Death and Dying Case Study

The paper will examine various theological viewpoints on death and dying. Different religions have different perspectives on life, death, and especially disease. George is a patient with ALS, a condition that only worsens over time, and the only way out is to accept it and take medications to alleviate the symptoms but not cure it. The majority of patients with ALS, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, are in their fifties and older. The nerve system is severely impacted, influencing muscular control in general. George has a hard time deciding if euthanasia is an option that he can consider to put a permanent end to his suffering but then again his life has value and taking it beforehand might seem difficult for him and even the ones around him. The fact that one gets a diagnosis of a particular disease that has a scientific explanation does not mean that their religion believes in the explanation given by the doctors. In particular, we will focus on Christianity and Buddhism, their translations and logical explanations of George’s malady and suffering. The value of his life is assessed by each religious view of his sickness. The focus will also be on considerations of each religion will emphasize on negotiations of whether or not he should consider euthanasia. Having put all the above in perspective the options that have just of each religion and why they are justified will come out clearly.

Key words: ALS disease, euthanasia, religious perspective, Christianity, Buddhism.

Case Study on Death and Dying

Introduction

Religion is a major part of the human life all over the world. Many have grown with religions that they do not even know how it has come to be, but they end up following it since that is all they know. Their spiritual beliefs profoundly influence the shape in which an individual’s life takes. Spirituality is a part of humanity, many seek ways to connect to their deeper being, and it is where religion comes to play. It may sound like a simple ideology that spirituality being a part of every person that everyone would agree on the path to follow but it is far from the truth.

The number of religious groups has become numerous from Shintoism to atheists to Buddhists to Christians and Muslims just to name a few. Taking up a religion and living by it leads many to make day-to-day decisions by the faith they have chosen. How they eat, what they eat whether or not to take medication or even receive treatment, ways to interact with the opposite sex or even how to dress, all these things have different ways of being handled in various religious groups. Seeing the weight that religion or faith has in people’s lives and decisions, it is safe to say that there is the enormous power that people have given to their religion even at the expense of their happiness or in extreme cases their health. In this paper, we will focus and take a look at the case of George who has ALS and the world’s view of his situation according to Christianity and Buddhism perspectives. The two religions cannot be any further apart from each other, which make their ideologies kind of interesting to compare and contrast especially on issues concerning health and death.

Religious Interpretation

Christianity is one of the most modern worldwide religious with every continent having Christians even in countries where the religion is forbidden some people still practice. The rules and regulations that come with Christianity are very diverse seeing that even as a religion there still sub groups like the Anglicans, Catholics, and Protestants to name a few. The one common thing that Christians have is the fact that the word of God reassures that no disease is too big or incurable for God to heal and completely eradicate (Believers for Christ, 2016). According to the Bible in 1 Peter 2:22, it is stated that by the stripes of Jesus Christ all have been healed (New King James Version, 1982). The fact that Christianity is entirely in the word of God, which is in the Holy Bible, means that they stick to the word and believe in it firmly. As a Christians knowing that it is in the Bible that by the stripes of Christ’s all are healed should be assurance enough that one will be okay regardless of how bad things may seem.

On the other hand, looking into Buddhism, it is evident that the belief system is far apart from the Christian beliefs. Many parts of the world people practice Buddhism, but it is not as popular as the Christian faith. When it comes to issues such as ALS, the Buddhists believe that death is an inevitable stage that begins from the day that one is born so there should be no fear of death no matter how it comes (Powers, 2014). The idea that it is unavoidable to die gives patients who are Buddhists the peace and reassurance that the path they have found themselves in is the path that everyone has to go through and how it comes by may be irrelevant. The fear of death is not supposed to matter for a Buddhists’ life because from birth they have been made aware of the fact that death is the final stage that is unstoppable unless they have not been born in the first place. Any person that is going through a painful medical condition is in need of full support for the nourishment of their health mentally and physically. The two religions may have ways to become therapeutic for George Christianity through faith in healing and praying while Buddhists through meditation. Thus, there need to be realistic approaches to people like George who go through ALS, medication should not be an option so as to keep them strong going forward. The combination of taking care of the physical health and spiritual yields amazing results in anyone.

Religious Beliefs on Value of George’s Life

The two religions both believe in a benevolent force that is in control of humanity here on earth, but Christians believe in life after death while Buddhists believe death to be the final stage of living. About ALS, it is evident to see that the two religions have entirely different take-on issues, especially regarding death. George having ALS in the Christian worldview may not be as detrimental as the faith comes with the hope that no matter what disease one has God can heal and restore their health as it has been before. On the other hand, Buddhists have a sense of finality for life in general, so when one has ALS, it is acceptable to live without the hope of ever getting well because after all, they know that death must come regardless.

Buddhism stresses out the importance of understanding that life and all its material things are vanities (Walshe,2005). Meditating on death is the key principle of Buddhism as through meditation and religious practice someone can transcend death just as Buddha has had his followers to see. In the case of George, any Buddhist would see it as a way of transitioning into the next phase afterlife, which is ultimately death. The need for medication would maybe interfere with the meditation that is very necessary for the religion; it helps the relaxation of the nerves and is a way of penetrating into deep spirituality, which in turn helps release all tension that may come with the disease. The value of George’s life in Buddha would nearly mean as much as death. Meaning whether alive or dead it is the same to the Buddhism considering he is already suffering from a detrimental sickness and death is the primary focus in Buddhism. Euthanasia may be an acceptable option for George according to Buddhism as it supports the transition from suffering to death. The acceptance that death is nothing to fear will back up the decision. Christianity, on the other hand, has a firm position on promoting life and even life after this physical world when a person dies. Therefore, for George’s case, the Christian religion would not opt for him to have euthanasia, as that would mean taking life when God has not permitted which is simply murder.

Free will involves making sure that a patient has all the information about his disease and what measures should be taken to make him better or in George’s case what will minimize the effects of ALS. When the process of decision-making involves the patient, they feel privileged and respected. The free will plays a part after the information is clear, comprehended, and finally, the patient is equipped to make an informed decision whether to go through with the treatment or not all for their convenience (Kubler-Rose, 2017).

All the risks that come with the treatment become well articulated to the patient so that the decisions they make will yield great results. All these measures have become fundamental in the decision-making process for many, but they remain to be tested by what religion says and has to offer regarding ALS in the case of George.

Recommendations

My advice for any patient with ALS would be to stay on medication to ease up the effects of the disease. Secondly, I would recommend having a positive outlook for the days they have going forward and simple acceptance of where they are in life at the moment. Looking at the two religions, it is evident that for patients with ALS there is an accommodation for their condition and even a sense of hope although in different perspectives. Christianity is optimistic that a person is very capable of getting healed completely and that when someone dies, it will be because God wants them and no one is allowed to take life through euthanasia, no matter how hopeless it may seem. Buddhism believes that death is nothing to fear and having such a disease can help assists in embracing the inevitable fact, which is dying (Walshe, 2005). Religion should not be the primary basis of decisions that people make especially medical decisions. Sometimes logic is more important than religion and in the case of George, it is important for him to be on medication even though the Christian religion believes in healing and Buddhism on the importance of embracing death. Death is a significant aspect of humanity that many people have not come to terms with its inevitability when we all leave to die. Finally, the fact that no one can escape death does not mean that people do not take care of their health or take the necessary steps always to be healthy, real wealth is having optimum health.

Conclusion

To sum up, the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis otherwise ALS is a disease that is progressive, and affects the brain nerves and the spinal code of an individual (The ALS Association, 2017). The neurodegenerative illness is known to cause disconnecting the body functions and general average bodily coordination. The fact that the disease is progressive means that it only becomes worse over time making it a lifetime condition from the day that someone is diagnosed to have it. In the case of George who is currently suffering from ALS the fact that he will remain with the illness till death means that there must be great coping mechanisms put in place for him to press on through with life until the end of his days. Decision making for such a sensitive issue requires the sentiments of his family, himself, and medical professionals who are knowledgeable with ALS.

References

Believers for Christ. (2016). God heal ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). Believersforchrist.com. Retrieved on June 6, 2017, from http://www.believersforchrist.com/2016/02/god-heals-als-lou-gehrigs-disease.html

Kubler-Rose, E.(2017). On death and dying: What the dying have to teach doctors, nursed, clergy and their own families. Ekrfoundation.org. Retrieved on June 15, 2017, from http://www.ekrfoundation.org/five-stages-of-grief/

New King James Version (1982). New York: NY, Harper Collins Publishers.

Powers, J. (2014). Death and dying in Tibetan Buddhism. Frontline. Retrieved on June 6, 2017, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/tibet/understand/dying.html

The ALS Association (2017). What is ALS? Alsa.org. Retrieved on June 10, 2017, from http://www.alsa.org/about-als/what-is-als.html

Walshe, O.C.M. (2005). Buddhism and death. Accesstoinsight.org. Retrieved on June 11, 2017, from http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/walshe/wheel261.html