NTT Journal for Theology and the Study of Religion - Volume 76, Issue 3, 2022

Abstract This article explores the possible relationship between religion and the COVID-19 vaccination coverage in the Netherlands by addressing the following research questions: (1) to what extent is religious affiliation a factor in the COVID-19 vaccination coverage in the Netherlands? and (2) to what extent has this possible effect of religious affiliation changed over time? Our analyses reveal a strong and persistent effect of th Read More

Abstract This article provides a new framework for the history of religious objections to vaccination in the Netherlands. In public opinion and scholarly literature, these are often associated with the contemporary group of conservative Reformed people or inhabitants of the Dutch Bible Belt and projected back onto the past in a static way. In early modern times, however, reluctance to perform any preventive medical act on t Read More

Abstract Muslim tradition has given significant attention to plagues and pandemics based on scriptural texts and theological-ethical norms. Yet, the outbreak of COVID-19 evoked varied reactions among Muslims due to enormous innovations in healthcare and media coverage. COVID-19 vaccination strategies demonstrate how Dutch Muslim attitudes are influenced by factors beyond Islamic theology of pandemics. Other Read More

Abstract As part of NTT JTSR’s series on Key Texts, this article discusses Max Weber’s famous essay The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. In this essay Weber argues that certain religious developments in the West resulted in a specific, ascetic work ethic which, in turn, stimulated the rise of a capitalist economy. The present article summarizes Weber’s line of reasoning in relative detail and briefly explai Read More