Loading...
Religion and Ethical Praxis
Sachedina, Abdulaziz
Sachedina, Abdulaziz
Author(s)
Author(s) (Additional)
Illustrator(s)
Producer(s)
Contributor(s)
Contributor(s) (Other)
Editor(s)
Advisor(s)
Contact(s)
Data Collector(s)
GE Subjects
Collections
Files
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Online Access
Abstract
"To this point, we have explored the law and morality of religion’s participating in public bioethics—specifically, whether religion should participate. The next critical question is, What difference does religion make if it does participate? Does it offer anything different from current secular-oriented bioethics? Will it lead to different results in terms of policy or practice? If so, are they of concern? In the short term, the answer is that probably not much would change if religion were admitted as a full participant at the table. There is no evidence of a massive schism between religions and religious values on the one hand and bioethical practice and policy on the other. As Jonsen (chap. 1) pointed out, contemporary bioethics grew out of prior religious ethical traditions and were elaborated and developed by many of the new bioethicists who were themselves initially trained as religious ethicists. This did not represent a disjuncture, but a continuity. Moreover, as Cahill notes in chapter 2, in the lives of individuals, there are no clear divisions between religious faith and secular life. “ ‘Value traditions’ and convictions or background assumptions about ‘ultimate meaning’ pervade all of these realms and interact together in all social life, including bioethics.” As I noted in the general introduction, more than 90 percent of the members of Congress said they consulted their religious beliefs before voting on important matters, and 80 percent of all Americans said they take guidance in living their own lives from the Bible. If this is so, it is likely that religious perspectives have already been incorporated into public policies. Moreover, the diversity of religious perspectives suggests that accepting them into public bioethics will not change existing pluralistic policies. Even when we look at a topic like abortion, which many "(pg 249)
Note(s)
Topic
Type
Book chapter
Date
2006
Identifier
ISBN
DOI
Copyright/License
With permission of the license/copyright holder