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Background: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder in which the main symptoms are abdominal pain or discomfort combined with diarrhoea and/or constipation. Personal petitionary prayer – asking God for help and support when facing problems in life – is among the most common forms of prayer and can be viewed as a coping strategy when managing health problems. Previous research on the effects of personal petitionary prayer has showed conflicting findings and there are indications that prayer can be associated with more problems when facing stressful somatic problems such as chronic pain in Swedish settings rather than the opposite and expected benefits from praying. The present master-thesis was informed by the coping theory by Lazarus and Folkman (1984) and a theoretical perspective of prayer as a religious coping strategy.

Aims: The aim was to investigate associations between personal petitionary prayer as a coping strategy and IBS symptoms, quality of life and anxiety. A second aim was to investigate if use of prayer would change 10 weeks later and if IBS symptoms at baseline could predict prayer assessed 10 weeks later.

Methods: The data in this master-thesis were collected in association with a treatment trial on internet-delivered cognitive behaviour therapy for IBS (Ljótsson et al., 2010). Data were derived from all 85 self-selected participants who had been included in the treatment trial. The three-item self-report measure of prayer which is  part of  the Coping Strategies Questionnaire for pain was used. I also included data on self-report measures of IBS symptoms and IBS-related quality of life and anxiety, and finally a measure of symptoms of depression. The sample included were mainly women (85%), with some form of higher education (64%) and finally fairly young (Mean age 34.6 years). Data on prayer have not been published before. 10 week follow-up data were available for 37 participants. 

Results: Statistically significant cross-sectional correlations were found between the prayer scale score and IBS-related quality of life (r =-.44, p<.01) and with gastrointestinal symptom-specific anxiety (r=.42, p<.01), which indicates that more use of prayer is associated with  lower quality of life and more anxiety symptoms. Regression analyses entering prayer in competition with the other variables as predictors showed that prayer was more consistently associated with IBS-related quality of life which also predicted prayer. Use of prayer did not change over the 10-week period and prayer at 10 weeks could not be predicted.

Interpretation: In line with some previous research personal petitionary prayer can be associated with more rather than less problems with health. It is important to note that personal prayer is one form of prayer and that long term effects may show different results. Finally, the role of religious affiliation and cultural aspects need to be considered in future research.

The purpose of this study was to analyze deconversion and its narrative in Tara Westover’s autobiography Educated. The study aimed to answer three key questions: What does Westover’s path to deconversion look like in Educated? How can Westover’s deconversion be interpreted from the perspective of Helen Rose Fuchs Ebaugh’s (1988) model for exit processes? What type of deconversion story does Educated reflect in light of Heinz Strieb et al. (2009) theory about deconversion stories? The material has been analyzed through qualitative content analysis and qualitative narrative analysis. The findings point to a long and uneven deconversion for Westover. The result suggests that her deconversion started when she left for college and continued until she broke off from her parents and their convictions. Results also show that Westover’s deconversion does not follow the narrative of Ebaughs model for exit processes even though she goes through all the phases of the theory. The narrative in Westover’s story is the most comparable to Streib et al.’s deconversion stories Pursuit of autonomy and Debarred from paradise, as their characteristics are very similar to those in Westover’s description of her deconversion.

Today Sweden is one of the most secularized countries in the world and almost nowhere do so few believe that traditional religion plays a role in their lives. The purpose of this study is to investigate and analyze how secularization is portrayed in nine selected textbooks intended for middle school education and also to analyze how this result can be understood from two perspectives: secularization and modernization.  To clarify this purpose through a specific inquiry, two research questions have been formulated: How is secularization presented in the different textbooks? and How can the production of educational materials be understood in terms of secularization and modernization?. The aim is also to achieve this by using pre-selected analytical questions that will help answer the research question along with the selected excerpts in the material. The theory used in this study consists of the definitions of secularization and modernization presented and discussed in Bruce (2002, 2011) and Davie (2013). Bruce (2002, 2011) discusses the role of modernization in the decline of religion in society and the emergence of the secular society, where rationality, science, and technology became increasingly important. The discussion also assumes that the rise of secularization is a development of modernization. Davie (2013) initially discusses how modernization and the separation of church and state created a society that no longer relied on religious thinking but instead on empirical and ethical approaches. 

Since the essay aims to study how textbooks present a concept, a content analysis of qualitative significance has been conducted to select and analyze what the author intends to convey through their portrayal of secularization. To structure the presented material, a coding process has been conducted to identify the context in which secularization is portrayed and presented in the different textbooks. The coding categories are as follows: "Secularization as the main part of the context," "Secularization as a part alternatively labeled in the context," and "Secularization not presented." Based on these codes, a thematization of the material has been carried out to use the analytical questions that have been employed to answer the research question. The themes are as follows: 'secularization,' 'modernization,' 'micro-level,' and 'macro-level.' The conclusions that this study has been able to identify and establish are that secularization can be portrayed and presented in several different ways. It is up to the author to focus on which perspective, starting point, or societal level secularization should be used. 

This project brings up topics of how football (soccer) can fill the same function as religion and therefore be a secular outlook on life for teenagers and young adults. As a fan of the beautiful game myself 

of how football could potentially affect a person. In this study football–fan experiences are viewed through the scope of Sorrentinos movie “The Hand of God” (2021) as well as Edges biography “Faith 

of Our Fathers – Football as religion” (1999). The question for this study was: 

How does football contribute to ontological security and meaning making for Alan Edge in his youth and for the character Fabietto? 

The purpose of why this study was made was to explore how football can work as a secular outlook on life as previously mentioned. 

For this particular study, a qualitative analysis method was used to gather as much useful data as possible out of the previously mentioned sources. It involved several steps of rinsing the collected data to have more focused results that could be further analyzed through the lens of the theory of this project. 

The theory used for this project was based on Lloyd’s thesis from 2018 about how ontological security, existential meaning making and emotion regulation are needed for a young person’s outlook on life. This theory was then slightly adjusted for purpose of applying it to my own study. 

In the concluding parts of this work, it becomes clear that football does work as a secular outlook on life for the individuals in question. 

The purpose of the study has been to examine how meaning is created in the song lyrics of the Swedish gangster rapper Ant Wan. This has been done partly by iden- tifying the meaning-making themes in the song lyrics and partly by using Park's (2010) theory of meaning-making. To investigate this, two research questions have been used: 

The first is "What existential meaning-making themes can be reflected in the song lyrics?" and the second is "In what way are the existential meaning-making themes presented in Ant Wans song lyrics and how can they be understood based on Park's meaning-making theory?"

The method underlying the entire study is a qualitative content analysis with an abductive approach and the material has undergone coding and thematic processes based on Boréus & Bergström (2005) and Lindgren (2014). The theory used in the study is Crystal Park's (2010) theory and model of meaning making. 

The conclusion of the study shows that there were existential meaning-making themes in Ant Wans song texts and these themes could be explained based on Crystal Park's (2010) theory of meaning-making. The themes that could be identi- fied in the lyrics were Existential questions, Love, Religion and Criminality. These themes were then explained based on the theory that some form of process could be interpreted in the texts based on the concepts of global meaning and situational meaning. Finally, the analysis shows that there are several parallels between the theory and the empirical data used to create an understanding of the content of the text extracts. The conclusion of the study also shows that traces of previous research and its results could be found in this study's results and analysis. 

The aim of this study is to examine the potential of coping theory in the analysis of a life story presented in a podcast. This was achieved through the following research questions:

What aspects are emphasized in Sebastian Stakset's past lifestyle and current life? Which themes in Stakset's life story reveal that the medium used to convey it is a podcast? How does Pargament's coping theory function in the analysis of a life transformation story presented in a podcast?

The study employed the methods podcast ethnography and qualitative content analysis to answer these questions, based on the theoretical framework of coping theory, podcast as a tool for individual change, and prior research. The results indicate that Stakset's childhood, mental health, criminal background, music career, and religious conversion comprise the primary areas of focus in his life story. The story is influenced by elements such as success, marketing, newsworthiness, listener interactions, and language use due to its presentation in a podcast. The study reveals connections between coping theory and the transformation of orientation systems into specific practices, maintenance and change mechanisms, significance, and stressful situations. However, some assumptions could not be linked due to a lack of manifest expression or infrequent occurrence. This suggests that some of the assumptions of coping theory can be utilized when applied to a life story communicated through a podcast but needs to be refined to cover all assumptions.

This is a study about an ecofeminist perspective on contemporary paganism among women on instagram. It takes off along with former studies that have researched feminist and psychological aspects of women's use of mythological figures and feminine god symbols and paganism on instagram. The purpose of this study is to examine what worldview surrounds the seemingly feminist and neopagan expressions on instagram and to interpret them with Plumwood’s ecofeminist theory of dualism supplemented with Christ's theoretical additions on how the divine relates to the previous theory. The goal is to contribute to the research that examines neopagan women on Instagram and the connection between neopaganism and ecofeminism. The purpose is answered through questions about which worldview is expressed in the instagram posts and how the posts can be understood based on Plumwood and Christ's ecofeminist theory of dualism. They are answered through a qualitative content analysis and with the help of a quantitative compilation of necessary parts of the material needed to apply the theory. Feminist and neopagan expressions can be seen through a cyclical worldview where people and certainly women are encouraged to follow the cycles of nature, in opposition to capitalism, with a focus on rest during winter and menstruation. Positive qualities and agency are attributed to women, animals and nature can, based on Plumwood's ecofeminist theory, be seen as an ecofeminist approach to break the prevailing dualism between nature and culture. The changeable such as body, emotions and personal transformation is highly valued in the material which can be understood, based on Christ's theoretical addition, to emphasize the downgraded part of the dualism nature and culture. These ecofeminist expressions are framed by a religious worldview where a higher power or something greater, often in the form of the Goddess and nature itself or the elements of nature such as the moon and healing herbs, is believed to hold and guide people towards their highest good.

One of the most popular and one of the most controversial contemporary artists is Kanye West. Both in his lyrics and in social and news media he expresses a vast variety of opinions and thoughts, and through that he has made himself a spokesperson in a lot of different cultural areas and communitys. 

This study aims to show how themes connected to the Christian identity as well as the afro-american identity is represented in the lyrics of Kanye West, which has led to the following questions: 1) Which Christian themes can be identified in the lyrics of the albums The Life Of Pablo (2016) and Jesus Is King (2019)? 2) Which African themes can be identified in the lyrics of the albums? And 3) How can the interaction between expressions of Christian and African American identity be understood from an intersectional perspective?

To answere theese questions a content analysis has been made, where two Christian themes (Spiritual change and rebirth and the narrative identity as a preacher) was identified as well as two afro-american themes (Slavery and materialism and conspicuous consumption). On top of that an intersectional theorethical perspective was added on which showed that the lyrics on the albums provided expressions of uniqe experiences through the intersection between the identities. 

Around the turn of the millennium a murder case took place in a small village in Sweden called Knutby. This case took place within a pentecostal church called Filadelfiaförsamlingen and the whole thing became  huge in the media. Many mediasources refer to Filadelfiaförsamlingen as a sect for many different reasons. Later on a writer called Jonas Bonnier wrote a novel called “Knutby” based on this murdercase and Filadelfiaförsamlingen. Although, Jonas Bonnier does not refer to Filadelfiaförsamlingen as a sect in his novel like many mediasourses tend to do. Therefore this study seeks to examine if the pentecostal church Jonas Bonnier describes in his novel “Knutby” can be defined as a sect. To make this possible this study is going to use Roy Wallis and his definition of a sect. The first framing of a question in this study is about how the pentacostal church is described in the novel “Knutby” by Jonas Bonnier.  The second framing of a question in this study is about whether the pentacostal church described by Jonas Bonnier can be defined as a sect or not according to Roy Wallis definition of a sect.  The purpose of this study is to examine if the pentacostal church described by Jonas Bonnier can be defined as a sect according to Roy Wallis definition of a sect. This study refers to use a qualitative method as well as a deductive approach. The method is furthermore divided into five different steps and the analysis provides to be a content analysis. The conclusions of this study are divided into two parts. The first part of the conclusion concludes that the pentacostal church described by Jonas Bonnier is a small church with their own unique values and rules. Some of the pastors within this pentacostal church have a lot of power over the other churchmembers. The second part of the conclusion concludes that the pentacostal church described by Jonas Bonnier can not be defined as a sect according to Roy Wallis and his definition of a sect. 

This study examines how religion is portrayed in the movie Life of Pi (2012) and how the main character Pi Patel uses his faith to deal with and survive various challenges. People deal with challenges in different ways, and this study focuses on the combination of divine and human resources in the coping process. The aim is to explore Pi's use of religion through a content analysis of the movie, with particular focus on coping theory and the functional definition of religion as a theoretical framework.

The analysis shows that Pi faces several difficulties on the lifeboat, such as an aggressive tiger, lack of food and water, as well as feelings of loneliness and hopelessness. To master these challenges, Pi combines emotional and practical coping strategies, where religion plays a central role. Religion gives him not only support and guidance but also motivation and companionship. The religion also contributes to his development as a person and causes him to embrace three religions. Through this study, we can better understand how religion can function as a coping mechanism and contribute to people's survival and development in extreme situations.

The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of the basic characteristics of the university students who have participated in the Young Adults and Religion in a Global Perspective (YARG) project, as mirrored in the survey data, and to discuss the findings in light of theoretical assumptions about young adults. The chapter provides an introduction to two prevalent research perspectives on youth: a developmental perspective, and a cohort perspective. Background statistics as well as the main findings on religion are then discussed in light of these perspectives. The respondents’ age, civil state and relational commitments are analyzed from a developmental perspective, which assumes similarity on behalf of young adults as a consequence of their age. Furthermore, findings on values and media use are presented in order to explore whether the survey data provides support for the participants forming a generation, the main tenet of a cohort perspective, in terms of sharing values and media habits. The concluding section discusses the extent to which higher education sets university students apart from the youth population in generally, as reflected in the YARG data. The chapter therefore provides a first glimpse into who the participants are, and what the categorization of them as young adults entails.

This chapter explores the worldviews and values from a pooled data of non-religious young adults undergoing higher education from 12 countries. From an initial pool of 559, 75 respondents were chosen based on screening questions on religious identity and belonging. The exploration of worldview prototypes is done through utilizing Faith Q-Sort. The emerging worldview prototypes are interpreted further with the survey data, most importantly the ratings of different types of motivational values. The values survey is based on the Portrait Values Questionnaire. The findings of this study indicate that there are several non-religious outlooks that can accommodate openness towards religion or spirituality. Their only common ground is that they do not consistently reject all aspects of religion. The values of the non-religious respondents were in line with previous studies with self-direction values, but diverged by placing high value on benevolence. Interesting differences between the value profiles of the different non-religious outlook types were discovered, pointing to the relevance of taking into account the outlook variety internal to non-religion.

The starting point of this study is understanding religion as a mediatized and contested social phenomenon. The study aims to analyze how the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-Day Saints (LDS Church or the Mormons) is perceived by the Finnish people in the documentary film The Mission – Lähetyssaarnaajat (2022). Furthermore, the study intends to explain how and why certain types of religion can come to be seen and framed as problematic, respectively acceptable, in contemporary Finnish society. The methods that are employed to answer the research questions are qualitative content analysis and frame analysis. While the mediatization of religion is used as a theoretical backdrop in the study, the results are analyzed further with Hjelm’s (2014) idea of religion as a problem or utility, the concept of culturalized religion (Astor & Mayrl, 2020) and prior research. The final results of the study indicate that the LDS Church continues to be framed and perceived as an alien and potentially problematic denomination in Finland. That is due to the considered heretic and anti-scientific character of Mormon thought and the perception of the LDS Church as a restrictive denomination. The acceptable Finnish religion in the material is based, instead, on a cultural form of Lutheranism that prioritizes scientific reasoning and emphasizes individual well-being.

The purpose of this study is to examine how honor culture and honor-based violence are portrayed for Elaf in the book Vem har sagt något om kärlek?: Att bryta sig fri från hedersförtryck written by Elaf Ali. The research questions for the study are: 

1.     How does the development of honor oppression for Elaf progress in the book, from childhood to womanhood?

2.     How is honor oppression manifested in the book? What types of honor oppression are depicted? 

3.     How can the descriptions of honor oppression in the book be explained using socialization theory? 

The theoretical framework used in this thesis is socialization theory, with key concepts including primary socialization, secondary socialization, primary socialization agents, and secondary socialization agents. The method employed in the study is qualitative content analysis. Previous research related to the subject has indicated a lack of comprehensive studies on the expressions of honor of culture and has shown that honor oppression has a stronger connection to culture rather than religion. The results of the study indicate that the starting point of honor oppression in Elafs life occurs when she gets her first menstruation and becomes a woman, and it develops alongside her growth. Culture of honor in Elafs life manifests in four different forms: control, prohibition, threats, and violence. Regarding the third research question, the descriptions of honor oppression can be explained by noting that in the early stages of Elafs life, primary socialization and primary socialization agents play a significant role. However, as she is exposed to secondary socializations and secondary socialization agents, the importance of the primary ones diminishes. 

Religious education (RE) is one of the Swedish school's oldest subjects, and has been non-denominational since the 1960s. According to the steering documents, important goals in RE are to increase pupils’ understanding of religions and worldviews, and to strengthen their critical ability. In other words, teaching should contribute to an increased critical religious literacy. In the public debate critical discussions about religion are common, but what does it look like in school? May religion be criticized? The purpose of the article is to discuss how constructive critique of religion is treated in RE in secondary and upper secondary school. This is done through qualitative interviews with religion teachers and observations in classrooms. The results show that RE teachers are in the middle of a professional dilemma as they have to deal with critique of religion on several levels. First, a secularist critique, often derogatory and prejudicial. Second, problematic aspects of religions and worldviews, that is, interpretations and practices contrary to democratic values and the school's values. In summary, the results show that many teachers spend a lot of time nuancing prejudices and stereotypical notions of religion, while problematic aspects in relation to religion are given much less space. In order for students to develop their critical religious literacy, religious education needs to raise problematic aspects of religion to a greater extent. As the classroom is one of the few arenas where students meet across religious and philosophical boundaries, it offers a unique opportunity for reflection and dialogue about challenging topics.