The Christian Perspective of the Nature of Spirituality and Ethics In Contrast To the Perspective of Postmodern Relativism within Health CareDifferent individuals have different worldviews which may be attributed to their religious beliefs, influences by social factors, as well as their cultural backgrounds. One of these perspectives is the Christian worldview which is based on God who is a supreme creature responsible for the creation of the earth and all things on it (Meilaender, 2013). God has also provided certain principles to be followed by all individuals on the earth. These principles are based on his enduring and long-lasting love which are aimed at improving relationships between individuals on the earth (Meilaender, 2013). This enables Christians in differentiating between right and wrong based on God’s principles and not relying on their feelings or the opinions of other individuals. With love as the foundation of all decisions that Christians make, this can be applied in a healthcare setting where healthcare practitioners make decisions that are aimed at improving the health of patients and not doing anything meant to harm patients in any way (Meilaender, 2013).
This can be done by addressing the physical, emotional, and spiritual health of individuals which is important in improving the overall health of patients. On the other hand, there is the perspective of postmodern relativism which rejects most of the ideas and explanations of reality provided by different worldviews (Burnet, 2019). This worldview believes that most perceptions about nature and reality are relative to different individuals and communities. This is based on individual as well as cultural influences that may differ between individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds (Burnet, 2019). Individuals and different cultures are responsible for inventing their own realities and truths which are used to determine what is right or wrong.
This means that different individuals will apply different interventions in a healthcare setting (Burnet, 2019).Scientism and Two Main Arguments against ItScientism is a worldview that is based on science that states that all truth and reality should be able to be proved using scientific methods. This is different from the Christian perspective that believes in God. Scientism argues that most of the claims on knowledge and truth are false statements and mere opinions of individuals (Burnet, 2019). Any truth should be supported by evidence and not just mere assumptions based on certain individual aspects. This worldview has opposing views to the Christian worldview. Scientism has supported most of the truths and realities with evidence (Robinson & Williams, 2014). However, there are some complex aspects where this worldview has been unable to provide sufficient evidence to back these aspects which raises questions about the reliability of this worldview. This has led to some arguments against this worldview (Robinson & Williams, 2014).
One of these arguments is that scientism is a self-refuting philosophy which means that this world view cannot be scientifically proven based on its own argument that all truth should be proven. This goes against its main principle of the ability to test different truths (Robinson & Williams, 2014). Another argument against scientism is that there is a limit to gaining knowledge on certain aspects. This is because scientism does nit provide explanations to all things with some aspects remaining unclear. This may include moral behavior, the aspect of love, and the application of ethics in different situations (Burnet, 2019). This worldview cannot be used to decide what is right or wrong since it does not provide explanations to support these aspects. Moral behavior and the application of ethics is an important aspect in healthcare where scientism fails to information related to these aspects (Burnet, 2019). Personal WorldviewMy personal worldview is based on the Christian perspective with God as the supreme being who has provided His principles which are based on love to be followed by everyone. From my experience, these principles are meant to improve the relationship between individuals as well as help individuals in times of need (Shelly & Miller, 2006). This worldview is also effective if applied in a healthcare setting where patients are in need of care and support in different dimensions. Christianity has also played a key role in shaping my values, principles, and my view of the world (Shelly & Miller, 2006). What Is Ultimate Reality?The reality is that there is only one God who is responsible for the creation of the universe. God also controls everything in the universe. God created human beings to fellowship with them and gave them His word which contains His principles on how people should live while on this earth (Shelly & Miller, 2006). With this word, individuals are able to determine what is right or wrong as well as understand most of the world issues.
God has the power to give or take life and is the source of all knowledge with some of the unexplainable aspects of the world being attributed to God (Shelly & Miller, 2006). However, regardless of His power and authority, God is loving and loves all individuals on the earth giving them the freedom to make their own decisions. However, this does not mean that He allows individuals to do evil without any consequences as at the end of the world, all individuals will go either to heaven or to hell based on their decisions while on the earth (Shelly & Miller, 2006).What Is The Nature Of The Universe?The universe was created by God to sustain human life and the life of all living things on it. This has been achieved since the creation of the universe over a thousand years ago and is expected to continue until the end of the world. Due to God’s love, He causes rain to replenish any lost vegetation which is important to human survival (Meynell, 2014). God made the universe perfect since no modifications have been done by anyone since its creation.
This is also attributed to the fact that no one has power compared to God to modify the universe. God gave humans the power to control everything on the universe (Meynell, 2014). Some of the disasters and negative effects witnessed in the universe were not God’s plan but the consequences of the first sin committed by the first human in the Garden of Eden. What Is A Human Being?A human being is an important creature to God since God created humans in his image and gave them power over all that he had created (Genesis 2:70. Humans were created in a perfect way where their bodies are able to perform all functions related to their survival. Human beings have also a close relationship with God compared to other creatures on the earth due to their importance (Meynell, 2014). However, due to the consequences of the first sin committed by the first human beings in the Garden of Eden, this ruined the perfect relationship that humans had with God. This led to the current negative effects that affect humans in the world including sicknesses (Genesis 3:17).What Is Knowledge?Knowledge enables individuals to understand diverse aspects of the world as well as making important decisions. God has given humans the ability to understand most of the worldly aspects using his word as well as through spiritual revelation since God is the ultimate source of all knowledge (Meynell, 2014). However, there are some complex processes on the earth that are difficult to explain which indicate that individuals cannot have the same knowledge as God as these aspects are attributed to God where Christians believe that God is in control of all these processes (Meynell, 2014).
What Is Your Basis Of Ethics?
My basis of ethics is love which is also a principle of God. Due to this principle, individuals are able to access mercy and forgiveness from God regardless of their previous wrong decisions (Rieg, Newbanks, Sprunger, 2018). God loved human beings that he gave his only begotten son to die for the sins of individuals so that people may be saved from death and destruction (John 3:16). This principle should be the basis of all ethics where individuals treat each other with love and help them in times of need. This will enhance the relationship between individuals as well as create a good place for everyone to live in (Rieg, Newbanks, Sprunger, 2018).
What Is The Purpose Of Your Existence?God created me for a reason which is to have fellowship with him and obey his commandments. However, the first human being went against God’s commandments and disobeyed God leading to the negative consequences currently experienced (Rieg, Newbanks, Sprunger, 2018). However, God has a plan to redeem humans from destruction due to their wicked ways through salvation. It is important to obey the commandments of God and spread his love to everyone on the earth (Rieg, Newbanks, Sprunger, 2018). These commandments are not meant to harm rather help and protect individuals from trouble. At the end of the world, individuals will go either to heaven or to hell based on how they lived on the earth (Meynell, 2014).
References
Burnet, T. (2019). What is Scientism? Retrieved from https://www.aaas.org/programs/dialogue-science-ethics-and-religion/what-scientismLife application study Bible: New King James Version. (2013).
Carol Stream, Ill: Tyndale House Publishers.Meilaender, G. (2013). Bioethics: A primer for Christians. Grand Rapids, Mich: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.Meynell, H. (2014).
Philosophy and the Christian Worldview: Analysis, Assessment, and Development. Heythrop Journal, 55(1), 170–171. Rieg, L. S., Newbanks, R. S., Sprunger, R. (2018).
Caring from a Christian Worldview: Exploring Nurses’ Source of Caring, Faith Practices, and View of Nursing. Journal of Christian Nursing, 35 (3), 168–173.Robinson, D. N., & Williams, R. N. (2014).
Scientism: The new orthodoxy. London: Bloomsbury Academic, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.Shelly, J. A., & Miller, A. B. (2006).
Called to care: A Christian worldview for nursing. Downers Grove, Ill: IVP Academic/Intervarsity Press.