The Practice of Altruism: Caring and Religion in Global PerspectiveCambridge Scholars Press, 2006 - 209 pages The study of altruism and altruistic behavior has caught the attention of social scientists especially in recent years. What motivates individuals to cultivate attitudes and actions that promote the wellbeing of others at the expense of, or at the risk of negative consequences for their own? In our contemporary global society marked by conflict and violence among different sectors of the population in various regions of the world, and wherein religion can be a factor that exacerbates such conflict and violence, harnessing the power of religion towards directions of reconciliation, creativity, and altruistic action, remains a crucial task for humankind. This volume addresses a question especially relevant in our day: do people who profess religious commitment or affiliation in a particular religious community tend to nurture altruistic kinds of attitude and action more than others? Social scientists present results of their empirical studies on Japanese society, as well as on North American, European, Indian, and Thai societies, to focus on this issue and offer insightful reflections on the relationship between religion and society. |
From inside the book
Results 1-3 of 55
... church choirs ( app . 37,000 ) ( Annual statistics book of the church 2001 ) . According to the Finnish church documents , the aim is to construct a lively church , in which paid - workers and members interact in creative , equal co ...
... church social workers , as well as a few priests . These views are apparent , for instance , in the following data quotations : " The church must first give food , before evangelizing . If one does not give food and offer help , it is ...
... church volunteering : Finland has both low church - going levels and rather low overall church volunteering . Looking further into the Finnish EVS data indicates that the more religious people are , the more likely they are to ...
Contents
Altruism in New Religions in Japan | 12 |
Kamagasaki Ecumenical Network | 43 |
Japanese Buddhist Responses to Terrorism | 60 |
Copyright | |
7 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
The Practice of Altruism: Caring and Religion in Global Perspective Ruben Lf Habito,Keishin Inaba No preview available - 2008 |