Spiritual Perspective Research Articles

IBN KHALDUN'S CONSIDERATIONS RELATING TO ISLAMIC EDUCATION AND THEIR PERSPECTIVE ON THE FUTURE

Ibn Khaldun is a thinker in Islamic education who is concerned with the circumstances of students' growth and development from the psychological, pedagogical, social, and spiritual perspectives. The purpose of this article is to look at Ibn Khaldun's social background, his main points of view on education, an analysis of those views, and projections of those views into the future. This study describes Ibn Khaldun's ideas on Islamic education in a descriptive manner using the library research method. Ibn Khaldun's ideas, which view learning potential as a natural thing that can be developed by choosing the right method of learning, are included in the findings found in this article. In this situation, educators can use the malakah and at-tadrij methods in accordance with the level of the students' cognitive development and their level of openness to learning. The ideas put forth by Ibn Khaldun can be developed as potential directions for Islamic education in the future, and his thoughts are pertinent to the current understanding of modern education. Ibn Khaldun's educational idea is regarded as a strong foundation for organizing Islamic education because it offers a strong foundation on the psychological, pedagogical, social, and spiritual aspects of Islam.

The Emmaus Project: Aging, Illness, and Dying Among Older Christians-A Qualitative Study.

Older patients have an increased risk of depression, neglect, and abuse. Studies demonstrate that spiritual and religious coping is important at times of personal crisis, but few studies explore the impact of religion on older persons' experiences of aging, illness, and impending death. This study set out to identify recurring spiritual and clinical themes shared by retirement home residents in the context of a Christian faith-based processing group. A qualitative cohort study of residents over the age of 65 was conducted at a retirement home in Chicago, Illinois. The study consisted of 8 hour-long Scripture-based processing group sessions co-led by a study researcher and the onsite chaplain. Questionnaires were administered to each group and handwritten responses were collected and analyzed to identify recurring clinical and spiritual themes. Ten participants enrolled in the group study. The questionnaire completion rate was 35% (49/140). The most recurring clinical themes included 1) events of death or terminal illness and 2) physical limitations. The most recurring spiritual themes included 1) God's presence and 2) prayer and worship. The most recurring coded theme overall was family. This study provided insight into the spiritual experiences of older Christians in one retirement home community. Increased awareness of the spiritual perspectives of the geriatric population may strengthen the doctor-patient relationship and lead to improvements in clinical care.

IDENTITY AND THE BRAIN: THE BIOLOGICAL BASIS OF OUR SELF

AbstractThis article reviews the neuroscientific understanding of the self and personal identity, focusing on various elements of inclusivity and exclusivity as well as engaging religious and spiritual perspectives. We will also consider how the identity is comprised of biological, social, and ideological or spiritual aspects, and how they are interconnected. We will consider how the brain helps us to construct and maintain our representation of the self and what happens when we have self‐transcendent experiences. Such an evaluation will have implications for understanding the intersection between consciousness and the self. This information will be helpful from both the psychological and spiritual perspective for understanding human identity.

Christianization as a Challenge for Islamic Daʿwah in Indonesia

The aim of this study was to evaluate the growth and impact of Christianity as a missionary religion on the Islamic da'wah in Indonesia, where the Muslim community has a long history of resistance to colonialization, which was initiated by the Christian community. Furthermore, a qualitative descriptive method was used with data predominantly obtained through the observation of facts in the Christianization field. In addition, the effects of Christianity on the Islamic da'wah were analyzed through a review of documentation and reference studies. The results showed that some of the methods used by Christians in spreading their religion and movements were occupation, politics, Western citizens, poverty, diseases, consciousness weakness, self-preparation, Muslims' indulgence, financial guarantees, Laziness in teachings, preparing the missionaries, and brainwashing. By utilizing these methods, Christians often proclaimed their denomination and congregation, ultimately leading to various community conflicts. The findings suggest the need for a healthy and productive dialogue from a new perspective to resolve conflicts, promote harmony, and create a fairer, peaceful, and innovative civilization that views religion through spiritual perspectives.

Grave as space for grace – “Come you sweet hour of death!

Within the ineluctable contingency of death and dying as horrifying and terrifying existential prospects, the notion of “grave” immediately corresponds with the natural facticity of human decomposition and the fear for death and dying. Decomposition is, in fact, a natural process beginning several minutes after death, with a process called autolysis, or self-digestion. From a pastoral and spiritual perspective, the following research questions surface: Could a Christian spirituality of grace and a theological aesthetics of brokenness contribute to start seeing in the loss of body physique and the exposure of life to the inevitable process of existential disintegration and eventual decay, a growth perspective (embodied spirituality) that contributes to the beautification of both living and dying? Rather than a nihilistic approach, it is argued that in a Christian meta-physics of resurrection hope, an eschatological approach discovers in decay, aging and deterioration, a “more” than dust-of-death-perspective. An aesthetics of immortality implies a “spirituality of more” transcending the death and funeral formula of “ashes for ashes, dust to dust”. It even surpasses an epistemology of empirical seeing and observational reasoning reducing human embodiment to the decomposition of a mortifying body, lying under the ground: “Stinking like a rotting carcass, and consumed by maggots and worms” (Martin Luther). According to Paul’s argument in 1 Corinthians 15:37–38, the natural body (psychikon), and the so called “soulless corpse”, are in fact not to be reduced to organic processes of decomposition. In an aesthetics of mortality, human embodiment is about a spiritual process of pneumatic germination bodies (pneumatikon). Perhaps, the reason why J. S Bach wrote a cantata with the challenging title “Come you sweet hour of death”.

Spiritual Perspectives and Well-Being among Stroke Patients in Rehabilitation Centres of Four Tertiary Care Hospitals of Pakistan

Spiritual wellness acknowledges our search for deeper meaning in life. Spirituality can make it easier to cope with the physical and cognitive consequences of a stroke, as well as with any other illness. Objective: To identify spiritual well-being and perspective of stroke patients and its association. Methods: A total of 420 stroke patients with Epi info sample size calculator were selected from the rehabilitation centres of the tertiary care hospitals of Peshawar, Abbottabad and Swat. Responses recorded through demographic section as well as reliable and validated Likert type quantitative tools in an analytical cross-sectional study. Results: Of the 420 participants, 164 (39%) were female. The Spiritual Index of Well-being Scale (SIWB) had a mean score of 40.83 out of a possible 60 and the Spiritual Perspective Scale (SPS) had a mean score of 49.06 out of a possible 60. Spiritual perspectives and well-being were reported to be statistically significant (p < 0.05) with each other and with several of the demographic indices on ANOVA and post hoc tests (Games-Howell). The Pearson association between spiritual perspectives and wellbeing (r) was likewise shown to be positively highly statistically significant (r = 0.530, p < 0.000). Conclusions: The findings of the research complement and justify Reed's theory's theoretical assertions. Spiritual Perspectives and practises serve as a buffer and contribute to the growth of Spiritual Well-being. The inclusion of spiritual health as a component of holistic health during medical interventions has implications.

The Effects of a Scenario-Based Spiritual Care Course on Spiritual Care Competence among Clinical Nurses: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

Across their lifespans, and in many clinical settings, patients have spiritual care needs. Many nurses lack competence related to providing spiritual care. Popular educational strategies, such as simulated educational programs and objective structured clinical examinations (OSCE), have not been widely adopted in nursing spiritual care education. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of a scenario-based spiritual care course on spiritual care competence in nurses. This quasi-experimental study employed a repeated-measures pre-test/post-test design with assessments immediately before, immediately after, and 3 months post-intervention. Nurses providing direct patient care in diverse clinical settings were recruited from a large medical foundation in northern Taiwan. The intervention was a one day scenario-based spiritual care course and OSCE. The experimental group (n = 53) and controls (n = 85) were matched for their similar units, ages, working experience, and clinical ladder status. The Spiritual Care Competence Scale (SCCS), Spiritual Perspective Scale (SPS), Spiritual Care Perspective Scale-Revised (SCPS-R), and reflection logs were completed by both experimental and control groups. The Course Satisfaction Scale, OSCE Checklist, and Standardized Patient Feedback Scale (SPFS) were completed by the experimental group only. The experimental group had significantly higher SPS scores and self-evaluated SCCS scores, and lower SCPS-R scores (more positive spiritual perspectives), than controls at 3 months post-intervention. The experimental group showed significant within-subject effects at three time points on SPS scores, SCPS-R scores, and self-evaluated SCCS scores. Mean global performance of OSCE was 3.40 ± 0.91, and SP feedback indicated strengths and areas for improvement. In conclusion, the scenario-based spiritual care course effectively enhanced nurses' spiritual care competence, competence, and skills. Blended education techniques can therefore enhance nurses' ability to support patients with spiritual care needs.

L’idéal corrompu et l’idéal retrouvé. La fonction de la métaphore dans le Donet baillié au roy Loÿs douzieme de Jean Molinet

The corrupted ideal and the rediscovered ideal. The function of metaphor in Donet baillié au roy Loÿs twelfth by Jean Molinet The subject matter of the analysis is an interesting poem by Jean Molinet. This paper focuses on the aspect of a certain nostalgia for the ideal which aims at both the semantic and poetic aspects of the poem. The existential ideal ‒ conceived from a spiritual perspective – is transmitted through a refined metaphorical system, conveying complex ideas and equivocal meanings, and covers two eponymous aspects, one of which turns out to be denied by the second. From an eschatological perspective, the author demonstrates how insignificant the old “worldly” ideal and alleged intellectual ideal will be in the eyes of God at the moment of Judgment. The opposition within the same metaphor of the two antithetical ideals is a process accentuating a revalorization of the existential perspective of the poet.

A Study of Sunaryo’s Wot Batu through Art Criticism

The Indonesian modern art scene in the 1940s, which related to many ideologies, also influenced the art of Indonesian artist Sunaryo (1943). One of his recent works, Wot Batu, is a work of land art consisting of sequential installations made with stones lying in a landscape in Bandung. Wot Batu means ‘stone bridge’ in old Javanese. This study aimed to discover Sunaryo’s artistic qualities in Wot Batu in order to trace Sunaryo’s perspective of spirituality and his background as a modern Indonesian artist. This research used Feldmann’s art criticism approach. The interpretation and judgment process in this work was obtained by connecting a formal analysis of the artwork to Sunaryo’s background as an artist. The research findings confirm that Sunaryo presents his own perspective on spirituality in this work through the use of stones as the main material and other natural elements. He made use of various aspects, such as combining and assembling stones, multisensory stimulation of the visitor, the site and the movement of the visitor inside it, support his concept. This study revealed that Sunaryo’s perspective on spirituality not merely concerns the relationship between humans and a greater power, but also humans as a part of nature, balance, the perpetuity of the universe, and the experience of nothingness and serenity.

The Christian Spiritual Perspective of Healing in the Psychological Therapeutic Process

This paper aims to explore the Christian spiritual dimension of healing in the psychological therapeutic process. We started our approach with a parallel analysis of what mental suffering and spiritual suffering mean. Then, we brought into view a series of questions about the optimal way to treat mental illness and the specific methods of each field (psychology and religion) to deal with the needs of a mentally ill person. The paper discusses the weak points and strong points of each of the two ways and concludes that the two approaches are not mutually exclusive, but must represent a continuum from which the one who benefits is the patient.

Jordanian Nurses' Perspectives of Spirituality and Spiritual Care: A Qualitative Study.

Spirituality is considered one of the main aspects of wholesome care for human beings. Spirituality is a multidimensional concept and has several definitions in the literature. Most of the studies concerning spirituality were conducted in Western cultures and the Middle East; however, there are a limited number of studies regarding spirituality in Jordan. The aim of this study was to explore Jordanian nurses' perspectives on spirituality and spiritual care in a palliative care unit in 1 cancer center in Jordan. A descriptive qualitative design with 20 semistructured interviews was used to access Jordanian nurses' perspectives on spirituality. This study was conducted in the major specialist center for the treatment of cancer in Jordan. A purposive sample of 20 registered nurses who had worked at least 6 months in the palliative care unit was recruited. Nurses' perceptions of spirituality were represented by 2 themes: spirituality means connectedness to "Allah," and spirituality evokes enjoyment in life. Two themes emerged in terms of nurses' perceptions of spiritual care: ensuring patients' comfort and relaxation, and sharing patients' religious rituals. These findings underscore the importance of the nurses' perspectives on spirituality in the context of Islamic and Arabic culture, and the need for training in spirituality. The concept of spirituality is recognized as a fundamental aspect of the nurse's role, making it essential to improve nurses' capabilities to integrate spirituality courses into the nursing curriculum.

Tourism towards healthy lives and well-being for older adults and senior citizens: Tourism Agenda 2030

Turismo hacia una vida sana y el bienestar de las personas mayores: Agenda de turismo 2030ResumenObjetivoEl objetivo de este estudio es proporcionar una revisión exhaustiva de la contribución del turismo al desarrollo de vidas saludables y a la promoción de sentimientos de bienestar para los adultos mayores. Esto se relaciona con el Objetivo de Desarrollo Sostenible 3 de la Agenda 2030 de “garantizar una vida sana y promover el bienestar para todas las personas en todas las edades”.Diseño/metodología/enfoqueEste trabajo se presenta como una revisión conceptual que salvará la brecha de investigación entre el turismo y la demografía y se centrará en los viajes de los turistas mayores que apoyan un estilo de vida saludable y ayudan a desarrollar sentimientos positivos de bienestar.ConclusionesEl envejecimiento de la población y el cambio de la estructura demográfica presentarán tanto posibilidades como dificultades para la economía, los servicios y la sociedad. Es importante desarrollar formas innovadoras para ayudar a las personas a mantenerse activas a medida que envejecen, así como proporcionar medidas para combatir la soledad es primordial. El turismo y los viajes pueden desempeñar un papel importante en la consecución de este ODS.OriginalidadEste estudio proporciona una visión cualitativa de la literatura existente, examinando el papel del turismo desde una perspectiva física, psicológica (o intelectual), social y espiritual que ha demostrado ser importante en la promoción de un estilo de vida saludable, así como en la creación de sentimientos positivos de bienestar para los viajeros mayores. También ofrece direcciones futuras y construye la teoría a través de un modelo holístico de las dimensiones del bienestar. Además, propone futuras prioridades de investigación relacionadas con las personas mayores que están vinculadas a estilos de vida saludables que incluyen experiencias turísticas.

Draudze no jauna un citādāk – reliģijas potenciāls pieaugošas kompleksitātes apstākļos

The Christian church in its current composition, structure, and expression is in crisis. However, the crisis of the congregation and the church that has escalated in recent decades can be understood as a spiritual challenge. This means not only making structural changes in the existing forms of congregation and church, adapting to the changing reality in the context of the current lack of resources, but also paying attention to the spiritual perspective of complex processes of change. How is it possible to think about the congregation and the church in a completely different way? What could be the new forms of plural, lively and open congregation and church that are important for the sustainable development of the whole society? The starting point is to rethink what we mean by the concepts of “congregation” and “church” and what could be the practical forms of religion in the near future – in an individualized, differentiated, and complex society. In 2020, the Internal Development Goals initiative emerged, suggesting that there is one blind spot in the efforts to solve complex societal issues and create a sustainable global society – the internal development of a person and the need for internal change in the person himself. The initiative proposes the idea of a new, inner, consciousness-raising revolution, capable of creating a new foundation for the coexistence of humanity. At the end of 2021, the first part of the initial project was completed, formulating 23 different qualities and skills – in relationships with oneself, thinking and cognition, relations with others and the world, cooperation with others, and in action. As the church and Christianity become involved into and a part of the program for achieving the inner goals of a person, aligning their actions with these goals, and creating the structures necessary to achieve these goals, the church would become one of the driving forces of sustainable development, a kind of “folk high school” for the birth of a new consciousness, gaining new relevance on a societal scale. In this global task of learning and building a metastable civilization, the congregation and the church have a decisive potential. The article discusses the latest insights contributed by several theologians (Uta Pohl-Patalong, Tomáš Halík, etc.) regarding models of the congregation and church relevant to the future of Christianity, and analyses the project Erprobungsräumen of the Evangelical Church of Central Germany, aspiring towards new forms of congregations.

Bhagabat Gita and Leadership: A Correlation between the Supremacy and Practicalism

This article shows the correlation between the Bhagabat Gita which shows the ultimatum of reality and leadership in organizations. There are several studies made on these albeit topics based on various perspectives; however, only a small number of studies have shown the integration between Bhagabat Gita and ideal leadership. As a result, this article will not only fill the blank spot between the orthodox ancient legacy and the modern organizational scenario but it’ll also connect the dots between ancient Indian Philosophy and modern technological development. From per general perspective, Bhagabat Gita shows the path of enlightenment which not only helps to be spiritually developed but also helps a leader in upliftment on the ladder of career. Generally, the Spiritual perspective is only the fringe of the Bhagabat Gita, but if a prudent ambassador has that vigor to dive deep down into the ocean of Bhagabat Gita, then he/she can find the nectar of wisdom that will enable them to build not only the edifices of positive energy but also will get rid of the sycophancy of negative rulers. Bhagabat Gita shows the sacred root to unleash the skills to develop such qualities which enable them to be a better and ideal guide to their followers.

Congruency Between Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory and the Principles of Maqasid Sharī‘ah

Maslow's initial five levelled theory of ‘hierarchy of needs is one of the most popular theories on motivation albeit its many criticisms particularly related to the lack of scientific rigour to narrow cultural perspectives. However, it’s propensity towards the self has called for a review of the theory with Maslow himself finally proposing a sixth level (self-transcendence) at the new apex of the pyramid above ‘self-actualization’ and the other four levels of needs. However, the original five level of needs is still preferred by most researchers globally. Human motivation and needs have long been discussed in ‘Islamic scholarship’ for centuries, but it is rarely represented in ‘Western academic’ discussions of ‘Islamic motivation’. Unfortunately, some studies tend to explore the integration of Islamic theories and Western ideologies by incorporating the Maqasid Sharī‘ah with ‘Maslow’s hierarchy of needs’. Such approach tends to ignore the distinct influence of Islam on behaviour and self-perception as Islam delivers a unique ‘spiritual perspective’ on the relationship between motivators and the self that most ‘Western models’ do not provide. The authors believe that the Maqasid Sharī‘ah is constantly revolving in a dynamic state that changes continuously and should not be portrayed as static in nature. Thus, a framework with the Maqasid Sharī‘ah as overarching contextual factor that constantly influences Maslow's five levels of needs is proposed accordingly.
 Keywords: contextual factors, integration, Islamic motivation, Maslow’s-hierarchy-of-needs-theory, Maqasid Sharī‘ah

Mauriora and the environment: a Kaupapa Māori exploration of adventure therapy in Aotearoa, New Zealand

ABSTRACT We are He Hiringa, an early career research group of new Māori academics in the Division of Sciences at the University of Otago. Drawing on an auto-ethnographic approach, this paper shares the kaupapa (purpose, collective vision) of He Hiringa, that of mauriora (flourishing wellness) and how our shared vision for flourishing wellness across the broad disciplines of Māori physical education and health, social and clinical psychology, and Māori urban design and surveying, may support adventure therapy in Aotearoa, New Zealand. While anecdotally, we know the importance of the environment for health and wellbeing, adventure therapy in this country is largely dominated by Eurocentric views and fails to account for Māori ways of thinking, being and engaging with the taiao (environment) for therapeutic benefit and healing. We argue that grounding adventure therapy in a Te Ao Māori worldview which favours a cultural, communal, ecological, and spiritual perspective will better meet the hauora (health) needs of Māori and should drive the philosophy and practice of adventure therapy here in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

The Role of Spirituality in Existential Confrontation with a Case Study

This study deals with existential psychotherapy from the perspective of Rollo May and Irvin Yalom; it includes the concepts of death, freedom, meaning, responsibility, and loneliness. Furthermore, an existential approach is an approach that cares about cultural sensitivity and works with its clients from this perspective. When it comes to sensitivity to culture, it is almost impossible not to talk about religion and spirituality. Spirituality has been an increasingly found field in literature in recent years. In addition, it is an indisputable fact that the spiritual resources of the client should be investigated, the spiritual and religious dimensions of the clients should be studied in the psychological counseling process, and sustainable coping mechanisms should be developed. When the literature is examined, it is seen that there are insufficient studies on how to deal with spirituality in the psychological counseling process in terms of existential theory. For this reason, this study aims to address the perspectives of existentialist philosophers on spirituality, to reveal the relationship between spirituality and existential psychology, to bring a spiritual perspective to existential psychological counseling processes on this ground, and to offer technical and process suggestions to the field workers. For this purpose, relevant literature information, existential spiritually oriented counseling principles and techniques, evaluations, suggestions in the conclusion, a case example, and formulations of this case are included in the study. With the given titles, a unique perspective is presented to spiritually oriented counseling practices from an existential perspective, and existential techniques are adapted to the culture.

Strindberg's Representation of Anxiety in The Father: Between Naturalistic Determinism and Existential Indeterminism

Strindberg's Representation of Anxiety in <i>The Father</i>: Between Naturalistic Determinism and Existential Indeterminism

Religious Legitimacy in Realizing Harmony in Indonesia

This study aims to discuss religious harmony as a form of religious tolerance seen from the perspective of religions. The research methodology is qualitative, library research that uses a descriptive approach to explain religious harmony. The discussion of this research includes the notion of religious harmony, the principle of the trilogy of religious harmony, concepts, methods, guidelines and quality of religious harmony, the legal basis and objectives of religious harmony, the supporting and inhibiting factors for the occurrence of religious harmony and religious harmony from a spiritual perspective. This study concludes that religious harmony is a condition of interaction between individuals/groups in which various religious groups can live together without reducing the fundamental rights of each to carry out their religious obligations.

Integrating positive psychology and spirituality in the context of climate change.

In the context of climate change and its accompanying impact on stress and mental health, we argue that positive psychology (PP) may benefit from an integration of spirituality to better support people’s wellbeing. Starting with an overview of climate change’s impact on wellbeing and health, we explore the paradoxical and complex relationship between humans and nature. Following which, we will briefly define spirituality and present an evocative metaphor of the wave to portray the evolution of the field of PP. In our conclusive remarks, we argue that the field of PP has gradually become more open to integrate spirituality (since the first wave), as it evolves towards greater complexity (in its third wave). In addition to meaning, some spiritual perspectives potentially relevant to positive psychology facilitate an ecocentric view (i.e., eco-spiritualities) which allow for a better understanding of the paradoxical human-nature relationship, as we struggle to deal with the complex issues related to climate change.