Spiritual Care
Spirituality exists wherever we struggle with the issue of how our lives fit into the greater cosmic scheme of things. This is true even when our questions never give way to specific answers or give rise to specific practices such as prayer or meditation. We encounter spiritual issues every time we wonder where the universe comes from, why we are here, or what happens when we die. We also become spiritual when we become moved by values such as beauty, love, or creativity that seem to reveal a meaning or power beyond our visible world. An idea or practice is "spiritual" when it reveals our personal desire to establish a felt-relationship with the deepest meanings or powers governing life. ~Robert C. Fuller~
"To have a spiritual understanding is not the same as following a religion, although religion and spirituality may coexist together in the same model of personal belief. Everyone has a spiritual element, but not everyone has a religious structure to define their spiritual understanding.
Religion is generally recognized to be a chosen path of expression of a personal spirituality; it defines the organizational and social components, rituals, and practices of certain belief systems.
Spirituality constitutes the internal expressions of love, compassion and respect for life. It manifests from within, and explores the meaning of our existence and our relationship to life. Spiritual development is personally experiential and provides us with insight and understanding of ourselves, others, the world we live in, and the universe we are a part of. " ~SB~
Religion is generally recognized to be a chosen path of expression of a personal spirituality; it defines the organizational and social components, rituals, and practices of certain belief systems.
Spirituality constitutes the internal expressions of love, compassion and respect for life. It manifests from within, and explores the meaning of our existence and our relationship to life. Spiritual development is personally experiential and provides us with insight and understanding of ourselves, others, the world we live in, and the universe we are a part of. " ~SB~
"The importance of spirituality in helping a person cope with the concept of death is by assisting them in finding a personal interpretation of the dying process as well as what lies beyond death. Death knows no boundaries to culture, race, gender, or age. Death is universal; all of life shares the common destiny of death." ~SB~
Additional Spiritual Resources
Spirituality and Religion in Medicine including topics on Death and Dying, Prayer, Addictions, Mind/Body Connections, and more.
http://webcampus.drexelmed.edu/religion/default.asp
Spirituality and Religion in Medicine including topics on Death and Dying, Prayer, Addictions, Mind/Body Connections, and more.
http://webcampus.drexelmed.edu/religion/default.asp