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Spiritual care
| Content Provider | Scilit |
|---|---|
| Author | Hollins, Susan |
| Copyright Year | 2018 |
| Description | Book Name: Religions, Culture and Healthcare |
| Abstract | What does it mean to be spiritual? What does it mean to be religious? In the previous chapter we have already noted the impact of increased ethnic diversity within Western Europe and the USA, and the loosening of the bonds between individuals and the ancient faith traditions and commu nities . The sociologist Thomas Luckmann, writing in the 1 960s, offered a particularly insightful and prophetic comment about the shift in people ' s belief patterns : 'The modern sacred cosmos legitimates the retreat of the individual into the "private sphere" and sanctifies his ( or her) subjective autonomy.d The shift and loosening of people ' s belief patterns and behaviours is likely to continue throughout the next decade and beyond, and it is perhaps too soon to speculate about the ultimate impact that these changes will have at every level of society. It is helpful to begin to understand this significant shift from a variety of perspectives, and not simply from the perspective of locating its cause solely within a secular and dominantly materialist culture . I believe that this shift marks a deeply significant change in how people believe, and what they need from and seek in any belief system. As western society has become characterised by highly individualist and more sophisticated behaviours and choices, this has manifested itself not only in an overt emphasis upon choice and personal development - whether in the shopping mall, the restaurant or the hospital - but also in relation to people ' s relationships at home, in the neighbourhood, and nationally. Given this broad context and emphasis, perhaps it is not surprising that individuals have taken another look at the faith of their parents and grandparents, and of the cultural community, and have begun to question their relationship to and with it in funda mental ways. Did the German theologian Dietrich B onhoeffer have an inkling of this more open-weave context of individuality, society and religion in mind when he wrote of 'a world come of age '?2 Although it might appear that Western society is becoming more secular, the reality may reflect a more private spirituality than an overt and communal religious practice . Again Thomas Luckmann seems to have the apposite term for this development - he calls it 'Invisible Religion.-1 It would seem that the challenge to religious institutions is to engage with these changes in ways that open and maintain a creative dialogue with those who question them and what they represent. Given this context, it becomes possible to recognise that many people may not detached themselves from the faith families . As a healthcare chaplain working in the UK National Health Service (NHS ) , I encounter many people - staff and patients - who no longer have an active adherent faith, but who do have an active spiritual life which draws upon one or more religions in positive ways to inform and enrich their lives . Equally, there are many people who describe themselves as spiritual without having any relationship to any specific faith tradition. |
| Related Links | https://content.taylorfrancis.com/books/download?dac=C2016-0-24707-4&isbn=9781315377841&doi=10.1201/9781315377841-8&format=pdf |
| Ending Page | 32 |
| Page Count | 12 |
| Starting Page | 21 |
| DOI | 10.1201/9781315377841-8 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited |
| Publisher Date | 2018-10-08 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Book Name: Religions, Culture and Healthcare Cultural Studies Europe Diversity Religious Belief Shift Secular Faith Traditions Thomas Luckmann |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Chapter |
