Under-represented Faith & Spiritual Communities
To see a map of Under-represented communities in Wales please click here
Inter-faith Council Representative: Nigel Anthony, nigel.anthony@f4hs.org
Wales is pioneering inclusion for under-represented communities
In Wales, as in other parts of the UK, there are many smaller faith & spiritual communities that help make up the rich tapestry of Faith. Many people from these communities participate in active citizenship including inter-faith work.
In the spirit of social inclusion and valuing diversity, the Interfaith Council for Wales has included a seat at the table for these under-represented faith & spiritual communities.
People and organisations which fall into this category have many different beliefs but share the same common values as traditional faiths and adhere to the UK Inter-faith code of conduct. They include eco-spiritualities, paganism, druidry, spiritualist centres, esoteric study groups, holistic healthcare and other religious groups not traditionally included in interfaith dialogue.
The largest spiritual communities outside the traditional faiths are the emerging Holistic Spirituality and Paganism.
Holistic Spirituality
Holistic Spirituality is the name given to the growing contemporary movement of people who do not feel tied to one of the traditional faith communities but take a more generalised approach to spirituality. They respect and welcome diversity of belief, and respect the core values and inspiration of the traditional faiths.
They also recognise the intimate interdependence between spirituality, environmentalism, citizenship and healthcare. A holistic approach asserts that all life is sacred and growing to fulfil its potential and defines spirituality as:
“the human experience of wonder in nature and all creation; the instinct to deepen, explore and understand that experience; within the context of spiritual experience, to enquire into the meaning and purpose of life so as to guide values, behaviour and development.”
Various statistics show that a substantial portion of the UK citizenship is adopting this contemporary approach – exemplified in the Mind-Body-Spirit sections of national newspapers, millions using healthcare strategies with a spiritual aspect and thousands of small centres and study groups.
The representative body being developed for these contemporary spiritual approaches is the Holistic Spiritual Alliance. For more information see the Foundation for Holistic Spirituality at www.f4hs.org.
Paganism
Paganism claims to be the indigenous polytheistic or pantheistic nature-worshipping religion of the British Isles. In the 2001 UK Census over 30,000 people identified themselves as Pagan.
For more information see the Pagan Federation at www.paganfed.org.
