Religious Involvement among Caribbean Blacks in the United States

This study examined demographic and denominational differences in religious involvement (i.e., organizational, non-organizational, subjective) among Caribbean Blacks (Black Caribbeans) residing in the U.S. using data from the National Survey of American Life. Caribbean Blacks who were born in the U.S. had lower levels of religious involvement than those who immigrated and respondents originating from Haiti (as compared to Jamaica) had higher levels of religious involvement, while persons from Trinidad-Tobago reported lower service attendance than did Jamaicans. Older persons, women and married persons generally demonstrated greater religious involvement than their counterparts, while highly educated respondents expressed lower levels of self-rated religiosity. Denominational differences indicated that Baptists reported high levels of religious involvement; however, in several cases, Pentecostals and Seventh Day Adventists reported greater involvement.     

Religious Orientation and Health among Active Older Adults in the United States

This study utilizes a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic Religious Orientation Scales to explore the connection between religion and health in a sample of physically active, older adults. The revised Religious Orientation Scale and the RAND Short Form 36 (SF-36) were adopted to relate religious orientation (intrinsic, extrinsic, pro-religious, and non-religious) and self-rated mental and physical health status. Individuals of pro-religious orientation reported significantly worse health for physical functioning, role limitations due to physical health, and energy or fatigue when compared with those of all other religious orientations; however, no dose–response relationships were found between religious orientation and self-rated health. The results of this study indicate that deleterious health effects may accompany pro-religious orientation. Caution is provided for directors of religious programs for older adults.     

Prayer as a Religious Narrative: The Spiritual Self and the Image of God

Pastoral Psychology - This article examines William James’s study on prayer in The Varieties of Religious Experience by framing prayer as a form of religious narrative that demonstrates the...     

Religious involvement, beliefs about God, and the sense of mattering among older adults

Using data from a 2001–2002 sample of adults aged 65 and older living in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, we examine the associations among religious involvement (as measured by the frequency of attendance at religious services and praying), the belief in divine control, and the sense of mattering—a key component of the self-concept. We also assess the extent to which these patterns vary by gender, race, and education. Findings indicate indirect effects of religious attendance on mattering through divine control beliefs and the frequency of social contact. Praying increases mattering indirectly only through divine control beliefs. Moreover, divine control beliefs are more strongly associated with mattering among women, African Americans, and individuals with less education. We discuss the contribution of these findings for theory about the links between religious involvement, beliefs about God, and psychosocial resources, and the influence of core dimensions of social status and stratification.     

给美国国际宗教自由委员会的信

为加强中美两国宗教界的相互了解,国家宗教局邀请英国国际宗教自由委员会代表团干2005年8月来华访问。访问期间,中方按照双方商定的日程,安排了许多会见和参观活动。离华前,代表团对访问和中方的安排表示满意。但令人不解的是,该委员会在日前发表的《中国政策报告》中,竟然不顾事实,颠倒是非,攻击和诬蔑中国的宗教政策和宗教状况。对此,中国基督教海外联络部发表了——     

None Too Simple: Examining Issues of Religious Nonbelief and Nonbelonging in the United States

Prior research on those who are “not religious” in the traditional, organizational sense has focused on a broad category of people in the United States who do not identify with an established religious tradition. We distinguish three categories of people who are religiously nonbelieving or nonbelonging: atheists, agnostics, and unchurched believers. Examining issues of religious belief and identity, we compare private spiritual life, attitudes on political issues, and stance toward religion in the public sphere for these three categories of nonreligious respondents. Atheists are the most uniformly antireligious. Agnostics, by comparison, are less opposed to religion overall, while unchurched believers display higher levels of personal religiosity and spirituality than atheists or agnostics. While atheists, agnostics, and unchurched believers are similar in their political identification and attitudes related to religiously infused political topics, unchurched believers are as strongly opposed to religion in the public sphere as atheists.     

Parallel lives: Community psychology in Latin America and the United States

Comparing the history of community psychology as it developed in the U.S. during the 1960s with the community psychology that developed 10 years later in Latin America, one is reminded of the title of Plutarch’s masterpice,Parallel Lives. Although there was very little contact or communication between the first community psychologists in these regions, very similar principles and orientations evolved. These similarities are particularly striking given the many ways in which the U.S. and Latin American contexts and histories differ. Since most readers are expected to be familiar with the history of community psychology as it developed in the U.S., this paper focuses primarily on the development of community psychology in Latin America in order to highlight areas of convergence as well as divergence from the U.S. experience. This paper is based on an address presented at the Fourth Biennial Conference, Society for Community Research and Action, Division 27 of the American Psychological Association, William and Mary College, Williamsburg, Virginia, 1993. The author acknowledges the valuable help received from J. R. Newbrough and from the referees in the revision of this paper.     

Religious Social Networks and Volunteering: Examining Recruitment via Close Ties

A growing number of studies point to religious social networks as the critical link between religion and volunteering, mediating the effect of religious participation and predicting volunteering more strongly than beliefs. Previous studies have examined how the presence or absence of religiously based social ties predicts volunteering behavior. However, few studies have focused on the role of recruitment in personal networks. Examining the sources and frequency of recruitment efforts is especially important, since being asked to volunteer is one of the strongest predictors of volunteering. Using data from the nationally representative Portraits of American Life Study, this study examines the frequency and effectiveness of volunteer recruitment via close, same-faith ties. I find that same-faith friends and family members vary widely in their propensity to make volunteer requests, depending on whether religion is a salient aspect of the relationship and whether the relationship is connected to congregational social networks. I also find that, for churchgoers and non-churchgoers alike, ties to people actively involved in a congregation are important sources of volunteer invitations. As expected, having been asked to volunteer is a strong predictor of volunteering. However, the recruitment source appears to be less critical. I explore how these findings shed light on the mechanisms linking religious networks and volunteering.     

Touching God in his Image

The essay defends praying with images (icons) against those who claim this type of prayer is objectionable. The hermeneutical defence consists of three arguments. (a) First I observe that people relate to ordinary photos in ways that cannot be explained in terms of the image's sign‐value (or similitude) alone. (b) Second, I develop an account of praying with images as a form of symbolic practice. (c) Finally, in order to bolster my account, I compare icons with a particular class of symbolic objects, viz. relics. The general idea I put forward is that icons have to be understood as expressions of the reality they represent, and not simply as accurate or inaccurate visual representations of that reality. Icons are not created by human hands; instead, the hand of the painter is the instrumental cause of God's self‐expression, via the painter, on the canvas.     

Involvement in Ethnic Organizations and Community Activism Among Asian Immigrants in the United States

This study examines whether ethnic organization members have a lower likelihood of community activism than multiethnic organization members as predicted by social capital approaches to collective civic engagement. Community activism is measured by whether the respondent has worked with others in his or her community to solve a problem in the last 12 months. Data come from the 2008 National Asian American Survey, and the sample is limited to five major Asian immigrant groups (the Chinese, Asian Indians, Filipinos, Koreans, and the Vietnamese) for group-specific analyses. Findings suggest that membership in ethnic organizations does not necessarily diminish the probability of community activism: For the Chinese and Asian Indians, members of ethnic organizations have a higher probability of community activism than their non-joiner counterparts. Yet, consistent with the prediction of social capital approaches, there is a significant difference in the probability of community activism between members of multiethnic organizations and non-joiners for all ethnic groups, except for the Vietnamese. Nevertheless, findings show that there is no significant difference in the likelihood of community activism between members of ethnic organizations and those of multiethnic organizations for each ethnic group. Thus, data from the 2008 NAAS fail to provide compelling evidence to support the social capital argument that involvement in ethnic organizations has a significantly weaker effect on collective civic engagement than involvement in multiethnic organizations. This paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings.     

Secondary migration and relocation among African refugee families in the United States

The purpose of this study was to understand the secondary migration and relocation of African refugees resettled in the United States. Secondary migration refers to moves out of state, while relocation refers to moves within state. Of 73 recently resettled refugee families from Burundi and Liberia followed for 1 year through ethnographic interviews and observations, 13 instances of secondary migration and 9 instances of relocation were identified. A family ecodevelopmental framework was applied to address: Who moved again, why, and with what consequences? How did moving again impact family risk and protective factors? How might policies, researchers, and practitioners better manage refugees moving again? Findings indicated that families undertook secondary migration principally for employment, affordable housing, family reunification, and to feel more at home. Families relocated primarily for affordable housing. Parents reported that secondary migration and relocation enhanced family stability. Youth reported disruption to both schooling and attachments with peers and community. In conclusion, secondary migration and relocation were family efforts to enhance family and community protective resources and to mitigate shortcomings in resettlement conditions. Policymakers could provide newly resettled refugees jobs, better housing and family reunification. Practitioners could devise ways to better engage and support those families who consider moving.     

Bounded by Disbelief: How Atheists in the United States Differentiate themselves from Religious Believers

Recent empirical studies have revealed that religious believers tend to hold atheists and other religious doubters in low regard. This article examines how atheists in turn negotiate and construct the social and symbolic boundaries between atheists and religious believers. I draw on ethnographic and interview data to explore the lenses through which atheists view religion, religious believers, and the boundary between religious believers and non-believers. I find that atheists participate in boundary work to construct difference between religious believers and non-believers. However, atheists see greater social distance between themselves and some groups of religious believers than they do in relation to other groups, constructing religious leaders and devout adherents of particular religions as especially different. Atheists’ constructions of religious believers also vary in response to their individual experiences with religious people. The analysis illuminates the complexity of boundary work among members of a minority group.