Browsing by Subject "Religion."

Now showing 1 - 17 of 17

Belonging and participation in mixed-race congregations.
(2012-08-08) Martinez, Brandon C.; Dougherty, Kevin D.; Sociology.; Baylor University. Dept. of Sociology.
There has been a recent push towards racial diversity in congregations by many religious leaders. However, racially diverse congregations, which have been a popular subject amongst researchers, are both rare and seemingly difficult to sustain (Emerson, 2006). Testing an underlying assumption of organizational ecology theory, this study contributes to the discussion of race in congregations by examining belonging and participation in congregations with more than one racial group. Results of multilevel modeling using data from the 2001 U.S Congregational Life Survey indicate that those who are a part of the numerical racial majority in a congregation experience higher levels of belonging and participate at a deeper level than those who belong to a numerical minority racial group. Moreover, cross-level interactions between numerical majority status and the racial proportion of the congregation reveal that these differences increase as mixed-race congregations become more racially homogenous.
Caste, class, and city : the shaping of religious social capital in contemporary India.
(2010-06-23T12:33:31Z) Stroope, Samuel M.; Froese, Paul.; Sociology.; Baylor University. Dept. of Sociology.
Building on the implications of qualitative work from India and urbanism theories, I aim to understand how religious bonding social capital in contemporary India varies along greater urbanization and whether social class or caste affects such differences. I use a multinomial logistic regression on 1,417 Hindu respondents in a nationally representative sample of India (World Values Survey-India 2001). Results indicate that religious social capital is fostered by urbanism and that this association is stronger for upper castes. Conversely, there is little evidence that social class similarly mediates the connection between urbanism and greater religious social capital. In light of these findings, religious bonding might be better understood as rooted in the interaction of caste dynamics and changes in the urban environment, rather than as a result of greater affluence. The data are also consistent with work underscoring the importance of disentangling social class and caste among Hindus in contemporary India.
The effects of homeschooling on participation in drinking alcohol among adolescents and emerging adults.
(2014-06-11) Thomson, Robert A., 1977-; Jang, Sung Joon.; Sociology.; Baylor University. Dept. of Sociology.
Parents often choose to homeschool their children for reasons that, if their goals are accomplished, should contribute to relatively low levels of substance use among their children. Specifically, many parents desire to foster family- and religiously-centered values, while they are also concerned about the potential of negative peer pressure in public schools. In this paper, I use data from three waves of the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR) to study the relationship between homeschooling and alcohol use. As hypothesized, I find that homeschool students do tend to drink less than public and private school students. Religiosity was found to be the strongest explanation of the observed group difference in cross-sectional analyses, while prior drinking was the dominant predictor in longitudinal analyses. In addition, concepts related to social bonding theory partially explain group differences, whereas those related to social learning and general strain tended to suppress them.
Figuring Jesus : the power of rhetorical figures of speech in the Gospel of Luke.
(2010-06-23T12:24:29Z) Reich, Keith A.; Parsons, Mikeal Carl, 1957-; Religion.; Baylor University. Dept. of Religion.
This dissertation examines Luke's use of rhetorical figures of speech on the lips of Jesus as a means of persuading his audience to accept a role-reversing message that challenged the social, religious, economic and political systems in the Roman Empire. A figure of speech is the use of either words or thoughts in a way that is uncommon or out of the ordinary. Because figures of speech are the "uncommon" use of language, they stand out to an audience and grab their attention. They are an artful ordering of words designed to be powerful, memorable, and to seize attention. This dissertation takes seriously the adage that says, "It’s not what you say, it's how you say it." The form of the Lukan Jesus' speech is just as important as the content of that speech. To ignore the form of Jesus' speech is to ignore the power and persuasiveness of his message. Luke uses figures of speech in various ways to persuade his audience of the gospel message. He uses figures of speech to fulfill the stylistic virtues of clarity and ornamentation. Fulfilling these stylistic virtues makes the Lukan Jesus' argument easy to follow and impressive, serving as an ethos argument to portray Jesus as one who speaks like the social elites. Further, Luke uses figures as a means of argument and persuasion to draw the audience to side with Jesus and to participate in his message. These figures serve as arguments of ethos, logos, and pathos and create audience members who are invested in the character of Jesus and the gospel message. Finally, Luke uses powerful and memorable figures of speech to proclaim a message of role reversals in the major social, religious, economic, and political systems of the Roman Empire. Using figures of speech that are highly refined and artful allows the proclamation of this role-reversing message to resonate with the audience and ultimately to form its members.
Individualism and religion : the impact of the individualist cultural tradition on religious beliefs and practices.
(2011-05-12T15:32:13Z) Griebel, Jenna.; Park, Jerry Z.; Sociology.; Baylor University. Dept. of Sociology.
Individualism and its effect on American society has received a great amount of scholarly research. Researchers have established that individualism plays a large role in all areas of society. Using the dual process model of culture developed by Stephen Vaisey (2009) and data from waves I and III of the National Survey of Youth and Religion, this study investigates the role that individualism plays on religion. In examining the effect that an individualist cultural tradition has on religious attitudes and behaviors this study reveals that the shift in authority that takes place within this cultural tradition has a large influence on the subsequent religious behaviors and attitudes of the person.
The influence of media use on religious individuals' attitude toward and knowledge of science.
(2011-05-12T15:23:24Z) Collins, Billy W.; Owens, Bradley E.; Journalism.; Baylor University. Dept. of Journalism.
Research indicates that mass media depictions of morally controversial scientific applications and new technologies have increased in frequency during the past decades. Therefore, researchers have become increasingly interested in how science is both viewed and understood by the public. One of the publics of primary interest to researchers is the highly religious, who may approach science and its applications via a unique perceptual filter determined by their religious commitment. Additionally, the mass media have been shown to moderate opinions about science. The present study makes use of nationally representative survey data to discuss the relationship that exists among media use, religiosity, and attitudes toward and knowledge of science variables. Data collected from two independent samples will also help pave the way for future trend studies of this phenomenon.
Internal Revenue Service and the regulation of religion.
(2011-01-05T19:36:54Z) Castronova, Paul.; Tolbert, Charles M.; Sociology.; Baylor University. Dept. of Sociology.
This study seeks to determine how the Internal Revenue Service influences religion in the United States. Using the theoretical frameworks of organizational ecology and new institutionalism this study examines the assumption that America has an unregulated religious economy. In particular, I look at the sociological impact of defining a 'church' for tax-exempt purposes. Given the constitutional constraints of the First Amendment, the IRS is one the few federal agencies that produces definitive work on religion in United States. In the 1970s, attempting to stop increasing abuse of church exemptions as a form of tax evasion, the IRS developed policies that have impacted countless religions. Using historical records and current organizational theories this study shows that though the policies may seem impartial, in reality, they impede the development of new, marginal, and foreign religions. I conclude by proposing an empirical analysis of these claims and a new source of data on organizational aspects of new religions.
Jack Clemo's vocation to evangelical poetry and erotic marriage : an examination of his poems of personal tribute and critique.
(2011-01-05T19:42:28Z) Martin, Heather R. (Heather Rattray); Wood, Ralph C.; English.; Baylor University. Dept. of English.
Jack Clemo, whose dates are 1916-1994, calls to us from the margins: a working-class voice from deep within in the china clayworks of Cornwall, having been educated outside the conventional system, contending with deafness and blindness for most of his life; a believer whose fierce Evangelical non-conformist religiosity was at odds with an increasingly secularized Britain; a poet who, insisting that his art serve God no less than the world, embraced the erotic as a necessary component of Christian faith and life; and thus a man whose yearning for both marital and poetic companionship is as heartfelt as it is unyielding. Clemo believed he had a divine calling to be an evangelical poet and a married man: a dual vocation that seemed impossible given his physical, social, and educational limits. In the process of fulfilling that vocation, which he did despite poverty, blindness, and deafness, his poetry often "gives testimony" through the varied artistic and spiritual influences he encountered. These portrait poems and dramatic monologues generally fall into three categories: theologians and preachers, saints and missionaries, and artists and writers. For Clemo, these testimony poems document the verity of the Christian faith that he both aspired to and lived by. The predominant themes that connect these poems are evangelism and marriage, reflecting Clemo's concern with fulfilling his twin vocation. This dissertation concentrates on how Jack Clemo's quest to fulfill his vocation intersects with his dramatic monologues and portrait poems, demonstrating that his aspirations shaped these poems and in turn that these poems helped Clemo to imagine and define what it means to be an evangelical poet and a priest of erotic marriage. He did so by constantly testing his voice against others, writing himself into their lifeworld and allowing them to inhabit his poems. His portraits of actual personages also provide concrete expression of Clemo's evangelical witness to the "good news" and the redemptive possibilities of a Christ-centered marriage. Moreover, these figures, whether they affirmed, challenged, or revised Clemo's vision, offered the poet a way to interact with the world through an artistry of encounter, dialog and imagined community.
Lectio divina.
(2010-06-23T12:18:33Z) Crites, Margaret.; McAllister, Scott.; Music.; Baylor University. School of Music.
Lectio Divina is a musical exploration of the contemplative prayer and scripture‐reading practice called "Lectio Divina". The work is written for a chamber ensemble: flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and percussion. Each instrument represents an individual that participates in this contemplative moment. There are three sections in the practice of Lectio Divina and thus three movements in its musical realization. As is intended in the contemplative practice, the three sections in this composition Lectio Divina progress from complexity and fullness to simplicity and understanding.
Physician and patient interactions : the role of beliefs and values in directing clinical conversations.
(2014-06-11) Franzen, Aaron B.; Froese, Paul.; Sociology.; Baylor University. Dept. of Sociology.
This dissertation examines how physicians’ beliefs and values influence the content of their conversations with patients. After an introductory chapter, chapter two primarily provides an overview of the data and the religious beliefs and practices of physicians in the United States. Physicians in the United States tend to be more spiritual and less religious, and practice and affiliate more than the general population but believe less. These trends, in turn, relate to how they converse with patients. Chapter three focuses on who discusses religion and spirituality with patients and why this might be the case. A physician’s ability to connect with patients depends at least in part on his or her ability to empathize with them, but some physicians will be disadvantaged in their ability to connect due to a lack of shared experiences. Being able to connect with a religious patient will depend on the physician’s own religious/spiritual orientation and whether they see a connection between religion and medicine. Using a mediated bi-factor structural equation model, I find that physicians who are religious and spiritual are most likely to have made this religion-medicine link and talk to patients about it. Instead of asking who talks to patients about religion, chapter four analyzes how physicians react when it does come up with patients. By analyzing a series of mediated path models, I again find that those physicians who have connected their beliefs and the work they do are least likely to avoid religion in the clinical context. Chapter five examines whether there is a relationship between physicians’ religious characteristics and the religious characteristics of their county when predicting religious clinical interactions. After proposing competing hypotheses stating that the population characteristics will be important and that structural constraints are more important, I find that the population characteristics do not influence clinical conversations. Chapter six briefly reviews the theoretical implications of the empirical chapters and considers the importance of the findings for future research. In doing do, I suggest a number of potentially helpful future developments.
Reading the American Bible : its role in liberal morality, criminal justice attitudes, and attitudes about religion and science.
(2011-05-12T15:30:02Z) Franzen, Aaron B.; Froese, Paul.; Sociology.; Baylor University. Dept. of Sociology.
The Bible has had a large impact on American culture, but thus far very little research has looked at the impact that reading the Bible may have. Research shows that religion has the tendency to have a conservative influence upon those who are more highly religious, but using the 2007 Baylor Religion Survey, this study finds three different areas where reading the Bible has a liberalizing effect on the reader. The three domains where reading has a liberalizing effect deals with liberal morality issues, various criminal justice attitudes, and attitudes about the interaction between science and religion. This liberalizing effect is in opposition to the effect of Biblical literalism. Three mechanisms are suggested for how reading the Bible has this effect on the reader.
Religion and its effects on Generation X in the public sphere : the shift in religiosity in young Americans.
(2011-09-14) Fitz-Chapman, Brittany M.; Driskell, Robyn Bateman.; Church and State.; Baylor University. Institute of Church-State Studies.
My purpose is to examine how the "religious terrain" is being altered, how trends now in place among members of this generation may be transforming the most basic conceptions of religion and spirituality, our interpretations of historic religious beliefs and symbols, and even our understanding of the sacred itself. By exploring various levels and spheres of influence and change, a clear picture is drawn for future interactions between youth and religion. Wade Roof Clark described religion in America as a "beautiful colored kaleidoscope" that frames and dictates the structure and continuity of society. However, with the lines continually blurring between public and private life, what was once a sacred private element of one's self is now appearing on display. This paper will show that with this pull of religion into the public sphere that believers will become steadfast and increasingly loyal in their beliefs instead of caving to societal pressures.
Religion, sexuality, and gender : an individual and organizational analysis.
(2012-08-08) Whitehead, Andrew L.; Dougherty, Kevin D.; Sociology.; Baylor University. Dept. of Sociology.
Homosexuality has been the object of much debate, research, and political struggle over the last 40 years. Since the Stonewall riots of 1969 the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender movement (LGBT) continues to grow and occupy a much larger portion of the social consciousness in the United States. Religion is commonly viewed as a “brake” slowing down the liberalization of attitudes. The influence of gender and especially traditional gender attitudes are also significant. While the effect of religion or gender on attitudes toward homosexuality and the inequality gays and lesbians experience is documented, little research investigates the intersection of religion, sexuality, and gender. Drawing on multiple data sets at the individual and organizational levels, the four analyses in this project demonstrate the influence of religion and gender on attitudes toward homosexuality and the full inclusion of gays and lesbians into American life. Specifically, this study considers 1) the relationship between gender ideology and attitudes toward homosexuality, 2) attribution theory and attitudes toward same-sex unions, 3) the determinants of congregational responses to gays and lesbians, and 4) the relationship between gender inequality and the inequality experienced by gays and lesbians within American congregations. The findings for each study are discussed, and implications and suggestions for future research are also considered.
Religious identities : self-identification and denominational affiliation.
(2011-09-14) Rhodes, Jeremy R.; Park, Jerry Z.; Sociology.; Baylor University. Dept. of Sociology.
Although a substantial body of theory addresses identity as both a social and individual phenomenon, this literature has largely neglected religious identity. The studies that do explore religious identity often operationalize religious identity as denominational affiliation rather than as a religious label chosen by the individual as a self-descriptor. This study will examine data from the 2005 and 2007 waves of the Baylor Religion Survey, as well as multi-level data from the 2001 U.S. Congregational Life Survey, to explore religious identity as a subjective religious label chosen by survey respondents. Religious identity will be analyzed as both a shaper of religious and non-religious facets of our lives, and as the result of demographic and congregational forces. Findings indicate that religious identity is not merely a reflection of denominational affiliation, but is deserving of greater exploration as a type of self-identification.
Social origins of scientific deviance.
(2012-08-08) Tom, Joshua C.; Froese, Paul.; Sociology.; Baylor University. Dept. of Sociology.
Scientific communities enjoy nearly unchallenged authority on matters related to the natural world; however, there are instances where significant portions of the population hold beliefs contrary to the scientific consensus. These beliefs have generally been studied as the product of scientific illiteracy. This project reframes the issue as one of social deviance from the consensus of scientific communities. Using young-earth creationism and global warming skepticism as case studies, I introduce consensus perception to the study of scientific deviance and explore its utility. Having an improper perception of a scientific consensus on an issue turns out to be one of the most important factors in predicting scientifically deviant beliefs. Still, a significant number of individuals who properly understand the scientific consensus can refuse to accept this consensus on issues which are religiously or political controversial, suggesting that education alone does not determine scientific deviance.
The spiritual journey to self-actualization in Zora Neale Hurston's Seraph on the Suwanee.
(2013-05-15) Gainey, Jami Lee.; Ford, Sarah Gilbreath, 1968-; English.; Baylor University. Dept. of English.
Although critics pay much attention to Zora Neale Hurston's religious discourse in most of her novels, they fail to discuss religion in her last novel, Seraph on the Suwanee. Reflection on the aspects of religion in Hurston's previous novels provides a framework through which to understand Seraph, specifically concerning the character development of both Jim and Arvay. Abraham Maslow's theories of self-actualization also provide a useful framework in which to understand the spiritual dimension of Hurston's treatment of character and agency. A detailed analysis of Seraph reveals Hurston's specific concern in character development with the spiritual journey to achieve vision, which she explicitly explains in The Sanctified Church. Examining her final novel through these two frameworks reveals the significance of Hurston's understanding of spirituality in self-actualization, which enlightens the characterization of Jim by revealing that Hurston presents Jim as a self-actualized individual through whom Arvay eventually achieves self-actualization.
"Verie needfull for this time" : representations of women in sixteenth-century English prayer manuals.
(2014-06-11) Mazzola, Taylor A.; Barr, Beth Allison.; History.; Baylor University. Dept. of History.
Using three texts written by different authors, this thesis argues that sixteenth-century English prayer manuals set rigid boundaries for women by representing them in limited ways. Analyzing and comparing Thomas Becon's The Flour of Godly Praiers (1550), Thomas Bentley's The Monument of Matrones (1582), and Anne Wheathill’s A Handfull of Holesome (1584) highlights the various ways scripted prayer could confine women readers. In the intimate arena of prayer, women using these manuals would have encountered narrow categories to occupy. Becon, Bentley, and Wheathill employed gender exclusive language, presented restrictive categories, and tailored biblical examples to be proper models for Englishwomen in a changing world. These manuals have been overlooked in the study of women and religion, and this thesis aims to emphasize the importance of prayer scripts as valuable sources that show how English writers perceived and portrayed women in the sixteenth century.

Browsing by Subject "Religion."

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