Youth and Religion/Spirituality Research Papers (original) (raw)

Entry in The SAGE Encyclopedia of the Sociology of Religion (2020)

This book addresses the relationship between religion and knowledge from a sociological perspective, taking both religion and knowledge as phenomena located within ever changing social contexts. It builds on historical foundations, but... more

This book addresses the relationship between religion and knowledge from a sociological perspective, taking both religion and knowledge as phenomena located within ever changing social contexts. It builds on historical foundations, but offers a distinctive focus on the changing status of religious phenomena at the turn of the twenty-first century. Including critical engagement with live debates about intelligent design and the ‘new atheism’, this collection of essays brings recent research on religious movements into conversation with debates about socialisation, reflexivity and the changing capacity of social institutions to shape human identities. Contributors examine religion as an institutional context for the production of knowledge, as a form of knowledge to be transmitted or conveyed and as a social field in which controversies about knowledge emerge.

This article is a response to the comments offered by Giovanni Maltese, Peter Bräunlein, Rosa Cordillera A. Castillo, and Scott MacLochlainn on the book Being Catholic in the Contemporary Philippines: Young People Reinterpreting Religion.... more

This article is a response to the comments offered by Giovanni Maltese, Peter Bräunlein, Rosa Cordillera A. Castillo, and Scott MacLochlainn on the book Being Catholic in the Contemporary Philippines: Young People Reinterpreting Religion. It addresses several areas including the limits and potential of conducting research on religious identity and the book's arguments about reflexive spirituality and individualization. It ends by reflecting on the urgency of assessing religious change in the Philippines, which involves diversification and the rise of militant Christianity.

Recensión (en español) de dicho libro (en español, traducción del alemán).

Las generaciones mayores tienen de qué alimentarse, sea en el seno de las iglesias o sea en sus arrabales (movimiento espirituales, sectas, yoga, miles de ofertas de menos calidad o de más). Las generaciones menores de 45 años se... more

Las generaciones mayores tienen de qué alimentarse, sea en el seno de las iglesias o sea en sus arrabales (movimiento espirituales, sectas, yoga, miles de ofertas de menos calidad o de más).
Las generaciones menores de 45 años se encuentran actualmente a la intemperie, religiosamente hablando, no tienen de qué alimentar su interioridad en la moderna sociedad del conocimiento.
El ofrecimiento que se les haga tendría que ser una «noticia primera», y dado cómo son (en qué tipo de sociedad y epistemología viven), deberá ser una noticia sin ningún tipo de 'supuestos' ni de 'creencias', porque en el nuevo paradigma epistemológico vigente en la cultura culta actual, epistemología cultural, es imposible «creer», someterse a «creencias» por sumisión o miedo.
Habría que ofrecer a los jóvenes una noticia en la que resuene a nada religioso, mítico, creencial... ¿Cuál sería ese dato limpio y verificable?

El asunto de la espiritualidad humana siempre ha sido considerado como una cuestión perteneciente al ámbito de las religiones. Hoy se interroga el problema para situar a la espiritualidad en el campo de la laicidad, de modo que sea... more

El asunto de la espiritualidad humana siempre ha sido considerado como una cuestión perteneciente al ámbito de las religiones. Hoy se interroga el problema para situar a la espiritualidad en el campo de la laicidad, de modo que sea comprendida como una dimensión humana que puede cultivarse tanto desde las religiones, como fuera de ellas.
En América Latina se ha venido discutiendo el tema a partir de diversas posturas, que coinciden en la necesidad de reconocer el campo espiritual como una vía de apertura de la conciencia que permita a la persona desarrollar sensibilidades e interés sobre su realidad y se sienta parte de la relación que vincula la vida humana con la naturaleza y el cosmos. Voces como la de Pedro Casaldáliga, José María Vigil, Leonardo Boff, Rui Manuel Grácio y Patricio Guerrero, entre otros, se han manifestado en este sentido y han revalorado la práctica de la espiritualidad como un acceso que puede conducir a los individuos y las sociedades hacia mejores niveles de humanidad, que permitan frenar la grave crisis civilizatoria por la que atraviesa el mundo.
En estas reflexiones se recuperan las espiritualidades indígenas latinoamericanas como referencias de otras cosmovisiones que van en sentido contrario al capitalismo y sus intereses depredadores que han generado las crisis modernas.
ABSTRACT: Spirituality has always been considered as a question pertaining to the field of religions. However, spirituality is currently being questioned to place it in the field of secularism in such a way that it is understood as a human dimension that can be cultivated inside and outside religions. In Latin America, the topic has been discussed from different perspectives that agree in the need to recognize the spiritual field as a way of opening the conscience,allowing the person to develop sensibilities and interest about their reality, and feeling part of the relationship that links human life with nature and the cosmos.
Voices such as Pedro Casaldáliga, José María Vigil, Leonardo Boff, Rui Manuel Grácio and Patricio Guerrero, among others, have revalued the practice of spirituality as an access that can lead to individuals and societies towards levels of humanity that allow us to stop the serious civilizatory crisis that the whole world is going through. In these reflections Latin American indigenous spiritualities are recovered as references to other worldviews that go in the opposite direction to capitalism and its predatory interests that have generated modern crises.

Though many religiosity scales originally developed for use with Judeo-Christian populations have been adapted for use with Muslim populations (Spiika et ai 2003), no known scales developed for Muslims have been adapted for use by... more

Though many religiosity scales originally developed for use with Judeo-Christian populations have been adapted for use with Muslim populations (Spiika et ai 2003), no known scales developed for Muslims have been adapted for use by non-Muslim adherents. In an attempt to measure religiosity of Malaysian youth across four faith communities (Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Christians), researchers required the
use of an instrument that would he universally applicable and accepted. The Religious Personality subscale of the Muslim Religiosity-Personality Inventory (MRPI) (Krauss et al. 2006) was selected. The current paper set out to report on the process
and results of scale adaptation. Psychometric results indicate that the scale is reliable, valid and relevant for use with multiple faith groups. Concerns about social desirability in relation to the religiosity scale are also considered. The study also highlights the need for more formal research on religiosity among non-Muslim faith groups in Malaysia as most of the formal research to date has been conducted on Muslim Malays.

Recensión (en español) de dicho libro (en italiano).

One of the points of contention in youth research pertains to academic life vis a vis the religious and spiritual mindset of the young student. Questions about the probable associations between academic growth and Spiritual/Religious life... more

One of the points of contention in youth research pertains to academic life vis a vis the religious and spiritual mindset of the young student. Questions about the probable associations between academic growth and Spiritual/Religious life are treated with intense interest in religious and sociological discussions. This study sought to find out the characteristics of Filipino student Spirituality and Religiosity using the Religiosity and Spirituality Scale for Youth (RaSSY) from a sample of 3,108 college students in a Manila-based Philippine university. It inquired further how certain psychosocial variables can be associated with student spirituality and religiosity (S/R). The results revealed two significant variable traits associated with S/R: identity (psychosocial factors) and relational (psychosocial adjustment) variables. The results point to significant insights for the management of youth religious behavior in general and of tertiary students in particular despite recent decline in levels of religiosity among the young.

Despite existing research on the contribution of social context and religiosity to adolescent behavioral outcomes, few studies have attempted to explore this topic among Muslim adolescents in non-Western settings, looking at both positive... more

Despite existing research on the contribution of social context and religiosity to adolescent behavioral outcomes, few studies have attempted to explore this topic among Muslim adolescents in non-Western settings, looking at both positive and negative outcomes. In response to this gap, the current
study explored the effects of three dimensions of developmental assets (positive parenting, community support, and religiosity) on risk, prosocial, and thriving behaviors among Muslim adolescents (N = 895) from Malaysia. Hierarchical regression results revealed positive parenting as the greatest
protective factor against risk behavior, religiosity as the most significant promotive factor of prosocial behaviors, and community support as the greatest contributor to adolescent thriving. In the final model, unique effects varied by outcome. The findings support the importance and universality of multiple levels of developmental assets for youth development, and highlight the need to better understand their interaction in non-Western cultural contexts.

ABSTRACT Though many religiosity scales originally developed for use with Judeo-Christian populations have been adapted for use with Muslim populations (Spiika et ai 2003). no known scales developed for Muslims have heen adapted for use... more

ABSTRACT Though many religiosity scales originally developed for use with Judeo-Christian populations have been adapted for use with Muslim populations (Spiika et ai 2003). no known scales developed for Muslims have heen adapted for use t?y non-Muslim adherents. In an attempt to measure religiosity of Malaysian youth across four faith communities (Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Christians), researchers required the use of an instrument that wouid he universally applicable and accepted. The Religious Personality' suhscale of the Muslim Religiosity-Personality Inventory (MRPI) (Krauss et al. 2006) was selected. The current paper set out to report on the process and results of scale adaptation. Psychometric results indicate that the scale is reliable, valid and relevant for use with multiple faith groups. Concerns about social desirability in relation to the religiosity scale are also considered. The study also highlights the need for more formal research on religiosity among non-Muslim faith groups in Malaysia as most of the formal research to date has been conducted on Muslim Malays.

Spearheaded by Detective Fudge, the Coordinator of the Law Enforcement Explorer program for youth at the New Rochelle Police Department, these Explorers undergo training in diverse areas of police work. This program emphasizes career... more

Spearheaded by Detective Fudge, the Coordinator of the Law Enforcement Explorer program for youth at the New Rochelle Police Department, these Explorers undergo training in diverse areas of police work. This program emphasizes career development, life skills, and leadership experience. On that day, the Explorers were there to explore Zen meditation and learn more about the Empty Hand Zen Center.