Both religious and secular ethics to achieve both happiness and health: Panel data results based on a dynamic theoretical model.

This paper evaluates the direct and indirect impacts (and their interactions) of individual and social ethics from (primary, secondary, tertiary) education and religion (Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism) on health and happiness in alternative religious contexts (majority and minority religions) and for alternative education policies (gross enrolment and per-student expenditure). It also specifies the time lag for the short-run indirect impact (and its size) of happiness on health and the long-run equilibria of both happiness and health. The statistical results show that there is no religious or secular ethics with beneficial impacts on both happiness and health at both the individual and social levels. Next, education policies have similar impacts on both happiness and health in all religious contexts, while most religious ethics have larger beneficial impacts on health and happiness if coupled with social and individual education policies, respectively. Combined statistical and analytical results show that the largest short-run indirect impact of happiness on health occurs after 4 years, where 1 out of 10 points of happiness produces approximately 3 additional years of healthy life expectancy at birth. Next, the long-run equilibria of both happiness and health are globally stable and are achieved after 8 years through oscillation dynamics.

Buddhism.

After Christianity, Judaism, and Hinduism, Buddhism is the 4th major religion of the world. The Pew Research Center estimates that as of 2020, about 500 million people (or 6.6% of the world's population) practice Buddhism. China has the largest Buddhist population at 254 million, followed by Thailand at 66 million, and then Myanmar and Japan at about 41 million.

Hinduism.

Death is a universal experience. Regardless of one's culture, religion, race or beliefs, we will all die. Hinduism views death very uniquely. Hindus simultaneously mourn and celebrate the loss of loved ones.

Allergic Contact Dermatitis Associated With Religious Practices: Review of the Literature.

Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) may occur secondary to devotional practices in various religions. A systematic review of PubMed was conducted from inception of database to September 9, 2022. Key terms were "contact dermatitis" or "devotional dermatosis" in association with major world religions including "Christianity," "Islam," "Hinduism," "Buddhism," "Sikhism," and "Judaism." Inclusion criteria were determined by presence of a religious practice and associated ACD. Articles referencing other cutaneous reactions such as chemical leukoderma were excluded. In total, 36 of 102 unique articles identified met inclusion criteria. Twenty-two articles referenced Hinduism, 8 referenced Judaism, 5 referenced Islam, 3 referenced Christianity, and 1 article each mentioned Buddhism and Sikhism. Four articles referenced multiple religions. Para-phenylenediamine was the most common contact allergen overall and is found in blackening ingredients mixed with henna for temporary tattoos. Henna tattooing is a cultural practice associated with Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. Nine unique contact allergens associated with religious practices were identified. Increasing awareness of religious practices that cause ACD will facilitate culturally competent dermatological care.

Religious Afterlife Beliefs Decrease Behavioral Avoidance of Symbols of Mortality.

An astonishing cultural phenomenon is where, far away from or close to a city center, people in different societies localize cemeteries that function as both sites of memory of lost ones and symbols of mortality. Yet a psychological account of such differences in behavioral responses to symbols of mortality is lacking. Across five studies (N = 1,590), we tested a psychological model that religious afterlife beliefs decrease behavioral avoidance of symbols of mortality (BASM) by developing and validating a word-position task for quantifying BASM. We showed evidence that religious believers, including Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists, exhibited decreased BASM relative to nonbelievers. We also provide evidence for a causal relationship between religious afterlife beliefs and reduced BASM. Our findings provide new insight into the functional role of religious afterlife beliefs in modulating human avoidance behavior in response to symbols of mortality.

Artificial intelligence for topic modelling in Hindu philosophy: Mapping themes between the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita.

The Upanishads are known as one of the oldest philosophical texts in the world that form the foundation of Hindu philosophy. The Bhagavad Gita is the core text of Hindu philosophy and is known as a text that summarises the key philosophies of the Upanishads with a major focus on the philosophy of karma. These texts have been translated into many languages and there exist studies about themes and topics that are prominent; however, there is not much done using language models which are powered by deep learning. In this paper, we use advanced language models such as BERT to provide topic modelling of the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. We then map those topics of the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads since it is well known that Bhagavad Gita summarizes the key messages in the Upanishads. We also analyse the distinct and overlapping topics amongst the texts and visualise the link of selected texts of the Upanishads with the Bhagavad Gita. Our results show very high similarity between the topics of these two texts with the mean cosine similarity of 73%. We find that out of the fourteen topics extracted from the Bhagavad Gita, nine of them have a cosine similarity of more than 70% with the topics of the Upanishads. We also find that topics generated by the BERT-based models show very high coherence when compared to the conventional models. Our best-performing model gives a coherence score of 73% on the Bhagavad Gita and 69% on the Upanishads. The visualization of the low-dimensional embeddings of these texts shows very clear overlapping themes among their topics adding another level of validation to our results.

The Urologist's Guide to Religion and Male Factor Fertility Treatment.

OBJECTIVES: To create a reference guide for six of the major U.S. religions for use by reproductive health specialists to provide patient-centered care for a culturally diverse patient population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We utilized primary source reviews of various religious texts and verified electronic databases to examine perspectives on use of, in vitro fertilization (IVF), intrauterine insemination (IUI), sterilization procedures such as vasectomy and tubal ligation, and surrogacy for six major U.S. religions: Catholicism, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, and Islam. Each statement of religious belief was either taken directly from primary source documents or cross-referenced across several secondary sources to ensure accuracy. Perspectives were compiled into a reference document and table for clinical use. RESULTS: Most religions have focused statements concerning assisted reproduction and vasectomy. While there are caveats for most religions, IVF and IUI are largely opposed only by the Catholic church, surrogacy is not permissible in the LDS Church, Catholic Church, and Islam, and vasectomy is not permissible for the Catholic Church, LDS Church, Judaism, and Islam. Similarly, tubal ligation is also not permitted for these religions with the exception of Judaism of which while vasectomy is considered a violation of the Torah, sterilization of a woman is not explicitly discussed in the old testament. Instead, a rabbinic decree states permanent female sterilization as against the views of the faith. The religions with the most lenient rules concerning reproduction and permanent contraception explored include Buddhism and Hinduism each of which have no reservations pertaining to IVF, IUI, surrogacy, or permanent sterilization. CONCLUSION: Religion often plays a significant role in patients' attitudes towards use of ART, permanent sterilization, and surrogacy. Familiarity with the religious beliefs and perspectives is important for the reproductive health specialist in order to provide appropriate counseling for their patients. IMPACT STATEMENT: A summative reference guide can help provide patient-centered care for reproductive health and family planning.

Beyond Turmeric and Yoga: Advance Care Planning and End-of-Life Considerations Among Asian Indian American Hindus.

Hinduism is the fourth largest religion in the United States; an understanding of Hindu beliefs and practices will help health care providers deliver culturally sensitive care while discussing advance care planning and end-of-life care for adult patients. For many Westerners, the practice of yoga, Ayurveda, and vegetarianism is used by people striving to live healthfully. However, what might be unfamiliar to Westerners is how for Hindus, these practices reflect their millennia-old spirituality and religiosity. Knowing the Hindu beliefs of atman, Brahman, karma, and moksha will help nurses connect to Hindus' various end-of-life wishes. In addition, getting familiar with interrelating factors such as lack of knowledge on palliative care and advance care planning, family dynamics, acculturation, and personal preferences will allow nurses to provide culturally competent care. By facilitating end-of-life conversations at an early stage, nurses can promote confidence and self-efficacy for patients who may fear that their religiosity and personal priorities are trivialized by acculturated family members or disregarded by their adopted homeland. This clinical article provides nurses with information about Asian Indian American Hindus' beliefs and practices, clinical implications for assessment, and suggestions to support patients' and families' end-of-life wishes.

Cross-National Comparison of Religion as a Predictor of COVID-19 Vaccination Rates.

We examined the effects of religiosity on COVID-19 vaccination rates using a cross-national comparison while controlling for socio-economic factors and culture. Our analysis, conducted on data from 90 countries representing 86% of the world population, showed that Christianity was negatively related to vaccination, while there was no relation with Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and nonbelief. The importance of religion, freedom of expression and belief, sex ratio, median age, and almost all cultural factors were not related to vaccination, whereas Human Development Index was. The influence of different religions on vaccination rates has also been described.

Perspectives of Major World Religions regarding Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: A Comparative Analysis.

Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (EPAS) are important contemporary societal issues and religious faiths offer valuable insights into any discussion on this topic. This paper explores perspectives on EPAS of the four major world religions, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism, through analysis of their primary texts. A literature search of the American Theological Library Association database revealed 41 relevant secondary texts from which pertinent primary texts were extracted and exegeted. These texts demonstrate an opposition to EPAS based on themes common to all four religions: an external locus of morality and the personal hope for a better future after death that transcends current suffering. Given that these religions play a significant role in the lives of billions of adherents worldwide, it is important that lawmakers consider these views along with conscientious objection in jurisdictions where legal EPAS occurs. This will not only allow healthcare professionals and institutions opposed to EPAS to avoid engagement, but also provide options for members of the public who prefer an EPAS-free treatment environment.

Playing God? Religious Perspectives on Manipulating the Genome.

The Human Genome Project (HGP) is a remarkable medical science breakthrough that enables the understanding of genetics and the intervention of human health. An individual's health is influenced by physical, emotional, social, intellectual, and religious factors. Among these, religious beliefs shape our thinking on cloning, stem cells, and gene editing, affecting healthcare decisions and the motivation for seeking treatment. Is the human genome sacred? Does editing it violate the idea that we're made in God's image or allow us to "play God"? Understanding the perspectives behind the fundamental religious doctrines of Islam, Christian, Hindu, and Buddhist on gene editing/therapy in somatic and germline cells would ensure a right balance between geneticists and theologians in providing the best healthcare while catering to individual beliefs.

'You don't just do it because someone else said so': Menstrual practices and women's agency in the Hindu diaspora of Trinidad.

Meanings of menstruation are deeply embedded in culture and religion. The current dominant narrative presents menstrual practices as restrictions and often describes Hindu women as 'subjected to' these practices, characterising them as the oppressed victims of their religion. This article seeks to complicate this oversimplified narrative by exploring women's motivations, choices and decisions related to menstrual practices in a small-scale study based on semi-structured interviews and focus groups with women in the Hindu-Trinidadian diaspora. Our findings indicate that the women we interviewed exercise agency in the cognitive, emotional, religious and socio-cultural spheres. Many of them accept the ritual 'impurity' but overwhelmingly restrict this label to the spiritual sphere and separate it from their menstruating bodies. Many reject the idea that the practices are restrictive or stigmatising. They do not understand religion as the source of menstrual stigma but instead value or accept menstrual practices as part of what it means to be a Hindu woman-motivated by religious observance and/or the desire to be part of a community that upholds tradition. These varied manifestations of women's agency challenge the understanding of menstrual practices as necessarily-and-always oppressive and call for acknowledging the nuance and complexity of women's lives.

Religious factors affecting death anxiety in older adults practicing Hinduism.

The aim of the study was to examine the influence of religion on death anxiety in older adults (N = 105) practicing Hinduism and visiting the Kumbh pilgrimage. Standardized questionnaires and brief interviews were administered in participants' native language. Pilgrims with higher religiosity had lower death anxiety compared to pilgrims with lower religiosity. Greater belief in the cycle of rebirth, an increased presence of meaning in life, and less continued search of meaning in life were significantly associated with lower death anxiety. The findings provide support for incorporating religious and spiritual awareness for older adults in community health settings.

End of Life Care Practices for Hindu Patients During COVID-19.

With coronavirus disease 2019, the risk of death has increased in the general population. In these unprecedented times and even otherwise, it is important for the health care professionals caring for Hindu patients to be aware of the end of life practices in Hinduism. There is limited information in the medical literature about traditions and practices followed in Hinduism which is observed by 15% of the world population. Hinduism is currently the third largest religion following Christianity and Islam. Based on Hindu beliefs about life, death, and reincarnation, we propose 10 end of life best practices for Hindu patients.

Extended Ecological Restoration of Bacterial Communities in the Godavari River During the COVID-19 Lockdown Period: a Spatiotemporal Meta-analysis.

The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has had major impact on human health worldwide. Whilst national and international COVID-19 lockdown and travel restriction measures have had widespread negative impact on economies and mental health, they may have beneficial effect on the environment, reducing air and water pollution. Mass bathing events (MBE) also known as Kumbh Mela are known to cause perturbations of the ecosystem affecting resilient bacterial populations within water of rivers in India. Lockdowns and travel restrictions provide a unique opportunity to evaluate the impact of minimum anthropogenic activity on the river water ecosystem and changes in bacterial populations including antibiotic-resistant strains. We performed a spatiotemporal meta-analysis of bacterial communities of the Godavari River, India. Targeted metagenomics revealed a 0.87-fold increase in the bacterial diversity during the restricted activity of lockdown. A significant increase in the resilient phyla, viz. Proteobacteria (70.6%), Bacteroidetes (22.5%), Verrucomicrobia (1.8%), Actinobacteria (1.2%) and Cyanobacteria (1.1%), was observed. There was minimal incorporation of allochthonous bacterial communities of human origin. Functional profiling using imputed metagenomics showed reduction in infection and drug resistance genes by - 0.71-fold and - 0.64-fold, respectively. These observations may collectively indicate the positive implications of COVID-19 lockdown measures which restrict MBE, allowing restoration of the river ecosystem and minimise the associated public health risk.

The Effect of Religious Dietary Cultures on Food Nitrogen and Phosphorus Footprints: A Case Study of India.

The excessive consumption of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), two vital nutrients for living organisms, is associated with negative environmental and health impacts. While food production contributes to a large amount of N and P loss to the environment, very little N and P is consumed as food. Food habits are affected by multiple regulations, including the dietary restrictions and dictates of various religions. In this study, religion-sensitive N-Calculator and P-Calculator approaches were used to determine the impact of religious dietary culture on the food N and P footprints of India in the major religious communities. Using 2013 data, the food N footprint of Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and Buddhists was 10.70, 11.45, 11.47, and 7.39 kg-N capita-1 year-1 (10.82 kg-N capita-1 year-1 was the national average), and the food P footprint was 1.46, 1.58, 1.04. and 1.58 kg-P capita-1 year-1 (1.48 kg-P capita-1 year-1 was the national average). The findings highlight the impact of individual choice on the N and P food footprints, and the importance of encouraging the followers of religion to follow a diet consistent with the food culture of that religion. The results of this study are a clear indication of the requirement for religion-sensitive analyses in the collecting of data pertinent to a particular country for use in making government policies designed to improve the recycling of food waste and the treatment of wastewater.

COVID-19, Moral Injury and the Bhagvad Gita.

During life challenging times like the present COVID-19 pandemic, the health care worker (HCW) is faced with a number of questions of an existential nature. There is a sense of guilt, anguish, helplessness, uncertainty and powerlessness when one is fighting something on such a powerful scale with limited resources and no definite end in sight. There are circumstances when these feelings can overwhelm a person leading to demoralization and potentially a moral injury. Spiritual practices and advice may help to deal with moral paradoxes and ethical dilemmas when other secular supports are undermined or inaccessible. The Holy Indian Epic, the Bhagvad Gita has described the moral distress of the warrior Arjuna, during the battle of Kurukshetra and the advice given to him by the Lord Krishna the gist of which can be encapsulated in the form of the four Ds- Detachment, Duty, Doer-ship and Dhyana or meditation. In this article, the authors explore how these concepts may be useful aids to the HCW faced with moral and psychological distress.