s of healing, along with the importance of caring for people of different faiths. The author’s perspective of faith will also be discussed. Vodun/Voodoo Vodun, often known as Voodoo, comes from the the god Vodun of West African Yoruba dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries. Voodoo honors one God, Bondye, similar to the God of Islam, Judaism and Christianity. (Houdmann, M. , 2012). Practices and thoughts of voodooism vary from one person to the next as the tradition has been passed down orally over the years.Healing is the key component to practicing Voodoo making up approximately 60 percent of all Voodoo activity. Voodoo healing practices are performed by “healers� considered priests consisting of both men and women. Healers use herbs, faith healing, and today some use western medicine to rid the body of illness as it relates to the mind and soul. Other healing practices used are positive and negative charms, rituals of piercing needles into Voodoo dolls representing the enemy to help relieve stress and anxiety. The use of Voodoo dolls is common and still used in New Orleans and other parts of Southern Louisiana.French Slaves arrived to Haiti and was forbidden to practice their native religion, Voodoo, and forced into being baptized Roman Catholic. As a result, when comparing the practice of Voodoo to Christianity particularly Roman Catholic, there are several similarities. Both believe in a supreme being, the afterlife, existence of unseen spirits and participate in ceremonies consuming flesh and blood (Religious Tolerance, 2010). Religious traditions followed are a common link between Voodoo and Christianity. Voodoo followers believe every individual has a met tet, meaning master of the head, similar to a Christian’s patron saint.Voodoo followers have been known to participate in practices such as fortunetelling and sorcery that many Christians view as a practice condemned by God. According to the passage of Deuteronomy 18:9-13, Detestable Practices, summarizes God prohibits anyone from practicing divination, sorcery, witchcraft, or consults the dead (Woman’s Devotional Bible, 1998). Christianity’s goal is to love God, obey the Ten Commandments, develop a relationship with God and spread the word of God in hopes of saving others. Christian’s also believe salvation is through having faith in Jesus Christ.In contrast, Voodoo followers honor God, many spirits and Saints known as Iwas. Voodoo is a combination of African traditions and Catholicism and is the celebration of life. Regarding healthcare, women practicing Voodoo will make health decisions for themselves and children. If the woman has a husband then he will make major health major health decisions for the family. Many Voodoo followers believe illness is directed related to sin and will seek care from a Voodoo Practitioner versus traditional practitioners.BuddhismBuddhism was founded by Gautama Buddha, birth name Prince Siddhartha, over 2,500 years ago in Nepal, India. Teachings known as dharma, meaning truth, are the central focus of healing. Buddhist’s perspective of healing is to free one of suffering which is directly related to daily experiences of life and the mind, taking a holistic approach. Health and disease affects the whole person and involves the environment. Buddhists believe disease is a disturbance in the harmony of life and the physical symptoms are a result of that disturbance.Healing is thought to not only be a treatment but the way the mind and body goes back to harmony and relationship to the environment. Karma is an important factor in the holistic approach to healing, believing there is a direct relationship between morality and health, meaning every cause has an effect (Ratanadul, P. , 2008). Good health is related to good Karma and vise versa. An unhealthy lifestyle is thought to be directly related to illness and disease therefore spiritual activities and religious practices are an important part of promoting health and well being amongBuddhists. Meditation and prayer are critical components of healing for Buddhists. It is practiced to acquire spiritual and mental health affecting overall physical health through the power of mindfulness, concentration and wisdom (Ratanadul, P. , 2008). During chanting, Buddhists visualize the blessings of Buddha with healing entering the mouth into the body to reduce suffering and ward off illness. In comparing Buddhism to Christianity, Buddhism practices the Threefold Training consisting of mortality, concentration and wisdom.Buddhist’s do not believe in God or in salvation, but rather achieving Nirvana by letting go of all desires, cravings and attachments (Shambhala International, 2009). Christianity practices praying, worships in church, believes in the Holy Bible and God is supreme creator of the world. Shinto The last belief to be addressed is Shinto, means way of God, originated around 500 B. C. E. as the official religion of Japan, along with Buddhism (Religious Tolerance, 2010). Spirits are called kami and thought to found in wind, trees, mountains, rivers and fertility.Shinto’s principle is the setting of Japanese culture, code of ethics, fine arts and family structure (Sivananda, S. , 2011). Shinto’s believe accidents and illnesses occur as a consequence of displeased spirits. The spirits communicate distress to humans as illness or misfortune in the form of dreams, weakened immune system or by mental disturbances (Kalland, A. , n. d. ). In extreme cases the spirits can cause earthquakes, floods and deadly epidemics. Many individuals are unaware of the spirits identity and message content but specific knowledge is not always needed as certain rituals have great affect on many spirits and its causes.Illness is also thought to be caused by the souls of the aborted or stillborn children as they have been deprived their right to live, mostly affecting their mothers, siblings and mothers family. As a result, Shinto temples center their focus on quieting these spirits to bring wellness and peace to those family members affected (Kalland, A. , n. d. ). Rituals are used to aid in healing of many illnesses and ailments. Purification is a common ritual used among Shinto’s that is performed with water by rinsing, washing, bathing or the priest’s wand (Shinto-Rituals, 2012).This symbolizes purifying oneself or an object before interacting with kami. Other rituals used for healing include food and drink offerings to the kami or formal reading of prayer. In comparing Shinto to Christianity, Shinto’s believe in many Gods. The Sun-God known as Anaterasu-omi Kami, the divine brother Susano-o-Mikoto known as God of Rainstorm and Tsukiyomi-no-Mikoto, Moon God making the divine triad (Sivananda, S. , 2011). Shinto’s do not have a developed theology or their own code of ethics but follows that of Confucianism.Shinto’s follow four affirmations, tradition and family, love of nature, physical cleanliness and Matsuri. Whereas, Christianity believes in one God, base teachings on Jesus and uses the Holy Bible as the book of teachings. Author’s Belief This author’s belief is similar to Christianity being a Roman Catholic. This author believes in the Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Spirit is one and as such worships one God. This author also believes healing can come from God if one truly believes and places significance in the symbolism of the Saints.This author gained valuable and pertinent knowledge regarding different religious beliefs that will assist in providing better nursing care. Conclusion In conclusion, health care providers are confronted with patients of many different religious beliefs and practices. It is important to be culturally diverse to better understand the needs of all patients seeking medical care to provide more holistic care. Health care providers should respect every patient’s religious belief without discrimination while providing the best care.
