The health sector is one of the fields which serve the general public, meaning that people of various ethnicities, different political stands, religious, and cultural beliefs meet at healthcare facilities in search of medical attention. Humans deal with diverse health issues which require practitioners’ care making the sector a vital aspect of life. At all levels of practice, healthcare brings into contact with believers from a variety of faiths. When serving in such an environment where daily interaction involves mingling with faithful from diverse religions, there is a need for practitioners to have knowledge and understanding of a diversity of faiths. In understanding the diversity in the way these people take the treatment of the sick, medical practitioners are in a better position to give a corresponding kind of service in accordance with their beliefs. This paper aims to comparatively analyze the perspective of Christianity and Hinduism toward providing healthcare and wellness.
Christianity is the biggest religion in the world which means that the probability of meeting Christian service providers or patients in a general public healthcare facility is very high. In such a setting, most treatments are done according to the perception of Christian beliefs and practices towards wellness. Christians believe that all sicknesses are some form of punishment from God and that when people repent, God is personate enough to forgive and heal them (Eberst, 2008). They also believe in medication that promotes healing complemented with prayers and repentance. Around the world, missionaries from various Christian dominions have established numerous hospitals and healthcare centers to offer services not only for Christians but also for anyone in need regardless of their faith. In most of these centers, there are religious monuments erected in various locations and posters to serve as reminders to everyone within the facility is run by a certain religion thus all services are offered as per the belief.
In Hinduism, sicknesses and their health complications are perceived to have biological, psychological, and spiritual elements. In the treatment of a Hindu believer, all three causes need to be addressed to make it recognized as an effective intervention. There are several reputable healthcare facilities around the world run and managed by the Hindu faithful which also offer services according to their belief. In most cases, people who observe Hinduism prefer receiving medical attention from facilities managed by their fellow as they believe that the practitioners have a piece of concrete knowledge of their faith’s perception of treatment and that the services offered are in line with their spirituality (Eberst, 2008). Inside these facilities, there are sculptures and religious writings which create a spiritual environment to complement the treatment process while at the facility. This shows that Hinduism recognizes prayers and scripture reading as a complement in treatment.
Treatment of the sick comprises technological and environmental aspects as per the Christian belief. The technological aspect of treatment is inspired by God and that machinery in the medical field was developed through God’s inspiration to help him in taking care of his creation. The medicine offered during the treatment process is also blessed by God to heal his congregation. The hospitals under the church management have been adapting the art of creating spiritual gardens for patients to meditate during their stay at the hospital. The gardens offer calmness and tranquility making them perfect for people to reflect on themselves and connect to God for healing (Dunn, 2010). The treating fraternity at these hospitals is obliged in ensuring that the environment around the hospital is in compliance with the spiritual aspects to help the ailing to be at peace to promote their recovery. This involvement of the surrounding physical features around the hospital serves as a spiritual belief used in healthcare to complement treatment.
Similarly, Hinduism also recognizes that the knowledge used in the medical field is inspired by God. Within the hospitals under the management of the Hindu faithful, there are spiritual leaders who conduct prayers for the sick and give them encouraging quotes to give them hope in life. Having positive individuals around a sick fellow makes them have a positive perception about life and enhances their recovery. Additionally, the treatment can also be complemented by a healing environment around the hospital (Dunn, 2010). In the current medical field where Hinduism beliefs are the facility operators, they invest in creating recovery-friendly surroundings for meditation for the sick. Hindus believe that when someone is sick, they are very close to God, and having a lonely time in a calm place gives them a chance to have one-on-one communication with God.
In many aspects, the Christianity and Hinduism faiths have many similar aspects of treatment and spirituality. Both beliefs recognize that the inclusion of spiritual aspects in treatment results in the best experience in recovery processes. There is a need for practitioners in these facilities to be well conversant with the religious beliefs of their clients to be in a place to incorporate the most effective factors in treatment in accordance with their faith. The understanding of the relevance of a healing environment around the hospital and recognizing prayers as complements in the recovery process are vital for both religions.
References
Dunn, L. (2010). Creating healing environments: A challenge for nursing. Online Journal of Rural Nursing & Health Care, 10(2), 3-5. Web.
Eberst, L. (2008). Arizona Medical Center shows how to be a healing hospital. Health Progress, 79(2), 77.