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Suffering of Life After Religious Disaffiliation: a Caring Science Study

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Suffering of Life After Religious Disaffiliation: a Caring Science Study International Journal of Caring Sciences January-April 2021 Volume 14 | Issue 1| Page 1 Original Article Suffering of Life after Religious Disaffiliation: A Caring Science Study Björkmark, Maria, MHS, PhD candidate Senior Lecturer, Department of Caring Science, Åbo Akademi University, Vaasa and Centria University of Applied Sciences, Kokkola, Finland Camilla Koskinen, PhD Professor Department of Caring and Ethics, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway Peter Nynäs, PhD Dean and Professor, Faculty of Arts, Psychology and Theology, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland Linda Nyholm, PhD Associate Professor Department of Caring Science, Åbo Akademi University, Vaasa, Finland Corresponding Author: Björkmark, Maria, Åbo Akademi University, Department of Caring Science Strandgatan 2, 65100, Vaasa, Finland e-mail address: [email protected] Abstract Background and aim: There are many circumstances where an individual, either voluntarily or involuntarily, may leave part of their life behind. Religious disaffiliation, the focus in this study, has become increasingly common and may under certain circumstances have a profound impact on a human being’s life, health and well- being. The aim of this caring science study was to gain a deeper understanding of the suffering that human beings may endure after religious disaffiliation. Participants and methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with 18 participants who had left various religious communities in Finland. The data material was analyzed through a qualitative thematic analysis according to Clarke and Braun. Results and conclusion: The results show that life after religious disaffiliation entails different forms of suffering of life. Suffering of life was expressed as: Pain and sorrow over being rejected, Overwhelmed by guilt and shame, Living in constant fear of both life and death and Humiliated as a human being. Eriksson’s concept suffering of life is relevant and valuable in understanding the results of this study. Ultimately, suffering of life refers to the violation of a human being’s dignity. Further research is needed on what constitutes caring and how suffering can be alleviated in this context. Keywords: religious disaffiliation, caring science, suffering of life, in-depth interviews, qualitative thematic analysis Introduction being negatively. Life changes may lead to stress, health problems and suffering, due to There are many circumstances in life where separation from family and/or traumatic events individuals, either voluntarily or involuntarily, (Bhugra & Jones, 2001; Anderson, Renner & may leave part of their life behind. Migration, Danis, 2012; Sbarra, Hasselmo & Bourassa, marital separation, domestic violence and 2015). religious disaffiliation are just a few examples of situations where one faces transition and The focus in this study is on the life change significant changes in life. Life changes often religious disaffiliation, where disaffiliation is make it possible for an individual to find a new defined as “the process by which individuals lose context and understanding in life (cf. Eriksson, or change their organizational identification” 2006; Råholm, Arman & Rehnsfeldt, 2008), but (Albrecht, Cornwall & Cunningham, 1988, p. life changes may also affect health and well- 70). Religious disaffiliation has become www.internationaljournalofcaringsciences.org International Journal of Caring Sciences January-April 2021 Volume 14 | Issue 1| Page 2 increasingly common and may under certain Theoretical framework: This study is based on circumstances lead to significant changes in an caring science and Eriksson’s theory of caritative individual’s life, in terms of identity, social caring (Lindström, Lindholm Nyström & networks, health and well-being (Scheitle & Zetterlund, 2018), where suffering is described Adamczyk, 2010). Not all who leave a religious as suffering of illness, suffering of care and community encounter hardships or difficult life suffering of life. The theoretical framework in changes. Some disaffiliates describe experiences our study focuses on suffering of life, which of happiness, independence, truth and honesty means suffering that encompasses a human (Ronimus, 2011) as well as newfound freedom being’s total life situation, everything included in and greater well-being (Winell, 2007). what it means to live and to be a human being among others (Eriksson, 2006). A person’s total Religious disaffiliation has mostly been studied life situation can be changed in many ways and from the perspectives of sociology and the study life one is accustomed to can be disturbed and of religions. Religious studies show that suddenly more or less taken away. According to disaffiliation often is a complex and long process Eriksson (2006), suffering of life can include (Albrecht, Cornwall & Cunningham, 1988; everything from an existential threat to the lack Zuckerman, 2012; Nica, 2019). Individuals who of love, which is one of the deepest forms of are born into a religious community incorporate suffering. its worldview into their own (Fenelon & Danielsen, 2016) and the religion may become Participants and method: Recruitment of deeply internalized and constitute their entire life participants was done with individuals who had (Timonen, 2013). Reasons why individuals leave left a religious community, mainly through the their religion are, for instance, intellectual organisation Support for Victims of Religions disagreements with the religion (Thiessen & (2020) in Finland. The data collection was Wilkins-Laflamme, 2017), lifestyle restrictions conducted through in-depth interviews with 18 of the community in conflict with attractions of participants, 13 women and 5 men, ranging in the secular world (Hookway & Habibis, 2015) as ages from 26 to 65. 14 participants had been well as generational differences in culture and members of the religious community since birth, habits (Mantsinen, 2020). Individuals while four participants had affiliated as adults. considering disaffiliation are faced with a The participants’ disaffiliation had been difficult choice and may try to leave in a way voluntary (14 participants) or involuntary (4 that causes little harm to themselves and their participants) and had occurred during a wide loved ones (Ronimus, 2011). Sociological studies time span, from 1 to 35 years ago. The in-depth show that it is common to lose social interviews, which were conducted by the first relationships and social support when one leaves author, lasted 1-2 hours with each participant. a religious community (Fenelon & Danielsen, The interviews were recorded and transcribed 2016; Knight et al., 2019) and this often leads to into written form. negative effects on health (Scheitle & Thematic analysis according to Clarke & Braun Adamczyk, 2010). Individuals can experience (2013 & 2017) was chosen as the analysis feelings of anxiety, frustration, loneliness, method, since it is a method for identifying, sadness and anger, as creating a new intellectual analysing and interpreting patterns of meaning framework of personal responsibility, critical and themes within qualitative data. An inductive thinking and decision making may be analysis was conducted through the six phases of challenging (Berger, 2015). Individuals may also this method. The first phase was carried out by experience grief, emotional distress and even listening to the recordings and reading through symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder the interviews several times. During the next (Winell, 2016). Religious disaffiliation is still an phase, codes for important features of the data in unexplored area of research from a caring relation to the research question were created. science perspective. The material was coded both semantically and Aim: The aim of this caring science study was to conceptually with the help of the qualitative data gain a deeper understanding of the suffering that analysis program Nvivo (version 12). An initial human beings may endure after religious 61 codes were created and then categorized to disaffiliation. find similarities and variations. During the fourth www.internationaljournalofcaringsciences.org International Journal of Caring Sciences January-April 2021 Volume 14 | Issue 1| Page 3 phase, a new reading of the material was leaving the community means losing all of one’s conducted and themes in relation to the whole family members and friends and ending up in material were checked. Several thematic maps total social isolation. The loss of important social were created to assist in understanding relationships is experienced as the most difficult relationships between codes and themes. The loss to endure. The participants share their pain fifth phase was done by organizing and and agony over feeling rejected and excluded in identifying the core ideas of the themes. Four terms of living with a feeling of no longer themes were chosen to portray the answers to the existing in the eyes of people who once were research question, and these themes were verified important. When meeting family members, they by the group of co-authors. In the final phase, the look away and walk down the other side of the results of the analysis were written down. street. Other people change in their way of relating, which makes one feel less worthy and A limitation in this study is the recruitment of unwelcome. participants through the organization Support for Victims of Religions, which may be reflected in A person who has been close to you, a the results. All steps of the analysis
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