Spiritual or religious neglect occurs when spiritual or religious leaders fail to meet the spiritual needs of those in their care resulting in spiritual harm or linked to other types of harm.
Neglect can
also occur when a spiritual or religious leader fails to take reasonable action to protect those in their
care from harassment and abuse.
Spiritual
and religious leaders may actively cause harm when they engage in spiritual or
other forms of harassment or abuse. Neglect is a passive stance that may be
seen in two ways when there is an established relationship between a spiritual
or religious leader and someone who is considered a member, employee, or
congregant.
The first
type of spiritual neglect occurs when the member experiences spiritual
struggles or other concerns that comes to the awareness of the spiritual or religious
leader who may then be expected to provide support to the person in need. A responsible leader may offer spiritual services or simply make a referral.
The second
type of spiritual neglect occurs when the member experiences harassment or
abuse from another person within the spiritual group or religious organization
and the leader fails to take action to protect the person who has been harassed
or abused. Leaders are generally responsible to investigate allegations of
harassment and abuse and ensure that their sacred space is safe for all who
attend and work in that space.
Spiritual
or religious leaders may include board members of religious organizations,
clergy, administrators of religious schools, and so forth. Spiritual leaders may
function as spiritual advisors or directors. In some cases, the leaders are in
roles providing pastoral care and counseling.
Examples
of spiritual neglect include failure to meet reasonable expectations to:
Identify
and respond to people experiencing distress related to their spirituality
Identify
and respond to people requesting support in dealing with a variety of stressful
life events such as financial struggles, mental health concerns, and the loss
of a loved one.
Take action
to protect a person from harassment or abuse occurring within their
organization
Take action
to report abuse to appropriate authorities
Screen
volunteers and employees for a history of behavior indicating a risk of harm
Reasonable Actions
I realize
that the term “reasonable actions” is vague; however, each organization ought
to clarify the responsibilities of each person in a leadership position. In
some cases, laws may dictate what a professional is supposed to do such as reporting child abuse or neglect or calling 911 when someone is at risk to harm
someone else or themselves.
What is “reasonable”
also depends on the skills of the particular leader. Some clergy have
counseling skills and counseling congregants is a part of their responsibility.
Surely most clergy are responsible for the spiritual wellbeing of their
congregants. Other leaders may be expected to make a call or ask a supervisor
for assistance in meeting someone’s needs.
A key word
in neglect is failure—the failure to take responsible action.
Related
concepts
Spiritual
or religious harassment
Microaggressions-
Definitions, Examples
Microaggressions-
Dynamics, Dilemmas
Cite
this post
Author: Geoffrey W. Sutton is a
psychologist who conducts research and writes about topics in the Psychology of
Religion.
See his
books on AMAZON and Google
and other stores.