Sacred Transits: Exploring Death Through Religious Mosaic

Abstract

Death is a reality in the lives of all human beings, and although nobody wants to talk about it, it is a part of the life cycle that we will all go through at some point. It is also a reality that, as health professionals, nursing plays a fundamental role since it is part of this painful scenario that we cannot ignore daily. After analyzing the concepts of death in Catholicism, Jehovah's Witnesses, Judaism and Evangelism, we can say that death is, for these religions, the separation of body and soul, which will be united again at the moment of resurrection; for this reason, the body is honoured and prayed for the purification of the souls. The deceased and the grieving family members have faith that at the moment of resurrection, they will be with God and meet again and share an eternal life. Knowledge of the concept of death in different religions provides nursing with a tool to understand, for example, the palliative care patient and his family, a grandmother who gives us a holy card of Jesus to place on her granddaughter's bedside table, the parents of a critically ill newborn who ask permission for the congregation to say a prayer on behalf of their child, as well as the parents of another non-viable newborn who ask permission for the priest to anoint him with holy water. These are situations that remind us that nurses should not only master the technique but also understand people as a whole being, and for this, they should understand the religious beliefs that guide their behaviour, such as not accepting blood donations, refusing to donate organs or not allowing the autopsy or cremation of a family member.