Hospice ministry as apologetics

2014 ◽  
Vol 111 (3) ◽  
pp. 287-291
Author(s):  
Alice Tremaine
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
Terminal Illness ◽  
Hospice Care ◽  
Problem Of Evil ◽  
Good Samaritan ◽  
Spiritual Crisis ◽  
The Problem Of Evil ◽  
History Of ◽  
Modern Context ◽  
Christian Apologetics

The objective of this article is to present the act of compassion—particularly compassion at the end of life through hospice care—as an appropriate response to the problem of evil. A thesis of the article is that the end of life presents opportunities for engaging in practical Christian apologetics, such as emulating God’s compassion for those who suffer and acknowledging God’s presence in the midst of suffering and evil. The article begins by discussing the history of hospice care, from its medieval beginnings to its modern context, as well as the potential spiritual crisis that is brought on by terminal illness. I contend that practical gestures of compassion are appropriate responses to evil and suffering, and ways of proclaiming God’s existence and message. In order to support this thesis, I draw from commentary from John Swinton and Marcus Borg, as well as Jesus’ parables and contemporary stories. I conclude the article by asserting that God is revealed in the act of compassion and also seen in those who are suffering. The article calls for a response based on Jesus’ commandment in the “Good Samaritan parable” to “go and do likewise.”

scholarly journals A Historical Outline of Byzantine Philosophy and Its Basic Subjects

2018 ◽  
pp. 121-144
Author(s):  
Katelis Viglas
Keyword(s):  
Problem Of Evil ◽  
Relative Autonomy ◽  
15Th Century ◽  
Conceptual Realism ◽  
Historical Outline ◽  
The World ◽  
The Problem Of Evil ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Point Of Departure

The article seeks to present an overview of the history of Byzantine philosophy. It takes its point of departure in the most important factors that influenced and shaped the Patristic thought. Subsequently, the paper considers the relative autonomy of Byzantine philosophy and offers a brief profile of major philosophers that contributed to the stream in the period from 9th to 15th century. From the numerous subjects that were taken into account by the most prominent Byzantine philosophers, the article discusses such issues as: the view of God, the problem of ‘conceptual realism’, the relationship between such ‘disci  plines’ as logic, metaphysics, ethics, aesthetics and philosophical anthro  pology. Furthermore, such questions as the place of man in the world, the scope of their freedom and the problem of evil are also touched upon here. The paper concludes with some remarks on the develop  ment of Byzantine philosophy after the fall of Byzantium.

scholarly journals “It’s Like a Death Sentence but It Really Isn’t” What Patients and Families Want to Know About Hospice Care When Making End-of-Life Decisions

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (9) ◽  
pp. 721-727
Author(s):  
Channing E. Tate ◽  
Grace Venechuk ◽  
Elinor J. Brereton ◽  
Pilar Ingle ◽  
Larry A. Allen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Focus Groups ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Terminal Illness ◽  
Hospice Care ◽  
Death Sentence ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
The Right ◽  
Grounded Theory Approach

Background: Hospice is underutilized, due to both lack of initiation from patients and late referral from clinicians. Prior research has suggested the reasons for underuse are multifactorial, including clinician and patient lack of understanding, misperceptions about the nature of hospice care, and poor communication during end-of-life discussions about hospice care. Little is known about the decisional needs of patients and families engaging in hospice decision-making. Objectives: To understand the decisional needs of patients and families making decisions about hospice care. Methods: We conducted focus groups with family caregivers and hospice providers and one-on-one interviews with patients considering or enrolled in hospice care. We identified participants through purposeful and snowball sampling methods. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Results: Four patients, 32 family caregivers, and 27 hospice providers participated in the study. Four main themes around decisional needs emerged from the interviews and focus groups: (1) What is hospice care?; (2) Why might hospice care be helpful?; (3) Where is hospice care provided?; and (4) How is hospice care paid for? Discussion: Hospice may not be the right treatment choice for all with terminal illness. Our study highlights where patients’ and families’ understanding could be enhanced to assure that they have the opportunity to benefit from hospice, if they so desire.

Introduction

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Han-luen Kantzer Komline
Keyword(s):  
Free Will ◽  
Problem Of Evil ◽  
Western Philosophy ◽  
The Problem Of Evil ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Will ◽  
Hybrid Methodology ◽  
The Way

This chapter introduces the most significant debates surrounding Augustine’s understanding of the will (uoluntas), the hybrid methodology employed in this work, and the thesis that Augustine articulates a theologically differentiated notion of will. Is Augustine’s notion of will original in the history of Western philosophy? Can his affirmation of free will be sustained given his approach to the problem of evil, foreknowledge, predestination, and grace? How does the concept of free will fit, or fail to fit, within the larger scope of Augustine’s thought? Traditional questions in the literature are adumbrated along the way to show the fruitfulness of a theological account.

Comfort while Dying: a Transnational History of Pediatric End of Life Care

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilie Hill-Smith
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Hospice Care ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Care ◽  
The Public ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Personal Experiences ◽  
History Of ◽  
Being There

Through an in-depth analysis of current and historical literature, this thesis explores the question: what is hospice and end of life care for children? I will dissect the various dimensions of children’s hospice care and how it has evolved over time. Also in my thesis, I will draw from my personal experiences in volunteering at a children’s hospice to discuss the support and care that volunteers receive. Through this literature review I hope to bring to light to a subject that is often overlooked or too difficult for people to discuss. I will propose plans to better the care for children and families who are facing the end of life. My thesis will summarize the current literature available about the type of care that children receive worldwide and how this care affects families and children’s well-being. There has been minimal research done on children in end of life due to the topic’s sensitive nature. My goals is to inform the public of an under discussed but important topic in paediatric medicine.

Hume's Fundamental Problem of Evil

Philosophy ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 89 (4) ◽  
pp. 603-620 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Tarrant
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Fundamental Problem ◽  
Problem Of Evil ◽  
History Of Religion ◽  
Human Understanding ◽  
The Problem Of Evil ◽  
History Of

AbstractThe problem of evil for theists was how to reconcile suffering with a benevolent God. Hume solved the problem of evil by claiming that the divine was amoral but not by denying God's existence which he needed in order to advocate his favoured notion of a general providence. Indeed, Hume's treatment of the problem of evil showed that his quarrel in the Natural History of Religion1and the Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding,2Section XI, was with a particular providence rather than the possibility of a divine orderer. The fundamental problem of evil for Hume, was evil's potential to drive people to the notion of a particular providence with its attendant damaging passions. In considering his alternative of the general providence Hume is shown to be closer to theism than has often been thought.

scholarly journals Study of Nurse's Philosophy: The Convenient Place to Die Peacefully for Terminal A Patients

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Krisna Yetti ◽  
Roro Tutik Sri Hariyati ◽  
Rona Cahyantari Merduati
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
Terminal Illness ◽  
Hospice Care ◽  
Fundamental Problem ◽  
Problem Analysis ◽  
Actual Problem ◽  
Analysis And Synthesis ◽  
Reflective Study ◽  
Specific Care

Background: Someone who will die should be supported and accompanied spiritually for passing their end of life. The spiritual involvement is needed a convenient place since its support will transform a frightening moment to be a peaceful one. Purpose: the aim of the study was describes the convenient place to die peacefully using philosophical approach.Methods: This study used method of Actual Problem, it is a philosophy reflective study about the assumption of researcher that a patient with terminal illness wants to be accompanied by people who proper to deliver the prayers. In this study, problems in the place of die are directly exposed, then it is synthesized to solve a fundamental problem. Analysis and synthesis of unsatisfied place to die to be expected can solve the problem. Results: Hospice care is a program or facility which gives specific care for the patient in end of life. It can be said that hospice is a way of care based on philosophy about the end of life. Hospice can be a convenient place to die because there are its staff who will substitute the role of family, in case they experience physical and emotional burden. Conclusion: Hospice can be an alternative of convenient place for patient with dying process and its nursing care can make the process as peaceful as possible Keywords:Convenient Place, Dying Process, Hospice, Peaceful, Terminal illness 

scholarly journals El mal sufrido como vía de acceso a la trascendencia: una revisión del problema del mal en Paul Ricoeur. Suffered Evil as a Path to Transcendence: a Review of the Problem of Evil in Paul Ricoeur

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Pablo Martínez Martínez
Keyword(s):  
Human Life ◽  
Paul Ricoeur ◽  
Moral Evil ◽  
Problem Of Evil ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Other ◽  
Paul Ricœur ◽  
The Problem Of Evil ◽  
History Of ◽  
The One

A lo largo de la historia de la filosofía, el problema del mal ha sido enfocado o desde un punto de vista moralizante o desde un punto de vista metafísico, que difícilmente puede dar respuesta a la pregunta por el origen del mal radical en el hombre. Partiendo de la distinción entre mal sufrido y mal cometido o mal moral —que establece Paul Ricoeur—, se tratará de mostrar que el mal sufrido realmente no es un mal. Por su parte, la experiencia genuina del mal sufrido que se concreta en la pregunta al aire del justo sufriente nos permitirá, por un lado, deslindar las concepciones de sufrimiento y mal mediante el uso del concepto dolor, y por otro lado, una revisión antropológica del problema del mal, que cuadra perfectamente con la línea de propuesta de Paul Ricoeur, cuya teoría acerca de la experiencia del mal será comentada y ampliada desde un antropología trascendental, no desde una metafísica, ni desde la perspectiva simbólica de Ricoeur.Throughout the history of philosophy the problem of evil has been examined either from a moral or a metaphysical point of view, neither of which can answer the question of the radical origin of evil in human life. By distinguishing between suffered evil and committed or moral evil —a distinction that Paul Ricoeur established— we will try to show that suffered evil is not really an evil. On the one hand, the genuine experience of suffered evil, which takes form in the questions of the just man who suffers, will allow us to make a distinction between suffering and evil through the concept of pain. On the other hand, it will also help us to conduct an anthropologic review of the problem of evil. This approach fits perfectly with Paul Ricoeur’s line of thought, since his theory about the experience of evil will be studied and delved into through a transcendental anthropology, not from a metaphysical approach, and not from Ricoeur’s symbolic perspective.

Panentheism, Transhumanism, and the Problem of Evil - From Metaphysics to Ethics

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 65
Author(s):  
Benedikt Paul Göcke
Keyword(s):  
Applied Sciences ◽  
Problem Of Evil ◽  
Natural Sciences ◽  
Systematic Relationship ◽  
Metaphysical Theory ◽  
The World ◽  
The Problem Of Evil ◽  
History Of ◽  
The One ◽  
Ethical Demand

There is a close systematic relationship between panentheism, as a metaphysical theory about the relation between God and the world, and transhumanism, the ethical demand to use the means of the applied sciences to enhance both human nature and the environment. This relationship between panentheism and transhumanism provides a ‘cosmic’ solution to the problem of evil: on panentheistic premises, the history of the world is the one infinite life of God, and we are part of the one infinite divine being. We ourselves are therefore responsible for the future development of the life of the divine being. We should therefore use the means provided by the natural sciences to develop the history of the world in such a way that the existence of evil shall be overcome and shall no longer be part of the divine being in whom we move and live and have our being. The metaphysics of panentheism leads to the ethics of transhumanism.

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