The need to belong can motivate belief in God.

Science.gov (United States)

Gebauer, Jochen E; Maio, Gregory R

2012-04-01

The need to belong can motivate belief in God. In Study 1, 40 undergraduates read bogus astrophysics articles "proving" God's existence or not offering proof. Participants in the proof-for-God condition reported higher belief in God (compared to control) when they chronically imagined God as accepting but lower belief in God when they imagined God as rejecting. Additionally, in Study 2 (72 undergraduates), these effects did not occur when participants' belongingness need was satisfied by priming close others. Study 3 manipulated 79 Internet participants' image of God. Chronic believers in the God-is-rejecting condition reported lower religious behavioral intentions than chronic believers in the God-is-accepting condition, and this effect was mediated by lower desires for closeness with God. In Study 4 (106 Internet participants), chronic believers with an accepting image of God reported that their belief in God is motivated by belongingness needs. © 2011 The Authors. Journal of Personality © 2012, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The God of Job

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leonard Mare

2012-02-01

Full Text Available God is often portrayed extremely negatively in the Old Testament. For example, in the Book of Nahum God is pictured as being responsible for the most horrifying violence imaginable. This negative portrayal of God is also found in the Book of Job. God is responsible for the suffering that his righteous servant Job, has to endure. He is even manipulated by the satan to allow him free reign in attacking Job. God even acknowledges that the misery and pain inflicted on Job, was for no reason. Job�s children are killed in order for God to prove a point, and in his response to Job�s suffering, he doesn�t even address the issue of Job�s suffering. This is a picture of a very cruel, vicious God. This article investigates the negative, disturbing images of God in the Book of Job. Are these images of God who God really is, or is the God of Job a literary construct of the author? The focus of this study is on the prologue and epilogue to the book, as well as the speeches of God in Job 38�41.

A Mythic- Philosophic Analysis of the First Line of Ferdowsi’s Shāhnāma as Compared with Ancient Beliefs and “Khosravāni” Wisdom

OpenAIRE

فرزاد قائمی

2013-01-01

Ferdowsi’s Shāhnāma has a monotheistic context and its narrative deep structure has been demythologized throughout history at religious, ritual and mythic levels. However, an analytical approach can spot traces of the ancient beliefs reflected in the symbolic implications of the narratives as well as the language and imagery of the Shāhnāma. The first line in the Preface of the Shāhnāma, “In the name of God of wisdom and spirit”, best advances a divine ontology. Drawing on historical studies ...

God as Father: The maleness of God

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. T. Williams

1990-03-01

Full Text Available It is fashionable today to try to avoid sexist language in theology, despite the Bible’s consistent use of the masculine pronoun when referring to God. Although such an attempt has largely been engendered by modem culture, the maleness of God is not simply a hangover from a patriarchal society, but reflects a fundamental maleness in God’s dealing with man. It emphasises the idea of redemption by grace alone over against creation, and such aspects as the adoption of Christians as sons. The maleness of Christ likewise has not simply been cultural, but is significant theologically. This is not to deny any femininity in God, but to assert that male features predominate. Such an idea does not reduce the status of women, but rather an emphasis on redemption raises it. Raising the status of women in society would in fact reduce the pressure to demasculinize God.

Review Studi Literatur untuk Metode Pendeteksian God Class

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Divi Galih Prasetyo Putri

2016-12-01

Code smell referring to the concept about a pattern or design aspects on a software system that can make a problem in the process of development, using, or maintenance as the impact of bad implementation of software design. Code smell can lower software understandability and maintainability. A software that containing god class will be more difficult to maintain compared with a same software but doesn’t have a god class. God class, also called blob is a class that has too many functionality. A god class process and access a lot of information. On this research will be discussed methods to detect a god class. We also compared the advantage and disadvantage about analysed method. From the literature we search, there are 3 methods, first method using detection with a rule card, the second method using rule card and history changes of a software, and the third method is detection by examples classes that detected manually as a software defect. And our research result is the third method is the best method based on its precision and recall. Keywords: Blob, God Class

Ridere degli dèi

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maurizio Bettini

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The Charlie Hebdo shooting has tragically attracted new attention on a characteristic of the monotheistic religions that had been progressively overshadowed at least in Western societies: the impossibility of making fun of God and religion in general. On the contrary in Greek and Roman societies the practice of “laughing at the gods” was considered perfectly legitimate, as shown by a plurality of examples from Homer to Lucian of Samosata. The essay aims at describing the cultural motivations of this phenomenon, by emphasizing some of the most relevant differences between polytheistic and monotheistic religions.

God our king

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jan Muis

2008-01-01

Full Text Available This article discusses whether the metaphor of “king” can still be used in Christian God-talk. Firstly, it is argued that the “king” metaphor for God is an indispensable key metaphor in both the Old and the New Testament. “King” has become a root metaphor in the canonical text of the Old Testament and Jesus’ proclamation of the coming kingdom of God presupposes that God is king. Secondly, the Biblical meanings of the metaphor are explored. God’s kingship implies his authority and power to fight the forces of evil, to liberate and lead his people and to control the events of history. Modified by Jesus Christ, God’s kingship is universal, non-violent and in accordance with his love. Then, the use of the metaphor in contemporary God-talk is considered. Because “king” is the only metaphor that can give expression to God’s ultimate highness and authority, it cannot be replaced by others. In the concluding section the “king” metaphor for God is conceptually explained in terms of the relationship, the agency and the power of God it implies.

God's Missional People: Reflecting God's Love in the Midst of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The focus therefore is on God's people being called to participate in God's mission in God's world. Reflecting on those people, his church, in which he is incarnating himself through his Holy Spirit in an extraordinary and empowering way in order for them to reflect his love on the highways and byways of life – to transform the ...

God our king

African Journals Online (AJOL)

p1243322

the “king” metaphor for God is conceptually explained in terms of the relationship ... key metaphors, then it is essential to a God-talk that is grounded in the .... Jesus are both king (cf Eph 5:5), which means that God shares his kingship with the ...

God presseskik

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schaumburg-Müller, Sten

2009-01-01

Notatet giver et overblik over og analyserer Vejledende Regler for God presseskik samt praksis fra Pressenævnet......Notatet giver et overblik over og analyserer Vejledende Regler for God presseskik samt praksis fra Pressenævnet...

God our king

African Journals Online (AJOL)

p1243322

metaphor of king is used with a realistic claim in the Biblical texts and in the. Christian ..... love their king, whatever emotional bond there might occasionally be between them. .... green” and it would be senseless to ask what kind of power God has. It does ... attitude and behavior towards God, the focus here will be on God.

God will forgive: reflecting on God's love decreases neurophysiological responses to errors.

Science.gov (United States)

Good, Marie; Inzlicht, Michael; Larson, Michael J

2015-03-01

In religions where God is portrayed as both loving and wrathful, religious beliefs may be a source of fear as well as comfort. Here, we consider if God's love may be more effective, relative to God's wrath, for soothing distress, but less effective for helping control behavior. Specifically, we assess whether contemplating God's love reduces our ability to detect and emotionally react to conflict between one's behavior and overarching religious standards. We do so within a neurophysiological framework, by observing the effects of exposure to concepts of God's love vs punishment on the error-related negativity (ERN)--a neural signal originating in the anterior cingulate cortex that is associated with performance monitoring and affective responses to errors. Participants included 123 students at Brigham Young University, who completed a Go/No-Go task where they made 'religious' errors (i.e. ostensibly exhibited pro-alcohol tendencies). Reflecting on God's love caused dampened ERNs and worse performance on the Go/No-Go task. Thinking about God's punishment did not affect performance or ERNs. Results suggest that one possible reason religiosity is generally linked to positive well-being may be because of a decreased affective response to errors that occurs when God's love is prominent in the minds of believers. © The Author (2014). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Destroying False Images of God: The Experiences of LGBT Catholics.

Science.gov (United States)

Deguara, Angele

2018-01-01

This article is about how lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans (LGBT) Catholics imagine God and how images of God change in parallel with their self-image. The study is based on qualitative research with LGBT Catholics, most of whom are members of Drachma LGBTI in Malta or Ali d'Aquila in Palermo, Sicily. LGBT Catholics' image of God changes as they struggle to reconcile their religious and sexual identities and as they go through a process of "conversion" from deviants and sinners to loved children of God. One study participant compares his faith in God to peeling an onion: "With every layer one peels off, one destroys false images of God." Most study participants have moved away from the image of God as a bearded old man and father of creation and moved more toward a conception of God as love once identity conflicts are resolved.

God fondsledelse

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Feldthusen, Rasmus Kristian

2010-01-01

Professor Rasmus Kristian Feldthusen fra Københavns Universitets Juridiske Fakultet har til denne opdatering skrevet en artikel om god fondsledelse. Efter en række år med fokus på god selskabsledelse (corporate governance) er det nærliggende at sætte fokus på fondene. Tiden er nu moden til også...... at forholde sig til god ledelse af særligt store fonde, siger forfatteren. Dette ikke mindst henset til fondens særegne juridiske konstruktion som selvejende, hvorved der ikke er en kreds af aktionærer m.v., der kan vælge og afsætte fondsbestyrelsen. Fonden har udelukkende et offentligt tilsyn, hvilket er...... mere overordnet i dén forstand, at tilsynet ikke har eller kan have indgående indsigt i alle rigets fonde på én gang. Forfatteren gør opmærksom på, at diskussionen om god fondsledelse er et nyt tema, hvorfor artiklen givetvis ikke adresserer alle problemstillinger. Som juridiske konstruktioner...

Attachment to God, Images of God, and Psychological Distress in a Nationwide Sample of Presbyterians.

Science.gov (United States)

Bradshaw, Matt; Ellison, Christopher G; Marcum, Jack P

2010-01-01

Drawing broadly on insights from attachment theory, the present study outlines a series of theoretical arguments linking styles of attachment to God, perceptions of the nature of God (i.e., God imagery), and stressful life events with psychological distress. Main effects and potential stress-moderator effects are then evaluated using data from a nationwide sample of elders and rank-and-file members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Key findings indicate that secure attachment to God is inversely associated with distress, whereas both anxious attachment to God and stressful life events are positively related to distress. Once variations in patterns of attachment to God are controlled, there are no net effects of God imagery on levels of distress. There is only modest support for the hypothesis that God images moderate the effects of stressful life events on psychological distress, but no stress-moderator effects were found for attachment to God. Study limitations are identified, and findings are discussed in terms of their implications for religion-health research, as well as recent extensions of attachment theory.

Of God and Psychotherapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Karasu, T Byram

2015-01-01

Psychotherapy is an instrument for remediation of psychological deficits and conflict resolution, as well as an instrument for growth and self-cultivation. In fact, psychotherapy is the finest form of life education. All of this is done without psychotherapists' playing a teacher, a minister, a priest, a rabbi, an imam, or a Buddhist monk, but by being familiar with what they know and more. That "more" is about understanding "the attributes" of gods and religions as they serve the all-too-human needs of believing and belonging. It is about the distillation of common psychological, sociological, moral, and philosophical attributes of religions, and the recognition that the attributes themselves are faith and God. Attributes that serve the affiliative needs define faith, for example, belonging is faith; attributes that serve the divine needs define God, for example, compassion is God. Those who have recovered from their primitive innocence need to formulate their ideas of God and religion, regardless of their affiliation with a religious community. One may need to resonate emotionally with the God of his or her religion, but intellectually need to transcend all its dogma and cultivate a personal concept of divinity free from any theological structure. Such an enlightened person achieves enduring equanimity by striving to own the attributes of Gods--to be godly. This is equally true for psychotherapists as it is for their patients.

Denkbeelde oor God by Hosea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W. S. Boshoff

1997-08-01

Full Text Available Conceptions of God in Hosea The book Hosea could be characterised as a polemic against particular traits of Israelite religion. According to the book�s message Yahweh was deeply involved in Israel's everyday existence. His involvement is presented in terms of three critically important aspects of His being as the only God: He is God of history, God of nature and He is the High God. The basic premise that Yahweh was the God of Israel�s past is common ground between Hosea and his contemporaries, but the prophet�s message is that Yahweh also governs the present and future. The Israelites are moreover accused that they depend on the �baalim� for their natural and agricultural needs. Now Yahweh is proclaimed as the God in command of every aspect of nature and fertility. Although He is a High God, Yahweh is not remote, but close by. He does make a difference and He is very relevant to Israel�s everyday existence.

Thunder God Vine

Science.gov (United States)

... T U V W X Y Z Thunder God Vine Share: On This Page Background How Much ... This fact sheet provides basic information about thunder god vine—common names, usefulness and safety, and resources ...

God-Belief, Self- Detection, Alienation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dr Majid Sadeghi Hasan Abadi

2010-01-01

Full Text Available According to some Western thinkers, considering earthy and compelled human alongside with the heavenly and compelling God can result in nothing but human’s alienation and transduction of alien personality in his mind and spirit. Basically, man’s realization of alienation and its type has a close relationship with the way of consideration of human and his nature. Of course type of human regard to God and kind of God that a religion defines, is another altered factor that into the side transaction, human and God has a decisive role. In Islamic teaching human nature and religion are defined as two truth corresponding together and in other words unique truth manifest into the sight of genesis and legislation as human nature and religion. In Islamic philosophy especially Hekmah Al-Motaaliyeh (transcendental wisdom human’s relationship with God and also universe with God, is the same as relation and dependency. In heavenly instructions, human nature is divine whiff. Therefore, it should have total congruity with divine nature. Since self- forgetfulness is the direct result of God- forgetfulness, God-belief and self- detection have strong relation with each other, too. Moreover, in the mystical instructions of the Muslims mystics, God is a truth that is closer to man than himself. And therefore, the more he is such proximity , attraction and rapture to God, not only the man becomes self- alien , but also he will recognize himself better than before and will approach to his own origin.

4000 Jaar van soeke na God

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Frances Klopper

2005-10-01

South Africans live in a time of growing unease amongst Afrikaansspeaking Christians about the traditional God-image of their childhood. As a con-sequence, churches are losing members – which is of concern to the church’s leaders. By referring to Karen Armstrong’s book, A History of God (1999, this article shows that rethinking the idea of God is not new and that healthy iconoclasm is part and parcel of religions as evolving and changing organisms. Over the past 4000 years, each generation created an image of God that worked for them. The article reflects on the God of Judaism, the Christian God, the God of Islam, the God of the philosophers, the mystics, the reformers and the thinkers of the Enlightenment to the eventual eclipse of God in twentieth-century Europe. The purpose of the exercise is to encourage Christians to engage with the process and create a sense of God for themselves by taking heed of the negative and positive moments in God’s long history.

God stil i professionsopgaver

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Kit Stender; Christoffersen, Ditte Dalum

"God stil i professionsopgaver" er en vejledende bog, der sikrer dig en god arbejdsproces og det bedst mulige resultat. Du får hjælp fra start til slut, og information om alt fra hvordan du stiller et videnskabelige spørgsmål til hvordan du laver en analyse og sikrer korrekt formalia. "God stil i...

Is Olodumare, God In Yoruba Belief, God?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Benson O. Igboin

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Abstrak : Pertanyaan apakah Olodumare, Tuhan dalam kepercayaan Yoruba, sebagaimana diterjemahkan oleh Bolaji Idowu, adalah Tuhan merupakan persoalan penuh liku. Hal ini karena konsep dan kepercayaan atas Olodumare ini mengalami serangkaian analisis berputar sehingga memancing pertanyaan tersebut dijawab dalam tiga tahap episodik mendasar. Pertama dari kalangan antropolog Barat yang, sengaja atau tidak, keliru memahami bahwa Olodumare bukanlah, atau tidaklah sederajat dengan, Tuhan; tahap kedua diperjuangkan oleh pengkaji Africa (Africanist / teolog Yoruba yang mengajukan status Olodumare sebagai Tuhan; sementara mazhab dekolonisasi mutakhir berupaya melepaskan Olodumare dari apa yang disebut sebagai jerat Helenistik (Helenistic grab periode kedua, dan memberikan citra yang ‘tepat’ tentang Olodumare. Masing-masing ‘kebenaran’ tentang Olodumare ini memiliki pertanyaan-pertanyaan turunan yang memengaruhi pemahaman atas Olodumare. Kajian ini mempertanyakan klaim-klaim tiga filsuf dekolonisasi saat ini, dan mengemukakan bahwa apa yang mereka lontarkan seputar Olodumare tidak konsisten. Kesimpulannya, untuk memperoleh konsep yang kuat tentang Olodumare, perlu upaya untuk mengadopsi padanan kata-kata terjemahan alternatif yang tepat, baik terhadap ajaran Yoruba maupun ajaran Kristen; jika tidak demikian, pertanyaan-pertanyaan yang muncul mungkin tetap akan tak terjawab, sementara tesis Idowu tetap dirasakan sudah memadai.Kata kunci : Olodumare, Esu, Masalah keburukan, Tuhan, Yoruba Abstract : The question whether Olodumare, God in Yoruba belief, as Bolaji Idowu translated it, is God is a tortuous one. It is so because the concept of, and the belief in, Olodumare are undergoing circuitous strings of analysis that tempt one to answer the question in three fundamental episodic phases. The first came from the Western anthropologists who advertently or inadvertently ‘misconceived’ Olodumare, as completely less than a God; the second stage

God-Belief, Self- Detection, Alienation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Majid Sadeghi Hasan Abadi

2010-03-01

Full Text Available According to some Western thinkers, considering earthy and compelled human alongside with the heavenly and compelling God can result in nothing but human’s alienation and transduction of alien personality in his mind and spirit. Basically, man’s realization of alienation and its type has a close relationship with the way of consideration of human and his nature. Of course type of human regard to God and kind of God that a religion defines, is another altered factor that into the side transaction, human and God has a decisive role. In Islamic teaching human nature and religion are defined as two truth corresponding together and in other words unique truth manifest into the sight of genesis and legislation as human nature and religion. In Islamic philosophy especially Hekmah Al-Motaaliyeh (transcendental wisdom human’s relationship with God and also universe with God, is the same as relation and dependency. In heavenly instructions, human nature is divine whiff. Therefore, it should have total congruity with divine nature. Since self- forgetfulness is the direct result of God- forgetfulness, God-belief and self- detection have strong relation with each other, too. Moreover, in the mystical instructions of the Muslims mystics, God is a truth that is closer to man than himself. And therefore, the more he is such proximity , attraction and rapture to God, not only the man becomes self- alien , but also he will recognize himself better than before and will approach to his own origin.

God-Belief, Self- Detection, Alienation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Majid Sadeghi Hasan Abadi

2010-04-01

Full Text Available According to some Western thinkers, considering earthy and compelled human alongside with the heavenly and compelling God can result in nothing but human’s alienation and transduction of alien personality in his mind and spirit. Basically, man’s realization of alienation and its type has a close relationship with the way of consideration of human and his nature. Of course type of human regard to God and kind of God that a religion defines, is another altered factor that into the side transaction, human and God has a decisive role. In Islamic teaching human nature and religion are defined as two truth corresponding together and in other words unique truth manifest into the sight of genesis and legislation as human nature and religion. In Islamic philosophy especially Hekmah Al-Motaaliyeh (transcendental wisdom human’s relationship with God and also universe with God, is the same as relation and dependency. In heavenly instructions, human nature is divine whiff. Therefore, it should have total congruity with divine nature. Since self- forgetfulness is the direct result of God- forgetfulness, God-belief and self- detection have strong relation with each other, too. Moreover, in the mystical instructions of the Muslims mystics, God is a truth that is closer to man than himself. And therefore, the more he is such proximity , attraction and rapture to God, not only the man becomes self- alien , but also he will recognize himself better than before and will approach to his own origin.

From the Love of God to the God-Love: Reflections on an Unamunian Problem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonio M. López Molina

2014-11-01

Full Text Available The central thesis of this paper is as follows: Unamuno’s genuine concept of God, namely,the biotic God, the cordial God, the God-Love, is the result of the convergence of three philosophical traditions in which Unamuno introduces a peculiar change. The first is Unamuno’s critique of ScholasticTheology and its conception of God as ens realissimum, First Cause or Prime Mover. The second can be found in the Augustinian-Lutheran-Kierkegaardian tradition and its call to the inner world, personality and individuality. And finally, engaging in a peculiar reflection activity that allows him to join the intellectualist and voluntarist traditions, the philosopher of Salamanca turns to the atheistic philosophy of Schopenhauer,who presents a world as will, pain and compassion. A new conception of God based on will, faith and hope emerges because of the critique and transformation of these philosophies.

Worship one in Islam and Sikhism Searching & Review According to Islam

OpenAIRE

Alimardi, M

2012-01-01

  In this summary, there is an effort to explain the concept of worship one and oneness in Islam and Sikhism. Sikhism is the youngest of the world religions and the doctrines of a monotheistic religion founded in the Punjab area of India in the fifteenth century by Guru Nanak and combining elements of Hinduism and Islam. A Sikh believes ( EK ONKAAR) there is only One God. IK ONKAAR the most significant word used in the Sikh teachings. But believe in one God in Sikhism is the same Muslim'...

The Relationship with Yourself when Praying to Transcendent God and to an Immanent God

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Larisa Ileana Casangiu

2017-05-01

Full Text Available In this article, we aim to discuss on prayer, trying to identify a kind of relationship with yourself during the praying to a transcendent God and an immanent God, according to the religious literature and the Romanian social reality. For this purpose, we have conducted an experimental research ascertaining the investigation based on interview and questionnaire aimed the relationship with yourself indirectly when praying to a transcendent God and an immanent God among the believers/faithful persons who pray (almost daily.

The Nomadic Existence of the Eternal Improviser and Diasporic Co-Poiesis in the Era of Mega-Speed

Science.gov (United States)

Gurze'ev, Ilan

2010-01-01

The history of transcendence and nomadism in face of the call for "home-returning" is marked figuratively by four milestones: (1) the "era" of immanence and dwelling in total harmony as a manifestation of self-sustained holiness; (2) the "era" of relating to holiness by mediation of God, especially in the monotheistic religions; (3) the "era" of…

God fondsledelse

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Feldthusen, Rasmus Kristian

2014-01-01

Artiklen behandler temaet god fondsledelse i såvel erhvervsdrivende som ikke-erhvervsdrivende fonde. Emnet er relevant eftersom fonde har en markant anderledes struktur end andre selskabsformer, hvilket især gør sig gældende med hensyn til ejerstrukturen. For det første er fonde selvejende, hvilket....... Erhvervsstyrelsen samt kritisk revision af fondens revisor. Artiklen inddrager Erhvervsfondsudvalgets rapport og forslag til nye lovbestemmelser samt udkast til anbefalinger om god fondsledelse....

God fondsledelse

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Feldthusen, Rasmus Kristian

2013-01-01

Artiklen behandler temaet god fondsledelse i såvel erhvervsdrivende som ikke-erhvervsdrivende fonde. Emnet er relevant eftersom fonde har en markant anderledes struktur end andre selskabsformer, hvilket især gør sig gældende med hensyn til ejerstrukturen. For det første er fonde selvejende, hvilket....... Erhvervsstyrelsen samt kritisk revision af fondens revisor. Artiklen inddrager Erhvervsfondsudvalgets rapport og forslag til nye lovbestemmelser samt anbefaling om god fondsledelse....

'God kan net doen wat God wel doen': Petrus Abelardus se ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

'God can only do what God does do': Peter Abelard's Megarian argument in Theologia 'Scholarium', Opera Theologica III Peter Abelard's contribution to a constellation of central themes in post-Carolingian medieval philosophy, namely on causation, necessity and contingency, with its discursive undertone of the relation ...

Principper for god undervisning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kirkegaard, Preben Olund

2017-01-01

. Især samler interessen sig om principper for god undervisning (Pintrich: 2003). Principper for god undervisning betyder tydelig mål for læringsarbejdet. Det er et trygt læringsmiljø. Engagerede undervisere. Fokus på forståelse i kommunikationen. Et væsentligt indhold. Elevaktiverende læringsformer....... Gode relationer mellem eleverne. God og løbende feedback der mere går på proces og selvregulering, frem for produkt og person....

God kemi B

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Johannesson, Anne Boie

God kemi B indeholder fire forløb: "Byg en bro", "Tyggegummi", "Hovedpinepiller" og "Konserveringsmidler", der virker som en inspirerende og elevaktiverende ramme omkring kemiundervisningen på B-niveau.......God kemi B indeholder fire forløb: "Byg en bro", "Tyggegummi", "Hovedpinepiller" og "Konserveringsmidler", der virker som en inspirerende og elevaktiverende ramme omkring kemiundervisningen på B-niveau....

God skolestart på erhvervsuddannelserne

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Michael Svendsen; Bach Hulgård, Ulla

Hæftet ”God skolestart på erhvervsuddannelserne” giver nogle bud på en god skolestart i erhvervsuddannelsen. Den bygger på interviews med ledere, lærere og elever på to tekniske skoler, to handelsskoler og én SOSU-skole om deres modeller for en god skolestart. Hver model bliver beskrevet således...

Hvad er god vejledning?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Knudsen, Anne-Grete

2012-01-01

Et empirisk/teoretisk studie af, hvordan sygeplejestuderende beskriver en god vejledning, og hvordan vejledningspraksis kan kvalificeres i sygeplejerskeuddannelsen......Et empirisk/teoretisk studie af, hvordan sygeplejestuderende beskriver en god vejledning, og hvordan vejledningspraksis kan kvalificeres i sygeplejerskeuddannelsen...

Man, Satan, and God of Mawlana (Rumi and Milton

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leila Mir Mojarabian

Full Text Available This research is a critical analysis on the place of human and his integration with religious issues, and the subject of disobedience and rebellion. In addition, topics such as reward, punishment, redemption and salvation of mankind in two great works of literature of the world, Masnavi by Mawlana and Paradise Lost by Milton have been comparatively discussed. Rumi's poetry and thought has been accepted by commons and special people in Iran and the world. Rumi is one of the few supreme poets in Persian language and the world. Generally, Milton has Known as the greatest English poet after Shakespeare, and his Paradise Lost as the greatest English fiction poem. This work is a the well-known epics of human-divine composed in live new languages, and comparing these two works even in one field of speech, indeed is the comparison of two thoughts, two nations, and two ancient cultures. The author attempts to examine the similarities and contrasts of the two poems of these two great poets on the subjects of human, God, and Satan and the world, to achieve the analytical and critical comparison of them in this context. In this paper the author tries to base the Paradise Lost of Milton and compare it with the ideas of Mawlana common to imagine man's first story and his disobedience, religious approaches, and finally the end presumed for mankind. In these two poems, contrast between "God" and "man" is derived from the fundamental relationship between "God" and "man". Milton while calls God, our Heavenly Father and refer to his role of creativity, entitles him as the dominant power, All mighty, the victorious winner, Glorious and Holy ruler, powerful king, and in one word, omnipotent. The Creator that all creatures are worshiping him, the omnipotent could be seen his capability remarks in everywhere, the unique structure of the universe beautiful is his own and the glorious ruler, sitting over the skies, sometimes invisible and sometimes visible, even

Fremskridt for god selskabsledelse

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomsen, Steen

2013-01-01

Komitéen for god Selskabsledelse viser på modig vis vej ud af regeljunglen, når den reducerer anbefalingerne betydeligt.......Komitéen for god Selskabsledelse viser på modig vis vej ud af regeljunglen, når den reducerer anbefalingerne betydeligt....

The god within and the god without.

Science.gov (United States)

Grossman, Teddi

2013-09-01

Spirituality enables the direct experience of connection between the individual and God, and can exist with or without an intermediary such as a religious institution. Via meditation or spiritual practice one can find God within oneself. Seeing oneself as a little Christ or Buddha affirms that one is sacred, and worthy of self-love and self-respect. This self-image is incongruent with violence to the self, such as substance misuse. Through spirituality we learn to see ourselves as parts of a whole, and worthy of the love and respect of others. This love is sustainable, and can fulfill what was unconsciously or consciously sought through the misuse of substances. From the point of view of the therapist, this is the beginning of healing.

Women, monotheism and the gender of God

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F. Klopper

2002-08-01

Full Text Available God is experienced in heightened awareness that can only be represented in images and symbols. According to the Old Testament there was one male God, Yahweh, imaged as a father, king, judge, shepherd and more. Since God-images are cultural creations related to the time and place in which they were conceived, the male character of God is a natural reflection of the patriarchal culture of the ancient Near East. Twenty-first century women have difficulty relating to the male God-image and patriarchal church language, both of which justify the subordinate position of women in church and society. Investigation into Old Testament religion reveals that the way Israelite women dealt with the single male God opens the way for contemporary women to do likewise and create images of God with which they can identify.

Pagan and Jewish Monotheism according to Varro, Plutarch and St Paul : The Aniconic, Monotheistic Beginnings of Rome’s Pagan Cult – Romans 1.19-25 in a Roman Context

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Kooten, G.H.; Hilhorst, A.; Puech,; Tigchelaar, E.

2007-01-01

George H. van Kooten, “Pagan and Jewish Monotheism according to Varro, Plutarch and St Paul: The Aniconic, Monotheistic Beginnings of Rome’s Pagan Cult—Romans 1:19-25 in a Roman Context,” in Flores Florentino: Dead Sea Scrolls and Other Early Jewish Studies in Honour of Florentino García Martínez

Autism Spectrum Disorders and the Image of God as a Core Aspect of Religiousness

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schaap-Jonker, Hanneke; Sizoo, B.; Schothorst-Van Roekel, J.; Corveleyn, J.

2013-01-01

Associations between Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and the image of God were studied among adult mental health outpatients with ASD (N = 78) and compared to a psychiatric and a nonclinical norm group. The God image, which refers to the personal meaning that God/the divine has to the individual, of

Word of Jeremiah - Word of God

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holt, Else Kragelund

2007-01-01

The article examines the relationship between God, prophet and the people in the Book of Jeremiah. The analysis shows a close connection, almost an identification, between the divine word (and consequently God himself) and the prophet, so that the prophet becomes a metaphor for God. This is done...

Immanence or Transcendence? A Mathematical View

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H Chris Ransford

2016-03-01

Full Text Available This paper uses the tools of mathematical analysis to try and shed light on the age-old question of whether a monotheist God would be simultaneously present everywhere in the wider Universe, or whether It would rather usually keep to privileged locations within space-time. On the narrow basis of where the mathematics leads, it reaches an unexpected but definite conclusion.

Man, Satan, and God of Mawlana (Rumi and Milton

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leila Mir Mojarabian

2013-09-01

Full Text Available This research is a critical analysis on the place of human and his integration with religious issues, and the subject of disobedience and rebellion. In addition, topics such as reward, punishment, redemption and salvation of mankind in two great works of literature of the world, Masnavi by Mawlana and Paradise Lost by Milton have been comparatively discussed.     Rumi's poetry and thought has been accepted by commons and special people in Iran and the world. Rumi is one of the few supreme poets in Persian language and the world. Generally, Milton has Known as the greatest English poet after Shakespeare, and his Paradise Lost as the greatest English fiction poem. This work is a the well-known epics of human-divine composed in live new languages, and comparing these two works even in one field of speech, indeed is the comparison of two thoughts, two nations, and two ancient cultures.     The author attempts to examine the similarities and contrasts of the two poems of these two great poets on the subjects of human, God, and Satan and the world, to achieve the analytical and critical comparison of them in this context. In this paper the author tries to base the Paradise Lost of Milton and compare it with the ideas of Mawlana common to imagine man's first story and his disobedience, religious approaches, and finally the end presumed for mankind.     In these two poems, contrast between "God" and "man" is derived from the fundamental relationship between "God" and "man". Milton while calls God, our Heavenly Father and refer to his role of creativity, entitles him as the dominant power, All mighty, the victorious winner, Glorious and Holy ruler, powerful king, and in one word, omnipotent. The Creator that all creatures are worshiping him, the omnipotent could be seen his capability remarks in everywhere, the unique structure of the universe beautiful is his own and the glorious ruler, sitting over the skies, sometimes invisible and sometimes

Man, Satan, and God of Mawlana (Rumi and Milton

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Reza Nasre Esfahani

2013-08-01

Full Text Available This research is a critical analysis on the place of human and his integration with religious issues, and the subject of disobedience and rebellion. In addition, topics such as reward, punishment, redemption and salvation of mankind in two great works of literature of the world, Masnavi by Mawlana and Paradise Lost by Milton have been comparatively discussed.     Rumi's poetry and thought has been accepted by commons and special people in Iran and the world. Rumi is one of the few supreme poets in Persian language and the world. Generally, Milton has Known as the greatest English poet after Shakespeare, and his Paradise Lost as the greatest English fiction poem. This work is a the well-known epics of human-divine composed in live new languages, and comparing these two works even in one field of speech, indeed is the comparison of two thoughts, two nations, and two ancient cultures.     The author attempts to examine the similarities and contrasts of the two poems of these two great poets on the subjects of human, God, and Satan and the world, to achieve the analytical and critical comparison of them in this context. In this paper the author tries to base the Paradise Lost of Milton and compare it with the ideas of Mawlana common to imagine man's first story and his disobedience, religious approaches, and finally the end presumed for mankind.     In these two poems, contrast between "God" and "man" is derived from the fundamental relationship between "God" and "man". Milton while calls God, our Heavenly Father and refer to his role of creativity, entitles him as the dominant power, All mighty, the victorious winner, Glorious and Holy ruler, powerful king, and in one word, omnipotent. The Creator that all creatures are worshiping him, the omnipotent could be seen his capability remarks in everywhere, the unique structure of the universe beautiful is his own and the glorious ruler, sitting over the skies, sometimes invisible and sometimes

The three main monotheistic religions and gm food technology: an overview of perspectives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Singer Peter A

2009-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Public acceptance of genetically modified crops is partly rooted in religious views. However, the views of different religions and their potential influence on consumers' decisions have not been systematically examined and summarized in a brief overview. We review the positions of the Judaism, Islam and Christianity – the three major monotheistic religions to which more than 55% of humanity adheres to – on the controversies aroused by GM technology. Discussion The article establishes that there is no overarching consensus within the three religions. Overall, however, it appears that mainstream theology in all three religions increasingly tends towards acceptance of GM technology per se, on performing GM research, and on consumption of GM foods. These more liberal approaches, however, are predicated on there being rigorous scientific, ethical and regulatory scrutiny of research and development of such products, and that these products are properly labeled. Summary We conclude that there are several other interests competing with the influence exerted on consumers by religion. These include the media, environmental activists, scientists and the food industry, all of which function as sources of information and shapers of perception for consumers.

Did Indians of the Americas Preserve Linguistic Place-names Like Willimantic, CT, Indicating Some Islamic Interactions and Applied Physics Use, Before Columbus?

Science.gov (United States)

Crory, Erica; Mc Leod, Roger D.

2007-10-01

Modern Peruvians document: ``Ñari Huallac is the name of the town in the north of Peru (Piura) where our families come from. The words Ñari Huallac mean Serpent God, [editorial emphasis by underlining script is added], and are some of the few words which remain from the ancient Tallan civilization.'' Tallan seems related to The God, Allah, of Islam, as are Alaska, Allagash, Illinois, Willimantic, CT, and, in Maine, Metallak, Mollocket and Millinocket, Allahpatah, of Florida, and Allegheny of Pennsylvania. With this significance lies the partially concealed evidence that all three monotheistic faiths, during the times indicated by the language, understood there was a fundamental connection between The God, and what we would call today the electromagnetic field, EMF, of Mother Earth. Metallak: Doctor (at) The God (Spirit-signal, EMF), an ecclesiastical title, like Willimantic, The God Spirit-signal (where there is a) doctor. Alaska: The God Jesus Christ Spirit-signal (EMF). Millinocket: Adherent of The God monk Cathar, provides a reference date of about 1250 A.D. Illinois: The God Spirit-signal (EMF-detecting) monk. Mollocket asserted ownership of western Maine, until 1816. What did she know of importance from her war-hostage days in Boston?

Talking about God with Trauma Survivors.

Science.gov (United States)

Ross, Colin A

2016-12-31

Severe, chronic childhood trauma commonly results in a set of negative core self-beliefs. These include blaming the self for the abuse, feeling unworthy and unlovable, believing the world would be better off if one committed suicide, and believing that one does not deserve peace or happiness. Linked to these cognitive errors are beliefs that one is not worthy of God's love, that God wanted the person to be abused, and that the person can avoid God's judgment if she does not go to church. Strategies for dealing with these cognitive errors about God are presented within the context of a secular psychotherapy.

Culpa og god revisorskik

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Langsted, Lars Bo

1995-01-01

Artiklen fremhæver, at der ikke er automatisk sammenfald mellem responsumudvalgets vurdering af god revisorskik og domstolenes anvendelse af culpa-begrebet i teorien men nok i praksis.......Artiklen fremhæver, at der ikke er automatisk sammenfald mellem responsumudvalgets vurdering af god revisorskik og domstolenes anvendelse af culpa-begrebet i teorien men nok i praksis....

Closeness to God among those doing God's work: a spiritual well-being measure for clergy.

Science.gov (United States)

Proeschold-Bell, Rae Jean; Yang, Chongming; Toth, Matthew; Corbitt Rivers, Monica; Carder, Kenneth

2014-06-01

Measuring spiritual well-being among clergy is particularly important given the high relevance of God to their lives, and yet its measurement is prone to problems such as ceiling effects and conflating religious behaviors with spiritual well-being. To create a measure of closeness to God for Christian clergy, we tested survey items at two time points with 1,513 United Methodist Church clergy. The confirmatory factor analysis indicated support for two, six-item factors: Presence and Power of God in Daily Life, and Presence and Power of God in Ministry. The data supported the predictive and concurrent validity of the two factors and evidenced high reliabilities without ceiling effects. This Clergy Spiritual Well-being Scale may be useful to elucidate the relationship among dimensions of health and well-being in clergy populations.

God IKT-praksis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wentzer, Helle

Afhandlingen afdækker tværvidenskabelige problemstillinger for informatik fra et humanistisk perspektiv. 'God IKT-praksis' bidrager med udgangspunkt i sundhedssektoren med tre begreber til konstruktive design- og læreprocesser ved implementering og evaluering af IKT. Begreberne er: ‘E-tekstens po......Afhandlingen afdækker tværvidenskabelige problemstillinger for informatik fra et humanistisk perspektiv. 'God IKT-praksis' bidrager med udgangspunkt i sundhedssektoren med tre begreber til konstruktive design- og læreprocesser ved implementering og evaluering af IKT. Begreberne er: ‘E...

The Languages of the Gods.

Science.gov (United States)

Rojcewicz, Stephen

2001-01-01

Examines poems dealing with Yoruba, Greek, Christian, and other gods, finding that metaphor, transference, cancellation, transport, and justice are all intrinsic elements of the languages of the gods. Examines implications for poetry, for psychotherapy, and for the field of poetry therapy. (SR)

Images of God in Toba Batak storytelling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Johann Angerler

2016-07-01

Full Text Available This paper examines the ways in which God the Creator, the High God, is described in Toba Batak folk-tales. The sources for this investigation are stories recorded in pre-colonial (around 1850, colonial and post-colonial times (up to 2014. In different stories the High God can appear under various names, forms and gender, and resides in various places never inhabited by humans. Unlike a Deus otiosus, the Toba Batak High God is not “inactive” after creation, but continues to be involved in the life of mankind through local or supra-local manifestations. Although he rules the realm of death, he is nevertheless regarded as the source of life, fertility, health and prosperity. There are also stories about manifestations of God in which he shares the experience of suffering with human beings. The main Toba Batak community rituals in pre-colonial times were addressed to a manifestation of the High God.

God(s) Know(s): Developmental and Cross-Cultural Patterns in Children Drawings

OpenAIRE

Konyushkova, Ksenia; Arvanitopoulos, Nikolaos; Robert, Zhargalma Dandarova; Brandt, Pierre-Yves; Süsstrunk, Sabine

2015-01-01

This paper introduces a novel approach to data analysis designed for the needs of specialists in psychology of religion. We detect developmental and cross-cultural patterns in children's drawings of God(s) and other supernatural agents. We develop methods to objectively evaluate our empirical observations of the drawings with respect to: (1) the gravity center, (2) the average intensities of the colors \\emph{green} and \\emph{yellow}, (3) the use of different colors (palette) and (4) the visua...

Beliefs about God and mental health among American adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Silton, Nava R; Flannelly, Kevin J; Galek, Kathleen; Ellison, Christopher G

2014-10-01

This study examines the association between beliefs about God and psychiatric symptoms in the context of Evolutionary Threat Assessment System Theory, using data from the 2010 Baylor Religion Survey of US Adults (N = 1,426). Three beliefs about God were tested separately in ordinary least squares regression models to predict five classes of psychiatric symptoms: general anxiety, social anxiety, paranoia, obsession, and compulsion. Belief in a punitive God was positively associated with four psychiatric symptoms, while belief in a benevolent God was negatively associated with four psychiatric symptoms, controlling for demographic characteristics, religiousness, and strength of belief in God. Belief in a deistic God and one's overall belief in God were not significantly related to any psychiatric symptoms.

A test of faith in God and treatment: the relationship of belief in God to psychiatric treatment outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosmarin, David H; Bigda-Peyton, Joseph S; Kertz, Sarah J; Smith, Nasya; Rauch, Scott L; Björgvinsson, Thröstur

2013-04-25

Belief in God is very common and tied to mental health/illness in the general population, yet its relevance to psychiatric patients has not been adequately studied. We examined relationships between belief in God and treatment outcomes, and identified mediating mechanisms. We conducted a prospective study with n=159 patients in a day-treatment program at an academic psychiatric hospital. Belief in God, treatment credibility/expectancy, emotion regulation and congregational support were assessed prior to treatment. Primary outcomes were treatment response as well as degree of reduction in depression over treatment. Secondary outcomes were improvements in psychological well-being and reduction in self-harm. Belief in God was significantly higher among treatment responders than non-responders F(1,114)=4.81, pGod and reductions in depression. No variables mediated relationships to other outcomes. Religious affiliation was also associated with treatment credibility/expectancy but not treatment outcomes. Belief in God, but not religious affiliation, was associated with better treatment outcomes. With respect to depression, this relationship was mediated by belief in the credibility of treatment and expectations for treatment gains. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Uncertainty, God, and scrupulosity: Uncertainty salience and priming God concepts interact to cause greater fears of sin.

Science.gov (United States)

Fergus, Thomas A; Rowatt, Wade C

2015-03-01

Difficulties tolerating uncertainty are considered central to scrupulosity, a moral/religious presentation of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). We examined whether uncertainty salience (i.e., exposure to a state of uncertainty) caused fears of sin and fears of God, as well as whether priming God concepts affected the impact of uncertainty salience on those fears. An internet sample of community adults (N = 120) who endorsed holding a belief in God or a higher power were randomly assigned to an experimental manipulation of (1) salience (uncertainty or insecurity) and (2) prime (God concepts or neutral). As predicted, participants who received the uncertainty salience and God concept priming reported the greatest fears of sin. There were no mean-level differences in the other conditions. The effect was not attributable to religiosity and the manipulations did not cause negative affect. We used a nonclinical sample recruited from the internet. These results support cognitive-behavioral models suggesting that religious uncertainty is important to scrupulosity. Implications of these results for future research are discussed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

God skik-standarder og retssikkerhed

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Marie Jull

2012-01-01

Forfatteren belyser god skik-begrebet som grundlag for retlige afgørelser og vurderer retssikkerhedsmæssige aspekter heraf. Det er en del af den moderne retsudvikling, at lovgivningsmagten fastsætter retlige standarder, herunder god skik på udvalgte retsområder, hvilket giver en række fordele i et...

The kingdom of God: Utopian or existential?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gert J. Malan

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The kingdom of God was a central theme in Jesus’ vision. Was it meant to be understood as utopian as Mary Ann Beavis views it, or existential? In 1st century CE Palestine, kingdom of God was a political term meaning theocracy suggesting God’s patronage. Jesus used the term metaphorically to construct a new symbolic universe to legitimate a radical new way of living with God in opposition to the temple ideology of exclusivist covenantal nomism. The analogies of father and king served as the root metaphors for this symbolic universe. They are existential root metaphors underpinning the contextual symbolic universe of God’s patronage in reaction to the collapse of the patronage system which left peasants destitute. Jesus’ paradoxical use of the metaphor kingdom of God had a therapeutic value and gave the concept new meaning. The initial motivation for proclaiming God’s patronage originated in Jesus’ primary identity formation by Mary as single parent and was reinforced in his secondary identity formation by John the Baptist. From these results can be concluded that kingdom of God was not meant to be understood as utopian, but existential. In order to clarify the meaning of kingdom of God and God’s patronage for the 21st century, emythologisation and deconstruction can be helpful especially by highlighting the existential meaning of the kingdom of God.

Traditional Rational Arguments for the Existence of God (Chukwu) in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Religion Dept

wonder also man has turned his attention to all sorts of problems revolving around God, ranging from ... Consequently they are divided. Likewise, the God- ... memories of one's pilgrimage to God: ONUCHUKWU (God's voice or shrine of the ... also certain Igbo names which explicitly assert that God exists. Such names are ...

A Paradigm to Assess Implicit Attitudes towards God: The Positive/Negative God Associations Task.

Science.gov (United States)

Pirutinsky, Steven; Carp, Sean; Rosmarin, David H

2017-02-01

Psychological research on the relationship between spirituality/religion and mental health has grown considerably over the past several decades and now constitutes a sizable body of scholarship. Among dimensions of S/R, positive beliefs about God have been significantly related to better mental health outcomes, and conversely negative beliefs about God are generally associated with more distress. However, prior research on this topic has relied heavily upon self-report Likert-type scales, which are vulnerable to self-report biases and measure only explicit cognitive processes. In this study, we developed and validated an implicit social cognition task, the Positive/Negative God Go/No-go Association Task (PNG-GNAT), for use in psychological research on spirituality and religion (S/R). Preliminary evidence in a large sample (N = 381) suggests that the PNG-GNAT demonstrates internal consistency, test-retest and split-half reliability, and concurrent evidence of validity. Further, our results suggest that PNG-GNAT scores represent different underlying dimensions of S/R than explicit self-report measures, and incrementally predict mental health above and beyond self-report assessment. The PNG-GNAT appears to be an effective tool for measuring implicit positive/negative beliefs about God.

Feeling Is Believing: Inspiration Encourages Belief in God.

Science.gov (United States)

Critcher, Clayton R; Lee, Chan Jean

2018-05-01

Even without direct evidence of God's existence, about half of the world's population believes in God. Although previous research has found that people arrive at such beliefs intuitively instead of analytically, relatively little research has aimed to understand what experiences encourage or legitimate theistic belief systems. Using cross-cultural correlational and experimental methods, we investigated whether the experience of inspiration encourages a belief in God. Participants who dispositionally experience more inspiration, were randomly assigned to relive or have an inspirational experience, or reported such experiences to be more inspirational all showed stronger belief in God. These effects were specific to inspiration (instead of adjacent affective experiences) and a belief in God (instead of other empirically unverifiable claims). Being inspired by someone or something (but not inspired to do something) offers a spiritually transcendent experience that elevates belief in God, in part because it makes people feel connected to something beyond themselves.

Divergent effects of activating thoughts of God on self-regulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Laurin, Kristin; Kay, Aaron C; Fitzsimons, Gráinne M

2012-01-01

Despite the cultural ubiquity of ideas and images related to God, relatively little is known about the effects of exposure to God representations on behavior. Specific depictions of God differ across religions, but common to most is that God is (a) an omnipotent, controlling force and (b) an omniscient, all-knowing being. Given these 2 characteristic features, how might exposure to the concept of God influence behavior? Leveraging classic and recent theorizing on self-regulation and social cognition, we predict and test for 2 divergent effects of exposure to notions of God on self-regulatory processes. Specifically, we show that participants reminded of God (vs. neutral or positive concepts) demonstrate both decreased active goal pursuit (Studies 1, 2, and 5) and increased temptation resistance (Studies 3, 4, and 5). These findings provide the first experimental evidence that exposure to God influences goal pursuit and suggest that the ever-present cultural reminders of God can be both burden and benefit for self-regulation.

Perceived Perfectionism from God Scale: Development and Initial Evidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Kenneth T; Allen, G E Kawika; Stokes, Hannah I; Suh, Han Na

2017-05-03

In this study, the Perceived Perfectionism from God Scale (PPGS) was developed with Latter-day Saints (Mormons) across two samples. Sample 1 (N = 421) was used for EFA to select items for the Perceived Standards from God (5 items) and the Perceived Discrepancy from God (5 items) subscales. Sample 2 (N = 420) was used for CFA and cross-validated the 2-factor oblique model as well as a bifactor model. Perceived Standards from God scores had Cronbach alphas ranging from .73 to .78, and Perceived Discrepancy from God scores had Cronbach alphas ranging from .82 to .84. Standards from God scores were positively correlated with positive affect, whereas Discrepancy from God scores was positively correlated with negative affect, shame and guilt. Moreover, these two PPGS subscale scores added significant incremental variances in predicting associated variables over and above corresponding personal perfectionism scores.

'De God van de vrede' in het Nieuwe Testament

African Journals Online (AJOL)

13 juli 2015 ... Wat heeft God met vrede te maken? Die vraag lijkt veel gemakkelijker te beantwoorden dan de vraag wat de God van de Bijbel te maken heeft met geweld of met macht. We willen maar al te graag geloven in een God van de vrede. Toch komt die uitdrukking, 'de God van de vrede', als zodanig niet vaak ...

When god sanctions killing: effect of scriptural violence on aggression.

Science.gov (United States)

Bushman, Brad J; Ridge, Robert D; Das, Enny; Key, Colin W; Busath, Gregory L

2007-03-01

Violent people often claim that God sanctions their actions. In two studies, participants read a violent passage said to come from either the Bible or an ancient scroll. For half the participants, the passage said that God sanctioned the violence. Next, participants competed with an ostensible partner on a task in which the winner could blast the loser with loud noise through headphones (the aggression measure). Study 1 involved Brigham Young University students; 99% believed in God and in the Bible. Study 2 involved Vrije Universiteit-Amsterdam students; 50% believed in God, and 27% believed in the Bible. In Study 1, aggression increased when the passage was from the Bible or mentioned God. In Study 2, aggression increased when the passage mentioned God, especially among participants who believed in God and in the Bible. These results suggest that scriptural violence sanctioned by God can increase aggression, especially in believers.

The characters God and Hamlet by Jack Miles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tania de Fátima da Silva

2015-04-01

Full Text Available In the book “God - A Biography,” Jack Miles aims to introduce ourselves Creator-God as a literary character. Miles developed a narrative based on concept aristotelian, in other words, the structure of the work is made from beginning to end. This procedure established a harmony arising from the interaction between the parties, which contributes to scrutinize the precise details of the story of the main protagonist. We decided to highlight that time some characteristics of the main character of the work and compare them to the character Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, because from the beginning of the narrative to completion Miles calls the reader’s attention to the play Shakespeare.

God orden i folkeskolen

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2012-01-01

Korte film med elever, lærer, skoleleder, forælder og skolebestyrelsesformand belyser forskellige værdier og holdninger til spørgsmålet om "god orden". Filmmaterialet supplerer den skriftlige vejledning. Udgiver: Ministeriet for Børn og Undervisning Udgivelsessted: Uvm.dk......Korte film med elever, lærer, skoleleder, forælder og skolebestyrelsesformand belyser forskellige værdier og holdninger til spørgsmålet om "god orden". Filmmaterialet supplerer den skriftlige vejledning. Udgiver: Ministeriet for Børn og Undervisning Udgivelsessted: Uvm.dk...

God put a thought into my mind: the charismatic Christian experience of receiving communications from God.

Science.gov (United States)

Dein, Simon; Cook, Christopher C H

2015-02-07

The agentive aspects of communicative religious experiences remain somewhat neglected in the social sciences literature. There is a need for phenomenological descriptions of these experiences and the ways in which they differ from culturally defined psychopathological states. In this semi-structured interview study, eight congregants attending an evangelical church in London were asked to describe their experiences of God communicating with them. Communications from God were related to current events rather than to the prediction of future events. These communications were received as thoughts and do not generally reveal metaphysical insights, but rather they relate to the mundane world. They provided direction, consolation and empowerment in the lives of those receiving them. Individuals recounted that on occasion God sometimes speaks audibly, or accompanied by supernatural phenomena, but in the vast majority of cases, the way God speaks is through thoughts or impressions. In all instances, agency is maintained, individuals can choose to obey the thoughts/voices or not. The findings are discussed in relation to externalisation of agency and the phenomenon of thought insertion in schizophrenia.

Tragic Paradox in Achebe's "Arrow of God"

Science.gov (United States)

Soile, Sola

1976-01-01

Leads into a discussion of Chinua Achebe's "Arrow of God" (1964) from his earlier novel "Things Fall Apart" (1958), because such a comparative approach provides an opportunity to see Achebe's elaboration and development of a subject that is obviously dear to his heart, namely, the trials and tribulations of a dynamic society as…

God se antwoord op geweld en land in Deuteronomium

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J.L. Helberg

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Deuteronomium getuig van God se besondere liefde soos Hy dit in verband met die Beloofde Land aan Israel betoon het. Sy bevoorregting van Israel asook sy betrokkenheid by geweld roep egter baie vrae en bespreking op. Twee aspekte wat nie in die besprekings daarvan werklik aandag kry nie, word in hierdie artikel ondersoek: enersyds die verantwoordelikheid en/of skuld van die menslike partye en andersyds dié van God. Die bevindinge is: (1 Nie die nasies of Israel kan God verwyt nie, want die nasies tree self gewelddadig en eksploiterend teenoor mekaar op. Mense bewoon die aarde ten koste van ander mense en ook ten koste van die aardeself. Hulle tree hardnekkig en opstandig op teen die Wet en die wil van God wat die beste vir hulle bedoel. Tog is God in beheer van alles wat gebeur, Hy is onbegryplik en sonder blaam, selfs wanneer Hy in en deur die sondige werklikheid optree. (2 Deuteronomium praat van God se krasse geweld én oorweldigende liefde en verkondig dat Hy die verantwoordelikheid en skuld van die sondige, opstandige mensdom op Hom neem. Hierop gee die Dienaarliedere van Jesaja nog duideliker lig. God moet veral teen hierdie positiewe getuienis waardeer word. Dit is Hy wat aan die werk is en daarom moet die situasie vanuit die oogpunt soos Hy Homself bekend maak, beoordeel word. God, violence, and land in Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy attests of God’s exceptional love as proven to Israel in connection with the Promised Land. However, his preferential treatment of Israel and his involvement in violence invokes many questions and much debate. This article investigates two aspects, which do not really receive attention in the debate: on the one hand, human responsibility and guilt, and on the other hand that of God. The findings are: (1 Neither the nations nor Israel can reproach God, for they themselves act violently and exploitingly. They inhabit the earth at the expense of others and of the earth itself. They act obstinately toward the Law

Beliefs in and About God and Attitudes Toward Voluntary Euthanasia.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharp, Shane

2018-06-01

I use data from the General Social Survey to evaluate several hypotheses regarding how beliefs in and about God predict attitudes toward voluntary euthanasia. I find that certainty in the belief in God significantly predicts negative attitudes toward voluntary euthanasia. I also find that belief in a caring God and in a God that is the primary source of moral rules significantly predicts negative attitudes toward voluntary euthanasia. I also find that respondents' beliefs about the how close they are to God and how close they want to be with God predict negative attitudes toward voluntary euthanasia. These associations hold even after controlling for religious affiliation, religious attendance, views of the Bible, and sociodemographic factors. The findings indicate that to understand individuals' attitudes about voluntary euthanasia, one must pay attention to their beliefs in and about God.

God, Evil, and Infinite Value

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marshall Naylor

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Prominent approaches to the problems of evil assume that even if the Anselmian God exists, some worlds are better than others, all else being equal. But the assumptions that the Anselmian God exists and that some worlds are better than others cannot be true together. One description, by Mark Johnston and Georg Cantor, values God’s existence as exceeding any transfinite cardinal value. For any finite or infinite amount of goodness in any possible world, God’s value infinitely exceeds that amount. This conception is not obviously inconsistent with the Anselmian God. As a result, the prominent approaches to the problems of evil are mistaken. The elimination of evil does not, in fact, improve the value of any world as commonly thought. Permitting evil does not, in fact, diminish the value of any world as commonly thought.

Nietzsche Contra God: A Battle Within

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This Open Access article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons License [CC BY-NC-ND 4.0]. The IPJP is ... argue that his famous thought-image “God is dead” was a transfiguration of the painful memory ... gods had been dying long before Nietzsche dazzled .... accept: happiness and unhappiness, poverty.

Benevolent Images of God, Gratitude, and Physical Health Status.

Science.gov (United States)

Krause, Neal; Emmons, Robert A; Ironson, Gail

2015-08-01

This study has two goals. The first is to assess whether a benevolent image of God is associated with better physical health. The second goal is to examine the aspects of congregational life that is associated with a benevolent image of God. Data from a new nationwide survey (N = 1774) are used to test the following core hypotheses: (1) people who attend worship services more often and individuals who receive more spiritual support from fellow church members (i.e., informal assistance that is intended to increase the religious beliefs and behaviors of the recipient) will have more benevolent images of God, (2) individuals who believe that God is benevolent will feel more grateful to God, (3) study participants who are more grateful to God will be more hopeful about the future, and (4) greater hope will be associated with better health. The data provide support for each of these relationships.

Good God?!? Lamentations as a model for mourning the loss of the good God.

Science.gov (United States)

Houck-Loomis, Tiffany

2012-09-01

This article will address the devastating psychological and social effects due to the loss of one's primary love-object, namely God in the case of faith communities and religious individuals. By using Melanie Klein's Object Relations Theory (Klein in Envy and gratitude and other works 1946/1963. The Free Press, New York, 1975a) as a way to enter the text of Lamentations, I will articulate an alternative reading that can serve as a model for Pastors and Educators to use when walking with individuals and communities through unspeakable losses. I will argue that Lamentations may be used as a tool for naming confounding depression and anxiety that stems from a damaged introjected object (one's personal God). This tool may provide individuals and communities a framework for placing anger and contempt upon God in order to re-assimilate this loved yet hated object, eventually leading toward healing and restoration of the self.

Worship one in Islam and Sikhism Searching & Review According to Islam

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Mohammadm mahdi Alimardi

2012-05-01

Full Text Available   In this summary, there is an effort to explain the concept of worship one and oneness in Islam and Sikhism. Sikhism is the youngest of the world religions and the doctrines of a monotheistic religion founded in the Punjab area of India in the fifteenth century by Guru Nanak and combining elements of Hinduism and Islam. A Sikh believes ( EK ONKAAR there is only One God. IK ONKAAR the most significant word used in the Sikh teachings. But believe in one God in Sikhism is the same Muslim's believe ? However, some believe that the first part of this statement of faith (La ilaha illa'Llah, expresses the absolute monotheism which is inherent in Islam “There is no god other than God." This is the essence of the Muslim profession of faith (shahadah. Pronouncement of the Islamic creed, the Shahadah, is the supreme religious act. Its mere recitation suffices for an entry into the "community of the believers." this is also rejection of polytheism, the destruction of idols, and the witness given to the one and unique God, the Lord and Creator of all that exists? ( Mircea, Eliade, 1987:26     

Worship one in Islam and Sikhism Searching & Review According to Islam

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammadm mahdi Alimardi

2012-04-01

Full Text Available In this summary, there is an effort to explain the concept of worship one and oneness in Islam and Sikhism. Sikhism is the youngest of the world religions and the doctrines of a monotheistic religion founded in the Punjab area of India in the fifteenth century by Guru Nanak and combining elements of Hinduism and Islam. A Sikh believes ( EK ONKAAR there is only One God. IK ONKAAR the most significant word used in the Sikh teachings. But believe in one God in Sikhism is the same Muslim's believe ? However, some believe that the first part of this statement of faith (La ilaha illa'Llah, expresses the absolute monotheism which is inherent in Islam “There is no god other than God." This is the essence of the Muslim profession of faith (shahadah. Pronouncement of the Islamic creed, the Shahadah, is the supreme religious act. Its mere recitation suffices for an entry into the "community of the believers." this is also rejection of polytheism, the destruction of idols, and the witness given to the one and unique God, the Lord and Creator of all that exists? ( Mircea, Eliade, 1987:26

Worship one in Islam and Sikhism Searching & Review According to Islam

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alimardi, M

2012-01-01

Full Text Available In this summary, there is an effort to explain the concept of worship one and oneness in Islam and Sikhism. Sikhism is the youngest of the world religions and the doctrines of a monotheistic religion founded in the Punjab area of India in the fifteenth century by Guru Nanak and combining elements of Hinduism and Islam. A Sikh believes ( EK ONKAAR there is only One God. IK ONKAAR the most significant word used in the Sikh teachings. But believe in one God in Sikhism is the same Muslim's believe? However, some believe that the first part of this statement of faith (La ilaha illa'Llah, expresses the absolute monotheism which is inherent in Islam “There is no god other than God." This is the essence of the Muslim profession of faith (shahadah. Pronouncement of the Islamic creed, the Shahadah, is the supreme religious act. Its mere recitation suffices for an entry into the "community of the believers." this is also rejection of polytheism, the destruction of idols, and the witness given to the one and unique God, the Lord and Creator of all that exists? ( Mircea, Eliade, 1987:26("

The Kingdom of God within us, according to Meister Eckhart

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Silvia Bara Bancel

2017-05-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we examine what the German works of Meister Eckhart (c. 1260-1328 say about heaven, the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven. We explain how he understands the presence of the Kingdom of God in us. In a style that is fresh and original, Eckhart says that the Kingdom of Heaven is now already within us. It is in the deepest part of us, in the ground of the soul, but man does not discover it immediately. In the first place, he has to prepare himself and to be receptive to the Kingdom of God, to God within himself. He has to make himself «heavenly», through humility, detachment, equanimity and so on. Furthermore, God «flows» inside this person and He pronounce His Word in him. That is how the human being becomes the son of God, how he receives a «kiss» from God, and how the Kingdom of God breaks through in the ground of the soul. And that finally means participating now in the joy and the blessedness of heaven.

Die stil van my verlange na God: Oor Johann Wilhelm Herrmann se verstaan van die ervaring van God (Deel II

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D. P. Veldsman

1997-08-01

Full Text Available Quenching my thirst for God: On Johann Wilhelm Herrmann�s understanding of the experience of God (Part II This article, which is divided into two parts, focusses on the concept of the �experience of God� as understood by the German systematic theologian Wilhelm Herrmann (1846 - 1922 of Marburg in his �Der Verkehr des Christen mit Gott� (1886. The first part of the article which was published in the previous edition, explained the historical and theological context of Herrmann�s �Der Verkehr...� as well as the theological frontiers over-against which he responded in his understanding of the experience of God, characterized as a �searchfind-experience�. This second part elaborates on this �search-find-experience� by humans of God as understood by Herrmann, and indicates the influence it had on Herrmann�s two greatest pupils, namely Karl Barth and Rudolf Bultmann. It is argued that Herrmann�s understanding of the experience of God makes up the kernel of their theological vantage points, and in this respect, is critically evaluated.

Difference between the Approach of Aristotle and Avicenna in Proof of the Existence of God

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Mohammad Saeedimehr

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Comparing between approach of Aristotle and Avicenna in proof of the existence of God, is a sign of basic difference between Peripatetic idea of Aristotle and Avicenna, also the different way that has been gone in the Muslim world compared to the west, in proof of the existence of God.   Aristotle in “Philosophies”, has been mentioned to the two arguments: "degrees of perfection argument" and "teleological argument", but his main argument on the existence of God, is “the argument from motion” that has explained details of it in the Lambda Book of Metaphysics and Physics. Each of the three above arguments has a cosmological approach and is categorized as the posteriori arguments.   For Avicenna, acceptance of that Aristotle had wanted to prove the existence of God by natural things, such as world motion, is very hard. According to this thinking, he focused all his efforts on not using the cosmological arguments to prove the existence of God. Avicenna used “the proof of middle and the end” and “the proof from contingency and necessity” in several of his books and his latest exposition of the proof from contingency and necessity has named “proof of the truthful”. His argument is ontological and priori too.

Difference between the Approach of Aristotle and Avicenna in Proof of the Existence of God

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saleh Tayebnia, M

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Comparing between approach of Aristotle and Avicenna in proof of the existence of God, is a sign of basic difference between Peripatetic idea of Aristotle and Avicenna, also the different way that has been gone in the Muslim world compared to the west, in proof of the existence of God.Aristotle in “On Philosophies”, has been mentioned to the two arguments: "degrees of perfection argument" and "teleological argument", but his main argument on the existence of God, is “the argument from motion” that has explained details of it in the Lambda Book of Metaphysics and Physics. Each of the three above arguments has a cosmological approach and is categorized as the posteriori arguments.For Avicenna, acceptance of that Aristotle had wanted to prove the existence of God by natural things, such as world motion, is very hard. According to this thinking, he focused all his efforts on not using the cosmological arguments to prove the existence of God. Avicenna used “the proof of middle and the end” and “the proof from contingency and necessity” in several of his books and his latest exposition of the proof from contingency and necessity has named “proof of the truthful”. His argument is ontological and priori too

Difference between the Approach of Aristotle and Avicenna in Proof of the Existence of God

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammadsaleh Tayebnia

2012-05-01

Full Text Available   Comparing between approach of Aristotle and Avicenna in proof of the existence of God, is a sign of basic difference between Peripatetic idea of Aristotle and Avicenna, also the different way that has been gone in the Muslim world compared to the west, in proof of the existence of God.   Aristotle in “Philosophies”, has been mentioned to the two arguments: "degrees of perfection argument" and "teleological argument", but his main argument on the existence of God, is “the argument from motion” that has explained details of it in the Lambda Book of Metaphysics and Physics. Each of the three above arguments has a cosmological approach and is categorized as the posteriori arguments.   For Avicenna, acceptance of that Aristotle had wanted to prove the existence of God by natural things, such as world motion, is very hard. According to this thinking, he focused all his efforts on not using the cosmological arguments to prove the existence of God. Avicenna used “the proof of middle and the end” and “the proof from contingency and necessity” in several of his books and his latest exposition of the proof from contingency and necessity has named “proof of the truthful”. His argument is ontological and priori too.

Examining the relationship between health locus of control and God Locus of Health Control: Is God an internal or external source?

Science.gov (United States)

Boyd, Joni M; Wilcox, Sara

2017-11-01

For many people, the influence of believing in a higher power can elicit powerful effects. This study examined the relationship between God control, health locus of control, and frequency of religious attendance within 838 college students through online surveys. Regression analysis showed that chance and external locus of control and frequency of religious attendance were significant and positive predictors of God Locus of Health Control. The association of powerful others external locus of control and God Locus of Health Control differed by race (stronger in non-Whites than Whites) and somewhat by gender (stronger in women than men). For some people, the role of a supreme being, or God, should be considered when designing programs for improving health behaviors.

Is Olodumare, God in Yoruba Belief, God?: A Response to Benson O. Igboin

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Oladipupo Sunday Layi

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract : Belief in a Supreme Being is an idea that virtually all cultures of the world subscribe to. However, different interpretation could be deduced from the subscription of each culture. The Yoruba, for example, in Nigeria, is not an exception to this. Olodumare the Yoruba word for Supreme Being has attracted comments, interpretations and misinterpretations from different scholars of both Yoruba and non-Yoruba extractions.  E. Bolaji Idowu, John Ayotunde Bewaji, Kazeem Ademola Fayemi, Kola Abimbola analyses manifest some seemingly contradictions upon which was hinged by Benson O. Igboin, in his paper “Is Olodumare, God in Yoruba Belief, God?” From their explanation, Igboin demand for the true nature of Olodumare having conceded that Olodumare and the Christian God are not and cannot be the same. Specifically, Igboin asked Olodumare, who are you? This paper, therefore, aims at providing an insight to the real nature of Olodumare in Yoruba worldview. It argues that God is nothing other than the English meaning or interpretation of the Supreme Being. The paper posits that Igboin’s pairs of Esu and Olodumare of which one is true and faithful to Yoruba traditional Religion and the other true and faithful to Christianity in Yoruba land does not hold water. Using analytical method of philosophical inquiry, the paper concludes that Olodumare in Yoruba traditional Religion cannot be equated with the concept of God as conceived in Christianity neither could it be bifurcated. He is sufficiently a Supreme Being in Yoruba theology. Key words : Supreme Being, Olodumare, Yoruba, Esu, Benson O. Igboin Abstrak : Keyakinan terhadap Wujud Mutlak merupakan suatu sikap yang sejatinya dianut oleh seluruh budaya di dunia. Namun demikian, tafsiran yang berbeda dapat mengemuka dari keyakinan masing-masing budaya. Tidak terkecuali Yoruba di Nigeria, misalnya. Olodumare, sebuah kata dalam bahasa Yoruba untuk menyebut Wujud Mutlak, telah memancing beragam

Trajectories of late-life change in God-mediated control.

Science.gov (United States)

Hayward, R David; Krause, Neal

2013-01-01

To track within-individual change during late life in the sense of personal control and God-mediated control (the belief that one can work collaboratively with God to achieve one's goals and exercise control over life events) and to evaluate the hypothesis that this element of religion is related to declining personal control. A longitudinal survey representative of older White and Black adults in the United States tracked changes in personal and God-mediated control in four waves over the course of 7 years. Growth curve analysis found that the pattern of change differed by race. White adults had less sense of God-mediated control at younger ages, which increased among those who were highly religious but decreased among those who were less religious. Black adults had higher God-mediated control, which increased over time among those with low personal control. These results indicate that God-mediated control generally increases during older adulthood, but that its relationships with personal control and religious commitment are complex and differ between Black and White adults.

The kingdom of God: Utopian or existential? | Malan | HTS ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Was it meant to be understood as utopian as Mary Ann Beavis views it, or existential? In 1st century CE Palestine, kingdom of God was a political term meaning theocracy suggesting God's patronage. Jesus used the term metaphorically to construct a new symbolic universe to legitimate a radical new way of living with God ...

Mind perception of God in Japanese children.

Science.gov (United States)

Moriguchi, Yusuke; Takahashi, Hideyuki; Nakamata, Tomoko; Todo, Naoya

2018-03-05

There is a theoretical debate regarding whether children represent God with reference to a human. Most previous studies have assessed this issue focusing on knowledge/omniscience in western children. This study used a theoretical framework characterising mental capacities in terms of motivational/emotional (experience) and cognitive (agency) mental capacities and tested whether Japanese children discriminated between God, a human, a baby and an invisible agent according to these capacities. Three- to 6-year-old children were asked about the experience and agency of the agents. The results revealed that children discriminated God from a human in terms of mental capacities including experience and agency in 3-year-old children. On the other hand, 4- to 6-year-old children, but not 3-year-old children, discriminated a human from a baby and an invisible person. The results suggest that the Japanese children's representations of God differed from their representation of a human during preschool years. © 2018 International Union of Psychological Science.

A Comparative Study of Argument from Primordial Nature and Argument from General Consensus on the Demonstration of Existence of God

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Hamidreza Abdoli Mehrjardi

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Historical evidences suggest that human beings have been always in search of God in some form. Some believe that man is born with this divine sense. This ubiquitous quality of human beings is called primordial nature (fitrah. Many scholars have tried to demonstrate the existence of God through this shared quality of human individuals. In Islamic thought this latter intellectual effort has been designated as "argument from primordial nature" and in western theological and philosophical thought it is known as "argument from general consensus". Although these arguments have some differences in their general settings and attitudes; but they both resort to human general divine attitude to demonstrate the existence of God. In this essay we have sought to propound the views of those scholars who have dealt with this argument at length. Reflecting on the general form of the expositions shows that the expositions of argument from primordial nature and argument from general consensus cannot demonstrate the existence of God without basing themselves on the principle of causation or human existential poverty. Via comparative assessment of these two arguments we have turned to the critiques which have been leveled against them and laid bare their similarities and differences. Of course there are some differences between the argument from primordial nature in Islam and the argument from general consensus in west. This essay seeks to assay the key expositions which have been offered of these arguments in Islamic and western philosophies. It seems that among Moslem philosophers, Mulla Sadra from the early generation, Allameh Tabtabaei, Imam Khomeini, Jawadi Amuli and Mutahari from later generation, have paid more attention to this argument. Among western scholars one can mention William James, Charles Hodge, James Joyce, Paul Tillich and Seneca who have made more direct remarks on this argument. John Locke is also against this argument. This is why we have

Analysis of God's Attributes of Act through the Notion of Vujūd-e Rābiṭ (Connecting Existence

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Mousa Malayeri

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Depicting God's attributes of the act in a way that ascribing those attributes to Him does not contradict the belief in His absolute indivisibility is one of the most important theological issues in monotheistic religions; an issue whose solution is not possible without considering logical and philosophical bases. This article has aimed to describe the quality of existence of such attributes applying the specific definition offered for the concepts of existence and VujÅ«d-e Rābiá¹­ (connecting existence in Transcendent Wisdom. á¹¢adrā changed the triple division used to be considered for all beings by dissolving the VojÅ«d- e RābiṭĪ (connector  existence into VujÅ«d-e Rābiá¹­ (connecting existence. His main point in this issue is to explain the way that changing beings are connected to God with indivisible existence.In peripatetic school, all the beings, as the embodiment of God's attributes of act, are regarded as connector existence. Considering them as connectors assumes a sort of identity and independence for them before the existence of God. By considering the propositions as simple and indivisible, and dissolving the connector existence to connecting existence,  Mullā á¹¢adrā established a stable logical and philosophical structure for a great upheaval in having a different perception of all beings. Based on this view there is no independent identity for beings before God and their existence is regarded as unreal. Accordingly the existence of all beings is similar to the existence of a connecting element in a proposition which is dissolved in the existence of the subject. Such new definition would remove the contradiction available between the existence of God's attributes and the indivisibility of His essence.   The most important findings of this study are: 1- Mullā á¹¢adrā, by developing the MĪr Dāmād's theory in distinguishing between the connector existence and

How Children and Adults Represent God's Mind

Science.gov (United States)

Heiphetz, Larisa; Lane, Jonathan D.; Waytz, Adam; Young, Liane L.

2016-01-01

For centuries, humans have contemplated the minds of gods. Research on religious cognition is spread across sub-disciplines, making it difficult to gain a complete understanding of how people reason about gods' minds. We integrate approaches from cognitive, developmental, and social psychology and neuroscience to illuminate the origins of…

God particle and origin of mass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He Hongjian; Kuang Yuping

2014-01-01

The new Higgs boson discovered at the CERN LHC could be the God particle expected from the standard model. This revolutionary discovery opens up a new era of exploring the origin of masses for all elementary particles in the universe. It becomes a turning point of the particle physics in 21 th century. This article presents the following: (1) Scientific importance of searching and testing the God particle(s); (2) The history of studying the origin of mass, and why Newton mechanics and Einstein relativity could not resolve the origin of mass; (3) The mysterious vacuum and the mechanism of spontaneous symmetry breaking; (4) How the God particle was invented and how the LHC might have discovered it; (5) The perspective of seeking the origin of mass and new physics laws. (authors)

You Can’t Beat Relating with God for Spiritual Well-Being: Comparing a Generic Version with the Original Spiritual Well-Being Questionnaire Called SHALOM

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John Fisher

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The Spiritual Health And Life-Orientation Measure (SHALOM is a 20-item instrument that assesses the quality of relationships of the respondent with self, others, the environment and/or a Transcendent Other. In the Transcendental domain, four of the five items had the words ‘God, ‘Divine’ and ‘Creator’ replaced by the word ‘Transcendent’ to make the survey more generic by removing any implied reference to any god or religion. Invitations to complete a web survey were sent to people who had published papers in spirituality, or belonged to associations for spirituality or religious studies, as well as the Australian Atheist Forum. 409 respondents from 14 geographic regions, completed the survey. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the modified, generic form of SHALOM showed acceptable model fit, comprising four clearly delineated domains of spiritual well-being. The paper analyses the results derived from using the modified, generic version and, in comparison with results of applications of the original survey instrument, concludes with discussion of the comparative utility of each of the versions of SHALOM. Further studies with more people are warranted, but, from evidence presented here, it looks like you can’t beat relating with God for spiritual well-being.

Do big gods cause anything?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Geertz, Armin W.

2014-01-01

Dette er et bidrag til et review symposium vedrørende Ara Norenzayans bog Big Gods: How Religion Transformed Cooperation and Conflict (Princeton University Press 2013). Bogen er spændende men problematisk i forhold til kausalitet, ateisme og stereotyper om jægere-samlere.......Dette er et bidrag til et review symposium vedrørende Ara Norenzayans bog Big Gods: How Religion Transformed Cooperation and Conflict (Princeton University Press 2013). Bogen er spændende men problematisk i forhold til kausalitet, ateisme og stereotyper om jægere-samlere....

Standarder for god undervisning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dolin, Jens; Christiansen, Frederik V; Troelsen, Rie

foretages på baggrund af forskningsresultater, og ansattes engagement i undervisning vil ofte være på bekostning af forskningsindsatsen – og dermed på bekostning af vedkommendes akademiske karriere. Dette roundtable vil diskutere hvorvidt indførelsen af standarder for god undervisning kan være en del af en...... indsats, som både kan øge kvaliteten i de videregående uddannelser og øge undervisningens status. En sådan standard kan formuleres på mange måder, som har indflydelse på såvel anvendelighed som på selve forståelsen af hvad god undervisning er. Den udviklede model kan opfattes som et dialogredskab...

Looking for 'God'

CERN Multimedia

Henderson, M

2003-01-01

"Scientists seeking the God particle that is thought to shape the universe, have hollowed out a concrete bunker bigger than the nave of Canterbury Cathedral to study a beam of energy a quarter of the thickness of a human hair" (1 page).

God videreuddannelse

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Uddannelse er ikke noget, du får, men noget, du tager. Det kræver planlægning, engagement, samarbejde og en vilje til gensidig forpligtelse. GOD VIDEREUDDANNELSE sætter fokus på en række væsentlige temaer, som du må forholde dig til for at få et godt udbytte af et videreuddannelsesforløb. Bogen...

God, the universe and all that?

CERN Multimedia

Adam, David

2004-01-01

They call it the God particle: a mysterious sub-atomic fragment that permeates the entire universe and explains how everything is the way it is. Nobody has ever seen the God particle; some say it doesn't exist but, in the ultimate leap of faith, physicists across the world are preparing to build one of the most ambitious and expensive science esperiments the world has ever seen to try to find it (¾ page)

Reliability and validity of the perspectives of Support From God Scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Hamilton, Jill B; Crandell, Jamie L; Carter, J Kameron; Lynn, Mary R

2010-01-01

Existing spiritual support scales for use with cancer survivors focus on the support believed to come from a religious community, clergy, or health care providers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of a new measure of spiritual support believed to come from God in older Christian African American cancer survivors. The Perceived Support From God Scale was administered to 317 African American cancer survivors aged 55-89 years. Psychometric evaluation involved identifying underlying factors, conducting item analysis and estimating reliability, and obtaining evidence on the relationship to other variables or the extent to which the Perceived Support From God Scale correlates with religious involvement and depression. The Perceived Support From God Scale consists of 15 items in two subscales (Support From God and God's Purpose for Me). The two subscales explained 59% of the variance. Cronbach's alpha coefficients were .94 and .86 for the Support From God and God's Purpose for Me subscales, respectively. Test-retest correlations were strong, supporting the temporal stability of the instrument. Pearson's correlations to an existing religious involvement and beliefs scale were moderate to strong. Subscale scores on Support From God were negatively correlated to depression. Initial support for reliability and validity was demonstrated for the Perceived Support From God Scale. The scale captures a facet of spirituality not emphasized in other measures. Further research is needed to evaluate the scale with persons of other racial/ethnic groups and to explore the relationship of spirituality to other outcome measures.

Psychoanalytic Bases for One's Image of God: Fact or Artifact?

Science.gov (United States)

Buri, John R.

As a result of Freud's seminal postulations of the psychoanalytic bases for one's God-concept, it is a frequently accepted hypothesis that an individual's image of God is largely a reflection of experiences with and feelings toward one's own father. While such speculations as to an individual's phenomenological conceptions of God have an…

Interpreting the theology of Barth in light of Nietzsche’s dictum “God is dead”

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

André J. Groenewald

2007-05-01

Full Text Available Karl Barth responded with his theology to Nietzsche’s dictum “God is dead” by stating that God is the living God. God does not need the human race to exist. God reveals God self to humankind whenever God wills. Barth agreed with Nietzsche that the god of the nineteenth century was a “Nicht-Gott”. The article aims to discus Karl Barth’s respons to Nietzsche’s impulse towards the development of a concept of God that would lead to neither atheism nor theism. The article argues that Barth paved the way for talking about God by defining God as the “communicative God”.

God's dominion over death.

Science.gov (United States)

Schulling, Sharon

2012-01-01

This article briefly overviews the criteria for and physiological process of death, contrasting physical death with biblical passages revealing how God interceded in this universal process when Jesus was on earth.

Responding to God

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Kirsten

2009-01-01

The theoretical background of the article consists of the theory of intertextuality and of Harald Bloom's theory of the strong precursors. As an example of this a modern Danish hymn by Holger Lissner, "Cain, where is your brother?" is analysed and it is shown how the poet is able to use two...... and images from the Danish nature are used in the hymns. It is further shown that modern poets are reluctant to talk about God as a God of history. As something new, Lars Busk Sørensen combines biblical imagery with philosophical concepts. It is concluded that biblical normativity is a challenge: "To live up...... to the biblical norm it must therefore be required of the theologian and the hymnwriter alike that their reading of the biblical message takes place not only as a repetition of the biblical words, but also as a reception and transformation of them."...

Exodus, Psalms and Hebrews: A God abounding in steadfast love ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The concept of hesed (“faithfulness, kindness, grace, steadfast love, solidarity” etc) is one of those. According to the Hebrew Scriptures, God revealed God self to God's people at Sinai. This article will deal specifically with the reference to the Sinai revelation as it appears in three Psalms. This discussion will be followed by a ...

Exodus, Psalms and Hebrews: A God abounding in steadfast love ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

p1243322

quarter century, there is, perhaps, none more important that that book's uses of the Old ... According to the Hebrew Scriptures God revealed God self to God's people at Sinai. ... perceptions of Yahweh and his relationship to those he claimed his people. (Durham .... is the merciful love of a father (Kraus 1989:292). This is the ...

The beauty of God in the numerical order

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bai, Jenny

2017-01-01

This present thesis interprets the beauty of God in Augustine’s historical situation and aims to argue that approached from a Pythagorean musical-cosmology, Augustine explains the beauty of God as an unchangeable numerical/harmonic order immanently pervading the realms of nature, logic and ethics.

Interpreting the theology of Barth in light of Nietzsche’s dictum “God is dead”

OpenAIRE

André J. Groenewald

2007-01-01

Karl Barth responded with his theology to Nietzsche’s dictum “God is dead” by stating that God is the living God. God does not need the human race to exist. God reveals God self to humankind whenever God wills. Barth agreed with Nietzsche that the god of the nineteenth century was a “Nicht-Gott”. The article aims to discus Karl Barth’s respons to Nietzsche’s impulse towards the development of a concept of God that would lead to neither atheism nor theism. The article argues that Barth paved t...

Novel glucose fiber sensor combining ThFBG with GOD

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Mengmeng; Zhou, Ciming; Fan, Dian; Ou, Yiwen

2016-10-01

We propose a novel glucose fiber optic sensor combining a thinned cladding fiber Bragg grating (ThFBG) with glucose oxidase (GOD). By immobilizing GOD on the surface of a ThFBG, the fabricated sensor can obtain a high specificity to glucose. Because of the evanescent field, the sensor is very sensitive to the ambient refractive index change arising from the catalytic reaction between glucose and GOD. A four-level fiber model was simulated and verified the precision of the sensing principle. Two methods, glutaraldehyde crosslinking method (GCM) and 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane covalent coupling method (ATCCM), were experimentally utilized to immobilize GOD. And sensor fabricated with the method ATCCM shows a measurement range of 0-0.82 mg/mL which is better than the sensor fabricated with the method GCM with measurement range of 0-0.67 mg/mL under the same condition. By using ATCCM to immobilize GOD with different concentrations, three sensors were fabricated and used for glucose measurement by monitoring the Bragg wavelength (λb) shifts, the results indicate a good linear relationship between wavelength shift and glucose concentration within a specific range, and the measurement range increases as GOD concentration increases. The highest sensitivity of sensor reaches up to 0.0549 nm/(mg.mL-1). The proposed sensor has distinct advantages in sensing structure, cost and specificity.

Why science does not disprove God

CERN Document Server

Aczel, Amir D

2014-01-01

The renowned science writer, mathematician, and bestselling author of Fermat's Last Theorem masterfully refutes the overreaching claims the "New Atheists," providing millions of educated believers with a clear, engaging explanation of what science really says, how there's still much space for the Divine in the universe, and why faith in both God and empirical science are not mutually exclusive. A highly publicized coterie of scientists and thinkers, including Richard Dawkins, the late Christopher Hitchens, and Lawrence Krauss, have vehemently contended that breakthroughs in modern science have disproven the existence of God, asserting that we must accept that the creation of the universe came out of nothing, that religion is evil, that evolution fully explains the dazzling complexity of life, and more. In this much-needed book, science journalist Amir Aczel profoundly disagrees and conclusively demonstrates that science has not, as yet, provided any definitive proof refuting the existence of God. Why Scienc...

Blog: the God particle

CERN Multimedia

2007-01-01

"Dateline video journalist Aaron Lewis this week reprots on the search to find the elusive "God particle", which, if found, could explain to scientists how everything in the world got its mass."(1/2 page)

How Difficult It Is to Be God

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wilson, Fiona

2014-01-01

Book review of Carlos Iván Degregori, How Difficult It Is to Be God: Shining Path's Politics of War in Peru,1980–1999 (Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 2012)......Book review of Carlos Iván Degregori, How Difficult It Is to Be God: Shining Path's Politics of War in Peru,1980–1999 (Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 2012)...

Die vrou wysheid, God, en ekobillikheid: Liggaamsideologie in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... within a God construct could contribute to a value system that incorporates compassion, interrelatedness and mutual care. In Proverbs 8:1–9:18, however, the woman Wisdom does not represent an ecofriendly construct, but simply enhances and supports the patriarchal, masculine values incorporated in the God Yahweh.

The faces of God in America: Revealing religious diversity across people and politics.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joshua Conrad Jackson

Full Text Available Literature and art have long depicted God as a stern and elderly white man, but do people actually see Him this way? We use reverse correlation to understand how a representative sample of American Christians visualize the face of God, which we argue is indicative of how believers think about God's mind. In contrast to historical depictions, Americans generally see God as young, Caucasian, and loving, but perceptions vary by believers' political ideology and physical appearance. Liberals see God as relatively more feminine, more African American, and more loving than conservatives, who see God as older, more intelligent, and more powerful. All participants see God as similar to themselves on attractiveness, age, and, to a lesser extent, race. These differences are consistent with past research showing that people's views of God are shaped by their group-based motivations and cognitive biases. Our results also speak to the broad scope of religious differences: even people of the same nationality and the same faith appear to think differently about God's appearance.

God and the Welfare State - Substitutes or Complements? An Experimental Test of the Effect of Belief in God's Control.

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Gilad Be'ery

Full Text Available Belief in God's control of the world is common to many of the world's religions, but there are conflicting predictions regarding its role in shaping attitudes toward the welfare state. While the devout are expected to support pro-social values like helping others, and thus might be supportive of the welfare state, the possibility of taking action is undermined by the belief in God's absolute control over world affairs and in a morally perfect providence, who is responsible for the fates of individuals. As the literature provides mixed results on this question, this study examines the role of belief in God's control on welfare attitudes using three priming experiments and two priming tasks, carried out with a design that is both cross-cultural (US vs. Israel and cross-religious tradition (Judaism vs. Catholicism. We find evidence that, largely, belief in God's control increases support for income redistribution among Israeli Jews (study 1, American Jews (study 2, and American Catholics (study 3. The findings suggest that the traditional and common political gap between the economic left and the religious, based on the evaluation that religious beliefs lead to conservative economic preferences, may be overstated.

God Adfærd i Videnskaberne

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Vagn Lundsgaard

2006-01-01

Hvad er videnskabelig uredelighed? Hvordan håndterer man problemet? Hvordan forebygger man det? De tre spørgsmål diskuteres i et internationalt perspektiv med forkus på veje til at opnå og opretholde god adfærd i videnskaberne.......Hvad er videnskabelig uredelighed? Hvordan håndterer man problemet? Hvordan forebygger man det? De tre spørgsmål diskuteres i et internationalt perspektiv med forkus på veje til at opnå og opretholde god adfærd i videnskaberne....

Relasjonskompetanse – grunnlaget for god kommunikasjon.

OpenAIRE

Simon, Julie

2016-01-01

Bacheloroppgave, barnehagelærerutdanning, 2016. Norsk: Hvordan kan personalet ha god kommunikasjon i hente- og bringesituasjoner med alle foreldre? Det er sant at det alltid vil være noen foreldre som det er utfordrende å ha et positivt samarbeid med. Likevel mener Emilie Kinge (2009) at det går an å jobbe med å like alle mennesker. Jeg har erfart relasjoner mellom personalet og foreldre, hvor jeg observerer virkningen av hva god kommunikasjon kan gjøre for samarbeidet. For å finne ut a...

Anticipating divine protection? Reminders of god can increase nonmoral risk taking.

Science.gov (United States)

Kupor, Daniella M; Laurin, Kristin; Levav, Jonathan

2015-04-01

Religiosity and participation in religious activities have been linked with decreased risky behavior. In the current research, we hypothesized that exposure to the concept of God can actually increase people's willingness to engage in certain types of risks. Across seven studies, reminders of God increased risk taking in nonmoral domains. This effect was mediated by the perceived danger of a risky option and emerged more strongly among individuals who perceive God as a reliable source of safety and protection than among those who do not. Moreover, in an eighth study, when participants were first reminded of God and then took a risk that produced negative consequences (i.e., when divine protection failed to materialize), participants reported feeling more negatively toward God than did participants in the same situation who were not first reminded of God. This research contributes to an understanding of the divergent effects that distinct components of religion can exert on behavior. © The Author(s) 2015.

What's "up" with God? Vertical space as a representation of the divine.

Science.gov (United States)

Meier, Brian P; Hauser, David J; Robinson, Michael D; Friesen, Chris Kelland; Schjeldahl, Katie

2007-11-01

"God" and "Devil" are abstract concepts often linked to vertical metaphors (e.g., "glory to God in the highest," "the Devil lives down in hell"). It is unknown, however, whether these metaphors simply aid communication or implicate a deeper mode of concept representation. In 6 experiments, the authors examined the extent to which the vertical dimension is used in noncommunication contexts involving God and the Devil. Experiment 1 established that people have implicit associations between God-Devil and up-down. Experiment 2 revealed that people encode God-related concepts faster if presented in a high (vs. low) vertical position. Experiment 3 found that people's memory for the vertical location of God- and Devil-like images showed a metaphor-consistent bias (up for God; down for Devil). Experiments 4, 5a, and 5b revealed that people rated strangers as more likely to believe in God when their images appeared in a high versus low vertical position, and this effect was independent of inferences related to power and likability. These robust results reveal that vertical perceptions are invoked when people access divinity-related cognitions. (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved.

Domestic abuse in the household of God

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Rosemaré Ann Visser

2007-05-01

Full Text Available The article compares the victimization that takes place in a dysfunctional abusive household and that which takes place in the household of God (Eph 2:9 where the bride of Christ (2 Cor 11:2 is abused at the hands of individuals that constitute what we know as the church system. This is often directed at the poor, individuals belonging to minority groups or those who for various reasons are unable to stand up against a system such as the Christian Church. The “analogical-familial theology” of Stephen Post is used as starting point. This “theology” involves four sequential, but nonlinear, stages: covenant, grace, empowering, and intimacy. The article broadens the spectrum of the theory beyond the family unit and to apply it to the broader family that belongs to God, the church. The aim of the article is to use these components from the analogical familial theology as framework and also as the criteria by which the experiences of those who see themselves as victims of abuse in the church are investigated.

Die rol van Godskennis in die ontmoetingsgebeure met God in die prediking

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. J.C. (Hennie Pieterse

2005-07-01

Full Text Available The role of knowledge of God in the encounter with God in preaching In an era of modernism and postmodernism homiletics is confronted with the problem of reference to God in preaching. According to current epistemologies we cannot have any knowledge of God that can be defended as true knowledge in the forum of academic discourse. In reformed theological theory, according to Calvin, knowledge of God, knowledge of ourselves in the eyes of God, as well as of salvation in Christ is a sine qua non for an encounter with God in preaching in the context of the worship service. This article proceeds from the theological stance that we can find this knowledge only in Scripture through the work of the Spirit. Recent empirical research in Reformed Churches in the Netherlands has shown that church members attend the services expecting to have an encounter with God. The sermon in this expected encounter is still very important for them. A homiletical theory that works with these presuppositions (knowledge of God has a further problem. There is a growing Biblical illiteracy in Western societies – also in South Africa. As an answer to this problem the author proposes that the teaching sermon along the lines of Calvin’s position on preaching should get more attention in our day.

Examining attachment to God and health risk-taking behaviors in college students.

Science.gov (United States)

Horton, Karissa D; Ellison, Christopher G; Loukas, Alexandra; Downey, Darcy L; Barrett, Jennifer B

2012-06-01

Drawing on insights from attachment theory, this study examined whether three types of attachment to God--secure, avoidant, and anxious--were associated with health-risk behaviors, over and above the effects of religious attendance, peer support, and demographic covariates, in a sample of 328 undergraduate college students. Contrary to prior theory, secure attachment to God is not inversely associated with recent alcohol or marijuana use, or substance use prior to last sexual intercourse. Instead, avoidant and anxious attachment to God are associated with higher levels of drinking; anxious attachment to God is associated with marijuana use; and avoidant attachment to God is associated with substance use prior to last sexual intercourse. These patterns are gender-specific; problematic attachment to God is linked with negative outcomes solely among men.

Godly Play Nourishing Children's Spirituality: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Hyde, Brendan

2010-01-01

"Godly Play", an approach to Religious Education in early childhood devised by Jerome W. Berryman, has been utilized by many Christian denominations in Sunday school contexts and it is currently influencing the design of early years' Religious Education curricula in many Catholic dioceses. One of the appealing qualities of the Godly Play process…

Attributes of God: Conceptual Foundations of a Foundational Belief.

Science.gov (United States)

Shtulman, Andrew; Lindeman, Marjaana

2016-04-01

Anthropomorphism, or the attribution of human properties to nonhuman entities, is often posited as an explanation for the origin and nature of God concepts, but it remains unclear which human properties we tend to attribute to God and under what conditions. In three studies, participants decided whether two types of human properties-psychological (mind-dependent) properties and physiological (body-dependent) properties-could or could not be attributed to God. In Study 1 (n = 1,525), participants made significantly more psychological attributions than physiological attributions, and the frequency of those attributions was correlated both with participants' religiosity and with their attribution of abstract, theological properties. In Study 2 (n = 99) and Study 3 (n = 138), participants not only showed the same preference for psychological properties but were also significantly faster, more consistent, and more confident when attributing psychological properties to God than when attributing physiological properties. And when denying properties to God, they showed the reverse pattern-that is, they were slower, less consistent, and less confident when denying psychological properties than when denying physiological properties. These patterns were observed both in a predominantly Christian population (Study 2) and a predominantly Hindu population (Study 3). Overall, we argue that God is conceptualized not as a person in general but as an agent in particular, attributed a mind by default but attributed a body only upon further consideration. Copyright © 2015 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

God-Mediated Control and Change in Self-Rated Health.

Science.gov (United States)

Krause, Neal

2010-10-01

The purpose of this study was to see if feelings of God-mediated control are associated with change in self-rated health over time. In the process, an effort was made to see if a sense of meaning in life and optimism mediated the relationship between God-mediated control and change in health. The following hypothesized relationships were contained in the conceptual model that was developed to evaluate these issues: (1) people who go to church more often tend to have stronger God-mediated control beliefs than individuals who do not attend worship services as often; (2) people with a strong sense of God-mediated control are more likely to find a sense of meaning in life and be more optimistic than individuals who do not have a strong sense of God-mediated control; (3) people who are optimistic and who have a strong sense of meaning in life will rate their health more favorably over time than individuals who are not optimistic, as well as individuals who have not found a sense of meaning in life. Data from a longitudinal nationwide survey of older adults provided support for each of these hypotheses.

Psychoanalytic theory and loving God concepts: parent referencing versus self-referencing.

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Buri, J R; Mueller, R A

1993-01-01

We investigated the relationship of college students' conceptions of the wrathfulness-kindliness of God to their parents' nurturance, their parents' permissiveness, authoritarianism, and authoritativeness, and the students' own self-esteem. Although parents' nurturance, authoritarianism, and authoritativeness were related to participants' conceptions of God (thus providing some support for psychoanalytic assertions), the variable of self-esteem far outweighed all other variables in accounting for the variance in God concepts. These results suggest that self-referencing explanations better account for individuals' conceptions of God than do parent referencing (i.e., psychoanalytic) explanations.

Brazilian Validation of the Attachment to God Inventory (IAD-Br

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hartmut August

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Bowlby’s Attachment Theory proposes that the person seeks protection and security with his or her caregiver, establishing a significant bond, which Bowlby characterizes as “attachment relationship”. The relationship with God can also be understood as an attachment relationship. Until now, there are no instruments in Brazil to measure one’s attachment to God. The purpose of this article is to present the adaptation and validation process of the Attachment to God Inventory for the Brazilian context, resulting in a Brazilian version of the Attachment to God Inventory (IAD-Br. The validation methodology for the IAD-Br consisted of Portuguese translation, reverse translation to English, pre-test, data collection, and validation through confirmatory factorial analysis (CFA. A total of 470 people participated in the study: 179 men and 291 women. Confirmatory factorial analysis presented unsatisfactory statistical parameters. Of the 28 items of the instrument, 11 items did not present adequate Item-Total Correlation. After excluding these 11 items, the instrument presented adequate adjustment indices. The IAD-Br, composed of 17 items, is able to be used to measure attachment to God in Brazil and constitutes a relevant instrument to identify the attachment to God style, being useful for application in the psychotherapeutic clinic and in contexts of spiritual care.

Divine Intuition: Cognitive Style Influences Belief in God

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Shenhav, Amitai; Rand, David G.; Greene, Joshua D.

2012-01-01

Some have argued that belief in God is intuitive, a natural (by-)product of the human mind given its cognitive structure and social context. If this is true, the extent to which one believes in God may be influenced by one's more general tendency to rely on intuition versus reflection. Three studies support this hypothesis, linking intuitive…

Anger toward God: social-cognitive predictors, prevalence, and links with adjustment to bereavement and cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Exline, Julie J; Park, Crystal L; Smyth, Joshua M; Carey, Michael P

2011-01-01

Many people see themselves as being in a relationship with God and see this bond as comforting. Yet, perceived relationships with God also carry the potential for experiencing anger toward God, as shown here in studies with the U.S. population (Study 1), undergraduates (Studies 2 and 3), bereaved individuals (Study 4), and cancer survivors (Study 5). These studies addressed 3 fundamental issues regarding anger toward God: perceptions and attributions that predict anger toward God, its prevalence, and its associations with adjustment. Social-cognitive predictors of anger toward God paralleled predictors of interpersonal anger and included holding God responsible for severe harm, attributions of cruelty, difficulty finding meaning, and seeing oneself as a victim. Anger toward God was frequently reported in response to negative events, although positive feelings predominated. Anger and positive feelings toward God showed moderate negative associations. Religiosity and age correlated negatively with anger toward God. Reports of anger toward God were slightly lower among Protestants and African Americans in comparison with other groups (Study 1). Some atheists and agnostics reported anger involving God, particularly on measures emphasizing past experiences (Study 2) and images of a hypothetical God (Study 3). Anger toward God was associated with poorer adjustment to bereavement (Study 4) and cancer (Study 5), particularly when anger remained unresolved over a 1-year period (Study 5). Taken together, these studies suggest that anger toward God is an important dimension of religious and spiritual experience, one that is measurable, widespread, and related to adjustment across various contexts and populations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).

The Adaption of the Idea of Divine Message in Both Old and New Testamnets and the Holy Quran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Delara Nemati Pirali

2012-05-01

Full Text Available   The way by which god communicates with human is considered as one of the most importatnt issues in the theological discussions of Abrahamic religions. According to the old testament teachings, the purpose of the inculcation of divine message is to notify god religion to B'nai Israel (children of Isreal through the chosen god servants and to establish a divine orders obliged based monotheistic society in the holy land. On the other hand, due to its specific understanding of human and divine message , the Christianity offers different concepts, ways and objectives. In this construe, the concept of divine message has been digressioned from its original definition and has been changed to the visualization of Allah (God within the shape of human aiming at complete exploration of divine attributes through making god to be attended among his servants and relasing them from the bound of god orders as well as purification them form inherent sins. In this idea, human is unable to promote himself without visualizing god. The holy Quran Kareem, determines divine message through methods similar to and adopted from those of old testament. The only difference is that in this definition the addressees of the divine message are not given groups of human and its purpose is to promote human being up to "god servant" level as well as to manifest divine attributes inside people by making them to be obliged to religion requirements and to be submit to the will of god. According to the teachings of these religions, the holy text of each of them has been guaranteed by god and their texts are reliable and are considered as complete proof.

Asthma medication adherence: the role of God and other health locus of control factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmedani, Brian K; Peterson, Edward L; Wells, Karen E; Rand, Cynthia S; Williams, L Keoki

2013-02-01

Medication adherence is an important determinant of disease outcomes, yet medication use on average tends to be low among patients with chronic conditions, including asthma. Although several predictors of non-adherence have been assessed, more research is needed on patients' beliefs about God and how these relate to medication use. To examine the relationship between perceptions about "God's" role in health and other locus of control factors with inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) adherence among asthma patients. Participants were from a clinical trial to improve ICS adherence and were 5-56 years old, had a diagnosis of asthma, and were receiving ICS medication. Baseline adherence was estimated from electronic prescription and pharmacy fill records. Patients were considered to be adherent if ICS use was ≥80% of prescribed. A baseline survey with the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control scale was used to assess five sources (God, doctors, other people, chance, and internal). Medication adherence was low (36%). Patients' who had a stronger belief that God determined asthma control were less likely to be adherent (odds ratio [OR] 0.82, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.70-0.96). This relationship was stronger among African American (OR 0.68, 95% CI0.47-0.99) compared to white patients (OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.75-1.04), and among adults (OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.69-0.96) compared to children (OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.58-1.22). Patients' belief in God's control of health appears to be a factor in asthma controller use, and therefore should be considered in physician-patient discussions concerning course of treatment. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00459368. Copyright © 2013 American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Images of god in relation to coping strategies of palliative cancer patients.

Science.gov (United States)

van Laarhoven, Hanneke W M; Schilderman, Johannes; Vissers, Kris C; Verhagen, Constans A H H V M; Prins, Judith

2010-10-01

Religious coping is important for end-of-life treatment preferences, advance care planning, adjustment to stress, and quality of life. The currently available religious coping instruments draw on a religious and spiritual background that presupposes a very specific image of God, namely God as someone who personally interacts with people. However, according to empirical research, people may have various images of God that may or may not exist simultaneously. It is unknown whether one's belief in a specific image of God is related to the way one copes with a life-threatening disease. To examine the relation between adherence to a personal, a nonpersonal, and/or an unknowable image of God and coping strategies in a group of Dutch palliative cancer patients who were no longer receiving antitumor treatments. In total, 68 palliative care patients completed and returned the questionnaires on Images of God and the COPE-Easy. In the regression analysis, a nonpersonal image of God was a significant positive predictor for the coping strategies seeking advice and information (β=0.339, PGod was a significant positive predictor for the coping strategy turning to religion (β=0.608, PGod is a more relevant predictor for different coping strategies in Dutch palliative cancer patients than a personal or an unknowable image of God. Copyright © 2010 U.S. Cancer Pain Relief Committee. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Authoritarian and benevolent god representations and the two sides of prosociality.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Kathryn A; Cohen, Adam B

2016-01-01

The Big Gods model focuses on belief in an authoritarian God as a psychological mechanism that inhibits antisocial behavior and facilitates the formation of tight, cohesive groups. Recent empirical evidence suggests, however, that belief in a benevolent God is more likely to inspire helping and inclusivity. Both kinds of beliefs are necessary to explain the development of large-scale societies.

The Importance of Terminal Values and Religious Experience of God's Presence and God's Absence in the Lives of University Students with Various Levels of Empathy.

Science.gov (United States)

Głaz, Stanisław

2015-06-01

The aims of the research I embarked on were: (a) to show the preference of terminal values in personal and in social character, as well to determine the level of religious experience--God's presence and God's absence, in groups of young people characterized by a high and low level of empathy and (b) to show the relation between terminal values in personal and in social character and religious experience: God's presence and God's absence, in groups of young people with a high and low level of empathy. In the research, the following methods were applied: The Scale of Religious Experience by Głaz-in order to define the level of religious experience: God's presence and God's absence, and Mehrabian and Epstein's Questionnaire Measure of Emotional Empathy-in order to define the level of empathy. In order to show the terminal values preference amongst young people, the Rokeach Value Survey was applied. The research was carried out in Kraków amongst 200 university students. The research has shown that students with a high level of empathy reveal a higher level of experience of God's presence than the people with a low level of it. University students with a high level of empathy amongst terminal values prefer most two values in personal character, that is wisdom and pleasure, and one in social character-family security. Similarly, students with a low level of empathy prefer most also two values in personal character, that is pleasure and freedom, and one in social character-family security. In the group of people with a high level of empathy, it is value in personal character-a sense of accomplishment-that contribute more to explaining the variance of religious experience of God's presence, and in group of people with a low level of empathy, it is social value-social recognition. Whereas in the group of people with a high level of empathy it is value in social character-equality-that contribute more to explaining the variance of religious experience of God's absence, and

A Christian faith-based recovery theory: understanding God as sponsor.

Science.gov (United States)

Timmons, Shirley M

2012-12-01

This article reports the development of a substantive theory to explain an evangelical Christian-based process of recovery from addiction. Faith-based, 12-step, mutual aid programs can improve drug abstinence by offering: (a) an intervention option alone and/or in conjunction with secular programs and (b) an opportunity for religious involvement. Although literature on religion, spirituality, and addiction is voluminous, traditional 12-step programs fail to explain the mechanism that underpins the process of Christian-based recovery (CR). This pilot study used grounded theory to explore and describe the essence of recovery of 10 former crack cocaine-addicted persons voluntarily enrolled in a CR program. Data were collected from in-depth interviews during 4 months of 2008. Audiotapes were transcribed verbatim, and the constant comparative method was used to analyze data resulting in the basic social process theory, understanding God as sponsor. The theory was determined through writing theoretical memos that generated key elements that allow persons to recover: acknowledging God-centered crises, communicating with God, and planning for the future. Findings from this preliminary study identifies important factors that can help persons in recovery to sustain sobriety and program administrators to benefit from theory that guides the development of evidence-based addiction interventions.

[The God image in relation to autistic traits and religious denomination].

Science.gov (United States)

Schaap-Jonker, H; van Schothorst-van Roekel, J; Sizoo, B

2012-01-01

Estimates of the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) range from 0.6 to 1.0 per cent of the general population. Among the characteristic traits of ASD are qualitative impairments in social reciprocity and in abstract imagination. Not surprisingly, these traits can affect the personal religion of ASD patients, in the same manner as religious background does. To determine to what extent the religiousness of religious patients is associated with autistic traits and religious background. Dutch adults attending a Protestant mental healthcare institution as outpatients were asked to complete the 'Questionnaire God Image' (QGI) and the 'Autism Quotient' (AQNL). In this cross-sectional study various aspects of the God image were related to autistic traits and religious background. The more that respondents reported autistic traits, the greater was their fear of God and the less positive were their feelings. Respondents who were strict Calvinists experienced greater fear of God than did other respondents. Treatment of religious patients with asd needs to take into account these patients' greater fear of God and their less positive feelings. Those patients who had had a strict Calvinist upbringing had a more pronounced fear of God.

Rosmini's metaphysical evidence for the existence of God | Swartz ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Rosmini is of the opinion that the soul consists of both a bodily (natural) and a godly component. Both components unite in humankind. In Rosmini's cosmology, humankind is viewed in relation to God and the world (cosmos). Cosmology cannot be comprehensively explained without linking ontology and theology, ...

God attachment, mother attachment, and father attachment in early and middle adolescence.

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Sim, Tick Ngee; Yow, Amanda Shixian

2011-06-01

The present study examined the interplay of attachment to God, attachment to mother, and attachment to father with respect to adjustment (hope, self-esteem, depression) for 130 early and 106 middle adolescents in Singapore. Results showed that the parental attachments were generally linked (in expected directions) to adjustment. God attachment, however, had unique results. At the bivariate level, God attachment was only linked to early adolescents' self-esteem. When considered together with parental attachments (including interactions), God attachment did not emerge as the key moderator in attachment interactions and yielded some unexpected results (e.g., being positively linked to depression). These results are discussed viz-a-viz the secure base and safe haven functions that God and parental attachments may play during adolescence.

The Memory of God

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Ulrik Houlind

The thematic aim of the present dissertation is twofold: To contribute to the contemporary discussion within philosophy of religion, which revolves around ‘the death and (alleged) return of God’; more specifically, I want to rethink God through the concept memory, drawing on selected writings from...

Unanswered prayers: religiosity and the god-serving bias.

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Riggio, Heidi R; Uhalt, Joshua; Matthies, Brigitte K

2014-01-01

Two self-report experiments examined how religiosity affects attributions made for a target person's death. Online adults (Study 1, N = 427) and undergraduate students (Study 2, N = 326) read about Chris who had a heart attack, used religious or health behaviors, and lived or died. Participants made attributions to Chris and God (both studies), and reported their emotions (Study 2). Participants made more attributions to Chris when he lived than when he died, but only when he used health behaviors. The highly religious made more attributions to God, but not when Chris used religious behaviors and died (the God-serving bias); they reported the most positive emotions when Chris lived after using religious behaviors (the Hallelujah effect). Directions for future research in terms of implicit religious beliefs and normative evaluations of religion are discussed.

Gods behaving badly.

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Retsas, Spyros

2015-02-01

This paper addresses the myths surrounding the birth and death of Asclepios, the popular healing God of the Greeks and his place among other deities of the Greek Pantheon. The enigmatic invocation of Asclepios by Socrates, the Athenian philosopher condemned to take the hemlock, in his final moments is also discussed. © The Author(s) 2013 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

En god arbejdsdag

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thoft, Eva; Sørensen, Ole H.

I dette værktøj finder små og mellemstore metalvirksomheder gode råd og redskaber, som kan bruges til at få styr på det psykiske arbejdsmiljø. Det kaldes det også »trivsel på arbejdspladsen«, og det handler om, hvordan der skabes en god stemning på arbejdspladsen samt hvordan stress og jag undgås...

The strange story of god particle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sengupta, Soumitra

2015-01-01

Discoveries of new fundamental particles are not new in the history of search of elementary structures of the material world around us. However the discovery of Higgs boson created sensation in the entire science community and is considered as a rare milestone among all scientific achievements. In this talk I shall try to explain why the moment of this discovery is so special in our understanding of this Universe and what is the God-like power associated with this very special particle Higgs boson - which popularly became famous as God Particle. I shall also describe the spectacular technological marvel which finally helped to discover this particle. (author)

Why Believe That There Is a God?

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Richard Swinburne

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This article presents an argument for the existence of God, showing that the evident phenomena are best explained by supposing that a God causes them. The argument is based on the inductive force of four very evident general phenomena: that there is a physical Universe; that it is governed by very simple natural laws; that those laws are such as to lead to the existence of human bodies; and that those bodies are the bodies of reasoning humans, who choose between good and evil.

Qualitative Study of Relationship With God in Old Age

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Abdolah Motamedi

2017-06-01

Conclusion The final model suggests a wide variation in relation to the quality and quantity of relationship with God. The role of the emotional, cognitive, and social factors in the emergence of this behavior (relationship with God was clear and in accordance with the mediator conditions and the perceived consequences of the relationship.

Mask of Black God: The Pleiades in Navajo Cosmology

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Schulz, Teresa M.

2005-01-01

One Navajo legend attributes the creation of the primary stars and constellations to Black God. Today, a famous star cluster--the Pleiades--often appears on the traditional mask worn by chanters impersonating Black God during special ceremonies. In this case study, students learn about the Pleiades in Navajo cosmology while honing their…

Of poetics and possibility: Richard Kearney’s post-metaphysical God

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Yolande Steenkamp

2017-11-01

Full Text Available This article provides an overview of Richard Kearney’s attempt at re-imagining God post-metaphysically. In the context of a continental dialogue on the topic, Kearney has responded to onto-theology with a hermeneutic and phenomenologically informed attempt to rethink God post-metaphysically. This eschatological understanding of God is expounded in the article and is placed in relation to Kearney’s more recent concept of Anatheism. The article closes with a few remarks on what may be gained by Kearney’s work, as well as outlining a few critical questions.

Do People Who Believe in God Report More Meaning in Their Lives? The Existential Effects of Belief.

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Cranney, Stephen

2013-09-01

I conduct the first large-N study explicitly exploring the association between belief in God and sense of purpose in life. This relationship, while often discussed informally, has received little empirical attention. Here I use the General Social Survey to investigate how form of and confidence in belief in God is related to sense of purpose in life, as measured by a Likert item level of agreement with the statement "In my opinion, life does not serve any purpose." Using logistic regression analysis, I find that those who indicate that they are confident in God's existence report a higher sense of purpose compared to nonbelievers, believers in a higher power, and those who believe but occasionally doubt.

Of Gods and Kings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brisch, Nicole

2013-01-01

throughout history. This is not a new point but remains all too often underappreciated when discussing the blurring of lines between human and god as evidenced in the deification of kings. In ancient Mesopotamia, one of the oldest high civilizations in the world, it was a short-lived but nevertheless...

Humanity in God's Image: An Interdisciplinary Exploration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Welz, Claudia

. Claudia Welz offers an interdisciplinary exploration of theological and ethical 'visions' of the invisible. By analysing poetry and art, Welz exemplifies human self-understanding in the interface between the visual and the linguistic. The content of the imago Dei cannot be defined apart from the image......How can we, in our times, understand the biblical concept that human beings have been created in the image of an invisible God? This is a perennial but increasingly pressing question that lies at the heart of theological anthropology. Humanity in God's Image: An Interdisciplinary Exploration...

Prayer, Attachment to God, and Changes in Psychological Well-Being in Later Life.

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Bradshaw, Matt; Kent, Blake Victor

2018-06-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of prayer and attachment to God on psychological well-being (PWB) in later life. Using data from two waves of the nationwide Religion, Aging, and Health Survey, we estimate the associations between frequency of prayer and attachment to God at baseline with cross-wave changes in three measures of PWB: self-esteem, optimism, and life satisfaction. Prayer does not have a main effect on PWB. Secure attachment to God is associated with improvements in optimism but not self-esteem or life satisfaction. The relationship between prayer and PWB is moderated by attachment to God; prayer is associated with improvements in PWB among securely attached individuals but not those who are insecurely attached to God. These findings shed light on the complex relationship between prayer and PWB by showing that the effects of prayer are contingent upon one's perceived relationship with God.

The Relationship Between Trust-in-God, Positive and Negative Affect, and Hope.

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Fadardi, Javad S; Azadi, Zeinab

2017-06-01

We aimed to test the relationships between Trust-in-God, positive and negative affect, and feelings of hope. A sample of university students (N = 282, 50 % female) completed the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, the Adult Dispositional Hope Scale, and a Persian measure of Trust-in-God for Muslims. The results of a series of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that Trust-in-God was positively associated with participants' scores for hope and positive affect but was negatively associated with their scores for negative affect. The results support the relationship between Trust-in-God and indices of mental health.

Parental and God Representations Among Individuals with Psychosis: A Grounded Theory Analysis.

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Prout, Tracy A; Ottaviano, Patricia; Taveras, Alexa; Sepulveda, Carolyn; Torres, Julian

2016-12-01

Religiousness, spirituality, and social support have all been identified as having a positive impact on overall mental health outcomes. The current study describes quantitative and qualitative assessment of parental and God representations among individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (N = 46). Six salient themes emerged; participants described the importance of caregiver love and nurturance, need for God, loss of family members, love of God, concrete support provided by parents, and the ability to tolerate ambivalent feelings toward parents. Participants linked their relationships with parents and God to their process of recovery. Implications for clinical practice are discussed.

Improvement Strategies, Cost Effective Production, and Potential Applications of Fungal Glucose Oxidase (GOD: Current Updates

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Manish K. Dubey

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Fungal glucose oxidase (GOD is widely employed in the different sectors of food industries for use in baking products, dry egg powder, beverages, and gluconic acid production. GOD also has several other novel applications in chemical, pharmaceutical, textile, and other biotechnological industries. The electrochemical suitability of GOD catalyzed reactions has enabled its successful use in bioelectronic devices, particularly biofuel cells, and biosensors. Other crucial aspects of GOD such as improved feeding efficiency in response to GOD supplemental diet, roles in antimicrobial activities, and enhancing pathogen defense response, thereby providing induced resistance in plants have also been reported. Moreover, the medical science, another emerging branch where GOD was recently reported to induce several apoptosis characteristics as well as cellular senescence by downregulating Klotho gene expression. These widespread applications of GOD have led to increased demand for more extensive research to improve its production, characterization, and enhanced stability to enable long term usages. Currently, GOD is mainly produced and purified from Aspergillus niger and Penicillium species, but the yield is relatively low and the purification process is troublesome. It is practical to build an excellent GOD-producing strain. Therefore, the present review describes innovative methods of enhancing fungal GOD production by using genetic and non-genetic approaches in-depth along with purification techniques. The review also highlights current research progress in the cost effective production of GOD, including key advances, potential applications and limitations. Therefore, there is an extensive need to commercialize these processes by developing and optimizing novel strategies for cost effective GOD production.

Improvement Strategies, Cost Effective Production, and Potential Applications of Fungal Glucose Oxidase (GOD): Current Updates.

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Dubey, Manish K; Zehra, Andleeb; Aamir, Mohd; Meena, Mukesh; Ahirwal, Laxmi; Singh, Siddhartha; Shukla, Shruti; Upadhyay, Ram S; Bueno-Mari, Ruben; Bajpai, Vivek K

2017-01-01

Fungal glucose oxidase (GOD) is widely employed in the different sectors of food industries for use in baking products, dry egg powder, beverages, and gluconic acid production. GOD also has several other novel applications in chemical, pharmaceutical, textile, and other biotechnological industries. The electrochemical suitability of GOD catalyzed reactions has enabled its successful use in bioelectronic devices, particularly biofuel cells, and biosensors. Other crucial aspects of GOD such as improved feeding efficiency in response to GOD supplemental diet, roles in antimicrobial activities, and enhancing pathogen defense response, thereby providing induced resistance in plants have also been reported. Moreover, the medical science, another emerging branch where GOD was recently reported to induce several apoptosis characteristics as well as cellular senescence by downregulating Klotho gene expression. These widespread applications of GOD have led to increased demand for more extensive research to improve its production, characterization, and enhanced stability to enable long term usages. Currently, GOD is mainly produced and purified from Aspergillus niger and Penicillium species, but the yield is relatively low and the purification process is troublesome. It is practical to build an excellent GOD-producing strain. Therefore, the present review describes innovative methods of enhancing fungal GOD production by using genetic and non-genetic approaches in-depth along with purification techniques. The review also highlights current research progress in the cost effective production of GOD, including key advances, potential applications and limitations. Therefore, there is an extensive need to commercialize these processes by developing and optimizing novel strategies for cost effective GOD production.

Sensing and Longing for God in Andrey Zvyagintsev’s The Return and Leviathan

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Denys Kondyuk

2016-06-01

Full Text Available This article explores apophatic ways of presenting God (the Other in two films of Andrey Zvyagintsev. The lens for this analysis is the phenomenological theology of John Panteleimon Manoussakis, using the following concepts: (1 God as personal Other; (2 the relational nature of God’s self-disclosure through prosopon; (3 God as revealed in space/sight; (4 God as revealed in hearing/time; and (5 God as revealed in touch/self-understanding. This analysis, pursued through close examination of Zvyagintsev’s The Return (2003 and Leviathan (2014, demonstrates the relevance of Manoussakis’s theology to the study of religion and film, particularly in its sensual and experiential themes and emphases.

FAITH IN THE ONE GOD IN CHRISTIAN AND AFRICAN ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Dr Ike

realities: (a) The identity of the One who has been manifested under both covenants and in ... in both testaments (d) the co-relatable completeness of the work of the One God – in ... originate from ethnicity, class and gender, and which are still present .... In different African cultures, there are evidences of the idea of. God and ...

Attachment to God, religious tradition, and firm attributes in workplace commitment.

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Kent, Blake Victor

2017-01-01

Research on organizational commitment suggests there is an association between American theists' emotional attachment to God and their emotional commitment to the workplace. A sense of divine calling has been shown to partially mediate this association but, beyond that, little is known. The purpose of this study is to shed further light on the relationship between secure attachment to God and affective organizational commitment. I do so by testing whether the employee's religious tradition is associated with affective organizational commitment and whether the employee's firm attributes moderate the relationship between attachment to God and organizational commitment. Results suggest that: 1) Catholics evince higher levels of organizational commitment than Evangelicals, and 2) firm size significantly moderates the relationship between attachment to God and organizational commitment across religious affiliations.

'If those to whom the W/word of God came were called gods ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2015-07-01

Jul 1, 2015 ... discussion about the restraining of the Angel of Death'. In this context .... know of its change to better things, for at that hour it is filled with the spirit of ... into the nature of unity, is said to come near God in a kind of family relation ...

God image and happiness in chronic pain patients: the mediating role of disease interpretation.

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Dezutter, Jessie; Luyckx, Koen; Schaap-Jonker, Hanneke; Büssing, Arndt; Corveleyn, Jozef; Hutsebaut, Dirk

2010-05-01

The present study explored the role of the emotional experience of God (i.e., positive and negative God images) in the happiness of chronic pain (CP) patients. Framed in the transactional model of stress, we tested a model in which God images would influence happiness partially through its influence on disease interpretation as a mediating mechanism. We expected God images to have both a direct and an indirect (through the interpretation of disease) effect on happiness. A cross-sectional questionnaire design was adopted in order to measure demographics, pain condition, God images, disease interpretation, and happiness. One hundred thirty-six CP patients, all members of a national patients' association, completed the questionnaires. Correlational analyses showed meaningful associations among God images, disease interpretation, and happiness. Path analyses from a structural equation modeling approach indicated that positive God images seemed to influence happiness, both directly and indirectly through the pathway of positive interpretation of the disease. Ancillary analyses showed that the negative influence of angry God images on happiness disappeared after controlling for pain severity. The results indicated that one's emotional experience of God has an influence on happiness in CP patients, both directly and indirectly through the pathway of positive disease interpretation. These findings can be framed within the transactional theory of stress and can stimulate further pain research investigating the possible effects of religion in the adaptation to CP.

God is: children’s Bibles and Bible storybooks’ presentation of religious values

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J.S. du Toit

2011-06-01

Full Text Available This article considers children’s Bibles and Bible storybooks as vehicles for the transfer of God concepts from one generation to the next – as God is considered central to the portrayal of the confessional attributes of the religious collective. It identifies both the commercial and religious imperatives controlling the prevailing attributes assigned as characteristic of the divine. The presentation of the nature of God is found to align with the commercial target audience for children’s Bibles: mothers and female caregivers who purchase the books on behalf of their charges and read and interpret the Bibles to the child. But it also coincides with the preferred attributes associated with a supernatural being by young children. Ultimately, God is found to be consistently portrayed by means of maternal attributes of love, protection and care in contrast to the more ambivalent portrayal of God in the adult biblical text.

GOD AND THE DEMON IN CARTESIAN AND AKAN PHILOSOPHIES

African Journals Online (AJOL)

HP

The maxim is said in the context of immortality of both God. (who is also believed to be a spirit [sunsum]) and the human being. (ↄdasani). These are some of the activities associated with God in Akan thought which are relevant for this piece. Ↄbonsam, however, is associated with evil (bↄne). Ↄbonsam, being a spirit, is not ...

God-mother-baby: what children think they know.

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Kiessling, Florian; Perner, Josef

2014-01-01

This study tested one hundred and nine 3- to 6-year-old children on a knowledge-ignorance task about knowledge in humans (mother, baby) and God. In their responses, participants not reliably grasping that seeing leads to knowing in humans (pre-representational) were significantly influenced by own knowledge and marginally by question format. Moreover, knowledge was attributed significantly more often to mother than baby and explained by agent-based characteristics. Of participants mastering the task for humans (representational), God was largely conceived as ignorant "man in the sky" by younger and increasingly as "supernatural agent in the sky" by older children. Evidence for egocentrism and for anthropomorphizing God lends support to an anthropomorphism hypothesis. First-time evidence for an agent-based conception of others' knowledge in pre-representational children is presented. © 2013 The Authors. Child Development © 2013 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Sanctified madness: the God-intoxicated saints of Bengal.

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Morinis, A

1985-01-01

The saintly madman is a familiar character in South Asia. To outer appearances he is no different from a lunatic, but the mad saint comes to be revered because his idiocy is popularly believed to arise from a different cause than ordinary madness. The common psychopath neglects social conventions because his consciousness is dimmed by incapacity; the saintly madman also breaches convention, but does so because his heightened consciousness has liberated him from the bonds of convention that entrap ordinary people. In the terms of Hinduism, he has tasted the divine nectar of God-realization and has returned to the human realm intoxicated by the experience. In this paper two popular God intoxicated saints of Bengal are discussed. The question is posed whether 'God intoxication' can be considered a culture-bound syndrome of Bengal. The concept of 'culture bound syndrome' is found to be too narrow to encompass the most significant issues to arise from reflection on the characteristics of the God intoxicated. These larger issues have to do with the relationship between cultural practices and models and mental states (whether deviant, as implied by the term 'syndrome' although deviance does not always carry the negative connotation implicit in 'syndrome', or normal). It is suggested that all cultures culture a limited range of mental states and thus the questions posed by the notion of culture bound syndromes are subsumed by larger questions about the relationship of all mind-states to the socio-cultural environment which conditions them. The conclusion is that God intoxication is indeed a uniquely Bengali mental condition, with variants throughout South Asia and kinship to other mystical states, but that the concept of 'syndrome' is not useful.

Spiritual Dormancy: The Strategic Effect of the Depravation of God

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-01

is genetically "hardwired" into the human condition. One controversial hypothesis, 4 the ‘God gene hypothesis,’ states that some variants of a...God in the profession of arms and the body politic. 22 Endnotes 1 Stewart W. Husted, George C. Marshall: The Rubrics of Leadership, (Carlisle

Forgiveness, Attachment to God, and Mental Health Outcomes in Older U.S. Adults: A Longitudinal Study.

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Kent, Blake Victor; Bradshaw, Matt; Uecker, Jeremy E

2018-06-01

We analyze a sample of older U.S. adults with religious backgrounds in order to examine the relationships among two types of divine forgiveness and three indicators of psychological well-being (PWB) as well as the moderating role of attachment to God. Results suggest that (a) feeling forgiven by God and transactional forgiveness from God are not associated with changes in PWB over time, (b) secure attachment to God at baseline is associated with increased optimism and self-esteem, (c) feeling forgiven by God and transactional forgiveness from God are more strongly associated with increased PWB among the securely attached, and (d) among the avoidantly attached, PWB is associated with consistency in one's beliefs, that is, a decreased emphasis on forgiveness from God. Findings underscore the importance of subjective beliefs about God in the lives of many older adults in the United States.

What does God have to do with my health?

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Peet J. van Dyk

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Perceptions about God�s involvement in the health of people have always been an issue in Christianity. Conflicting views regarding the transcendent versus immanent nature of Godhave therefore played a prominent part within theological discussions. The purpose of this empirical survey was to explore the extent to which South African Christians directly attribute their health and/or diseases to the hand of God. A total of 3000 structured questionnaires were distributed of which 575 were received back. The IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 21 statistical program was used to analyse the data. Most participants disagreed with the view that God largely determined their health, although the majority did think that diseases (including AIDS were sent by God, whilst playing down the role of natural causes.In conclusion, one could say that health beliefs amongst South Africans are closely linked to supernatural agents, although the direct role of God is seen mostly in terms of the sending of occasional diseases rather than constant involvement in general health.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The study challenges the applicability of a secularised medical model within the South African context and its relevance for prevention programmes.

Stress and depression among older residents in religious monasteries: do friends and God matter?

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Bishop, Alex J

2008-01-01

The purpose of this investigation was to explore how friendship and attach-0 ment to God provide protective benefits against stress and depression. Participants included 235 men and women, age 64 and older, residing in religious monasteries affiliated with the Order of St. Benedict. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were completed to assess main and moderating effects of friendship and attachment to God relative to the influence of stress on depressive symptomology. Lower degree of friendship closeness (beta = -.12, p God (beta = -.15, p God) also existed relative to depressive symptoms (beta = .14, p God represented a greater risk for depressive symptoms. Second, greater friendship closeness in combination with greater secure attachment to God reduced the risk for depressive symptoms. Third, lower degree of friendship closeness combined with less secure attachment to God diminished the noxious effects of stress on depressive symptoms. This has implications relative to how social and spiritual resources can be used to reduce stress and improve quality of life for older adults residing in religious communities.

God as Intellect in the philosophical Theology of Plato, Aristotle and Plotinus.

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Nadezhda Volkova

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The article gives an overview of the main stages in the development of philosophical theology in Plato, Aristotle and Plotinus, as well as its central concept - Active Intellect or God. It is shown, firstly, that Plato was the first who formulated the concept of a One omnibenevolent God. Plato opposed this doctrine to the gods of traditional mythology. In the "Timaeus" talking about the creation of the world, Plato represents God as an artisan, i. e. Demiurge, who arranges the World soul and matter with the help of the numbers. Therefore, God is introduced as an Intellect, because looking at an intelligible paradigm, he created the cosmos as its likeness. Secondly, it was shown that Aristotle made theology demonstrative theoretical knowledge. God as a subject of such knowledge is the pure actuality of thinking. Third, it is shown that Plotinus, continuing the line of Plato and Aristotle, gave philosophical theology a new, much more personal character. Theology for Plotinus is not only an demonstrative knowledge of the omnibenevolent God, but also a personal experience of reunion with him. A special attention in the article is paid for Plotinus' interpretation of the Platonic Demiurge. It is shown that Plotinus first connected the two aspects of the divine, namely the Demiurge-creator and the intelligible paradigm that are described in the "Timaeus," into the single hypostasis of Intellect. The main reason for this assertion was the necessity to postulate the unity of the intellect and the intelligible object as a necessary condition for the possibility of all cognitions. As a result, instead of the traditional idea of the two gods, Plotinus elaborates the doctrine of a single divine Intellect, combining both these aspects.

A sociological approach to the concept of God amongst Iranian youth

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2011-03-29

Mar 29, 2011 ... belief systems, and multiplicity of interpretations and new presentation of One God Allah. A .... What changes are formed in the youth's subjectivity of God? ... unilaterally and be utilised to support the existing status quo.

Representational coexistence in the God concept: Core knowledge intuitions of God as a person are not revised by Christian theology despite lifelong experience.

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Barlev, Michael; Mermelstein, Spencer; German, Tamsin C

2018-01-25

Previous research has shown that in the minds of young adult religious adherents, acquired theology about the extraordinary characteristics of God (e.g., omniscience) coexists with, rather than replaces, an initial concept of God formed by co-option of the person concept. We tested the hypothesis that representational coexistence holds even after extensive experience with Christian theology, as indexed by age. Christian religious adherents ranging in age from 18 to 87 years were asked to evaluate as true or false statements on which core knowledge intuitions about persons and Christian theology about God were consistent (both true or both false) or inconsistent (true on one and false on the other). Results showed, across adulthood, more theological errors in evaluating inconsistent versus consistent statements. Older adults also exhibited slower response times to inconsistent versus consistent statements. These findings show that despite extensive experience, indeed a lifetime of experience for some participants, the Christian theological God concept does not separate from the initial person concept from which it is formed. In fact, behavioral signatures of representational coexistence were not attenuated by experience. We discuss the broader implications of these findings to the acquisition of evolutionarily new concepts.

Psychometric properties of the Image of God Scale in breast cancer survivors.

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Schreiber, Judy A

2012-07-01

To examine the psychometric properties of the Image of God Scale (IGS) in a clinical population. Descriptive, cross-sectional. University and community oncology practices in the southeastern United States. 123 breast cancer survivors no more than two years from completion of treatment. Scale reliability was determined with the coefficient alpha. Instrument dimensionality was examined using principal component analysis. Construct validity was evaluated by examining correlations with other instruments used in the study. An individual's image of God. Internal consistency was strong (anger subscale = 0.8; engagement subscale = 0.89). The principle component analysis resulted in a two-factor solution with items loading uniquely on Factor 1-Engagement (8) and Factor 2-Anger (6). Significant correlations between the IGS and religious coping support convergence on a God concept. Correlations with psychological well-being, psychological distress, and concern about recurrence were nonsignificant (engagement) or inverse (anger), supporting discrimination between concepts of God and psychological adjustment. The IGS is a unique measure of how God is viewed by the depth and character of His involvement with the individual and the world. The IGS may be a measure that can transcend sects, denominations, and religions by identifying the image of God that underlies and defines an individuals' worldview, which influences their attitudes and behaviors.

Mentalizing Deficits Constrain Belief in a Personal God

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Norenzayan, Ara; Gervais, Will M.; Trzesniewski, Kali H.

2012-01-01

Religious believers intuitively conceptualize deities as intentional agents with mental states who anticipate and respond to human beliefs, desires and concerns. It follows that mentalizing deficits, associated with the autistic spectrum and also commonly found in men more than in women, may undermine this intuitive support and reduce belief in a personal God. Autistic adolescents expressed less belief in God than did matched neuro-typical controls (Study 1). In a Canadian student sample (Study 2), and two American national samples that controlled for demographic characteristics and other correlates of autism and religiosity (Study 3 and 4), the autism spectrum predicted reduced belief in God, and mentalizing mediated this relationship. Systemizing (Studies 2 and 3) and two personality dimensions related to religious belief, Conscientiousness and Agreeableness (Study 3), failed as mediators. Mentalizing also explained the robust and well-known, but theoretically debated, gender gap in religious belief wherein men show reduced religious belief (Studies 2–4). PMID:22666332

Core Intuitions About Persons Coexist and Interfere With Acquired Christian Beliefs About God.

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Barlev, Michael; Mermelstein, Spencer; German, Tamsin C

2017-04-01

This study tested the hypothesis that in the minds of adult religious adherents, acquired beliefs about the extraordinary characteristics of God coexist with, rather than replace, an initial representation of God formed by co-option of the evolved person concept. In three experiments, Christian religious adherents were asked to evaluate a series of statements for which core intuitions about persons and acquired Christian beliefs about God were consistent (i.e., true according to both [e.g., "God has beliefs that are true"] or false according to both [e.g., "All beliefs God has are false"]) or inconsistent (i.e., true on intuition but false theologically [e.g., "God has beliefs that are false"] or false on intuition but true theologically [e.g., "All beliefs God has are true"]). Participants were less accurate and slower to respond to inconsistent versus consistent statements, suggesting that the core intuitions both coexisted alongside and interfered with the acquired beliefs (Experiments 1 and 2). In Experiment 2 when responding under time pressure participants were disproportionately more likely to make errors on inconsistent versus consistent statements than when responding with no time pressure, suggesting that the resolution of interference requires cognitive resources the functioning of which decreases under cognitive load. In Experiment 3 a plausible alternative interpretation of these findings was ruled out by demonstrating that the response accuracy and time differences on consistent versus inconsistent statements occur for God-a supernatural religious entity-but not for a natural religious entity (a priest). Copyright © 2016 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Gutting’s critical View to the Truth-Independent Justification Models on Believe in God

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reza Akbari

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Justification of believe in God had been one of the most challenging problem throughout history of philosophy. The problem is "is believe in god epistemically justified?" Gutting's theory in justification of theism is combined of two parts. He critiques Witgenstainian's view firstly, and then considers Aquinas’, Plantinga's, and some other views as incorrect views on theism. Gutting says that Witgenstainians and Tomistic approaches cannot draw a religious language exactly. He also considers Plantinga's view as an incorrect view, because it is completely possible that the viewpoint of believers in believing to the existence of God to be evaluate epistemological as true as the non-believers’ view to the nonexistence of God. Discussing his own view, Gutting justifies believing in God regarding the religious experience. This article explains Gutting's critique of Witgenstainian's, Thomistic and Planting's approach on justification of believe in God.

Conceptions of Parents, Conceptions of Self, and Conceptions of God.

Science.gov (United States)

Buri, John R.; Mueller, Rebecca A.

Different theorists have suggested that an individual's view of God may be related to one's view of one's father, one's mother, or one's self. A study was conducted to examine the relationship of college students' conceptions of the wrathfulness-kindliness of God to their conceptions of their father's and mother's permissiveness, authoritarianism,…

The encounter with God in myth and madness.

Science.gov (United States)

Doerr, Otto; Velásquez, Oscar

2007-07-03

It is well known how often psychiatric patients report religious experiences. These are especially frequent in schizophrenic and epileptic patients as the subject of their delusions. The question we pose is: are there differences between this kind of religious experiences and those we find in religious texts or in the mythological tradition? An overview on famous mythological narratives, such as The Aeneid, allows us to establish that the divinities become recognizable to the human being at the moment of their departure. Thus, Aeneas does not recognise his mother, Venus, when she appears to him in the middle of the forest at the coast of Africa. A dialogue between the two takes place, and only at the end of the encounter, when she is going away and already with her back to Aeneas, she shows her son the signs of her divinity: the rose-flush emanating from her neck, her hair perfume and the majesty of her gait. Something analogous can be observed in the encounter of Moses with Yahweh on Mount Sinai. Moses asks God: "Show me your glory, I beg you". And God replies, among other things: "you shall see the back of me, but my face is not to be seen". In the same sense, the Emmaus disciples do not recognise Jesus till the moment of his disappearance ("but he had vanished from their sight"), and Saul of Tars falls off his horse just in the moment when he feels the divine presence. In short, the direct encounter with the divinity seems not to occur in the realm of myth or in religious tradition. The realm of madness is exactly the opposite. Our research on religious experiences in schizophrenic and epileptic patients leads us to conclude that God appears to them face to face, and the patient describes God the father, Jesus or the Virgin Mary in intimate detail, always in an everyday setting. So, the divinity is seen in the garden, or in the bedroom, or maybe above the wardrobe, without any of its majesty. The nearness to God also tends to be so extreme that even an

The encounter with God in myth and madness

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Doerr Otto

2007-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background It is well known how often psychiatric patients report religious experiences. These are especially frequent in schizophrenic and epileptic patients as the subject of their delusions. The question we pose is: are there differences between this kind of religious experiences and those we find in religious texts or in the mythological tradition? Results An overview on famous mythological narratives, such as The Aeneid, allows us to establish that the divinities become recognizable to the human being at the moment of their departure. Thus, Aeneas does not recognise his mother, Venus, when she appears to him in the middle of the forest at the coast of Africa. A dialogue between the two takes place, and only at the end of the encounter, when she is going away and already with her back to Aeneas, she shows her son the signs of her divinity: the rose-flush emanating from her neck, her hair perfume and the majesty of her gait. Something analogous can be observed in the encounter of Moses with Yahweh on Mount Sinai. Moses asks God: "Show me your glory, I beg you". And God replies, among other things: "you shall see the back of me, but my face is not to be seen". In the same sense, the Emmaus disciples do not recognise Jesus till the moment of his disappearance ("but he had vanished from their sight", and Saul of Tars falls off his horse just in the moment when he feels the divine presence. In short, the direct encounter with the divinity seems not to occur in the realm of myth or in religious tradition. The realm of madness is exactly the opposite. Our research on religious experiences in schizophrenic and epileptic patients leads us to conclude that God appears to them face to face, and the patient describes God the father, Jesus or the Virgin Mary in intimate detail, always in an everyday setting. So, the divinity is seen in the garden, or in the bedroom, or maybe above the wardrobe, without any of its majesty. The nearness to God

The spiritual struggle of anger toward God: a study with family members of hospice patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Exline, Julie J; Prince-Paul, Maryjo; Root, Briana L; Peereboom, Karen S

2013-04-01

Anger toward God is a common form of spiritual struggle, one that people often experience when they see God as responsible for severe harm or suffering. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence, correlates, and preferred coping strategies associated with anger toward God among family members of hospice patients. Teams from a large hospice in the midwestern United States distributed surveys, one per household, to family members of home-care patients. The survey assessed feelings toward God (anger/disappointment and positive feelings), depressive symptoms, religiosity, and perceived meaning. Participants also rated their interest in various strategies for coping with conflicts with God. Surveys (n=134) indicated that 43% of participants reported anger/disappointment toward God, albeit usually at low levels of intensity. Anger toward God was associated with more depressive symptoms, lower religiosity, more difficulty finding meaning, and belief that the patient was experiencing greater pain. Prayer was the most highly endorsed strategy for managing conflicts with God. Other commonly endorsed strategies included reading sacred texts; handling the feelings on one's own; and conversations with friends, family, clergy, or hospice staff. Self-help resources and therapy were less popular options. Anger toward God is an important spiritual issue among family members of hospice patients, one that is commonly experienced and linked with depressive symptoms. It is valuable for hospice staff to be informed about the issue of anger toward God, especially because many family members reported interest in talking with hospice team members about such conflicts.

[Gods, women and pharmacy in Greek Mythology].

Science.gov (United States)

Vons, J

2001-01-01

The study of Greek Mythology fully justifies Herophilus's phrase: "Medicines are the hands of Gods" (third cent. B.C.). A number of Gods are said to be the inventors of the drugs which are useful to men. Their names are still alive in the scholarly or popular appellations of a great many medicinal herbs. However, insofar as the action of a drug (of a Pharmakon) remains mysterious, one finds it in essentially female practices as well as in medicine. The study of these ancient beliefs, which have survived in spite of the progress of twentieth century science, can develop the history of epistemology of pharmacy by stimulating interdisciplinary research.

A gleam in god's eye

CERN Multimedia

Hart, Matthew

2006-01-01

"Next year, Canada will take part in a $9.5 billion international project to find the Hggs boson, the "God particle" that physicists theorize gives mass to matter. As Matthew Hart writes, their exciting search brings up essential questions about faith, the universe and existence." (4 pages)

Traces of the Gods: Ancient Astronauts as a Vision of Our Future

OpenAIRE

Richter, Jonas

2012-01-01

Ancient astronaut speculation (also called paleo-SETI), often labeled pseudoscience or modern myth, still awaits in-depth research. Focusing on Erich von Däniken and reconstructing his views on god and cosmology from scattered statements throughout his books, this article analyzes his attitudes toward science and religion as well as his concepts of god and creation. In this regard, his pantheistic combination of the big bang theory with a model of god as supercomputer is of special interest. ...

Jeanette Winterson’s The Stone Gods: A Postmodern Warning

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Zekiye Antakyalıoğlu

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Jeanette Winterson attempts to provoke a new consciousness of existence in her 2007 novel The Stone Gods and stir the masses to re-evaluate the human condition under the encroaching shadow of death awaiting our mother earth. The Stone Gods can be read as the continuation of her 2005 novel Weight where she already implied an alternative perception of space/universe. Along with its apparent postmodern tissue, The Stone Gods offers a lament for the human condition which is acutely suffering from the deprivation of dreams, future hopes and sense of reality on one hand, the ongoing corruption of our ecological system on the other. In the novel the citizens of Orbus (an unknown future world are presented as dehumanized figures for whom “age is only an information failure” stemming from the body’s loss of fluency, nerve disconnection and cell mutation occuring in DNA nucleus.This paper aims at analysing how Winterson detects the postmodern superficiality, obsession with appearance, lack of hope, memory and conscience in The Stone Gods which, contrary to being a postmodern text, concentrates on giving a moral message with its satiric as well as parodic double voice about the changing experience of ageing for man and mother earth in the new millenium

God, Heaven and Hell : The Philosophy of Belief | Asekhauno | Ilorin ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

While heaven is God's promised reward for all who accept Christ and do His will, hell is the abode for all who denounce him. To merit heaven, one is required to renounce worldliness and love God in one's neighbour. While many are undecided, some others remain confused about the reality or otherwise of both the ...

Plantinga's Internal and External Approach toRationality of Belief in God

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Mahdi Farajipak

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Various views about the rationality/irrationality of believing in God have been suggested by western religious and secular thinners. The theory of "Basicalism" together with its similar views such as "Evidentialism", "Fideism" and"Pragmatism" is one of the epistemological views posed about the belief in God and seeks to prove its rationality. In general, based on this view, believing in God does not require any rational reasoning. Various versions of this view have been presented so far.One of its versions expressed by scholars like Swinburne, Alston and Plantinga is what is known as Experientialism. In his special exposition of Experientialism – which he refers to as "reformed epistemology" –Plantinga has had two different dictions in his works. In his early woks such as God and other Minds, "Is Belief in God Rational?", "Is Belief in God Properly Basic?" and"Reformed Epistemology and Christian Apologetics", he endeavored to prove the rationality and justificationof believing in God and tried to offer certain and compelling arguments to prove the existence of God. In these works, Plantinga has adopted an internal approach toward the rationality of believing in God and regards it as a basic belief. Criticizing classic foundationalism, he sought to expand a different version of foundationalism according to which God's existence is regarded as basic for a believer. Based on this approach, Palntinga, like other proponents of foundationalism, considers the knowledgea "True Justified Belief". His view is, however, different from other foundationalists in defining the nature of the third element of knowledge. According to Plantinga's early exposition of his theory, the criteria of rationality of believing in God include the principles of classic foundationalism(such as evident to senses, evident to reason and incorrigibility and other elements. He rejected the deductive-priori method concerning the criteria of determining basic belief and

God imagery and affective outcomes in a spiritually integrative inpatient program.

Science.gov (United States)

Currier, Joseph M; Foster, Joshua D; Abernethy, Alexis D; Witvliet, Charlotte V O; Root Luna, Lindsey M; Putman, Katharine M; Schnitker, Sarah A; VanHarn, Karl; Carter, Janet

2017-08-01

Religion and/or spirituality (R/S) can play a vital, multifaceted role in mental health. While beliefs about God represent the core of many psychiatric patients' meaning systems, research has not examined how internalized images of the divine might contribute to outcomes in treatment programs/settings that emphasize multicultural sensitivity with R/S. Drawing on a combination of qualitative and quantitative information with a religiously heterogeneous sample of 241 adults who completed a spiritually integrative inpatient program over a two-year period, this study tested direct/indirect associations between imagery of how God views oneself, religious comforts and strains, and affective outcomes (positive and negative). When accounting for patients' demographic and religious backgrounds, structural equation modeling results revealed: (1) overall effects for God imagery at pre-treatment on post-treatment levels of both positive and negative affect; and (2) religious comforts and strains fully mediated these links. Secondary analyses also revealed that patients' generally experienced reductions in negative emotion in God imagery over the course of their admission. These findings support attachment models of the R/S-mental health link and suggest that religious comforts and strains represent distinct pathways to positive and negative domains of affect for psychiatric patients with varying experiences of God. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Impact of attachment to God and religious coping on life satisfaction].

Science.gov (United States)

Láng, András

2013-11-17

Effects of religiosity on satisfaction with life, mental and physical health are highly favored topics of psychology. At the same time, less attention has been directed to how individual differences in religiosity affect believers' satisfaction with life. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between attachment to God, religious coping and satisfaction with life. A group of Roman Catholics (n = 94; 49 women and 45 men; age, 30.8±6.2 years) filled in our the survey package. The survey package contained the following measures: Attachment to God Inventory, Brief Religious Coping Scale, and Satisfaction with Life Scale. Negative religious coping and anxious attachment to God predicted lower satisfaction with life, even if demographic variables were controlled for. These results indicate that negative image of God is an important predictor of low satisfaction with life, which in turn can have negative impact on believers' mental and physical health. Orv. Hetil., 154(46), 1843-1847.

Bybellees en wederstrewigheid - lesersreaksie op God en Ester

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Gerrie Snyman

1996-03-01

Full Text Available Bible reading and recalcitrance - reader reaction on God and EstherThis article pleads for an open pluralism regarding people's thinking about God. In an answer to the question of how one comes to grips with such a pluralism an aesthetic approach may be instrumental in bringing the biblical text closer to the present-day reader. Such an approach acknowledges an aesthetic distance between the text and its readers. Following Jauβs Ᾰsthetische Erfahrung und literarische Hermeneutik literature is regarded as a communication process in which the author(s, text and readers have equal shares. The approach is illustrated by a reading of the Book of Esther, focusing on Esther's behaviour in chapter 9 and the gaps implying divine action. Instead of a God in control of history, the reading opts for an openness and Gelassenheit towards a notion of holy that is incomprehensible and strange. The article argues against ignoring the human aspect in the reading process which turns Bible reading into an authoritarianism suppressing any imagination.

African American Elders' Serious Illness Experiences: Narratives of "God Did," "God Will," and "Life Is Better".

Science.gov (United States)

Coats, Heather; Crist, Janice D; Berger, Ann; Sternberg, Esther; Rosenfeld, Anne G

2017-04-01

The foundation of culturally sensitive patient-centered palliative care is formed from one's social, spiritual, psychological, and physical experiences of serious illness. The purpose of this study was to describe categories and patterns of psychological, social, and spiritual healing from the perspectives of aging seriously ill African American (AA) elders. Using narrative analysis methodology, 13 open-ended interviews were collected. Three main patterns were "prior experiences," "I changed," and "across past, present experiences and future expectations." Themes were categorized within each pattern: been through it . . . made me strong, I thought about . . . others, went down little hills . . . got me down, I grew stronger, changed priorities, do things I never would have done, quit doing, God did and will take care of me, close-knit relationships, and life is better. "Faith" in God helped the aging seriously ill AA elders "overcome things," whether their current illness or other life difficulties.

A sociological approach to the concept of God amongst Iranian youth

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The Iranian society is in transition, faced with delusion about the traditional and modern belief systems, and multiplicity of interpretations and new presentation of One God Allah. A spectrum of these plural presentations of God embodies micro and macro social levels. Some of the most important of these concepts are: ...

Chinese Christians in America: Attachment to God, Stress, and Well-Being

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Meifen; Ku, Tsun-Yao; Chen, Hwei-Jane; Wade, Nathaniel; Liao, Kelly Yu-Hsin; Guo, Gwo-Jen

2012-01-01

This study examined whether attachment to God moderated the relation between perceived stress and well-being (i.e., life satisfaction and positive affect) among 183 Chinese Christian international students and immigrants. Results showed significant main effects of (a) perceived stress on life satisfaction and (b) secure attachment to God and…

Tegn på god inklusion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Næsby, Torben; Engsig, Thomas Thyrring; Qvortrup, Lars

inklusion. Vi håber og forventer, at listen kan bruges som inspiration for inklusionsarbejdet i mange andre skoler og dagtilbud i Danmark, først og fremmest i arbejdet med at man selv udarbejder tegn på god inklusion som grundlag for det fortsatte arbejde med og samarbejde om vellykkede inklusionsindsatser....

God and the Suffering of His People | Kuwornu-Adjaottor | Journal of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

God and the Suffering of His People. JET Kuwornu-Adjaottor. Abstract. The problem of suffering is a multifaceted one. It has moral, physical, philosophical, psychological and theological dimensions. Suffering is said to be a moral problem because some belief that it occurs as a result of sin against God and the spirits.

Children's Image of God and Their Parents: Explorations in Children's Spirituality

Science.gov (United States)

Baring, Rito

2012-01-01

Exploring children's image of God and parents has invited interest among program preparers for children's spirituality in the Philippines. This research seeks to find out the fundamental orientation of children's image of God as well as their perceptions of father and mother from 241 fifth graders in three selected government primary schools in…

Images of a Loving God and Sense of Meaning in Life

Science.gov (United States)

Stroope, Samuel; Draper, Scott; Whitehead, Andrew L.

2013-01-01

Although prior studies have documented a positive association between religiosity and sense of meaning in life, the role of specific religious beliefs is currently unclear. Past research on images of God suggests that loving images of God will positively correlate with a sense of meaning and purpose. Mechanisms for this hypothesized relationship…

Thinking of God Moves Attention

Science.gov (United States)

Chasteen, Alison L.; Burdzy, Donna C.; Pratt, Jay

2010-01-01

The concepts of God and Devil are well known across many cultures and religions, and often involve spatial metaphors, but it is not well known if our mental representations of these concepts affect visual cognition. To examine if exposure to divine concepts produces shifts of attention, participants completed a target detection task in which they…

Believing in God the Father: Interpreting a phrase from the Apostle’s Creed

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Marcel Sarot

2016-08-01

Full Text Available In our days, the creedal phrase ‘I believe in God the Father almighty’ is interpreted primarilyalong Trinitarian lines: It is applied to God as the Father of Jesus Christ. Here I argue that ithas a dual background: in Jesus’ prayer practice, in which He consistently addressed God as‘Father’, and in the Hellenistic habit of referring to the Creator as ‘Father’. I discuss Jesus’ useof the term ‘Father’ against its Old Testament background, and argue that it primarily pointsto the intimacy of Jesus’ relationship with His father. Against the Hellenistic background,however, the metaphor ‘Father’ means ‘he who brings forth effortlessly’. Finally, I discusssome gender issues connected with the use of the term ‘Father’ for God.

Wat is die Woord van God - Skrif, belydenis, prediking?

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G. C. Velthuysen

1985-01-01

Full Text Available What is the Word of God: Holy Scripture? The preaching of the Gospel? The Confession? This article argues that while Holy Scripture and preaching may become the Word of God, although never in an unqualified manner, the same can never apply to the Confession. The Confession is the result of theological reflections on the Word and indicative of the parameters v/ithin which the preaching should remain without, however, curtailing the prophetic freedom of the preacher in proclaiming the Word. Its function is that of rule of speech for the preaching. Preaching, on the other hand, becomes a proclamation of the Word in an unsurpassable and existentially qualifying manner. Holy Scripture, a human book in more senses than one, is at the same time the Word of God, in that it qualifies its reader existentially - confronting him with the most fundamental questions on the human state and providing the final answers to these.

God in Aristotle’s Ethics

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David Torrijos Castrillejo

2013-07-01

Full Text Available In the last few years, a new paradigm of the knowledge of the divinity in Aristotle has emerged, affording the possibility of understanding it as efficient cause. In that case, if God is efficient cause and gives rise to teleology, this must have some existential significance for man. We can ask ourselves therefore whether the knowledge of metaphysics can offer some orientation also for ethics. Yet if this were true, the need would arise to deepen the question of how much the gods love men and what would the nature of their relationship be to natural justice. Given that man is born and lives thanks to the divinity, the conclusionis that two consequences follow: a response of religious thanks giving is needed but also, that since the will of the divinity desires the good for man, the human search for happiness is the same as the fulfillment of the divine law. All this is explained, to a certain extent, in the context of the friendship between man andthe divine.

Children of God in Bergen

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Karin Kvideland

1975-01-01

Full Text Available The founder of the movement Children of God, David Berg, was born in Melrose, Oakland, Calif. on the 18th of February 1919. In 1969 the first congress takes place in Laurentide near Montreal. Here the followers of Berg establish themselves as a religious group. Bishops and elders were elected, Berg is called Moses, under which name he was referred to in the revelations of some of his young followers. The group is called Children of God, a name first used by a journalist and then adopted by them. The missionary efforts of the group are mainly directed towards the younger generation. Usually the members are in their late teens and early twenties. When joining the movement, they forsake everything. That means they leave school or universities, they give up other forms of training, they don't continue with their jobs and they leave their homes. They live together in communes, or as they prefer to call it "Christian house”. In 1972 the movement reached Europe. A colony was founded in London, and from there they proceeded to Oslo.

What does it mean that God «acts» in creation?

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Pedro Castelao

2017-08-01

Full Text Available There are some assumptions that make difficult to understand what the believers wants to say when they say that God acts in the Creation. Those assumptions and their theological consequences are studied in this article. The naturalistics, supranaturalistics and panenteistics conceptions are also studied considering the interaction between God and Creation.

Beyond the God particle

CERN Document Server

Lederman, Leon M

2013-01-01

On July 4, 2012, the long-sought Higgs Boson--aka "the God Particle"--was discovered at the world's largest particle accelerator, the LHC, in Geneva, Switzerland. On March 14, 2013, physicists at CERN confirmed it. This elusive subatomic particle forms a field that permeates the entire universe, creating the masses of the elementary particles that are the basic building blocks of everything in the known world--from viruses to elephants, from atoms to quasars.

Plantinga\\\\\\'s Internal and External Approach toRationality of Belief in God

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahdi Farajipak

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Various views about the rationality/irrationality of believing in God have been suggested by western religious and secular thinners. The theory of "Basicalism" together with its similar views such as "Evidentialism", "Fideism" and"Pragmatism" is one of the epistemological views posed about the belief in God and seeks to prove its rationality. In general, based on this view, believing in God does not require any rational reasoning. Various versions of this view have been presented so far.One of its versions expressed by scholars like Swinburne, Alston and Plantinga is what is known as Experientialism. In his special exposition of Experientialism – which he refers to as "reformed epistemology" –Plantinga has had two different dictions in his works. In his early woks such as God and other Minds, "Is Belief in God Rational?", "Is Belief in God Properly Basic?" and"Reformed Epistemology and Christian Apologetics", he endeavored to prove the rationality and justificationof believing in God and tried to offer certain and compelling arguments to prove the existence of God. In these works, Plantinga has adopted an internal approach toward the rationality of believing in God and regards it as a basic belief. Criticizing classic foundationalism, he sought to expand a different version of foundationalism according to which God's existence is regarded as basic for a believer. Based on this approach, Palntinga, like other proponents of foundationalism, considers the knowledgea "True Justified Belief". His view is, however, different from other foundationalists in defining the nature of the third element of knowledge. According to Plantinga's early exposition of his theory, the criteria of rationality of believing in God include the principles of classic foundationalism(such as evident to senses, evident to reason and incorrigibility and other elements. He rejected the deductive-priori method concerning the criteria of determining basic belief and

Does the perception that God controls health outcomes matter for health behaviors?

Science.gov (United States)

Karvinen, Kristina H; Carr, Lucas J

2014-04-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between God Locus of Health Control, health behaviors, and beliefs utilizing a cross-sectional online survey (N = 549). Results indicated that God Locus of Health Control was correlated with alcohol use, physical activity, perceived risk of chronic disease, and beliefs that poor health behaviors contribute to chronic disease (all p values God Locus of Health Control was only an independent correlate of the belief that physical inactivity contributed to chronic disease. Insights from this study may be important for future faith-based health behavior change interventions.

The preparation of the child in the family to listen to the word of God

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Henryk Sławiński

2009-03-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the issue of children being encouraged to listen to the word of God under parental guidance. The case of Samuel described in the Book of Samuel (1 Sm 3, 4–5. 8–10 shows that preparing children to listen to the word of God is possible and needed. God may talk to people directly in their consciousness, but this is by extraordinary means. God chooses the mediation of people as a regular way of communicating with the human beings. It is the parents who play the most important role in the process of preparing the child to listen to the word of God. In general, the aim of this is to strengthen their integral faith, i.e. the faith influencing daily life. There are also some particular aims discussed in the article, followed by some methods of helping pupils to develop their skill to give heed to the word of God, and the rules which should be respected in the discussed process. As the end of the article, the case of Antonietta Meo is being presented as the fruit of good religious upbringing towards the listening to the words of God.

Mõ risujem Novõi god! / Ljubov Semjonova

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Semjonova, Ljubov

2004-01-01

Lasteloomingu konkursi "Mõ rissujem Novõi god!" uued võitjad: kümme individuaalvõitjat ja kollektiivid. Kümne eelmise võitja nimed avaldati ajalehe "Molodjozh Estonii" 2004. aasta 20. detsembri numbris

God Loves Us All: Helping Christians Know and Name God in a Post-Holocaust Context

Science.gov (United States)

Nienhaus, Cyndi

2011-01-01

Reflection on the Holocaust is still critical today to help all educators teach their students about good and evil in the world today. In particular, reflection on the Holocaust is crucial for religious educators to help people know and name God, as well as help them deal with questions of theodicy, within their everyday life experiences. This…

Psalm 44: Die God wat nooit sluimer of slaap nie � moet wakker word!

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L P Mar�

2004-10-01

Full Text Available In Psalm 44, the author accuses Yahweh of sleeping. This is an extremely serious accusation, especially in the light of Psalm 121:4 which explicitly states that Yahweh, in contrast with the gods of the other nations, never sleeps. Why does the author make this accusation? The Psalm begins with Yahweh being praised for showing his goodness in delivering his people and bringing them to the Promised Land. No mention is made of Yahweh sleeping here! It is exactly this contrast between what Yahweh has done in the past and the current situation of his people that results� in� the accusation against God. The aim of this article is to show that believers today have similar experiences where God acts differently from what� is expected of Him and that Psalm 44 should be� utilized� by� the Church� to teach� its� people that, they too, can bring their lament and accusations against God to God, when they feel forsaken by Him.

The work of Daphne Hampson: The God talk of one feminist theologian

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Maretha M. Jacobs

2007-05-01

Full Text Available For almost all of human history both in ancient times and in modern contexts, talk about God has been mainly a male preserve. So closely has male God talk been associated by many with God’s own voice, that it is still not commonly realized and acknowledged. With the rise of feminism, especially during recent decades, it has changed. In this article the work of Daphne Hampson, a British feminist theologian, is considered: Her definition and critique of Christianity, her view of the relation between the present and our Christian past, specifically with regard to God talk, her dealing with prominent aspects of the Christian belief system and her emphasis on taking seriously all available knowledge and our contemporary context in doing theology. In line with some current trends in God talk, such as a movement away from anthropomorphism, and in dialogue with Friedrich Schleiermacher, she formulates what she calls a “future theism”.

Relationships between God and people in the Bible, part III: When the other is an outsider.

Science.gov (United States)

Popp, Carol; Luborsky, Lester; Descôteaux, Jean; Diguer, Louis; Andrusyna, Tomasz P; Kirk, Dan; Cotsonis, George

2004-01-01

This study considers intergroup attitudes in the Bible and compares relationships between God or Jesus and (a) Torah non-Israelites; (b) New Testament people who were not followers of Jesus; and (c) New Testament people who were not Jewish. Torah non-Israelites belonged to an out-group with respect to the Hebrew Torah, New Testament people who were not followers of Jesus belonged to an out-group with respect to the Christian New Testament, and New Testament people who were not Jewish were an in-group with respect to Christians. Results were that God or Jesus' relationships were very negative with people in the Torah who were non-Israelites and with people in the New Testament who were not followers, while relationships were positive with people in the New Testament who were not Jewish. Thus, in conclusion, results indicate that both the New Testament and the Torah portray negative relationships between God or Jesus and members of out-groups. Relationships portrayed in New Testament narratives about God and people who were not followers were sometimes more negative than observed for other groups in the New Testament and the Torah; for people who were viewed as outsiders, the New Testament could sometimes be more negative than the Torah. An aim of this study was to identify patterns of relationships between God or Jesus and different types of people in narratives of the Torah and in the New Testament. One of the characteristics of different types of people, including people described in biblical narratives, is whether they are members of in-groups or out-groups. Our focus in this report is on biblical narratives about people who are members of out-groups. The results contribute a clinical-quantitative assessment of out-groups in the Torah and New Testament that is focused on relationship with God, a central issue in the psychology of religion and the Bible.

Die vrou Wysheid, God, en ekobillikheid: Liggaamsideologie in Spreuke 8:1–9:18

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Philip P. Venter

2009-11-01

This article examines the ideology of the body, specifically in terms of the gender of Wisdom and God, from an ecojustice perspective. Femininity within a God construct could contribute to a value system that incorporates compassion, interrelatedness and mutual care. In Proverbs 8:1–9:18, however, the woman Wisdom does not represent an ecofriendly construct, but simply enhances and supports the patriarchal, masculine values incorporated in the God Yahweh.

Trust in the Almighty God from the Viewpoint of Psychology and its Relationship with Self-Confidence

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Sayyedali Mostajaboldavati

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Background and Objectives: Religious behaviors, among which Trust in the Almighty God is a major representation, play a key role in giving meaning to life, generation of hope, and mental relaxation. The present study was conducted aimed at examination of the subject Trust in the Almighty God and analysis of the concept Trust from the perspective of psychology, delineating its relationship with self-confidence. In this study, therefore, Trust in the Almighty God is addressed from three cognitive, mental, and behavioral dimensions as well as mental etymology of Trust in the Almighty God and the relationship between trust and self-confidence. Methods: This study is a review-descriptive research that has made use of library and digital resources to collect its required data. Results: In examination of the subject Trust in the Almighty God from the viewpoint of psychology and delineation of the relationship between trust and self-confidence, it is found that trust in the Almighty God is not a barrier to self-confidence. What is more, it is an effective factor in its recovery, stabilization, and reinforcement. Conclusion: Religious behaviors, among which Trust in the Almighty God is a major representation, play a key role in giving meaning to life, generation of hope, and mental relaxation. Psychologically speaking, Trust in the Almighty God has three cognitive, mental, and behavioral dimensions. Cognitive aspect of trust in the Almighty God is associated with understanding the creator-creature relationship, the world, and the phenomena in the universe. In the emotional aspect, humankinds, relying on the Almighty God’s power, feel an inner serenity within themselves. Finally, application of this intrinsic force is materialized in the behavioral dimension of trust in the Almighty God.

Dvylikos Olimpo dievų vaizdavimas Enijaus Analuose. Depiction of twelve Olympian gods in Ennius’ Annales

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Tomas Veteikis

2008-01-01

establish the most characteristical features of each in Ennian depiction and compare with the evidence of his / her contemporary cult and degree of syncretization.In the course of analysis, a somewhat parallel attempt is also made to verify Cicero’s message concerning Ennius’ belief in gods in general (Div. 1, 58. The analysis shows quite divergent result resting upon incomplete status of our sources: some gods are depicted as participants of human actions, some remain mere vague representatives of natural phenomena.The bulk of conclusions deals with national dependance, hierarchy and stylistic variation of Ennius’ dodekatheon. Material of this paper clearly indicates the national priority in Annales: the most honoured both statistically and virtually are the four ancestral Roman gods (di genitales – Juppiter, Juno, Venus and Mars. Each of them also appears in certain non-Roman context (Trojan, Greek, Carthaginian or Sabinian, where their Roman priority is not emphasized, unless their Latin name is taken into account. The latter fact combined with Ennian technics of Homer’s imitation and hellenistic erudition enables him to rewrite ancient history from the Roman point. This actually happens on the theological level when Roman state gods become continuators of variously reinterpreted homeric greco-trojan gods. Annals of Ennius thus attest the absorbtion of Greek Olympic pantheon into Roman state pantheon. Depiction of gods in the poem also has certain “expurgatory” mark, since very few traces of obscenity in gods’ portrayal are present (with exception of Mars, called homo pulcer with possibly euhemeric hint. On the other hand, the sublimity of Ennian gods is moderate: there are several indications of their humanly sensitive and not indifferent stance in their contacts with people (esp. Juno, Juppiter and Venus.A considerable group of Olympian gods in the current fragmentary shape of Annals remains not clearly presented: some produce no material for deeper

Spiritual Struggle Among Patients Seeking Treatment for Chronic Headaches: Anger and Protest Behaviors Toward God.

Science.gov (United States)

Exline, Julie J; Krause, Steven J; Broer, Karen A

2016-10-01

This study examined anger and protest behaviors toward God among 80 US adults seeking treatment for chronic headaches (66 women, 14 men; 71 completed treatment). Measures were administered before and after an intensive 3-week outpatient treatment program. At both times, anger and protest toward God correlated with lower pain acceptance, more emotional distress, and greater perceived disability. However, when considered simultaneously, anger predicted sustained distress, whereas protest behaviors (e.g., complaining, questioning, arguing) predicted both reduced distress and an increased sense of meaning. These findings suggest the utility of distinguishing between anger toward God and behaviors suggesting assertiveness toward God.

A journey toward wholeness, a journey to God: physical fitness as embodied spirituality.

Science.gov (United States)

Greenwood, Tracey C; Delgado, Teresa

2013-09-01

Physical fitness expressed through exercise can be, if done with the right intention, a form of spiritual discipline that reflects the relational love of humanity to God as well as an expression of a healthy love of the embodied self. Through an analysis of the physiological benefits of exercise science applied to the human body, this paper will demonstrate how such attention to the optimal physical fitness of the body, including weight and cardiovascular training and nutrition, is an affirmation of three foundational theological principles of human embodiment: as created in the "imago Dei", as unified body/spirit, and as part of God's creation calling for proper stewardship. In a contemporary climate where women's bodies in particular are viewed through the lens of commodification-as visual objects for sale based on prescribed notions of superficial esthetics and beauty-as well as the consistently high rates of eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, and obesity, authors Greenwood and Delgado offer a vision of how women and men can imagine a subjective relationship with their own bodies that reflects the abundant love of God for God's creation. Spoken from the lived experience of professional fitness competitor and trainer, as well as trained biokineticist, Dr. Greenwood presents the most current scientific data in the field of biokinetics that grounds the theological analysis offered by Dr. Delgado, whose personal journey through anorexia and scholarly emphasis on Christian theological anthropology inform this work. Taken together, Greenwood and Delgado suggest a response to God's love for humanity, including our physical bodily humanity, which entails a responsibility to attend to the physical fitness of our bodies in order to live into the fullness, flourishing and love of God's creation as God intended.

Healing Gods, Heroes and Rituals in the Graeco-Roman World

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Panayotis Pachis

2016-05-01

Full Text Available This editorial introduces the articles published within the OLH Special Collection, ‘Healing Gods, Heroes and Rituals in the Graeco-Roman World’. The first two articles in this collection interrogate the figures of specific healing gods. Olympia Panagiotidou’s article ‘Asclepius’ Myths and Healing Narratives: Counter-Intuitive Concepts and Cultural Expectations’ focuses on the curative features that defined the image of Asclepius, the most famous of the healing gods. The next article in the collection, ‘The Fate of a Healing Goddess: Ocular Pathologies, the Antonine Plague, and the Ancient Roman Cult of Bona Dea’ by Leonardo Ambasciano, interrogates the religious figure of another healing agent: the Italian goddess Bona Dea who was particularly venerated in Rome and in the region of Latium and whose cult reveals the way in which ancient Roman androcentric control over women was institutionalised through religious figures.  The third article in the collection, Audrey Ferlut’s ‘Goddesses as Consorts of the Healing Gods in 'Gallia Belgica' and the 'Germaniae': Forms of Cult and Ritual Practices’ considers the impact that cults dedicated to gods and goddesses had on populations in the wider area of the Roman Empire, focusing on the Northern provinces of the Western Roman Empire ('Gallia Belgica' and the 'Germaniae'. The collection’s final article, ‘From Textual Reception to Textual Codification: Thessalos and the Quest for Authenticity’ by Spyros Piperakis, moves the discussion from the question of cult practices to ‘alternative’ healing therapies in antiquity. Piperakis deals with astrological medicine, one of many alternative therapeutic methods that became popular during the Hellenistic and Roman period.  Taken together, the articles in ‘Healing Gods, Heroes and Rituals in the Graeco-Roman World’ demonstrate that we need to approach the study of ancient myths and cults within their socio-cultural context

The image of the God to whom we pray: An evolutionary psychobiological perspective

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Jay R. Feierman

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Based on knowledge generated through our outer senses and with our use of reasoning and within the scientific discipline of evolutionary psychobiology we can make a reasonable presumption about God. The presumption concerns the image of the God to whom we pray. In the behavior that we use in the non-vocal aspect of petitioning prayer we (all persons of the three Abrahamic faiths relate behaviorally in our «body language» to God as though He is a high status male Lord rather than how modern children relate to a loving father. We do this even though «Father» is used for God in the various English translations of the New Testament an order of magnitude more than the term «LORD». How this paradox could have developed and how it is resolved is presented

Between God and Self: exploring the attachment to God and authenticity/inauthenticity tendencies of South African Christian youths

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Counted, Victor; Moustafa, Ahmed

2017-01-01

The paper explores the relationship between attachment to God (AG) and authenticity/inauthenticity among Christian youths in relation to a range of socio-demographic variables. Cross-sectional data were collected from 100 South African Christian youths using measures of AG and

but also just: reflections on the severe god of the catechism

African Journals Online (AJOL)

make sense to reflect on an ideal state of perfection, somewhere in the ancient past, if we live ... loving God who saves his children from their misery, even if this misery ..... hate someone is not to give preference to him or her; he or she comes second. .... of God, for his mercies are infinite, than to fall into the hands of men, as ...

Lebanon's Hizbollah Movement: The Party of God

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Schad, Andrew

1999-01-01

In the summer of 1982 in Lebanon, a group of radical Shi'a Muslim clerics in association with Iranian Revolutionary Guardsmen formed the secretive and at times deadly movement known as Hizbollah, or the Party of God...

The Mediational Role of Psychological Basic Needs in the Relation Between Conception of God and Psychological Outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Costa, Sebastiano; Gugliandolo, Maria C; Barberis, Nadia; Larcan, Rosalba

2016-02-01

Relatively few studies have examined the relationship between conception of God and psychological outcomes in a self-determination theory (SDT) framework. The aim of this study was to examine the role of basic psychological needs as a mediator of the association between conception of God and psychological outcomes. In a sample of 210 religious young adults, we found that the concept of a controlling God was positively associated with feelings of need frustration and depression, whilst the concept of an autonomy-supporting God was positively associated with feelings of need satisfaction and vitality. In turn, need satisfaction promoted feelings of vitality, whereas need frustration led to feelings of depression. The satisfaction of needs was a full mediator of the relationship between autonomy-supporting God and vitality, whilst the frustration of needs was a full mediator of the relationship between controlling God and depression. These findings are discussed in terms of SDT. We also discuss how future research may further increase our understanding of the dynamics involved in concepts of God and psychological outcomes.

Exploring God: Using the Arts as a Way to Engage Secondary Students in Discussions about God

Science.gov (United States)

Reingold, Matt

2016-01-01

The article presents research from a practitioner research study conducted in a non-denominational Jewish secondary school. As part of the study, students created artistic works based on chapter 12 of the biblical book of Numbers. Four of the twelve student groups created works that directly engaged with their conceptions of God as represented in…

God in de economie

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Toine van den Hoogen

2012-11-01

Full Text Available God in economics? During the 20th century, in Christian churches and amongst Christian theologians a new interest was found in economics as an object of theological reflection. This article researches the nature of such theological reflection, amongst others from the critical question of how a connection can be made between a constructivist approach of theology and the analysis by today’s economic sciences of the market as an important horizon of human culture and of human communities.

Review of Big Gods: How Religion Transformed Cooperation and Conflict

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Thomas Joseph Coleman III

2014-05-01

Full Text Available 'Big Gods: How Religion Transformed Cooperation and Conflict', presents an empirically grounded rational reconstruction detailing the role that belief in “big gods” (i.e., omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent gods has played in the formation of society from a cultural-evolutionary perspective. Ara Norenzayan’s primary thesis is neatly summed up in the title of the book: religion has historically served—and perhaps still serves—as a building block and maintenance system in societies around the world.

Tegn på god inklusion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Engsig, Thomas Thyrring; Næsby, Torben; Qvortrup, Lars

sammenhænge har udviklet tegn på læring. Det grundlæggende spørgsmål er: Hvordan ved vi som lærere og pædagoger, om vores inklusionsindsats er lykkedes? Og hvordan kan vi med henblik på en kollektiv indsats identificere fælles kriterier for succesfuld inklusion? Formålet med projektet "tegn på god inklusion...

Signposts to God how modern physics and astronomy point the way to belief

CERN Document Server

Bussey, Peter

2016-01-01

In Signposts to God particle physicist Peter Bussey introduces readers to the mysteries of modern physics and astronomy. Written in clear, accessible prose, Bussey provides a primer on topics such as the laws of nature, quantum physics, fine-tuning, and current cosmological models. He shows that despite the remarkable achievements of science, the latest research in these fields does not lead to simple physicalism in which physical processes are able to explain everything that exists. Bussey argues that, far from ruling out a divine Creator, modern physics and astronomy present us with compelling signposts to God. The more we know about the cosmos and our presence in it, the more plausible belief in God becomes. We can be intellectually satisfied in both science and the Christian faith. Written by someone who has worked for years in scientific research, Signposts to God is a timely and winsome response to a cultural stalemate.

Interpreting the theology of Barth in light of Nietzsche's dictum “God ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

UPuser

tells about a mad man who runs around in a marketplace looking for “God” ... Nietzsche was reacting to the Christian concept of God which prevailed during his time ... Nietzsche warned against, namely the idea of the power of history moving to .... movement and action of God in history beyond the reach of historical.

Sur?Surva - the Forgotten God [In Bulgarian

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G. Simeonova

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Тhis paper deals with the neglected god – Sur/Surva. The author considers in full detail this problem, finding an evidence for the statements proposed by a new perusal of Stefan Verkovich’s Veda Slovena.

God, the Christ and the spirit in William P. Young's bestseller The ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

view of Christian dogma with regard to God Triune. The aim of the article is to argue that a great deal of commonality exists between the author of The shack and both Pauline and Johannine mysticism. With regard to their God talk, the author and these biblical writers express more of a present immanent communion with the ...

Die pastorale begeleiding van die aangenome kind met betrekking tot die Vaderskap van God

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G.A. Lotter

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Pastoral guidance of the adopted child with regard to the Fatherhood of GodIn this article the significance of the Fatherhood of God for adopted children and the way they may be guided pastorally, is researched. The ongoing debate regarding adopted children and specific issues with them, like identity, rejection and loss, will be discussed. The father-image adopted children have of the biological and the adoptive father is respectively investigated, followed by a discussion of how the adopted child’s image of God may be influenced by the image of an earthly father. Guidelines for the pastoral guidance regarding the Fatherhood of God and the forming of identity, as well as dealing with rejection and loss, are given. The article ends with some conclusions.

Growing in Favor with God and Man: Attachment to God and Psychological Separation of Christian, Millennial College Students

Science.gov (United States)

Gregory, David Allen

2017-01-01

The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to examine whether Christian, Millennial college students' secure attachment to God relationship could contribute to their psychological separation. This question was addressed by examining (a) the correlation between attachment to parents and psychological separation, (b) the correlation…

The wind god promotes lung cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Frisch, Steven M; Schaller, Michael D

2014-05-12

In this issue of Cancer Cell, Li and colleagues demonstrate that the hematopoietic transcription factor Aiolos (named after the Wind God of Greek mythology) confers anoikis resistance in lung tumor cells through repression of cell adhesion-related genes including the mechanosensor p66Shc. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Virtuous suffering and the predicament of being handicapped. Towards a theology of the ‘disabled God puffing in a wheelchair’

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Daniel J. Louw

2014-04-01

Full Text Available The reality of disablement, being handicapped and physical disfigurement, opens up anew the theological debate regarding God-images in human suffering. It is argued that the Hellenistic understanding of the power of God, God as a pantokrator [Almighty], presupposes the immutability of an apathetic God. In terms of the logic of a cause-effect paradigm, God becomes the deterministic principle behind human suffering. With reference to a theologia crucis [theology of the Cross], the paradigm of theopaschitic theology proposes a pathetic understanding of God. Weakness and vulnerability (astheneia describes an authentic identification of God with human suffering. Forsakenness (derelictio reframes power as compassionate weakness or vulnerability and divine disability. The disabled God is, in terms of the New Testament a connection between divine compassion and human predicament (ta splanchna, the passionate God. Bowel categories make it possible to speak of the ‘puffing God in the wheelchair’. A theology of the cross should be supplemented by a theology of ability (theologia resurrectionis. The resurrection introduces the spiritual ability parrhesia− the transformation of the weakness of suffering into the fortigenitics of hope.

St. Maxim the Confessor’s Doctrine of the Image and Likeness to God in Man: Aspect of Synergia

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Malkov Petr

2017-07-01

Full Text Available St. Maximus the Confessor makes a distinction between “image” and “likeness” to God in man. The “image of God” pertains to human nature in general, whereas the “likeness to God” is a realisation and fulfillment of this “image” in each particular hypostasis. Likeness to God is a result of personal hypostatic effort; at the same time, likeness to God is the act of synergia of God and man, since it is accomplished by divine energies on the one hand and by a free human decision — gnomic will — on the other. Gnomic will is an important means in the achievement of likeness to God, but this hypostatic gnomic will is not innate in a human being. It is directly related to the events of the Fall and as such it should come to an end; in the eschatological future only natural human will is to remain. St. Maximus the Confessor builds his anthropology on the vocation of human beings to Theosis. Drawing a distinction between the image of God and likeness to God, St. Maximus sees the state of Theosis as an opportunity for the fulfi llment of the “image”. Achievement of the likeness to God elevates a Christian to Theosis, though St. Maximus differentiates these two notions. Theosis is entirely a gift of God, which makes it different from likeness to God, as it is not synergia of God and man but entirely the effect of Divine energies in human nature. In the eschatological future, this intrinsic unity of deifying grace with the nature of those deified — Theosis — will result in “de-activation” of energia of human nature, when the holy will freely yield their selfdominion to God, who will be the only one to act in them. However, since the notion of “likeness” is closely connected in St. Maximus’ doctrine with the hypostatic, unique and personal manner of human existence, an assumption can be made that the perfect “likeness” of deified Christians to God in the eschatological future will be the basic prerequisite

Can we know God is real?

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Roy Clouser

2014-08-01

Full Text Available This article examines the question as to what ground we have for believing that God is the only true Divinity. A re-evaluation of the misconception of faith as ‘blind trust’ or belief without reason is provided. From this it is seen that faith, as used in the Bible, may refer to the whole of Christianity as ‘the faith’, to trust based on expectation (not ‘blind trust’, or to faith as genuine knowledge derived from experience. Based on the idea of faith as knowledge derived from experience, this article investigates religious experiences and the self-evident beliefs often arising from these experiences as possibly forming a valid part of our knowledge of God. The traditional restrictions on self-evident truths (that a truth must be recognised by all who understand it, that it must be a necessary truth and that it must be an infallible truth are shown to be unsupported and contradicted by experience. The definition of ‘self-evidence’ defended is that such beliefs are simply produced in the mind by experience instead of being inferred from other beliefs, that they are experienced as prima facie true, and that they are irresistible or impossible to disbelieve for the person who had the experience. If we accept this definition of self-evident truths, which corresponds to the way they are actually experienced rather than the version that includes arbitrary restrictions imposed by a few philosophers, not only will beliefs such as that other people have minds, or that our names are what they are, be allowed as self-evident. The experience of the gospel as the truth about God will also be a genuine self-evident truth to those who experience it as such.

Provide History of Religion and God

Science.gov (United States)

Ginex, Nicholas P.

2013-01-01

There is a need for high school, college, and university educators to introduce their students to a history of mankind's development of religions and beliefs in God. Regarded as too sensitive a subject, students are deprived of learning how mankind has evolved ways to establish moral and righteous behavior to maintain harmony among competing…

Virtuous suffering and the predicament of being handicapped. Towards a theology of the ‘disabled God puffing in a wheelchair’

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel J. Louw

2014-04-01

Full Text Available The reality of disablement, being handicapped and physical disfigurement, opens up anew the theological debate regarding God-images in human suffering. It is argued that the Hellenistic understanding of the power of God, God as a pantokrator [Almighty], presupposes the immutability of an apathetic God. In terms of the logic of a cause-effect paradigm, God becomes the deterministic principle behind human suffering. With reference to a theologia crucis [theology of the Cross], the paradigm of theopaschitic theology proposes a pathetic understanding of God. Weakness and vulnerability (astheneia describes an authentic identification of God with human suffering. Forsakenness (derelictio reframes power as compassionate weakness or vulnerability and divine disability. The disabled God is, in terms of the New Testament a connection between divine compassion and human predicament (ta splanchna, the passionate God. Bowel categories make it possible to speak of the ‘puffing God in the wheelchair’. A theology of the cross should be supplemented by a theology of ability (theologia resurrectionis. The resurrection introduces the spiritual ability parrhesia − the transformation of the weakness of suffering into the fortigenitics of hope. Lyding tussen lot en deug binne die dilemma van gestremdheid. Die onwikkeling van ’n teologie van die ‘gestremde God, hygend in ’n rolstoel’. Die gegewendheid en realiteit van verskillende vorme van gestremdheid onderstreep menslike weerloosheid en magteloosheid. Vir gelowiges wat worstel met die vraag na sin in lyding, roep dit onder andere die vraag op na die verband tussen lyding en die almag en krag van God. Die basiese argument is dat die Hellenistiese konsep en paradigma van die mag van God, God as pantokrator, die starre onbeweeglikheid van ’n apatiese God voorveronderstel. Met behulp van die oorsaak-gevolg skema van denke, word God, in terme van die menslike logika, ’n deterministiese

Is this the answer to God, the universe and all that?

CERN Multimedia

Adam, David

2004-01-01

They call it the God particle: a mysterious sub-atomic fragment that permeates the entire universe and explains how everything is the way it is. Nobody has ever seen the God particle; some say it doesn't exist but, in the ultimate leap of faith, physicists across the world are preparing to build one of the most ambitious and expensive science experiments the world has ever seen to try to find it (1 page)

‘Een filosofisch geschriftje’: Christiaan Huygens’ gedachten over God in zijn Cosmotheoros en andere geschriften

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Nienke Smit

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Although much has been written about Christiaan Huygens (1629–1695, his religious views are almost neglected in historical research. Some scholars have come to the conclusion that God played no part at all in the worldview of this great mathematician. Although Huygens has never written a book exclu- sively devoted to the subject of God, he did leave us some notes in which he explicitly expresses his views about God and the divine. This article focuses on Huygens’ philosophical writings and especially on his last completed work Cosmotheoros (1698, in which he discusses the possibility of extra-terres- trial life. In this book God is an important subject. Huygens’ thoughts show a strong belief in an underlying logic behind the construction of the universe. According to Huygens, the idea that the earth is just a planet among other planets, logically implies that these other planets should have a similar nature as the earth and are inhabited by ‘rational beings’. Eve- rything in the universe is created for a reason, so God would not have created anything for no purpose. Huygens can’t imagine the world being created without a great intelligent deity, but he denies that God has a direct influence on the course of events on earth. Therefore, in his view, the existence of miracles is impossible. This article presents a new perspective on Christiaan Huygens and shows that the concept of God was actually a crucial element in his understanding of the world.

The relationship between core self-evaluations, views of god, and intrinsic/extrinsic religious motivation.

Science.gov (United States)

Smither, James W; Walker, Alan G

2015-04-01

Core self-evaluations refer to a higher-order construct that subsumes four well-established traits in the personality literature: self-esteem, generalized self-efficacy, (low) neuroticism, and (internal) locus of control. Studies that have examined the relationship between various measures of religiosity and individual components of core self-evaluations show no clear pattern of relationships. The absence of a clear pattern may be due to the failure of most previous studies in this area to use theory to guide research. Therefore, theories related to core self-evaluations, religious motivation, and views of God were used to develop and test four hypotheses. 220 adults completed measures of four religious attitudes (intrinsic religious motivation, extrinsic religious motivation, viewing God as loving, and viewing God as punitive), general religiosity, and core self-evaluations, separated by 6 weeks (with the order of measures counterbalanced). Multivariate multiple regression, controlling for general religiosity, showed that core self-evaluations were positively related to viewing God as loving, negatively related to viewing God as punitive, and negatively related to extrinsic religious motivation. The hypothesis that core self-evaluations would be positively related to intrinsic religious motivation was not supported.

Different effects of religion and God on prosociality with the ingroup and outgroup.

Science.gov (United States)

Preston, Jesse Lee; Ritter, Ryan S

2013-11-01

Recent studies have found that activating religious cognition by priming techniques can enhance prosocial behavior, arguably because religious concepts carry prosocial associations. But many of these studies have primed multiple concepts simultaneously related to the sacred. We argue here that religion and God are distinct concepts that activate distinct associations. In particular, we examine the effect of God and religion on prosociality toward the ingroup and outgroup. In three studies, we found that religion primes enhanced prosociality toward ingroup members, consistent with ingroup affiliation, whereas, God primes enhanced prosociality toward outgroup member, consistent with concerns of moral impression management. Implications for theory and methodology in religious cognition are discussed.

Pastorale interaksie met vroue - gesien vanuit die beelde wat vir God gebruik word

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Yolanda Dreyer

1998-12-01

Full Text Available Pastoral care and counseling with women: God-images and theidentity of women. The focus of this article is on women in the pastoral care situation. Rather than the revolutionary approach of liberation theology, a choice is made here for a process of conscientisation. Consciousness should be raised concerning the harm that has come to women on account of the dominant male perspective. A correlaion is drawn between a conception of Scripture, God-images (King/Lord, Father, Friend, Mother and the identity of women. The article concludes with an orientation of church and society within a postmodern paradigm toward an authentic life for women before God.

Anthropomorphism in god concepts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Westh, Peter

2011-01-01

There is an emerging consensus among current, cognitive theories of religion that the detection and representation of intentional agents and their actions are fundamental to religion. By no means a monolithic theory, this is an argument with several separate lines of reasoning, and several...... different kinds of empirical evidence to support it. This essay focuses specifically on the notion that people tend to spontaneously make inferences about gods based on intuitive, ontological assumptions, and on one of the main pieces of evidence that is cited to support it, the narrative comprehension...

Doing God in a Liberal Democracy

Science.gov (United States)

Moulin, Daniel; Robson, James

2012-01-01

While we agree with Cooling's argument from fairness, we argue that Cooling fails to give an adequate account of how fairness can be conceived, particularly because he does not decisively tackle the issues surrounding doing God in a plural context, or the contentious issues of compulsory collective worship and faith schools. In order to explore an…

Union with the transcendent God in Philo and John’s Gospel

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Pieter G.R. de Villiers

2014-11-01

Full Text Available This article analyses the experience of divine presence within an intimate divine-human relationship, as conceptualised in Philo’s writings, and compares this experience with mystical passages in John’s Gospel. The article explains their understanding of God and how the union with a transcendent God is mediated. The article investigates this union in terms of an underlying mystical pattern that existed in the 1st century CE. The pattern explains similarities of Philo’s works with John’s Gospel that indicates the former’s mystical nature. Special attention is given to Philo’s accounts because his own mystical experiences and views are relatively unknown in New Testament scholarship, whilst John’s Gospel is compared to show how this pattern existed within a Jewish-Christian setting. After an introduction to the relevance of mysticism in contemporary research on Philo and John, the article, without trying to establish any genetic link between Philo and John, evaluates the understanding of mystical union in the light of Philo’s own mystical experience and pronouncements. Then follows a discussion of Philo’s understanding of the divine longing for union with humanity despite the divine transcendence, with attention to the direct and indirect manner in which this union is mediated. Finally, similar motifs in John’s Gospel are investigated.

75 FR 51518 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: “Ballplayers, Gods, and...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-20

... DEPARTMENT OF STATE [Public Notice 7126] Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: ``Ballplayers, Gods, and Rainmaker Kings: Masterpieces From Ancient Mexico'' SUMMARY: Notice is..., I hereby determine that the objects to be included in the exhibition ``Ballplayers, Gods, and...

View of God as benevolent and forgiving or punishing and judgmental predicts HIV disease progression.

Science.gov (United States)

Ironson, Gail; Stuetzle, Rick; Ironson, Dale; Balbin, Elizabeth; Kremer, Heidemarie; George, Annie; Schneiderman, Neil; Fletcher, Mary Ann

2011-12-01

This study assessed the predictive relationship between View of God beliefs and change in CD4-cell and Viral Load (VL) in HIV positive people over an extended period. A diverse sample of HIVseropositive participants (N = 101) undergoing comprehensive psychological assessment and blood draws over the course of 4 years completed the View of God Inventory with subscales measuring Positive View (benevolent/forgiving) and Negative View of God (harsh/judgmental/punishing). Adjusting for initial disease status, age, gender, ethnicity, education, and antiretroviral medication (at every 6-month visit), a Positive View of God predicted significantly slower disease-progression (better preservation of CD4-cells, better control of VL), whereas a Negative View of God predicted faster disease-progression over 4 years. Effect sizes were greater than those previously demonstrated for psychosocial variables known to predict HIV-disease-progression, such as depression and coping. Results remained significant even after adjusting for church attendance and psychosocial variables (health behaviors, mood, and coping). These results provide good initial evidence that spiritual beliefs may predict health outcomes.

Playing God in Frankenstein's Footsteps: Synthetic Biology and the Meaning of Life.

Science.gov (United States)

van den Belt, Henk

2009-12-01

The emergent new science of synthetic biology is challenging entrenched distinctions between, amongst others, life and non-life, the natural and the artificial, the evolved and the designed, and even the material and the informational. Whenever such culturally sanctioned boundaries are breached, researchers are inevitably accused of playing God or treading in Frankenstein's footsteps. Bioethicists, theologians and editors of scientific journals feel obliged to provide an authoritative answer to the ambiguous question of the 'meaning' of life, both as a scientific definition and as an explication with wider existential connotations. This article analyses the arguments mooted in the emerging societal debates on synthetic biology and the way its practitioners respond to criticism, mostly by assuming a defiant posture or professing humility. It explores the relationship between the 'playing God' theme and the Frankenstein motif and examines the doctrinal status of the 'playing God' argument. One particularly interesting finding is that liberal theologians generally deny the religious character of the 'playing God' argument-a response which fits in with the curious fact that this argument is used mainly by secular organizations. Synthetic biology, it is therefore maintained, does not offend so much the God of the Bible as a deified Nature. While syntheses of artificial life forms cause some vague uneasiness that life may lose its special meaning, most concerns turn out to be narrowly anthropocentric. As long as synthetic biology creates only new microbial life and does not directly affect human life, it will in all likelihood be considered acceptable.

Twelve-year history of late-life depression and subsequent feelings to God.

Science.gov (United States)

Braam, Arjan W; Schaap-Jonker, Hanneke; van der Horst, Marleen H L; Steunenberg, Bas; Beekman, Aartjan T F; van Tilburg, Willem; Deeg, Dorly J H

2014-11-01

Growing evidence shows several possible relations between religiousness and late-life depression. Emotional aspects of religiousness such as facets of the perceived relationship with God can be crucial in this connection. The aim of the current study was to examine the association between the course of late-life depression and feelings about God and religious coping. Longitudinal survey study; naturalistic; 12-year follow-up. Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam; population-based, in three regions in The Netherlands. A subsample of 343 respondents (mean age: 77.2 years), including all respondents with high levels of depressive symptoms at any measurement cycle between 1992 and 2003 (assessed by using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale and the Diagnostic Interview Schedule) and a random sample of nondepressed respondents who completed a postal questionnaire in 2005. Scales on God Image and Religious Coping. Twelve-year depression course trajectories serve as predicting variables and are specified according to recency and seriousness. Persistent and emergent depression are significantly associated with fear of God, feeling wronged by God, and negative religious coping. In terms of negative religious coping, significant associations were observed after adjustment for concurrent depression with a history of repeated minor depression and previous major depression. Late-life depression seems to maintain a pervasive relationship over time with affective aspects of religiousness. Religious feelings may parallel the symptoms of anhedonia or a dysphoric mood and could represent the experience of an existential void. Copyright © 2014 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Representations of God in Icons. Immanence and Transcendence in Christian Art

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Isbasoiu Iulian

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Human desire to be in a more natural relationship with God, his Creator, caused the former to find different means of communication. In addition to the liturgical expression, materialized in prayer, another way of interaction is represented by the icon. The icon and through the icon, Heaven and earth, God and the members of the triumphant Church and the ones of the militant Church meet and communicate. The iconographic representation of God, symbols, events and holy Persons, gave rise to much controversy in history, which triggered a major conflict in the life of the Church, culminating in the eighth century iconoclastic dispute. The Seventh Ecumenical Council solved this dispute and placed the icon in its natural spiritual position. In the present study we will analyze and contrast how people have understood the freedom of representing the image of God the Father in icons, an issue which caused disputes and reactions due to exaggerations in artistic expression and misunderstandings linked to the limits of such representation. This evolution is considered historically in the Christian world, East and West, which shows either an exaggerated tolerance of representation or an extreme conservatism leading to the prohibition of painting an anthropomorphic image of the Father. We will also study the recommendations of in the textbooks of Christian erminia and we will present examples of Romanian iconographic art.

The kingdom of God: Utopian or existential?

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2014-06-26

Jun 26, 2014 ... The word utopia was coined in the 16th century by Sir Thomas More in his book about ...... obeying, as well as the binary oppositions God versus people. ... picture: The work of faith, the poiēsis-praxis of pistis, presents itself …

Spreken is zilver, horen is goud - Over de preek als Woord van God

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R Ruard Ganzevoort

2006-09-01

Full Text Available The connection of the sermon and the word of God has been a topic of much debate. This paper explores the significance and problematic aspects of the understanding of the sermon as a word of God. The Barthian notion that we have to speak God� s word yet are unable to do so offers a dialectic interpretation that leaves the preacher and the congregation vulnerable. The problem lies, according to this paper, not so much in connecting the sermon and the word of God, but in the fact that this connection is sought in the act op speaking. The act of hearing the sermon might be a much more suitable category of understanding the connection.

The Place of the Proclamation of the Word of God

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Jarosław Superson

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This article presents a chronological evolution of the place of the proclamation of the Word of God. On the basis of pericopes from the Old Testament, the places that God chose to speak with the man and then places chosen by Jesus Christ and the Church in its early centuries were indicated. Use of the term “ambo” (ἄμβων, which appeared in the Church probably at the end of the fourth century, became widespread, and over time it was adopted as the name of the place for the Liturgy of the Word and for the book.

Practicing the Code of Ethics, finding the image of God.

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Hoglund, Barbara A

2013-01-01

The Code of Ethics for Nurses gives a professional obligation to practice in a compassionate and respectful way that is unaffected by the attributes of the patient. This article explores the concept "made in the image of God" and the complexities inherent in caring for those perceived as exhibiting distorted images of God. While the Code provides a professional standard consistent with a biblical worldview, human nature impacts the ability to consistently act congruently with the Code. Strategies and nursing interventions that support development of practice from a biblical worldview and the Code of Ethics for Nurses are presented.

Outsourcing punishment to God: beliefs in divine control reduce earthly punishment

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Laurin, Kristin; Shariff, Azim F.; Henrich, Joseph; Kay, Aaron C.

2012-01-01

The sanctioning of norm-transgressors is a necessary—though often costly—task for maintaining a well-functioning society. Prior to effective and reliable secular institutions for punishment, large-scale societies depended on individuals engaging in ‘altruistic punishment’—bearing the costs of punishment individually, for the benefit of society. Evolutionary approaches to religion suggest that beliefs in powerful, moralizing Gods, who can distribute rewards and punishments, emerged as a way to augment earthly punishment in large societies that could not effectively monitor norm violations. In five studies, we investigate whether such beliefs in God can replace people's motivation to engage in altruistic punishment, and their support for state-sponsored punishment. Results show that, although religiosity generally predicts higher levels of punishment, the specific belief in powerful, intervening Gods reduces altruistic punishment and support for state-sponsored punishment. Moreover, these effects are specifically owing to differences in people's perceptions that humans are responsible for punishing wrongdoers. PMID:22628465

Relationship Between Styles of Attachment to God and Death Anxiety Resilience in the Elderly

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Leila Bitarafan

2018-01-01

Conclusion Results indicated that the attachment to God and resiliency have a significant and negative correlation with death anxiety. Thus, it is recommended that the relevant authorities should consider training and skills associated with resilience and belief in God in old age and elderly care centers.

My Hero, My Friend: Exploring Honduran Youths' Lived Experience of the God-Individual Relationship

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, Monique B.; Silver, Christopher F.; Ross, Christopher F. J.

2012-01-01

Extensive social science research has focused on God image and God concept through the lens of attachment theory and the parental relationship. While vast theoretical frameworks exist, the authors suggest that more focused phenomenological research would shed light on adolescent lived experience within experiential descriptive language and…

"Hy wat is en wat was en wat kom": Die God van betrokkenheid volgens Openbaring

OpenAIRE

J.A. duRand

2000-01-01

The one who is and who was and who is to come: The God of commitment according to the book of Revelation The theocentricity of Revelation makes an imperative of the placement of the committed One who is and who was and who is to come in the centre of history of mankind. God's character, as depicted in Revelation, is developed through interaction with all creation. The response of nondivine characters to their creator shapes the hearer's/readers' perception of God, who is both revealed and shr...

The Relationship between Styles of Attachment to God and Forgiveness and Empathy among Female Students in the City of Qom

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Mahsa Rashidi

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Forgiveness and empathy are factors which are influential in improving the relationships between people, themselves can be affected by various factors in turn. The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between the styles of attachment to God and forgiveness and empathy among female students in the city of Qom. 250 students were selected from the city of Qom by cluster sampling. Three questionnaires were used: styles of attachment to God by Kirkpatrick and Rowatt, emotional empathy by Mehrabian and Epstein and forgiveness inventory by Enzeit. Pearson correlation and Regression analysis were used for data analysis. The style of secure attachment to God had a significantly positive relationship with forgiveness and empathy. Furthermore, the style of avoidant attachment to God and the style of bilateral attachment to God had a significantly negative relationship with forgiveness. In addition, the standard coefficients of all three predictive variables (Secure attachment, bilateral and avoidant to God were all significant at p=0.05. Assessment and recognition of the style of attachment to God, the students and its relation with forgiveness and empathy can have valuable implications in providing the mental health of the students. Conclusion: The findings of this research show a connection between the style of attachment to God and forgiveness and empathy, indicate the clarification of attachment to God in students' forgiveness and empathy. Based on the findings, it can be suggested that the theory of attachment to God can be used in psychotherapy.

Rethinking the creative power of God

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Jan Muis

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Because the notion of ‘power’, and of ‘absolute power’ in particular, is associated with coercion, violence and oppression, it is problematic to attribute power to God. Jürgen Moltmann and Eberhard Jüngel reject a ‘theistic’, ‘metaphysical’ concept of God’s ‘absolute power’ and highlight the powerlessness of the suffering and dying God on the cross. In their view, limitation of power is also central to God’s creative power. In this article, this kenotic view on God’s creative power is examined. Firstly, the political philosophy of Thomas Hobbes is explored as an important and still influential source of the modern view on absolute power as dominion. Next, it is discussed whether the innovative view on divine, creative power of Sören Kierkegaard can be seen as kenotic. Because both Hobbes and Kierkegaard refer indirectly to the classical distinction between potentia absoluta and potentia ordinata, this distinction, and its rejection by Schleiermacher, is investigated. The article concludes by proposing ‘empowering power’ as a non-oppressive and non-kenotic view on God’s creative power.

Attachment to God and Forgiveness among Iranian Adolescents with Conduct Disorder at Tehran Reformatory

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Maryam Salmanian

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Background and Objective: Conduct disorder is characterized with aggressive behaviors, deceitfulness or theft, destruction of property and serious violations of rules, prior to age 18 years. Attachment to God is a relationship with God that reveals aspects of individual thought. Secure attachment is associated with an increased ability to forgive. Various studies indicated the association between insecure attachment and delinquency and criminal behavior. The aim of this study was to evaluate the attachment to God and forgiveness in adolescents with conduct disorder at Tehran reformatory.Materials and Methods: This study is a cross-sectional study. The attachment to God and Transgression-Related Interpersonal Motivations Scale--12-Item Form (TRIM-12, were completed by 60 adolescents between 14 -18 years old with conduct disorder, with or without substance abuse disorders, and ADHD, at Tehran reformatory. Descriptive statistics and linear regression methods was used to analyze the data in SPSS-16.Results: The results showed that anxiety and avoidant attachments to God and avoidance and revenge motivations in adolescents with conduct disorder are high. A history of addiction, criminality, and mental disorders among family members predicted increasing avoidant attachment to God among this group of adolescents in the univariate model. Also, parental divorce and attention deficit-hyperactivity variables predicted increased revenge motivation in the univariate model, and unemployed father predicted avoidance motivation, in the multivariate model.Conclusion: There is a defect in the ability to forgive in adolescents with insecure attachment and conduct disorder, there are basic requirements for the design of interventions and spiritual treatment programs specifically for this group of adolescents.

Assessing the relationships among stress, god-mediated control, and psychological distress/well-being: Does the level of education matter?

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Krause, Neal

2018-01-24

One of the primary functions of religion is to help people cope with stressful life events. The purpose of the current study is to see if God-mediated control beliefs perform this stress-buffering function. God-mediated control refers to the belief that people work together with God to reduce the effects of unwanted stressors in their lives. An effort is made to probe this relationship more deeply by seeing whether the stress moderating function of God-mediated control beliefs varies across levels of educational attainment. Findings from a recent nationwide survey suggest that strong God-mediated control beliefs reduce the magnitude of the relationship between stress and depressive symptoms, anxiety, happiness, and hope, but only among more highly educated study participants. In contrast, God-mediated control beliefs do not appear to influence the relationship between stress and distress/well-being among study participants with lower levels of educational attainment.

Wisdom of God as Ars Dei Have bl. Augustine: between Neoplatonism and Christianity

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Fokin Aleksei

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the notion of ars Dei (“art of God” in philosophical and theological thought of St. Augustine of Hippo. It is argued that ars Dei is not only an intelligent design or knowledge which God had with regard to his creation, but also the divine Wisdom and Word of God, in whom exist the eternal and unchangeable forms and reasons of all things, according to which God not only knows, but also creates everything. It is notified, that the notion of ars Dei reflects the Neo-Platonic notion of the universal Intellect (νοDς and also has an affi nity with the concept of the universal Logos, or “designing Logos” (τεχνικOς λMγος, as found in the works of Philo and in those of several Greek Fathers of the Church, as well as is a result of a development of the biblical notions of the Wisdom and Word of God, through whom all things were made. In the same time Augustine’s doctrine is truly without peer in contemporary philosophical and Patristic literature.

Clinical Ethics Consultation After God: Implications for Advocacy and Neutrality.

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Parker, J Clint

2018-06-01

In After God: Morality and Bioethics in a Secular Age, H. Tristram Engelhardt, Jr. explores the broad implications for moral reasoning once a culture has lost a God's-eye perspective. In this paper, I focus on the implications of Engelhardt's views for clinical ethics consultation. I begin by examining the question of whether clinical ethics consultants (CECs) should advocate a particular viewpoint and/or process during consultations or adopt a neutral stance. I then examine the implications of Engelhardt's views for this question. Finally, I discuss some of Engelhardt's foundational ontological, metaphysical, meta-ethical, and epistemological commitments and how these commitments connect to his views on clinical ethics consultation.

The Economy of God and the Politics of the Devil

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Clausen, Lars

2017-01-01

as acts of evil, incorporated by the devil, who by his interventions postpone the future to the future. The modern form of tourism spanning the globe is tested as an example of both the power and the limits of Luhmannian systems theory, as tourism is a synchronous development emerging throughout the world...... of the limit of Gods eternal economy of grace by the actions of the fallen angel Lucifer, the Christian devil. In conclusion, the paper discusses how the ancient distinction between the Christian God and the Devil still shows its presence in the basic concept of Luhmannian systems theory, and how it in turn...

Reformasie as herstel van die ware diens van God: enkele aanwysers by Calvyn en Zwingli

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L.F. Schulze

1998-03-01

Full Text Available Reformation as restoration of the true service of God - some indicators in the work of Calvin and ZwingliIn this article an attempt is made to interpret the 16th century Reformation from a rarely mentioned, yet very real perspective, viz., as a restoration of the true service of God. It is indicated that the true service o f God is an overarching concept, encompassing more than simply an ecclesiastical reform, or a return to the Bible. Besides these aspects, true service o f God implies the renewal o f life with all its social, economical and political overtones, which cannot be discussed in full in an article. Data drawn from some works o f Calvin and Zwingli will hopefully prove the validity o f this perspective and offer Christians in the "new South Africa" thought-provoking ideas which should be put into action.

‘Lived experiences’ of the love of God according to 1 John 4: A spirituality of love

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Dirk G. van der Merwe

2017-02-01

Full Text Available This article probes to enlighten this old truth of the revelation and experience of God’s love in a fresh, dynamic and different way, from the perspective of early Christian spirituality. How did the early Christians possibly experience the love of God existentially in their daily lives? Another question is, ‘What did they experience when they have read this text of 1 John 4:7–21? This article looks briefly at how the author of 1 John understands the character of God which is necessary for understanding the love of God. The article continues to express how the ‘love’ of God (according to 1 Jn, was experienced by the Early Church through the following modes of lived faith experiences that emerged from the text and existential life situations: faith experience, relational experience and mystical experience. The article shows how the contemplative reading of sacred texts can contribute to a deeper understanding and lived faith experience of God.

Experimental findings on God as an attachment figure: normative processes and moderating effects of internal working models.

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Granqvist, Pehr; Mikulincer, Mario; Gewirtz, Vered; Shaver, Phillip R

2012-11-01

Four studies examined implications of attachment theory for psychological aspects of religion among Israeli Jews. Study 1 replicated previous correlational findings indicating correspondence among interpersonal attachment orientations, attachment to God, and image of God. Studies 2-4 were subliminal priming experiments, which documented both normative and individual-difference effects. Regarding normative effects, findings indicated that threat priming heightened cognitive access to God-related concepts in a lexical decision task (Study 2); priming with "God" heightened cognitive access to positive, secure base-related concepts in the same task (Study 3); and priming with a religious symbol caused neutral material to be better liked (Study 4). Regarding individual differences, interpersonal attachment-related avoidance reduced the normative effects (i.e., avoidant participants had lower implicit access to God as a safe haven and secure base). Findings were mostly independent of level of religiousness. The present experiments considerably extend the psychological literature on connections between attachment constructs and aspects of religion. (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved.

The immanence and transcendence of God in Adamic incarnational Christology: An African ethical reflection for the public

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Vhumani Magezi

2016-03-01

Full Text Available This article argues that the transcendence and immanence of God amplified in Christ should influence African believers� private and public ethics. It accomplishes this by engaging transcendence and immanence of God in the traditional African worldview. The African traditional worldview in many respects believes the transcendent God whose immanence is mediated by lesser spiritual intermediary powers. In responding to this view of God�s transcendence and immanence, we discuss the amplified transcendence and immanence of God in the Adamic incarnational Christological model. This model argues that in the incarnation, God�s transcendence and immanence is amplified by his assumption of our human mode of existence as the New Adam for our redemption. That is, even though God has always been transcendent and present within his creation before the incarnation, his immanence within humanity is amplified by God becoming man in and through Jesus Christ as the New Adam. The ascension of Jesus Christ does not diminish God�s presence within Christians. God continues to have his personal presence within believers through the dynamic presence of the Holy Spirit among them. The transcendence and immanence of God (amplified in Christ therefore is brought to bear in the private and public ethics of Christians. In contrast to the limited immanence of human beings, God�s immanence is infinite. That is, there is nothing human beings can do which is outside of God�s reach and knowledge. It is from this perspective that African Christians are encouraged to live lives conscious of the infinite-immanent God, who sees both their private and public lives. The private and public life of believers should resemble God�s character and behaviour demonstrated by Jesus Christ, God incarnate, in his earthly ministry. Thus, the transcendence and immanence of God amplified in Christ influences African believers to live as the true ambassadors of Christ who exhibit

Disappointment with God and Well-Being: The Mediating Influence of Relationship Quality and Dispositional Forgiveness

Science.gov (United States)

Strelan, Peter; Acton, Collin; Patrick, Kent

2009-01-01

This study examined the extent to which disappointment with God influenced the psychological and spiritual well-being of 160 churchgoers, and the potential mediating influences of relationship quality (spiritual maturity and relationship commitment) and dispositional forgiveness. Disappointment with God was positively related to depression and…

THE GODS, EXTRATERRESTRIALS AND EVOLUTION

OpenAIRE

Bartlett, Rodney

2016-01-01

A few lines from the article -"Many religions, from Hinduism to Gnostic Christianity to Mormon doctrine, teach that – as impious as it may sound – it is the goal of humans to become gods." ["Pale Blue Dot – A Vision of the Human Future in Space” by Carl Sagan - Headline Book (1995, p. 382)]. The human body and brain might become immaterial, and entangled with all space and time^ (no doubt many people, even today, would call such invisible, endlessly powerful, entangled beings “supernatural”)....

Kultuurimperialisme as ’n hermeneutiese dilemma: Eerste-wêreldse en Derde-wêreldse perspektiewe op Jesus as die Seun van God

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Andries van Aarde

1994-01-01

Full Text Available The hermeneutical dilemma of cultural imperialism: First-World and the Third-World perspectives on Jesus as the Son of God In this essay the hermeneutical dilemma of cultural imperialism in the engagement of First-World theology with Third-World theology is addressed by means of a hermeneutics of conversation. The Christological title ‘Son of God’ serves as a case study. Western ontological Christology is compared with the christological perspective in African theology of the Son of God as elder brother and as ancestor. Both these perspectives are interpreted in the light of the evidence in the New Testament.

Die koninkryk van God as ’n kontekstueel-paradigmatiese sleutel vir Skrifberoep in die etiek

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De Wet Saaiman

2014-11-01

Full Text Available In die lig van die Christelike etiek is ’n beroep op die Skrif ’n sine qua non waar standpunte oor etiese vraagstukke ingeneem word. Deur ’n beroep op die Skrif te doen, is die probleem ongelukkig nie sonder meer opgelos nie. Hierdie artikel toon aan dat die begrip koninkryk van God as tema as ’n hermeneutiese vertrekpunt kan dien in die soeke na antwoorde op etiese vraagstukke. Daar word aangedui dat die koninkryk van God ’n noodsaaklike tema is omdat sekere wetsbepalings en kontekstueel bepaalde beginsels en norme in die voortsetting van die gedagte van die koninkryk van God in die Ou en Nuwe Testament ingebed is. Daar is egter ook sekere voorskrifte binne die teokratiese bestel wat vir die volk Israel in hulle spesifieke konteks gegee is wat nie noodwendig direk in die hedendaagse samelewingskonteks kan en mag toegepas word nie. Die boodskap van die Skrif moet dus op ’n verantwoordelike en geldige wyse gekonstateer word en effektief aan die moderne samelewing oorgedra word. The kingdom of God as a contextual paradigmatic key for using Scripture in ethics. The use of Scripture is, in light of Christian ethics, a sine qua non when positions with regard to ethical problems are assumed. A simple interpretation of Scripture does not necessarily settle the problem. This article shows that the concept kingdom of God as a theme can serve as a hermeneutical point of departure in the search for answers to ethical questions. It is shown that the kingdom of God is a necessary theme due to the fact that certain legal stipulations and contextual based principles and norms are embedded in the idea of the kingdom of God in the Old and New Testament. There are also certain prescriptions within the theocratic system of Israel in its specific context that may not and cannot be directly applied to the modern day societal context. The message of the Bible must thus be established in a responsible and valid way, and communicated effectively to modern

75 FR 15764 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: “Gods of Angkor: Bronzes...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-30

... Determinations: ``Gods of Angkor: Bronzes From the National Museum of Cambodia'' SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given... objects to be included in the exhibition ``Gods of Angkor: Bronzes from the National Museum of Cambodia,'' imported from abroad for temporary exhibition within the United States, are of cultural significance. The...

State vs. God: On an Atheistic Implication of European Statism

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Pawel Tarasiewicz

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The article consistst of four parts. First, it gives an example of statism present in contemporary Europe which consists in giving a priority of loyalty to the state at the expense of loyalty to God. Secondly, it traces the idea of European statism in the thought of Hobbes and Hegel to show how the state was to replace or equal God’s authority. Thirdly, it considers whether democracy can efficiently protect against statism. Finally, it explores the words of Jesus Christ—“Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s”—to formulate an argument against trading Christian faith for the philosophy of statism.

A clash of gods – Conceptualising space in Daniel 1

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J. Jacobus de Bruyn

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Applying cognitive linguistics to the text of Daniel 1 is a useful exegetical aid for a better understanding of the narrative. Studying the author’s use of ‘spatial markers’ such as ‘Jerusalem’, ‘Babylon’, ‘temple’ and some other spatial features, makes it possible to reconstruct the narrative into a ‘cognitive spatial frameset’. In this particular exegetical frameset, Daniel 1 can be described as a narrated confrontation between Yahweh and the gods of Babylon. Within this conflict between deities, Daniel, the divine agent becomes a spatial embodiment of Yahweh’s power and authority to act inside a hostile, non-Israelite environment and at the same time undermines the authority of the Babylonian gods.

Vision of God from Islamic Gnosticism Point of View as Well as it’s Comparison with Some of the Famous Theological and Exegetic Views

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Parvin Nabian

2011-09-01

Full Text Available   The possibility or impossibility of vision of God is exciting and complicated question which has allocated itself various views along Islamic thought. What become obvious from Islamic Gnostics sayings and shia imam ’s demonstration and statements is that they know the sensible vision and intellectual vision of God impossible.   They just know allowable the heartfelt vision which is the result of purity and safeness of inner faculties and therefore the verses of Quran about the vision of God or prophet ’s requesting about sighting of God have interpreted to heartfelt intuition.   This paper briefly reviews some Islamic theologies ideas with respect to their Quranic demonstrations and commentators views on this issue and comparing their understandings from Quranic verses whit each other specially verse 143 of sura Araf, in addition to speak about the meaning of intuition vision and its truth, its order, how human can be achieved that position with respect to three principles: "unity of being, velayat, love" and whit the centrality of holy Quran, hadiths and imam ’s statements. Therefore in this paper it will become obvious what is the meaning of intuition vision from Gnostics point of view and it’s the result of manifestation of God ’s attributes which man can achieve to intuition position .

Relating with God Contributes to Variance in Happiness, over that from Personality and Age

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John Fisher

2013-06-01

Full Text Available A previous study on university students reported that personal, communal, and environmental spiritual well-being contributed to happiness over and above personality but that relating with God did not. In this study, happiness was assessed using a modified Oxford Happiness Inventory. Personality scores were obtained using forms of Eysenck’s Personality Questionnaire. Four domains of spiritual well-being were determined using Fisher’s Spiritual Well-Being Questionnaire. Relationship with God was reflected by the Transcendental domain of spiritual well-being in this instrument. Studies with 466 university students from Australia, Northern Ireland, and England, 494 people attending churches in Ballarat, and 1002 secondary school students in Victoria showed that relating with God accounts for variance on happiness, over and above personality, and age.

Worldly and Otherworldly Virtue: Likeness to God as Educational Ideal in Plato, Plotinus, and Today

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Zovko, Marie-Élise

2018-01-01

In Plato, 'Becoming like God' constitutes the "telos" of the philosophical life. Our 'likeness to God' is rooted in the relationship of the divine paradeigma to its image established in the generation of the Cosmos. This relationship makes knowledge and virtue possible, and informs Plato's theory of education. Related concepts preexist…

The Association Between Belief in God and Fertility Desires in Slovenia and the Czech Republic

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Cranney, Stephen

2016-01-01

Context Research on the association between religiosity and fertility—and, particularly, on the effects of secularization on fertility desires and outcomes—has been concerned primarily with mechanisms that are fundamentally institutional and are embedded in formal religious structures. Supplementary explanations focused on noninstitutional dimensions of religiosity have never been tested. Methods Conventional ordinary least-squares regression was used to test the association between belief in God (i.e., a personal God or some sort of life force) and fertility desires among 2,251 women aged 18–45 in Slovenia and 951 women aged 15–44 in the Czech Republic who participated in the European Family and Fertility Survey in the mid-1990s. Results In both samples, substantial proportions of women either were nonbelievers or believed in God but were not institutionally religious. Belief in God was independently associated with fertility desires even in analyses controlling for self-reported religiosity. Women who believed in a personal God wanted approximately 0.2 more children, and those who believed in a life force wanted approximately 0.1 more children, than nonbelievers. Results were similar across several alternative measures of religiosity. Conclusions At least some of the connection between religiosity and fertility apparently is attributable to metaphysical beliefs. Future research on the effect of secularization on fertility decline should investigate the potentially distinct effects of different dimensions of religiosity. PMID:25682844

The association between belief in God and fertility desires in Slovenia and the Czech Republic.

Science.gov (United States)

Cranney, Stephen

2015-06-01

Research on the association between religiosity and fertility-and, particularly, on the effects of secularization on fertility desires and outcomes-has been concerned primarily with mechanisms that are fundamentally institutional and are embedded in formal religious structures. Supplementary explanations focused on noninstitutional dimensions of religiosity have never been tested. Conventional ordinary least-squares regression was used to test the association between belief in God (i.e., a personal God or some sort of life force) and fertility desires among 2,251 women aged 18-45 in Slovenia and 951 women aged 15-44 in the Czech Republic who participated in the European Family and Fertility Survey in the mid-1990s. In both samples, substantial proportions of women either were nonbelievers or believed in God but were not institutionally religious. Belief in God was independently associated with fertility desires even in analyses controlling for self-reported religiosity. Women who believed in a personal God wanted approximately 0.2 more children, and those who believed in a life force wanted approximately 0.1 more children, than nonbelievers. Results were similar across several alternative measures of religiosity. At least some of the connection between religiosity and fertility apparently is attributable to metaphysical beliefs. Future research on the effect of secularization on fertility decline should investigate the potentially distinct effects of different dimensions of religiosity. Copyright © 2015 by the Guttmacher Institute.

Vrou as beeld van God, Deel 1: 'n Historiese ondersoek - Vanaf Genesis tot die Middeleeue

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Yolanda Dreyer

2000-12-01

Full Text Available Woman created in the image of God, Part 1: a historical investigation - from Genesis to the Middle Ages. This study indicates that the traditions in the Pentateuch, especially the creation traditions, implied the egalitarian status of man and woman as image of God. The context of this traditions, however, was patriarchal and thus opened the possibility of the exploitation of women. Though Genesis 1:27 does not specifically attest to the asymmetry between man and woman in patriarchal society, the fate of women in general was bound up with the presentation of God as a male creator. The implications of this presentation can be clearly seen in texts of the intertestamental period. The study points out the degree to which Philo's view of a hierarchy concerning man and woman as immanent to God's order of creation, strongly influenced Christian thought on the place of women. Since the "fall of woman" necessitates a "soteriology", women in general are portrayed negatively in patristic texts. Mary is seen as the positive counterpart of Eve. The image of women then becomes that of submission on account of their alienation from God. The article concludes with the view of Thomas Aquinas that the subservience of slaves is less than that of women, because in their case it is not an order of creation.

African American Elders’ Serious Illness Experiences: Narratives of “God Did,” “God Will,” and “Life Is Better”

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Coats, Heather; Crist, Janice D.; Berger, Ann; Sternberg, Esther; Rosenfeld, Anne G.

2017-01-01

The foundation of culturally sensitive patient-centered palliative care is formed from one’s social, spiritual, psychological, and physical experiences of serious illness. The purpose of this study was to describe categories and patterns of psychological, social, and spiritual healing from the perspectives of aging seriously ill African American (AA) elders. Using narrative analysis methodology, 13 open-ended interviews were collected. Three main patterns were “prior experiences,” “I changed,” and “across past, present experiences and future expectations.” Themes were categorized within each pattern: been through it … made me strong, I thought about … others, went down little hills … got me down, I grew stronger, changed priorities, do things I never would have done, quit doing, God did and will take care of me, close-knit relationships, and life is better. “Faith” in God helped the aging seriously ill AA elders “overcome things,” whether their current illness or other life difficulties. PMID:26701962

Development and validation of the Dutch Questionnaire God Image : Effects of mental health and religious culture

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schaap-Jonker, Hanneke; Eurelings-Bonekoe, Elisabeth E.M.; Jonker, Evert R.; Zock, Hetty

2008-01-01

This article presents the Dutch Questionnaire God Image (QGI), which has two theory-based dimensions: feelings towards God and perceptions of God’s actions. This instrument was validated among a sample of 804 respondents, of which 244 persons received psychotherapy. Results showed relationships

76 FR 63702 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: “Aphrodite and the Gods of...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-13

... DEPARTMENT OF STATE [Public Notice: 7645] Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: ``Aphrodite and the Gods of Love'' SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the following... ``Aphrodite and the Gods of Love,'' imported from abroad for temporary exhibition within the United States...

Big Gods: Extended prosociality or group binding?

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Galen, Luke W

2016-01-01

Big Gods are described as having a "prosocial" effect. However, this conflates parochialism (group cohesion) with cooperation extended to strangers or out-group members. An examination of the cited experimental studies indicates that religion is actually associated with increased within-group parochialism, rather than extended or universal prosociality, and that the same general mechanisms underlie both religious and secular effects.

Die koninkryk van God as sistematies-teologiese kategorie in die werk van J.A. Heyns

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Sarel J.L. Marais

2011-03-01

Full Text Available The kingdom of God as a systematic-theological category in the work of J.A. Heyns Heyns was probably the most noteworthy Afrikaans speaking theologian of the 20th century, considering the quantity of Afrikaans theological publications from his pen. It is a well known fact that he used the kingdom of God as a systematic-theological category that flows like a perennial river of opportunity through all of his writings. It created an opportunity to be consistent in both his systematic theology and in his ethics, show clearly how man and God can be coworkers in a dialogical relationship and to integrate philosophy with theology. Unfortunately, there was sometimes flooding, because he filled the kingdom of God with philosophical concepts and viewed it as an ontological cosmic-universal entity. His philosophical background also occasionally led to inadequate speculations in his theology and inadmissibly he didn�t always use the Bible appropriately, although his doctrine of Scripture and hermeneutics were satisfactory. Lastly, his philosophical modus operandi helped him to differentiate between important theological concepts, which have problem solving abilities.

Nietzsche se uitspraak God-is-dood, en die interpretasievoorstelle van Hans Küng en Jürgen Moltmann

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A. J. Groenewald

1998-12-01

Full Text Available Nietzsche's theorem 'God-is-dead' and the reading models of HansKüng and Jürgen Moltmann. In this article the meaning and significance of Nietzsche's theorem 'God-is-dead' is examined. Through the reading models of Hans Küng and Jürgen Moltmann, an atempt is made to indicate that Nietzsche did not per se acknowledged or denied the existence of God. These reading models, although different, eliminate vaious theological misunderstandings and misinterpretations. This is important for the current theological debate.

The image of God (Gen. 1:26-27) in the Pentateuch : a biblical-theological approach / Daniel Simango

OpenAIRE

Simango, Daniel

2006-01-01

This dissertation focuses on how the theme of the image of God (Gen 1 :26-27) is seen and developed in the Pentateuch. The image of God in man (Gen 1 :26-27) has been interpreted in various ways. Predominant opinions have changed over time from the Early Jewish interpretation to the present period. Today there is a wider range of opinion regarding the image of God than ever. This dissertation follows a biblical-theological approach from a Reformed tradition of Genesis 1 :26-...

Assessing God Locus of Control as a Factor in College Students' Alcohol Use and Sexual Behavior

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Moore, Erin W.

2014-01-01

Objectives: This study explored God locus of control beliefs (ie, God's control over behavior) regarding their influence on alcohol use and sexual behavior as an alternative religiosity measure to religious behaviors, which does not capture perceived influence of religiosity. Additionally, demographic differences in religious beliefs were…

A Puzzle Unsolved: Failure to Observe Different Effects of God and Religion Primes on Intergroup Attitudes.

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Ramsay, Jonathan E; Tong, Eddie M W; Pang, Joyce S; Chowdhury, Avijit

2016-01-01

Religious priming has been found to have both positive and negative consequences, and recent research suggests that the activation of God-related and community-related religious cognitions may cause outgroup prosociality and outgroup derogation respectively. The present research sought to examine whether reminders of God and religion have different effects on attitudes towards ingroup and outgroup members. Over two studies, little evidence was found for different effects of these two types of religious primes. In study 1, individuals primed with the words "religion", "God" and a neutral control word evaluated both ingroup and outgroup members similarly, although a marginal tendency towards more negative evaluations of outgroup members by females exposed to religion primes was observed. In study 2, no significant differences in attitudes towards an outgroup member were observed between the God, religion, and neutral priming conditions. Furthermore, the gender effect observed in study 1 did not replicate in this second study. Possible explanations for these null effects are discussed.

God, Sport Philosophy, Kinesiology: A MacIntyrean Examination

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Twietmeyer, Gregg

2015-01-01

Sport philosophy is in crisis. This subdiscipline of kinesiology garners little to no respect and few tenure track lines in kinesiology departments. Why is this the case? Why isn't philosophy held in greater esteem? Is it possible that philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre's (2009) diagnosis found in "God, Philosophy, Universities" could…

Thinking from God's perspective decreases biased valuation of the life of a nonbeliever.

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Ginges, Jeremy; Sheikh, Hammad; Atran, Scott; Argo, Nichole

2016-01-12

Religious belief is often thought to motivate violence because it is said to promote norms that encourage tribalism and the devaluing of the lives of nonbelievers. If true, this should be visible in the multigenerational violent conflict between Palestinians and Israelis which is marked by a religious divide. We conducted experiments with a representative sample of Muslim Palestinian youth (n = 555), examining whether thinking from the perspective of Allah (God), who is the ultimate arbitrator of religious belief, changes the relative value of Jewish Israelis' lives (compared with Palestinian lives). Participants were presented with variants of the classic "trolley dilemma," in the form of stories where a man can be killed to save the lives of five children who were either Jewish Israeli or Palestinian. They responded from their own perspective and from the perspective of Allah. We find that whereas a large proportion of participants were more likely to endorse saving Palestinian children than saving Jewish Israeli children, this proportion decreased when thinking from the perspective of Allah. This finding raises the possibility that beliefs about God can mitigate bias against other groups and reduce barriers to peace.

Young children’s God concepts: Influences of attachment and religious socialization in a family and school context.

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de Roos, S.A.

2006-01-01

This contribution offers an overview of two studies testing two attachment theoretical correspondence hypotheses in the prediction of individual differences in young children's God concepts. The correspondence hypothesis supposes that people's view on God parallels their images of their early

Orthodox representations of God and implicit anthropomorphic reasoning

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Tatiana Malevich

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The phenomenon of theological incorrectness is primarily the result of the coexistence of two parallel levels of religious representations constituting a continuum of cognitive complexity. This article presents results of the replication experiment based on the classical study by J. L. Barrett and F. Keil (1996 aimed at diff erentiating levels of implicit anthropomorphic and explicit non-anthropomorphic reasoning about God. The data which were obtained in the experiment and based on the Russian Orthodox sample of Theology students have confi rmed the cross-cultural universality and stability of the phenomenon of theological incorrectness described by J. L. Barrett and now widely accepted in the cognitive religious science. In a real-thinking mode aimed at rapid solutions to problems, complicated and cognitively cumbersome theological concepts do undergo systematic deformation and optimisation and acquire anthropomorphic properties corresponding to our default ontological assumptions. Such a tacit deformation seems to be independent from theological representations and occurs even in the presence of explicitly held non-anthropomorphic concepts of God.

Theological and Dogmatic Definition of the God-Man Jesus Christ Person

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Bugiulescu Marian

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The present paper presents the Theological and Dogmatic definition of the Person of the God-man Jesus Christ, as it has been formulated by the Orthodox Church in the course of time. In the Ecumenical and local synods, the Church proclaimed against the heresies various definitions of faith or dogmas. Dogma, in its essence, is a truth of faith revealed by God, unchangeable, formulated and transmitted by the Church, for man’s salvation. The central dogma of Christianity is the Trinitarian one. Regarding the Person and the Work of Christ, against the heresies promoted by Arius, Nestorius, Eutychius and Macedonius, at the Ecumenical Synods III (Ephesus 431, IV (Chalcedon 451, VI (Constantinople 680-681, the Church officially stated that Jesus Christ is truly God and truly Man, and His Person includes the divine nature, from eternity, yet united in time with the human nature, each nature having its own will, and the human will follows the divine will. This union of the divinity with the humanity in Christ is actually the basis of man’s salvation realized objectively in Christ and actualized personally by all the Christians in the Church, by means of which evil and death are defeated by the resurrection leading to eternal life.

The God effect quantum entanglement, science’s strangest phenomenon

CERN Document Server

Clegg, Brian

2006-01-01

The phenomenon that Einstein thought too spooky and strange to be true What is entanglement? It's a connection between quantum particles, the building blocks of the universe. Once two particles are entangled, a change to one of them is reflected---instantly---in the other, be they in the same lab or light-years apart. So counterintuitive is this phenomenon and its implications that Einstein himself called it "spooky" and thought that it would lead to the downfall of quantum theory. Yet scientists have since discovered that quantum entanglement, the "God Effect," was one of Einstein's few---and perhaps one of his greatest---mistakes. What does it mean? The possibilities offered by a fuller understanding of the nature of entanglement read like something out of science fiction: communications devices that could span the stars, codes that cannot be broken, computers that dwarf today's machines in speed and power, teleportation, and more. In The God Effect, veteran science writer Brian Clegg has written an ex...

The God particle if the universe is the answer, what is the question?

CERN Document Server

Lederman, Leon Max

1993-01-01

In this extraordinarily accessible and enormously witty book, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Leon Lederman guides us on a fascinating tour of the history of particle physics. The book takes us from the Greeks' earliest scientific observations through Einstein and beyond in an inspiring celebration of human curiosity. It ends with the quest for the Higgs boson, nicknamed the God Particle, which scientists hypothesize will help unlock the last secrets of the subatomic universe. With a new preface by Lederman, The God Particle will leave you marveling at our continuing pursuit of the infinites

The Analysis of Confucian Followers’ Understanding of Gods in Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism in Bangka Island - Indonesia

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Sugiato Lim

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Indonesia is a multi-ethnic, multi-culture, and multi-faith country. This piece of land combines a lot of ethnic elements into one. For example, Confucianism in Indonesia is combination of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism characteristic in many ways. Aim of this paper is to find out the features of Confucianism as a religion or a belief for its followers in Bangka. In addition, this paper also focuses on finding out the followers view towards their Gods in their perspectives. In this article, classification of Gods in Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism is presented based on direct social observation. In this paper, analysis of Confucian followers understanding towards Gods in Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism in Bangka Island Indonesia is presented respectively. In conclusion, characteristics of these three religions have blended perfectly and there is no more distinction in Confucius, Buddhist or Taoism Gods in Confucian followers’ community in Bangka Island. 

The Image of God in the Second Epistle of Peter

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Krzysztof Suszko

2017-09-01

Full Text Available An analysis of this text reveals the two essential issues handled in the epistle: (1 the constant presence of the theme of God considered from the viewpoint of His glory and (2 an ultimate Christocentrism of all content references in the image of God. The word “glory” (δόξα appears five times, always in key places of the inspired text under study. The epistle exposes the theology of faith from the aspects of knowledge and calling, so as to successively reveal the mystery of Jesus Christ being the Divine Person – in the context of the Divine Trinity – and, furthermore, to disclose His subsequent Christological titles leading to a complete revelation in the expression: “Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ” (κύριος ἡμῶν καὶ σωτήρ Ἰησοῦς Χριστός. At the same time, the epistle describes the main practical goal, i.e. “partaking of the divine nature” (cf. 2 Peter 1 : 4 through “God and Jesus, our Lord” (θεός καὶ Ἰησοῦς κύριος ἡμῶν, and the method of reaching this goal; it also warns against going a different way by contrasting the two dimensions of reality: the earthly and the eternal.

What If I Don't Want to Play God?

Science.gov (United States)

Dobrin, Kelly Hykes; Yarnall, Gary Dean

The authors review technological advances in medicine, such as gene manipulation, amniocentesis, ultra sound, organ transplants, and cloning, and point out ethical and moral dilemmas resulting from such capabilities. Implications of overpopulation are briefly considered. The authors contend that the decision "to play God" has already been made,…

What's God Got to Do with It? How Religiosity Predicts Atheists' Health.

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Speed, David; Fowler, Ken

2016-02-01

The relationship between atheism and health is poorly understood within the Religion/Spirituality-health literature. While the extant literature promotes the idea that Attendance, Prayer, and Religiosity are connected to positive health outcomes, these relationships have not been established when controlling for whether a person is an atheist. Data from the 2008-2012 American General Social Survey (n = 3210) were used to investigate this relationship. Results indicated that atheists experienced Religiosity more negatively than non-atheists. Additionally, results demonstrated that non-belief in God was not related to better or worse perceived global health, suggesting that belief in God is not inherently linked to better reported health.

The position of the individual gods and goddesses in various types of sources - with special reference to the female divinities

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Else Mundal

1990-01-01

Full Text Available In the written sources the gods are arranged in a patriarchal family structure with Odin on the top. If we try to rank the gods in order of precedence on the basis of the number of instances in the toponymic material, Odin would be found a good way down the list. Generally, we should expect gods connected with the cult of fertility and the agricultural society to be overrepresented in the toponymic material in comparison with a god of war. If we consider our literary sources and ask which of the goddesses' names are most frequently used as basic words in kenningar for women, we see that many of the more "unknown" goddesses are very well represented in this material. In the toponymic material, it was the leading goddess who was considered to be the leading god's wife, but not necessarily. Both Frigg and Freyja belong to the type of fertility goddess.

[On gods, snakes and staffs--the emblem of the medical profession].

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Rabinerson, David; Salzer, Liat; Gabbay-Benziv, Rinnat

2014-10-01

The commonly accepted emblems of the Medical Profession are the staff of the Greek god of medicine--Asklepios (or Asclepius], on which one serpent is entwined. Later, around the 16th century C.E., the wand of the herald of the Greek Gods, e.g., Hermes, on which two snakes are entwined and facing each other, became popular as the emblem of the medical profession. We elaborate on the history of the evolution of these emblems as symbols of medicine, including earlier influences from the times of the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians, which were followed by Judeo-Christian traditions and concepts. The relevance of the use of the wand of Hermes as an emblem of our profession is further discussed.

[Imhotep--builder, physician, god].

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Mikić, Zelimir

2008-01-01

The medicine had been practiced in ancient Egypt since the earliest, prehistoric days, many millenia before Christ, and was quite developed in later periods. This is evident from the sceletal findings, surgical instruments found in tombs, wall printings, the reliefs and inscriptions, and most of all, from the sparse written material known as medical papyri. However, there were not many physicians from that time whose names had been recorded. The earliest physician in ancient Egypt known by name was Imhotep. WHO WAS IMHOTEP?: Imhotep lived and worked during the time of the 3rd Dynasty of Old Kingdom and served under the pharaoh Djoser (reigned 2667-2648 BC) as his vizier or chief minister, high priest, chief builder and carpenter. He obviously was an Egyptian polymath, a learned man and scribe and was credited with many inventions. As one of the highest officials of the pharaoh Djoser Imhotep is credited with designing and building of the famous Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqarah, near the old Egyptian capital of Memphis. Imhotep is also credited with inventing the method of stone-dressed building and using of columns in architecture and is considered to be the first architect in history known by name. It is believed that, as the high priest, Imhotel also served as the nation's chief physician in his time. As the builder of the Step Pyramid, and as a physician, he also had to take medical care of thousands of workers engaged in that great project. He is also credited with being the founder of Egyptian medicine and with being the author of the so-called Smith papirus containing a collection of 48 specimen clinical records with detailed accurate record of the features and treatment of various injuries. As such he emerges as the first physician of ancient Egypt known by name and, at the same time, as the first physician known by name in written history of the world. GOD: As Imhotep was considered by Egyptian people as the "inventor of healing", soon after the death, he

How Poets Should Speak of the Gods. Plato, Republic II 377e6–378a1

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Jera Marušič

2004-12-01

Full Text Available In Plato’s Republic, Socrates and his interlocutors assign to poetry an important educational task in the envisioned just state, but then find the existing poetry mostly unsuitable for it. Examining how poets speak about the gods, Socrates directs at Hesiod the criticism that he »did not speak falsely well« (377e7 when narrating the actions of Uranus and Cronus. We may find this criticism surprising: the poet is not reproached for speaking falsely about the actions of these two gods, but for not speaking falsely well about them. It seems, therefore, that Socrates would not disapprove of Hesiod’s false speaking, provided that the poet spoke falsely well. In order to clarify Socrates’ criticism, it is first examined what it means, in the case of Hesiod, »to speak falsely« (as opposed to »speaking truly«, and then what it means »not to speak falsely well« (as opposed to »speaking falsely well«. Relying on some further arguments by Socrates, a distinction is made between two kinds of claims that can be made about the gods: claims about what the gods are like and claims about what they did. As this paper tries to show, it is acceptable to Socrates if poets speak falsely about what the gods did (for, because there is no knowing about the divine actions, it is not possible to speak truly about this, as is suggested at 382c10–d3, but not about what they are like (for what we do know about the divine nature is that it is good and therefore cannot cause evil, and so it must be spoken of, as is argued at 379b1–16. It turns out, therefore, that poets speak falsely well about what the gods did when they attribute good actions to them, i.e. such actions as they could in fact have done: doing so, the poets speak falsely about what the gods did, but implicitly speak truly about what they are like. As Hesiod attributed bad actions to Uranus and Cronus, he implicitly spoke of the gods as capable of evil. Therefore he did not speak falsely only

HONEST TO GOD AND THE SOUTH AFRICAN CHURCHES IN 2016

African Journals Online (AJOL)

the rise of a liberal, secular and science-informed culture in Britain was undermining ..... up to God. Once again, Robinson argues for an ethically oriented view that ... How sound was Robinson's view of the future of his own Church of England.

Adolescents' relationship with God and internalizing adjustment over time: the moderating role of maternal religious coping.

Science.gov (United States)

Goeke-Morey, Marcie C; Taylor, Laura K; Merrilees, Christine E; Shirlow, Peter; Cummings, E Mark

2014-12-01

A growing literature supports the importance of understanding the link between religiosity and youths' adjustment and development, but in the absence of rigorous, longitudinal designs, questions remain about the direction of effect and the role of family factors. This paper investigates the bidirectional association between adolescents' relationship with God and their internalizing adjustment. Results from 2-wave, SEM cross-lag analyses of data from 667 mother/adolescent dyads in Belfast, Northern Ireland (50% male, M age = 15.75 years old) supports a risk model suggesting that greater internalizing problems predict a weaker relationship with God 1 year later. Significant moderation analyses suggest that a stronger relationship with God predicted fewer depression and anxiety symptoms for youth whose mothers used more religious coping.

Adolescents’ relationship with God and internalizing adjustment over time: The moderating role of maternal religious coping

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Goeke-Morey, Marcie C.; Taylor, Laura K.; Merrilees, Christine E.; Shirlow, Peter; Cummings, E. Mark

2015-01-01

A growing literature supports the importance of understanding the link between religiosity and youths’ adjustment and development, but in the absence of rigorous, longitudinal designs, questions remain about the direction of effect and the role of family factors. This paper investigates the bi-directional association between adolescents’ relationship with God and their internalizing adjustment. Results from two-wave, SEM cross-lag analyses of data from 667 mother/adolescent dyads in Belfast, Northern Ireland (50% male, M age = 15.75 years old) supports a risk model suggesting that greater internalizing problems predicts a weaker relationship with God one year later. Significant moderation analyses suggest that a stronger relationship with God predicted fewer depression and anxiety symptoms for youth whose mothers used more religious coping. PMID:24955590

Conscientizacion of the Oppressed Language and the Politics of Humor in Ana Castillo's "So Far from God"

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Thananopavarn, Susan

2012-01-01

This essay explores the relationship between Ana Castillo's novel "So Far from God" (1993) and her development of an activist poetics inspired by Paulo Freire's influential 1970 treatise "Pedagogy of the Oppressed." "So Far from God" may be understood as the practical application of Castillo's theory of "conscienticized poetics"; that is, the…

After God’s image : prayer leads people with positive God beliefs to read less hostility in others’ eyes

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Meijer-van Abbema, Marieke; Koole, Sander L.

2017-01-01

Across cultures and historical periods, people have attributed human traits to the divine. Because of the similarity between people’s mental representations of God and their mental representations of others, people’s perceptions of God may carry over to people’s perceptions of others, especially

Faith Fictions: "The Word between This World and God"

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Le Tran, Mai-Anh

2009-01-01

The search for religious truth and depth in "fiction" invites a conceptualization of life and fictional narratives as "faith fictions"--narrative accounts of human experiences and the human condition that bridge this world and God. This article juxtaposes "Mother Crocodile", "Hunger", and "Lost in Translation" to highlight the ways in which they,…

Destroying God's Temple? Physical Inactivity, Poor Diet, Obesity, and Other "Sin" Behaviors.

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Faries, Mark D; McClendon, Megan; Jones, Eric J

2017-02-17

On average, our participants (N = 112), who self-proclaimed to be Christians, believed that physically inactive lifestyles, unhealthy eating, overeating, and being obese destroy the body, God's temple. However, these beliefs were less definitive, than those of other common "sin" behaviors, such as drug use, smoking, and excessive drinking of alcohol. In addition, destroying the body with physical inactivity or poor diet was not necessarily viewed as sinful. Subsequently, these beliefs did not relate to self-reported physical activity, dietary behavior, or body mass index. It is possible that inactivity, poor dietary habits, and obesity are not internalized into the spiritual perspective as destroying the body, God's temple, in the same way as other "sin" behaviors.

Assessing the Role of Attachment to God, Meaning, and Religious Coping as Mediators in the Grief Experience

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Kelley, Melissa M.; Chan, Keith T.

2012-01-01

Research has examined the relationship of styles of attachment to others and meaning with grief and the stress-related growth process. Less has been written on styles of attachment to God and patterns of religious coping and how these constructs may impact adjustment in persons dealing with loss. This study examines the roles of attachment to God,…

Feelings of Gratitude Toward God Among Older Whites, Older African Americans, and Older Mexican Americans

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Krause, Neal

2011-01-01

The first goal of this study is to see if social relationships in the church influence feelings of gratitude toward God. The second goal is to assess the impact of race and ethnicity on this relationship. The data support the following hypotheses: (1) older people who go to church more often tend to receive more spiritual support from fellow church members; (2) older adults who receive more spiritual support at church will derive a deeper understanding of themselves and others; (3) older people who develop greater insight into themselves and others will derive a greater sense of religious meaning in life; and (4) older adults who develop a deeper sense of religious meaning in life will feel more grateful to God. The results also indicate that the study model explains how feelings of gratitude toward God arise among older blacks and whites, but not older Mexican Americans. PMID:23543840

Feelings of Gratitude Toward God Among Older Whites, Older African Americans, and Older Mexican Americans.

Science.gov (United States)

Krause, Neal

2012-03-01

The first goal of this study is to see if social relationships in the church influence feelings of gratitude toward God. The second goal is to assess the impact of race and ethnicity on this relationship. The data support the following hypotheses: (1) older people who go to church more often tend to receive more spiritual support from fellow church members; (2) older adults who receive more spiritual support at church will derive a deeper understanding of themselves and others; (3) older people who develop greater insight into themselves and others will derive a greater sense of religious meaning in life; and (4) older adults who develop a deeper sense of religious meaning in life will feel more grateful to God. The results also indicate that the study model explains how feelings of gratitude toward God arise among older blacks and whites, but not older Mexican Americans.

God's Thoughts: Practical Steps toward a Theory of Everything

Science.gov (United States)

Lincoln, Don

2017-01-01

No matter your opinion on religion, whether you are a staunch believer or an unapologetic atheist, that phrase "God's thoughts" is a delightfully poetic one. It represents in a metaphorical way nothing less than an understanding of the deepest and most fundamental laws of the universe. Specifically, the hope is that we will one day be…

Crying in the Desert? : Speaking About God in Our Time

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jonkers, P.H.A.I.; Derkse, Wil; van der Lans, jos; Waanders, Stefan

2000-01-01

This article offers a critical analysis of some contemporary attempts to bring up the issue of God and religion again in philosophical discourse, after the disenchantment of the project of Enlightenment. At first the author analyses G. Vattimo’s recent book Belief, in which he repudiates the

The work of Daphne Hampson: The God talk of one feminist ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

p1243322

of biblical scholarship and the mass of popular religious literature make abundantly clear ...... speaking about God propounded by, for example, Paul Tillich and John ..... London: Collins. Boeve .... Schaberg, J, Bach, A & Fuchs, E 2004. On the ...

Self-Evident Propositions in Late Scholasticism. The Case of 'God Exists'

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Dvořák, Petr

-, č. 27/51 (2013), s. 47-73 ISSN 0231-5955 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP401/11/0371 Institutional support: RVO:67985955 Keywords : God 's existence * self-evident proposition * Scholasticism Subject RIV: AA - Philosophy ; Religion

Moralistic gods, supernatural punishment and the expansion of human sociality.

Science.gov (United States)

Purzycki, Benjamin Grant; Apicella, Coren; Atkinson, Quentin D; Cohen, Emma; McNamara, Rita Anne; Willard, Aiyana K; Xygalatas, Dimitris; Norenzayan, Ara; Henrich, Joseph

2016-02-18

Since the origins of agriculture, the scale of human cooperation and societal complexity has dramatically expanded. This fact challenges standard evolutionary explanations of prosociality because well-studied mechanisms of cooperation based on genetic relatedness, reciprocity and partner choice falter as people increasingly engage in fleeting transactions with genetically unrelated strangers in large anonymous groups. To explain this rapid expansion of prosociality, researchers have proposed several mechanisms. Here we focus on one key hypothesis: cognitive representations of gods as increasingly knowledgeable and punitive, and who sanction violators of interpersonal social norms, foster and sustain the expansion of cooperation, trust and fairness towards co-religionist strangers. We tested this hypothesis using extensive ethnographic interviews and two behavioural games designed to measure impartial rule-following among people (n = 591, observations = 35,400) from eight diverse communities from around the world: (1) inland Tanna, Vanuatu; (2) coastal Tanna, Vanuatu; (3) Yasawa, Fiji; (4) Lovu, Fiji; (5) Pesqueiro, Brazil; (6) Pointe aux Piments, Mauritius; (7) the Tyva Republic (Siberia), Russia; and (8) Hadzaland, Tanzania. Participants reported adherence to a wide array of world religious traditions including Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism, as well as notably diverse local traditions, including animism and ancestor worship. Holding a range of relevant variables constant, the higher participants rated their moralistic gods as punitive and knowledgeable about human thoughts and actions, the more coins they allocated to geographically distant co-religionist strangers relative to both themselves and local co-religionists. Our results support the hypothesis that beliefs in moralistic, punitive and knowing gods increase impartial behaviour towards distant co-religionists, and therefore can contribute to the expansion of prosociality.

Fear as dread of a God who kills and abuses? About a darker side of a key, but still forgotten biblical motif

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Pieter G.R. de Villiers

2013-10-01

Full Text Available This article investigates the motif of fear of God in biblical texts and contexts by discussing its use to indicate dread and by analysing the implications and consequences of such a reading of this key motif. After a brief overview of research on and contextual information about fear of God, it investigates fear as an intense and extreme human emotion and considers the reason why the motif is used by biblical authors in their discussions of the divine-human relationship, especially in the light of the fact that dread of God implies that God is a threatening force and dangerous power. It then evaluates how biblical authors embed fear within a configuration of thought that contains crucial themes of justice and holiness, without moving beyond this dimension of dread. Finally it investigates some hermeneutical considerations to cope with the challenges that an understanding of fear of God as dread brings with it.

Christopher R. Fee & David A. Leeming. Gods, Heroes, and Kings. The Battle for Mythic Britain

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Sophie ALATORRE

2006-06-01

Full Text Available A reassessment of British mythology has long been overdue, and Gods, Heroes and Kings is to be regarded as a stimulating contribution which helps to situate Anglo-Saxon tales in the mainstream of Medieval literature. Myths, pagan and Judeo-Christian beliefs, classical narratives: such vast material forms the backcloth Christopher F. Fee and David A. Leeming have undertaken to explore, thanks to an erudite comparative approach. Obviously, their book first aims at giving readers a new image of ...

Newton's Metaphysics of Space as God's Emanative Effect

Science.gov (United States)

Jacquette, Dale

2014-09-01

In several of his writings, Isaac Newton proposed that physical space is God's "emanative effect" or "sensorium," revealing something interesting about the metaphysics underlying his mathematical physics. Newton's conjectures depart from Plato and Aristotle's metaphysics of space and from classical and Cambridge Neoplatonism. Present-day philosophical concepts of supervenience clarify Newton's ideas about space and offer a portrait of Newton not only as a mathematical physicist but an independent-minded rationalist philosopher.

Who's Crazy? Students Critique "The Gods Must Be Crazy"

Science.gov (United States)

Hawking, Chris

2012-01-01

On the surface, "The Gods Must Be Crazy" is a campy confluence of three independent plotlines involving Xi, a Kalahari tribesman, who journeys to the end of the earth to dispose of a Coke bottle that has begun to disrupt the harmony of his community; Mr. Steyn, a white scientist, and the beautiful blonde schoolteacher he escorts through the bush;…

Should God Get Tenure? Essays on Religion and Higher Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Gill, David W., Ed.

Essays on the role of religion in higher education include: "Should God Get Tenure?" (David W. Gill); "On Being a Professor: The Case of Socrates" (Bruce R. Reichenbach); "Academic Excellence: Cliche or Humanizing Vision?" (Merold Westphal); "Religion, Science, and the Humanities in the Liberal Arts Curriculum" (H. Newton Maloney); "Tolstoy and…

The concept of God in Christian philosophy | Anthony | Sophia: An ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The different stages of the evolution of human history have made enormous attempts at understanding the concept of God. Tracing this study through the historical evolution of philosophy: from the Ancient to the Contemporary era, one would say that it remained distorted during the Ancient era, beautifully synthesized during ...

Mani, Augustine and the vision of God | Gardner | HTS Teologiese ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

If one accepts that Augustine as a Manichaean catechumen would have partaken in this most basic of the community's religious duties then one must consider what effect this could have had on the development of his own striking and influential teachings about the vision of God. The article discusses evident allusions to ...

Between Gods and Humans: Angels, demons and others

OpenAIRE

Piffzmann, Fabien; Römer, Thomas

2015-01-01

The interdisciplinary symposium “Between Gods and Humans: Angels, Demons and Others” was held on 19 and 20 May 2014, within the framework of the Chair of the Hebrew Bible and its Contexts’ seminar. Astaroth, illustration by Louis Breton This symposium was an opportunity once again to bring together Biblicists, Assyriologists, Egyptologists, Hellenists, an Iranologist, and a Medievalist, who were invited by Prof. Römer to examine the question of the intermediaries that inhabit the spaces betw...

The Role of Trusting in God in Predicting Mental Health of Tehran University Students

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Fatemeh Sharif Mousavi

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Introduction: in light of the importance of mental health in today life, attending to mental health of the youth to pave the way for a better future is of paramount importance. Various factors can influence mental health, one of which is the quality of attachment to and trust in God. The aim of this paper was to examine the capability of this quality so as to predict the mental health of Tehran University students. Methods: This research was of correlation type which utilized analysis of regression and the multiple correlation factor to analyze data. The participants were 300 students studying at University of Tehran (207 males and 93 females who were stratified into theology 34, biology 38, art 21, literature 54, economics 21, technical 68, English Language 38, and Psychology 26. Data collection was done on the basis of the revised list of mental symptoms, Kirkpatric test of attachment to God method and Rahyaft questionnaire in life events. Findings: in this study, it was demonstrated that 29% of the variance of students' mental health was represented by factors of attachment to God, and the value of F (found in the analysis of regression showed that only the aspects of attributive and action were meaningful at the significance level of below 0.5% among other variances and the other predictors of students' metal health all were meaningful at the significance level of below 0.01%. Conclusion: The findings of the study demonstrate the relation between spirituality and mental health in such a way that mental health can be helped by strengthening and reinforcing the students’ sources of spirituality including trust in God.

'We Fear Naught but God' | Els | Scientia Militaria: South African ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 30, No 2 (2000) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register. 'We Fear Naught but God'. P Els ...

When Naturalism and Creationism Clash: Can a Person Believe in Both God and Evolution?

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Osman Murat DENIZ

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Theory of evolution is identified with naturalistic view of science itself and considered by many people as a sound basis for atheism. And any alternative is automatically disqualified as unscientific and metaphysical. I would say that the battle is really between two worldviews: naturalism in its philosophical form and theism in the widest sense. It is open to debate whether a scientific theory like evolution has right to make a metaphysical claim that God does not exist. My paper calls attention to the conflict between naturalism and creationism and asserts that theory of evolution alone does not exclude belief in God of Theism.

Die Koninkryk van God by Jesus: ’n Apokalipties-eskatologiese of eties-eskatologiese begrip?

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G.C.J. Nel

2002-10-01

Drawing on the insights of Q research, the purpose of this article is to question the traditionally accepted position that the term “Kingdom of God” in Jesus’ sayings is to be understand in terms of an apocalyptic-eschatological framework. It argues that Jesus’ used “Kingdom of God” rather in an ethical-eschatological sense. Jesus’ reference to the Kingdom of God is understood as referring to an alternative lifestyle in the here and now of the life of Jesus’ followers. This insight is applied to the present-day situation of the church by describing Jesus’ view of the Kingdom of God as subversive wisdom which challenges many conventional practices.

Natuurrampe en die voorsienigheid van God, met besondere verwysing na die beskouing van Johannes Calvyn

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P C Potgieter

2006-09-01

Full Text Available It stands to reason that many of those believing in the providence of God will look for theological guidance when natural disasters of a catastrophic magnitude strike. This paper explores the reasoning of well-known theologians, and particularly John Calvin, in this regard endeavouring to develop a relevant contribution towards deeper insight in the extremely difficult issue of a theodicy. Contrary to a popular idea that Calvin adopted an extremely harsh line on providence by which God becomes responsible for every kind of disaster, it is argued that he maintains a fine balance between the loving grace of our heavenly Father and his righteous judgment over mankind who undermined his intended order of nature by sin. Argued from a Christological perspective, the faithful should respect both God's revelation and his hidden plan, which they will not be able to fathom in this life. Whatever happens, they should be pastorally guided to humble patience and perseverance in sincere hope on God� s unquestionable faithfulness, and the firm belief that he will guide his creation to its true destination.

32 CFR 644.554 - Insurance against loss or damages to buildings and improvements by fire or acts of God.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Insurance against loss or damages to buildings and improvements by fire or acts of God. 644.554 Section 644.554 National Defense Department of... Procedure § 644.554 Insurance against loss or damages to buildings and improvements by fire or acts of God...

The God That Limps: Science and Technology in the Eighties.

Science.gov (United States)

Norman, Colin

The title of this book derives its name from Hephaestus, the Greek god of fire and metalworking, who had a pronounced limp. Focusing on science and technology in the eighties, the first chapter of this book uses Hephaestus as a focal point since he was entrusted with the development and maintenance of key technologies and with keeping society…

Scriptural Engagement, Communication with God, and Moral Behavior among Children

Science.gov (United States)

Ovwigho, Pamela Caudill; Cole, Arnold

2010-01-01

How often an individual reads or listens to scripture is one dimension of private spirituality rarely discussed in the literature. In this study, we use data from a random sample survey of 1009 American children (ages eight to 12) to explore children's engagement with the Christian Bible, their views of communicating with God, and their moral…

Augustinus' geschrift 'De stad van God' (De ciuitate Dei): Een ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Test

7 juni 2011 ... als doctor litterarum sacrae scripturae. Twee mooie titels, maar voor wie goed leest en hoort zeggen ze in feite hetzelfde. Graag wil ik daarom van beide leraren nog veel leren. Inleiding. In het enorme œuvre van Augustinus wordt zijn geschrift De ciuitate Dei ofwel De stad van God, gewoonlijk samen met ...

Hoe praat ons oor/van God? Teologiese idiome van gister en van vandag

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A. G. van Aarde

1992-01-01

Full Text Available How does one speak about/of God? Theological idioms in the past and present In transitional stages theologians perceive that proven theories, models or methods become dated and that the specific idiom in which one speaks about/of God is not relevant any more. A theological idiom is defined as an example of the dicta used in the framework of a particular conceptual frame of reference. By presenting an overview of selected theological idioms used in the past and present, this article aims to propose a model for practising theology today. The selection is made from the following conceptual frames of reference: Middle Platonism, Aristotelian Scholasticism, Reformed Theology, Reformed Orthodoxy, Liberal Theology, Dialectical Theology and Contextual Theology.

Theology chronicle: Images of God in the Old Testament: Yahweh � loving father and mother

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A Groenewald

2006-09-01

Full Text Available This theology chronicle proceeds from the Marcionite idea of the cruel God of the Old Testament. This idea today is still well and alive with church members, and even with students of Biblical Studies and Theology. The author then takes the reader on a short journey through some of the most sublime love texts in the Old Testament, portraying Yahweh (the God of Israel as a loving father and even as a loving mother/wife. The article concludes with an appeal towards the reader to once again discover the beauty of the Old Testament as well as Old Testament texts.

A sociological approach to the concept of God amongst Iranian youth

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2011-03-29

Mar 29, 2011 ... Notwithstanding the essential role that God had played in the history of Persian ... modern scientific 'Theory of Creation' has not yet been discussed by the Islamic theologians of ... cultural congruence of the traditional belief system and ..... for social prejudice and discrimination against woman can deepen ...

Attachment to God/Higher Power and Bulimic Symptoms among College Women

Science.gov (United States)

Buser, Juleen K.; Gibson, Sandy

2016-01-01

The authors examined the relationship between avoidant and anxious attachment to God/Higher Power and bulimia symptoms among 599 female college student participants. After controlling for body mass index, the authors found a positive association between both attachment variables and bulimia. When entered together in a regression, anxious…

Cantor, God, and Inconsistent Multiplicities*

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Thomas-Bolduc Aaron R.

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The importance of Georg Cantor’s religious convictions is often neglected in discussions of his mathematics and metaphysics. Herein I argue, pace Jané (1995, that due to the importance of Christianity to Cantor, he would have never thought of absolutely infinite collections/inconsistent multiplicities, as being merely potential, or as being purely mathematical entities. I begin by considering and rejecting two arguments due to Ignacio Jané based on letters to Hilbert and the generating principles for ordinals, respectively, showing that my reading of Cantor is consistent with that evidence. I then argue that evidence from Cantor’s later writings shows that he was still very religious later in his career, and thus would not have given up on the reality of the absolute, as that would imply an imperfection on the part of God.

Die tema van God se spraak in Hebreërs se inleidingsformules

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Albert J. Coetsee

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Alhoewel die voorkoms en gebruik van die Ou Testament in die meeste navorsing oor Hebreërs besonder baie aandag geniet, is dit nie die geval met die Hebreërskrywer se gebruik van inleidingsformules vir sy Ou-Testamentiese aanhalings nie. Die gevolg is dat daar tot op hede betreklik min selfstandige navorsing oor die Hebreërskrywer se tema van God se spraak by sy inleidingsformules gedoen is. In hierdie artikel word Hebreërs se inleidingsformules in besonderhede nagegaan om te bepaal wat die aard en inhoud van die Hebreërskrywer se verwysings na die tema van God se spraak in sy inleidingsformules is. Daar word onder andere bepaal dat Hebreërs 38 direkte aanhalings vanuit die Ou Testament bevat, dat die Hebreërskrywer, met slegs een uitsondering, elke inleidingsformule met ’n werkwoord van sêinlei, dat ’n Persoon van die Drie-eenheid in 34 van die 38 direkte aanhalings (± 89% die onderwerp en gevolglike Spreker van die Ou-Testamentiese woorde is, dat die Hebreërskrywer al drie Persone van die Drie-eenheid as God beskou, en dat die Hebreërskrywer oortuig is dat die Ou Testament geïnspireer is en God se geldige en relevante openbaring bly. The theme of God’s speech in Hebrews’ introduction formulae. Whilst the occurance and function of the Old Testament in research on Hebrews enjoys a lot of attention, this is not the case for the writer of Hebrews’ use of introduction formulae for his Old Testament quotations. The result is that up to date relatively few independent studies have been made on the writer of Hebrews’ theme of God’s speech in his introduction formulae. In this article the introduction formulae in Hebrews are researched in detail to determine the nature and content of the writer of Hebrews’ reference to the theme of God’s speech in his introduction formulae. Amongst other things it is determined that Hebrews has 38 direct quotations from the Old Testament, that with the exception of one

An Analysis of Fundamentals and Factors of Positive Thinking and the Ways of its Emergence in Islam and the New Testament

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Masood Azarbayejani

2015-12-01

Full Text Available In the current world, the comparative study of religions is one of the ways which provides peace and coexistence and makes the believers of religions closer together. Finding the common notions could be a foundation for the dialog among the monotheistic religions and a background to eliminate the misunderstandings and to reach common point of views. The cornerstone of all the common efforts of the believers to the religions is to reach to an understanding for building a better world where true peace is established.  In this way, the article seeks to verify the notion of positive thinking in the religious resources of Islam and Christianity. In order to understand the foundations of the religious teachings and to provide a better understanding among the believers, then, the article tries to discover the common fundamentals and the opposing points about the positive thinking in these two religions. We firstly try to explain the notion of positive thinking in Islam and Christianity and then to offer the recommended ways in both religions to create and to strengthen this way of thinking.   As the different parts of the New Testament is not theologically homogeneous, this collection has been verified and explained in four different parts: Three Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke, John's thoughts, thoughts and ideas of Paul and finally the Christian sects and late scholars. The findings of the survey show that the notion of positive thinking in the monotheistic religions of Islam and Christianity can be traced back by the keyword "Hope". It is only the hope which could finally create the soul of positive attitude and thinking inside the humankind. This hope is accompanied by the prospect and causes the humankind to work hard to reach his/her goals. However, there are some opposing points in these two religions about the basic student, University of Esfahan [1] Professor, Research Institute of Hawzah and University foundation of this true hope: From

An Analysis of Fundamentals and Factors of Positive Thinking and the Ways of its Emergence in Islam and the New Testament

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zahra Mohagheghian

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In the current world, the comparative study of religions is one of the ways which provides peace and coexistence and makes the believers of religions closer together. Finding the common notions could be a foundation for the dialog among the monotheistic religions and a background to eliminate the misunderstandings and to reach common point of views. The cornerstone of all the common efforts of the believers to the religions is to reach to an understanding for building a better world where true peace is established.  In this way, the article seeks to verify the notion of positive thinking in the religious resources of Islam and Christianity. In order to understand the foundations of the religious teachings and to provide a better understanding among the believers, then, the article tries to discover the common fundamentals and the opposing points about the positive thinking in these two religions. We firstly try to explain the notion of positive thinking in Islam and Christianity and then to offer the recommended ways in both religions to create and to strengthen this way of thinking.   As the different parts of the New Testament is not theologically homogeneous, this collection has been verified and explained in four different parts: Three Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke, John's thoughts, thoughts and ideas of Paul and finally the Christian sects and late scholars. The findings of the survey show that the notion of positive thinking in the monotheistic religions of Islam and Christianity can be traced back by the keyword "Hope". It is only the hope which could finally create the soul of positive attitude and thinking inside the humankind. This hope is accompanied by the prospect and causes the humankind to work hard to reach his/her goals. However, there are some opposing points in these two religions about the basic student, University of Esfahan [1] Professor, Research Institute of Hawzah and University foundation of this true hope: From

Bread and Water as Metaphors for the Word of God in the Four Gospels

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Dawid Ledwoń

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Bread and water are among the best-known Biblical metaphors for the Word of God. This article presents a study of their occurrence in the four Gospels against the backdrop of the Old Testament. However, an analysis of the explicit references to bread and water is not exhaustive with regards to the topic under discussion. Therefore, other terms that relate to them, such as food, spring, hunger, thirst, feeding, and drinking, are also of great interest. Studying the metaphors for the Word of God reveals both a continuation of the Biblical ideas within the four Gospels, as well as a total novelty in the expression of the Word that became flesh (Jn 1:14.

The modal-epistemic argument for the existence of God is flawed

NARCIS (Netherlands)

S. Wintein (Stefan)

2018-01-01

textabstractIn a recent article, Emanuel Rutten has presented a novel argument for the existence of God, defined as a personal being that is the first cause of reality. An interesting feature of the argument, which caused quite a stir, is that it does not fall within any of the traditional

Where is God when dementia sneaks into our house? Practical ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

I argue that what is said in the literature on the subject of (the pastoral care for) dementia patients does not help the partners, because it lays a heavy burden on them, who are already suffering from feelings of grief and guilt. I do not agree with John Swinton's idea that God created dementia. Looking for different ways of ...

Hoe praat ons oor/van God? Teologiese idiome van gister en van ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In transitional stages theologians perceive that proven theories, models or methods become dated and that the specific idiom in which one speaks about/of God is not ... Middle Platonism, Aristotelian Scholasticism, Reformed Theology, Reformed Orthodoxy, Liberal Theology, Dialectical Theology and Contextual Theology.

Twelve-year history of late-life depression and subsequent feelings to God

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Braam, A.W.; Schaap - Jonker, H.; Horst, M.H.L.; Steunenberg, B.; Beekman, A.T.F.; Tilburg, W. van; Deeg, D.J.H.

2014-01-01

Objectives: Growing evidence shows several possible relations between religiousness and late-life depression. Emotional aspects of religiousness such as facets of the perceived relationship with God can be crucial in this connection. The aim of the current study was to examine the association

Post What? Disarticulating Post-Discourses in Toni Morrison’s God Help the Child

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Delphine Gras

2016-09-01

Full Text Available In the midst of the proliferation of post-discourses, this essay investigates how Toni Morrison’s God Help the Child (2015 offers a timely exploration of the hurting Black female body that calls into question, if not outright refutes, whether Americans have entered a post-racial, post-Black, and post-feminist era. This essay opens with a critical context section that situates God Help the Child within and against post-discourses, before examining how resemblances with Morrison’s prior works like Beloved (1987 and The Bluest Eye (1970 confirm that the legacy of slavery still dictates the way Black female bodies are seen and treated in twenty-first-century America. Ultimately, what this study intends is to speak the unspeakable: race still matters despite the silencing effects of post-discourses.

Gods openbaring in Jezus als de 'Nederige': Mattheus' versie van de ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

God 's revelation in Jesus as the 'Humble One ': Matthew's version of the Beatitudes and an early- Christian and rabbinical concept of 'Anawah. The author tries to examine how Matthew combines his version of the Beatitudes within the oth er material of his gospel writing. The Matthean Beatitudes appear to be statements ...

Nihilism and Education in Heidegger's Essay: "Nietzsche's Word: "God Is Dead"

Science.gov (United States)

Ehrmantraut, Michael

2016-01-01

In the "Rectoral Address", of 1933, Martin Heidegger indicates that the crisis of the West, articulated by Nietzsche as the "death of God", was a central concern in his attempt to rethink and reform higher education in 1933-1934. While Heidegger soon thereafter appears to have abandoned serious efforts at any practical…

The work of Daphne Hampson: The God talk of one feminist ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The work of Daphne Hampson: The God talk of one feminist theologian. MM Jacobs ... the rise of feminism, especially during recent decades, it has changed. In this article the work of Daphne Hampson, a British feminist theologian, is considered: Her definition and critique of Christianity, her view of the relation between the ...

Twelve-year history of late-life depression and subsequent feelings to God

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Braam, A.W.; Schaap-Jonker, H.; van der Horst, M.H.L.; Steunenberg, B.; Beekman, A.T.F.; van Tilburg, W.; Deeg, D.J.H.

2014-01-01

Objectives Growing evidence shows several possible relations between religiousness and late-life depression. Emotional aspects of religiousness such as facets of the perceived relationship with God can be crucial in this connection. The aim of the current study was to examine the association between

The unfolding of God's revelation in Hebrews 1:1–2a

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2016-06-24

Jun 24, 2016 ... 1.The writer of Hebrews calls his own work a 'word of exhortation' (λόγος .... Arndt and Gingrich's A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early .... prophets but also to all agents of God's revelation, everyone.

17. DR Aswani Book Review of Richard Dawkins The God Delusion ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

REGINALDS

pride should assert itself. These propositions run coordinated threads in the entire book. The text is punctuated by jokes and abuses, and laced with a tone of personal vendetta against religion. This is illustrated in some atheistic remarks such as the assertion that the Old. Testament God is a “petty, unjust, unforgiving control ...

“God met ons”: Gelowig nagedink oor die Skrif | Buitendag | HTS ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

“God with us”: Faithfully reflected on Scripture The theme of the article is a revisiting of the understanding of Holy Scripture from a dogmatic viewpoint. It is the author's conviction that the point of departure for such an exposition is revelation, which, of course, has to be deconstructed. The epistemological dilemma is that ...

The dynamics of God's reign as a hermeneutic key to Jesus ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

With this study, we seek to contribute to the theological discussion regarding the nature and the meaning of the Christian eschaton. We will argue that the dynamics of God's reign provide a hermeneutic key to Jesus' 'eschatological expectation'. It is not possible to grasp the full meaning of Jesus' urgent expectation of the ...

Skaber god corporate governance økonomisk værdi for aktionærerne?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rose, Caspar; Seest, Christian

2011-01-01

Artiklen besvarer spørgsmålet, om det skaber værdi for aktionærerne i de børsnoterede danske selskaber, hvis selskaberne i højere grad forholder sig til anbefalingerne om god selskabsledelse....

Als een roepende in de woestijn? : Over God spreken in deze tijd

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jonkers, P.H.A.I.

2000-01-01

This article offers a critical analysis of some contemporary attempts to bring up the issue of God and religion again in philosophical discourse, after the disenchantment of the project of Enlightenment. At first the author analyses G. Vattimo’s recent book Belief, in which he repudiates the

Iluminator of the wide earth; Unbribable judge; Strong weapon of the Gods: Intuitive ontology and divine epithets in Assyro-Babylonian religious texts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Westh, Peter

2011-01-01

A characteristic feature of Assyro-Babylonian religion was the repeated use of conventionalized phrases to address and describe the gods. Often, religious texts such as prayers and ritual incantations consisted of little more than the heaping up of such epithets. If the gods were indeed culturally...

Narratologiese ondersoek na Daniël 1: God beloon getrouheid | Nel ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A narratological analysis of Daniel 1: God rewards loyalty. The hypothesis of this article is that a narratological analysis of Daniel 1 may be useful in understanding it. Daniel 1 is a narrative without historical foundation and should be read and interpreted as literature. Whereas the tales in the Daniel book pretend to be about ...

the metanoetic presence of the kingdom of god in a fluid new world ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Therefore, the emphasis on order, predictability and open dialogue in religious circles, as ... augmented by a metanoetic understanding of the kingdom of God. ..... in infinite quantities. Just as he .... Leaders on the open seas of the kingdom are ...

a critical evaluation of the understanding of god in js mbiti's theology

African Journals Online (AJOL)

lack the concept of God; therefore, “all have the idea of God”. .... In the Central Luo, there are no words for “creation” and “to create”. (p'Bitek 1971:45), and they do not ... ATR(s), the meaning of the word “creation” differs between the various.

Folklore in Zora Neale Hurston's "Their Eyes Were Watching God." [Lesson Plan].

Science.gov (United States)

2002

Zora Neale Hurston's work is lively, lyrical, funny, and poignant, but this consummate literary craftsperson was also a first-rate ethnographer, conducting field work for Franz Boas and for the Works Progress Administration (WPA). "Their Eyes Were Watching God," often acclaimed as Hurston's masterpiece, is perhaps the richest beneficiary…

Arguments for the Existence of God in the Francisco Suarez’ "Metaphysical Disputations"

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Galina Vdovina

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The article considers arguments for the existence of God that are presented in Francisco Suarez’ treatise Metaphysical Disputations. The work of Suarez contains the most developed and detailed exposition of natural theology that exists in the scholastic tradition. Suarez explicitates the problem, formulating three questions: what is a being that we call God? Is it possible to prove or justify his existence? How is it possible? Suarez answers the first question by showing that we come to a concept of the prime and excellent being through a series of divisions in the concept of being. That prime being is infinite, absolute, necessary and uncreated. The second question is answered by the procedure of that division and its result. In his answer to the third question, Suarez distinguishes physical and metaphysical arguments. According to Suarez, the most significant physical proofs are the argument from motion and the argument from the rational soul. Nevertheless, he demonstrates that purely physical arguments cannot lead us to a being, which we call God. Only metaphysical argument from the principle, everything which is produced, is produces by something else, is really effective. The logic of the metaphysical proof is as follows: first, we have to demonstrate the necessary existence of the first non-produced thing: secondly, we are to show that such a thing can only be one. The first point is proved through the demonstration of an absolutely first cause in each series of causes, the second one is made evident through a demonstration of the impossibility to coexist simultaneously for two equally perfect first causes of equal causing power.

Understanding Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God

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Tatjana Vukelić

2007-12-01

Full Text Available The work of Zora Neale Hurston, in particular, the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, has been the object of more than a decade of critical attention. But, in addition to the critical consideration of Hurston's writings, her work has received the level of institutional support necessary for Hurston to enter the American literary mainstream. The article addresses the issue of black women literary tradition and the search for freedom and identity in the white American social and cultural environment.

It is out of my hands: how deferring control to God can decrease quality of life for breast cancer patients.

Science.gov (United States)

McLaughlin, Bryan; Yoo, Woohyun; D'Angelo, Jonathan; Tsang, Stephanie; Shaw, Bret; Shah, Dhavan; Baker, Timothy; Gustafson, David

2013-12-01

This paper seeks to contribute to the understanding of how and why religion affects psychosocial health outcomes. We propose a theoretical model predicting that when women with breast cancer defer control to God they will experience fewer breast cancer related concerns. Deferring control to God, however, should also reduce the likelihood that they take a proactive coping approach, which will be exacerbated by lowered breast cancer concerns. We therefore predict that this passive coping style will ultimately result in lower levels of quality of life. Data were collected as part of a randomized clinical trial funded by the National Cancer Institute. A total of 192 women with breast cancer participated in a computer-mediated social support group. Deferring control to God statements were captured by using computer-aided content analysis of discussion posts. Psychosocial outcomes were measured using longitudinal survey data. Analysis was performed using structural equation modeling. The results of our analysis largely confirm our mediation model for which we find significant model fit. As predicted, deferring control to God leads to lower levels of breast cancer concerns but also to more passive coping styles. Ultimately, deferring control to God can lead to lower levels of quality of life. Our study demonstrates how and why religious coping can lead to both positive and negative psychosocial health outcomes. Health care practitioners should encourage patients who are relying on religion to keep their end of the bargain and maintain an active coping style. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Names of God in Jewish Mysticism

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Konstantin Burmistrov

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The concept of the names of God and their role in the creation and existence of the world, as well as the practice of their veneration constitute an essential part of Judaism in general, and are elaborated in detail in Jewish mysticism. In Kabbalah, an idea of the creative power of the Tetragrammaton (the ineff able four-letter Name and other names occupies an especially prominent place. It is based on the idea of linguistic mysticism conveyed in the Jewish mystical treatise Sefer Yetzirah (“Book of Creation”, 3–6 centuries AD.. According to this ancient text, the creation of the world is seen as a linguistic process in which the Hebrew letters are thought of as both the creative forces and the material of which the world is created. The article analyses the main features of the symbolism of the divine names in medieval Kabbalah. We have identifi ed two main areas in the understanding of the divine names, peculiar to the two main schools of classical medieval Kabbalah — theosophical (theurgic and ecstatic (prophetic. The ideas of these schools are considered according to the works of two prominent kabbalists of the 13th c. — Joseph Gikatilla and Abraham Abulafi a. In the fi rst of these schools, knowing the names of God leads to the actualization of the latent mystical forces and results in a transformation and reintegration of our world and the world of the divine. This process, in turn, is understood as having an eschatological and messianic signifi cance. Abraham Abulafi a elaborated sophisticated practices of combining the divine names aimed at transforming the adept’s consciousness, its purifi cation and development of special mental abilities. At the end of the mystical path the practitioner achieves the state of prophecy and eventually merges with the Divine.

[To God through science. Natural theology in Francoism].

Science.gov (United States)

Paniagua, Francisco Blázquez

2011-01-01

In Spain, during Franco's dictatorship (1939-1975) the teaching and divulgation of science were subordinated to the Catholic religion and many books defended a theistic and creationistic point of view of biology that accepted a literal interpretation of the Book of Genesis and denied the theory of evolution, especially as it relates to human origin. This article is devoted to the main books and characteristics of this way of thinking which reproduced arguments and metaphors of the pre-Darwinian natural theology, arguing that nature was ruled by God and living organisms were the results of his design.

Hrozné zlo a jeho dopad na filozofické chápanie Boha ( Horrendous Evil and its Implications for the Philosophical Understanding of God

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Ľuboš Rojka

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The argument from evil in the contemporary analytic philosophy of religion changed from the logical problem to the evidential problem of evil, and recently to the problem of horrendous evil. D. Z. Phillips refuses instrumentalist solutions to the previous forms of the argument, because the problem of horrendous evil shows the absurdity of instrumentalist solutions, which imply a personal concept of God. The Thomistic concept of God is not acceptable either, because it is just an abstract concept. He suggests understanding of God as love, which does not interfere in worldly affairs. M. M. Adams responds to several objections raised by Phillips and proposes a better solution through the concept of being a morally good person. A critical analysis of the debate favors the concept of a personal God as it is used in the majoritarian analytical philosophy of religion.

On facing the God-question in a pastoral theology of compassion: From imperialistic omni-categories to theopaschitic pathos-categories

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Daniel J. Louw

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Many scholars in the 20th century warned against static, ontological and metaphysicalschemata of interpretation, stemming from Hellenistic thinking with its impact on God images in Christian reflection. Against the background of new spiritual and philosophica lphenomena like apatheism and anatheism, the question regarding the appropriateness o fexisting categories for God within the framework of pastoral theology surfaces. A paradigm shift from omni-categories to pathos-categories is proposed in order to deal with issues like human suffering, dignity and justice. In this regard, theopaschitic theology can play adecisive role in the reframing of existing static God-images stemming predominantly from the Roman-Greco world. The notion of a ‘sustainable God’ is introduced in order to reframe God’s compassionate presence (ta splanchna in terms of a continuum of infinitive interventions (infiniscience and the pneumatology of to-be-with. Die dinamika van die God-vraagstuk in ’n pastorale teologie van medelye en omgee: Vanafimperialistiese omni-kategorieë na teopasgitiese patos-kategorieë. Navorsers het telkemale in die twintigste eeu teen die impak van statiese, ontologiese en metafisiese skemas van interpretasie gewaarsku. Teïstiese denke is grootliks deur Hellenistiese denkkategorieë bepaal. Teen die agtergrond van nuwe filosofiese verskynsels soos apateïsme en anateïsme en die invloed daarvan op die verskillende vorms van spiritualiteitsdenke, duik die vraag op na die toepaslikheid en relevansie van bestaande, geykte denkkategorië vir die Christelike verstaan van God. Die vraagstuk van lyding, menswaardigheid en geregtigheid stel nuwe eise aan ’n pastorale teologie wat met kontekstuele lewensvraagstukke erns maak. In die lig hiervan word ’n paradigmaskuif in teologisering, vanaf omni-kategorieë na patos-kategorieë voorgestel. Dit word beredeneer dat ’n teopasgitiese teologie ’n belangrike bydrae kan lewer om statiese

‘If those to whom the W/word of God came were called gods ...’– Logos, wisdom and prophecy, and John 10:22–30

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Jonathan A. Draper

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Jesus’ quotation of Psalm 82:6, ‘I said, You are gods’, a riposte to the accusation that he had blasphemed by making himself equal to God, has attracted considerable attention. The latest suggestion by Jerome H. Neyrey rightly insists that any solution to the problem should take account of the internal logic of the Psalm and argues that it derives from or prefigures a rabbinic Midrash on the Psalm which refers it to the restoration of the immortality lost by Adam to Israel at the giving of the Torah on Sinai. This immortality was then lost again because of the sin of the golden calf. Whilst agreeing that the Psalm is interpreted in the context of the giving of the Torah on Sinai, this article argues that its reference is directed towards Moses on Sinai rather than Israel in general. This accords with the interpretation of Philo and Josephus and other sources much earlier than the Mekkilta de Rabbi Ishmael that Moses is rightly called a god and is assumed to heaven in glory without dying. Rather than deny this attribution of divine features to Moses due to his reception of the Torah on Sinai, John argues that the Torah was received from the hands of Jesus as the Logos. Therefore, Moses’s derivative divine features simply confirm the true divinity of the Logos as the expression of the Father. Moses could be called a god because he knew Jesus as Logos and wrote about him (5:45–5:47, but he sinned and died like any mortal. The corollary is that Moses and his disciples lost their status and died like any mortal, whilst the disciples of Jesus who are ‘taught by God’ and believe in the Incarnate Logos (6:45, have not only seen the glory denied to Moses but are born from above to become divinised as tekna theou (1:12 and do not die.

God's Thoughts: Practical Steps Toward a Theory of Everything

Science.gov (United States)

Lincoln, Don

2017-04-01

In 1922, Einstein was speaking to young Esther Salaman during a long walk; she was talking of her dreams and goals and he was sharing some of his thoughts. Among thoughts of travel, he described his core guiding intellectual principle when he said, "I want to know how God created this world [wie sich Gott die Welt beschaffen]. I'm not interested in this or that phenomenon, in the spectrum of this or that element. I want to know His thoughts; the rest are just details."

Plato’s Visible God: The Cosmic Soul Reflected in the Heavens

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George Latura

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Although Plato states that the perceptible god that he describes in Timaeus is visible to the human eye, the reflection of the Cosmic Soul in the heavens has largely been explained away or forgotten in the Western mind. But Roman texts, early Christian testimony, and Imperial coins illustrate that Plato’s intersection in the heavens played a major role in Hellenistic cosmology and soteriology.

So that We Might Become the Righteousness and Justice of God: Re-examining the Gospel in 2 Cor 5:21 for the Church's Contribution to a Better World

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Ellington, Dustin W.

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This article interprets Paul's summary of the gospel in 2 Cor 5:21 as saying that Christ died so that believers might be transformed into God's righteousness (not only deemed as righteous by God. The article explains the powerfully generative nature of God's righteousness and then demonstrates that dikaiosunē also means justice. The interpretation of 2 Cor 5:21 clarifies that the gospel Christians believe for salvation is also a basis of holistic transformation to embody God's righteousness and justice. This enlarged perspective on the gospel supports seamless invitations to put faith in Jesus Christ and to become a force for justice in the world.

Investigating the Importance of Relating with God for School Students' Spiritual Well-Being

Science.gov (United States)

Fisher, John W.

2010-01-01

Fisher's spiritual well-being (SWB) questionnaires assessed students' levels of relationship in four domains, namely with themselves, others, the environment and with a Transcendent Other (commonly called God). Students also reported the extent to which different entities helped them develop relationships in the four domains of SWB. However,…

The Influence of God and Providence on Happiness and the Quality of Life of Patients Benefiting from Aesthetic Medicine Treatments in Poland.

Science.gov (United States)

Galęba, Anna; Bajurna, Beata

2015-08-01

The research reveals the impact of a belief in god and god's Providence on the happiness and quality of life of patients benefiting from aesthetic medicine treatments in Poland (country where over 90 % of society declare to be deeply devout). The work also examines age and sex of the patients benefiting from beauty treatments (botulinum toxin, fillers, medical peels and needle mesotherapy), their quality of life and also the impact of various factors, including God and Divine Providence on their happiness. The research shows the analysis of factors influencing the successes or failures in the past year and presents the comparison of patients who have benefited from the aesthetic medicine treatments (cosmetic medicine) to the common average Polish citizens.

The Relationship between Styles of Attachment to God and Forgiveness and Empathy among Female Students in the City of Qom

OpenAIRE

Mahsa Rashidi; Fatemeh Sharif Mousavi; Korosh Esmaeili

2016-01-01

Forgiveness and empathy are factors which are influential in improving the relationships between people, themselves can be affected by various factors in turn. The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between the styles of attachment to God and forgiveness and empathy among female students in the city of Qom. 250 students were selected from the city of Qom by cluster sampling. Three questionnaires were used: styles of attachment to God by Kirkpatrick and Rowatt, em...

Unpacking religious affiliation: Exploring associations between Christian children's religious cultural context, God image, and self-esteem across development.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Erin I; Crosby, Robert G

2017-03-01

In developmental research, religiousness is typically measured with omnibus affiliation or attendance variables that underspecify how the religious cultural contexts and experiences that affiliation represents influence developmental outcomes. This study explores associations between five aspects of a religious cultural context (family religiosity, religious schooling, church-based relationships with peers and adults, and view of God) in 844 seven- to 12-year-old Christian children to examine how they differentially predict self-esteem. Results of a structural equation model (SEM) analysis indicated that God image and peer church relationships directly predicted self-esteem, whereas God image mediated the influence of adult church relationships and family religious practices on self-esteem. A multiple group SEM analysis met the criterion for weak, but not strong, evidence that self-esteem is more related to younger children's adult church relationships but older children's peer church relationships. God image tended to be more related to younger children's family religious practices but older children's adult church relationships. Implications for developmental researchers and practitioners are discussed. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Religious affiliation is an omnibus variable representing multiple contexts of development. Self-esteem is an important outcome variable with different influences across development. Religious affiliation is associated with increased self-esteem. What does this study add? Children's experience in the contexts of religious affiliation influences development differently. It is not just affiliation, but specific religious contexts that influence children's self-esteem. The role of religious contexts in shaping children's self-esteem shifts across development. © 2016 The British Psychological Society.

‘An augury of the world’s ruin’ and the making of the tragic hero in Chinua Achebe’s Arrow of God

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Ignatius Chukwumah

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Chinua Achebe’s Arrow of God has been adjudged by critics as a tragic work with Ezeulu as its tragic hero. However, none of these studies has paid detailed attention to the framing of Ezeulu in the historical context of his age. How he appears when compared to a classical Greek tragic hero has also been ignored. A major context giving rise to Ezeulu becoming a tragic hero is the period leading to the synthesis of two contrary histories, juxtaposed discourses and the collision of opposites and contraries in the sociocultural and political sphere of the villages of Umuaro and Okperi. This circumstance is captured by the narrator as ‘an augury of the world’s ruin’, by Nwaka as ‘the white man turned us upside down’ and by Ezeulu as ‘the world is spoilt and there is no longer head or tail in anything that is done’. Allen, an earlier District Commissioner in Things Fall Apart, but textually implicated in Arrow of God, terms it ‘great situations’. The above historical context requires more than mastery and acknowledgement by the tragic figure, in the absence of which he, a self-professed knowledgeable person, becomes a victim of what he failed to take into account. Consequently, he is set aside as a specimen for history and other men. This article will use Hegel’s and Aristotle’s theories of history and of tragedy, respectively, to explicate the above. It concludes that the tragic hero of Chinua Achebe’s Arrow of God is substantially the victim of the clash between Umuaro’s history and Hegel’s History. ’n Teken van die wêreld se ondergang en die skepping van die tragiese held in Chinua Achebe se Arrow of God. Chinua Achebe se boek, Arrow of God, word deur kritici beskryf as ’n tragedie met die karakter Ezeulu as held. Niemand het egter noukeurige aandag geskenk aan hoe Ezeulu inpas in die gapings van botsende geskiedenisse soos vergestalt in die mens ten opsigte van hulle optredes, houdings, vrese en begeertes nie

‘Living God, renew and transform us’ – 26th General Council of the World Communion of Reformed Churches, in Leipzig, Germany, 29 June to 07 July 2017

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Jürgen Moltmann

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This article aims at exploring the theme ‘Living God, renew and transform us’ under the following headings: the living God and the gods of death, the desolation of atheism and the sun of righteousness, just law and the fullness of life. The author relates the ‘God of Life’ to a ‘theology embracing life’. He links the ‘gods of death’ to racism, capitalism and terrorism in which we ‘encounter a new religion of death’. He points out that Christianity is a religion of joy in God and sets out to illustrate this with selected biblical texts. In the section ‘The desolation of atheism’, the author argues that modern atheism offers a ‘reduced life’. To make his point, he refers to his own personal experience and the theological ‘protest atheism’ which arose in the 19th century. The author concludes by stating that atheism offers nothing positive. In the final section, ‘The sun of righteousness, just law and the fullness of life’, the author addresses issues of justice. In referring to the Reformation doctrine on justification, the author states that the justification of victims requires confessio oris, rising up from humiliation and forgiveness.

Tyd as gawe – God se tyd: Die polsslag van die kerkjaar | Kloppers ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

When seen as a gift – as God's time – the careful shaping of the church year strengthens the celebratory character of the worship service; contributes to the effective proclamation of the Word; underlies the church's confession; introduces new people and young people to the faith; forms community; adds to comforting people; ...

Where is God when dementia sneaks into our house? Practical theology and the partners of dementia patients

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Maria Bons-Storm

2016-05-01

Full Text Available How can hope, love and faith stay alive when dementia enters a home? In this article I shall look especially at the spouse or partner who shares an abode with a person with dementia. Most of the authors in this field, also John Swinton who is perhaps the best known author whose books are written from a (practical theological perspective, focus on care in institutions, that means care by professionals. A partner living with a dementia patient has two main roles: as partner and caregiver. Night and day a partner is witness to the ongoing deterioration of her or his beloved partner, without being a professional. This article is founded not only on literature about dementia patients, but also on the experiences of several partners, as well as my own experiences as a partner. The question we all ask is: ‘From where does our strength come?’ I argue that what is said in the literature on the subject of (the pastoral care for dementia patients does not help the partners, because it lays a heavy burden on them, who are already suffering from feelings of grief and guilt. I do not agree with John Swinton’s idea that God created dementia. Looking for different ways of thinking about God and faith to survive with hope and love, I turn to the exegesis of the creation stories by Ellen van Wolde. These give the opportunity to take the evil of the situation of the deterioration of the personality of a patient with dementia seriously, and at the same time grant the possibility to turn the grief and guilt feelings into strength to fight evil, together with a God whose empathy and love stays with a partner in her or his loneliness and grief. Keywords: dementia; partner care; guilt feelings; evil; God as ally

Evolutionary theory, human uniqueness and the image of God

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Gijsbert van den Brink

2012-10-01

Full Text Available In this article, I examined what might be called the evolutionary argument against human uniqueness and human dignity. After having rehearsed briefly the roots of the classical Judeo- Christian view on human uniqueness and human dignity in the first chapters of Genesis, I went on to explore and delineate the nature of the evolutionary argument against this view. Next, I examined whether Christian theology might widen the concept of imago Dei so as to include other beings as well as humans, thus giving up the idea of human uniqueness. I concluded, however, that this move is deeply problematic. Therefore, I turned to a discussion of some recent attempts to define both human uniqueness and the image of God in theological rather than empirical terms. One of these, which is based on the concept of incarnation, is found wanting, but another one is construed in such a way that it enables us to reconcile the idea of human uniqueness as encapsulated in the doctrine of the imago Dei with contemporary evolutionary theory. Thus, this article can be seen as an exercise in bringing classical Christian theology to terms with evolution, further highlighting this theology’s ongoing vitality. Evolusieteorie, menslike uniekheid and die beeld van God. In hierdie artikel ondersoek ek die sogenaamde evolusionêre argument teen menslike uniekheid en menswaardigheid. Na ‘n kort oorsig oor die oorsprong van die klassieke Joods-Christelike siening van menslike uniekheid en menswaardigheid soos uit die eerste vyf hoofstukke van Genesis blyk, ondersoek en beeld ek die aard van die evolusionêre argument hierteenoor uit. Vervolgens word die vraag ondersoek of die Christelike teologie die konsep van imago Dei sodanig kan verbreed dat dit ook ander wesens behalwe mense kan insluit, waardeur die idee van menslike uniekheid dus prysgegee word. Ek kom egter tot die slotsom dat hierdie skuif hoogs problematies is. Daarom wend ek my tot ’n bespreking van onlangse pogings om

Speaking the language of the kingdom of God in the context of a society in transition

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Friedrich (Fritz W. de Wet

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Venturing to speak the biblical language of the kingdom of God, with its distinct covenantal intensity, in the context of a South African society in transition from paternalistic power structures to liberal democratic structures is not easy. How should the language of the kingdom of God be spoken in a society that demands ‘non-intrusive’ and ‘politically correct’ speech without – in the process – rendering the intense intentionality of its covenantal roots to that of a speech without zeal? Having to face the daunting task of ‘translating’ kingdom language into a type of language that suits the present-day context without sacrificing or diminishing its powerful intentionality demands the development of a new sensitivity. Such a sensitivity is required to incentivise the accommodation of the dimensions of truthful, authoritative and authentic communication in spoken language. In this research article, the implications of the speech act theory, as pioneered by scholars such as J.L. Austin and J. Searle, are utilised to identify possible markers for such a venture. Insight into the locutionary, illocutionary and perlocutionary dimensions present in speech acts is indicated as a relevant starting point for attempting to obtain a more comprehensive and perspective-rich understanding into speaking the language of the kingdom of God in a way that fits the present South African context.

How angry was the ancient Greek god Poseidon in 141/142 A.D.?

Science.gov (United States)

Şahin, Murat; Elitez, İrem; Yaltırak, Cenk

2017-04-01

Poseidon, also known as "God of Sea" or "Earth-Shaker", was one of the Olympian's Gods in the Greek mythology. It was a common belief that Poseidon shows his rage by tsunamis and earthquakes. So, the how angry Poseidon in 141/142 A.D.? According to the historical records, the whole area including Lycian cities and Rhodes was affected by a destructive earthquake and a following tsunami in 141/142. After these events the emperor of Greeks made donations to the Lycian cities and Rhodes for their recovery with relative to the damage and importance of the city. 141/142 earthquake had a considerable amount of damage on 28 ancient cities. With respect to the historical catalogues, this earthquake had at least 9-10 intensity and caused a tsunami in Rhodes and harbour of the ancient city of Patara. In this study, we try to restrict the magnitude of the event by using PGA (peak ground acceleration), MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity), tsunami modelling and amount of aids. Our preliminary results suggest that this event has to be bigger or equal magnitude 8.

She Had a Name That God Didn’t Give Her: Thinking the Body through Atheistic Black Radical Feminism

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Marquis Bey

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The article attempts to demonstrate the necessity of acknowledging the body when considering the current Black Lives Matter movement, give an account of Black female and trans erasure, and ultimately (reaffirm the lived embodiment of Black, female, and trans bodies, all through an atheistic lens. Atheism here, while indeed denying the existence of gods, has as its primary concern affirming life. Too often is theology, as theologian Anthony Pinn says, “a theology of no-body”; thus atheistic feminist Blackness, as understood here, seeks to entrench the body rather than abstract it. Atheistic feminist Blackness reinscribes and affirms the subjectivity and humanity of Black, female, and trans bodies, countering hegemonic discourse that explicitly and implicitly states otherwise. The article’s emphasis of an atheistic posture stems from the prescient words of Catherine Keller: “atheist or agnostic feminists ignore the God-word at their own peril.” Therefore, the Black feminist ideological argument takes the “God-word” seriously, reckons with it, and offers an alternative to a theological tradition that often imbues the body with inherent flaw (sin, abstraction (soul, and erasure of the ontological value of Black, female, and noncisgendered bodies.

Yhwh, the Goddess and Evil: Is 'monotheism' an adequate concept to describe the Hebrew Bible's discourses about the God of Israel?

OpenAIRE

Römer, Thomas C.

2013-01-01

The concept of �monotheism� has become a matter of debate in Hebrew Bible scholarship. This article investigates whether the concept should still be used, starting with Second Isaiah, who in the early Persian period elaborated a discourse that presented Yhwh as the only god. Therefore he had to integrate into this deity functions traditionally attributed to goddesses and to demons or evil gods. However, this attempt did not succeed. The goddess, whose elimination is probably reflected in Zech...

'I am who I am': Deconstructing orphaned boys' references to God: An application of the post-foundational notion of practical theology

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Juanita Meyer

2016-03-01

Full Text Available This article investigates and reflects on the religious and spiritual aspects inherent in the narratives of adolescent male orphans, affected by HIV and AIDS, poverty and fatherlessness, and more specifically on aspects which tell us about how these boys understand and experience the presence of God within their specific situations. In coming to such an understanding, this article focuses specifically on the various names attributed to God by the coresearchers and investigates the prominence through social construction behind these names and how it influences the coresearchers� experience of God amidst their unique circumstances. With the use of the perspectives of a post-foundational notion of practical theology and narrative therapy and research, these names and their accompanied significance are deconstructed. The aim of the deconstruction process is to unveil dominant discourses that both inform the use of specific references to God and assist the coresearchers in finding meaning in the use of these names. The larger study employed research methods from the qualitative and case study research design, and included interdisciplinary work based on the post-foundational notion of transversality. Disciplines included in the dialogue were pastoral therapy, critical psychology and social work. This article�s reflections can be useful in all the above-mentioned disciplines and gives insight into understanding the significance behind the phenomenon of naming a deity in one�s personal and public language, and the influence such spiritual affirmations have in the psychosocial sphere of the holistic persona.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The larger study (from which this article originates is an interdisciplinary study, as to conform to the principles of a postfoundational notion of practical theology and as such supports the assumptions underlying this theoretical framework.Keywords: Names for God; Postfoundationalism

The fresco at the entrance to Danilo II church of the Mother of God at Peć

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Milanović Vesna

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Painted around 1330, this fresco is located on a large section of the western façade of the church of the Mother of God Hodegetria at Peć above the entrance that leads from the monumental narthex into the interior of the building. It is a composition, joining the unusual image of the holy patroness of Archbishop Danilo II's ecclesiastical endowment, accompanied by two figures of angels in adoration, to create an iconographic whole with a twin presentation of the archpriests, St. Nicolas and Danilo II himself bowing in prayer. After giving a careful and detailed description of the entire content and setting of the painting, first of all, the paper discusses the content and message conveyed in the choice of the image of the Mother of God with Child, which, in the given assembly of figures, is distinguished by its central position and enlarged proportions. A perception of the views maintained so far, regarding the interpretation of this composition, and the specific points related to the choice of the central figure, when attempting to decipher its meaning, leads to considering that in a certain reinterpretation of the aforesaid, quite specific representation of the patroness of the Serbian archbishop's church endowment, there also lies the key for the explanation of the twin presentation of the two hierarchs in prayer, as well as for shedding light on the inter-relationship of all the figures involved in the painting, i.e. for perceiving the logic of uniting them in one composition. Even though a new attempt at comprehending the content and the subtle message of the fresco largely rests upon the examination and thorough research of comparative material that previous research workers have already noted as being significant for the examination of the given solution, this does not hold for the conclusions arising from the observation of that material. There is a critical review particularly of the previous conclusions that remain within the

In the name of God, and of Bush, and of the market

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Greco Pietro

2004-09-01

Full Text Available In the name of God is the heading chosen by some researchers from a Middle Eastern country for their posters in an international conference on chemistry which has recently been held in Paris. This powerful message preceded the results of the researchers work on the morphology, molecular structure, as well as the physical, chemical and mechanical properties of advanced polymeric materials.

Religiosity and the concept of god moderate the relationship between the type of trauma, posttraumatic cognitions, and mental health.

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Kucharska, Justyna

2017-12-11

The aim of the study was to examine the role of religiosity as a moderator in the relationships between trauma, posttraumatic cognitions, and mental health. A one-dimensional measure of religiosity and a multidimensional "concept of god" measure were used; sexual and nonsexual traumatic events were assessed and posttraumatic cognitions related to either sexual or nonsexual trauma were taken into account. A total of 337 females from Poland participated in the cross-sectional study. It was predicted that the relationships between sexual trauma and mental health would be stronger in religious individuals - this hypothesis was supported in the case of negative mental health (PTSD, z = -1.88, p = .003). No significant effects were found for nonsexual trauma; overall, highly religious individuals who had recently experienced trauma showed higher levels of satisfaction with life than nonreligious participants. As for the posttraumatic cognitions, one-dimensional religiosity was not a significant factor, but the self-blame cognitions and the concept of severe god were positively linked. In the case of sexual trauma, this effect was significant among nonreligious individuals. Moreover, the relationship between self-blame and PTSD was stronger in individuals who had the severe god concept. The current study was conducted in a religious society, where the majority of the population is raised as Roman Catholics. It has been demonstrated that religiosity is an important factor in the processing of trauma. This does not apply to religious individuals only: the concept of god was also a significant factor in nonreligious women.

Images of God and attitudes towards death in relation to spiritual wellbeing: an exploratory side study of the EORTC QLQ-SWB32 validation study in palliative cancer patients.

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Kruizinga, Renske; Scherer-Rath, Michael; Schilderman, Johannes B A M; Weterman, Mariëtte; Young, Teresa; van Laarhoven, Hanneke W M

2017-12-08

When patients are facing the ends of their lives, spiritual concerns often become more important. It is argued that effective, integrated palliative care should include addressing patients' spiritual wellbeing. In 2002 the EORTC Quality of Life Group began an international study to develop an spiritual wellbeing measure for palliative patients (SWB). Spiritual wellbeing is a complex construct, which comprises multiple contributory components. While conducting the EORTC SWB validation study with Dutch palliative cancer patients we also conducted an exploratory side study to examine the relationship between their spiritual wellbeing, images of God, and attitudes towards death. Patients with incurable cancer who were able to understand Dutch and were well enough to participate, completed the provisional SWB measure and two scales assessing "Images of God" and "attitudes towards death and afterlife". Linear stepwise regression analysis was conducted to assess the relation between SWB and other factors. Fifty two Dutch patients, 28 females and 24 males, participated. The whole SWB measure validation identified four scoring scales: Existential (EX), Relationship with Self (RS), Relationships with Others (RO), Relationship with Something Greater (RSG) and Relationship with God (RG, for believers only). Adherence to an image of an Unknowable God and a worse WHO performance status were negatively associated with the EX scale. The image of an Unknowable God was also found to be negatively associated with the RS scale. Higher education correlated positively with the RO scale. Adherence to a Personal or Non-Personal Image of God was not found to be positively influencing any of the domains of SWB. For our participants, an Unknowable Image of God had a negative relationship with their SWB. Furthermore, specific images of God (Personal or Non Personal) are not associated with domains of SWB. Together, these findings suggest that spiritual wellbeing surpasses traditional

The Iconography and Symbolism of Sun God in Urartian Art

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Poghosyan, Gayane

2016-12-01

The predominating symbol of the winged sun disc in Urartian religious iconography testifies the significant role and importance of the sun in worship. The stylistic variation and peculiar iconographic features of the winged discs, sacred animals and divine images associated with solar deity shows the relationship between the cult of the sun god, sequence of the different phases of the year and constellations in Urartian culture. Such kind of iconography is possibly formed and stylized in result of interaction of ancient human imaginations, influence of rock paintings and religious beliefs.

Psychiatry and Islam.

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Pridmore, Saxby; Pasha, Mohamed Iqbal

2004-12-01

To explore psychiatry in Islam, with a view to informing Western psychiatrists working with Islamic patients, and Islamic medical students studying in Western countries. The first necessary step was to acquire some understanding of Islam, Sharia and Sharia law, as the basis on which the available psychiatric literature was considered. Standard textbooks on Islam and English-language papers in the psychiatric literature were examined. Discussions with knowledgeable Muslim people were conducted. Islam shares roots with the other Abrahamic, monotheistic religions: Judaism and Christianity. A central issues is unity: the unity of God, unity with God and unity within the Islamic community. Islam is more than a religion, because it informs all aspects of behaviour and has been described as 'a comprehensive way of life'. Individualism is less important than the welfare of the community. The Sharia is a list of rules and regulations derived from authentic sources. Psychiatric services in Islam, according to Western standards, are somewhat limited. This issue is being addressed through epidemiological studies, provision of new services and policy development. Although mental health legislation is not universal, forensic psychiatry has a role, in many ways similar to that in the West. Islam is based on unity and core values of compassion, justice and benevolence. Islamic psychiatry has a proud early history, and advances are occurring. There is an opportunity for the profession of psychiatry to bridge religious, ethnic and cultural boundaries.

The listener of the chthonic god sand the barroom player: Adorno’s experience of Schubert

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Jeremić-Molnar Dragana

2011-01-01

Full Text Available In this article the author is reconstructing the complex picture of Franz Schubert created by Theodor Adorno in his numerous references to the Viennese composer, but mostly in his 1928 article “Schubert”. In the late 1920s Adorno experienced Schubert as the tragic composer whose music dwells in the realm of chthonic gods, but nevertheless reveals the joy of “traveling folk, jugglers and tricksters”. It remained, however, unclear how this joy could survive in the hellish landscapes of Schubert’s chthonic music. Later, Adorno recognized Schubert, due to his “habitus”, as the barroom player as well, never mentioning “traveling folk, jugglers and tricksters” any more. This two images of Schubert - Schubert as the Listener of the Chthonic Gods and Schubert as the Barroom Player - proved to be an interesting pair, worth of further theoretical elaboration, which Adorno unfortunately never bothered to undertake.

Stress and Depression among Older Residents in Religious Monasteries: Do Friends and God Matter?

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Bishop, Bishop J.

2008-01-01

The purpose of this investigation was to explore how friendship and attachment to God provide protective benefits against stress and depression. Participants included 235 men and women, age 64 and older, residing in religious monasteries affiliated with the Order of St. Benedict. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were completed to assess…

The God Machine seeks the origin of the matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin, R.

2015-01-01

Under the green fields of the French-Swiss border, not far from the Alps and Lake Geneva, is hidden underground most strength Earth energy. The generated particles of low mass, subatomic, ue collide with each other in a huge circumference of 27 kilometers, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC English siglasen), an underground infrastructure that seeks to answer big questions of science: the origin of matter we know or dark matter and energy, which together occupy 95% of the universe and that we are not able to see or understand. They call it the 'god machine' and is the largest and most complex built in the world. (Author)

STRANGE GODS IN COUNCIL: A READING OF THE SHORT STORY “STRANGE BIRDS WITH OPEN WINGS”, BY PEPETELA

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Marcelo Brandão Mattos

2011-11-01

Full Text Available The article proposes an analysis of Pepetela’s tale, highlighting the sen­se of “strangeness”, based on the ideas of Benjamin and Freud about this concept, facing the occidental tradition that canonize facts and myths of the Portuguese “achievements” in the end of the fifteenth and the early six­teenth century. In addition, proposes also understand the fictional clash between the gods of Olympus, presented by Camões, in Os Lusíadas, as controllers of natural phenomena in the world (including Africa and the African gods, remembered by the Angolan writer as those that dominate the local territory, even before the “colonization of goddesses” proposal in the Portuguese text.

"I honestly believe god keeps me healthy so i can take care of my child": parental use of faith related to treatment adherence.

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Grossoehme, Daniel H; Cotton, Sian; Ragsdale, Judy; Quittner, Alexandra L; McPhail, Gary; Seid, Michael

2013-01-01

A limited number of studies address parental faith and its relationship to their children's health. Using cystic fibrosis as a disease exemplar in which religion/spirituality have been shown to play a role and parental health behaviors (adherence to their child's daily recommended home treatments) are important, this study explored whether parents with different levels of adherence would describe use of faith differently. Twenty-five interviews were completed and analyzed using grounded theory methodology. Some parents described no relationship between faith and treatment adherence. However, of those who did, higher-adherence parents believed God empowered them to care for their child and they used prayer to change themselves, while lower-adherence parents described trusting God to care for their child and used prayer to change God. Clinical implications for chaplains' differential engagement with parents are presented.

The labyrinth as a symbol of life: A journey with God and chronic pain

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This article is written in the style and method of an autoethnography that focuses on the author's spiritual journey with God while living with chronic pain. The labyrinth is used as a metaphor and spiritual tool to describe this journey. The author's personal experience with religion and spirituality is described as well as the ...

Farsi version of the multidimensional health locus of control and God locus of health control scales: validity and reliability study among Iranian women with a family history of breast cancer.

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Hashemian, Masoumeh; Aminshokravi, Farkhonde; Hidarnia, Alireza; Lamyian, Minoor; Hassanpour, Kazem; Akaberi, Arash; Moshki, Mahdi

2014-09-01

To determine the Persian version's reliability and validity of the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control and God Health Locus of Control scales among women with family history of breast cancer. The cross-sectional study was conducted in Sabzevar, Iran, in 2012. It randomly selected women with family members affected by breast cancer. Predesigned questionnaires were completed through interviews. Content and face validity was evaluated using the opinions of a panel of experts, and construct validity was confirmed by applying confirmatory factor analysis.The instruments' reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha and test-retest reliability. There were 200 women in the study with their age ranging between 18 and 69 years and revealed the following; root mean square error of approximation for Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale = 0.013, and God Locus of Health Control Scale = 0.077; comparative fit index = 0.999, 0.998; incremental fit index = 0.999, 0.998;Tucker-Lewis fit index = 0.998, 0.998; and normed fit index = 0.983, 0.997 respectively. Cronbach's alpha was 0.61 for Internal Health Locus of Control, 0.8 for Chance Health Locus of Control, 0.68 for Power Health Locus of Control and 0.9 for God Locus Health Control. The Persian version of the subscales supported the main version.

God en de geschiedenis: een christologisch dilemma – De herijking van het Godsbeeld en de christologie in het werk van zeven Nederlandse theologen in de twintigste eeuw

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Wilgenburg, A.W.

2008-01-01

God and history: a Christological dilemma – The reconfiguration of the image of God and Jesus Christ by seven twentieth century Dutch theologians This dissertation will make a contribution to the research on the history of theological ideas in the Netherlands in the twentieth century. The works of

The Interactive Play and a Persuasive God: A Psychoanalytic Approach to Re-envisioning Pastoral Care and Counseling.

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Jang, Jung Eun

2016-06-01

The purpose of this article is to present a sketch of a new image of pastoral care and counseling, which reflects the psychoanalytic understanding of the interacting transference and countertransference matrix, along with a process view of God in a mutually influencing relationship with creatures. A more effective approach in pastoral care and counseling can be conceptualized as the interactive play in which pastoral caregivers and receivers co-create a therapeutic relationship with their own past experiences and their creative capabilities. The interactive play is a concept of describing the mutually influencing relationship in the transference and countertransference interchange. The article introduces the concept of a persuasive God as a new image of pastoral care and counseling which includes aspects of the mutually interacting process in play. © The Author(s) 2016.

27 CFR 25.282 - Beer lost by fire, theft, casualty, or act of God.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Beer lost by fire, theft... TAX AND TRADE BUREAU, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY LIQUORS BEER Refund or Adjustment of Tax or Relief From Liability § 25.282 Beer lost by fire, theft, casualty, or act of God. (a) General. The tax paid by...

"Under God" and the Pledge of Allegiance: Examining a 1954 Sermon and Its Meaning

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Groce, Eric C.; Heafner, Tina; Bellows, Elizabeth

2013-01-01

A lesson exploring the Pledge of Allegiance, its history, and the addition of the phrase "under God," can serve as a jumping off point into major themes of U.S. history and First Amendment freedoms. Although the Pledge is ubiquitous in contemporary America, educators and students are often uninformed about the history and meaning of the…

Religion, Nationalism, and American Identity: Reflections on Mark Noll’s America’s God

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Douglas Ambrose

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Historian Mark Noll’s magisterial America’s God: From Jonathan Edwards to Abraham Lincoln was an immediate sensation when it appeared in 2002. Jon Butler, the Howard R. Lamar Professor of American Studies, History, and Religious Studies at Yale University, declared “America’s God delineates the Americanization of an Old World Protestantism with a breadth, learning, and sophistication unmatched by any other historian.” Noll describes this process of “Americanization” as consisting of a “shift away from European theological traditions, descended directly from the Protestant Reformation, toward a Protestant evangelical theology decisively shaped by its engagement with Revolutionary and post-Revolutionary America.” And Noll concludes that this American “Protestant evangelicalism differed from the religion of the Protestant Reformation as much as sixteenth-century Reformation Protestantism differed from the Roman Catholic theology from which it emerged.”This paper will argue that, notwithstanding Noll’s considerable achievement, his identification of an “American” synthesis minimizes (although it never denies the profound sectional variations of that synthesis. In doing so, Noll downplays the ways in which two competing social formations, grounded in fundamentally different systems of social relations, prevented the synthesis from fully uniting “Americans.” The different understandings of the synthesis, like the different understandings of its central texts – the Bible, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution – reflected the chasm that separated white Northerners and white Southerners and made both groups see themselves as the true defenders of “America’s God.” Noll’s work thus both enriches our understanding of the how most white Americans differed from their European contemporaries, and simultaneously demonstrates the fundamental divide within American national identity, a divide so

God as burden: A theological reflection on art, death and God in the work of Joost Zwagerman

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Rein Brouwer

2017-06-01

Full Text Available In one of his essays on art, Dutch author and essayist Joost Zwagerman (1963–2015 reflects onthe work of (Dutch South African artist Marlene Dumas (1953. Zwagerman addresses inparticular Dumas’ My Mother Before She Became My Mother (2010, painted 3 years after hermother died. In his reflections, Zwagerman proposes an interpretation of Dumas’ work. Hesuggests that Dumas, in her art, does not accept the omnipotence of death. Maybe againstbetter judgement, but Dumas keeps creating images that not only illustrate the desire formeaning but also embody this desire. The image and the desire for meaning merge in Dumas’paintings. The painting itself becomes an autonomous ‘desire machine’, according toZwagerman. In this article, a (practical theological reading of Zwagerman’s own posthumouslypublished volume of poetry, ‘Wakend over God’ (2016, is presented, with a specific interest inart, death and God. The sacramental hermeneutics of Richard Kearney and the theopoetics ofJohn Caputo are brought into the conversation to elicit the dimensions of faith and religion inZwagerman’s own ‘desire machine’.

TEOLOGI LINGKUNGAN HIDUP DALAM PERSPEKTIF ISLAM

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Ahmad Khoirul Fata

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The damage of nature is believed to be derived from the man, the human mindset who place themselves at the center of this life (anthropocentrism. In this context the teachings of the monotheistic religions are often accused of having a major contribution to the establishment of the doctrine of anthropocentrism paradigm of human superiority over nature. This paper attempts to trace "traces the source of anthropocentrism" in the teachings of Islam in the form of man as a vicegerent on earth. From searches on various texts of Islam (especially the Qur'an, it is known that the position of man as a vicegerent on earth is not a blank check for people to vent all his passion for nature. Humans are created with a variety of advantages which make himself as caliph, but the position was given by God to human beings of all tasks to be assigned. Tasks is what makes the concept of the caliphate on earth does not support exploitative anthropocentrism to nature.

Yhwh, the Goddess and Evil: Is 'monotheism' an adequate concept to describe the Hebrew Bible's discourses about the God of Israel?

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Thomas C. R�mer

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The concept of �monotheism� has become a matter of debate in Hebrew Bible scholarship. This article investigates whether the concept should still be used, starting with Second Isaiah, who in the early Persian period elaborated a discourse that presented Yhwh as the only god. Therefore he had to integrate into this deity functions traditionally attributed to goddesses and to demons or evil gods. However, this attempt did not succeed. The goddess, whose elimination is probably reflected in Zechariah 5, returned in a certain way through the personification of Wisdom in Proverbs 8, and the �dark sides� of the gods were materialised in the figure of Satan, who experienced an impressive career in the following centuries. The question of evil is not resolved in the Hebrew Bible. Some texts admit the autonomy of evil, whereas Isaiah 45 claims that Yhwh himself is at the origin of evil. This diversity makes it difficult to characterise the Hebrew Bible as the result of a straightforward evolution from polytheism to monotheism.

Comparing Landsat7 ETM+ and NAIP imagery for precision agriculture application in small scale farming: A case study in the south eastern part of Pittsylvania County, VA

Science.gov (United States)

Bohon, Robert Kevin, Jr.

of the meaning of words and phrases as well as the syntax of the text is examined. Chapter 3 deals with the intratextual analysis in order to examine the connection between Ezek 36:27 and selected texts with similar vocabulary within the book of Ezekiel. In chapter 4, an intertextual study is undertaken to compare v. 27 with other selected texts in the OT with similar vocabulary for the purpose of exploring how the OT texts highlight Ezek 36:27. Chapter 5 deals with the intertextuality of Ezek 36:27 in selected extra-canonical Qumran Hebrew texts to investigate how the Spirit of God and obedience to the laws of God inform the concept of the Spirit of God and obedience to the laws of God in Ezek 36:27. In chapter 6, a theology of Ezek 36:27 is constructed based on the exegetical analysis and intratextual and intertextual investigation stated above. Conclusions. The conclusions reached by exegeting Ezek 36:27 are that: 1. The Spirit of God is God's Holy Spirit, a personal being, whom God gives to the Israelites so that they can have abundant life, for they lament that they have no life. The Spirit of God empowers or strengthens Israel to obey the laws of God of life and maintain the life they have received from the Spirit of God. 2. The statutes and judgments of God are the praxis or practical aspects of the principles of the ten words or commandments of God through which God made a covenant with Israel. As Israel obeys the laws of God, they fulfill the principle of the ten commandments of love to God and humanity. 3. God influences the mind and motivation of his people by his Spirit through the word of God as proclaimed by the prophet Ezekiel. By his Spirit, God wants to renew and soften their stony heart to be a heart of flesh in order for them to have new desires, motives, and purposes of observing his divine laws. 4. God "does" or acts through his Spirit for the sake of his holy name, characterized by grace, mercy, forbearance, love, faithfulness, and forgiveness

“I Honestly Believe God Keeps me Healthy so I Can Take Care of My Child”: Parental Use of Faith Related to Treatment Adherence

Science.gov (United States)

Grossoehme, Daniel H.; Cotton, Sian; Ragsdale, Judy; Quittner, Alexandra L.; McPhail, Gary; Seid, Michael

2013-01-01

A limited number of studies address parental faith and its relationship to their children’s health. Using cystic fibrosis as a disease exemplar in which religion/spirituality have been shown to play a role and parental health behaviors (adherence to their child’s daily recommended home treatments) are important, this study explored whether parents with different levels of adherence would describe use of faith differently. Twenty-five interviews were completed and analyzed using grounded theory methodology. Some parents described no relationship between faith and treatment adherence. However, of those who did, higher-adherence parents believed God empowered them to care for their child and they used prayer to change themselves, while lower-adherence parents described trusting God to care for their child and used prayer to change God. Clinical implications for chaplains’ differential engagement with parents are presented. PMID:23593948

Giv dit barn en god start på idrætslivet

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Suhr, Lasse Kristian

2014-01-01

Hvad skal børnene bruge deres krudt på i de kommende måneder? Det spørgsmål er formentlig til debat i mange hjem lige nu, for netop i august har mange idrætsklubber åbent for tilmelding til sæsonens aktiviteter. Mulighederne er mange, og det samme er mulighederne for at vælge forkert. Her kan du ...... blive klogere på, hvad du som forælder kan gøre for at give dit skolebarn en god start på et aktivt idrætsliv....

Forgotten Sunrise "Forgotten Sunrise. Behind The Abysmal Sky / Forever Sleeping Greystones". "The Moments When God Was Wrong" / Siim Nestor

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Nestor, Siim, 1974-

2009-01-01

Arvustus: Forgotten Sunrise. Behind The Abysmal Sky / Forever Sleeping Greystones. [Tallinn] : Nailboard, 2009. Forgotten Sunrise. The Moments When God Was Wrong. [Tallinn] : Forgotten Sunrise, 2009. Uutest heliplaatidest

the God Particle & the Delusion of Grandeur

Science.gov (United States)

Maksoed, Wh-

2016-11-01

It had been established that it was crystalline The inner core is isolated from the rest of earth by the low-viscosity fluid outer core, and it can rotate, nod, precess, wobble, oscillate and even flip over, being only loosely constrained by the surrounding shells- Anderson, 2002. Furthers in accordances of PMRI from Dr.Robert K. Sembiring to ASTRANOMICS, herewith Richard Dawkins: "the God delusion" - 2006 ever quotes by the Rector of the University of INDONESIA 2006 HE. Mr. Prof. Dr.derSoz Gumilar Rusliwa SOMANTRI: "Beyond 'delusion of grandeur' menuju INDONESIA baru Bebas Kemiskinan"ever retrieves Lester G. Telser- 1994: "the Usefulness of Core Theory in Economics" - "core theory furnishes a useful framework for a wide variety of economic problems. It has an undeserved reputation of being too abstract owing mainly to the manner in which it is employed in the theory of general equilibrium." Heartfelt Gratitudes to HE. Mr. Prof. Ir. Handojo.

Teaching Religion in Public Schools: Review of Warren A. Nord, "Does God Make a Difference?"

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Feinberg, Walter

2013-01-01

In this review of Warren Nord's "Does God Make a Difference? Taking Religion Seriously in Our Schools and Universities," Walter Feinberg provides a detailed analysis of Nord's argument that the study of religion should be constitutionally mandated as a corrective to the overwhelmingly secular course of study offered in…

Relationship between attachment to God and meaningful life parents of mentally retarded children in Zahedan city

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H Jenaabadi

2014-07-01

Conclusion: Given a significant positive correlation between appeal to God and meaningful life, it is suggested including spirituality therapy sessions and teaching religious coping methods to reduce stress and thus make meaningful life in these parents by welfare, education of exceptional children, and radio and television organizations.

God's servant working for your own good: Notes from modern South Africa on Calvin's commentary on Romans 13: 1-7 and the state

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P. J. Strauss

1998-12-01

Full Text Available This article aims at demonstrating that Calvin's grasp of the message of Romans 13 in its reference to the state is highly relevant for the present South Africa. This includes the belief that the authority of rulers is ordained by God, be it that of a just or an unjust government, and that their right to govern should therefore be respected; that government should maintain a public order of justice and peace within which people can serve God in all spheres of life; that state authorities should use the sword and even the death penalty when needed, and not shy away from this God-given responsibility; that a society in which crime threatens to create chaos needs stronger measures of punishment; and that rebellion against the government or disruption of public life should be resorted to only as an ultimate means and when carefully considered as in the general interest.

Social buffering by God: prayer and measures of stress.

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Belding, Jennifer N; Howard, Malcolm G; McGuire, Anne M; Schwartz, Amanda C; Wilson, Janie H

2010-06-01

Social buffering is characterized by attenuation of stress in the presence of others, with supportive individuals providing superior buffering. We were interested in learning if the implied presence of a supportive entity, God, would reduce acute stress. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: prayer, encouraging self-talk, and control. They were subsequently placed in a stressful situation. Self ratings of stress were lower among the prayer and self-talk conditions relative to controls. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures only among those who prayed were lower than controls; however, prayer and self-talk did not differ. Prayer alone did not significantly reduce stress, perhaps because the majority of students in the prayer condition did not consider reading a prayer to constitute praying.

THE EMPEROR AS A 'MAN OF GOD': THE IMPACT OF CONSTANTINE THE GREAT'S. Conversion on Roman Ideas of Kingship

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Harold DRAKE

Full Text Available ABSTRACT In numerous ways, the first Christian emperor, Constantine I (r. 306-337 indicated that he saw parallels between himself and St. Paul. These include his story of divine intervention (the vision of the Cross and his decision to be buried amid markers for the twelve Apostles. But his biographer, Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea, chooses to liken Constantine instead to Moses, who led the Israelites out of captivity. By focusing on the different connotation of "Man of God" (Constantine's preferred label for himself and "Friend of God" (the phrase Eusebius used, this article suggests that the reason for this difference lay in Eusebius's concern to prevent Constantine - and by extension all future emperors - from asserting priority over Christian bishops.

An Electron is the God Particle

Science.gov (United States)

Wolff, Milo

2001-04-01

Philosophers, Clifford, Mach, Einstein, Wyle, Dirac & Schroedinger, believed that only a wave structure of particles could satisfy experiment and fulfill reality. A quantum Wave Structure of Matter is described here. It predicts the natural laws more accurately and completely than classic laws. Einstein reasoned that the universe depends on particles which are "spherically, spatially extended in space." and "Hence a discrete material particle has no place as a fundamental concept in a field theory." Thus the discrete point particle was wrong. He deduced the true electron is primal because its force range is infinite. Now, it is found the electron's wave structure contains the laws of Nature that rule the universe. The electron plays the role of creator - the God particle. Electron structure is a pair of spherical outward/inward quantum waves, convergent to a center in 3D space. This wave pair creates a h/4pi quantum spin when the in-wave spherically rotates to become the out-wave. Both waves form a spinor satisfying the Dirac Equation. Thus, the universe is binary like a computer. Reference: http://members.tripod.com/mwolff

The shortest argument for the existence of God in Islamic philosophy

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Halilović Seid

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The first cognitive frameworks of the undoubtedly most famous argument for the existence of God in Islamic philosophy were set by the notable Ibn Sina. Having proved the existence of God by considering existence itself, in his famous philosophical book al-Isharat he wrote that in that way he offered the 'argument of the veracious'. In the following stages of the development of this argument this syntagm will become one of the most popular scientific names in the history of philosophical and rational thought in Muslims. Numerous representatives of various schools of philosophy, dogmatic theology and doctrinal gnosis in Islam thoroughly analyzed the text of this part of the al-Isharat book and sometimes formulated new versions of the 'argument of the veracious'. In this paper we will focus on the basic cognitive milestones in the development of this argument and with a view to acquiring this we will use the method of detailed content analysis of the works of those Muslim philosophers who contributed significantly to that intellectual process. Given that scientific destiny of the 'argument of the veracious' quite attractively illustrates the various stages of the development of entire Islamic philosophy, we will try to show that in each new period Islamic philosophical heritage grew a more vital and dominant scientific discipline. On the other hand, we will conclude that throughout history Islamic philosophy and 'arguments of the veracious' have become more reminiscent of subtle intuition of Muslim gnostics and innermost spheres of the original understanding of the sacred Islamic texts and traditions.

A Christian understanding of the significance of love of oneself in loving God and neighbour: Towards an integrated self-love reading

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Hannelie Wood

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This article addresses the meaning of the great commandment of love (Mt. 22:35–40 with afocus on the understanding of self-love as considered within a Christian context. Christians ingeneral understand the commandment as applying to love of God and one’s neighbour. Thereference to self-love tends to be ignored or misunderstood, especially when love of self isviewed in the context of the Christian virtues of humility and self-mortification. The conceptof narcissism (self-preoccupation or self-glorification has devastating effects on relationshipswith God, human beings and the world. In the Christian context self-love is not a thirdcommandment and it is not clearly outlined in Scripture. Furthermore, the love of oneselfseems to be the norm by which the love of God and neighbour are measured. It appearstherefore that by bringing narcissism into the equation of self-love, a better understanding canbe achieved of what a healthy Christian self-love should entail. Furthermore, a brief discussionon the views of the self as mind, emotions and will as well as agape, philia and eros is requiredfor a proposed integrated self-love reading.

Moses/Musaeus/Mochos and his God Yahweh, Iao, and Sabaoth, seen from a Graeco-Roman perspective

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van Kooten, G.H.; Kooten, G.H. van

2006-01-01

George H. van Kooten, “Moses/Musaeus/Mochos and His God Yahweh, Iao, and Sabaoth, Seen from a Graeco-Roman Perspective,” in The Revelation of the Name YHWH to Moses: Perspectives from Judaism, the Pagan Graeco-Roman World, and Early Christianity (ed. George H. van Kooten; Themes in Biblical

O Ateísmo Francês Contemporâneo: uma comparação crítica entre Michel Onfray e André Compte-Sponville (Contemporary French Atheism: a Critical Comparison between Michel Onfray and André Comte-Sponville - DOI: 10.5752/P.2175-5841.2010v8n18p127

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Agnaldo Cuoco Portugal

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Michel Onfray e André Comte-Sponville são os dois mais famosos representantes do ateísmo filosófico francês contemporâneo, que continua uma tradição iniciada no século XVIII de negação irreligiosa da noção monoteísta de Deus. Embora compartilhando várias ideias, como o naturalismo e, obviamente, a rejeição do monoteísmo, suas propostas têm diferenças importantes. Onfray imputa à religião a maioria dos males enfrentados pela humanidade, recusando-se a fazer qualquer concessão à tradição religiosa monoteísta, e propondo uma filosofia libertária de tipo hedonista e materialista. Comte-Sponville vê aspectos positivos na religião no tocante à manutenção da unidade social e propõe uma espiritualidade mística ateia. O artigo faz uma breve apresentação de suas teses e formula críticas a ambas as propostas. Onfray está muito mais preocupado em convencer de uma proposta política do que em argumentar filosoficamente em favor de uma tese e Comte-Sponville não parece perceber as consequências auto-refutadoras do naturalismo, que também torna muito problemática a própria noção de moralidade. Palavras-chave: Michel Onfray; Comte-Sponville; ateísmo; neoateísmo; naturalismo.  Abstract Michel Onfray and André Comte-Sponville are the most famous representatives of philosophical contemporary French atheism, which is a continuation of a tradition begun in the 18th Century of irreligious denying of the monotheistic notion of God. Although sharing many ideas, like naturalism and, obviously, the rejection of the monotheistic conception of God, their proposals show important distinctions. Onfray blames on religion most of evils faced by humanity, refusing to make any concession to monotheism, and proposing a libertarian, hedonistic, materialistic philosophy. Comte-Sponville sees positive aspects in religion regarding the keeping of social unity, and puts forward an atheistic spirituality. The article makes a brief

Godly Homonormativity: Christian LGBT Organizing in Contemporary Poland.

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Mikulak, Magdalena

2017-12-08

This article discusses the emergence of Christian LGBT organizing in Poland and the production of what I term godly homonormativity via a particular strand of organizing exemplified by Wiara i Tęcza (WiT; Faith and Rainbow). I argue that despite being an important initiative representing people-LGBT Christians-whose voices are often excluded from the mainstream LGBT movement, WiT's project is a largely assimilationist one, seeking acceptance within the existing patriarchal and highly inequitable power relationship of the Catholic Church. Consequently, WiT is generative of a mostly normalizing set of ideas that reinforces rather than challenges heteronormativity and that also colludes with the neoliberal project that promotes "a privileged form of gay life that attempts to replicate aspects of state"-and in the case of WiT church-endorsed "heterosexual primacy and prestige located in the home" (Brown, 2009, p. 1499).

Social Conflicts in Arrow Of God: Lessons in Flexibility and Good Governance

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Anaso George Nworah

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Chinua Achebe’s second novel, Arrow of God, is concerned with the theme of conflict. According to Holman C. Hugh (1960, there are four basic levels of conflict: struggle between the protagonist and the antagonist, the protagonist with the society, struggle in the mind of the protagonist or the protagonist struggling with fate, destiny or force of nature. Conflicts in Arrow of God delineate three of these struggles in a concentration of events leading to the destruction of the social order in the community (Umuaro. However, the conflicts are linked with colonialism which is at the root of the conflict. In this view, the novel is to some extent, a protest against colonialism and the suffering that it brought to the colonised people generally and the Igbo specifically. Arising from the above, this paper draws some implications from the actions of the protagonist to reveal the connection between a leader’s flexibility and good governance as reflected in the life of the old chief priest (Ezeulu. The novel made its debut in 1964, symbolically marking a year since Nigeria’s adoption of Republican Constitution. The connection between Umuaro’s institution of Ulu and its priest as source of law and order with Nigeria’s adoption of the republican constitution is made obvious in this study. Through this, the nexus between literature and reality is thus reinforced. Keywords: Colonialism, Conflict, Myth, Protest, Governance, Republicanism

Conception, complicated pregnancy, and labour of gods and heroes in Greek mythology.

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Iavazzo, Christos; Trompoukis, Constantinos; Sardi, Thalia; Falagas, Matthew E

2008-01-01

Pregnancy and labour are holy moments in a woman's life. Even in Greek mythology we can find descriptions of them. We searched in the Greek myths to find descriptions of labours of ancient heroes and gods. We identified descriptions of extracorporeal fertilization, superfecundation, ectopic pregnancy, preterm labour, prolonged pregnancy and Caesarean section. The use of imagination could help the reader to find similarities in present or future developments in the field of obstetrics. It could be concluded that various aspects of modern obstetrical practice are described in Greek mythology.

Commercial Genre in evidence: Does the film City of God Manipulate Reality?

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De Medeiros Marcato, Raquel

2010-01-01

This article seeks to discuss whether or not the reality of life in a West Rio the Janeiro favela, as depicted in the 2002 film "City of God", has been manipulated. With this discursive proposition as starting point, the essay will attempt to contextualise the way the plot was rendered, and to question the degree to which it resembles reality, as well as its adaptation to the gangster genre which gives rise to the feeling that, within a real context, this is a ‘fabricated story’: what interna...

God and Coitus: Between Misogyny and Feminism

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Noemí Calabuig Cañestro

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The objective of this work is to point out that for a philosophical reflection on the sexes, there are two vitally important issues that are intimately related: the meaning we attribute to the intercourse and how we understand the human being relationship with the absolute (or with God. For that purpose, we will resort to the philosophies of two authors who represent antagonistic views on this matter: Otto Weinigner, an undoubtedly misogynist author, and Simone de Beauvoir, a precursor of feminism. Since their speeches coincide in many relevant aspects —for both indentify masculine values with human values, believe that women have been deceived and support the femininity disappearance— the reason why they merit opposite judgments must be found in their discrepancies. Here we support that the fundamental divergence between these theories lies in the meaning they ascribe to the intercourse. This meaning depends on how they understand the relationship between the human being and divinity. The comparison between these two authors reveals the essential nature of such issues for the philosophical discourse on the sexes.

God and religion in post-modern philosophers

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José J. Queiroz

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This paper is an essay on the positions of some post-modern philosophers on religion, with the debate about post-modernity as a background. Its preliminary objective is to situate post-modernity taking a position between plain acceptance and categorical refusal in contemporary society. In this polemical field, the paper focuses on three important post-modern philosophers by pointing their contributions for a new thinking about religion today. The procedure consists in the reading of the authors´ texts looking for an interpretation of their discourses on God, religion and the sacred. The conclusion is that post-modernity is not as new era overcoming modernity, but that it is comprised of new themes  that are on the fringes  or even  in opposite directions of modernity´s parameters . One can find these themes in many fields of human knowledge including theology and science of religion. On Derrida´s position, who is the most focused philosopher, the text is still embryonic as it comes from ongoing research.  

Highly sensitive aptasensor based on synergetic catalysis activity of MoS2-Au-HE composite using cDNA-Au-GOD for signal amplification.

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Song, Hai-Yan; Kang, Tian-Fang; Lu, Li-Ping; Cheng, Shui-Yuan

2017-03-01

Single or few-layer nanosheets of MoS 2 (MoS 2 nanosheets) and a composite composed of MoS 2 nanosheets, Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) and hemin (HE) (denoted as MoS 2 -Au-HE) were prepared. The composites possessed high synergetic catalysis activity towards the electroreduction of hydrogen peroxide. Furthermore, glucose oxidase (GOD) and AuNPs were used as marker of the complementary DNA (cDNA) strand of kanamycin aptamer to prepare a conjugate (reffered as cDNA-Au-GOD) that was designed as the signal probe. Both cDNA-Au-GOD and MoS 2 -Au-HE were applied to fabricate aptasensor for kanamycin. MoS 2 -Au-HE acted as solid platform for kanamycin aptamer and signal transmitters. AuNPs were employed as the supporter of cDNA and GOD which catalyze dissolved oxygen to produce hydrogen peroxide in the presence of glucose. Then cathodic peak current of H 2 O 2 was recorded by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The electrochemical reduction of H 2 O 2 was catalyzed by MoS 2 -Au-HE that was modified onto the surface of a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The cathodic peak current of H 2 O 2 was highly linearly decreased with an increase of kanamycin concentrations from 1.0ng/L to 1.0×10 5 ng/L, with a detection limit of 0.8ng/L. This aptasensor can be used to detect kanamycin in milk with high specificity, sensitivity and selectivity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Influence of Self-Regard on Response of Belief in God and Awareness of Prophetic Teaching

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Mustafa Tekke

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Personality and religion relationship has long been studied by Western and Muslim researchers in order to find any association between religious factors anda person's behavior and thought. The present study sought to expand research by investigating the differences in the latent factors, namely Tawhid (Belief in God, Nubuwwa(Awareness of Prophetic Teaching, Self-striving, and Self-regard, in a newly developed scale of Integrative Islamic Personality Inventory (IIPI. The sample of this study was a group of undergraduate students (n= 1235 in ten universities in Turkey. Data were analyzed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling. The main goal of this study was to investigate the statistical properties of this scale and examine if it could be applied across university students. It is apparent that Belief in God and Awareness of Prophetic Teaching, Self-regard and Self-striving represent psychological and social implications for individuals.  Thus, the model of this research makes an important contribution to understanding and predicting how Muslims think, act, and experience Islam.

Image of God, religion, spirituality, and life changes in breast cancer survivors: a qualitative approach.

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Schreiber, Judith A; Edward, Jean

2015-04-01

Religion and spirituality are much studied coping mechanisms; however, their relationship to changes in behaviors, relationships, and goals is unclear. This study explored the impact of a breast cancer diagnosis on religion/faith and changes in behaviors, relationship, or goals. In this qualitative study, women, who participated in a larger, quantitative study, completed written responses to questions regarding the role of religion/faith in their lives, the impact of their diagnosis on their image of God and on faith/religious beliefs, and any changes in behaviors, relationships, or life goals were examined. Based on previous findings noting differences in psychological outcomes based on a higher (HE) or lesser (LE) engaged view of God, 28 (14 HE; 14 LE) women were included in the analysis. Awareness of life and its fleeting nature was common to all. Ensuing behaviors varied from a need to focus on self-improvement-egocentrism (LE)-to a need to focus on using their experiences to help others-altruism (HE). Study results suggest that seemingly small, but highly meaningful, differences based on one's worldview result in considerably different attitudinal and behavioral outcomes.

Gods, Titans and mortals: patterns of state involvement in nuclear development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jasper, J.M.

1992-01-01

Nuclear power, perhaps more than any other industrial technology, is a child of state interests. Whether peaceful or war life, use of atomic power has traditionally been identified with the larger imperatives of state security. Furthermore, the exploitation of nuclear power has required the foundation of complex state apparatuses to operate, regulate and justify it. In this paper, the examples of the USA, France and Sweden are used and comparisons made between their different histories of state involvement in nuclear power development. The discussion is shaped by drawing similarities between the behaviour of states and that of characters in the Prometheus myth - gods, Titans and mortals. (author)

An interview with Samuel Shem, author of 'The House of God'.

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Brash, Claire

2017-07-01

Dr Stephen Bergman, Professor of medical humanities at New York University, writes under the name Samuel Shem. He is an acclaimed author of several novels, plays and textbooks, and his work has been translated into several languages -'The House of God' his first novel has sold over 3 million copies. His work exposes the potential moral challenges of the medical workplace and the connection between values, good relationships and healing. In 2015 he visited the UK for medical humanities academic tour which included keynote talks at the RCGP 2015 Annual Conference and at the Royal Society of Medicine. Claire Brash interviewed him at the Royal Society of Medicine.

Work of the Gods: Tatai Arorangi (Maori Astronomy)

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Leather, Kay; Hall, Richard

Knowledgeable elders of ancient times, and their descendants today, studied the heavens and the stars - such was matai whetu, study of the stars - to identify the heavenly bodies and their relationships to each other. The knowledge gained was arranged in whakapapa, genealogies. Recitation of the star names was known as tatai whetu; navigation across the seas was tatai aro rangi: finding the appropriate path by the stars. The maramataka, or literally moon calendar, and the seasons were determined by the heliacal rising (rising just before the Sun) of certain stars. Knowledge of their world was the tool the ancients used to order their lives. From the first twitch in Te Kore, which gave life, to the continuous flow of creation, carried in the waters of life, even unto the breath of life, which allows creatures to move under their own mana, all the universe shares the tapu and the mana of the gods.

The Music of Spheres [ God as A Geometer

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Cristian Ungureanu

2014-11-01

Full Text Available The rediscovery and enhancement of the standards, canons or constructive techniques of the pictorial space used by the masters of the traditional periods in art history, could be a viable alternative to the identity crisis that defines contemporary art. The Gothic miniature of the 13th century, known under the name of “God as a Geometer”, displays the undeniable artistic qualities specific to the miniature genre, qualities that enhance the symbolic meaning of the image. However, the aim of our essay is to reveal the internal geometric structure used by the French monk in the making and symbolic loading of his painting, a scheme that gravitates and develops around the two circles clearly marked as the halo of the character and of the universe created by him through the compass. Precise numerical ratio obtained through the expansion of these two circles reveals the place and significance of all the elements of the miniature we analyzed.

God-image of Servant King as powerful but vulnerable and serving: Towards transforming African church leadership at an intersection of African kingship and biblical kingship to servant leadership

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Vhumani Magezi

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Christianity is mediated through culture and people’s cultural practices. One such cultural practice is African kingship. African kingship conveys on the ruler sovereignty, power, authority and supremacy over people under one’s jurisdiction. Intricately linked to respect for elders and those in power, African church leaders are at an intersection of the African kingship leadership style and the biblical kingship leadership style. Consciously or unconsciously, church leaders tend to embrace the African kingship approach to leadership and to a lesser extent biblical servant leadership. In such a situation, what God-image of biblical leadership could be discerned for constructive church leadership? In response, the God-image of Servant King as all powerful God, although vulnerable and serving, provides the framework for a transformative approach to church leadership in Africa.

Afnemend geloof in God en toenemend geloof in een hogere werkelijkheid? : Verklaringen van trends tussen 1979 en 2000

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Graaf, Nan Dirk de; Grotenhuis, Manfred te

2005-01-01

Declining belief in God and increasing belief in the supernatural? Trends between 1979 and 2000 explained Religion is gradually losing its influence in Dutch society, which is one aspect of ‘secularization’. In this study we focus on individual secularization, namely the increasing number of

The influence of physical and chemical parameters on the extinction of the god fish (Tor duoronensis) species: case study in Balong Dalem Kuningan district

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Abidin, Z.; Marwoto, P.; Iswari, R. S.

2018-03-01

Tor douronensis (God Fish) species are endemic freshwater fish that only live in Kuningan District. Originally these fish scattered in the pool Cigugur, Cibulan, Balong Kambang, Darma Loka and Balong Dalem. However, since 2006 the god fish that existed in Balong Dalem extinct. This study aims to analyze the possible factors causing extinction of the god fish in situ Balong Dalem. The study was conducted during May 2017. The results showed that there were 11 phytoplankton and 13 genera of Gomphonema, Stigeoclonium, Desmidium, Closterium, Navicula, Spirulina, Phormidium, Melosira, Gloeotrichia, Oedogonium, Hyalodiscus, Moscocrocis and Cladophora. While zooplankton found 3 genus of Cyclops, Rotifera and Tanypus. The results showed that the abundance, diversity and uniformity of zooplankton correlated positively with pH, temperature, DO and water flow but not with others. Condition of water quality (physical-chemical parameter) Balong Dalem in bad condition, low productivity and labile. Condition of substrate base there Balong Dalem in the form of sand and fine mud. All of these conditions caused the extinction of Tor douronensis in situ Balong Dalem.

THE ROLE OF IMAGINATION IN ATTAINING THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD

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TATIANA BORODAI

2010-08-01

Full Text Available In this article, the author wishes to defend a fundamental point: most ancient and early Christian thinkers (from Augustine to Thomas Aquinas thought that the human imagination as a cognitive faculty was a hindrance to metaphysical thinking, to theology, and therefore to the beatifi c vision and salvation. Today, on the contrary, this cognitive faculty is considered to be a positive and very valuable one. The turning-point in the process of this re-evaluation is located in the fourteenth century, when a new literary genre of spiritual literature appeared — the meditationes vitae Christi. For the fi rst time, imagination was seen as a most effi cient tool for attaining a knowledge of God and the fi nal goal of man’s life.

Sound: Conceivably the creative language of God, holding all of creation in concert

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Mark Pretorius

2011-03-01

Full Text Available This paper revolved around the idea that sound within light is the primary medium God used to bring all of creation into existence (creatio. The theory is that the harmonic tones embedded within the initial spoken light of Genesis 1:3 are still reverberating within creation today (concursus and can be used for the benefit of all (providentia. This simply means thatnature is providentially geared to move in a specific direction, according to God�s overall plan for everyone�s benefit.

Commercial Genre in evidence: Does the film City of God Manipulate Reality?

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De Medeiros Marcato, Raquel

2010-01-01

Full Text Available This article seeks to discuss whether or not the reality of life in a West Rio the Janeiro favela, as depicted in the 2002 film "City of God", has been manipulated. With this discursive proposition as starting point, the essay will attempt to contextualise the way the plot was rendered, and to question the degree to which it resembles reality, as well as its adaptation to the gangster genre which gives rise to the feeling that, within a real context, this is a ‘fabricated story’: what international audiences would see as the exotic world of the favela.

Mevlâna ve Kierkegaard’da Birey Tanrı İlişkisi The Relationship between the Individual and God in Mevlana and Kierkegaard

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Vefa TAŞDELEN

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The relationship between the individual and God constitutes themain theme of sacred books. These sacred books aim at establishingthis relationship and bringing design meaning to human life on anindividual and social level. This relationship is handled not only byprophets but by philosophers as well. Different points of views havebeen put forth about the possibility of establishing such a relationship,and thus the topic of belief was evaluated within a context of aphilosophical depth. This attitude has generally shown itself as theproof of the existence of God and the immortality of the soul throughoutthe history of philosophy. Mevlana and Kierkegaard are both of theopinion that the existence of God cannot be proved. According to themany attempt to prove the existence of God is bound to result in oblivionrather than any authorization. Belief in God finds its ground not in theprovability but unprovability, not in knowability but in unknowability ofGod. Therefore, reason has nothing persuasive to say on this subject.Language is insufficient to tell anything on this topic. Mevlana andKierkegaard want to establish the relationship between the individualand the God not as based on rationality but in an inclined directionfrom the God to man and from man to God as heartful relationship. ForKierkegaard, belief can only find its expression between two modes ofexistence. Belief comes into existence in the rediscovery of the bellowedin the self. They mention of a helix of love coming from God to Man,returning to God again being interchangeable between human beingsand each creature, at length pervading the whole universe. As a resultthe state of belief transforms into a sincere love towards the existence“loving the creature for the sake of the creator” an having a tolerant andnice approach towards everything. In this study the form of belief inMevlana and Kierkegaard within this context. Birey ve Tanrı arasındaki ilişki, kutsal kitapların ana temas

The GOD of Hematopoietic Stem Cells: A Clonal Diversity Model of the Stem Cell Compartment

OpenAIRE

Muller-Sieburg, C.E.; Sieburg, H.B.

2006-01-01

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) show heterogeneous behavior even when isolated as phenotypically homogeneous populations. The cellular and molecular mechanisms that control the generation of diversity (GOD) in the HSC compartment are not well understood, but have been the focus of much debate. There is increasing evidence that the most important HSC functions, self-renewal and differentiation, are epigenetically preprogrammed and therefore predictable. Indeed, recent data show that the adult H...

The Revelation of God, East and West: Contrasting Special Revelation in Western Modernity with the Ancient Christian East

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Jacobs Nathan A.

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The questions of whether God reveals himself; if so, how we can know a purported revelation is authentic; and how such revelations relate to the insights of reason are discussed by John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, René Descartes, G. W. Leibniz, and Immanuel Kant, to name a few. Yet, what these philosophers say with such consistency about revelation stands in stark contrast with the claims of the Christian East, which are equally consistent from the second century through the fourteenth century. In this essay, I will compare the modern discussion of special revelation from Thomas Hobbes through Johann Fichte with the Eastern Christian discussion from Irenaeus through Gregory Palamas. As we will see, there are noteworthy differences between the two trajectories, differences I will suggest merit careful consideration from philosophers of religion.

Psyche--the meeting of mind and soul: current psychoanalytic views on the mental representation of god.

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Clemens, Norman A

2013-11-01

The author presents an overview of two contemporary, related psychoanalytic perspectives on religious phenomena. Based on data from systematic interviews, Ana-Maria Rizzuto explores the way the human mind forms the idea of God as it evolves through the various stages of childhood and adult development. The object-representation of God is greatly influenced by the mental representations of mother, father, and other important adults in the child's life. Object relations theory and the writings of Winnicott play an important role in these concepts. William Meissner, a Jesuit priest as well as a psychoanalyst, addresses Freud's views of religious belief as an illusion, or when accepted with certainty as real, as a delusion. Instead, Meissner sees religious belief as a developmental process that resides in the mental realm of transitional phenomena where spirituality, creativity, appreciation of beauty, transcendental states, play, and the psychoanalytic process itself also take place. In psychoanalytic treatment, religious phenomena are not exempt from exploration and understanding, perhaps resulting in more mature development of object representations, ego functions, and the superego functions of conscience and ego ideal as well as more mature religious life.

Invited by God onto the worship stage: Developing missional communities through participation in Theo-drama

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Ian A. Nell

2013-02-01

Full Text Available When the front of the church begins to resemble a stage and the preacher, musicians and other leaders act like performers whilst the congregation takes on the role of an audience, then something is wrong with worship. But not only with worship: something is wrong with the church. A church longing to be missional � that is, a church in which all Christians are participants in the mission of God � needs to express that participation in its worship. Theological dramatic theory shows us how the Trinity acts out a grand narrative in creation, redemption and glorification, and invites us to participate in the Story being performed. This same narrative can be present in worship and can invite our immediate participation. But this cannot happen if either God or the congregation is relegated to the role of mere audience. However, when the Story is told and performed in worship and when the worshipping community is able to participate alongside the Trinity in the Theo-drama of worship, then worship takes on the ability to form that community missionally. Worship is a habit repeated week after week; therefore, its power to transform a community into a missonal congregation is immense.

[Remain true to our original aspiration for farewell to the God of Plague, compose the new chapter for the national schistosomiasis control programme scientifically-Commemoration of 60th anniversary of publishing Chairman Mao Zedong's two poems "Farewell to the God of Plague"].

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Xiao-Nong, Zhou; Shi-Zhu, Li; Qing-Biao, Hong; Kun, Yang; Shan, Lü; Jing, Xu

2018-02-26

This paper reviews the huge promotion of Chairman Mao Zedong's two poems entitled "Farewell to the God of Plague" which were published 60 years ago, and the great achievements of the national schistosomiasis control programme in China. The publication of the two poems promotes the establishment of the mechanism for the national schistosomiasis control programme in China, and in addition, the schistosomiasis control spirit of the people from Yujiang County is still the source of power for the promotion of transferring the schistosomiasis control to elimination stage in China. Now, that we commemorate the 60th anniversary of publishing Chairman Mao Zedong's two poems entitled "Farewell to the God of Plague" means we remain the true to our original aspiration to serve the people forever, which is also to promote the progress of schistosomiasis elimination in China according to the law, the scientific principle, and local conditions, so as to contribute our efforts for realizing the healthy China's dream.

‘Laat uw Naam geheiligd worden’: Een uiting van eerbied aan God

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Evert-Jan Vledder

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Along with Norman Metzler, I will argue that the first petition of the Lord’s prayer: ‘Hallowed be thy Name’ (Mt 6:9b is not the first petition in proper sense. It rather can be seen as a ‘parenthetical doxological phrase’ that describes closer the address ‘Our Father in Heaven’ (Mt 6:9b, following examples in both Jewish and Muslim traditions. The question will be raised whether the devotional address to God is not a stronger base for respectful co-existence and dialogue with each other than a rather general moral demand of ‘having respect for each other’?

The question of the existence of God in the book of Stephen Hawking: A brief history of time

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Driessen, A.; Driessen, A; Suarez, A.

1997-01-01

The continuing interest in the book of S. Hawking "A Brief History of Time" makes a philosophical evaluation of the content highly desirable. As will be shown, the genre of this work can be identified as a speciality in philosophy, namely the proof of the existence of God. In this study an attempt

Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of the God Locus of Health Control (GLHC): A Study on Muslim Pilgrims.

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Nabipour, Amir Reza; Nakhaee, Nouzar; Khanjani, Narges; Soltani, Maryam; Moradlou, Hossein Zirak; Soltani, Zahrasadat

2018-02-01

God Locus of Health Control (GHLC) scale is an instrument for assessing to what extent one believes that God controls his/her health or disease. The aim of this study was to describe the cultural adaptation of this scale and to investigate the psychometric properties of Persian version. At first, the scale was forward-translated to Persian, and then, backward-translation was conducted. Finally, the synthesized back-translated version was prepared and compared to the draft Persian-language version of the GLHC. In the next step, in order to test cognitive debriefing, the Persian-language version of the questionnaire was completed by 20 pilgrims. Final version of Persian GHLC scale was answered by 600 pilgrims attending religious holy places. Mean age of respondents was 33.15 (±11.04) years. There was a positive correlation between six items of GLHC scale and inter-item correlation coefficients. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.84. Exploratory factor analysis showed that the G LHC scale had a one-factor structure. The factor loadings for all items ranged from 0.57 to 0.77. Residual correlations of all items were between -0.2 and +0.2. The people with lower income had significantly higher score of GLHC scale. GLHC scale score had a significant positive correlation with DUREL subscale and MHLC Chance Externality subscale score. There was no a significant correlation between GLHC scale score and Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC) Internality and Powerful subscales scores. The results of the present study showed that the Persian version of GHLC scale has acceptable factorial validity and internal consistency reliability.

La dialectique du nouveau et du même dans God's Grace de Bernard Malamud

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Chard-Hutchinson, Martine

2017-01-01

What's the use avoiding rats and horror, hiding from Cops and dentists' drills ? Somebody will invent Buchenwald next door. Alan Ginzberg "If it's all right with you," he addressed the gorilla in gratitude, "I'd like to call you George after my late wife's father, who was an accomplished dentist, a wonderful man. He often fixed people's teeth for nothing." Bernard Malamud God's Grace, le dernier roman achevé de Bernard Malamud, est une histoire "pleine de fureur et de bruit" qui se présente ...

Broad supernatural punishment but not moralizing high gods precede the evolution of political complexity in Austronesia

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Watts, Joseph; Greenhill, Simon J.; Atkinson, Quentin D.; Currie, Thomas E.; Bulbulia, Joseph; Gray, Russell D.

2015-01-01

Supernatural belief presents an explanatory challenge to evolutionary theorists—it is both costly and prevalent. One influential functional explanation claims that the imagined threat of supernatural punishment can suppress selfishness and enhance cooperation. Specifically, morally concerned supreme deities or ‘moralizing high gods' have been argued to reduce free-riding in large social groups, enabling believers to build the kind of complex societies that define modern humanity. Previous cro...

Names and Attributes of the Mother of God. For a Church Slavonic-Russian-Italian Lexicon of Religious Terms

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Maria Chiara Ferro

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In direct continuity with a previous essay on the study of a selection of attributes referred to the Christian God (Ferro, Romoli 2013, the authors analyze a number of epithets and attributes addressed to the Mother of God or defining her qualities. These words are frequently used in medieval Eastern Slavic literature, they are usually stated in the most authoritative dictionaries of Old and Church Slavonic languages, and remain generally unchanged in modern Russian.Within the project of a trilingual (Church Slavonic-Russian-Italian lexicon, the essay aims to show how the translation of religious terms goes beyond linguistics, as the question of correspondence or lack of correspondence in concepts and contexts of reference often arises. Since general dictionaries frequently fail to provide satisfactory solutions, it is necessary to go back to the origins, semantics and use of the terms through the systematic use of different types of dictionaries. In addition, in order to provide a proper Italian translation, the use of dictionaries of the Italian language is also fundamental.

Theology links Christian ministry with God's call.

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O'Connell, L J

1984-03-01

Catholic health care ministry originates in and is shaped by the theme of call in the Old and New Testaments. To be specifically Catholic, health professionals and facilities must define their ministries according to the values expressed in this theological tradition. Sponsorship. The opportunity to provide health care enables religious communities to contribute to God's ongoing creation process and to reiterate Christ's call to minister to others. Although health care facility sponsorship thrusts religious communities into the arena of big business, the abandonment of the health care mission could be considered a betrayal of evangelical values. Quality of life. The implicit concern for human dignity that distinguishes Catholic health care facilities should be evident in personalized patient care, just working conditions, and a commitment to healing in the civic community. Stewardship in ethics. The development of business policies and procedures and institutional responses to social change should be carefully considered in light of the Catholic understanding of loving covenant and the Christian way of life. Shared ministry. Health care facilities have played a leading role in implementing the Second Vatican Council's vision of ministry. Sponsoring communities' continued willingness to share responsibilities with laity will be imperative in meeting the health care demands of the future.

Handling a crisis via a combination of human initiative and godly direction: Insights from the Book of Ruth

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Robin Gallaher Branch

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The biblical text introduces Ruth, a Moabite woman, at a time of personal crisis. She faces destitution. Life has handed her multiple blows, amongst them widowhood and childlessness. Her single asset? Naomi, a cranky, elderly but endearing mother-in-law. Naomi, an Israelite and also widowed, is now quite determined to go home to Bethlehem. Ruth joins Naomi’s journey, but for Ruth it is a pilgrimage, for it is at this time that she switches allegiance from the gods of Moab to the God of Israel. As an immigrant facing change on every level – a new culture, a new religion, no friends and no job – Ruth nonetheless triumphs. Within only a couple of months, not only does she marry a prominent and prosperous bachelor, Boaz, but also wins the hearts of her mother-in-law’s friends, the women of Bethlehem. This analysis of her successful pilgrimage offers contemporary guidelines for facing dramatic changes. Using literary method, this article examines one of the Bible’s accounts of how a personal crisis is resolved via a combination of God’s providence and human initiative and courage. Die hantering van ’n krisis deur ’n kombinasie van menslike inisiatief en goddelike bestuur: Insigte uit die boek Rut. Die bybelse teks stel die leser voor aan Rut, ’n Moabitiese vrou, tydens ‘n persoonlike krisis in haar lewe. Sy is ’n weduwee, kinderloos en staar dus armoede in die gesig. Haar enigste pluspunt is Naomi, haar bejaarde, ietwat verbitterde dog innemende skoonmoeder. Naomi, ’n Israeliet en ook ’n weduwee, is vasbeslote om na haar huis in Betlehem terug te keer. Rut vergesel haar en dit word vir Rut ’n pelgrimstog na die God van Israel, weg van die afgode van Moab af. As immigrant wat ’n vreemde kultuur en godsdiens, ’n toekoms sonder vriende en werkloosheid moet verwerk, seëvier Rut uiteindelik. Sy trou binne ‘n paar maande met Boas, ’n prominente en welvarende vrygesel en wen ook die harte van haar skoonmoeder se

Finding God through the Spirituality of the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous

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Jeff Sandoz

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The 12 Step program of Alcoholics Anonymous has provided relief for individuals recovering from alcoholism for over 75 years. The key to the recovery process is a spiritual experience as the result of practicing the daily discipline of the 12 Steps, a process which evokes a psychic change sufficient to recover from this disease. Although a relatively new spiritual discipline, the 12 Step program is built upon a foundation of much older and more traditional paths to God including devotion, understanding, service and meditation. Recent research provides insights into the 12 Step program. Specifically, the path of recovery is highlighted by the reduction of resentment and the promotion of forgiveness which are key factors of recovery.

"Modern medical science and the divine providence of god": rethinking the place of religion in postwar U.S. medical history.

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Golden, Janet; Abel, Emily K

2014-10-01

Drawing on a large cache of letters to John and Frances Gunther after the death of their son as well as memoirs and fiction by bereaved parents, this essay challenges the assumptions of secularization that infuse histories of twentieth-century American medicine. Many parents who experienced the death of children during the postwar period relied heavily on religion to help make sense of the tragedies medicine could not prevent. Parental accounts included expression of belief in divine intervention and the power of prayer, gratitude for God's role in minimizing suffering, confidence in the existence of an afterlife, and acceptance of the will of God. Historians seeking to understand how parents and families understood both the delivery of medical care and the cultural authority of medical science must integrate an understanding of religious experiences and faith into their work. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

A simple microplate-based method for the determination of α-amylase activity using the glucose assay kit (GOD method).

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Visvanathan, Rizliya; Jayathilake, Chathuni; Liyanage, Ruvini

2016-11-15

For the first time, a reliable, simple, rapid and high-throughput analytical method for the detection and quantification of α-amylase inhibitory activity using the glucose assay kit was developed. The new method facilitates rapid screening of a large number of samples, reduces labor, time and reagents and is also suitable for kinetic studies. This method is based on the reaction of maltose with glucose oxidase (GOD) and the development of a red quinone. The test is done in microtitre plates with a total volume of 260μL and an assay time of 40min including the pre-incubation steps. The new method is tested for linearity, sensitivity, precision, reproducibility and applicability. The new method is also compared with the most commonly used 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid (DNSA) method for determining α-amylase activity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Last Word: An Interview with Frank Pajares--God, the Devil, William James, the Little Prince, and Self-Efficacy

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Bembenutty, Hefer

2007-01-01

This article presents an interview with Frank Pajares, an internationally recognized scholar in the field of motivation and self-efficacy. During the interview, Pajares talked about William James, what he learned from reading "The Little Prince," his self-efficacy beliefs, and his famous speech wherein he spoke of God, the Devil, and solving the…

"Oh, yeah, I'm getting closer to god": spirituality and religiousness of family caregivers of cancer patients undergoing palliative care.

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Paiva, Bianca Sakamoto Ribeiro; Carvalho, André Lopes; Lucchetti, Giancarlo; Barroso, Eliane Marçon; Paiva, Carlos Eduardo

2015-08-01

Within the cancer palliative care setting, where both patients and family caregivers (FCs) undergo a transition from the end of curative treatment to palliative therapy, spirituality and religiousness (S/R) may be a strategy to help the patients and FCs better cope with the disease, in addition to exerting a positive impact on symptoms, particularly emotional symptoms. The present study aimed to understand how S/R influence FCs of cancer patients undergoing palliative care. This study was an exploratory and descriptive qualitative study. The qualitative approach to the data was based on Bardin's content analysis technique. The consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ-32) was used in the description of the results. Thirty FCs of individuals with advanced cancer undergoing palliative care were included. Analysis of the FCs' narratives indicated that the FCs considered that religiousness and faith in God or a Supreme Being provide them with the strength to cope with the suffering associated with the care of relatives with advanced cancer. Many FCs emphasized that talking about God was somehow comforting and made them feel at peace with themselves. Four categories were identified in the FCs' narratives: (1) increase in faith and closeness to God becomes stronger, (2) rethink life issues, (3) negative interference in the extrinsic religiosity, and (4) quest for religiousness to gain strength or support. A conceptual framework was developed. The results of the present study indicated that S/R are a coping strategy frequently used by FCs of individuals with advanced cancer. The perceptions of the FCs interviewed in the present study corresponded to the four distinct categories related to spirituality and religiousness.

Comparative studies of groundwater vulnerability assessment

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Maria, Rizka

2018-02-01

Pollution of groundwater is a primary issue because aquifers are susceptible to contamination from land use and anthropogenic impacts. Groundwater susceptibility is intrinsic and specific. Intrinsic vulnerability refers to an aquifer that is susceptible to pollution and to the geological and hydrogeological features. Vulnerability assessment is an essential step in assessing groundwater contamination. This approach provides a visual analysis for helping planners and decision makers to achieve the sustainable management of water resources. Comparative studies are applying different methodologies to result in the basic evaluation of the groundwater vulnerability. Based on the comparison of methods, there are several advantages and disadvantages. SI can be overlaid on DRASTIC and Pesticide DRASTIC to extract the divergence in sensitivity. DRASTIC identifies low susceptibility and underestimates the pollution risk while Pesticide DRASTIC and SI represents better risk and is recommended for the future. SINTACS method generates very high vulnerability zones with surface waters and aquifer interactions. GOD method could be adequate for vulnerability mapping in karstified carbonate aquifers at small-moderate scales, and EPIK method can be used for large scale. GOD method is suitable for designing large area such as land management while DRASTIC has good accuracy and more real use in geoenvironmental detailed studies.

Differences in the Perception of Growth in Spiritual Development between Freshmen and Seniors Attending an Assemblies of God Affiliated University

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Manley, Paula R.

2017-01-01

Purpose, Scope, and Method of Study: The purpose of this study was to describe the perception of growth in spiritual development of undergraduate students attending an Assemblies of God affiliated university by examining the differences in the perception of spiritual development between freshmen and seniors. This quantitative study used a survey…

Religious Diversity, Empathy, and God Images: Perspectives from the Psychology of Religion Shaping a Study among Adolescents in the UK

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Francis, Leslie J.; Croft, Jennifer S.; Pyke, Alice

2012-01-01

Major religious traditions agree in advocating and promoting love of neighbour as well as love of God. Love of neighbour is reflected in altruistic behaviour and empathy stands as a key motivational factor underpinning altruism. This study employs the empathy scale from the Junior Eysenck Impulsiveness Questionnaire to assess the association…

A Postcolonial Approach to the Problem of Subalternity in Toni Morrison's God Help the Child

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Sahar Abdelkarim Asad Mashaqi

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This study focuses on the different forms of subalternity, the effect of marginalizing subaltern characters, and the postcolonial discourse among characters coming from different backgrounds in Toni Morrison’s God Help the Child (2015. A close reading of this novel shows how subalternity shapes the novel as a whole, both in its form and content. The title, language, tone, multiple points of view, and characters, all form a postcolonial frame and setting to the whole novel which highlights the problems of racism and child abuse in the United States of America in the twenty-first century. The novel is mainly about a dark child named Bride. She is born in a white family and represents children’s marginalization in a white society because of a very long history of discrimination against black people. In addition to Bride, the study shows many other examples of racism and child abuse. So, one can argue that postcolonialism is one of the best approaches that can help the reader better understand the marginalized characters. A postcolonial approach will shed more light on the suffering of all these people and help the reader find out the victim and the victimizer. As a whole, God Help the Child necessitates a totally different approach to the problem of subalternity. Instead of Spivak’s view that the subaltern cannot speak, it is possible to anticipate a near future in which the subaltern might be able to speak.

The Search for God in the Medieval Novel Laur

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Paula-Andreea Onofrei

2016-11-01

Full Text Available By offering the consumers of literature a “non-historical novel”, as the writer himself mentioned on the title page, Evgheni Vodolazkin delicately manages to take his reader to a world which is outside the laws of time, although the action is placed in the Middle Ages. As we have mentioned in the review of the book, it is captivating, charming, mesmerizingly beautiful – these would be the essence of this creation. In a nutshell, we consider that Vodolazkin’s words about his own novel invite to meditation, offering a complex perspective: “There are things about which one may speak more esily in the context of old Russia. About God, for example. In my humble opinion, the connections with Him were more direct a long time ago. Furthermore, they simply existed. Now, the nature of these connections represents the preoccupation of very few people, and this leaves us in anxiety. Have we found out, from the Middle Ages onwards, a completely new thing that has allowed us to relax?“

The role of God in the father/son relationship during identity formation – a Gestalt theoretical perspective

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H.B. Grobler

2010-07-01

Full Text Available This article is based on research done within the Afrikaansspeaking community in the area of the Drakenstein Municipality, Western Cape province, South Africa. The focus falls specifically on one concept that was outlined during the research, namely the perceptions of fathers and adolescent sons on identity formation within their relationship as well as the role that God plays. Combined qualitative/quantitative research was conducted with emphasis on semi-structured interviews with fathers (n=4 and adolescent boys (n=4 and an auto-ethnography of the author as the dominant component. The lessdominant quantitative component consisted of questionnaires completed by fathers (n=42 and adolescent boys (n=180. Metatheoretical assumptions and theoretical assumptions as grounding for the male identity are discussed as part of the author’s paradigmatic perspective. Furthermore, empirical findings are discussed and recommendations are made. From the discussions with fathers and their sons it was clear that both fathers and sons have a need to stand in close relationship to each other and to God. It is within this relationship where their identities are formed. However, fathers seemed to be resistant of transferring their beliefs to their sons. Adolescent boys also indicated no need to one day transfer learned behaviour from their fathers to their sons.

Seeing Beings: “Dog” Looks Back at “God”: Unfixing Canis familiaris in Kornél Mundruczó’s Film Fehér isten/White God (2014

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Lesley C. Pleasant

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Kornél Mundruczó’s film Fehér isten/White God (2014 portrays the human decreed options of mixed breed, abandoned dogs in the streets of Budapest in order to encourage its viewers to rethink their relationship with dogs particularly and animals in general in their own lives. By defamiliarizing the familiar ways humans gaze at dogs, White God models the empathetic gaze between species as a potential way out of the dead end of indifference and the impasse of anthropocentric sympathy toward less hierarchical, co-created urban animal publics.

Greene's Selimus (1594: A Scourge of God to the Ottomans

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Fahd Mohammed Taleb Al-Olaqi

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The Ottomans were represented in the imagination of Elizabethan drama. However, the Ottoman Sultans were remarkably in demand on Elizabethan stage. Robert Greene's Selimus (1594 shows a real interest in exploring and understanding the psyche of the Ottoman Sultan. The play's pattern theme of patricide explores the unnatural characteristics of the Ottoman royal family. The dramatic scenes of the murderous actions are engaging in lawless incursion upon ancient historical claims. Selimus appears as a proud ambitious tyrant, polluted with the blood of his own brothers. The fraternal conflict forms the inevitable bloodshed in transferring power to descendants in the Ottoman Empire. Greene depicts Sultan Selimus as the scourge of God to the Ottoman House. He holds some philosophy which is contrary to Elizabethan ethical and succession rules. Greene's interpretation of his conflict in the domestic scenes is a significant acknowledgement of the settled nature of Turkish sovereignty, and indeed of its complexity, at his own days.

Leading God's People: Perceptions of Influence Among African-American Pastors.

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Harmon, Brook E; Strayhorn, Shaila; Webb, Benjamin L; Hébert, James R

2018-01-31

Religious leaders, particularly African-American pastors, are believed to play a key role in addressing health disparities. Despite the role African-American pastors may play in improving health, there is limited research on pastoral influence. The purpose of this study was to examine African-American pastors' perceptions of their influence in their churches and communities. In-depth interviews were conducted with 30 African-American pastors and analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Three themes emerged: the historical role of the church; influence as contextual, with pastors using comparisons with other pastors to describe their ability to be influential; and a reciprocal relationship existing such that pastors are influenced by factors such as God and their community while these factors also aid them in influencing others. A conceptual model of pastoral influence was created using data from this study and others to highlight factors that influence pastors, potential outcomes and moderators as well as the reciprocal nature of pastoral influence.

Universal Church of the Kingdom of God and the religious marketing

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Ubirajara Morais

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Several studies have show that the decline in Catholic Church attendance, as a result of its ongoing stagnant policy that does not attempt to win back or retain its flock, apart from its general neglect as to the financial situation, may have in­fluenced the rise of new religious institutions. But the reasons behind the growing number of evangelicals, especially followers of the Universal Church of the King­dom of God have yet to be seriously studied. Could it be that the leaders of this denomination have been using conventional marketing tools to support its expan­sion? And what would such tools be? Within this scarcely investigated context, the object of the present study has to propose a methodology and an instrument to appraise the profile of the followers’ entry and permanence.

Carly L. Crouch & Jonathan Stökl (eds.: In the Name of God. The Bible in the Colonial Discourse of Empire

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Judith Becker

2015-11-01

Full Text Available This contribution offers a review of Carly L. Crouch & Jonathan Stökl (eds.: In the Name of God. The Bible in the Colonial Discourse of Empire, Biblical Interpretation Series 126. Leiden: Brill, 2014. viii and 192 pages, € 98, ISBN 978-900-425-8334.

JULIAN THE ABJURER AND CHRISTIAN WORLD IN THE NOVEL "THE DEATH OF THE GODS" BY D. MEREZHKOVSKY

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Neda Andritch

2011-11-01

Full Text Available The article elaborates on the concept of the protagonist in the novel The Death of the Gods, Julian the Abjurer by D. S. Merezhkovsky in the light of his attitude to Christian thought and Christians. The analysis accounts for the key religious and philosophic searches by Julian the Abjurer. Special attention is paid to the instances of "unwise wisdom" of Julian the Abjurer and reasons for his "patronizing violence" in relation to Christians.

British Druidry and Turkic Shamanism in context of Pagan Religion

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Nükhet Okutan

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Article represents Celtic Druidry and Turkic Shamanism together within the phenomenon of paganism. Although both of these belief systems are under the impression of monotheistic religions such as Islam and Christianity today, they are still breathing. When Druidry and Turkic shamanism are compared, it can be seen that, both Celtic and Turkic peoples' perceptions of earthly living and the life after death are similar to each other.

Iconography transformed: a few notes on the god Vaiśravaṇa

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Sarah-Allegra Schönberger

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This article aims at an integration of the topic of iconographic transformation processes into a wider context of meaning, in order to enhance its importance from a religious and cultural-scientific point of view. In this sense, my research is not interested in asking how a deity is depicted, but why it is depicted in a particular way; what conclusions can be drawn, and what factors might influence artistic work? Thus, the topic of the image’s context, its usage, and its meaning become the focus of attention. By taking the example of the god Vaiśravaṇa, my analysis of ‘religious images’ of him is composed of two interlinked parts: an exemplary study of a transcultural iconographic transformation process, as well as an analysis of the images’ context.