American Families of Faith

The Inner Logic of Religion(s) | Audio Article 27

"In this [audio article], we discuss the “inner logic” of religion(s). That is, how religious thinking and acting is important to understand on their own terms and not simply as merely psychological or sociological in nature. Unfortunately, across the social sciences, a typical approach to the study of religion and religions is to reduce religion to sociology or to psychology by imposing sociological or psychological perspectives onto religion."

 

David Dollahite reads the article, "The Inner Logic of Religion(s)" which was originally published in Public Square Magazine on July 7, 2021.

Strengths in Diverse American Families of Faith | Audio Article 26

"A sad irony of life in contemporary America is that large numbers of people who devote a great deal of time, effort, and money to get into fictional alternate worlds, while at the same time, most Americans seem unable or unwilling to devote much effort to better understanding the religious worlds of their fellow citizens. Thus, many Americans spend hundreds of hours watching and reading about fictional worlds, yet know very little about the religious worlds of their neighbors, coworkers, friends, and family members.

"This can have real-world consequences. Religious hate crimes, particularly against minority faiths, are increasing. FBI data indicate that hate crimes against Muslims rose 67% between 2014 and 2015 and the first quarter of 2017 showed 541 anti-Semitic incidents including 161 bomb threats. Of course, very few will think about or perpetrate hate crimes, but our qualitative data likewise confirm that many members of religious minorities experience various forms of misunderstanding, bias, and discrimination. Our experience and observations have convinced us that as most people learn about the religious beliefs, practices, cultures, and experiences of their fellow citizens they become better friends, neighbors, and family members."

 

Loren Marks reads the article, "Strengths in Diverse American Families of Faith" which was originally published in Public Square Magazine on June 17, 2021.

Perceptions of Nonreligious Parents | Audio Article 25

"Although religious intolerance and marginalization still exist today, research suggests that perhaps one of the most marginalized groups is those who report no religion. Through interviews with 31 nonreligious couples, we investigated what nonreligious parents want religious people to understand about them and their families.

 

". . . we identified three themes related to what our participants wanted religious people to know: (1) we are good people, good parents, and not that different from you; (2) religion does not equate with morality; and (3) do not judge beliefs, actions are what matter. We identified an additional theme regarding how they would like to convey these and other matters to religious people, that we termed as (4) I do/do not want to talk about religion and here is why."

 

Laura McKeighen reads the scholarly article, "Perceptions of Nonreligious Parents" which was originally published in Journal of Family Issues on March 4, 2022.

Will My Kids Keep the Faith? Parents’ Hopes and Children’s Choices | Audio Article 24

"The balance between parents’ profound desires for children to remain faithful and their simultaneous desire to honor their children’s agency showed up over and over in our own American Families of Faith project. As we’ve probed deeper into parents’ wishes to have their children remain in their religion, we discovered different ways parents navigated this significant wrestle."

 

Laura McKeighen reads the article, "Will My Kids Keep the Faith? Parents’ Hopes and Children’s Choices" which was originally published in Public Square Magazine on May 5, 2022.

Holy Envy: Asian Christian Families | Highlights 04

Dr. Loren Marks, co-director of the American Families of Faith project, reflects on his "holy envy" for Asian Christian families in the United States. Their courage to embrace change in a new land, sincerely follow their beliefs, and serve through pragmatic collectivism are a few of the strengths to be admired among the Asian Christian community.

This podcast features conversations about faith and family life between the co-directors of the American Families of Faith project (http://AmericanFamiliesofFaith.byu.edu), Dr. David Dollahite and Dr. Loren Marks. This podcast is edited, syndicated, and marketed by Laura McKeighen, the Outreach Director for the American Families of Faith project.

If you’d like more insight into how religious families draw on their spiritual beliefs to strengthen their marital relationships and parenting, check out our public scholarship articles at Public Square Magazine.

Holy Envy: What We Learn By Studying Other Faiths | Audio Article 23

"The term holy envy was developed by the late Krister Stendahl, who was Dean of the Harvard Divinity School and then Church of Sweden Bishop of Stockholm. This concept is core to the multi-faith research my colleagues and I do in the American Families of Faith project.

"At the end of the semester, students write a paper on holy envy. This assignment asks students to “List and briefly discuss the 5 most important, personally meaningful, and/or helpful ideas you learned this semester about how those of other faiths practice their religion about which you felt some kind of holy envy.”

"I would like to share what students in one class from one university learned about one idea: holy envy."

 

David Dollahite reads the article, "Holy Envy: What We Learn By Studying Other Faiths" which was originally published in RealClearReligion on May 4, 2020.

What is Holy Envy? | Highlights 02

Dr. Loren Marks and Dr. David Dollahite, co-directors of the American Families of Faith project, share thoughts about how their study of various families of faith has led them to a sense of deep admiration or “holy envy” for religious practices from other faiths.

The "empathy wall" is an obstacle to a deep understanding of someone else that can make us feel indifferent or even hostile to those that hold different beliefs.

Our hope religiously, is that we will be able to foster and facilitate a deeper understanding of how persons and families in eight different faith communities live their lives. We strive to climb the "empathy wall" and hope you join us in developing a deep respect and "holy envy": to see in someone else, attributes and elements that others can envy in a holy, or righteous, kind of way.

This podcast features conversations about faith and family life between the Co-directors of the American Families of Faith project (http://AmericanFamiliesofFaith.byu.edu) Dr. David Dollahite and Dr. Loren Marks. This podcast is edited, syndicated, and marketed by Laura McKeighen, the Outreach Director for the American Families of Faith project.

If you’d like more insight into how religious families draw on their spiritual beliefs to strengthen their marital relationships and parenting, check out our public scholarship articles at Public Square Magazine.

Genuine Faith Practiced at Home Is a Powerful Antidote to Apocalyptic Fear | Audio Article 22

"The diverse families of faith we have interviewed practiced a wide range of religious rituals and activities at home. These practices reportedly deepened their faith in God and strengthened their sense of connection with their family members. Such patterns of home-based worship take on pointed relevance in our current COVID-19 context where houses of worship have been closed. 

"Prayer, studying scripture, singing hymns, lighting candles, discussing spiritual topics, storytelling, a shared meal—all of these shared acts can be elements of family worship. And service to others in the human family comprises yet another way for families to worship God together. "

 

Loren Marks reads the article, "Genuine Faith Practiced at Home Is a Powerful Antidote to Apocalyptic Fear" which was originally published in Institute for Family Studies on April 2, 2020.

Holy Weeks in the Shadow of Death | Audio Article 21

"In my experience, both 9/11 and COVID-19 involve grief over profound losses, anxieties and fears about the future, suspicions of others, and divisions across political lines, as well as increased prayers for self and others, increased desire to understand those who are suffering or are different, and greater efforts to build bridges across various divides."

"To encourage hope during these difficult times, I would like to share some personal memories from the first Holy Week following 9/11."

 

David Dollahite reads the article, "Holy Weeks in the Shadow of Death" which was originally published in RealClearReligion on April 17, 2020.

Why This Project? | Highlights 01

Why the American Families of Faith Project: Enriching & Strengthening Families

In the social sciences there tends to be a focus on weaknesses and why things go wrong. The American Families of Faith Project brings a much needed balance to the study of marriages and families by focusing on the features and origins of relational strengths and health. 

 

This podcast features conversations about faith and family life between the Co-directors of the American Families of Faith project (http://AmericanFamiliesofFaith.byu.edu) Dr. David Dollahite and Dr. Loren Marks. This podcast is edited, syndicated, and marketed by Laura McKeighen, the Outreach Director for the American Families of Faith project.

If you’d like more insight into how religious families draw on their spiritual beliefs to strengthen their marital relationships and parenting, check out our public scholarship articles at Public Square Magazine.