Book Review: Religion and Spirituality

RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY

Bernard Moss, Russell House Publishing, ISBN 1903855578,
£13.95

STAR RATIN 1/5

There are two main problems with this book, writes Terry Philpot.
First, the definition of spirituality as “what we do to give
expression to our chosen world-view”, with no mention of otherness,
allows the author to include anything, even atheism. Second, his
definition of religion makes not the smallest nod to theologians
like Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

There is a brisk survey of many faiths and how “legislative
imperatives” ought to place them at the centre of practice.
However, so far as Christianity is concerned its roots in social
work are ignored, as is the hospice movement, despite there being a
chapter on loss.

The author’s style veers between formal and chatty, lacks any
control over quotation marks, and some metaphors are risible.

At best this is a rough draft of a better book.

Terry Philpot is editor of Social Work: A Christian
Perspective