Empty Churches

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Psychology ◽  
Religious Affiliation ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Religious Institutions ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Long Term Stability ◽  
Common Term ◽  
American Society ◽  
Opening And Closing ◽  
Number Of Individuals

Born out of the view that social phenomena are best studied through the lens of different disciplinary perspectives, this book brings together leading scholars in the fields of sociology, developmental psychology, gerontology, political science, history, philosophy, and theology to study the growing number of individuals who no longer affiliate with a religion tradition. The scholars not only explore this phenomenon from their respective academic disciplines, but they also turn to one another’s work to understand better the multifaceted nature of non-affiliation today. The data gathered shows that it is best not to use the common term nones to describe non-affiliates, because many of them still believe, though they may not belong. The scholars explore the complex impact that non-affiliation has on individuals and the wider society and what the future looks like for religion in America. Later in the book, there are insightful perspectives from professionals in the field who address how we might address non-affiliation, particularly among young adults. In general, this book provides a rich and thoughtful analysis of non-affiliation in American society from multiple scholarly perspectives. The increasing upward trend in non-affiliation threatens the vitality and long-term stability of religious institutions. Both the opening and closing pages of the book remind the reader that at the heart of religious affiliation is commitment and community, which may be the essence of maintaining these religious institutions.

Canadian and American Religion Redux: Revisiting America’s Religious Exceptionalism and Persistence Compared to Canada

2021 ◽  
pp. 000842982110042
Author(s):  
Alastair Hay
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Religious Affiliation ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Religious Culture ◽  
Religious Institutions ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Sixties ◽  
Religious Lives ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Welfare State

Two core lines of argument presently define our understanding of why Christianity’s historical influence continues to persist in the lives of Americans to a degree not observed in Canada (despite the recent loss of religious affiliation in both countries). These are: 1) changes in the functional dominance of social systems (i.e. shifts to the welfare state in Canada) and 2) important foundational, cultural differences between Canada and America. Using a historiographic approach (coupled with quantitative research conducted in Canada and the US), this article argues that one less well-recognized factor also deserves our attention: Charles Taylor’s observation that American religious culture was primed for the Age of Authenticity. In this article I argue that Taylor was probably right. Over and above the well-established individualistic character of the religious lives of Americans is a related, but important, additional effect—the sanctioning of the ‘this-worldly’ potential of the individual life from within its religious institutions. It is this aspect of America’s religious exceptionalism, I argue, that has also helped to render the religious lives of Americans less vulnerable to – but not immune from – the watershed effects of the sixties compared to Christianity in Canada.

Calvinism in the United States

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darryl Hart
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
North America ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Religious Practice ◽  
The United States ◽  
Roman Catholic Church ◽  
Religious Institutions ◽  
Protestant Churches ◽  
Anglo American ◽  
American Society

The history of Calvinism in the United States is part of a much larger development, the globalization of western Christianity. American Calvinism owes its existence to the transplanting of European churches and religious institutions to North America, a process that began in the 16th century, first with Spanish and French Roman Catholics, and accelerated a century later when Dutch, English, Scottish, and German colonists and immigrants of diverse Protestant backgrounds settled in the New World. The initial variety of Calvinists in North America was the result of the different circumstances under which Protestantism emerged in Europe as a rival to the Roman Catholic Church, to the diverse civil governments that supported established Protestant churches, and to the various business sponsors that included the Christian ministry as part of imperial or colonial designs. Once the British dominated the Eastern seaboard (roughly 1675), and after English colonists successfully fought for political independence (1783), Calvinism lost its variety. Beyond their separate denominations, English-speaking Protestants (whether English, Scottish, or Irish) created a plethora of interdenominational religious agencies for the purpose of establishing a Christian presence in an expanding American society. For these Calvinists, being Protestant went hand in hand with loyalty to the United States. Outside this pan-Protestant network of Anglo-American churches and religious institutions were ethnic-based Calvinist denominations caught between Old World ways of being Christian and American patterns of religious life. Over time, most Calvinist groups adapted to national norms, while some retained institutional autonomy for fear of compromising their faith. Since 1970, when the United States entered an era sometimes called post-Protestant, Calvinist churches and institutions have either declined or become stagnant. But in certain academic, literary, and popular culture settings, Calvinism has for some Americans, whether connected or not to Calvinist churches, continued to be a source for sober reflection on human existence and earnest belief and religious practice.

scholarly journals The Influence of Dualism and Pragmatism on Physical Education

2009 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Kudláček
Keyword(s):  
Physical Education ◽  
School Administrators ◽  
School Curriculum ◽  
The Body ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Western Society ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Deep Roots ◽  
History Of ◽  
American Society

The Influence of Dualism and Pragmatism on Physical EducationPhysical education is an area in which most professionals focus only on the body and its needs. Most PE teachers do not believe that having an understanding of philosophy is important in order to be a good teacher. One might ask why the physical educators think this. Looking at the history of philosophy we might find the answer within philosophy itself. Physical education is an unquestionable part of the school curriculum, but it does not have the same value as other subjects. The importance of PE is underestimated as school administrators stress the importance of academic subjects. The reason why physical education is so strongly separated from academic disciplines is because of its roots in ancient Greek times, when the soul was separated from the body. Medieval scholars stressed the importance of soul and cursed body as the nest of sins. From then on we have had dualism, a term which is widely adopted by western society. Dualism is so deep in us that we do not realize its impact any more. Other strong educational influence came from great thinkers such as: Comenius (1592-1670), Rousseau (1712-1778) and Dewey (1859-1952). Particularly Dewey's influence on American education, society, psychology, philosophy and way of life is significant. An importance of the experience is valued by Pragmatism. Pragmatists believe that the curriculum should be focused on the child and not on facts, they remind us about the role of education in society, and about the realization of the deep roots of division of our bodily and mental functions. The opportunities offered by the pragmatist's approach to education can help us to improve U.S. education, particularly physical education, and thus to use this to improve the state of American society.

scholarly journals A modest proposal to the peer review process: a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach in the assessment of scholarly communication

2021 ◽  
pp. 174701612110512
Author(s):  
August John Hoffman
Keyword(s):  
Peer Review ◽  
Review Process ◽  
Interdisciplinary Communication ◽  
Peer Review Process ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Communication Process ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Scientific Rigor ◽  
Modest Proposal ◽  
Number Of Individuals

The purpose of the traditional peer review process (TPR) is to provide a more constructive and scientifically rigorous critical review of scholarly research that builds scientific rigor and validity within diverse academic disciplines. Peer review has received criticism as the demand for publications in a variety of competitive journals has significantly increased while the number of individuals who are both willing and qualified to conduct thorough reviews is significantly declining. The purpose of this topic piece is to examine the overall efficacy of the peer review process and provide recommendations toward a more collaborative, transparent (i.e. “open”), and interdisciplinary communication process.

scholarly journals Interest of Moscow Youth in Non-Traditional Religions, Eastern Religions and Esoteric Teachings

2021 ◽  
pp. 89-104
Author(s):  
Х.В. Дзуцев ◽  
◽  
А.П. Дибирова ◽  
Н.В. Корниенко ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Religious Affiliation ◽  
Federal District ◽  
Religious Organizations ◽  
Public Confidence ◽  
Religious Institutions ◽  
North Caucasus ◽  
Traditional Religions ◽  
The North ◽  
Level Of Confidence ◽  
Informal Leaders

This article presents the results of a study of the level of confidence of the population of the NCFD in the demonstration of their religious feelings by officials and their interaction with religious institutions. It also examines the degree of public confidence in informal leaders in their desire to demonstrate their commitment to religion with the help of ethno-religious instruments of influence on the North Caucasian society. The results of the analysis show that the level of trust of the residents of the North Caucasus Federal District to such manifestations by officials and informal leaders is low. The vast majority of the popu- 90 lation does not believe in the sincerity of these manifestations. At the same time, the respondents showed more unanimity in the negative answers than in the positive ones. There was no correlation between the respondents ' religious affiliation and their level of trust in politicians and informal leaders. In their assessments, respondents chose less categorical answers ("rather, I agree", "rather, I disagree"). Experts also more often said that the population of their republics is suspicious of the demonstrative display of religiosity by officials, and of the attempts of leaders of informal religious organizations to influence the population by using an ethno-religious tool.

scholarly journals AN IMAGE OF AMERICAN MUSLIMS THROUGH UPDIKE’S TERRORIST: A STUDY OF IDENTIFICATION AND REPRESENTATION

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
Diba Prajamitha Aziz
Keyword(s):  
Jacques Lacan ◽  
The Other ◽  
The Novel ◽  
American Muslims ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Symbolic Identification ◽  
American Muslim ◽  
Islamic Identity ◽  
American Society ◽  
The Impact

In the aftermath of September 9/11 tragedy, an image of Muslim dramatically becomes popular topic and object for the researchers. Although analyses for the most part tend to explain the image of Muslim in negative and stereotypical tendency, the wave of action that expresses positive image of Muslim has surfaced in American society. In that case, this thesis using a novel to see that social phenomena attempted to reveal that an image of American Muslims as represented by Ahmad Ashmawy Mulloy in Updike’s Terrorist contributed to endorse an image of Muslim neither as extremist nor as terrorist. To achieve its purpose, firstly this study employs theory of imaginary and symbolic identification from Jacques Lacan. This theory is used to explain the impact of fatherless background, the presence of surrogate father and the influence of another figure on Ahmad. Secondly focusing on an image of American Muslims, theory of representation from Hall is applied. His theory is as a bridge that Muslim can be constructed and represented in the novel. Furthermore, opinions about extremist and moderate Muslim are used to explain those images through characteristics such as thought, action and orientation. The result of the study reveals that the process of identification divides people whom Ahmad had interaction into category of Muslim and non-Muslim group. Muslim group teaches Islamic identity to Ahmad and non-Muslim group plays big role to influence Ahmad to integrate himself into American society. Due to those groups, an identity and image of Ahmad is always related to the other. Focusing on Ahmad’s representation as American Muslim, he shows that there are three images such as extremist, transitional and moderate. As a result, through depicting Ahmad as moderate Muslim, Muslim is not terrorist.Keywords: American Muslim, identification, representation, extremist Muslim, moderate Muslim

“So, Are You Hindi?”

2019 ◽  
pp. 373-391
Author(s):  
M. Gail Hickey
Keyword(s):  
South Asian ◽  
Skin Color ◽  
Religious Affiliation ◽  
South Asians ◽  
The United States ◽  
Geographic Region ◽  
South Asian Immigrants ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
American Society ◽  
Migration Experiences

Immigrant children and adolescents living in the United States encounter significant stressors during the acculturation process, particularly in the schooling context. South Asian immigrants identify strongly with religious and geographic region background. This chapter investigates intersections between religion and education in U.S. South Asians' post-migration experiences in the American Midwest. Findings suggest South Asian children enrolled in U.S. schools are confronted daily by the duality between their parents' birth culture and mainstream values and traditions of the host culture. Participants and their families experience prejudice and racism in daily activities, including school. Prejudice ranges from judgments about English-speaking ability to doubts about the South Asian education system to prepare workers for U.S. jobs. Findings show religious affiliation, accent, skin color, and ethnic dress create barriers for South Asians trying to fit into everyday American society.

The Catholic Church and Mexican American Social Mobility in the Postwar Midwest: Evidence from Life and Family Histories

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-48
Author(s):  
Bienvenido Ruiz ◽  
Ramon S. Guerra ◽  
Arlett S. Lomeli ◽  
Rolando R. Longoria ◽  
Billy James Ulibarrí
Keyword(s):  
Social Mobility ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Mexican Americans ◽  
Mexican American ◽  
Mexican Immigrants ◽  
Religious Affiliation ◽  
Family Histories ◽  
American Society ◽  
American Catholic ◽  
Human And Social Capital

Religious affiliation has long been recognized as a relevant factor among the variables that intervene in the integration of immigrants to American society. While previous generations of many predominantly Roman Catholic ethnic groups are thought to have been helped along their way to assimilation by strong institutional support from American Catholic church institutions, Latinos, and in particular Mexican Americans, are considered an exception. This study examines the role that inclusion in Catholic institutions played in the social mobility experienced by multigenerational families of Mexican immigrant origin in the Midwest during the decades between 1945 and 1975. The analysis of life and family histories collected from in-depth interviews with older second- and third-generation Mexican Americans illustrates how integration into urban Catholic institutions and communities was instrumental in the upward social mobility observed in many of their family trajectories during the postwar decades. In particular, access to parochial schools and other institutions in the Catholic educational system once provided the children and grandchildren of Mexican immigrants the forms of human and social capital that allowed many in that generation to attain social mobility.

scholarly journals Religious identity of the urban population of Dagestan in the structure of social identity.

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-108
Author(s):  
Madina M. Shakhbanova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Identity ◽  
Religious Identity ◽  
Empirical Data ◽  
Urban Population ◽  
Religious Affiliation ◽  
Ethnic Community ◽  
Religious Institutions ◽  
Mass Consciousness ◽  
Contradictory Behavior ◽  
Confessional Identity

The article deals with the manifestation of the religious identity of the urban population of Dagestan. The obtained empirical data show the dominance of the Republican type of social identity with a large preponderance in the mass consciousness of the respondents. The author's hypothesis about the importance of religious identity for respondents was not confirmed by the results of the study, because the designation of unity with co-religionists by respondents prevails only in a subgroup of convinced believers. In addition, the awareness of community with representatives of their ethnic community is of great importance for citizens. At the same time, the study revealed contradictory behavior of citizens: for example, the study of the religious identity of the urban population indicates the prevalence of the importance of religious affiliation. In addition, empirical data shows the existence in the attitudes of citizens of the consideration of religion as an integral part of ethno-culture, which is quite natural in the observed synthesis of ethnic and religious factors in the form of ethno-confessional identity. The level of trust in various social spheres, in particular religious institutions, contributes to the formation of a positive religious identity to a certain extent. The survey data indicates a weak level of trust in co-religionists, while at the same time its high manifestation to the near radius.

African American Women, Education, and Self-Actualization

2014 ◽  
pp. 192-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theron N. Ford ◽  
Blanche Jackson Glimps
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Religious Institutions ◽  
Work Experiences ◽  
American Women ◽  
Race And Gender ◽  
Counter Narrative ◽  
Self Actualization ◽  
And Gender ◽  
American Society

Americans cling to the mythology that education is the great social equalizer with the power to lift members of society out of poverty and to overcome gender and racial discrimination. In turn, American society becomes more harmonious, more equitable, and more democratic as a result of having an educated citizenry. The experiences of two African American women in higher education, particularly in religious institutions, offer a counter-narrative to the persisting mythology. Using a combination of secondary research and personal narrative, the authors posit that American education embodies ongoing institutionalized political, social, and economic injustices. The chapter presents through vignettes, the African American women's first-hand experiences, which potentially are representative of a broader constituency of American academics whose life and work experiences have been affected by their race and gender.

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