Women's employment decisions in Malaysia: Does religion matter?

Religion may influence female employment decisions because different religions specify different life styles. This study investigates whether religion is a significant determinant of married and single women's paid-work and full-time employment in Malaysia. Using the Second Malaysian Family Life Survey and a sequential logit approach, this paper finds that religion is less influential in urban areas than in rural areas.     

How culture influences foreign trade: evidence from the U.S. and China

Using a gravity model of trade and the U.S. and Chinese panel data, I present evidence that supports the views that linguistic links have become more important in foreign trade than geographical proximity and that linguistic influence on trade is more significant in China than in the U.S. The estimated result based on a broad panel of economies shows little overall relation between religious similarity and foreign trade in both the U.S. and China. But there is an indication that the religious dissimilarity tends to retard foreign trade with poor countries and regions and to encourage foreign trade with richer places. I also found that, although religious retardation on foreign trade is more significant in China than in the U.S., religious dissimilarity tends to retard the US export more than that of China; by contrast, it tends to retard the Chinese import more than that of the U.S. At last, the socio-economic implications of the estimated results are discussed.     

Neighborhood conditions,religious coping,and uncontrolled hypertension

The purpose of this study is to see whether God-mediated control beliefs moderate the relationship between living in rundown neighborhoods and uncontrolled hypertension. God-mediated control refers to the belief that God will help people handle the stressors that arise in life. Data are provided by a nationwide survey of adults (N = 1919). Three ways of assessing uncontrolled hypertension are examined: a binary format contrasting people with and without uncontrolled hypertension, systolic and diastolic blood pressure scored continuously, and a four ordinal category scheme recommended by the American Heart Association. The data suggest that stronger God-mediated control beliefs moderate the relationship between neighborhood conditions and uncontrolled blood pressure when blood pressure is scored continuously and when the American Heart Association scheme are used as outcomes.     

Leaving my religion: Understanding the relationship between religious disaffiliation,health, and well-being

Religious disaffiliation—leaving the religious tradition in which one was raised for no religious affiliation in adulthood—has become more common in recent years, though few studies have examined its consequences for the health and well-being of individuals. We use an innovative approach, comparing the health and subjective well-being of religious disaffiliates to those who remain affiliated using pooled General Social Survey samples from 1973 through 2012. We find that religious disaffiliates experience poorer health and lower well-being than those consistently affiliated and those who are consistently unaffiliated. We also demonstrate that the disadvantage for those who leave religious traditions is completely mediated by the frequency of church attendance, as disaffiliates attend church less often. Our results point to the importance of the social processes surrounding religious disaffiliation and emphasize the role of dynamics in the relationship between religious affiliation and health.     

Reaching Isolated Older People

In the second part of a paper reporting a unique single day a week adult day program, the service methodologies developed in the program are described as well as a study of outcomes in four areas: success in reaching the target group, attendance, length of participation, and resolution of psychosocial and health related problems. Outcomes, illustrated by statistical and case material, indicate success in achieving the overall goal of maintenance and enhancement of the participant's life and functioning as a whole. Such a resource is recommended as a vital one for the target population of isolated older people described in the paper.     

大学生的马克思主义信仰问题及缘起

实用理性的僭妄和非理性思潮的泛起,造成当前马克思主义意识形态一定程度上的空心化和边缘化。具体而言,大学生马克思主义信仰问题的生成,是感性实证认知方式、市场经济负面影响、西方社会思潮误导、马克思主义信仰教育机制滞后等原因所致。以政治意识形态功能为主的马克思主义理论教育必须兼具人文精神批判与重建的文化启蒙向度。     

谈斯宾诺莎的伦理思想——从本体观、伦理观和宗教观的一致性上

追求生命的永恒是世代哲人追求的永恒的思想主题。斯宾诺莎以本体观、宗教观和伦理观的一致性为特色和基础,全力论证了其伦理思想,他毕生都在力图以一种新的思想模式来重新思索人类永恒的主题———对超越死亡的永恒的沉思,使斯宾诺莎成为在西方哲学历史上追求生命永恒的典型思想楷模。     

执政党与宗教——兼论中国化马克思主义宗教观

中国化马克思主义宗教观,特别是"适应观"的重要思想是中国共产党对马列主义宗教观发展创新的科学界定,是中国共产党三代领导集体智慧的结晶.对宗教二重性的科学剖析是马克思主义者在长期的实践过程中得出的真理.正确认识宗教、妥善处理宗教问题是加强党的执政能力建设所面临的重要课题.     

《成唯识论》中的唯识空观及其对“外道”的批判

佛教思想是在与不少其他宗教哲学派别思想的相互影响和冲突中发展起来的。大乘佛教虽然分为中观和瑜伽行两派，但它们在许多方面有共同之处，对其他派别的态度也有类似点。《成唯识论》中的唯识思想实际上包含了般若中观理论的重要成分，是瑜伽行派论述佛教“空”观念的一种基本形式。《成唯识论》从佛教的唯识空观出发，对其他派别进行了批判。这种批判涉及各派的核心思想，而批判的重点则是各派学说中的实有观念。通过对这方面内容的分析，可以了解佛教与许多印度古代思想派别的基本理论差别。     

哈尼族原始宗教观念中的魂、鬼、神文化内涵

居住于滇南山区的哈尼族所信奉的以万物有灵为核心的原始宗教,其迷蒙、杂芜的神灵观念,除天上至高无上的天神“摩米”之外还可分作三个层次:一是卫护躯体的神灵;二是无恶不作的鬼;三是善恶兼施的自然神。文章通过对哈尼族原始宗教观念中的魂、鬼、神文化内涵的探析,揭示了山居农耕民族社会文化走势和观念形态衍异规律。