Abstract
The definition of health and individual well-being vary from person to person due to diversities in religion and culture. Thus, faith philosophy shapes our worldview in regard to health care, suffering and physical wellness. Additionally, pain, suffering, diet, prayers and meditation have different significance to different patients. They influence patients’ attitude towards their physical condition, medication and healing process. For instance, patients may refuse to collaborate with caregivers or take medication since they perceive the health practices, diet or medication are against their religious principles. Therefore, it is vital that healthcare providers have a comprehensive knowledge of different faith and their influence on patients. On the other hand, it is the duty of the patients to provide health practitioners with the information concerning their faith, but practitioners have a duty to create that environment where patients can share vital information concerning their faith philosophy. As such, the health services provided need to be customized to fit and meet adequately the needs of the patient both physically and emotionally. Moreover, the care given has to encompass the cultural and religious life of the patient. To understand the impact of faith on the health outcomes, this comparative analysis study provides similarities and differences of Christian and Buddhism philosophies in the health care settings.
Introduction
Diversity in the health care system takes into consideration the socioeconomic, political, culture and religion aspect of patients and health practitioners. Importantly, faith spirituality has a significant impact on person’s perspective on health care and the healing process. Healthcare providers encounter patients from different religious backgrounds. Notably, spiritual beliefs and religion play a significant role in the life of a patient but healthcare providers are uncertain about how, when, or where to address religious issues In the past, providers received training on how to treat a patient. Training on how to relate the patient’s health problem with faith or cultural belief was not part of the syllabus. Serving patient does not only involve administering medication but also having time for them, helping them in different tasks, and understanding their beliefs and backgrounds. Faith philosophies play a very big role in influencing the outcomes of a healthcare practice for both the patient and the provider. Thus, it is essential that caregiver equips themselves with faith competence from different religions and their worldview to have proper comprehension on how to offer comprehensive care and meet the needs of all patients irrespective of their religious background.
Comparative analysis of Christian and Buddhism faith philosophies
Well-being and health of a person are not represented by the absence of suffering and pain but is also have a positive meaning depending on the person’s faith. Both religions emphasize on living a purposeful life which brings impact and improves the quality of life of the society. Positive meaning of life has a lot of implication on health care providers because they serve people with varying fiat philosophies. Both the Christian and Buddhist philosophies of faith in the Western world have equal weights when it comes to the well-being of the society. As such, the caregivers have the mandate of improving the well-being of the society.
Attitudes towards Medication
Christians compose of many denominations including Protestant, Roman Catholic, Jehovah’s Witness, Seventh Day Adventist, Jehovah Witness, and Latter-day Saint (Davis & Owens, 2013). The value of health placed by each Christian denomination varies, which influences the outcome of a health care process. For example, Catholics and Protestants believe the success of biomedical treatments and other forms of medication occur in cooperation with God’s grace. Health care providers attending to Christians of Roman Catholic and Protestant origin must allow time for the priest to visit, give Holy Communion, and pray for the patient. Other Christian denominations such as the Jehovah Witness view disease as an inheritance from ancient people like Adam. Because illness is a form of suffering that every human being passes through, the denomination allows followers to seek healthcare help and use different forms of biomedical treatments (Davis & Owens, 2013). Moreover, a big percentage of healthcare providers is from the Christian origin and find it easier giving medical attention to Christian patients.
The Buddhism perspective on health compares to the Christian perspective on the issue of biomedical treatments. Buddhism happens to be among the four largest religions in the world with a high number of followers. Buddhism followers must maintain ethical and spiritual well-being and have compassion towards all forms of life. Despite the fact that Buddhist faith does not believe a spiritually-focused person can fall sick, they allow pain medications to their followers provided it eases the pain. Christians attending to Buddhist patients experience some challenges explaining the effect of the prescribed medication to the individual. The 5th precept requires any Buddhist to know the effect of any drug that alters the emotional state. The understanding of the effect of the drug helps restrain the individual from performing any harmful act that may lead to intoxication. However, most Buddhists deny the biomedical treatment process and prefer other forms of medication (Harvey, 2006).
The diet
Healthcare providers give a patient a set of diet rules to help in recovery from a certain illness. Faith diversity of different patients influences the health outcome of a person based on the religious beliefs on a diet. Most Christians have no dietary restrictions making it possible to have a positive outcome in biomedicine practices. Diets rules vary with the denomination but it has less influence on the health outcome. Christians understand the importance of fasting. For example, vegetarians may find it hard to follow diets requiring them to eat meat, but they always substitute with another product. Additionally, Catholics patients during lent period may avoid taking meat especially on Friday and request for Eucharist. Christians allow members to take alcohol but not in excess. Buddhists believe on the diet is a bit different from the Christian belief. A number of Buddhists are vegetarian. Buddhists are required to eat moderately and abstain from drugs capable of altering the normal state of mind, such as alcohol. As such, stimulants related food and drinks, for example, tobacco or coffee are highly discourage. The diet philosophy help by Buddhists sometimes restricts those achieving expected outcomes from biomedicine practices. Health providers from the Buddhist origin must balance between ensuring the patient eats the recommended diet and following the faith philosophy of the religion.
Prayer and meditation
Everybody celebrates diversity and it is important to focus on what people have in common and accept the fact that religious beliefs have no big differences. The Buddhism religion believes in suffering just like Christianity. The presence of grief and tragedies such as sickness, old age, death, and other forms of suffering reveals that human beings were made to undergo suffering. Similarly, Christians are taught to accept suffering as part of life. Jesus told his disciples in Luke 9:22-23 that anyone who was ready to follow Christ teachings must deny himself worldly things and take up his cross. The Christian and Buddha teaching on suffering play a significant role in easing people’s sufferings. Christians and Buddhists undertake prayer and meditation as a way of overcoming suffering. The relationship between philosophies of these two religions helps promote health and wellbeing of individuals. Both religions believe that meditation is instrumental in achieving stability in emotions and mental calmness which is essential in the healing process since it helps in clearing one’s mind and conscious. As such, meditation is vital improving patient well-being by reducing stress levels and depressions which a patient might be experiencing. However, some people are too much into the religion that they forget to follow their prescribed medication leading to no real improvement in health.
Healing
Christians and Buddhists share common beliefs when it comes to healing. Buddhists believe healing comes from Buddha. Healing takes the form of a physical healing or the healing of the mind (psychological healing). Many people refer to healing as a cure for a physical problem but religious philosophies refer to healing as freedom from physical and psychological problems. The Buddhism considers the concept of mind as the determinant of the healing process. Buddhists believe any form of suffering is temporary and its causes can be easily removed from the mind. The mind creates health and sickness. A person who possesses a healthy mind has a healthy body. Additionally, suffering comes from the human desire and is attached to the environment. Many Buddhists following the religion norms belief in suffering; hence, many patients rarely report any form of pain or suffering. However, nurses from the Christian origin are full of sympathy and are caring, thus end up relieving them the pain upon realizing their sufferings (Shelly and Miller, 2006).
Christians follow the Biblical teachings about healing. Earlier Christians believed in the power of healing and always performed rituals and other sacrifices to seek favor from their gods. Under the Christian Biblical teachings, the unity of the body and the soul yields healing. Christians belief in God as the source of health, but refer to biomedical practices to help on the healing process. In the New Testament, Jesus healed many people who had faith in miracles. Jesus performed both physical and psychological healings to his followers (Shelly and Miller, 2006). Moreover, Jesus commanded his disciples to cure the sick (Vigen, 2009). Christians seek medical help to acquire both physical and psychological healing, but with the favor of God.
Role of patients when cared for by providers from different religion and faith perspectives
Patients should understand not all health care providers come from the same religious background. A provider with Christian faith may take care of the Buddhist patient while the Buddhist physician may treat a Christian patient. Patients have the duty of explaining their religious beliefs to the health care provider irrespective of the religion. Health care providers must adhere to the medicine code of ethics and in many instances; they end up not following religious beliefs when it comes to medical issues. For example, a health provider of the Buddhist faith may not realize a Christian patient in pain and suffering because their religion overlooks suffering. Hence, the Christian patient should inform the nurse of any problem to avoid unnecessary complications.
Conclusion
References
Davis, L. I. & Owens, C. (2013, March 20). The impact of religion on health practices: Health
Disparities and Cultural Competence. American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP).
Harvey, C. (2006). A Buddhist perspective on health and spatiality. Scottish Journal of
Healthcare Chaplaincy, 9(1), 33-35.
Shelly, J. A., & Miller, A. B. (2006). Called to care: A Christian worldview for nursing.
Downers Grove, Ill: IVP Academic/Intervarsity Press.
Vigen, M. A. (2009, July 15). “Heal the Sick”: Why Public Health Care is a Christian Duty.
On Faith. Retrieved February 19, 2016 from http://www.faithstreet.com/onfaith/2009/07/15/heal-the-sick-why-public-health-care-is-a-christian-duty/5040
