“Diversity of Faith”
Prof. James A. Beckford
Department of Sociology
Diversity of Faith
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Concepts
Diversity
Case-studies:
Jehovah’s Witnesses
Scientology
Chaplaincy
Religious discrimination
Concepts
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Culture
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Spirituality
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Religion
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Faith community
R P Sloan, E Bagiella & T Powell
“Religion, spirituality, and medicine”
The Lancet vol 353 February 20, 1999:
664-67
Religious diversity
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Number of faith communities
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Number of religious organisations
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Number of individuals who combine
different religious identities
Breatharianism
“Breatharianism is physical perfection. Man
came into physical existence a perfect
Breatharian. The breath of life supplied all the
requirements of animation. God breathed into
his nostrils the Breath of Life, and man
became a living entity (Gen 2:7). Nothing was
lacking, and nothing more was needed. The
Breatharian needs air and Sunlight only, and
nothing more to sustain his body.”
Jehovah’s Witnesses
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Founded in 1880s in USA
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Scripture-based
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About 6 million worldwide
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Controversial
Blood transfusions
“Avoid serum inoculations and
vaccinations as they pollute the blood
stream with their filthy pus.”
(Awake! 1929)
Current policy of JWs
“For Bible-based reasons, Jehovah’s
Witnesses refuse blood transfusions.
But they do accept… medical
alternatives to blood.”
(Awake! 2000)
Church of Scientology
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Founded in 1950s by L. Ron Hubbard
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Spiritual technology
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Perhaps 1 million worldwide
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Opposed to psychiatry
Citizens’ Commission on
Human Rights
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Psychiatry: Destroying Religion
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Psychiatry: Manipulating Creativity
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Psychiatry: A Human Rights Abuse and
Global Failure
Health care chaplaincy
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Ministry of Health (RHB[48]76) 1948
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Patient’s Charter (1992)
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Your Guide to the NHS (2002)
The Patient’s Charter
National Charter Standard One:
“All health standards should make provision
so that proper personal consideration is
shown to you, for example by ensuring that
your privacy, dignity and religious and
cultural beliefs are respected.”
Your Guide to the NHS
“NHS staff will respect your privacy and
dignity. They will be sensitive to, and
respect, your religious, spiritual and cultural
needs at all times… If you need to stay in
hospital… your nutritional needs and dietary
requirements will be assessed (for medical,
religious or cultural reasons).”
Responses to religious
diversity
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Appoint more chaplains
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Create multi-faith rooms
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Multi-faith co-ordinators
Tensions around chaplaincy
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Disputes over access to multi-faith rooms
Resistance of patients and relatives to the
services of chaplains
Exclusion of religious groups deemed
unacceptable by chaplains
Ways forward
Need to recognise:
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Importance of religious faith to some
Link between faith and collective
identity
Reality of religious discrimination
Difficulties with religious
discrimination
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Identifying ‘real’ religion
Why accord religion any privileges?
Some minority faiths alienate majority
Lack of statutory monitoring
Lack of special legislation
Questions for discussion
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How does religious diversity affect
health and healing?
How can you measure the association
between faith and health?
Is it only minority faiths that challenge
some medical treatments?
How does religious diversity affect
health care chaplaincy?