Running head: RELIGION AND THEOLOGY 1

Health Care and Wellness Provider and Faith Diversity: Final Draft

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RELIGION AND THEOLOGY 2

Health Care and Wellness Provider and Faith Diversity: Final Draft

What is prime reality?

Prime reality can be defined as the boundless, personal God show in the Holy Scriptures.

As indicated in the Scriptures, God is transcendent, immanent, sovereign, and omniscient.

What is the nature of the world around us?

The world was created by God. The world was originally in order, with no sins or chaos,

but man has made the world chaotic and full of sins. The world is currently imperfect because of

sins that people are fond of, suffer, and die of. Thus, there is no peace on earth for anyway unless

one seeks salvation ad be with God.

What is a human being?

A human being is a person created in the image and likeliness of God. A human being is

very special among other creatures and has a stable and unique mental capability. A human

being can think, reason, and act on their right senses. God created human beings to take care of

other creatures and praise Him.

What happens to a person at death?

According to the concept of life after death, an individual who has repented their sins and

accepted that Jesus Christ is the savior will not perish but will lead an everlasting or eternal life.

Thus upon the death of a saved believer, their soul rises to meet the angels to the Kingdom of

God while the body returns to the dust. The soul or the spirit detaches from the human body at

death and stays separately until the day of resurrection or the second coming of Jesus Christ.
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Why is it possible to know anything at all?

Since human beings are made in the likeness and image of God who is all-knowing, it is

simply possible to know anything.

How do we know what is right or wrong?

Because God the creator has a good and perfect character and is against sinful acts, we

are guided by his rules and commandments that enable us to distinguish what is right or wrong.

What is the meaning of human history?

Human history involves creation, fall, and redemption. God is sovereign and is the

controller of the earth and thus he has a plan to shape world events.

What are critical common components of the other faith and Christian Practices?

The other faith for this study is Buddhism, a religion that focuses on the elimination of

suffering for its believers and attaches all human sufferings to things such as earthly desires and

mundane attachments. Both Christianity and Buddhism rely on God’s intervention as part of

human healing. They both believe that God created human beings in His image and thus should

be praised and revered to acquire spiritual healing. Both religions worship and pray for healing

(Wallace, 2014). As Christians pray and worship in church when faced with various suffering or

sickness, they peg their and hope and expect blessings and healing from God. On the other hand,

the Buddhists present their sufferings and sicknesses to Medicine Buddha who is believed to heal

them and set them free of their challenges.

For the person receiving care, explain the connection between each faith's spiritual

perspectives in the overall experience of healing

For Christianity, God’s intervention is very significant in every aspect of life and healing

is not an exception. Christianity believes that human beings were created in the image of God

and that Jesus incarnated into a healed physical body, got resurrected, and gave out to his

disciples and the church the gifts of healing physical bodies. Biblically described as Jehovah-

Rapha, God provides spiritual, physical, emotional, and mental healing. Christianity is preaching

various doctrines such as that of multipurpose healing to help in completing the goal of healing

and that is what makes Christians believe that Christianity ultimately contributes to the wellbeing

of the believers (Bergamo & White, 2016). In this religion, the Holy Spirit gifts the church with

the power of healing. Christians seek healing through practices such as confessing their sins

since confession is an important way of preparing to heal. Asking for healing is also regarded as

a critical step in acquiring it. Healing requires that a believer must surrender to God’s purposes

and have a steady, strong faith to get healing.

The Catholic priest usually offers sacraments and blessings to the congregants as one of

the ways of healing and such a practice is very important especially in a case where there is a

threat of life or perceived risk. The church usually provides the “Last Rites” or certain

sacramental offerings requested by the sick. There is also confession and Holy Communion

which are provided by designated church officials are also some of the important spiritual

components of healing.

For Buddhism, healing is part of spiritual life. Through their “Path of Life”, Buddhists

provide prescribed ethical and spiritual wellbeing for everyone and encourage them to gain

wisdom and develop compassion in every aspect of life (Tang, 2015). Buddhism is based on the
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idea that via spirituality, human health and wellbeing can be enhanced while suffering can be

reduced. For one to be healed, they must have faith in three distinct aspects of Buddhism which

include the Buddha, Dharma, and the Sangha. Similar to Christianity, Buddhism is condemning

actions or behaviors such as abortion or euthanasia due to the importance of the sanctity of life.

They believe that once an individual is in a state of suffering, they need healing. No one should

deliberately destroy a life.

Describe your spiritual perspective on healing

From my spiritual perspective on healing, I believe that human beings were created in the

likeliness and love of God and thus God is always in the receptive position to accept the human

requests for healing. I believe that God heals whoever has a stable faith in Him, who trusts in the

existence and occurrence of spiritual miracles and blessings from God. Faith and trust are the

ultimate precursors for healing. One needs to grow spiritually and in faith to be in a position of

receiving healing from God. Since Jesus came for the poor, the dejected and the sick, ones’

suffering requires strong faith in Christ to be relieved. People do suffer from betrayal, sin, loss,

or any form of abuse and thus end up suffering spiritually or physically. For one to get healed

spiritually, acceptance of the sin caused, repentance to God for forgiveness, and asking for

healing are some of the critical steps of acquiring healing. God accepts one with a clean heart

and heals them from their sufferings. People ought to confess their sins to God and since He is

just and faithful, he is capable of forgiving and cleansing them from their weird ways. To be

cleansed, one should begin with consistent praying and worshipping. Also, one ought to forgive

others to purge bitterness, strife, resentfulness, anger, guilt, or self-pity that may still affect their

suffering or wound and deter the possibility of complete healing. Thereafter, one should

bandage or protect their wound from outside forces that may slow the process of healing. Once
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an individual heals spiritually, the outcomes include positively perceived body sensations,

positive emotions, positive attitudes, and increased well-being. The spiritual connection is

therefore the most important part of a human life that should be embraced to deal with life

pressures and suffering.

How will your understanding of the diversity of faith expressions inform your philosophy

of health care and wellness?

The understanding of the diversity of faith expressions has informed my philosophy of

healthcare and wellness in various ways. Some patients usually demand that the health providers

be aware of their spiritual beliefs to enable them have full understanding of them and their

decision making. A physician can give hope, appropriate medical advice and alter treatment

according to cater the patient’s spiritual beliefs and that will aid faster recover or response to

treatment. I have realized that patients’ religious beliefs and practices significantly influence and

determine their health status as well as the effectiveness of the treatment process (McClimens et

al., 2014). Mostly, patient pegs their religious faith and beliefs on the effectiveness of treatment

methods. Therefore, the medical providers should be aware and acknowledge the significance of

such practices and beliefs to aid in quick alleviation of pain and general treatment or wellbeing

of the patients. For instance, Buddhist patients usually prefer vegetables and fruits as well as

fasting thus the medical provider must always ensure that they determine the patient situation

concerning their health and recommend continuous behavior or recommend to be paused to

allow for timely healing. On the other hand, Christians who are fond of meeting priests while in

a health facility to strengthen their faith must be considered and their quest honored. Some

patients would prefer taking the Holy Communion or oil anointing while on treatment in the

hospital and thus should not ignore the chance. Due to its influence on health, spirituality should
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be considered as significant part of a patient’s cultural identity and that will enable the caregivers

to offer holistic, patient-centered care.

Reference

Bergamo, D., & White, D. (2016). Frequency of faith and spirituality discussion in health

care. Journal of religion and health, 55(2), 618-630.

McClimens, A., Brewster, J., & Lewis, R. (2014). Recognizing and respecting patients' cultural

diversity. Nursing Standard, 28(28).

Tang, Y. (2015). Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Culture. Springer.

Wallace, B. A. (2014). Mind in the balance: Meditation in science, Buddhism, and Christianity.

Columbia University Press.