Rabbi Ross is correct in asserting that people of faith have the right, if not the obligation, to speak out in public and advocate for public policy based on their religious convictions. They do not have the right to claim that their ideas are privileged because they are founded on their faith's teachings.
Before You Continue...
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In a multicultural, religiously varied democratic democracy, persons of faith must enter the public arena on the same terms as everyone else. That is, in addition to their religious views, they must make a case for the policies they support based on facts and logic. War, climate change, immigration, health care, abortion, same-sex marriage, and sex education are just a few of the problems that religious teachings and opinions differ on. As a result, executive actions, legislation, and judicial rulings will surely gratify some believers while upsetting others.
The First Amendment guarantees safeguards as long as these actions are based on facts and logic. However, when a public official makes judgments that impact all of us based exclusively on the precepts of his or her religious faith, he or she jeopardizes everyone's religious liberty.
Rabbi Ross' letter exemplifies America's long-standing difficult balance between church and state. However, as a pastor and a religion professor, I am aware that many religious people find it difficult to accept.
When a religion believes it understands what God wants, it's difficult to resist the temptation to demand that it be made law. We Protestants did it to the country with Prohibition, and many churches now want to do it to women's reproductive lives by legislating their religious views.
We have learned to appreciate religion while avoiding sectarianism through a culture of restraint. In most presidential inauguration remarks, God or a higher authority is mentioned, but Jesus is not mentioned. In his inauguration address, President George H. W. Bush encapsulated this spirit: “A president is neither a prince nor a pope, and I have no desire to see into the souls of others.”
The author is a former chaplain at Skidmore College and the author of “Sacred Work: Planned Parenthood's Clergy Partnerships.”
What is the impact of spirituality?
While precise spiritual beliefs are a matter of faith, research has shown that spirituality and spiritual activities have some benefits. The findings will come as no surprise to anyone who has found solace in their religious or spiritual beliefs, but they are remarkable in that they illustrate in a scientific way that these activities actually benefit a large number of individuals.
Here are a few more examples of the many good studies related to spirituality and its impact on physical and mental health:
- Religion and spirituality have been found in studies to assist people cope with the impacts of ordinary stress. According to one study, everyday spiritual encounters helped older persons better cope with unpleasant emotions while also increasing happy emotions.
Type 2 diabetes affects approximately 25.8 million people in the United States, or 8.3 percent of the population. 1 Non-Hispanic Blacks aged 20 and up account for 4.9 million (18.7%) of the total. 1 Complications of type 2 diabetes, such as cerebrovascular illness, renal failure, and amputations, are substantially more common among African Americans than in non-Hispanic Whites.1
With proper diabetic self-care, these problems can be decreased or avoided. Diabetes therapy relies heavily on self-care knowledge, skills, and activities. The intricacy of sustaining and managing daily self-care activities, such as exercise, food change, and medication adherence, makes diabetic self-care difficult. The American Association of Diabetes Educators2 lists seven diabetes self-care behaviors: being active (physical activity and exercise); eating healthy (diet composition and caloric content); taking medications; monitoring (e.g., blood glucose, weight, blood pressure); problem solving, particularly for blood glucose (high and low levels, sick days); reducing risks (to reduce diabetes complications; smoking cessation); and healthy coping (psychosocial adaptation). These behaviors have been recognized as measurable results of effective diabetes education and should be practiced at both the individual and population level to accomplish the targeted outcomes of diabetes complications prevention and physical and psychological well-being.
Spiritual and religious beliefs and activities can either help people cope with a chronic illness by providing support, confidence, and hope, or they might obstruct successful coping by causing them to ignore self-care activities in favor of prayer and/or meditation.
3 While there is evidence of a link between spirituality and hypertension self-management4, few research have looked at the impact of spirituality on diabetes self-management.
5 As a result, less is known about how spiritual beliefs and practices, as well as social support, influence diabetic self-care among African American adults. 6 Spirituality is an important source of emotional support; God is perceived as central in providing strength to deal with daily challenges; God is frequently called upon for help in controlling diabetes; and a strong belief in God, prayer, meditation, and support from church members were all sources of support in previous studies concerning spirituality, religion, and diabetes in African Americans. 3, 5, and 8 Religion and spirituality were linked to better glycemic control in Black women with type 2 diabetes in one study,9 while religion and spirituality were linked to a lower likelihood of lifelong smoking among African Americans in another. 10
Because of the foregoing findings and a gap in the literature, we decided to look into the possibilities of incorporating spiritual and religious views into diabetic self-management. Spiritual views encompass a connection to a higher being as well as an existential outlook on life, death, and the nature of reality. 11 Religious practices/rituals such as prayer or meditation, as well as interaction with religious community members, are examples of religious beliefs. While spiritual and religious views have a lot in common, the authors decided to look into both of them because they are commonly brought up when dealing with disease. It's also necessary to look into both of these concepts because some people consider themselves spiritual but don't necessarily believe in religion. While religious beliefs and practices are more easily measured, the authors intended to look at the larger context of people's belief systems, specifically their perspectives on life's meaning, disease, and existential concerns. 13 The Systems of Belief Inventory (SBI) was chosen to measure these constructs due to the requirement to examine both spiritual and religious beliefs and practices in the process of coping with an illness.
The researchers wanted to see if there was a link between (a) spiritual and religious beliefs and practices and social support, and (b) diabetic self-care activities in African Americans with type 2 diabetes. Because African Americans have numerous diabetes inequities, this is an essential topic (i.e., highest rates of diabetes, diabetes complications, and diabetes-related mortality rates). 14
Because little is known about how spiritual and religious beliefs and practices affect diabetes self-care in African American adults, this study looked at the relationship between spirituality, religion, and diabetes self-care activities in this population, such as diet, physical activity, blood glucose self-testing, and foot care behaviors. Because some evidence suggests a link between spirituality and religion and lifetime smoking in African Americans10, a negative link between spirituality and religion and smoking was hypothesized. It was expected, in particular, that those who scored higher on spiritual and religious beliefs and practices, as well as social support, would engage in more diabetes self-care activities and smoke less.
How spirituality influences your decision and behavior?
Because of the unknown prognosis and widespread fear around decisions, decision-making in palliative care can be difficult. Spiritual and cultural beliefs or values may impact palliative care decision-making. The factors that influence decision-making are not fully understood, and spirituality is critical for living with disease. As a result, the goal of this study is to see how spirituality affects people's perceptions of healthcare decision-making in palliative care outpatients.
Methods
It was decided to conduct a cross-sectional study. To study one's perception of spirituality and autonomy in decision-making, 95 palliative outpatients were given a battery of tests, including the sociodemographic questionnaire (SQ), Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS), Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being scale (FACIT-Sp), and a semi-structured interview (SSI). For SQ and SSI, descriptive statistics were used in statistical studies. The Mann-Whitney test was employed to compare scale scores between groups, and all scales and subscales were correlated. The interpretative phenomenological approach was used to examine patients' definitions of spirituality.
Results
Spiritual well-being was linked to higher levels of physical, emotional, and functional well-being, as well as a higher quality of life. Less decisional conflict, less confusion, a sense of being more educated and supported, and higher pleasure with one's decision were all linked to increased spiritual wellness. The majority of patients followed through on their decision and recognized themselves as competent of making quick decisions. Patients who were able to put their decisions into action had less decisional conflict and had higher spiritual wellbeing and quality of life. Spirituality was largely described through family among the 16 themes examined. Spiritually well-being, quality of life, and decisional conflict were all higher in patients who had received spiritual care. Spirituality was crucial to patients during their illness, and they believed that the need for spiritual support and specialized care might help them make decisions based on their values and beliefs.
Conclusion
It is clear that spiritual well-being has an impact on decision-making. Spirituality is an important part of general well-being, and it serves a variety of functions. Individualized treatment that encourages patient participation in decision-making and takes spiritual needs into account is critical for increasing patient empowerment, autonomy, and dignity.
How does religion influence beliefs and values?
In a 2019 poll, 44 percent of Americans responded that believing in God is required “to be moral and have excellent values,” as did 45 percent of individuals in 34 countries. So, when a person loses faith, what happens to their morality and values?
Morals and values are influenced by religion in a variety of ways. It influences how individuals think about and respond to the world, encourages religious practices like church attendance and prayer, and creates a network of social relationships.
We expected these psychological consequences to endure even after observant people abandon religion, a group we describe to as “religious dones,” as scholars who study the psychology and sociology of religion. We set out to test this “religious residue effect” among Americans with our co-authors Daryl R. Van Tongeren and C. Nathan DeWall. Our study looked into whether religious dones uphold some of the same principles and values as religious Americans.
To put it another way, just because some people abandon religion does not mean that religion abandons them completely.
How important is belief system in developing spirituality?
Having a belief system can provide a sense of security, purpose, and community. This is especially true in difficult times. Beliefs have the potential to influence the healing process and improve one's quality of life.
Sharing ideas and feelings can help some people cope with cancer. It may also help to reduce anxiousness. As a result, you may experience a greater sense of well-being and personal development.
Your Personal Beliefs and Your Treatment Plan
If you want your health care team to take your spiritual, religious, or personal beliefs into account while formulating your treatment plan, let them know. Some health-care providers may wait for you to bring up the subject before addressing it. Other people may inquire about your own preferences. When you first start working with them, they may inquire about your religious beliefs. Providers may also inquire about your diet or your willingness to receive blood products if necessary.
If you have any unique demands, make sure they are addressed in your treatment plan. Each member of your health-care team, on the other hand, will have their own beliefs. Certain procedures may be avoided by some.
If you have concerns about something interfering with your treatment plan, speak up with your team. Work with them to choose the best course of action for your problems.
Why is spirituality and religion important?
Both religion and spirituality are founded in attempting to comprehend the purpose of life and, in certain situations, how a relationship with a higher force may impact that meaning. Religion and spirituality, for example, can both assist a person cope with stress by instilling calm, purpose, and forgiveness.
What is the importance of religious beliefs and practices?
Religion is said to promote subjective well-being in several ways: the religious community provides a sense of belonging and social support; religion gives people's lives meaning and purpose; and finally, religion helps people to live better lifestyles.
What is the importance of spirituality in my life?
Healthy spirituality provides a sense of wholeness, tranquility, and harmony in our physical, emotional, social, and spiritual life. However, for the most majority of people, the route to such spirituality involves hardships and suffering, as well as terrifying and traumatic experiences.