Choosing Faith: The Importance of Belief in Finding Purpose in Life

Book Title: Choosing Faith: The Importance of Belief in Finding Purpose in Life

Author: John W. Saultz

Publication Information: Resource Publications, Eugene, OR, 2019, 98 pp., $15 paperback, $35 hardcover

“We all believe in something, whether we recognize it or not.” (p. xi)

In this concise and thoughtful book, John Saultz, MD, sets out to guide readers through considering the ways we develop and use our systems of belief. While faith can be thought of as the content of specific religious doctrines or teachings, in this book Dr Saultz takes the broader approach of considering faith as the values that guide our decisions in life, whether big or small. As a seasoned clinician, an experienced academic, and long-time member of a faith community, he brings insightful personal and philosophical analysis to a methodical exploration of faith.

The book is organized as a step-wise exploration of philosophical, ethical, empirical, and religious building blocks. Part I discusses the ways beliefs are learned and developed from childhood into adulthood. Part II describes different types of beliefs, the boundaries between opinion, knowledge, and belief, and the relationships between moral and religious beliefs. Part III explores the ways beliefs change over time and examines approaches to marketing and propaganda utilized by others in attempts to change our beliefs (whatever they may be). Readers are encouraged to examine each chapter thoroughly while considering their own beliefs and experiences. In Part IV, the book concludes by exploring how we prioritize belief and find moral purpose, and discussing how we choose religious faith.

Research suggests primary care clinicians have played an important role in advancing our understanding of spirituality in health care,¹ but the clinical literature addressing spirituality in family medicine has been limited to a handful of articles primarily addressing spiritual assessment.^2-4 While there is literature addressing what religious traditions have to say about health care in their teaching and practice,⁵ this book is unique in addressing the perspective of the individual exploring, questioning, or growing in faith.

For the reader who is skeptical of faith, this work provides a readable, engaging, and epistemologically sound introduction. For the reader seeking to understand faith in relation to life, this book offers both guidance and challenge. And for the clinician who may be unfamiliar navigating areas of faith, this book provides a useful tour through areas and issues that are important to the majority of our patients. As we care for whole persons in family medicine, we must compassionately approach our patients’ lived experiences in their entirety. If Dr Saultz is correct that “we all believe in something,” then it behooves all clinicians to grasp what is at stake in “choosing faith.”