BACKGROUND Religion is an important underlying determinant of HIV spread in sub-Saharan Africa. However, little is known about how religion influences changes in HIV prevalence and associated sexual behaviours over time. OBJECTIVES To compare changes in HIV prevalence between major religious groups in eastern Zimbabwe during a period of substantial HIV risk reduction (1998-2005) and to invest...

In this recent study, we analyse the religious diversity of Central and Eastern Europe, from Balkans up to Baltic region. This region has many confessions, without claiming completeness, Roman Catholic, Reformed, Lutheran, Orthodox, Islam, Hussite people any religion. The spatial distribution confessions been shaped by different drivers across Europe. We chose a quantitative method visually int...

Using religion to improve health is an age-old practice. However, using religion and enlisting religious authorities in public health campaigns, as exemplified by tobacco control interventions and other activities undertaken by WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office, is a relatively recent phenomenon. Although all possible opportunities within society should be exploited to control tobacco...

1. Introduction One significant but not widely appreciated impact of the " new religions " has been to reopen the question of the relation of religion to science. I speak of new religions in the sense defined by Needleman in his book by that title, that is, I am referring primarily to Eastern teachings which have gained adherents and cultural influence in the West over the past two decades. To ...

This paper addresses Mark Silk’s theory of “unsecular media” through a case study of a visit the Dalai Lama made to the United States. Silk contends the themes (what he calls “topoi”) media use to cover religion are derived from Western faiths. Thus, according to Silk, when Western religious principles are used to write about Western religious practices, those practices are generally evaluated ...

This article tells the story of the sacred place named Mata Loko (“River’s Source”) in Karendi on the western end of the island of Sumba. This ethnographic case of an eastern Indonesian society where the traditional religion of Marapu persists sheds light on questions of how local belief systems are part of environmental adaptations. The use of sacred resources is restricted by the belief that ...

This essay seeks to summarize and compare the theological ideas of Jonathan Edwards, a western philosopher, with those of Feyz Kashani, an eastern philosopher. The reason for this study is the numerous conjunctions that are seen in their ideas. These include the harmony of heart and reason in respect to belief, the priority of the heart in the reflection of truth, the belief in centrality of th...

Department Website: http://nelc.uchicago.edu Program of Study Majors in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations (NELC) at the University of Chicago pursue rigorous knowledge about a region of the world that is known as “the cradle of civilization” and the home of several important religious and cultural traditions, as well as one of the most important geopolitical areas of our contemporary wor...