Master thesis | Theology and Religious Studies (Master)
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In dit onderzoek wordt de ethische halal beweging in Nederland onder de loep genomen. Het onderzoek is exploratief van aard en is gericht op de ontstaansgeschiedenis, drijfveren en belangrijke...Show moreIn dit onderzoek wordt de ethische halal beweging in Nederland onder de loep genomen. Het onderzoek is exploratief van aard en is gericht op de ontstaansgeschiedenis, drijfveren en belangrijke actoren van de ethische halal beweging. De ethische halal beweging wordt gedefinieerd als een beweging die zich ten aanzien van voedselethiek in haar ideeën, activiteiten en praktijk laat inspireren en leiden door de islam. Deze beweging staat niet op zichzelf, maar is een bredere islamitische beweging die aandacht vraagt voor milieu-ethische kwesties. De Groene Moslims in Nederland een pioniersrol door duurzaamheidsthema’s vanuit islamitisch perspectief te belichten. Ook maakt zij zich hard voor de ethische dimensie van halal door dit begrip te koppelen aan milieubeheer, dierenwelzijn, voedselethiek en gezond leven. In Nederland probeert zij een beweging op gang te brengen -die in de internationale context- goed aansluit bij de ethische halal beweging. Onderzocht zal worden hoe de Groene Moslims theoretisch en praktisch uiting geven aan de islamitische voedselethiek.Show less
Master thesis | Theology and Religious Studies (Master)
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Conversion to Judaism is a very important topic when discussing the modern state of Israel. The Chief Rabbinate of the State of Israel decides who is recognized as a Jew within the State of Israel...Show moreConversion to Judaism is a very important topic when discussing the modern state of Israel. The Chief Rabbinate of the State of Israel decides who is recognized as a Jew within the State of Israel and, because of this, decides how conversions should take place. The conversion procedures the Chief Rabbinate of the State of Israel supports is extremely stringent, and the Chief Rabbinate also annuls conversions they deem too lenient. This is a stark contrast to what was practiced with regards to conversion a few decades ago. Throughout Jewish history, conversion procedures were never as stringent as they are today, and annulments of conversions were unheard of. This paper seeks to explain why the stringent approach to conversion in place today arose. To do this, there will be an examination of Jewish history, religious texts, and the politics of the religious sphere of the modern state of Israel. In answering this question, this paper wants to push a two-fold theory that can be used in examining other religions. This two-fold theory examines the way religions interact with other religions, as well as how religions will interact with other cultures. The two-fold theory, thus, can be used to explain culture as being inherently intertwined with religion.Show less
Master thesis | Theology and Religious Studies (Master)
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This thesis is focussed on the relational aspects of the conversion process: how conversion may change the relationship with close others (for example, parents, god) and how relationships with...Show moreThis thesis is focussed on the relational aspects of the conversion process: how conversion may change the relationship with close others (for example, parents, god) and how relationships with close others may affect how the conversion proceeds. In addition to a literature study, there is an exploratory survey study among female converts to Islam.Show less
Master thesis | Theology and Religious Studies (Master)
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This thesis provides a critical analysis of the CSR discussion about the unnaturalness of atheism. It is argued that the CSR discussion is characterized by a very limited concept of atheism and it...Show moreThis thesis provides a critical analysis of the CSR discussion about the unnaturalness of atheism. It is argued that the CSR discussion is characterized by a very limited concept of atheism and it is proposed that the discussion is in need of a new terminology and that that it should be more sensitive to the varieties of atheism.Show less
Master thesis | Theology and Religious Studies (Master)
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The thesis looks into the usefulness of using the concept 'catholic bias' as opposed to 'protestant bias'. This was done by examining the Catholic background of two anthropologists. It argues that...Show moreThe thesis looks into the usefulness of using the concept 'catholic bias' as opposed to 'protestant bias'. This was done by examining the Catholic background of two anthropologists. It argues that the Catholic background had an important influence on their anthropological work, which makes the concept of 'Catholic bias' interesting for further research. It further argues a positive contribution of religious backgrounds, or bias, as a source of inspiration and unique understanding.Show less
Master thesis | Theology and Religious Studies (Master)
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This research question relates Meerten and Berend ter Borg’s maintenance mechanisms to the tensions within the reformatoric community while acknowledging the existence of different approaches among...Show moreThis research question relates Meerten and Berend ter Borg’s maintenance mechanisms to the tensions within the reformatoric community while acknowledging the existence of different approaches among the pillar’s elite. I dedicate specific attention to the identification of three general patterns. In the first place, I identify the location and nature of the disturbances facing the reformatoric community. I differentiate between primary and secondary disturbances to indicate whether these arise from outside (primary) or within (secondary) the pillar. In the second place, I comment on the choice and use of maintenance mechanisms. Opposing integration and defence mechanisms that are based on the same shared element tend to be invoked during discussions concerning the community’s future. Moreover, some mechanisms have greater salience in the community’s context due to their rooting within its ontological framework. In the third place, I analyse the differences between the pillar’s progressive and conservative factions. I highlight that their differentiated use of maintenance mechanisms stems from their differentiated identification of disturbances. I conclude with a brief reflection on the three innovations I propose to Ter Borg and Ter Borg’s framework: the identification of shared elements among opposing integration and defence mechanisms, the introduction of judgment and expulsion as theodicy’s defensive counterpart, and the classification and influence of disturbances on the use of maintenance mechanisms.Show less
Master thesis | Theology and Religious Studies (Master)
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This thesis aims to address the epistemological problematic of ‘immediate revelation’, as a form of divine-human encounter, set against the liberal religious landscape of nineteenth-century America...Show moreThis thesis aims to address the epistemological problematic of ‘immediate revelation’, as a form of divine-human encounter, set against the liberal religious landscape of nineteenth-century America. My point of entry is the interpretation of the theological writings of eighteenth-century polymath Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772) by Octavius Brooks Frothingham (1822-1895), with a special focus on influences by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) and Henry James Sr (1811-1882). Ultimately, this thesis is situated in the broader perspective of the field of Western esotericism.Show less
Master thesis | Theology and Religious Studies (Master)
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Comparing the effects of rehabilitation for drug and alcohol addiction from both religion-based and non-religion-based rehabilitation programs, specifically concerning relapse rates. The focus...Show moreComparing the effects of rehabilitation for drug and alcohol addiction from both religion-based and non-religion-based rehabilitation programs, specifically concerning relapse rates. The focus of religion-based programs will be Christian and all programs will be from the United States of America. Surrounding this is the “war on drugs” culture President Nixon waged in the 1970s and which has not been won yet; if anything, it has worsened in the last few decades. Concurrently, the laws regarding drug abuse have become harsher. The relationship between religion and health is fundamental to the discussion, and five specific relationships as defined by Hood, Hill, and Spilka will be applied to three selected studies. Hood et al’s relationships portray the core concepts of “self-control,” “coping,” and “emotion regulation” which are needed to deal with addiction and which rehabilitation is designed to provide tools to help with. The studies will cover a spectrum of religious rehabilitation, non-religious rehabilitation, and the “grey area” between. Pertinent questions for analysing these studies will be outlined and the results and their implications will be compared before ideas for further research are given.Show less
Master thesis | Theology and Religious Studies (Master)
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In this thesis social-anthropological theory about pilgrimage is applied to a case of pilgrimage in antiquity, as described in the Hieroi Logoi of Aelius Aristides, a autobiographical series of six...Show moreIn this thesis social-anthropological theory about pilgrimage is applied to a case of pilgrimage in antiquity, as described in the Hieroi Logoi of Aelius Aristides, a autobiographical series of six books. It aims to show how the theory can help understand pilgrimage in antiquity better, in this case from the viewpoint of landscape, movement and narrative. By studying the text through close reading, conclusions were formulated about the influence of the illness on Aristides' pilgrimages and about the usefulness of the theories used.Show less
Master thesis | Theology and Religious Studies (Master)
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This qualitative and comparative research looks at the similarities and differences in the conversion processes of converts to Islam and converts to Christianity, and if the similarities in the...Show moreThis qualitative and comparative research looks at the similarities and differences in the conversion processes of converts to Islam and converts to Christianity, and if the similarities in the conversion processes are either more attributable to the religious tradition or the gender of the converts.Show less
Master thesis | Theology and Religious Studies (Master)
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Desiderius Erasmus is known for his famous and influential works. In the 16th century he became one of the greatest humanists in Northern Europe. His publication of the revised version of the New...Show moreDesiderius Erasmus is known for his famous and influential works. In the 16th century he became one of the greatest humanists in Northern Europe. His publication of the revised version of the New Testament in Greek in 1516 meant a revolutionary breakthrough in the field of theology. During the age of Renaissance humanist intellectuals shared thoughts and influenced each other in many ways. The aim of this thesis is to contribute to the general understanding of scholasticism and humanism as its successor and to demonstrate some of the most distinguished charges against Erasmus. The Dutch scholar was able to make friends and also enemies with his sometimes revolutionary thoughts. Four important figures form the points of discussion: Alberto Pio III, Diego López de Zúñiga, Noël Beda and Julius Caesar Scaliger. By looking at these reactions and relating them to each other, one gets a clear picture of the various accents within the controversies.Show less
Master thesis | Theology and Religious Studies (Master)
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This thesis aims to document how the development of faith can be seen in the literary work of a person, who moved from belief and participation in a certain religion to skepticism and...Show moreThis thesis aims to document how the development of faith can be seen in the literary work of a person, who moved from belief and participation in a certain religion to skepticism and excommunication. In what follows the focus will be on Brian Evenson, author of Horror and Science Fiction, who was an active member of the Church of Latter Day Saints until he asked for his excommunication in 2000 in order to pursuit his art. Evenson’s literary output ranges over a time when he was faithful, holding a church office as a lay bishop and working for the Mormon Brigham Young University until the present day where he is very critical towards specific aspects of the LDS church and of the concept of religion in general. Brian Evenson has published 15 works of fiction in the genre of Horror and Science Fiction, thereby providing a big body of work to concider. The work of Evenson will be divided into three different parts, to better track his development; the writing published before his decision to leave the LDS church, the book that was written alongside Evenson’s choice to be excommunicated and everything written thereafter. In the pursuit of the question, how Evenson’s position to his religion and faith is displayed in all his writing a very particular focus is placed. His conflict with the church and his struggle with faith can be traced through specific reoccurring topoi in his stories and the themes, which dominate his writing. Further Evenson has repeatedly discussed how his personal life influences his writing in interviews, essays and epilogs of his books; thereby allowing to draw a connection between his religious development and writing.Show less
