| At this wonderful international meeting, I am sorry to say, Taiwan is largely a non-Christian country, where Christians account for only 4% of the population. But, over the years, we have exerted considerable influence on society, mainly by our strong & solid Christian values, expressed in our medical and related services. This paper explains how this is so. Perhaps it is similar in your country too? WHAT do we mean by these words?
Let us first define the terms from the Webster dictionary:
- Social = relating to the life & inter-relationship of human beings in society.
- Impact = an initial, usually, strong effect.
- Medical = the science of diagnosing, treating, curing, or preventing disease or damage to the body or mind.
- Evangelism = zealous preaching + spreading of the gospel.
- Gospel = Godspel (old English) = good tidings = good news. Specifically the good news of the kingdom of God brought by Jesus Christ. The essence of the good news is, God loves us, and he wants us to love each other.
In our medical mission works how did our faith (in the good news) exert a strong effect on society (human inter-relationship)? WHEN
Christianity was first introduced to China by Father Mateo Richi S.J. in the year 1583; to Taiwan by Dutch Protestant evangelists in 1624; by the Catholic Dominican priests in 1626. The earliest recorded Christian medical missionary in Taiwan was Dr. George McKay, a dentist from Canada in the year 1872, and Dr. James Maxwell in 1865. The word "Christian" needs a little clarification. It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians (Acts 11:26 ) in the first century. All were Catholics. In the middle ages after Martin Luther's protest against the undesirable elements in the Catholic Church, the new group was called Protestants. So in this light, all catholic & protestants are included in the name "Christian", meaning followers of Christ. WHY did the missionaries come to this distant island?
Because they heard the call of Jesus Christ in their hearts, "go and make disciples of all nations…." And following the Master, they used healing to accompany teaching of the "Good News". Teaching & healing continue to be major ministries of the Church in these 2000 years. HOW does the practice of Christian medicine affect human relationship in society?
I think mainly by our Christian attitude towards the 4 major areas of concern: life, death, sickness & health. Our Christian attitude is manifested by our words and works, by each of us individually, & corporately as a group. Whether we are clergy, laity, medical workers or para medicals, Christians or Christians' friends, we show it in so many ways & in so many examplary lives, lived among the people we serve. Those who have eyes, have seen. Those who have ears have heard. So have our government leaders seen & heard .Whether they agree or disagree, accept or reject, this our Christian attitude has a definite effect on the inter-relation of all human lives. 1. WHAT IS our attitude toward LIFE ?
Because all life comes from God, who is the creator & master of all, therefore we regard all life with respect & awe.
A. Because we believe human life begins at conception, therefore we respect the life of the unborn, we fight against abortion & vehement artificial birth control, in so many ways, we proclaim to the world, a child is a gift from God. We promote pre-natal care & prenatal parent education on infant care. We promote parent-child relationship & Kangaroo parenting & breast feeding. We promote responsible parenthood & natural family planning. In contrast to "killing the unborn babies", we provide loving care of the dis- advantaged children;
e.g.:
- We cooperate with Catholic & Protestant Homes for unwed mothers, giving tender loving care to the girls, provide obstetrical care & perinatal care while safe-guarding their dignity & privacy.
- We lead the country in providing special care for premature babies, when many were given up by their parents due to financial concerns, even before national Health Insurance was available.
- We work with adoption agencies for the unwanted, even overseas adoption for the handicapped babies unwanted in this country.
- We support Homes for the retarded, handicapped, special education schools for the blind, deaf, with our medical expertise & compassion. B. Because we respect life at every stage, not only existence, but quality of life, therefore we respect the poor & needy in our midst. Almost every Christian clinic or hospital has as its initial purpose, to care for the sick poor & needy, because Jesus was especially tender to these. (Whatever you do to the least of my brethren…) Even when life is in suspension, as in unconscious state, we respect & care for them. II. WHAT IS our attitude toward death & dying :
Because we believe God is the creator & master of all human life, and
because we believe in eternal life, we consider death & dying as an important transition point, from earthly life to the life here-after. Therefore we regard death with respect, we treat the dying with great compassion & love. We do all we can to help them cross this bridge with dignity, peace & feeling of security. Hospice care began in Christian tradition and flourishes under Christian value influence. e.g. Taiwan Hospice listing. We believe Jesus treats the dying with great mercy. Our Christian medical attitude has stimulated philosphical discussions about life & death, in universities, media discussions, & has influenced sociologists, civil leaders, & philanthropists & other religions. It is another powerful witness to our respect for human life, that life is intrinsically lovable & precious to the Lord, regardless of it's social or worldly worth. Because we believe death is natural & an important bridge to reach the other life (eternal life after death), therefore we oppose euthanasia as human cruelty , unnatural & unhealthy, not truly a help to a person crossing this bridge of life. We did & will do all we can to oppose the evil of euthanasia (mercy killing), suicide & assisted suicide, and we support natural death & compassionate care of the dying.(Hospice care) III. WHAT IS our attitude toward sickness?
We believe that sickness is a consequence of original sin & a natural consequence of our disharmony with ourselves & with nature, therefore we do not consider sickness as "deserved punishment" by God, (e.g. Jesus & the blind man.) Jesus had great compassion on our sickness & sufferings, be it physical or mental. We follow the command of Jesus to love one another, by trying to reduce the suffering & illness in people. We work hard to provide good acute care facilities, long term care facilities, mental health facilities & medical research to find better cures etc. We do so in a service attitude, in a patient-centered rather than business-centered way.
By our earnest efforts, & compassionate care, we did affect the inter- relationship of people in the face of illness. We show them how to care, for the poor & needy, not only physical care such as food & lodging, which is often provided by the government, but we support them in emotional & spiritual care as well. e.g. AIDS patients, lepers, dementia patients, elderly living alone, aboriginess etc. IV. WHAT IS our attitude towards health?
Because we believe a healthy human life comprises of body & soul, created by God in order to love & be loved, therefore we regard health with respect & care. We promote health of the whole person, physical, mental & spiritual health. We denounced & opposed all known hazards to health. e.g. 1) Starvation or mal- nutrition.2)Over-exertion (exploitation of child-labor, foreign laborers, the poor).3) Substance abuse (alcohol, tobacco, drugs) & personal abuse (physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional mal-treatment), spiritual abuse or neglect. 4) Environmental abuse. Christian hospitals have been leaders in public health concerns, community health services, and leaders in preventive health & environmental protection. All these attitudes influence society & government leaders. Look at the recipients of the Award for Distinguished Medical Services. For the past 10 years 60 have been Christians. So many have had strong impact on society?! IN CONCLUSION
Christian medical services have been a strong witness to the society, that human beings are loved by God, intrinsically valuable. People have experienced our words, works & actions as witness to the Gospel message "God loves us". We should continue to act as bridge between religions, between medical & social work, between government & people, and, as instruments of God's mercy, a bridge between God & his people.
God loves us. He wants us to love each other, help each other. It is a great honor & privilege to serve in His beloved medical ministry, and, by our conscious efforts to reach beyond our hospital walls, the influence on society & human relationships is inevitable, be it pre-evangelization, or evangelization. |
