ABSTRACT
This chapter explores a range of important issues relating to religion and spirituality and their relationship to death, grief, and bereavement. It focuses on how a sociological understanding of religion and spirituality can cast significant light on the existential challenges involved in grieving significant losses. However, it is also important to note that religious faith does not have a monopoly on spirituality. Those people who are not engaged in religious beliefs and practices face a quest for meaning without the structure a religion provides. Whether the spirituality is religious or secular in nature, the question of the role of suffering is important. The chapter outlines some policy and practice implications of examining religion, spirituality and grief from a sociological perspective. The importance of members of the caring professions taking account of issues of religion and spirituality has rightly been emphasized by a number of writers.
