Throughout history, healthcare has been intertwined with religion. Even the symbol for healthcare was based on a Bible story. Around 1400 BC, Moses used a pole with a serpent wrapped around it to cure the Israelites of ailments as they traversed through the desert while escaping from slavery in Egypt. In accordance with this story, the symbol for healthcare is a winged pole with serpents entwined around it.
Sources:
Healthcare Symbol. CALISPHERE, University of California, calisphere.org/item/
5568ec73-609a-4b2c-9f4b-7fcbc0e1e797. Accessed 24 Sept. 2017.
Prakash, M., and J. Carlton Johnny. "Things You Don't Learn in Medical School:
Caduceus." NCBI, National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S
National Library of Medicine, 7 Apr. 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/
articles/PMC4439707/. Accessed 24 Sept. 2017.
Sources:
Healthcare Symbol. CALISPHERE, University of California, calisphere.org/item/
5568ec73-609a-4b2c-9f4b-7fcbc0e1e797. Accessed 24 Sept. 2017.
Prakash, M., and J. Carlton Johnny. "Things You Don't Learn in Medical School:
Caduceus." NCBI, National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S
National Library of Medicine, 7 Apr. 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/
articles/PMC4439707/. Accessed 24 Sept. 2017.
"Christian community matters to people with mental illness. Worship, prayer, and a sense of being united to “brothers” and “sisters” in the faith helps the troubled and ill bear up under the weight of their heavy burdens."
This quote is from an article that addresses how religion affects patients with mental illness. Religion can be a very important part of healing for some people, and it gives them a community to fall back on. Without this community many people might feel abandoned and alone, although this may not be a conventional form of healing it can be just as important to the patients' health.
Source:
Abraham, Reggie. "Mental Illness and the Ministry of the Local Church."
Pastoral Psychology, vol. 63, no. 5/6, Dec. 2014, pp. 525-535.
EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s11089-013-0590-0.
Source:
Abraham, Reggie. "Mental Illness and the Ministry of the Local Church."
Pastoral Psychology, vol. 63, no. 5/6, Dec. 2014, pp. 525-535.
EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s11089-013-0590-0.
2275 "One must hold as licit procedures carried out on the human embryo which respect the life and integrity of the embryo and do not involve disproportionate risks for it, but are directed toward its healing the improvement of its condition of health, or its individual survival."83
"It is immoral to produce human embryos intended for exploitation as disposable biological material."84
"Certain attempts to influence chromosomic or genetic inheritance are not therapeutic but are aimed at producing human beings selected according to sex or other predetermined qualities. Such manipulations are contrary to the personal dignity of the human being and his integrity and identity"85 which are unique and unrepeatable."
This excerpt from the Catechism of the Catholic Church describes the church's teaching on genetic editing. The issue of the moral and ethical implications concerning genetic editing has been a discussion for a few years now as people weigh the possible dangers against the possible improvements in the quality of a patient's life. The Catholic Church argues that genetic editing to cure illness is moral, but any type of editing that manipulates predetermined qualities is immoral and prone to consequences.
Catechism of the Catholic Church. E-book. Catholic Church. "Article Five: the
Fifth Commandment". 2nd ed. Vatican: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2012.
Fifth Commandment". 2nd ed. Vatican: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2012.
"Gene-editing sperm will spare couples the agony of destroying IVF embryos that, on pre-implantation screening, are shown to possess variants that forecast some devastating single-gene disorders, he believes. “Maybe half the people in the U.S. already feel that they’re not comfortable killing embryos, but I think people would be comfortable genetically altering sperm,” he observes. “No embryos die.” "
The article outlines the arguments for gene editing. The main argument against gene editing is based in the religious desire to respect the dignity of the human body by not forcibly changing it because every person is created perfectly already. Many religions are also strongly against killing or endangering any sort of living human, including embryos, but the information in this article defies the reasoning behind disapproving of gene editing. The new technology regarding the subject of genetic testing has brought more arguments against the church ideal of leaving the human being as it is.
Hall, Stephen S. "The Red Line." Scientific American, vol. 315, no. 3, Sept.
2016, pp. 54-61. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/
login.aspx?direct=true&db=hxh&AN=118576945&site=eds-live.
2016, pp. 54-61. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/
login.aspx?direct=true&db=hxh&AN=118576945&site=eds-live.
Religion is not only embodied but that embodied actions carry theological meaning regardless of the context in which they are enacted or taught"
This source argues that many medical techniques were originally based on religion such as yoga, therapy, acupuncture, and chiropractic work, therefore, when we enact these medical procedures we are in a way supporting and reinforcing religion. Because of the religious history behind these techniques and the reasons behind their creation, religion and medicine are inherently connected and cannot be totally separated. Some doctors stay away from religious beliefs because they argue that healing through religion is illogical, but even if they don't have the intent of religion when they perform certain procedures, the procedures still carry theological meaning.
Bender, Courtney. "Healing Gods: Complementary and Alternative Medicine in
Christian America." Church History, vol. 83, no. 4, Dec. 2014, pp.
1097-1100. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1017/S0009640714001656.
Christian America." Church History, vol. 83, no. 4, Dec. 2014, pp.
1097-1100. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1017/S0009640714001656.
"It is difficult to avoid compromise in a demanding world, where compromise of principles is expected for financial and academic success"
The practices of euthanasia and abortion are against many religious principles because they don't respect the dignity of human life. Some doctors are members of religions that speak out against euthanasia and abortion, but they are still expected to perform these practices at the risk of losing their jobs, standings, or respect of their patients. These doctors all must make the decision to pick between their religion and their practice because of how opposite the two's opinions are in this scenario. Doctors risk judgement or criticism no matter what they decide to do.
Ney, Philip and Marie Peeters-Ney. "The Impact of Physician Compromise."
Issues in Law & Medicine, vol. 30, no. 2, Fall2015, pp. 187-191.
EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/
login.aspx?direct=true&db=c9h&AN=111491966&site=eds-live.
Issues in Law & Medicine, vol. 30, no. 2, Fall2015, pp. 187-191.
EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/
login.aspx?direct=true&db=c9h&AN=111491966&site=eds-live.
"With mental illness in popular society, the church is often a place where people with mental illness seek refuge, guidance, and healing. If this is so, as pastoral theologians we have to ask whether clergy are being trained to engage with people with mental illness in ways that are caring and considerate. A lack of training and a lack of exposure may translate to careless attitudes towards people with mental illness in congregational settings. "
This quote is from an article addressing religion and its role in the lives of patients with mental illness. This article points out that the members of the church are horribly unequipped to deal with the patients who rely on their church as a place of refuge and comfort. If these members of the church play such a major role in the healing process for these patients why shouldn't they receive proper training?
Source: Abraham, Reggie. "Mental Illness and the Ministry of the Local Church."
Pastoral Psychology, vol. 63, no. 5/6, Dec. 2014, pp. 525-535.
EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s11089-013-0590-0.
Source: Abraham, Reggie. "Mental Illness and the Ministry of the Local Church."
Pastoral Psychology, vol. 63, no. 5/6, Dec. 2014, pp. 525-535.
EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s11089-013-0590-0.
"At least 70 % of advanced cancer patients considered R/S (religion and spirituality) to be very important, playing a central role in their ability to cope with cancer. R/S are included as one of the eight palliative care clinical practice domains according to the National Consensus Project."
The article that this quote is from focuses on how terminally ill patients, in this case cancer patients, cope with their coming deaths. This shows that almost all patients facing the end of their lives need spirituality of some kind in order to handle their ailment. This article argues that with how many patients consider faith to be important to their well being it should play a more central role in treatment.
Source: Paiva, Carlos Eduardo, et al. "The Impact of Religiosity and Individual Prayer
Activities on Advanced Cancer Patients' Health: Is There any Difference in
Function of Whether or Not Receiving Palliative Anti-Neoplastic Therapy?."
Journal of Religion and Health, vol. 53, no. 6, Dec. 2014, pp.
1717-1727. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s10943-013-9770-6.
Source: Paiva, Carlos Eduardo, et al. "The Impact of Religiosity and Individual Prayer
Activities on Advanced Cancer Patients' Health: Is There any Difference in
Function of Whether or Not Receiving Palliative Anti-Neoplastic Therapy?."
Journal of Religion and Health, vol. 53, no. 6, Dec. 2014, pp.
1717-1727. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s10943-013-9770-6.
"In the in-depth study, spiritual leaders showed little knowledge of end-of- life care, including the benefits of palliative care and potential harms associated with invasive interventions. “Many grossly overestimated the benefits of aggressive medical procedures at the end of life,” researchers reported in the Journal of Palliative Medicine."
This article questions why religious leaders are so off base on their medical knowledge. Especially considering how many people look to them in times of medical difficulty.The pairing of poorly educated religious leaders and patients looking to those same leaders for guidance is a recipe for disaster.
Source: Ambrosio, Alicia. "Christian Recovery Programs in Vancouver Respond to Opioid
Crisis." Christian Century, vol. 134, no. 15, 19 July 2017, p. 17.
EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/
login.aspx?direct=true&db=pwh&AN=124033673&site=eds-live.
Source: Ambrosio, Alicia. "Christian Recovery Programs in Vancouver Respond to Opioid
Crisis." Christian Century, vol. 134, no. 15, 19 July 2017, p. 17.
EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/
login.aspx?direct=true&db=pwh&AN=124033673&site=eds-live.
"More than three in ten clergy in the national survey said they would strongly agree with a congregant who said, “I believe God will cure me of this cancer.” Eighteen percent affirmed the belief that every medical treatment should be accepted “because my faith says to do everything I can to stay alive.”
This article brings into question how medically sensible religious staff are, many believe that they don't truly need medical professionals because God will cure them. Any treatments that they do accept are simply because God wants them to do it in order to survive as long as possible. This raises a lot of problems when other patients look to these individuals for medical guidance and are advised against treatment.
Source: Ambrosio, Alicia. "Christian Recovery Programs in Vancouver Respond to Opioid
Crisis." Christian Century, vol. 134, no. 15, 19 July 2017, p. 17.
EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/
login.aspx?direct=true&db=pwh&AN=124033673&site=eds-live.
Source: Ambrosio, Alicia. "Christian Recovery Programs in Vancouver Respond to Opioid
Crisis." Christian Century, vol. 134, no. 15, 19 July 2017, p. 17.
EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/
login.aspx?direct=true&db=pwh&AN=124033673&site=eds-live.
This video interviews several different people who all have different points of view on a church handing Narcan, a life-saving overdose drug, out at a church festival. There is a lot a debate whether the second chance that Narcan provides is simply another chance to OD or if it is another chance at getting clean and moving one. These two sides of the story make for a very interesting dynamic in the conversation, especially in a church setting.
Source: "Video: Church Hands out Narcan." Local Broadcast Video Content, 2017,
CriticalMention, Inc. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/
login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsgsr&AN=edsgcl.495488603&site=eds-live.
Source: "Video: Church Hands out Narcan." Local Broadcast Video Content, 2017,
CriticalMention, Inc. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/
login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsgsr&AN=edsgcl.495488603&site=eds-live.
"we examine the experiences and spiritual understandings of a nonsectarian hospital’s nursing staff. Nursing is the largest care occupation and still requires at least some training about spirituality, and most of its members consider spirituality to be fundamental to their profession (McSherry 2011). This and the fact that hospital nurses are often torn between the involvement stressed in their training and the detachment emphasized by biomedicine"
This article takes a very different approach to the relationship between religion and medicine. The authors set out to intertwine the two of them rather than show where they clash. In their research they found that most nurses found they spiritual training to be very vital despite the limited time spent on it. Also how contradictory the training for spirituality is compared to their biomedical training.
Source: Grant, Don, et al. "Bridging Science and Religion: How Health-Care Workers as
Storytellers Construct Spiritual Meanings." Journal for the Scientific
Study of Religion, vol. 55, no. 3, Sept. 2016, pp. 465-484. EBSCOhost,
doi:10.1111/jssr.12285.
Source: Grant, Don, et al. "Bridging Science and Religion: How Health-Care Workers as
Storytellers Construct Spiritual Meanings." Journal for the Scientific
Study of Religion, vol. 55, no. 3, Sept. 2016, pp. 465-484. EBSCOhost,
doi:10.1111/jssr.12285.