Health and Medical Discussion and Peer Response

 Health and Medical Discussion and Peer Response

Health and Medical Discussion and Peer Response

“Historically, religion and health are interwoven because of the religious belief that the body is the temple of God. In the past centuries, religious organizations were often the first to offer compassionate care to the mentally ill and religion played a significant role in the first form of psychiatric care in West Europe and the United States, known as ‘moral treatment’. (Papaleontiou-Louca. 2021). Positive religious beliefs had been usually associated with better mental health outcomes when dealing with a stressful life situation. Most religious people turn to God to gain strength, which gives a positive insight and relieving stress build-up. This account is based on the observation that when faced with stressful life events, an individual’s responses, interpretations, and general coping processes are frequently informed by, and actively involve, religion (Pargament, 1997). This behavior tends to help relieve people’s emotional stress and burden because it also promotes mercy, kindness, generosity, and forgiveness, which encourages a powerful bond amongst people. For example, someone who feels strongly weighed down with emotions because of some mistakes made seeks forgiveness and he/she is forgiven this eases up mental stress that might have built up.

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Not all religious beliefs encourage timely medical intervention. For an example, we will look at Jehovah’s witness that receives almost all form of medical treatments and interventions but are averted from receiving a blood transfusion. In one scripture, the Jehovah’s use as a stance to accept blood transfusion is from Deuteronomy 12:23, which says “Only be sure that you do not eat the blood, for the blood is life (Soul), and you shall not eat the life with the meat” (The AMP Bible, n.d.). Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in surviving after death and the willingness to sacrifice one’s life in the interim by refusing treatments with blood or blood products makes death salient to them. (Ringnes &Hegstad, 2016).

References:

Papaleontiou – Louca, E. (2021). Effects of religion and faith on mental health. New Ideas in Psychology60https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1016/j.newideapsych.2020.100833

Pargament, K. I., (1997). The Psychology of Religion and Coping. New York: The Guildford Press [Google Scolar]

Ringnes, H. K., & Hegstad, H. (2016). Refusal of Medical Blood Transfusions Among Jehovah’s Witnesses: Emotion Regulation of the Dissonance of Saving and Sacrificing Life. Journal of Religion and Health55(5), 1672–1687. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1007/s10943-016-0236-5