Archive for the ‘economics’ Category
Nov 1 2013  |
Don’t cry for the Catholic Church in Argentina or anywhere else in Latin America. A church in Latin America that was in danger of becoming a stale religious monopoly – witness the malaise throughout much of Western Europe – is reasserting itself in what is a vibrant religious landscape from Mexico to Brazil, according to some researchers.
[Read Full Column...]Oct 22 2013 |
Can a steady diet of watching movies such as “Ted” and “Saw” through “Saw VI” or playing violent video games keep young people out of the pews? The answer may be yes, according to studies suggesting the viewing choices young people make also can influence their spiritual lives. It is more complex than a simple “content in, action out” principle where young people emulate the behavior they see on screen. Still, researchers are finding many young adults appear to struggle with the radically different messages of “Machete Kills” or “Grand Theft Auto” and the Sermon on the Mount.
[Read Full Column...]Jun 13 2013 |
In a nation where close to half of adults will tell you viewing pornography is always morally wrong, the increasing temptations to seek sexual satisfaction on the Internet pose moral dilemmas for many Americans. And the struggle between conflicting personal desires and beliefs can be particularly costly for religious Americans, new research suggests.
[Read Full Column...]May 9 2013 |
The recession, the rising financial independence of women and cultural shifts and technological advances that make single-parent families more acceptable and feasible are contributing to fewer people walking down the aisle. Religious groups are not immune to these trends, but new research indicates faith is a powerful force slowing the decline in U.S. marriage rates.
[Read Full Column...]Apr 18 2013 |
The idea of a Protestant or Puritan work ethic, that individuals work harder, save more and seek economic success as signs of a diligent faith, has worked its way into national lore. But in looking at the religious engines of economic growth, new research indicates it may be just as helpful to talk about an Islamic ethic or a Jewish ethic or a Buddhist ethic.
[Read Full Column...]Dec 10 2012 |
There is only one U.S. religious group, propelled in part by an enthusiastic group of young followers, that is expected to grow to 100 million adherents by the middle of the century. Yet to hear some critics focus on generational shfts showing declining Mass attendance and doctrinal commitment among white Catholics, one might think the Catholic Church is slowly sinking in the U.S. religious landscape. So which is it for the nation’s largest religious group, growth or decline? The answer is some of both, researchers say.
[Read Full Column...]Nov 21 2012 |
When it comes to religious tensions, what happens in one part of the world does not necessarily stay in that part of the world. Influences from abroad in recent years were reported to have contributed to religious hostilities or government restrictions in more than six in 10 countries across the globe, according to a new study.
[Read Full Column...]Oct 2 2012 |
Retirement planning is not all about money. It may be just as important for aging Baby Boomers to have invested in their spiritual lives as in their 401K plans, new research shows. The benefits of increased spiritual activity range from battling loneliness and depression through personal faith and church, synagogue and mosque attendance to reducing death anxiety through religious music, the studies indicate.
[Read Full Column...]Aug 27 2012 |
Churchgoers like to think of themselves as generous and cheerful givers, but for many the flesh appears to be weak when it comes to living up to their own standards for charitable giving. A quarter of respondents in a new national study said they tithed 10 percent of their income to charity. But when their donations were checked against income figures, only 3 percent of the group gave more than 5 percent to charity. The findings from the Science of Generosity Survey not only suggest the need to take a closer look at self-reported figures on tithing, but indicate the internal conflicts many religious individuals face when it comes to giving.
[Read Full Column...]Aug 6 2012 |
As long as the money from federal loans rolls in, many seminarians find it hard to think ahead to how they are going to pay back the $40,000, $60,000 or $80,000 or more that is their chunk of a student debt tab that has reached $1 trillion. Yet what began as a critical problem for a small percentage of prospective clergy is reaching alarming levels as seminary students get swept up in a national crisis, new research indicates. It is not enough that growing numbers of clergy with burdensome loans report having to put off for years the ability to get married and start a family or buy a house. Now, graduates wanting to explore a religious vocation may be “too poor to take the vow of poverty,” one research center commented.
[Read Full Column...]
ARDA's 
