Higher Power: Religion, Faith, Spirituality & Belief

Religion, faith, spirituality & belief is an embedded part of human psychology that gives insight into individuals thought processes and often experiences. According to a blog post by Dr Greg on patheos.com, the terms are commonly used interchangeably but can differ in meaning depending on the context or even the conversation taking place. However, what isn’t interchangeable are individuals experiences in relation to these practices whether it’s within the practices community or the perceptions from those outside of those communities looking in. Examples include:

• Anti-Blackness: When it comes to Muslims they are by default considered light-skinned or brown, Asian, and Arabic-speaking. In this regard, white supremacy and Arab supremacy work to erase the nuances of Muslim identity and perpetuate a pernicious form of double colonialism that dissociates Blackness from Islam (Chowdhury and Chowdhury, 2017).
• Sexism: Religion can be integral to the existing gender order, and can serve to reproduce and legitimate gender inequality for those who practice the religion and those who fall within its penumbra (‘consolidating’). Woodhead, L., 2007. Gender Differences in Religious Practice and Significance.
• Homophobia: Interpretation of religious doctrine leads some conservative Christians to the conclusion that same-sex sexual acts are immoral and that they must not promote them in any way. Carl F. Stychin; Faith in the Future: Sexuality, Religion and the Public Sphere, Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, Volume 29, Issue 4, 1 December 2009, Pages 729–755,
• Othering: The proportion of the population who identify in NatCen’s British Social Attitudes survey as having no religion, referred to as “nones”, reached 48.5% in 2014, outnumbering the 43.8% who define themselves as Christian – Anglicans, Catholics, and other denominations. According to National Geographic, a lack of religious affiliation has profound effects on how people think about death, how they teach their kids, and even how they vote. (News.nationalgeographic.com, 2017)

For centuries key texts such as the Bible, Quran, and Tanakh have been the blueprint for religion that has been passed down from generation to generation. With some changes in the political landscape globally, this terms of reference aims to explore how higher power can be interpreted, practiced, influence culture and change in the coming future.