Is Faith Sufficient?
About two months ago, in a parenting class I was attending, our facilitator told us about a story of a couple who initiated faith healing for their ill child instead of going to a doctor for treatment. The child ended up dying, four years later another child dies. They were arrested for involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to probation time. A debate came into action on whether or not the parents was committing child abuse by being negligent, or were the parents indeed good parents who was just seeking the best for their children through faith. MAKING THE DECISION TO USE FAITH HEALING INSTEAD OF DOCTORS AND MEDICINE CAN BE A GOOD CHOICE HOWEVER; THEY SHOULD BE INTERCHANGEABLE TO SOME POINT UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES.
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The parents believed in faith healing and was charged with second degree reckless homicide. It was later revealed the couple couldn’t be charged with child abuse due to section 948 of Wisconsin statutes that provided a criminal exemption for religious parents who choose to treat their ill children with solely prayer. (Krause 46). Another story was stated in Oregon on Carl and Raylene Worthington being charged with manslaughter and criminal mistreatment on the death of their 15 month old daughter who died of pneumonia and a blood infection, both curable through medical treatment (Krause 46). Krause stated he read of hundreds of faith healing related deaths and the author’s input behind it from a book written by Shawn Francis Peters, “When Prayer Fails: Faith Healing, Children, and the …show more content…
Krause provides information between Pediatrician Seth Asser and children’s advocate Rita Swan from the journal “Pediatrics” that revealed they investigated 172 child deaths from American faith healing churches during a 20 year period and discovered the majority of them were a result of religion-based neglect (Krause 46). 140 out of the 172 deaths were said to be conditions that under medical treatment, would have provided a 90% survival rate. An additional 18 deaths came from diseases resulting in over 50% recovery (46). According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine within the U.S. National Institutes of Health, it is reported that in 2002, 62% of Americans used some form of alternative medicine. Out of the10 most common alternative medicine therapies, prayer for self was at 43% and prayer for others at 24.4%, making them the two most commonly named therapies (Masters 268). In a study on psychiatric inpatients in Orissa, India it was found a majority of 85.5% of the patients believed in supernatural causation and 75% sought faith healing before seeking any medical
As we studied in lecture, the culture of a particular community is meaningful only when we study them in their context. If we study them outside of the context, they do not have any cultural value or meaning. The culture of Srilankan Tamils contains many traditions and customs. Customs and rituals have been part of the society from generation to generation and some are relatively new. Most of these customs are connected with everyday life for most people in the social and religious circle and they are considered desirable and constructive. I would like to discuss some of the course readings such as Adam Ashforth’s Madumo: A man Bewitched, Durham Deborah’s Soliciting Gifts and Negotiating Agency, Evan Pritchard’s The notion of witchcraft explains unfortunate events, Rosaldo Renato’s Grief and a headhunter’s rage and Geertz Clifford’s Deep play.
It is estimated that around a dozen U.S. children will die in faith-healing cases each year. Typically associated with Christianity, Faith healing is founded on the belief that certain people or places have the ability to cure and heal sickness, disease, or injuries. Typically this “healing” is associated by a close connection to a higher power through prayer, divine intervention, or the ministration of an individual who claims himself as a healer. Faith has been scientifically proven in the field psychology to yield benefits to health. Although faith has promised a greater wellbeing for many individual’s lives, it has yet to be a significant replacement for medication many people but relaying on faith as a means for medication.
Vine Deloria. 2003. Cluster Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto. University of Oklahoma Press: Oklahoma.
The understanding of health and the process of healing in regard to the religious belief of individuals goes beyond the realm of spirituality (Suzanne, 2008). Health is believed by every religion as the most important value at which insights can be created, and as well a practical means at which the health of individuals can be promoted. The secular perspective of religion is considered a contributing factor which broadens the unique religious contribution and individual’s concern to spiritual dimensions. However, the essay to be discussed is on the issue of the spiritual perspective of individuals from different religious faith, and our main religious focus will be on the Buddhist religion, Sikh religion and the Baha’i religious faith. Elaborations will also be made on the practices that hasten healing practice on each of these faiths and the role of healthcare providers in the provision of care to these patients.
Healing is a relative term. Healing is also a universal term. The question is how these two fundamental parts of human existence related. The key is found in healing hospitals. Now to many, a healing hospital sounds redundant. However, a healing hospital refers not only physical healing, but also an all-around healing environment. This encompassing theory of a healing hospital provides care for physical, emotional, spiritual, and psychological needs for all patients. Instead of discrimination and rejection of religion and faith, it uses these cornerstones of people’s worldview to reinforce their healing process. This is a very biblical aspect of care
At a certain point during a person’s illness, a doctor will say that there is just no more that can be done. Modern medicine, scientific technology, and healing techniques have done all they can, but tragically, the fate of the person looks grim, and death is rapidly approaching. It is then that people will hope for a miracle. Terri McFaddin, a minister, expresses the feelings of those seriously ill when saying that "We are living in desperate times where people are going to believe in things they can’t see because they can’t trust the things they can see. Miracles happen where natural resources end. One will walk into the realm of miracles when all natural resources have been exhausted." 4 When scientific reasoning and human knowledge have failed people and no cure can be found, that is when people will turn to their faith and hope for a miracle. They grip hope that is beyond reason and logic.5 Praise and worship leader Ron Kenoly says that more people are realizing that to be helped with the great problems they face, they need to go beyond the limits of reason and the abilities of man.6 Today the largest percentages of Americans in a decade profess the existence of God and miracles, according to a poll commissioned by the Pew Research Center.
Tiwari, Subhas R. “Hindu Conecpt on Death.” The Hindu University of America. Apr 2006. Web. 30 Nov. 2013.
Relying exclusively on faith healing and avoiding or delaying conventional treatment for a serious illness like cancer may have serious consequences. Death, disability or other unpleasant outcomes have occurred when faith healing was selected instead of conventional care for serious injuries or illnesses.
India has a characteristic of more ethnic and religious groups than most countries in the world. Despite this multiplicity of religions, there exists a broad group of interrelated traditions called Hinduism. Although other religions within the nation such as Islam, Buddhism, and Christianity have occasionally challenged its dominance, Hinduism is the most prevalent religion in the South Asian region. Some of the outstanding differences between Hinduism and other denominatio...
In healthcare organizations, medical staff must conform to their hospital and their country’s code of conduct. Not only do they have to meet set standards, they must also take their patient into consideration. When making a decision upon a patient, medical staff must recognize religious backgrounds and spiritual beliefs. By understanding a patients’ beliefs and their belief system, a medical worker can give the patient their deserved medical assistance without overstepping boundaries or coming off as offensive. The practices and beliefs of four religions will be articulated throughout this essay to fully understand how religion can either help or hinder the healing process.
Faith healing is predicated on the belief that certain places or individuals have the power to cure and heal. Meaning, something or someone can cure a disease or heal an injury by means of his / its connection to a Higher Power. Faith healing may involve prayer, a visit to a house of prayer or shrine, or just a strong belief in a Supreme Being.
Daniel, Aharon. "Sati-Burning of the Widow." India History. Tripod, 2000. Web. 21 Mar. 2014. .
Testerman, J. K. (1997, June). Spirituality vs religion: Implications for healthcare. Retrieved May 22, 2011, from http://www.aiias.edu/ict/vol_19.19cc_283-297.pdf
Page - Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia. The Hindu Encyclopedia, 6 May 2011. Web. 24 Sept. 2011. .
Hess, Linda. Rejecting Sita: Indian Responses to the Ideal Man's Cruel Treatment of His Ideal Wife. Vol. 67. New York: Oxford UP, 1999. Print.