Chaplaincy provides a microcosm through which the public role of religion can be examined and interrogated. Only two studies have examined the question of minority faith involvement in chaplaincy, both conducted before the large-scale introduction of formalised substantive chaplaincy posts for minority faith groups. The rapid development of Muslim chaplaincy, from visiting ministers to lead chaplains, has begun to be explored. But it is clear that a study concerning all minority faith groups involved is necessary in order to fully understand how far the boundaries of inclusion and exclusion have shifted since the turn of the century. Practitioner literature barely accounts for these developments in chaplaincy, while contributions by minority faith groups are rare. This thesis develops this literature by exploring the status and integration of minority faith groups in acute healthcare chaplaincy. This is achieved through a multi-site ethnography of five case studies of chaplaincy teams across England. Minority faith involvement is largely, but not solely, characterised by mediation, negotiation, and stagnation. These findings are situated within a broader framework of participatory parity, which not only refers to distribution and recognition, but also the socialisation 'gap' that exists for many minority faith chaplains. These factors impact on their ability to speak the language of the institution and the chaplaincy profession. These findings and analyses are then compared with the chaplaincy literature to show the situatedness of the mainstream chaplaincy discourses around spirituality, marginality, professional identity, and collegiality. The findings and analysis have significant implications for an understanding of how the roles of religious professionals adapt and change in a diasporic context, but also for understanding how religion is mediated in the National Health Service.

This study provides a contribution to the sociology of religion by examining the relationship between Hinduism and the Internet - an area largely neglected by scholars of religion and the Internet. A theoretical discussion as to the suitability of cyberspace for Hinduism - which concludes that there is a high level of compatibility - is followed by a discussion of embodiment (a relatively neglected topic in sociology) in Hinduism in order to assess whether online religious activity which does not require full embodiment could be problematic. Although there is no natural fit between Hinduism and online religious activity, such activity is extensive; and this gives rise to a number of empirical research questions about online practices and their implications for Hinduism 'offline'. Empirical research was carried out both online and 'offline'. Online, data was obtained through the utilisation of innovative research methods which were able to map Hinduism on the WWW and uncover the processes that are occurring. An important finding was that a relatively small number of Hindu organisations are effectively monopolising Hinduism online. Significant websites were also analysed. 'Offline', research was carried out at mandirs (Hindu Temples) in India. The prime research method used was the semi-structured interview. The informants were high-ranking mandir officials. Owners of web sites offering a puja (ritual honouring a deity) service were also interviewed. The online and 'offline' research did not constitute discrete lines of enquiry, and findings were analysed together in the light of sociological theories of embodiment and globalisation, and rational choice theory. These theories contribute to the understanding of processes that are occurring in Hinduism and, in turn, the findings suggested revisions of the theoretical ideas. The main conclusion is that despite globalisation and the pre-eminent role that the Internet plays in it - contrary to the assertions of some globalisation theorists -local sites of Hindu practice do not necessarily decline in importance. Instead, there is an interpenetration of the local and the global as a result of online Hinduism.

This study addresses how ‘Spiritual Healing’ is administered in two Christian churches with similar doctrine but a different approach to how that doctrine is understood and practised. The divergence in eschatologies of the two different denominational congregations influences the way they integrate healing into their worship. There are also cultural differences in worship between them; the Black majority congregation engages in an animated charismatic style while the White majority practises in a more sedate and what may appear to an outsider to be a more passive style of worship. The study also examines the activities of prayer, laying on of hands and the use of music in the delivery of healing and as health promotion. The methodology used is an ethnographic approach. Qualitative data was collected using participant and non-participant observation, and semi-structured interviews. This data is a result of the systematic ‘immersion’ of the researcher in the culture in a different way to simply attending church as she experienced prior to the beginning of the research. Observations were conducted in services on different sites including a convention at the parent church for the Black majority Pentecostal church. The participants in the interviews were selected from the main research congregations with the support of their ministers as ‘gatekeepers’. The study compares and contrasts the theology and practice of the two congregations and their understanding of spiritual healing. It is also shown that spiritual healing can be part of and complementary to the approach that medical and nursing professionals utilise in their practice. Recipients of spiritual healing whose health seeking behaviour straddles the medical and the spiritual approach may or may not use medicine as prescribed by health professionals. In the UK, people usually have access to both, unlike people in Developing countries who have limited access to modern medicine and have no choice but to make the best use of folk medicine, and faith healers in their health seeking behaviour practices. The study recommends that more mutual understanding may facilitate the support of faith groups for the work of the NHS recommended by recent government policy.

Relationships are a fundamental part of being human; they enable communication, a shared sense of belonging, and a means of building identity and social capital. However, the hallmarks of late modernity can be encapsulated by the themes of detraditionalisation, individualisation and globalisation, which have essentially challenged the mode and means of engaging in relationships. This thesis uses the theology of Martin Buber to demonstrate how his dialogical claims about relationships, namely the “I-It” and “I-Thou” model, can provide a new ethical dimension to communication in the technological era. This thesis argues that through co-creation in cyberspace there is a realisation of the need for a new theological understanding of interconnection. Theology can utilise the platform of technology to facilitate a re-connection in all spheres of relationality and, ultimately, to the Divine. This thesis will first outline the predicament for theology in late modernity. It will discuss how detraditionalisation has led to an emphasis on individual spirituality, as opposed to collective doctrinal beliefs. The global nature of cyberspace has facilitated the means to experiment with these alternative forms of spirituality, which has allowed theology to be commodified and has introduced a challenge to the dimension of relationships. Cyberspace presents a paradox for relationship: the medium transforms modes of relating because the self is re-configured through its contact with technology. This facilitates communication as the individual merges with the machine, resulting in models such as the cyborg. However, this can also be seen to erode the essence of humanity, as humans find themselves on the fringes of relationships. Their hybrid status means that they are no longer fully human or fully machine but become dominated by the latter. They exist on the boundary of both domains and cannot cultivate genuine relationships of the “Thou” variety. This leads to alienation from surroundings, community and the Divine. Second, the thesis will discuss how Buber’s theology can be used to re-position relationships by providing a means to reflect on different aspects of dialogue and communication. By applying Buber’s dialectic to cyberspace it will be demonstrated how interconnectivity causes individuals to re-think the notion of self-in-relation. The three spheres of relationship which Buber identified: “man with nature, man with man, man with forms of the spirit” will be re-contextualised in cyberspace to show how the medium manifests both aspects of the dialectic but allows for a greater awareness of interconnection. Buber’s insistence on the centrality of creative dialogue provides a solution to overcome this dilemma by bringing awareness of the interconnectivity of the self to all aspects of creation. It is through informed use of the medium of cyberspace that humans can re-envisage relationships characterised by a more genuine ethical dimension. These “Thou” moments begin the process of redemption; each one is part of the relationship with the “eternal Thou” and has the potential to draw the Divine down into the encounter, to re-connect with creation. This thesis is arguing for a new theology of interconnectivity that is able to redeem the potentiality of cyberspace as a medium for genuine “Thou” relationality.

The increased presence of religious diversity among the population of the United Kingdom, particularly over the past century, is particularly noticeable through population studies such as the national census, and tangible signs including the increase in public celebrations of religious festivals, the increase in the presence of religious dress and food, and the increase in construction of religious architecture for faiths other than the historic religion of Christianity. This change in the United Kingdom signifies the need to assess and understand attitudes toward this evident religious diversity among young people living in the United Kingdom. This dissertation is contextualised and conducted through a studentship role on the Young People’s Attitudes Toward Religious Diversity Project, funded by the AHRC/ESRC as part of the Religion and Society Programme, conducted by the Warwick Religions and Education Research Unit. This mixed methods project employed quantitative methods to profile students aged 13- to 15-years in the different nations and school types of the United Kingdom, alongside findings from qualitative focus group interviews among 13- to 16 year-old students. The findings draw two conclusions; first, that attitudes toward religious diversity vary according to nation, with students in London and Northern Ireland exhibiting signs of particular difference in attitudes from the students in the other nations of the United Kingdom; and second, that attitudes toward religious diversity vary according to school type. The mixed methodology of the research in the setting of the United Kingdom, the comparison of nations and school types, and the large scale on which the research was conducted all offer an innovative contribution to scholarship within the field of the social scientific study of religion. The conclusions also contribute to a better understanding of the national contexts of the United Kingdom and the different values which the different methods of educating young people in the United Kingdom can promote.