Religion and the Treatment of Disease

Paper Summary:

This paper explores the faiths of Rastafarians, Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian Scientists and Hindus, in order to examine the means by which their respective spiritual beliefs alter or deny medical treatment.The methodology of the research and its results are outlined. The paper notes the implications of this research for medical practitioners and concludes that the faster medical practitioners come to accept the fact that science is being affected by religion, the more efficient they will be in their practice. Finally, the paper offers recommendations for physicians who treat patients of different faiths.

Outline:
Introduction
Review of the Literature
Methodology of Research
Results
Discussion, Implications, Conclusion, and Recommendations

From the Paper:

"The medical practitioner for all intents and purposes is a worshipper of science, and empirical knowledge, or common sense. Relying on empirical results, the medical practitioner prescribes courses of treatment according to their most educated and informed guesses about the conditions and outcomes of diseases needing treatment. However, for many faiths, there are higher ideals or greater spiritual priorities than medical science, or any science at all. And this is their choice. The medical practitioner, including doctors and nurses, must accept and account for the fact that their recommendations for treatment will not always be heeded, even if they are in the greatest interests of patients from a rational scientific and medical perspective."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "About Christian Science." 2007: http://www.churchofchristscientist.org/aboutchristianscience/index.jhtml).
• "Beliefs--Medical Treatment." 2007: http://www.jw-media.org/beliefs/medical.htm
• "A Bloodless Coup: World's First Adult-to-Adult Live Donor Liver Transplant Without a Blood Transfusion." 2007:http://www.surgery.usc.edu/divisions/hep/patients-jennings.html
• Chassot, P.G., Kern, C., and Ravussin, P. (2006) Hemorrhage and transfusion: the case of Jehovah's Witnesses. Rev Med Suisse; 2 (88):2674-6, 2678-9. Review. French.
• "Death by Religious Exemption." Retrieved on April 27, 2007 from http://www.masskids.org/dbre/dbre_1.html

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