This chapter describes the social and historical background, and worship and devotional practices of Sikhs. Because most Sikhs are of South Asian descent and Sikh men often wear turbans and have long beards, Westerners may confuse them with Muslims or adherents of other South Asian religions. Sikhism originated around 1500 in northern (Punjab) India, when a guru had a mystical experience that revealed spiritual insights that differed from those of the prevailing religions of the region. Sikhs worship a monotheistic God, Waheguru/Vahiguru or Akal Purukh. The gurdwara is the temple where Sikhs gather to worship, to socialize, and to organize themselves to serve the community. The chapter presents the belief and practices of Sikhs on illness and healing, beginning of life, end-of-life and describes their diet and lifestyle. It presents additional miscellaneous nursing implications while providing care to Sikhs and ways and words to comfort.

The World Council of Churches lists about 90 Reformed denominations worldwide. In the United States, 18 Reformed denominations exist. The most common include Christian Reformed Church of North America, Reformed Church of America, Presbyterian Church in America, and Presbyterian Church (United States)-by far the largest. This chapter describes the social and historical background, and worship and devotional practices of Reformed denominations. The Reformed family of Christian churches evolved during the Protestant Reformation in Europe during the 1500s. Immigrants from Europe brought the Reformed denominations to North America; this family of denominations has subsequently been introduced by missionaries to Africa, Korea, and countries in the South Pacific. The chapter presents the belief and practices of Reformed denominations on illness and healing, beginning of life, end-of-life and describes their diet and lifestyle. The chapter presents additional miscellaneous nursing implications while providing care to Reformed denominations and ways and words to comfort.

The Society of Friends are often known as Quakers because of purported shaking-quaking-that occurred when they fervently explained their beliefs to those persecuting them centuries ago. There are four expressions of Quakerism: Programmed, Evangelical, Unprogrammed, and Conservative. Quakerism is considered one of the European Free Churches, also called Historic Peace churches. This chapter describes the social and historical background, and worship and devotional practices of Quakers. The chapter presents the belief and practices of Quakers on illness and healing, beginning of life, end-of-life and describes their diet and lifestyle. Given the diversity of prayer experiences among Quakers, when a patient indicates prayer with a nurse would be welcome, assess how the patient prefers to pray. Nurses should support or join, as appropriate. Prayer could involve sitting in worshipful silence together. The chapter presents additional miscellaneous nursing implications while providing care to Quakers and ways and words to comfort.

Several legal corporations in various countries are used to supporting the preaching and teaching of Jehovah’s Witness (JW). The primary legal entity in the United States is the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society of Pennsylvania. Related nonprofits in other countries will often have Watchtower or Watch Tower in their names. This chapter describes the social and historical background, and worship and devotional practices of Jehovah’s Witness. The decisions of a JW are to always be made in alignment with Biblical teaching. JWs prefer reading the New World Translation of the Bible. The chapter presents their belief and practices on illness and healing, beginning of life, and end-of-life. It describes the prescriptions and proscriptions in their diet and lifestyle. The chapter presents nursing implications while providing care to Jehovah’s Witness and ways and words to comfort.

Any news story begins by answering the five W questions of who, what, where, when, and why. This chapter addresses these questions as they relate to nurses providing patients with religiously sensitive care. The how question is often also included in a news story. This question of how to care for the religious patient is the prompt for this book. The chapter provides some guiding principles for addressing religiosity. Over the past several decades, social scientists have proposed religion is composed of multiple dimensions. The following dimensions of religiosity are apropos for U.S. American adults and adolescents: religious beliefs; religious exclusivity; external practice; personal practice; and religious salience. These categories begin to describe the complexity of religion and provide nurses with a lens with which to understand patients’ religiosity. Indeed, nurses are careless if they fail to provide religiously sensitive care for those who are religious or experiencing religious struggle.

There are many varieties of Buddhism; indeed, around 200 schools of Buddhism. There are three primary branches: Theravada or Southern; Mahayana; and Vajrayana or Tantric or Tibetan. This chapter describes the social and historical background, and worship and devotional practices of Buddhism. It presents the belief and practices of Buddhism on illness and healing, beginning of life, and end-of-life. The chapter describes briefly the prescriptions and proscriptions in their diet and lifestyle. It presents nursing implications while providing care to practitioners of Buddhism. Nurses should support meditation or other spiritual practices and set up the environment to facilitate the spiritual practice as the patient desires. Respect a Buddhist patient’s desire to maintain a calm emotional state and atmosphere. Do not remove wearable religious items without patient approval and treat with respect. The chapter presents additional miscellaneous nursing implications and ways and words to comfort.

This chapter describes the social and historical background, and worship and devotional practices of Bahá’í. The religion began in 1844, and gender, racial, and all forms of equality are pursued. It presents the belief and practices of Bahá’í on illness and healing, beginning of life, and end-of-life. The chapter describes briefly the prescriptions and proscriptions in their diet and lifestyle. It presents nursing implications while providing care to practitioners of Bahá’í. Nurses should assist the patient, if requested, with obligatory prayer. If requested, engage the family (or local Bahá’ícommunity) in preparing the body for burial and ensure that amputated limbs, still births, or donated bodies are disposed of respectfully by burial. The chapter presents additional miscellaneous nursing implications and ways and words to comfort.

The Pentecostal family includes over 30 denominations, the largest of which are the Assemblies of God and the Church of God in Christ. Other denominations include the Church of God (Cleveland, TN); Foursquare Gospel; Pentecostal Holiness Church; United Pentecostal Church International; Vineyard USA; Full Gospel Fellowship; and Calvary Chapel. The Church of God in Christ and Pentecostal Assemblies of the World are primarily African American. This chapter describes the social and historical background, and worship and devotional practices of Pentecostals. It presents their belief and practices on illness and healing, beginning of life, end-of-life and describes their diet and lifestyle. The chapter presents additional miscellaneous nursing implications while providing care to Pentecostals and ways and words to comfort.

Zoroastrians (or Zarathushti) living in India are called Parsees (or Parsis). This chapter describes the social and historical background, and worship and devotional practices of Zoroastrianism. Founded by the prophet Zoroaster (or Zarathrustra, c. 1500 BCE), this faith tradition was once the religion of the Persian empire. Although most live in either India or Iran, there are pockets of Zoroastrians in North America and other locations. Generally, Parsees are more orthodox in their religious practices than Zoroastrians from Iran. Zoroastrians are monotheists, believing in one god, Ahura Mazda (“Wise Lord”). The chapter presents the belief and practices of Zoroastrians on illness and healing, beginning of life, end-of-life and describes their diet and lifestyle. It presents additional miscellaneous nursing implications while providing care to Zoroastrians and ways and words to comfort.

Orthodox Christianity is comprised of Patriarchates that are generally organized along national boundaries and will have the term Orthodox in their name. These churches can be categorized as Oriental and Eastern. Some Orthodox Christians (OCs) are organized in the United States under the Orthodox Church of America. This chapter describes the social and historical background, and worship and devotional practices of Orthodox Christians. It presents their belief and practices on illness and healing, beginning of life, end-of-life and describes their diet and lifestyle. When death or loss of consciousness becomes imminent, nurses should facilitate the OC’s priest’s celebration of Holy Unction or the “Service for the Parting of the Soul From the Body”. The chapter presents additional miscellaneous nursing implications while providing care to OCs and ways and words to comfort.