Research On Religion » Emile Durkheim

Paul Froese on the Meaning of Life

tonygill — Sun, 25 Sep 2016 08:00:07 +0000

Have you ever stopped to think about what your purpose in life is? Or do you wonder if life has any meaning? Prof. Paul Froese, professor of sociology at Baylor University and resident scholar at Baylor’s Institute for Studies of Religion, has thought about these questions, but more importantly he has thought about how other people think about this question. Prof. Froese takes us on a journey beginning with how he started to think about thinking about the purpose in life, which also engages us in a conversation about the book design and how to write in an accessible voice. Paul notes that while this is not a “self-help” book per se, it is designed to get people to be more reflective on how the think about their purpose. We talk a bit about some basic definitions including “meaning” and “purpose,” which also is placed against their antitheses of “meaninglessness” and “nihilism,” and some of the demographics of “meaningfulness” are revealed. References to Russian literature and punk rock bands are scattered throughout this discussion. The bulk of the interview walks us through several key questions that Prof. Froese set out to answer including: Does having purpose make you happy?; Who lacks purpose?; Is purpose within you or is it socially given?; What is the relation to purpose and T(t)ruth (both capital and lowercase “t”)?; And how does time, both our own personal aging and the cultural tempos of larger society, affect how our thoughts on purpose can change? Tony reflects upon some of his life events and growing up in different cultural eras, which Paul notes seem to be changing ever more rapidly nowadays. We finish with Paul’s reflections on what he learned over the process of his academic career dating back to his undergraduate days studying Russian literature and history, and how all of his experiences along the way have filtered into this book. Recorded: September 16, 2016.

RELATED LINKS

Prof. Paul Froese’s bio at Baylor’s ISR and Baylor’s Department of Sociology.

On Purpose: How We Create the Meaning of Life, by Paul Froese.

America’s Four Gods: What We Say about God and What that Says about Us, by Paul Froese and Christopher Bader.

The Plot to Kill God: Findings from the Soviet Experiment in Secularization, by Paul Froese.

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Paul Froese on America’s Four Gods.

Daniel Russell on Ideals and Virtues.

Joseph O. Baker on American Secularism.

Wafa Hakim Orman on Religion and Economic Crises.

Michael Rota on Pascal’s Wager.

Matthew Moore on Buddhism and Political Theory.

Andre Molle on Spirituality and Martial Arts.

Eleanor Power on Rituals, Community, and Signaling

tonygill — Sun, 24 Jul 2016 08:00:08 +0000

Walking across hot coals. Piercing your cheeks with sharp skewers. Pulling your skin with sharp hooks. What would possess individuals to do such things? And are they crazy?! Dr. Eleanor (Elly) Power, a postdoctoral fellow at the Santa Fe Institute, explains what would motivate people to engage in such “odd rituals” and the fascinating and extensive ethnographic study she conducted for several years in two small villages in India. Our conversation begins with explaining the concept of “ritual,” which Dr. Power defines as a symbolic, repeated, and public activity. While acknowledging the presence of private rituals, Elly focusses attention on the public aspect of rituals as the public displays make “odd behaviors” (e.g., firewalking) as it seems to be counter to what many people would consider “rational” behavior. We review some previous explanations for such “extreme” ritualistic actions such as people are simply irrational or are deluded by ancient beliefs. Elly notes that many of these explanations that rely upon “timeless” traditions are not quite true given that some of these practices are relatively new. Dr. Power then turns to an explanation that relies upon the idea of signaling behavior amidst uncertainty, noting that many different academic fields began studying the importance of signaling around the same time. Relying on insights from anthropology, economics, and sociology, Elly argues that many of these public rituals that involve costly behavior help members of a society identify which individuals are the most trustworthy and likely to be cooperative. Such signals are important in coordinating behavior and building community relations. Dr. Power describes the nature of her two years of fieldwork, including intensive surveys and mapping out the various network connections between individuals. She finds that those who are involved in these public rituals are often at the center of important social networks. Interestingly, individuals who are “spiritually possessed” tend not to be as connected. We discuss what “possession” means and how it can range from a few short minutes of shaking at a church service or more intense behaviors in private. The conversation concludes with some of Elly’s reflections on what she has learned, and what has surprised her, over the course of her studies. She notes that people around the world are often the same despite different cultures and we all tend to worry about our reputations. Recorded: June 16, 2016.

Institute for the Study of Religion, Economics, and Society at Chapman University (info on graduate student colloquia).

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Larry Iannaccone on Sacrifice and Stigma.

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Eric Carter on Religion and the NFL (Encore Presentation)

tonygill — Sun, 07 Sep 2014 08:00:19 +0000

While Tony is catching up on some of his other academic work and enjoying the first full weekend of the 2014 NFL season, we bring you an encore presentation originally broadcast in the “old days” of 2011. Enjoy.

Prof. Carter brings the research ideas of Emile Durkheim, particulary “social anomie,” to bear on what a number of these athletes face when moving into the professional ranks. The sudden change in lifestyle combined with intense pressures to perform often leave many of them unhappy, confused and susceptible to all sorts of deviant behavior (some of which makes the news). We talk then about the role of religion in helping players cope with these changes. Our discussion looks at what factors might help players make adjustments to their new environments, including: a religious upbringing; the support networks they have access to at college; and religious role models in the locker room. Eric notes that the current regime of “free agency” in the NFL makes it difficult for players to develop tight relationships and may limit the effect that positive role models like Chris Carter or Kurt Warner may play. At the very end of the podcast, Tony reveals his Super Bowl XLV picks. Eric hedges his bets a bit more. Recorded: December 28, 2010.

RELATED LINKS

Prof. Eric Carter’s website at Georgetown College (Kentucky).

Boys Gone Wild: Fame, Fortune, and Deviance among Professional Football Players by Eric M. Carter.

RELATED PODCASTS

Byron Johnson on Religion & Delinquency.

POSTSCRIPT: In this podcast, your host makes a prediction that the Bears and Patriots would meet in Super Bowl XLV. Had both the Patriots and Bears won their respective division championships he would have been correct. Barring that small and insignifcant prediction, your host showed an immense amount of foresight!

Ron Hassner on Sacred Spaces & Holy Conflict

tonygill — Sun, 29 Sep 2013 08:00:06 +0000

Note: This is an encore performance of one of my favorite interviews from three years ago, yet it remains as timely as ever given the current politics of the day. The RoR staff has been busy recently, but we will return soon with some fresh episodes shortly. Please stay tuned for more details and subscribe to our Facebook Fan Page for regular updates.

Prof. Hassner argues in plain and simple language that the nature of “sacred ground,” specificially its indivisibility, frequently makes conflict impossible to resolve between two parties who are contesting the ownership or control of sacred space. Prof. Hassner vividly illustrates his theory with a number of intriguing examples including the conflict over the Temple Mount / Haram el Sharif in Jerusalem, the controversy over the building of a mosque and Islamic cultural center near the World Trade Center in NYC, and several other historical conflicts.

Near the end of the podcast, Prof. Hassner notes that it may be impossible to end conflict over various sacred spaces, but there are means for mitigating the negative effects of such conflict. He appeals to diplomats to include the views of religious authority when crafting mutually agreeable settlements to conflict. Since the initial interview back in 2010, Prof. Hassner has been granted tenure in his academic department. Us folks at RoR would like to think that his appearance on our show had a big hand in that decision. Recorded: October 15, 2010.

RELATED LINKS

Prof. Ron Hassner’s website at UC-Berkeley.

War on Sacred Grounds, by Ron E. Hassner (Cornell University Press).

The Religion, Politics and Globalization Program at UC-Berkeley.

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Sean Everton on Dark Networks.

Monica Toft on Religion, Terrorism, and Civil War.

Eli Berman on religious terrorism.

Rod Stark on the Crusades.

Andrea Molle on Spirituality and the Martial Arts

tonygill — Sun, 15 Sep 2013 08:00:43 +0000

While Christians have often been told to turn the other cheek when conflict erupts, there is another tradition that seeks to prepare for conflict while simultaneously promoting inner peace and spiritual enlightment. That alternative tradition exists within the world of the Eastern martial arts, such as aikido, judo, karate and a number of other styles. Prof. Andrea Molle, an assistant professor of political science at Chapman University, discusses his insights into the world of martial arts. His perspective is unique as he not only maintains a scholarly interest in this topic, having published several articles on the topic of religion and the martial arts, but he also holds a second degree black belt in aikido and teaches this discipline to youth at a Southern Californian Christian church.

We begin our journey by looking into the background of Prof. Molle, discovering where he developed his interest in the martial arts. His personal story reveals a great deal about how a variety of non-spiritual reasons often lead people into the practice of martial arts, but then how it has a transformative impact on their lives. In addition to his personal experience, Andrea gives us some historical background about the connection between combat techniques that were used to train militaries and several Eastern religions, including Buddhism and Shintoism. This leads to an interesting discussion about how fear and anxiety are often motivators for people to learn to fight, but how people who continue in the martial arts rarely cite the need for self-defense as a reason for continuing their training. We also reflect upon the role of ritualistic combat and why that is important.

In connecting the martial arts to religion directly, we cover three potential pathways linking these two seemingly antithetical experiences. First, we look at whether the martial arts serve as a “gateway” to pre-established religion and address the concern that many Christian parents have that this physical activity will lead their kids away from their traditional faith. Andrea doesn’t think this is a common phenomenon, although the data to support this is rather sketchy. We then bring up the second link between the martial arts and religion, and that is through spiritual exercise. Andrea notes that what happens here is many people use martial arts to add to their “portfolio” of religious understandings, which then brings up the issue of “muscular Christianity.” The third path relates to the martial arts as becoming a “secular religion” or, as Andrea calls it now, a “quasi-religious” organization. He details what this mean by looking at the characteristics that many international martial organizations share. Here we note how people use the larger martial arts community to serve their communal needs.

Our conversation finishes with Andrea’s experience in teaching martial arts to youth. We examine why he became involved in this, how church members and Christian families view this, and what he teaches the kids. Andrea also reflects upon what he has learned about teaching and his own martial arts journey. Recorded: September 2, 2013.

RELATED LINKS

Andrea Molle’s biography at Chapman University.

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Christian Novetzke on Kung Fu Fighting and Eastern Religion.

Ron Mock on Pacificism, War, and Terrorism.

Eric Carter on Religion & the NFL

tonygill — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 09:00:58 +0000

Are you ready for some football?! On this episode of Research on Religion we invite Prof. Eric Carter (Georgetown College, Sociology) to discuss his work about the various troubles that professional football players face and how religion may help to mediate these problems. Eric has conducted over 100 interviews with NFL players, some who have led happy and well-adjusted lives but also with many who have not. We talk about the typical pressures that a professional player faces, coming into sudden fame and fortune. Prof. Carter brings the research ideas of Emile Durkheim, particulary “social anomie,” to bear on what a number of these athletes face when moving into the professional ranks. The sudden change in lifestyle combined with intense pressures to perform often leave many of them unhappy, confused and susceptible to all sorts of deviant behavior (some of which makes the news). We talk then about the role of religion in helping players cope with these changes. Our discussion looks at what factors might help players make adjustments to their new environments, including: a religious upbringing; the support networks they have access to at college; and religious role models in the locker room. Eric notes that the current regime of “free agency” in the NFL makes it difficult for players to develop tight relationships and may limit the effect that positive role models like Chris Carter or Kurt Warner may play. At the very end of the podcast, Tony reveals his Super Bowl XLV picks. Eric hedges his bets a bit more. Recorded: December 28, 2010.

RELATED LINKS

Prof. Eric Carter’s website at Georgetown College (Kentucky).

Boys Gone Wild: Fame, Fortune, and Deviance among Professional Football Players by Eric M. Carter.

RELATED PODCASTS

Byron Johnson on Religion & Delinquency.

Ron Hassner on Sacred Spaces and Conflict

tonygill — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 09:00:26 +0000

Religious conflict has been common throughout history. But why have conflicts over sacred spaces such as shrines or temples been so remarkably difficult to solve, especially when compared to conflicts over more “secular” territory or issues? Ron Hassner — assistant professor of political science at the University of California at Berkeley, and the co-director of the Religion, Politics, and Globalization Program — presents an intriguing explanation for the intractability of religious conflict. He argues in plain and simple language that the nature of “sacred ground,” specificially its indivisibility, frequently makes conflict impossible to resolve between two parties who are contesting the ownership or control of sacred space. Prof. Hassner vividly illustrates his theory with a number of intriguing examples including the conflict over the Temple Mount / Haram el Sharif in Jerusalem, the controversy over the building of a mosque and Islamic cultural center near the World Trade Center in NYC, and several other historical conflicts. Near the end of the podcast, Prof. Hassner notes that it may be impossible to end conflict over various sacred spaces, but there are means for mitigating the negative effects of such conflict. He appeals to diplomats to include the views of religious authority when crafting mutually agreeable settlements to conflict. Recorded: October 15, 2010.

RELATED LINKS

Prof. Ron Hassner’s website at UC-Berkeley.

War on Sacred Grounds, by Ron E. Hassner (Cornell University Press).

The Religion, Politics and Globalization Program at UC-Berkeley.

RELATED PODCASTS

Eli Berman on religious terrorism.

Rod Stark on the Crusades.