真正的竞争

当我们仅仅为了获胜而打击对手时,我们不仅成为糟糕的失败者,还会沦为可鄙的得胜者。这样的竞争会使人的心灵和个性发生扭曲,使其充满着自私、贪婪、骄傲和嫉妒……     

从温州宗教现状看宗教的世俗化

本文以实地调查材料揭示了新时期温州宗教的发展和重大变化,指出在经济体制急剧改革和社会经济迅速发展的背景下,广大教徒的思想观念、价值取向和生活方式都表现出明显的世俗化倾向;他们更关注物质世界和世俗利益,宗教保守主义和禁欲主义受到了极大的挑战。并指出在市场经济和世俗文化的冲击下,宗教自身水准下降,内涵和灵修削弱,宗教道德滑坡等消极腐败现象。文章还针对温州宗教现状及其走向提出了自己的看法。     

Keeping It Real: How Perceived Brand Authenticity Affects Product Perceptions

This article examines the effects of firm motivation (an intrinsic or extrinsic interest in their product) on perceptions of brand authenticity and anticipated product quality. Specifically, studies 1 and 2 show that an intrinsic motivation increases authenticity perceptions which, in turn, increase perceived product quality, even for negatively regarded products. Studies 3a and 3b demonstrate that motivation affects perceived product quality (through perceived authenticity) by influencing deliberate attribute‐level inferences consumers make about the product, and Study 4 demonstrates that the positive effect of intrinsic motivation (through authenticity) disappears in the presence of objective product attribute information, when such inferences are no longer necessary. These findings suggest that authenticity perceptions are malleable, and they shed light on the mechanism through which brand authenticity leads consumers to anticipate that a brand's products will be higher in quality.     

The Charm of Disenchantment: A Quest for the Intellectual Attraction of Secularization Theory

In the course of Western history, philosophy has proven to be an active participant in the process of secularization. This article seeks to examine that philosophical role more closely. The central question is how the role of philosophy must be rethought in light of the contemporary critique of classical secularization theory. The first part of the article sheds light on the current crisis of secularization theory. Drawing on recent scholarship in the social sciences, it explains why the classical tenets and assumptions of secularization theory are no longer being considered as plausible and empirically grounded hypotheses. Against that background, the second part turns to philosophy. It examines the implications for a philosophical tradition of religious criticism that has consciously operated within this once-undisputed model of secularization. The question is how this critique of religion must be rethought, if its prominent role in the history of modern philosophy can no longer be ascribed to a general secularization of the Western mind. The third and final part attempts to answer this question by focusing on one of the most frequently overlooked, yet most significant and crucial elements in the history of philosophical secularization: the intrinsic intellectual attraction of religious disenchantment.     

Black Mega Churches: attitudes towards corporal punishment and perceived guilt or innocence

The allegation of child abuse against mega-church leader Creflo Dollar on 8 June 2012 has led many to evaluate the guilt or innocence of this religious leader. This case is especially interesting in that, in contrast to studies that have examined the sexual discretions of church leaders, this study examines the presumed innocence or guilt of Dollar's 15-year-old daughter (who he alleged choked) and the man at the centre of this debate. This study will examine over 3000 comments made by anonymous contributors on CNN's public website and analysed using a qualitative methodology. The following six themes were identified: (1) Condemnation of Mega-Churches and Mega-Church Leaders: “The love of money is the root of all evil”; (2) Condemnation of Creflo Dollar's Actions Against His Daughter: “He is a child beater”; (3) Condemnation of Religious Leaders: “Most priests are crooks”; (4) Condemnation of God and Religion: “God is not great and religion poisons everything”; (5) Support for Corporal Punishment: “Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child”; (6) Support for Creflo Dollar's Actions: “It sounds like the man of the house handled business!” Narratives will be offered to support and illustrate each of these themes, and the implications for the mental health of African Americans will be discussed.     

世俗化抑或伊斯兰化:当代马来西亚政府进行合法性证明的困境

马来西亚伊斯兰教及其势力的复兴使马来西亚政府在合利益性、合道德性、合法律性、民主化、绩效、意识形态、个人魅力、注重环境等方面面临合法性证明方式选择的困境,概而言之,即是世俗化与伊斯兰化之间的矛盾。     

Perceived discrimination as worldview threat or worldview confirmation: implications for self-esteem

In 3 studies, the authors tested the hypothesis that discrimination targets' worldview moderates the impact of perceived discrimination on self-esteem among devalued groups. In Study 1, perceiving discrimination against the ingroup was negatively associated with self-esteem among Latino Americans who endorsed a meritocracy worldview (e.g., believed that individuals of any group can get ahead in America and that success stems from hard work) but was positively associated with self-esteem among those who rejected this worldview. Study 2 showed that exposure to discrimination against their ingroup (vs. a non-self-relevant group) led to lower self-esteem, greater feelings of personal vulnerability, and ingroup blame among Latino Americans who endorsed a meritocracy worldview but to higher self-esteem and decreased ingroup blame among Latino Americans who rejected it. Study 3 showed that compared with women informed that prejudice against their ingroup is pervasive, women informed that prejudice against their ingroup is rare had higher self-esteem if they endorsed a meritocracy worldview but lower self-esteem if they rejected this worldview. Findings support the idea that perceiving discrimination against one's ingroup threatens the worldview of individuals who believe that status in society is earned but confirms the worldview of individuals who do not.     

The Others: Finding and Counting America's Invisible Churches

The 2010 U. S. Religious Census: Religious Congregations and Membership Survey (RCMS) is the most comprehensive picture of U.S. religious life, county by county. How thorough is the RCMS in covering local religious groups? To answer this question, three county snapshots were performed with collected data compared to the RCMS 2010 reported numbers. Data suggest that there has been an underreport by as much as 25 percent of the number of local congregations in these counties. New and emerging religious movements and denominations as well as ethnic congregations comprise much of this percentage, making it more imperative for scholars to develop methodologies and frameworks in order to capture these “others” and invisible churches in America.     

The World Council of Churches and Pentecostals

This article recalls the history of the relationships between the World Council of Churches (WCC) and Pentecostal churches from the early years of the WCC until today. One of the greatest challenges currently facing the WCC is the shift in focus of Christianity to the South and the East, a phenomenon to which emerging Pentecostal and charismatic churches and communities are contributing. Alongside global cultural trends in the context of globalization, Pentecostal and charismatic piety and spirituality are increasingly affecting the older churches as well. While some see this negatively, many see it as an expression of adaptation to new challenges necessary for the survival of these churches. The article shows how the changing ecclesial context led to the WCC to explore new avenues for building relationships such as a Joint Consultative Group and the Global Christian Forum.