Search Results (534)

Thailand’s southern border provinces need youth-focused multicultural leadership programs integrating local religious–cultural elements, community involvement, and long-term evaluation to enhance social cohesion and sustainable development. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a program to foster multicultural leadership among youth in Thailand’s three southern border provinces. The research was conducted in two phases. The first phase involved synthesizing key multicultural leadership characteristics, designing a structured program and assessing its relevance and coherence through expert evaluation. The second phase focused on empirical validation by implementing the program with 22 selected youth participants, employing repeated-measures analysis of variance to assess its effectiveness. Additionally, experts evaluated the program’s validity, appropriateness, cost-effectiveness, utility, and feasibility. The resulting program, “EARCA”, comprises five core components: Experiential Exposure, Active Exploration & Engagement, Reflective Thinking & Analysis, Concept Integration & Synthesis, and Application & Extension. Expert assessments confirmed its appropriateness at the highest level, with a consistency index ranging from 0.8 to 1.0. Statistical analyses demonstrated significant improvements in all dimensions of multicultural leadership among participants. Furthermore, the program was rated highly accurate, appropriate, cost-effective, practical, and feasible for real-world implementation. These findings offer valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners seeking to enhance multicultural leadership development through structured, evidence-based interventions. Full article

Edible insects are emerging as a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative protein source, addressing global challenges in food security and environmental sustainability. This study investigates the willingness and acceptance of edible insects as sustainable alternative protein sources among Saudi participants, focusing on sociodemographic and attitudinal factors. A cross-sectional survey involving 2208 participants revealed that males and younger individuals (18–34 years) exhibited greater willingness to consume EIs, driven by environmental concerns, health benefits, and positive beliefs. Women and older participants showed higher levels of food neophobia, disgust, and uncertainty. Sociocultural barriers such as fear, a lack of familiarity, and perceptions of edible insects as unclean or forbidden were significant obstacles to acceptance and willingness. Interestingly, the education level did not significantly influence willingness, suggesting that cultural and religious norms may overshadow its impact. These findings underscore the need for targeted campaigns emphasizing the health, environmental, and sustainability benefits of edible insects, alongside culturally sensitive approaches to overcome psychological and social barriers. This research provides valuable insights to guide strategies for integrating EIs into Saudi diets as a step toward enhanced food security and environmental sustainability. Full article

In Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the city of Philadelphia could not exclude a Catholic Social Services agency from the city’s foster care system because it would not work with same-sex couples. Access to foster care agencies, however, is a public benefit that should not involve religious qualifications interposed by a nongovernmental organization. When aided by public funds, religious organizations should not receive exemptions from nondiscrimination laws to deny potential clients services because they disagree with these clients’ religious beliefs, sexual orientations, or marital status. First, equal access to public funds is not neutral when it allows religious entities to limit the life plans of others who do not share their convictions. Second, religious entities should certainly be able to advance religion but not on the public dollar. Finally, although exemptions for these entities augment the free exercise of religion, especially when accompanied by public funds, they also amount to what has been termed a “shadow establishment”. Full article

The study examines how individual skills influence adolescents’ and young adults’ commitment to climate protection and global health. Based on 21st-century skills and transformative education, it focuses on competences in science, geography, mathematics, religion, ethics, and media. A representative online survey of 783 participants in Germany assessed topic relevance, information-seeking behavior, and active engagement. The results show that subject-specific skills significantly affect engagement, especially when closely related to the topics. Scientific, mathematical, and geographical competences enhance all three engagement dimensions. Media competence primarily increases perceived importance, while religious and ethical competences positively influence all areas. Structural equation modeling reveals a process: perceived relevance leads to information search, which then drives engagement. Thus, competences have both direct and indirect effects on active involvement. The findings highlight that long-term engagement is not only driven by campaigns but also by education that equips young people with the skills to recognize important issues, seek information, and take action independently. Full article

The subject of this article is the centuries-old religious heritage of Vilnius. The aim of the article is to analyse this heritage and its reflection in the gaze of tourists. In particular, it focuses on selected Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Jewish, and Karaite sites. The methods used in the empirical study include the analysis of reviews posted on the Tripadvisor website by tourists from different countries who visited five selected sites: (1) St. Anne’s Church, (2) Holy Spirit Orthodox Church, (3) Evangelical Lutheran Church, (4) Vilnius Choral Synagogue, and (5) Kenesa. The authors employed the method of desk research, which involves the analysis of existing data. The selection of objects was made by indicating the most commented sites of a given religious tradition for which the most comments were received. In the light of the pervasive influence of social media, it is noteworthy to observe the contemporary representation of multi-religious Vilnius that is disseminated through this medium. Urban sacred spaces are not only places of worship of interest to religious people, including local and foreign pilgrims. Furthermore, they constitute an attractive urban heritage for a significant number of cultural tourists. Committed tourists, including cultural tourists, meticulously document their impressions in various forms of narrative, offering either endorsement or criticism of a particular object. In this manner, they also interpret elements of the heritage in the local urban space. Full article

Physical and mental health are fundamental human needs, yet modern medicine cannot always preserve them. At this point, alternative and complementary medical approaches sometimes offer significant contributions. In this context, religious healing stands out as a practice that plays a complementary role in many cultures and is frequently relied on, although it often faces criticism from the perspective of official religious doctrine. This study examines the phenomenon of “religious healing” from a sociological perspective. The provinces of Iğdır, Ağrı, and Erzurum, located in eastern Türkiye, were selected for the fieldwork. Interviews were conducted with 31 individuals who sought religious healing. The main purpose of this article is to understand the motivations of individuals who participate in such practices and how their healing experiences are transformed into religious experiences. The field data indicate that religious healing commonly involves practices such as recitation and blowing of the Qur’an, drinking blessed water, and the preparation of amulets. Feelings of helplessness and fear of social stigma are prominent in participants’ reasons for resorting to religious healers. The participants’ turn to healers can be seen as a defense mechanism, shifting blame to external forces like the evil eye, jinn, and magic, thereby reducing personal responsibility. Religion was instrumentalized to make the behavior of applying to a healer reasonable and acceptable. Full article

This study examines the exercise of religious freedom within the Polish penitentiary system, focusing on the intersection of legal frameworks, religious pluralism, and secularization. While Poland’s Constitution and penal legislation guarantee inmates the right to practice their faith, the practical implementation of this right faces systemic challenges. This research draws on legal analysis, demographic data, and existing empirical studies to assess how pastoral care operates in prisons. The findings reveal that although the prison system is formally open to various denominations, access to non-Catholic chaplaincy is often limited and misaligned with the evolving religious composition of the inmate population, especially following increased immigration. The number of chaplains and volunteers remains low relative to the needs of inmates, and pastoral services vary widely across regions. Despite these issues, religious involvement is shown to support rehabilitation by fostering moral development and reducing recidivism. This study concludes that a more inclusive, pluralistic, and flexible approach to prison ministry—one that accounts for both declining religiosity and growing diversity—is essential. Chaplaincy must adapt not only as a provider of religious rites but also as a facilitator of ethical reflection, emotional support, and reintegration into a secular and pluralistic society. Full article

The subsequent research has been grounded in the recently enacted education legislation, the Organic Law amending the Organic Law on Education (LOMLOE, by its acronym in Spanish), within the Spanish educational context. The development of this research is predicated on the following three objectives: firstly, the identification of the main issues of interest that have arisen in the network surrounding the LOMLOE; secondly, the analysis of the socio-educational repercussions that it has generated; and thirdly, the establishment of relationships between the different educational facts and elements involved. The objective of this study is to establish a frame of reference in terms of the current social perception of the new law and how it may or may not be based on the different changes that will occur after the implementation of the LOMLOE. In order to carry out this research, a qualitative methodology was used to collect a total of 1536 tweets during the debate on the law, using ATLAS.ti software, which was also used to carry out a content analysis of the data. Following a thorough inductive analysis, seven distinct codes were identified. These codes yielded a range of statements that collectively emphasised the pivotal role of subsidised education, religious education and special education in shaping the prevailing discourse. Full article

(1) Background: Older people ageing in place alone with functional limitations experience several difficulties in daily life, potentially hampering their social participation. This in turn could impact their perceived loneliness. This paper aims to investigate these issues based on findings from the IN-AGE (“Inclusive ageing in place”) study carried out in 2019 in Italy. (2) Methods: The focus of this paper is on the Marche region (Central Italy), where 40 qualitative/semi-structured interviews with seniors were administered in both urban and rural sites. A content analysis was carried out, in addition to some quantification of statements. (3) Results: Older people are mainly involved in receiving/making visits, lunches/dinners with family members and friends, religious functions, walking, and watching television (TV). Overall, the more active seniors are those living in rural sites, with lower physical impairments, and with lower perceived loneliness, even though in some cases, a reverse pattern emerged. The results also indicate some different nuances regarding urban and rural sites. (4) Conclusions: Despite the fact that this exploratory study did not have a representative sample of the target population, and that only general considerations can be drawn from results, these findings can offer some insights to policymakers who aim to develop adequate interventions supporting the social participation of older people with functional limitations ageing in place alone. This can also potentially reduce the perceived loneliness, while taking into consideration the urban–rural context. Full article

Religious beliefs influence many behaviors and perspectives relevant to well-being and mental health. In Christianity, beliefs about how one attains salvation may be particularly relevant to psychology, but limited scholarship has considered cognitive aspects of religiosity. This study developed and evaluated a new measure of Beliefs about Salvation (BAS) that assesses affirmations of salvation (a) by God’s grace alone and (b) by God’s grace after human repentance/ordinances, as understood by different Christian denominations. We examined the association of the BAS with three measures of mental health and six measures of influences on religiosity. In a sample of 1556 predominantly members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Protestant Christians, which traditionally hold distinct views about the roles of divine grace and human works/ordinances necessary for salvation, the BAS data demonstrated evidence of reliability and validity in exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses with two subscales, faith and works. Neither BAS subscale was significantly associated with the other variables measured in this study, except for religious legalism, which was negatively correlated with faith and positively correlated with works. Additional analyses indicated that six measures of influences on religiosity were moderately associated with one another and tended to be more strongly associated with mental health than religious involvement, with spiritual transcendence being the most strongly correlated with well-being. Psychological research can benefit from evaluating multiple aspects of religiosity, including inquiry about the psychological influence of specific religious beliefs. Full article

In this study, we explored how people experience love and how these experiences are linked to their overall mental health, well-being, and spirituality. A total of 1499 U.S. adults completed a survey that measured six different aspects of love. Using Latent Profile Analysis (LPA), we found evidence in support of four distinct profiles: High Love, Above-Average Love, Below-Average Love, and Low Love. The High Love group, which was characterized by particularly strong feelings of religious love, reported the highest levels of life satisfaction, gratitude, and positive emotions, as well as the lowest levels of anxiety and depression. The Above-Average Love group showed moderately high levels of love with some emphasis on spirituality, while the Below-Average Love and Low Love groups experienced lower overall levels of love and spiritual connection, along with poorer mental health outcomes. Our findings suggest that a deep sense of love—especially when it involves a connection to a higher power—may be a crucial factor in promoting mental health and life satisfaction. Full article

At the end of the 18th century, due to the neighbouring states of Austria, Prussia, and Russia, Poland lost its independence. Despite not being represented on the political maps of Europe, its citizens embarked on numerous initiatives that fostered their sense of belonging to the Polish national community. This was achieved, among other things, through various organisations that promoted Polish culture, language, customs, and faith. Additionally, a space was created for organic efforts aimed at individual and social development, ultimately intended to lead to the regaining of independence. One of the organisations involved in these activities was the Catechists’ Association, which sought to develop the professional qualifications of its members through various initiatives. This, in turn, was expected to enhance the level of education and religious formation within Polish society, particularly concerning children and youth. The article aims to define and characterise the activities of the Catechists’ Association in Galicia that were aimed at advancing professional competencies in the first decade of the 20th century in the territories annexed by the Habsburg Monarchy. Full article

New Zealand has a long history of accepting refugees, with a refugee quota programme in place since 1987. New Zealand does not have a formal legislative structure for refugee resettlement. Its design and practice of the refugee quota programme are guided and determined entirely by cabinet ministers’ discretion. A significant gap in scholarly research on refugee resettlement in the New Zealand context is the highly unarticulated assumption of the secularism of the New Zealand statecraft that underpins the unregulated state–refugee relationship. This paper examines a previously confidential government document, only released at the request of the author, which provides official guidance on refugee quota selection, along with other key ministerial briefings. Interviews were also conducted with a refugee quota selection officer and a policy advisor involved in informing refugee resettlement policies. This is the first research paper that focuses specifically on refugee selection in the New Zealand context from a religious studies’ perspective. I show that the rhetoric of New Zealand’s state secularism has a significant impact on refugee quota selection, which normalizes an implicit but discursive secular order. The paper argues that refugee selection by a secular state does not necessarily mean a complete absence of the scrutiny of religion. Instead, the statecraft of a secular host country in the West could be so potent that the constant modelling of religious thinking and practices managed by the state could still end up normalizing the exclusion of Judeo-Christian others. Full article

Background/Objectives: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a leading cause of cervical cancer. Despite the proven effectiveness of vaccination programs, global coverage remains uneven, with significant disparities across regions due to various socioeconomic, cultural, and political factors. This study explores the primary barriers to HPV vaccination worldwide and proposes recommendations to improve access to screening and vaccination programs. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted, analyzing studies published in the past ten years from databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and Embase, following the PRISMA methodology. Study selection involved multiple researchers, with discrepancies resolved through consultation. The quality of the included studies was assessed using CASP checklists. The protocol was registered on Open Science Framework (OSF). Results: Out of 2119 records, eight studies were included. The findings indicate that the main barriers to HPV vaccination include insufficient public awareness, cultural and religious resistance, financial constraints, and limited access in rural and underserved areas. Additionally, political factors, such as low prioritization of HPV vaccination and the absence of supportive policies, were identified as significant obstacles. Multidisciplinary and cross-cultural collaboration, along with the integration of HPV vaccination into existing health programs, was suggested as a strategic approach to improve vaccine uptake. Conclusions: Barriers to HPV vaccination, including limited awareness, inadequate healthcare infrastructure, and socioeconomic factors, vary across regions but must be addressed to improve global coverage. Targeted interventions such as health education, inclusive policies, and culturally sensitive campaigns can significantly boost vaccine uptake. Strengthening local health systems and fostering international collaboration are key strategies to overcoming these barriers and ensuring equitable access to HPV vaccination. Full article

Existing research has often characterized religious rituals as formalized and predetermined actions involving collective participation, emphasizing their structured and communal nature. However, our empirical findings revealed that rituals, shaped by citizens’ healing needs, can also be individualized and intentionally constructed behaviors. These individualized rituals were not rooted in religious beliefs, but are closely connected to Chinese citizens’ strong healing needs, which have developed in a highly mobile and socially competitive (“involuted”) society. These rituals are characterized by their orientation toward life concerns, self-interested motives, and perceived connections to mystical power. These qualities enable rituals to fulfill a broader range of healing functions. Rituals not only had a direct impact on anxiety relief, especially health and class anxiety, but also had a beneficial effect on adjustment of individual goal or behavior and social inclusion. Full article