Public health and Christian theism in Africa: An approach to evil and religious belief in the afterlife
Indian J Med Ethics
;
2022 Dec; 7(4): 315-320
Article
| IMSEAR
| ID: sea-222689
ABSTRACT
Religious beliefs may significantly impact the effectiveness of health policies. In this article, I analyse how Christian theistic beliefs about evil and suffering, in connection with belief in the afterlife, have unreasonable ethical implications in the context of African epistemologies. Further, I contend that such Christian theistic beliefs have a negative impact on health policies, especially during the current pandemic. They prescribe one-size-fits-all approaches, which neglect contextual issues in addressing the pandemic. They also encourage passivity and neglect in the face of suffering. I then offer an alternative inspired by Afro-communitarianism, which I argue is convincing. Given that the theistic view is morally indefensible, I contend that it cannot be a good explanation of the problem of evil.
Full text:
Available
Index:
IMSEAR (South-East Asia)
Journal:
Indian J Med Ethics
Journal subject:
Ethics
Year:
2022
Type:
Article
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