Search

In this paper, I explore the relationship between food and eating in two Abrahamic faiths, viz. Islam and Christianity. I show how these religions create provisions that entreat followers to consume in an ecologically conscientious manner that is not only good for the consumers but for the society and planet as well. In effect, traditional symbolic systems such as religions that provide "magical solutions" can also provide modern solutions to modern crises confronting modern societies in today's world. I argue that Islam and Christianity are highly relevant in today's world where they provide for safe, healthy, and socially conscientious living. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has shown that stress impacts on people's religious beliefs. However, several aspects of this effect remain poorly understood, for example regarding the role of prior religiosity and stress-induced anxiety. This paper explores these aspects in the context of the recent coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). The latter has impacted dramatically on many people's well-being; hence it can be considered a highly stressful event. Through online questionnaires administered to UK (n = 140) and USA (n = 140) citizens professing either Christian faith or no religion, this paper examines the impact of the coronavirus crisis upon common people's religious beliefs. Anxiety about the coronavirus and prior religiosity showed an interaction effect upon change in religious beliefs (t(276) = 2.27, p =.024): for strong believers higher anxiety about coronavirus was associated with increased strengthening of religious beliefs (r =.249), while for non-believers higher anxiety about coronavirus was associated with increased scepticism towards religious beliefs (r = −.157). These observations are consistent with the notion that stress-induced anxiety enhances support for an individual's existing ideology already embraced before a stressful event occurs. This study sheds light on the psychological and cultural implications of the coronavirus crisis, which represents one of the most serious health emergencies in recent times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evangelical Christianity and healthcare work are two contexts in which vocation is often an important discourse. Exploring uses, understandings and implications of vocation for evangelical medics thus offers a rich opportunity to critically interrogate vocation from two important perspectives. In addition to identifying a three-tiered construction of vocation, on macro-, meso- and micro-levels, this paper suggests that to fully understand its manifestations among a sample of English evangelical medics, a critical, Weberian-style reading is valuable. This latter conclusion resonates with those drawn by scholars who extend a critical view across constructions of medical vocation more broadly, not least given concerns regarding workplace burnout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maintaining healthy behaviors is challenging. Based upon previous reports that in North Carolina (NC), USA, overweight/obese clergy lost weight during a two-year religiously tailored health intervention, we described trajectories of diet, physical activity, and sleep. We investigated whether behavior changes were associated with weight and use of health-promoting theological messages. Improvements were observed in sleep, calorie-dense food intake, and physical activity, with the latter two associated with weight loss. While theological messages were well-retained, their relationship with behaviors depended on the specific message, behavior, and timing. Findings offer insights into weight loss mechanisms, including the role of theological messages in religiously tailored health interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In describing the Christian moral ethos, Thomas Aquinas draws attention to the way in which adversities, trials or afflictions are overcome. This paper analyzes two types of resilience present in Aquinas's thought as well as their sources and manifestations. The first type, moral resilience, is based on the virtue of fortitude, which governs human behavior in the face of great fear. With regard to the second type of resilience, the focus is on showing how grace contributes to increasing power through weakness. In the concluding section, there are also certain suggestions as to how resilience education could be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper tests whether changes in spiritual wellbeing were correlated with self-rated changes in mental and physical health after controlling for changes in psychological wellbeing in a sample from the Church of England taken during the third national COVID-19 lockdown in 2021. During the third lockdown in England an online survey, named Covid-19 and Church-21, was delivered through the Qualtrics XM platform from 22 January to 23 July 2021. The responses included 1878 Anglicans living in England. The change in spiritual wellbeing scale was produced using self-reported changes in the frequency of key spiritual practices (prayer and Bible reading), trust in God, the quality of spiritual life, and spiritual health. Changes in mental and physical health were assessed using single self-report items. Changes in psychological wellbeing were assessed using the Index of Balanced Affect Change (TIBACh). After controlling for changes in psychological wellbeing, better change in spiritual wellbeing was positively correlated with better change in both mental and physical health. Negative affect may have mediated the relationship between spiritual wellbeing and both mental and physical health, and positive affect may also have mediated the relationship with mental health. The results suggest changes in spiritual wellbeing, as defined within a Christian religious context, may have had positive effects in promoting better mental and physical health during a sudden crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (EPAS) are important contemporary societal issues and religious faiths offer valuable insights into any discussion on this topic. This paper explores perspectives on EPAS of the four major world religions, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism, through analysis of their primary texts. A literature search of the American Theological Library Association database revealed 41 relevant secondary texts from which pertinent primary texts were extracted and exegeted. These texts demonstrate an opposition to EPAS based on themes common to all four religions: an external locus of morality and the personal hope for a better future after death that transcends current suffering. Given that these religions play a significant role in the lives of billions of adherents worldwide, it is important that lawmakers consider these views along with conscientious objection in jurisdictions where legal EPAS occurs. This will not only allow healthcare professionals and institutions opposed to EPAS to avoid engagement, but also provide options for members of the public who prefer an EPAS-free treatment environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to estimate the association between Protestantism and child mortality for Brazil. This paper employs data from the 1991, 2000, and 2010 Brazilian censuses. The association between Protestantism and child mortality was estimated using a conventional negative binomial regression model for women between the age of 20 and 34 years. This paper finds that the death rate of children born to Protestant mothers is around 5% lower compared to non-Protestant mothers, even after controlling for an extensive array of demographic and social characteristics. When Protestants are split into 'Traditional' and 'Pentecostal' groups, we find that the child mortality rate is substantially lower for Traditional Protestants. Our study contributes to the literature by providing recent empirical results on the association between child mortality and Protestantism in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Viennese psychiatrist Rudolf Allers was one of the principal authors that studied character and contributed to understanding its development and education, including the neurotic character. His psychological observations were based on his own clinical experience, his individual psychology, phenomenological and existential philosophies, and, above all, the doctrine of the Fathers of the Catholic Church and Thomas Aquinas. This paper presents Allers's main ideas about self-improvement as a process of personal changing toward self-perfection, that is, toward the best version of oneself. For Allers, self-perfection implies the modification of insane aspects of character such as egocentricity, pride, and untidy love for oneself, which are the most important impediments to self-improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was designed to understand the interaction between Christian faith and gender incongruence. An anonymous online survey was advertised to the Australian Christian community. Individuals with first-hand experience of transgender issues were eligible to participate. There were 122 eligible responses. This paper describes the experience of the 30 participants experiencing gender incongruence. Persons in the church experiencing gender incongruence desired to hold onto faith. As a result, they experienced a tension between the desire to remain in the church, and the desire to live congruously with their gender, which could lead to expulsion. Strategies to reconcile these two factors varied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Violence in an intimate partnership is a form of domestic violence where physical or psychological acts of violence are committed by a partner or spouse against another partner or spouse, and other family members may be victims as well. Its prevalence is worrisome and is not limited to any specific circumstances. It also occurs in Christian families, and research data show that the rate of intimate partner violence in Christian families is no higher or lower compared to the general incidence. That being said, religiosity combined with other factors may contribute to the vulnerability of the victim or the power of the perpetrator. On the other hand, religious values and aspects provide protection and support in preventing violence in Christian families and recovering after violence has occurred. We analysed 18 different studies on intimate partner violence in Christian families using the systematic literature review method, and in this paper, we present findings that indicate which aspects of Christian tradition and practice, in combination with other factors, provide protection and support in preventing violence and helping to recover from it for women who are the victims of violence by their intimate partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on the association between religion and health often neglects to provide an explicit theoretical mechanism of influence between faith and well-being. This research posits that dissociative behaviors, such as glossolalia, may provide a biological pathway that influences both physiological and psychological health. This paper argues that religious dissociation acts as a moderator between economic stressors and psychobiological appraisal. Brazil, with its economic inequality and preponderance of religious dissociative rituals, provides an ideal context to examine religious dissociation as a moderator of stress. Utilizing data from a cross section of Brazilian faiths, this paper examines: (1) Whether individuals with low socioeconomic status preferentially participate and experience religious dissociative states and (2) whether dissociative states are correlated with greater psychological appraisal of status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on multiple aspects of physical and social health, including spiritual and religious dimensions, has been discussed not only by numerous theologians, scientists, and politicians, but also by millions of believers of all faiths worldwide. The pandemic seems to have exerted a significant impact on religious practices. Massive gatherings of devoted and faithful people have been strongly discouraged and even openly banned. Prominent religious festivals and pilgrimages that have been conflated by the media with other "mega-spreader events" are incessantly canceled to mitigate the pandemic and alleviate the burden of COVID-19 on the healthcare system. The impact of the pandemic on Catholic or Muslim religious tourism has been extensively described in peer-reviewed and gray literature. However, observant members of the Orthodox Christianity faith have also experienced the constrictive prohibitions for gathering at and worshiping in shrines, churches, and monasteries. Among the manifestations of devotion that the pandemic has interfered with are the attendance to public worship spaces for the celebration of rites and ceremonies, like the celebration of Orthodox Easter. Expressions of reverent devotion including the kissing of crosses and icons as well as the sacrament of Holy Communion may have also been considered a motive of concern as these holy objects and the spoon used might act as fomites in the dissemination of the virus. Visitation of holy places has been also hampered by the pandemic. The most important centers of pilgrimage for Orthodox Christianity are Mount Athos and Jerusalem, as well as the Shrine of Panagia Evangelistria in the Island of Tinos, Greece. Authorities have halted almost completely the arrival of visitors to these sites. This paper aims at elaborating on the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on social manifestations of religiosity and therefore taking a toll on the spiritual health of believers who have deeply rooted religious convictions and are strongly attached to Church tradition. This analysis closes with the provision of specific suggestions for the care, support, and healing of the impacted or splintered spiritual health of the believers who cannot participate in expressions of devotion, such as pilgrimages and religious tourism because of personal and public health concern, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visibility for transgender and gender nonconforming people and the elderly is growing; however, thus far the overlap of the two groups has rarely been considered. Trans persons therefore remain largely invisible in the context of older people's care and medicine. The discrimination faced by this group is at least twofold: they are the targets of aggression incited by transphobia, and also by ageism. Although older trans and gender nonconforming people exist as a greatly marginalized group within another already marginalized group, even the field of theological ethics has neglected to grant them ethical attention. This leads to especially harsh consequences for elderly transgender and gender nonconforming people due to their specific vulnerabilities. There are reports from trans persons who have resolved never to make use of health services again due to regular experiences of transphobia in medical settings. There are religious components within transgender and gender nonconforming issues that should not be overlooked in this context. On the one hand, medical staff, in the name of their Christian beliefs, have refused to provide trans persons with basic medical care. On the other hand, demands for places of visibility, and spaces for the individual, are regularly made in trans-positive studies, and can be linked to discussions within theological ethics about giving space. Some ethical formulas within the Hebrew and Christian traditions focus on the creation of space in which other beings may exist, as found in concepts like brother–sisterhood, friendship, and Sabbath. By casting light on elderly trans and gender nonconforming people, and on their demands for space, via reflections on ethical concepts of space-making, this study develops a specific understanding of space for elderly trans persons. The paper aims to develop an understanding of trans-positive spaces within theological ethics and applied ethics. Spaces that assume a withdrawal or contraction by all those who have previously taken up trans spaces through ignorance, contempt, or violence, should not thereby become spaces of absence: indeed, elderly trans and gender nonconforming people might be in need of both kinds of spaces, those where otherness enables withdrawal, and those where the helping presence of others continues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research shows a connection between negative perceptions of emotion, emotional suppression, and athletes' subsequent disregard for their health (Lee Sinden in J Relig Health , J Clin Sport Psychol 4:241-256, ). In light of recent research, the following paper explores the structure and direction of emotion in order to break down historical misconceptions in elite sport. This paper also discusses emotional control, as a direction that can lead to suppression and health problems, and gives suggestions for emotion education and further directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge and power are intertwined. To validate their illegitimate colonial occupation, the colonizers have imposed their knowledge—as expressed in such things as religion—upon the colonized people. Religions are instrumental in setting values, moralities and influencing the types of sciences, laws and arts developed. They govern human behavior, inform researchers on the questions they ask and foster certain types of knowledge. Religion also guides policymakers where and on what they need to focus. In this paper using a logic model I investigate (a) the theoretical reasons for imposing religion; (b) whether imposing religion widens people choices in life and produces a healthy body and community or limits people's choices and impacts the development of public health in Oromia. Religious impositions are driven by epistemic racism; they twist the paradigm of the thinking of a society. This constitutes a kind of epistemic violence. Epistemic violence discredits the experience and interests of the Oromo people. It denounces Oromo accumulated wisdom, its institutions, and it constitutes the textbook definition of disempowerment. In many ways, it hinders development of critical thinking and limits people's choices in life. Christianity and Islamic religions have been forcefully and methodically imposed upon the Oromo people. Religious impositions are the seeds that colonizers plant to make the colonized people intellectually dependent on the imposers. The imposition is meant to occupy the mental universe of the people. It twists how people perceive their past and present. Occupying and controlling the mind disguises the exploitation of the human and natural world. The imposition of those religions is responsible for many social problems such as an unjust social hierarchy, intolerance and environmental degradation. To promote health, prevent diseases and reduce health disparities, we need to promote the empowerment of people, validate their knowledge and experiences and widen their choices in life. In the efforts we make in preventing diseases and promoting health, we need to take into account the issue of religious imposition as one of the social forces. We cannot transform the world unless we understand what makes it work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several countries in Africa are perpetually linked to an inexpungable history of cyclical ethnic conflicts, violence and coup d'état which culminated in the untimely death of many, others severely wounded and many left in a hopeless situation. The paper discusses in-depth, the role and functions of the clergy (ministers of religion) in the political health development in Ghana. The rationale is that the clergy's esteemed status among the church members and the society as a whole could impact positively on the lives of the people in the society, and for that matter, they are expected to speak to national issues. Twenty-one clergy participated in one-on-one in-depth interviews for this study. It was found out that a number of the ministers of religion were not interested in political health development issues, and therefore, their roles in politics were woefully inadequate. It is recommended that the clergy boldly take up their leadership responsibilities and provide a framework for collaboration and reconciliation in the peace-building process and also be models of a peaceful disposition. The clergy are to continue to pray fervently, advise politicians and educate their church members for a sound political health development in Ghana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an admittedly difficult thesis that emotional pain and suffering can be good news. Rather than denying and running from emotional pain and suffering, we suggest embracing and carrying the pain. Through academic and spiritual writings, an observation of Hamlet's tragic suffering, an examination of pastoral care case study data, and a B.L.E.S.S. acronym, this paper proposes that within the experience of suffering lies the transformative potential for meaning and fullness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Religious conversion involves changes in the convert's way of thinking and behaving. This paper focuses on the unique form that this transformative process took within the Christian monastic movement in late antiquity. Treating monastic conversion as a gradual process in which the convert is an active participant, it examines the ways in which monastic converts were able to intentionally promote such a change and influence its direction. This study draws on research in cognitive psychology and neuroscience on the cognitive underpinnings of self-transformation in order to reconstruct from the literary sources of Near Eastern monasticism the strategies and training methods that late antique monks employed in order to facilitate and sustain the transformation implicated in conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the relationship among schizophrenia, spirituality, and Christian religiosity. We interviewed 120 patients with schizophrenia and 120 control individuals (74.2 % of individuals with self-reported Christian religions). Patients with schizophrenia showed increases in positive spirituality and decreases in positive congregational support, as measured by the Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/Spirituality. There was no significant difference in Christian religiosity. Higher positive spirituality was predicted by more severe self-disorder, perceptual disorder, and positive clinical symptoms. Schizophrenia patients with religious delusions did not exhibit enhanced Christian beliefs and rituals. These results do not confirm the hypothesis of general hyper-religiosity in schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper offers an account of how self-reported health varies with religious affiliation and reproductive effort among Serbian Roma women. Data were collected in 2014–2018 in two Roma semi-urban settlements in central Serbia. The sample consisted of 177 Christian and 127 Muslim women, averaging 54 years of age. In addition to religious affiliation (Christianity/Islam), demographic data, reproductive histories, data on self-reported and children's health were collected, along with height and weight, and smoking status. Christian and Muslim Roma women differed significantly on a number of variables, with Muslim women reporting poorer health and higher reproductive effort. Among Roma women religion may be an important determinant of reproductive and fertility patterns, largely because it may have formed an important foundation upon which identity is based. This study adds to the literature on the cross-cultural relevance of the ways religion shapes reproductive behaviors for understanding the health variations of women from the same ethnic group who profess different religions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientometrics is a popular statistical application providing data revealing publication trends and patterns in a certain academic field. A quite limited number of studies investigating scientometric features of health and religion literature have been reported in academic literature. The present study aims to present a holistic analysis of health literature related to Shamanism, Paganism and Spirituality. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study in this field. All data of this analysis were yielded from Web of Science databases. All documents produced between 1975 and 2017 were included. In Shamanism and health field, a total of 157 documents were found, and the USA covering 35.67% of all the literature was the leading country. University of California System (USA) was the most contributor institution. Our search on Paganism and health literature retrieved 51 published documents, and the most productive institution was National Dong Hwa University from Taiwan. A total of 7862 documents were detected in Spirituality and health literature, and the most prolific author in this field was Koenig HG with 82 papers. Journal of Religion and Health was noted to be the predominant academic source in health literature related to ancient beliefs. The number of the publications produced in Spirituality and health literature was greater than total number of all documents published in health literature related to Abrahamic religions, Dharmic religions, Shamanism and Paganism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clergy have historically provided 'healing' through various spiritual and medical modalities and even in modern, developed welfare economies they may still be an important help-seeking resource. Partnerships between religion and psychiatry are regularly advocated, but there is scant research on clergy explanatory models of illness. This paper aimed to explore their relationship with psychiatry and to examine how clergy in various faith groups conceptualised mental health problems. In this qualitative study using in-depth interviews, these issues were explored with 32 practising clergy in the UK from a range of different Christian, Muslim and Jewish faith organisations and ethnic backgrounds. This paper presents findings related to clergy explanatory models of mental illness and, in particular, how the social factors involved in causation are tinged with spiritual influences and implications, and how the meanings of mental distress assume a social and moral significance in distinctive localised matters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An adult female (22 years) of Christian orthodox religion was examined during the silent Lord's prayer, the most common, short prayer, with the aim of possible differentiation between belief and knowledge in her experience, analyzing the behavior of subgroups of theta and beta cerebral EEG rhythms, which occur through constant and occasional activation of cerebral regions. The participant was not trained in reading the prayer to herself or other people. EEG examination was performed by Nihon Kohden Corporation, EEG—1200-K Neurofax apparatus, in the monopolar longitudinal montage in the system of 10/20 electrodes aimed at determining the peak frequency value of each exploratory site. The method of result analysis was based on connecting cerebral regions into networks of 3 or more members according to identical peak frequency value, which was observed within subgroups of theta and beta frequencies and analyzed through a proximity index and continuity and discontinuity of activation during the observed period. Out of the definite observation sample of 3 s from each subperiods (beginning, middle and end), a window of 2 s was moving from the beginning till end of the period with 200-ms time lag. This resulted in six subsamples for each electrode and for each experimental situation (resting state, situation of prayer). Stable and unstable activity of the regions was assessed within subgroups via cartographic formulas equivalent to the states which subgroups of theta and beta imply in psychophysiological sense. The results indicated that through participant's inner dialogue–monologue there are elements of both knowledge and belief, and that this phenomenon is possible considering insufficiently specific circumstances of the experiment and the participant herself, such as her relatively young age and insufficient practice of praying. The paper discusses the types of connections between regions which imply knowledge and those related to belief according to our understanding and regarding findings in literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous studies show that personal spirituality developed through prayer positively influences mental health. Phenomenological and neuroscientific studies of mindfulness, an Eastern meditative prayer form, reveal significant health benefits now yielding important insights useful for guiding treatment of psychological disorders. By contrast, and despite its practice for millennia, Christian meditation is largely unrepresented in studies of clinical efficacy. Resemblances between mindfulness and disciplinary acts in Christian meditation taken from the ancient Greek practice of askesis suggest that Christian meditation will prove similarly beneficial; furthermore, psychological and neuroscientific studies suggest that its retention of a dialogical and transcendent praxis will additionally benefit social and existential psychotherapy. This paper thus argues that study of contemplative meditation for its therapeutic potential is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Short Creek is a largely closed and isolated community on the border between Utah and Arizona, made up of the sister towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Arizona. Beginning from childhood, the 6,000 or so members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) are brought up in a lifestyle of plural marriage, meaning a marriage among one man and more than one woman, and are surrounded by their peers in 'the covenant.' A lifestyle of plural marriage is likely to affect the health of community members, but its effects have not been studied because of the community's isolation and distrust of outsiders. This paper addresses several questions that arise in contemplating the health of the Short Creek community: What are the health beliefs in this community, and what are their historical bases? Where do families seek medical care, and for what or at what threshold of illness or injury? What is the attitude of care providers serving this community, and how are the providers viewed by the community? More broadly, this paper examines the ways in which polygamy configures health. In order to meet this objective, this paper aims first to provide a brief account of this community's history and demographic profile, followed by a discussion of health care in this community and how it is affected by the practice of plural marriage, with the data comprised of qualitative interviews with health care providers to the community. The goals of this project are to gain a rich, historically nuanced understanding of the health of community members, and to identify directions for further academic and policy research. Our findings indicate that health in this community is shaped by limited resources, an attitude of health fatalism, and a profound insularity and corresponding isolation from the outside world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper concerns the medical, religious, and social discourse around abortion. The primary goal of this paper is to better understand how seven of the world's major religious traditions (Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, Confucian, and Hindu) address abortion 'in the clinic'. We do not aim to critique these commentaries but to draw out some of the themes that resonate through the commentaries and place these within complex social contexts. We consider the intersection of ontology and morality; the construction of women's selfhood; the integration of religious beliefs and practices in a secular world. We suggest that for many women, religious doctrine may be balanced with secular logic as both are important and inextricably linked determinants of decision making about the termination of pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a triangulation design combining participant observation, survey results, and interviews, this paper studies the current form of the response to HIV in the local Anglican Church in the Western Cape, South Africa. The results show that people are generally aware of HIV. The 'buzz' around HIV has, however, subsided. The local church does not directly engage HIV anymore, and HIV is more mentioned than talked about. HIV stigma continues to pose a challenge. To work towards the prevention of HIV, the local church needs to put HIV back on the agenda and continue to speak about the virus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, clarification and definition of the concept well-being of human beings are reflected upon from a faith perspective. The author will define well-being and wellness within the following conceptual definitions: firstly, well-being and wellness will be defined in term of African-Christian approach (the interconnectedness of God-human-and-world approach). Secondly, the author will focus on differentiation of well-being and wellness in a human being. Thirdly, the focal point will be on the mixing of holistic, dualist and triadic approaches to define well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a critical analysis of the proceedings of the Wellington Christian Medical Fellowship (CMF) during the 1970s. Formation of the CMF, contemporaneous and historical influences, new traditions, and key events are discussed as they arise in the narrative of the case study. Interaction between cultural and religious influences on medical practice is a recurring theme relevant to other bicultural or multicultural nations with significant health inequalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anonymous pastoral care is one of the options for help in problems pertaining to sexuality. This paper explores the topics they seek help for, the religious aspects involved, and the relation between the normativity of their church tradition on the one hand and sexual and spiritual health criteria on the other. We analyzed helpseeking questions of two protestant Christian organizations in the Netherlands providing anonymous pastoral care: Refoweb and EO-Nazorg. Sexual themes were addressed in 19 and 2.3 % of the submitted questions, respectively. Of the helpseekers, 56 % is female, 15 % male, and 29 % unknown. Questions and problems for which people seek anonymous pastoral care focus primarily on premarital abstinence, gender roles, contraception, sexual orientation and masturbation. The authority of the Bible seems to be important for questioners, especially when dealing with ethical questions. Different relations between the normativity of the church tradition and sexual and spiritual health are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coping is one of the mechanisms employed by people to deal with crises or disasters such as the global COVID-19 pandemic. The RCOPE, developed by Kenneth Pargament et al., is a quantitative scale to measure styles of religious coping. This article applies the RCOPE qualitatively to live-streamed sermons in the Reformed Church in Zambia, held in the two-month lockdown period in Zambia from the end of March to the end of May 2020. A total of 20 pastors contributed 134 sermons that were transcribed and analyzed using the full RCOPE. The results show that pastors in the RCZ mainly encourage their audiences to seek spiritual support, gain control over the situation, and give a positive meaning to the pandemic. The idea that God is in control is important behind all of these means of religious coping in the Zambian sermons. This qualitative analysis also discovered possible lacunae in the RCOPE questionnaire, especially concerning its applicability to evangelical forms of global Christianity, such as the lack of attention to God's intervention and control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to estimate a regression model that best predict symptoms of depression among Black Seventh-day Adventists in the United States. The sample (n = 3,570) was drawn from the Biopsychosocial Religion and Health Study, a sub-study of the larger Adventist Health Study-2 consisting of a random sample (n = 10,998) of Adventists. The results of the study showed that poor sleep quality, hostility, stress, and perceived discrimination were all predictors of symptoms of depression, while religious involvement decreased the likelihood of experiencing those symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theological perspectives have been given short shrift in the literature on religion and health research. This study demonstrates how including different schools of mainline Western Protestant theological thought (evolutionist, correlationist, and dialectical) in the scientific process could contribute to clarifying controversies. The issue is not just theoretical: Theology can even challenge assumptions on elicitability and reproducibility. Theology perceives spirituality as a dialogue with the Total Other, thus making each encounter with the transcendent (not just the individuality of the person) unique and unpredictable. By accepting setbacks on a journey with wide-ranging aspirations, theology redefines health as the momentum of constant striving toward the divine spirit. Since these theological insights relate to interventions that affect patients' intimacy, attempting to recognize the (albeit implicit) spiritual–theological standpoint of the patient and the self—and how these relate to authentic traditions of spirituality—appears to be an essential prerequisite for ethical spiritual intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mental health conditions, including substance use disorders, are one of the most commonly occurring yet least commonly treated health ailments in the United States. Religious congregations serve as important providers of mental health services, as they can fill this gap with accessible care. This study provides an up-to-date accounting of mental health service provision by religious congregations, using a nationally representative survey of U.S. congregations collected in 2012 and 2018–19. Half of all congregations in the U.S. provided a program or service targeting mental illness or substance use disorder in 2018-19, and rates of provision increased among Christian congregations between 2012 and 2018–19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clergy and religious leaders are facing a wide variety of sexual needs and concerns within their faith communities. Conflicts over sexual issues are growing across the entire spectrum of religious denominations, and clerics remain ill prepared to deal with them. As religious communities work to remain influential in public policy debates, clergy and the institutions that train them need to be properly prepared for twenty-first century challenges that impact sexuality and religion. Clergy are often the first point of contact for sexual problems and concerns of their faith community members-complex issues centered on morals, spirituality, and ethics. Yet, there still exists a significant lack of sexual curricula in the programs that are educating our future religious leaders. The resulting paucity of knowledge leaves these leaders unprepared to address the needs and concerns of their congregants. However, with accurate, relevant human sexuality curricula integrated into theological formation programs, future leaders will be equipped to competently serve their constituencies. This paper provides a rationale for the need for such training, an overview of the faith- and theology-based history of a pilot training project, and a description of how the Christian faith and the social sciences intersect in a training pilot project's impetus and process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The birth of people with confused or ambiguous sex makeup as a biological fact since the annals of history has posed the challenge of accommodating them within the binary gender of sociocultural systems. In this process, the role of religion as a defining factor in social engineering has been paramount. Major religions, such as Islam and Christianity, have addressed this issue within the frame of their God-ordained laws by devising a set of moral and legal imperatives specific to the 'third gender.' Modern developments in medicine and biology, however, have made sex reassignment possible for this category of people, today called transsexuals. The question is: How do Islam and Christianity respond to it. After presenting an analytical view of both Muslim scholars and Christian religious authorities on the legitimacy of sex reassignment for transsexuals, this paper attempts to explore if such a dilemma can be resolved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young people in sub-Saharan Africa are at the centre of the global HIV epidemic as they account for a disproportionate share of new infections. Their vulnerability to HIV has been attributed to a myriad of factors, in particular, risky sexual behaviours. While economic factors are important, increasing attention has been devoted to religion on the discourse on sexual decision-making because religious values provide a perspective on life that often conflicts with risky sexual behaviours. Given the centrality of religion in the African social fabric, this study assesses the relationship between adolescent religiousness and involvement in risky sexual behaviours using data from the informal settlements of Nairobi. Guided by social control theory, the paper explores if and how religion and religiosity affect sexual risk-taking among adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mapuche communities living in the urban areas of Chile have undergone radical cultural changes due to Christian conversion. This article analyzes the influence of these changes on the Mapuche ideas and practices of the traditional healers ( machi) and patients in Temuco (IX Region), Chile, and the changes and adaptations in the perceptions of healing practices and rituals by the patients. The paper shows how, despite some evident challenges, the encounter with the religion of Christianity can create a process of cultural and spiritual syncretism and push traditional medicine toward an increased specialization in the therapeutic practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars and theologians continue to debate whether or not God's intended purpose of elite sport violates the creational normativity for elite sport. However, while it is important to be aware of the contradictions between elite sport and Christianity, there is a need for more deep-seated discussions about emotions and health problems in elite sport and why so many Christian athletes continue to train for their sport at the expense of their health. This paper summaries the present debate regarding elite sport and Christianity and then shifts the reader to an exploration of the normalization of emotion, and the consequence of emotional suppression on athletes health. In doing so, the author presents the disregard of health problems as a more concrete measure of how far athletes should push themselves in elite sport. The author makes recommendations for emotion education and suggests directions for future research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using pooled data from the 1998 and 2003 Demographic and Health Surveys, this paper investigates the association between religion and contraceptive behavior of married women in Ghana. Guided by the particularized theology and characteristics hypotheses, multinomial logit and complementary log-log models are used to explore denominational differences in contraceptive adoption among currently married women and assess whether the differences could be explained through other characteristics. We found that while there were no differences between women of different Christian faiths, non-Christian women (Muslim and Traditional) were significantly more likely to have never used contraception compared with Christian women. Similar observations were made on current use of contraception, although the differences were greatly reduced in the multivariate models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Home country re-entry from cross-cultural missionary work abroad may be associated with psychological distress. Re-entrants experience multiple losses including loss of identity which may be associated with personal/relational identity gaps and depersonalization/dehumanization. However, research suggests that some re-entrants are resilient with good mental health, while others are fragile with poor mental health. The aims of this paper are to explore the nature and frequency of re-entering missionaries' identity gaps and their depersonalization/dehumanization in resilient and fragile re-entrants. Fifteen re-entering adult Australian cross-cultural missionary workers from four interdenominational Australian mission organizations completed semi-structured interviews. Results were analysed using modified Consensual Qualitative Research methods. Links were established between personal/relational identity gaps, depersonalization/dehumanization and resilience on re-entry. Implications for re-entrants' care are discussed with suggestions for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been hypothesized that Laestadianism has contributed to the less drinking observed among indigenous Sami. This paper further investigates the bivariate protective influence of Sami ethnicity on youth drinking behavior using logistic regressions. We simultaneously controlled for the influence of religious revival movements (Laestadianism or evangelic) and religious importance (being personally Christian), in addition to socio-demographics and parental factors. Cross-sectional data from the 1994/95 North Norwegian Youth Study including 2,950 (675 Sami) 15-19 year-old high school students (RR: 85%) was used. Sami ethnicity was statistically significant for two out of six alcohol outcome measures, after adjustment for religiosity and other covariates, indicating less current drinking and party drinking. Religiousness was associated with higher youth and parental abstinence across ethnicities. Generally, stronger protective influences on drinking behavior were found for religious importance (being personally Christian) than religious affiliation (Laestadianism). The non-significance between Sami and non-Sami drinking may partly be explained by ethnic differences in religiosity, but also socio-demographics (e.g., residing in the Sami Highland) and parental factors (e.g., abstinence) contributed to such a result. Laestadianism`s profound impact on Sami culture, and its strong anti-alcohol norms may have contributed to a religious-socio-cultural context of abstinence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern medicine serves a religious function for modern Americans as a conduit through which science can be applied directly to the human body. The first half of this paper will focus on the theoretical foundations for viewing medicine as a religious practice arguing that just as a hierarchical structured authoritarian church historically mediated access to God, contemporary Western medicine provides a conduit by which the universalizable truths of science can be applied to the human being thereby functioning as a new established religion. I will then illustrate the many parallels between medicine and religion through an analysis of rituals and symbols surrounding and embedded within the modern practice of medicine. This analysis will pay special attention to the primacy placed on secret interior knowledge of the human body. I will end by responding to the hope for a 'secularization of American medicine,' exploring some of the negative consequences of secularization, and arguing that, rather than seeking to secularize, American medicine should strive to use its religious features to offer hope and healing to the sick, in keeping with its historically religious legacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Papua New Guinea has experienced a growing HIV/AIDS epidemic. The Christian Churches have played a vital role in responding to HIV, through community support, encouragement and social change. Strong, effective Church leadership can help create safe environments of care and support for those infected and for prevention of HIV. Method A series of trainings in capacity development for clergy were undertaken by the National AIDS Council Secretariat (NACS)/National HIV/AIDS Support Project (NHASP). Results A model “Church’s Response to HIV and AIDS in a Care Continuum” was developed to assist the training. This paper discusses the model and the lessons learned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Augustine’s conversion is considered exemplary for its Christian testimony. However, the psychological aspects are also relevant, for Augustine’s conversion to Christianity was as much inspired by personal and cultural ambitions as by religious convictions. For Augustine, the conversion to the Christian faith spelled a life of asceticism—a life of celibacy, a virtuous and chaste existence, which also offered him a means of escape from the threatening ambiguity of parental relations and a chance to realize the cultural ideal of the civilized philosopher who has subjugated the passions of the flesh. In this paper we explore the psychological dynamics of the absent father, the suffering mother and the prodigal son and the role they played in Augustine’s conversion to Christianity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bibliometrics is a high-demand and fast-growing statistical area for the analysis of scientific literature in a certain field. Although religion and health (R&H) field has been a developing study area in recent years, only a few bibliometric studies have been published on the literature in R&H. In this study, we aimed to perform bibliometric analysis of the health literature related to the most populous Abrahamic religions during the period of 1975-2017 by using Web of Science database including WoS Collection Core Collection, Korean Journal Database, Russian Science Citation Index and SciELO Citation Index. In overall evaluation, the USA ranked first in publication productivity with 1388 items and covered 37.21% of total literature. The Journal of Religion and Health published the highest number of documents (n = 351). We found a total of 1329 items in health and Christianity field, and the USA was the most productive country followed by the UK and Canada (n = 166 and 63 documents, respectively). Loma Linda University was found to publish the highest number of items. We detected 1965 publications in Islam and health area, and top three countries were the USA, the UK and Saudi Arabia (n = 387, 194 and 137 items, respectively). University of London was the most productive institution (n = 72, 3.67%). A total of 436 articles were detected in Judaism and health. Top three countries in productivity were the UK, Israel and the UK (211, 151 and 36 items, respectively). Hebrew University of Jerusalem produced 17.43% of total documents as the topmost institution. Although Abrahamic religions originated from Middle East, we noted that most productive authors in this field were not Middle Eastern and from developed countries. Researchers from developing or least developed countries should be encouraged to carry out more studies in R&H field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The job–demand–control–support model indicates that clergy are at high risk for chronic stress and adverse health outcomes. A multi-group pre-test–post-test design was used to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and range of outcome effect sizes for four potentially stress-reducing interventions: stress inoculation training, mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), the Daily Examen, and Centering Prayer. All United Methodist clergy in North Carolina were eligible and recruited via email to attend their preferred intervention. Surveys at 0, 3, and 12 weeks assessed symptoms of stress, anxiety, and perceived stress reactivity. Heart rate variability (HRV) was assessed at baseline and 12 weeks using 24 h ambulatory heart rate monitoring data. A subset of participants completed in-depth interviews and reported skill practice using daily text messages. Standardized mean differences with 95% and 75% confidence intervals were calculated for the change observed in each intervention from baseline to 3 and 12 weeks post-baseline to determine the range of effect sizes likely to be observed in a definitive trial. 71 clergy participated in an intervention. The daily percentage of participants engaging in stress management practices ranged from 47% (MBSR) to 69% (Examen). Results suggest that participation in Daily Examen, stress inoculation, or MBSR interventions could plausibly result in improvement in stress and anxiety at 12 weeks with small-to-large effect sizes. Small effect sizes on change in HRV were plausible for MBSR and Centering Prayer from baseline to 12 weeks. All four interventions were feasible and acceptable, although Centering Prayer had lower enrollment and mixed results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This issue of JORH explores the importance of religion and spirituality in medical practice, as well as research relating to the Church and its clergy, and finally the lingering effects of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the past 50 years, medical and behavioral scientists have made great progress in understanding the variables which influence the development of sexual orientation, identity, and consequent behavior. In most instances, homosexuality is influenced by hormonal, genetic, and immunologic variables during fetal development, and the effects cannot usually be altered without consequence. The recent struggle within The United Methodist Church in the USA reflects the difficulty that society in general has with accepting homosexuality as part of the spectrum of sexuality. Hopefully, understanding the factors influencing sexual orientation will aid in reducing prejudice and eventually bring an end to the pain endured by the LGBTQ community, and the conflict within The United Methodist Church, a prototype of the struggle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]