Thesis (M. Div.)--Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, 1992. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [68-72]).

Thesis (M. Div.)--Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, 1992. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [68-72]).

This dissertation examines the spiritual experiences of the first British Methodist lay people and the language used to describe those experiences. Within the historiography of Methodism, such physical manifestations as shouting, weeping, groaning, visions, and out-of-body experiences have often been relegated to the periphery of scholarship. It would seem, however, that for many laity, they played a significant role in their process of spiritual development. This work aims to explore the perspective of Methodist laity through manuscript accounts of conversions and deathbed moments. It reveals lay people’s first impressions of Methodism, their conflicted feelings throughout the conversion process, their approach toward death and dying, and their mixed attitudes toward the task of writing itself. Relying heavily on firsthand accounts solicited by Charles Wesley in the 1740s, this work features the voices of women and men of varying literate abilities and social status. This study examines firstly the multiple media through which lay people received evangelical messages, expanding the term “media” to include not only traditional printed sources such as sermons and devotional reading, but also such phenomena as divine voices, visions and other direct supernatural encounters. It then turns to the task of expressing spiritual experience, revealing the problematic nature of early Methodist spiritual autobiography and the passive strategies employed by laity to legitimate writing about the self. This dissertation demonstrates the struggle to rely on unreliable “feelings” (both emotions and physical sensations) as an indicator of spiritual progress. Far from peripheral, the body and bodily language played important roles in spiritual transformation, even as they were constantly renegotiated as part of that transformation. For instance, the visualization of the “vile self” signified the activation of the “eye of faith,” which enabled many early writers to transition from a “worldly” conception of self-sufficiency to a new kind of subjectivity based on being subject to a divine authority. This study follows the trajectory of spiritual development into the final moments of life, which often proved a prime opportunity for mutual evangelization between the dying individual and her spectators. Taken together, these experiences offer an intimate perspective on the origins of the evangelical revival.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2017-01-05T14:39:20Z No. of bitstreams: 1 claudiasoaresdossantos.pdf: 1927808 bytes, checksum: 5902218e3907d5fa92e9cbc9f18b713d (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Diamantino Mayra (mayra.diamantino@ufjf.edu.br) on 2017-01-31T11:29:36Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 claudiasoaresdossantos.pdf: 1927808 bytes, checksum: 5902218e3907d5fa92e9cbc9f18b713d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-01-31T11:29:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 claudiasoaresdossantos.pdf: 1927808 bytes, checksum: 5902218e3907d5fa92e9cbc9f18b713d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-07-27 / INTRODUÇÃO: Experiências espirituais no final da vida (ELEs) e fenômenos à beira do leito são comumente relatados de forma anedótica. Porém, ainda existem poucos estudos que tenham avaliado sistematicamente essas experiências. OBJETIVOS: Objetiva-se descrever e comparar as características e a prevalência das ELEs de acordo com relatos de profissionais de saúde em diferentes instituições (Unidade de cuidados paliativos, Instituições de Longa Permanência e Hospital oncológico) e avaliar a influência das crenças religiosas nesses relatos. MÉTODOS: Estudo multicêntrico, conduzido em Instituições de Longa Permanência (ILPI) em Juiz de Fora e no Hospital de Câncer de Barretos (Unidade oncológica-ONC e Cuidados Paliativos-PC), no Brasil. Foram avaliados dados sócio-demográficos, relatos de ELEs (pelo questionário de Fenwick), religiosidade (DUREL), espiritualidade (SRSS) e saúde mental (DASS 21). A análise foi feita através de ANOVA e qui-quadrado. RESULTADOS: 133 profissionais (46 ONC; 36 PC e 51 ILPI‟s) foram entrevistados, sendo que 70% tiveram relatos de ELEs nos últimos 5 anos. As principais ELEs relatadas foram “visões de parentes falecidos buscando o falecido” (n=82, 88,2%), “desejo súbito de reconciliamento” (n=79, 84,9%) e “parentes falecidos próximos ao leito proporcionando conforto” (n=75, 80,6%). A maioria dos profissionais (70-80%) acreditava que tais experiências tinham um cunho espiritual e não ocorriam por condições biológicas. Na comparação entre os grupos, PC tiveram mais relatos que os demais grupos e relataram maior abertura frente ao tema e maior interesse em um treinamento. As crenças individuais não interferiram de forma importante na percepção das ELEs. CONCLUSÃO: O estudo mostrou uma grande prevalência de ELEs relatadas por profissionais de saúde, associadas a opinião de que essas experiências seriam espirituais. Apesar de comum em todas as instituições, profissionais que atuam com cuidados paliativos referiram mais ELEs, maior abertura em sua instituição e maior desejo de treinamento. As crenças religiosas e espirituais tiveram pouca influência nos relatos de ELEs pelos profissionais, mostrando que não esse não foi um aspecto determinante para sua percepção. / INTRODUCTION: Spiritual end-of-life experiences (ELEs) and deathbed phenomena are often reported in an anecdotal fashion. Few studies however, have systematically assessed these experiences. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to compare the characteristics and prevalence of ELEs as reported by health professionals at different institutions (palliative care, nursing homes and oncology hospital) and to assess the influence of religious beliefs on these reports. METHODS: A multi-center study was conducted at Nursing Homes (NH) in Juiz de Fora and at the Hospital de Câncer de Barretos (Oncology-ONC and Palliative Care-PC Unit) in Brazil. Sociodemographic data, ELE reports (Fenwick´s questionnaire), religiosity (DUREL), spirituality (SRSS) and mental health (DASS 21) were assessed. The analysis was performed using the ANOVA and Chi-square tests. RESULTS: A total of 133 health professionals (46 ONC, 36 PC and 51 NH) were interviewed, 70% of whom had ELEs reported to them in the past 5 years. The main ELEs reported were “visions of dead relatives collecting the dying person“ (n=82, 88.2%), “a desire to mend family rifts” (n=79, 84.9%) and “dead relatives near the bed who provide emotional comfort” (n=75, 80.6%). The majority of the health professionals (70-80%) believed these experiences had spiritual significance and were not due to biological conditions. Comparison among the groups revealed that the PC had more reports than the other groups and also greater openness on the issue and more interest in training. Individual religious beliefs had no relevant influence on the perception of ELEs. CONCLUSION: The study revealed a high prevalence of ELEs reported by health professionals, who believed these experiences were spiritual. Although prevalent in all of the institutions, greater ELEs, openness at their institution and desire for training were reported by palliative care professionals. Religious and spiritual beliefs had little influence on ELEs reported by the health professionals, indicating this was not a factor determining the perception of ELEs.