宗教信仰的经济学分析

在经济学家眼里,宗教信徒在参与宗教活动时也具有收益最大化动机,他们需要把有限的资源在市场活动和宗教活动之间进行合理的分配,以实现收益最大化。宗教活动的效应也称作"灵性资本",它包括精神、物质两个方面。前者包括对来世的追求,即所谓的"来世财富",后者包括身体健康、社会网络关系等。同时,宗教活动还具有很大外部效益,其中所包含的利他主义、法制意识等理念,对市场活动中的自私、犯罪等行为是一个很好的制约。     

Assessing Religious Faith in Medical Patients: Cross-Validation of the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire

Growing attention has focused on the relationship between religiosity and health outcomes. However, research has been constrained by the limited availability of measures suitable for use with medical patients. This study examined the psychometric properties of the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire (SCSORF) in two well-defined samples of medical patients, representing a range of illness severity: 1) 175 women seen at a gynecology clinic; and 2) 104 cancer patients treated at a bone marrow transplantation program. Evidence for convergent validity was demonstrated by moderately high correlations with other measures of religious involvement. Divergent validity was demonstrated by small associations with social desirability. The measure was not strongly associated with demographic background or medical variables. Modest correlations with conceptually-related measures commonly used in health research (e.g., social support, optimism, existential meaning, purpose in life) further supported the divergent validity of the instrument. Results suggest that this may be a useful, concise measure for assessing religious involvement in medical patients.     

信仰与暴力——关于宗教恐怖主义的一般理论

2001年的"91·1"事件之后,宗教成为了所谓"第四波恐怖主义浪潮"的主要动力。宗教与恐怖主义之间的联系是内在的,这既体现于漫长的历史河流中,又可以从宗教体系本身找到根源。宗教恐怖主义的核心概念包括"宇宙战争"、"表演性暴力"等。宗教与恐怖主义的联系,主要因于其认同和意识形态功能。在恐怖主义的框架中,宗教主要表现为一种政治意识形态。而且,由于其超自然的联系,宗教比一般的世俗意识形态更具煽动性,也更具影响力。宗教恐怖主义的本质则在于政治暴力或暴力政治的概念。