Learning Religion in the Presence of the Other: Mission and Dialogue in World Catholicism

Based on selected texts of the Second Vatican Council and related to the process of the Council and Church experiences thereafter, this article offers a brief insight into the theological method known as communicative theology (CT). One of the factors most challenging to mission and dialogue in world Catholicism is the perpetual presence of the “other” as a stranger. This learning religion in the presence of the “other” is not the exception; this article argues that it is, in fact, very typical of mission and dialogue in Africa as well as in Europ

The confessional element in the Paulines

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University, 1939In the past the most common approach to the teachings of Paul has been the theological approach, which is characterized by a technical and scientific method of study. Paul has been regarded as having been primarily a theologian who gave the Christian faith an elaborate and speculative theological system. He is pictured as having deliberately worked out a technical system of dogmatic thought. However, in recent years students of the New Testament have been questioning the validity of this traditional approach to Paul. They have felt that to regard Paul as being primarily a theologian was to lose the real Paul and to fail to catch his true spirit. While some aspects of this new conception of Paul have been investigated by scholarly research, the question of the confessional element in his passages has not been made the subject of a special investigation. The purpose of this dissertation was to make such a study. The problem was to show that there is this body of material in Paul's writings which cannot be satisfactorily understood or accounted for without a recognition of its confessional nature. These passages reflect his experience of God and Christ; they are his witness to the love and grace of God through Christ as validated through his personal experience. For these affirmations of faith and experience Paul did not attempt to give a systematic account or theoretical proof. In fact, no such proof is possible

The repeatable opportunity for selection differs between pre- and postcopulatory fitness components

In species with multiple mating, intense sexual selection may occur both before and after copulation. However, comparing the strength of pre‐ and postcopulatory selection is challenging, because (i) postcopulatory processes are generally difficult to observe and (ii) the often‐used opportunity for selection (I) metric contains both deterministic and stochastic components. Here, we quantified pre‐ and postcopulatory male fitness components of the simultaneously hermaphroditic flatworm, Macrostomum lignano. We did this by tracking fluorescent sperm-using transgenics-through the transparent body of sperm recipients, enabling to observe postcopulatory processes in vivo. Moreover, we sequentially exposed focal worms to three independent mating groups, and in each assessed their mating success, sperm‐transfer efficiency, sperm fertilizing efficiency, and partner fecundity. Based on these multiple measures, we could, for each fitness component, combine the variance (I) with the repeatability (R) in individual success to assess the amount of repeatable variance in individual success-a measure we call the repeatable opportunity for selection (IR). We found higher repeatable opportunity for selection in sperm‐transfer efficiency and sperm fertilizing efficiency compared to mating success, which clearly suggests that postcopulatory selection is stronger than precopulatory selection. Our study demonstrates that the opportunity for selection contains a repeatable deterministic component, which can be assessed and disentangled from the often large stochastic component, to provide a better estimate of the strength of selection

Observations of neutral depletion and plasma acceleration in a flowing high-power argon helicon plasma

Neutral depletion effects are observed in a steady-state flowing argon helicon plasma with a magnetic nozzle for high rf input powers (up to 3 kW). Noninvasive diagnostics including 105 GHz microwave interferometry and optical spectroscopy with collisional-radiative modeling are used to measure the electron density (ne), electron temperature (Te), and neutral density (nn). A region of weak neutral depletion is observed upstream of the antenna where increasing rf power leads to increased electron density (up to ne = 1.6×1013 cm-3) while Te remains essentially constant and low (1.7–2.0 eV). The downstream region exhibits profound neutral depletion (maximum 92% line-averaged ionization), where Te rises linearly with increasing rf power (up to 4.9 eV) and ne remains constrained (below 6.5×1012 cm-3). Flux considerations indicate accelerated plasma flow (Mach 0.24) through the antenna region due to an axial pressure gradient with reduced collisional drag from neutral depletion

Experimental observation of ion beams in the Madison Helicon eXperiment

Argon ion beams up to Eb=165 eV at Prf=500 W are observed in the Madison Helicon eXperiment (MadHeX) helicon source with a magnetic nozzle. A two-grid retarding potential analyzer (RPA) is used to measure the ion energy distribution, and emissive and rf-filtered Langmuir probes measure the plasma potential, electron density, and temperature. The supersonic ion beam (M=vi/cs up to 5) forms over tens of Debye lengths and extends spatially for a few ion-neutral charge-exchange mean free paths. The parametric variation of the ion beam energy is explored, including flow rate, rf power, and magnetic field dependence. The beam energy is equal to the difference in plasma potentials in the Pyrex chamber and the grounded expansion chamber. The plasma potential in the expansion chamber remains near the predicted eVp~5kTe for argon, but the upstream potential is much higher, likely due to wall charging, resulting in accelerated ion beam energies Eb=e[Vbeam-Vplasma]\u3e10kTe

Ion acceleration in a helicon source due to the self-bias effect

Time-averaged plasma potential differences up to 165 V over several hundred Debye lengths are observed in low pressure (pn \u3c 1 mTorr) expanding argon plasmas in the Madison Helicon eXperiment (MadHeX). The potential gradient leads to ion acceleration greater than that predicted by ambipolar expansion, exceeding Ei≈7 kTe in some cases. RF power up to 500 W at 13.56 MHz is supplied to a half-turn, double-helix antenna in the presence of a nozzle magnetic field, adjustable up to 1 kG. A retarding potential analyzer (RPA) measures the ion energy distribution function (IEDF) and a swept emissive probe measures the plasma potential. Single and double probes measure the electron density and temperature. Two distinct mode hops, the capacitive-inductive (E-H) and inductive-helicon (H-W) transitions, are identified by jumps in density as RF power is increased. In the capacitive (E) mode, large fluctuations of the plasma potential (Vp-p≥140V, Vp-p/Vp ≈ 150%) exist at the RF frequency and its harmonics. The more mobile electrons can easily respond to RF-timescale gradients in the plasma potential whereas the inertially constrained ions cannot, leading to an initial flux imbalance and formation of a self-bias voltage between the source and expansion chambers. In the capacitive mode, the ion acceleration is not well described by an ambipolar relation, while in the inductive and helicon modes the ion acceleration more closely follows an ambipolar relation. The scaling of the potential gradient with the argon flow rate and RF power are investigated, with the largest potential gradients observed for the lowest flow rates in the capacitive mode. The magnitude of the self-bias voltage agrees with that predicted for RF self-bias at a wall. Rapid fluctuations in the plasma potential result in a time-dependent axial electron flux that acts to neutralize the accelerated ion population, resulting in a zero net time-averaged current through the acceleration region when an insulating upstream boundary condition is enforced. Grounding the upstream endplate increases the self-bias voltage compared to a floating endplate

Wenn die Jahre dich erreichen, von denen du sagen wirst: Ich mag sie nicht! Überlegungen zur Ambivalenz des Alterns aus kommunikativ-theologischer Perspektive

Anlass für die Überlegungen zur Ambivalenz des Alterns ist ein Expertinnengespräch über die Altersstudie der Tiroler Arbeiterkammer, bei dem die Chancen für die vielfältige - nicht zuletzt wirtschaftliche - Nutzung der zunehmenden Lebenserwartung von Menschen im Mittelpunkt standen. Es wird der Frage nachgegangen, inwiefern die systematische Ausblendung des "vierten Alters" in einschlägigen Debatten zu einer gesellschaftlichen Verdrängung wesentlicher Aspekte der Alterswahrnehmung beiträgt und die Ambivalenz des Alterns gesellschaftlich wie individuell tabuisiert. Mit der spätmodernen Tabuisierung sind vor allem jene Erfahrungen des Alterns angesprochen, von denen Menschen seit jeher sagen: "Ich mag sie nicht", wie sie das Buch Kohelet aus dem Alten Testament realistisch benennt. Im Zentrum des Beitrags stehen kritische Analysen zur religionspädagogisch inspirierten Nutzung des Alters im Hinblick auf religiöse Entwicklungs- und Bildungschancen, die nicht zuletzt vom integrativen Identitätskonzept E. Eriksons und der auf Ganzheit hin angelegten Identitätstheorie G.H. Meads gestützt sind; selbst das Sterben wird in den Entwicklungsoptimismus im Sinne einer letzten Chance zur Erreichung der "Ich-Integrität" einbezogen. Dem stehen biblische Bilder wie das aus dem Buch Kohelet und grundsätzliche theologische Überlegungen entgegen, die dem Entwicklungsoptimismus und der Verzweckung des Alterns und Sterbens die Ambivalenz der letzten Lebensphase realistisch gegenüberstellen.These reflections on the ambivalence of ageing are based on an experts’ discourse about a survey, which has been done by the Tyrolean Chamber of Labour concerning the situation of ageing. In the course of the mentioned discussion the various opportunities – and last but not least the economic ones – of an utilisation of the increasing life-expectancy were centred. In this article the question shall be discussed, to what extent a systematic ignoring of the so called forth age (Rosenmayr 1984) in corresponding debates has an impact on the social suppression of relevant aspects of the perception of ageing and in which way it fosters the individual as well as the social taboo of the ambivalence of old age. By this taboo I refer mainly to those experiences of old age, of which people ever since speak in the following way: "I have no pleasure in them" (Eccl. 12,1 b), as it is given in the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes in a very down-to-earth manner. This article outlines a critical analysis concerning the religious-pedagogical inspired utilisation of old age as an opportunity for (religious) development and formation. The criticised approach rests last but not least upon the integrative identity-concept according to E. Erikson and the identity-theory according to G.H. Mead, which focusses on wholeness. Even dying is here included into an optimistic view of human development in terms of seizing the last opportunity for reaching the "I-integrity". Opposed to this view there can be found biblical expressions and images – like the one from the book of Ecclesiastes – as well as fundamental theological reflections, which confront the optimism looking for progression and development resp. the utilisation of old age and dying with the ambivalence of the very last span of life in a realistic way

An International Approach to Challenging Violence Against Women in India

The objective of this thesis is to identify ways that international actors can be most effective in influencing policy change pertaining to women’s safety and security in India. Since the 1970s, domestic groups within India and international organizations have focused on promoting gender equality and combatting problematic social norms that beget discrimination and violence against women. This thesis examines some of the programs and campaigns that Indian governments and civil society actors – domestic and international – have implemented to promote the rights and protections of women. This thesis considers examples of finance, social networking, training, education, and information propagation, which are key ways that international actors can participate in efforts to combat prevailing attitudes that undermine the human dignity of girls and women in India. Because violence against women is systemic in nature, and because it is a social malaise that transcends culture, development professionals should frame issues of gender violence in terms of basic human rights. Fundamentally, international organizations are most effective in enhancing the status of women in India by providing grassroots organizations with critical resources to which they would not otherwise have access