RELI 448N Discussion The Study of Religion
RELI 448N Discussion The Study of Religion
RELI 448N Discussion The Study of Religion
There are many reasons to study religion, however I chose two reasons which are Insight into people and Insight into family traditions. In the text, Insight into people defines “Understanding a person’s religious background tells you more about that person’s attitudes and values” (Molloy, 2020 p. 25). It is an important reason of choice because this is how you understand a person’s belief system and their values; it is also how you relate to a person or identify why the person responded the way they do or handle situations in life the way they do. When relating to my current role as a RN field base case manager, it is imperative for me to know as a nurse the cultural beliefs of the patient so I can understand how to apply goals or understand the patient’s belief system which will allow me to share with the medical team so next steps of treatment can be in place for care of the patient. Smith (2017) emphasizes that “Nurses should have knowledge of cultural beliefs, attitudes, and traditions of the patients and families they serve so that they can communicate effectively and plan and provide appropriate, individualized patient care.”
The 2nd reason I chose is Insight into family traditions which are influences and values upheld by your family from childhood (Molloy, 2020 p. 25). When referring to family traditions, it affects the choices made in life as you progress through your adulthood. It is important from a personal worldview perspective to understand a person’s upbringing which can affect how people see things. For instance, my children have all endured celebrating Christmas at school, especially in the younger years of life. The discretion was up to the parent if a child can celebrate Christmas and the belief system behind Christmas. Some children are conditioned to believe there is a Santa Claus while other children are privy that Santa Claus is not real, and their belief system understands that Christmas day is the day that Jesus was born. So, while my children are allowed to celebrate Christmas as a holiday; they understand that we celebrate the day Jesus is born.
References:
Molloy, M. (2020). Experiencing the world’s religions: Tradition, challenge, and change (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill
Smith N; Pravikoff D; CINAHL Nursing Guide, EBSCO Publishing, 2017 Sep 15 (Nursing Practice and Skill – CEU, cultural competency), Database: Nursing Reference Center Plus
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It really should not be that surprising that an increased insight into a person’s religion would be a great benefit on many levels when we find ourselves having to interact with someone. For many people, the impact that religion has on their life is as, or even stronger, than the language that they speak. If we encounter someone who does not speak our language, there are ways we can communicate with them. We can observe their actions or customs, but if we don’t speak or understand the same language, our true understanding of them is going to be quite lacking.
The same is true with religion. In addition to studying and teaching religion, I was once a high school History teacher. When I taught history, I stressed that one of the reasons it was important, was because when we know where people have come from, we have a better grasp and understanding to answer the questions of why they ended up where they did.
Understanding does not necessarily have to lead to acceptance or agreement, but at least it should allow for a fair assessment of the individual and the reasons why they live as they do.
I agree with the points you’ve made about the insight into people and into family traditions. Often, these are intertwined and correlate with one another. I can think of many times, especially with my job, when trying to relate to or when trying to get a better understanding of family dynamics, I would often look up what religion they practiced as those can be closely related to their own morals and values. When looking into the insight into family traditions, per Freud, our religious beliefs are often passed down from our parents or from our childhood experiences. A family unit usually all practice the same religion as their values are pretty similar to one another.
Your analysis of understanding the religion through insight is a valuable addition to experiencing the religion from a personal perspective. Like James’ theory, the factor of “free will” is an individual background that talks about personal values and morals. For RN this factor of insight into people gives a good understanding of the patient’s belief system and you fit it correctly in this essay. The patient’s cultural understanding from the perspective of people and family traditions make the RN more empathetic. Empathy and tolerance are the most needed traits for RN, providing collective characteristics that make an effective RN. This understanding would give a knowledge that is taboo for the patient and avoiding that for sake of patients comfort could be useful. That gave a better opportunity for the RN to applied to their profession and alleviate their proficiency by having a strong emotional connection with the patient, improving the actual medical care.
In the medical field, having this knowledge is highly useful because it forms a strong sense of connection. The patient’s reliance on the nurse is also increased and the patient can communicate better with the patient. I agreed with your statement that the insight provides the necessary knowledge to improve patient care as it empathizes with the patient. The awareness of cultural traditions forms a bond and the RN can apply it to make the patient-friendly and relax. Especially the elder patients that hardly communicate or open up to RN, this factor can reduce the reservation and RN can use this point to care for the patients. This gives better control over the patient and learning to tackle difficult patients through learning about their family traditions. The RN can pivot this knowledge and help the patient in a better way, forming a strong friendship and care with the patient. That will further reduce the chances of discrimination or a biased perspective that often creates an issue for the RN.
The insight about the belief system is a piece of valuable knowledge and in a field where care and empathy are needed, this information can bring the best results. Psychologists, therapists, and RN can take the maximum benefits out of it and they can have improved proficiency in terms of understanding the patient. This knowledge would further increase the connection and motivate the nurse to effectively care for the patient. On a broader scope, the RN with insight about religion on an individual and family basis could prove useful in medical care.
I enjoyed reading your post! I totally agree with your point on how we can relate to our patients when we know something about how they believe. It brought to my mind as nurses and as wall as other interdisciplinary team members how important it is to know about other religions. I worked as a Hospice nurse for 4 years, I treated patients with mostly traditional Christian beliefs, but there were several that come to mind that have different beliefs. One that always comes to my mind is Jehovah’s Witness and how they do not believe in receiving blood products, how tragic it would be if someone woke up from a surgery and that was a Jehovah’s Witness and found out that they received blood/blood products! Even though we may not hold to that belief they do and it should be important for us to note that in their chart somehow, and support them in their choice. Also working in Hospice I worked closely with chaplains, they would be all things to all people, I knew one that wasn’t Catholic but took part in Ash Wed, and had a cross made of ashes on his forehead, it didn’t mean anything to him personally but to other Catholics around showed them he cared about that day that was so important to them. I am not necessarily advocating to do the same but was just providing an example of how understanding different religions will help us to be better health care workers.
I have chosen option #2 for my discussion and my two reasons out of the ten to study religion are: Insight into religious traditions as well as the tolerance and appreciation of differences. As Molly (2020) points out “Because religions are so wide-ranging and influential, study of them helps round out a person’s education” (p. 25). Expanding all Religion knowledge by gaining perspective and understanding is one of the main reasons that I chose to take this course. In order for me to do any gaining of perspective and understanding I would have to get some insight into religious traditions and at the same time learn how to have tolerance and appreciation of the differences. Insight into religious traditions can help me appreciate things that are not always obvious and it can provide much information about any particular religion. This in itself might help me to live with what we are not accepting of or object to, otherwise known as tolerating the differences. In this same respect, we can be able to acknowledge the diversity and attitude of those whose religious beliefs differ from one’s own, otherwise known as appreciation of the differences.
By having some insight into religious traditions I would be able to provide the spiritual care that my patients might require of me and I would be able to do it without any hesitation. According to Cosby, (2016)“Considering and including cultural preferences, beliefs, spiritual, and health practices in plans of care is part of professional nursing standard of practice” (p. 13). Quoted from (American Nurses Association [ANA], 2015). Since I do not have knowledge of all religions, I have no idea if I can or cannot be tolerable of any of them but at least I can learn to appreciate them and possibly some day accept them as well.
References:
Molloy, M. (2020). Experiencing the world’s religions: Tradition, challenge, and change (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
COSBY, MARIANN F. Cultural Considerations for Life Care Planners: Religious Traditions and Health Beliefs. Journal of Nurse Life Care Planning (J NURSE LIFE CARE PLANN), Fall2016; 16(3): 13-15. (3p)
American Nurses Association. (2015). Nursing: Scope and standards of practice (3rd ed.). Silver Spring, MD: American Nurses Association.
We live a in world today that seems to continue to call for tolerance, and I agree that this is something that we should embrace. However, I think it is important to remember what real tolerance is supposed to look like.
To tolerate someone is to allow them to hold and express a particular view that we may not necessarily accept or agree with. A lot of times we are told that to tolerate means to fully accept someone else’s view, and in turn, allow them to express that view in any way they may choose. However, if we are really honest, that could be a dangerous view to hold, let alone practice.
Tolerance is to respect that each individual has the equal right to live and think as they please. However, it does not mean they can do anything they please. There has to be some form of agreement in every society when it comes to actions which impact both ourselves and others. But, ultimately, what goes on in our hearts and minds is truly our own. And when we allow ourselves to hear other people’s views, it increased our understanding of them as a person, and furthermore, it helps us find ways that we can learn to live together within society.