bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Giant GH-secreting pituitary adenomas: management of rare and aggressive pituitary tumors
Authors: Shimon Ilan , Jallad Raquel S , Fleseriu Maria , Yedinak Chris G , Greenman Yona , Bronstein Marcello D
Published: March 2015

Objectives

Patients with acromegaly usually harbor macroadenomas measuring between 10 and 30 mm in maximal diameter. Giant (adenoma size ≥40 mm) GH-secreting pituitary tumors are rarely encountered and the aim of this study is to analyze different methods for managing them.

Design and methods

We have identified 34 patients (15 men and 19 females) with giant adenomas among 762 subjects (4.5%) with acromegaly in our records, and characterized their clinical characteristics and response to treatment.

Results

Mean age at diagnosis was 34.9±12.5 years (range, 16–67 years). Mean adenoma size was 49.4±9.4 mm (range, 40–80 mm); 30 adenomas showed cavernous sinus invasion and 32 had suprasellar extension. Twenty-nine (85%) patients had visual field defects. Mean baseline IGF1 was 3.4±1.8×ULN. All patients except one underwent pituitary surgery (one to three procedures), but none achieved hormonal remission following first surgery. Among the 28 subjects with visual disturbances, 14 recovered post-operatively and 13 improved. Treatment with somatostatin analogs was given to all patients after surgical failure. Six achieved remission, nine others were partially controlled (IGF1<1.5×ULN; 3/9 when combined with cabergoline), and 17 did not respond (two were lost). Nine patients were treated with pegvisomant, alone (n=4) or in combination with somatostatin analogs (n=5); five are in remission and two are partially controlled. Pasireotide-LAR achieved hormonal remission in one of the six patients. Currently, after a mean follow-up period of 8.9 years, 17 patients are in biochemical remission, eight are partially controlled, and seven are uncontrolled (two were lost to follow-up).

Conclusions

Giant GH-secreting adenomas are invasive, uncontrolled by surgery, and respond poorly to medical treatment. Aggressive multimodal therapy is critical for their management, enhancing control rate and biochemical remission.
Transcending Boundaries of Creativity: Active learning in the Design Studio
Authors: Mohamed Gamal Abdelmonem
Published: March 2015

This essay investigates the changing dynamics of interaction and paradigm of communication in the design studio. It analyses the process of practical implementation of interactive tools in architectural education which placed the diversity of students' cultural experiences, contextual awareness and individual interests as crucial resource for design innovation and inquiry. Building on Brian Lawson's thesis on creativity in design thinking, this research project undertook comprehensive investigation of students' satisfaction of their roles in the studio and the room for liberal thought they are given to elaborate on genuine approach to architectural matters. The cyclical development of interactive learning strategy is explored through two different settings: first, it analyses architectural students' position as passive/active in the studio, considering their relationships with tutors' ideals; second, it reports on empirical strategy of students-led workshops at British schools of architecture, during which students have taken the lead of their creative design agenda. The practical implementation of interactive learning tools proved influential in helping students to personalize their design direction and to build a sense of confidence and independence.
Reflections on the Creation of a Research Archive on One of the Mid-Twentieth Century’s Most Renowned Religious Figures
Authors: Cheatle Andrew
Published: March 2015

This reflective article investigates the research processes involved in bringing together a vast archive of primary material on one of Britain’s most significant mid-twentieth century religious figures. A mixture of informal and more recognized formal methods are evident in the overall research methodology. At times synchronicity appeared to be at work in revealing forgotten and lost treasures. This apparent randomness was, however, rooted in networking principles and the importance of being known within a given field of research. For the most part the research process followed methods of sustained, systematic and laborious study, including searching for leads and pursuing them. The results of the research are an unrivalled research archive of previously unknown or uncatalogued primary materials for the study of William Edwin Sangster. The materials themselves include hundreds of articles, over 100 letters, 24 taped sermons and numerous other materials not covered in the survey.
The routine achievement of gender in Greek interaction
Authors: Alvanoudi Angeliki
Published: March 2015

This paper examines the obligatory use of grammatical gender in the composition of turns in Greek conversation and its implications for the routine achievement of sociocultural gender as part of the taken-for-granted world. By drawing on sociolinguistics, I study the role of grammatical gender in ascribing sex to referents and constructing gender identities. Moreover, I argue that this social dimension of grammatical gender is related to covert assumptions shared by participants about referents as women or men. I explore empirically the relation between grammatical gender and culture by employing conversation analysis, in addition to the notion of the gender membership category.
Gendering selves, gendering others – in (Greek) interaction
Authors: Pavlidou Theodossia-Soula
Published: March 2015

Until quite recently, research on gender and interaction revolved primarily around the use of gendered categories and third person reference in the English language. Based on data from Greek talk-in-interaction, the aim of this paper is to point to some non-referential aspects of gendering. More specifically, adopting a conversation analytic perspective, instances of collective and individual self-reference – in itself not gendered in Greek – are analysed and shown to acquire gendered meanings in the specific context, without the deployment of terms or categories marked by grammatical or lexical gender. Such self-genderings impact on the gendering of recipients via the reflexivity of participants’ roles in interaction. Gendering oneself and others thus emerges as a dynamic process that fully exploits the inherent features of interaction, in interplay with the specific means that a language makes available to its users.
Implicit Religion and the Meaning Making Model
Authors: Park Crystal L.
Published: March 2015

This article explores the potential contributions of a model of meaning making (Park 2010a) to the emerging study of implicit religion. A model of meaning making is first explicated; this model describes the ways in which meaning is central to human beings in both their everyday lives and in stressful circumstances and delineates global and situational levels of meaning. Previous applications of the meaning making model to religiousness/spirituality are discussed. The concept of implicit religion is introduced, and implications of its integration into a broader religious meaning-making model are considered. Suggestions for future research on implicit religion and meaning-making conclude the article.
"Spirituality" as Privatized Experience-Oriented Religion
Authors: Streib Heinz , Hood Ralph W.
Published: March 2015

Recent empirical studies demonstrate that a growing number of people contrast “spirituality” and “religion,” self-identifying as “spiritual, but not religious” or as “more spiritual than religious.” This shift in everyday semantic preference, from “religion” to “spirituality,” has also affected the terminology of the scientific study of religion, producing some uncertainty and ambivalence regarding the conceptualization of spirituality. This is critically discussed. To inspire reflection, the article refers to some classics in philosophy, psychology and sociology of religion. The aim is twofold: first, to take the self-description “spiritual” very seriously, and inspire more thoroughgoing and sophisticated research; second, to call into question the necessity of conceptualizing ‘spirituality’ and to suggest that the concept of ‘religion’ is sufficient, because “spirituality” can be understood as privatized, experience-oriented religion.
Freemasonry Through the Eyes of Anglican Clergy
Authors: Ap Siôn Tania , Windsor Caroline
Published: March 2015

The nature of the relationship between the Christian Churches and Freemasonry has been controversial in England since the latter emerged in an organized form with the formation of the Grand Lodge of England in 1717. Unlike some other Christian Churches, the Church of England has never consistently pronounced against Freemasonry, although a range of views are evident as illustrated by the General Synod Debate in 1987. In part the debate concerns the extent to which Freemasonry itself functions as an alternative religion. The present study approaches Freemasonry from the perspective of 518 Archdeacons, Area Deans and Rural Deans in the Church of England, and explores the connection between their conceptions of Freemasonry and Ninian Smart’s (1989, 1996) seven recognizable components of religion articulated as: the ritual or practical dimension, the doctrinal or philosophical dimension, the mythic or narrative dimension, the experiential or emotional dimension, the ethical or legal dimension, the organizational or social dimension, and the material or artistic dimension. The significance of the results is then discussed with regard to implicit religion and perceived relationships between Freemasonry and the Church of England.
Welcome to the Symposium
Authors: Ter Borg Meerten B.
Published: March 2015

Meerten B. ter Borg introduces a symposium on the occasion of his retirement as a professor and a lecturer in non-institutional and implicit religion at Leiden University.
“Spiritual Labour”
Authors: Pärna Karen
Published: March 2015

This article tries to answer two questions: What is the ontological status of the concept of “implicit religion” and what are its uses? It concludes that “implicit religion” does not exist as a thing; it is a scholar’s tool. It cannot be demarcated and spotted out there in the world as a manifestation of a given set of characteristics. Is there something to be gained with this tool “implicit religion”? It is potentially useful when it can enable one to highlight connections between fields that are otherwise understood as distinct from one another.
The Emergence of Post-dogmatic Religion
Authors: Riis Ole
Published: March 2015

Historically, religion in Western Europe has tended to be defined by churches which distinguish themselves doctrinally. Therefore, religion is commonly thought of in doctrinal, cognitive terms. However, since the Second World War ended by affirming democracy and human rights, the pedagogical system has been subject to a silent revolution, and consequently, religion has been subject to a subtle change. New generations have been taught to question authorities, including religious ones. Religion has become regarded less as allegiance to doctrines and more as an emotional affiliation. This post-dogmatic stance is not implicitly superficial, volatile or egocentric. It may be intense, integrated and social. It is however related to other types of networks and media than those of the traditional churches, and therefore is more difficult to trace sociologically.
Nominal Christian Adherence
Authors: Day Abby
Published: March 2015

It is the desire for belonging, not believing, that explains why so many apparently non-religious people who do not believe in even the minimal tenets of organized religion will claim a religious identity in specific contexts. This paper draws on qualitative longitudinal empirical research seeking to explain that claim through exploring mainstream religious belief and identity in Euro- American countries. What is often described as nominal, fuzzy, or marginal adherence is far from an empty category, but one loaded with significance and similar to an ever-present, implicit religious oritentation described by Durkheim. The author develops nominalism as characterized by a lack of a strong belief in a higher power, and indifference towards churches, but an (irregular) adherence to religion as a significant cultural, familial, and moral marker.
Future Directions in the Sociology of Non-Institutional Religion
Authors: Davidsen Markus Altena
Published: March 2015

A shift is taking place in the religious field from collective, institutional, and tradition-bound religion to increasingly individual, non-institutional, and post-traditional religious forms. This article examines how the sociology of religion has responded to this empirical development, paying special attention to two issues to which Meerten Ter Borg has contributed, namely the typologization of the various modes of non-institutional religion and the foundation of non-institutional religion in human nature. I suggest that the sociology of noninstitutional religion can advance, particularly if it adopts a substantial definition of religion, opens up for co-operation with cognitive scholars, and turns its attention to religious bricolage, the modes of belief, and the effect of the internet on non-institutional religion.
Beyond
Authors: Ter Borg Meerten B.
Published: March 2015

After years of fruitful debate on “implicit religion” it is worth asking, “Where did it bring us?” It led to a focus on “religious,” on sense-making aspects in fields where they might have been least expected. I was able, for example, to point out strong traces of “implicit religiosity” in the worlds of economics and medicine. I also suggested implicit religious tendencies in art, the media and in politics. I acknowledged a strong connection between sense-making and power. So I became a bit notorious in the Netherlands as someone who labeled practically anything as having some sort of religion, from spontaneous adoration and mourning (Lady Di), to football.

Standing on the shoulders of giants and in co-operation with colleagues, I developed such theoretical concepts as “transcendence and ontological security,” to clarify how similar phenomena could appear in such diverse fields. It all boils down to this. People need sense-making systems in all fields of human activity. They are, however, both able and willing, to a larger or lesser extent, to transcend the limits of their particular sense-system or world-view. But this extraordinary capacity for transcendence also endangers their peace of mind, their “ontological security.” I elaborated on the ways in which individuals and collectives find the balance between these two inescapable poles of human existence, which, to a milder or fiercer degree, hangs in the nexus of the tremendum and fascinosum. It is here that the ideas of non-institutional and implicit religion are just starting to flower.
Spirituality and Religious Tolerance
Authors: Hughes Philip
Published: March 2015

Claims of exclusive possession of the truth within Western Christianity have often been associated with intolerance of other religions. Over the past 40 years, an increased number of people around the world have described themselves as “spiritual” rather than as “religious”. As some forms of spirituality do not involve the acceptance of particular doctrines as truths, it might be expected that the spiritual might be more tolerant of various religious perspectives than those committed to a particular religion. An analysis of data from 40 countries around the globe, gathered in the International Social Survey Program (2008), shows that whether those who described themselves as spiritual were more tolerant than those who described themselves as religious, or those who said they were neither spiritual nor religious were more tolerant, varied from one country to another. The data shows that “spirituality” is sometimes associated with belief in God, sometimes not. In a number of countries where spirituality was not widely associated with belief in God, spirituality was associated with greater religious tolerance. However, in several countries where spirituality was associated with belief in God, those who described themselves as neither religious nor spiritual were the most tolerant. The data demonstrates the varied nature of “spirituality” and “religion” and suggests that the level of tolerance is partly dependent on the contexts in which the expressions of religion and spirituality have been developed.
Religion and the Politics of Time by Noah Shusterman. Catholic University of America Press, 2010. 299pp., Hb. £64.50, ISBN-16: 9760813217253
Authors: Murray Derek
Published: March 2015

Book review
Formations of the Secular: Christianity, Islam and Modernity by Talal Asad. Stanford University Press, 2003. 280pp., Pb., $23.95. ISBN-16: 9780804747684.
Authors: Stewart Francis
Published: March 2015

Book review
Silence: A Christian History, by Diarmaid MacCulloch. Allen Lane, 2013. xii + 338 pp., Hb., £20.00, US$27.95. ISBN-16: 9781846144264
Authors: Roberts Vaughan
Published: March 2015

Book Review
Faith of the Founders: Religion and the New Nation 1776-1826, by Edwin S. Gaustad, with a foreword by Randall Balmer. Baylor University Press, 2004. 180pp. Pb., $24.95. ISBN-13: 9781932792096.
Authors: Murray Derek
Published: March 2015

Book review
Implicit Soulfulness
Authors: Grainger Roger B
Published: March 2015

The sociological study of religion has established that people do in fact behave in ways which are implicitly religious, without their actually belonging to an explicitly religious organisation of any kind. What remains to be investigated, however, is why they do this. This paper aims to make a contribution to such an enquiry by using theatre to argue that these individuals are drawn in the direction of religious belief by the inalienable characteristics of the human soul—particularly its voraciousness and flexibility.
It’s Not Business, It’s Personal
Authors: McClendon David Michael
Published: March 2015

Debate surrounding the United States Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United v. FEC is ostensibly about the legal rights of corporations. However, I argue that the debate about corporate personhood is infused with religious concerns, rooted in the Protestant Reformation, about the proper identification of agentive subjects and the consequences of misidentification for human personhood. Focusing on the language used by opponents and defenders in the popular media, I show how both sides are animated by Protestant notions of human agency, and share similar anxieties about the threats to that agency posed by abstract corporate or governmental entities. Attending to this fundamentally religious dimension not only improves our understanding of the moral stakes in the debate over corporations’ legal rights: it also illuminates the implicit religious underpinnings of American political discourse.
Sports in Post-secular America
Authors: Scholes Jeffrey
Published: March 2015

Whether found in curses believed to plague certain baseball teams or in religious-like devotion that fans express towards their team, the relationship between religion and sports is alive and well in the United States. This relationship is frequently assumed to be one of a turf war that pits religion and sports against each other. Such a stance is often predicated on the idea that sports and religious discourses occupy separate realms, yet it is at odds with the historical evidence of the intertwining of the sacred and secular in America. In this paper, I assert that while the “separatist” model has always permeated the American consciousness, an “integrationist” model that draws on a post-secular perspective is appropriate when analyzing the way that sports and religion come together in the figure of football player, Tim Tebow.
De Steps of MoTiv
Authors: Meijknech Ton
Published: March 2015

As pastors of MoTiv, formerly known as Delft University Chaplaincy, over the course of some thirty years, we have experienced a very drastic development, a metamorphosis, in our understanding and task of interpretation, and in the way in which we even approach our work field. Such a transition process never takes place in a straightforward way, but tentatively, struggling and doubting, with an insight surfacing now and then, as a confirming experience. As someone involved in such a process, it is not easy keeping your distance and putting into words how that development has taken place. The fact that we can now make an attempt to do so in this article can largely be attributed to the thesis on the Delft University Chaplaincy that was written by Arnold de Jong.
Sport, Religion, Wellbeing, and Cameron’s Big Society
Authors: Collins Mike
Published: March 2015

Forms of sport and forms of religion are near-global phenomena. This article starts by summarising participation in both domains, and the benefits to individuals and society arising therefrom in terms of health, social capital and wellbeing. Sport is such a major social activity that some have suggested it also is a religion. This I refute; but it is an aspect of popular passion, an implicit religion. It is also recovering more links now with religious practice, after three-quarters of a century of decline. Both generate a large volume of social activity and capital, and contribute positively to health and well being. David Cameron, interested in measuring what truly matters to people, instituted a major new survey. He also espoused the idea of the “Big Society,” as a growth of freedom for local social development, which received a mixed response in the light of broader government policies for cutting public expenditure. With sport as one of the largest segments of volunteering, one might think here was potential for it to take on an even more significant role, but (this paper suggests) there are reasons for significant limits to the further development of its potential importance.
On Why Gaita Doesn’t Describe Eichmann as Sacred
Authors: Segal Alexander , Luck Morgan
Published: March 2015

In this article we examine a potential problem for Raimond Gaita (born 1946). It arises from the way that Gaita, in Good and Evil: An Absolute Conception, affirms the value of describing Eichmann as sacred, yet says that he, as a non-religious person, is unable to describe Eichmann as sacred. We argue that the tension in Gaita’s position does not in reality amount to a contradiction, and so we defuse the potential problem.
Christmas: A History, by M. Connelly. IB Tauris, 2012. 272pp., Pb., £12.99. ISBN-13: 9781780763613. Christmas in Germany: A Cultural History, by J. Perry. University of North Carolina Press, 2010. 416pp., $57.95/ £44.50. ISBN-13: 9780807833643.
Authors: Collins Mike
Published: March 2015

Book review.
Editorial
Authors: Bailey Edward
Published: March 2015

Editor's introduction
Religious and Scientific Forces of Commoditization of Implicit Religion with Their Custodians as “Entrepreneurs”
Authors: Bhattacharya Sonali , Bhattacharya Shubhasheesh
Published: March 2015

In this article we take a fresh look, in the context of implicit religion (characterized by commitment, integrating foci and intensive concerns with extensive effects), at some contemporary explicit religious phenomena, and suggest that there is little significant difference between them and certain phenomena in natural science that have a welfare motive. Examples have been drawn from India to depict how different versions of explicit religion have been commoditized by their advocates, acting almost as entrepreneurs, and how the success or failure of such organizations depends, at least in part, on their relative compliance with, or deviation from, their welfare motive, suggesting that it is the motivation (best understood as implicit religion) lying behind the entrepreneurialism, that can unite both gurus and scientists.
Remembering and the Creation of Sacred Place
Authors: Hedges Paul
Published: March 2015

This article seeks to unravel some of the complex issues behind what are termed acts of “double remembering” at Glastonbury, particularly in Anglican Christian thought. The article will argue that contemporary Christian thinking around acts of pilgrimage are so multivalent and diverse that we cannot simply seek to understand even a fairly small scale issue like Anglican/Anglo Catholic pilgrimage to Glastonbury in terms of any general theoretical perspective, but that many conflicted, and often conflicting, acts of remembering which relate to the identity of those involved, are being enacted. This exposition is set against the context of contemporary Anglican thinking on pilgrimage, some significant theoretical constructions of pilgrimage, and the Christian and New Age understanding of Glastonbury and its meanings. Some aspects of implicit religion theory will be used to help discuss the issues.
Christian Themes in the Heavy Metal Music of Black Sabbath?
Authors: Johnson John J
Published: March 2015

This article looks at the music and lyrics of heavy-metal, rock music pioneers Black Sabbath. Though often labeled a “satanic” band, for their eerie sounds and dark lyrics, a closer look reveals that the band actually penned many songs with Christian themes, which range from outright endorsement of the faith to questioning explorations of it. This is remarkable for two reasons. One, Sabbath was the first major rock band to explore Christian themes so thoroughly. Two, the band’s members are not practising Christians, although bassist and lyricist Geezer Butler did have a strong Roman Catholic upbringing. It is perhaps this background of But-ler’s that comes to the fore in the band’s music, infusing the songs with Christian topics that are all the more remarkable, given the atheism, or at least agnosticism, apparently manifested in the personal lives of the band’s members
Feminism in Islam?
Authors: Grech Michael
Published: March 2015

Review article
The Speed of Belief
Authors: Connor Kimberly Rae
Published: March 2015

This article considers the relationship between religion and literature as refracted through the genre of science fiction writing. Connor explores the possibilities for religions created in the hyphen between “science” and “fiction.” Religion and science fiction each offers a conception of reality that inclines toward different explanations not just of human behavior but of divine (supernatural) behavior and each suggests differing ideas about how to respond. Using poetry as an additional literary from for understanding the relationship between religion and science fiction literature, Connor explores some of the spaces for the invention and expression of religion in its implicit forms.
We Are the Walking Dead
Authors: Herman Peter
Published: March 2015

Robert Kirkman’s popular horror comic The Walking Dead offers the basis for a constructive Buddhist reading of the identification of the body with the authentic self. By applying both traditional Buddhist readings of charnel ground meditations and theorist Julia Kristeva’s understanding of “abjection,” this article argues that the comic can be read in a socially progressive mode, destabilizing the identification of authentic personhood with specific and particular bodies.
Turning into Gods
Authors: Masson Olivier
Published: March 2015

Transhumanism has been a part of modern culture since the early years of the twentieth century. Since Julian Huxley, (brother of the famous writer Aldous Huxley), first used the term in 1957 to describe what he called a “new belief ” in the capability of the human species to “transcend itself,” transhumanism has been going through a continuous institutionalization process. After spending the second half of the twentieth century as a major leitmotiv of science fiction, since the dawn of the new millennium a large number of texts dealing with the creation of a new human species have been published as non-fiction: thus, what was considered a few years ago to be genuine science fiction themes, are now presented as non fiction. However much this crossover from fictional to non-fictional may have changed the face of transhumanism, it has nevertheless left intact its narrative dimension. In this article we argue that this narrative is what gives transhumanism its implicit religious dimension.
Authoring the Sacred
Authors: Thrall James H.
Published: March 2015

In Octavia E. Butler’s novels Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents, teenager Lauren Olamina writes her own scripture, The Books of the Living, as a guide to a way of life she calls Earthseed. The Books of Bokonon, written by a self-styled holy man, provide Kurt Vonnegut’s satirical Cat’s Cradle with the often absurd tenets governing the invented religion of Bokononism. And in Dan Simmons’ four-book Hyperion Cantos series, an eponymous epic poem penned by a misanthropic poet relates the “sacred history” of events leading humanity to a critical juncture. These creative works and their invented scriptures invite readers to immerse themselves in worldviews and value systems laid out along similar themes. Each considers possible outcomes of catastrophic crises, and comments realistically if despairingly on the nature of human failing. Each, in contrast, endorses the power of language to advance human thriving, and makes an ultimate virtue of simple human compassion and empathy.
Christian Musical Worship and 'Hostility to the Body'
Authors: Amoah Michael
Published: March 2015

Herbert Spencer (1896) discussed how the prominent social role of music embodies a ‘twinlike’ relationship with dance. This relationship is implicit between the type of dance and music—and obviously the occasion—whether it be a South American samba, an African kantata or a European waltz. The characteristically slow, sober and sombre style of orthodox or mainstream church music and its apparent disunion with dance would appear to derive from the medieval influence of Augustine, who used the inarticulate nature of dance as a justification for this division. Weber, a social observer of Eurocentric background, recognised the problem and propounded the theory of ‘bodiless music’, but, contrary to popular belief, this did not stem from a conservative Eurocentric bias. This article explains that Pentecostalism, in contrast to the medieval phenomenon of ‘bodiless music’, broadly features a lively, exuberant and multi-instrumental musicality in worship which reflects global developments, and is also biblical. The Pentecostal exuberant musicality has become an incentive for mostly younger populations, and vibrant music has become a popular marketable product in the competition for customers within the unregulated religious economy.
The Moods of Marianne
Authors: Ménard Guy
Published: March 2015

This paper discusses the question of secularity in France, in the perspective of the new law passed by the French government in 2004 (inspired by the Government-commissioned Stasi Report), that sets out to prohibit the presence of all religious symbols in the public sphere, notably in the country’s public schools. The paper does not intend to discuss the political tenets of the debate. It rather raises an issue that is at once more limited and essentially theoretical—yet with important consequences. A well-known French sociologist of religion, Jean Baubérot, argues that ‘wearing a Muslim veil, today, is neither more nor less than wearing Nike running shoes’. This paper suggests that the perspectives opened by the notion of ‘implicit religion’ should bring us to inverse Baubérot’s idea and to consider seriously that, today, for a growing number of individuals, wearing Nikes is not essentially different from wearing a hijab—and that it is therefore potentially just as important and significant, from the perspective of implicit religion. Thus it questions the very limits of the definition of religion that, at least implicitly, underscores the French legislation and, more generally, the very conception of modern secularity.
Spirituality
Authors: Nolan Peter
Published: March 2015

In his book, The Greatest Benefit to Mankind, Porter states that according to all the standard benchmarks, the western nations of the world have never been more healthy, and yet their citizens have never been more anxious about their health. Freedom from the fear of not being able to pay for treatment if we become ill, or of not being able to find treatment for ourselves and our family, is a privilege not shared by the majority of people in the world. This raises the question of whether so many people, including health professionals, continue to worry about their health because they are out of touch with their own bodies, unsure how to recognise states of well being and of dis-ease, and ignorant of what steps to take to maintain or rectify the balance in their lives. Bertrand Russell lamented how little progress had been made in understanding the human spirit, in improving human relationships, and in self-knowledge, even though what had been achieved in the fields of science and technology in the course of a lifetime was truly astounding. He advised that the spiritual journey is best undertaken by ‘being with people who help your being’. The ethos and structure of today’s health services make it difficult for staff to stand alongside those they are caring for, to support their ‘being’; rather they are focused on government targets and outcomes, which often have little to do with helping individuals take responsibility for attaining and maintaining an optimum state of health. The same lack of focus is found in other of our human services.
Spirituality in Scotland
Authors: Stoddart Eric
Published: March 2015

This paper explores data included in the 2001 Scottish Social Attitudes Survey (National Centre for Social Research, 2001) and sets it within a discussion of spirituality in Scotland. A scale of spirituality is constructed encompassing a person’s self-classification, awareness of other possible realms of reality and engagement in a small range of practices. Associations with age and gender are explored. Within the broad field of personal and political identity further associations are identified and discussed which shed some light, tentatively, upon the profile of Scotland’s political party supporters and intentions to vote in general. Lack of association with some key economic and social indicators is noted. Pointers are offered for qualitative research that might build on the findings of this survey with respect to the relationship between spirituality and citizenship in the contemporary context.
The Unconventional Beliefs of Conventional Churchgoers
Authors: Francis Leslie J. , Williams Emyr , Robbins Mandy
Published: March 2015

A sample of 65 men and 93 women attending eight Anglican churches in Wales completed a questionnaire concerned with beliefs, attitudes and practices. Alongside conventional Christian belief, unconventional belief was assessed by eight items relating to good luck and eight items relating to bad luck. Alongside conventional Christian behaviour, unconventional behaviour was assessed by eight items relating to protection from bad luck or promotion of good luck. The data demonstrate how many churchgoers combine their conventional Christian beliefs about God with unconventional beliefs about good and bad luck. It is perhaps this special blend of conventional Christian beliefs and practices with unconventional beliefs and practices that helps to define the implicit religion of Anglicans in Britain today.
Gary D. Bouma and Rod Ling, The Research Process (5th edn).
Authors: Ezzy Douglas
Published: March 2015

Gary D. Bouma and Rod Ling, The Research Process (5th edn). Oxford University Press, Melbourne, 2004, pp. 264, ISBN 0195517466
Alister E. McGrath, Theology: The Basics.
Authors: Cusack Carole M.
Published: March 2015

Alister E. McGrath, Theology: The Basics, Blackwell, Oxford, 2004, pp. xxv + 162, ISBN 1405114258
Fraser Watts, Theology and Psychology.
Authors: Sparrow Amber
Published: March 2015

Fraser Watts, Theology and Psychology. Ashgate, Aldershot, 2002, pp. 256, ISBN 0754616738
Faith and Politics
Authors: Jensen Darryn M.
Published: March 2015

Criticism of religiously motivated contributions to public policy debate is largely misconceived. It assumes that the mischief which constitutional separation of church and state is supposed to cure is a domination of the state by the church. This presents only one side of the story. Subservience by the church to the state should also be avoided. The law of a liberal state is legitimate to the extent that it does not conflict with the basic moral values of its citizens. Therefore, an ongoing conversation about basic values is necessary. Allowing churches and individual believers the freedom to make distinctive ‘religious’ contributions to this conversation is consistent with the separation of church and state. It is an aspect of the liberal democratic state’s obligation to listen to all perspectives on difficult moral issues. A close relationship between church and state, on the other hand, has the capacity to impede the conversation.
Adrian W. Moore, Noble in Reason, Infinite in Faculty: Themes and Variations in Kant’s Moral and Religious Philosophy.
Authors: Quadrio Philip
Published: March 2015

Adrian W. Moore, Noble in Reason, Infinite in Faculty: Themes and Variations in Kant’s Moral and Religious Philosophy. Routledge, London, 2003, pp. 272, ISBN 0415208211
Ways and Means for the Third Millennium
Authors: Possamai Adam
Published: March 2015

Exploring the results of the 2002 survey that was distributed among members of the Association and the information derived from the members’ directory, this Address argues that although the Association performs well overall, because of a few factors, including some structural changes within Australian society, the Association has lost members over the years. Moving to a discussion about the national context of our Association, this Address proposes a new conceptualisation of our Association for the study of religions that will give to the AASR ways and means for the Third Millennium: that of becoming a transnational one.
Noga Collins-Kreiner, Nurit Kliot, Yoel Mansfeld and Keren Sagi, Christian Tourism to the Holy Land: Pilgrimage During Security Crisis.
Authors: Norman Alex
Published: March 2015

Noga Collins-Kreiner, Nurit Kliot, Yoel Mansfeld and Keren Sagi, Christian Tourism to the Holy Land: Pilgrimage During Security Crisis. Ashgate, Aldershot, 2006, pp. xiv + 200. ISBN 075464703X (hbk)
Bentley Layton, Coptic in 20 Lessons: Introduction to Sahidic Coptic with Exercises and Vocabularies.
Authors: Gardner Iain
Published: March 2015

Bentley Layton, Coptic in 20 Lessons: Introduction to Sahidic Coptic with Exercises and Vocabularies. Paris, Dudley; Peeters, Leuven, 2006, pp. viii + 204, ISBN 9042918101.
Catholicism as Identity Factor among the French Canadian Minority
Authors: Geoffroy Martin
Published: March 2015

The main objective of this article is to illustrate the unceasing relevance of the link between Catholic conservatism and French Canadian identity, especially in the cases of the French minorities of the provinces of New-Brunswick and Manitoba, and, more surprisingly, in the province of Quebec. The unceasing relevance of this link is illustrated with our comparative study of the reactions of these three French communities to immigration and to the secular state’s legal obligation to provide reasonable accommodation towards a number of religious demands. More generally, these case studies will show the importance of religion, not only as an identity factor, but also as an identity marker.
Hebrew Prophecy and the Foundations of Political Opposition
Authors: Maddox Graham
Published: March 2015

Political opposition, as institutionally provided for in the constitutional set-up of a democratic polity, implies pluralism, toleration and the guarantee of limited and contested government. Its modern roots can be traced to the era of puritan resistance to the English Crown in the seventeenth century and its theoretical justification in the Country Ideology of the seventeenth century. In that movement theorists liberally resorted to ancient Roman argument and to the example of the Hebrew prophets. Some modern studies of opposition attribute its origins to the Roman tribunate, which Rousseau inaccurately claimed was established to contain executive power without seeking any for itself. This characterization is better suited to the received tradition about the Hebrew prophets.
Douglas E. Cowan and David G. Bromley, Cults and New Religions: A Brief History.
Authors: Cusack Carole M.
Published: March 2015

Douglas E. Cowan and David G. Bromley, Cults and New Religions: A Brief History. Blackwell, Oxford, 2008, pp. xii + 260, ISBN 978-1-4051-6128-2 (pbk).
Voices from Late Antique Egypt
Authors: Nobbs Alanna M.
Published: March 2015

This paper tells us how and what we can learn of the lives of ordinary Christian Women in Late Antique Egypt from our papyrological sources. Papyri, though ephemeral, give us specific instances, from which we can see how ordinary women used Scripture and prayed, and how too the Church authorities of the time became involved in cases of marital disharmony.
The Western Reception of Buddhism
Authors: Cusack Carole
Published: March 2015

This article argues that the West’s positive reception of Buddhism from the late nineteenth century to the present has been informed by the continuing influence of three factors: first, popular cultural transmission of information about the religion; second, celebrity patronage and Buddhist celebrities; and third, the manipulation of the image of Buddhism to fit the pressing intellectual and social issues of the time. This has resulted in a distinctively modern form of Buddhism that is deeply imbued with the key cultural and religio-spiritual discourses of secularisation, individualism and consumer capitalism that have resulted in the transformation of Western religion since the late nineteenth century (McMahan 2008: 27-59). Recent scholarship has emphasised that the encounter of Buddhism and the West, mediated in the nineteenth century by popular cultural phenomena including Edwin Arnold’s poetic biography The Light of Asia (1879) and the World’s Parliament of Religions (held in Chicago in 1893 in conjunction with Columbian Exposition, a celebration of the four hundredth anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ discovery of the New World), was a mutual affair in which certain Buddhists engaged with Western discourses in order to exhibit the congruence of Buddhism with modernity and science, and Western Buddhists and sympathisers attempted to incorporate Buddhism into the framework of Western philosophy and the emergent discipline of psychology (Snodgrass 2003: 115-22, 227-30). Central to this was the rhetorical construction of Buddhism as a religion that rivalled Christianity in ethical excellence and outshone it in compatibility with science and thus modernity (Prebish 1999: 6). This articles concentrates on the influence of celebrity and popular cultural forms in the familiarisation of Buddhism in the West to build on and reinforce the intellectualist scholarship of Prebish, Snodgrass and McMahan (among others), because until very recently these factors were rarely admitted to be of significance in matters of religion.
‘What is man but a mass of thawing clay?’: Thoreau, Embodiment, and the Nineteenth-Century Posthuman
Authors: Dillard Daniel C.
Published: March 2015

This paper argues for a new understanding of Thoreau’s appraisal of the relationship between humans and the natural world by locating him in current posthuman discourse. Examining the developing nineteenth-century inclination to emphasize basic hybridities between humans and nature reveals how Thoreau’s later work pointed toward an ecological yet non-reductive materialism, neither reducing nature to mere matter nor elevating it to ineffa¬ble spirit. As Thoreau erased distinctions between natural and supernatural realms, an interplay between religion and science in his writing unfolded with respect to competing views of natural history in the nineteenth-century transatlantic world. In this reading, Thoreau destabilized traditional interpretations of the af?liation between humans and nature and, in their place, offered a model with interpenetrating identities between matter and spirit. This paper therefore situates Thoreau as a transitional ?gure occupying an intermediate space between liberal humanism and posthumanism. In the end, Thoreau’s struggle—namely, to resolve his wavering between identi?cation with and alienation from the material world—produced new and radical answers to the questions: What is humanity, what is nature, and what is the true relation between the two? In this way he was a forerunner of the posthuman, a radical rethinking or rewriting of what it means to be human.
Time and History as Parameters of Liberation: Some Indications from Levinas and N?g?rjuna
Authors: May John D'Arcy
Published: March 2015

‘Historicity’, the realisation that cultural values, religious beliefs and scientific ideas are historically conditioned, transformed the study of religions in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The fusion of ontology, phenomenology and hermeneutics revealed an existential dimension of historicity, which was expressed innovatively—if enigmatically—by the Jewish philosopher Emmanuel Levinas in his critiques of Husserl and Heidegger. Underlying the concepts of history and narrative is the problem of understanding time. For Levinas, this is bound up with the encounter of self and other (in his terms: the entry of the Other into the Same, thereby opening a perspective on the Infinite and awakening consciousness). Unlike Heidegger, Levinas understood death on the basis of time, not vice versa, and his explorations into the relationships of time, death and the other amount to a transformation of the presuppositions on which Christian faith and theology have been based for centuries. Buddhism, seen through the prism of Na4ga4rjuna’s dialectic, deconstructs these presuppositions in an even more radical way; the question is, at what cost? Only a careful understanding of non-dualism and the two levels of truth, conventional and transcendent, prevents him from losing his foothold in history altogether and with it any basis for a liberation that issues in a viable ethic. The dialogue between these two radical accounts of liberation, one Jewish, the other Buddhist, stimulates Western Christianity to rid itself of anthropomorphisms and outmoded metaphysics and rediscover the life-structuring and identity-building stories which, in a comparative exchange with the Buddha-legend, could allow Christian and Buddhist ‘theologies’ to collaborate.
Religion and Sex: Marriage Equality and the Attempt to Regulate Intimacy in a Multifaith Society
Authors: Bouma Gary D.
Published: March 2015

The debate about same-sex marriage in Australia is used as a lens through which to examine the challenges to social policy debates produced by increases in religious diversity, on the one hand, and the re-entry of religious voices in the public sphere on the other. Moreover, it has now become necessary for non-religious so called secular voices, once considered to be the norm, to defend their positions. Australia’s provision of ‘civil celebrants’ to conduct marriage ceremonies since the mid-1970s has established a free market for weddings. This freedom enables us to see what people choose—clergy, or civil celebrants—as they get married. Recent changes to marriage both in terms of law and the ways people negotiate their marriage relationships have shifted the focus of marriage from an economic transaction centred on assuring paternity to the support of intimacy. In this context the debate about Marriage Equality demonstrates a serious disconnect between those who oppose same-sex marriage and the realities of negotiating intimacy in Australia at this time.