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Roman Catholicism And Nursing: A Case Study

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It has been assumed that religion would fade over the years as humanity began modernization. However, religion has established its significance by being the backbone of society and issues that we face today. One religion that has been prominent throughout history is Roman Catholicism, which is considered to be one of the major branches of Christianity. In this paper, I will present an overview of Roman Catholicism and then discuss how an adherent of Catholicism would function as a nurse to show how the particular values and principles of Catholics might influence one’s approach to nursing or the medical field in general. Before we focus on Roman Catholicism, we must understand the foundation of Christianity. The founder of Christianity was …show more content…

Regardless, all assert that humanity is created in the image of god and are responsible to care for the earth (Young, 2013). Moreover, humans are seen to have more than just their physical bodies, but having souls as well, all being one in Christ. The Apostle Paul states this in a passage of the bible, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). The cardinal human issue that is seen in the Catholic and Christian religions is that there is a separation from God. This state of existence is known as “sin”, which is the basic introduction that humans have turned away from God. This can be seen through the belief of original sin, where it is believed that humans are naturally sinful beings, as well as disbelief and acts of disobedience. The belief of original sin is not directly stated in the bible, but the story of Adam and Eve is considered to be the basis of the …show more content…

For example, if we imagine a Registered Nurse (RN) as a Roman Catholic, he or she may offer a prayer to the patient, either silently, read, or memorized. If the patient is in critical condition, and the patient were to be curious of the RN’s views of death or the afterlife, he or she may provide her insight of the catholic beliefs of life after death in the Kingdom of God. Moreover, if a patient request a catholic chaplain, it gives the patient an opportunity to confess his or her sins before death or experience the need of the sacraments. However, there may be instances where the patient may have atheistic or nonreligious worldviews. During these situations, a nurse would need to hold their position professionally, combining their privately held beliefs, to “motivate and shape to some degree the care that is given" (Fowler & Marsha, 2012). It is also important for the nurse to be more aware of these certain situations and to not impose their beliefs improperly during healthcare of a patient. In contrast, it would be wrong to divide an individual from their own religion, especially in the medical field, since religion shapes their morals. For that reason, it is not a question of whether a nurse should bring their beliefs to the bedside of a patient, but how they should (Fowler & Marsha,

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