Search Results (1,051)

Background/Objectives: Vaccine attitudes are an individual’s beliefs, feelings, and evaluations regarding vaccines. Limited research has examined how students in faith-based university settings organize these attitudes. This study looked at vaccination attitudes among students at a religious university where faith, science, family, and politics often influence how students think and make decisions. Methods: This study used Q-methodology to examine shared viewpoints about vaccination. A concourse of 240 statements was developed from published literature, public discourse, and student interviews, then reduced to a 37-statement-Q-set. Undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory nonmajors biology course completed digital Q-sorts. We analyzed the data using by-person factor analysis, along with principal components analysis and Varimax rotation. Follow-up interviews helped us interpret the factors. Results: Three viewpoints explained 59% of the study variance. The first viewpoint, Faith-Integrated Institutional Trust, showed strong trust in science, public health agencies, and religious leaders. People in this group saw vaccination as both a moral duty and a way to protect others. The second viewpoint, Skeptical Autonomy and Institutional Distrust, emphasized personal choice, family influence, and distrust of government and official vaccine information. The third viewpoint, Pragmatic Autonomy and Science Confidence, endorsed vaccines and scientific evidence while also prioritizing individual decision-making over mandates. Conclusions: Science alone does not explain vaccination attitudes among college students. Trust, identity, and personal autonomy also play an important role. Vaccine communication should therefore connect scientific evidence with students’ moral commitments, trusted relationships, and concerns about freedom, especially in settings where faith influences health decision-making. Full article

Background/Objectives: Previous literature has linked nutrition with both psychological distress and well-being. However, less is known about how psychological and spiritual resources cluster within individuals or whether distinct psychospiritual profiles are associated with dietary and lifestyle behaviors. This study examined these associations using a person-centered approach. Methods: A community sample of 522 adults from the United States completed measures of perceived stress, depressive symptoms, coping self-efficacy, gratitude, forgiveness, religiousness/spirituality, daily spiritual experiences, religious/spiritual meaning and beliefs, and dietary and lifestyle behaviors. Latent profile analysis was conducted to identify psychospiritual profiles. Results: Four profiles were identified: Moderate (n = 195), Flourishing (n = 199), Vulnerable (n = 70), and Maladaptive (n = 58). The Flourishing profile demonstrated the most adaptive psychological functioning and was associated with healthier dietary behaviors, including lower breakfast skipping and fast-food consumption, greater whole-grain and vegetable intake, lower salt use, and lower sweets and dessert intake. The Vulnerable profile demonstrated the highest levels of perceived stress and depressive symptoms together with relatively elevated religiousness/spirituality, whereas the Maladaptive profile was characterized by elevated distress and consistently low levels of psychological and spiritual resources. Overall, the Vulnerable and Maladaptive profiles demonstrated less favorable dietary patterns relative to the Flourishing and Moderate profiles. However, the observed effects were generally modest and selective. Conclusions: Dietary and lifestyle behaviors may be associated with broader psychospiritual configurations rather than isolated psychological characteristics alone. The findings additionally highlight the heterogeneous nature of religiousness and spirituality within psychological functioning. Full article

The veneration of the Southern and Northern Dippers stands at the heart of the Daoist tradition of astral worship, and the compilation of the Nanbei dou jing (Scriptures of the Southern and Northern Dippers) during the Northern Song dynasty marks a defining moment in the codification of this belief system. Over the course of their transmission, however, the texts accumulated errors while their exegetical tradition fell into increasing neglect. During the Jiaqing and Daoguang reigns of the Qing dynasty, local literati in Yunnan employed the practice of spirit-writing to compose the Beidou jing chanwei and the Nandou jing chanwei in succession, with the twin aims of reconstructing the canonical texts and reviving their interpretive tradition. This article examines these two commentaries along three axes—textual character, philological value, and religious thought—and argues that they are at once liturgical handbooks of the Dongjing Association and the most significant Qing-dynasty annotations of the Nanbei dou jing known to date. Philologically, they preserve variant readings of considerable value for the reconstruction of the textual history of both scriptures. Doctrinally, the commentators fused Daoist astral worship with Buddhist karmic cosmology, Confucian ritual cultivation, and the discourse of inner alchemy, yielding a form of three-teachings syncretism distinctively shaped by its regional context. Through these rare sources, this article seeks to open new perspectives on Daoist textual production, inter-religious exchange, and ritual practice in Qing-dynasty Yunnan. Full article

Background: Black Sub-Saharan African immigrants are among the fastest-growing immigrant populations in the United States, and their mental health needs, particularly with respect to depression, remain understudied. Cultural beliefs, linguistic frameworks, and coping practices in this population often diverge from Western psychiatric models, suggesting that conventional approaches may fail to capture how distress is experienced and expressed. Objective: This scoping review mapped literature on how Black Sub-Saharan African immigrant adults in the United States perceive, report, and respond to depression. Methods: Following PRISMA-ScR guidelines, six electronic databases were systematically searched for empirical studies published between 2000 and 2026. Two reviewers independently screened and extracted data using a standardized form. Data were analyzed using a narrative synthesis approach combining deductive thematic categorization across three predefined review domains with inductive identification of subthemes through iterative team discussion and consensus, with sociocultural, religious, linguistic, and structural factors examined as cross-cutting themes. Findings were synthesized narratively across three domains: perceptions of depression, reporting and communication, and responses to depression. Results: A total of 19 studies met the inclusion criteria (7 quantitative, 10 qualitative, 2 mixed methods; total N ≈ 1900), generating 24 themes. Perception themes highlighted cultural non-recognition of depression (12 of 19 studies), absence of equivalent terms in African languages (7 studies), spiritual explanatory models, and profound stigma. Reporting patterns showed predominant somatic symptom expression and very low disclosure to providers (2.6–4.2%), with depression prevalence ranging from 8.1% to 100% and no validated screening instrument identified for this population. Response themes emphasized religion and social support as primary coping strategies, with formal mental health utilization virtually absent due to structural, cultural, and intersectional barriers. Conclusions: Depression among Black Sub-Saharan African immigrants is widely experienced yet rendered invisible through interlocking cultural, linguistic, somatic, and institutional mechanisms, which this review terms an architecture of invisibility, leaving it largely unaddressed by formal mental health systems. The identification of only one intervention study underscores a substantial gap between documenting the burden of depression and advancing evidence-informed solutions. Culturally validated measures, faith-based intervention models, longitudinal designs, and attention to structural determinants are urgently needed. Full article

We evaluated the psychometric fitness of divine forgiveness measures alongside measures of depression, anxiety, and well-being among mental health (MH) clinicians and trainees enrolled in accredited MH United States programs (N = 226). We hypothesized that forgiveness measures would meet psychometric standards and show positive associations with well-being and religiosity, and negative associations with depression and anxiety. Using a secondary data analysis, participants’ responses to the Fincham and May’s Divine Forgiveness Scale (DF), the Fetzer Divine Forgiveness Scale (FDF), and measures of religiosity, flourishing, depression, and anxiety were analyzed with reliability testing, correlations, t-tests, chi-squares, and linear and curvilinear regressions. The DF demonstrated excellent internal consistency (α = 0.96) and both FDF and DF showed strong positive correlations with religious involvement, and salience of religious beliefs (r = 0.49–0.62, p < 0.001). Religious affiliation predicted higher forgiveness scores (DF; d = 2.85; FDF: d = 0.99, p < 0.001). Additionally, higher levels of religious importance and belief in God were significantly associated with higher DF and FDF scores (p < 0.001). Regression analyses showed a positive linear association between flourishing and measures of divine forgiveness (FDF; β = 0.22, p < 0.001, 95% CI [1.11, 4.20]; DF scores (β = 0.22, p < 0.001, 95% CI [1.172, 4.387]), but neither scale related significantly to depression or anxiety. Curvilinear analysis revealed a quadratic relationship for FDF (β = 1.27, p = 0.004, 95% CI [0.96, 5.002]) and lower levels of depression (β = −0.98, p = 0.03, 95% CI [−0.37, −0.02]) and anxiety (β = −1.15, p = 0.01, 95% CI [−0.52, −0.07]). However, no curvilinear effects were observed for the DF scale. Findings support the reliability and validity of both measures and suggest divine forgiveness may serve as a protective factor for clinician well-being. Full article

Background: Organ donation and transplantation are among the greatest scientific discoveries of our time, which have restored hope and life to many. However, several factors influence the global organ donation rate. It is, therefore, important to understand the Ghanaian context of facilitators and barriers to donation to dispel cultural myths and misconceptions about organ donation. This study aims to qualitatively explore the facilitators and barriers influencing organ donation in Ghana. Methods: This was a qualitative exploratory study conducted among health professionals at four major tertiary hospitals in Ghana. Participants were chosen using the purposive sampling technique. Using a structured interview guide, an in-depth interview was conducted to gather qualitative data, which was then tape-recorded and transcribed. Thematic content analysis was used to manually analyze the data. Results: Of the 25 expert participants, the majority (15, 60.0%) were female. The majority (15, 60.0%) were between 40 and 59 years. The mean age was 42.4 ± 8.0 years. The average number of years of work experience was 15.8 ± 7.1 years. Themes identified for facilitators of organ donation included increased awareness and knowledge campaign, societal influence, and legislative support. Themes for barriers were inadequate knowledge, socio-cultural influence, religious beliefs, and ethical concerns. Conclusions: Increased awareness and knowledge campaigns, societal influence, and legislative support are the significant facilitators of organ donation in Ghana, whereas inadequate knowledge, socio-cultural, and religious influence are important barriers to organ donation in Ghana. Full article

This study examines the transformation of religiosity among individuals who leave traditional Eastern madrasas in Turkey unfinished, focusing on the existential rupture between traditional religious education and modern secular life. While the madrasa institution has historically served as a primary site of religious formation and cultural production in the region, the transition to civil life has led to a significant reshaping of the relationship between faith and practice. Utilizing a qualitative research design, in-depth interviews were conducted with 13 male participants in Batman to explore the impact of institutional departure on individual belief systems. The findings suggest that a curriculum weighted toward grammar and the presence of intense social pressures can affect perceptions of the sacred, triggering a shift in the individual’s attitude toward religious boundaries. Crucially, not being in a position that represents the religious status relieves individuals of the burden of representation, fostering a sense of conscientious flexibility toward abandoning worship. The study identifies a post-secular typology of believing but indifferent, in which belief persists as an ontological comfort zone while losing its regulatory power over daily life. These results indicate that, in the context of madrasa dropout, secularization manifests as the ineffectiveness and worldliness of belief rather than its outright rejection. Full article

A significant transformation in the Chinese pictorial tradition took place during the Han Dynasty. Stone reliefs, considered here as a representative art form, recorded the evolution of social thought, funeral concepts, and religious beliefs. Images of immortals on stone reliefs from the northwest region of the Han Realm—an area that included both northern Shaanxi and northwestern Shanxi—combined the belief system of the Central Plains with local characteristics. This research explores how divine images in stone reliefs were adapted to local contexts and took on new functions within the frontier environment and what social forces and beliefs drove these changes. Full article

In Arab societies, cultural norms, family expectations, and social visibility constraints shape how young people encounter and respond to gender-related content in online environments, yet these dynamics remain insufficiently understood. Building on prior survey research and co-design workshops that explored participatory approaches to digital intervention design, this study investigates how Arab youth in Qatar perceive and respond to issues of gender equality and social inclusion in social media contexts.The Qatari context is particularly significant due to its rapid digital transformation combined with strong cultural, religious, and regulatory influences shaping youth online expression. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with thirty-two participants aged 18 to 24 residing in Qatar. The interviews explored social media activity, experiences of social inclusion, views on gender equality, and perceived challenges alongside culturally appropriate solutions. Interview transcripts were verified and analyzed using thematic analysis. The analysis revealed three interrelated thematic domains: determinants of attitudes rooted in cultural norms, values, and beliefs; attitudes toward gender equality and social inclusion ranging from supportive to resistant; and behavioral outcomes reflected in passive or active engagement as well as prosocial and antisocial digital behaviors. This study provides the first in-depth qualitative account of Arab youth’s perceptions of gender equality and social inclusion in digital spaces and offers culturally grounded insights to inform the design of inclusive and context-sensitive digital interventions. Full article

The article analyzes the relationships between religious affiliation, social participation, and trust in the digital age, drawing on data from a nationwide survey conducted in Poland (N = 1486). The aim of the study is to determine how different religious identifications: Catholicism, other denominations, agnosticism, and non-belief, differentiate forms of social capital (bonding and bridging) as well as types of trust. The study addresses the following questions: (1) whether religious affiliation strengthens traditional social ties and interpersonal trust; (2) whether secularization and agnosticism foster the development of bridging social capital; and (3) how digitally mediated interactions shape generalized trust in contemporary digital society. The analysis employs quantitative methods, including both descriptive comparative statistics and multivariate models. The findings indicate that Catholics tend to invest more strongly in traditional forms of social capital, whereas non-religious individuals and agnostics are more likely to engage in secular initiatives. The analysis also reveals that the level of trust depends both on religious identity and on the type of social network. The findings contribute to the broader debate on the role of religion and secularization in shaping social capital in post-transitional societies, highlighting the growing importance of digitally mediated interactions in contemporary patterns of trust and social participation. Full article

The article argues that existing conceptualizations of secularity ought to be expanded to embrace a plurality of practices and forms of life within African societies. In other words, secularity must be understood as a plurality of historically situated forms of life rather than a single Western conceptual template. Two interconnected objectives define the article. The first is to show shows how the concepts of “deprivatization,” “conditions of belief,” and “postsecularity,” drawn from José Casanova, Charles Taylor, and Jürgen Habermas respectively, may contribute to a pluralistic conception of secularity. The second is to furnish concrete instances of secular forms of life in African societies by exploring the Igbo socio-religious world, underlining its secularity. In foregrounding African forms of secularity, the article not only challenges Western hegemonic appropriation of the secular category and its implicit race-religion nexus, but also contributes to ongoing efforts to rethink, ‘decolonize,’ and deracialize secularity as a global category of social analysis. Ultimately, the future of secularity lies in ongoing, decentered contestations and conversations across multiple worlds. Full article

One might expect the promotion of religious minority rights to be linked to the growth of religious diversity. However, the data in the Atlas of Religious and Belief Minority Rights, on which this article is based, does not support this expectation, instead offering a more complex picture. Rather than promoting minority rights and associated legal differences, religious diversity provides religious minorities with a legal status similar to that of majority religious organisations, thereby fostering legal uniformity. After clarifying the notions of religious diversity and promotion of religious minority rights used in this article, the text briefly discusses the process of religious diversification and its impact on the legal systems of European Union countries. It then provides information on the Atlas project and examines how religious diversification affects the promotion of religious minority rights, how these rights are distributed among different religious minorities and the relationship between minority and majority rights. Finally, the article offers a possible explanation for the Atlas findings, focusing on the reluctance of EU states to accept legal pluralism. Full article

This paper provides an overview of five defences of religious belief against criticisms offered by ‘modern atheists’ such as Richard Dawkins. All five defences maintain that the atheist’s criticisms are off target as a result of the atheist having failed properly to grasp how religious language is used. All five defences are linked with Wittgenstein. My interest here is not in whether any of the defences outlined are Wittgenstein’s (I take no position on that), but rather on whether any plausibly deliver the conclusion that the atheist’s criticisms are off target. The paper concludes that, as they stand, all five defences face significant objections. First, while some would deliver the conclusion that the ‘modern atheist’s’ criticisms are off target, their accounts of how religious language is used appear implausible. Second, the remaining defences, while offering more plausible accounts of how religious language is used, appear not to deliver the conclusion that the ‘modern atheist’s’ criticisms are off target. The paper also notes that those who claim atheist criticisms of religious belief are off target aren’t always clear about which defence (or defences) they are offering, be it one of the five defences outlined here or some other defence. By providing this map or overview, I aim to offer such defenders an opportunity to identify more clearly which defence they have in mind and why they believe it succeeds. Full article

This article examines the ethnopragmatic significance of religiously based personal names among the Agwagune people of Biase in Cross River State, Nigeria. Insights from a socio-onomastic framework are used to account for the situational, socioreligious and sociocultural contexts of Agwagune naming practices that reinforce the people’s belief systems and worldview. Using participant observation and semi-structured interviews, data were generated during a nine-month fieldwork session involving 30 participants who were knowledgeable in the traditional religious socio-onomastic tradition. Our findings show that Agwagune people draw from their symbolic linguistic resources to bestow personal names that become messaging instruments that express traditional religious affiliations, sociocultural practices and indigenous belief systems. The personal names bear ethnopragmatic relevance that manifests in the veneration of deities and traditional worship; significations in rituals and religious festivals; mysteries of death, reincarnation and commemoration; traditional familial hierarchies; and the sociocultural connection between the people and their physical and spiritual universe. Aside from contributing to the global discourses on socio-onomastics from the perspectives of a micro-minority ethnolinguistic group, the study is also relevant because it serves as documentary material for an endangered and transitioning socio-onomastic practice that characterizes the people’s cosmology, belief systems and lived experiences that are gradually being replaced by Christian orientations. Full article

In the face of rapid urbanization and spatial constraints in compact cities, the function of mosques in Kuala Lumpur has evolved significantly beyond their traditional religious roles. No longer solely places for ritual prayer, mosques are increasingly being reimagined as dynamic community hubs that serve a broader civic purpose. This paper explores how selected mosques in Kuala Lumpur have adapted architecturally, functionally, and socially to meet the diverse needs of urban Muslim populations. Through a qualitative case-study approach involving spatial analysis, semi-structured interviews, and documentary reviews, this study examines how vertical spatial arrangements, multifunctional space use, and socially inclusive programs have emerged in response to the demands of dense urban environments. Furthermore, this study evaluates how contemporary mosque designs navigate between the sacred and the secular, integrating civic utility with spiritual ambiance. The findings reveal that these architectural and institutional transformations are not only reactive to urban limitations but also proactive in fostering community resilience, interfaith interaction, and urban social sustainability. This research culminates in a strategic design framework that incorporates accessibility, environmental sustainability, and participatory governance into future mosque planning. The implications are far-reaching: by redefining the mosque as a multifunctional and inclusive civic node, urban planners and architects can contribute meaningfully to the evolving spiritual and social fabric of the compact city. Full article