Religiosity differently influences moral attitude for robots in the US and Japan

Researchers have speculated that religious traditions influence an individual's moral attitude and care toward robots. They propose that differences in moral care could be explained by values motivated by religion, anthropocentrism and animism. Here, we empirically examined how moral care for robots is influenced by religious belief and attendance with US and Japanese samples, cultures that are Abrahamic and Shinto-Buddhist traditions respectively (N = 3781). Moral care was higher in Japan and participants with higher religious beliefs had less moral care for robots only in the US. Further, participants who scored low on anthropocentrism and high on animism were more likely to attribute moral care for robots. Anthropocentrism in the US and Animism in Japan had a larger effect compared to the other country. The finding demonstrates how religion could influence moral attitudes for robots, and might suggest the realm of moral consideration could be shaped by cultural traditions.

Muslim Clothing Online Purchases in Indonesia during COVID-19 Crisis

Today, online Muslim clothing providers in Indonesia are faced with increasing competition in business openness. This condition requires online Muslim clothing providers to be more creative, innovative, effective and efficient by offering Muslim clothing products that are more valuable than competitors’. Therefore, a sophisticated and smart technology planning concept is needed for Muslim fashion consumers and to continue to achieve the benefits obtained by online Muslim clothing providers. This study aims to determine: (1) the influence of attitudes on the online buying intention of Muslim clothing in Indonesia during the COVID-19 crisis (2) the influence of subjective norm on the online buying intention of Muslim clothing in Indonesia during the COVID-19 crisis (3) the influence of perceived behavioral control on the online buying intention of Muslim clothing in Indonesia during the COVID-19 crisis (4) the effect of attitudes on the online buying intention of Muslim clothing in Indonesia during the COVID-19 crisis moderated by religious belief, (5) the effect of subjective norm on the online buying intention of Muslim clothing in Indonesia during the COVID-19 crisis moderated by religious belief, and (6) the effect of perceived behavioral control on the online buying intention of Muslim clothing in Indonesia during the COVID-19 crisis moderated by religious belief. This study uses 1. independent variables, namely: attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. 2. The dependent variable is: Purchase intention. 3. The moderating variable is: religion. The data in this study are obtained from questionnaires distributed to 762 respondents. The method used is purposive sampling to all respondents who shopped online. The method is through the LISREL 8.7 program and t-test. These results indicate that the variables of attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control influence the online buying intention of Muslim clothing in Indonesia during the COVID-19 crisis. They also find that the religious belief variable can moderate the variable of attitude towards the online buying intention of Muslim clothing in Indonesia during the COVID-19 crisis but not the subjective norm and perceived behavioral control variables.

Religion and Relationality in Punk: Musicking and Ordinary Ethics

Engaging with Christopher Small’s notion of musicking and Veena Das and Michael Lambek’s notion of ordinary ethics, this article analyzes research on religion in punk from religion studies, sociology, and theology to offer a (self) critique of the representation of religious belief and relationships in punk. Focusing on the presence of evangelical Christianity in contemporary punk, and emphasizing relationships as central to the activity of musicking, this article draws attention to exclusions and essentializations in research in this field. Focusing on the ordinary ethics enacted through punk musicking, rather than the normative ethics located in sometimes polemical punk statements and scholarship, it is argued that a more accurate understanding of the place of religion in punk becomes apparent by focusing on quotidian relational practices.

Factors Predicting Spiritual Well-Being among Dependent Older People

Spiritual well-being is a deep feeling within the mind that represents peacefulness and the inner strength of individuals, resulting from an understanding of the nature of life and acceptance of changes occurring to themselves. Spiritual well-being is; therefore, very important to dependent older people. The objectives of this study were to identify the levels of spiritual well-being of dependent older people, to examine the relationships between religious belief, religious practice, self-esteem, social support, depression, and spiritual well-being, and to examine the ability of those factors to predict spiritual well-being among dependent older people. The study sample were 395 of people aged 60 years and above who are dependent and live in three provinces in southern Thailand. Data were collected using questionnaires, including the Spiritual Well-Being Scale for Dependent Older People, Thai version of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Thai version of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Thai Geriatric Depression Scale, the Religious Practices Questionnaire, and the Buddhist Belief Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analysis. The study results were as follows: 1) The spiritual well-being among dependent older people was at a moderate level (x̅ = 46.97, SD = 7.22). 2) Religious belief, religious practice, self-esteem, and social support significantly related positively to spiritual well-being (p < 0.01), while depression significantly related negatively to spiritual well-being (p < 0.01). 3) Religious belief, self-esteem, and social support together could explain 46.00 % of the variance in spiritual well-being. The results of this study can be used by nurses and health care providers to determine interventions for enhancing spiritual well-being in this particular group of older people. HIGHLIGHTS Spiritual well-being is one of the important dimensions of holistic care. Spiritual well-being has a positive effect on physical, mental and social health The conceptual framework is guided by the Buddhism Principles Religious belief, self-esteem, and social support together could explain 46.00 % of the variance in spiritual well-being

J. E. Tatengkeng and Robert Frost’s Poems: An Application of Michael Riffaterre’s Semiotic Model

This paper describes the results of poem analysis using the semiotic model of Riffaterre. The objects of analysis were poems written by J.E Tatengkeng from Indonesia including Di Lereng Gunung, Bulan Terang, and Melati; and Robert Frost from America including Nothing Gold Can Stay, Fireflies in the Garden, and After Apple Picking. The analysis was conducted using two steps of reading. The first was the heuristic reading conducted by using linguistic knowledge; while the second was the retroactive reading conducted by using knowledge beyond the text. This second step was intended to conclude the hypograms, and based on the hypograms, matrices and significance of the poems were concluded. The analysis revealed the poems’ matrices and significance related to the value of love, beauty of nature, and religious belief. Keywords: Riffaterre, J.E. Tatengkeng, Robert Frost.

‘IN ANY CASE WE ARE SUFIS’: THE CREATION OF HIJRA SPIRITUAL IDENTITY IN SOUTH ASIA

Providing spiritual ‘safe spaces’, the Sufi shrine-world throughout the Indian Subcontinent is generally open to those who do not identify with conventional gender categories. Ajmer Sharif Shrine (dargāh) in the northern Indian town of Ajmer in Rajasthan is renowned for being particularly ‘inclusive’. It accepts all pilgrims without discrimination, including the so-called ‘third gender’, often referred to as hijras or kinnars, terms that transgress the socially-defined binary gender divide. Marginalized, and often socially stigmatized, these groups are naturally drawn towards liminal spaces such as Sufi dargāhs which encourage the transcendence of socio-religious boundaries. This paper explores certain typological aspects of traditional Sufi ritual and belief that make it particularly receptive to hijras, and the way in which hijras in turn appropriate and reconfigure Sufi religious belief to negotiate the tension between the liminality of their lived experience and the exclusive duality of the society around them. As well as utilizing fieldwork undertaken at the 808th

Situating Spirituality

Spirituality is in the spotlight. While levels of religious belief and observance are declining in much of the Western world, interest in spirituality is surging. This volume advances our understanding of contemporary spirituality by highlighting its profoundly social dimensions. It demonstrates how spirituality is shaped by its religious, cultural, and political contexts; how embodied and collective spiritual practices undergird spiritual life and intersect with social characteristics (e.g., race, gender, and sexuality); and how spirituality is impacted by power relations and institutional arrangements. The contributors are leading international scholars, and their chapters address spirituality in a wide range of religious and global contexts.

What Role Does Religion Have in Shaping Human Consumption?

Religious belief, as an informal social institution, has a significant impact on all aspects of human civilization. Previous literature has studied the effects of religious belief on economic growth, income, education, etc. Therefore, using the case of China as an example, this paper aims to investigate the effect of religious belief on human consumption. An empirical review of cross-sectional data from China’s 28 provinces reveals that religious belief has a detrimental impact on human consumption. Meanwhile, two-stage least squares and substituting the dependent variable (hc2) are employed to perform robustness tests. The new results also support the conclusion that religious belief negatively affects human consumption. In addition, this paper also discusses the heterogeneous effect of religious belief on human consumption in terms of geographical location, income level, and marketization degree. The results demonstrate the existence of the heterogeneous effect. Specifically, in the western area, low income level, and low marketization degree, religious belief negatively affects human consumption the most. On the contrary, in the eastern area, high income level, and high marketization degree, religious belief negatively affects human consumption the least.