Introduction
The view of Jehovah’s Witnesses is slightly different from the perspective most people in the United States share. The topic of the paper focuses on the perspectives Jehovah’s Witnesses have on healthcare-related topics are vital for nurses and physicians who treat them. The subtopics include their views on life and death, and their attitude to blood transfusion. From the American Catholic perspective, specific ideas articulated by Jehovah’s Witnesses are perceived as radicalism. The faithful from this religious congregation insist on their interpretation of the Holy Scripture and focus on the destruction of the world, Armageddon, and the second coming of Jesus Christ (Jakubowska et al., 2021). Jehovah’s Witnesses appeared at the end of the 19th century and are traditionally associated with door-to-door preaching (Jakubowska et al., 2021). For example, people who belong to Jehovah’s Witnesses do not accept blood transfusion because it is against their religious views (Jakubowska et al., 2021). In other words, their faith significantly influences their views on life, health, and death. It makes understanding the cultural background and essentials of the worldview of Jehovah’s Witnesses critical for healthcare professionals who have to communicate with them in the clinical setting.
Discussion
The believers who belong to the Jehovah’s Witness church have original views on ethically acceptable medical services. The healthcare beliefs and needs of the Jehovah’s Witnesses are taken from the Bible and interpreted based on the literature published by the members of the Watchtower Society (Jakubowska et al., 2021). It makes their perspectives rather radical and opposed to the views that most people in the United States face. For instance, they can be aware of the harmful consequences of refusing a blood transfusion, but they still regard it as a sin. The members of this congregation refuse to do it even in situations when the life of the patient is endangered (Jakubowska et al., 2021). They explain it with the lines from Acts 15:28-29, where it is described in the following lines:
It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things (King James Bible, 2008).
Therefore, the ban on blood transfusion in the Jehovah’s Witnesses has restricted the opportunities for nurses and physicians because it is one of the most widespread means of alleviating the patient’s state.
Another vital detail is the humility that people from this religious group have. They believe in Armageddon and the second coming of Christ, meaning they live with the belief at the end of the day. Thinking about death and salvation is essential to their religious views, which affect their attitude to life and health (Jakubowska et al., 2021). This perspective is consistent with the comparatively high level of using stimulants, including cigarette smoking, among the members of this church (Jakubowska et al., 2021). It is significantly different from the views of other religious congregations, including Catholic Christians, where stimulant use is lower than Jehovah’s Witnesses (Jakubowska et al., 2021). Therefore, the resignation with their destiny and the preparation for Armageddon influence the attitudes of Jehovah’s Witnesses toward their health and how they treat their physical bodies.
The members’ lifestyle of the Jehovah’s Witnesses community affects their health. As it was already mentioned, their faith in the inevitable destruction of the world and destiny seriously impacts their decisions. The refusal to have a blood transfusion leads to the search for alternative methods of treatment that are not always available. The members of this religious community believe that expulsion from the church is more important for them than their life and health (Pavlikova & van Dijk, 2021). The critical detail is that the nurse or the physician should receive the prearranged agreement of the patient for this medical manipulation, which creates ethical controversy. It is complicated for healthcare professionals to watch patients die because of their religious beliefs prohibiting blood transfusion.
My cultural healthcare beliefs are based on the Catholic code of ethics. As a result, I find the views on blood transfusion and the faith in the destruction of the world the Jehovah’s Witnesses have rather radical. It is difficult for me to agree with the interpretation of the lines from the Holy Scriptures the Jehovah’s Witnesses use to explain their refusal of blood transfusion. From the Catholic Christian perspective, faithful people should do everything possible to save their lives and to continue their mission. Otherwise, the sinful desire to avoid difficulties is similar to voluntary suicide.
It is necessary to pay attention to cultural and communication issues that should be considered when caring for individuals from this culture. First, it is essential to avoid criticizing patients who belong to the Jehovah’s Witnesses for their views. It is unacceptable for professional nurses and therapists who should provide people with patient-centered care and focus on the needs of the individual (Chang et al., 2019). Second, it is critical to use facts and scientific explanations to appeal to the logic of the patient who shares the views of the Jehovah’s Witnesses (Chang et al., 2019). There is the possibility that the individual might understand the rational need for blood transfusion in a situation when the life is endangered. These points are consistent with Madeline Leininger’s theory of culture of care that supposes individual attention to the patient’s views. It is critical to genuinely respect the patients’ worldview, even when the healthcare professional does not agree with them.
Some diagnoses are especially dangerous for the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ church members. Among them are health disparities such as tumors and lymphoma treated by blood transfusion (Chang et al., 2019). The chances of people from this religious community surviving after these illnesses are diagnosed without blood transfusion are minimal, and they can only hope for a miracle to happen. There is no need to say that culture impacts the communication of Jehovah’s Witness patients with their healthcare providers. The therapists and the nurses usually try to persuade the ill person of the need to have a blood transfusion.
Conclusion
The views of Jehovah’s Witnesses on healthcare are among the ideas that cause significant problems in providing medical services. People who belong to this religious group have issues finding motivation for treatment due to their resignation from their destiny in God’s hands. Their views on the unacceptability of blood transfusion make treatment of many illnesses impossible, which is the conflict situation in healthcare. In all cases, healthcare professionals need to pay attention to the religious peculiarities of patients who belong to this congregation. Their views on health and medical services are influenced by their religious beliefs, and nurses and theorists should be aware of these peculiarities to avoid possible conflicts. Even if healthcare professional has completely distinct views on human well-being, life, and death, they still have to remain neutral in expressing their thoughts concerning patients’ beliefs.
References
Chang L., R., Sukumaran, S., Koczwara, B., Woodman, R., Kichenadasse, G., Roy, A., Vatandoust, S., & Karapetis, C. (2019). Patterns of care in Jehovah’s Witnesses patients with solid tumours and lymphoma. Cancer Reports, 2(2), e1148. Web.
Jakubowska, K., Chruściel, P., Jurek, K., Machul, M., Kościołek, A., & Dobrowolska, B. (2021). Religiosity and attitudes towards health, disease, death and the use of stimulants among Jehovah’s Witnesses. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(10), 5049. Web.
King James Bible. (2008). Oxford University Press.
Pavlikova, B., & van Dijk, J. P. (2021). Jehovah’s Witnesses and their compliance with regulations on smoking and blood treatment. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(1), 387. Web.