The development of beliefs and values in early adolescence: a case study through religious education pedagogy

Remarks on current educational language precede discussions of: pupils’ educational development; pupil voice; adolescence and action research. There follows a report of an innovation in religious education pedagogy, designed to address concerns that pupils should be helped to understand the emergence of their own beliefs and values over time. This report then prompts some reflections on religious education’s turn in the direction of hermeneutics. A form of religious education is sketched where pupils’ awareness of changes to their own beliefs and values over time is a key feature. Such awareness marks spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, an issue granted less than adequate coverage in the present UK education agenda.     

Maintaining religious values in a nonreligious counseling program

Summary Both Christianity and HE therapy may be viewed as dealing with searching questions for those of us who dare to pursue the quest. A sense of mission is to be found in both humanistic existentialism and Christianity when we query: Who am I? What is my relationship to the world and those in it? What do I truly believe and how do I want to act upon my beliefs?Thus, both Christianity and HE therapy explore searching questions for those who dare to pursue the answers, to reveal their individuality, their fears, their aloneness, and to explore the possibilities of existence.Finally, it is suggested that both Christianity and HE therapy are capable of creating an honest atmosphere that makes it easier for us to remove our masks, to reveal and share our doubts, resentments, and anxieties, and to do so in an atmosphere of acceptance that brings healing and wholeness, whether as a Christian or as a nonreligious humanistic existentialist. Rather than polarization or a dichotomy existing between the two positions, similarities have been found to be inherent, and integration and reconciliation are possible and feasible, allowing students to maintain their religious beliefs with integrity while at the same time incorporating university teachings.     

Political and religious group membership,value priorities and educational values

Value priorities and educational value patterns are explored in respect to university students’ active membership to religious and political groups. The sample was 117 students of the University of Athens, Greece, with 39 of them being active members of Christian Orthodox religious groups, 34 active members of political groups or unions, and 44 students acting as the ‘control’ group, since they were not members of such religious or political groups. Group membership—religious or political—was found to be associated with the systems of value priorities and educational values, with specific value combinations differentiating between religious group membership and political group membership.     

The role of religious values in coping with cancer

The relationship between transcendent meaning attribution, religious orientation, and psychological well-being was studied in cancer and noncancer patients to test the hypotheses that intrinsic religious values and life meaning enhance coping and well-being during the course of the life-threatening illness. Subjects were 44 patients receiving medical treatment for cancer and noncancer medical conditions. In the cancer group, higher levels of attributed life meaning were positively linked with intrinsic religious orientation, and associated with lower levels of despiar, anger-hostility, and social isolation. Cancer patients scored higher than noncancer patients on depersonalization, suggesting the presence of psychic numbing in response to their illness. Noncancer group results were characterized by positive correlations between the two groups in coping styles and salience of life meaning attribution. A rationale for the observed differences in coping styles between the two groups is presented, highlighting perceived life threat as a key differentiating variable.     

贝施特和智顗论"恶"的宗教价值--兼谈宗教中的"善恶"观念

谈"善"论"恶"是宗教中的永恒话题,但宗教中的"善恶"并非仅仅是伦理学意义上的善恶,而是包括宗教修持意义上的"善恶".一般而言,"善"是有助于宗教修持的,但是贝施特和智顗却分别站在犹太教和中国佛教天台宗的立场揭示了"恶"对于宗教修持的积极作用,阐明了"恶"的宗教价值,尽管他们所说的"恶"的内涵不同.其中贝施特主张"恶"中分有"善"的神性,通过"恶"可以回归上帝;智顗主张"恶"中本具"善"的"实相",通过观"恶"的"烦恼心"可以达到解脱.可以说,在"恶"的宗教价值这个问题上,贝施特和智顗进行了一次跨宗教的对话.     

Adolescent sexuality: values, morality and decision making

The first section of this paper presents a theoretical basis of morality and value formation which provides the background for an examination of adolescent sexual and cognitive development. Data from a study of influences on the sexual decisions of five hundred 13- to 19-year-olds are analyzed in the remainder of the article. Relationships between individual characteristics and the importance of various influences are interpreted in light of the structure of values and moral development.     

Adolescent decision-making: Giving weight to age-specific values

Adults who give proxy consent for medical treatment for adolescents must decide how much weight to give to adolescents' own preferences. There is evidence that some adolescents choose treatments different from what adults see as most reasonable. It is argued that adolescents choose according to age-specific values, i.e. values they hold, as adolescents, and which fulfil important developmental needs. Because not fulfilling these needs may do serious psychological damage, it is urged that proxies give weight to these values, up to the limit where it would endanger or profoundly limit future life.A very brief version of this article has been published as Chapter 3 of Forman EN, Ladd RE.Ethical Dilemmas in Pediatrics: A Case Study Approach. New York: Springer-Verlag. 1991, reprinted by University Press of America, 1995.     

Childhood abuse and spiritual development among women religious

Childhood abuse is known to have a negative influence on human development. This study expected to find a spiritual attitude of acceptance, as measured by the Ego Grasping Orientation scale, would help mitigate effects of childhood abuse in the realm of spiritual development. Spiritual Experience Index (SEI) scores for 350 religious women were treated as a measure of spiritual maturity. Contrary to expectation, however, the sexually and the physically abused groups with a more accepting attitude scored lower on the SEI than the abused with a more controlling attitude and the nonabused. Implications for spiritual development and well-being are discussed.     

会通与更新:基督宗教伦理道德观与社会工作专业价值观的关系

基督宗教伦理道德既是欧美历史发展与社会文化的深厚渊源,又为社会服务和利他助人专业行为提供价值基础,还能广泛深刻影响世人的社会生活模式与行为规范取向.基督宗教伦理反映欧美社会主流文化模式,为社会福利与社会工作专业的发展奠定价值基础.在社会结构转型与非基督宗教社会处境下,关键是如何发展中国的社会工作专业的价值观.     

Personality and religious values among adolescents: A three‐wave longitudinal analysis

Using three waves of data, we assessed the relationships between endorsement of religious values, some of the major personality dimensions, and social and emotional well‐being amongst teenagers. Participants were 784 high school students at Time 1 (382 males and 394 females; 8 did not indicate their gender) and 563 provided data at each of Time 1, Time 2 and Time 3. We examined the impact of changes in (Eysenckian) psychoticism and conscientiousness from Time 1 to Time 2 on religious values assessed at Time 3. Both personality and personality change predicted religious values and the specific effects depended on gender. Participants higher in hope, joviality, psychological acceptance and mindfulness also tended to be higher in religious values. The implications of these results for adolescent well‐being and resilience are discussed.     

Longitudinal analyses of religious and spiritual development among seminary students

We conducted a longitudinal study of spiritual development among a sample of graduate-level seminary students (N = 119) at a religiously affiliated university in the Midwest. Seven longitudinal hypotheses were tested based on a relational model of spirituality (Shults & Sandage, 2006). Over time, we expected that the seminary context would facilitate increases in students’ questing, intrinsic religiosity, spiritual well-being, spiritual openness, and spiritual activity. Furthermore, increases in intrinsic religiosity were hypothesised to lead to improvements in spiritual well-being, spiritual openness, realistic acceptance, and spiritual activity. Finally, we proposed that increases in spiritual questing would lead to greater spiritual openness and activity but decreased spiritual well-being. The results provide general support for these hypotheses and an empirical picture that differentiates intrinsic religiosity from questing.     

试论道教戒律建设的发展历程

道教戒律建设,是道教教制建设的重要内容,是加强道门自身建设和提高信仰水平的有效手段。一方面,戒律从信仰的角度,可以最大限度地维护道教教义、道教经籍、道教科仪、道教活动场所、道士和道教组织等宗教要素的神圣、尊严和崇高,也可以最大限度地肯定道教的信仰与价值,肯定道教的神圣性,进而肯定道教徒的信仰追求和价值选择;另一方面,戒律也可以极力维系道门内部的严肃性、清静性和纯洁性,有助于逐步实现道教徒的人生理想,从而切实体现道教的真正价值。因此,历代道教徒都十分重视道教的戒律建设。本文将以传统道教戒律建设为视角,对传统道…