Deo, Non Fortuna : Christian, Time, and Technology

It is commonly asserted that Christianity is the historical religion par excellence. Its view of time is frequently contrasted with that of Eastern philosophies and religions. It is said to have a realist and a positive view of time, while religions such as Hinduism are said to have a pessimistic view of time in which temporal existence is seen to be mere illusion. These generalizations are often schematized into analogies about linear time and cyclical time and influential conclusions about Easter and Western culture are often drawn from such contrasts. One very prevalent argument which emerges from such discourse is that Christianity is ultimately responsible for the rise of science and technology in the Western world, as it helped to create a culture in which they could flourish. There are literally dozens of scholars who argue that Christianity, by emphasizing linear time and ultimate fulfilment, provided the necessary cultural preconditions for technological novelty and scientific progress.

Book Reviews: The Yoga of the Christ in the Gospel According to St. John

Two book reviews for Ravi Ravindra\u27s The Yoga of the Christ in the Gospel According to St. John

Regression Analysis of Pacing When Running a Marathon

Regression analysis can be an effective way of examining performance in the marathon event. By splitting up the race into segments or in runner terminology “splits” the significance of each segment as it relates to the total finish time can be explored. Because the idea of splits is already ingrained into the minds of runners, it makes intuitive sense to use these as the metrics to define a race. Additionally, marathons generally make participant age and gender date publicly available which can then be used to find trends within specific demographics. This tailors trends to smaller groups of people, making the lessons from these trends more easily applied during the marathon. The most popular warning within the marathon community is that of the “fast start” which is translated to mean running faster than your average pace at the beginning of the race and consequently slowing down through the remainder of the race. Because of this, after segregating our data into four subsets, each runner’s pace in the first 10 kilometers (23.66%) of the race was plotted against their total finish time. In three out of the four subsets of the data the anecdote appeared to be clearly substantiated as runners who started slowest in relation to their mean race pace tended to have lower total finish times, and finish time generally increased as the percentage above mean race pace of runners increased

Thesis Portfolio for the Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology

Background: Breastfeeding rates continue to remain low in the UK even though a number of initiatives have been delivered in an attempt to increase them. Evidence suggests a large proportion of mothers now perceive breastfeeding as the best feeding practice for their baby and many wish to do so, but are unable to for a number of reasons including issues around breastfeeding in public. This study set out to explore lived experience of breastfeeding in public to better inform our understanding. Methods: A qualitative approach was chosen using semi-structured interviews to facilitative an in-depth exploration of mothers’ experiences of public breastfeeding. Women aged 31 to 40 years old who had experience of breastfeeding in public within London were interviewed and narratives analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results: Two themes emerged from the data: “Societal attitudes as ostracising” and “Becoming a nursing mother”. It was evident these mothers experienced a strong transference from a British society generally disapproving and feeling uncomfortable with breastfeeding. Consequently implicit expectations are placed on them to conceal the behaviour either by covering their breast or breastfeeding in discrete locations including feeding rooms. Transitioning from a woman to a mother is a significant life stage and being able to breastfeed successfully appeared to be an important aspect of motherhood for these mothers. Their determination to breastfeed exceeded the challenges they faced in public with their confidence enhancing with time. Findings are considered in light of current social attitudes and the importance of normalising views about breastfeeding in society in order to improve health outcomes

Thesis Portfolio for the Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology

Background: Breastfeeding rates continue to remain low in the UK even though a number of initiatives have been delivered in an attempt to increase them. Evidence suggests a large proportion of mothers now perceive breastfeeding as the best feeding practice for their baby and many wish to do so, but are unable to for a number of reasons including issues around breastfeeding in public. This study set out to explore lived experience of breastfeeding in public to better inform our understanding. Methods: A qualitative approach was chosen using semi-structured interviews to facilitative an in-depth exploration of mothers’ experiences of public breastfeeding. Women aged 31 to 40 years old who had experience of breastfeeding in public within London were interviewed and narratives analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results: Two themes emerged from the data: “Societal attitudes as ostracising” and “Becoming a nursing mother”. It was evident these mothers experienced a strong transference from a British society generally disapproving and feeling uncomfortable with breastfeeding. Consequently implicit expectations are placed on them to conceal the behaviour either by covering their breast or breastfeeding in discrete locations including feeding rooms. Transitioning from a woman to a mother is a significant life stage and being able to breastfeed successfully appeared to be an important aspect of motherhood for these mothers. Their determination to breastfeed exceeded the challenges they faced in public with their confidence enhancing with time. Findings are considered in light of current social attitudes and the importance of normalising views about breastfeeding in society in order to improve health outcomes

SEXUAL “SIN” AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE SELF

This project explores the experiences of cognitive dissonance caused by the sexual activity of unmarried Christian adults in the UK. It identifies processes of the formation, negotiation, and maintenance of participants’ religious identities, and the impacts that sexual activity has on these processes. Using anonymous narratives, autoethnographic material, and semi-structured interviews, it uncovers some of the impacts these experiences had on their religious beliefs and their relationships. In doing so, it highlights potential causal factors for young adults distancing themselves from the Church and limiting its authority over their lifestyle choices. The dissertation argues that unmarried Christians experience their sexual selves through complex and interlinking processes of negotiation between beliefs, actions, and identities. It states that the process of negotiation is often a painful one due to experiences of cognitive dissonance, which usually has vast implications on the believers themselves, their sexual partner/s, and their church communities. It suggests that establishing firm beliefs about sex outside of marriage prior to sexual opportunities is vital in order to avoid this. Finally, it suggests that the Church could potentially enable this by encouraging thorough, open, and honest dialogue about sex and marriage

The Crucible of Physician Performance Reports

Individualized physician performance reports are an emerging phenomena. The narrative piece examines one physician’s experience with individualized physician performance reports. Reforming the data collection process could enhance the value of the reports to stakeholders