Religious Orientations in the Lives of Indian Entrepreneurs: Three Case Studies

2012 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-108
Author(s):  
ALINA BAKUNINA
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Religious Beliefs ◽  
Religious Practices ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Religious Orientations ◽  
Economic Elite ◽  
Urban Indian ◽  
Business Setting ◽  
Religious Elements

AbstractThis paper aims to demonstrate how ‘the religious’ is conceptualized and practiced among urban Indian entrepreneurs. It investigates a continuum of religious sentiment and practice, including non-religious elements, rather than a fixed repertoire of belief and ritual. These religious orientations range from the incorporation of certain Hindu religious practices into the business setting to a denial of any substantive role religion may play in the lives of entrepreneurs and the imbuing of religious dispositions with secular meaning. I argue in this paper that the religious and quasi religious practices of India's new social and economic elite are geared primarily towards the enhancement of their ‘flexible’ lifestyles. The study also makes a claim that modern urban Hinduism accommodates hybrid secular-sacred religious beliefs and practices.

The Delphic Oracle: Belief and Behaviour in Ancient Greece—and Africa

1965 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. R. Whittaker
Keyword(s):  
Religious Beliefs ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Ancient Greece ◽  
Religious Practices ◽  
Modern Trend ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
The Real ◽  
Cultural Institution

Until comparatively recently writers on religion were absorbed by questions concerning the origins of religious beliefs and practices. They endowed primitive man with a kind of rational logicality in his belief, or, like Frazer, they saw his religious practices as simply the application of erroneous reasoning. The modern trend is to try to view the religious or cultural institution as an essential part of society, existing because of the needs of that society. This is the theme, for instance, of Malinowski when he says that “religion is not born out of speculation or reflection, still less out of illusion or misapprehension, but rather out of the real tragedies of human life, out of the conflict between human plans and realities.”

scholarly journals Cultural and Religious Beliefs and Practices Abusive to Children With Disabilities in Zimbabwe

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 103
Author(s):  
A. T. Mukushi ◽  
J. C. Makhubele ◽  
V. Mabvurira
Keyword(s):  
Support Groups ◽  
Religious Beliefs ◽  
Children With Disabilities ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Religious Practices ◽  
Continuous Training ◽  
Descriptive Case Study ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Frontline Workers

This study sought to explore religious practices and beliefs that violate the rights of children with disabilities in Zimbabwe. The authors employed a qualitative approach in exploring cultural and religious beliefs and practices abusive to children with disabilities. Authors used exploratory-descriptive case study design and purposive sampling in selecting participants. Data collection took place in Dzivarasekwa, a high-density suburb in Harare among children who were receiving rehabilitation services at Harare Hospital and their caregivers. The study established that children with disabilities who come from some apostolic families are disadvantaged, as their parents believe that demonic spirits causes disability. This then leads to heightened levels of discrimination. The study also found out that there are remedial but harmful cultural and religious practices. The study recommends that rigorous awareness raising is needed for communities to support people with disabilities, formation of support groups amongst people with disabilities themselves, introducing holistic interventions that address issues of cultural and religious beliefs and continuous training for frontline workers to keep in touch with current best practices, policies and laws around disabilities.

Engaging with the Guru

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 201-224
Author(s):  
Kristina Myrvold
Keyword(s):  
Religious Beliefs ◽  
Semantic Content ◽  
Social World ◽  
Religious Community ◽  
Religious Practices ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
The Social ◽  
Spiritual Authority ◽  
Sacred Scripture

The Sikhs have perhaps taken the concept of a sacred scripture much further than any other religious community by treating the Guru Granth Sahib as a living guru. This essay analyzes various religious beliefs and practices by which contemporary Sikhs construct and maintain conceptions of their scripture as a guru with spiritual authority. A distinction is made between religious practices that serve to mediate and interpret the semantic content of the scripture, performative acts that are enacted to transform the social world, and rituals that aim to give the scripture a careful ministration and celebrate different stages of its worldly life. The various ritualized uses of Guru Granth Sahib can be approached as external strategies by which the Sikhs personify their scripture and make it socially alive as a living guru.

Body Modifications, Sexual Activity, and Religious Practices

2010 ◽  
Vol 106 (2) ◽  
pp. 467-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark G. Rivardo ◽  
Colleen M. Keelan
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Activity ◽  
Liberal Arts ◽  
Religious Beliefs ◽  
Liberal Arts College ◽  
Body Modification ◽  
Sexual Partners ◽  
Religious Practices ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Body Modifications

Relations among body modifications (i.e., tattoos and piercings), sexual activity, and religious practices and beliefs were examined. In previous studies, Koch and colleagues found the type of body modification seemed to interact with sex to predict sexual activity; but only weak, negative correlations were found between tattoos and religious beliefs and practices. In a sample of 236 students ( M age = 20.1 yr.) from a small Catholic liberal arts college, numbers of tattoos and sexual partners were correlated statistically significantly. Other results differed by t sex: men with piercings were more likely to have had premarital intercourse, and women who had had premarital intercourse had more piercings than women who had not. There were no statistically significant correlations among body modifications and religious variables.

TIMELESS BUILDINGS AND THE HUMAN BRAIN: The Effect of Spiritual Spaces on Human Brain Waves

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 133
Author(s):  
Sally M. Essawy ◽  
Basil Kamel ◽  
Mohamed S. Elsawy
Keyword(s):  
Human Brain ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Spiritual Experience ◽  
Brain Wave ◽  
Human Comfort ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Brain Waves ◽  
Space Design ◽  
State Of Mind ◽  
The Brain

Some buildings hold certain qualities of space design similar to those originated from nature in harmony with its surroundings. These buildings, mostly associated with religious beliefs and practices, allow for human comfort and a unique state of mind. This paper aims to verify such effect on the human brain. It concentrates on measuring brain waves when the user is located in several spots (coordinates) in some of these buildings. Several experiments are conducted on selected case studies to identify whether certain buildings affect the brain wave frequencies of their users or not. These are measured in terms of Brain Wave Frequency Charts through EEG Device. The changes identified on the brain were then translated into a brain diagram that reflects the spiritual experience all through the trip inside the selected buildings. This could then be used in architecture to enhance such unique quality.

The Impact of Secularism on Religious Beliefs and Practices

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 163
Author(s):  
Adibah Binti AbdulRahim
Keyword(s):  
Religious Beliefs ◽  
Practical Aspect ◽  
The West ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Religious Worldview ◽  
Political Economic ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT Secularism is the most serious challenge of modernity posed by the West. Its main ideology is to liberate man from the religious and metaphysical values and expel religion from the practical aspect of man’s life. It clearly presents its materialistic viewpoint which is cut off from Divine, Transcendent or Supernatural principles and does not refer to and is isolated from Revelation. In terms of its intensity and scope as well as its discernable effects upon people’s mind, the repercussion of secularism is so pervasive and universal. It gives a great impact on every facet of life including individual and family lives as well as educational, political, economic and social-cultural realm. Most importantly, secularism affects the very tenets of traditional religious beliefs and practices. This paper tries to focus on the danger of secularism and its principles which are contradict to the religious worldview.  

Syncretisms

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philippa Adrych ◽  
Robert Bracey ◽  
Dominic Dalglish ◽  
Stefanie Lenk ◽  
Rachel Wood
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Religious Practices ◽  
Main Theme ◽  
Ancient Religion

The Conclusion to this volume returns to the three main questions posed in the Introduction, examining how a shared name, alongside material culture, can affect our understanding of ancient religious practices. The first section explores the benefits of a collaborative and comparative endeavour, drawing out examples from the earlier chapters and showing how they informed our perceptions of what a name can mean. The second and third parts ask more theoretical questions about how we can use our case studies to explore broader problems of interpreting ancient religious practices, and the role of objects within them. Finally, we return to the main theme of the volume: the name Mithra, and the ideas, expectations, and traditions that have been attached to it in antiquity and in modern scholarship. We suggest a new way of approaching the phenomenon of the shared name, and what that can entail for those interested in ancient religion.

Syria-Palestine

2020 ◽  
pp. 52-67
Author(s):  
Adrian Curtis
Keyword(s):  
Special Interest ◽  
Religious Beliefs ◽  
The Other ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Israelite Religion ◽  
Religious Significance ◽  
Ras Shamra

Knowledge of the religion of ancient Syria has increased significantly in recent years thanks to key archaeological discoveries. Particularly important have been those from Ras Shamra (ancient Ugarit), which may offer the best window available for an understanding of Canaanite religious beliefs and practices. Excavations have revealed structures of religious significance, such as temples, sanctuaries, and tombs, as well as numerous texts. Of special interest are those mythological texts which tell the exploits of Baal, El, and the other great gods. There are also legends, sacrifice lists, pantheon lists, and prescriptions for various rituals. Some of these, notably the legends of Keret, and of Danel and his son Aqhat, provide evidence for beliefs about the religious status and significance of the king. This material enables a more considered understanding of ideas and practices that may have impacted upon Israelite religion.

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