Wednesday, January 27, 2016

The Personal Religion

The Personal Religion

Introduction :-
This article addresses change and continuity in late antique Eastern Christianity, as perceived through the lens of the categories of institutional religion and personal religion. The interaction between personal devotion and public identity reveals the creative aspects of a vibrant religious culture that altered the experience of Christians on both a spiritual and an institutional level. A close look at the interrelations between the personal and the institutional expressions of religion in this period attests to an ongoing revision of both the patristic literature and the monastic tradition. By approaching the period in terms of ‘revision’, the contributors discuss the mechanism of transformation in Eastern Christianity from a new perspective, discerning social and religious changes while navigating between the dynamics of personal and institutional religion.

Recognizing the creative aspects inherent to the process of ‘revision’, this article re-examines several aspects of personal and institutional religion, revealing dogmatic, ascetic, liturgical, and historiographical transformations. Attention is paid to the expression of the self, the role of history and memory in the construction of identity, and the modification of the theological discourse in late antique culture. The article also explores several avenues of Jewish-Christian interaction in the institutional and public sphere.

Observations :-
It seems that historians of religion should no longer need to refute characterizations of the Mediterranean world in the fifth through eighth centuries, whether in the West or the East, as "stagnant" or merely a time of "revision" of earlier insights. This article of learning essays nonetheless frame their collection as a response to such views; they seek "to discern the diverse and convoluted transformations of Eastern Christian thought and practice" in the centuries after Chalcedon through the overarching theme of the relationships or interactions between "personal religion" and "institutional religion".

Although the article explicitly does not define these categories, it is reasonably clear what does it mean by personal religion: it is the religious experience and practice of the "individual," for that word appears multiple times in their elucidation of the personal. Institutional religion does not receive the same elaboration, but it must be significantly different from an individual, i.e. "collective" or "group." The editors attribute the increased importance of "individual piety" to the growth of monasticism and its influence throughout society, but one may argue that many forms of monasticism in fact created modes of "institutional" or group religion unprecedented, at least in Judaism and Christianity, in the intensity of their collectivist mentality. This point is considered below.

Definition :-
Scholars have attempted to define both concepts, Religion and Spirituality, but as Zinnbauer, Pargament, and Scott show, there are many different possible definitions in the literature. Generally, the definition of religion is related to the institutional, ritual and ideological, whereas spirituality is related with the personal, affective, experiential, and reflective (Ubani & Tirri, 2006). In this sense, Van Dierendonck and Mohan observe that spirituality is centered in an inner attitude, unrelated with any specific religion.

Research:-
Likewise, empirical research has shown that the complexity in understanding this difference is also found in the general population. In a research with 102 adolescents between ages 12 and 13, Ubani and Tirri concluded that the participants indicated expressions of religion as related majority with institutional dimension and spirituality as the humanistic dimension. Moreover, studies with the young population in Cataluña, Spain (Casas et al., 2009) Also show a different understanding of the two concepts. The majority believes that traditional religion contributes very little to their vital satisfaction, whereas the importance given to spirituality is greater.

Personal Well Being Index (PWI) :-
Cummins, et al., 2003 and International Wellbeing Group, 2006). This scale measures subjective well being within different domains of satisfaction: standard of living, health, life achievements, personal relationships, personal safety, groups and future security. According to the authors, these satisfaction domains are related with global wellbeing, each one as a specific item. In November 2006 the authors included the religion/spirituality domain, adding one item (International Well being Group, 2006), and in April 2013, they decided to make the Spiritual/Religious domain optional, because it showed unique contribution in some countries, but not in others.

In the revision of the instrument, the authors also recommend that researchers wishing to include this domain use two separate questions, one referring to spirituality and the other referring to religious beliefs (International Well being Group, 2013). Thus, considering the previous findings about the eighth item, this research took into account two different versions of the wellbeing index, one including spirituality, and the other, religion.

Knowing Christ Today ‘personal religion or public reality?’ These talks by Dallas Willard were recorded at a conference titled Knowing Christ Today ‘personal religion or public reality?’ on the 20 May 2010. A prolific writer, and professor of philosophy at the University of Southern California, Willard argues that Bible truths should be treated as a reliable body of knowledge – and afforded the same authority as philosophy, science and other disciplines. It’s from this basis, he explains, that Christians can most effectively engage their culture. This message is not only the central theme of the conference, but also at the very core of Bible Society’s mission to help today’s world connect with God’s Word.

Why has Dallas Willard been ranked alongside the likes of Martin Luther, John Wesley, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and C. S. Lewis? It's because he is reshaping our understanding of the Kingdom and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Few Christian leaders have a mind that can break the mould in the way that Dallas has. But, as the American writer John Ortberg says, ‘his heart is better’. James Catford, The Bible in Transmission, Spring 2010 News Vanessa Perdriau on winning The Pitch Vanessa Perdriau talks about the film idea that won her first prize at The Pitch film competition. Based on the biblical story of Elijah, her story, The Widow's Last, explores a woman’s journey from hopelessness and devastation to restoration and purpose.

Vanessa Perdriau wins The Pitch :-
Vanessa Perdriau from Blackheath, London, has won The Pitch film competition with her short historical drama “The Widow’s Last”. Pitch competition entries have to be based on a Bible story or character. Vanessa pitched her film idea, set during the Irish potato famine, to a panel of five industry judges at Pinewood Film Studios. Sponsorship brings the story of Mary Jones to life for the children of Wales A brand new show about the journey Mary Jones from Llanfihangel y Pennant to Bala will be travelling to schools in Wales from next week onwards. James's blog no related content was rabbis, Knowing Christ, today ‘personal religion or public reality?’

Studies of the adolescents: -
Among the existing studies with adolescents one of the main instruments used is the Personal Well being Index (PWI; Cummins, Eckersley, Pallant, Van Vugt, & Misajon, 2003). The PWI has seven items about different dimensions of satisfaction: standard of living, health, life achievements, personal relationships, personal safety, groups and future security. The International Well being Group has incorporated an eighth item related to spirituality or religion. Even though the PWI has been designed for the adult population, its formulation is broad enough to be used in all types of populations (Lau et al., 2008).

As an advocate of soulful living, I want to see religion thrive, but not religion as we have known it. I want to see it rising out of the heartfelt search of each man and woman for meaning and purpose. That search is the foundation of a religious life, and in a way it never ends. We always have more questions and can always go deeper into the convictions and understandings we have. This kind of religion is dynamic and tries to avoid static structures.

What is your personal Religion?
On the  question, A Religion of One's Own? people almost always ask: "But what about community?" Well yes, we want and need community in everything, but we have grown used to religious community as a certain group of people who think alike on important matters. That kind of community belongs to an outmoded way of imagining religion. Today we can start with our spiritual discoveries and form a religious practice of our own. We can do this within the setting of either a formal religion, like a church, in a less formal group, or on our own. We will find community because of the power of our open mind and the sincerity of our quest. We will draw people to us inspired by our intelligence and fervor, and we will seek out people who show similar courage and a spirit of adventure. Nothing to worry, community will happen.

Studies: -
It was possible to conclude that the model fit indices for each country and for the multigroup model are lower than the PWI-7 indices when including the spirituality or religion items. However, the adjustments are appropriate, showing that spirituality and religion contribute to the "PWI" construct, also finding that the model with spirituality presents better adjustments than the model with religion.

The different PWI versions showed good psychometric properties in the samples in both countries of this study, as well as for the combined sample, indicating its potential for the development of transcultural studies. The item spirituality seems to contribute to the PWI more than the item religion, since in the analyses performed it had a regression weight close to those found for the items "Health" and "Groups", whereas the item religion showed the lowest weight between all other domains assessed.

Data analysis :-
This data analysis reinforces the hypothesis that, in both cultures, satisfaction with spirituality contributes to overall life satisfaction and thus to subjective well being. Therefore, it's recommended that future studies continue to include the item spirituality in the PWI when administered on adolescents in the Latin American context. As a limitation of the study, the fact that the meaning given by adolescents to the terms "spirituality" and "religion" is not accurately understood should be highlighted. Furthermore, future research should also verify the PWI consistency including these two terms together or separately, considering age and gender differences, since these terms can be understood differently at different life stages.

Appreciation of the vision :-
This was an interesting look at religion. In fact, it really helps to uncover the "moon" that religion is supposed to point towards but has often been muddled and confused through the institutions in which they are expressed. I like that he does not condemn religion, rather encourages the reader to go further and deeper in their own tradition which may need to borrow from less traditional sources. This is a must read for a any seeker.

In addition, the domain which is more related to the PWI latent variable is satisfaction with the feeling of Personal Safety, followed by satisfaction with Life Achievements. The explained variance of the PWI relative to the OLS is slightly higher when adding the "spirituality" or "religion" item to the PWI-7 for both countries. That indicates that the PWI contributes more to the explanation of overall life satisfaction when adding the variable spirituality or religion to the instrument.

Traditional Religion :-
What is appreciate most about A Religion of One's Own is that it shows how one can meld traditional religion, spiritual intuition, and personal discipline into a deep and meaningful practice without it being kooky. Unlike so many new age forms of spiritualism, Moore's approach also requires something deep of the participant - in mind and in action. It's still is figuring out where to take it from here, but that's really the point.

On the other hand, should a man express affinity with the vessel as metaphor, it is as accessible to him as to any woman. By contrast, in the patriarchies of the past, though men were the privileged share holders and legislators in language, they were nonetheless, in a more limited sense than women, prisoners of the same aesthetic and moral codes established by their forbears. The total deconstruction of inherited gender prescription/proscription is Charlesworth's aim. But Charlesworth insists that she not impose her gender deconstruction on others, as this is each individual's personal, spiritual task. This is what can be called Charlesworth's Personal Religion.

Vaishnavism and Shaivism traditions of Hinduism subscribe to an ultimate personal nature of God. The Vishnu Sahasranama declares the person of Vishnu as both the Paramatma i.e. Supreme Soul and Parameshwara i.e. Supreme God, while the Rudram describes the same about Shiva. In Krishna-centered theology, Krishna is seen as a form of Vishnu by most, except Gaudiya Vaishnavism, the title Svayam Bhagavan is used exclusively to designate Krishna in his personal feature. It refers to Gaudiya Vaishnava, the Nimbarka Sampradaya and followers of Vallabha, while the person of Vishnu and Narayana is sometimes referred to as the ultimate personal god of other Vaishnava traditions.

The new and old traditions :-
In this new religious era the old traditions and institutions could come to life and become more relevant than ever. They are teeming with beautiful language, ideas, music, architecture, ritual and story. For our own religion, we don't have to invent the wheel. It's there in the books and buildings and customs spread around the globe. It  is  experienced to the spiritual teachers and rabbis and imams and priests and sisters who are witnesses to a new spiritual intelligence. They are already far ahead in their re-visioning of religion, and they can guide and educate. But you don't have to be a member or follower to build your religion from the traditions, learning from these wise people and being inspired by them.

Still you can be anyone in your own mind, and have three outstanding rubbish, can contact for counsel at any time. Being friendly with several sisters and priests who have been on the frontier of this new religiousness for years. Your buddy in teaching spirituality and making it accessible. A colleague who is a master of the old theology and yet far ahead in re-forming religion for the future. These admirable people are variously close to or remote from the official old style churches. Once you leave spiritual regimentation behind, you discover multiple ways of being genuinely and solidly religious.

Religion and Spirituality :-
The habit of preferring "spirituality" over "religion" is also passing. It's time to be more open, firm and courageous in countering the soulless, ego-centered philosophies of the modern era and embrace a new sacred. It's time not to abandon religion but to re-imagine it.

As observed by the International Well being Group , in the Australian population the domain "spirituality or religion" does not make a differential contribution, although it has proven to do so in other countries. For example, Wills reports empirical evidence of this contribution in the Colombian population and supports the inclusion of this new domain in the PWI. Moreover, Yiengprugsawan et al. conclude that "religion and spirituality" are important domains for well being in Thailand.

Observations :-
Discussion on the importance of including religion and spirituality as one of the PWI domains leans towards the studies that show that they contribute to life satisfaction and happiness (Cohen, 2002). In this sense, some studies show spirituality and religion as important protective factors for adolescent (Moreira & Sarriera, 2006).

In many studies the domains religion and spirituality are treated similarly, as if they were synonyms. Likewise, by proposing its inclusion in the PWI, the specific question used both words -"How satisfied are you with your spirituality or religion?" (International Wellbeing Group, 2006). Wills also used only one question to carry out his study in Colombia, but he pointed out that this is a topic that must be assessed with more detail. Considering that it is a double-barreled item, it may lead to a misunderstanding of the concepts and a measurement problem.

The reliability analysis (Cronbach´s alpha coefficient) of the different instrument specifications (with or without the inclusion of the domains "Religion" and "Spirituality") show that the results for Chile range between .803 and .785 and for Brazil between .788 and .774. However, a decrease in their reliability occurs with the inclusion of the item Religion (increasing to .796, if the item is deleted in Chile, and to .779 in Brazil), what was confirmed in the item-test correlation with the same domain in both countries (.268 for Chile and .290 for Brazil), considerably smaller than for the remaining domains. On the other hand, the inclusion of the domain related to satisfaction with spirituality in the corresponding version of the PWI in both countries slightly increases reliability (alpha decreases when removed).

Likewise, comparatively lower values are observed in the item-total correlations of the domains "Religion" and "Spirituality" with the original domains (PWI-7). In addition, relative similarity can be observed in the correlations of the remaining domains between the different versions of the PWI. The range of the total-item correlation of the different domains (except for "Religion" and "Spirituality") are between .427 and .612 for Chile and .443 and .560 for Brazil, all of them significant with p ≤ .01.

Another table also presents the overall fit index for the structural models. Despite the fact that the fit indices in the models from each country and from the multigroup model are lower that the PWI indices, when the items spirituality or religion are present the adjustments are appropriate, showing that spirituality and religion contribute to the PWI construct.

All specifications of the multigroup model have good fit indices, both without restrictions and with restricted factor loadings. It can be observed that the model with the item "religion" has the lowest fit indices. Also, when analyzing each country separately, data from Chile has better adjustment to the model with spirituality as well as with religion, compared to Brazil.

The reliability of the PWI with or without the inclusion of the "Religion" and "Spirituality" domains in Chile ranges between .803 and .785 and in Brazil between .788 and .774, thus there is a decrease in reliability originated from the inclusion of the item religion (it is .796 when removing this item for Chile and .779 for Brazil). The same occurs in the item-test correlation for the same item in both countries (.268 for Chile and .290 for Brazil), significantly less than the other domains. Comparing both countries, the inclusion of the item spirituality slightly increases reliability. In this regard, the reliability coefficients for the PWI-7 and PWI-8 versions have values very close to those obtained by related studies in other countries (Nielsen, Smyth, & Zhai, 2010; Rodriguez et al., 2011), obtaining an adequate reliability level.

The comparatively low item-total correlations and reliability coefficient obtained in the PWI + religion, and also its lowest fit indices in all models proposed, and the lowest factor loadings indicated the difficulty for including this domain specifically, despite remaining within acceptable ranges. When considering the correlations between the items religion and spirituality with the remaining items in the PWI, the ranges are similar to those found in Casas et al. with a sample of Spanish adolescents.

Complementarily, the results of the item-total correlations show values within similar ranges to those shown by studies in other countries with adult samples (since there are very few studies published with adolescent): from .33 to .69 for Hong Kong and from .21 to .66 for Australia (Lau et al., 2005), and from .44 to .79, in Spain (Rodriguez et al., 2011). Likewise, the nine domains analyzed had significant correlations with the single item scale on OLS.

Regarding the inclusion of the domains religion or spirituality as two separate items, it was possible to observe that the reliability analyses indicate that the inclusion of religion decreases reliability and the item-test correlations of these two domains are lower than for the remaining domains. However, the rest of the analyses favors the understanding that the item "spirituality" contributes to the PWI as well as to OLS. Thus it seems relevant to continue studying these domains in terms of their contribution to life satisfaction of adolescents.

For most, the question is not whether to be, but when and how to be religious. For those who are not drawn to traditional approaches, and for many of those who are, religious naturalism can offer a framework for exploring, experiencing, and enjoying a personal sense of religion.

The creative process of religion :-
Recognizing the creative aspects inherent to the process of ‘revision’, this article re-examines several aspects of personal and institutional religion, revealing dogmatic, ascetic, liturgical, and historiographical transformations. Attention is paid to the expression of the self, the role of history and memory in the construction of identity, and the modification of the theological discourse in late antique culture. The book also explores several avenues of Jewish-Christian interaction in the institutional and public sphere.

This study compared the 7-item Personal Well being Index (PWI) with two other versions which include the domains "Spirituality" and "Religion", separately, in a sample of Brazilian (n = 1.047) and Chilean (n = 1.053) adolescents. A comparison of psychometric properties between the PWI versions was carried out through multigroup confirmatory factor analysis showing adequate adjustments (CFI > .95, RMSEA < .08), whereas the item spirituality presented better performance. For the analysis of the differential contribution of each domain to the notion of global satisfaction, a regression on the item Overall Life Satisfaction (OLS) was applied using structural equations. It is recommended the inclusion of the item spirituality in the original scale, considering the importance of such domain in both cultures.

The Personal Religion of Edward III
"Blessed be the Lord, God of Israel, for he has visited his people, he has come to their rescue and he has raised up a power for salvation in the House of his servant David.”

Thus exclaimed the Lanercost chronicler after recounting the glorious deeds of King Edward III at Crécy and Calais in 1346–47. By the middle years of his reign Edward was already commonly seen as the divinely inspired instrument of English salvation, the epitome of Old Testament kingship, and an exemplar for Christian princes. English writers and artists made enthusiastic comparisons with Samson and David, with Arthur and Charlemagne. Edward was frequently portrayed as the great boar which, according to certain well-known political prophecies, would subdue England's enemies and restore the kingdom to its former greatness.

Special Note :-
This fine article, guides you through a process you might want to find your own personal religion, gathering from your past religious experiences and being lead through the great artists, thinkers and persons with deep faith. I really appreciate this therapist that works with us and for us to find our way. The soul has its own agenda and you can find new depth and purpose in your worship. This article is for atheists, agnostics and seekers as well.

These talks by Dallas Willard were recorded at a conference titled Knowing Christ Today ‘personal religion or public reality?’ on the 20 May 2010. A prolific writer, and professor of philosophy at the University of Southern California, Willard argues that Bible truths should be treated as a reliable body of knowledge – and afforded the same authority as philosophy, science and other disciplines. It’s from this basis, he explains, that Christians can most effectively engage their culture. This message is not only the central theme of the conference – but also at the very core of Bible Society’s mission to help today’s world connect with God’s Word.

All of the essays exhibit the clarity, exacting scholarship, and knowledge of the sources that we would expect from such accomplished scholars. If one seeks coherence in a collection like this, here it is to be found primarily in its geographical, chronological, and religious focus: Christianity in the late ancient and early Byzantine East. If some of the essays seem less relevant than others to the theme of personal and institutional religion, they nonetheless as a group do indeed, as the editors hope, "enrich and nuance the distinctive social and religious portrait of late antique Eastern Christianity" .

The shortcut :-
To get the good and avoid the bad, many take a “cafeteria-style” approach: accepting some beliefs but not others, joining in at times with a group, and having personal types of religious practice. Many use this personal approach as members of churches or temples. Others do it mainly on their own.  

The concepts of personal God :-
In the scriptures of the Abrahamic religions, God is described as being a personal creator, speaking in the first person and showing emotion such as anger and pride, and sometimes appearing in anthropomorphic shape. In the Pentateuch, for example, God talks with and instructs his prophets and is conceived as possessing volition, emotions (such as anger, grief and happiness), intention, and other attributes characteristic of a human person. Personal relationships with God may be described in the same ways as human relationships, such as a Father, as in Christianity, or a Friend as in Sufism.

There is a distinct difference between the two major Islamic sects, Shia and Sunni, regarding belief in a personal god. Most Sunni Muslims believe in a personal god.

In general, most Deists view God as a personal God. This is illustrated by the 17th-century assertions of Lord Edward Herbert, universally regarded as the Father of English Deism, which stated that there is one Supreme God, and he ought to be worshiped. However, Deism is a general belief encompassing people with varying specific beliefs, and the notion of God as a personal God cannot be ascribed to all Deists.

Classical Deists who adhere to Herbert's common notion certainly believe in a personal God, because those notions include the belief that God dispenses rewards and punishments both in this life and after it. This is not something which would be done by an impersonal force. However, a personal relationship with God is not contemplated, since living a virtuous and pious life is seen as the primary means of worshiping God.

Christian Deism is a term applied both to Christians who incorporate Deistic principles into their beliefs and to Deists who follow the moral teachings of Jesus without believing in his divinity. With regard to those who are essentially Deists who follow the moral teachings of Jesus, these are a subset of Classical Deists. Consequently, they believe in a personal God, but they do not necessarily believe in a personal relationship with God.

Humanistic Deists accept the core principles of Deism but incorporate humanistic beliefs into their faith. Thus, Humanistic Deists believe in a personal God who created the universe. The key element that separates Humanistic Deists from other Deists is the emphasis on the importance of human development over religious development and on the relationships among human beings over the relationships between humans and God.

Those who self-identify as Humanistic Deists may take an approach based upon what is found in Classical Deism and allow their worship of God to manifest itself primarily (or exclusively) in the manner in which they treat others. Other Humanistic Deists may prioritize their relationships with other human beings over their relationship with God, yet still maintain a personal relationship with the Supreme Being.

Panendeists believe that God is both immanent and transcendent with respect to the universe. That is, God exists within all nature, creation or humans while also being above and independent of the material universe. Panendeists see their relationship with God as transpersonal.

Conclusion :-
Therefore, it can be concluded that Panendeists believe in a personal God and that there exists a relationship between God and humanity. Process Deism is a form of Panendeism. Process Deists believe that the creation process is ongoing and that God is continuously involved in worldly affairs by acting as a divine persuasive force and continually co-creating new possibilities . Thus, Process Deists view God as a personal God with whom a relationship is not only possible but important.

Personal Opinion :-
Well. You really read the literary article.  Now my personal views follow.

Personal is personal.  Personal religion is your personal matter. You can have a personal God and the personal religion. But remember that you are not the only one who is authorized to act as a personal. Every one is authorized to act as a Personal, to have a personal belief, a relationship with the same and the God as well.

Bibliography
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Where Doubt Is Faith and the Sign Is Spirit. Sarah Charlesworth's Art of 1970, Viewed 28 January 2016, <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/g-roger-denson/where-doubt-is-faith-and_b_8087846.html>.

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Paramhans Jiddanand