UK DOCTORS EXPLORE LINK BETWEEN FAITH AND HEALTH

"The spiritual needs of patients topped the agenda at a one-day conference ... [on March 11], exploring the link between faith and good health. Christian doctors and healthcare professionals attended the [conference] in Bridge of Don [in Aberdeen], to discuss new and better ways of bringing faith into the consultation. It is the first time the Christian Medical Fellowship has hosted such an event in Aberdeen....

"Altogether, 25 consultants, GPs, and medical professionals took part in the course ... which was originally developed in the US, but has been adapted to fit in with the UK's healthcare framework in response to a growing recognition of the link between faith in God and good health....

"The aim is to explore ways of practising medicine which take into consideration the needs of the whole person, not just the physical side....

"[Dr. Peter Kiehlmann said,] 'We know people are hugely interested in having their spiritual needs addressed and that there is a real hunger for spiritual truth. We, as doctors, have to practice medicine but we are also able to help address these issues.' Recent research, published in the British Medical Journal, claimed spiritual values and skills were increasingly recognised as necessary aspects of clinical care."

Caroline Page
"Doctors focus on spiritual health"
© Press and Journal, Aberdeen. March 12, 2005

RELIGION STUDIES INCREASING ON US CAMPUSES

"Focusing on religion is a growing phenomenon in American culture, said Gary Grieve-Carlson, director of general education and acting dean of faculty [at Lebanon Valley College]. More and more, students are asking to take an academic look at faith, he said. And colleges are stepping up to the task in some unorthodox ways.

"As an assistant professor of religious studies at Santa Clara University in California, Tom Beaudoin has used scenes from the Robert Duvall film The Apostle... to explore religious conversion. ... Beaudoin ... said media can prod zealous discussion and deep contemplation....

"From war in the Middle East to local scuffles over what books are used in a middle school biology class, religious themes swirl in many modern events. 'There was a period religion was not taken very seriously,' Grieve-Carlson said.... 'Now political candidates are much more vocal on religion, Time magazine writes about it, it's the subject of talk shows ....'

"The speakers and films at Lebanon Valley College have represented a variety of viewpoints. They have been popular not only among the students, but among the neighboring community as well, Grieve-Carlson said. They help people think about 'what we believe and why we believe it.'

"'More students are also signing up for religion courses,' Grieve-Carlson said. In fact, it was a student push that led to a course on Islam.

"Lebanon Valley College's experience seems to be reflected nationwide, according to Carey Gifford, director of academic relations for the American Academy of Religion. The academy, which represents 8,000 religion teachers in 1,500 schools and universities, plans a survey to see whether an increasing number of students are studying religion. 'We don't have any empirical data yet, but anecdotally there seems to be an increase across the board,' Gifford said."

Monica Von Dobeneck

"Faith 101; Colleges see surge in religious studies"
Patriot-News. March 25, 2005

PRISON PROGRAM SUPPORTS SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION

"A faith-based prison program with headquarters in Virginia soon will expand its operation into five states, aiming to prepare more than 1,100 state inmates for their transition to the outside world through intensive Bible study and follow-up mentoring.

"'We want to give the individual prisoner the opportunity to change through spiritual transformation,' said Norman Cox, the national director for InnerChange Freedom Initiative, which has its headquarters in Lansdowne. 'Once that occurs, you're dealing with an entirely new person, and they're eager to have a new value system.' ... Inmates who volunteer to participate in the program move to a separate housing unit about 18 months before their release. They begin each day with devotions at 6:30 a.m. and spend hours each day in Bible study.

"Six months before the inmates are released, they are assigned a mentor from a church in the community. They are expected to maintain contact with the mentor for up to a year afterward. The program also attempts to connect inmates with a church upon their release and offers substance-abuse counseling, vocational training, and marital and parenting classes....

"'About 25 percent of those that enroll drop out,' Mr. Cox said. 'Either it's not for them, or they're just not ready, but the majority obviously come to the program because they want to change and they're looking to change.'

"Greg Deese ... spent eight years in prison for burglary and joined the program in Sugarland [, Texas] in 1999. He now owns his own business ... which has grossed $3.5 million since its inception in 2002. 'What the program [did] was take the prison mentality out of me before I got out of prison,' Mr. Deese said. 'It made a big difference.'"

Gary Emerling

"Inmate aid project grows;

Faith-based plan offers 'spiritual transformation'"
The Washington Times. March 20, 2005

INDIAN WOMEN EXTEND HELPING HAND TO TSUNAMI SURVIVORS

"When ekasi siromani heard stories of the [December 26, 2004] tsunami's terrible destruction in coastal areas near her south India village, she 'felt deeply moved' to do something.

"This mother of three children—herself one of India's 'untouchables'—spent four days packing up rice, dhal (lentilbased food staple), oil, and clothing provided by the British Methodist Relief and Development Fund....

"In a different village, another mother volunteered her time to pack emergency supplies as well. In addition, she donated two days' wages and refused to 'take a single pie for her labor' while she worked. Ankalamma is also part of the 'untouchable' community. Widowed and among the poorest in her village, she is raising four children on her own. 'I had immense joy working for the victims,' she said. 'Daily I pray for [them].'

"Both women are members of long-established, local self-help groups supported by the Methodist Relief and Development Fund and its partner organizations in South India.... 'These self-help groups give both moral and practical support,' explained Isabelle Carboni, the fund's program officer for Asia and West Africa....

"It was members of these self-help groups—Ankalamma and Siromani and many others like them—who immediately stepped forward in the aftermath of the tsunami to aid in the mammoth task of dividing up and distributing huge bags of relief supplies.... 'The women also have been helping with counseling, especially with children who are still afraid of the water ...,' Carboni said....

"[Fund director Kirsty] Smith observed that often 'it seems to be those who have the least who are most ready to offer whatever support they can to those who have less.' ..."

Kathleen LaCamera

"India's 'untouchable' women help in tsunami relief effort"
United Methodist News Service. March 24, 2005