Spirituality and Peace Programme

THE SPIRITUALITY PROJECT
This project ventured into ways, through which spirituality and religion fosters overall state of individual and social wellbeing. It specifically identifies prerequisites of healing, the actors in the healing process, efficacy of healing, and sustainability of wellbeing. The outcome of this paper is based on an in-depth discussion with 9 key spiritualists (6 males and 3 females), and workshops (3) and experiences from the interactions with Muslim, Christian and Buddhist communities.
There is an answer to human problems amounting to ill-health. There has to be faith from the un-well party seeking good health. When the faith of the ill-person meets with the faith of interceder, a powerful call of healing powers or spirit is invoked. The healing spirit maintains presence in the life of the now healthy person. Healing efficacy is determined by the strength of faith. Spiritual healing is involves emotional healing, mental cleansing, and care and support of the physical body, with effort of the individual and sought care and support of expert members of the community. The person has a responsibility of ensuring obedience in this or her relationship with the Holy Spirit in order to maintain benefits. Obedience applies to instructions and advice from godly people. God’s grace prevails for people who relentless seek it to be revived even when they fall. The individual has a duty to maintain him-self or her-self in the Christian fold, to avoid bodily dangers associated with wickedness. They can continue thrive in good health when they return to the Christian fold. God’s numerous blessings and protection prevails so that he or she is happy in HIM (God).
Healing is sought by person and people concerned, of which faith is central; it is sustained by obedience of Christian teachings and respect for Christian norms, such as fellowships and being exemplary. The healing benefits cease to occur when the Holy Spirit is displaced by misdeeds and disrespect of godly teachings and Christian norms.
FAITH HEALING Services
Healing was real and complete if the individual does not have negative conflicts (adversity or EVIL) in the mind or defeating perceptions about life (or body). This paper attempted to examine the interplay between healing and the concept of evil. The findings from this project originated from the experiences of interactions with a cross-section of faithful (s) from Muslim, Christians, and Buddhist communities as well as from the review of secondary literature. The findings were as follows: positive actions and perceptions of life build positive spirit and vise-versa while negative actions detached individual from positive spirit (God) [good emotional feelings about oneself, life and others] for negative spirit (Satan) which reinforced negative thought, emotions and actions (anti-social behaviors and other associated psychological problems). Optimism is associated with variety of positive benefits that includes, lowering production of stress hormone –cartisol, bettering body function and reducing risk of chronic diseases.  Tuning the mind changed body’s biochemistry accordingly (the structure and function of cellular components such as proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids and other biomolecules). The negative oneself (feelings of anger, guilt, depression, fear) simply shrunk the life cells and compromised the immune system. Man’s failure to adopt and master nature dictated his downfall –helplessly. His decision to hand over management tools to the Divine was only a reflection of failure that came back to taunt him (or her). God had no role to play in man’s failures and self-extinction –if he/she (man) chose. When the relationship went bad, the spirits not appeased, when the certain details of the covenant in the relationship were broken, when individuals or sections of society abused the divine influence to attack and inflict pain on others, their normal life functioning got adversely affected. With broken spiritual life, individuals’ hearts and relationships were broken, unless interventions are made as soon as possible to reset the relationship to rightful order. Prior mindsets had stronger influences in new beliefs.  There is greater environment influence on life: both negatively and positive –depending on the nature and strength of it or such influences. It was thus vital to position oneself in an environment that would yield health influences and propulsion to positive outcomes.
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ADVERSITY, GOD AND EMOTIONS: A CASE OD MAYUGE DISTRICT

By

Jacob Waiswa
Situation Health Analysis
Dishma Inc.
dishma.imhs@gmail.com

Peace and Conflict Program
Makerere University
jwaiswa@arts.mak.ac.ug


Introduction
Spiritual (in a relationship with God) connections indeed completed the fullest of individual self along with the thinking, emotion systems, and the body. Without spiritual component, individual was simply worthless, he would feel it and everyone will see that from a distance.

Buddhism in Perspective
The spiritual part of our existence is what is beyond any one’s understanding verses man’s quest for it to shape life, and whose intellectual resources are inexhaustible –offering refugee to the restless and, whose relationship is determined by man’s quality of input into the relationship with it.

The good working relationship with it involves nature and quality of messages we gather in to our minds, and substances into our bodies during our interaction with the environment; and the rewards to that are fruits of good life around oneself.

The spiritual part completely provides freedom of choice to connect to it or get disconnected from it. To some, the ego assumes control and lightly shaped by the thinking system, or left bear to cause certain behaviors. To others, logic determines social processes and individual or group destiny. The orientation to spirituality also has its intensities.

While in the communities we come from there are people who substitute reasoning or logic to inherited philosophies about the quest for God, truthfulness their God, values formed around them, and comparisons developed to edge out existing ones and justify supremacy over them.

In the same vein we have people who subjected newly found or inherited belief systems to logical tests that caters for universal laws of love for all beings, universal law of kindness to all, universal law of truthfulness, universal law of diversity, and universal law of fairness to all –where if the test is positive then a given teaching or more of them can be conceived. If negative, then such a teaching (s) falls out squarely.

But we cannot forget the moderates, usually very interesting characters. They are appreciative of different religious elements that reflect realism of life, not otherwise. To them the humanity is the biggest asset, rather than ideology.

Diverse ideologies only made life here on Earth very interesting and brought out uniqueness of individual beings for self-reflection, sharing and learning one or two beneficial practices from them all.

Pan-Africanism and Buddhism
Very interesting to note also regards Buddha's background and principles of thought traced in the Black people in India known as Dravidians –another connection to Africa. They inherited India's older Black civilization known as the Harappan civilization, which existed from around 4,000 BCE and was the contemporary of Nubia prior to the first Egyptian dynasty.

In the centuries that followed, the Dravidians of India experienced a cultural and religious invasion from the north (circa 1,500 B.C.) by Indo-Europeans who called themselves Aryans (Nijel BPG, 1999.

In 520 A.D., a monk named Bodhidharma left southern India for China to re-define and spread the teachings of the counter religion to Hinduism called Buddhism. Buddhism was a religion founded on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama who taught the Four Noble Truths to enlightenment. While often portrayed as Asian, the Buddha was a Black man.

Today, we awake to the facts that Buddha's tightly curled knots of hair, and elongated ear lobes are unmistakable African cultural traditions (Nijel BPG, 1999). African traditional religion continues to play a leading role in healing ways.

A study carried out in eleven (11) Districts in eastern Uganda, 90% of people mental health-related problems preferred healers to health centers as the first point of contact –though there were no cases of patients cured confirmed. 59.3% sought religious leaders, 0.6% went to traditional healers while 2.3% visited modern health units (Nafula, 2007).

However, the trust and satisfaction between patients and traditional healers was enough to cause relief and hope that are essential elements of healing. In light of the popular traditional healing approach, Kigozi, F. in a report by Nafula (2007) observed, “…highly educated contacted traditional healers.”

Conflicts as usually are a routine, crop up only to motivate Africans to choose appropriate ways to live fulfilling lives. Availing options with accompanying information was relevant to that effect –from which to experience and, ultimately, make right decisions.

In a true Pan-African spirit, Prof. Murindwa, R. (2010) said, “Buddha was an African, Buddhism started in Africa, and so it is worth celebrating.”

Religiosity and Buddhism
Religion precisely organizes people towards attainment of spiritual expectations as pathways to achievement of life goals. Therefore, there must be a kind of relationship with the Divine (spirituality) –bound by a covenant (or set of rules) in order to realize one’s goal in life.

Many Buddhists writers and practitioners believe their practices are beyond religion.

“Christian definition of religion practically excludes Buddhism. Unfortunately, English language is not a spiritual language and many words do not do; just the Pali language words like Dhamma, Buddha sasana and so on... I think, a philosophical point of view is more inclusive.”
Ven. Bhante Buddharakkita,
The African Buddhist Monk.

Unfortunately, it turns into competition and hostility for fame among mainstream religious traditions –leading to violence and loss of religious importance. Buddhism uniquely argues that happiness is for all –regardless of race, ideology and background (Goenka 2007).

Negative Oneself and Healing
Healing is real and complete if the individual does not have negative conflicts (adversity) in the mind or defeating perceptions about life (or body). Positive actions and perceptions of life build positive spirit and vise-versa while negative actions detached individual from positive spirit (God) [good emotional feelings about oneself, life and others] for negative spirit (Satan) which reinforced negative thought, emotions and actions (anti-social behaviors and other associated psychological problems).

Optimism is associated with variety of positive benefits that includes, lowering production of stress hormone –cartisol, bettering body function and reducing risk of chronic diseases. During the practice of VMT, optimism (believing without doubt and faith) about and in life, and love for everything as nature, or for every human and animals rather than divisions of them are constituent principle to healing.

Tuning the mind changed body’s biochemistry accordingly (the structure and function of cellular components such as proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids and other bimolecular).

The negative oneself (feelings of anger, guilt, depression, fear) simply shrunk the life cells and compromised the immune system.

Spirituality and Emotions
Man’s failure to adopt and master nature dictates his downfall –helplessly. His decision to hand over management tools to the Divine is only a reflection of failure that came back to taunt him. Yet God as noted therein had no role to play in man’s failures and self-extinction –if he (man) chooses to.

Spirituality in Uganda (or Africa)
The African Traditions strongly believe in spirits. It is believed that spirits live among us for the good of people or the worse –depending on the nature of relationships with such spirits. If the relationship is bad, when spirits are not appeased, when the certain details of the covenant in the relationship are broken, when individuals or sections of society use them to attack and inflict pain on others.

In modern faiths, it is believed that bad spirits came from underground under the command of Satan (Lucifer) –who because of to God was thrown down to the Earth. He continued to live his ways and making numbers of followers to his side.

He is believed to be the cause of suffering and misery to man that can only be remedied through reading holy books, attending church services and extra fellowships. Christians specifically believe Jesus solely affords the task of successfully disposing demons from those possessed by them.

He is believed to be the cause of suffering and misery to man that can only be remedied through reading holy books, attending church services and extra fellowships. Christians specifically believe Jesus solely affordable the task of successfully disposing demons from those possessed by them.

If the relationship is bad, when spirits are not appeased, when the certain details of the covenant in the relationship are broken, when individuals or sections of society use them to attack and inflict pain on others normal life functioning is will be affected.

With broken spiritual life, individuals will have broken hearts and broken relationships, unless interventions are made as soon as possible. In African Tradition Religion, there exist experts in exorcism, who with ease freed their clients from evil spirits using both verbal and herbal means. Through the years, there were attempts to dislodge it with the mass penetration of western religious movement.

In the end both western and African got married leading to the Africanisation of foreign religious movement –a practice still live up to now. In the end both western and African got married leading to the Africanisation of foreign religious movement –a practice still live up to now.

The Mayuge Case
The entry in a Mayuge community began with the encounter of strong beliefs in traditional religion characterized by spiritual consultations by locals for revenge purposes, malicious damage and hurting others. While in defense of planned attacks, opponents too hired traditional religious Practitioners perceived to be of stronger influence over spirits for their ability to dispel them off or kind of detain them.

There were interesting beliefs like “if a dead body on transit usually by bicycle or motorcycle passed-by, one should make sure it does not get into contact with it” in such narrow village paths. It was seen as a taboo that came with curses.

While if a car got stuck in the mad with a dead body on it, that was perceived to be the reason for the car failing to move through the mad, clay, rural soils. The remedy was to slaughter a hen, to be able to appease the spirit of the dead to let the car move.

Prior mindset of the new entrant was threatened by new cultures that strongly advocated misplacement of intellectual abilities or reasoning for the new found beliefs. Even without subscribing to them, there was often moments when he met some fear –especially with the need to go for either long call or short call. But he moved on with it, side by side with belief system.

Now in a new setting X had first a dream: as he was walking along a street towards a junction (that was figured to be a place of his birth and growth), with people selling Ffene and Charcoal, he suddenly saw a high speeding bicycle with three (3) plastic containers on either sides and a wrapped dead body along the bicycle’s length. On noticing it, X jumped off the road for safety.

He narrated the whole story and one of them (very born-again) exclaimed, “You need prayers now!” to which X resisted. Several nights after, fear began to grow to the level when X’s courage only allowed him to enter the dark house and lay on his bed. But later in the night X could not sleep.

Every time he naturally closed his eyes, suddenly he felt lots of pressure in on himself as he breathed out. The past began informing him that that was a spirit sitting on him –trying to choke him and squeeze his chest to suffocation, where only calling out for the name of Jesus Christ was the remedy accompanied by resilient holding of the choking pressure (evil spirits). About three (3) calls of Jesus name were enough to cause relief in X.

But in doing so, X only won battles rather than the war. Fear eventually succeed and began to overwhelm X. Week in and week out he was not having enough rest; in fact, not all resting. As a result his day time was full of exhaustion and burnouts, refusing tasks and feeling very lazy.

X’s life suddenly changed throughout his one and half month there. When he returned to Kampala, where the environment was different, he began reclaiming his past scientific models to explain different events in life.

Six (6) to twelve (12) months after, he felt much better, and then one year to two years, he looks back laughing at it all. From X’s story we find change as strange regardless of who we are; whether highly educated, knowledgeable on the subject or naturalists, it will take on anyone for the better or worst.

Lessons
There is greater environment influence on life: both negatively and positive –depending on the nature and strength of it or such influences. Having opposing mindset yet positive, rational and realistic (PRR) to new negatively emerging experiences, became foundation for recovery.

It was important to connect such a person to an environment he once believed to be inspiring and positively rewarding to elicit images that strongly opposed the current interpretations of the environment yet PRR and foster recovery.

Unfortunately, the negative, unrealistic and irrational held their place in the subconscious until another opportunity arose to elicit them forward to the conscious, and the behavioral flames.

Exposure to different sets of ideologies was good for right decision making in times of confusion about life. It will be one of such ideologies that might be the Jesus during healing process.

Situation Health Analysis
If a particular faith is assumed to be toxic, steps have to be taken to analyze and assess it, and have all information revealed to affected party –so that when all go bad in future, he or she can remember the wrong part of it for the better, instead of sticking to one damaging without alternative.

It would not be easy to facilitate such a persons healing unless you new him or her very well –which information is rarely accurately revealed –regarding past religious associations.

It is also pertinent of individuals to choose what is constructive them in the rightfulness of their conscience and wellness of others to avoid generation of undue guilt and fear –which can change shapes from once perceived as irrational to rational and verse versa.

The effects cut across personalities and expertise –whether general in the army, president, professor of psychiatry or anything. It is a matter of time, space and opportunity.

Environment and Individual Effects

Held values are those that were responsible for person’s wellness and formed from past experiences. New values are those met in new environments that begin to consciously and unconsciously challenge old values –causing an intra crisis with the individual.
Desensitization is the process when an individual gradually loses his previous doctrines that affected his way of life.

Behavior change is another gradual process when individual begins to behave or develops an orientation as that of the new found community that instills toxic characteristics like fear, anxiety, and loss of personal self, nightmares, panic attacks and diminished productivity.

New values that caused instability within individual could only be changed by guided shift back to old environment that worked for the unstable individual. The same explanation can be applied to old instability-causing values to guided behavioral change program in new environment with positively rewarding stimuli.

Conclusion
The same explanation can be applied to old instability-causing values to guided behavioral change program in new environment with positively rewarding stimuli. So, let’s adopt diversity and analysis of various existing and emerging faiths if we are to e able to help victims of them.

We should not just look on as old and new faiths emerge; we should follow them up and influence policy –in order to protect our people and support healing processes. We need to not only have individual values formed and pursued to reach the destiny of wisdom, peace and happiness but firm, understood ethical and moral operating –and behavioral standards for the various spiritual groups.

We need to not only have individual values formed and pursued to reach the destiny of wisdom, peace and happiness but firm, understood ethical and moral operating –and behavioral standards for the various spiritual groups.

RELIGIOSITY AND SPIRITUALITY: WHO IS RIGHT, WRONG AND WHICH WAY TO GO?

The emptiness, unknown or knowledge gap of mankind –yet most powerfully affecting life for the worse or good, is what prompts man to quest everyday for knowledge to understand life puzzles. His vigorous activity to assert himself through numerous discoveries has still been in vain or just temporary.

Certain forces beyond his understanding, some of which he can describe, continue to side-by-side affect human life negatively or positively. It is upon this background that the concept of spirituality could be divided into positive spirituality and negative spirituality, which both strongly influences human perception and events.

No wonder, people at one point could belong either way or make decisions that aligned to the two sets of spirituality. And, with the consequences faced in pursued on any of the two spiritual systems, lessons are learnt that help transform individuals, communities and mankind as a whole.

However, experience has shown that those who choose positive spirituality of the two spiritual systems never failed. They always attained their goals in life transferable to many generations a head. The opposite would be so to those –who choose to live under negative spirituality.

Religions, as an organized way through which mankind attains positive spiritual needs to inspire those that are physical have often been abused. Man’s magnetic ego and manipulative drives have soon prompted him to hijack the organization and use it to serve his economic and political gains.

Of course, with determination, adoption of religious and Christian values and seeing them work through every aspect of one’s life –as basis for decision making and for common good, could go a long way to bring about harmony and social or world order.

However, focus on religiosity and/or Christianity cannot be enough to create such a desired outcome, but rather, it could be a platform of positive spirituality to govern the common destiny of mankind through the common challenges met.

While religiosity potentially generates conditions for conflict, positive spirituality on one could foster global unity, solidarity and collective actions towards challenges that affect humanity as a whole.

With religion, the genesis could be sparks of different ideas that get organized, documented and linked to spirituality in general to satisfy man’s needs. If so many different ideas are created with equally huge following, fanaticism phase would soon ensue.

The pride and arrogance could be alone a source of conflict as members of a specific section accept to tolerate only those they either share values with or are accepting to their religious dictatorship.

As membership to particular religious group they set rights and privileges for each other, and with, of course, a leadership structure similar to a company or political party –through which they assume custody of morality and claim an unquestionable guardianship over their following.

While they judge themselves as righteous, others groups, to them, are “sinners”, “immoral”, and “evil.” That could eventually be followed by a hate campaign against the other group; a big sign of pending violence.

Orphans, because of the vulnerable position they are found, are forced to change faith to adopt that held by the organization that oversees their welfare. For them, it is not a question of being Muslim or wherever, but a principled matter of following existing instructions at the orphanage.

This has been evidenced at virtually all orphanage institution manned by born-again groups or reformed churches. Experience in Busia as a child care professional has showed that children are discouraged from re-establishing contacts with relatives –fearing that doing so could reverse progress made at the orphanage, as christianization of every beneficiary.

But does one have to be religious to display proper character? And is being religious or Christian, alone, a depiction of good character? Isn’t a religious organization just meant to channel man’s expressions of goodness and irrationality –at the same time?

Imagine, mere differences in ideology being a root for violent confrontations –leading to massacres or genocide! Does morality only come with religions? Why wouldn’t reason come into play to compliment illogic and irrational religious practices, so that it turns out to be a combination of atheism and religious?

Much as atheism never accepts the vocabulary of God, as if declaring independence of mankind and show of human power, evidence has shown that they often used either the word Jesus, Christ or God in expressing amazement or shock.

As an economic vessel, more people are coming up with an idea of taking on offering religious rituals or services as a professional and for a fee. Numerous papyrus and mud structures –serving as churches, as can be seen in the suburbs and rural semi-urban areas have in recent years sprung up. And, indeed, in a few years time they become wealthy –riding on the fortunes of their following.

At some stage, especially after successfully achieving their economic goal, religious leaders would release their ego –to then want to own the congregation personally and easily manipulating them to meet his or her ego needs.

Unlike for a nations with tax collection departments, religious movements never share their revenues Instead are channeled to a project of one, or group of people doing business, while emphasizing to their congregation that it best to live poor so long as they continues serving “god” by giving to the project’s cause.

They pray for their following to become wealthy, so that upon determination to work hard and making money, it finds its way into the gown of religious leaders –who later become filthily and lavishly rich.

Why wouldn’t one instead give to the poor wherever, rather than simply helping make canning individuals rich –under the guise of religion? Surely, the power and benefits of giving can be realized even out side religious organization or setting!

Because of their unquestionable word as attributed to God’s or positive spirituality, their following could remain unsuspecting and ready to die for the pastor and his word. This is how rocky and sometimes deceptive religious cultures can be held by those who subscribe to them –regardless of the consequences (to them and others).

They make it a tactic or as part of initiation to have a potential member surrender his or intellect and logic powers for unfiltered orders and instructions, which prepares ground for newer worlds of irrationality in thought and behavior. No wonder, under mental health dispensation, the tendency can be categorized as a disorder.

That could be the same time when dangerous vices begin to crop up like alcoholism, discrimination, sex immorality, self-glorification, and show of greater masculinity and femininity among fellow men or women respectively. It is obvious that competition among fellow religious leaders could be inevitable.

Because traditional cultural infiltration or cultural-religiosity, the masculinity-driven religious leaders will want to assume total political power or participate in political developments.

Others contribute to division and violence in marriages –through promotion of gender inequity, discrimination and unavoidable or possible violence in the country as in homes. But violence in homes, alone, has been known to cause pychoticism and/or odd behaviors in adolescents and aggravated mental breakdown later in life.

Failure for religion to equally provide roles and responsibilities, equally shared by all men regardless of the sex, race, region and faith or belief has in turn failed efforts to pacify the world and protect the environment.

Religious pride, then, linked up with man’s greed to exploit and degrade the environment –without reservations as well as generation of conditions for conflicts, wars and misery. This could be calamitous if there was a marriage between religion and politics to give birth to political-religiosity (ies).

They will want to show individual worthiness and power –on the basis on their ability to do miracles or magic, size of the congregation, beauty of prayer houses and oratory powers, and wealth. This, alone, could trigger conflict scaled up suspicions, mistrust and insecurity of each other’s activities.

Evidence, however, has showed that positive values helped one develop a good personality ethic and character –which in turn directed him or her to important life achievement and assurance of more of the unknown positive outcomes (what could come from positive spirituality).

An example of such values could be; reconciliation, meditation or silent review of enriching values, courage in pursuit for the truth and good, patience and calmness when the unexpected strikes to cause draw-backs, determination, self-trust, healthy social relations (consisting of respect, cooperation, responsibility, understanding and caring) and focus on what is good, right and rewarding to one self and others. Researchers have shown that positive values came along with interesting healthy outcomes like reduced stress, strong immune system and high productivity.

The basic question, thus, is: can we achieve success, good health, wealth –through formation of nature-friendly ideals pursuable for the one’s better end –without having to join or getting harmed (psychologically, physically, economically and culturally) by practices of existing religious organizations?

In Uganda, as it were else-where in the world, due to the religious persecution in the pre-colonial times and post-colonial period between 1971 and 1979, a neutral faith cropped up, related but autonomous called balokole – the born-again churches. Like hyenas moving after lions, they mushroomed following liberation struggles against former dictator Iddi Amin.

But, most prominently, showed up when president Museveni –under NRM/A revolutionary guard came to power. As part of their program, the new regime in Kampala allowed freedom of expression. They never minded about having to enact policies that would govern the new faith movement.

Such a weakness was manifested itself when a former catholic cleric, Kibwetere led a cult that muted themselves with fire –to “have its membership go to the creator. Numerous other cults with independent constitutions too have sprung up in the country-side unmonitored by government –notably; Mukono district.

In the same way media reports have continued to highlight irrational activities within those unmonitored groups, but in the name of freedom of expression, government remains unbothered. Perhaps, another inferno as the kanungu type must occur for government to learn how to take precautions. Is it only mindful of limiting political freedom and expressions?

In recent times, as would be expected of any religious organization, balokole now have a similar movement with structures that govern their operations, yet it was the same religiosity and related traditions that prompted their break-away from the main stream religious organizations.

And similar crimes as sex immorality, slander, power struggles and lavishness are about to create new phases of counter-liberation – to help harmonize moral activities in society. On the other hand, while harmonizing the concept of morality, there must never be prerequisite to surrender one’s power of reasoning.

It can be this same act that would act as a betrayal to one’s achievements and subsequently stall his or her progress in exchange to giving others the right to use their intellect to exploit, cause misery and social breakdown.

While using any amount of intellect, everyone must have an opportunity to positively advance his good intentions for the benefit of himself and the world –without ideas like custodianship of morality as to a particular individual or group.

And groups with ideas that in a long run make others poorer, con other of their money, carry messages that promote poverty, dehumanize others, selfishly assume the right to know whilst automatically turning others into fools, claiming to own god on behalf of others, block one’s success, are discriminative, violent and a danger to one-self and others must never be subscribed to.

History has given enough lessons to learn from. It is time to rise and eliminate foxes that masquerade or call themselves the beginning and end of success, wealth and good health (God or positive spirituality) in favor of shared learning and perception of the unknown (spirituality), as well as shared responsibility towards fulfillment of requirement to making progress in line with benefits attainable from links with positive spirituality.

Jacob Waiswa
Community Psychologist

Spirituality In HIV/AIDS Child Care

A CASE FOR SPIRITUALITY By Waiswa Jacob, waiswajacobo@yahoo.co.uk

Spirituality (SP) and Positive Living (PL)

Mental health as well as general health issues could best be unders to od and applied holistically. According to contemporary psychotherapy, “fear of never being whole” afflicts many people –be it; their cultures, traditions and religions. They would prefer specifics or particularities. ALWAs would best find satisfaction in to tality ( Leon , 1988). Good and truth engenders all life beauties and perfections. They (good and truth), as rational or spiritual substances steaming from the Infinite, entering in to individuals, giving rise to feelings and thoughts, and helping hold structures and functioning of everything (Leon, 1988). Whilst looking at religious aspects, care ought to be taken by critically identifying; rational, socially acceptable, ethical and moral importance to natural activities of such religious beliefs.

The external religious practices would be usually un- redeeming. They would be rather embodied in cultural and ethical rituals rather than the inner relationship with Eternity or Infinite. There fore, to prevent fundamentalism -which is actually blind faith and beyond the intellect, there would be need to emphasize factional or religious rationality. That is; the rational faith as tied to good and truth principle. It would call for interior aspects of religion -meaning the shunning of evil for the sake of God, the consequent love of good, delighting in him, loving truth and determination to apply truths to life (also called: wisdom) - (Leon, 1988). Needing to belong to a religion could be unders to od as a desire to belong to an organized denomination for some specific, sub-cultural activities and motives ( Leon , 1988). However, SP goes beyond organised churches, faiths, religions or sects. SP would significantly help build a power-base for PL.

Several findings indicated an association between spirituality and positive living. Rippentrop, Altmaier, Chen, Found, Keffala, Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, University of Iowa Health Care (2006), in their Article; “The relationship between religion/spirituality and physical health, mental health, and pain in a chronic pain population.” It showed prayer, meditation and consumption of religious media as inversely related to physical health outcomes.
And, whoever experienced worst physical pain was more likely to engage in private religious practices -perhaps as a way of coping with their poor health. Forgiveness, negative religious coping, daily spiritual experiences, religious support, and self-rankings of religious or spiritual intensity significantly predicted mental health status. Religion and/or spirituality were unrelated to pain intensity and life interference due to pain so they were seen as externally found positive reinforcements against pain. Having spiritual life, would thus, help generate PL or positive outlook that would in turn reduce unnecessary anxieties and subsequently boost ALWAs’ immune systems. SP motivates individual to ; confront anxiety with confidence, replace negative feelings and emotions with positive ones, manage daily pressures as; taking on change gradually, confronting fears, practicing humor, seeking social support and avoiding dangerous addictions.
SP would lay a platform or foundation for PL. Noting that; recognizing the powers beyond human understanding and existence that represents good, truth or reality, which if experienced by humans, wellness and life meaningfulness would be realized.

Positive spiritual experiences would lead to positive change in adolescent’s cognition and character. Islamic faith portrays God, as internal and external -which meant coming near God through performing rites with inner and outward significance to God. For example; purification through prayer for mercy and forgiveness (of sins committed due to body dirt) -as to internal, and ensuring hygiene, done by washing self –as to external (Seyyed, 1987 Pg 111). Weil (2007) asserted that natural health, spirituality and holistic living could be the focus. In his propositions about PL, pessimism accelerated an individual dying sooner than if he or she was expressing positive emotions. Optimism was associated with variety of positive benefits that included; lowered production of stress hormone cartisol, bettered body function and reduced risk of chronic diseases.

The method of treatment that would accelerate the aspects of SP and PL to work in ALWAs’ lives) –respectively, are taught in most religious science churches and consists of five steps: 1) Recognition, in which we recognize that God is ever present; 2) Unification, which acknowledges our oneness with God; 3) Realization/Declaration of Truth, which acknowledges that what we are seeking is already ours; 4) Thanksgiving: involving thanksgiving since what is sought is already attained or given; 5) Release: implying that having given thanks and acknowledged availability of what has long been sought, then one experiences an emotional release as afflictions are left to God (Holmes, September 2006: religioussciences.org). Such a release would transform the whole being in to what he or she has long searched for, Like recovery from chronic pains and health-living. While there are many different religions and paths people use to find God, research has shown that those; who are more religious, who believe in God or a higher power, experience many benefits to their health and well being. Gratitude to wards God, to o, was linked with improved health outcomes, and that could reduce the experience of stress (Scott, 2007). Still, numerous research findings showed that we experienced greater benefits from being intrinsically oriented to God (Scott, 2007). Spirituality would help yield individual self-worth and self-confidence (due to God’s protection and promises), which would actually boost PL in the lives of ALWAs

Further more, SP and PL successes could be attained through reconciling sinful nature with God, who assured his people of love. These replace lost love and trust previously lost that helps person re-discover self. Lifting souls of the depressed whilst giving grace and hope as well as joy, would soon follow. “God demonstrated his love by sending his beloved son to die for sinners so that whoever beliefs would be let free of his or her problems. “Christ died for our sins...He was buried...He was raised on the third day, according to the scriptures; he appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred...” (1 Corinthians 15:3-6) and (Romans 5:8). Spirituality lowers fear for death through reassuring individual of eternal life as a gift for his faith in Christ. Bother-some anxieties would thus, be eliminated –through his promise of life after death. “…I am the way, the truth, and life; no one comes to the Father, but through me” (John 14:6). A study carried out in eleven (11) Districts in eastern Uganda , 90% of people mental health-related problems preferred healers to health centers as the first point of contact -though no cases of patients getting cured were confirmed. 59.3% sought religious leaders, 0.6 went to traditional healers while 2.3 visited modern health units. According to Dr. Fred Kigozi, the head of Butabika Mental Hospital , even the highly educated contacted traditional healers. (Nafula: Monday, November 12th, 2007, Daily Moni to r pg 6).

Spirituality and Resilience

ALWAs resilience could be hardest to break by HIV/AIDS if well supported by a spiritual foundation. Resilient nature would last as long as the individual attachment to the Divine represented goodness and truth. PLWA, whose individual energy resources for survival are diminished and are stigmatized -with no social support, could resort to the Infinite for self-realisation, hope, healthy-reclamation, assurance and re-assurance. Evil and falsity; are inherited, influenced by environment and acquired within one’s will. Even then, one could still regenerate the truth and good to regain resilient nature. The ubiqui to us human desires for omnipotence produce great suffering (Miller and Polly, 2000, Pg 133). As result; anxiety, depression, chronic dissatisfaction, boredom, turmoil, conflict, dishonesty, hatred, cruelty, delusion, callousness, addiction, obsession, cruelty and delusion could be fixed by way of repentance, reformation and regeneration because of the enshrined spiritual love in our minds ( Leon , 1988). Upon renewal of character, a person could again enjoy happiness, love, peace, full confidence, intelligence, wisdom, self-esteem, perfection and beauty. Such are important ingredients that would lead to resilient lives of ALWAs.

Zohar and Marshall (2000: pg15), portrayed a highly-developed sense of spirituality, which manifested individual-self in the following ways; the capacity to be flexible (actively and spontaneously adaptive); a high degree of self-awareness, capacity to face and use suffering -as spring-boat for success, and capacity to face and transcend pain, the quality of being inspired by vision and values; reluctance to cause unnecessary harm, a tendency to see the connections between diverse things (being ‘holistic’); a marked tendency to ask ‘Why?’ or ‘What if?’ questions, and to seek fundamental answers -being what psychologists would call ‘field-independent’ –which is; possessing a facility for working against convention. Working against odds or conventions could be a manifestation of RE resulting from SP.

Through guidance of spiritual books and documents, ALWAs would find spiritual renewal, henceforth, leading to mental, emotional and physical changes and help to gain relief from irritating ailments and pains. Spirituality influences person’s attitude to be flexible, to overlook the pain and suffering -through promised hope to ; trigger determination and achieve specific aspirations, and pursue positive regards. These processes go would as further as boosting immune systems and provoking “ to tal recovery”. The Islamic Holy book (Koran: Surah 3 Ali Imran C54 pg 125), would insist on the need to struggle and fight for the cause of truth and exhorts those who have been blessed with Islam to remain constant in faith, pray for guidance and maintain their spiritual hope for the future. C58, “…help would come to those who strive…we must learn from our misfortune…” Expectation of help would create resilient character (showing confidence, courage and hope) in the lives of ALWAs –that would help them cope with stress and be; happier, healthier and more successful in life (Lovell: January 8th, 2007).

In Uganda , the Church to ok a bold step to fight HIV/AIDS -by encouraging its flock to seek VCT services and supporting those orphaned by the scourge. Rev. Canon Gideon Byamugisha has been an influencial figure in such a calling. Until recently, he has encouraged other religious leaders to take up the initiative (Butagira: September 7th, 2007, Daily Moni to r pg 3). The Catholic Church, to o, through Mbuya Outreach Programme, Mbuya Referral Hospital offers a wide range of HIV/AIDS services aimed at fighting the disease. The services provided include; volunteer training, peer training, VCT services, ARV administration, and treatment (Mbuya Outreach, 2007). As if those were not enough, the Redeemed Church of Kampala, in recent times made an alliance with Mild-may International (MPCI) to fill the spiritual gap in the services offered at the center. In fact, MI now mingles prayer with medical practices (Redeemed Church of Kampala, 2007). MPCI have a pas to r as well as representatives of other religious sects, who guide the center in general and sick children in particular on spirituality to reduce anxieties, depressions and above all; raise and sustain hope (Kaahwa, 2007).

Waiswa-Jacob, waiswajacobo@yahoo.co.uk