In my thesis, I tried to describe the process of transformation of premodern and modern society focusing on the creation and development of a new spirituality. In this context, I further came with a terminological definition of the phenomenon. Next the work deals with the sphere of the new spirituality in the form of sects. First of all sects are taken in generally, so that the whole theme can be dealt in its width. Subsequently, my work focuses on the topic of Jehovah`s Witnesses in attempt to determine the extent of this society as a sect. Within each chapter it is possible to see the sect in terms of attractiveness, dynamics of group functioning or for example dependence, manipulation and insecurity. In the chapter called Jehovah's Witnesses the overall picture is completed. This religious society is presented based on its historical development, description of the life of Jehovah's Witnesses members and also through its activities in the Czech Republic. The conclusion contains evaluation of this religious organization including general assessment of the importance of sects. Keywords Religionistic, religion, sects, Jehova's Wittnesses, moderni

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The educational system of today is the outgrowth of many factors. There have been many influences which have brought about the spread of mass education and the development of the present-day curriculum. One factor which has contributed a share to the development of our vast and complicated educational system has been the denominational school. The denominational schools were the first to be established in the land. Also, the churches have stressed the need of education and have financed the training of many of the youths of the country. Most of the 252 denominations within the United States have attempted, in some manner or fashion, to operate schools. The denominational schools have been the soil out of which the public school system has developed. The Cumberland Presbyterian Church, although a small denomination, has been vitally interested in education, and has made a contribution in this field. It is the purpose of this thesis to show some of the contributions which the denomination has made in the field. A brief historical sketch of the conditions out of which the church grew and the main causes for its organization have been reviewed. The attitudes and educational philosophies of the early church fathers have been presented in chapter two. Historical sketches of the outstanding schools which have been operated by the denominations are given in chapter three.

Spanning the first seven centuries of Christianity, this paper explores how Eastern Christian and Byzantine hymn chant was developed alongside pagan and Jewish worship traditions around the Near East. Comparison of hymns by Christian composers such as St. Romanos the Melodist and pagan poetry reveals many similarities in the types of metaphorical imagery used in both religious expressions. Common in Christian hymn texts, well-known metaphors, like the “Light of God,” are juxtaposed with pagan mythological gods, such as Apollo and Helios. This paper attempts to explain how and why Christians appropriated and adopted ancient pagan imagery into the burgeoning musical tradition of Christian hymn singing.

Thesis (Ph. D. in Political Science)--Vanderbilt University, 2003. / Title from PDF title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

If any one event in history were caused by any other single event, or indeed if any trend of events were caused by any other single trend, historical research would be a relatively simple matter. But history is not so simple. A history of government does not involve politics alone, nor does a history of baseball involve simply the quality of the pitcher's and batter's techniques. Likewise the history of a church includes far more than the Sunday sermons, however important these may be. The complexity of a given historical institution can perhaps be typified by the subject of the present study: the Reformed Presbyterian Church. As a church, this one is not at all typical, but as an historical problem, it rates well. Economic, cultural, social and geographic factors intertwine its growth, while through the years it has stood as a theological thunderbolt and a political peculiarity- Small though the physical features of this church may be in comparison with the immensity of certain other organizations, the breadth and depth of its history is just as great. The complexity of a given historical institution can perhaps be typified by the subject of the present study: the Reformed Presbyterian Church. As a church, this one is not at all typical, but as an historical problem, it rates well. Economic, cultural, social and geographic factors intertwine its growth, while through the years it has stood as a theological thunderbolt and a political peculiarity- Small though the physical features of this church may be in comparison with the immensity of certain other organizations, the breadth and depth of its history is just as great. On the other hand, although in tracing the history of the Reformed Presbyterian Church it would be possible to establish its Biblical foundations through the Old and New Testaments and the early Christian era, and theoretically feasible to follow the line of pure teaching through the Middle Ages and to the times of Huss, Wycliffe, and Lefevre, such a study, valuable as it certainly is, lies beyond the scope of this paper. Indeed Calvin, the master theologian who expresses perfectly the beliefs of every twentieth-century Reformed Presbyterian, and Knox himself, the conqueror of the Scottish soul, can scarcely be mentioned personally at all. The subject must be limited. Thus, this paper is at once a limited yet a very complex study: limited in time and space, complex in issues.

The tiny nation-state of Lebanon has been marred by political instability and violence over the past 35 years. Most scholars blame the consociational structure of the bureaucratic system as the main culprit for the precarious state of the republic. It is an understatement to say that the delicate power-sharing balance divided between the Christian and Muslim sects has been one of the most detrimental elements to government stability and socioeconomic development. Underneath these sectarian affiliations, however, lie numerous patronage systems all vying for power and control over the Lebanese system. These systems not only act to support their Lebanese sectarian leader, but many have reached across the border and found the open hands of foreign powers. The actions of these foreign entities have also constituted a divisive role in undermining the unification of the nation into a cohesive and functioning state, particularly during the post-civil war time period. The end of the 15 year civil war through the passage of the National Reconciliation Accord heralded in a sense of promise for a future free of war and political mismanagement through the abolition of the consociational system. This promise, however, has yet to be fulfilled. This thesis is an examination into the role and impact of Syrian and Saudi Arabian patronage ties in the Lebanese system. By looking at the states through the actions of their clients we can come to a better understanding of both why and how the goals of Ta'if have yet to be achieved and potentially come to understand the needs facing Lebanon's future. / text

Die Dissertation beschäftigt sich mit drei Religionsgemeinschaften in Taiwan, die spätestens seit der japanischen Kolonialzeit (1895-1945) unter der Bezeichnung „vegetarische Sekten“ (Zhaijiao) klassifiziert werden. Auffälligstes Merkmal dieser Gruppen war und ist das der Mahāyāna-buddhistischen Tradition entlehnte Gebot vegetarischer Ernährung. Während sich der chinesische Mönchsorden von Beginn an Anfeindungen ausgesetzt sah, welche die tatsächliche Befolgung des vegetarischen Gebots in Frage stellten, waren es oft nicht-monastische Gruppierungen außerhalb des klerikalen Machtmonopols, welche dieses und andere Gebote scheinbar viel strikter befolgten. Zu diesem Kreis „außerbuddhistischer Buddhisten“ zählen die in dieser Studie untersuchten Religionsgemeinschaften Longhuapai („Sekte der Drachenblume“), Xiantianpai („Sekte des früheren Himmels“) und Jintongpai („Sekte des Goldwimpels“), die generisch als Zhaijiao bezeichnet werden. Diese drei ursprünglich vom chinesischen Festland stammenden Traditionen werden heute zumeist als laienbuddhistische Vereinigungen angesehen, teilen aber eine Geschichte, die weit über die Grenzen des „orthodoxen“ und distinkten Buddhismus hinausgeht. In ihnen verschmelzen nicht nur buddhistische und daoistische Elemente sowie Vorstellungen und Praktiken der kommunalen Volksreligiosität. Sie stehen auch in ungebrochener Tradition mit volksreligiösen Sekten der späten Ming- (1368-1644) und frühen Qing-Zeit (1644-1911). Während die religiösen Vorstellungen und sozialen Organisationsformen der seit der Ming-Zeit entstandenen volksreligiösen Sekten – in deren Tradition die Zhaijiao Taiwans stehen – durch das Studium schriftlicher Quellen bereits recht gut bekannt sind, ist ihre religiöse Praxis hingegen bisher kaum erforscht. Die Dissertation unternimmt daher den Versuch, einen Beitrag dazu zu leisten, diese Lücke zu schließen. Sie hat es sich zum Ziel gemacht, die religiöse Praxis der vegetarischen Sekten im heutigen Taiwan zu analysieren und sie vor dem Hintergrund ihrer historischen Entwicklung einzuordnen. „Religiöse Praxis“ fungiert dabei als Oberbegriff für alles soziale und individuelle Sichverhalten in einem religiösen Feld und schließt damit sowohl hochgradig standardisiertes, formelles und vorgeprägtes Handeln (z.B. Rituale), als auch Formen religiös geprägter Lebensführung ein. Die religiöse Praxis der Zhaijiao wird dabei erstmals einer ausführlichen diachronen Untersuchung unterzogen, die von den ältesten Erwähnungen im 16. Jahrhundert bis in die Gegenwart des frühen 21. Jahrhunderts reicht. Ein zentrales Element besteht dabei in der Verknüpfung von Feldforschung und dem Studium literarischer Quellen, welche es ermöglicht, einerseits historische Veränderungen zu erkennen und andererseits die historischen Quellen vor dem Hintergrund empirischer Beobachtungen besser zu verstehen. Zu diesem Zweck wurde im Jahr 2010 eine Erhebung von Primärdaten im Zuge einer Feldforschung durchgeführt, die sich insgesamt über sieben Monate erstreckte und in der 31 Gemeinden in ganz Taiwan besucht wurden. Erst mit diesen vor Ort gewonnenen Daten über das religiöse Leben der Zhaijiao-Anhänger in ihrem „natürlichen Umfeld“ können die spärlichen Informationen, die aus historischen Quellen und bisherigen Forschungsarbeiten gewonnen werden konnten, in einen lebensweltlichen Kontext eingebettet und interpretiert werden. Die heutigen Zhaijiao in Taiwan tragen als Abkömmlinge festlandchinesischer Sekten der Ming- und Qing-Zeit ein tief verwurzeltes historisches Erbe in sich. Dies besteht nicht nur aus jahrhundertealten Texten, die noch immer gedruckt, gelesen und rituell benutzt werden. Auch die religiöse Vorstellungswelt und Praxis nährt sich weiterhin aus dieser Tradition. Auf der anderen Seite erlebte Taiwan im vergangenen Jahrhundert infolge von Modernisierung, Verwestlichung, Urbanisierung usw. erhebliche politische und gesellschaftliche Umwälzungen, die auf die Entwicklung der Zhaijiao einen nachhaltigen Einfluss ausübten. Vor dem Hintergrund dieser zum Teil gegenläufigen Entwicklungen soll nach dem Verhältnis von Kontinuität und Wandel der Zhaijiao gefragt werden: Wie haben sich die kulturell eher konservativ und traditionell eingestellten Sekten unter den Bedingungen einer modernen und demokratischen Gesellschaft entwickelt und möglicherweise verändert?

This study of the Indian mission of the Apostolic Faith Mission of SA (AFM) covers a period of 16 years since its inception in 1930 in Stanger, Natal. Twenty two years earlier the pentecostal message was introduced to South Africa when the AFM was established. The two White missionary overseers appointed were C.S. Flewelling, from 1930 to 1940, and J.T. du Plessis, from 1940 to 1945. In this initial period crucial missiological principles were implemented which were to play a major role in influencing the particular developments within the Indian section. The link between the pentecostal movement in South Africa and the Azusa Street revival of 1906 in Los Angeles, USA, emphasises the fact that the pentecostal message that was transplanted here was shaped by various factors in the racist American society of the 19th and early 20th century. The immigrant Indian community in South Africa, who came as labourers, were bedeviled by sociopolitical and economic factors which impinged on their evolution . The resultant; feeling of insecurity created by these debilitating factors proved to be fruitful soil for the pentecostal movement, which offered a haven to this community on it he fringes of society . The development of the AFM Indian mission was due not merely to the efforts of White missionaries, as is generally held but also to dedicated indigenous pastors.The first three full-time pastors were Samuel Manikkam, David F . Williams and Henry James. These Indian church leaders faced various hardships in the ministry and, in spite of their shortcomings and their struggles, played an integral role in the development of the AFM "Indian" church. In its development, the AFM has been characterised by a strong conformity to White societal policy of racial segregation. The effects of this policy is evident in the sectional divisions existent within the AFM, and is indicative of the organisation's close alliance with the political philosophy of the status quo. Together with its ideological bias, the church's theological conservativism has precluded it from involving itself in affirmative socio-political action in an apartheid ridden society. Further, the Indian Section has been plagued by numerous schisms, resignations and secessions, which has also contributed to the tardy growth of the AFM within this population group. In 1989 the Composite Division of the AFM had been established, comprising the former Indian, Coloured and Black Sections. The White Section, or Single Division as it has now become known, has remained aloof from this practical initiative towards the formation of one church. As of January 1993 the Indian Section (and the other sections of colour) will theoretically cease to exist. It is clear therefore that the future of the Indian mission lay in the Composite Division, with its hope for one church in one nation, and serves as a barometer of the coming struggle and reward for a society seeking to rid itself of the final vestiges of racial prejudice. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Durban-Westville, 1992.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1990. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 193-200).