“I Want Them to Question. I Just Didn’t Want Them to Question the Faith!”: Parents’ Experiences of an Adult Child’s Religious Deconversion From a Protestant Christian Evangelical Tradition

Thai religion is changing. So is Thai society. To most scholars the connection is obvious: social and especially material changes drive religious ones. So a new middle class causes religious ferment while a crisis in legitimacy explains a militant Buddhist movement as well as the fervour for amulets and forest monks. Such explanations are typical in using extra-religious current events to explain religious change. We need not dispute their specific interpretations to make a larger historical point: today's religious changes are, if only in part, the unintended consequences of a century and a half of Sangha reform that has undermined the local Buddhism of the temple orwat. In effect centralizing reforms took the wat away from locals and, by driving folk practices out of the temple, fostered today's religious “free market”. This long-term institutional shift, changing the wat's place in Thai society, can be the context for understanding today's religious changes.

The adoption of digital technologies since the early 2000s has brought about profound changes in the religious practices of Muslims in Kashmir, India. This integration has significantly enhanced the visibility of religious information throughout the region, extending access to individuals from all walks of life. The utilization of various media platforms, such as print, television, mobile phones, and the internet, has fostered a heightened awareness of internal divisions within the Kashmiri Muslim community, as religious ideologies and practices are disseminated more widely. To grasp the impact of digital technologies on the emergence of new religious identities among Kashmiri Muslims, it is crucial to explore how individuals or groups utilize these technologies to shape religious narratives. This article examines the moral economies or theological perspectives of religious organizations associated with the School of Orthoepy Qur’an & Theology Education , Jamat-i-Islami Jammu and Kashmir, Sirajul Uloom, and the Mirwaiz family in Kashmir, shedding light on their use of media technology and the diverse interpretations it engenders. Through the application of case studies as a research methodology, this study aims to extract insights into the approaches taken by these organizations toward media technology and how these approaches are influenced by their moral economies or theological standpoints. This article argues that by conducting a thorough analysis of these case studies, a deeper comprehension of the dynamic interaction between religious organizations, digital technologies, and the cultivation of religious identities can be achieved.

Religion, Psychology of

This research examines the religious transformation within the Original Baduy community, focusing on how individuals perceive and experience the shift from the traditional Sunda Wiwitan belief system to Islam. It explores the perspectives of both those who continue to uphold ancestral beliefs and those who have embraced Islam, aiming to understand how this transition is interpreted and negotiated within the cultural and social context of the Baduy people. Utilizing a qualitative research approach, the study involves in-depth interviews, observation, and document analysis. Triangulation of data from multiple sources and theoretical frameworks ensures the credibility and depth of findings. The analysis draws upon theories of religious conversion, identity formation, and cultural continuity to offer a comprehensive understanding of the transformation process. The findings indicate that the change in religious orientation does not cause significant conflict within the community. Instead, peaceful coexistence is maintained between followers of Sunda Wiwitan and Muslim Baduy members, rooted in shared kinship values, strong customary laws, and a deeply ingrained culture of tolerance. Religious conversion is often influenced by intermarriage, social interaction, exposure to Islamic teachings, and personal spiritual development. Importantly, cultural traditions such as rituals and community ceremonies continue to be upheld by both religious groups, reflecting a form of spiritual syncretism and mutual respect. The study highlights how the Baduy people manage religious plurality while preserving community unity and cultural identity. It contributes to broader discussions on indigenous religions, religious change, and interfaith harmony in traditional societies, offering valuable insights into how cultural resilience supports peaceful religious transitions.

Purpose of the Study: This research aims to uncover how traditional second burial rites coexist with and have adapted to Christian funeral norms, reflecting the socio-religious negotiation in a postcolonial context. Methodology: Employing a qualitative ethnographic approach, the study gathered data through semi-structured interviews with local chiefs, elders, and adults, alongside observations and an extensive review of related literature. Participants were selected based on their deep knowledge of Esan customs and involvement in the Itolimin practice. Main Findings: The study revealed that Itolimin, while embracing certain Christian elements, remains a vital cultural practice that reinforces the community's moral and social order. The rite's evolution showcases the Esan people's ability to blend traditional and Christian values, thereby preserving their cultural identity amidst religious changes. This syncretism illustrates the community's broader cultural resilience and adaptation approach in a rapidly changing religious landscape. Applications of this Study: Insights from this study apply to the broader discourse on funeral practices in postcolonial societies, providing a framework for cultural preservation amidst religious transformation. It is relevant for policymakers and public health officials regarding community health and burial practices. The findings also offer a basis for developing contextual theological education that respects indigenous beliefs within Christian teachings. Novelty/Originality: This study provides a unique contribution to the understanding of funeral rituals within African postcolonial societies by documenting the living tradition of Itolimin. It highlights how syncretism acts as a dynamic cultural force, shaping the way communities like the Esan negotiate identity and religious practice in a contemporary Christian-dominated context.

The LAM scales permit the measurement of three religious meaning-commitment possibilities (Literal, Anti-literal, and Mythological) rather than the usual fundamentalisticliteralistic type of commitment which many single scales tend to measure. Twenty-five items consisting of three alternatives each, based upon McLean (1952), were given to 173 college students. The LAM scales consist of the 17 items which were retained on the basis of substantial item-scale correlations of each item alternative on its respective scale. Ways are discussed in which multiple scales like the LAM would force reinterpretation of studies of religious changes in college students and of research on the relation of religion to socialpersonality variables such as prejudice and hostility. A persistent flaw in studies of religious belief and commitment is the bias of the measuring instruments toward a literal-fundamentalistic interpretation of Protestant Christianity. This literal-fundamentalistic bias, although not deliberate in most instances, results from the way in which measuring instruments are typically constructed with a single statement to which the subject must respond with true-false, agree-disagree, or other variations of these essentially unidimensional response formats. Some of the issues which underlie this methodological problem of the disjunction between theological conceptualization and empirical measurement of religious commitment have been succinctly stated by Dittes. What is your attitude toward the church? Well, the church . . . is a divine institution, God's chosen instrument for the salvation of men; and the church is a self-serving institutional sham impeding men's search for spiritual salvation. The same man, whether he be Kierkegaard or Bonhoeffer or Tillich or Rahner or Brunner or the Niebuhrs, in effect chooses items from opposite ends of a Thurstone scale. . . . The church, conceptualized as it is really meant to be, is affirmed. But the church, as it is manifested in ways that researchers and others assume to manifest these conceptions, is repudiated (Dittes, 1969, p. 68). Unknowingly, the researcher has already included in the items of his scale implications and assumptions relating to hermeneutics, exegesis, teleology, eschatology, ontology, metaphysics, epistemology, ethics and metaethics, and many more theological and philosophical fields. It is rare for the researcher to ask his respondents how they perceived his favorite item statements. It is even more unusual for scientific researchers to collaborate in extended depth with equally well-qualified theologians and philosophers in editing statements about religion to provide a sample of the full range of theological and philosophical positions in his inventory.

Mixed methods research-methodologies that synthesize qualitative and quantitative approaches in the design, collection, analysis, and dissemination of research related to a specific topic or aim-is increasingly common, offering innovative empirical insight into families and relationships. We first elaborate on our definition of mixed methods research, emphasizing that there is significant heterogeneity within mixed methods approaches to studying families and relationships. Second, we discuss benefits of mixed methods projects within family and relationship research, including theory-building and innovation. Third, we provide practical suggestions for designing and implementing a mixed methods project, highlighting useful resources for researchers as they develop research questions, plan designs, collect and analyze data, and disseminate findings. We emphasize the unique opportunities from abductive analytic approaches for mixed methods researchers and point to the need for reflexivity. Fourth, we consider common obstacles associated with disseminating mixed methods research and explain why family researchers need "mixed methods literacy" regardless of their research paradigm. Finally, we identify key areas of future growth for mixed methods researchers. We advocate that understanding mixed methods research has practical benefits, even for researchers not using these approaches. To cohesively build-and critique-our knowledge of families and relationships, family and relationship researchers across paradigms should be familiar with the basic tenets, strengths, and limitations of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research.

This exploratory study examined motivations for religious change disclosure in parent-child dyads and the influence of adult children's religious change disclosure on parent-child relationships. An analysis of 17 interviews on concealing and revealing religious change revealed motivations that are consistent with topic avoidance literature. Analysis also led to a model of how and why religious change disclosure affects some parent-child relationships and not others. Parents who highly valued their beliefs and held a realist ontological view were more likely to disapprove of their child's change in religious beliefs, which strained the parent-child relationship. Families often navigated this strain by avoiding topics, concealing personal information, and participating in religious activities. Some parents eventually accepted their child's religious beliefs, and their relationships improved.

Introduction The familiar discussion of the nexus between religion and economy has emblematic representation in Max Weber's classic account of the elective affinity between Calvinism and the spirit of modern capitalism (Weber, 1991). Weber's demonstration of the supportive role of religious belief for capitalistic development is reversed, however, in his treatment of the history of China in which it is argued that Confucianism and Daoism had a compelling restraining impact on economic rationalization (Weber, 1964). This reversal has an additional dimension, insofar as an unintended consequence of the development of an expanding market economy and concomitant industrialization in China since the Deng Xiaoping reforms in 1978 has been to provide a space for religious expression unprecedented since the advent of the communist regime in 1949, and possibly even before this time given the predominantly negative policies toward religion by the state during the republican period from 1912. Indeed, since the onset of the reform period in the 1980s there has been not only more evidence of religious commitment and activity in both rural and urban areas but also changes in the nature of individual religions and in the numbers of religious adherents. The most striking religious changes in the People's Republic of China (PRC) over the last 25 or so years have been twofold. The first consists of the reforms in both Buddhism and Daoism, especially in outreach and growth in the numbers of temples, priests and adherents or participants, which have largely been state sponsored or supported.

Intergenerational Ambivalences: New Perspectives on Parent-Child Relations in Later Life. Karl Pillemer & Kurt Luscher (Eds.). Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Elsevier. 2004. 357 pp. ISBN 0-7623-0801-X. $90.00 (cloth). Karl Pillemer and Kurt Luscher's (2004) edited volume is a satisfying extension to the original introduction of the intergenerational ambivalence approach presented in JMF (Luscher & Pillemer, 1998). Readers desiring empirical proof from earlier theoretical discussions (see JMF, 64(3) for a five-paper symposium) will find tangible evidence of both personal and social ambivalences experienced between generations. Thirteen chapters divided into four sections provide an organized path tracing the theoretical roots, conceptual dilemmas, and methodological issues for assessing ambivalence in intergenerational relationships. Empirical results from a mixture of European and U.S. scholars were especially compelling as validation for the concept of intergenerational ambivalence, as was the promising glimpse into studies with young adult samples. Family researchers using the ambivalence framework will find the collection useful and thought provoking. Pillemer and Liischer's (2004) edited volume belongs to the Elsevier series of Contemporary Perspectives in Family Research. Consistent with most areas of gerontology, the volume presents work from a variety of disciplines including psychology, human development and family studies, sociology, and family therapy. The multidisciplinary approaches by the volume's contributors create different understandings of the ambivalence concept that at first appear problematic. The editors, however, believe that over time, the perspective is likely to become more clearly articulated and the field of study more integrated (p. 7). Regardless of multiple definitions, this volume advances the operationalization and methodological assessments of intergenerational ambivalences. The introduction written by the editors provides the rationale for needing a theory in family gerontology that addresses positive and negative features of intergenerational relationships. The editors maintain that they are not presenting a formal theory but rather illustrating a sensitizing concept for the study of parent-child ties in later life. Luscher's chapter follows with a historical sketching of ambivalence as a social science construct. Luscher is uniquely positioned to provide views on the origins of ambivalence because of his access to early and current German writings, which have a deep tradition in this field. The connections made between current-day theorizing and earlier positions from Bleuler, Freud, and Knellessen are particularly interesting. Readers familiar with Luscher's 2002 remarks in JMF and work with the Konstanz research group will recognize his heuristic model for dealing with intergenerational ambivalences, which are presented in detail (pp. 47-57). Chapter 4 written by Frank Lettke and David Klein is an alternate entrance point for the volume. This chapter begins the section on methodological issues and is a treasure of ideas for anyone planning or designing a study. A key feature of this chapter is the distinction between direct and indirect measurement of the ambivalence construct. Not surprising, different methodologies can yield results that are interpretable on various levels of the construct. Measurement issues are not entirely resolved in this chapter but instead are identified for the reader to consider. The next three chapters in the methodology section offer readers a selection of empirical studies that find compelling evidence for the individual experience of ambivalence in social relationships. Pillemer (Chapter 5) focused on a sample of older mothers and found that nearly 40% reported ambivalence with at least one adult child. Pillemer suggests from the measurement of ambivalence in his study that the concept is different from indicators of poor relationships. …

Qualitative approaches in family research: Case reconstruction in family research

Background The Contaminated Blood Scandal (CBS) infected many people with haemophilia (PwH) with blood-borne diseases. While studies have focused on those directly affected, little is known about the intergenerational impact on their children and siblings. Many adult children were subject to multiple adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) as relatives became unwell or died, experiencing isolation, stigma, grief and loss, from both society and healthcare professionals (HCPs). These experiences occurred within broader ecological systems that compounded their impact across individual, family, community, and societal levels. Aims To explore the impact of the CBS on adult children and siblings of affected PwH, including effects on trust in healthcare professionals and engagement with healthcare services; and to understand how individual, family, community, and societal factors interacted to influence development and trauma transmission across generations. Methods This qualitative research study used an interpretivist approach, conducted within the haemophilia community by a researcher with member status. Semi-structured interviews with adult children and siblings (13 participants) of PwH affected by the CBS were undertaken. An autoethnographic approach allowed consideration of the researcher’s insider status influences, embracing positionality and subjectivity. Interviews were analysed using six-stage Reflective Thematic Analysis in NVIVO. Results Key themes included silence and stigma, mental health impact, intergenerational trauma transmission, life path disruption (education, relationships), and effects on healthcare trust and choices. Participants demonstrated patterns consistent with ACE research, reporting significant psychological impacts, altered treatment choices, and heightened information needs. Many expressed specific needs for understanding and compassionate care from HCPs, with some continuing to self-silence fears to protect their children. Through the Bio-Ecological Systems Framework lens, multiple system levels – from disrupted family microsystems to stigmatising societal macrosystems during the HIV/AIDS era – synthesised to create an environment where compounded effects caused lasting harm. Conclusion This group’s life paths have been severely disrupted, resulting in psychological and socioeconomic disadvantage that can impact their children, passing trauma through generations. The trauma level experienced and continued through silencing and denial resulted in PTSD symptoms for some. Participants identified specific needs for healthcare interactions acknowledging their experiences and providing compassionate, transparent communication. Urgent research is needed into care approaches within specialist centres and integration of CBS learning into healthcare education, centring voices of people and families with haemophilia in developing responses.

Introducing electronic messaging in Norwegian healthcare: Unintended consequences for interprofessional collaboration

Preface - Lynn H. Turner and Richard West Introduction: A Reflective View on the Development of Family Communication - L. Edna Rogers Part I: Defining and Interpreting the Family 1. Diversity's Impact on Defining the Family: Discourse-Dependence and Identity - Kathleen M. Galvin 2. Defining the Family Through Relationships - Kory Floyd, Alan C. Mikkelson, and Jeff Judd Part II: Theoretical and Methodological Considerations 3. Theories and Methatheories to Explain Family Communication: An Overview - Teresa C. Sabourin 4. Established and Promising Models for Family Communication Research - Deborah S. Ballard-Reisch and Daniel J. Weigel 5. Methodological Approaches to the Study of Family Communication - Sandra Metts and Emily Lamb Part III: Internal Family Dynamics Storytelling 6. Family Storytelling as Communication Practice - Kristin M. Langellier and Eric E. Peterson 7. Cover Stories as Family Communication Practice - Theresa L. Hest, Judy C. Pearson, and Jeffrey T. Child Conflict 8. Mulling About Family Conflict and Communication: What We Know and What We Need to Know - Michael E. Roloff and Courtney Waite Miller 9. Family Conflict and Adolescents - Patricia Noller, Sharon Atkin, Judith A. Feeney, and Candida Peterson Intimacy 10. That Dear Octopus: A Family-Based Model of Intimacy - Megan K. Foley and Steve Duck 11. When Friendly Advice Becomes a Privacy Dilemma for Pregnant Couples: Applying Communication Privacy Management Theory - Sandra Petronio and Susanne M. Jones 12. Orchestrating and Directing Domestic Potential Through Communication: Toward a Positive Reframing of Discipline - Thomas J. Socha 13. Parental Physical Negative Touch and Child Noncompliance in Abusive, Neglectful, and Comparison Families: A Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies - Steven R. Wilson, Xiaowei Shi, Lisa Tirmenstein, Alda Norris, and Jessica J. Rack Rituals 14. Family Rituals - Leslie A. Baxter and Dawn O. Braithwaite 15. Ritual (In)Activity in Postbereaved Stepfamilies - Leah E. Bryant Part IV: External Structural Frameworks Media-Family Interface 16. Implications of Living in a Wired Family: New Directions in Family and Media Research - J. Alison Bryant and Jennings Bryant 17. Cyberkids: The Influence of Mediation and Motivation on Children's Use of and Attitudes Toward the Internet - Alison Alexander, Seok Kang, and Yeora Kim Work-Family Interface 18. Employees Without Families: Discourses of Family as an External Constraint to Work-Life Balance - Kristen Lucas and Patrice M. Buzzanell 19. Communicating Contradictions: (Re)Producing Dialectical Tensions Through Work, Family, and Balance Socialization Messages - Caryn E. Medved and Elizabeth E. Graham Religion-Family Interface 20. Relational Dynamics in Interfaith Marriage - Patrick C. Hughes and Fran C. Dickson 21. Women Belong in the...Pulpit: Family and Professional Tensions in the Lives of Southern Baptist Women Pastors - Helen Sterk and Rebecca Kallemeyn School-Family Interface 22. Family-School Relationships: Theoretical Perspectives and Concerns - Pamela Cooper 23. The Impact of Parents' Use of Hurtful Messages on Adult Children's Self-Esteem and Educational Motivation - Scott A. Myers, Paul Schrodt, and Christine E. Rittenour Health Care-Family Interface 24. Interrelations Between Family Communication and Health Communication - Loretta L. Pecchioni, Teresa L. Thompson, and Dustin J. Anderson 25. Dialectical Tensions in Families Experiencing Acute Health Issues: Stroke Survivors' Perceptions - Donna R. Pawlowski Epilogue: The Future of Family Communication Theory and Research - Mary Anne Fitzpatrick Author Index Subject Index About the Editors About the Contributors

In order to better understand which factors contribute to variations in the quality of adult child-parent bonds, this study considered parental unfairness in the treatment of offspring during childhood. Using social exchange, self-esteem maintenance, and socialization models to predict different outcomes, memories of least favored status (LFS) were examined in relation to affectional intergenerational solidarity. A secondary analysis of a Swedish data set was conducted. Parent-child dyads were studied within three-generational lineages consisting of a grandmother (G1), her adult child (G2), and the grandchild (G3). Comparing parents and children, ratings of LFS were more predictive of the quality of the bond for children. Comparing generations of parents, LFS memories were more predictive for G2 than for G1. Comparing generations of children, there were no differences. The uniqueness of older parents in family research is considered, and an agenda for future research is suggested.