Question:
What are critical common components to all religions/beliefs in regards to healing, such as prayer, meditation, belief, etc.? Explain. What is important to patients of the faiths when cared for by health care providers whose spiritual beliefs differ from their own?
Answer:
Christianity:
Christianity is a religion that is based on the moral teachings of Jesus Christ. The founder of the Christianity is Jesus Christ. Most of the people in the world are Christians. It is the world’s biggest religion. The adherents of these religions are called Christians. They believe that Jesus was son of god, fully human and Jesus was sent as the messenger of God.
Spiritual perspective on healing rituals or traditions:
Christians have to visit church for praying and baptizing. There is no bar of age for praying and baptism. The Minister of religion performs baptism. In the absence of Minister, anyone can perform baptism. Mainly baptism is offered when a child or baby is ill, even a lay person can perform these rituals, if his or her death is knocking the door. Other ritual such as wedding occurs in church .There is a variety of the process of praying. For example the American Christians pray before taking meal and before and after waking up. Rituals play an integral part of Christianity (Avalos, 2011). There are two types of Christian church, Catholic Church and eastern orthodox church.so their applications of rituals differ from each other. But praying as a community, confession, communion, use of wine and bread to indicate the Christ’s blood and body and the power, are common to all.
Critical components of healing:
According to Christian Science, Christians learn to trust on God for healing rather than medical surgery. Christians always want a nursing care at home or they admit as patients in ordinary Christian Science Nursing Home. If anyone of the member of the church suffers, The Christian scientists prefer to keep them in normal care of the hospital. If the situation of the patient may be decreased, then they have to be admitted, but Christian Scientist’s wishes to treat them without drug. The patient can contact with a Christian Science practitioner for treatment through prayer and accessing holy books. It would be given privacy for prayer to the patients (Grzymala-Moszczynska and Anczyk, 2010).
Blood Transfusion is prohibited in Christianity, but if any emergency situation arises, then doctors consider it only for their child.
Organ transplantation is not encouraged among Christian adults. In case of abortion, Orthodox Church advices to avoid the abortion, If a mother is threatened for her life, then the church arranges room for her for some days.
In the time of death, no rituals are performed for the dying person. A female body should be handled by female staff, Cremation is accepted.
Post mortem is strictly objected by the Christian Scientist.
Diet: There is no specific diet in Christianity. In spite of this, some Christians do not eat meat on Friday whereas some Christians fast on that day before receiving Holy Communion. Some Christians do not take alcohol on that day (Pattison, 2013).
Recommendation for health care providers: From the perspective of health care, Christian scientists have to know and recognize that the infection occurs for bacteria, but they believe that there is a spiritual aspect, which can be removed through prayer. They are supportive in taking the medicine, but they believe that, medication has no value, no power.
The healthcare practitioner has to focus on the treatment on the basis of physical symptoms of the patient. They should not discuss the cause and effect of the symptoms because it may create some controversy. Some of the Christian scientists decline surgery, whereas some of them eager to take treatment in home, at last if their situation decreases, they have to come to the hospital (Theofilou, 2014).
In case of Catholic patients, the provider has to aware on the birthing techniques, using the painkiller drug during child birth, immunization and breast feeding.
Buddhism:
The founder of Buddhism is Lord Gautama Buddha. He was not God, but he was the way of life, he was venerated. The aim of Buddhism is to reach the ultimate stage of life which is called ‘Nirvana’.
Spiritual perspective on healing rituals or traditions:
The teaching of Buddhism is collectively called as Dharma. In Buddhism, there are different types of rituals (Klunklin and Greenwood, 2005).
Going for shelter- this ritual is important for connecting the people to the Dharma. It is the oldest rituals through the Buddhist tradition making practicing Dana, Confession of faults and etc.
Buddhist believes in rebirth. They think that if anyone dies with good state of mind, he has the probability to have a rebirth. So when a Buddhist dies, his family and friends try to assist him by reciting the mantras for maintaining a fresh mind.
Buddhists keep the dead body three days in their home, but they do not touch it. For achieving the best rebirth, prayers are said during these 3 days. The healthcare practitioner has to focus on the treatment on the basis of physical symptoms of the patient. They should not discuss the cause and effect of the symptoms because it may create some controversy. Some of the Christian scientists decline surgery, whereas some of them eager to take treatment in home, at last if their situation decreases, they have to come to the hospital (Nishino, 2009).
Critical components of healing:
The process of prayer of Buddhist is significant. Buddhist calls the prayer as ‘chanting’. The language of chanting is mainly Pali. Among the chants, bojjhanga paritta is famous for its healing effect. Partita means protection, bojjhanga means bodhiana. It is recited for recovery from illness. Visualization is Buddhist’s meditative practices. It has spiritual as well as healing effect. If anyone visualizes the image of Buddha without understanding the meaning of Pali words, the vibration of the sound and the Buddha’s image will calm and control his mind. This plays an effective role in immune system; it helps the whole body to do the better function (Shiu and Stokes, 2008).
Buddhist monks and nuns cannot contact with the opposite sex it is not allowed. However, blood and organ donations are allowed.
Buddhists believe that life starts from womb, if the consciousness enters the womb, then rebirth is possible. So in case of doing abortion or active euthanasia, they are blamed..
As the Buddhists practice non violence, therefore, maximum Buddhists are vegetarians. Meals depend on the origin of the country. They care for their body and so they do not take alcohol and drugs. These decrease the mental clarity. They do not kill any living being and do not eat any animal (Theofilou, 2014).
Recommendation for health care providers:
Buddhist patients are very much gentle and they strongly dislike taking animal meat product, so providers have to give a specific dietary or treatment to them for ensuring that they are providing a perfect care.
The relatives of dead persons chant very loudly when the life ends and the relatives request for burning the candles. Providers have to provide some privacy for patient and family because there should be a possibility of burning. Buddhists believe that life starts from womb, if the consciousness enters the womb, then rebirth is possible. So in case of doing abortion or active euthanasia, they are blamed (Weaver, Vane and Flannelly, 2008).
Diversity of worldview:
Here we can see the lifestyle, rituals of 2 faiths. We have also seen that the different believes for health care of 2 religions.
Different view: Christians uses medicine when they need, but Buddhists just pray and visualize the Buddha idol for healing the illness.
Christians do not recite in front of patient, they can contact with other people for praying and baptizing.
Christians pray together, whereas the Buddhists pray alone. They chant in Pali language.
Christians take the nursing and normal home care when they get ill, but Buddhists do not take those (Shiu and Stokes, 2008).
Buddhists do not eat animal’s meat, but Christians take animals meat as their food.
Gautam Buddha was not God, but he was the way of life, but the Jesus was son of god, messenger of God.
Similar view:
In Christianity and Buddhism, rebirth is the common belief,
In both religions, the founder has shown us the proper way of living life.
In both religions, prayer has been done for healing the illness.
Christians and Buddhists both do not take alcohol.
Implications on nursing: Both religious persons have to prevent themselves by taking proper medicine. The religious beliefs has not any power to heal the diseases they should be provided proper medication, in case of Christians, if surgery is needed in any case, then the doctors and health care provider has to counsel them. Health care stuff can also ask the patients, where they get their strength from; who or what supports them in. These are open question and flat process to know about the physical condition of patient (Klunklin and Greenwood, 2005).
Conclusion:
Collection of spirituality or religion into health care requires the same skills that perfect practitioners already use in the delivery of person-centered care. There is positive effect as well as negative effect of the religion or spirituality on health. Religious beliefs cause patients to forego needed medical care, refuse life-saving procedures, and stop necessary medication, choosing faith instead of medicine. Health Providers have to learn to respect the patient’s decisions on their religious beliefs and not become irritated or template. Instead, they should try to enter into a patient’s religious worldview in order to better understand the logic of the decision. This is the way by which we can communicate between Health Practitioners and the religious patient. Health Practitioners should obtain training in understanding the religious or spiritual issues concerning patient’s health in order to address such areas that may be of vital importance to many patients’ psychological, social, and physical health. Health care stuff can also ask the patients, where they get their strength from; who or what supports them in. These are open question and flat process to know about the physical condition of patient (Jones and Pattison, 2013).
References:
Avalos, H. (2011). A Review of “Medicine & Health Care in Early Christianityâ€. J. of Religion, Disability & Hlth., 15(1), pp.91-94.
Grzymala-Moszczynska, H. and Anczyk, A. (2010). Medicine and Health Care in Early Christianity. Religion, 40(3), pp.222-223.
Jones, J. and Pattison, S. (2013). Editorial: Religion and Health. Health Care Anal, 21(3), pp.189-192.
Klunklin, a. and Greenwood, J. (2005). Buddhism, The Status of Women and The Spread of HIV/AIDS in Thailand. Health Care for Women International, 26(1), pp.46-61.
Nishino, M. (2009). The Elderly Care from the viewpoint of Buddhism. Journal of Research Society of Buddhism and Cultural Heritage, (17), pp.L28-L51.
Pattison, S. (2013). Religion, Spirituality and Health Care: Confusions, Tensions, Opportunities. Health Care Anal, 21(3), pp.193-207.
Shiu, H. and Stokes, L. (2008). Buddhist Animal Release Practices: Historic, Environmental, Public Health And Economic Concerns. Contemporary Buddhism, 9(2), pp.181-196.
Theofilou, P. (2014). The Relationship between Religion/Spirituality and Mental Health in Patients on Maintenance Dialysis. J Women’s Health Care, 03(03).
Weaver, A., Vane, A. and Flannelly, K. (2008). A Review of Research on Buddhism and Health: 1980–2003. Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy, 14(2), pp.118-132.
