http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/keyword/religion Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Tue, 18 Aug 2026 17:43:09 -0400 Tue, 18 Aug 2026 17:43:09 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1919/how-religiosity-shapes-satisfaction-with-democracy-a-mediterranean-case-study By Julien Argoud - More and more countries are democratic, but at the same time, the number of people dissatisfied with it has constantly been increasing during the last two decades. Nevertheless, studying people’s “satisfaction with democracy” has been heavily debated in Comparative Politics. However, using this variable does make sense as it is possible to observe significant correlations between strong dissatisfaction with democracy and democratic backsliding globally. We argue in this paper that religiosity is a crucial factor to understand this phenomenon. Research has nonetheless come to... Tue, 26 Oct 2021 10:58 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1919/how-religiosity-shapes-satisfaction-with-democracy-a-mediterranean-case-study http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1770/why-are-women-more-religious-than-men By Mie A. Jensen - Scholars have since the 1980s tried to explain why women are more religious than men, but contradictory evidence complicates a precise answer (Pew Research Center 2016:54), so this essay evaluates some theories to explain women’s increased religiousity. It first critically analyses Woodhead’s (2007) theory of double deprivation. Next, I evaluate gendered religiosity in relation to Judaism. I explain how motherhood makes women more religious due to their socialisation. Then, I show how practices related to behaviour affirm women’s religious role in the family. Finally, I examine... Fri, 04 Oct 2019 08:33 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1770/why-are-women-more-religious-than-men http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1761/fringe-religion-and-the-far-right-dangerous-behavior-patterns-among-christian-millennialists By Naomi E. Pearson - Radical thinking among the far-right is a growing security problem for modern western society. Over the past several decades anti-government ideologies have been gaining legitimacy due to controversial interactions between Millennialist fringe religious groups and law enforcement agencies which have produced tragic outcomes and recruited new followers to far-right causes. Historically, interactions between Millennialist ‘New Religions’ or ‘Fringe Religious Groups’ and law enforcement have resulted in an escalation of conflict and a tragic loss of life. This paper will conduct... Fri, 01 Mar 2019 10:05 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1761/fringe-religion-and-the-far-right-dangerous-behavior-patterns-among-christian-millennialists http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1713/leaving-religion-a-qualitative-analysis-of-religious-exiting By Rose M. LeCount - Religion has been a part of society for thousands of years and touches every life on the globe. Despite this, religious non-affiliation is one of the fastest growing religious identities, and is currently the third largest globally. There has been research into the religious “nones” and conversion, but there has been less focus on the factors and process of leaving a religion. This study looks at the stages of religious exiting with a comparison to Helen Ebaugh’s stages of role exit. Through a qualitative analysis of an online survey (n=610) and interviews (n=17) several themes... Tue, 12 Dec 2017 11:02 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1713/leaving-religion-a-qualitative-analysis-of-religious-exiting http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1723/opposites-attract-an-evaluation-of-foreign-policy-impediments-in-sino-vatican-relations By Rex N. Alley - The relationship between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Holy See appears to be an uneasy association between opposites. With over 1 billion people, the PRC is "the world's most populous state," while the Holy See is housed in tiny Vatican City.2 In addition to its status as a sovereign political entity,3 the Holy See is also the spiritual leader of the Catholic Church. Meanwhile, since the Revolution, the PRC has been a Communist state, led by a party that strives to "propagate atheism."4 Despite these differences, the PRC and Holy See also hold commonalities. The pope's spiritual... Thu, 30 Nov 2017 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1723/opposites-attract-an-evaluation-of-foreign-policy-impediments-in-sino-vatican-relations http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1626/the-purposive-power-of-natural-theology-on-moser-and-the-christian-apologetics By Jimmy R. Lewis - In recent years there has been quite a bit of talk in philosophy of religion regarding how relevant and how purposive natural theology is, especially in comparison with experiential evidence. One major proponent of this recent skepticism in relation to natural theology is Paul K. Moser. Moser believes that natural theology may in fact be a satisfactory means to arriving at theism, but not to personal theism. This is problematic for Moser, because he believes that the goal of Christian apologetics ought to be to convince people not only of the existence of a divine being, but also that the divine... Fri, 14 Apr 2017 08:32 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1626/the-purposive-power-of-natural-theology-on-moser-and-the-christian-apologetics http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1499/was-spinoza-a-kabbalist-the-influence-of-jewish-mysticism-in-book-i-of-ethics By Rocco A. Astore - Throughout philosophy’s history, some of its most prominent thinkers have drawn inspiration from sources outside of its canon. It is of my opinion that one of these philosophers, Spinoza, in the first book of his Ethics, borrowed elements of the Kabbalah, to portray his image of God. The first purpose of this piece is to explicate Spinoza’s understanding of God, or Nature so that the reader can assess and become familiarized with his views. Next, by using Daniel C. Matt’s The Essential Kabbalah, the Heart of Jewish Mysticism, I will hope to convey a general idea of the Kabbalist... Wed, 23 Nov 2016 09:07 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1499/was-spinoza-a-kabbalist-the-influence-of-jewish-mysticism-in-book-i-of-ethics http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1142/the-kakawin-sutasoma-a-look-at-bhinneka-tunggal-ika-and-perceptions-of-the-texts-religious-implications By A. H. Aghababian - This study is an analysis of the religious aspects of the epic Sutasoma. Written in the 14th century CE during the height of the Majapahit Empire of East Java, this kakawin has raised several questions about its religious orientation, messages, and motives; questions, which, given the religious ambiguity of the time, are extremely difficult to answer. The Sutasoma also contains the famous line, “bhinneka tunggal ika,” which, often translated as “unity in diversity,” has since been adopted as the Indonesian national motto. The context and meaning of this passage has also... Wed, 16 Sep 2015 10:11 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1142/the-kakawin-sutasoma-a-look-at-bhinneka-tunggal-ika-and-perceptions-of-the-texts-religious-implications http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1010/intelligent-design-in-the-complexity-of-the-human-body By Jacob H. Rhodes - In a previous article I wrote about fine-tuning in the Universe and the empirical evidence for a Grand Designer that can be found within our reality. This argument of course occurs within the context of ongoing fiery debate between theists and secular scholars, and so, in the pursuit of academic harmony and scholarly camaraderie I will once again attempt to shorten the chasm between science and religion. However, instead of examining the Universe and the order that can be found within its laws, in this piece I examine the complexities of the human body and its mutualistic relationship with Earth... Wed, 11 Mar 2015 04:50 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1010/intelligent-design-in-the-complexity-of-the-human-body http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1009/anti-semitism-and-religious-intolerance-in-aristocratic-age-english-literature By Hayley E. Tartell - In Shakespeare's Macbeth, the witches’ scene intimates an anti-Semitic theme by comparing Jews to filthy, grotesque objects, while in The Merchant of Venice, Shylock’s portrayal serves as a means through which anti-Semitic themes are also conveyed. Similarly, in The Jew of Malta, by Christopher Marlowe, an anti-Semitic theme is implied through the character Barabas the Jew. Finally, John Donne’s Holy Sonnet XII and Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales impart decidedly anti-Semitic themes while alluding to the crucifixion of Jesus. These referenced literary works poignantly... Tue, 10 Mar 2015 03:53 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1009/anti-semitism-and-religious-intolerance-in-aristocratic-age-english-literature http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1008/apocalyptic-imagery-in-aurora-leigh By Kelley S. Kent - Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Aurora Leigh (1856) is an apocalyptic work, as seen in Aurora and Romney’s vision of the New Jerusalem.  Barrett Browning was interested in the Apocalypse in all its literary transformations for most of her adult life, as seen in many of her letters and poems. The English Romantics, also concerned with internal apocalypses, influenced both Barrett Browning’s poetry and her religious opinions, as did treatment of the Apocalypse and Christ’s second coming in religious works of the period. Such intellectual interest in a cataclysmic end of... Mon, 09 Mar 2015 12:43 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1008/apocalyptic-imagery-in-aurora-leigh http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1040/how-christian-leaders-interact-with-twitter By Zachary Horner - This paper explores the relationship between Christian leaders and Twitter. Twitter’s founding resulted in an outburst in the use of the social media platform. Christian leaders quickly caught on, and today they use Twitter for a number of different purposes, seeking first and foremost to challenge and inspire their followers. Through the study of 30 different leaders’ tweets, as well as different blog posts, articles and interviews outlining different approaches to Twitter and other social media, the study concluded that pastors were most concerned with getting across the basic message... Sun, 30 Nov 2014 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1040/how-christian-leaders-interact-with-twitter http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/867/asceticism-in-the-modern-world-the-religion-of-self-deprivation By Betsy C. Chadbourn - Among the questions that have attracted my attention during my theological career thus far, nothing has struck me more forcibly than the possibility of asceticism existing in the modern world. Modern asceticism initially appears an absurdity. A non-existent. Something of the past, along with the once thriving Christian religion that laid its foundations. Before, we associated the ascetic with monkish values, the valorisation of chastity, a life of deprivation. Repulsion toward the flesh. Hostility for food. Enmity on all we call pleasure. Yes, modernity is surely an exodus from such; a secular... Fri, 14 Mar 2014 04:53 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/867/asceticism-in-the-modern-world-the-religion-of-self-deprivation http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/828/is-paganism-a-religion-exploring-the-historical-and-contemporary-relevance-of-paganism By Betsy C. Chadbourn - Years of adversity and oppression have pushed the once thriving practice of Paganism into the shadows. Even in our contemporary world of so-called religious freedom, some are still afraid to admit to their beliefs or to identify as a Pagan. To many, it may come as a surprise to find groups of otherwise ordinary people who refer to themselves as Witches and ask to be treated seriously as members of a religion, on a par with Jews, Methodists, Catholics, and the like. Should we bypass our ignorance as such a traditional society and embrace these alternative movements? Is this contemporarily revived... Wed, 11 Dec 2013 08:28 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/828/is-paganism-a-religion-exploring-the-historical-and-contemporary-relevance-of-paganism http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/700/ignoring-islam-us-education-in-need-of-intervention By John J. Smith - The United States’ education system is unprepared to discuss Islam, despite the pertinence of religious education in the modern world. With the events of September 11, 2001, the words “Muslim” and “Islam” have become parts of the American vernacular; however, the biased media coverage of 9/11 connoted the religion of Islam with villainy and extremism. An investigation of textbooks before and after 9/11—finding that most textbooks either abridge or neglect Islam—demonstrates the lack of religious education in secondary education. This education is necessary... Mon, 24 Sep 2012 09:43 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/700/ignoring-islam-us-education-in-need-of-intervention http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/680/toward-a-neurobiological-understanding-of-religion-examining-ritual-and-the-body By Joanna H. Gross - One of the numerous working definitions of religion includes "a belief in a divine or superhuman power or powers to be worshipped," and "an expression of such a belief in conduct and ritual" (Johnson, 2012 p. 1). Rituals are generally a religion’s defining characteristic. Further, religion seems to be a uniquely human phenomenon that can foster anything from hope to hate. Why do we have religion, and further, why has the phenomenon of religion and religious ritual persisted despite the conflicts it has spurred time and time again throughout the history of humanity? The issue becomes even... Fri, 17 Aug 2012 08:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/680/toward-a-neurobiological-understanding-of-religion-examining-ritual-and-the-body http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/636/book-review-the-shia-revival-how-conflicts-within-islam-will-shape-the-future-by-vali-nasr By Hamad R. Hamad - In his book The Shia Revival: How Conflicts within Islam Will Shape the Future (2006), Vali Nasr addresses an issue that is gaining increased importance in the contemporary coverage of global Islam: Sunni-Shia relations. Vali Nasr is a widely respected scholar who claims expertise in multiple fields that pertain to Middle Eastern and South Asian politics, particularly Sunni-Shia relations. In the book Nasr examines the issue from, what some would consider to be, a Shia perspective that is often overlooked in favor of Sunni viewpoints. This is made apparent through his disdain of how Islamic history... Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:59 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/636/book-review-the-shia-revival-how-conflicts-within-islam-will-shape-the-future-by-vali-nasr http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1063/the-protocols-of-the-elders-of-mecca By Erik Eriksen - This could be referring to Nazi propaganda from the 1930s. However, it is, in fact, an ideology that is gaining influence in contemporary Europe. This time, allegedly, it is not Jews that have a plan to take control over Europe; it is Muslims. The nation is not perceived as being stabbed in the back by Marxists and “cultural Bolsheviks”, but, allegedly, by multiculturalists and “cultural Marxists”. This is the “Eurabia” conspiracy theory, supported by influential European politicians, some of which are holding the balance of power in parliament, such as the... Sun, 01 Jan 2012 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1063/the-protocols-of-the-elders-of-mecca http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/598/religious-intolerance-in-the-female-american-or-the-adventures-of-unca-eliza-winkfield By Kathleen E. Gilligan - Published in 1767, The Female American, Or, The Adventures of Unca Eliza Winkfield claims to be the spiritual autobiography of an Unca Eliza Winkfield. Like Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, this narrative is peppered with bits of true historical details and events in order to convince the reader that the story is true. Despite the inaccuracies, the purpose of the novel is to spread the word of Christianity. At first glance, an interpretation of The Female American may appear to be a convincing argument for religious imperialism, but if one takes a closer look they will find that the story is an... Tue, 06 Dec 2011 02:27 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/598/religious-intolerance-in-the-female-american-or-the-adventures-of-unca-eliza-winkfield http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/582/huntingtons-clash-of-civilizations-in-yugoslavia By Fiona S. Ong - While Samuel Huntington's The Clash of Civilizations presents a compelling argument for the events that happened in the former Yugoslavia, the main argument that was set forth by him using religion as the sole cause of the conflicts in the region–in what he regards as ‘fault line’ wars–is erroneous. He has clearly dismissed nationalism as a legitimate cause. Although nationalism is not the single cause of the incidents in Yugoslavia, it was a large part of the reason for the unrest in the Yugoslav state which led to its eventual dissolution. The mechanisms of nationalism... Mon, 10 Oct 2011 10:38 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/582/huntingtons-clash-of-civilizations-in-yugoslavia http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/567/can-religious-based-ethics-play-a-role-in-development By Eve R. Hill - Development is closely linked to the idea of progress. Therefore the way in which progress is quantified, whether through economic, social or spiritual values, determines the way in which we conceptualize development (Power 2005). Religious beliefs are similarly ambiguous, although this arises from the sheer diversity of faiths present in the world today. Consequently the relationship between development and religion is hauntingly complex and so variable that it eludes simple definition (Alkire 2007). Nevertheless, since the first missionary endeavors of the colonial era, religious-based ethics... Tue, 30 Aug 2011 08:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/567/can-religious-based-ethics-play-a-role-in-development http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/554/the-influence-of-social-political-and-economic-factors-on-the-development-and-form-of-zulu-religious-activity-in-the-19th-and-20th-centuries By Melissa JL. Alvaro Mutolo - Eventually these bantu-speaking people would come to populate and dominate practically all the arable land in South Africa (Prozesky 1995:5). As ancestors of the Zulu, this migration is significant. Already from their earliest forbearers the Zulu had inherited a history of domination and power. This dominative power reached its peak in the 19th century with the creation of the Zulu Kingdom, a powerful centralised territory of warriors and kings. In the process of creating this state the Zulu had usurped smaller tribes and conquered their lands leading to a social crisis known as the mfecane (... Tue, 26 Jul 2011 06:41 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/554/the-influence-of-social-political-and-economic-factors-on-the-development-and-form-of-zulu-religious-activity-in-the-19th-and-20th-centuries http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/539/nigromancy-in-the-later-middle-ages By Lisa A. Bergstrom - The struggle of the early modern church against witchcraft is rightly famous. However, before they were hunting woman flying on broomsticks to nocturnal orgies, church authorities were most concerned about a very different sort of magic: nigromancy. Nigromancy, meaning black magic or black divination, was a highly intricate form of ritual magic, whose educated adherents summoned demons with magic circles drawn in blood and long Latin recitations replete with words such as conjuro, adjuro, and exorcizo (I conjure, I adjure, and I exorcise).[i] Church authorities condemned nigromancy as dangerous... Thu, 09 Jun 2011 10:40 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/539/nigromancy-in-the-later-middle-ages http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/383/chinese-women-and-christianity-in-the-late-imperial-era By Iulia O. Basu-Zharku - Christianity has not gained a large number of adepts in China, if compared, for example, with Japan. But Christianity in China, in the late Imperial Era, had a number of particularities. Moreover, Christianity sometimes influenced Chinese women’s lives but only in conjunction with other cultural elements and only if we take into consideration the broader context of the situation. Other times it did not influence women’s lives at all. Thus, this paper will focus on the context in which Christianity found itself in China, the way it adapted to Chinese culture, and the significance it... Tue, 08 Feb 2011 08:56 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/383/chinese-women-and-christianity-in-the-late-imperial-era http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/372/slavery-and-religion-in-the-antebellum-south By Iulia O. Basu-Zharku - For many decades, scholars have debated the importance of religion in helping slaves cope with the horrible experience of slavery in the antebellum South. However, the way they treated the subject differs and the conclusions they reached are varied. From the early 1920s through the 1960s, the accent was put on the variety of religious traditions and rituals of the antebellum Southern slaves, but without them receiving the credit for these traditions, which were considered as being adaptations of European beliefs and rituals. Later on, in the 1970s and 1980s these traditions are considered as actually... Mon, 24 Jan 2011 09:26 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/372/slavery-and-religion-in-the-antebellum-south http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/370/solving-health-issues-in-ethiopia-with-religion By Iulia O. Basu-Zharku - Ethiopia’s population of 76 million makes it the 3rd most populous African country.[1] The most numerous ethnicities are the Omoro (40% of the population), the Amhara and Tigre, who together constitute 32% of the Ethiopian population.[2] Out of the 76 million people, 61% are Christian (51% Orthodox), and 33% Muslim.[3] Another, more recent estimation, puts the number of Orthodox Christians at 71% of the population.[4] In the 4th century, Christianity was introduced, via Egypt, and accordingly, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church is Coptic[5] in orientation (claiming that Jesus had only one divine... Sun, 23 Jan 2011 08:05 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/370/solving-health-issues-in-ethiopia-with-religion http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/367/the-influence-of-religion-on-health By Iulia O. Basu-Zharku - Religion is a subject that we encounter daily, either because we follow a specific faith and the rules established by it, or because we meet people who proclaim their faith unabashed, or because we know it is a taboo subject in social conversations. It is probably better to ask someone how much they earn, or about their health history, then to ask them to what religion they practice. Religion is considered too personal a subject. In scientific discourse it is only recently that religion has received any special attention. Previously considered as outside of the sphere of research for the perceived... Wed, 19 Jan 2011 10:01 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/367/the-influence-of-religion-on-health http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/241/the-universal-prayer-how-money-became-the-worlds-first-shared-religion By Maria T. Otero - As something so natural to us, money is part of our lives from the moment we are born. Our interpretation of it continues to evolve until the day we die. In our childhoods, we encounter our first economic decisions, like what to spend our allowances on. We also start to understand that things have certain value, and since we do not have the means to attain them, we behave properly in order to be rewarded by our parents with what we want. Then, when we grow a little more, we may get a job and start becoming more independent, even though our parents are still accountable for us. The more independent... Mon, 03 May 2010 08:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/241/the-universal-prayer-how-money-became-the-worlds-first-shared-religion http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/224/the-concept-of-unity-in-elizabeth-gaskells-north-and-south By Tristan Gans - North and South is a novel defined by the resolution of binary conflicts: heroine Margaret Hale is presented with a number of divisions of sympathy, between industrialists and the working class, between conflicting views of Mr. Thornton, and even between her conflicting views of her own intelligence.[1] In almost all cases, Margaret does not so much choose sides as acknowledge mutually dependent and beneficial relationships. The ending of the novel, in which a proposal to loan money to a newly benevolent Mr. Thornton manifests the confluence of her compassion and her business sense, binds these... Tue, 06 Apr 2010 09:29 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/224/the-concept-of-unity-in-elizabeth-gaskells-north-and-south http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/190/revisiting-hg-wells-depiction-of-science-and-religion-in-war-of-the-worlds By Alex C. Hawley - Generally these inventions and discoveries are considered “good;” they are making life easier for us and helping us better our understanding of both ourselves and the world around us. However, to some, science has challenged their way of life. Instead of embracing new perspectives, some religious followers have tended to cling to traditional beliefs and shun what science and technology have to offer. For instance, when Charles Darwin introduced his theory of evolution by natural selection, he was directly challenging the cardinal belief that God created the earth and its inhabitants... Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:19 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/190/revisiting-hg-wells-depiction-of-science-and-religion-in-war-of-the-worlds