Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Secular'
To see the other types of publications on this topic, follow the link: Secular.
Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles
Consult the top 50 dissertations / theses for your research on the topic 'Secular.'
Next to every source in the list of references, there is an 'Add to bibliography' button. Press on it, and we will generate automatically the bibliographic reference to the chosen work in the citation style you need: APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, etc.
You can also download the full text of the academic publication as pdf and read online its abstract whenever available in the metadata.
Browse dissertations / theses on a wide variety of disciplines and organise your bibliography correctly.
1
Bloxham, J. "Geomagnetic secular variation." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 1985. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.372644.
Full text
2
Wolfe, Judith. "Heidegger's secular eschatology." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2010. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.530088.
Full text
3
Ridley, Victoria Anne. "Jovimagnetic secular variation." Thesis, University of Liverpool, 2012. http://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/10175/.
Full textAbstract:
Planetary dynamos, resulting from fluid flow in electrically conductive parts of their interior, are thought to be highly time dependent. Currently, our understanding of temporal variation of these fields is limited because we only have observations for one example, the Earth. To overcome this, data acquired by 6 NASA space missions between 1973-2003 are used to investigate possible time variation (secular variation) of Jupiter's magnetic field. Previous attempts to constrain jovimagnetic secular variation have been inconclusive or ineffective for various reasons. We attempt to resolve these issues in a number of ways. All data available within 12 Jovian radii are considered and modelling of the external field takes place for each individual orbit. Whilst we find that non-uniqueness limits resolution of Jupiter's magnetodisk configuration, it does not prevent the resulting field from being constrained: we find this field does not vary greatly with time and conclude that solar activity is not a strong control on its generation. Of particular significance is our regularised minimum norm approach to modelling the planetary field. This approach allows construction of numerically stable models with small-scale (high spherical harmonic degree) structure that directly fit the observations. Two models of Jupiter's magnetic field are presented: the first time-averaged over the whole dataset, whilst the second allows for linear time variation of the field. With the inclusion of secular variation, we find an improved fit with fewer additional parameters, suggesting that changes to the field can be resolved. Our favoured solution indicates a 0.012%/year increase in Jupiter's dipole magnetic moment over the investigated time period; this value is roughly a factor of four less then that currently observed at Earth. Relating field changes to internal dynamics, we use our models of secular variation to infer the motion of material at the top of the dynamo source. Velocities on the order of 200km/year are found, approximately an order of magnitude faster then at Earth, but with similarities in flow configuration. Further analysis shows that our optimal solution may be too conservative and that we are able to approximate a polar configuration previously only attained by models employing the additional constraint of auroral footprint position. In doing so, the models favour reversed polar flux, which has important dynamical implications for the interior. The longitude of data used in these models are defined relative to the System III 1965.0 rotation period, itself defined by the magnetic field. Thus, some of the secular variation could result from inaccuracies in the determination of this reference frame. We find that such an affect cannot explain all the observed secular variation. The constraint of our magnetic models on changes to planetary rotation rate, allows a bound to be placed on angular momentum transfer between the atmosphere and deep interior, analogous with variations in Earth's observed length-of-day. This provides strong observational evidence against models directly linking surface winds to deep Jovian convection.
4
Walsh, Dale. "Art and secular spirituality." Thesis, McGill University, 2001. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=33946.
Full textAbstract:
Despite the numerous examples throughout history, the study of secular spirituality in art was mostly ignored until recently by contemporary writers, critics, historians, philosophers and educators. In my thesis, through the examination of selected images and writings, I determine how a differentiation between doctrinal and secular spirituality can be established. The importance of a rooted cosmopolitan outlook with respect to cross-cultural artistic manifestations is explored with the aim of synthesizing spiritual elements that transcend all cultures. The political, social and educational implications of ignoring spirituality are examined. A proposal to incorporate spirituality into education is introduced using art as a means to self-knowledge and understanding the implications of interconnectedness.
5
Horton, Ray. "American Literature's Secular Faith." Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies / OhioLINK, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1491331157721026.
Full text
6
ROVO, NATASHA. "Essays on secular stagnation." Doctoral thesis, Luiss Guido Carli, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/11385/201129.
Full textAbstract:
The dissertation develops, in two chapters, two themes related to Secular Stagnation.
In Chapter 1, I focus on Secular Stagnation and Bubbles. My starting point is an
estimated vector-autoregression model and I provide empirical evidence on the existence
of stock market bubbles and their response to a deleveraging shock. I show that a
deleveraging shock triggers a persistent decline in loans and output, while stock prices
fall on impact and only partly recover afterwards. By decomposing the stock price index
within its fundamental and bubbly component, I show that its behaviour is almost entirely
explained by the latter. I propose an OLG model and I show that bubbles exist if agents
are financially constrained. The bubbly steady state is unstable and, after a deleveraging
shock, the economy eventually reaches the undesirable bubbleless steady state, where
Secular Stagnation may arise. I show that, in a sticky prices environment, by adopting
an accommodative stance towards bubbles, monetary policy can ensure the stability of
the bubbly steady state and the stationarity of the dynamics around it.
In Chapter 2, I focus on Secular Stagnation and Market Structure. I address the question
on whether the market structure affects the equilibrium level of the real interest rate,
defined as the rate consistent with full employment and stable in
ation. I provide an
empirical and a theoretical analysis on the link between the markup, as a proxy for the
market structure, and the equilibrium interest rate. I uncover some evidence that higher
markups are associated with lower real rates and that more market friendly economies
display higher interest rates. I propose an OLG model with monopolistic competition to
interpret these findings. I focus on the effects on the equilibrium of a change in market
structure, both in an exogenous and endogenous markup framework. I show that an
increase in the markup puts a downward pressure on the equilibrium interest rate and
the economy enters Secular Stagnation. The key transmission channel works through the
market for capital.
7
McFarland, Michael E. "Rethinking Secular and Sacred. On the Role of Secular Thought in Religious Conflicts." Thesis, University of Bradford, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10454/4260.
Full textAbstract:
In early 2001, as I began exploring the role of religion in conflict, I came across a declaration by a then little-known leader, Osama bin Laden, and his fellows. That declaration was of the World Islamic Front for Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders. Many analysts now see it as one of the founding documents of al Qaeda, the amorphous terrorist umbrella group. The purpose of the declaration was to issue a fatwa that, because United States troops were stationed in the holy Arabian peninsula and threatened Muslims, particularly in Iraq, it was every Muslim's duty 'to kill the Americans and their allies - civilians and military - ... in any country in which it is possible to do it'. Of course, the first thing that struck me, as an American, was that here was a group that wished to kill me solely because of my birthplace. They did not seem to care that I might not support specific actions of my government, even if I supported that government generally. Nor was there any discussion of whether methods other than violence might be more useful in persuading my fellow citizens as to the justice of their cause. I wondered, as a student of peace studies, what I could do in the face of such seemingly implacable hatred. The second thing that struck me about the declaration was its language. I noticed, in particular, a certain flourish that one does not often find in political analysis. The image that 'nations are attacking Muslims like people fighting over a plate of food' has always stayed in my mind because the simple image has such rhetorical power. I also noticed, in accordance with my research interests, the use of religious teachings as a justification for violence. Yet poetic rhetoric and religious dogma were not the only contents of that declaration. Bin Laden and his fellows made coherent political points. They cited as examples of the harm caused by the United States: the post-Gulf War presence of US troops in Saudi Arabia, 'dictating to its rulers [and] humiliating its people;' the continued bombing of Iraq 'even though all [Saudi] rulers are against their territories being used to that end;' and, finally, the way that these actions contributed to the security of Israel by weakening Arab nations. Thus, beneath its religious expression the declaration contained political points with which I could engage. Now, as I categorically oppose the use of violence, I unreservedly reject the conclusion of the fatwa. Moreover, I do not assume that a single statement is evidence of this group's true intent. It may very well be the case, as analysts more versed in their politics than I have argued, that al Qaeda's real goal is the establishment of an Islamic caliphate. Its affiliation with Afghanistan's Taliban certainly supports this argument. In spite of these things, though, their use of political arguments meant they were trying to reach an audience that cared about such things. I could address that audience as well, and try to propose different courses of action that would address the same concerns. Thus, I could step outside of my original framework, in which I envisioned implacable hatred, and argue for nonviolent ways of addressing the issues. Yet the religious idiom of the declaration was also an important factor. Given that the declaration addressed Muslims as Muslims, by only trying to argue political points with them I might alienate people for whom the religious language meant a great deal. Already in my research I had come to the conclusion, drawing on R. Scott Appleby's The Ambivalence of the Sacred, that the people best placed to show the peaceful potential of a religion are believers in that religion. I am not, however, religious. Thus, this conclusion left me with no recourse in the face of the religious aspects of conflict. I began to wonder what role a nonreligious - or, as I came to think of myself, a secular - person could play in peacemaking when religion is an element of a conflict. Moreover, I saw that different seculars would have different reactions to bin Laden's arguments. Some would reject the message because of the religious medium. Some, like I first did, would perceive the sociopolitical elements but continue to ignore the religious language. Others, as I also briefly did, might consider the religious element but leave out the issue of their own secular nature. Yet no perspective provided a good model for what I, as a secular, might do. Thus, the goal of my thesis became to analyze the various models of secularity, find the most beneficial principles, and construct from these a model for secular best practice. That Osama bin Laden's words should catalyze this thesis brings me to two important points. First, this is not a thesis about Islam. If a disproportionate number of the examples that I use throughout the thesis focus on Islam, this should not indicate that Islam deserves special attention concerning conflict and violence. Rather, the focus here is always on secularity and secular responses to religion in situations of conflict. However, particularly after September 11th, the largely secular policy and scholarly establishments of Europe and North America have produced a great deal of material concerning Islam. Thus, while I sought out more diverse sources dealing with secularity, I often used the religion most commented on by secular sources as an exemplar. That leads to the second point, which is that this is not a thesis about terrorism. Given its scope and the place of religion in it, most obvious case study to use in this thesis is the 'war on terror' - which I call such for ease of use, as that is what the Western media generally call it, not because I think it is an adequate designation. I will cover this topic in the final chapter, but because the thesis is about peace and violence in conflict, and not about specific forms of violence, it will not figure elsewhere. Because this thesis is concerned with violence and, specifically, with the promotion of peace, it has an overt prescriptive element. This stems in large part from my Peace Studies background. Peace Studies entails a normative commitment to pursue peaceful situations through nonviolent means. Thus, at several points I actively enjoin readers to take or not take certain types of action because, by my analysis, that is the best way to promote peaceful relationships. More generally, by the title of this thesis, I ask readers to 'rethink secular and sacred' - both what these terms mean, and more importantly how they relate to one another. In particular, this goal leads me to avoid discussing the concept of tolerance. Tolerance is often held to be a virtue by those who seek to promote nonconfrontational religious interaction. However, as many other writers have pointed out, the word 'tolerance' itself stems from physiological and biological studies, where it means the ability to withstand negative factors, such as poisons or drugs. Thus I find that its social meaning is essentially negative, denoting forbearance of what one finds repugnant. While in a very limited sense I feel that tolerance is necessary, it is only as a first step to actively engaging with what one might at first find off-putting.
8
Gelot, Ludwig. "On the theological origins and character of secular international politics : towards post-secular dialogue." Thesis, Aberystwyth University, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/2160/7756c5fc-7780-4755-aa6d-c01f6e01761c.
Full textAbstract:
At the turn of the 21st century, the global resurgence of religion is posing a direct challenge to a Westphalian international system which upholds secular politics as the most peaceful, stable, and universal foundation for international relations. The aim of this thesis is thus to interrogate the secular dimension of the contemporary political foundation as well as the beliefs and assumptions that shape IR‘s historical foresight so that international dialogue may be facilitated. Through the reconsideration of the secularisation process, I demonstrate that the Westphalian secular order emerged through the usurpation, translation, and appropriation of important religious resources found within Christianity. Far from being universal or neutral, the current foundation of international politics has theological origins and a religious character to which it is oblivious. In turn, this implies that secularism‘s overconfidence in its own neutrality and objectivity may be a threat to the preservation of peace and security. In the name of value pluralism, IR must distance itself from its secularist history. Therefore, what is required is to reconsider the way IR relates to religion with a view to strengthening political independence and international freedom and to forestalling value conflicts. If IR is to facilitate genuine global cooperation, it must reconsider its secular foundation and exchange it for a post-secular project in which secularism and religion are considered on an equal footing. In the interest of peace and security pluralism should rethink its assumptions concerning the inevitability of secularisation and exchange its secularism for the establishment of a ‗post-secular‘ dialogue with religion.
9
De, Freitas Jennifer. "Heritage tourism as secular pilgrimage." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1998. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/tape15/PQDD_0006/MQ39430.pdf.
Full text
10
Zhang, Ke. "Resonant and secular orbital interactions." College Park, Md. : University of Maryland, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/1903/7300.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (Ph. D.) -- University of Maryland, College Park, 2007.Thesis research directed by: Astronomy. Title from t.p. of PDF. Includes bibliographical references. Published by UMI Dissertation Services, Ann Arbor, Mich. Also available in paper.
11
Khan, Mohammad O. "Secular Foundations of Liberal Multiculturalism." Digital Archive @ GSU, 2011. http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/philosophy_theses/100.
Full textAbstract:
In pursuit of a just political order, Will Kymlicka has defended a liberal conception of multiculturalism. The persuasive appeal of his argument, like that of secular-liberalism more generally, is due to presenting liberalism as a neutral and universal political project. Utilizing Charles Taylor’s genealogy of ‘exclusive humanism’ in A Secular Age, this thesis attempts to re-read Kymlicka in order to make certain theological commitments in his work explicit. Here I argue that Kymlicka, in order to make his conception of multiculturalism plausible, relies on a theologically-thick and controversial humanism operating under secular conditions of belief. By committing himself to a particular conception of the human and specific conditions of belief, Kymlicka’s liberal multiculturalism is rendered provincially incoherent because it fails to treat in a neutral manner certain theological commitments.
12
Cottrell, M. "Secular beliefs in contemporary society." Thesis, University of Oxford, 1985. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.371636.
Full text
13
Telecky, Alexandra (Alexandra Lawrence). "Religion in the secular marketplace." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/42449.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2008.Includes bibliographical references (leaf 34).
A design thesis which proposes to create a new religious mall in the growing Texas suburb of Frisco: a design proposal for interfaith space conceived of as a 'marketplace of ideas' in which religions, religious businesses, and also secular businesses may come and go according to the demands of the market, and compete freely with one another for customers.
by Alexandra Telecky.
M.Arch.
14
Mitchell, Darren. "Anzac Rituals – Secular, Sacred, Christian." Thesis, University of Sydney, 2020. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/22695.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis argues that Australia’s Anzac ceremonial forms emerged from Christian thinking and liturgy. Existing accounts of Anzac Day have focussed on the secular and Western classical forms incorporated into Anzac ritual and minimised the significant connection between Christianity and Anzac Day. Early Anzac ceremonies conducted during the Great War were based on Anglican forms, and distinctive commemorative components have their antecedents in religious customs and civic rites of the time. Anglican clergy played the leading role in developing this Anzac legacy - belief in Australia in the 1910s and 1920s remained predominantly Christian, with approximately half of believers being Anglican adherents - yet this influence on Anzac ritual has heretofore received scant acknowledgement in academic and popular commentary which views Anzac Day’s rituals as ‘secular’, devoid of religious tradition and in competition with it. Sydney’s Anzac Day in 1916, the first anniversary of the Gallipoli landings, and the ceremonies that followed through to 1919, illuminate the significant role of the city’s Anglican leadership in early Anzac ceremonial remembrance practice. The history, adoption and adaptation of elemental Anzac commemorative elements such as laying wreaths at memorials and pausing in silence, as well as the unique Australian ‘dawn service’ tradition, reveal their roots in Biblical theology and church approaches to mourning, challenging the secularisation hypothesis. Christian design motifs and inscriptions will also be noted in significant public memorials, adding to the argument that Christianity was the principal cultural repository for responding to the disastrous consequences of the Great War. This study will reveal the deep current of Biblical thinking in Anzac commemoration and how Anzac public remembrance is not only ‘sacred’ in a ‘secular’ formulation but also, fundamentally, Christian.
15
Ahmeti, Sharon. "Albanian Muslims in secular, multicultural Australia." Thesis, University of Aberdeen, 2017. http://digitool.abdn.ac.uk:80/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=233139.
Full textAbstract:
This paper examines the discourses of multiculturalism and secularism in Australia through the lens of Albanian Muslims living in two Victorian cities, Shepparton and Dandenong. Grounded on 17 months of fieldwork and an analysis of Australian government policy, it argues that the reliance of State policies on constructed concepts of ethnicity, religion, nationality and community are inadequate based on the divergences of understanding and use of these concepts between the Albanian people I met and their use in State policies and projects. This thesis considers Albanians' position as white European Muslims in a supposedly multicultural and secular nation that has become increasingly hostile towards Islam over recent years. In Australian dominant narratives of nation, Ethnic and Anglo-Australians are constructed as oppositional categories in a tripartite structure (that also includes Indigenous Australians) and Muslims are considered a relatively new Other. Yet, Albanian Muslims arrived in significant numbers in Australia more than 100 years ago, during the White Australia policy years. Their European background and varied approaches to being Muslim that are often described as tolerant and relaxed adds a largely unheard voice to both the diversity of Islam and to the increasing hostile tension between Muslims and 'the West' that are reflected in mainstream political and media rhetoric. The idea of an inherent clash between Islam and the West is maintained through the enactment of a particular kind of secularism that is implemented in ways specific to Australia, based on Christian-oriented thought system rooted in the European Enlightenment and Reformation. Similarly, multiculturalism is based on a particular worldview based on Liberal normative assumptions and supposed shared 'Australian values' and character, creating an inherent paradox and the enduring marginalisation of 'Ethnics'.
16
Baker, Joseph O. "The Many Meanings of the Secular." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2020. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/7807.
Full textAbstract:
Book Summary: Based in the idea that social phenomena are best studied through the lens of different disciplinary perspectives, Empty Churches studies the growing number of individuals who no longer affiliate with a religious tradition. Co-editors Jan Stets, a social psychologist, and James Heft, a historian of theology, bring together leading scholars in the fields of sociology, developmental psychology, gerontology, political science, history, philosophy, and pastoral theology.
The scholars in this volume explore the phenomenon by drawing from each other's work to understand better the multi-faceted nature of non-affiliation today. They explore the complex impact that non-affiliation has on individuals and the wider society, and what the future looks like for religion in America. The book also features insightful perspectives from parents of young adults and interviews with pastors struggling with this issue who address how we might address this trend. Empty Churches provides a rich and thoughtful analysis on non- affiliation in American society from multiple scholarly perspectives. The increasing growth of non-affiliation threatens the vitality and long-term stability of religious institutions, and this book offers guidance on maintaining the commitment and community at the heart of these institutions.
17
Swift, Andrew Michael. "Hobbes's secular command theory of obligation /." The Ohio State University, 1990. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1487681788253203.
Full text
18
Abdallah-Shahid, Jawairriya. "Veiled voices Muhajabat in secular schools /." Diss., Online access via UMI:, 2008.
Find full text
19
Joseph, Melanie Rachel. "A pattern language for sacred secular places." Texas A&M University, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/3741.
Full textAbstract:
ÂPattern Language is a term popularized by Christopher Alexander and his coauthors
of the book A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction, Sara
Ishikawa, and Murray Silverstein in the late 1970Âs. Though intended to enable every
citizen to design and construct their own home, pattern language never quite caught up
with those in the field of architecture, mostly because of its lack of flexibility. The core
idea of AlexanderÂs pattern language was to arm architects, designers, and the common
people with a tool that would empower them to make informed decisions related to
designing places that would comply with their needs and wants.
What architecture needs the most today is the ability to heal and invigorate. I
believe that contemporary architecture lacks such places that enable occupants to
connect and communicate with what is within and what is without. A number of studies
have proven that universally sacred (a majority of which are religious in function) places
are charged with energies that could contribute towards this process. The energies, also
referred to as Âpatterns, are the energies unique to a place that make it special and
sacred (not just in the religious context but also in the secular context). This thesis is an
attempt to derive a new pattern language for the creation of sacred Âsecular places like
our homes and work places which draw from the pattern lists that have been proposed in
four separate instances by authors including Christopher Alexander and Phillip Tabb.
This new pattern list is aimed at providing architects and designers with a tool for
creating secular places with an element of sacrality without having to taking on a
religious meaning.
20
Díaz, García S. (Simón). "Signatures of secular evolution in disk galaxies." Doctoral thesis, University of Oulu, 2016. http://urn.fi/urn:isbn:9789526213187.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract
In this thesis we shed light on the formation and evolution of disk galaxies, which often host a stellar bar (about 2/3 of cases). In particular, we address the bar-driven secular evolution, that is, the steady redistribution of stellar and gaseous material through the disk induced by the bar torques and resonances. We characterize the mass distribution of the disks in the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S4G, Sheth et al. 2010) and study the properties of the different stellar structure components and the interplay between them.
We use 3.6µm photometry for ~ 1300 face-on and moderately inclined disk galaxies to analyze the frequency, dimensions, orientations and shapes of stellar bars, spiral arms, rings, (ring)lenses, and barlenses (i.e. lens-like structures embedded in the bars). We calculate the strength of the bars in the S4G via ellipse fitting, Fourier decomposition of the galaxy images, and from the gravitational tangential-to-radial forces. We also estimate the stellar contribution to the circular velocity, allowing us to analyze the coupling between non-baryonic and stellar matter within the optical disk. We average stellar density profiles (1D), the disk(+bulge) component of the rotation curve, and stellar bars (2D) as a function of fundamental galaxy parameters.
We complement the study with integral-field unit kinematic data from Seidel et al. (2015b) for a subsample of 16 S4G barred galaxies. We quantify the bar-induced perturbation strengths in the stellar and gaseous disk from the kinematics, and show that they agree with the estimates obtained from the images. We also use Hα Fabry-Perot observations from Erroz-Ferrer et al. (2015) for 29 S4G disk galaxies to study the inner slope of the rotation curves.
We provide possible observational evidence for the growth of bars in a Hubble time. We demonstrate the role of bars causing the spreading of the disk and the enhancement of the central stellar concentration. Our observations support the idea that Boxy/Peanut bulges in face-on perspective manifest as barlenses, that are often identfied in early-type galaxies hosting strong bars, and some of them also as inner lenses. We find that the amount of dark matter within the optical disk scales with the total stellar mass, as expected in the ΛCDM models. We also confirm that the observed inner velocity gradient is correlated with the central surface brightness, showing a strong connection between the inner shape of the potential well and the central stellar density.
We show that disks and bars in early-type (T < 5 ≡ Sc) and late-type (T ≥ 5) disk galaxies, or alternatively in galaxies having total stellar masses greater or smaller than 1010M☉, are characterized by very distinct properties. Late-type disks are less centrally concentrated (many galaxies are bulge-less) and present a larger halo-to-stellar mass ratio, what probably affects the disk stability properties. The detection of bars in late-type galaxies is strongly dependent on the identification criteria. On average, bars in early-type spirals (T = 0 − 2) are longer (both in physical units and relative to the disk) and have larger density amplitudes than the intermediate-type spirals (T ≈ 5), and the bar lengths among the latest-types in the S4G are also larger. In comparison to earlier types, the bars in late-type systems show larger tangential-to-radial force ratios. This result holds even when the estimated dark halo effect is included.
21
Soros, Susan Weber. "E.W. Godwin : secular furniture and interior design." Thesis, Royal College of Art, 1998. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.262784.
Full text
22
Rowcroft, Victoria Jane. "The secular music of Giovanni Battista Moscaglia." Thesis, University of Southampton, 2002. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.252047.
Full text
23
Lee, Jaeyual. "New megachurch : coexistence of sacred and secular." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/87145.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis: M. Arch., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture, 2014.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (page 74).
Protestants today seem to approach public worship with one or the other of two quite different attitudes. Many Protestants understand worship as primarily a matter of feelings; others see worship as basically work done in God's service. While there are glamorously designed churches emphasizing value of sacredness and its symbolism, there are also practical and temperate churches valuing people rather than the place. Whether the latter development of secular church forms were developed out of liturgical sincerity or as the result of Capitalism due to economic competition, it is most prevalent form of Protestant churches today. Specifically on my site near Flushing, NY, with high density of Korean immigrant settlements who mostly serve on ethnic commercial and service business, many of informal church typology of pet architecture started to emerge. Its phenomena along the main artery of Korea Town in Flushing are so predominant that there are multiple churches per every single block of city fabric on Northern Boulevard. One cannot distinguish a church from a commercial store if there was not a signboard indicating its name. Liturgical principle of religious space is completely ignored with invention of commercial churches. The term megachurch generally refers to any Protestant congregation church with a sustained average weekly attendance of 2,000 or more in its worship services. With its high density of pet churches in Flushing, NY, average total attendance of weekly Korean Protestant worship easily exceed 10,000. My thesis is about invention of typology of new megachurch. Rather than a giant space occupied by a single congregation, it is an infrastructure for agglomeration of religious spaces that can expand and contract based on its demand. Acknowledging abnormal high density of religious needs around Korean immigrant community and the importance of service industry, a new mutant typology of sacred and secular spaces in coexistence is proposed. Simply put, it is a shopping mall of churches offering their religious services in competition, which the exact situation is happening in Flushing today.
by Jaeyual Lee.
M. Arch.
24
Duns, Ryan G. "Is Metaphysics Viable in a Secular Age?" Thesis, Boston College, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/2345/bc-ir:108067.
Full text
25
Shaw, Tamsin Kate. "Nietzsche and the problem of secular authority." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2001. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.621201.
Full text
26
Smith, Graeme. "Late glacial palaeomagnetic secular variations from France." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 1985. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/11404.
Full text
27
Nash, Paul. "Sacralising secular society : musical theatre as liturgy." Thesis, University of Bristol, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1983/c2a5caa3-d415-4067-9188-6be84bd2db23.
Full textAbstract:
Musical Theatre, regarded as one of America's indigenous art forms, has only recently been the subject of serious academic interest and study. Such research has tended to focus on the musicological, the sociological and the historical. This study offers an analysis of the twentieth-century musical not only as a vehicle for myths, ideologies and dreams, but also as a carrier of an ancient religious impulse seeking expression in a modern, popular form; in effect, a liturgy.
28
Boullot, Mathieu. "Essays on asset bubbles and secular stagnation." Thesis, Paris 1, 2019. http://www.theses.fr/2019PA01E007/document.
Full textAbstract:
Le premier chapitre questionne l'intuition conventionnelle selon laquelle une forte concentration au plus haut de la distribution des revenus devrait favoriser l'émergence de bulles d'actifs rationnelles. J'utilise un modèle OLG avec des fictions financières et des agents hétérogènes qui diffèrent en termes de taux d'épargne, portefeuilles d'actifs et talents. Je montre qu'une forte concentration promeut l'émergence de bulles si et seulement si ces bulles sont illiquides ou si tous les actifs offrent les mêmes rendements. A l'inverse, lorsque les bulles sont liquides et les actifs liquides paient une prime de liquidité, une faible concentration promeut l'émergence de bulles. Le deuxième papier étudie les conditions sous lesquelles une bulle d'actif augmente le PIB dans un modèle OLG-Nouveau Keynesien incluant le capital. Je montre que la stagnation séculaire est une condition nécessaire mais non suffisante. En effet, les bulles ne stimulent le PIB que si la demande agrégée est très fortement déficiente. Le troisième papier démontre que les modèle Nouveaux Keynesiens (NK) font des prédictions paradoxales lorsque la demande agrégée est chroniquement déficiente - un boom séculaire plutôt qu'une stagnation séculaire, et analyse comment ajuster ces modèles pour qu'ils deviennent viables dans l'environnement actuel. Je souligne l'importance cruciale des élasticités de l'offre et de la demande d'actifs par rapport au PIB à long terme ; j'effectue également une connexion entre le boom séculaire et d'autres prévisions paradoxales du modèle NKThe first chapter questions the conventional intuition that a high concentration of income at the top of the distribution should promote the emergence of rational asset bubbles. I use an OLG model with financial fictions and heterogeneous agents that differ in terms of savings rate, portfolio choices and skills. I show that a high concentration at the top promotes the emergence of asset bubbles if and only if those asset bubbles are illiquid or financial markets are arbitrage-free. Instead, if asset bubbles are liquid and liquid assets pay a premium under illiquid assets, a low concentration promotes the emergence of asset bubbles. The second chapter studies the circumstances under which asset bubbles are expansionary in an OLG-New Keynesian that includes capital. I show that secular stagnation is a necessary but not sufficient condition. Indeed, asset bubbles stimulate investment, consumption and output if and only if there's a strong shortage of aggregate demand. Finally, the third paper shows that "standard" New Keynesian models make puzzling predictions when aggregate demand is chronically deficient they predict a secular boom, and seeks to understand how those models must be adjusted to analyze secular stagnation. I emphasize the crucial role of the long run elasticities of asset demand and supply with respect to the output gap in general equilibrium; and I also connect the secular boom to other puzzling predictions of the New Keynesian model
29
Borsato, Andrea. "Essays on Secular Stagnation in the USA." Doctoral thesis, Università di Siena, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/11365/1139695.
Full textAbstract:
The dissertation analyzes the phenomenon of Secular Stagnation with respect to the United States and consists of three essays. In the first chapter I take a historical view to see which characteristics the literature associates with Secular Stagnation find support in the data. I focus on US macroeconomic data since 1870. The very simple setting allows me to grasp that it is apt to talk about Secular Stagnation in terms of productivity growth, since the decline is greater than any previous shortfall. Findings cast some doubt on Summers's hypothesis of negative natural rates and offer some evidence supporting Gordon's and Hein's stands. The second chapter starts by noticing as the debate on Secular Stagnation paid little attention to the profound interplay between income distribution, innovation, and productivity. I scrutinize US capitalistic evolution of last fifty years and inspect the way the distribution of income between wages and profits can determine the rate of innovative activity and then further attainments in productivity through an Agent-based SFC model. I advance the idea that the continuous shrinkage of the labour share may have resulted in a smaller incentive to invest in R&D activity, entailing the evident decline in productivity performances that marks US Secular Stagnation. In the third chapter, I extend the argument started with the second chapter and I also undertake an econometric analysis to test some predictions from the model to the empirical ground. I gather a panel of US manufacturing industries with data on total R&D expenditures, hourly wage rates, productivity levels and values of shipments from 1958 to 2011. I figure out that my series of interest are cointegrated, and I am then able to detect positive and long-lasting evidences, confirming the main theoretical results.
30
Lesniaski, David Allen. "And am I Born to Die. [Original composition]." Diss., The University of Arizona, 1988. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/184386.
Full textAbstract:
This work, a requiem cantata for chorus and orchestra, is based in part on the shape-note hymn "Idumea". The first verse of "Idumea" ("And am I born to die...") is sung by the chorus at the conclusion of the first movement, which is a chorale prelude based on that hymn tune. The "Idumea" tune also appears in orchestral interludes in the middle and at the end of the composition. Although this composition is not based on one continuous narrative as are many cantatas, the opening chorale prelude and subsequent use of that initial material suggest a musical continuity reminiscent of the cantata. This composition was written as a memorial; the use of the "In Paradisum" chant from the Requiem Mass coupled with the elegiac setting of certain of the texts suggest both a literal and spiritual connection with the requiem. Excepting the opening movement, the texts and orchestral interludes are arranged in a progression leading from statements of youth to old age to death. This work, with a total duration of approximately thirty minutes, is in nine movements and is scored for the following forces: three flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, bass clarinet, two bassoons, four horns, three trumpets, two trombones, tympani, bass drum, handbells, SATB chorus, and strings.
31
Hirst, Robert W. "The network dependency of religious and secular belief." Thesis, University of Surrey, 1999. http://epubs.surrey.ac.uk/843766/.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis develops and tests a social network theory of religion to explain the phenomena of religious and secular beliefs in the general population in contemporary Britain. Drawing upon the writings of several historians and upon the work of Giddens (1994a, 1994b), the study is placed in the theoretical context of the debate about the nature of modernity. Due to the various processes of modernization it is argued that personal network links between church attenders and non-church attenders have gradually been severed since pre-modern times. The immediate consequences of this development are twofold. First, the transmission of church religion is greatly restricted. Second, personal overarching religious, or indeed secular, world views are now likely to be formulated, maintained, modified and transmitted by individuals within discrete and geographically dispersed social networks within the private sphere. On the basis of this argument a network dependency hypothesis was formulated, from which twenty-two testable propositions were derived. By employing ego-centred network analysis, the empirical dimension of this thesis reports the testing of each of these propositions against data obtained from a quantitative 500 questionnaire survey of a middle class suburb in the south of England, followed by 39 qualitative focused interviews with informants selected from the initial survey. The data showed that responses to the process of primary socialization had a profound effect on the initial belief formation of ego. This provided a foundation both for religious or secular belief in later life and for the future selection of network alters. With the exception of conversionists, these beliefs generally continued to be maintained by ego within ego's current network. At all stages ego demonstrated a need to reduce cognitive dissonance and to pursue cognitive consonance (Festinger, 1985). The local community did not constitute a plausibility structure and even the local church did not perform this function. Only discrete, dispersed, personal networks in the private sphere functioned to maintain the plausibility of religious and secular beliefs. The findings constituted overwhelming support for the network dependency hypothesis.
32
Johnson, James Stewart. "Secular change pressures in UK corporate bank lending." Thesis, Loughborough University, 1995. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/31922.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis examines the question of the existence of banks as financial intermediaries. It is apparent in UK corporate bank lending that there is a long-term secular decline which is reducing the scale and affecting the form of such lending and which is inducing a redefinition of the role of banks in the financial system. In the final analysis banks exist as a response to market imperfections: scale economies; information asymmetries; monitoring reputation; control facilities; and commitment abilities. These provide alternative conditions defining banks, their position in the financial system and their comparative advantages.
33
Ranganathan, C. S. "Religion, politics and the secular state in India." Thesis, University of Hull, 1993. http://hydra.hull.ac.uk/resources/hull:6696.
Full textAbstract:
India has been declared to be a 'Secular State' since 1976, by an amendment to the Constitution, although its supporters claim that it has been one since 1950 when the Constitution was first adopted. From its inception the weaknesses of secularism as an operational category was apparent, but was ignored by politicians as well as by academics. 'Secularism' has since then not been defined in terms of the institutions of the state or the dominant values of the political system. It was given different interpretations by different groups. Even among the ranks of secularists there have been distinct divergences. The Constitution recognizes not only ethnic but also religious minorities and has given them special rights to maintain educational institutions. Similarly caste based privileges were provided on the plea of 'backwardness'. Moreover, India continued to be a religious society although the state claimed to be secular. Some secularists would identify it with anti-religious policies. The Hindu revivalists would identify the state with pro-minority and even anti-Hindu policies. In modern political idiom it was called 'minorityism' and 'pseudosecularism'. The Muslims, Sikhs and Christians, on the other hand, felt that such special rights are essential to maintain their identities. The rise of religions based politics in the eighties has created a major problem for the secular state. In the light of the above 'Secularism' needs to be redefined in clearer terms. Religious syncretism and political and cultural accommodation associated with South Indian tradition where some of this necessary re-definition has been achieved through the process of historical evolution needs be looked into. Similarly, the de-linking of religion from culture in Indonesia and the adoption of a national ideology which can provide some helpful insights for India is worth pursuing. ' Apparently, Malaysia has established a viable democratic state by adopting an inter-communal than an noncommunal approach to its political problems. By taking a comparative look at the problem of secularism, in the light of the experiences of other nations, perhaps, the Indian secular state could face the future with more confidence.
34
Hulme, M. "Secular climatic and hydrological change in central Sudan." Thesis, Swansea University, 1985. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.637343.
Full text
35
Van, den Bos Arend G. A. "Christian counselling : does it differ from secular counselling." Thesis, University of Canterbury. School of Educational Studies and Human Development, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/1793.
Full textAbstract:
Psychotherapy has traditionally described religious counselling in a negative manner since it was felt such practices perpetuated rather than dealt with mental health problems. This research set out to examine if differences existed between the practices of Christian and non-Christian therapists and the consequences if they did. A uniquely constructed questionnaire was sent to a number of therapists, but a very low return rate was received from non-Christian therapists possibly reinforcing the underlying anti-religious hostility expressed by this group. From the total of twenty seven returns received, liberal and nominal Christians were combined with the non-Christians making a (renamed) non-committed group of fifteen therapists. Twelve remained in the (renamed) committed Christian group. Data obtained from the questionnaire indicated a number of differences between the two groups. Differences were found in styles of therapy, religious beliefs, and ethical practices. Following the questionnaire, two therapists from each group were interviewed to gain further insight into the results and responses obtained. Both Christian and one non-Christian therapist were supportive of the research, but for different reasons. Christian therapists felt it was needed to educate others whereas the non-Christian therapist used it to educate herself. The remaining non-Christian therapist expressed marked hostility toward the research perhaps reflecting the opinions of the majority of therapists who did not participate in this research. Six clients also returned a questionnaire, enabling some insight from a client's perspective to be gained. This indicated that what therapists stated they would do and what either actually happened or was believed to be happening, did not always match. This study may be greatly flawed, however, due to the small number of therapists being studied and its being conducted in a small geographical area. This research serves to raise more questions for future research rather than give statements of general fact.
36
La'Porte, Victoria Anne. "The Satanic Verses controversy : Muslim and secular reactions." Thesis, University of Exeter, 1996. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.337748.
Full text
37
Pressling, Nicola Justine. "Pacific geomagnetic secular variation : the story from Hawaii." Thesis, University of Leeds, 2007. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.441187.
Full text
38
Hipshon, David Nathaniel Anthony. "The theology of secular rule : Ambrose and Gregory." Thesis, King's College London (University of London), 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.324948.
Full text
39
Nicholl, Heidi. "The Morality of Abortion : A Secular Bioethical Analysis." Thesis, City University London, 2008. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.511765.
Full text
40
Adriaanse, Jaco Hennig. "Alternative afterlives : secular expeditions to the undiscovered country." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/20198.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis investigates texts which are argued to construct secular imaginings of the afterlife. As such my argument is built around the way in which these texts engage with death, while simultaneously engaging with the religious concepts which have come to give shape to the afterlife in an increasingly secular West. The texts included are: Captain Stormfield’s Visit to Heaven (1907), Mark Twain’s unfinished reimagining of Christian salvation; Kneller’s Happy Campers (1998) by Etgar Keret, its filmic adaptation Wristcutters: A Love Story (2006), as well as the Norwegian film A Bothersome Man (2006), which all strip the afterlife of its traditional furnishings; Philip Pullman’s acclaimed His Dark Materials trilogy (1995, 1997, 2000) in which he wages a fictional war with the foundations of Western religious tradition; and finally William Gibson’s Neuromancer (1984) and Feersum Endjinn (1994) by Iain M. Banks, two science fiction texts which speculate on the afterlife of the future. These texts are so chosen and arranged to create a logical progression of secular projects, each subsequent afterlife reflecting a more extensive and substantial distantiation from religious tradition. Twain’s text utilises a secularising satire of heaven, and draws attention to the irrational notions which pervade this concept. In the process, however, it embarks on the utopian endeavour of reconstructing and improving the Christian afterlife of salvation. In Chapter 3, the narratives under investigation discard the surface details of religious afterlives, and reimagine the hereafter against a contemporary backdrop. I argue that they conform, in several significant ways, to the mode of magical realism. Furthermore, despite their disinclination for evident religiosity, these texts nevertheless find problematic encounters when they break this mode and invoke higher authorities to intervene in the unfolding narratives. Chapter 4 focuses on Philip Pullman’s high fantasy trilogy, which enacts open war between the secular and religious and uses the afterlife as an integral part of the secularising agenda. With the literal battle lines drawn, this text depicts a clear distinction between what is included as secular, or renounced as religious. Finally, I turn to science fiction, where the notion of the virtual afterlife of the future has come to be depicted, with its foundations in human technologies instead of divine agencies. They rely on the ideology of posthumanism in a reimagining of the afterlife which constitutes a new apocalyptic tradition, a virtual kingdom of heaven populated by the virtual dead. Ultimately, I identify three broad, delineating aspects of secularity which become evident in these narratives and the meaningful distinctions they draw between religious and secular ideologies. I find further significance in the way in which these texts engage with the very foundations on which fictions of the afterlife have been constructed. Throughout these texts, I then find a secular approach to death as a developing alternative to that which has traditionally been propagated by religion.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis ondersoek tekste wat alternatiewe uitbeeldings van die hiernamaals bevat, wat dan geargumenteer word dien as voorbeelde van sekulêre konsepsies van die nadoodse toestand. My argument berus op die manier waarop hierdie tekste met die dood omgaan, asook die verskeie maniere waarop hul tot die religieë van die Westerse wêreld spreek. Die tekste wat ondersoek word sluit in: Mark Twain se Captain Stormfield’s Visit to Heaven (1907), sy onvoltooide satire van die Christelike hemel; Kneller’s Happy Campers deur Etgar Keret (1998), die verfilmde weergawe daarvan, Wristcutters: A Love Story (2006), asook die Noorweegse film A Bothersome Man (2006), waarin die hiernamaals uitgebeeld word as ‘n lewelose weergawe van kontemporêre samelewing; Philip Pullman se fantasie trilogie His Dark Materials (1995, 1998, 2000) waarin hy ‘n sekulêre oorlog teen die onderdrukkende magte van religie uitbeeld; en laastens die wetenskap-fiksie verhale Neuromancer (1984), deur William Gibson, en Feersum Endjinn (1994), deur Iain M. Banks, waarin die sekulêre, virtuele hiernamaals van die toekoms vervat word. Hierdie tekste is gekies en ook so gerangskik om ‘n duidelike sekulêre progressie te toon, met elke opeenvolgende teks wat in ‘n meer omvattende wyse die tradisioneel religieuse konvensies herdink of vervang met sekulêre alternatiewe. Twain se teks dryf die spot met die Christelike idee van die hemel en om aandag te trek na die irrasionele ideologieë wat daarin vervat is. In die proses poog Twain egter om te verbeter op die model en gevolglik ondervind die teks probleme wat met die utopiese literatuur gepaard gaan. In hoofstuk 3 word die hiernamaals gestroop van alle ooglopend religieuse verwysings en vervang met die ewigheid as ‘n kontemporêre landskap deurtrek met morbiede leweloosheid. Ek argumenteer dat hulle op verskeie belangrike manier ooreenstem met die genre van magiese realisme en dat, ten spyte van die pogings om religie te vermy, die tekste steeds probleme teëkom wanneer hoër outoriteite by die verhale betrokke raak. Hoofstuk 4 draai om Pullman se sekulêre oorlog wat daarop gemik is om die wêreld te sekulariseer. Die duidelikheid waarmee die tekste onderskeid tref tussen die magte van religie en die weerstand vanaf sekulariteit, maak dit insiggewend om te bepaal wat Pullman in ‘n sekulêre wêreldbeeld in-of uitsluit. Laastens ondersoek ek wetenskap-fiksie, waarin die hiernamaals omskep is in ‘n toestand wat bereik word deur menslike tegnologiese vooruitgang, in stede van religieuse toedoen. Hier word daar gesteun op die idees van posthumanisme, wat beteken dat hierdie uitbeeldings van die ewigheid ‘n oorspronklike verwerking van religieuse apokaliptiese verhale is, waar ‘n virtuele hemelse koninkryk geskep word vir die virtuele afgestorwenes. Uiteindelik identifiseer ek drie breë ideologiese trekke wat deurgaans in al die tekste opduik, en waarvolgens betekenisvolle onderskeid getref kan word om definisie te gee aan die begrip van sekulariteit. Verder vind ek dat die sekulêre hiernamaals in ‘n unieke wyse met die dood omgaan, en dat dit ‘n alternatiewe uitkyk gee op die fondasies waarop verhale van die hiernamaals oorspronklik geskep is. Derhalwe argumenteer ek dat ‘n sekulêre wêreldbeeld ‘n alternatiewe uitkyk op die dood ontwikkel, een wat die tradisies van religie terselfdertyd inkorporeer en verwerp.
41
Phiri, Michael John Jonifani. "Secular humanism in Malawi : a historical-theological inquiry." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/86417.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (MTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2014.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The goal of this thesis is to present a historical-theological inquiry regarding secular humanism in Malawi. Some Christians have tried to respond, but there has been no detailed historical-theological response from the Church or theologians, nor has there been any critical investigation into the philosophy and underlying assumptions of secular humanism (understood as a specific movement and a broader intellectual current). (SHOULD BE REMOVED) The study is both historical and theological in perspective. It is historical, in that secular humanism is dealt with from a historical dimension, whereby its development over centuries is traced and lessons are learnt on how to respond to this movement in Malawi today. This study is also theological, in that it explores whether Christian humanism can engage constructively with concerns raised by secular humanists. It describes secular humanism on the level of its underlying assumptions, which are laid bare and their possible weaknesses exposed. The researcher holds that a critique of the assumptions is of greater merit than that which ends only on the level of specific arguments. Such a method of critiquing is borrowed from Klaus Nürnberger, who in his book Richard Dawkins’ God Delusion: A Repentant Refutation, critiqued Dawkins on the level of assumptions as well as Alister and Joanna McGrath who, in their book The Dawkins Delusion? Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine, challenged Dawkins at representative points, leaving it to readers to judge the overall reliability of his evidence and position. This is not to throw away specific arguments for it is through such arguments that we discern assumptions. This study is a critical engagement with the assumptions of secular humanism in Malawi, with the goal of responding to the challenges posed by their critique of religiosity. The study seeks to offer a constructive and adequate way of engaging Secular humanists and at the same time, explores whether Christian humanism is ideal in engaging concerns raised by secular humanists. The Christian humanist John W. de Gruchy is studied. He drew from John Calvin and Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the study also shows how he made use of their insights.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie tesis is om ‘n histories-teologiese ondersoek aangaande Sekulêre humanisme in Malawi in te stel. Sommige Christene het probeer reageer, maar tot dusver was daar nog nie ‘n georganiseerde en sistematiese histories-teologiese reaksie van die Kerk of teoloë nie, daar was ook nog nie enige kritiese ondersoek na die filosofie en onderliggende aannames van Sekulêre humanisme (hier verstaan as ‘n spesifieke beweging en ‘n breër intellektuele stroming). (SHOULD BE REMOVED) Hierdie studie is sowel histories as teologies in perspektief. Dit is histories, in dat Sekulêre humanisme vanuit ‘n historiese dimensie benader word, waardeur die ontwikkeling oor eeue heen gevolg word en lesse geleer word oor hoe om te reageer op hierdie beweging tans in Malawi. Die studie is ook teologies, in die sin dat dit van die aanname uitgaan dat Christelike humanisme konstruktief met die vraagstelling wat Sekulêre humaniste op die tafel plaas, kan omgaan. Dit beskryf Sekulêre humanisme op die vlak van die onderliggende aannames, wat uitgelig word en waarvan die moontlike swakhede ontbloot word. Die navorser voer aan dat ‘n kritiek van die aannames van groter meriete is as een wat eindig op die vlak van spesifieke argumente. Hierdie metode van kritisering word geleen van Klaus Nurnberger, wat is sy boek Richard Dawkins’ God Delusion: A Repentant Refutation, Dawkins kritiseer op die vlak van aannames, asook Alister en Joanna McGrath, wat in hulle boek The Dawkins Delusion? Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine, Dawkins op verteenwoordigende punte uitdaag, wat dit aan die lesers oorlaat om die oorhoofse geloofwaardigheid van sy bewyse en standpunt te bepaal. Dit is nie om spesifieke argumente weg te gooi nie, aangesien dit deur sulke argumente is wat ons aannames onderskei. Die studie is ‘n kritiese omgaan met die aannames en filosofie van Sekulêre humanisme in Malawi, met die doel om te reageer op die uitdagings wat deur hulle kritiek van godsdiens gebied word. Hierdie studie poog om op ’n konstruktiewe manier met Sekulêre humaniste om te gaan en bied terselfdertyd Christelike humanisme aan as die ideaal in die omgaan met die vraagstellings wat Sekulêre humaniste opper. Die Christelike humanis John W. de Gruchy is ‘n voorbeeld van hoe ‘n Christelike humanitiese veldtog uitgevoer kan word. Hy bou op Johannes Calvyn en Dietrich Bonhoeffer en die studie dui ook aan hoe hy van hulle insigte gebruik maak.
42
Tomlin, Carol. "Black language style in sacred and secular contexts." Thesis, University of Reading, 1994. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.262631.
Full text
43
Cheung, Salisbury Matthew R. "The secular liturgical office in late medieval England." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2014. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:c634eb66-b4f2-4ab7-bc45-25561662a115.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis challenges existing preconceptions about the textual uniformity of the late medieval English Office liturgy. The received narrative is that all breviaries of the same liturgical Use are in large part identical. This study demonstrates that all complete, surviving manuscript breviaries and antiphonals of each secular liturgical Use of medieval England (dating from s.xiii – s.xvi) do share a common textual ‘fingerprint’ particular to each Use. But this is in large part restricted to the proper texts of universal or popular observances. Other features of these service books, even within the sources of the same Use, are subject to significant variation, influenced by local customs and hagiographical and textual priorities, and also by varying reception to liturgical prescriptions from ecclesiastical authorities. Distinct regional patterns, especially in the kalendar, are a principal result. Rubrics (giving details of ritual) and lessons (at Matins) in particular suggest that the manuscripts are witnesses to textual subfamilies, and that these represent succeeding stages of the promulgation of the major Uses across England. The identification of the characteristic features of each Use and the differentiation of regional patterns have resulted from treating each manuscript as a unique witness, a practice which is not common in liturgical studies, but one which gives the manuscripts greater value as historical sources. The unique character of each allows it to be situated in its temporal and intellectual context and indeed to illuminate that context. For instance, properties of individual manuscripts can be compared with other evidence for the prescription of liturgy in England in order to assess the efficacy of ecclesiastical orders of this nature. A descriptive catalogue of 115 manuscripts and transcriptions of their liturgical kalendars provide both a resource for further research and a proof of concept of the methodology.
44
af, Burén Ann. "Living Simultaneity : On religion among semi-secular Swedes." Doctoral thesis, Södertörns högskola, Religionsvetenskap, 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-26801.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis aims at contributing to a critical discussion on the supposedly far-reaching secularity of Sweden on the one hand, and on the incongruence and inconsistency of lived religion on the other. At the center are people referred to as semi-secular Swedes – a group that is often neglected in the study of religion. These people do not go to church or get involved in any other alternative organized spiritual activities, neither are they actively opposed to religion or entirely indifferent to it. Most of them describe the ways they are – or are not – religious as in line with the majority patterns in Swedish society. The study is qualitative in method and the material has been gathered through interviews and a questionnaire. It offers a close reading of 28 semi-secular Swedes’ ways of talking about and relating to religion, particularly in reference to their everyday lives and their own experiences, and it analyzes the material with a focus on incongruences. By exploring how the term religion is employed vernacularly by the respondents, the study pinpoints one particular feature in the material, namely simultaneity. The concept of simultaneity is descriptive and puts emphasis on a ‘both and’ approach in (1) the way the respondents ascribe meaning to the term religion, (2) how they talk about themselves in relation to different religious designations, and (3) how they interpret experiences that they single out as ‘out-of-the-ordinary’. These simultaneities are explained and theorized through analyses focusing on intersubjective and discursive processes. In relation to theorizing on religion and religious people this study offers empirical material that nuance a dichotomous understanding of ‘the religious’ and ‘the secular’. In relation to methodology it is argued that the salience of simultaneity in the material shows that when patterns of religiosity among semi-secular Swedes are studied there is a need to be attentive to expressions of complexity, contradiction and incongruity.Religious ambiguities on the urban scene
45
Eustace, Frances. "Insular secular carolling in the Late Middle Ages." Thesis, University of Bristol, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/1983/50286f95-6cc6-46f7-ad79-900a0a51ee5d.
Full textAbstract:
This study shows the importance of carolling in the celebrations and festivities of medieval Britain and demonstrates its longevity from the eleventh century to the sixteenth. It illustrates the flexibility of the English carole form for adaptation to include content in high and low registers and its suitability for use on all occasions and by different communal peer groups. It also shows that the carole was part of a developmental trajectory that was not totally subsumed by the dominance, from the sixteenth century onwards, of the religious, composed, polyphonic carol and the subsequent use of the name to denote a specifically Christian Christmas hymn. Although the vast majority of extant texts in carol form, from the late medieval period, are religious in subject content, secular carolling was far more prevalent than the textual record implies. The dance-song elements of the medieval carole were so strongly woven into the vernacular cultural fabric of the British Isles that their threads can be traced through the folk-songs and dances of subsequent centuries. This study contextualises the written evidence and re-integrates the various components of the activity in order to illuminate our understanding of the universally popular medieval, participatory, pastime of carolling.
46
Wallace, Bruce. "Computer aided religious learning in a secular context." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/30884.
Full textAbstract:
The CD-ROM opens up the possibility of a new approach to religious learning which is particularly relevant to secular contexts. This thesis arises from the question of how a public education system may respond appropriately to the religious dimension of life in a plural society. Three main issues are considered: the nature of religious learning, the ethical legitimacy of its provision in a secular context, and the feasibility of using computers to assist in this learning. These issues are brought together in an experimental study conducted across nine local authority primary schools in one Region of Scotland. Contemporary religious education in Scottish schools is set against its distinctive historical background. Principal arguments connected with its theory and practice are discussed, and a review is undertaken of what religion means today. The case for the primacy of religious studies in schools is rejected and religious learning, understood as world view formation, is proposed as both ethically acceptable and necessary for a fully developed secular education. The relevant legislation as well as data collected from the study both advance the argument that non-denominational does not equate easily with religious, and might more appropriately be considered secular. It is in this context of uncertainty about religious matters that the power of the interactive CD-ROM has a special place. An original paradigm for world view analysis is proposed and discussed. From this paradigm is derived a personal profiling instrument which is used to map the work views of a normal sample of 808 children in the 9-12 years age range.
47
Baker, Joseph O. "The Racial and Ethnic Dynamics of Secular Identities." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2018. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/5387.
Full text
48
Stromback, Dennis. "Nishida's Philosophical Resistance to the Secular-Religion Binary." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2019. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/596338.
Full textAbstract:
ReligionPh.D.
It has been common in scholarship to frame Nishida Kitarō’s philosophy (西田哲学) as an attempt at overcoming the dualities of Western modernity. But what has been downplayed in this reading is how Nishida re-interprets the concept of religion in a way that challenges modernist theories of religion, with implications that speak to the problematics of the secular-religion binary today. Nishida’s view of religion, as an existential form of awareness, and a structuring logic of historical reality, with its own epistemological criteria, contrast with the theoretical accounts that assume religion is opposite to the real—or that religion is subordinate to the secular. By designating religion as a logical category that coincides with the real, Nishida’s philosophical standpoint offers a means to not only re-think the relationship between the secular and the religious, but to re-think the relationship between the West and the rest of the world, because if rationality is not a superior category over religion, then the races, cultures, and ethnicities that have been historically subordinated are placed on an equal epistemological footing with Western philosophy and science. In this sense, Nishida’s philosophy of religion allows us to think critically about the “problem of religion” and presents a discussion that can also be used to address some of the issues raised within post-colonial studies.
Temple University--Theses
49
Collier, Diane Mary. "Becoming a woman, becoming a Christian : identity and teenage girls in the 1990's." Thesis, Lancaster University, 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.340519.
Full text
50
Parani, Maria G. "Reconstructing the reality of images : Byzantine material culture and religious iconography (11th-15th centuries)." Thesis, University of Oxford, 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.324308.
Full text