Believing, Belonging, and Durkheiming: A Report on the 16th Annual EASR Conference

“I used to be a traitor”

“…Generally, there is an understanding that one should make a responsible decision 3 These poor conditions are caused by the fact that the programme is free of charge and the rehabs barely make ends meet on the occasional donations from church congregations. However, from the standpoint of practical theology, these severe conditions are used to teach rehabilitants humility and obedience (Mikeshin 2015).…”

“…For the next six months, rehabilitants are given the full Bible to study (newcomers are considered too spiritually immature to study the Old Testament) and daily work assignments, both to support the premises of the rehab facility and to reintegrate back into society with real-life skills. The spatial and labour segregation of the sexes in bigger mixed rehabs also serves as a practical implementation of conservative Christian gender norms (Mikeshin 2015).…”