Healthcare Philosophies of Christians and Shinto Followers Christianity approaches healthcare from a rather different perspective as compared to Shintoism. The contemporary Western worldview is generally termed 'dualism', which incorporates the idea that evil and good are eternally and continuously locked in combat. Human advancement progresses via rhythms occurring within continuous environment-individual interaction. That is, nurses acquire knowledge of best caregiving practices by working with and understanding fellow human beings, engaging in honest communications with them, and viewing every patient as unique, from a biological, social, psychological, emotional, spiritual and cultural perspective. Christianity claims the Universe and its Creator ought to be considered the principal reality. Mankind views its surroundings using its respective cultural lens, experiences, and worldview. The world is not all evil and unethical; the existence of continuous aggression and brutality around us does not and, definitely, must not influence our worldview. Humanity is a biological specimen encountering immense complexity, since evil and good are concepts that have perpetually been our own choices. A majority of Christian theological schools believe that Christ's followers will either be sent to hell or to heaven upon dying, based on their humanity and morality in this mortal world. If humanity leads a fair, sympathetic and moral life, they show that there is no need to hold on to scientific and religious beliefs. Christian nurses are aware of the fact that all human beings are in this world in accordance with the Almighty's plan. Meanwhile, the worldview of the Shintoist is that humanity is a representation of a life-granting, creative and generative force, which forms all life's basis. Nature is where humans derive their power from. This worldview emphasizes the connecting, generative force (musubi) inherent in nature, contrary to Christianity's heavenly deity-linked worldview. According to followers of Shintoism, disease and accidents happen when the spirits are displeased with a person. They also believe stillborn or aborted babies' souls bring disease, since they were deprived of their natural right to a life on earth; further, they usually affect the mother, her blood relatives, and the baby's siblings. The Shintoists have rituals for assisting with curing ailments, including formal prayer readings and offerings of drink and food to the spiritual force (kami). Shintoism followers believe in a number of Gods. Knowing patients' beliefs has a crucial role when serving them; however, this doesn't mean nursing professionals are required to actually believe in those religious views.

Introduction

Every culture has its own worldview, and its own approach to the health of its people. The Christian philosophy when it comes to healthcare is quite different than the approach that believers in the Shinto faith take. This paper points to the worldviews of each of these faiths, and it uses the available literature to delve deeply into those worldviews and the differences / contrasts between the two. In the process of providing worldviews, this paper also offers answers to questions (What is prime reality? What is the nature of the world around us? What is a human being? What happens at death? Why is it possible to know anything at all? How do we know right from wrong? What is the meaning of human history?).

Worldview / Faith & Health Philosophy from a Christian Perspective

In the book, Called to Care: A Christian Worldview for Nursing, the authors point to two different fields of study and how those fields approach the concept of a worldview. Philosophers see worldview as a "series of assumptions that underlie a system of thought, and anthropologists have a "broader" perspective of worldview, as "wellsprings of our thinking" and they add, out worldview shapes and "integrates" various fields of understanding such as theology, anthropology,...

In a simple way of seeing worldview, Shelly writes that is it part of the cultural experience every individual has that helps form each person's view of the world and how things actually work.
The worldview in the "modern" Western world is often referred to as "dualism," which encompasses the concept that good and evil are constantly "locked in eternal conflict," according to anthropologist Paul Hiebert, quoted by Shelly (2009, 35). That is among the more basic definitions of worldview from the perspective of the Christian believer: "The biblical teaching" holds that humans' lives have their source of power in God and that humans are put on earth with "...the capacity to relate to God in a personal way." The ability to relate and be acceptable by God is through Jesus Christ His son, and the Saviour of human kind. For every day-to-day living, Christians have a healer in the Holy Spirit. These three -- God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit -- for the Holy Trinity, of the Father, The Son, and the Spirit, in that order. The "postmodern" approach to understanding worldview, Shelly (2009, 37) continues, holds that as important as science is, it cannot give humans all the meaning they need to thrive in society. There needs to be a more "holistic view that brings humans into harmony with their environment," and when it comes to the postmodern approach to nursing, the worldview of Joyce Fitzpatrick is respected and relevant.

The way human development works, Fitzpatrick explains, is through "...rhythms that occur within the context of continuous person-environment interaction" (Fitzpatrick, 2011). In other words, nurses learn best methods for care giving through the process of working with humans, understanding humans, communicating with others honestly, and interacting with patients while understanding that they are each "unique biological, psychological, emotional, social, cultural and spiritual attitudes" (Fitzpatrick, 2011, p. 2). Optimum health, according to Fitzpatrick's worldview, is the "actualization of both innate and obtained human potential," and that potential is realized due to "relationships with others, goal-directed behavior, and expert personal care" (Fitzpatrick, 2011, p. 2).

It sounds simplistic, but when Fitzpatrick uses the term "rhythms," she is alluding to the promotion of wellness practiced in nursing, which is how nurses (while applying the concept of metaparadigm) approach each patient. Fitzpatrick's four parts: a) a person; b) a person's health; c) the environment in which the person exists; and d) nursing, which is all the specific skills a professional nurse must acquire and fine-tune.

Seven Basic Worldview Questions -- and Answers

Prime reality

Prime Reality, according to the Christian Shepherd, should be thought of as God and the Cosmos (as many Native American tribes view the universe, the Great Spirit). Because God is at the highest level of importance to human existence, He is considered prime. In the book of Luke (Chapter 21), the Lord points out that "Heaven and earth shall pass away; but my words shall not pass away (Luke 21:33) (Christian Shepherd). Also found in the Christian Answers website is a passage from Colossians 1:18): "And He is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have preeminence."

What is the nature of the world around us?

We see the world around us through the lens of our own culture, of our human experiences, in other words, through our worldview. Just because there is ongoing violence and cruelty in the world, that doesn't (and shouldn't) color our approach to the world as corrupt and dark. All the homeless, the refugees and other unfortunate souls living on this planet are seeking what the happy and healthy people are seeking -- love, peace, meaningful relationships and a place to call home (shelter).

What is a human being?

The second of the seven worldview questions is answered simply by noting that humans are biological specimens, and they face great complexity as the concepts of good and evil are always choices in humans' lives. Biologist Paul Ehrlich believes human differences are a product of "cultural evolution" which in turn is based on "the foundation of genetic evolution...[and] cultural evolution references the influence of massive transformations in the body," which healthcare and nursing come to understand as human frailty (Fuller, 2011). People do not come "preassembled, but are glued together by life," (Fuller, 2011); and of course sometimes that glue becomes undone and it is in the hands of healthcare professionals to mend the body and heal the body.

What happens to a person at death?

According to most Christian theological approaches to this question, at death he or she will either go to heaven or go to hell, depending upon what kind of morality and humanity the person exhibited during his or her lifetime. Roman Catholics believe a…