/library/oar/handle/123456789/15375 Fri, 14 Nov 2025 03:09:15 GMT 2025-11-14T03:09:15Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/137655 Title: "The wheat beneath the chaff" : discriminating religiousness by means of the post-critical belief scale Authors: Galea, Paul Abstract: This study forms part of an investigation into the religious beliefs and attitudes among students at the University of Malta, the majority Roman Catholic, initiated by the University Chaplaincy. It consists of a survey meant to assess their adherence to basic tenets of Christian faith and morals. In the course of this on-line survey, the shorter version (18 items) of the Post-Critical Belief Scale (Duriez et al, 2005) was also administered to the 421 participants, males and females, mean age 21 (SD=4). Of these, only 380 cases which had all the item answered were accepted. This instrument, based on Wulff’s theory (1991, 1997), suggests a variety of approaches to religion that can be located in a two-dimensional space along the bipolar dimensions, Exclusion vs. Inclusion of Transcendence and Literal vs. Symbolic. It envisages four groups, Restorative Interpretation, Literal Affirmation, External Critique, and Relativism. In the analysis of the results of the survey, an exploratory factor analysis suggested the presence of two different groups which however needed to be identified. After considering several variables from the survey section, Church Attendance proved to be the strongest one that differentiated between the two. This led to the creation of two groups, those who attend Church more or less regularly, and those who rarely do so, or never at all. The former group was seen to correlate strongly with the items related to basic tenets of faith as compiled by the survey. The second part of the study consisted in the analysis of the PCBS scores. Following a procedure previously conducted by Fontaine (2003) of multi-dimensional scaling and principal component analysis, two factors were extracted which rotated towards the target as proposed by Wulff. The rotated two dimensional solutions had substantial congruence with the bipolar model, and with Tucker's Phi in excess of 0.85. The18 items also separated neatly into their respective quadrants, just like that of Fontaine (2003, 511). Using the two subgroups for further contrasts, t-tests revealed that those who went to church regularly scored significantly higher on the Restorative Interpretation (t = 5.29), whereas the others scored significantly higher on External Critique (t = -9.39) and on Relativism (t = -4.18). No significant difference was noted on Literal Affirmation. While the survey was able to identify a particular group showing a stronger consistency between belief and practice, the PCBS contrasts were able to posit this group in the Restorative Interpretation quadrant. This represents a position in which the existence of the religious realm is inclusive of transcendence while retaining the symbolic meaning of the religious language. The results have shown that the PCBS could be validly replicated with a different population and that it also enjoys a degree of discriminant validity. The conclusions, moreover, shed some more light on the character of the subjects falling under the Restorative Interpretation quadrant which, according to Wulff (1991, 1997), has largely been neglected in empirical research. Tue, 01 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT /library/oar/handle/123456789/137655 2019-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/137653 Title: Accompanying fragility : a reading of Amoris Laetitia from a pastoral-psychological perspective Authors: Galea, Paul Abstract: Acknowledging and accompanying fragility reflects the realism of Amoris Lætitia and its strong pastoral approach. This is no mere pragmatism as it continues to strongly reaffirm the Gospel ideals and Church teachings on marriage and the family. While respecting individual autonomy and personal responsibility in the context of one’s particular condition, it adopts a pedagogy of patience and support in the process leading to a gradual integration of the ideals. The exhortation mirrors the traditional functions of pastoral care, as is healing, sustaining, guiding and reconciling, all within the context of the Internal Forum. The exhortation distinguishes between a sacramental (penance) and a non-sacramental approach within the same internal forum. This makes it possible that a solution be reached not necessarily in the confessional. Indeed, most human problems are mixtures of conflicted human freedom (psychological) and moral and religious dilemmas. This approach mirrors very closely the one adopted by Pastoral Counseling and Spiritual Discernment. While the latter focuses more on spiritual issues, the former is characterized by the building of a workable and warm relationship in an atmosphere of acceptance and understanding, and given enough time and support, the client autonomously is helped to develop or rediscover problem-solving skills. This calls for the formation of pastoral functionaries, whether ordained or lay, who are sufficiently trained in such disciplines and who could offer such help outside the confessional. This study focuses on the pastoral counseling paradigm as the one that closely reflects the spirit of the exhortation. Amoris Lætitia touches also on other aspects which are typically the domain of psychology, such as understanding and integrating emotions, and the role of emotions in commitment to marriage. Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT /library/oar/handle/123456789/137653 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/137554 Title: The Church's teachings on sexual matters : the reaction of young married couples Authors: Galea, Paul; Vella, Marisa Abstract: In the calling of the two Synods of Bishops on the pastoral challenges of the family Pope Francis has shown a remarkable awareness of the problems that families are facing in today's world. The Synod Fathers were also asked to speak frankly and with courage, promising no censorship. The controversial issues were plenty. Apart from divorce and remarriage, the other thorny issues that dominated the scene were those of sexuality and affectivity. The Synod acknowledged these issues when stating that people feel the need to live in greater harmony with their emotions and feelings and to seek affective relationships of quality in the best manner possible. Fri, 01 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMT /library/oar/handle/123456789/137554 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/137552 Title: The ecclesiastical province of Malta and Gozo toward the Bishops’ Synods 2014 & 2015 Authors: Galea, Paul Abstract: The results of the Synod questionnaire from the population of the island state of Malta, assumes a particular significance when one considers that the majority professes and practices the Roman Catholic religion and is imbued in a Christian culture. While the results generally follow the same trends as in other countries, they reveal certain peculiarities. The emergence of new trends in sexual morality, typical of western societies, alongside the traditional family patterns, may seem paradoxical. The results have exposed a split between Church teachings and the life of the people, and possibly also between the old and the younger generations. While a common feature could be a degree of ignorance on Church teachings the part of the laity, the Church faces cultural and linguistic barriers in communicating. Despite this, the results suggest a kind of resilience by the Maltese family in preserving the traditional beliefs as transmitted by a Christian culture, albeit in a latent manner. At the same time they pose new challenges for the Church and its mission of evangelization. Wed, 01 Jan 2014 00:00:00 GMT /library/oar/handle/123456789/137552 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z