This study demonstrates the value of the field of public theology for cathedral studies. Both of these fields are concerned with the continuing role of religion in public life in contemporary societies, and yet those writing within these fields often do not draw from the work of the other. Therefore, in this study I show some findings of my PhD…

Since 1981, James Fowler's stage model of faith development has provided researchers with a framework for understanding the ways in which people develop belief systems over the course of their lives. Despite its helpfulness, there are several notable areas of critique that can be levelled against the model, including its lack of parsimony, heavy…

This study explores how religious belief and grit are related to psychological distress caused by COVID-19 among Chinese university students. The Religious Belief Scale, the Grit Scale, and the Pandemic Psychological Distress Scale were administered to 1157 university students selected from 119 comprehensive universities. Results showed that 1)…

Research on personal epistemology reveals how people's epistemological beliefs about science intersect with their sociocultural background, cultural norms, and gender. Less is known, however, about how religious background and faith shape epistemological beliefs. The present study explores the epistemological beliefs of ultra-Orthodox (Haredi)…

Buddhism is popular worldwide. It has been taught both inside and outside schools to enhance teenagers' attitudes and behaviour. To evaluate how it works, identifying teenagers' religiosity and the factors that influence it is essential. This study surveyed 140 teenagers attending retreats at three Zen monasteries belonging to the Truc Lam (Bamboo…

Previous studies have linked religiosity to a variety of positive outcomes for young people. However, further investigation into the underlying mechanisms that drive this connection is necessary to facilitate these positive outcomes. Some studies have suggested that afterlife reward and punishment beliefs play a role in this connection, as they…

School chaplaincy in Australia is highly contentious. The federal government funds a chaplaincy programme in Australia's secular public schools, which, combined with the declining influence of institutional Christianity, places Christian chaplains at the nexus of debates on the public role of religion. Yet little is known about how these chaplains…

Traditionally, children have generally been considered as developmentally immature and unable to experience spirituality. However, more recent studies seem to indicate the opposite. This article aims to: (1) explore how religiosity and spirituality evolve in the developing person; (2) describe the perceptions of children about God; (3) explore how…

The present study aimed to examine the significance of young Portuguese people's experiences of participating in a global Catholic event, the World Youth Day, by discussing their motivations and learning opportunities. World Youth Day is seen as a major experience full of many small experiences that become part of the lifelong process of…

This article draws on the ongoing discussion in some European countries about whether and how non-religious worldviews and pupils should be included in religious education (RE). This discussion lacks empirical knowledge about the specific learning conditions of these pupils in RE -- a desideratum that this article addresses. Building on a…

College students engage with religion, faith, and spirituality for a variety of reasons; however, current literature exploring these motivations is limited. We utilised a constructivist, qualitative, phenomenological design and surveyed 201 students to understand their motivations for pursuing faith, religion, or spirituality. Of those surveyed,…

The relationship between research, policy and practice in the field of education has long been the focus of much discussion and debate. In the UK context, the growing weight attributed to research impact in the Research Excellence Framework has further intensified interest in how academics can promote the application of their research in…

Deconversion is a biographical change in which one goes from claiming adherence to a religion to departing from it. A meaning system model can help us understand the processes through which deconversion occurs. Drawing on that framework, we explored how perceiving hypocrisy in one's religious setting influences adolescent deconversion. Irrational…

Spirituality in education is a contested topic. This is certainly true for Switzerland where there has been avid media-led debate about teacher religiosity/spirituality and their influence on educational practices. This puts highly spiritual Swiss teachers in a dilemma: How can they integrate their spirituality in the classroom without causing…

The systematic literature review is based on a critical need in the area of values, where there are many uncertainties around universal definitions and drivers of values and traits. The study evaluated definitions, categories, drivers and the interdependence between values and personality traits and behaviours. Over 5,873 studies over a 70-year…