title: Hospice and the politics of spirituality.
abstract: Within the hospice literature, spirituality and religion are usually defined in opposition to one another, with religion negatively associated with the external, authoritarian doctrines of Christianity and spirituality positively associated with the free search for truth, meaning, and authenticity. According to survey data, however, most Americans integrate spirituality and traditional religious commitments. The hospice literature is promoting spirituality to its own detriment by alienating potential patients and depriving religious patients of the resources that religious traditions and their affiliated religious communities have to offer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Philosophy, Theology, and Religious Studies, Marymount University, 2807 N. Glebe Rd., Arlington, VA 22207-4299, USA.
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Garces-Foley
mesh_terms: D002835:Christianity; D002977:Clergy; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D035082:Federal Government; D005380:Financing, Government; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006738:Hospices / Q000266:history / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D008913:Minority Groups; D010327:Pastoral Care; D011287:Prejudice; D011639:Public Opinion; D012067:Religion; D035621:Secularism; D029181:Spirituality; D006113:United Kingdom; D014481:United States