The interdependence between religiosity and changed life situation due to cancer.

- A study of 20 Swedish Christians with cancer diseases: preliminary findings.

Mikael Lundmark

The aim of the project is to investigate :

1)The function of religiosity as a variety of coping mechanisms when struggling with a cancer disease

2) How the changed life situation due to cancer affects religiosity

• Average age: 63,6 years (between 48-80 years)• Males : 9• Females : 11• Congregations: Swedish church: 4

EFS: 7 pentacostal: 6 EFK: 2

Baptist: 1• Average interview time total: 2h 35min (total all 20 inf.: 52 h)

• 2010-05-01 are 11 informants still allive• Longitudinal data: 8 informants 2 interviews

1 informant 3 interviews1 informant 4 interviews

time span of data collection from first to last interview between 5 months and 5 years

Category scheme (prel)

1 Prayers• 1.1Type of Prayer• 1.1.1 Meditative• 1.1.2 For others (the informant prays for others)• 1.1.3 With others• 1.1.4 Intercessionary (others for the informant)• 1.1.5 Petitionary• 1.1.6 Recitatonary/written prayers• 1.1.7 Praying artefacts• 1.1.8 Laying on of hands• 1.1.9 Glossolaly• 1.1.10 Prayer walks• 1.1.11 Repetitionary • 1.2 Content of prayer• 1.2.1 Of recovery• 1.2.2 Of miracle• 1.2.3 Thanks• 1.2.4 Assignment• 1.2.5 Why• 1.2.6 Extra time• 1.2.7 For help in the disease• 1.2.8 Specific other topics• 1.2.9 General other topics• 1.3 Answers of prayer• 1.4 Not answer of prayer• 1.5 Technically about prayers (when, how, why)• 1.6 What happens inside the informant during prayer• 1.7 Not be able to pray• 1.8 What is prayer• 1.9 Changes in the prayers (content/patterns) due to the crisis2. Religious literature and the bible• 2.1 Technically about reading the bible (when, how, why)• 2.2 Objects of identification in the bible• 2.3 Other religious literature• 2.4 What happens inside the informant during bible reading• 2.5 What happens inside the informant during reading other religious

literature•

• 2.6 Changes in reading the bible and/or other religious literature due to crisis

• 2.9 Important bible passages during crisis• 2.10 Bible study group• 2.11 Other relevant3 Private ritual4 Public ritua5 Disease versus meaning6 Relationship to God• 6.1 Religious doubt versus no doubt• 6.2 Thoughts about God• 6.3 Changes• 6.4 Thoughts about God• 6.5 Changes• 6.6 Versus disease, life and death• 6.7 God close / God distant• 6.8 Strong religious experiences• 6.9 Guidance, being led• 6.10 Prophecies• 6.11 Assignment• 6.12 Trust in God7 Reflections about the interview8 This crisis versus earlier crisis’s9 Congregation10 Miracles11 Song/music12 Fasting13 Positive effects of the disease• 13.1 Evangelizing for others due to the disease• 13.2 Gives new knowledge/wisdom• 13.3 Changes the relationship to God• 13.4 Other14 Symptom relieves15 The example of other people16 Icons and religious art17 Angels and associated18 Pastoral counselling19 Sacred meanings to medicines or medical/surgical

interventions•

Changes in prayers with regard

to frequency and intercession

prayers and some related issues

the degree the cancer disease changes the life and the relationship to God seems to depend on if the cancer disease is the first major crisis in the informants life or if he/she has gone through several crises before.

a) prayers seams to have different kinds of functions and some of these becomes more important during crisis. The clearest example so far is the social function of intercession prayers

b) religiosity, at least in the sense of religious activity seams to change due to changed life situation.

The coping function of strong

religious experiences

Painting by Ida Orelma

Disease versus meaning: Recognizing the positive outcome of the own suffering for other people as a way of coping

The mechanism of giving sacred

meanings to medicines or

medical/surgical interventions.

“…I was thinking… all those forms of treatment that I have received that this is also a sort of a spiritual experience… //… if we talk about chemo therapy that it is Christ himself that comes… // … during the second period of chemo therapy it was very hard for me but then it was a co patient who was laying in the bed next to me who made me see that if our lord have created everything including these plants then of course it can be so that it is through these plants that we receive the blessing of God and became well again… and this helped me much that time so I remember from that moment I thought that it is Him that comes through the substance and he is much more… manifest perhaps… and the substance in… yeas really in the blood stream, yeas in the whole organism of mine… and this also goes for the radiation therapy… // … that God himself is the radiation beam…”