Religion and Health Care in a Secular Society - Essay Example

Religion and Healthcare in a Secular Society The concept of holistic care in nursing is important because this concept deals with providing care for the ill considering their physical, psychological / emotional, social, cultural and spiritual needs. Religion does play an important role in the personal life of individuals living in a secular society, in which many faiths or denominations may be living together under a secular legal umbrella, while maintaining their personal religious values and traditions at home. Because religion presents answers to fundamental values and the core questions related to an individual’s existence, it becomes an important part of living, providing hope and assisting in dealing with loss or grief which is also a part of life. It is, therefore important to consider an individual’s religious values when providing treatment or nursing care. Such nursing care may be related to a variety of situations including palliative care, care for the terminally ill, and care for short term hospitalization or for nursing at home. In all these situations, it is important to consider a patient’s religious and cultural values because such considerations can assist in recovery, with the patient feeling more comfortable or being able to constructively deal with grief. The healthcare system of a secular or multicultural society can only deliver such a holistic care if the policy makers and the health workers make an attempt to understand the culture and religious values of the various groups that exist in the society. Attempts should then be made to integrate these different cultures and value systems into the health care culture of the secular society which should respect diversity while bringing different social groups together. In this brief essay, an attempt has been made to study Islam and Judaism in order to determine how individuals belonging to these religions may be cared for in a multicultural and secular society. Introduction The cycle of life consists of birth, living or passing through stages of life and then death. The process of being born, living and then dying is, however, very unique to each individual and the experiences can depend on their level of affluence, cultural background, religious beliefs etc. Individuals of many and varied backgrounds, cultures and religious beliefs live together in a secular society under a secular legal umbrella, maintaining their more personal identity at home and the society tries to cater for the widest level of diversity that is to be found in its midst. The nurses and the healthcare system in a society have to care for people when they are born, fall sick and are dying. Nurses help people when they cannot help themselves and although the emphasis is on helping people get well, sometimes nurses are also involved in palliative care where the emphasis is on providing care and comfort rather then extending assistance to get well. Comfort for patients can mean more then just the absence of physical pain or distress from the undesirable symptoms of disease. Providing care and comfort means that nurses and the health care system have to provide for the physical, social, emotional, psychological and spiritual needs of patients passing through a stage of crisis in their lives. Holistic or comfort care means that individualized care has to be provided for individuals with regard to their entirety and uniqueness, within the limits of the knowledge of the health care staff and the resources of the health system. Efforts must, therefore, be made to understand the cultural and religious diversity of a secular society and incorporate the understanding gained into the training of the health care workers as well as the culture of the health care system, so that the system can better care for the needs of the individuals (Dianne, 2003, Chapters 1 -2) and (Govier, 2000, Chapters 1-3). All individuals have a certain level of spiritual association which is broadly determined by the religious framework and culture into which they were born and have lived. This does not mean, however, that the spiritual part of a person is necessarily associated with their purported faith, but it is very likely that this association will exist. An individual’s spirit and things spiritual can exert a powerful force on all individuals, making it important to understand and attempt to harness these forces for the well being of the individual along with trying to provide them with comfort. Because a broad level of understanding related to a person’s spirituality is attained by their religious affiliation, therefore, it is important for health care workers and policy makers in a secular society to study and try to understand a broad number of religious frameworks. Nurses have to assist individuals when they cannot assist themselves and form relationships by trying to understand the individual and their circumstances. Studying religious frameworks, therefore, assists in better nursing care for those in need. Islamic and Jewish faiths are to be found living in many secular societies which are mostly predominantly Christian and although members of these religious frameworks have on occasion tried to cater for the health needs of their people, many members of these faiths use the institutions of health care which have been provided in a secular society. Having lived in a secular society can mean that many orthodox and fundamentalist tendencies in members of these religious frameworks will have disappeared. However, a spiritual level of influence on the individual can continue to exist (Farris, 2005, Complete) and (Dianne, 2003, Chapters 1 -2). In this essay, an attempt has been made to study these two religious frameworks and their influence on the delivery of individual nursing care to members of these groups in a secular society. The Religious and Spiritual Customs and Traditions of Islam Islam is a religion that was founded by Mohammad in the 7th century AD. Mohammad claimed to be from a long line of prophets including Jesus, Moses, Abraham and many others who were monotheist prophets sent into humanity by the creator God who had also been known as the Father, Allah, and Elohim etc at different times in recorded human history. Mohammad claimed that he was the recipient of Divine revelations which are recorded in the Qur ’an. Mohammad also claimed that he was to be the last in the line of prophets sent to humanity by God to present the final universal law for humanity for all times. Although Mohammad claimed that the previous prophets including Jesus and Moses were equally true in presenting the message of God to humanity, the previous message had been corrupted and lost by their followers. Muslims believe that God or Allah is the Supreme creator of the universe and there is no other who can equal Him. The concept of Trinity which is a part of the predominant Christian faith is, therefore, unacceptable to Muslims, although Jesus is revered as the chosen one and a prophet of God as was Moses. The Jews had, however, lost the book of Moses and the Christians had corrupted the divine message by introducing the concept of Trinity along with other aberrations in their faith. The revelations of the Divine and the teachings of Mohammad constitute the way of living for Muslims who have to accept that they believe in the Supremacy of one God, Allah and accept that Mohammad was the messenger of Allah. This fundamental belief called the Shahada or Testimony opens up the foundation for the legal system of Islam and the Muslim way of living according to the revelations of God and the teachings of Mohammad. Muslims have been instructed by God through Mohammad to pray five times a day while facing Mecca, fast from dawn to sunset by keeping away from food, drink and sexual intercourse during the month of Ramadan and are required to pay their obligations to the poor and the needy by giving alms or the zakah as well as performing a pilgrimage to Mecca once during their lifetime if they are able to. Islamic theory considers Christians and Jews to be “People of the Book” or recipients of Divine revelations of their own and they are accorded a privileged status in the Islamic legal system, encouraging their self rule by their own scriptures. However, in practice, illiteracy as well as inflexibility on the part of all has resulted in some bitterness and hatred amongst the three faiths. Very few Muslims today can claim that they are full practicing models of the teaching of their prophet or their religion and the words of their prophet Mohammad which stated that “The weakness of my nation is their love of money” seem to have been illustrated in the wrecked state of many an Islamic society, along with illiteracy and a desire not to face up to their responsibilities as doers of the work of God on earth. Today, one is struck with the apathy, illiteracy and a lack of the desire of Muslims to do anything for others or their societies because every single one of their action is measured in terms of personal financial gain or loss. Although Islam commands that the poor be fed, the sick taken care of and the animals be looked after in an Islamic society, the illiterate and corrupted followers of Mohammad have dumped all these responsibilities on the shoulders of their Creator or Allah who is the God, calculating instead on how much loss they are going to suffer from feeding a cat, looking after the sick and taking care of the needy while their government servants wallow in illegal gratifications and schemes to defraud others, dumping all their misery on Allah. Hence, the final product of the teachings of Mohammad may appear to be very repulsive to many, including the Muslims themselves, who may not practice the tenants of their religion because they consider loyalty to the Supreme God to be far more important then allegiance to a prophet, especially when the society created by the teachings of the prophet can be so corrupted and repulsive with God being above any requirements to be worshipped or glorified and is indeed the most compassionate and merciful. Hence, many “Muslims” especially those living in the more tolerant societies may not appear to follow the tenants of Islam but will still retain a core belief in its teachings. However, there are also many so called practicing Muslims in the very rigid Islamic societies who pretend to be Muslims out of the fear of reprisals and absolute intolerance that exists in Islamic societies, coupled with a barbaric legal system consisting of beatings, amputations, beheadings and torture which has been designed to ensure that no one who is born a Muslim can dare to dissent. No honesty or truth prevails in Islamic societies today and most of the so called Muslims have been reduced to what are known as “Munafiqs” or pretenders of being followers of Islam, who were considered to be worse then the non-believers in the early Islamic societies. Many teachings of Islam are openly manipulated and routinely twisted by its followers in their societies to eliminate opponents or subjugate others. Hence, there is a general preference, even amongst the Muslims for a secular society rather then an Islamic society, but even the construction of a decent secular society requires truth, honesty and justice which is lacking in the so called Islamic societies around the world. Many moderate Muslims prefer to mind their own business, try not to impose their religious values on the others and consider themselves to be creation of God while trying to take a stand against the more fundamentalist forces in their societies, wallowing on their economic deprivation and the backwardness that God has imposed on them while trying all possible means to make money without any consideration whatsoever for the rights of others (Hammad, 1999, Complete) and (Rosdhal, 2004, Chapter 8). The followers of Islam are supposed to abstain from alcoholic beverages, desist from eating pork and only eat of those animals which have been declared to be lawful for human consumption and whose life has been taken in the name of God for consumption by humans. Eating Pork is forbidden because the swine is considered to be an animal which is dirty and it is important that an animal be slaughtered in an appropriate way in the name of God prior to being consumed. This is called Halaal or the appropriately slaughtered meat of animals. Islam also requires that there be segregation of sexes, except amongst close family members, and this is the basis for the Purdah or Hijab Hence, it is very likely that a Muslim lady will prefer being treated or touched only by one of her own sex and may want to be meet only with members of her own sex or the close family. Muslims have rituals of passage and the birth of a child will mostly likely result in the name of Allah and Mohammad being whispered into the child’s ear, instead of the child being baptized. Circumcision of a male child is practiced in Islam and in some Islamic societies, female circumcision is also practiced. It is considered appropriate to recite verses of the Qu’ ran in order to give hope to the dying and present to them the mercy of God, even though they have been subjugated to the strict tenants of Islam by the threats of never ending Divine retributions as well as constant suffering in hell all their lives. These fire and brimstone approaches to enforcing religious loyalty have meant that many Muslims may have yearned for freedom all their lives from the clutches of the yoke which had been imposed on them since their birth. The rights of women are cleverly restricted in practice by the male members of her family who inherit the largest share in property, despite the fact that Islam has granted the rights of owning property to women. Hence, women in Islamic societies exercise their powers through their male relatives, sons, fathers, husbands or brothers, while being deprived of any rights of their own. Marriages these days are more of a merger and acquisition affair related to balancing monitory considerations with the bride calculating just what wealth and advantages she is going to acquire, with the groom doing the same. The financial calculations of the male members of the family usually prevail in marrying off the female Muslim cow or daughter of the family who cannot have a tongue because she does not have any economic powers. Because Islam has no concept of human rights or labor rights, Islamic societies are grossly exploitative with no concept of egalitarianism or progress for the poor. The rich employ labor at minimum wages and the self serving public servants of the governments of Islam have never bothered to enforce minimum wage legislation. It is, therefore, common for the poor and the sick who cannot afford medical treatment to die on the streets of illness or old age, without anyone bothering to care for them because this is the will of Allah who should have provided for them if He had wanted. The so called Islamic Republics are a farce of humanity. Muslims believe that the ultimate destiny of all living things is death and that the world is a place of trial and suffering. While life is considered to be sacred, Muslims do not prefer expensive treatments and suffering to prolong it and consider its early end to be most appropriate, even though this may not be the wish of those who are ill. They also believe that all suffering and disease is only possible if Allah wants it and the relatively illiterate and backward will not take precautions to prevent disease. Communal diseases, therefore, are easily passed on by sharing utensils, unhygienic habits and practices of illiteracy, because it is Allah’s will that they should. Enquiry and trying to improve upon anything goes against the grain of a Muslim who is more used to exerting minimum efforts for maximum gain. Hence, even medical knowledge is antiquated and one becomes a doctor only because huge sums of money can be made by charging the patients huge sums of money for the treatment. That such a mentality exists is also Allah’s will and no Islamic government will ever bother to make things better because they are completely subjected to the will of Allah who should have made things better Himself if He had wanted to (Hammad, 1999, Complete) and (Rosdhal, 2004, Chapter 8). Muslims should be accorded treatment according to their beliefs in a secular society because they will plant bombs and kill people, if they are not, even though a Christian or a Jew cannot expect anything without money in an Islamic society. Christian charity and Western value systems do go to extraordinary lengths in order to study others and provide them with the best and it is because of this that even the fundamentalist Muslims will go to any lengths in order to migrate to the West or avail themselves of Western medical care. That such a situation exists is also Allah’s will (Rosdhal, 2004, Chapter 8). In the next section, the important concepts related to the Jewish religious framework are examined. The Religious and Spiritual Customs and Traditions of Judaism Judaism claims to date back to the days of Prophet Abraham, but it came into prominence as a result of the selection of prophet Moses by God to deliver his people from the clutches of the Pharaoh, in Egypt. Jewish law is claimed to have been revealed at Mount Sinai to Moses and Jews are considered to be the chosen people. However, Judaism is practiced at the Reform, Orthodox and the Conservative level, with the Reform Jews being the most liberal in their beliefs. Orthodox Jews are the most conservative and the Hasidic sect only works and lives within their own communities and preferring minimal interaction with others. Conservative Jews fall in between the two extremes. Reconstructionist Judaism is a small American denomination of Jews which has constructed a religious philosophy for those who had lost faith in the traditional religion and which is more in line with the times. The Orthodox Jews consider the Torah, which was revealed to Moses as eternal and there can not be any reform in what God had commanded. Halakhah, which also means “going” or “walking” presumably in God’s way, is the Jewish Law derived from the commandments in the Torah (five books of Moses) as viewed through the discussions and debates contained in the classical rabbinic literature, especially the Mishnah and the Talmud. It is the law derived from the Bible, Talmudic traditions, customs, responsa literature, etc. The Rabbi’s or Jewish Clergy have been responsible for the interpretation of Jewish Holy Books consisting of the Tanakh or the written Torah and the Talmud which is the Jewish Law based on oral traditions. Jewish Rabbis have considered the Torah to be important but consisting of mere words revealed by God which are mere words and have to be supplemented by oral traditions. It is the oral traditions which are considered to be more important because they tell the Jews how to live, while accepting the basic commandments of the Torah. It is the emphasis on oral traditions which has created factions amongst the Jews with different Rabbis presenting their versions of what the essence of Judaism should be. Rabbi Moses ben Maimon or Maimonides (1135-1204 CE) presented thirteen principles of faith while other Rabbis after him such as David ben Yom-Tob ibn Bilia have since then added their own interpretations and presented thirty cardinal principles of the Jewish faith. The essence of these principles is that there is only God who is worthy of worship and He is above everything else in the Universe. It is claimed by the Jews that Moses was granted the highest form of prophecy by God and this prophecy was never equaled by anyone. Jews are considered to be the chosen people of God who have a unique covenant with Him and none other people can equal the Jews. To be a Jew, it is important that one is born a Jew. Although it is possible to convert into Judaism, such conversion is only an expression which is meaningless without deeds and tests. The rejection of idolatry is an important concept in Jewish faith but as Judah ha-Levi, Jewish Rabbi states (Wikipedia, 2005, Complete) and (Goldstein-Goren International Center for Jewish Thought, 2005, Complete): “We are not putting on an equality with us a person entering our religion through confession alone. We require deeds, including in that term self-restraint, purity, study of the Law, circumcision, and the performance of other duties demanded by the Torah”. Such arrogance which attempted to put a people who were former slaves and were delivered from the clutches of the Pharaoh by God through Moses because of His mercy, but who reverted to idolatry when Moses was absent from amongst them for a brief period of time has always meant that Jews have been persecuted because of there extreme arrogance. That a Jew never considered anyone else in the world to be anything worth while and unworthy even of charity in the name of God at a time of need has meant that Jewish communities have always sought to put themselves above others. The deeds of Jewish money lenders and their deeds towards others have been recorded throughout history as smacking of the most unholy and these deeds have shown to the world that these so called superior race of people drunk in their wine of arrogance about having been chosen by God had even forgotten their days of humiliation and deprivation under the Pharaoh, from which this filth of humanity was only delivered as a result of Divine mercy. Not only did these former slaves turned against their God when Moses was on Mount Sinai, but they also lost the Torah, adding interpretations of their Rabbis to suit their convenience. Perhaps it was because of this that they were thoroughly massacred through the ages all over the world, being successful in creating the State of Israel after throwing away all sense of fairness only because it was the will of God that these worthless individuals be given some respite. The sense of Jewish superiority is so awesome that no Jew has ever been seen to have been charitable to anyone else but another Jew and yet they routinely beg from everyone else in the name of their persecution, pitting nation against nation, playing the moneylenders for their own gain, slaughtering humanity. What chosen ones of God (Wikipedia, 2005, Complete) and (Goldstein-Goren International Center for Jewish Thought, 2005, Complete).? Anyone who does not believe in the supremacy of the thirteen to thirty fundamental principles of Judaism presented by the Jewish Rabbis is considered not to be a Jew. God is considered to be the supreme force in the universe and Moses his prophet who was considered to be above everyone else is the only prophet. Jews also believe that there will be a day of Resurrection when all mankind will be judged by God in regard to having followed his revelations and those who fail will be sent to a purifying place called Sheol lit or the purgatory. However, souls will be sent to this purifying place for a limited period of time. The Jewish concept of life after death is, therefore, fuzzy and Jews concentrate more on the life they live now while ritually remembering those loved ones who have died. Circumcision of the male infants is considered to be a religious ceremony and there are dietary laws which require Jews to have meals that are made according to their tradition, involving slaughtering of animals. Practicing Jews do not eat Pork or shellfish and Jewish Sabbath is from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah and Passover are also Jewish holidays. Judaism considers looking after the ill and the poor to be a communal responsibility, but such courtesies are only extended to the Jews. Human life is sacred and even though diagnostic tests are not conducted during the Sabbath or holidays, it is important for a doctor to break the Sabbath in order to save a human life. Like all people, Jews too like to recover and be peaceful in their culture and in familiar surroundings when they are old or ill. Even though the Jewish community has been very responsible towards the welfare of their own people and tried to open old age homes and hospitals for the ill in their community, a secular society has to be prepared to care for its Jewish minority along with others (Wikipedia, 2005, Complete) and (Goldstein-Goren International Center for Jewish Thought, 2005, Complete). It is now important to consider just what a secular health system and health workers belonging to such a system should do to cater for the diversity that exists in the society when there is so much inflexibility about beliefs and prophets. This issue is considered in the next section. Looking after the Ill and Providing Healthcare in a Secular Society Even in a secular society, religion is important because the religious frameworks attempt to separate what is good from what is evil. Be it Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism or other frameworks including Confucianism, the religious frameworks provide for a concept of what is good and differentiates this from what is evil. Without religion, there can be no good or evil and it is unlikely that such distinctions would have passed the test of time if they were to be legislated by parliaments. Nearly all religious frameworks provide for the existence of a Universal Force which operates in the Universe. As health workers and health system policy makers, individuals have been asked and given an opportunity to care for the ill, provide comfort and reduce suffering. Their actions are likely to be judged by this Universal Force, regardless of what their faith may be. Hence nurses, health workers and policy makers can only take a stock of their lives, consider how they have been given an opportunity by the one who writes the book of life and do their utmost to reduce suffering, cure and provide comfort. Their actions can only be judged by the one who asked that “thou shall do my work on earth”. Surely allegiance to the creator is far more important then any allegiance to a prophet including Christ, Mosses, Jesus or others. It is only the creator who was worthy of being considered and not his creation. Hence, a secular state and its health workers can only try its best to provide health, comfort and cure to all regardless of their religious affiliations. Comfort can only be provided through the development of caring relationships and when caring for a Jew the health worker should try to be a Jew, when caring for a Buddhist, the health worker should be a Buddhist and when caring for a Christian, the health worker should try to be a Christian. Policy makers and the system can provide incentives and encourage the right culture as well as the acquisition of knowledge to do the job, but the rewards are provided by the satisfaction of having done the job when called upon to do it faithfully and to the best of one’s ability while letting the Universal Force judge and reward the actions. The most successful secular societies are only to be found in the Christian lands because Christ was the most compassionate of God’s prophets and the Christian societies have evolved as being the most compassionate ones because of the influence of Christ (Dianne, 2003, Chapters 3 – 6), (Soledad, 2002, Complete), (Policy Research Associates, 2004, Complete) and (Govier, 2000, Complete). Conclusion A secular society has to cater for a lot of minorities and the diversity which is inherent in its midst. The job and the calling of a nurse, a health worker or a policy maker are to provide comfort, cure and the elimination of suffering. Religion has a spiritual dimension and most individuals belonging to a religious framework can be identified with the spirituality that is associated with the religious framework. The sick or the dying have to be treated as far as possible with respect to their spirituality and values so that they can be comfortable. 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