Beyond the Dysfunctional Family

A family may be defined as a group of people related by blood or marriage or a strong common bond, such as those descended from a common ancestor, or a husband, wife, and their children. In a dysfunctional family, the traits include multiple ‘internal’ conflicts, such as sibling rivalries, parent-child conflicts, domestic violence, mental illness, single parenthood, or ‘external’ issues, such as alcohol or drug abuse, extramarital affairs, gambling, unemployment and any influences that may affect the basic needs of the family unit. This collection of essays comes with an intriguing title Beyond the Dysfunctional Family. This is not a study on family psychotherapy but the focus is rather on the relationships between the three monotheistic religions: Islam, Christianity and Judaism. The quality of these relationships bears all too closely a resemblance to a socio- psychological definition of any “dysfunctional” family unit. The authors of this significant compilation of texts and reflections are concerned and committed men and women of faith who had been meeting as the Manor House Group for some fifteen years in a project to develop a formula for inter-faith coexistence. The result is notable even though it only reflects the views of a relatively small group of theologians and religious thinkers. It can be hoped that this book will have a wide readership.