title: Religious insistence on medical treatment. Christian theology and re-imagination.
abstract: Families and surrogates sometimes use religious themes to justify their insistence on aggressive end-of-life care. Their hope that "God will work a miracle" can halt negotiations with health care professionals and lead to litigation. The possibility of "re-imagining" religious themes, to broaden their scope and present a wider vision of the Christian tradition, may offer a solution.
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Connors
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D001293:Attitude to Death; D002835:Christianity; D003469:Culture; D004989:Ethics; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D013677:Medical Laboratory Science / Q000639:trends; D033262:Narration; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D012068:Religion and Medicine; D040841:Resource Allocation; D012935:Social Justice; D012945:Social Values; D013727:Terminal Care; D028725:Theology; D028761:Withholding Treatment; D014944:World Health Organization