Religion and the Secularization of Spirituality: A Catholic Perspective on Spirituality in the Care of the Elderly

摘要

This article contrasts the views of twenty Catholic parishioners who see spiritual provision for the elderly as indissolubly bound to their faith tradition and a commonly-held view, represented by the Royal College of Psychiatrists in 2006 (amended in March 2010), that sets spirituality over and against religion in order to appear inclusive. The article argues that for spirituality to have any meaning in health care beyond appealing to holistic care it must be rooted in a faith tradition. Rather than being noninclusive, a spirituality that is so rooted can provide insights for all, since it offers a new perspective on the process of aging. In this case, the faith tradition of the 20 respondents focuses on the value of “being” as well as the value of “doing,” the role of the elderly, who by allowing others to care for them, aid those others to grow as persons, and the need for a spirituality that does not depend solely on inner resources.View full textDownload full textKeywordsReligion, spirituality, holistic, isolation, belonging, solidarity, dependence, grace, sacramentsRelated var addthis_config = { ui_cobrand: "Taylor & Francis Online", services_compact: "citeulike,netvibes,twitter,technorati,delicious,linkedin,facebook,stumbleupon,digg,google,more", pubid: "ra-4dff56cd6bb1830b" }; Add to shortlist Link Permalink http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15528030.2010.483944