Over the past decades, Nordic societies due to immigration have undergone a significant transformation from culturally and religiously homogeneous entities into more pluralistic and multi-religious communities.
This demographic evolution has led to a more diverse societal fabric, challenging previous notions of cultural and religious uniformity.
Thus, addressing the issue of ‘faith concordance’ or same-faith vs interfaith encounters between spiritual care givers and care receivers has become an increasingly relevant topic of interest also in the Nordic countries.
To further complicate things Western societies are increasingly characterized by a spiritual orientation as they no longer build on clearly defined religious or traditional worldview pillars. Thus, the rise of "nones" is significant in Denmark as in Western societies at large.
In accordance we find there is a shift in life orientation which is reflected by a growing emphasis on the spiritual dimension of health and thus the need for collaborative, person-centered spiritual care.
One might conclude that this evolving landscape is reshaping health chaplaincy - or rather - reshaping chaplaincy as such.
Interfaith hospital chaplaincy as described for instance by Abu-Ras and Laird (2011), suggest that spiritual care provision for Muslim patients may require specific knowledge of Islam (e.g., regarding ritual performances or discussing issues of life and death).
We argue that the above taken together implies that regardless of religious orientation or not, patient's sacred concerns are what are close to their hearts - meaning that whatever religious orientation (or not) for individual sacredness to flourish there is a need for a model that is patient centered.
Patient centered care is not a new term signifying groundbreaking research or praxis. But placing chaplaincy at the end of the word, signifies a type of chaplaincy that sees the human first in relation to the individual making room for whatever worldview on might profess, whether one is religious, agnostic, atheist, spiritual or none, as patient-centered chaplaincy see the human as a whole (body and spirit) and thereby open a window to the sacred.
It involves providing support that acknowledges and explores existential and spiritual concerns, fostering a sense of understanding and comfort. It must be relational, emphasizing the importance of genuine connections between patients and caregivers, and is often facilitated through empathetic communication and active listening. This is what we find might be called patient-centered chaplaincy.
Interfaith chaplaincy in Scandinavia: Complex obstacles finding answers in holistic approaches
Despite a shared commitment to alleviate suffering, obstacles exist due to theological divergences, institutional and cultural biases and insufficient specialized training.
This paper will attempt to identify both theoretical and practical indicators that could inform potential future models for interfaith chaplaincy.
Departing from an Islam/Christianity context building on comparative analysis of key theological concepts we advocate that an emphasis on mutual central values might foster more inclusive, holistic approaches to patient centered existential and spiritual care.
Further, the paper contends that a patient centered approach – integrating elements from both interfaith and generic models - is essential for addressing the existential and spiritual needs of individuals.
Finally, it is argued that such an integrated approach not only enriches spiritual practice but also bolsters a broader societal understanding of health in accordance with the World Health Organization’s holistic health paradigm.