Η Αθηνά, κατά την Ελληνική μυθολογία, ήταν η θεά της σοφίας, της στρατηγικής και του πολέμου. Παλαιότεροι τύποι του ονόματος της θεάς ήταν οι τύποι Ἀθάνα (δωρικός) και Ἀθήνη, το δε όνομα Ἀθηνᾶ, που τελικά επικράτησε, προέκυψε από το επίθετο Ἀθαναία, που συναιρέθηκε σε Ἀθηνάα > Ἀθηνᾶ. Στον πλατωνικό Κρατύλο το όνομα Αθηνά ετυμολογείται από το Α-θεο-νόα ή Η-θεο-νόα, δηλαδή η νόηση του Θεού (Κρατυλ. 407b), αλλά η εξήγηση αυτή είναι παρετυμολογική.
Social scientific studies of new immigrants' religious practices over the last 30 years have been based largely on ethnographic research on immigrant religious institutions. Two major themes emerging from these studies are that (1) non-Christian religious institutions have been transformed in the U.S. context, following the Protestant congregational model, and (2) immigrant religious institutions mainly serve ethnicity and social-service functions for their members. Since Asian immigrants mainly represent non-Christian religious groups, a major survey study of their religious participation sheds new light on these two themes. This study fills a gap in research on Asian immigrants' institutional religious practices by providing comprehensive statistics using survey data. As expected, our analysis produces important findings that supplement previous and mostly ethnographic studies related to the two major themes. Our major findings also indicate that Asian Protestant and Catholic immigrant groups significantly differ from their American counterparts in institutional religious practices.
In terms of belief and attendance, Sweden is one of the most secular countries in the world. Yet, church affiliation and ritual participation remain high. As the Church of Sweden historically served secular functions on behalf of the state, this paper uses survey data from the International Social Survey Program to investigate the extent to which Swedes are culturally religious, whereby they belong without believing. Findings reveal more prominent differences between individuals identifying with other religions and the Church of Sweden than between those identifying with the Church of Sweden and no religion. Furthermore, there is a weak connection between beliefs and Church of Sweden identification, while there is a strong relationship between beliefs and regular attendance. As such, this study calls for careful conceptualization of religious belonging as, in some contexts, common measures of objective religiosity, such as affiliation and attendance, reflect fundamentally different phenomena.
Ferguson, T. W., Tamburello, J. A., 2015-09-15 11:36:55 AM
A region's natural environment has profound social effects for an area. Previous work has connected the environment to tourism, migration rates, community attachment, and economic outcomes. In this article, we explore how nature may impact the religious structuring of a region. Specifically, we investigate if beautiful landscapes and good weather—what scholars call "natural amenities"—could be spiritual resources used by the population to connect with the sacred. We hypothesize that the environment, as a spiritual resource, would compete with more traditional religious organizations. Thus, we expect that regions with higher levels of natural amenities would experience lower rates of religious adherence. To test our hypothesis, we use spatial econometric modeling techniques to analyze data from the Religious Congregations and Membership Study, United States Department of Agriculture, the U.S. County Business Patterns, and the Census. Results show that counties with higher levels of natural amenities have lower rates of adherence to traditional religious organizations.
Yancey, G., Reimer, S., O'Connell, J., 2015-09-15 11:36:55 AM
A sizable body of research has demonstrated an anti-conservative Christian perspective among academics. Our research explores academics' negative attitudes toward conservative Protestants. We asked academics to rate Protestant Christian groups, and then explain their ratings, how they define mainline, evangelicals, and fundamentalist Protestants, and articulate the differences between various Protestant groups. Identifying as conservative Protestant and intergroup contact with conservative Protestants best predict less antipathy toward conservative Protestants. Analysis of open-ended questions indicates three groups of academics: Conservative Protestant Critics, Theological Definers, and Low Information. Conservative Protestant Critics envision conservative Protestants as intolerant, unscientific enemies to be openly opposed. Theological Definers are fairly supportive of evangelicals and project an image of objective assessment toward them. Low Information respondents do not have much knowledge of or interest in conservative Protestants. Ultimately, symbolic boundaries and lack of intergroup contact reinforce an academic identity that dismisses conservative Protestants for their perceived traits.
According to Collins (2004), the performance of interaction rituals, or the practice of private religious techniques, may produce emotion believers interpret to be spiritually meaningful. Yet Collins (2004) and more recently Wellman et al. (2014) are unclear on how emotion manifests itself bodily and how these manifestations are interpreted. Using participant-observation and semistructured interviews, this study examines the spiritual experiences of 27 participants from Fellowship Christian Assembly, a Pentecostal congregation. In 21 participants, emotion manifested itself bodily as goosebumps, tingles, or similar sensations. This study examines (1) the conditions under which emotional experiences are produced and (2) how emotion was interpreted using terminology provided by spiritual "experts" (Luhrmann 2012). Findings suggest that somatic manifestations of emotion are relatively common in this congregation, and these experiences are interpreted as communication from God. The implications of these findings are discussed in light of recent theory and research on religious rituals and practices.
Due to immigration and high birth rates, Latinos (or "Hispanics") are rapidly growing as a proportion of American society—faster than any other racial-ethnic group—and are widely dispersed throughout the United States. Moreover, a growing number of U.S. Latinos are not Catholic but Protestant. Beyond their individual religious devotion, Latino Protestant churches (LPCs) capture and channel Latino Protestant religiosity to a greater extent than Roman Catholic churches. While the study of LPCs should be methodologically open and theoretically diffuse, it is likely that researchers will recognize each other only by coalescing around a common set of questions, specifically around worship and liturgy, ethnicity and identity, and civic and community engagement. These three focal points are described as a starting point to foster cooperative dialogue and stimulate further scholarship as LPCs grow in numbers and significance in America.
This paper employs and adapts Bourdieu's concept of doxa to describe the declaration of heresy against the Ahmadiyya in Pakistan. The Ahmadiyya, avowedly Muslim, were declared heretics by constitutional amendment in 1974, leading to their widespread persecution and bans on their use of Islamic symbols. Most analyses of this event—from a statehood and authority/"Othering" perspective—tend to overlook why the Ahmadi were singled out for this unusual exclusion and why emphasis was placed on symbolic violence. It discursively analyzes the recently declassified transcript of parliamentary proceedings to reveal three interlinked theological and political elements of Ahmadi heterodoxy that challenged the sociopolitical order. The analysis also shows how orthodoxy emerged and was institutionalized in a dialectical relationship with that heterodoxy. Further, the discussion focuses on the continuity of symbolic capital inherent in institutionalization and the implications of this for Ahmadis and other religious "heretics" in Pakistan. By exploring how heterodoxy becomes heresy, this case highlights the utility of Bourdieu's schema and proposes some adjustments to it to better understand modern religious heresy and then export lessons into other analytical domains.
Cobb, R. J., Perry, S. L., Dougherty, K. D., 2015-09-09 10:33:03 AM
This study examines the extent to which the racial composition of a congregation moderates explanations for Black/White inequality among White, Black, and Hispanic congregants. Using nationally representative data from General Social Surveys and National Congregations Studies, we find that religiously affiliated Blacks and Hispanics tend to hold different racial attitudes than religiously affiliated Whites, but these differences largely disappear inside multiracial congregations. Importantly, we find that attending a multiracial congregation is unassociated with Whites' explanations for racial inequality, and Blacks who attend multiracial congregations are actually less likely to affirm structural explanations for Black/White inequality than Blacks in nonmultiracial congregations or Whites in multiracial congregations. We find little evidence that multiracial congregations promote progressive racial views among attendees of any race or ethnicity. Rather, our findings suggest that multiracial congregations (1) leave dominant White racial frames unchallenged, potentially influencing minority attendees to embrace such frames and/or (2) attract racial minorities who are more likely to embrace those frames in the first place.
Sarno, C., Shestakofsky, B., Shoemaker, H., Aponte, R., 2015-09-09 10:33:03 AM
This study presents a content analysis of Harold Camping's Open Forum radio program in the three weeks immediately following his failed prediction that May 21, 2011, would be Judgment Day. Following Dawson (1999),we examine the adaptive strategies Camping employed to manage the cognitive dissonance he and his followers experienced during this period. Forty-two percent of the time, Camping reaffirmed the essential truth of the original prediction by pointing to other, nonfalsifiable components of his prophetic timeline. Nearly one-quarter of the time, Camping rationalized the failed prophecy by attributing responsibility to God. In particular, Camping emphasized God's "Sovereignty" and "Mercy" in explaining why the end did not come. While confirming the results of previous studies, this case adds nuance to our understanding of the organizational conditions, social processes, and charismatic labor by which apocalyptic groups manage dissonance.
This article examines racial differences in religious change and stability in the lives of adolescents and emerging adults following family disruption. Previous research suggests that highly religious youth are more likely to experience declines in religiosity following a parental breakup or divorce. This study finds that while this pattern holds true for white youth, African-American youth are not as prone to religious decline in the wake of family disruption. The study highlights the need to understand religious and family processes within their specific social contexts.
Απαντάται για πρώτη φορά στην Ιλιάδα (0-412) : ''...που με την ορμηνία της Αθηνάς κατέχει καλά την τέχνη του όλη...'' .. Η αρχική λοιπόν σημασία της λέξης δηλώνει την ΓΝΩΣΗ και την τέλεια ΚΑΤΟΧΗ οποιασδήποτε τέχνης. .. Κατά τον Ησύχιο σήμαινε την τέχνη των μουσικών και των ποιητών. Αργότερα,διευρύνθηκε η σημασία της και δήλωνε : την βαθύτερη κατανόηση των πραγμάτων και την υψηλού επιπέδου ικανότητα αντιμετώπισης και διευθέτησης των προβλημάτων της ζωής. .. Δεν είναι προ'ι'όν μάθησης αλλά γνώση πηγαία που αναβρύζει από την πνευματικότητα του κατόχου της. "ΣΟΦΟΣ Ο ΠΟΛΛΑ ΕΙΔΩΣ" λέει ο Πίνδαρος ..
