Religious Acceptance Research Articles

The Experiences of Recovery from Disease in Patients doing Meditation

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of recovery from disease in the patients doing a kind of Buddhist meditation, and to develop a grounded theory about meditation. Data was collected by an in-depth interview using tape-recordings from sixteen participants doing meditation. The data was analyzed using the grounded theory method proposed by Strauss and Corbin(1998). The core category was discovering the true self. The participants began to do meditation because of their disease. They experienced obstacles due to incomplete religious acceptance. However, their faith grew gradually based on religious experiences that were indescribable. Finally, they entirely trusted the inner healer, which is emphasized in meditation. The strategies that they used were self reflection and seeking help for accepting deep meditation. They were stabilized in physical, psychological and social daily living. The processes of discovering the true self were identified as entering religious discipline, embodying religious discipline, self-accomplishing religious faith, and recovering mind-body health. This study provided the understanding of mind-body integration. Empirical research may be needed to prove scientifically the effects of meditation.

A Response to Marcella Althaus-Reid's Indecent Theology: Theological Perversions in Sex, Gender, and Politics

This essay applies the issues raised by Althaus-Reid to feminist theology, the Religious Left, and public policy in the US. Against many feminist theologies, it argues that an idealistic theology of eros has led feminist theologians to ask too much of sex. Particularly in the public arena, sexual ethics should be minimalist, focussing on the prevention of serious public harm and the promotion of sexual and reproductive freedom. The Religious Left, whether under the influence of old Christian anti-sexualism or the newer theologies of eros, has failed to stand for sexual freedom as such and has instead sought to bring abortion rights and gay rights into the realm of sexual decency. The most pernicious example is the Religious Left's tacit acceptance of new public policies that deny women, in particular poor black women, sexual and reproductive freedom outside patriarchal marriage.

Implementation of the World Health Organization 'analgesic ladder' in Saudi Arabia.

The European School of Oncology recently sponsored a symposium at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Saudi Arabia entitled 'The modern management of advanced cancer: how to help your patients'. During this symposium, a workshop was organized in order to address the problem of 'the availability and the distribution of narcotics' for patients with advanced symptomatic cancer in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Many country-wide problems were identified including the lack of specific information, religious acceptance and education for patients, health care professionals and government, the availability of medications and access to palliative care. It was suggested that clear protocols for the acceptance of patients into palliative care programmes, the prescribing and delivery of medication, and their availability throughout the country, be established. The goal of allowing patients with advanced cancer to die with dignity and without pain was identified as a worthy one and one that would be appreciated not only by patients themselves but by their relatives, carers, religious leaders and government. The workshop discussed some of the ways of trying to achieve this goal, and its conclusions are reported here.

Expanding the kidney donor pool: Ethical and medical considerations

year later, proteinuria developed. She had an uncomplicated pregnancy in 1990. Five years later, arterial hypertension required treatment with enalapril. Her serum creatinine then was 1.2 mg/dL. The serum creatinine rose to 1.3 mg/dL two years ago and to 1.5 mg/dL last year. Earlier this year, a 24-hour urine collection contained 810 mg protein; the serum creatinine was 1.6 mg/dL and the creatinine clearance was 31 mL/min/ 1.73 m 2 . Her urine sediment was benign. A further increase in her blood pressure necessitated treatment with lisinopril, 10 mg each morning, and amlodipine, 5 mg each night. She says that she has no regrets about her decision to donate despite the outcome. Five years ago, her husband’s brother developed renal failure; with her encouragement, her husband donated a kidney. Her husband, now age 44, is in good health and has normal blood pressure, normal serum creatinine, and no proteinuria.

The Problem of Authority in Christian Ethics

CHRISTIAN ethics has difficulty clarifying to itself and the outside world the nature of the authority to which it appeals for jurisdiction over moral experience and ethical discourse. The difficulty is enhanced by talk of revelation, faith, and commitment, which suggests hopelessly inarticulate arbitrariness lies at the base of the whole enterprise. Yet, as W. D. Hudson has pointed out, Every moral viewpoint goes down in the last analysis to some ultimate commitment.' Speaking of religion generally, A. Macintyre claimed its justification lay only in a religious acceptance of authority. In his view, this was tantamount to affirming that religion as whole lacks any justification, since it cannot appeal to any principles or criteria outside the domain prescribed by the ultimate authority it accepts.2 If all depends in Christian ethical discourse upon certain basic commitments by which authority is accepted, it immediately appears evaluation, although not identification, of these commitments is vacuous endeavor. To assert an irreducible posit, as Ian T. Ramsey calls the final option, is to claim exemption from further inquiry.3 The validity of the posit cannot be judged without surrendering at the outset its presumptive claim to ultimacy or finality. Of course one may retire to the high ground of refusal to discuss the matter further. This Barth did when he wrote, Really responsible upto-date theological thought.., .will reveal itself to be such.., .by refusing to discuss the basis of its ground, questions such as whether God is, whether