Religious Commitment Research Articles

What it takes to be religious: Religion online vs. online religion1

How individuals live their religion has been one of the most frequently studied areas of social sciences in recent years. The starting point of this study is based on the observation that people who describe themselves as religious have different ways of using social media platforms in relation to their religious beliefs. Similar to the diversity observed in the definitions of religiosity over Christianity in the West, different interpretations of Islam and Islamic way of living have also become prevalent in Turkey. With the intensification of computer-mediated communication, the communication resources and forms of discourses (re)produced online of the religious people have also diversified. This study aims to examine how active users of social media in relation to their religious values and commitments evaluate the construction and byproducts of religion online. The results show that there are three main repertoires related to the use of social media and religiosity in Turkey: religiosity as religious duties, religiosity as interpreting Islam and religiosity for managing impressions. The results can be evaluated together with the secularization theory, that is, discourses about being religious ‘warn’ individuals about the negative consequences of social media use, while offering an alternative to the positive ones.

The well-being correlates of religious commitment amongst South African and Kenyan students

Religious commitment is a prominent feature in the lives of many students in Africa. The present study investigated the well-being correlates (emotional well-being, social contribution, and depression) of religious commitment, and compared them across sex. A cross-sectional sample of 471 students from South Africa and Kenya (men = 244; women = 227; with an average age of 22.8 years) completed the Religious Commitment Inventory, Patient Health Questionnaire, Social Well-being Scale, and Mental Health Continuum Short-Form. Structural equation modelling in Mplus was used to estimate direct effects of religious commitment on emotional well-being, social contribution and depression, and comparison across sex. The results showed significant direct effects, attesting to the association of religious commitment with higher emotional well-being and social contribution, and lower depression, with no significant sex differences. In addition to insight into positive and negative intra- and interpersonal well-being correlates of religious commitment, the absence of sex differences shows uniformity in how religious commitment is related to well-being for male and female students.

Arap Şairlerin Osmanlı Hükümdarlarına Övgü Şiirleri

This study aims to examine the rich tradition of panegyric odes composed by Arab poets in honor of Ottoman sovereigns, highlighting the historical, cultural, and political context that gave rise to this distinctive form of literary expression. The paper seeks to explore the reciprocal relationship between Arab poets and the Ottoman Empire, shedding light on how these poets paid tribute to the imperial majesty, conveyed the sultans’ might, and helped to legitimize their rule. By focusing on a diverse range of panegyric odes from the later periods of the Ottoman Empire, the research encompasses the evolving dynamics of power, patronage, and poetic expression that underpinned this unique interaction between Arab poets and the Ottoman court. The primary purpose of the study is to offer a comprehensive analysis of the thematic and stylistic features of these panegyric odes, elucidating the creative strategies employed by Arab poets to extol the virtues of the Ottoman sultans and to articulate their own political, social, and religious allegiances. The paper utilizes historical, literary, and textual analysis, to examine panegyric poetry’s role in fostering cultural exchange and diplomatic communication between the Arab and Ottoman worlds, and its function in bolstering imperial ideology and projecting the Ottoman state’s image. This paper further delves into the critical intersections of politics, religion, and artistic expression within these odes, illuminating how the poets navigated these spheres to construct a nuanced portrait of Ottoman rule. By interpreting the subtexts, allegories, and metaphors employed within these poems, the research uncovers the profound philosophical, spiritual, and cultural paradigms that underscored the political landscapes of the time. Through this lens, the panegyric odes emerge as invaluable literary artifacts that bear testimony to the grandeur of the Ottoman Empire and the intricate socio-political relationships that existed between the Arab poets and the Ottoman court.

After Sovereignty: From a Hegemonic to Agonistic Islamic Political Thought

The phenomenon of “Muslim Democracy” has been analyzed by scholars for a number of years, at least since the mid-1990s. The standard view about Muslim Democracy is that (perhaps like its European counterpart Christian Democracy) it represents a nonideological, or postideological, pragmatic approach to electoral politics. The purpose of this article is to advance two primary arguments. The first is that the turn to Muslim Democracy as an ideology and practice should first be understood as a way of thinking about politics that breaks with the sovereigntist imaginary that dominated modern Islamic political thought. Second, Muslim Democrats do not forswear the use of democratic means to advance goals derived from religious commitment as part of their recognition of pluralism and constitutional democracy. Their attitude toward politics should thus be seen as a form of agonistic pluralism. This article thus proposes an interpretation of Muslim Democracy as post-sovereigntist agonistic political Islam.

Strategy for Strengthening Religious Moderation Education in Indonesia: The Post-Islamic Defense Movement 212

Education on Religious Moderation, Inclusion, and Commitment to World Peace is a program of the Jokowi administration, in line with increasing religious conservatism in the public sphere as marked by the emergence of the Action to Defend Islam 212. The findings show that two strategies are being implemented to increase understanding and tolerance among religious communities: forming 59 moderate religions in universities and establishing new study programs. The indicators for the value of our religious moderation education are based on national commitment and tolerance. The results of an evaluation of religious moderation education on 80 Ponorogo State Islamic Institute (IAIN) students showed that the highest student average was 65 points out of 100. The national disappointment index got the highest score of 90.8%, while tolerance got the lowest score of 15.3%. The study findings reveal that religious moderation education aligns with Chancellor's Decree 485/In.32.1/04/2021, receiving strong student support. Students emphasize the importance of trust, fairness, universal morals, human dignity, moderate values, prosperity, valuing diversity, and national commitment to advancing human life.

Religious Commitment and Intent to Die by Suicide during the Pandemic

Suicide is the second leading cause of death in 10–34-year-olds in the U.S. It is vital to identify protective factors that promote resilience in a suicide crisis. Background: This study explored the contributions of religious commitment (RC) and religious service attendance to decreased suicide intent in 18–34-year-olds. Possible moderators were investigated, including church-based social support, pandemic-related faith struggles (PRFS), and moral objections to suicide. Methods: Participants completed an online survey reporting on RC, suicide intent, church-based social support, religious service attendance, PRFS, and moral objections to suicide. Results: In the convenience sample of 451 18–34-year-olds (M = 24.97; 47.23% female), religious participants reported significantly less suicide intent than non-religious participants. RC and moral objections to suicide were more strongly negatively correlated with suicide intent than religious service attendance, but religious service attendance was associated with lower suicide intent in a regression model. Almost four times more religious young adult participants reported PRFS than not, and PRFS was found to moderate the benefits of social support received in their faith communities. Conclusions: It is suggested that professional caregivers use religious service attendance as a straightforward way to assess a possible protective factor for suicidal religious young adults. Professional caregivers may also assess for moral objections to suicide, which may provide simple decision rules in a suicide crisis. The large number of religious young adults reporting PRFS in this study suggests the need for professional caregivers to assess for spiritual struggles, which may confer suicide risk. Because of the interplay of spiritual risks and protections, mental health providers who are unsure of how to address these in therapy may need to collaborate with and make referrals to faith leaders to increase protections and reduce risks in suicidal religious young adults.

Self-stigma and quality of life among people with psychosis: The protective role of religion.

The quality of life in people with psychosis has been consistently demonstrated to be lower than those without, with self-stigma contributing greatly to this impairment. Hence, it is imperative to address this gap in order to facilitate recovery-oriented and other outcomes. This study investigates the potential of religiosity in moderating the effects of self-stigma on quality of life among those with psychosis. Adults with psychosis (n = 99) were recruited from the Early Psychosis Intervention Programme in Singapore from 2018 to 2021, and administered the self-report Religious Commitment Index, Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness scale, and Abbreviated World Health Organization Quality of Life instrument. Linear regression analyses were conducted and the interaction between self-stigma and religious commitment scores calculated to investigate the moderation effects of religiosity on the relationship between stigma and quality of life. Preliminary regression analyses revealed a significant association between sex and psychological quality of life. After controlling for sex, religiosity was found to moderate the relationship between self-stigma and psychological quality of life. The results of the study demonstrate the potential of religiosity in buffering the effects of self-stigma on quality of life. This reveals an area that can be easily targeted and addressed in treatment programs to improve outcomes beyond the clinical setting among people living with psychosis, to facilitate their recovery journey and beyond.

Effect of Religiosity on Consumer Decision-making: A Serial Mediation Model

Religiosity is the spine behind a consumer’s mental makeup, directing towards a core need to explore the effect of religiosity on a consumer’s decisions. The study aims at analysing the path between consumers’ religious commitment (RC) and their quality conscious decision-making (QCDM) through fashion conscious and price conscious decisions as serial mediators. The sample was collected from 400 respondents belonging to the Hindu religion in India. Data were analysed and hypotheses were tested for probable relationships using structural equation modelling (SEM) and bootstrapping through the PROCESS macro. The study reflected a positive relationship between RC (intrapersonal) and QCDM. Fashion conscious and price conscious decision-making serially mediated the path between RC and QCDM. The results clearly indicate that religiously committed consumers are fashion conscious, price conscious and quality conscious. Religiosity should be strongly taken into consideration by the companies while analysing consumers’ decision-making processes, as religion is the backbone for all major judgements. This research highlights the path along which a religious consumer’s decision moves. The findings can be incorporated into business strategies for better understanding of consumers.

Sacred-in-Practice: A Framework for Teaching Religion, Health, and Medicine.

This essay proposes an unconventional approach to teaching "religion and medicine" to American medical students. Received frameworks for such teaching-articulated around faith denomination or "spirituality"-may imply that religiosities and their health effects are grounded in theology or transcendence, respectively. These frameworks may reify, or misrepresent relationships between, religion and science-for example, in supporting notions of conflict, or of an essentially secular character of technical progress. They can neglect ways in which biomedicine and its institutions are themselves engaged with and productive of religious values. In order to move toward fuller student appreciation of diverse religious materialities and embodiments in health and biomedicine, the essay proposes "the sacred, in practice" as an organizing rubric. This pedagogical intervention pivots on notions of sacrality in anthropologies of religion and offers students a wide path to consider a spectrum of material, gestural conditions, and activities-transformative techniques, intensely valued objects, trusted texts, rituals-that mark and propagate religious valences and commitments within and around contemporary biomedicine. This sacred-in-practice approach meshes with standard theological and spiritual framings of the religion/health/medicine nexus, yet offers more capacious and flexible connections to work for which medical students are training, involving vulnerable bodies and material technologies of tremendous life- and world-shaping potency.

ʻAbd al-Rahim Talebof’s Promotion of Nationality and National Sociopolitical Reform in Kitab-i Aḥmad (1890–1894)

Abstract Scholars of Persian literature approach ‘Abd al-Rahim Talebof’s Kitab-i Aḥmad (1890–1894) either as a pedagogical treatise exemplifying his stance on the importance of modern education for Iranian children or as an informative text presenting modern European-style scientific advances and discoveries to Iranians. Moreover, they look at contemporary European intellectuals and intellectual thought informing Talebof’s work, especially Jean Jacques Rousseau’s Émile, ou de L’Éducation (1763). In this way, they overlook the role of the contemporary Iranian intellectual discourse in forming Talebof’s work and thought. This article demonstrates that Talebof wrote his book in conversation with the works of both his eminent Iranian intellectuals and their European counterparts. Building upon the current scholarship, this article argues that in Kitab-i Aḥmad, Talebof, in addition to promoting his educational mission and informative goals, lays out his most developed social philosophy, in particular, his theorization of “nationality” (millīyat) or allegiance to an imagined nation. Talebof espouses the idea that Iranians need to own moral and religious commitment to a national community and posits “nationality” as the essential framework within which modern educational and sociopolitical reforms can be implemented.

Off-Translation: Bertha Pappenheim’s Yiddish-German

Abstract This article centres on Bertha Pappenheim’s translations of Old Yiddish literature, with a particular focus on Die Memoiren der Glückel von Hameln, which was published as a private edition in Vienna in 1910. While the fact that Pappenheim translated Glikl’s Yiddish-language writings into German is well known, little attention has been paid to the particular language of the translated text or to Pappenheim’s techniques of translation more generally. This article delineates Pappenheim’s evolving approach to translation and contextualizes this approach in terms of her feminist and religious commitments. Based on both close and paratextual readings of Die Memoiren der Glückel von Hameln, it identifies a trajectory in Pappenheim’s work from ‘translation proper’ to ‘off-translation’.

Young Muslims and Christians in a Secular Europe: Pursing Religious Commitment in the Netherlands, by DAAN BEEKERS

Young Muslims and Christians in a Secular Europe: Pursing Religious Commitment in the Netherlands, by DAAN BEEKERS

The correlation between crime and religiosity in forensic psychiatry service patients

Aim: Religion has been perceived as a means of social control throughout human history, emphasizing the association between religiosity and crime. The present study aimed to investigate the correlation between religious commitment and crime in forensic psychiatry service patients. Method: The study was conducted on 100 patients hospitalized in the forensic psychiatry service after committing a crime. Sociodemographic and clinical data form, Religiosity Scale (RS), Intrinsic Religious Motivation Scale (IRMS) were administered to the participants. Results: The mean Intrinsic Religious Motivation Scale, Religiosity Scale and sub-dimension scores of the patients were high. A significant difference was determined between the RS total and sub-dimension scores of the patients who committed murder, and the total score was lower when compared to the patients who were incarcerated for other crimes (p<0.05). The "Religious Knowledge" sub-dimension score of the patients incarcerated for theft was significantly higher (p<0.05). It was observed that there was a moderate and positive correlation between the mean IRMS and RS scores (r: .468, p<0.05). Conclusion: The study findings demonstrated that the religiosity levels of the forensic psychiatry service patients were high based on the scale scores, and religiosity differed based on the type of crime committed. Further studies are required to investigate the correlation between crime and religion.

Modeling Predictors of Medication Waste Reduction Intention in Algeria: Extending the Theory of Planned Behavior.

COVID-19 caused an increase in the demand for medications, which led to an increase in pharmaceutical waste and there is no doubt that this contributes to environmental pollution. Hence, it became necessary to search for how to protect and improve the environment by encouraging the behavior of medication waste reduction. Accordingly, this study aims to investigate the factors affecting intentions to reduce medication waste. Considering this, we develop an extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) framework by incorporating the constructs of moral obligation, environmental awareness, and medication waste risk perception. Using the convenience sampling method and based on a self-administered questionnaire, a total of 225 usable responses were collected in five Algerian cities. The results showed that positive attitudes (β = 0.316, p < 0.001), moral obligation (β = 0.291, p < 0.001), environmental awareness (β = 0.227, p < 0.001), perceived behavior control (PBC) (β = 0.151, p = 0.001), greater perceived risks (β = 0.127, p < 0.001), and subjective norm (β = 0.096, p < 0.05) significantly and positively influence the medication waste minimization intention. Furthermore, our analyses revealed that the extended TPB model explained 73.40% of the intention variance. In conclusion, we have explored the intentions, and there may be a gap between intent and actual behavior. Therefore, we recommend future studies to examine the factors affecting the actual behavior of medication waste reduction and to investigate environmental ethics and religious commitment as predictors of waste reduction intentions.

Still Soul Searching? Remapping Adolescent Religious Commitment

Abstract Sociologists know very little about the religious lives of the current generation of American adolescents. This study provides an updated portrait of adolescent religious commitment and direct tests of religious change across cohorts by comparing data from the 2017–2018 National Survey of Moral Formation to the 2002–2003 National Study of Youth and Religion. There has been a significant growth in the percentage of adolescents who are not at all religious (by multiple measures). There has been a less substantial decline in the percentage of adolescents who are highly religious. Changes in religiosity have occurred across sociodemographic groups, though not always at the same rate, resulting in new patterns across gender, race, regional, and socioeconomic lines on some aspects of religiosity. Despite declines in religiosity, however, parental transmission of religion is similar to what it was in the previous generation. The decline in adolescent religiosity, notably, reflects a decline in parental religiosity.

Trust Mediates Religious Commitment and Halal Cosmetics Consumption: A SEM Analysis

Trust Mediates Religious Commitment and Halal Cosmetics Consumption: A SEM Analysis

The role of food handlers’ religious and organizational commitment in food hygiene practices: A structural modeling approach

The role of food handlers’ religious and organizational commitment in food hygiene practices: A structural modeling approach

The Role of Religious Commitment, Collectivism, and Long-Term Orientation in Consumer Impulse Buying

This study examines religion and culture’s influence on impulsive and compulsive buying. The research population is people who have made impulsive and compulsive purchases for fashion products, with a sample size of 212 respondents. Questionnaires were distributed through social media, and the collected data were analyzed using PLS. The study results show that 1) religious commitment negatively affects compulsive buying, 2) collectivism culture has been shown to positively affect impulsive and compulsive buying, 3) religious commitment is not proven to affect impulse buying, and 4) long-term orientation has also been shown not to affect impulsive and compulsive buying. Businesses can encourage impulse and compulsive buying by focusing their target market on collectivists with low levels of religious commitment.

Religious and Political Antagonism Between Greece and Bulgaria in the Context of the Church Dispute, the Treaty of San Stefano, and the Treaty of Berlin

This paper deals with the question of the driving forces of the religious, ecclesiastic, and political antagonism between Greece and Bulgaria in the context of the Treaties of San Stefano and Berlin, in combination with the national awakening and ethnic rivalries of the period. As a result, the study investigates the Greek-Bulgarian Church Dispute, which involved the quest for an autonomous Bulgarian Church, the schism from the Patriarchate, and the antagonism for religious loyalties connected to ethnic identities after the pre-national era and the emergence of nationalism. Consequently, the paper examines the political and nationalistic aspects of Greek-Bulgarian antagonism, with a special focus on the politico-territorial disputes resulting from the San Stefano and Berlin Treaties. Lastly, the paper showcases the connection this antagonism had to the Macedonian Question regarding the cause of the never-ending turmoil in the Balkans, the powder keg of Europe.

Gratitude to God and relational virtues

ABSTRACT Despite the flourishing psychological literature on gratitude that has accumulated over the past several decades, researchers have only recently started to programmatically study Gratitude to God (GTG). Given that gratitude has consistently demonstrated positive relationships with relational virtues, the current study examined the degree to which GTG is associated with forgiveness, relational humility, and altruism, above and beyond domain-general gratitude and religious commitment. Participants (N = 582 undergraduates) rated themselves on measures of religious commitment, domain-general gratitude, GTG, forgiveness, relational humility, and altruism. GTG positively predicted forgiveness over and above domain-general gratitude. GTG positively predicted relational humility over and above domain-general gratitude in participants with high levels of religious commitment. For altruism, neither GTG nor domain-general gratitude was a significant predictor, but religious commitment was a positive predictor. We conclude with a discussion of methodological limitations and suggestions for future research.