Academic literature on the topic 'Kenya – Religious life and customs'

The Church in urban Africa is seeing an increase in marriages and homes experiencing disruption due to divorce. In a bid to forward discussion on marriage issues, the church has developed material on premarital education. However, much of this material has been adapted from the West. The contribution of an African system to education remains largely unexplored. The purpose of this study is to explore the Kipsigis community’s marriage preparation customs with a view to recommend ways they might inform a local church’s efforts to develop a more culturally relevant curriculum that includes points of integration. While reintroducing principles on marital instruction from a traditional African culture is an unlikely panacea to marriage and family dysfunction in a contemporary context, the study suggests that from an early age, within the context of God’s community, children, youth and adults might learn and value the place of family life. Data collected from in-depth, semi-structured interviews with seven participants in the Kericho District were analyzed using grounded theory procedures of open, axial and selective coding. The study uncovered a cycle of influencers and educators, with the core being family and widening to mentors and the community at large. The context of learning was imbedded in everyday life and moved from unstructured to focused learning as children entered adolescence. The article concludes by suggesting four transferable points of application for integrating principles from traditional culture’s practices: 1) intentional community, 2) intergeneration interaction, 3) integrated learning, and 4) carefully chosen mentors.

The belief that God, or the Supreme Being, is the source of all that exists is common among a wide range of African communities that still retain a good measure of their traditional religio-cultural heritage. The Abagusii of Western Kenya is one of the communities that has been exposed to and actually embraced the western culture. This notwithstanding, the Abagusii are still proud of their traditional customs and still maintain a good measure of these practices, either in their original form or with modifications. In this paper we examine the influence of belief in God on the day-to-day activities of the Abagusii and assess the similarity of their religiosity with that of the Judeans as reflected in the book of Ruth. The purpose of this work is to contribute to the on-going debate on inculturation by projecting a trajectory that appreciates the authenticity of all cultures. In comparing the similarity between Abagusii and Judean conception of and interaction with the divine, this paper covers the following key areas: the nature and function of God, human limitations, the relationship between God and humans, the notion of divine intervention, and the influence of religious consciousness on the daily life of the community and its members. The author is cognizant that the Book of Ruth may not provide a comprehensive picture of the Judean concept of God. But it provides a basis for a comparative study on the way community members utilized their religious awareness and identity to govern their daily lives.

Although they highlight the Norse (religious) term siðr ‘custom’ and its cognates, some researchers of pre-Christian Scandinavia suggest that the concept of religion involves a Christocentric discourse and should be used cautiously, or even only for Christianity. Some scholars therefore recommend a categorical distinction between pre-Christian (religious) siðr and Christian religion. This paper contributes to this ongoing discussion. I argue that while it is meaningful to highlight the term siðr and its cognates, the distinction between pre-Christian siðr and medieval Christian religion is problematic. 1) While siðr had various meanings in vernacular language, the current debate emphasises only its religious aspect, thus turning the indigenous term into an implicit etic concept. 2) The word siðr and its cognates were also used in medieval Scandinavian languages as designations for Christianity, and hence, the categorisation of pre-Christian siðr and medieval Christian religion is misleading. 3) The distinction between popular siðr and formal religion is fundamentally based on the two-tier model of popular/folk religion–religion. 4) The vernacular (religious) word siðr in the sense of ‘religious customs, the religious aspects of the conventional way of life’ and the heuristic category of (lived) religion are in fact complementary in the study of religion in both Viking and medieval Scandinavia.

Kenya is home to many sacred natural sites, including forests, mountains and rivers. Indigenous communities have upheld their role and responsibilities, passed down over centuries by their ancestors as custodians of these places through time. The 5391 hectares in the Nyambene forest in central Kenya is a sacred site to the Ameru people, a community/tribe living on the northeastern slopes of Mt. Kenya. The forest is a resource from which customs, spiritual practices, and governance systems are derived to protect the territory as a whole and maintain its order, integrity and well-being. The Njuri Ncheke (council of elders) play a vital role in upholding the traditional ecological knowledge and customs, practised over generations, including acting as custodians of sacred groves around which rain-making rituals are performed. This paper examines the link between traditional custodianship and community livelihoods against a background of diverse national legislations on forest/land use management and religious influences. The author demonstrates how this forest weaves around the lives of the Ameru people and makes a case for the need to encourage community participation and traditional custodianship in protecting ecosystems and their associated cultural heritage.

Coping with death is a grueling job to be done however it is not impossible. All cultures have developed ways to cope with death. Interfering with these practices may interfere with the necessary grieving processes. Understanding different cultures' and religions response to death can help counselors recognize the grieving process in patients of other cultures. It is also important to realize that, while each individual grief process is unique, there is a form of grief that is disabling, interfering with function and quality of life. A great majority of the people in Anatolia have remained under the influence of tradition as well as religion. In the foundation of main behavior models which forms our traditional life, ensuring them to possess specialty and formation however there lays numerous customs, beliefs and ethic operations. So that such kind of variations affects the death and the bereavement customs. As in the case of the three important event of the life, a great number of beliefs, customs, tradition, ceremonies, and behaviors have been also grouped around death. Such beliefs, customs, transactions, ceremonies and pattern behaviors which accumulated around the death and surrounded individuals with the death are collected under three groups. Sets of traditions formed as pre-death, during death and after death. So this study was carried out so as to determine the approach of Anatolian traditions to the death and bereavement. This qualitative research was conducted by means of semi-structured interviews in which three questions prepared by the researchers and were asked to four volunteer male participants whose mean age was seventy-five years old. The study concludes that the traditions of Anatolia give importance to sharing and supporting the family of deceased, which overlaps the literature of bereavement process psychology.

Folktales are a powerful source of oral tradition. Regional culture, environment, folk customs, customs and traditions, social customs, manners, beliefs, religious sentiments, and supernatural fantasies shape the content. The story also tells the story of the various cunning, conflicting concepts, life and physical creation, and birth mysteries of the groups involved. The article seeks to discuss the traditional and scholarly classification, the performers, and performance of folktales in West Odisha, also concerned with its socio-cultural implications.

Introduction. The relevance of the issues raised is due to the contradictory nature of the evolution of religious and pseudo-religious rites of Muslims, as well as the ambiguous attitude towards them from the Muslim Ummah of the region. The objective of the study is to explore the regional features of some religious and ethnic cult practices of Muslims residing in the Republic of Mordovia. Materials and Methods. The study considered such materials as the data of the sociological survey “Muslim Traditions and Rites of the Tatars in a Region” employing the method of semi-formalized interviews (47 people), which assessed the level and the intensity of religiosity. The content and specificity of the rites, religious and ethnic rituals were analyzed. The canonicity of the rituals was assessed. Results. Various religious traditions and rites having regional specifics and observed by Muslims in the Republic of Mordovia have been analyzed. These include: a Dua prayer performed over water, the rite of ‘iskyat’, cult of Wali, the rite of ‘bashkoda’ preceding a marriage, and a memorial rite for deceased. An analysis of the religious ritual practices of Muslims in the Republic of Mordovia has made it possible to ascertain the presence of elements of cultural diffusion in some religious practices. Discussion and Conclusion. Despite certain disagreement regarding the performance of a number of religious rites within the regional Muslim Ummah, most of the considered forms of religious life in the minds of people are inseparable from the Muslim tradition and are perceived as part of the original Muslim culture. The materials of the article will be useful for the authorities to improve the regional ethno-confessional policy.

Ngadas Village is a village with an interesting order of life and customs like many other villages. The people have lived long with the customs and norms of local wisdom. Our study aims to investigate the harmonization of both customary law and national law in Ngadas Village. The customary law includes the local wisdom value as a philosophy and obeys positive law. To understand the harmonization, we use an empirical juridical approach in understanding the role of government officials in preserving customs and positive law. Subsequently, we discuss the harmonization through the role of government officials covering aspects of community life. Our findings indicate that the positive law serves as a reference to the customary law. The customary law is in line with national interests and laws and national law. Likewise, the customary law is in harmony with religious elements. This denotes the importance of the village's official roles for the local community's interests.

This dissertation is about the architecture of the Swahili peoples living along the eastern coast of Africa. Specifically, it explores the links and relationships between oral traditions, rituals and the built environment of the Waswahili (sing. Mswahili) or the 'people of the coast'. The 'ambiguous' and 'anomalous' identity of the Waswahili raises important questions on the definition and the understanding of Swahili architecture. To understand Swahili architecture, one must, first, understand the language and identity of the Waswahili. This dissertation makes use of new sources for the interpretation of the built environment of the Waswahili as depicted in the standing 18th century buildings in Lamu town, the oldest living town on the eastern coast of Kenya. Designated on UNESCO's World Heritage List, Lamu has a unique architecture that has often been misinterpreted and misunderstood, and such studies often lack authenticity. This dissertation is an attempt to bridge the gap between the identity and the built environment of the Waswahili and to portray Swahili architecture through oral discourse.

Within a few years of the end of World War Two Christianity had spread to every Taiwanese aboriginal group. Nowadays a variety of Christian churches play an important role in aboriginal society. This study is about conversion to Christianity and its aftermath in an aboriginal village. Fieldwork was conducted among the Ami (one of the nine Taiwanese aboriginal groups), in Iwan, a village on the eastern coastal of Taiwan. In this study the individual interests of social actors are emphasised. I suggest that not only political leaders had special motives (i.e. to pursue political power) in conversion, but also ordinary people had their own interests too (i.e. to pursue a better life in the future). In this sense we might say that the meanings, functions, purposes and aims imputed to religion by converts are arrived at through local dialogues. Religious conversion happened against a historical background of long and sustained contact with colonising immigrants (e.g. Japanese and Chinese). During colonial rule. Ami social life expanded radically and mass conversion took place, in the 1950s, when a common dissatisfaction with life was felt. I argue that relative deprivation was an important factor in this conversion and it became significant because of the emphasis put on it by local political leaders. The adoption of different Christian churches is best understood from the perspective of internal political relations and the careers of political leaders. In general I argue that through the articulations of prominent Ami leaders various external phenomena have been integrated into Ami life and successful articulations have also helped certain political leaders to pursue or maintain their authority.

As the efficacy of cancer treatments has improved and the life span for cancer patients has extended, interest in patients' quality of life has increased. Assessing patients' quality of life continues to gain importance as it impacts numerous facets of oncology. Similarly, interest in spirituality and religiosity have increased as they become recognized as resources for healing in health care. This study examined spirituality and religiosity and their relationship with quality of life in cancer patients. Additional variables such as age, gender, and stage of cancer were also examined for their relationship to quality of life in cancer patients. A stepwise multiple regression analysis was performed to determine if spirituality, religiosity, age, gender, and stage of cancer are predictors of cancer patients' quality of life. The analysis indicated that patients with higher levels of spirituality tend to experience better quality of life, and patients with more advanced stages of cancer tend to experience lower quality of life. Religiosity, age, and gender were not predictors of cancer patients' quality of life.
Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

By comparison with its secular counterpart, the liturgy of English medieval monasteries has received little attention. This thesis explores one aspect of the liturgy of some of the wealthiest and most influential foundations in England - the Benedictine houses. It covers the formation and proliferation of 'votive' observances, recited as additions to or replacements for the major calendar observances. Evidence is drawn from over fifty manuscripts, dating from the Benedictine reform of the tenth century to the eve of the Dissolution in the sixteenth century. Some thirty monasteries are represented, with particular reference to the practices of Winchester, St Albans, Worcester and St Mary's, York. Part One examines the precedent for appended observances in The Rule of St Benedict (c.540), and the interpretation of this document by the Carolingian reformer Benedict of Aniane (c.750-821). Votive practices in the first English monastic customary, Regularis Concordia (c.970), and other devotional sources of a similar date are analysed. Part Two deals with the proliferation of three major observances after the Conquest - the daily votive office, recited as an appendage to the regular hours, the weekly commemorative office, which served as a replacement for the ferial office, and the independent antiphon (in particular Salve regina), recited or sung after Compline. The structure, adoption and devotional characteristics of each observance are examined, with particular reference to the predominantly Marian bias of much of the repertory. The second volume contains liturgical texts and related analytical tables, a descriptive catalogue of sources, transcriptions of Marian antiphons from the Worcester Antiphoner (c. 1230) and a comparison of eight versions of Salve regina.

Thesis (DTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2008.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In response to the declining interest and participation of youth in urban churches in Africa, with a specific focus on churches in Nairobi, this study investigates a missiologically related problem of ecclesial praxis that seems to ignore or fail to address the social needs of youth, particularly concerning the need to belong. The churches in Nairobi, as in other parts of Africa, have inherited ecclesial praxis that was shaped in the dualistic cultural context of the Western Enlightenment and the clerical paradigm of Christendom. This dualistic view of reality has dichotomised the understanding of the gospel by compartmentalising it into a spiritual sphere while failing to address the social and cultural dimensions of human life. Consequently, the church hermeneutically understands its primary mission as saving souls and meeting the spiritual needs of its members through the institution of clergy and laity. In order to address the problem, the study proposes the praxis of discipleship based on a community approach that correlates three integrated dimensions of mission (worship, fellowship, and intentional mission) with a community structure guided by specific urban context, cultural values and missional theology. This constitutes the thesis of this research study and also provides a methodological framework for organising the study. In the first chapter, discipleship is conceptualised in the comprehensive missional understanding of the church as missionary in its nature and calling, sent by Christ into the world for the redemption of the world. In that sense, the proposed discipleship community must be understood as missionary in nature. The second chapter focuses on understanding the urban context. It examines some of the urban features of Nairobi that could be typical of other African cities, like rapid urban growth, high proportion of youth in the population, housing problems, unemployment, increasing poverty, family disintegration, crime, violence and disease. In that context, the study assessed the church’s youth ministry by gathering primary empirical data through observation and personal interviews with youth pastors and leaders. The findings confirmed that most youth ministries are based on the clerical paradigm and are driven by programmes. Participation by youth has been found to be low in most churches. Many churches do not seem to address their real needs. Often the youth ministry is seen as a marginal ministry in the church. In response to understanding the community from an African cultural perspective, the study investigated the traditional African community on the basis of literature and by using the ancestral anamnesis (remembrance of ancestors) as the interpretative framework for analysis. In traditional African society, the community is understood as the heart of the culture, the stage where the whole of life is dramatised. Even those who live in modern urban contexts carry with them African community values which have their origin in the traditional African community. Some of the African community values were measured among the urban youth through a survey questionnaire; most of the young people regarded these as important in their lives (Chapter Five). Empirical findings have shown the validity of considering cultural factors in constructing any kind of model for community-based discipleship. The importance of community was also validated theologically and missiologically by demonstrating the normative praxis of discipleship through community structure in the life of the early church. Theologically, the early church understood itself as the community of Christ on the basis of the concept of koinonia, a fellowship based on common faith in Christ. Missiologically, the church perceived itself from its inception as a missionary community sent into the world to witness to the gospel. The research demonstrated that community was the means through which the normative praxis of discipleship formation was carried out in the early church. There was no sense of dichotomy between the spiritual and social dimensions of the gospel as it is normally understood in today’s church. The importance of community as a means for the formation of identity and character was demonstrated through this having been the cultural norm in traditional African society and the theological norm in the life and praxis of the early church. Through the empirical research, the study also confirmed the positive perception of community values among the urban youth. Based on the evidence that was gathered, the study confronts the church in Nairobi and elsewhere to examine its present praxis critically and consider approaching its youth ministry from a community perspective in response to the present missiological problem in youth ministry. In order to construct youth ministry on community foundation, the study suggests a model called the covenant model. It takes the form of a small group existing as a part of the local church but coming together specifically as a community guided by a discipleship covenant that integrates three missional dimensions. The group seeks to adapt in its specific urban context and integrate cultural values that complement the gospel. The covenant model assumes that the urban context is complex and diverse. It allows each group to develop its own shape and features, informed by its context, culture and tradition. It calls for diversity in cultural and contextual expression while maintaining unity as God’s people in Christ. The early church exemplified it in being one, holy, catholic and apostolic.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In reaksie op die afname in belangstelling en inskakeling van die jeug in stedelike kerklike aktiwiteite in Afrika, toegespits op gemeentes in Nairobi, wil hierdie studie ’n missiologiesverwante probleem ondersoek. Die vraag is of die ekklesiologiese praksis daarin slaag om te beantwoord aan die die jeug se sosiale behoeftes en spesifiek die behoefte aan gemeenskap, om te behoort aan ‘n sosiale groep. Die kerke in Nairobi, soos in ander dele van Afrika, het ’n ekklesiologiese praksis geërf wat gevorm is aan die hand van die dualistiese kulturele konteks van die Westerse Verligting en die geestelike paradigma van die Christendom. Hierdie dualistiese uitkyk op die werklikheid het ’n tweeledige karakter aan die evangelie verleen. Aan die een kant is daar ’n spirituele sfeer, aan die ander kant word die sosiale en kulturele aspekte van menslike bestaan kwalik verdiskonteer. Gevolglik interpreteer die kerk haar primêre missie hermeneuties as synde die red van siele en die aanspreek van die spirituele behoeftes van haar lidmate met die gevolg dat lidmate leke bly en die kerk institusionaliseer. In ’n poging om hierdie probleem aan te spreek, stel die studie ’n praksis van dissipelskap gebaseer op ’n gemeenskapsgeoriënteerde benadering voor, waardeur drie geïntegreerde dimensies van gestuurdheid (aanbidding, gemeenskap van die heiliges en die bewuswording van gestuurdheid) aan die orde kom. Die gemeenskapsgeoriënteerde benadering se strukturele ontwikkeling word ontwikkel op grond van die ter sake konteks, kulturele waardes en missionale teologie. Dit vorm die basis waarop die navorsing van hierdie verhandeling gerig is, insluitend ’n metodologiese raamwerk vir die aanpak van hierdie studie. In die eerste hoofstuk word die begrip dissipelskap gedefinieer teen die agtergrond van ‘n omvattende missionale verstaan van die kerk as synde missionêr in haar aard en roeping. Christus het die totale verlossing van die wêreld in die oog en die kerk het daarin ‘n wesenlike rol. In dié sin word die dissipelskapsgemeenskap beskou as wesenlik missionêr. Die tweede hoofstuk fokus op die verstaan van die stedelike konteks. Daarin word tendense kenmerkend van Nairobi wat ook ten opsigte van ander Afrika-stede tipies kan wees, ondersoek. Voorbeelde hiervan is versnellende verstedeliking, pro-rata ’n hoë persentasie jong mense, behuisingsprobleme, werkloosheid, toenemende armoede, gesinsverbrokkeling, misdaad, geweld en siekte. Binne dié konteks en aan die hand van empiriese data verkry deur observasie en persoonlike onderhoude met jeugdiges, pastors en leiers, het die studie die kerk se jeugbediening ondersoek. Dit het aan die lig gebring dat die jeugbediening basies binne ‘n predikantskerkparadigma asook programgedrewe funksioneer. Deelname van jongmense in kerklike aktiwiteite is laag. Gemeentes spreek nie die jeug se basiese behoeftes aan nie. Die jeugediening skyn eerder ‘n terloopse bediening te wees. Ten einde gemeenskap vanuit ’n kulturele Afrika-perspektief te verstaan, is voorvaderlike anamnese (terugroeping in die herinnering) as interpretatiewe raamwerk in hierdie studie aangewend. Dit is gedoen op grond van ’n toepaslike literatuurstudie. Volgens die tradisionele Afrika-samelewing word die gemeenskap beskou as die hart van die kultuur, die plek waar die lewe sigself afspeel. Selfs diegene wat hulself in moderne voorstedelike omgewings bevind, dra die Afrika-gemeenskap se waardes wat hul oorsprong in die tradisionele Afrikagemeenskap het met hulle saam. Van hierdie waardes is geïdentifiseer deur vraelyste wat onder die voorstedelike jeug versprei is - die meeste van die jongmense het hierdie waardes hoog aangeskryf (Hoofstuk vyf). Empiriese bevindinge het getoon dat die inagneming van kulturele faktore noodsaaklik is vir die skep van ’n model vir ’n gemeenskapsgeoriënteerde dissipelskap. Die belangrike rol van die gemeenskap is ook teologies en missiologies gestaaf aan die hand van die normatiewe praksis van dissipelskap in die gemeenskapstruktuur van die vroeë kerk. Teologies het die vroeë kerk haarself beskou as die gemeenskap van Christus op grond van die begrip koinonia, ’n gemeenskap gebaseer op ‘n gedeelde geloof in Christus, Missiologies het die kerk haarself van die begin af ervaar as ’n missionêre gemeenskap wat in die wêreld ingestuur word om die evangelie uit te dra. Navorsing het getoon dat die normatiewe praksis van dissipelskap in die vroeë kerk binne gemeenskapsverbande uitgedra is. Daar was nie toe sprake van ’n tweeledigheid tussen die spirituele en sosiale dimensies van die evangelie soos dit vandag algemeen in die kerk voorkom nie. Die belangrike rol van die gemeenskap ten opsigte van vorming van die identiteit en karakter van sy lede is gedemonstreer deurdat dit die kulturele norm in tradisionele Afrika en die teologiese norm in die lewe en praksis van die vroeë kerk was. Deur empiriese navorsing is die positiewe gesindheid van die voorstedelike jeug aangaande die gemeenskapswaardes gestaaf. Op grond van bewyse versamel, konfronteer dié studie die kerk in Nairobi en elders om die heersende praksis krities te ondersoek en dit ernstig te oorweeg om in die lig van die heersende missiologiese probleem ten opsigte van die jeugbediening, dié bediening vanuit ’n gemeenskapsgeoriënteerde perspektief te benader. Ten einde die jeugbediening op ’n gemeenskapsbasis te vestig, stel hierdie studie ’n model bekend as die verbondsmodel voor. Dit kom daarop neer dat ’n kleingroep as deel van die plaaslike gemeente as ’n gemeenskap saamkom, saamgesnoer deur ‘n dissipelskapverbond wat die drie geïntegreerde missionale dimensies van die kerk se roeping verdiskonteer. Die groep streef daarna om aan te pas in hul bepaalde voorstedelike konteks en om kulturele waardes wat by die evangelie aansluit, in hul lewenswyse te integreer. Die verbondsmodel maak voorsiening vir die kompleksiteit en diversiteit van die voorstedelike konteks. Dit laat elke groep toe om ’n eiesoortigheid op grond van konteks, kultuur en tradisie te ontwikkel. Dit vereis diversiteit ten opsigte van kulturele en kontekstuele uitdrukking, terwyl die eenheid as God se mense in Christus gehandhaaf word. Dit is deur die vroeë kerk gedemonstreer in die funksionering as een, heilige, katolieke en apostoliese kerk.

This research is an exploration of the place of religious beliefs and practices in the life of contemporary, predominantly Catholic, Filipinas in a large Quezon City Barangay in Metro Manila. I use an iterative discussion of the present in the light of historical studies, which point to women in pre-Spanish ‘Filipino’ society having been the custodians of a rich religious heritage and the central performers in a great variety of ritual activities. I contend that although the widespread Catholic evangelisation, which accompanied colonisation, privileged male religious leadership, Filipinos have retained their belief in feminine personages being primary conduits of access to spiritual agency through which the course of life is directed. In continuity with pre-Hispanic practices, religious activities continue to be conceived in popular consciousness as predominantly women’s sphere of work in the Philippines. I argue that the reason for this is that power is not conceived as a unitary, undifferentiated entity. There are gendered avenues to prestige and power in the Philippines, one of which directly concerns religious leadership and authority. The legitimacy of religious leadership in the Philippines is heavily dependent on the ability to foster and maintain harmonious social relations. At the local level, this leadership role is largely vested in mature influential women, who are the primary arbiters of social values in their local communities. I hold that Filipinos have appropriated symbols of Catholicism in ways that allow for a continuation and strengthening of their basic indigenous beliefs so that Filipinos’ religious beliefs and practices are not dichotomous, as has sometimes been argued. Rather, I illustrate from my research that present day urban Filipinos engage in a blend of formal and informal religious practices and that in the rituals associated with both of these forms of religious practice, women exercise important and influential roles. From the position of a feminist perspective I draw on individual women’s articulation of their life stories, combined with my observation and participation in the religious practices of Catholic women from different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, to discuss the role of Filipinas in local level community religious leadership. I make interconnections between women’s influence in this sphere, their positioning in family social relations, their role in the celebration of All Saints and All Souls Days in Metro Manila’s cemeteries and the ubiquity and importance of Marian devotions. I accompany these discussions with an extensive body of pictorial plates.

This chapter explores unofficial domestic customs. The least visible aspect of Jewish women's lives is the individual customs or practices they perform in a domestic or everyday context, many learnt from female relatives, and the part these play in their religious lives. Individual practices are often so automatic that women do not reflect on them. In some cases, they receive so little attention from rabbis or in popular Jewish literature that women themselves discount or denigrate them as 'superstitions', even as they practise them. There has been a decline in older practices, which are more likely to be identified as magical or superstitious by women operating partly within a Western worldview, whereas more pietistic practices have increased in number among young women with higher levels of formal Jewish education. Other factors that facilitate and shape change in women's religious lives include developing technology in the Western world, such as the replacement of domestic manufacture by industrial production, leading to the demise of customs associated with these technologies, and the growing possibilities offered by the Internet in spreading knowledge of recently invented or expanded customs. Traditionalist women, though principally Western in their education and thinking, are still inextricably linked to their Jewish identity, which often includes customs and practices for which they might struggle to find a rationale, but which they are committed to observing. These customs provide a fertile field for women to adapt and reinterpret existing practices, and to invent new ones that express their most urgent concerns and aims.

This chapter considers the poetry underlying rites of passage. Throughout the life cycle, the complex cycling and recycling of customs and rites of passage is reminiscent of the classic children's toy the Slinky. Along with the rites of passage that mark linear time, seasonal customs and holidays shape a sense of cyclical, recurrent time. Rites of passage are the mileposts that guide travelers through the life cycle. In 1909, ethnographer Arnold van Gennep compared tribal rituals in different parts of the world and noted the similarities “among ceremonies of birth, childhood, social puberty, betrothal, marriage, pregnancy, fatherhood, initiation into religious societies and funerals.” All these rites of passage, he observed, consist of three distinct phases: separation, transition, and incorporation.

‘Babylon in later ages’ begins with Babylonia under Persian rule when Cyrus invaded in 539. He honoured, preserved, and maintained Babylon’s and Babylonia’s time-honoured traditions, cults, gods, and religious customs and sought to remove every trace of Nabonidus’s reign. Babylonia remained under Persian control until the year 330 when the final remnants of the Persian empire fell to Alexander the Great, who died in Babylon in 323. Then came the Seleucid empire under Seleukos, followed by control under the Parthians. Despite numerous changes in rule, the traditional elements of Babylonian religious life and some of the traditional elements of Babylonian intellectual life survived well into the first century ad.

Abstract This chapter is an ethnographic account of the roles of water in the life of the Black Dai people in the Quy Chau and Que Phong Districts, Nghe An province in central Vietnam. For the Dai people, water meets the needs of their daily life, which includes housing, agricultural production, cultivation, and their customs and religious practices. This account relies on data that was collected for the case study in 24 villages of six communes in the two districts in 2013–2017. Using the views of local people and the information that they shared, this chapter demonstrates how the Black Dai people exploit and use water in an effective and efficient way. Their knowledge, their customs, and their practices reveal cultural identities that have been passed down by elderly people. Water is also reflected in their ways of social behavior and community management. Today in the open market economy and high technology era, their customs and habits related to the use and management of natural water endure and are still being promoted in their daily lives, such as in agriculture and swidden land cultivation.

Early childhood socialization is particularly important in the formation of personality. Usually, through socialization, children learn to make important future choices in all spheres of life. This can be in terms of political, social, economic, and physical decision making. Recently, children have been reported to use inappropriate language on adults and their mates; fighting teachers, parents, and adults; burning schools; abusing drugs; engaging in premarital sex; even trafficking drugs; among other social vices. Moreover, children have been seen to value ethnic and religious pessimism. The pessimism has led to the retention of negative ethnicity leading to prejudice and stereotyping. Studies have pointed out poor parenting as the main cause for this disturbing trend. The study was guided by the social learning theory and cognitive development theory. The study adopted a simple analytical framework—the search, appraisal, synthesis, and analysis (SALSA)—to examine the main review types. Data were analyzed using discourse and content analysis.

This chapter presents an account of Confucius' personal life, his character, professions, and doctrinal dispositions. Confucius championed ethical rectitude and demonstrated that morality and public administration begins at home, in the family. Being mindful of widespread iniquitous, widespread inhumane and unethical activities, conducted by people at all levels and professions in the society, Confucius was determined to minimize the effects of administrative corruption and improve social control through the institution of ancient Chinese customs, specifically filial piety and ancestor worship. He was essentially interested in learning or remembering the ancient rites and customs. He admittedly introduced no new philosophical ideas apart from combining politics with religious rituals, ethics, and learning. As an extraordinarily adept scholar of the Confucian canon, Confucius whose birth name was Kong-qui, ably presented a variety of interpretations of given canonical passages. Confucius was suspected of being a Buddhist priest given his strong inclination towards Buddhism. Confucius exhibited a somewhat mercurial personality.

This chapter discusses how death loomed over the nineteenth-century encounter between Christianity and the peoples of the Gold Coast. It highlights the evangelists who sought to overturn established values and ways of life in order to challenge the very idea of mortality itself: by abandoning idolatry and embracing the salvation offered by Christ. If African religious practice was resolutely this-worldly, aimed at maintaining the beneficence of deities and ancestors in order to defer death, Christianity was distinctly otherworldly, seeking to wash away sin so that the repentant might enjoy a blissful life beyond the grave. The chapter explores how the Akan and their neighbours regarded death, and explains the centrality of the doctrine of eschatology to the Christian message. Finally, the chapter assesses the further expansion of the Christian faith into Asante and the acceleration of conversion in the era of colonial rule. New perceptions of life after death, new funerary customs, and new ways of dying were crucial components of this religious transformation.

One of the frequent psychosocial issues that arises at the end of life for patients and their family caregivers is grief and bereavement. In patients facing death, anticipatory grief is part of a normal dying process. However, some patients may have difficulty coping with their immortality and have complications of clinical depression. Healthcare providers must be able to distinguish anticipatory grief from clinical depression in patients facing a life limiting illness. After a patient dies, the majority of family caregivers will experience a normal grieving process; however, some family members may experience prolonged complicated grief and other depressive disorders which must be treated. This chapter reviews this important topic as well as the burial customs of various religious groups.

Chapter 3 examines the ways in which Motley, alongside numerous black and nonblack artists and scholars, explored religious affiliation as an indicator of socioeconomic class. While Motley renders demonstrative forms of worship through genre scenes of modernist abbreviation and stereotypical figuration, two delicate portraits position his paternal grandmother and himself as contemplative Catholics surrounded by the accouterments of middle-class life. Analyzing Motley’s attention to religiosity alongside the appearance of demonstrative religion in works by Thomas Hart Benton and Jacob Lawrence, the chapter considers the ways in which artistic focus on religious practices spoke to the desire to preserve and respect indigenous customs, while also positioning them as possessing an emotional power at odds with a modern society deemed rational and progressive. The chapter thus considers how Motley contributes not only to an occasionally problematic articulation of Old and New Negroes, but also to a larger discussion of class, regional difference, and bias within American scene art.

This guide was developed for public health technicians working with the Ministry of Health as part of the Kenya Adolescent Reproductive Health Project Tuko Pamoja (We Are Together). It can be used by anyone wishing to broaden their understanding of adolescent reproductive health (RH) issues and improve communication with young people. Providing young people with support by talking with and listening to them as well as ensuring they have access to accurate information can help them understand the wide range of changes they are experiencing during adolescence. Although parents, teachers, religious and community leaders, and health-care providers are expected to educate adolescents about personal and physical development, relationships, and their roles in society, it may be difficult for them to do so in a comfortable and unbiased way. For these reasons, it is important to meet adolescents’ need for information and services. Adolescent RH education provides information about reproductive physiology and puberty; protective behavior; and the responsibilities and consequences that come with sexual activity. Providing young people with accurate RH information promotes sexual health and well-being, and supports healthy, responsible, and positive life experiences, as well as preventing disease and unintended pregnancy.