The homosexual orientation has been controversial in many countries around the world, with religion often used as the foundation for critique against this orientation. The prevalence of discrimination, and the expectation of rejection, often results in homosexual individuals concealing their sexual identity. In the process homosexual individuals may deny, hide, or even discarded their authentic selves. However, some individuals reach a point of comfort with both these constructs of their identity, a position that supports the authentic self. The aim of this study is to explore and describe the process of how individuals who identify as both Christian and homosexual align these parts into their identity, to reach a place of comfort. The study further seeks to generate insight that can be used to assist individuals in similar positions of identity conflict. The study uses qualitative methodology, more specifically an exploratory- descriptive design. The sample is identified through non-probability purposive sampling, and data collected through semi- structured interviews. The data is analysed using an interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) framework. Thematic analysis identified major themes of denial, conflict, anger, bargaining, deconstruction, and self- acceptance. These themes followed a non- linear and interactive process, and present participants reaching a place of comfort with their Christian beliefs and homosexual orientation; which is discussed through the interpretative lens of social constructionism and queer theory.

Submitted to the Faculty of Theology and Religion Studies in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Theology in the Department of Missiology, Religion Studies and Practical Theology at the University of Zululand, 2003. / This dissertation focusses on the biblical role of women in the contemporary church, taking into account God's original plan and purpose for women in Genesis 1 and 2, the changes which occurred as a result of the Fall in Genesis 3, and the influence of the various cultures and traditions, especially in the Old Testament period, on the attitudes toward and treatment of women. Jesus' apparently revolutionary attitude towards women challenged the Jewish status quo, directing the people back to His Father's original plan and purpose for the relationship between men and women. His attitude is reflected in the teachings of the apostles in the New Testament, women being spiritually equal before God, yet having different and complementary roles and functions to fulfil. The clear hierarchical structure of authority which was laid down by God in the beginning, is therefore reinforced through Scripture. The strong influence of feminism over the past century is investigated, where women are demanding equal rights in all spheres. As a result, the call for full ordination of women within the Church is now widely acceptable even in evangelical circles. It appears that women are "abandoning" the biblical role which God ordained for them. The aim of this study is to explore the validity of women in leadership roles within the church and whether this practice deviates from God's original plan revealed in His Word or not. The research seeks to trace this tendency in some mainline churches and to prove the hypothesis that this is due to a misinterpretation of the Scriptures and a lack of biblical teaching on this subject. The central finding is that there certainly is confusion among today's Christians on this issue, and that feminist thinking has drawn both pastors and laity alike away from the biblical principles of authority. The study concludes that women do have a very crucial role to play in the contemporary church, a vast number of ministries being open to them, allowing them to exercise all their spiritual gifts. The only biblical restraint and prohibition, however, is that they are not permitted to preach, teach, lead or rule over men in any way within the church, such positions of authority being reserved for men only. Women should therefore be discouraged from assuming leadership over men, and should spend more time encouraging men to lead in a godly manner, both in the home and in the church, so that they might fulfil their God-ordained purpose. My submission is that if men and women live and serve Him within the authority structure which He has set in place, God will surely be glorified and His kingdom extended.

No description available.

This ethnographic case study explored the vocation discernment process for Latina women who have entered a religious order. The researcher spent three months participating in and observing the daily lives of religious sisters and conducted interviews. The eight religious sisters interviewed for the study were predominately of Mexican and Central America descent. Similar to Lester’s (2005) findings, sisters describe persistent feelings of inquietud before entering the religious life, and sought fulfillment through religious means. Participants often feel joy and admiration when they met a religious sister for the first time. Participants recount a religious or sensory experience which provided clarity to her decision. The participants indicate a sense of urgency to enter the religious life as soon as possible. The results are compared with other studies on religious life and vocation discernment through a sociological and psychosocial perspective. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to explore the dynamics between spiritual fitness and women in recovery from substance-problems. The phenomenological method of enquiry, and within this context, the qualitative approach, was followed. Interviews with five women, four of whom received treatment at Stepping Stones Addiction Centre, constituted the empirical data on which this research was based. These interviews revealed remarkable experiences in the lives of these women. The findings of the research indicate that women in recovery with substanceproblems benefit tremendously from interaction with the dimension of spirituality. Spirituality was understood in terms of the experience of intervention or support by a power greater than themselves – an experience which gave meaning to the lives of these women, which is manifested in their way of being and way of acting. This includes a new sense of responsibility and self-respect which empower them to become co-creators of their lives, and to contribute compassionately to the well-being of others. The continuous and disciplined application of “spiritual tools”, practices and guidelines constitute a growing dynamics of spiritual fitness which forms part of a holistic approach to treatment and recovery. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie studie was om die dinamiek tussen spirituele fiksheid en vroue met substansie-probleme in die herstelproses, te verken. Die fenomenologiese metode van ondersoek, en binne hierdie konteks die kwalitatiewe benadering, is gebruik. Onderhoude met vyf vroue, van wie vier behandeling ontvang het by Stepping Stones Addiction Centre, het die empiriese data waarop hierdie navorsing gebaseer is, gekonstitueer. Hierdie onderhoude het merkwaardige ondervindings in die lewens van die vroue blootgelê. Die bevindings van die navorsing toon dat vroue met substansie- probleme in die herstelproses geweldig by die interaksie met die spirituele dimensie gebaat het. Spiritualiteit is verstaan in terme van die belewenis van intervensie of ondersteuning deur ‘n mag groter as hulself – ‘n ervaring wat betekenis gegee het aan die lewens van hierdie vroue, wat gemanifesteer het in hul wyse van bestaan en wyse van handel. Dit sluit ‘n nuwe begrip van verantwoordelikheid en selfrespek in, wat hul bemagtig om mede-skeppers van hul lewens te word, en op ‘n deernisvolle en empatiese wyse tot die welsyn van ander by te dra. Die voortgaande en gedissiplineerde toepassing van spirituele toerusting, gebruike en riglyne lei tot ‘n toenemende dinamiek van spirituele fiksheid wat deel vorm van ‘n holistiese benadering tot behandeling en die herstelproses.

This mini-thesis is a small-scale exploratory case study into the experiences of eight mature women members of a particular parish in the Church of the Province of Southern Africa (CPSA) situated in the Diocese of Cape Town. Using qualitative feminist research methodologies, this study sets out to explore how this group of non-ordained women perceives their roles in the church structure. The study examines what initially attracted the participants to this parish and what motivates them, despite the challenges, to continue performing their voluntary licensed and unlicensed roles in the church. It then goes on to consider the contradictory ways in which their roles as individuals, gendered as women, serve to simultaneously reinforce and challenge the patriarchy of the church. In this respect the participants often held conflicting views within themselves, thus demonstrating the complexities surrounding such issues. Upon reflection the researcher acknowledges that, similar to the participants, she also holds contradictory views on some of these issues. The research therefore identifies and explores three main themes in this regard, firstly the reasons why women originally joined the parish church, secondly the ways in which these women are active in the church and lastly the ways in which women&rsquo / s activities simultaneously challenge and reinforce the patriarchy and continued male domination of church.

This study is a critical exploration and analysis of the experiences of 'being church‘ for women married to pastors in the Baptist Convention of Malawi (BACOMA). The study focused on the following research question: 'What does being church mean for women who are married to pastors in the BACOMA, whose distinctive mark is freedom of choice in matters of faith and ministry according to the Baptist-held principle of the priesthood of all believers? It is a qualitative empirical study of the life experiences of pastors‘ wives which used feminist narrative methods of inquiry. In order to get a full picture of the role perceptions and experiences of pastors‘ wives, the study used in depth interviews, group discussions and participant observation. A purposely selected group of twenty-nine pastors‘ wives from BACOMA-affiliated Lilongwe Baptist Association of Malawi were individually interviewed by the author. In addition, two group discussions with members of the Lilongwe Baptist Association Pastors‘ Fraternal group (LBAPF) were conducted and fifty church members that included women, men, and young people were also interviewed in order to determine the congregational perceptions of a pastor‘s wife. The purpose of my study was to determine the ideo-theological and socio-cultural factors that contribute to the construction of the identity of a pastor‘s wife in the BACOMA. By presenting a synthesis of the various perspectives on the experiences of pastors‘ wives, this study has demonstrated that a plurality of perspectives contribute to the construction of the identity of a pastors‘ wife. This causes her to be identified as a "dialogical self"¹ because of the many positions that contribute to the self understanding of her identity. These perspectives, which are embedded in patriarchal ideologies, include: doctrinal or biblical, ecclesiastical, congregational, cultural, and the "Self". I have also shown that the areas of conflict and tension between the Self and the "others" can be clues towards transformation. This is in addition to the alternatives suggested by feminist theologians in the study. Baptist ecclesiology in Malawi is challenged to take cognisance of these factors in order to build an inclusive ecclesiology that affirms the humanity of women in general and pastors‘ wives in particular. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.

Thesis advisor: Hosffman Opsino / Women Religious founded more than half of the current two hundred and sixty institutions of Catholic higher education in the United States. Rooted in a distinct mission to women’s education in the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, these colleges and universities have demonstrated a strong commitment to educate the politically, economically, educationally, and ecclesially marginalized, with particular emphasis on the empowerment of women. For nearly a century, these colleges and universities have creatively adapted to various changes in the educational and cultural landscape and have navigated and negotiated the complex relationships between the Church, the university, and the larger U.S. society. Ironically, their experiences and stories remain widely unknown compared to those of similar institutions founded by and for men. Using a historical and theological lens, this dissertation demonstrates how the deep stories that sustained the life and identity of many Women Religious in the United States inspired the foundation of colleges and universities that distinctively saw these stories in unique ways. In doing so, they modeled new and creative ways of education women, and others, that remain to be genuinely studied and incorporated into the larger narrative of U.S. Catholic higher education. At a time of major cultural, demographic, and ecclesial transitions, this dissertation proposes ways for those deep stories to continue to give life, even in the absence of the women who embodied them. It does so by focusing primarily on the example of the Sisters of Mercy and one of their universities. This work proposes practical approaches for leaders in Catholic higher education to embrace the deep stories grounding their institutions in order to cultivate practices and commitments that prophetically advance the identity and mission of their institutions in the twenty-first century. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2017. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry.

金佩瑋. / "2003年9月". / 論文(哲學碩士)--香港中文大學, 2003. / 參考文獻 (leaves 126-133). / 附中英文摘要. / "2003 nian 9 yue". / Jin Peiwei. / Lun wen (zhe xue shuo shi)--Xianggang Zhong wen da xue, 2003. / Can kao wen xian (leaves 126-133). / Fu Zhong Ying wen zhai yao. / 論文摘要 --- p.i / Abstract --- p.ii / 致謝 --- p.iii / Chapter 1. --- 序章 --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- 緣起與目的 --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- 硏究方法 --- p.3 / Chapter 1.2.1 --- 論述分析. --- p.4 / Chapter 1.2.2 --- 質性調查 --- p.7 / Chapter 1.3 --- 理論及分析架構 --- p.10 / Chapter 1.3.1 --- 佛教學向度 --- p.11 / Chapter 1.3.1.1 --- 佛教看待女性的四種態度 --- p.11 / Chapter 1.3.1.2 --- 不利女身的斷言多爲後來竄加 --- p.12 / Chapter 1.3.1.3 --- 轉身論及法無男女論的形成過程 --- p.13 / Chapter 1.3.1.4 --- 轉男身的宗教意義 --- p.13 / Chapter 1.3.1.5 --- 女性曾爲一個歷史主體 --- p.14 / Chapter 1.3.1.6 --- 從權力角度檢視佛教女性處境 --- p.15 / Chapter 1.3.2 --- 女性主義與婦女硏究向度 --- p.15 / Chapter 1.3.2.1 --- 婦女硏究 --- p.15 / Chapter 1.3.2.2 --- 女性主義 --- p.16 / Chapter 1.3.3 --- 佛法義理原則 --- p.18 / Chapter 1.4 --- 典籍與名相 --- p.19 / Chapter 1.4.1 --- 典籍使用 --- p.19 / Chapter 1.4.2 --- 名相釋義 --- p.20 / Chapter 1.4.2.1 --- 女身 --- p.20 / Chapter 1.4.2.2 --- 成佛 --- p.20 / Chapter 2. --- 重構女身成佛的論述場景 --- p.22 / Chapter 2.1 --- 佛經時代的女性境況 --- p.23 / Chapter 2.2 --- 建立女身成佛的系譜 --- p.28 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- 佛在世勇於破禁的年代´ؤ´ؤ女性即身成就阿羅漢 --- p.29 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- 部派對立及厭惡女性的年代´ؤ´ؤ女身不能成佛 --- p.34 / Chapter 2.2.3 --- 大乘運動崛起的年代´ؤ´ؤ以轉身論解放女身 --- p.39 / Chapter 2.2.4 --- 密教與陰性興起的年代´ؤ´ؤ所有人皆能即身成佛 --- p.50 / Chapter 2.3 --- 小結 --- p.58 / Chapter 3. --- 論述背後的女人 --- p.61 / Chapter 3.1 --- 尋找女性的蹤影 --- p.61 / Chapter 3.1.1 --- 碑銘上存在的女性 --- p.62 / Chapter 3.1.2 --- 佛塔信仰體系下的女性狀況 --- p.65 / Chapter 3.1.3 --- 論爭背後的女性參與 --- p.67 / Chapter 3.2 --- 沒女身的協商與互動 --- p.69 / Chapter 3.3 --- 義理上分析和解構 --- p.71 / Chapter 3.4 --- 小結 --- p.73 / Chapter 4. --- 女修行人的協商與互動 --- p.75 / Chapter 4.1 --- 受訪者背景與成佛觀 --- p.75 / Chapter 4.1.1 --- 受訪者背景簡述、接觸佛教以及修行槪念 --- p.75 / Chapter 4.1.2 --- 不同傳統的成佛觀 --- p.78 / Chapter 4.1.3 --- 成佛信念與本身傳統相應 --- p.81 / Chapter 4.2 --- 抵抗與協商的話語 --- p.84 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- 女身之苦與障重 --- p.84 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- 抵抗與磋商 --- p.87 / Chapter 4.2.2.1 --- 人望高處成男身 --- p.87 / Chapter 4.2.2.2 --- 建構乘願再來的話語 --- p.88 / Chapter 4.2.2.3 --- 直接向權威挑戰 --- p.90 / Chapter 4.2.2.4 --- 把經教性別支配論述消弭 --- p.91 / Chapter 4.2.2.5 --- 把握佛法的隨機和弔詭性 --- p.92 / Chapter 4.3 --- 佛教女人的得力與消力 --- p.94 / Chapter 4.3.1 --- 傳統與信仰想像 --- p.94 / Chapter 4.3.2 --- 以退爲進及以傳統制傳統 --- p.96 / Chapter 4.3.3 --- 建立正面楷模及女性的傳統 --- p.101 / Chapter 4.4 --- 小結 --- p.101 / Chapter 5. --- 去性別化與權力主體 --- p.104 / Chapter 5.1 --- 從轉身到去性別 --- p.105 / Chapter 5.1.1 --- 去性別化´ؤ´ؤ現代轉身論 --- p.106 / Chapter 5.1.2 --- 轉身/去性別還是陽剛與陰柔？ --- p.107 / Chapter 5.2 --- 女性的權力與主體性 --- p.109 / Chapter 5.2.1 --- 沒女身的主體性與權力 --- p.110 / Chapter 5.2.2 --- 顛覆性的主體權力 --- p.113 / Chapter 5.3 --- 小結 --- p.115 / Chapter 6. --- 總結´ؤ´ؤ初探女性義理學 --- p.118 / Chapter 6.1 --- 新世代的衝擊與重建 --- p.119 / Chapter 6.2 --- 女性義理學及性別硏究的策略與方向 --- p.121 / Chapter 6.2.1 --- 轉身/去性別的新意涵 --- p.121 / Chapter 6.2.2 --- 回復性別平等的新傳統 --- p.123 / Chapter 6.3 --- 正視偏見與盲點 --- p.124 / Chapter 6.4 --- 結語 --- p.125 / Chapter 7. --- 參考書目 --- p.126

abstract: This dissertation focuses on the development of two communities of women religious beginning in the early nineteenth century: the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, founded in 1812, and the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, who arrived in Ohio in 1829 and became a diocesan community in 1852. Although administratively separate, these two apostolic communities shared a charism of service to the poor in the tradition of St. Vincent de Paul. The history of these two communities demonstrates the overlapping worlds women religious inhabited: their personal faith, their community life, their place in the Catholic Church, and their place in the regions where they lived. These women were often met with admiration as they formed necessary social institutions such as schools, hospitals, and orphanages that provided services to all religious denominations. Sisters’ active engagement with their local communities defied anti-Catholic stereotypes at the time and created significant public roles for women. The skills needed to create and maintain successful social institutions demonstrate that these women were well-educated, largely self-sufficient, competent fundraisers, and well-liked by the Catholics and Protestants alike that they served. This dissertation argues for the importance of acknowledging and analyzing this tension: as celibate, educated women who used their skills for lifelong public service, the Sisters of Charity were clearly exceptional figures among nineteenth century women, though they did not challenge the gendered hierarchies of their church or American society. To further understand this tension, this dissertation utilizes several cases studies of conflicts between sisters and their superiors in each community to examine the extent of their influence in deciding their community’s current priorities and planning for the future. These case studies demonstrate that obedience did not have a fixed definition but is better understood instead as dynamic and situational between multiple locations and circumstances. These findings concerning gender, labor, institution and community building, and the growth of American Catholicism highlight the integral role that women and religion played in the antebellum era. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation History 2019