ComUnity Spirit – Interreligious Conference Graz 2013
II The Individual and Society
2.5 Salvation and Healing: How are the various notions of religious salvation linked to our health?
Moderator: Michaela Strapatsas
Chairperson: Maria Neuhold
Interpreter: Aina Jasmin Dolezal
Minutes: Sandra Pallier
Registered participants: Neuenfeldt Anke, Schwarz Elisabeth, Figl Johann, Schönstein Isolde, Wiech Maria, Veitschegger Karl, Neuhold Maria, Mohagheghi Hamideh, Kundu Bimal, Akhiwu Silvester, Thekkeparambil Jacob, Kaufmann Aloisia, Maderner Karl, Ehrmann-Falkenau Helga
Participants present: Neuenfeldt Anke, Schwarz Elisabeth, Figl Johann, Schönstein Isolde, Wiech Maria, Veitschegger Karl, Neuhold Maria, Mohagheghi Hamideh, Kundu Bimal, Akhiwu Silvester, Thekkeparambil Jacob, Kaufmann Aloisia, Maderner Karl, Ehrmann-Falkenau Helga, Kuschel Karl-Josef
b. Results of the workshop
- Introduction by the moderator
Health promotion is based on a holistic approach to health. It is not only about the absence of disease, but about a holistic well-being of body, mind and soul. All over the world we are familiar with the concept of the four pillars of health: physical, psychological, social and spiritual health. When we talk about health and religion, these four pillars should be included in the discussion.
- Comments
Emphasis should always be put on a holistic approach to health.
- The nutritional approach is very important for healing processes.
- Being vegetarian is a possibility to attain and maintain health.
- To fast is also a possibility to attain health, but in many religions it is also an obligation.
- Temperance, to know the right amount, is something that should be considered more often.
- The psyche also needs to be taken into account – humans must be seen in their entirety, body and soul must not be considered separately, as they have a great influence on each other in pathological as well as healing processes.
- Prayer can also heal from a spiritual point of view, especially in cases where doctors have no solutions. However, prayer should not be seen as an obligation, but it contributes to our health as it causes us to pause.
- From a psychological perspective, it is important to give life a meaning.
- People who have the will to recover also have a greater chance of doing so.
- Not all illnesses can be healed by spirituality, although humans are often considered to be spiritual beings.
- Religion has many positive effects on people, but it can also cause them to fall ill. Feelings of guilt often have their origin in religion, especially when religious matters are misinterpreted.
- Medical and religious healing methods should be combined, as they complement each other.
- Love and compassion is an important factor in the healing process.
- Impulse
Humans need three things in order to stay healthy: a purpose in life, manageability (to trust in oneself and the world as a whole), ability for prognosis (explaining the world and having an idea of where we are going and what awaits us)
c. Suggested actions for cities/religious communities
- Children should be taught the reasons for the different nutritional recommendations of religions.
- Religion should be communicated as something that gives people strength, and not as something that blames God for diseases.
- the ethics of medicine should be changed, so that life is protected from the very beginning and that dying in a way that does justice to human dignity is possible
- Safety and non-violence should prevail in society
- Taking care of the environment.
- Projects for children and adolescents on the topic of a healthy diet as part of religions, also in connection with the topics of fasting and temperance.
- thinking about how we eat (e.g. sitting down when eating and eating together with other people)
- Religions should work against the isolation of people
- realizing that we do not need to live in abundance in order to live well
d. References to Good Practice examples
“The balance of justice”: Test persons switched to sustainable consumption for one year. The project has shown that an organic lifestyle saves resources and money while at the same time increasing the quality of living.
Contact: www.argeschoepfung.at
e. Questions that lead to disagreement
- Do fasting and temperance have the same source?
- People should have children while they are biologically capable of it. But it is not always possible to have children at the right time. Certain surrounding conditions must be given in order to have children. When people are already older there might be problems or it might be impossible to have children at all. However, people who want to have children also need to have the right foundation and prerequisites.