PHI 413V Week5 Case-Study On Death And Dying

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The work of health care providers at different levels entails encountering people from diverse faiths with particular perspectives on how to deal with health matters, especially chronic or terminal illnesses. Imperatively, nurses should possess not only knowledge but also an understanding of a diversity of faith expressions. The implication is that from the knowledge, they can offer guidance to their patients and be in a better position to handle such situations (Choudry, Latif & Warburton, 2018). The diversity of faith, as well as cultural values, interact with the contemporary Christian worldview and modern trends to impact how individuals make decisions concerning different situations in their lives. In this case study about George, nurses need to understand how to analyze the end of life situations and make effective as well as appropriate decisions based on different perspectives; for instance, a Christian worldview.

Interpretation of George’s Suffering in Light of Christian Narrative with Emphasis on the World’s fellness

When people seek medical attention to health care issues they face, it is possible that they would lose their Christian values based on the severity of their diagnoses and potential treatment interventions. Some may reject the diagnoses outright based on the Christian faith, especially when their faiths do not advocate for such interventions. In this case study, George has discovered through his physician that he has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This condition gradually and progressively degenerates the ability of muscles to function optimally in the body. The disease is chronic or terminal and leads to death as it reduces like expectancy to between three and four years. George knows that in due time, he will not speak, move, or eat and even breathe because of the deterioration that his body muscle will endure in due course (Choudry et al., 2018). Unfortunately, George will know the things that will happen to him in the process of his slow death yet not in a position to discuss it with anyone. Because of this revelation, George contemplates voluntary euthanasia, yet he is a Christian and believes in the existence of God.

Despite this belief in God, he also knows that the world has both good and evil ways and choices. Like other Christians, George needs to pray for strength and guidance from God. God is present in all situations and all the time. He surrounds believers and offers protection when they face difficult situations that are beyond their control. As a Christian, George should view God as the creator of the universe and giver of all situations (Devilliers, 2016). Imperatively, he should interpret his diagnosis from the perspective of God, trying to show his power and authority in his life. God opens his doors and blessings as well as miracles to those who are ready and have a firm belief in him in their lives. It is also important to note that all are created differently and uniquely based on their abilities and thinking. Therefore, human beings should take care of their lives and never take their life for granted. In this situation, George must be objective and cast his worries to God and follow the advice from his physician as a Christian.

George might interpret all these aspects and events as a trial of his belief and trust in God and his faith. The biblical story of Job and how he suffered is an inspiration for Christians when challenges with situations that test their faith and belief in God. George must seek God’s voice and consider his situation as temporary. Only God can intervene but based on his adherence to medication and not the contemplation of voluntary euthanasia since he has no power over his life (Choudry et al., 2018). George needs to understand that the world is full of both evil and good forces, which none can love to leave when faced with such eventualities. George should consider that even without the illness, he may have lived his full life based on God’s plan.

Interpretation Based on Christian Narrative with Emphasis on Hope of Resurrection

The hope of resurrection based on the Christian narrative arises due to Jesus’s death and subsequent rising from the dead. The basis of Christianity is the story of life and death, as well as the subsequent resurrection of Christ. Christians believe that they will also partake in the life and death of Christ and will live after their death. Further, they get new experiences after their death (Worldview, 2017). In this case, George is a Christian and believes that it is only the body that dies and the spirit. Imperatively, an individual’s life before death may dictate the destination of their souls upon their death. Christians believe that good deeds and a commitment of faith in God lead their souls to heaven. Christians believe that the dead will resurrect on the second coming of Christ. Because George is a committed Christian, he should believe that there is hope, and he shall resurrect on the second coming of Christ. George should interpret his diagnosis and the subsequent suffering that he will endure with the hope that he shall live again on the second coming of Christ. The hope is resurrecting is significant to allow him to live and endure for the time when it is expected that he will be alive.

Value of Life Based on the ALS Diagnosis for George

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a condition that affects nerve cells and makes one experience gradual degeneration of the body muscles and their ability to work effectively. The implication is that with time, George will not have the ability to execute many activities as before. In effect, his life and contribution to society based on what he does will be limited or reduced significantly. As such, he may feel that his life and contribution are valueless as he will depend on others for all activities of his life.

Despite this unfortunate situation, George should value his life as precious and sacredly given by God. No one should take their life away or of another person. In this sense, George needs to know that despite his suffering, he has a life and should endure pain as well as all experiences related to it. Christians and all human beings have the purpose of living their lives. However, it is God’s plan that determines the purpose and how people live their lives. Therefore, George should view the diagnosis of the detrimental disease as the trial on his faith because Christians believe their lives have value even when facing challenges. God’s love is greatest to all of us, and it is only Him who determines the situations that a Christian encounters because he knows they can conquer them. George needs to know that his life is still valuable as it was before the diagnosis because he has a family (EuroMed Info, 2016). Lives should never be valueless due to the hardships that we may face. George has impacted and touched many lives through his profession and other activities, which makes him more valuable.

Sorts of Values in Christian Worldview on Euthanasia

Christianity, as a religion, has expectations that its followers must adhere. On the issue of death, Christianity does not allow killing since it is a sin to take life. The fifth commandment asserts that “thou shall not kill.” Therefore, euthanasia is a form of murder or suicide, and Christians cannot take it as an option. Christians should face their sufferings because of the origin of sin as the pains and hard times are aimed at testing and strengthening our faith and providing lessons in life.

An analysis of George’s situation concerning his health from a religious, certain principle of biomedical ethics should be assessed. These include respect for autonomy, justice, non-maleficence, and beneficence. Christianity respects George’s dignity. The health concerns, as well as spiritual beliefs, must respect his decision for euthanasia as an option. However, Christianity is against euthanasia because of the principle of non-maleficence as Christians should not cause any harm to an individual. In regards to beneficence, the physician should respect and offer support to patients while adhering to their religious perspectives or wishes (Smith, 2018). On the principle of justice, George should not consider euthanasia because it violates Christian laws and beliefs that require people to live until they die naturally.

Morally Justified Options

Christians believe that all things are possible through God’s guidance. Consequently, George should take his treatment process and adhere to the guidelines from his physician. While he has a choice to either take the medication or not, it is important for him to believe in God and follow any assistance that shall be provided by the doctors. George’s condition has no cure and will lead to further deterioration of his nervous system to a point where he will not carry out his daily routines like family and professional responsibilities. Based on a Christian worldview, he should get guidance on how to endure the sufferings as preparation for his eventual demise. While he has opted for voluntary euthanasia, he needs to understand that this is unacceptable in Christianity because it is viewed as self-murder (Schweda et al., 2017). God requires people to live and die naturally. Christianity does not allow harm to self or others. George should know that death through euthanasia would be devastated and traumatizing for himself, his family, and those who know him. He should rely on his faith and family to attain support that he requires to survive the hard times.

The Decision if in George’s Situation

George’s situation is devastating and emotionally draining. The chronic illness with few years to live in a deteriorated state does not inspire anyone to make any sound and meaningful decision. George knows that his value in life would be limited and eventually become unsustainable. The implication is that he cannot support his decisions and choices. Based on these factors, I would opt for a more guided life and prepare for the diminished abilities to perform critical life functions. The decision to take medication would be the most effective over euthanasia. However, it would be influenced significantly by the support that I will attain from those close to me. Our lives revolve around families, friends, colleagues, neighbors, and the Christian community. Therefore, my worldview and decision to take medication as opposed to voluntary euthanasia would depend on the support and the advice from even the medical team and what my family thinks. If they can support the decision for euthanasia, it would be right because they may not want to witness my long-suffering. However, it is important to know that life is valuable and cannot be taken for granted. I will endure and face my God till death comes.

References

Choudry, M., Latif, A., & Warburton (2018). An overview of the spiritual importance of end-of-

life care among the five major faiths of the United Kingdom. Clinical Medicine, vol. 18, No.1, pp.23-31.

Devilliers, D. E. (2016). May Christians request medically assisted suicide and euthanasia? HTS

Theological Studies, Vol.72, No.4.

EuroMed Info. (2016). How culture influences health beliefs.  Retrieved from

Schweda, M., Schicktanz, S., Raz, A., & Silvers, A. (2017). Beyond cultural stereotyping: views

on end-of-life decision making among religious and secular persons in the USA, Germany, and Israel. BMC Medical Ethics, Vol.18, No.13, pp. 1-11.

Smith, P. T. (2018). Ramsey on “Choosing Life” at the End of Life: Conceptual Analysis of

Euthanasia and Adjudicating End-of-Life Care Options. Christian bioethics: Non-Ecumenical Studies in Medical Morality, Volume 24, Issue 2, August 2018, Pages 151–172.

Worldview (2017). Helping you better understand the world’s cultures and belief systems.

Retrieved from http://www.worldviewu.org/

The practice of health care providers at all levels brings you into contact with people from a variety of faiths. This calls for knowledge and acceptance of a diversity of faith expressions.

The purpose of this paper is to complete a comparative ethical analysis of George’s situation and decision from the perspective of two worldviews or religions: Christianity and a second religion of your choosing. For the second faith, choose a faith that is unfamiliar to you. Examples of faiths to choose from include Sikh, Baha’i, Buddhism, Shintoism, etc.

In your comparative analysis, address all of the worldview questions in detail for Christianity and your selected faith. Refer to Chapter 2 of Called to Care for the list of questions. Once you have outlined the worldview of each religion, begin your ethical analysis from each perspective.

In a minimum of 1,500-2,000 words, provide an ethical analysis based upon the different belief systems, reinforcing major themes with insights gained from your research, and answering the following questions based on the research:

How would each religion interpret the nature of George’s malady and suffering? Is there a “why” to his disease and suffering? (i.e., is there a reason for why George is ill, beyond the reality of physical malady?)

In George’s analysis of his own life, how would each religion think about the value of his life as a person, and value of his life with ALS?

What sorts of values and considerations would each religion focus on in deliberating about whether or not George should opt for euthanasia?

Given the above, what options would be morally justified under each religion for George and why?

Finally, present and defend your own view.

Support your position by referencing at least three academic resources (preferably from the GCU Library) in addition to the course readings, lectures, the Bible, and the textbooks for each religion. Each religion must have a primary source included. A total of six references are required according to the specifications listed above. Incorporate the research into your writing in an appropriate, scholarly manner.

You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.

Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.

Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.

The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument.
ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS

Discussion Questions (DQ)

Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words.
Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source.
One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words.
I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.
Weekly Participation

Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately.
In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies.
Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work).
Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week.
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Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required).
Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation.
I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition.
Use of Direct Quotes

I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly.
As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content.
It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source.
LopesWrite Policy

For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.
Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.
Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?
Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.
Late Policy

The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.
Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.
If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.
I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.
As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.
Communication

Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me: Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.
Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.