Healthcare providers are called upon to care for individuals from different cultural and religious backgrounds, having an understanding of various belief systems is important to be effective in doing so. Christianity is familiar to most individuals who were raised in the United States. The holidays and popular culture reflects the traditional Christian customs and beliefs. For patients that have a different religious orientation there are important aspects to their spiritual and emotional wellbeing that are not as widely known. An example is the Hindu faith common in India. It is an ancient polytheistic religion stemming from the Indian culture that extends approximately 5,000 years into the past (Mullatti, 1995). Comparing and …show more content…
Humans invent abstract systems and interact with these systems over an extended period of time (Philosophy Forums, 2016). Although this description may be used to differentiate us from other animals that exist on Earth being made in God’s own image, shaped by Him from the Earth with His breath breathing life into us makes us unique and human (Genesis 2:7).
Hinduism
There is an endless cycle of creation, preservation and dissolution in the world with God existing in every human. Through reincarnation the soul resolves all negative aspects until it is freed from the cycle. A human is one of the vessels that the soul uses to achieve freedom but all life and nature is sacred and may also be used.
What Happens to a Person at Death?
Christianity
Christian belief is that after death the spirit continues to exist for eternity. If salvation has been accepted during the person’s lifetime the person’s Spirit goes to Heaven, if not the person’s Spirit goes to Hell (1 Peter 1:9, Hebrews 5:9).
Hinduism
At death the Hindu is reincarnated as a human or nonhuman so as to have the opportunity to achieve perfection and merge with the Universal Soul completing the purpose of existence (Mullatti).
Why is it Possible to Know Anything at all?