Serpent Handling on Animal Planet - with Ralph Hood

The US cable television channel, Animal Planet, is running a series on serpent handling, with Ralph Hood in the first segment of the series. You can read about the program at the Times Free Press. You also can preview clips from the program, Snake Man of Appalachia.

Religion in Poli Sci, Psychology, and our Social World

Over the years, psychologists of religion have bemoaned the neglect of religion's role in people's behavior. A new report shows that psychology is not alone in this. Religion is ignored in political science, too. In some ways this seems a bit surprising, given the high profile religion has in US politics. Religion is often a part of presidential elections, and especially so in this cycle with numerous stories about whether Evangelical Republicans can/should/will support Mitt Romney, who seems objectionable to them both for his 'flip-flopping' stance on social issues, and for his Mormonism. The subject of religion has come up in other ways, too. For instance, there have been recent polls finding that voters in most districts would be loathe to elect an atheist or a Muslim, or Newt Gingrich's conversion to Catholicism, or Santorum or Perry's stance on issues connected with the evangelical vote. But, in terms of popular press, those stories take a distant second to Mitt's Mormonism.

So, it is interesting that the topic has been neglected in political science research in spite of its relevance to current events.

We face a similar problem in the psychology of religion. Much of our research and work deals with interesting theoretical questions. Another common topic concerns the much-less-interesting effort to devise new scales, which Gorsuch and others have bemoaned for decades. What we could use, however, is more current, socially-relevant research. Religion and spirituality are vital parts of many people's everyday lives. Religion and spirituality impact us on many levels, from how we process information, to how we interact with other individuals, to what we direct our social institutions to do.

I would argue that when we improve our discipline's connection with the world around us, we will also increase our stature within psychology. The embrace of health psychology is a good example of this change. Whereas two or three decades ago it was unusual for an introductory textbook to have a chapter devoted to health psychology, it has become common now. Psychology has much to contribute to our understanding of health, and health is an area of life that interests many of our students (as well as society at large). The same is true of religion, and if psychologists of religion investigate socially relevant aspects of our field, we will facilitate the growth and development of the psychology of religion.

"Brain on God", from NPR

National Public Radio offers an introduction to the brain's role in religious experience. The site might be useful to share with your students, or as a way to see how this aspect of the psych of religion is represented in the media. Visit it when you have a chance. (Given that it has been a Very Long Time since I posted, you might need to awake from your reverie first.)

The Fred Phelps Hatred Tour

I learned today that the Fred Phelps / Westboro Baptist Church Hatred Tour will be in Savannah tomorrow, May 22nd, just an hour's drive from me. I may go snap some photos for my class, if Fred and his crew weren't raptured today. If you are near Savannah and want to see the hatred tour for yourself, go to Christ Church on Bull Street, at 10:00 a.m.

The Point, by WGBH

The Point, produced by Boston public radio station WGBH, included an interview about the psychology of religion featuring psychiatrist Marc Whaley and clinical psychologist Michael Abruzzese. The program is about 28 minutes long, and focuses on some of the bigger questions, such as why are people religious? You can listen to it at this webpage.

Psychology, Culture and Brian David Mitchell

Brian David Mitchell kidnapped 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart from her bedroom while she slept in June, 2002. Nine months later Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Barzee, were arrested and Smart was recovered. On Friday Mitchell was convicted in federal court on kidnapping and sex charges after the jury heard days of testimony from various experts, and a dramatic, heart-wrenching account from Smart herself about the ordeal.

The crime has many layers to interest psychologists of religion, with claims of mental illness, religious delusions in a highly religious culture interwoven with a horrible crime. Today I participated in KUER Radio's program on the cultural elements in the case. You can listen to the program on RadioWest. It was my first live interview, as you can probably tell. Still, I hope I added some light to the subject.

Poll: Religion, Sexual Orientation and Suicide

Results of a poll conducted in the U.s. indicate that most respondents agree that "religious messages contribute to a higher rate of suicide among gay and lesbian youth". The brief report is worth reading.

Parenting and Sexual Orientation

US News and World Report offers a summary of an upcoming article to be published in the journal Pediatrics concerning children raised in lesbian households. The article, which will be published in next month's issue, reports that those children fare better emotionally and socially than do parents raised in heterosexual households. The article has not yet been published, and I have not read the article or evaluated its methodology, etc. What is interesting to me now is the comments that accompany the article. As with many online commentary forums, the discussion is quite polarized along ideological lines. You may not want to wade through all 150+ comments, but perusing a few of them conveys the passion of social debate. Whether or not that debate is enlightening as well as passionate, well, that is a different question!

Limits of Understanding

If, like me, you are unable to attend the World Science Festival in New York City now underway, you can still enjoy some of the session by viewing the webcast they are providing. Click http://www.worldsciencefestival.com/live-intro to enjoy the sessions online. I am particularly interested in the session Friday evening, on The Limits of Understanding. Included on the panel will be Marvin Minsky, whose work I remember enjoying in grad school. It should be a fascinating session.

Shrink Rap Radio with Paul Moore

Shrink Rap Radio is one of the podcasts I listen to regularly. David Van Nuys interviews a variety of guests with interests in clinical and counseling issues. In fact, you can now obtain CE credits by listening to his show.

His most recent interview features Paul Moore, a psychoanalyst in Ireland, and touches on issues relevant to psychology of religion. You can listen to it online at that link, or through iTunes. Moore discusses, among other things, his perception of the problems that the Catholic Church is experiencing, and some ways that religion and psychotherapy are similar. For people experienced with these topics it will present nothing new, but if you have not read much on these themes it may be worth listening to.

On the Need for Religious Education

Illustrating the need for greater religious education and awareness, an airplane made emergency landing when a Jewish teenager put on tefillin in order to say his prayers. When the crew asked him what he was doing, they apparently were dissatisfied with his explanation and ordered the New York to Louisville flight to land in Philadelphia so that they could investigate further. Sigh.

There is an element of truth in comedian Bengt Washburn's observation that "One person doing something weird -- he is just a nut. A group of people doing something weird -- well, that's just a church." (source) Something that is common in one religion and helps bring meaning to its adherents often seems strange to observers outside the faith. In some cases, it even can seem threatening. More religious education and awareness may not solve all of the world's problems, but it seems that at least in one case, it could have helped a plane reach its destination safely.

Radio Program on Forgiveness

Minnesota Public Radio broadcast a program recently on forgiveness, and included as guests psychologist Michael McCullough, and religion scholar Anthony Stevens-Arroyo. You can listen to the program here.

Religion 'Reality' Show

A planned reality television show in Turkey is set to pit religious leaders and atheists in a discussion to investigate beliefs. According to this Reuters report, the show will feature a Muslim imam, Christian priest, Jewish rabbi, and a Buddhist monk in a contest to see which man has the most success in converting the atheists. A new wrinkle threatens the show, however, as Turkish authorities may not allow it to go forward because it is too undignified and disrespectful to religion.

Hmm. I'll have to think about whether watching people try to convert each other is any more appealing than watching them try to sleep with each other, which seems to be the mainstay of reality TV. I'd rather watch volleyball myself.

News wave about Scientology

You may be seeing a new wave of stories about Scientology in the news. Religion Link, which serves as a religion resource to reporters, recently issued an update about Scientology. It coincides with a series by Tampa Bay / St. Petersburg Times about controversial aspects of Scientology. This might form the basis of an interesting assignment, particularly in conjunction with a recent post on the TED Blog in which Zimbardo is asked such questions as what psychology's biggest mistake has been, and whether there is such a thing as a good cult.

And, speaking of TED, another post there that you or your students might find interesting is Diane Benscoter's talk at TED and her later Q & A session. Although Benscoter asserts that brain scans of people engaged in circular thinking, such as she experienced while with the Moonies, would differ from those of people engaged in critical thinking, I'm not aware of any studies that have demonstrated this. (Perhaps you could point me to such studies?)

These are very controversial topics, and may need special care in class discussion. But your students are likely to find them very stimulating, and you can use them to illustrate important concepts in the psychology of religion.

Interview with Andrew McCarthy

Andrew McCarthy was the main prosecutor in the US government's case against Sheik Omar Abdel Rahmen, the "blind sheikh" who was convicted for the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. You can view a fascinating interview with McCarthy on the Book TV website. The longer the interview goes, the more interesting it is. You may or may not agree with interviewer Hugh Hewitt, who is a polarizing figure in American politics, but McCarthy's perspective is worth paying attention to if you are interested in radical Islam.

Religion & Media in Iran

Iran is holding its second International Conference on Religion and Media this coming November 9 - 12, 2008. Topics of special interest are divided into two areas: Religion and Media Communication, and Religion in the Media. Papers should be submitted soon, by June 15, and decisions on attendance will be made by the end of June. The conference will be held in Tehran and Qom. Following the conference, an optional tour of Isfahan or Shiraz is available.

The email I received notifying me of the conference states, "We cordially invite all media researchers and scholars, representatives from diverse religious traditions, professionals and students involved with the subjects of the conference to attend and submit a paper.... A few scholarships are available to partially subsidize the costs of participants with selected papers."

Alongside the conference will be a Student Workshop on Religion, Peace and Media held in Tehran, Qom, and the beach of the Caspian Sea.

It sounds like a tremendous opportunity for people involved in the study of religion. Please pass this announcement along to others who might be interested.