Just When You Thought all the Good Ideas Were Taken

Some visual humor courtesy of my cousin Jon:

A Good Read: The Ghost Map

Here's a book worth reading (or listening to as I did): "The Ghost Map" by Steven Johnson.  It tells the story of how two individuals, Dr. John Snow, who created a map of the cholera cases, and the Reverend Henry Whitehead, whose extensive knowledge of the local community helped solve the mystery of perhaps the most intense outbreak of cholera in Victorian London (See 1854 Broad Street cholera outbreak). At the time the majority of London's intellectual elite embraced the miasma theory (e.g., Charles Dickens, Florence Nightingale), which held that diseases such as cholera or the Black Death were caused by pollution or "bad air."

Snow was skeptical, however, believing that cholera spreads through water contaminated by human waste, and along with Whitehead, whose possessed immense knowledge of the local community through of his frequent visits with his parishioners (especially during the outbreak), they eventually convinced the authorities that the source of the disease was the public water pump on Broad Street (now Broadwick Street). Convincing the authorities was no easy task, however. The idea that diseases could be spread by germs was greeted by many of those to whom Snow and Whitehead appealed (e.g. the press, leading scientists) with scorn. In the end, though, they won the day.

Interestingly, Whitehead was initially skeptical of Snow's theory. Like most intellectuals of his day, he adhered to the miasma theory. However, Snow's research, in particular his (ghost) maps of the Soho area cholera victims, eventually convinced Whitehead that the Broad Street pump was the source of the disease. Moreover, the combination of Whitehead's field work and Snow's demographic analysis set an important methodological precedent in the relatively new field of epidemiology.

The Devolution of the FARC

I just finished attending a conference/workshop on the FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia), which is a Colombian insurgent group based that is believed to be the oldest and, at its height, the largest guerrilla group in the world. It was originally founded in 1964 in order to protect rural peasants against the harsh policies of large landowners and to provide them with education in exchange for food and supplies. Since that time it has evolved into an international organization that now controls Colombia’s drug trade. Moreover, violence perpetrated by the FARC against innocent civilians has more than doubled since 2000. It has also been guilty of several other types of human rights violations. Not surprisingly the FARC's "devolution" has led many leftist intellectuals, who at one time supported the FARC, to denounce the movement.

I am reminded of what Eric Hoffer's once remarked: "Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket" (The True Believer). This certainly appears to be what happened to the FARC. It was founded in order to protect the poor and the oppressed, and now many of its victims are the very people it originally sought to protect. How sad.

More on "Research on Religion"

Recently, I mentioned the weekly "Research on Religion" that is sponsored by the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University and hosted by Anthony Gill, Professor of Political Science at the University of Washington. In that post, I provided the links to a few of the podcasts but provided few details. Here, I include links to some of those I mentioned before along with some other ones (you can also subscribe through iTunes); I've also included brief descriptions (from the Research on Religion website) of the podcasts, which should provide a better sense of what they're about.

• Eli Berman on Religious Terrorism: Prof. Eli Berman, professor of economics at UC-San Diego and Research Director of International Security Studies at the University of California’s Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, discusses his new book Radical, Religious, and Violent: The New Economics of Terrorism. Contrary to popular notions that suicide bombers are pyschologically-distressed or economically-disadvantagted individuals, Prof. Berman discusses how radical religious groups are rational in their selection of tactics. Using Laurence Iannaccone’s theory of strict religious clubs, Berman argues that radical religious groups excel at providing social services to their members, while simultaneously filtering out “free riders.” Here we discuss the case of ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel as well as the Amish. We then discuss how successful insurgency operations require that groups limit membership defection, since a defector could easily compromise the secrecy of an entire organization. Adherence to strict religious requirements (e.g., intensive religious training, dietary restrictions, distinct clothing) provides behavioral signals about the loyalty of an individual to a group, making radical religious sects an ideal recruiting ground for rebels. We do not discuss the particular grievances of various terrorist organizations; rather the discussion focuses on the organizational aspects of terrorism and insurgency. 

• Roger Finke on Religious Persecution: Roger Finke — professor of sociology and religious studies at Penn State University and director of The Association of Religion Data Archives — takes us on a journey around the globe to discover how and why religious persecution arises in some nations but not others. Based on his book The Price of Freedom Denied (co-authored with Brian Grim), Prof. Finke makes the argument that religious liberty is a vital component of all civil liberties in society. He makes the case that small violations of religious freedom (often in the form of seemingly innocuous regulations) can open the door to an erosion of other freedoms and invite various forms of religious persecution. We detail some of these regulations focusing on the importance of registration requirements for religious groups. Also, Roger challenges an interpretation of Samuel Huntington’s “clash of civilizations” theses, claiming that it is not the presence of two different religious cultures within a nation that automatically gives rise to conflict, but rather the various laws that regulate different faith traditions that sets the table for whether or not conflict (and persecution) will arise. We pepper our discussion with examples from France, Russia, China, Japan, Iran, Nigeria and the United States. 

• Philip Jenkins on Global Christianity: In a conversation that covers two millenia of Christian history and every region of the world, noted historian Philip Jenkins – the Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of the Humanities at the Pennsylvania State University and Distinguished Senior Fellow at Baylor University’s Institute for Study of Religion — talks about the ever-changing nature of Christianity. Our discussion begins with a reminder that a strong understanding of history is essential for understanding the contemporary religious world. Contrary to the popular notion that Christianity is a European faith, Jenkins reveals that this religious tradition had an extensive geographic reach through its inception up until the 13th century. The podcast then turns attention to how Christianity has been growing and changing in the “global South,” which includes Africa, Asia and Latin America. We see how Pentecostal and charismatic forms of Christianity tend to predominate in these regions and discuss how Christians on these continents view The Bible. We end our discussion with some speculation on how religion in the “global South” may be influencing Christian beliefs and practices in Europe and North America.

• Byron Johnson on More God, Less Crime: How effective are religious-based rehabilitation programs in reducing recidivism among released prisoners?  We invite Prof. Byron Johnson, co-founder and director of Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion and author of More God, Less Crime, to discuss his comprehensive research into this issue. We begin with a review of how church-state partnerships have helped to reduce juvenile delinquency in places such as Boston and Philadelphia, and then turn out attention to general theories of whether incarcerated individuals can be rehabilitated or not. Based on numerous studies, including his own, Byron takes a firm stance in favor of rehabilitation and argues forcefully for faith-based educational programs in jail. We then talk about Chuck Colson’s Prison Fellowship and devote a significant amount of time to examining the InnerChange Freedom Initiative (IFI) sponsored by the Prison Fellowship in a Houston-area penitentary. Byron reviews how inmates are accepted into the program, what the IFI entails, and reveals that graduates of this program show a remarkable decrease in recidivism rates. We address the methodological skeptics by talking about some of the limitations of the study and Byron makes a good case that participants in this program are, if anything, the least likely to show any progress yet the IFI program does yield an insipiring success rate. The last part of our interview focuses on the critical need for “aftercare” — i.e., developing church-based mentoring programs for paroled or released convicts. While most of the energy in prison ministries is devoted to what goes on inside the jail walls, the long-term success of these programs requires extensive follow up when former prisoners are released into environments that can often tempt them back into old habits. We also discuss the opportunity for greater partnerships between religious organizations and local, state, and federal agencies that are cost-effective and an attractive alternative to purely government-based.

• Daniel Philpott on Religious Resurgence & Democratization: Is the global resurgence in public religiosity over the past 40 years linked in any way to the increase in democratic governance over the same period of time? Prof. Dan Philpott (Notre Dame) covers the historical trends of church-state relations and discusses how changes in political theologies and the increasing independence of religious organizations have provided a fertile ground for political democratization in some corners of the world. We examine how and why some religious traditions have been involved in promoting democracy under authoritarian conditions. Our discussion turns toward some speculation about the future of the “Arab Spring” at the end of our interview. This is the first part of a discussion of the book “God’s Century: Resurgent Religion and Global Politics.”

• Rodney Stark on the Crusades: What motivated the Crusaders to pick up arms and travel to the Holy Land? How did a group of Christian soldiers succeed in winning battle after battle even when they were significantly outnumbered? Rodney Stark, Distinguished Professor of the Social Sciences at Baylor University and co-director of the Institute for Studies of Religion, reviews a number of contemporary myths about the Crusades and offers some new and revived explanations for what happened in the conflict between Christians and Muslims in the 12th and 13th centuries. We discuss the differences in technological innovation between the two civilizations, why the Crusaders did not focus much attention on Spain, and why the topic of the Crusades has become so salient in contemporary times. This podcast is based upon Prof. Stark’s bestselling book, God’s Battalions: The Case for the Crusades.

• Bradley R.E. Wright on Christian Stereotypes: Bradley R.E. Wright, associate professor of sociology at the University of Connecticut, discusses his new book, Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites … and Other Lies You’ve Been Told. Is it true that evangelical Protestants have a divorce rate equal to or higher than the secular public? Are Christians really more honest than their unchurched counterparts? Are evangelicals simply poor, white Southerners who are easily led? Using data from a variety of sources, Prof. Wright challenges some commonly held myths about Protestantism in America — myths that are not only propogated by a secular media, but often perpetuated by Christian leaders themselves! We end the podcast with an observation that it may be harmful for Christian ministers to alarm the public about the decline of religion and Christianity.

Some of you may have noticed that in an earlier post I discussed Byron Johnson's finding that increased religiosity is inversely related to crime and delinquency ("More God, Less Crime").  Chances are, I'll return to some of the podcasts listed above (and their related books) in later posts. All of them offer interesting insights of which many, if not most, people are unaware.

Satirizing Mormons Redux

In a recent post ("Broadway, Memphis (the Musical), and The Book of Mormon (the Musical)"), I reflected on why it was seemingly OK to make fun of some religious groups (e.g., Mormons) but not others (e.g., Muslims). Of course, the Mormon Church (officially the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) is not the only religious group that is occasionally subject to ridicule, but I can't keep from wondering why the Mormons have become one of the targets. I suspect that part of the reason is that many Americans simply think that Mormons are "weird" and thus worthy of scorn, in spite of the fact that those who have actually taken the time to study Latter-day Saints have discovered that Mormons tend to act in ways and like the same types of things that most Americans do. Take, for instance, the following list of well-known Mormons; as far as I know, within their respective professions, they weren't a whole lot different than everyone else:

• Jack Anderson, Pulitzer Prize newspaper columnist and journalist
• David Archuleta, Runner-up in American Idol (Season 7)
• David H. Bailey, Co-author of an algorithm about pi.
• Stanford Cazier, President of California State University, Chico, and Utah State University
• Stephen R. Covey, Author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
• Dennis Eckersley, Hall of Fame pitcher
• Henry Eyring, Professor of Chemistry at Princeton University and the University of Utah
• Gordon Gee, President of Ohio State University
• Harmon Killebrew, Hall of Fame 1st baseman for the Minnesota Twins
• J.W. "Bill" Marriott, Jr., Chairman and CEO, Marriott International
• Armand Mauss, Sociologist of Religion, Washington State University
• David Neeleman, Founder of JetBlue Airways and Azul Brazilian Airlines
• Merlin Olsen, Hall of Fame defensive tackle, Los Angeles Rams
• Anne Perry, British historical novelist; author of the William Monk and Thomas Pitt series
• Harry Reid, Senate Majority Leader, (D-Nevada)

And, of course...

• Steve Young, Hall of Fame quarterback, San Francisco 49ers

I am reminded of (and will conclude with) something that the sociologist Rodney Stark, who is not a Mormon but has studied them extensively, once wrote in the preface to his book, The Rise of Mormonism:

My "notorious" numbers (in 1984 Stark authored a paper that accurately projected the near future growth of the Mormon church) [have translated] into unwelcome calls from the media whenever they think of something new to say about or to blame the Latter-day Saints. The last few weeks before the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics were dreadful. Most of the news people who called had their agenda down pat, knew exactly what quotation they wanted from me, and were uneducable. The knew the LDS Church had brought the Olympics to Utah to "brainwash" thousands of visitors into joining their faith. I told many of them that if Mormon missionaries could work such miracles, the press would not be calling me, since, for obvious reasons, the press would have been the very first targets of LDS "brainwashing." But they simply didn't get it. Fortunately, every sportswriter who called me got it immediately, recognized it as giving the knockout punch to brainwashing charges, and went on to write sensible things about the Mormons. Do all smart journalism majors flee into the sports departments?

Tithing and Stewardship

Stewardship season is coming up for many, if not most, faith communities, and in the August 23rd issue of the Christian Century I ran across an anecdote told by political scientist Michael Walzer, whom I've referenced before in posts on the Just War Tradition. In 1948, the year of Walzer's bar mitzvah, Walzer's parents took him to a Jewish fund-raising banquet. After a speech by a guest speaker, pledge cards were distributed with the expectation that they'd be filled out immediately. The owner of one of the more prominent stores in town, who also knew the financial status of most of the families present, was in charge of reviewing the pledges. If he thought a family wasn't pledging enough, he tore up the card and handed it back to them. Imagine what would happen if today's churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples ran pledge drives like that!

According to Walzer the Hebrew word tzedakah can mean that giving is both an act of both charity and justice, which suggests that to not give what we're capable of giving to the poor is nothing less than taking something from them.

Happy Anniversary: One Year and Counting

It's hard to believe, but today marks the one year anniversary of this blog. When I started it, I wasn't sure I'd have enough to write, but 134 posts later (not including this one), it looks like my fears were misplaced.

One thing I discovered is that Google tracks how many people visit my blog (over 7,000 visits in the past year), where they're from (see below), what device they used to link to it (see below), and how many hits each post (see below). When someone just clicks on a link to the blog, the visit isn't recorded, at least not to a specific post, which means it probably underestimates the number of times each post has been visited. Nevertheless, the individual counts are probably fairly accurate in terms of which posts were more popular.  As of today, the most popular ones over the past year are:

1. Should Christians Celebrate bin Laden's Death?
2. On the Lighter Side: Memorable Baseball Quotes
3. Facebook, Social Networking and Social Network Analysis
4. That Was Awkward Billboard: Matthew 24:36
5. The Twelve Days of Christmas

Of these, the first one has been visited more than five times as much as the second. In fact, it attracted more visits than the next four combined.

To be sure, because the more recent posts haven't been around as long, all else being equal, they should have had fewer visits. With that in mind, here are the most popular ones for the last month:

1. Should Christians Celebrate bin Laden's Death?
2. Lifetime Laker Jerry West a San Francisco (oops, Golden State) Warrior?
3. That Was Awkward Billboard: Matthew 24:36
4. Sports Illustrated's Best Sports Songs
5. The Redemption of Brooks Conrad

In terms of where people are from who visit my blog, the U.S. (not surprisingly) comes in first, then Costa Rica (thank you Gary and Mylinda), the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Canada, India, the Philippines, Germany, Australia, and the Netherlands. I've also attracted visits from visitors from Ethiopia, Russia, Turkey, and Brazil. Go figure.

That's all for now. I trying to figure out what to write next...