REL 3850 Final Review

Understand the etymology of the term "religion."

"Re" means again

"Lig" means join or connect

"ion" means the act of

Religion = The act of reconnection or joining of the natural world and the sacred realm.

Be familiar with the "What's Worth Wanting Packet."

The question of what is worth wanting encourages us to think about the direction of our lives in the broadest sense from family to business to community to the world- and if our lives are driven by what matters the most. Most of the time people usually are caught up with out busy lives and responsibilities. We hardly ever stop and think about what we are doing is actually worth wanting.

Atheism

Belief that there is no god.

Agnosticism

Belief that nothing can be known about whether God exists.

Monotheism

Belief in one God.

Polytheism

Belief in many gods.

Pantheism

A doctrine which identifies God with the universe, or regards the universe as a manifestation of God. Respecting all gods.

How did the textbook suggest that hospitals might benefit from better serving the religious needs of patients?

There is evidence that the financial interests of a hospital are better served when the religious needs of patients are addressed while in the hospital which leads to a growing use of spiritual assessment tools by both physicians and nurses and used in med school.

What traditions that we studied stress same-gender care whenever possible, and why?

Islam, Hinduism, and Sikhism. They believe Satan will always be there to persuade them to do evil when there is a male and female alone in a room.

Explain the central message of Jesus. Who do Christians think he was and who did he say he was?

Christians believe that everyone except Jesus Christ is a sinner. Human beings cannot release themselves from sins. This can be only done by God. Jesus is the one to release humans from sin and negative consequences. Jesus described himself as the son of God and had been sent by God to forgive the sins of humans.

Three ways of understanding disease for a Christian, and consider how this may apply to other religions that we discussed.

Three types of disease:

1. Malady of partiality: When an individual or society wholly disregards some important aspect of life, such as sex or spirituality.

2. Malady of imbalance and disintegration: Not succeeding in all areas of life.

3. Malady of unsuccessful functioning: A body part that cannot function and medical professionals can address it.

Other religions view disease in a wholistic manner where not just the physical body is damaged, and Christians are the same way.

What is the Christian position on abortion, euthanasia, and life support?

Euthanasia: Virtually all Christians approve of not always doing everything to keep a patient alive as the Bible says there's a time to die. Passive euthanasia is okay and giving medicine to comfort patient is okay but active euthanasia (intentionally ending a patient's life) is not okay.

Abortion: All branches of Christianity strongly prohibit abortion.

Life support: Christians are okay with life support but it's okay to not go through with it if it would seem futile for the patient and prolong suffering.

Explain the variant Christian position on contraceptives? Which camps believe that?

Views on contraceptives are different between branches

Orthodox and Catholic Christians: instructed only to use the method of Natural Family Planning, maintaining that intercourse between two married partners ought to always remain "open to life."

Many Protestants denominations view all forms of family planning are acceptable.

What are the five pillars of Islam?

1. The Shahada: Prayer recited throughout the day that says "There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the prophet of Allah."

2. Salat & Ritual Washing: Five times per days facing Mecca.

3. Zakat: Give alms to the poor and needy.

4. Sawm: Month-long fast during Ramadan.

5. Hajj: Pilgrimage to Mecca.

Understand the basic distinctions between Shiite and Sunni Muslims.

Sunni: the Sunnah is the record of the words and and deeds of Prophet Muhammad.

Shi'a: Consists of the words and deeds of the Prophet and his designated successors.

What is the Islamic teaching for properly observing the time of death?

Family and friends gather around and offer the dying person courage while chanting and encouraging the dying person to say the "shahada" meaning that Allah is the only God with the goal being the person says those words at the time of death.

What is Islamic view on abortion and euthanasia?

Abortion: Across all branches of Islam, abortion is strongly prohibited except during rare and extreme circumstances that threaten the life of the mother.

Euthanasia: Present-day scholars allow passive euthanasia by interpreting this posture as a sign of one's resignation to the divine which will determine the final outcome. Early Islam said active euthanasia is equated to suicide and also is true in modern times.

Which religions influenced Sikhism, and how?

Hinduism and Islam.

Hinduism: Guru Nanak borrowed reincarnation

Mukti- When the soul is freed from the cycle of reincarnation to become one with God.

Karma-the aggregated consequences of good and bad actions.

Islam: Hell is consequences of selfishness and ego, heaven is being with God.

Both also influenced modern dressing.

Five religious symbols worn by Sikhs?

Kesh: Long, uncut hair.

Kangha: Comb, symbolizing a clean mind and body.

Kara: Steel bracelet, symbolizing a bond to the Guru, to the community, and of general good nature toward others, doing nothing that the Guru wouldn't approve of.

Kaccha: Undergarment symbolizing chastity or faithfulness to one's spouse.

Kirpan: Short sword, acting as a metaphor for God, defense of the good.

Should always ask for consent to remove any of these items.

Sikh views around life, wellness, and death.

-Life begins at conception or even continues from a previous life.

-Abortion is strongly prohibited except in extreme circumstances. Female fetuses more likely to be aborted.

-Contraceptives: Do not prohibit contraceptives as long as it is not inhibiting a already fertilized egg or used for casual sex. Sikhs believe having many children is good and some don't use any birth control bc God decides who has a baby.

-Holistic view of health and wellness with body, spirit, and mind. Exercising all three is encouraged and Western medical settings are comfortable.

-Sikhs believe that individuals must become aware of their own mortality, making peace with it by not clinging to the ego, and by understanding what lies after death of one's body. Or else they will continuously suffer.

What is the categorical imperative of Logotherapy?

"Live as if you were living already for the second time and as if you had acted the first time as wrongly as you are about to act now." -Frankl

Compare/contrast Frankl's account of "Individual Meaning" and "Super Meaning?"

Individual meaning is the purpose/goal for an individual life, defined by the person. Super Meaning is beyond our grasp as finite humans. We can not fully understand the ultimate meaning. Individual meaning has to relate to the super meaning.

What is the "Existential Vacuum" and why does Frankl talk about it?

The feeling of loss of the meaning to ones life. He wants to find the true root of the problem not from some theorist perspective. The existential vacuum is the psychological condition in which a person doubts that life has any meaning. People who live with this existential crisis "lack the awareness of a meaning worth living for. They are haunted by the experience of their inner emptiness, a void within themselves; they are caught in that situation which I have called the 'existential vacuum.'

Be able to distinguish between Freud's, Adler's, and Frankl's takes on therapy. Describe some of the elements of Freud's and Adler's theories that Frankl criticizes. How is Frankl's theory unique (Hint: Frankl mentions more than one reason)

Freud: pleasure principle

alders: striving for superiority

Freud states that logotherapy is less retrospective and less introspective in to compassion to psychoanalysis. Frankl theory is unique because is focuses on the future and the meaning to be fulfilled in the future. Also logotherapy focuses on the meaning of human existence as well as human search for meaning, Frankl is future oriented.

Explain the spiritual crisis of the healthcare system, according to Spiritual Caregiving. What problems does this crisis create?

Healthcare providers may lose sight of their ministry and their call to be leaders when trying to balance the competing demands that swirl around them. They may pull away from patients and insulate themselves against the pain that calls out to them from patients and families. The interpersonal distances causes discontent from healthcare providers and intensifies their own pain. There is an epidemic in low staff morale and burnout in medicine and nursing. There is a loss of ministry or spiritual "calling" among health professionals.

Explain what is meant by the new dynamic between patients and healthcare practitioners, according to Spiritual Caregiving. How is the new dynamic, described as a merchant-consumer relationship, contrast with an earlier paradigm of the relationship between parents and healthcare practitioners?

Dr. Bernita Taylor poignantly laments the change in the doctor-patient relationship: "The doctor-patient relationship used to be almost sacred-it was on a higher plane. Now it is more a business relationship. The doctor is the merchant and the patient is the consumer. In the process, we have lost something very precious." Dr. Tom Grace, also focusing on the doc-patient relationship, says "As medicine becomes more of a business, it is absolutely essential that 'good' people stay in medicine. The personal relationship is critical, and we need to take the extra step to make sure that it happens."

The healthcare system is now is more market driven than ever before.

What are three human conditions that led the Buddha to search for a path of liberation from pain/suffering?

Sickness, Old Age, and Death.

What are the Four Noble Truths?

1. Life entails Dukkha (suffering).

2. The cause of suffering for all living beings is Tanha (craving or attachment).

3. The cure to suffering is to overcome our cravings or attachments.

4. Following the path to enlightenment, which is eightfold, can bring an end to our cycle of suffering.

Describe Hindu and Buddhist perspectives on the soul and karma. How are they similar and different?

Buddhism: Buddhism inherits from Ancient Indian culture the concepts of reincarnation and karma, however, the nature of reincarnation and karma differ in an important respect, as we shall see in what follows. Instead of an immaterial soul that remains accountable, karma and reincarnation carry implications for the nature of the skandhas, which all life forms are comprised of, and their material form.

Hinduism: The central problem that we all face as humans according to Hinduism is the painful cycle of reincarnation known as Samsara, which entails a repetitious sequence of painful deaths and rebirths. There is no final peace or liberation for souls who are stuck in this cycle, and the cycle itself is due to the consequences of human action, or Karma. (It should be noted here that Karma entails both negative and positive consequences associated with one's actions).

What two factors are the primary causes for imbalance according to Hinduism and what comprises each of these two factors?

Internal Factors:

1. Negative Emotions

2. Tulmutuous Arguments and Relationships

3. Overexerting the body

4. Abstaining from the practices of meditation and contemplation

External Factors:

1. Changing seasons

2. Infection

3. Pollution

4. Consuming bad foods (beef, pork, also avoid garlic and onions).