Religious People Research Articles

Existential upheavals: Tracing war’s immediate effect on individual religiosity in Ukraine

This study examines religious changes during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine through a two-wave panel study of 595 individuals before and during the 2022 war. It explores the relationship between wartime adversity and changes in religiosity. Our findings suggest that greater personal exposure to war does not increase religiosity. At the same time, greater existential insecurity is associated with a greater magnitude of religious change, regardless of its direction. In addition, the research found that individuals who were less religious before the war experienced a greater increase in religiosity. However, the effect of war exposure on the change in religiosity was more pronounced among religious people.

Changing Identities of Religious People: The Role of Religiosity and the Public Discourse in Evaluating Gay People in Central and Eastern Europe

Changing Identities of Religious People: The Role of Religiosity and the Public Discourse in Evaluating Gay People in Central and Eastern Europe

Religious coping in parenting a child with Down syndrome: A case study

The aim of this research is to illuminate (a) how religiosity can be manifest in a coping process associated with parenting a child with Down syndrome and (b) the complexity of this coping process in terms of the interdependence of identity, context, religion and coping. Following methods previously used in qualitative psychology of religious studies on religious people coping with cancer, religiosity is mapped out regarding how it is, and has been, manifest during the life before and after becoming a parent to a child with Down syndrome. An in-depth analysis is conducted on how the various manifestations of religiosity play out, and intervene with identity and context, in the process of coping with various challenges associated with parenting a child with Down syndrome. The results show experiences of personal growth regarding identity as well as experiences of spiritual growth. The most dominant religious manifestation associated to the analysed coping processes is the faith community’s various roles. The results are compared with methodologically, and conceptually, similar studies. In comparison with studies on religious people coping with cancer, the role of the faith community is much more dominant in the presented case. It is argued that this might have to do with the differences in nature between stressors associated with the own health/survival and parenting a child with Down syndrome, and it is suggested that the nature of stressors might play an important role when understanding the varieties of religious manifestations in religious coping.

A Religious Response to Environmental Flippancies in Akan Communities in Ghana

Environmental destruction in Ghana appeared to be the hottest of the political issues in the run-up to the 2024 General Elections. The study sought to unravel the possible factors militating against Ghana’s efforts in the fight against environmental destruction. It also postulates certain intentional and coordinated activities that the religious bodies in Ghana can undertake in contributing to salvaging the ecological crisis. Using the qualitative method, and a purposive sampling technique, some players in the environmental economy such as individuals, traditional leaders, religious leaders, and government officials were interviewed. In addition, for first-hand information, efforts were made to visit some Akan communities to observe how the people behave toward their environment. This paper argues that the ecological narrative in Akan communities has changed chiefly because of social conflicts, engineered by factors such as the basic needs of humans, politicization, desacralization, materialism, economics, “development,” culture, chieftaincy, international relations, tenancy, religion, civil action and many more. However, Akan religious people to whom this paper has pointed fingers as part of the problem, have what it takes to contribute to salvaging the environmental crisis in Ghana. The paper recommends that religious bodies engage in the intensification of ecological conversation and building ecological congregations by employing eco-pedagogy and making investments in environmental protection ventures in Ghana. Keywords: Environmental Flippancies, Galamsey, Political Ecology, Akan Communities.

Karl Barth’s Christological anthropology as a basis for building an interreligious relationship

This article shows that Barth’s Christological anthropology can contribute to conversations about interreligious relations. Using constructive analysis methods, this article begins with an analysis of Barth’s Christological anthropology. A thorough observation of Barth’s Christological anthropology reveals that his theology provides a potential basis for a theologicalconcept of interreligious relations. The theological concept of interreligious relations, based on Barth’s Christological anthropology, affirms that the most fundamental commonality between Christians and other religious people lie in the fact that they are God’s chosen human beings in Jesus Christ as partners of the covenant with God and with others. This theological concept of interreligious relations can guide Christians in relating to other religious groups, while they can also remain faithful to witness Jesus Christ as the centre of the message of true humanity.

Faith and Volunteering at Midlife: Variation by Religious Continuity, Discontinuity, or Initiation Since Childhood?

Abstract Volunteer service is an integral part of civic life in America. Prior research consistently finds that highly religious people spend the most time volunteering, but few studies assess the role of religious stability and change through the life course. This study focuses on exposure to religiosity in childhood and the (dis)continuity of religiosity into adulthood, as well as cases where people become more or less religious as adults. Drawing on nationally representative longitudinal data from the MIDUS study (N = 3,025), our results suggest that childhood religiosity, in isolation, does not provide a sufficient account of adulthood volunteering. Rather, people raised in highly religious childhood homes volunteered several more hours per year than those from less religious homes only if they carried religious importance forward into midlife. Moreover, people sustaining high religiosity from childhood to adulthood reported slightly more total volunteering hours than those who decreased and increased their religious importance over time after adjusting for baseline hours of volunteering. Counterfactual mediation analyses suggest that religious attendance partially mediates each of these associations, highlighting the importance of religious communities in encouraging volunteerism.

Exploring Disney's Worlds Through Religious Studies

ABSTRACTOver the course of the last century (1923–2023), the Walt Disney Company has both catalyzed and reflected dizzying changes in the American cultural landscape—including religious ones. Scholars of Disney and religion often take one of three tactics to analyze this pairing: 1) Disney as religion 2) Disney depicting religion, or 3) Disney as influenced by religion. But all three of these ways of writing posit two separate, solid things called “Disney” and “religion; ” phenomena that meet and perhaps collide but remain distinct. This essay briefly reviews those methods, but it also thinks about the religious study of Disney through three other fluid, thematic approaches to the field: 1) Rituals, Spaces, Magic 2) Cultural Narratives, and 3) Corporate Forms and Disney Desires. In addition to summarizing prior research that is explicitly about Disney, I suggest how adjacent advances in religious studies can leads us to a nuanced study of what I will call the “Disney/religion nexus.” My goal is to expand, rather than reduce, the ways we think at this crossroads. This nexus fascinates precisely because it is not just Christianity, Buddhism, or Islam, nor is it Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, or Tesla. It has aspects of all these things, but it is something more. Disney is an assemblage of stories, people, places, and objects that don't fit into a traditional box, combining the religious flows people bring with them to Disney with the routinization and meaning making of this cultural titan.

Peran Pola Komunikasi Antar Budaya Dalam Masyarakat Terhadap Hubungan Inklusif Antar Kelompok Agama

The communication process is a fundamental thing in social life, communication is a very important process because by indirect communication we can understand, attitudes, behaviors and actions from the social environment. This research aims to describe barriers in communication between cultures and religions, and also describe inclusive relationships between religious communities. In this study, a literature study research method is used by presenting research results from scientific papers. In this study, preventive measures in conflicts between religious communities are to reduce egocentrism and also mutual respect between religious people.

CULTURAL POLITICS OF EX-NONMAINSTREAM RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS MUHDI AKBAR IN THE SELAYAR ISLANDS

<p>Non-mainstream religious movements are a characteristic feature of island regions isolated by the sea. This movement first existed as a societal need at that time. This article attempts to answer the question of how a community of ex-nonmainstream religious movements carries out cultural politics to survive amid the increasingly dominant mainstream religion. This study is based on interview data and observations conducted on several informants. Movement history manuscripts are also a secondary data source in this research. Objectively, it was found that the ex-Muhdi Akbar community carried out cultural politics in three forms. First, they reoriented their movement from focusing on religion and politics to social and cultural ones. Second, open membership regulations and freedom in choosing an official religion means they have a higher emotional bond. Third, accommodation in the government strengthens their position as religious people and does not deviate so that the problems they previously experienced can be minimized. This form of cultural politics is a formula for the success of a non-mainstream religious movement.</p>

Sexuality and gender change efforts in Malaysia – proximal stressors and mental ill-health amongst LGBT+ adults

Despite growing international criticism of actions and efforts to change sexual orientation and gender identity, such efforts remain prevalent in Malaysia. Using data from a nationwide community-based survey, this study examined the prevalence of these efforts amongst LGBT+ adults and the association between exposure to them and mental health outcomes. Participants (n = 521) completed an online survey assessing exposure to efforts to change their sexual orientation and/or gender identity, internalised LGBT-phobia, negative future expectations, and several mental health variables. Just under sixty-four percent (n = 333) of participants reported having experienced change efforts, with the most common perpetrators being family members, friends and religious organisations or people. Recent (past year) and past exposure to change efforts (over one year ago) were each associated with significantly higher odds of suicidal ideation, non-suicidal self-injury, and suicide attempts. Participants with recent exposure to change efforts also reported elevated internalised LGBT-phobia and negative future expectations compared to those who lacked such experience. A content analysis of participants’ open-ended responses documented the perceived impact of change efforts on proximal stressors and mental health and wellbeing. Recommendations are made for national authorities and healthcare bodies to ban efforts to change sexual orientation and gender identity in Malaysia.

The Sacred of Today?

Abstract Even if the sacred is a classical concept in religious studies and sociology, relatively little is known of its current empirical subjective varieties. This article explores what people today consider sacred at the intersection of religion and nonreligion. Our data (N=6938) was collected with face-to-face interviews (N=1965) and from an internet panel (N=4313) in Finland. We present both an overall picture on what people consider sacred and the results of exploring the effect of religiousness, political stance, and social structural positions. Respondents of both moderately religious and nonreligious groups tend to hold health, love, and close ones sacred. Our findings challenge a linear, dualistic view of religious versus nonreligious and show that sacred exceeds religious boundaries and is experienced by religious and nonreligious people alike, but in various ways. The concept of sacred can be used to detect the inner diversity of both religious and nonreligious identities.

RELIGIOUS MODERATION STUDIES: EVALUATION OF RESPONSIVENESS TO IT’S IMPLEMENTATION IN THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS

This study aims to explain the responsive evaluation of the implementation of religious moderation education. Religious moderation is a principle of life in multicultural life, promoting tolerance attitudes and behaviors, but in some events, acts of intolerance still occur and become a cause of conflict. So it is crucial to examine the position of education in implementing these principles. The study was conducted with a responsive evaluation approach through a literature analysis of research results on religious moderation education. Based on the analysis results, religious moderation is implemented to form moderate attitudes of religious people to build tolerance and harmony. As a process, education becomes a medium of value transformation for students so that it can strengthen religious moderation in society. A strengthening strategy is needed in its implementation because implementing these principles in society still needs to be improved. This study can become relevant literature for related studies and strengthen insights into implementing religious moderation.

THE CASE OF “DESAK MADE DARMAWATI” AS A REFLECTION OF LEARNING IN CULTIVATION OF MODERATE PEOPLE IN INDONESIA

Diversity has become a national identity that shows Indonesia's image as a country that respects differences. However, this has also become one of the triggers for conflict of disharmony in the form of cases of religious blasphemy. The “Desak Made Darmawati” case is an example of a religious blasphemy conflict in Indonesia. Through a viral video circulating on social media, he shows himself presenting statements that tend to corner Hindu religious beliefs. Reflecting on these problems, researchers are interested in studying more deeply the implications of the "Desak Made Darmawati" case as a reflection of learning in cultivating moderate people in Indonesia. In this research, several problem formulations were formulated, namely related to the chronology of cases, the urgency of religious moderation in Indonesia, as well as reflections on learning from the "Desak Made Darmawati" case. This research uses a qualitative type of research with a case study approach, followed by using data collection methods, namely library or literature studies, as well as Miles and Huberman's interactive data analysis techniques. The results of this research show that the implementation of religious moderation is still an urgent matter to prevent religious polemics. On this basis, the case of "Desak Made Darmawati" can provide a reflection of learning for religious people to become moderate people, especially from a humanist, religious and legal perspective in Indonesia.

Strategi Penguatan Moderasi Beragama Melalui Kegiatan Festival Anak Sholeh di Desa Perkebunan Tanjung Beringin

Religious moderation is the most important key in maintaining harmony and harmony in a diverse society to prevent radicalism. Religious moderation and tolerance are two different and different things. Religious moderation is a path that consists of several stages that must be passed, while tolerance is the result of the stages that have been passed before. From religious moderation, an attitude of tolerance will be formed between fellow human beings, so that harmony between religious communities will be created which will later function to strengthen the unity and unity of the Indonesia nation. Humans are required to interact to meet their needs in society. Relations between religious people are based on the principle of good brotherhood, working together to face enemies and defending those who suffer. Religious harmony is needed in establishing good relationships in community life. In this context, it is discussed that this research is an inculcation of the value of tolerance between religious communities.

Religiosity and Attitudes towards Robots: Results from a Global Survey

Religion is one lens in which people understand the world around them and interpret the world around them. However, it is unclear whether religion has an impact upon attitudes towards robots around the world. In this article, the authors investigate how an individual’s religiosity impacts upon perceptions of robots. The article investigates how an individual’s religiosity impacts attitudes towards robots, using data from a large-scale global survey of attitudes towards robots (N=1263). In order to investigate how religion impacts upon such perceptions, cluster, factor and regression analyses were used for data analysis. The findings illustrate that there are discernible clusters of individuals exhibiting different levels of religiosity and that these clusters have different perceptions of robots, showing as hypothesized, that more religious individuals are more likely to be robophobic than robophilic. The relationship between religiosity and attitudes towards robots is negative: less religious people show more positive attitudes towards robots. While there is clear indication that there is a relationship between religiosity and attitudes towards robots, religiosity does not have a particularly strong impact upon perceptions of robots. The analysis of the data illustrates that there are factors more clearly associated with perceptions of robots, meaning that while religiosity may have some impact on perceptions of robots, that there are more important attitudes and other factors that should be taken into consideration to encourage users to use robots in various service environments. In addition, in this particular research, there seems to be no notable relationship between perceptions of robots and demographics of individuals, illustrating that the age, gender, wealth, and education of an individual may not play a strong role in shaping perceptions of robots in service industries.

The Impact of Religious Self-Identification on Happiness and Well-Being: A Case Study of Kazakhstan

Faith helps religious people persevere, hold back, refrain from fighting as much as possible, bear through life tribulations, and keep their loved ones in good spirits. Therefore, it can be hypothesized that people who identify as believers are happier than those who do not. The purpose of this study is to determine the influence of religiosity on self-assessed well-being and satisfaction with various material and immaterial aspects of life from the perspective of religious and nonreligious people and to determine the strength of the effect of religion on subjective well-being in contrast to other socioeconomic factors. In the present study, 1,500 respondents from Kazakhstan took a survey that touched upon their perceptions of social well-being and self-assessed religious status. The survey results were subjected to quantitative analysis via descriptive statistics and correlation analysis via Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient and the Mann‒Whitney U test. The results indicate that people in Kazakhstan demonstrate a fairly high level of self-assessed happiness. There is a statistically significant, albeit weak, correlation between self-assessed happiness and being religious. Research shows that regardless of religiosity, happiness is likely to be experienced by people if they are healthy.

Lament: Measuring a Christian Meaning-Making Coping Practice

Research demonstrates that people draw on their religions in coping with difficult life circumstances, and that more religious people tend to cope better than less religious people. Lament is a religious prayer practice that constitutes a form of meaning-making coping. Here, we explicate this form of coping and, in a series of three studies with Christian participants, report on the development of a lament scale. In the first study, we develop items and test the items for clarity and for generalizability to diverse Christian groups using expert review and cognitive interviewing with participants representing five Christian groups. In the second study, we report results of exploratory factor analysis using data from primarily White and Protestant MTurk participants ( N = 303). In the third study, we report on factor stability and construct validity using data from largely White and African American Protestant and Catholic Prolific participants ( N = 346). The studies demonstrated generalizability to diverse Christian groups, a three-factor structure consistent with our theoretical formulation, good construct validity and relationships with well-being. Moderation analyses also indicated that when both Complaint and Praise are either high or low, the severity of the event is inversely related to flourishing. However, when either Complaint or Praise is high, the negative relationship between severity of the event and flourishing is ameliorated. The Lament Scale is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing lament in ways that are consistent with the conceptualization of lament as a meaning-making coping practice.

Guided by God: Consulting Divine Omniscience During Decision Making

ABSTRACT To confront difficult decisions, religious believers commonly seek guidance from sacred sources of knowledge, such as an all-knowing God. We predicted that engaging in this practice may be related to decision satisfaction. Specifically, across three studies (N = 2,474; two pre-registered), and three countries (U.S. Sweden, Canada), we explored whether religious believers who report consulting God during decisions experienced greater decision and life satisfaction, particularly when they also held a belief in God’s omniscience. Religious people who consulted God during decisions reported increased life satisfaction initially (Study 1a), and over time (Study 1b). Further, consistent with the proposed mechanism, when consulting God for guidance, participants who perceived God as especially omniscient (but not omnipotent or predictable) experienced greater decision satisfaction for past decisions (Study 2), anticipated future decisions (Study 2), and immediately following a decision (Study 3). Findings suggest that religious believers may benefit from seeking guidance from an omniscient God.

RELIGIONS AND THEIR IMPORTANCE

The article provides information and definitions about the religion and its history so that the essence and importance of the Islamic religion can be seen more clearly. Since ancient times, the human race has lived in search of its God, that is, it accepted religion as a bridge to reach the truth. Since primitive times, religions have been seen as simple, and religions have also changed with human development. Today, there are more than 10,000 religions, sects, and confessions worldwide, but still, the human race continues to search for the truth. It talks about love and affection, which is the basis of the essence of Islam. After all, belief and religious practice promote psychological well-being by comforting people in times of adversity and increasing their social connections with others in places of worship. Many studies show that people of all ages, not just the elderly, are happier and more satisfied with their lives if they are religious. Religiousness also appears to improve physical health, and some studies even show that religious people live longer than non-religious people.

Peace Project: Promoting Peace Awareness and Tolerance among Religious People in Jakarta, Indonesia

The study investigates Muslim youth responses to the Peace Project, an initiative by Global Peace Foundation (GPF) Indonesia aimed at fostering peace and tolerance among religious believers. Focusing on visits to Sion Church and Candra Prabha Temple, thirty Muslim participants engaged in this qualitative research through observations and surveys. The findings reveal: 1) the Peace Project effectively facilitates inter-group contact among religious youth; 2) Muslim participants expressed enthusiasm for the activities, suggesting longer durations and visits to additional places of worship; and 3) the need for academic speakers to guide discussions on respecting diverse religions. This study offers recommendations to enhance interfaith initiatives, improve activity planning, contribute to religious tolerance knowledge, and raise public awareness of interfaith engagement for a more tolerant society, based on the positive reception among Jakarta Muslim youth.