Rituals in General Spiritual Care

Abstract

One of the characteristics of the return of religion to the public sphere is the freedom people have to construct their own spirituality, making use of various traditions. The term ‘spirituality’ denotes all human experiences relating to an ultimate reality, otherwise the personal orientation of life – and therefore is broader than institutional ‘religiosity’. The tension between a classic denominational/ institutional religious identity and the ‘postmodern’ eclectic/multifarious and ‘unaffiliated’ religious identity is one of the most striking features of the contemporary religious landscape, causing religious identity to be contested at various levels.