dealt with the ecclesiastical history of eighteenth century Scotland and identifies the deficiencies in this as they affect the Popular party. It is suggested that an analysis of the theological writings of members is a prerequisite for understanding the nature of the party. Prior to providing this, however, the results of an attempt to identify members of the party are analysed. It is suggested that the most workable method of identification is one based on preparedness to dissent from pro-patronage measures and decisions at the General Assembly. This provides a means of identification of the most committed members of the party. Its geographical spread is then delineated, as are the theological, ecclesiastical and secular interests of its members, and the effects of party dominance on them. The dissertation then analyses Popular theology in the areas of the premises of theology, the nature of sin and salvation, and the practical implications of theology. The picture which emerges is one of considerable theological complexity which calls in question the assumption of doctrinal unity within the party. Popular thought on secular issues is then analysed in the areas of the nature of society, government, poverty and wealth, and culture. The interplay of liberal and conservative political impetuses is examined and the theological bases of the party's secular thought elicited. The patronage dispute is analysed and an interpretation is offered, based on both the published works of the party and proceedings at the General Assembly, which argues that the fundamental religious or spiritual motivation of Popular opposition to the patronage system has not been appreciated, and that therefore the evolution of the Popular response to patronage as revealed at the General Assembly has been misconstrued. The Popular party in the Church of Scotland between 1740 and 1800 emerges as a doctrinally complex party, including within its membership the full range of doctrinal opinion from Moderatism to traditional orthodoxy. The most influential section within the party, however, was an evangelical grouping which combined doctrinal orthodoxy with an Enlightened learning. It is suggested, finally, that preoccupation with the patronage dispute had led historians to misunderstand the Church of Scotland in the latter half of the eighteenth century and to underestimate the complexity and significance of the evolving theological alignment which was the key development in the period

Thesis (Ph. D.)--School of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, 2004. / Bibliography: p. 123-129.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Sydney, 2004. / Title from title screen (viewed 14 May 2008). Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the School of Physics, Faculty of Science. Degree awarded 2004; thesis submitted 2003. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print form.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Adelaide, 2003. / Title from title screen. Description based on contents viewed Apr. 21, 2005. Includes bibliographical references.

This thesis presents an argument for the development of a catechumenate for the Church of Scotland. It does so first by drawing attention to the wide discrepancy between the assumptions of the secular culture and those of the church, specifically the Church of Scotland, with a view to understanding the substantial differences in the beliefs of those baptised and the beliefs of the church. It argues that the church has yet to come to terms with this discrepancy and consequently has weakened its distinctive baptismal witness. Secondly, the thesis considers in depth the development and reception of two major studies on the subject of baptism conducted by the Church of Scotland in the last sixty years. It indicates that both remain largely unknown quantities within the church and have subsequently failed to provide practical guidance to the church in its practice of baptism. This thesis considers the experience and practice of adult baptism in contemporary Scotland and concludes with an extended argument justifying the need for a fully developed catechumenate.

Relationships are a fundamental part of being human; they enable communication, a shared sense of belonging, and a means of building identity and social capital. However, the hallmarks of late modernity can be encapsulated by the themes of detraditionalisation, individualisation and globalisation, which have essentially challenged the mode and means of engaging in relationships. This thesis uses the theology of Martin Buber to demonstrate how his dialogical claims about relationships, namely the “I-It” and “I-Thou” model, can provide a new ethical dimension to communication in the technological era. This thesis argues that through co-creation in cyberspace there is a realisation of the need for a new theological understanding of interconnection. Theology can utilise the platform of technology to facilitate a re-connection in all spheres of relationality and, ultimately, to the Divine. This thesis will first outline the predicament for theology in late modernity. It will discuss how detraditionalisation has led to an emphasis on individual spirituality, as opposed to collective doctrinal beliefs. The global nature of cyberspace has facilitated the means to experiment with these alternative forms of spirituality, which has allowed theology to be commodified and has introduced a challenge to the dimension of relationships. Cyberspace presents a paradox for relationship: the medium transforms modes of relating because the self is re-configured through its contact with technology. This facilitates communication as the individual merges with the machine, resulting in models such as the cyborg. However, this can also be seen to erode the essence of humanity, as humans find themselves on the fringes of relationships. Their hybrid status means that they are no longer fully human or fully machine but become dominated by the latter. They exist on the boundary of both domains and cannot cultivate genuine relationships of the “Thou” variety. This leads to alienation from surroundings, community and the Divine. Second, the thesis will discuss how Buber’s theology can be used to re-position relationships by providing a means to reflect on different aspects of dialogue and communication. By applying Buber’s dialectic to cyberspace it will be demonstrated how interconnectivity causes individuals to re-think the notion of self-in-relation. The three spheres of relationship which Buber identified: “man with nature, man with man, man with forms of the spirit” will be re-contextualised in cyberspace to show how the medium manifests both aspects of the dialectic but allows for a greater awareness of interconnection. Buber’s insistence on the centrality of creative dialogue provides a solution to overcome this dilemma by bringing awareness of the interconnectivity of the self to all aspects of creation. It is through informed use of the medium of cyberspace that humans can re-envisage relationships characterised by a more genuine ethical dimension. These “Thou” moments begin the process of redemption; each one is part of the relationship with the “eternal Thou” and has the potential to draw the Divine down into the encounter, to re-connect with creation. This thesis is arguing for a new theology of interconnectivity that is able to redeem the potentiality of cyberspace as a medium for genuine “Thou” relationality.

The Second Vatican Council set out a new vision of the ecclesial relationship between ordained and lay people in the Roman Catholic Church within its understanding of the church as the people of God. This is an important issue for the church’s self-understanding and mission; it also has practical implications for the Catholic Church in Scotland as it faces a sharp decline in vocations to the ordained priesthood, raising questions about the relative roles of priests and lay people. Dioceses are developing plans for closing and merging parishes based on projected numbers of priests, in an effort to maintain traditional patterns of church life. This study explored a different approach, based on the development of a partnership between ordained and lay people which reflects the theology of Vatican II. To investigate this possibility, the study drew on research carried out in two Scottish dioceses between 1998 and 2000. It found evidence that a new partnership between priests and people was developing in some parish communities, but it also found that diocesan commitments to collaborative working between ordained and lay were not reflected in the church’s practice and structures. These tensions between commitment and practice, which undermined efforts to create a new partnership, were analysed with the help of Receptive Ecumenism and Catholic Learning, a strategy for ecumenical engagement which addresses tensions in the church’s performance of its vocation by a critical appraisal of its own tradition and openness to the insights of others. By bringing together the experience of those who took part in the archived research with the theology of Receptive Ecumenism and Catholic Learning, the elements of a new ecclesial partnership between ordained and lay were identified. They open up the possibility of a different kind of future for the Catholic Church in Scotland.

Religion was proposed to account for the relatively low personal death anxiety found among older adults. This dissertation sought to examine the influence of religious afterlife beliefs, religiously enhanced psychosocial maturity and religious management of a past major regret on personal death anxiety in later life. Terror Management Theory and Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory were used to describe these three religious pathways to coping with personal death anxiety in later life. The cross-sectional postal survey samples consisted of 143 older adult British Christians and 141 older adult Chinese Buddhists. Structural Equation Modelling results from the British Christian survey study showed that intrinsic religiosity predicted lower personal death anxiety through: (a) fostering more benign afterlife beliefs; (b) enhancing psychosocial maturity; and (c) promoting emotional stability. No significant relationship between belief in reincarnation and personal death anxiety was found in the Chinese Buddhist survey study. Both survey studies failed to support the personal death anxiety buffering power of religious management of a past major life regret, although some religious coping strategies were associated with lower negative emotional appraisal towards the major life regret among older adults. The British survey study has been the first to demonstrate both the personal death anxiety buffering and psychosocial maturity enhancing power of religion in an increasingly secular society. The lack of relationship between Buddhist reincarnation beliefs and personal death anxiety suggests that not all religious afterlife beliefs have death anxiety buffering power as proposed by Terror Management Theory. The development of Buddhist reincarnation belief and Buddhist coping scales is a pioneering step towards developing research on under-explored Eastern non-theistic afterlife beliefs and coping measures. Implications for ways that help religious older adults cope with their personal death anxiety were discussed. Prospective cross cultural and cross-religion studies were recommended to replicate the present survey findings. Finally, self detachment (self negation) was proposed as the basis of an alternative death transcendence theory to be researched in future studies on personal death anxiety.