An investigation into the phenomena and practices of spiritual ...

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and pain (sometimes used interchangeably as both are about a person‟s physical mentaland emotional (or affective) response to pain at different levels of intensity). Thoughhuman suffering has been prioritised during much of history, for some people sufferingrelates to all living things including animals and plants. In the thought of non-religiousphilosophers such as Bentham, (2001, originally 1859) on utilitarian principle, Popper(2002) on interpretation, and Katz (1990) on scientific knowledge, there is the idea ofpromoting the greatest good or happiness for the greatest number of people. This isproposed to be achieved by balancing the reduction of suffering with the enhancement ofhappiness and can be seen to draw on the same array of concepts as previous religiousthought. Traditional religious discussions of the suffering of Christ do show, in a way, itsutility, as Swenson (2005:44) postulates that „Jesus suffers with us‟. McGrath‟s (1995)discussion on the Doctrine of God suggests Christ, as the representative of God in theflesh, experiences suffering as a result of making people in his image and experiencingtheir pain. Although suffering is subject to cultural interpretations, for a person toexperience such extreme pain as was depicted in the crucifixion of Christ raises the similaruniversal questions. One cultural interpretation of suffering is proposed by Warrington(2008) who suggests that the concept of suffering is neglected by Pentecostals who movetoo quickly to the victory and glory associated with the result of overcoming suffering,strength through weakness, light through darkness and salvation through the death andresurrection of Jesus. In seeking healing and liberation from suffering through salvationBlack church members aim to heal „the bro enness of blacxistence‟ which MacRobert(1988) suggests as the context out of which Pentecostalism emerged.Myss (1997) exemplifies how popular self-help writing brings together medical,theological and utilitarian ideas in its detailed exploration of the interconnectedness of the185
mind body and spirit implies that if the body suffers then so do the mind and the spirit. Wecan hear echoes of them all in the thoughts on suffering expressed by Respondent 4 below,and they are not necessarily consistent with each other as the respondent addressesdifferent situations. The respondent is unsure of her views on suffering as she narrates herviews of her sister‟s experience and the experiences of parents who have lost a child. Shebelieves that parents who have lost a child suffer but her sister is not suffering as her sisterhas found a way of coping. The practical conceptualisation of suffering relates of course tothe context in which it is experienced. It is different in hospital to what it is in the home.As the philosopher Cowley (2009) points out “Consider the hospital: in no other singlebuilding in human society is there such an overwhelming concentration of suffering,despair and death” except perhaps, he admits in a footnote, prison. Mere philosophers lackthe authority to tell doctors what to do, but he asserts, “On the other hand, by far the mostsophisticated accounts of the meaning of suffering and death have been offered by themajor world religions” and argues theologians do tac doctors‟ dilemmas. Manypeople in hospital look to their religious leaders and their religious institutions for somerelief of their suffering and the NHS professionals can also learn from them. From anursing perspective, Johnson (2008) echoes Cowley in suggesting that religiousprofessionals can help nurture the compassion for the suffering of others that shouldcharacterise professionals such as nurses during their training.Personal suffering is related to the person‟s relationship with God and can be perceived ascovert or overt pain. In Jaye‟s (2000) comparison of Pentecostal and secular GeneralPractitioners, it was found that healing and suffering was viewed as a complex process byPentecostals going beyond a purely curative approach, because Pentecostals explainedsuffering using a Christian as well as a medical framework. In Jaye‟s study, a secular view186
Page 1:
Greenwich Academic Literature Archi
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AcknowledgementsI extend much grati
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Chapter 3: Methodology 633.1 Introd
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7.3 Prayer as Health Seeking Behavi
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CHAPTER ONEINTRODUCTION AND CONTEXT
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healing, bricolage and the use of s
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To remedy these gaps in the discour
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do with me‟ so she sent me to sch
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Interestingly, after 30 years of pr
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listening to a group of people that
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that I felt within the Black majori
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Chapter 3 describes the methodology
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espondents‟ perception of sufferi
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CHAPTER TWOLITERATURE REVIEW2.1 Int
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themes, it became necessary to revi
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suggests a combined approach where
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and healing as a kind of self-impro
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eports that the English believed th
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According to Davey et al (2002) ill
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deviant behaviour. The difference b
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church concretised the ideas of rel
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theology. It is no accident that th
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concept of culture we inevitably do
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When we look at the effect of cultu
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to help us to understand the totali
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information about the association a
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when emotional wounds are healed or
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climatic conditions, shelter and a
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cancers has been documented by Phil
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concepts of reality and destiny are
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healer intentionally through a proc
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attachments that meet humans' funda
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distinguish from mental disorders.
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take a phenomenological and ethnogr
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coming but her method is not primar
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from posters on the church notice b
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Healing services in both churches f
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Qualitative method can, however, be
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3.5 Problems of participant and non
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difficulties that were to be presen
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isolating experience was certainly
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not necessarily addressed through t
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It may not be possible for all the
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signed to their awareness and appro
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Consequently the practice relating
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problem free. Ethnography requires
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ecommended by the Pastor. When they
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The greater proportion of females i
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difficulties involved in constructi
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musical Pentecostal style of worshi
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The different emphases in soteriolo
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literature may remain in its infanc
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does not mean „Pentecostal‟ nor
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church, the cultural differences we
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umbrella of churches. The leaders c
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local autonomy, the majority of Con
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The post-1905 Pentecostals saw thei
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the Holy Ghost). Interestingly the
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the churches they are busy breaking
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friends started to meet in the home
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such as COGIC, have developed a str
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the church group to strangers. In t
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and illustrate the oral tradition o
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4.8.1. Description of the inside of
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The order of service below is based
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forgiving note may signify partial
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Table 3 Organisational hierarchy of
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One of the original churches which
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communion table. To the right of th
Page 143 and 144: Minister used an acronym to illustr
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Page 147 and 148: service whilst URC church attendees
Page 149 and 150: mainstream Christianity, their doct
Page 151 and 152: on the project and make requests to
Page 153 and 154: made to integrate the white people
Page 155 and 156: ‗Garlic is good for reducing high
Page 157 and 158: 4.13 ConclusionThis chapter began w
Page 159 and 160: organization. This role can only be
Page 161 and 162: 5.3 The Authority and Power of the
Page 163 and 164: to become approved (professional) m
Page 165 and 166: majority. In recent years with Brit
Page 167 and 168: leadership although it is about aut
Page 169 and 170: Azusa Street outpouring in 1906. Af
Page 171 and 172: other who wal sorderly, and not of
Page 173 and 174: Although the Holy Spirit was presen
Page 175 and 176: Respondent 3 covered topics includi
Page 177 and 178: Respondent 10 (below) has similar v
Page 179 and 180: of rejection by the host community
Page 181 and 182: ehaviour model. In this situation,
Page 183 and 184: and they feel. It is not everybody
Page 185 and 186: many sections of society. It also s
Page 187 and 188: people. These qualities, however, a
Page 189 and 190: came across as though he was presen
Page 191 and 192: very important for this.On occasion
Page 193: CHAPTER SIXSUFFERING AND HEALING6.1
Page 197 and 198: suffering. Most of these situations
Page 199 and 200: Respondent: Not for my sister she h
Page 201 and 202: man to repent and return to the cre
Page 203 and 204: clotting treatment. After the treat
Page 205 and 206: gift of miraculous powers go with t
Page 207 and 208: What I teach on this matter is, tha
Page 209 and 210: The bible does not condemn, forbid
Page 211 and 212: possibility of impending change in
Page 213 and 214: prayer or they are rested. What is
Page 215 and 216: „Whatever the educational attainm
Page 217 and 218: „The message of Job is a comfort
Page 219 and 220: he has questioned God‟s purposes
Page 221 and 222: pray for them. In the words of seve
Page 223 and 224: demonic forces. Explanations of spi
Page 225 and 226: In the observation example quoted a
Page 227 and 228: employed by the mother had she live
Page 229 and 230: healing. Worthington et al. (2007)
Page 231 and 232: in the account of a young mother in
Page 233 and 234: y not having a normal relationship
Page 235 and 236: and not related to any one cultural
Page 237 and 238: prayer to ma e me better‟, as tho
Page 239 and 240: Non-academic, or „popular‟ Chri
Page 241 and 242: when the healer petitions God in pr
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showing lethargy in praying, failin
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know when you have stomach ulcer yo
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ministers like Harris (2002) 3 . Th
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Healing services in the URC are mor
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Respondent: You have to have the gi
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psychological effect of knowing her
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Chapter 2, without taking some posi
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Prayer for distant healing takes pl
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Although prayers for healing are sa
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The healing services also include f
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The method and processes of closing
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7.7. ConclusionThis chapter has exa
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This chapter was born out of observ
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website (http://www.stonybrookmedic
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For those who reject traditional Ch
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hands on the forehead of each perso
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The minister also invited the rest
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service closed with silence accompa
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In this respondent‟s‟ account,
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Below are brief parts of extracts p
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service was when the speaker came t
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observed believed the aura of the h
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Ministers/healers of these two cong
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constituent of worship even where t
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to herself, and argues that music h
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could not read or write. Such music
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linking the psychic/mythological an
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group coordination through rhythmo-
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People can become so involved in a
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visual and auditory areas which act
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Campbell (1998) argue that as music
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The extracts from fieldwork notes b
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In COGIC the singing is accompanied
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when I was ill. Then my mum died th
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The passage cited from Respondent 1
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CHAPTER TENCONCLUSION AND RECOMMEND
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etween health professionals and chu
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The initial aim of the study: „to
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part of worship services a priority
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health professionals and spiritual
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are culturally conditioned rational
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professionals. Despite the differen
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prominent amongst people who attend
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ReferencesAchterberg, J., (1985) Im
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Bentham, J., (2001ff, originally 18
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Department of Health, (1999) Saving
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Hall, S., (1985) “Religious Ideol
Page 339 and 340:
Katz, J. J., (1990) Metaphysics of
Page 341 and 342:
http://emedicine.medscape.com/artic
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Pullar, P., (1988) Spiritual and La
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Comparative Perspective, Berg, Oxfo
Page 347 and 348:
International, London and New York.
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