The Importance Of Christian Beliefs

The patient that I interviewed is practicing Christian religion. He believes in the power of prayers and faith in God which according to him will help him become healthy again. He said that just like his brothers and sisters in prayers, only faith and trust in Jesus Christ can save him from illness. For him, his faith is more effective than any kind of medicine. He believes that life was a blessing given to him by God and that death is a natural fate of every living

The United States has always been the symbol of freedom of religion and health care today has needed to increase its knowledge in incorporating the many different religions/spiritual beliefs in order to provide a more holistic approach to care. As health care providers we should not look in validating our own practice in regards to religion or spirituality but to comprehend and learn to see the patterns of similarities and differences in order to provide holistic care to our patients. As religious and spiritual beliefs are never permanent and are constantly changing and/or influenced by government, thinkers, historical events, technology and the shifting values of cultures the study of religions/spirituality should be continuous for all health care providers. The Native American, Buddhism, and Sikhism have some similar traits and values imbedded in their practiced religions that resemble the Christian Faith and medical providers needs to be aware and able to accommodate them in order to provide holistic care.

A worldview is the way a person views and interprets the world around them. Life experiences and spiritual influences play a part in forming one’s worldview. A person’s worldview helps them to determine beliefs on creation, humanity, morals and what happens after death. According to Waddell, (2014) “Worldviews are also like lenses found in eyeglasses that serve as the means through which a person sees the world.” (para. 43) In this paper, the main components of the Christian worldview will be discussed, to include God, humanity, Jesus, restoration and analysis of Christian Faith as well as a reflection of my own beliefs.

Everyone knows that when you plan on building anything you need the proper foundations to support whatever you plan on building. Whether you are building with Legos or actual wood, having the right foundation is important. To understand what a worldview is, one must first define it. According to Hiles and Smith (2014), a worldview “is a foundational set of assumptions to which one commits that serves as a framework for understanding and interpreting reality and deeply shapes one’s behavior”. This foundation starts at the very moment someone is born because “worldviews begin to form before people are aware that they are trusting in anything” (Hiles and Smith, 2014). The purpose of this paper is to discover the

As heath care providers we need to keep mindful of the care we provide to several different religious traditions. It is up to the health care professional to respect and understand the ideals that affect our patients and their family members. In this paper we will compare the philosophies of three diverse faiths. The faiths chosen are Islam, Christian Science and Buddhism, and how they compare to Christianity. We will learn about basic beliefs, spiritual perspectives on healing, and the components of healing such as meditation, prayer and other rituals they follow. Furthermore,

Essential elements of the Christian worldview are Faith, Love, Forgiveness and Living in Christ. These key elements are fundamental to Christ’s teachings and also reflect my own worldview. These four elements are an integral part of a Christian believer’s life and defines our relationship with God. The fourth element, Living in Christ, is comprised of many sub-elements like praise, prayer, and bearing witness. These sub-elements could be described as fruits of a Christian’s believer’s daily life.

During the last week I have had the pleasure of interviewing several individuals about their beliefs and how those beliefs affect how they would anticipate their own needs in a healthcare setting. I found that I also learned a lot about each individual’s faith, how their faiths affected their daily lives and their worldviews. I conducted four interviews in the last week and I believe that I have captured a diverse cross section of view on faith and reality from these individuals.

The inception of the “Healing Hospital” is not new. Healing hospitals in various forms have been around throughout history. As hospitals were slowly taken over by religious orders they became more holistic concentrating on all aspects of healing including physical, mental, and spiritual. Instead of focusing on the patient as a carrier of disease and death they began to look at them as a person that has certain fundamental needs for existence. One of these needs as fore mentioned is spirituality. Spirituality simply defined “is that which relates to or affects the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things. Spirituality touches that part of you that is not dependent on material things or physical comforts” (Living Words

Religion and spirituality is a major essential part of one’s’ health. They have included things such as prayer in healing, counseling, and the use of meditation. Spiritual issues make a difference in an individual’s experience of illness and health. With spirituality, the health care providers can learn to support the values for the art of healing. The health care provider must have respect for their patient’s religion. (Larry Dossey. Healing Words: The Power of Prayer and the Practice of Medicine. Harper Collins, San Francisco. 1993.)

This is the guiding truth that she uses each day in the hospital setting that allows her to freely accept people of all faiths and support their personal journey toward healing. When asked about her spiritual perspective on healing she was very comfortable with her answer. She said “absolutely, God does heal.” She feels from a Sikh perspective that there is a balance in the soul and that the person who is ill must be willing to let go to receive. It is a type of faith, that the person seeking healing, beyond their ability to understand. As a caregiver she states “being a Sikh makes me one with most religions, because I believe we all are of the same God and it is His healing that they seek.

Different religious groups have different believe system in the provision of the healthcare. The health personnel such as doctors and nurses should be aware of the religious beliefs of their patients for effectively delivering medical care. In provision of medical care, religious faith and beliefs of the patient is incorporated with the scientific medical care in offering a holistic medical to the patients. The medical personnel should take into the consideration the religious belief of the patient in the course of offering medical care to the patient. The

cure. Hospitals not only have to meet the demands of curing illnesses, but also have to accommodate the spiritual needs and comfort of patients. Hospitals are generally built and organized in the effort to help patients gain support by having the opportunity to turn towards religion during difficult times. Hospitals in general have various religious leaders on call if a patient were to request them. They also have places of worship available to serve as a sanctuary for patients. These places are equipped with sacred texts from different religions such as the Koran, the Bhagavad Gita and the Holy Bible. As described in the article, “Sacred spaces in public places: religious and spiritual plurality in health care”, “These spaces evoked a feeling of sacredness of space and time – a sense of transcendence, immanence or connectedness in the everyday” (Reimer-Kirkham 203). This tranquil feeling can help to relieve the stress of the body, being proved to help the bodies process of healing, or in the case of terminally ill patients, helps them to develop a more positive outlook on what is happening. They are able to turn towards religion as support for the difficult time.

In conclusion, spirituality and religion can highly impact patients and medical professionals need to be prepared to fulfill all their patients’ needs. Also, healthcare professionals have the responsibility to respect their patients’ beliefs and provide the correct treatment for each case. Even though, sometimes the physician and the patient beliefs differ, is the job of the physician to provide personalized solutions for unique

Am actual account of religious beliefs and shunning of medical treatment was first recorded in 2009 with a Northeast Philadelphia family. The family whose religion shunned traditional medicine allowed an infant son to pass away at a nearby hospital. In 2009 according to an article published in the Newsworks Philadelphia Newspaper written by

According to the first principle, nonmaleficience, it would not be appropriate as a professional to practice medicine based on his or her own beliefs and not consider the patients feelings about the operation. In this particular case, regarding religious constrictions the doctor must decide if the patients’ needs outweigh the ethical belief of nonmaleficience. Asserting empathy in this case could prove to be a problem. How does a person wholly understand the beliefs of another when they have not been exposed to those beliefs and culture that supplied this person with their values of living? Understanding a patient’s background can significantly impact a decision. If a doctor were to treat a Jehovah Witness with blood they need to understand the impact they would be having on their patient’s life.