Religion and its Role in Healthcare Decision Making Agnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims— especially claims about the existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—is unknown or unknowable. Agnosticism can be defined in various ways, and is sometimes used to indicate doubt or a skeptical approach to questions. In some senses, agnosticism is a stance about the differences between belief and knowledge, rather than about any specific claim or belief. As such, the term agnostic does not necessarily signal a particular view about religion or God, as some agnostics also identify as theists or atheists. 1. Because health care decisions are made by persons who are at once physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual beings 2. To respect the beliefs and customs of patients and families 3. To provide care that is truly patient and family centered 4. To respond to the widespread request by patients for attention to this area by their medical caregivers 5. To build trust and respect religious customs and beliefs 6. To provide an opportunity to inform patients/families of the interdisciplinary care available to them. See section About Hospice Care for more information 7. To better distinguish religious experience and belief considered normative from pathological behavior or belief induced by medications, abnormal grief, or disease progression 8. To better understand when a conflict might occur between goals of medical treatment and patient values/beliefs 9. To accurately identify and treat total pain 10. To help patients draw upon resources that might help them cope with unrelieved physical pain or other symptoms and/or to identify non-physical causes of this pain 11. Because the end of life raises spiritual questions for the majority of persons 12. Because people’s religious/spiritual traditions have established rituals and beliefs that influence health care choices, bring comfort and meaning, and facilitate closure or transition at the time of death Spirituality and religion are important to patients and families Recent polls conducted in the United States indicate that patients and families are requesting increased attention to the spiritual dimension of their lives by health care providers, especially at the end of life These spiritual issues and concerns are often (though not always) asked and answered with reference to a religious framework of meaning Consequently, it is important for health care professionals to: Learn about the religious beliefs and practices of the patients and families in their care Assess the role of these beliefs and practices in health care decisions Integrate these spiritual beliefs and goals into the overall plan of care The spiritual role of the health care provider is crucial to care of the whole person at the end of life Focus of care is the whole person and family Explicit goal of care is to alleviate, not just physical pain, but social, emotional, and spiritual suffering Increasing expertise in the area of spirituality and religion becomes not only a professional but a moral obligation Researchers found that when religion and medicine conflict, most doctors appear able to navigate the tension while keeping the patient’s well-being in mind. Many patients use their religious beliefs and values to understand, cope and guide their personal health decisions, and these beliefs often conflict with their doctor’s recommendations. But researchers say it’s not clear how doctors negotiate these disagreements Christian Science is a religious belief system founded by Mary Baker Eddoy in 1866 and is practiced by members of The First Church of Christ, Scientist. Christian Science asserts that man and the universe as a whole are spiritual rather than material in nature and that truth and good are real tangible things, whereas evil and error are unreal. Christian Scientists believe that only through prayer and fully knowing and understanding God will this be demonstrated. Atheism can be either the rejection of theism, or the position that deities do not exist. In the broadest sense, it is the absence of belief in the existence of deities, about 2.3% of the world's population describes itself as atheist, while a further 11.9% is described as nontheist. Between 64% and 65% of Japanese describe themselves as atheists, agnostics, or non-believers, and to 48% in Russia. The percentage of such persons in European Union member states ranges as low as single digits in Italy and some other countries, and up to 85% in Sweden. Atheists tend to lean towards skepticism regarding supernatural claims, citing a lack of empirical evidence. Common rationales include the problem of evil, the argument from inconsistent revelations, and the argument from nonbelief. Other arguments for atheism range from the philosophical to the social to the historical. Although some atheists tend toward secular philosophies such as humanism, rationalism, and naturalism, there is no one ideology or set of behaviors to which all atheists adhere. The Agnostic The Atheist Twelve Reasons to Ask About Religious Beliefs and Practices Christian Science When a person’s faith conflicts with their doctor’s medical advice, the road to recovery impossible, a new study suggests. Why is Spirituality Important in End of Life Care?