New Kadampa Buddhists and Jungian psychological type

Building on previous studies on Canadian Anglicans and Catholics, this study examines and discusses the psychological type profile of 31 adherents to New Kadampa Buddhism. Like Anglicans and Catholics, Buddhists preferred introversion (I). Like Anglicans who preferred intuition (N) and unlike Catholics who preferred sensing (S), Buddhists displayed a preference for intuition (N). Unlike Anglicans and Catholics who both preferred feeling (F), Buddhists displayed a balance between feeling (F) and thinking (T). Like Anglicans and unlike Catholics, Buddhists preferred the Apollonian temperament (NF) over the Epimethean temperament (SJ). These data are discussed to interpret the psychological appeal of New Kadampa Buddhism

Cosmotopia Delineated: Rammohun Roy, William Adam and the Calcutta Unitarian Committee

This article seeks to establish the value of the concept of cosmotopia to historians of intercultural connections through presenting a case study of the Calcutta Unitarian Committee, which was active between 1821 and 1828. In tandem, it aims to enhance understanding of the origins of one particularly sustained set of intercultural connections: the interfaith network which developed between an influential group of Hindu religious and social reformers, the Brahmo Samaj, and western Unitarian Christians. The article focusses on the collaboration between the two leading figures on the Committee: Rammohun Roy, the renowned founder of the Brahmo Samaj, who is often described as the Father of Modern India; and William Adam, a Scottish Baptist missionary who was condemned as the “second fallen Adam” after his “conversion” to Unitarianism by Rammohun Roy, and who went on to cofound a utopian community in the United States. It explores the Calcutta Unitarian Committee's activities within the cosmopolitan milieu of early colonial Calcutta, and clarifies its role in the emergence of the Brahmo Samaj, in the development of a unique approach to Christian mission among Unitarians, and in laying the foundations of a transnational network whose members were in the vanguard of religious innovation, radical social reform, and debates on the “woman question” in nineteenth-century India, Britain, and the United States. In conclusion, the article draws on the case study to offer some broader reflections on the relationship between utopianism, cosmopolitanism, and colonialism

Vernacular Christianity

One of the authors used to begin his Christianity classes by inviting students to consider two statements and to decide which provided a more appropriate description of the Christian faith. The two statements were: (1) Christians believe that Jesus Christ is of one substance with the Father. (2) Christians in Britain eat Christmas puddings on 25 December. By far the majority of students voted for the first statement. It is an important doctrine, defining the Incarnation, which is a central tenet of Christian theology, and it is part of the Nicene Creed, which many Christians recite weekly during congregational worship. By contrast, the second seems frivolous. Christianity purports to offer salvation, teaching that it is brought about through God becoming human, and dying on the cross to redeem humankind from sin; this is certainly not achieved by eating a Christmas pudding. One might also point out that, historically, the Church has excommunicated those who have denied the full deity or the full humanity of Jesus Christ, whereas there is no compulsion for any Christian to observe popular Christmas customs. However, it remains true that there are more Christians who erect Christmas trees and hang up stockings than understand what it means for Jesus Christ to be of one substance with the Father, or indeed most of the other doctrines defined in the traditional creeds

Do environmental and ethical aspects of interfunctional coordination lead to smaller business performance?

The paper deals with interfunctional coordination (IFC) from ethical and environmental point of view. It will be interesting to know if the parts of IFC connected with ethical and environmental aspects have positive or negative influence on business performance. Data was gained from 60 SMEs producing electrical equipment and electronic components in the Czech Republic. It was used the survey questionnaire and critical discussion with the literature. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) test and Bartett´s sphericity test was applied. Spearman’s rank correlation were used for analysing the influence of ethical and environmental aspect on business performance. The results show: (1) a positive relation between ethical aspects and business performance, (2) no positive relation between implementation of environmental aspects and business performance, and (3) no difference in results in marketing business performance and financial business performance. The results can suggest that, a preference towards ethical decisions and behaviour leads to a higher business performance and by contraries, environmental aspects leads to smaller business performance. The collected data shows that environmental and ethical decisions of managers in the Czech Republic can differ from environmental and ethical decisions of managers in different countries

Ethical Scholars and Unethical Committees

In most education institutions, research involving human subjects requires to be scrutinized by an ethics committee. After outlining the history of research ethics and codes of practice, the author draws on his own experience of research on Jehovah’s Witnesses, examining issues of consent, disclosure, respect for informants, and confidentiality. It is argued that institutional ethics committees tend to apply a biomedical model of research, which is inappropriate in the study of religion. Several problems in the operation of research committees are identified, such as their typical adversarial stance, the frequent lack of appropriate qualifications among members, and their failure to recognize the ways in which research in religion is conducted. Ethical considerations are not limited to fieldwork, and the author argues the need to recognize the wider aspects of research, and to note the ways in which other organizations address ethical issues. Such organizations include religious communities themselves, business companies, and a few universities who have developed a concern for their wider social responsibility. Although there remains a place for ethics committees, they can themselves operate in an unethical manner, and need to take a more humane and realistic account of research methods in the study of religion.</jats:p