High on God

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Wellman ◽  
Katie Corcoran ◽  
Kate Stockly
Keyword(s):  
Dark Side ◽  
Senior Pastor ◽  
Interaction Ritual ◽  
Group Loyalty ◽  
Worship Services ◽  
Homo Duplex ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Primary Focus ◽  
Two Sides ◽  
Do So

Humans are homo duplex, seeking to be individuals but knowing this is only possible in communities. Thus, humans struggle to integrate these two sides of their nature. Megachurches have been enormously successful at resolving this struggle. How do they do it, and what is it about their structure and rituals that makes so many feel as if they are high on God? The affective energies and emotional valences that characterize religious ecstasy are the primary focus of our study of megachurches. Empirically, humans want and desire forms of what Randall Collins calls “emotional energy.” Drawing on extensive qualitative and quantitative data on twelve nationally representative megachurches, we identify six desires that megachurches evoke and meet: acceptance, awe and spiritual stimulation, reliable leadership, deliverance, purpose, and solidarity in a community of like-minded others. Megachurches satisfy these desires through co-presence—being in the presence of other desiring people—a shared mood achieved through powerful musical worship services, a mutual focus of attention on the charismatic senior pastor who acts as an emotional charging agent, transformative altar calls, service opportunities, and small-group participation. This interaction ritual chain solidifies attendees’ commitment and group loyalty, and keeps them coming back to be recharged. Megachurches also have a dark side: they are known for their highly publicized scandals often involving malfeasance of the senior pastor. After examining the positive and negative sides to megachurches, we conclude that they successfully meet the desire of humans to flourish as individuals and to do so in a group.

A Ministry of Memory: Spiritual Care for the Older Adult With Dementia

2004 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 183-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Fish Mooney
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Spiritual Care ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Elderly Persons ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Worship Services ◽  
Christian Worldview ◽  
Primary Focus ◽  
Progressive Cognitive Impairment

The primary focus of research related to spiritual and ministry needs of older people, historically and in the present, has been on those whose cognitive abilities are only minimally impaired. The older adult with a dementia like Alzheimer’s disease, however, has not received as much attention. This may be related to a lack of any theoretical framework from which to understand what may be happening to a markedly confused person spiritually, and how a person with progressive cognitive impairment might still be able to maintain a relationship with God and be ministered to by a God who may only be remembered vaguely, if at all. Elderly persons with dementia with a faith background rooted in the Judeo-Christian worldview are often able to respond to various rituals of their faith, verbally, physically, and emotionally. Common practices like familiar prayers, Bible readings, hymns, and attendance at worship services where collective memory is shared can serve as memory joggers to reconnect the person, not only to the faith community, but to a faithful God. A spiritual care ministry to older people with dementia can be considered a ministry of memory.

The Irish Protestants and James II, 1688–90

1992 ◽  
Vol 28 (110) ◽  
pp. 124-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond Gillespie
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Events ◽  
The Other ◽  
Acting Out ◽  
Two Cultures ◽  
Political Advantage ◽  
William Iii ◽  
Two Sides ◽  
The Town ◽  
Similar Equation ◽  
Do So

Modern historical writing on the events of 1688 to 1691 in Ireland has been characterised by a sense that the two sides in that conflict were acting out predetermined roles. There is in the writing no doubt that Protestants would rally to the cause of William III and that Catholics would be the loyal supporters of the deposed James II. Roy Foster has characterised the ‘war of the two kings’ as a clash of two cultures: ‘one Catholic, French-connected, romantically Jacobite … and temperamentally Gaelic’, and the other that of the Protestant ‘Ascendancy’ created by ‘the traumatic events of James’s short reign and its aftermath’. For J. G. Simms political advantage was the key to the events of 1688–90: Catholics naturally supported James since to do so offered ‘an unusually favourable prospect of establishing their predominance’; and in the Protestant mind, since ‘William was lawful king of England, he was automatically king of Ireland … [and] would not abandon the English stake in Ireland’. Put more starkly by J. C. Beckett, ‘the struggle which reached its climax at the Boyne and ended at Limerick ran a clear course from the accession of James II’. Modern historians were not the only ones to make the assumption that Irish Protestants would support William and Catholics James. Many contemporaries outside Ireland made a similar equation. The English Jacobite John Stevens seems to have believed there was a definite link between religion and political loyalty when he arrived in Ireland in 1689 to serve James. On his arrival at Naas he was allocated a billet by the sovereign of the town, but the innkeeper refused to admit him. ‘The man being an Irishman and a Catholic’, Stevens noted, ‘made his ill carriage towards us appear more strange but his religion and country he thought would bear him out’. Arriving at Dublin he approached his prominent Jacobite friends, but ‘friendship was grown so rare in Ireland as loyalty in England’. He was relieved from apparent destitution by ‘the hands I least expected it from’, a New English Protestant who lent him £10.

The Psychological Dimensions and the Social Consequences of Incarceration

2013 ◽  
Vol 651 (1) ◽  
pp. 122-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Schnittker
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Factors ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
Social Connections ◽  
Criminal Record ◽  
Representative Survey ◽  
The Social ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Psychological Dimensions ◽  
Do So ◽  
Former Inmates

This article explores the psychological costs of incarceration, with a particular focus on how psychological factors are related to the social and economic difficulties of reentry. Using descriptive information from a nationally representative survey, this study reveals considerable anxiety, fear, and uncertainty among former inmates. The evidence also reveals that psychiatric disorders are, in some cases, even more disabling among former inmates than among others. The article situates this evidence within the larger debate on the social consequences of incarceration and discusses its implications. Psychological factors are certainly not the only barriers former inmates will face, but they are neglected in the literature and play an important role in how former inmates respond to other difficulties. They are also at the center of a persistent dilemma: former inmates must establish social connections upon release, but they must do so while harboring the stigma of a criminal record. Furthermore, former inmates who have a psychiatric disorder may be particularly disadvantaged because they experience two stigmas simultaneously.

Examining the Potential Association Between Immigration and Criminal Involvement Using a Nationally Representative and Longitudinal Sample of Youth

2019 ◽  
pp. 088626051988853
Author(s):  
Dzhansarayeva Rima ◽  
Alimkulov Yerbol ◽  
Shopabayev Batyrbek ◽  
Tlepbergenov Orynbassar ◽  
Kevin M. Beaver
Keyword(s):  
Justice System ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Adult Health ◽  
Criminal Involvement ◽  
National Longitudinal Study ◽  
Potential Association ◽  
Potential Link ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Do So ◽  
Immigration And Crime

There has been a great deal of debate regarding the association between immigration and criminal involvement. Against this backdrop, this study sought to make an incremental increase to the literature by examining the nexus between immigration and crime. To do so, data were drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health ( N = 7,622–8,334). The results of the multivariate regression models revealed no evidence that immigrants, in comparison with U.S. citizens, self-reported more involvement in nonviolent delinquency or violent delinquency. Where statistically significant effects did emerge, U.S. citizens reported greater involvement in these acts. Moreover, the analyses also did not provide any evidence that immigrants were more likely than U.S. citizens to report being arrested, pleading guilty, being sentenced to probation, or being incarcerated. Once again, U.S. citizens were significantly more likely to have contact with the criminal justice system when compared with immigrants. These results suggest that the potential link between immigration and crime is likely complex and is not a straightforward association. We conclude by discussing some of the implications of the findings and directions for future research.

scholarly journals Quitting Without Reporting Having Tried: Findings From a National Survey

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie Brown ◽  
Eleni Vangeli ◽  
Jennifer A. Fidler ◽  
Tobias Raupach ◽  
Robert West
Keyword(s):  
National Survey ◽  
Common Reason ◽  
Household Surveys ◽  
The Past ◽  
Quit Attempt ◽  
Quit Attempts ◽  
The Future ◽  
Quitting Smoking ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Do So

Background: It is assumed that smokers rarely quit without ‘attempting’ to do so but the assumption does not appear to have been adequately tested. This study assessed the prevalence of reporting having stopped without reporting a quit attempt and the reasons given for this discrepancy.Methods: Data were collected from ex-smokers who said they had quit within the last 12 months during nationally representative household surveys conducted monthly between 2006–12.Results: Of the 1,892 ex-smokers who said that they had quit within the last 12 months, 13.9% (95%CI = 12.4%–15.5%) reported having made no serious quit attempts in that period. In a sub-group of 24 smokers who were asked why they had reported stopping without also reporting an attempt, nine cited inconsistency over timing; three reported stopping without attempting to do so; four did not consider it an ‘attempt’ because they had succeeded; and six had not ruled out the occasional cigarette in the future.Conclusions: A substantial minority of people who report having stopped in the past year may fail to report a corresponding quit attempt. However, quitting smoking without considering that one has tried appears to be rare. Instead, the most common reason for the discrepancy is inconsistent reporting of the timing of quit attempts.

Can Information Decrease Political Polarization? Evidence From the U.S. Taxpayer Receipt

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 736-745 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik P. Duhaime ◽  
Evan P. Apfelbaum
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Political Polarization ◽  
White House ◽  
Contentious Issue ◽  
Baseline Levels ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
High Level ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Do So

Scholars, politicians, and laypeople alike bemoan the high level of political polarization in the United States, but little is known about how to bring the views of liberals and conservatives closer together. Previous research finds that providing people with information regarding a contentious issue is ineffective for reducing polarization because people process such information in a biased manner. Here, we show that information can reduce political polarization below baseline levels and also that its capacity to do so is sensitive to contextual factors that make one’s relevant preferences salient. Specifically, in a nationally representative sample (Study 1) and a preregistered replication (Study 2), we find that providing a taxpayer receipt—an impartial, objective breakdown of how one’s taxes are spent that is published annually by the White House—reduces polarization regarding taxes, but not when participants are also asked to indicate how they would prefer their taxes be spent.

scholarly journals Platform Competition under Asymmetric Information

2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 22-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna Hałaburda ◽  
Yaron Yehezkel
Keyword(s):  
Asymmetric Information ◽  
Market Failure ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Exclusive Dealing ◽  
Platform Competition ◽  
Ex Post ◽  
Market Inefficiency ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Two Sides ◽  
Do So

We consider platform competition in a two-sided market, where the two sides (buyers and sellers) have ex ante uncertainty and ex post asymmetric information concerning the value of a new technology. We find that platform competition may lead to a market failure: competition may result in a lower level of trade and lower welfare than a monopoly, if the difference in the degree of asymmetric information between the two sides is below a certain threshold. Multi-homing solves the market failure resulting from asymmetric information. However, if platforms can impose exclusive dealing, then they will do so, which results in market inefficiency. (JEL D41, D42, D82, D83, L11, L12)

CONVERSING WITH THOSE WITH WHOM WE DISAGREE: A RESPONSE TO AIKIN AND TALISSE'S ‘ARGUMENT IN MIXED COMPANY: MOM'S MAXIM VS. MILL'S PRINCIPLE' (THINK 27)

Think ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (31) ◽  
pp. 81-95
Author(s):  
Brenda Watson
Keyword(s):  
Dark Side ◽  
Do So

‘Mom's Maxim’ states that it is impolite to discuss religion or politics in mixed company. Instead, Aikin and Talisse want us to heed Mill's Principle: ‘He who knows only his own side of a case knows little of that.’ They want us actively to engage in debate with those who may disagree with us. To fail to do so may lead to irresponsible judgements, implied if not actually stated, of all those who hold positions different from our own. This points to a ‘dark side’ of Mom's Maxim.

scholarly journals An English Psychiatrist in Ontario

1986 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 315-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. Crammer
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Practice ◽  
General Hospital ◽  
Two Sides ◽  
Do So

After 30 years of psychiatry in England I've just had a cold plunge through Canadian psychiatry as a staffman in an Ontario general hospital. Because science is international and a good many British psychiatrists work in Canada I expected clinical practice to be the same: but psychiatry is different on the two sides of the Atlantic. Before my raw, insistent perceptions of these differences fade, as they do so quickly when one adapts to a new life, I will write some of them down. However faulty they form a rough mirror in which we can all examine our own professional faces.

scholarly journals Compliance in the 1.5 Meter Society: Longitudinal Analysis of Citizens’ Adherence to COVID-19 Mitigation Measures in a Representative Sample in the Netherlands

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Reinders Folmer ◽  
Malouke Kuiper ◽  
Elke Olthuis ◽  
Emmeke Barbara Kooistra ◽  
Anne Leonre de Bruijn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Distance Measures ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
General Duty ◽  
Future Success ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The One ◽  
Representative Samples ◽  
Do So

In the month of May, the Netherlands moved out of the “intelligent lockdown”, and into the “1.5 meter society”, which aims to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic by means of safe-distance measures. This paper assesses how Dutch citizens have complied with these social distancing measures. It analyses data from two surveys conducted in May (between 8-14 and between 22-26) among nationally representative samples (N = 984 and N = 1021). We find that a combination of factors explain social distancing compliance. On the one hand we see that people are more likely to comply if they have an intrinsic motivation to do so, when they have the capacity to comply, when they have good impulse control, when they think compliance is normal, and when they see a general duty to obey rules generally. The paper also assesses how compliance has changed over time, assessing changes in May as well as how these are different from compliance with lockdown measures in April. During this period, there has been a gradual decline in compliance that coincides with a decline in intrinsic motivations and capacity for compliance, and there has been an increase in opportunities to violate the measures. The paper assesses what these changes may mean for current and future success of Covid-19 mitigation measures.

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