The Christian idea that humans are formed in the image of God, or imago Dei, supports the worth and dignity of every human being just by virtue of their existence. The claim that the imago Dei, as the Shadow of God, is present in all of creation compel us to delve farther and deeper into the topic of imago Dei, because such an understanding has far-reaching consequences for our current view of human beings’ place in creation. In light of this, it has implications for our understanding of the meaning of life within the larger context of creation, as well as how we respond to the living world with which we share life (Rabie-Boshoff & Buitendag, 2021). 

According to Orr (2015), We should try to alleviate suffering. We should make efforts to cure or control disease. When at all possible, we should try to avoid death. But, at the end of the day, we are all finite. We are not obligated to use disproportionate measures to prevent death when the burdens of continued life make it impossible for us to carry out God’s purpose. Unfortunately, we tend to overuse the term “miracle,” as in “miracle drugs,” “miraculous survival,” and so on. In my experience, true divine interventions are rare. But God can do such things if He so desires. Furthermore, He does not require our machines or procedures to perform His miracles. Many religious health care professionals consider the work we do to be a ministry to those in need. God has given us liberty and expects us to make decisions about how to use our abilities and resources. In modern medicine, the timing of death is frequently a matter of choice. The time a patient dies can vary depending on whether we use cardiopulmonary resuscitation, ventilator support, dialysis, one more round of chemotherapy, antibiotics, or a feeding tube. Our imperfect efforts at individual and social justice must strive to always reflect God’s perfect justice. However, justice entails receiving what we are due. We should also strive to reflect His mercy (not getting what we deserve) and grace in a Christian context (getting what we do not deserve). This was a great article with valuable understanding for me. The importance of patient spirituality in treatment and healing is becoming more widely recognized in modern Western medicine. This is especially important when it comes to addressing and resolving dilemmas in bedside medical ethics. As a result, clinicians must understand how to obtain, and be comfortable with obtaining, a patient’s spiritual history in a nonintrusive manner. Health care professionals must also recognize when their own values create dilemmas in their medical practice and be able to deal with issues that may arise from their own right of conscience (Orr, 2015).