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September 29, 2017

HLT-310V Spirituality in Healthcare

Faith Diversity Comparative Analysis

On September 6th, 2017 in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, a Sikh Canadian politician was at a rally with constituents of his party. A woman had a chance to ask questions but the tone escalated quickly to confrontational especially on the subject of being associated with Sharia law and the Muslim Brotherhood. Unfortunately, with the Sikh faith and a commonality of wearing a turban, followers have been mistaken for being Muslim. In response to the confrontation the politician Jagmeet Singh began a chant with the crowd saying, “Love and courage” and the aggravated woman, Jennifer Bush left the scene (Madani 2017). The Sikh religion has only been around for the last 500 years making it “The youngest of the world religions” (Johnson 2016). It is also the fifth largest religion of the world where most of the followers can be found in the “Punjab region of India” (Johnson 2016). In north America, there is estimated close to 300,000 followers of the Sikh faith. As healthcare workers it is important to be familiar with the variety of cultures and religions of others that we may encounter so as to avoid common misconceptions such as the incident above.

This paper will compare and contrast one of North America’s most common religions, that being Christianity with the, at times unfamiliar religion of Sikhism and what components make up their worldviews. As a result of their beliefs and practices, the impact and effects on healthcare practices will also be discussed.

When it comes to prime reality, Christianity and Sikhism have a commonality of being monotheistic having a belief in one god. In Christianity it specifies that God is a Heavenly Father and manifests Himself in some form of a Trinity, with God the Father, the Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. From the Bible, John 1:3 it says “Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.” In Sikhism, god is the creator but does not have a body and manifests himself in his Guru’s and creations. Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of the religion, calls God “‘Creator Person’, the world being His creation…He is the Ocean of Virtues, i.e., He is a God of Attributes. In defining the fundamental nature of God, the Guru says, …He is all Love,” (Singh 1997).

In Christianity, the understanding of what the nature of the world around us is that it is meant to be a place like a school or classroom. It is meant for humans to experience trials and testing so that we can better ourselves and prove obedient to the teachings given to us through Jesus Christ as well as His called prophets. We cannot make it back to the presence of God without Jesus Christ also because of the Fall of Adam. “…the doctrine of original sin, which means that the disobedience of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden has been passed down through all people; because of this sin, humankind is in need of redemption.” (Johnson 2016). Being human we will make mistakes therefore we must utilize the Atonement of Jesus Christ and ask for forgiveness. We must also do everything in our power to correct those mistakes or bad behaviors. From the Bible in Titus 2:14 “Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

In Sikhism, the nature of the world around us is that of also a place for us to learn and grow but not just in this life. There is a belief in reincarnation and that in order to achieve the ultimate goal which is to attach oneself to God, no longer being reincarnated one must do good deeds. “Guru Nanak has made this point very clear when he says in Japuji: ‘Man’s assessment in His court is done on the basis of one’s deeds…It is by one’s deeds that we become near or away from God.’” (Singh 1997). Acts that are considered to be good deeds include “…reading from the Sikh sacred writings, by helping maintain a house of worship, or by assisting in the preparation and service of a meal (called a langar) that traditionally follows a Sikh worship service. God may also be served by offering hospitality to anyone irrespective of their caste or religion.” (Overview 2004). The part of offering hospitality to all is manifestation of the Godly attribute of Love that seems to be of utmost importance in the Sikh religion. This will be talked about more in regards to the impact it has on healthcare.

To answer the question of what is a human being in terms of worldview by Christianity and Sikhism, both believe that humans are creations of God and are fundamentally good. However, the difference is that Christians believe humans are children of God made in the image of Him, (Genesis 9:6) and that we have fallen from the presence of God because of the original sin. Sikhs believe that human beings have evolved from one of the smallest simplest forms of God’s creations over a great amount of time. “The Guru says, ‘For several births (you) were a mere worm, for several births, an insect, for several births a fish and an antelope, … After ages you have the glory of being a man.” (Singh 1997). Now having achieved the supreme of God’s creations as a human it is therefore the opportunity to do good works and cultivate the attributes of God.

When explaining what happens to humans after they die Sikhism and Christianity differ quite drastically. In Christianity there is the belief that when we die we are brought before our maker and will eventually be judged for our actions and deeds performed within our lifetime on earth. Thanks to the Atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ and Him conquering death by being resurrected we too will be resurrected with a perfected body. After our judgement and if we have proven worthy we will be able to live with our loved ones for all eternity. From the bible in the book of John chapter 5 verse 29 “And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done devil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”

Christians believe that mankind will only die once whereas Sikhs believe there is a cycle of reincarnation. “The goal is then to break this karmic cycle, and to merge the human spirit with that of God.” (Johnson 2016). Again, this is achieved by the good works one performs in their lifetime. There is not a belief of “original sin”, but rather what may prevent one from doing good works is “… constitutional weakness, immaturity or imperfection of man at his present stage of evolutionary process or development. Hence, it gives us an ideology of optimism and hope, invoking and exhorting us to make moral effort.” (Singh 1997)

In both religions what is it that makes it possible to know anything at all is through holy scripture or sacred text. Both have a form of such text but for Christians it comes in the form of the Holy Bible, the Old and New testaments written by prophets called of God. For Sikhs it is in the form of the Guru Granth Sahib, known as the holy book and Dasam Granth which was compiled followers of the tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh. Both religions believe that in order to know what is right and wrong, one must study out of the holy scriptures and text. Also through worship practices where they can be taught by others out of them. For Christians examples of worship include prayer, sacraments such as baptism, paying tithing and going to church on the sabbath. (Johnson 2016). For Sikhs, their practice of worship is done with daily prayers but also at houses of worship called “gurdwaras”. “The first segment is Kirtan, singing hymns (kirtans) accompanied by musical instruments, … It is followed by a set prayer called the Ardas, which has three parts… In the first, the virtues of the gurus are extolled. In the last, the divine name is honored. In the center of the Ardas is a list of the Khalsa’s troubles and victories, … At the end of the service, members eat karah prasad, sacred food made of raw sugar, clarified butter, and coarse wheat flour. They then adjourn for a communal meal, Langar, the third section of worship.” (Johnson 2016).

By attending their worship meetings both religions can learn about the meaning of human history. Gain a better understanding of the meaning of why we are here, where did we come from and where we are going. By study of their Holy text they can also learn how to gain their goal and form of exaltation and what defines good works in either form of their beliefs.

There are quite a bit of similarities but having an understanding of the differences can not only provide insight into ones beliefs and cultures but also personal choices in their own lives that can have an impact on for example healthcare. In comparing and contrasting of these two religions the practice of prayer is similar in desiring to know and find God’s will. Both have an understanding that God can be personal in their lives and so when it comes to healing they can either hope and pray for a miracle or come to have faith and hope that things will work out either way. The key to both is giving either person of differing beliefs the element of hope in their healing. As health care providers we can encourage that flame of hope to continue to burn within them so as not to be overcome by despair. Both religions have a basis and drive for there to be good works of service in their lives. This can help prevent burn out in the providers lives as they continue to give care. With an understanding of another persons beliefs it is best to focus on the similarities as opposed to the differences. Doing so can help unify the purpose and goals of patients and healthcare workers who ultimately want to see healing their lives. Doing so as well can help cultivate respect for one another.

References Jhutti-Johal, J. j. (2013). Understanding and Coping with Diversity in Healthcare. Health Care Analysis, 21(3), 259-270 Johnson, J. M. (2016). Christianity. Salem Press Encyclopedia, Johnson, J. M. (2016). Sikhism. Salem Press Encyclopedia, Madani, D. (2017, September 11). Sikh Canadian Politician Brilliantly Foils Racist Woman During Event. Retrieved October 01, 2017, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jagmeet-singh-racist-woman-canada_us_59b47554e4b0b5e531069a14 Overview of Sikhism. (2004). In K. Bellenir, Religious holidays & calendars (3rd ed.). Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics, Inc. Retrieved from https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/ogirholidays/overview_of_sikhism/0?institutionId=5865 Singh, D. (1997). Sikhism, its philosophy and history (2nd ed.). Chandigarh, India: Institute of Sikh Studies.