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Assisted reproduction, with its test tubes, injections, and gamete donors, raises concerns about the nature of life and kinship. Yet these concerns do not take the same shape around the world. In this innovative ethnography of in vitro fertilization in Ecuador, Elizabeth F.S. Roberts explores how reproduction by way of biotechnological assistance is not only accepted but embraced despite widespread poverty and condemnation from the Catholic Church. Roberts' intimate portrait of IVF practitioners and their patients reveals how technological intervention is folded into an Andean understanding of reproduction as always assisted, whether through kin or God. She argues that the Ecuadorian incarnation of reproductive technology is less about a national desire for modernity than it is a product of colonial racial history, Catholic practice, and kinship configurations. God's Laboratory offers a grounded introduction to critical debates in medical anthropology and science studies, as well as a nuanced ethnography of the interplay between science, religion, race and history in the formation of Andean families.

Winner of the 2024 Donald W. Light Award for Applied Medical Sociology, American Sociological Association's Section on Medical Sociology One out of every six patients in the United States is treated in a Catholic hospital that follows the policies of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. These policies prohibit abortion, sterilization, contraception, some treatments for miscarriage and gender confirmation, and other reproductive care, undermining hard-won patients' rights to bodily autonomy and informed decision-making. Drawing on rich interviews with patients and providers, this book reveals both how the bishops' directives operate and how people inside Catholic hospitals navigate the resulting restrictions on medical practice. In doing so, Bishops and Bodies fleshes out a vivid picture of how The Church's stance on sex, reproduction, and \"life\" itself manifests in institutions that affect us all.

This chapter examines pertinent Roman Catholic and conservative Protestant beliefs regarding sex that might influence the progression of sex therapy. It outlines the basic, and fairly consistent, beliefs and teachings regarding sex of both Roman Catholic and conservative Protestant traditions, and suggests possible situations in which these teaching and beliefs about sex might intersect and influence the therapeutic process. The chapter also highlights the paramount ethical concerns that arise with the merger of sexual therapy and spirituality/religion. The most commonly reported client sexual issues can be grouped into two basic categories: problems that are not explicitly related to a client's religious values and beliefs, and problems that are more closely tied to religious and spiritual background. An awareness of the spiritual/religious background of clients would seem to be a professional necessity for the sex therapist.

Byron, aged ten, moved from Presbyterian Aberdeen to Newstead Abbey in 1798. The abbey was despoiled at the Reformation but still bore witness to ‘the old faith and the old feelings’ (DJ, XV, 46) that had shaped it. It was, presumably, Byron’s first direct exposure to any kind of Catholicism. Some twenty-five years later and in Italy, he is still writing about it and presenting it as a secular house that still preserves something of its sacral, specifically Catholic, character. He is clearly sympathetic to this, but the first references in his poetry to Catholicism tell a different tale. The

(Axiological Systems in the XXI century: A Collage. The downfall of axiological systems based on beliefs and the co-existence of varied beliefs in the spiritual market) - DOI – 10.5752/P.2175-5841.2012v10n28p1295ResumenPretendemos mostrar como los sistemas axiológicos de creencias provenientes de las religiones no están vigentes en la actualidad. Para ello mostramos algunos datos del Banco Mundial que muestran como los sistemas heterónomos de creencias no funcionan como orientadores de la vida personal y social del individuo. También facilitamos información sobre la disminución de los que se autoadscriben como pertenecientes a un sistema de creencias y además demostramos mediante las estadísticas que no existe relación entre autoadscribirse como miembro de un sistema de creencias y  mantener unas determinadas creencias.   Clarificamos la noción de creencia comúnmente utilizada como supuesto acrítico y otros usos del lenguaje corriente y del lenguaje científico. Utilizamos estadísticas de Catalunya, España, y de algunos países de Europa y América. Concluimos que si los sistemas axiológicos de los individuos no vienen determinados por las religiones, entonces ¿qué sistemas axiológicos tenemos que sean capaces de cohesionar y motivar los individuos hacia fines valiosos comunes?Palabras clave: Sistemas Axiológicos. Creencias. Religión.  Cualidad humana. Estadísticas. España católica Abstract We aim at showing why axiological systems coming from religion are not operative currently. To do this we show World Bank data where it is manifested that heteronomous systems of beliefs are not in force to orient the personal and social life of the individuals. We also communicate the declining numbers of those that register themselves as believers and we also reveal that there is no relationship between registering oneself as a believer in an axiological system and effectively holding and “believing” the beliefs of that axiological system. We clarify the common use of the term belief as a non-critical assumption, and other uses of the term in natural language and scientific language. We use statistical data for Catalonia, Spain and some countries of Europe and America. We conclude by asking if individuals’ axiological systems are not determined by religions, then What axiological systems do we have able to cohere and motivate individuals towards valuable common futures? Keywords: Axiological systems. Beliefs, Religion. Human Quality. Statistics. Spain Catholic

This chapter contains sections titled: References and Further Reading

A book about how Scotland's Catholics participated in the extension of citizenship in Scotland and how it was transformed from an underground and isolated church to a multi-faceted institution that existed on a national scale. -- .

The other playlets never achieve the same level of wit or poignancy. \"Catholic Man\" finds protagonist Paul (Christopher Loftus) hypnotically induced to believe he is a religious superhero (the \"Lion of Lent,\" the \"Keeper of Christmas,\" humble, enduring, and celibate) and what happens when he encounters a nubile young woman, Francie (Lindsay Joy). In \"Santa's Holiday Confession,\" a priest (Loftus) confronts a most improbable couple of sinners - Santa Claus (Robert Saoud) and Natalie (Joy), the \"mouth-watering mother\" and oatmeal-cookie baker with whom the \"jolly old elf\" has dallied while delivering the Christmas toys. These scenes, plus a musical interlude for Saoud (a not-so-funny reworking of the old novelty song about how love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage), seem like filler. Perhaps Neary should craft a few more porch scenes for the three ladies - certainly there is plenty of sexual absurdity out there to keep the trio baffled to the end of their days.

This study of English Benedictine nuns is based upon a wide variety of original manuscripts, including chronicles, death notices, clerical instructions, texts of spiritual guidance, but also the nuns' own collections of notes. It highlights the tensions between the contemplative ideal and the nuns' personal experiences, illustrating the tensions between theory and practice in the ideal of being dead to the world. It shows how Benedictine convents were both cut-off and enclosed yet very much in touch with the religious and political developments at home, but also proposes a different approach to the history of nuns, with a study of emotions and the senses in the cloister, delving into the textual analysis of the nuns' personal and communal documents to explore aspect of a lived spirituality, when the body which so often hindered the spirit, at times enabled spiritual experience.

This article deals with the relationship between young Catholics, their faith, and the Church. Several studies show a progressive distancing of the new generations from traditional religions, especially in European societies. This research focuses on young Catholics and observes their way of believing and belonging. Data collection was conducted in the religious and cultural context of the Diocese of Rome through semi-structured interviews with young key informants chosen for their educational engagement with their faith community. The results, analyzed through a reflective and positional approach conducted with N-vivo, highlight the emerging sensitivities of young people interested in the experience of faith and involvement in their community, despite a critical and not submissive sense of belonging towards the ecclesial institution and the proposed educational pathways for young people who are adapting to this new condition.