Religious Values of the Terminally Ill

Providers of pastoral healthcare frequently ask hospital ethics committees how to deal with the dying patients of various faiths. Apart from the responsibility to the individuals involved and their religious traditions, there are implications for developing HMO's to develop the proper approaches to sensitive questions.

This book is the result of a conference held at the Creighton University Center for Health Policy among representatives of several religious traditions: the Omaha and Winnebago tribes, Zen Buddhists, Jews, Muslims, the Nation of Islam, Hindus, the Plains Indians and Navahos, Jehovah's Witnesses and Southwestern Hispanics. It was felt that the religious traditions of Catholic and Protestant Churches were reasonably well known and did not need inclusion here at this time.

Each follows a set outline of questions and problems. Among these are each religion's faith perspective on illness and suffering. There was a remarkable consensus on the need to accept suffering in order to grow; the meaning of the afterlife; key terms that should be used in these areas when dealing with a patient; views on visiting the sick, post-mortem preparations and other related questions.

The study is not meant to be all inclusive; rather, it is a promising beginning that touches on a number of important beliefs and approaches of great value to healthcare providers everywhere.