Browsing by Subject "Religion"

Recent evidence suggests paranormal and religious beliefs may result from cognitive biases that all humans share. People who think in an intuitive manner are supposedly more affected by these biases than analytical people. Consequently, mounting evidence suggests those who endorse intuitive thinking style tend to be more religious and have more paranormal beliefs than people with an analytic thinking style. However, less attention has been paid to people who are highly analytical but nevertheless have supernatural beliefs. Since analytical people should be less susceptible to cognitive biases, other factors such as metacognitive tendencies might account for these beliefs. On the other hand, if intuitive thinking style is a major causal factor behind paranormal beliefs, an intuitive sub-group among sceptics could be considered an anomaly. Metacognitive tendencies could be a potential psychological factor behind scepticism. A sample of nearly 3000 Finnish participants revealed that there was an analytical and intuitive subgroup among the believers and sceptics. Particularly, analytic believers had more cognitive biases and lesser tendency to belief flexibility than analytic sceptics. Intuitive sceptics had more cognitive biases than analytic sceptics but they adhered more to flexible thinking than intuitive believers. The results of this thesis underline the multifarious nature of both paranormal beliefs and thinking styles. Although analytical thinking may help the person to overcome the automatic and often erroneous shortcuts that the mind produces, it may fail to suppress overlearned and reflectively practiced beliefs. On the other hand, an intuitive thinking style and cognitive biases may not necessary lead to paranormal believing, especially if the living environment encourages a sceptic worldview. Future studies should address the mechanisms that lead individuals with similar epistemological tendencies to acquire totally different metaphysical beliefs.

In recent years, differences between Buddhists and Muslims in Myanmar, particularly between populations native to the state of Rakhine, have developed from intolerance to outright oppression. Historical tensions over identity are threatening the future of the nation; the outlook for the humanitarian crisis is very worrying. Rohingyas, an Islamic ethnic group in Myanmar, have been deemed by the government as “illegal immigrants” and widely perceived as Bangladeshis. The Rohingyas of Myanmar have become a stateless population fighting for their right to stay in Myanmar due to the Buddhist government's nationalist vision to unite and protect the nation from the existential threat posed by non-Buddhist outsiders. The purpose of this thesis is to shed light on the tensions between Buddhists and Muslims in Myanmar through the discourse and narratives of Rohingyas and Rakhine Buddhists interviewed for this study in 2016 and 2017. This thesis explores how Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar experience belonging to a nation that does not consider them nationals. In other words, how Rohingyas make sense of their feelings of belonging while being told they do not belong. The notion of belonging is central in defining an individual’s social identity. Membership to certain groups is essential in constructing a sense of belonging; bonding through social networks creates a sense of security and acceptance. This study is aimed to unpack the notion of belonging through the key concepts in which Rohingyas anchor their sense of social identity. In other words, through the theoretical lens of cultural belonging – from ethnic boundaries to nationalism – this study interprets Myanmar’s Rohingyas’ sense of belonging through their discourse on nationality and ethnicity. Analyzed using James Scott’s (1985) concept of everyday resistance, the objective is to understand how these markers of belonging translate into the everyday lives of Rakhine’s Muslim and Buddhist populations. The study found that, based on the discourse of the Rohingyas, their sense of belonging is anchored to their nationality and their ethnicity simultaneously. While nationality is unquestionable, ethnicity is more fluid. At first Rohingya participants upheld the notion that their ethnicity is tied to their identity, however if offered nationality without ethnic recognition, the Rohingya would give up their ethnic identity. Understanding how they manage to maintain these feelings while being oppressed and harassed comes down to resistance. Rather than rioting, demonstrating, or violently confronting the state, the participants of this study simply insisted that they are citizens and belong in Myanmar. The reoccurring theme of belonging suggests that nationalism is used as an everyday form of resistance. This practice is a way of attempting to achieve results without the risks of violence. Maintaining a balance between their national and ethnic identities silently resists the state's claims of Rohingyas being illegal migrants or stateless individuals, without adhering to the state's demands of renouncing their Rohingya ethnicity. Unfortunately, recent developments do not promise a brighter outlook for the Rohingya population: resistance has been met with punishment and it is unlikely that everyday resistance will be the sole method of opposition in the future. There is no end in sight to the affliction of the Rohingyas and further violence cannot be ruled out as a possible consequence. Passive resistance has not brought about a solution in the short term, nor has the attempts of the international community. My hope is, that by increasing knowledge about the plight of the Rohingya of Myanmar, this study prompts further research and action.

Is there a Lockean separation of church and state in contemporary Russia? The answer to this question has, for a long time, been yes, at least on paper. However recent amendments to the Russian secular constitution now include a mention of Russia’s belief in God. This is not the only piece of legislation in Russia that has adopted religious rhetoric. In fact, after a few decades of a complicated relationship, the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) and the Russian state have increased their cooperation. Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials have declared that Russian Orthodox values, are part of the newly promoted Russian identity. This acceptance of conservative Orthodox values as part of the Russian identity, has had its influence on Russian legislation and thus Russian society. Examples of this are restrictions on abortion, the ban on ‘homosexual propaganda’, the importance of the family and traditional gender role in society etc. This has an influence on the status of the Lockean separation of church and state in Russia. Lockean because this thesis utilizes John Locke’s theory of tolerance, slightly adapted to the modern context, to analyse the status of the separation of church and state in contemporary Russia. A secular state is defined here as a state with not just a separation of institutions, but also one with freedom of conscience based on the idea of tolerance. This policy of tolerance entails that a government 1) cannot deprive any citizen of their civil rights based on their values, 2) they cannot prosecute a citizen based on their values and 3) a government cannot impose a certain belief system on their citizens directly or indirectly. These three criteria form the theoretical framework of this thesis. The case materials of this thesis include the Bases of the Social Concept by the ROC to analyse what values they promote, speeches by Putin that outline foreign and domestic policy to show that the Russian government also promotes Orthodox values, and Russian federal legislation regarding family values to analyse the effect of the values of the ROC on Russian legislation. After studying federal legislation affected by the adoption of Orthodox values this thesis concludes that although criteria 1) and 3) are violated to some extent, there is not enough proof that criteria 2) is affected. Discourse in Russian legislation has gotten more religious, but in practice this religious influence has not led to Russian citizens being prosecuted for things like getting an abortion or falling in love with someone of the same sex. However, an increased cooperation between church and state has led to the dilution of the separation between the religious and the secular, and the Russian government has started using the conservative values of the church as a political tool to suppress those who think differently or are critical of the government.

The aim of this study was to examine elementary school teachers’ opinions on education in religion and ethics. How teachers perceive the education in religion and ethics today and how they perceive the thought of a common subject for all religions and ethics. Earlier studies shows that Finland is going more and more towards a multicultural society (Odiah, 2007; Mäkelä et al. 2017). Researchers have found out that the education in religion is not equal and that it is categorizing people into different groups (Salmenkivi & Åhs, 2022). In this master’s thesis I’m going to examine the teachers specific perceives and opinions about the education of religion and ethics today and how they perceive the education in the future. This master’s thesis is a qualitative study with a phenomena graphic approach. Six elementary school teachers from Uusimaa are the study’s informants. The material was collected by conducting semi-structured interviews with the class teachers. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. The results of the study showed that there are mainly two different perceptions about the teaching of religion and ethics today. These perceives correlates with how the elementary school teachers perceive the idea of ​​a common subject for all religions and ethics. Five out of six teachers felt that the current model should be changed and perceived a common subject positively, while one out of six teachers was satisfied with the current model and did not consider a need for a common subject. The study resulted in the following themes being highlighted: equality, practical arrangements, overlapping teaching, fear of marginalized religious teaching and community, understanding and world view. These themes were perceived by the majority of teachers as problematic in the current model and as themes that could be improved through a common teaching subject for all viewpoints.