Critique of the Religion and Spirituality Discourse in Family Articles

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to critically examine the emerging discourse of religion and spirituality in family research to clarify how each construct is defined and to make visible hidden ontological, epistemological, and culturally situated assumptions. The use of the term spirituality has increased dramatically in published articles and has undergone a distancing from religion. This separation creates a dichotomy that associates religion with conservative traditions and spirituality with liberalism and individualism, thus aligning the emergent spirituality discourse with dominant Western values.