Spiritual Competence: Sikh Beliefs and Faiths

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Religious beliefs provide structure for people who are facing illnesses and seeking health, during time of crisis. The health care industry is rapidly responding to the ever-changing population through continued education. Health care works are faced with multiple dilemmas that require thought and fast-acting decisions. Challenges of providing medical treatment to people of different religious backgrounds may be altered. All members of the health care team need to address the issues and concerns regarding specific health care practices and religious beliefs and remove their perspective from the situation. The following paper will discuss three different religions while incorporating a comparison of beliefs, perspective on healing and the perspective on health care to that of the Christian Religion. Sikh Beliefs and Faiths Sikhism is reported as the largest non-Christian religious group. There are 22 million followers worldwide. The founder, Guru Nanak Dev, was born in 1946, in Punjab, a region in India. This religion is not one that worships supernaturalism nor does it believe in devils, angels or heavenly spirits (Reimer-Kirkham, 2009). Sikhism faith starts with cheer and hope. Spiritual Perspective on Healing Meditation, also known as, Naam Japna, is a major part of the lives of people in the Sikh religion, and is a daily practice which involves reciting and chanting their God’s Name. This type of meditation also keeps Sikhs focused in life spirits (Reimer-Kirkham, 2009). A person of this religion is viewed as a combination of mind, body and soul in the context of the family; culture and environment. Kirtan is an expression of praise by music spirits (Reimer-Kirkham, 2009). The hymns are sung to invoke healing an... ... middle of paper ... ...ed from http://conversation.lausanne.org/en/resources/detail/12358#article_page_1 Harakas, S. S. (1999). The Orthodox Christian Tradition: Religious Beliefs and Health Care Decision. Retrieved from lgdata.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/docs/504/.../Orthodox.pdf‎ Peiris, M. (2012). Concept of healing in Buddhism. Retrieved from http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=7,11251,0,0,1,0#.UznPlCDD_IU Practical Points for Health Care Providers. Retrieved May 8th, 2012, from http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/pastoral/resed/diversity_points.html Reimer-Kirkham, S. (2009). Lived religion: implications for nursing ethics. Nursing Ethics, 16, 406-417. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0969733009104605 SikhWomen.com. (2001). http://www.sikhwomen.com/health/care/protocol.htm The Basic of Christian Beliefs. (2009). http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/beliefs/basics_1.shtml

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