Healthcare Provider and Faith Diversity Of the many challenges faced by today’s healthcare workers, properly caring for individuals from many different backgrounds and beliefs is an important one. The United States is made up of a multitude of cultures with distinct religions and beliefs. Treating the whole person includes not just what is ailing the body but also recognizing the spiritual side of the patient. Healthcare providers must remain open minded and take into consideration the rituals and beliefs of the patient in order to provide sensitive care. This paper will discuss the worldviews of Christianity and Islam and their impact on the patient’s care.
Worldview
Author James Sire proposed a set of questions intended to get at the heart of an individual’s worldview. These questions can be applied to religions in order to gain a better understanding of the beliefs of its followers. Once healthcare workers are equipped with this knowledge, thorough treatment of the mind, body, and spirit of the patient can be achieved.
What is Prime Reality? Christianity believes in one God who is omnipotent, omniscient, and just. Christians believe Jesus Christ was the son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary. Jesus died on the cross in order for man to reunite with God. Islam also believes in one God, also known as Allah. However, Islam does not recognize Jesus as the son of God. He is considered one of many prophets of God.
What is the Nature of the
Jesus Christ is seen in each one of these religions, but how he is seen and portrayed varies greatly from one religion to the next. Christians believe that Jesus came to earth and died on the cross for our sins. This then led to the creation of the New Testament, which was written by many of his disciples. This is where Judaism and Christianity started to have controversy because those of the Jewish faith did not believe that Jesus was the messiah. The adding of the New Testament is where Christians and Jews are set to never agree. Those of the Islamic faith, like Christians, believe Jesus was born from the Virgin Mary. Rather than God they believe that Allah sent Jesus to teach scriptures, but also believe that humans have scoured the word over the years. Also the Islam faith believes that he was alive when God called him to heaven. This is not true in the
Both Islam and Christianity have practices or duties that are central to the life of there religious community. Catholics are expected to take part in as many of the Seven Sacraments as possible, while Muslims are expected to practice all of the Five Pillars Of Islam. Both Muslims and Christians are monotheists, believing in the same god, referred to as “Allah” by the Muslims and “God” by Catholics. In this sense Islam and Christianity are considerably intertwined, appearing to come from the same beginning. Both Islam and Christianity are based primarily on the lives and teachings of men sent by God. In Christianity, Jesus was the son of God, sent down to earth to spread the word of the Lord to the people, and ultimately die a brutal death so that this people may reach eternal peace in heaven. Christians praise Jesus’ suffering for them as well as for his teachings and for the miracles he performed to assist the needy. Despite the fact that Islam and Christianity share a mutual God, Muslims do not believe that
The areas of disagreement between Islam and Christianity are quite clear. Although Islam accepts the holiness of Jesus, it denies his Godliness. According to the teaching of Islam, Jesus is not God, nor is he united with God. On the other hand, Christians view Jesus as a God and live their lives in accordance of him. Moreover, Islam teaches that Jesus is not the Son of God. God does not have any children because He is above that. Conversely, Christians know Jesus as the son of God, a Savior and Lord who died on the cross to take away all of our sins. Islam by contrast, denies the crucifixion of Jesus. Muslims believe that Jesus did not die on the cross; he only made people think he was and God saved him.
In today’s society, it is very important for the healthcare professional to be educated about the culture of their patients. It can be seen that the number of patients who are Muslim are increasing throughout the healthcare system. It is challenging for healthcare workers to care for the needs of Muslim patients when they don’t understand their cultural beliefs. Muslims don’t necessarily have the same health beliefs, outcomes, or priorities that their providers have, therefore making it more difficult to come to a final healthcare decision (Al-Oraibi, 2009.) “This intercultural gap in understanding between clients and providers may result in poor care services and low levels of satisfaction” (Al-Oraibi, 2009.) Muslims are