Health, Rights, and Culture:

Lois Joy Armstrong

doi:10.15566/cjgh.v6i1.269

Health, Rights, and Culture

Reflections on the meanings of the word "rights" from a cross cultural health worker

Lois Joy Armstrong Duncan Hospital, Bihar, India

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15566/cjgh.v6i1.269

Keywords: Rights, health, culture

Abstract

Crossing cultures challenges the way one thinks about health and rights. Cultural anthropology provides a framework that helps clarify these issues by categorising cultures by their dominant method of governing behaviour and maintaining social order: 1. Guilt-Innocence cultures, 2. Honour-Shame cultures and 3. Fear-Power cultures. Rights do not easily fit in either Honour-Shame cultures or Fear-Power cultures as compared to Guilt-Innocence cultures.

Jesus uses Honour-Shame language in his teachings regarding the care of the poor and neglected, rather than the language of rights. Understanding the culture of the Bible, as well as the culture you are working in, can help provide alternate methods of carrying out health work. Jesus also addresses greed, the deceptive trap of rights, where people always want more. In the book of Revelation, there is one right available to all who have clean robes - the right to the Tree of Life; the leaves of this tree provide healing of for all nations.

Author Biography

Lois Joy Armstrong, Duncan Hospital, Bihar, India

BSc, MPHTM, Research Co-ordinator. Epidemiology and Research Dept

References

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Wells, R. My rights, My God. London: Monarch; 2000.

Grunlan, SA, and Myers MK. Cultural Anthropology – A Christian Perspective. Second Edition. Grand Rapids: Zondervan; 1988.

Benedict, R. The Chrysanthemum and the Sword. USA; Houghton Mifflin; 1946.

Georges J and Baker MD. Ministering in Honour-Shame Cultures – Biblical Foundations and Practical Essentials. IVP Illinois, 2016.

Hughes D and Bennett M. God of the Poor. OM Publishing; 1998.

Battacharji S, Low-Cost Effective Care Unit, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India, in Home of a Healing God Video (2007) http://www.cmch-vellore.edu/Gallery.aspx?pid=MAINALBUM

Speth G. In conversation with host Steve Curwood. First aired on February 13, 2015. http://winewaterwatch.org/2016/05/we-scientists-dont-know-how-to-do-that-what-a-commentary/ Accessed 21 Nov 2018.

Williams D. Introducing the Pain-Pleasure Worldview. https://au.thegospelcoalition.org/article/introducing-pain-pleasure-worldview/ Accessed 20/11/18

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Published

2019-05-31

How to Cite

Armstrong, L. J. (2019). Health, Rights, and Culture: Reflections on the meanings of the word "rights" from a cross cultural health worker. Christian Journal for Global Health, 6(1), 64-69. https://doi.org/10.15566/cjgh.v6i1.269

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Issue

Vol. 6 No. 1 (2019): Global Health, Rights, and Justice

Section

Commentaries

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.