Spiritual Experiences of Gay Men and Lesbians

The spiritual and religious lives of gay men and lesbians are often misunderstood by counselors who have too little information about this rich and diverse population. This article offers an explication of the challenges facing gay persons, a model that will be useful in counseling sessions, and a list of resources for further information.     

Factors Challenging the Spiritual Rehabilitation of Iranian Men Affected by Natural Disasters: A Qualitative Study

Journal of Religion and Health - Spiritual health is one important dimension of human health. Natural disasters, however, can adversely affect human spiritual health. One of the undeniable...     

Psychometric Testing of the Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale (DSES) Among Black Gay,Bisexual, and Other Sexual Minority Men (SMM) and Black Transwomen in the Deep South: The MARI Study

Journal of Religion and Health - Spirituality is a well-established protective psychosocial determinant of health. The current study examined the psychometric properties of the Daily Spiritual...     

Moving Through Loss: The Spiritual Journey of Gay Men and Lesbian Women

This article describes losses of gay men and lesbian women relative to their relationship with traditional religion and the mental health profession. By helping their clients reframe these losses into opportunities for transformation, counselors can facilitate spiritual integration both within and beyond the context of Judeo-Christian spiritualities.     

Performance of the Duke Religion Index and the Spiritual Well-Being Scale in Online Samples of Men Who Have Sex with Men

Religiosity is associated with behaviors that reduce the risk of HIV/STI infection among general-population and heterosexual-specific samples. Whether this association is similar to homosexual persons is unknown. Measures of religiosity have not been evaluated psychometrically among men who have sex with men (MSM), a population who, because of stigma, experience religiosity differently than heterosexual persons. We assessed the duke religion index and the spiritual well-being in two samples of MSM. Neither instrument produced adequate model fit. To study the association between religiosity and HIV/STI risk behaviors among MSM, scales are needed that measure the religious and spiritual experiences of MSM.     

Unpacking the Unethical Gift: Gift Experience and Unethicality Assessment

This research investigates how contextual factors affect unethicality assessment of products. The research is conducted in the context of gifts and compares interpersonal gifts (IGs) and self-gifts (SGs) by examining individuals’ reactions in front of unethical gifts. Five experiments investigate how individuals assess product unethicality differently, depending on the source of the gift, being the Self or a gifter. This research employs attribution theory to explain the differences between IGs and SGs and identify psychological distance as a boundary condition for the effect.     

Man-ifestation of the Spirit: An Investigation on the Impact of a Curriculum and Small Group Spiritual Direction on the Spiritual Formation of Protestant Men

This article describes the development and field-testing of a curriculum and small group spiritual direction designed to nurture the spiritual formation of Protestant men. The curriculum was designed as an interactive workbook that utilized and framed the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23) as a “tool kit” as its theological foundation. Participants completed five daily reading passages in the workbook over 4 weeks. Using a summary outline from the workbook, participants shared their reflections in small groups using the basic principles and format of small group spiritual direction. Results from a simple t-test of pre/post measures revealed statistically significant gains in participants’ understanding of their spirituality and spiritual formation. Qualitative responses provide insights related to the effectiveness of the workbook and group format in fostering the spirituality of Protestant men.     

Spiritual Need One: Spiritual Development: The Aging Process: A Journey of Lifelong Spiritual Formation

SUMMARY

To grow old is but one chapter in a lifelong journey of spiritual formation. Spirituality can be defined most easily by what it is not. Aging is a process of discovery and pondering, reminiscing, and acting, integrating and meaning making, even surrendering to Life as it is, not as we will it to be. Spiritual insights are gained from James Fowler, Viktor Frankl, Thomas Merton, Paul Tournier, Adrian Van Kamm, and Rachel Remen.