After a short discussion of important issues concerning the secularization debate and the three meta-narratives involved in this debate (decline, transformation, rise), the following question is addressed: in modern societies, has 'religion' given way to 'spirituality' on the individual level? After a critique of different conceptualizations of spirituality for empirical research and a sample discussion of survey data (results of the European Values Study for the Netherlands between 1980 and 2000), the answer is negative. The suggestion is that spirituality appears as a megatrend in the mass media marketing commodities and in the publications of social scientists trying to attract a broader audience. But the so-called spiritual trend at the level of individual 'religious' orientations is the result of a questionable terminological construction or a questionable interpretation of survey data or arises from a combination of the two.

BackgroundMuslim norms concerning palliative sedation can differ from secular and non-Muslim perceptions. Muslim physicians working in a Western environment are expected to administer palliative sedation when medically indicated. Therefore, they can experience tension between religious and medical norms.ObjectiveTo gain insight into the professional experiences of Muslim physicians with palliative sedation in terms of religious and professional norms.DesignInterpretative phenomenological study using semi-structured interviews to take a closer look at the experiences of Muslim physicians with palliative sedation. Data were recorded, transcribed and analysed by means of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA).ParticipantsTen Muslim physicians, working in the Netherlands, with professional experience of palliative sedation.ResultsTwo main themes were identified: professional self-concept and attitudes towards death and dying. Participants emphasized their professional responsibility when making treatment decisions, even when these contravened the prevalent views of Islamic scholars. Almost all of them expressed the moral obligation to fight their patients’ pain in the final stage of life. Absence of acceleration of death was considered a prerequisite for using palliative sedation by most participants.ConclusionsAlthough the application of palliative sedation caused friction with their personal religious conceptions on a good death, participants followed a comfort-oriented care approach corresponding to professional medical standards. All of them adopted efficient strategies for handling of palliative sedation morally and professionally. The results of this research can contribute to and provide a basis for the emergence of new, applied Islamic ethics regarding palliative sedation.

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At the end of his famous book Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism, Gershom Scholem points to the important role stories have played in Hasidism, the latest phase in Jewish Mysticism, and he closes his lectures with the following story: When the Baal Shem had a difficult task before him, he would go to a certain place in the woods, light a fire and meditate in prayer—and what he had set out to perform was done [...]

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