Religious Denominations Research Articles

UDPR or “A Fictitious Reality”: the Lesser-Lnown Aspects of the History of the Union of Democratic Priests in Romania

The Union of Democratic Priests in Romania was a subordinate pro-Communist organisation created by the Romanian Communist Party in 1944 as part of the national front strategy imposed by the Soviets in occupied Eastern Europe. Its aim was to rally Romanian Orthodox clergy who, because of their strong traditional anti-communism, would not otherwise be willing to join the RCP or other pre-existing subordinate organisations. The RPC needed to “re-educate” and “politically mobilise” the priests rather than antagonise them until it was fully in power. Although the UDPR is mentioned in many studies of the establishment of the Communist regime in Romania (especially its first leader, Fr. Constantin Burducea, and its most famous manifestation, the General Congress of Priests, 16 and 17 October 1945), little is known about it. This dearth of information is partly because of the lack of historical evidence for other aspects of the UDPR’s existence and partly because historians probably regard the UDPR as inconclusive and uninteresting at a time of transition when a whole world was collapsing, and other events/political formations seemed more appealing. Be that as it may, there are still interesting aspects to be discovered about the UDPR, which we try to address in this study and which ultimately help us to better understand the changes in the relationship between church and state that began at that time and, more broadly, the turbulent period between 1944 and 1948. Based on Romanian and Soviet archival documents, newspapers of the time and published diaries, this study aims to shed light on some lesser-known aspects, such as the UDPR’s relationship with other pro-Communist organisations and with the ministry for religious denominations, the reason why the Soviets refused to send a delegation to the General Congress of Priests, the UDPR’s official newspaper and the involvement of two of its members (Constantin Burducea and Constantin Dolea) in the repression, namely in the first arrest of Father Arsenie Boca in 1945.

A cross-cultural analysis of the relationship between the level of depression and attitudes toward death in cancer patients

Introduction♦Over the last 10 years, the number of cancer patients in the world has increased by almost 23%, and the number of cancer deaths has also increased by about 10%. Malignant neoplasms still remain as one of the main causes of mortality in the population. Patients with oncopathology are characterized by a high level of depression which leads to inadequate attitudes towards the disease and its treatment, and this may further act as a risk factor for disease susceptibility and aggravate its course (Schulz-Kindermann, 2021). It is relevant to search for variables that act as a personal resource in coping with cancer. It is hypothesized that one such personal resource is the specificity of attitudes towards death.ObjectivesTo conduct a comparative analysis of the relationship between the level of depression and the peculiarities of the attitude to death in cancer patients in Russia and Germany.Methods▪Beck Depression Inventory to determine the level of depression severity.▪Death Attitude Profile-Revised to determine the type of attitude to death.For statistical processing of data, the SPSS 23.0 statistical package was used with a preliminary check for normality of distribution using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistical criterion.SELECTIONThe sample consisted of a total number of 50 cancer patients with 25 each undergoing treatment in Russia (Moscow) and in Germany (Munich). The study was based on the sample obtained from the P. A. Herzen Moscow Research Oncological Institute and the Helios Munich-West Clinic. Overall, the sample was relatively gender-balanced.ResultsThe following results were obtained from the study: 1.The mean value of depression level in cancer patients is higher in Russia than in Germany.2.The level of depression in cancer patients in both the countries is correlated with:▪marital status (p=0.36)▪stage of disease (p=0.001)▪type of treatment (p=0.001)▪belief in God (p=0.024)▪adherence to a particular religious denomination (p=0.008)3.The level of depression was correlated with a certain type of attitude towards death: a higher level of depression was associated with scores on the “fear of death” scale (p=0.000), and a lower level (or lack of ) with the “neutral acceptance of death” scale (p=0.000)4.The fear of death is seen to be most common in the sample of patients from Russia, while the neutral acceptance of death is more prevalent in the sample from Germany.ConclusionsThe results suggest that a positive attitude to death (neutral as one of these types) is correlated, along with other factors, with lower levels of depression, which may be a personal resource in coping with the disease.This allows us to make the assumption that when providing psychological support to cancer patients, it is necessary to pay attention not only to the attitude to life and illness, but also to the attitude to death.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Изменения границ внутри человеческого общества. В преддверии постгуманизма

With the prevailing ideas of humanism in the public consciousness, many boundaries were created that divide people into categories. At the same time, on one side of the border there are those who are more deserving of the title ‘human’ in comparison with those who are on the other side. Over the course of history, these borders have been actively rebuilt, and the pace of their changes has become increasingly rapid in recent years. The article examines changes at five such boundaries: between men and women, according to belonging to different religious denominations, to different nationalities and races, between healthy people and disabled people (including between the mentally healthy and the crazy), as well as changes in attitudes over time to the homeless and tramps. The author considers the consequences of changes that have already occurred or are planned at each of these five boundaries. The author believes that a mandatory factor in global economic development has always been the “friendly-alien” division. With the help of such division in economic activity, trust is generated, which is the most important institution necessary for the existence and development of the economy and social organization. Trust facilitates the interaction of economic agents and facilitates the functioning of monetary mechanisms. Large-scale attempts to erase boundaries between people are being made through coups and revolutions, but they lead to the replacement of previously existing boundaries between people with new ones. An attempt to eliminate classes leads to the creation of a new system of boundaries - property inequality. An attempt to eliminate property inequality and the exploitation of man by man leads to the creation of a new system of boundaries – by the place in the vertical of power, by membership in the ruling party, and others. For this reason, with any reforms and radical transformations, it is advisable to anticipate the formation of new borders, and also to evaluate if they are much better than the previous ones in terms of social justice and economic efficiency.

Turk character in the legendary Albanian songs named The Songs of the Frontier Warriors

For a long period of time, the Balkan Peninsula had marked the border between the Ottoman and the Austro-Hungarian empires. The existence of the border at this point meant that in the Balkans there was a part of the population that was under Austro-Hungary and was part of it, but there was also a part of the population that was under the Ottoman Empire and that was part of it. As a result, not only do we find the Turk individual as a character being mentioned in most of the cultures co-existing in the Balkan Peninsula at the time but within a very limited environment we find the latter being presented somewhere as a positive character and somewhere as a negative character. The Songs of the Frontier Warriors is a tremendous literary compilation of Albanian epic songs in which is presented the conflict between the Albanians and the Slavic invaders coming from the north of the country. These songs depict the conflicts that had been brought into the forefront of the relations between the two nations at the border, the wars between them, the imprisonment of one another, property appropriations and kidnapping of girls etc. In a great number of such songs one comes across the Turk as a character. We have analyzed the Turk as a character as mentioned in twenty-five of such songs and in all of them the Turk is presented as a positive character, who helps locals, defends their lands from foreign invaders, protects the locals as well as their families and properties etc. While researching the characteristics of this character in such songs, we have come to underline the fact that there are certain aspects and descriptions of his that are clear and some of which are less clear and ambiguous: the Turk on one hand is clearly depicted as far as his appearance and personality traits are concerned; however, what is deemed as ambiguous in its description is whether by Turksuch songs had referred to the ethnic Turk or the notion of it belongs to a much broader understanding of what a ‘Turk’ is in that it includes all of the population living in the Ottoman Empire. When it comes to its demographics, the Ottoman Empire was a very complex and diverse community reflected by its great number of nations belonging to different religious denominations and speaking different languages living within its borders. This complex demographical diversity only adds to the ambiguity of the name ‘Turk’ as in such songs the latter has not only been used to refer to the Albanian Muslim population, or to the Muslim population in particular but even the people living within the Ottoman Empire’s borders in general. The change highlighted in terms of the status of the character labeled as a ‘Turk’ in different settings and contexts in Albanian epic songs known as the ‘The Songs of the Frontier Warriors’ goes to show that the ‘Turk’ as a character in Albanian folklore is a complex one in that one sees it play a variety of functions making it a very flexible and fluid character in legendary Albanian songs.

An aligned corpus of Spanish bibles

AbstractWe present a comprehensive and valuable resource in the form of an aligned parallel corpus comprising translations of the Bible in Spanish. Our collection encompasses a total of eleven Bibles, originating from diverse centuries (XVI, XIX, XX), various religious denominations (Protestant, Catholic), and geographical regions (Spain, Latin America). The process of aligning the verses across these translations has been meticulously carried out, ensuring that the content is organized in a coherent manner. As a result, this corpus serves as a useful convenient resource for various linguistic analyses, including paraphrase detection, semantic clustering, and the exploration of biases present within the texts. To illustrate the utility of this resource, we provide several examples that demonstrate how it can be effectively employed in these applications.

Characteristic features of Reformation in Hungary and the Formation of the Unitarian (Anti-Trinitarian) Church in Transylvania in the Second Half of the 16th Century

This article examines the peculiarities of the Reformation process in the Hungarian territories, followed by the formation of a Unitarian (Anti-Trinitarian) church in Transylvania in the 16th century. The study aims to identify the specific features and periodization of this process in the said area. The first feature is the complex ethnic composition of the population, which led to political and religious opposition and the strengthening of state power by certain ethnic groups that adopted Protestant religious doctrines. The second feature is related to the complex military-political situation in Central Europe in the 16th century: the disintegration of the Kingdom of Hungary, the annexation of parts of the disintegrated kingdom by the Ottoman Empire, which led to several major Austro-Turkish wars and constant border skirmishes. This resulted in the emergence of various vassal formations and the use of interfaith conflict as a means to achieve success in military-political confrontations. The third feature, closely related to the previous ones, is the strengthening of magnate clans, which, in the context of weak government and a challenging international situation, became independent political forces significantly influencing the religious processes in the country. These characteristics of Reformation in the Hungarian territories led, in the second half of the 16th century, to a substantial expansion of Protestantism supporters and an increase in the number of Protestant denominations. In the small, frontier, vassal state of the Eastern Hungarian kingdom under the Ottoman Empire, the widest religious freedom in Europe was granted. A few years later, a Unitarian (Anti-Trinitarian) Christian church was established, receiving equal rights with all other religious denominations. It continues to exist in Hungary and Romania. This study will be of interest to the researchers of history of Reformation and religion in general.

Religion and mental health in young adulthood: a register-based study on differences by religious affiliation in sickness absence due to mental disorders in Finland

BackgroundReligiosity and spirituality are known to be positively correlated with health. This is the first study to analyse the interrelation between religious denomination and sickness absence due to mental disorders...

Religion and Fertility: A Longitudinal Register Study Examining Differences by Sex, Parity, Partner's Religion, and Religious Conversion in Finland.

We use longitudinal data on religious affiliation in Finland to examine childbearing behavior. All analyses are based on detailed fertility information from the Finnish national register of each person's religious denomination for men and women born in 1956-1975. We identify higher fertility according to parity among members of the Evangelical Lutheran state church and other Protestant churches, and lower fertility among individuals with no religious affiliation. Most other religious groups-Orthodox Christians, Jews, Muslims, and adherents of Eastern religions-have intermediate levels of fertility. We also find that religious converts, that is, those observed with more than one religious denomination over their life course, typically are similar to the non-converts of the group they convert to, though with more distinct deviations from the Finnish population. Women show larger differences by religious affiliation than men. We find the largest differences across religions when we examine the proportion of childless men and women. Overall, differences between religious groups are rather modest, and childbearing patterns are quite similar. Our results provide, to our knowledge, the first examination of religion and fertility using national-level longitudinal data.

Disasters and the rise of global religious philanthropy

AbstractThis article seeks to make sense of the rise of global religious philanthropy in relation to disaster. Global religious philanthropy refers to the transnational activities of religious organizations to respond to humanitarian crisis. These organizations can be faith-based initiatives or religious groups or denominations that have created humanitarian services for the specific purpose of relief and recovery in other countries. The first part spells out what we mean by the rise of global religious philanthropy in disaster response. It is not so much a shift as it is a rediscovery of the religious roots of humanitarian work. But at the same time, it is also a contemporary development that is part of the globalization of risk, humanitarian aid, and religion itself. The second part will explain the rise in two ways. First, faith-based and religious organizations hold what we describe as a global imaginary. In this imaginary, the world is in crisis and it offers an opportunity to demonstrate global compassion. Second, the rise of global religious philanthropy is also tied to the expansion of religious movements, some of which are in emerging economies. The expansion renders the religious field competitive. This is why, in a paradoxical manner, their humanitarian activities are also acts of strength and power that contend with the state and other players in the religious field.

What do stances on immigrants' welfare entitlement mean? Evidence from a correlational class analysis.

Recent in-depth qualitative research indicates that different people ascribe different meanings to their apparently similar stances on immigrants' entitlement to welfare. We are the first to investigate such variation quantitatively among the public-at-large, applying the novel method Correlational Class Analysis to an original survey fielded among a representative sample in the Netherlands (n=2138). We uncover five ways of looking at immigrants' entitlement to welfare, each including both people who oppose that entitlement and those who support it. People who adhere to these different viewpoints substantially differ when it comes to income, education, religious denomination, and political preference. We interpret these unique findings and discuss them in relation to the extant literature on welfare chauvinism. Moreover, uncovering what people's stances regarding immigrants' entitlement to welfare mean not only advances the scholarly debate on welfare chauvinism, but also provides a stepping stone for meaning-oriented sociological research on public opinion more generally.

Dinamika Gerakan Dakwah Salafi pada Masyarakat Multikultur di Indonesia

This journal article discusses the dynamics of the salafi movement in Indonesia. The phenomena of the salafi movement experience various social dynamics in people's lives, ranging from denial to open attitude and acceptance of society in social reality. The purpose of this study is to analyze the dynamics of the dakwah salafi movement, and analyze the inclusion of people in the salafi movement. The method used in this study is a library study. It was obtained from this study that several public groups who rejected the existence of the salafist movement judged them to be violent, extreme, radical, and so on. On the other hand, the conversion of the dakwah methods of the salafi movement successfully shapes public inclusion and makes the salafi movement acceptable to people. Even relationships that are awakened between religious and religious denominations demonstrate social harmony.

Theological perspectives for post-war Christianity in Ukraine. "Тheology after Bucha"

The town of Bucha became a collective symbol of the modern genocide of Ukrainian people, because it was there where the scale of all the crimes committed against Ukrainians was revealed during the liberation of Kyiv Oblast from the Russian occupiers in March-April 2022. It was Bucha that gave many people in Ukraine the reason to debate if there is God at all. Today, Ukrainian churches began to consider the possibility of "theology after Bucha", asking practically the same questions that Christians and Jews were concerned with after World War II. As then the main question was "Where was God at Auschwitz?" Now the question is where Biblical God was during Bucha genocide, and in a broader context, where God is with the love and mercy in Ukraine after February 24, 2022. The article is nearly the first scientific research of Christianity in Ukrainian academic religious studies during the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war. The author examines the conditions for the foundation of a new theological system in the realm of Ukrainian Christianity after the victory over rushism, following the example of the theology after the Holocaust/Shoa in Western Christianity after WWII. The article analyses a number of caveats that, if not addressed today, could make the constructive development of the abovementioned theology impossible. The author predicts possible parallels between "theology after Auschwitz" and the future "theology after Bucha". In fact, “theology after Auschwitz" did not radically affect Western, primarily European Christianity after 1945 because it did not provide unambiguous answers to a range of urgent essential questions related to the existence of a believer in the world recovering from the great war. So, with a considerable degree of probability (already evident from the remarks of individual representatives of different religious denominations) there is concern that "theology after Bucha" may fail practically at its beginnings, becoming a "pure theory", having no chances to be applied at the all-Christian level. It is partially clear today that an attempt would be made to launch "theology after Bucha" exactly along the ideological tracks of "theology after Auschwitz", that is, to direct it exclusively to the search for the arguments shifting the burden of responsibility for "Bucha" from God and thereby possibly save Christianity from the ideological crisis it has been in Ukraine after February 24, 2022. The author concludes that if "theology after Bucha" really begins to move along the similar ideological fairway like "theology after Auschwitz", the post-war Christianity in Ukraine will face a disappointing perspective to lose social relevance and, as a result, will be radically reduced to ritualism.

Модели государственно-конфессиональных отношений: политико-правовые аспекты

The author notes that since the end of the twentieth century, there has been a process of active «return of religion to politics». The article proposes a classification of models of the political and legal status of religious denominations, based on ensuring the right to freedom of conscience. Special attention is paid to state-confessional relations in the modern world. The optimal algorithm for using the potential of religious denominations to solve the problems of the modern Russian state is proposed.

The religious factor of national self-identification in the context of digital transformation

The article is devoted to the analysis of the religious factor’s peculiarities of national self-identification in the context of digital transformation. The relevance and novelty of the study lies in the actualization of the problem of the real state and potential possibilities of preserving national and religious identity by Ukrainian migrants using the Internet in the conditions of a full-scale Russia’s invasion to Ukraine. The role of the religious factor in the formation of the Ukrainian people’s national self-identification is analyzed. It is noted that the study of identity can also include the analysis of using language, symbols, religious rites and other cultural manifestations that affect the perception of self and others by Ukrainians. Characteristic features of the Ukrainian national character are identified - peacefulness, disinclination to aggression and violence, high appreciation of one's inner freedom. The role of religious identity as a means of counteracting psychological trauma caused by war is determined. The challenges and dangers to national and religious-cultural identity that Ukrainian migrants face are analyzed. Internet communities of Ukrainian religious denominations in social networks, their fields of activity and fields of constructive activity for the preservation of national and religious-cultural identity by Ukrainian migrants are characterized.

Interpreting Buddhism’s Core Values in the Sri Lankan Ethnic Conflict: An Analysis of Arudpragasam’s The Story of a Brief Marriage

The prolonged Sri Lankan conflict in Sri Lanka occurred between the majority Sinhala govt. and the minority Sri Lankan Tamils on the island. The discrimination of identity and ethnicity led to major ruins on the land. This paper emphasizes the role of Buddhist values in Sri Lanka during the ethnic conflict. The principles of Buddhism help people rehabilitate and restore peace in the war-torn nation. In particular, the paper attempts to examine the Buddhist values practiced by the people irrespective of their religious denominations during the Civil War, through the literary landscape of Anuk Arudpragasam’s The Story of a Brief Marriage. The noble precepts of Buddhism are four noble truths and the eightfold path, which teaches non-violence, selflessness, and tolerance. The doctrines of Buddhism restored humanitarian values at the height of the ethnic conflict in society. The current research paper helps to identify the influence of Buddhism on the people of the island nation in maintaining self-control, self-discipline, and morally upright behaviors. However, it proves the absence and ignorance of the Buddhist precepts which incited many ethnic clashes among the people. Further, it focuses on the causes of the major devastation and the collapse of the Sri Lankan socio-political system and the role of Buddhism in restoring peace in the war-torn nation.

Knowledge of the Law and Professional Advancement of Catholic Religious Education Teachers in Poland

In the 2022/2023 school year, changes were made to the education law in Poland, which affected the rules for the professional advancement of teachers, including those teaching Catholic religion and other religious denominations. Therefore, the aim of the article is to examine (i) to what extent have Catholic religious education teachers familiarised themselves with the education law in previous professional advancement procedures, and (ii) what formal-legal obligations and pedagogical challenges may arise when planning their professional development in the new procedure. Recent research shows that Catholic religious education teachers in Poland have extensive knowledge of education and religious law. There is a clear link between teachers’ career paths and their knowledge of the law. Many good practices have been developed in cooperation between pedagogical supervision units and individual dioceses.

"Flame of Truth": the global significance of Doukhobor Pacifism

The Doukhobors (Spirit Wrestlers), a heterogeneous group of Christians in Russia and Canada, whose anti-war stance became well known when they organized a Burning of Arms ceremony in 1895, inhabit an undisputed placein the history of the peace churches and religious denominations. We argue, however, that the connection between the Doukhobors and twentieth century pacifists such as Jane Addams (1860–1935), Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi(1869–1948), and George Woodcock (1912–1995), deserves more attention. We then aim to raise awareness of Peter Nikolaevich Maloff (1900–1971), who authentically carried on the pacifist spirit of the group as he interacted not only with Gandhi and Woodcock, but also with Alexander Berkman (1870–1936), Dorothy Day (1897–1980),A. J. Muste (1885–1967), and Scott and Helen Nearing (1883–1983 and 1904–1995), among others. We finally highlight some instances of Doukhobor relations with the War Resisters’ International and the International Vegetarian Union in Europe during the late–1920s and early–1930s. In all this we draw out "Christ’s law of nonresistance to evil by violence" (Leo Tolstoy) that may be obscured to the public eye, not only because the number of self-identified Doukhobors has continually decreased due to the forces of assimilation, but also because "the scourge of war"(Preamble, Charter of the United Nations, 1945) continues to threaten the survival of life on Earth.

Atheism in judicial discourse - An analysis of the Italian constitutional scenario

Starting from an analysis of the Italian model of church-state relationships, the present paper focuses on the status of atheistic convictions in Italy. Since the 1990s, where the Union of Atheist and Rationalist Agnostics claimed its right to start negotiations to enter into an agreement with the State, Italian courts have faced the crucial issue of the legal definition of a religious denomination. The decision of the Constitutional Court no. 52/2016 has been the final result of a lengthy and troubled process. The paper will explore the coherence of the decision with the Italian Constitutional framework, with the ECHR and with article 17 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). Finally, the paper will investigate on the option of enforcing an updated law regulating religious freedom and its predictable impact on non-religious communities.

Human capital affects religious identity: Causal evidence from Kenya

We study how human capital and economic conditions causally affect the choice of religious denomination. We utilize a longitudinal dataset monitoring the religious history of more than 5000 Kenyans over twenty years, in tandem with a randomized experiment (deworming) that has exogenously boosted education and living standards. The main finding is that the program reduces the likelihood of membership in a Pentecostal denomination up to 20 years later, when respondents are in their mid-thirties, while there is a comparable increase in membership in traditional Christian denominations. The effect is concentrated and statistically significant among a sub-group of participants who benefited most from the program in terms of increased education and income. The effects are unlikely due to increased secularization because the program does not reduce measures of religiosity. The results help explain why the global growth of the Pentecostal movement, sometimes described as a “New Reformation”, is centered in low-income communities.

The Influence of Religious Affiliation and Church Attendance on Climate Change Awareness, Perception, and Action: The Role of Churches through Environmental Education in Nigeria

Churches can serve as platforms for environmental education, fostering a sense of responsibility towards the environment among their congregations.This study examined the influence of religious affiliation and attendance on climate change awareness, perception, action and perceived role of the church through environmental education in Nigeria. Churchgoers from Catholic, Anglican, and Pentecostal churches from the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria completed the Climate Change Awareness Questionnaire (CCAQ); Climate Change Perception Questionnaire (CCPQ); Churches’ Role Perception Scale (CRPS); and Climate Change Action Assessment Scale (CCAAS) and also provided relevant demographic information. Results of statistical analysis indicated that there was a significant difference between the religious denominations in climate change awareness, perception, action and perceived role of the church. The results also showed that more frequency of attendance to church activities was associated with increased climate change awareness, perception of climate change, climate change action, and perceived role of the church in addressing climate change. Churches must continue incorporating environmental teachings into their religious practices and advocating for environmentally-friendly behaviors among members as ways of contributing to the campaign against climate change.