Researcher Reflections

Modernization not only preserved beliefs in some ancient spirits and invisible forces but also gave rise to new ones.

Both wanwuyiti and “Finding God in All Things” are supernatural premises that guide the self in relation to the other through benevolence (ren) and love (agape).

“It is hard to argue for equality when the other is not considered capable of redemption. Empathy is difficult when the other—not elect and incapable of salvation—might as well not be considered a full human.”

“Nietzsche taught that we shouldn’t deny our humanity, and extolled unconditional love of life rather than revenge against it. This is the extraordinary beauty and difficulty of Nietzsche’s superhumanism: the first step on the road to superhumanity is to...

Warhammer 40K player-painters engage a sequence of contexts in order to paint successfully and enter flow states while painting.

“Healing practices must be studied in local contexts, informed by local histories, practices, and phenomena.”

“Assyrian folk chants such as Rawe transmit narratives sharing the memories of our culture enduring countless storms, carrying our resilience and survival, connecting us to our ancestors and ancient past.”

“Any religious tradition can affect decadent forms of practice. We must remain vigilant of the ways religion’s excesses negatively impact our pursuit of political unity amid our diverse cultural contexts and identities. For all political claims are...

Gospel thrillers traffic in hyperbole and distortion, but behind these outlandish conspiratorial plotlines lies a real undercurrent of anxiety about biblical vulnerability.

“Religion, I would argue, ought not to be a functional aspect of social norms, but a method to escape the ordinary world.”