Religious Bodies Research Articles

The Devil and the Dolce Vita: Catholic Attempts to Save Italy’s Soul, 1948-1974. By Roy Domenico

In the aftermath of World War II, secularizing forces emerged that challenged the Christian character and Catholic identity of Italy. Rapid economic growth led people to pursue worldly pleasures, while burgeoning communist and socialist parties pressed for church-state separation. Pope Pius XII responded to these threats with a far-reaching campaign to revive the influence of the Catholic Church in the republic. While the lay organization, Catholic Action (AC), helped the Church further its spiritual objectives, the religious body needed the assistance of a political party, the Christian Democrats (DC), to advance its temporal agenda. In the critical 1948 election, Pius XII backed DC, asserting that a vote for DC was a vote for Christ. DC won, giving the pope considerable power within the cleric-backed regime. In The Devil and the Dolce Vita: Catholic Attempts to Save Italy’s Soul, 1948–1974, Roy Domenico, Professor of History at the University of Scranton, captures the intensity of this cultural conflict, which Pius XII asserted was the greatest “spiritual battle of our time” (p. 63). In five thoroughly researched, well-written chapters, the historian details the efforts of the Church and its allies to restore Catholic morality and authority in Italy. Of particular interest is the author’s description of Pius XII’s strategies to re-engage his followers. In addition to canonizing new saints, promoting religious processions, and proclaiming 1950 a Holy Year of renewal, the pontiff dispatched preachers throughout the provinces to persuade lapsed Catholics to return to the Church. AC and DC endorsed and participated in this campaign.

Review: Climate Change, Religion, and Our Bodily Future, by Todd LeVasseur

Review: <i>Climate Change, Religion, and Our Bodily Future</i>, by Todd LeVasseur

Understanding the factors leading to high prevalence of teenage pregnancies in the four aspirational Districts of Assam, Namely Goalpara, Barpeta, Dhubri, and darrang.

The prevalence of teenage pregnancy in Assam is higher than the national average as per both NHFS-4 and NHFS-5. Four districts in Assam, falling under the NITI-Aayog Aspiration Districts Transformation program of 2018, namely, Goalpara, Barpeta, Darrang, and Dhubri, have a prevalence of teenage pregnancy at levels higher than the state's average (12% as per NHFS-5). Teenage pregnancy affects several health and nutritional indicators. The objective of the study was to identify the factors associated with teenage pregnancies in the Aspirational Districts of Assam in both social and public health contexts. A comparative cross-sectional study was carried out across these four districts, with sample size of teenage pregnant women as 388 and an equal number of controls. The study presents several factors to be statistically significant, viz., lower level of education of the teenage mothers or their spouses and lesser access to adequate health-related information by teenage mothers. Furthermore, less number of teenage mothers are aware of contraceptive availability and face objection from spouses to use contraception. A unique factor presented by the study is the higher elopement rate among teenage mothers. Many of the factors upheld by the study are rooted in social and cultural fabric of the communities and could be addressed by mobilizing local institutions like panchayat and religious bodies to act as deterrence to teenage marriages in the communities. Men should also be brought into the fold of discussions on this sensitive subject through information and awareness generation.

Information Dissemination and Poverty Alleviation for Sustainable Development: Role of the Church

Poverty is a global social problem capable of bringing the worst behaviour out of people: Corruption, sexual decadence, bribery, diseases, educational deprivation, domestic abuse, unemployment, drug abuse and many more. The aforementioned consequences of poverty are traceable to lack of information or inability of people to access relevant information needed for sustainable development. Therefore, the church has a role to play in the development of the people as they engage in providing and disseminating information that could help alleviate poverty. This study aimed at ascertaining information sources provided by the Church, the medium of information dissemination by the church, finding out strategies/programs engaged by the Church towards alleviating poverty and to suggest strategies to improve poverty alleviation in the nation. The study adopted survey research design. The population of study was Christian churches. Pastors were the respondents of the study. Data was collected using self-developed structured questionnaire. It is believed that this study will serve as an eye-opener to some Churches and other religious bodies to see the need to engage in poverty and unemployment eradication. It would also create awareness to the Nigerian government on the impact of the Church in national development and thereby support the church for its sustainability. The study therefore recommended for the Church to take responsibility in making available physical libraries and electronic information centres where people can easily access information.

CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF THE ROLE OF RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS FOR POLITICAL PARTICIPATION THROUGH COOPERATIVE GOVERNANCE AND COMMUNICATION MODELS (CASE STUDY: SOMALI FEDERAL GOVERNMENT)

This paper examines the role of religious institutions in promoting political participation in the Somali Federal Government. It argues that religious institutions can play a significant role in facilitating cooperative governance and communication between different stakeholders, which can help to build trust and consensus and create a more inclusive political process. Given the nation's historical, cultural, and religious diversity, the Somali experience is particularly intriguing due to its intricate interplay between religious institutions and political structures. By adopting a case study approach, this research investigates the mechanisms through which religious organizations participate in political processes, ultimately shaping governance dynamics. The paper draws on a case study of the Somali Federal Government, which has been strengthening its relationship with religious leaders to promote peace and stability. The study employs qualitative research methods, including interviews, document analysis, and content review, to elucidate the strategies used by religious institutions to facilitate political participation. The cooperative governance model is utilized to explore the extent of collaboration between the government and religious bodies, considering factors such as policy formulation, service delivery, and conflict resolution. Additionally, the communication model is employed to analyze the effectiveness of information dissemination between religious institutions and the government and how this communication impacts citizen engagement. The paper finds that religious institutions can be valuable in providing mediation services, building social capital, and promoting civic education. However, it also notes some challenges to overcome, such as addressing the diversity of religious beliefs and practices in Somalia.

Nigeria Cashless Economy Policy: Implications for Economic Development and Efficient Allocation of Government Resources

This paper investigates Nigeria Cashless Economy Policy: Implications for Economic Development and Efficient Allocation of Government Resources. The correlation research method was adopted for the study to ascertain the relationship between variables in the study. A correlation research design measures a relationship between two variables without the researcher controlling either of them. The study obtained data from both primary and secondary sources. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) analysis was used to answer the research questions, while the Pearson Test of Significance was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 alpha level. The study findings revealed the followings there is a significant relationship between cashless policy and the development of the Nigerian economy. The study further shows that there is a significant relationship between relationship Cashless economy and reduction of corruption in the economy. Based on the findings the study concluded that The cashless policy initiative of the Central Bank of Nigeria is a move to improve the financial terrain of the economy .Therefore the CBN should always carry out stakeholder engagement sessions for key groups that will be most impacted by the cash policy as a first stage of its planned communication campaign, with the objective of creating awareness and providing an opportunity for stakeholders to raise issues and get on the spot clarifications. These stakeholders include markets, associations, professional bodies, religious bodies etc. These stakeholder sessions would strengthen the policy such that corrupt elements in the economy cannot leverage on poor sensitization to distort effective implementation of the development driven monetary policy. The needed financial infrastructures that drive cashless economy should be provided and regulated through effective legislations.

The religious economics with the rational choice theory: effectiveness and limitations

In the history of religious research, there have been many theories born to explain the maintenance and development of religion in the modern society, in which the most prominent and controversial ones are the secularization theory, functional differentiation theory, pluralist theory, and etc. When these theories have become outdated, religious researchers must seek new theories that are more suitable to analyze religious phenomena in the contemporary society. Hence, the religious economics emerges as a new alternative to the less convincing and old approaches. Based on the rational choice theory mostly applied in the field of economics, the main content of the religious economics is to consider religion as a real economic market in which religious believers choose to join religious organizations just as consumers select goods and services in the market. As a result, the theory of the religious economics predicts the development of religion in the contemporary society based on the performance of religious bodies and their connection with believers’ needs and desires in the religious market. By exploring the relations between religion and economy, as well as the basic arguments of the theory of the religious economics, this paper aims to scrutinize the effectiveness and limitations of this new theory.

A Mound of the Early Scythian Period near Shutnivtsi Village in Middle Dnister Region

The article is dedicated to the description of the mound no. 5 contents near Shutnivtsi village of Kamianets-Podilskyi region, Khmelnytskyi Oblast. The monument was explored in 1999 by the Expedition of Kamianets-Podilskyi University and headed by A. F. Hutsal. The height of the mound was 0.5—0.6 m, the diameter — 8 m. The embankment consisted of soil with stones. Under the embankment, after rabotage, there were discovered the remains of stone structures concentrated above and around the grave. In section, they had a shape close to the square with dimensions of 5.5 × 4.5 m. Its outer contours were limited by large stones. They lay in three parallel rows close to each other. Between them and on top of them there were small stones. Under the mound there was found a burial vault with four pillars. It was located along the northwest-southeast axis. Its dimensions were 2.3 × 3.35 m, the depth was 0.95—1.0 m. The north-western wall of the burial chamber was obviously lined with stones. The floor of the crypt was paved with stone tiles. They were closely adjacent to each other, but in the southern part of the grave and in the western corner the tiles were taken away by robbers. There were pillar pits in each corner of the grave. They were round in section. Their bottom was paved with stone tiles. Depth: 0.97—1.15 m; diameter: 0.71—0.75 m. All the pits were filled with stones and grey earth, and below them there was clay, sand, and pebbles. Only wooden decay remained from the pillars. The thickness of the pillars was 0.2—0.3 m. They could have supported the wooden structure of the ceiling of the crypt. The burial chamber was heavily robbed. Almost all inventory was removed or stolen by them. Only some areas survived. In the northern corner of the crypt, on a stone floor tile, a part of the lower human jaw, four bronze pins and a piece of ocher were found. The clay ladle and fragments of the pot were found near the south-western wall. The bronze arrowhead was discovered in the eastern corner. Most of the objects were moved from their original place. Parts of the bones of the human skeleton were found in the burial pit. Fragments of several ladles, two pots and a bowl were examined in different places. About 265 glass beads and their fragments were also discovered in the grave. The mound can be dated to the early Kelermes period (middle — second half of the 7th century BC). It could have belonged to a wealthy family of one of the local communities. It can also be assumed that the people buried in the mound might have been the clergy of a religious body.

Counseling needs of prisoners at the Ankaful prisons in the Central Region of Ghana

The lives prisoners live are informed and decided on by a number of factors. Most of the time, this determination is based on the emotional and psychological support that is either given or deprived by stakeholders and those dear to incarcerated individuals. The premise of the argument is that all prisoners deserve some form of counselling need but is not all the time they are given such support. On these grounds, Investigating the kinds of counseling needs of inmates at Ankaful Prisons in the Central Region was the study's primary goal. The research was descriptive in nature. The instrument used for data collection was a structured questionnaire and it was purposively administered to sixty (60) respondents within the chosen location. The data was personally collected by the researcher through hard copy forms. The study was analysed with SPSS version 25 and Microsoft Excel 2016 Professional Edition. The findings showed that the counselling needs of prisoners are in the form of physical, emotional, and psychological. It was also found that these needs were provided by private individuals/donors, churches and religious bodies as well as some prison officials at Ankaful Prisons. It was concluded based on these findings that in as much as these counselling needs are provided for the prisoners, they appear to be woefully inadequate.

Integrating Al-Qur'an translation Texts in the Development of Teaching Materials

Improving the quality of education needs collaboration between school principals, teachers, and researchers. One form of collaboration is between universities and religious educational bodies such as Aisyiah, Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Muhammadiyah, Madrasah Tsanawiyah Muhammadiyah. The purpose of this activity is to improve the knowledge and skills of teachers in developing teaching materials based on Quran translation text. The methods applied in this activity are lectures, question and answer, assignments/practices, and clinics. The workshop activities were carried out with presentation of material by the resource person to provide knowledge, examples of developing teaching materials, showing the relevance of basic competence, material, and Quran translation text. The activity was continued by carrying out an exercise in the preparation of teaching materials by integrating Quran translation text and a clinic to provide input. The results showed that this activity was beneficial for the participants as they acquire knowledge and skills in developing teaching materials by integrating Quran translation text. Participants get numerous insights and knowledge obtained to be applied in the world of education and teaching - learning process.

Exploring the level of Awareness, Understanding and Willingness of Non-Muslims in Patronizing Islamic Banking in Nigeria

The study explored the level of awareness, understanding and willingness to patronize Islamic banking products and services among non-Muslims in Nigeria. The study adopted purposive sampling technique while primary data were collected using structured questionnaire to elicit information from 65 respondents who are customers of conventional banks that have branches in the University of Benin. Data was analyzed using descriptive analysis (simple percentage). The results show that 67.7% of the respondents were not aware of the existence of Islamic banking in Nigeria. Findings from the study also showed that majority of the respondents have little or no understanding about Islamic banking system and operation. Furthermore, the willingness level of using Islamic banking products and services is low among the non-Muslim. Furthermore, one of the demographic variables considered in the study (i.e., age) significantly affects the respondents’ level of awareness regarding Islamic banking products and services. The study recommended among others that religious bodies should take part in the campaign to clear the various misconceptions and fears of the non-Muslims regarding Islamic banking in Nigeria. Also, more publication on Islamic banking subject should be made publicly available in order to raise the level of understanding and awareness as well as to improve their knowledge regardless of age and level of education amongst Non-Muslims on Islamic banking concept and operations.

È lecito che i fedeli decidano di non frequentare più chi lascia la comunità religiosa, e l’annuncio delle dimissioni ai fedeli non lede i diritti del dimissionario

It is lawful for the faithful to decide to no longer attend those who leave the religious community, and the announcement of the resignation to the faithful does not affect the rights of the resigning person&#x0D; SOMMARIO: 1. Il fatto - 2. Il punto in diritto - 3. La decisione - Sulla lesività dell’annuncio - 4. La decisione - Sull’ostracismo che sarebbe derivato dall’annuncio - 5. Conclusioni - Appendice.&#x0D; Abstract: A resigning member who declares that he no longer wishes to be a member of the religious organization but at the same time does not wish to cease his membership of the same confession, is not liable to compensation for psychological and economic damage following the ratification of his resignation and its communication to the local faithful. According to the court, a member's resignation (an associative aspect) corresponds on a confessional level to no longer being considered a member of the confession. Therefore, the damaging nature of the public announcement is excluded. The general principles of law legitimize the actions of the religious organization, which also has constitutional protection in that the internal life of the religious body is regulated by its statutes, as no state interference is admissible. So-called ostracism on the part of members has no legal relevance, since it is rather the free choice of each individual to associate with someone or not, and this right is neither punishable nor harmful. The religious organization that suggests ostracizing behavior does not violate any rights as such teaching falls within the sphere of the lawful. The religious organization that suggests supposedly ostracizing behavior does not violate any legal norms, nor does it harm the interests of those who decides to cease his membership.

Insecurity and its implication for sustainable development in Nigeria: The role of religion

Nigeria’s high rate of insecurity has reached a stage where people’s safety is no longer guaranteed. This article examines the extent to which the current high rate of insecurity in Nigeria has affected sustainable development in the country. The increasing insecurity situation is now in a state where kidnapping has become the norm, and destruction of lives and property has become a daily reoccurrence, affecting all efforts to achieve sustainable development in Nigeria. This article aims to reflect on some of the recent cases of insecurity in Nigeria to ascertain the major implication of these insecurities on education, religion and the economy, and seeks ways to curb the insecurity menace in Nigeria. It is also indicated that religion has been used to incite the perpetrator’s action as various terrorist groups misinterpret the religious texts to justify their actions. The article concludes by arguing that religion can provide the needed coherence and social control needed to fight insecurity in Nigeria jointly, and once the difference in diversity is handled through cohesion and the social control function of religion, all stakeholders will be able to unite and fight insecurity off from the society. It therefore recommends that religious leaders should form the minds of Nigerians with the true contextual meaning of the religious text used to instigate insecurity.Contribution: This article highlighted the major implications of insecurity on education, poverty and the economy, which have greatly affected development in Nigeria. The article brings to light a theological reflection of the role religion can play in providing the coherence and social control needed to jointly fight insecurity in Nigeria. This work would greatly benefit religious bodies, government, civil society and students.

Ballet and the Renegotiation of Identity among Jewish Orthodox Women in Israel

This article explores how competing images of Jewish corporeality and gendered identity are emerging in Israel through classical ballet by religious girls and women. It traces the cultural, political, and religious implications of this in the context of masculine Zionist ideals of the valorization of the corporeal. Focusing on a group of pioneering Israeli women it traces how they have reshaped the study of ballet into a liberatory yet modest practice for Orthodox women across a range of Israeli religious communities. The revolutionary efforts that linked the founding of the state of Israel with a new body are viewed through a revised feminist perspective, one within the paradigm of a religious counterrevolution. Just as the laboring body of the secular folk dancer of the Yishuv has stood for socialism, egalitarianism, and muscular Judaism while relegating the religious body to the sidelines, it is possible now to read an image of the return of the religious, via the feminized body of classical ballet, as emblematic of the new Jewish woman of Orthodox communities. I argue that through the study of ballet a politics of piety is operating among Orthodox Jewish women making it a medium through which they are changing assumptions about agency, patriarchal norms, and nationalist politics.

COVID-19 Pandemic, Oil Slump and the Nigerian Economy

The COVID-19 pandemic came as a shock to the global economy and its impact was well felt. However, it came with the possibility of implementing structural policies and reforms. The pandemic slowed down economic activities in the global market and translated into crashed oil prices, which gave room for reforms such as subsidy removal. Nigeria maximized the opportunity to remove the full subsidy on petroleum products, especially Premium Motor Spirit (PMS). But the possibility was not last enough for the populace to enjoy. COVID-19 pandemic and its consequence on oil price had affected the Nigerian economy by ways of fiscal constraint, loss of revenue, the exit of businesses in the market, job cuts and soaring unemployment rate. Exchange rate fluctuation is prevalent, the inflation rate is on the rise and thereby, poverty incidence has increased. In cushioning the effect of the pandemic, governments at all levels, religious bodies, businesses and individuals donated towards the fight and support of people during the pandemic. Nigeria should maintain a strong economic basis, single its double sides of being exporter and importer at the same time; and ensure local refining of the petroleum products. Also, it has come of age for developing a national package to forestall a similar crisis in an instance of similar occurrence.

Insecurity and development administration in Nigeria: A cross-road

Development Administration is primarily concerned with the various strategies adopted to achieve accelerated national development, especially in developing countries. In Nigeria, various strategies for achieving national development seem not to achieve the desired objectives. The country has been bedevilled by various development problems which permeate all the sectors in the country. One of the problems is the high rate of insecurity in Nigeria. The paper examines the state of insecurity in Nigeria and its consequences on the quest to achieve Development Administration in the country. The paper adopts qualitative analysis as the bulk of data is collected from official documents, books, journals, newspapers and magazines, among other instruments. The results showed that the high rate of insecurity in Nigeria perpetuated by different forms and groups of criminals significantly affects the national development in Nigeria. The results showed that the high rate of insecurity in Nigeria perpetuated by different forms and groups of criminals significantly affects the national development in Nigeria. The situation reflected the rate of unemployment, poverty, disruption of farming and other economic activities, destruction of lives and property, and out-of-school children among other problems. The paper suggests renewed and vigorous efforts at providing employment opportunities to the youths, engaging the criminals who are ready for peace, engaging the various traditional institutions and religious bodies in the fight against criminal elements, and adopting high tech in the fight against criminal elements, voting for leaders with the requisite knowledge, honest, and those that would be above primordial sentiments.

A review of perceptions, challenges and prospects of child adoption in nigeria

Child adoption in Nigeria is still an evolving process .The enactment of the Child's Right Act in Nigeria has legalized child adoption. The Objective of this study include to access the perception of child adoption in Nigeria; to determine the challenges of child adoption in Nigeria, and to investigate the prospects of child adoption in Nigeria. The method used was to explore secondary data, policy documents, existing studies and reviews from scholars, local and international organizations. Perception of child adoption slightly vary across the country, with most Nigerian having fair knowledge of the term “child adoption” which does not translate into its practice .It was also shown that infertility is the main factor that has influenced the rate of willingness and acceptability of child adoption in Nigeria. However, the ideology that biological ties are fundamental to family relations is associated with several stigmatizing beliefs about adoption, which may cause both the adoptee and the adoptive parents to feel socially marginalized and devalued. Just like other part of the world, child adoption in Nigeria is faced with several challenges ranging from stigmatization, unknown parental background, possible inherited or genetic diseases, psychological and religious beliefs, poverty, establishment of illegal adoption and orphanage homes, future claim by the biological parents, disloyalty or abandonment of adoptive parents the child when the child learns that he or she was adopted. The future prospects of child adoption lie in Nigerians taking seriously the principles and standards enunciated in the international adoption law of Nigeria that the best interest of children (which include their survival, development, protection and participation) should be the guiding principle in the whole adoption process. In conclusion , the perception, challenges and prospects of child adoption reviewed in this study shows child adoption in Nigeria is still evolving and requires the government, churches, other religious bodies, NGOs, individuals and the public at large to join hands in welcoming and implementing the right practices of child adoption, as well as ‘Child's Right Laws' .

The European Katechon: A Note on the Political Theology of Present-day Christian–Muslim Engagement

ABSTRACT The Iranian Revolution, the 9/11 attacks, the Arab Spring, the appearance of the Islamic State movement and other similar events have caused a shift in inter-faith engagements such that inter-religious dialogue, maintaining a balanced politico-religious discourse, has become imperative in international relations. This imperative is reshaping world politics. We observe that inter-religious engagements in response to such political events have had a steady katechontic character. The katechon, originally a biblical concept, refers to political institutions and cultural mechanisms used by sovereign actors, be they religious bodies, churches or states, to restrain [apocalyptic] chaos. Katechontic mechanisms essentially diffuse messianic zeal within a given community while redrawing how its members imagine the shape of things to come. Given the current trends in global culture, the katechontic character of inter-faith dialogue makes it most likely that, in the future, the world will be mainly animated by numerous simultaneous inter-cultural and inter-faith relations and modes of engagement, while the major political players seek to formulate a new vision for the future of the world.

Saints of Tonga: A Century of Island Faith

Saints of Tonga: A Century of Island Faith

Introduction to the Special Issue

&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; This special issue of The iJournal brings together nine articles from a group of authors with different professional and cultural backgrounds. The discussions here tackle a diverse range of geographies, approaches, and topics. They range from religious intolerance and body and gender to debates about trauma, war, and dictatorship. But, despite different histories and conjectures being analyzed, all nine articles examine issues on difficult memories in the museum and/or archives and discuss globalization and its politics and representations. Comparing different curatorial settings, analyzing the interaction between local and global contexts, and contemplating the development of memorialization projects in different spaces allows museum and archive professionals to better think about trauma, the erasure of memories, the politics (its struggles and possibilities) for healing, and the creation of democratic and decolonial spaces.&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;