Perceptions Of Religious Leaders Research Articles

Knowledge and perceptions of religious leaders towards HIV prevention among young people in Lira district, Northern Uganda: a qualitative study

BackgroundCurrently, 410,000 new HIV infections among youth occur worldwide, which is a significant public health issue. Members of the clergy can be trustworthy allies in the reduction of HIV infections among the youth. However, little is known regarding their knowledge as well as the perceptions they hold towards HIV prevention among young people. Thus, we explored the knowledge and perceptions of religious leaders regarding HIV prevention among young people (15–24 years) in Lira district.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional qualitative study conducted among 20 religious’ leaders in March 2021 in Lira district. Religious leaders were sampled purposively and recruited from modern religions (beliefs influenced by Christianity or Islam) in Lira district. Guides for key informant interviews were utilized to gather information. Each interview was audio recorded, transcribed, and entered into NVivo version 12 software, and the data was then ready for analysis. The main themes were determined using thematic analysis.ResultsAlthough a few individuals had some misconceptions, the majority of participants had good knowledge about the transmission and prevention of HIV. Participants knew awareness creation, abstinence, and faithfulness in marriage as HIV prevention strategies and held positive perceptions. Perceived barriers to HIV prevention involvement were lack of knowledge and training and inadequate resources, whereas motivating factors were being respected and trusted and having easy access to young people.ConclusionIn conclusion, religious leaders show limited HIV prevention knowledge due to religious beliefs, but understand the importance of measures like abstinence. Despite the challenges, their involvement is crucial. Addressing knowledge gaps and providing support is vital. Future efforts should emphasize both behavioral measures and interventions like condom use, post-exposure prophylaxis, and pre-exposure prophylaxis.

Understanding COVID-19 vaccination behaviors and intentions in Ghana: A Behavioral Insights (BI) study.

Vaccine uptake is influenced by a variety of factors. Behavioral Insights (BI) can be used to address vaccine hesitancy to understand the factors that influence the decision to take or refuse a vaccine. This two-part study consisted of a survey designed to identify the influence of various drivers of people's COVID-19 vaccination status and their intention to take the vaccine in Ghana, as well as an experiment to test which of several behaviorally informed message frames had the greatest effect on vaccine acceptance. Data was collected from a total of 1494 participants; 1089 respondents (73%) reported already being vaccinated and 405 respondents (27%) reported not being vaccinated yet. The mobile phone-based surveys were conducted between December 2021 and January 2022 using Random Digit Dialing (RDD) to recruit study participants. Data analysis included regression models, relative weights analyses, and ANOVAs. The findings indicated that vaccine uptake in Ghana is influenced more by social factors (what others think) than by practical factors such as ease of vaccination. Respondents' perceptions of their family's and religious leaders' attitudes towards the vaccine were among the most influential drivers. Unexpectedly, healthcare providers' positive attitudes about the COVID-19 vaccine had a significant negative relationship with respondents' vaccination behavior. Vaccine intention was positively predicted by risk perception, ease of vaccination, and the degree to which respondents considered the vaccine effective. Perceptions of religious leaders' attitudes also significantly and positively predicted respondents' intention to get vaccinated. Although perceptions of religious leaders' views about the vaccine are an important driver of vaccine acceptance, results asking respondents to rank-order who influences them suggest that people may not be consciously aware-or do not want to admit-the degree to which they are affected by what religious leaders think. Message frames that included fear, altruism, social norms were all followed by positive responses toward the vaccine, as were messages with three distinct messengers: Ghana Health Services, a doctor, and religious leaders. What drives COVID-19 vaccine intentions does not necessarily drive behaviors. The results of this study can be used to develop appropriate COVID-19 vaccine uptake strategies targeting the most important drivers of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, using effective message frames.

Influence of Religion on Domestic Violence in Ibadan Metropolis, Nigeria

Domestic violence, which is described as a social ill is common in the Nigerian society with women bearing the greater burden of its negative consequences. The specific objectives of this study is to investigate the effect of religion on domestic violence, perceptions of religious leaders on domestic violence, respondent’s perception on the role of religion in addressing domestic violence, factors influencing domestic violence and factors that may affect the role of religion on domestic violence among men and women. Through mixed-method approach, 415 respondents were recruited using a multi-stage sampling technique. Results show that religion continues to be a dominant force that contributes to domestic violence. Women experience violence in the form of physical beating, emotional violence, sexual violence and verbal violence. Also, religion influences domestic violence and the perceptions of both sexes on violence may have implications for women’s development and society generally. Factors influencing domestic violence include religion, marital status, income level, job description, age at marriage and other factors. Conversely, religion plays a role in curbing domestic violence The study therefore concludes that religion is crucial in addressing domestic violence. There is a need for religious leaders to help reduce the rate of domestic violence by bridging the gap between males and females.

Sistem Ekonomi Islam Dalam Persepsi Tokoh Agama Desa Pagutan Kecamatan Batukliang Kabupaten Lombok Tengah

Discussing about the Islamic Economic System turns out to be quite different. One of the reasons is because the Islamic economic system gives the main characteristics that are based on Islamic law, in contrast to the conventional economy which is based on the capitalist economic system or also called the secular economy. This research is field research. Researching the perceptions and opinions of religious leaders in the midst of society in general. Methods of collecting data by means of observation, interviews, questionnaires, and documentation. The data analysis is descriptive analysis where the data obtained is analyzed and then given an explanation and conclusion. The Islamic economic system seeks to fight the principles of usury, maysir and gharar which are the main principles in the application of the conventional economic system. In every conventional economic transaction, these three principles are always put forward. The impact of these practices then brings disaster in the social life of the community such as exploitation, unfair distribution of income and wealth, fading of the attitude of togetherness and brotherhood, the emergence of social problems and so on. The results of this research about the perceptions of religious leaders regarding the Islamic economic system can be used as the main basis for society in every action and economic practice.

The Perception of Religious Leaders on HIV and Their Role in HIV Prevention: A Case Study ofAfrican, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) Communities in Windsor, Ontario.

This paper explores the perception of African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) religious leaders on HIV vulnerability and their role in HIV prevention among ACB communities in Windsor, Ontario. We conducted one semi-structured focus group discussion with nine Black religious leaders, most of whose congregants are members of the ACB community. Most religious leaders in the focus group had a negative perception of the transmission of HIV, but they acknowledged their own important role in HIV prevention strategies. This role is collaborative in nature, from the stage of designing HIV prevention strategies to implementing prevention messages. The religious leaders noted, however, that some challenges, such as church doctrine and congregational culture, are likely to impede their HIV prevention efforts.

Covid-19 and Perceptions of Religious Leaders; Hindu and Confucian views of East Java

<p><strong>Abstract;</strong></p><p>The Covid-19 pandemic is a virus outbreak that has infested almost all countries in the world, its impact is felt in various fields, economic, social, cultural, political and religious. This study attempts to see more fully the opinions of religious leaders and Confucian and Hindu youths on the existence of Covid-19, by using a qualitative approach and interview techniques as a model for extracting data in the field. From the results of the study that has been carried out there are several things that can be concluded, firstly that both Confucian and Hindu religious figures and youths believe that Coovid-19 is a real thing that must be watched out together, secondly, in connection with the existence of Covid-19, it is necessary to jointly- the same to implement the health protocol rules that have been established by the government, third, theologically that in Hinduism a pandemic condition like this could happen if Tri Hita Karana does not work well</p>

A vignette-based approach to understanding social norms around family planning in three Nigerian cities

ABSTRACT Understanding the mechanisms through which social norms shape contraceptive use can help prevent unintended pregnancies in low-income countries. The Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI) aimed to increase contraceptive uptake through advocacy, service delivery, and demand generation. Using data from focus group discussions, we examined whether social norms around family planning (FP), and specifically use of modern contraception (MC), varied among women and girls of reproductive age exposed to varying levels of the programme in three Nigerian cities. Injunctive social norms were generally unfavourable of unmarried adolescent girls’ use of MC, though participants often shared exceptions for certain types of adolescents whose use of MC would be acceptable. There was greater acceptability for MC use by women who wanted to space or limit pregnancies. Participants reported that norms around FP and MC use have become more accepting in their communities over time. Normative differences between cities were identified. Participants’ perceptions of religious leaders’ support for FP use may have contributed to positively influencing social norms.

Knowledge, beliefs and perceptions of religious leaders on modern contraceptive use in Burkina Faso: a qualitative study.

Introductionin Burkina Faso, despite the strategies implemented to increase the use of contraceptives, the prevalence rate of modern contraceptives remains low. Religion is an important part of the socio-cultural fabric of many communities. Besides, religious leaders play an essential role in adopting and using contraceptive methods to support family health. The study objective was to explore the knowledge, beliefs and perceptions of religious leaders about modern contraceptives among women of childbearing age.Methodsdata were collected in September 2018 from twenty-one religious' leaders of the urban municipality of Dori. Study participants were selected based on reasoned sampling with maximum variation (sex, religion, age, residence and level of education). We conducted semi-structured individual interviews, non-participant observations and documentary review.Resultsreligious leaders have a good knowledge of modern contraceptive methods, but they prefer traditional contraceptive methods and abstinence. They consider modern contraception as abortion and female sterilization and emphasize birth spacing. Furthermore, religious leaders lack training on contraception and have no real links and exchanges with sexual and reproductive health services. As a result, their assessment of the quality of these services is very mixed.Conclusionreligious leaders play a crucial role in improving modern contraceptive methods in Burkina Faso. Close collaboration with family planning services should, at all times, be maintained. The implementation of training and educational activities for religious leaders could help raise modern contraceptive use in Burkina Faso.

The Relationship Between Perception and Social Conflict in Society: Islam Hadhari in Malaysia


 
 
 The research objectives: (1) Explain the history of the development of Islam in Malaysia. (2) Explain the picture of the spread of the standard positive perception of religious leaders and community members about Islam Hadhari. (3) Connecting between positive opinions of religious leaders and community members and their relation to social conflicts in Malaysia. The study used a quantitative approach. The population in this study was 200 people, of which 38 were religious leaders, and 152 were members of the community. The data collection technique was using a psychological scale. Data analysis technique using Pearson correlation. The results of this study found that generally, the positive perceptions of religious leaders and community members about Islam Nusantara and Islam Hadhari were classified as high while the social conflict during society is classified as low.
 
 

Knowledge and Perceptions Regarding Palliative Care Among Religious Leaders in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya: Survey and Focus Group Analysis.

Spirituality and religion are at the core of Kenyan life. Pastoral leaders play a key role in shaping the individual and community's response to living with chronic and life-threatening illnesses. Involvement of religious leaders would therefore be critical in advocacy and education efforts in palliative care (PC) to address the needs of this population. The goal of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and perceptions of religious leaders in Western Kenya regarding PC. This was a mixed-methods study with 86 religious leaders utilizing a 25-question survey followed by 5-person focus group discussions. Eighty-one percent of participants agreed that pastors should encourage members with life-threatening illnesses to talk about death and dying. However, almost a third of participants (29%) also agreed with the statement that full use of PC can hasten death. The pastors underscored challenges in end-of-life spiritual preparation as well as the importance of traditional beliefs in shaping cultural norms. Pastors supported the need for community-based PC education and additional training in PC for religious leaders. The results of this study confirm the dominant role of religion and spirituality in PC in Kenya. This dominant role in shaping PC is tied closely to Kenyan attitudes and norms surrounding death and dying.

Health Promotion Needs in Faith-Based Organizations: Perceptions of Religious Leaders in Bamako.

The purpose of this study was to explore imams' and pastors' perspectives of the health promotion needs of congregants in Bamako, Mali and to examine the physical environment for health promotion in faith-based organizations' (FBOs). In-depth one-on-one interviews were conducted with imams (n = 10) and pastors (n = 2) as well as observations of the physical environment in FBOs in Bamako, Mali. Data were analyzed using a content analysis approach guided by the social ecological model. Leaders frequently mentioned poverty and affordability as challenges perceived by congregants but congregants support each other with financial contributions. The main challenge mentioned was a lack of knowledge among leaders (primarily imams) about health and health programs.

Методы изучения религии в социальной теории П. Бурдье

The article considers Pierre Bourdieu’s approaches to the study of religion: the author analyzes basic concepts of Bourdieu’s sociology of religion and identifies religious spheres and traditions to which his ideas can be applied. The methods developed by Bourdieu, despite their limitations, successfully work in the contemporary studies. Bourdieu’s theory of religion became the starting point for some new approaches, in particular, for the study of ritual practices. His concept of religious habitus allows to analyze the mechanisms by which the religion generates certain practices, conventions, life styles, meanings and values according to its doctrine and experience. Representatives of one denomination usually not only follow the same rules and rituals, but also have a similar taste, life style and perception of religious leaders. The habitus embodies traditions and history of a denomination; it is a means of keeping up practices and their transfer to next generations. At the same time, Bourdieu’s approaches to the study of religion have some weaknesses: his theoretical model is too dependent on the French context and describes mainly the catholic church; his techniques aim to analyze the relationship between the state and the dominant church with its hierarchical structure. Another limitation of Bourdieu’s approach is that he attributes economic logic of supply and demand to the religious activities, and defines religion as determined exclusively to legalize and reproduce unequal and unjust social order. Bourdieu believed that the church was always linked with the mechanisms of social domination, exercise of power and consecration of the ruling classes’ privileges, i.e. with the merits of maintaining social order and legitimizing the power. Thus, Bourdieu credits the producers of religious capital with too much power and capabilities, which they do not really have. In Bourdieu’s theory, religion is an instrument of the struggle for power responsible for social deficiencies and injustices. That is why his theory misses many important aspects of religion.

OA24 Support for terminally-ill cancer patients: perceptions of religious leaders about end-of-life spiritual care in lagos, nigeria.

Religious leaders are well respected in most Nigerian communities and are often called in to provide support for terminally-ill patients. Many Nigeria communities still view cancer as a stigmatised disease. This study sought to elicit the perceptions of Christian and Islamic religious leaders and explore problems associated with their involvement in end-of-life care for cancer patients. Participants were recruited among 114 religious leaders. Four focus group discussion sessions were then conducted with open-ended questions on previous involvement in end-of-life care of cancer patients and whether they would like to do more. There were thirty (30) willing participants in all. The discussions were audiotaped, transcribed and coded using the NUDIST software. Ninety of the respondents (62%) would not be involved in end-of-life care. This is because of the fear of peer pressure. The responses could be classified under three major themes were identified: (1) Care supposed to be provided by all religious leaders (2) End-of-Life care in institutions are safer (3) End-of-Life care consumes time. Statements made by respondents include "I will fall out with many if I am found ministering to dying patients". We observe that peer pressure played an important role in the acceptability of end-of-life activities in this group. This could be used in the positive light in designing interventions.

Perceptions of religious leaders’ culpability in the United States

The aim of this study was to explore perceptions of religious leaders who are discovered in compromising situations. Respondents (N = 374) read one of four vignettes about a well-known, 50-year-old religious leader who was found in the back of a car by police partially clothed and intoxicated. His accomplice in the back of the parked car was (a) a 19-year-old woman, (b) a 19-year-old man, (c) a 39-year-old woman, or (d) a 39-year-old man. The accomplice in the vehicle told police and the media that s/he had been seeking spiritual counselling from this religious leader. In the General Linear Model (F = 2087.929, df = 34, p < .001) significance was observed in 10 of the 34 items following each of the vignettes. Eight other items possessed p-values slightly larger than 0.05 that merit consideration. Willingness to overlook infractions of professional behaviours were associated not with the religious leader's behaviour itself but with the age and gender of the accomplice of the religious leader. Overall, respondents were more accepting of the behaviours of the religious leader when he was found with a 39-year-old woman than with a 39-year-old man. Respondents were least likely to be understanding of his engaging in sexual behaviours with a 19-year-old adult, particularly a 19-year-old male.

Prevention of HIV/AIDS as perceived by religious leaders in Ilorin Metropolis, Nigeria

HIV/AIDS, which was discovered in 1981, has remained the highest killer infection that the world is struggling to overcome. In the first one and a half decades of its appearance, the infection successfully affected over 40 million people while more than 20 million deaths were recorded resulting from AIDS-related diseases., Nigeria has been identified as HIV/AIDS endemic country. Interestingly, HIV/AIDS which is a life-long disease with no specific vaccine for its prevention is quite preventable through multi-dimensional approach. This study therefore focused on investigating the perception of religious leaders on prevention of HIV/AIDS. A sample size of 300 participants was purposively selected in llorin metropolis to respond to questionnaire items. Responses from the participants were analysed using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) statistical measure. Results indicated that religious leaders perceived HIV/AIDS as being preventable through well adjusted sexual behaviour. It was also discovered that perceptions of respondents were different based on religious affiliation, age and educational qualifications. It is therefore recommended that religious leaders should be actively involved in the HIV/AIDS campaign programme. Equally, counsellors

Perceptions about civil war in Central Africa: Can war be justified or solve problems?

Civil war and ethnic violence are major problems in Central Africa and have caused the death and displacement of millions of people over the years. The aim of this study was to investigate the perceptions of religious leaders, lecturers and students in theology at various tertiary institutions in Central Africa with regard to civil war in the region. A structured questionnaire was used to investigate participants� perceptions about and attitudes towards civil war. The questionnaire was completed by 1 364 participants who originated or lived in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda. The results of the study illustrated the severe effect that civil wars had on the participants or their families and further indicated that Rwandans, Tutsis and males were more inclined toward justifying wars and seeing them as solutions for problems. The role of the Church in countering these perceptions is discussed.