Abstract
BackgroundBehaviour is guided by perceptions and traditions. As such, understanding culture and religion is important in order to understand healthcare behaviour. Religious perceptions shape a person's understanding of the world and are maintained through texts and tradition. One such important religious text in relation to sexual and reproductive health is the Nativity story. This account of the conception and birth of Jesus is well known in the Christian cultural sphere and beyond, and it has for generations shaped perceptions of childbirth.MethodsThis paper attempts a re-reading of the Nativity story using a hermeneutic approach.Results and ConclusionThis reveals a dual understanding of the Nativity, not just as an account of immaculate transcendence and a rosy Christmas tale, but as a source of identification for pregnant women and mothers and a call to action for improved maternal and child healthcare.
Highlights
Ideas shape our minds and our minds shape our behaviour [1]
A problem catalogue When we continue in the hermeneutic circle we find that the Nativity story is far from a success story (Fig. 2)
A preserving force or a call to action? Religious texts shape our perceptions of the world, in relation to the divine, and by making sense of Reproductive health problems observed
Summary
Ideas shape our minds and our minds shape our behaviour [1]. Concepts of what is appropriate or right guide the way we do things [2]. Tradition and ‘how we have always done things’ can become great barriers to the introduction of evidence-based practice [3, 4] This tendency is evident in maternal and child healthcare. Religious perceptions shape a person’s understanding of the world and are maintained through texts and tradition One such important religious text in relation to sexual and reproductive health is the Nativity story. This account of the conception and birth of Jesus is well known in the Christian cultural sphere and beyond, and it has for generations shaped perceptions of childbirth. Results and Conclusion: This reveals a dual understanding of the Nativity, not just as an account of immaculate transcendence and a rosy Christmas tale, but as a source of identification for pregnant women and mothers and a call to action for improved maternal and child healthcare
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
