Religious Settings Research Articles

A Qualitative Study of Intention and Impact of Ayahuasca Use by Westerners

Ayahuasca has gained the attention of researchers over the past decade as psychedelic-assisted therapy for MDMA and psilocybin have progressed through FDA approved clinical trials. In spite of the increase in research, there are relatively few clinical studies of ayahuasca and little qualitative research on the therapeutic or healing uses of psychedelics in general. The present study included 41 Western participants who were interviewed about their participation in facilitated group ayahuasca experiences (e.g., in shamanic, neoshamanic, spiritual, and religious settings). Participants were interviewed about their intentions for participating, along with the perceived impact of the experiences. In particular, we focused on impacts that participants perceived to be sustained and enduring. We identified an impressive range of beneficial impacts, including improvements in areas that are often a focus of psychotherapy, such as mental health and substance use, health behaviors, interpersonal relationships, sense of self, attitude. Extratherapeutic effects were also observed in areas such as changes in creativity, somatic sensations, physical health/pain, sense of connection to nature, spirituality, and concern for the greater good. Two participants also reported problematic experiences, apparently related to set and setting. Implications for research and practice, along with a humanistic framework for interpreting these findings is provided.

Tracing Colonial Maternalism Within the Gendered Morals of Humanitarianism: Experiences of Migrant Women at the Moroccan-Spanish Border

By bringing together two sets of qualitative fieldwork conducted in 2016 and 2017 with humanitarian organizations and migrant women on the two sides of the Eastern Moroccan-Spanish border, this article examines the ways in which women humanitarians exercise power over women’s lives, bodies and mobility. Though humanitarianism in the border context has been researched at European and United States-Mexico borders, the specifically gendered implications of humanitarian governance at borders needs further investigation. Drawing on interviews and participant observation with a religious humanitarian organization on the Moroccan side of the border and with medical humanitarians and social workers on the Spanish side, we researched women humanitarians’ interventions toward migrant women from West African, North African and Middle Eastern countries. Beyond the differences that characterize these religious and socio-medical humanitarian settings and the different migration regimes in which they are inscribed, we argue that the power exerted by women humanitarians reproduces a form of maternalism underpinned by gendered moral beliefs regarding women’s bodies, mobility and family life. We foreground that such maternalism represents a cornerstone of women’s humanitarian engagement across time and we identify continuities between colonial maternalism, contemporary forms of humanitarian care carried out by women and maternalist integration politics in Western postcolonial societies. Rooted in colonial maternalism, racialized beliefs justified women’s (religious, medical, social) prominent role in intervening in the intimate spaces of women casted as radically Other. Our contemporary case studies demonstrate how the practices of women humanitarians impact on racialized migrant women’s daily lives, intruding on their intimacy, imposing controls over their bodies and impacting on their possibilities for mobility. The article explores how the racialization of migrant women, articulated with moral ideas around women’s reproductive health and mothering responsibilities, produce varied forms of disciplining and control on both sides of the border Moroccan-Spanish border.

(Re)Birth of a Seal: Power and Pretense at San Nicola, Bari, ca. 1300

This study introduces and contextualizes the artistic patronage of Petrus de Angeriacus (d. 1313), the powerful yet controversial treasurer of the pilgrimage church of San Nicola in Bari, Italy. It begins by assessing the life and activities of the treasurer within the dramatic political, religious, and social setting of the Kingdom of Sicily during the reign of Charles II. It proceeds to evaluate Petrus’s commissions for San Nicola, four lost candlesticks described in inventories from 1326 and 1362. It then probes in detail a work intended to travel beyond San Nicola—a seal impression previously concealed within a protective sac—and reconstructs its genesis within European currents of art production. Both the seal and candlesticks are placed in conversation with Charles II’s political and artistic initiatives and contested endeavors to expand royal jurisdiction. Ultimately, the treasurer’s commissions materialize networks of authority that have not previously registered in our understanding of Bari or southern Italy around the year 1300.

Feeling Guilty and Flattering God: The Mediating Role of Prayer

Ingratiation refers to acts of flattery, typically given by a low-power person to a high-power one, performed to gain acceptance and approval. This study investigates ingratiation in the religious setting, asking whether people feeling high levels of guilt or shame tend to manifest such ingratiating behavior toward God. The study aimed to examine the mediating role of prayer in the relationship between guilt and shame and ingratiation toward God. A total of 148 respondents (80 women and 68 men) participated in the study. The Religious Ingratiation Scale, the Content of Prayer Scale, and the Guilt and Shame Proneness Scale were applied to the research. The results showed that feeling guilty increased the tendency to ingratiation toward God. Prayer was the significant mediator in this relationship. People high in guilt tend to flatter God by offering more adoration and fewer repine prayers.

A grounded theory of type 2 diabetes prevention and risk perception.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) prevention programmes should target high-risk groups. Previous research has highlighted minimal engagement in such services from South Asian (SA) people. Given SA's elevated risk of T2D, there is a need to understand their perceptions, risks, and beliefs about T2D. This study aimed to assess T2D risk perception within a community sample of SA people using Grounded Theory methodology. Specifically, health beliefs were assessed, and we explored how these beliefs affected their T2D risk perceptions. Twenty SA participants (mean age=38years) without a diagnosis of T2D were recruited from community and religious settings across the North West of England. In line with grounded theory (Strauss & Corbin, 1990, Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. Newbury Park: Sage Publications), data collection and analysis coincided. The superordinate category of Culturally Situated Risk Perception incorporated a complex psychological understanding of the formation of T2D risk perception, which takes into account the social, cultural, and community-based environmental factors. This superordinate category was explained via two core categories (1) Diminished Responsibility, informed by sub-categories of Destiny and Heredity, and (2) Influencing Healthy Lifestyle Behaviours, informed by sub-categories of Socio-cultural and Environmental. This study investigated risk perception of T2D within the SA community. When considering health prevention in the context of an individual's culture, we need to consider the social context in which they live. Failure to acknowledge the cultural-situated T2D risk perception relevant to health promotion and illness messages may account for the issues identified with health care engagement in the SA population.

Activity participation, episode duration and stop-making behavior of pilgrims in a religious event: An exploratory analysis

Activity travel pattern of pilgrims in a religious setting is a complex process. Extant literature on religious tourism has taken minimal efforts in addressing such complexity, which has led to a paucity of information on preferred activity participation destinations and trip chain sequences of pilgrims. So, the present research objective is two-fold. First, to examine the causal effects of socio-demographics and daily local temperature on activity participation, trip chain type, and time allocation of individuals using structural equation modeling (SEM) that can help identify the dominant activity patterns. Second is to explore the impact of socio-demographic variables and activity patterns on the propensity of stop-making behavior using an ordered logit (OL) framework to better plan and manage the influx of flows. The primary data was collected using an activity-travel diary by taking the case study of the Kumbh Mela event, which is considered as the world's largest mass religious gathering, held at Ujjain, India, in 2016. From the results, it is observed that Males have a lower tendency to take multiple stops for primary religious activities and have simple trip chains. An increase in the members of a family visiting Kumbh decreases their overall time spent across various activities. As the mercury (temperature) rises, it reduces tourist's participation in recreational and discretionary activities. Individuals who participate in primary and secondary religious activities tend to spend more time at Kumbh as compared to individuals who primarily visit for recreational purposes. These empirical findings provide meaningful insights for managing large religious events.

‘I am just a part of the community’: Amish and Ultra-Orthodox Women and the Third Person Perception

This article focuses on the third-person perception (TPP) of Amish and Ultra-Orthodox Jewish women. TPP’s central insight is that consumers believe media influences “her/him” (the third person) much more than “me” (the first person). Since media technologies pose challenges to these women’s sense of religious devotion, their TPP toward secular media contributes to the discussion about religion, gender, and media. The study uses quantitative and qualitative methodologies, including a survey, participant observation, and interviews, to answer three research questions: (1) Do Amish and Ultra-Orthodox women have the third-person perception, reflected by their estimation that the negative influence of secular media will be greater on others than on themselves? (2) What are these women’s perceptions of secular media’s potential danger to their community, family, and themselves? (3) What can we learn when comparing women’s perceptions in these two religious settings about secular media influences? The results show that nearly all Amish and Ultra-Orthodox women perceive that secular media holds potential danger for their community, family, and themselves and that no support exists in this study to argue that these women are experiencing the TPP. Their qualitative responses reflect their perceptions about potential dangers to their community, family, and selves. The comparison addressed the two groups’ key similarity: the high perception of the media’s risks and dangers. Simultaneously, it also reveals a key difference: Amish women keep thinking about their resources—mind, soul, and time—while Ultra-Orthodox women’s responses show that they are much more familiar with popular culture. [Abstract by author.]

SOCIO-CULTURAL CONTEXT AND RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVES FOR DOMES-TIC VIOLENCE IN MEZAM DIVISION, CAMEROON, A HISTORICAL DISCOURSE

The socio-cultural and religious setting of Mezam division remains principal factors perpetuating domestic violence in several Mezam communities. Alarming rates of domestic violence greatly troubled majority of women who face a lot of challenges leaving abusive relationships. This paper critically examines the socio-cultural setting and religious perspectives of domestic violence in Mezam division. Primary and secondary source materials were consulted and from them, the paper contends that the dynamics in the socio-cultural setting of Mezam communities greatly influenced and perpetuated domestic violence. The people’s perceptions and attitudes towards domestic violence where shaped by their culture and traditional practices. The study revealed that religious believes such as Christianity and Islam equally had a major role to play as far as condoning and perpetuating domestic vio-lence was concern.

Secular teachers in Jewish religious schools: passing, resistance, and freedom of religion

ABSTRACT This study explored the perceptions of 25 secular teachers employed in American, Australian, and Israeli Jewish religious schools regarding disparities between their secular identity and their school’s religious habitus. It also examined the ways these teachers cope with such disparities. Findings suggest that teachers’ challenges were anchored in their freedom of religion and conscience, educational credo, and framed organisational position. However, the teachers acknowledged student benefits such as students’ exposure to diversity and support offered to those experiencing religious and identity conflict. Identified patterns of teachers’ coping strategies included opposition, adaptation, and fence-sitting. We drew upon the literature on passing and everyday forms of resistance in schools having rigid public transcripts to explain these strategies’ moral and emotional costs. The study’s implications apply to other religious schools and educational settings characterised by rigid public transcripts of discipline and accountability policies that may conflict with teachers’ identity and educational credo.

Social vs. Individual Centrality of Religiosity: Research in Religious and Non-Religious Settings in Russia

Most of the current approaches to measuring religiosity operate with indicators of individual religiosity. One of the central ideas of the current paper is that religiosity is a social phenomenon. The Centrality of Religiosity Scale (CRS) developed by S. Huber is applied to measure the individual component of religiosity. A modification of the CRS (CRS-SOC) has been developed to include the social component of religiosity with two aspects: social connections with lay members of religious communities and with the clergy. The analysis is based on the data of two surveys conducted in Russia: an on-line survey with a general population sample (1768 respondents) and a survey of parishioners of four Christian denominations: Orthodox, Catholic, “traditional” Protestant (Lutheran, Baptist), and the “new” Protestant (Pentecostal) (1192 respondents). The structure of religiosity among parishioners of different Christian denominations is discussed. The results, which revealed that the level of religiosity among Orthodox parishioners is slightly lower, are interpreted using the theory of religious economy.

Faith and Community Engagement at Anchor Institutions

In a year that has featured a global health pandemic, a racial justice political-social movement, and a divisive political election that stretches democratic principles, the topic of faith and community engagement may seem more prescient than ever. The exploration of the intersection of faith and community engagement at anchor institutions, though, began prior to all of these events. Yet, the topics that emerge in this special issue of Metropolitan Universities journal are even more relevant in our current context, as scholars, practitioners, and community partner co-authors explore the relationship between faith traditions and engagement in the community.
 As we framed this special issue as an editorial team, faith initiatives were initially broadly interpreted and all faith traditions were encouraged and considered (including, but not limited to, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindu). Faith was loosely defined as a religious historical tradition and set of beliefs centered on a higher power. Faith-based organizations were generally communicated as religiously-affiliated colleges and universities, while faith-based initiatives included programs that were religiously affiliated. This special issue focuses on the intersection of faith and community engagement, specifically how they inform each other and the relationship between them at anchor institutions.

Charismatic leadership: a group-analytic perspective

This article investigates the concepts of charisma and charismatic leadership in psychotherapeutic, religious and political settings. The author explores the associations of charisma with power and emotional arousal and differentiates between charismatic leadership exercised with benign and harmful intent. Personal narratives of charismatic figures are drawn on to illustrate the psychological underpinnings of charisma as well as the social climate in which charismatic leadership flourishes. The author argues that charismatic leaders make use of techniques such as dramatization, paradox and the simultaneous instillation of hope and fear in order to foster bonds of dependence. The therapeutic and counter-therapeutic implications of these techniques are examined.

Religiosity at the top: does it interact with accounting expertise to limit real earnings management?

PurposeResearch investigating the association between religiosity and earnings management has concentrated on accruals-based earnings management, relying heavily on society’s religiosity, but it has neglected the interaction between religiosity and formal monitoring mechanisms. This study aims to examine how the religiosity and accounting expertise traits of top leaders are associated with real earnings management (REM) and how they interact to eliminate these practices.Design/methodology/approachUsing a sample of 943 year-observations from more religious settings, this paper collects data for four measures of REM, and for religiosity and accounting expertise of audit committee (AC) chair and chief executive officer (CEO). Multivariate regression is used to test the study hypotheses.FindingsThe findings are consistent with the predictions that religious top leaders are not associated with lower REM, while top leaders with accounting expertise, in some cases, are associated with lower REM. This paper also finds that a leader with religious belief and accounting expertise dramatically lowers REM. These findings are robust under a battery of sensitive analyzes. In an additional analysis, this paper observes the interaction effect between these two traits is strengthened if the board chair is religious, and persists even for larger firms or those with a highly concentrated ownership structure.Originality/valueThe paper provides evidence that may serve a variety of decision-makers. It is the first to show that the interaction between religiosity and expertise is crucial in curbing REM. It also provides the first evidence for the role of the AC chair in relation to REM.

Social Capital and Prosocial Behavior among German Children

A robust literature connects children’s and adolescents’ social capital to a range of desirable outcomes, including increased academic achievement and decreased delinquency. We extend this research by extending possible associations with child social capital to positive behaviors, measured here as prosocial behaviors. We examine data on 6th graders in Germany. We select the German context in part because one important source of child social capital, participation in religious congregations, is not as prevalent in modern Germany as in the US samples from which many social capital studies are derived. We use data from the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) and measures of child social capital, including parent–child interactions, family activities, and religious participation, to predict prosocial behavior. Results indicate that social capital in the form of parent-child interactions in the home and child religiosity is associated weakly with greater prosocial behavior. These results suggest that adults can help children develop stronger prosocial norms by increasing interaction with their children and by exposing their children to network ties in religious settings, but also that social capital can be derived different ways in different contexts.

Minecrafting Bar Mitzvah: Two Rabbis Negotiating and Cultivating Learner-Driven Inclusion through New Media

Abstract In 2013, a boy with special needs used the video game Minecraft to deliver the sermon at his bar mitzvah at a Reform synagogue, an apparently unique ritual phenomenon to this day. Using a narrative inquiry approach, this article examines two rabbis’ negotiations with new media, leading up to, during, and upon reflection after the event. The article explores acceptance, innovation, and validation of new media in religious practice, drawing on Campbell’s (2010) framework for negotiation of new media in religious communities. Clergy biography, philosophy, and institutional context all impact the negotiations with new media. By providing context of a set of factors influencing a particular negotiation and validation of a ritual and educational innovation using new media, the article intends to demonstrate the importance of clergy narrative for understanding new media negotiations in religious settings, and in particular in progressive religious communities

Countermythologies: Queering Lives in a Southern African Gay and Lesbian Pentecostal Church

AbstractBlack gay and lesbian Christians belonging to a grassroots Pentecostal charismatic church spanning small towns in Southern Africa make everyday claims to normativity with interpretive recourse to biblical myths and church rituals. Members of the church embody a range of gendered and sexual self‐expressions that also tend to reproduce prevailing masculine and feminine sexual roles and subject positions. By situating their identities, rituals, and exegeses in global perspective, I argue that church members queer more orthodox biblical interpretations to create what I describe as a life‐affirming countermythology to predominant discourses of religion, gender, and sexuality that otherwise structure their lives. In sum, this article shows how vernacular hermeneutic practices can be a queering force within presumedly restrictive religious settings and demonstrates how recovering conventional ethnographic topics like myth can move Black queer anthropology and African studies toward a critically imaginative becoming.

Smokers' and Nonsmokers' Receptivity to Smoke-Free Policies and Pro- and Anti-Policy Messaging in Armenia and Georgia.

Garnering support for smoke-free policies is critical for their successful adoption, particularly in countries with high smoking prevalence, such as Armenia and Georgia. In 2018, we surveyed 1456 residents (ages 18–64) of 28 cities in Armenia (n = 705) and Georgia (n = 751). We examined support for cigarette and electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS)/heated tobacco product (HTP) smoke-free policies in various locations and persuasiveness of pro- and anti-policy messaging. Participants were an average age of 43.35, 60.5% female, and 27.3% current smokers. Nonsmokers versus smokers indicated greater policy support for cigarette and ENDS/HTP and greater persuasiveness of pro-policy messaging. Armenians versus Georgians generally perceived pro- and anti-policy messaging more persuasive. In multilevel linear regression, sociodemographics (e.g., female) and tobacco use characteristics (e.g., smoking less frequently, higher quitting importance) correlated with more policy support. Greatest policy support was for healthcare, religious, government, and workplace settings; public transport; schools; and vehicles carrying children. Least policy support was for bar/restaurant outdoor areas. The most compelling pro-policy message focused on the right to clean air; the most compelling anti-policy message focused on using nonsmoking sections. Specific settings may present challenges for advancing smoke-free policies. Messaging focusing on individual rights to clean air and health may garner support.

High on God: Religious Experience and Counter-Experience in Light of the Study of Religion

Taking as its foundation a religious experience of my own, this paper explores the impact of the study of religion on the interpretation and significance of experience. My experience will be analyzed in relation to the work of William James, followed by a movement into neuroscientific research on null experiences, before turning to philosophic and theological treatments of experience in Nishida Kitaro and Meister Eckhart especially. These accounts of religious experience are then explored in terms of the potential connection they suggest with drug use in and out of religious settings. Finally, I will turn to a fundamental questioning of experience as seen in the work of Martin Heidegger and Jean-Luc Marion, all of which sets up a tentative conclusion regarding our approach to religious experience, whether as an object of study or our own.

Interculturalidad e inculturación de la teología en México y Guatemala

La interculturalidad —entendida como una forma dialógica e intercambio de códigos y símbolos entre grupos y/o individuos culturalmente distintos— ha sido un elemento fundamental en el desarrollo y puesta en marcha de la acción pastoral católica y no católica en Latinoamérica, sobre todo en contextos indígenas. La base de esta práctica pastoral o teopraxis es la inculturación de la teología, la cual no sólo anhela lograr en el contexto sociorreligioso una interacción efectiva entre culturas distintas, sino una suerte de asimilación y encarnación religiosa a través de un proceso de vernaculización del cristianismo. En este artículo se busca discutir en torno a la interculturalidad y su desarrollo o búsqueda en la pastoral cristiana para lograr la denominada teología de la inculturación. Por medio de dos casos, resultado de una investigación antropológica en diferentes escenarios sociorreligiosos, tanto en Chiapas, México como Totonicapan, Guatemala; se pretende esclarecer cómo los procesos de inculturación implican una temporalidad y convivencia continua en la diversidad cultural, pero también un proceso de ruptura con modelos ideológicos hegemónicos y eurocentristas.

Mass Psychogenic Illness in Haraza Elementary School, Erop District, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia: Investigation to the Nature of an Episode.

Background Mass psychogenic illness has been documented for more than 600 years in a variety of cultural, ethnic, and religious settings. We aimed to assess the nature and characteristics of mass psychogenic illness and to evaluate community awareness and perception about the treatment they practiced in Haraza Elementary School, Erop district, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia. Methods A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Haraza Elementary School from January to February, 2020. Students who were victims of an episode were subjects of the study. A total of twelve students were investigated using a semistructured questionnaire for a quantitative study. Seven key informant interviews were conducted using a guiding questionnaire. Quantitative data was analyzed using XL sheet while qualitative data were analyzed manually. Results The mean age of study participants was 14 years (SD ± 1.3). The majority (87%) were teenage female students. The incident was an unspecified disease with psychiatric disorder, migraine, and syncope with no plausible organic causes. An important feature of migraine and syncope was their comorbidity with mass psychogenic illness. The community perceived that evil devil force and blaming the being as an evil eye were common causes of the occurrence of an episode. Conclusion Lack of empirical knowledge and awareness about its management and prevention among community members and health professionals resulted exaggerated rumor that would perceive as newly emerging disease that affected school activities. Integrating MPI in PHEM package at health facility level, advocacy workshops for media, and other relevant stakeholders will minimize its impact for the future.