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Assignment questions
NursingResearch paperHealthcare ethics

Understanding death and dying: worldview analysis

The instruction to choose a faith unfamiliar to you is the assignment, not a suggestion. Comparing Christianity with the tradition you grew up beside produces the easy paper, and the easy paper is not what is being asked for.

Editorial process

Last reviewed · August 15, 2026

01

Choose an unfamiliar faith, as instructed

Read the constraint on the second faith as binding: it must be one unfamiliar to you, and the examples offered — Sikhism, Baha'i, Buddhism, Shintoism — are chosen because they are unlikely to be the reader's own. The point is that a worldview analysis of a tradition you already hold requires no analysis, while the unfamiliar one forces you to reconstruct a system of belief from its own premises rather than from your assumptions about it. Take the worldview questions from Chapter 2 of Called to Care and answer each one for both faiths rather than describing the religions in general: what is prime reality, what is a human being, what happens at death, what is the basis of morality, what gives life meaning. Answering the same set of questions twice is what makes the analysis comparative rather than two essays side by side, which is the commonest way this paper goes wrong.

Then the ethical analysis of George's situation, which has to follow from the worldviews rather than sit beside them. That means showing how each tradition's answers about the nature of the person, the meaning of suffering and what happens at death generate a particular view of his decision. A Christian framework typically holds that life is a gift and suffering can be redemptive, while distinguishing killing from allowing to die and leaving room for declining burdensome treatment. Buddhism's account of impermanence, attachment and intention leads to a different reading of the same act. Present each faith's position through its own reasoning, resist flattening either into a rule, and be explicit where the two disagree — the marks are in the comparison. Close as the assignment asks, with your own reflection, and keep it distinct from the analysis: a paper that argues for one tradition throughout and reveals it only at the end has not been comparative. Fifteen hundred to two thousand words.

Likely learning objectives

Inferred from the brief — check these against your own rubric.

  • 01
    Reconstruct an unfamiliar worldview from its own premises rather than from assumption.
  • 02
    Answer a fixed set of worldview questions for two traditions to enable comparison.
  • 03
    Derive an ethical position from a worldview rather than asserting one.
  • 04
    Separate comparative analysis from personal conviction.
Assignment instructionsQuoted verbatim

Read the full question

Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.

Discussion Understanding Death and Dying Discussion Discussion: Understanding Death and Dying Discussion The practice of health care providers at all levels brings you into contact with people from a variety of faiths. This calls for knowledge and acceptance of a diversity of faith expressions. The purpose of this paper is to complete a comparative ethical analysis of George’s situation and decision from the perspective of two worldviews or religions: Christianity and a second religion of your choosing. For the second faith, choose a faith that is unfamiliar to you. Examples of faiths to choose from include Sikh, Baha’i, Buddhism, Shintoism, etc. In your comparative analysis, address all of the worldview questions in detail for Christianity and your selected faith. Refer to Chapter 2 of Called to Care for the list of questions. Once you have outlined the worldview of each religion, begin your ethical analysis from each perspective. Understanding Death and Dying Discussion In a minimum of 1,500-2,000 words, provide an ethical analysis based upon the different belief systems, reinforcing major themes with insights gained from your research, and answering the following questions based on the research: How would each religion interpret the nature of George’s malady and suffering? Is there a “why” to his disease and suffering? (i.e., is there a reason for why George is ill, beyond the reality of physical malady?) Discussion Understanding Death and Dying Discussion In George’s analysis of his own life, how would each religion think about the value of his life as a person, and value of his life with ALS? What sorts of values and considerations would each religion focus on in deliberating about whether or not George should opt for euthanasia? Given the above, what options would be morally justified under each religion for George and why? Finally, present and defend your own view. Support your position by referencing at least three academic resources (preferably from the GCU Library) in addition to the course readings, lectures, the Bible, and the textbooks for each religion. Each religion must have a primary source included. A total of six references are required according to the specifications listed above. Incorporate the research into your writing in an appropriate, scholarly manner. Understanding Death and Dying Discussion. Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is required. This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion. You are required to submit this assignment to Turnitin. Please refer to the directions in the Student Success Center.
02

Turn the brief into deliverables

  1. 01
    A 1,500-2,000 word comparative paper.
  2. 02
    All the Chapter 2 worldview questions answered for both faiths.
  3. 03
    An ethical analysis of George's decision from each perspective.
  4. 04
    Explicit identification of where the two disagree.
  5. 05
    A distinct personal reflection, with APA citations.
03

Two worldviews, then the ethical analysis

01

Christianity's worldview answers

Work through the Chapter 2 questions for the Christian tradition.

02

The second faith's worldview answers

Answer the same questions for the unfamiliar tradition, from its own premises.

03

Ethical analysis from the Christian perspective

Derive a position on George's decision from the answers just given.

04

Ethical analysis from the second perspective

Do the same for the unfamiliar tradition.

05

Comparison and reflection

Name agreements and disagreements, then state your own position separately.

04

Sources on the worldview questions and end-of-life ethics

Recommended databases

  • Chapter 2 of Called to Care
  • Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
  • PubMed Central for end-of-life ethics
  • Primary sources or scholarly introductions to your second faith

Search sequence

  1. 1.
    Take the worldview question list from the chapter first and use it as your structure.
  2. 2.
    Read a scholarly introduction to the second faith rather than a comparative-religion summary.
  3. 3.
    Look for that tradition's own writing on death and medical decisions if any is available in translation.
  4. 4.
    Search the bioethics literature for the killing-versus-allowing distinction, which both analyses will need.
05

Reference shortlist

These are authoritative starting points, not a ready-made bibliography. A qualified reviewer must confirm that each source fits the assignment and supports the claim beside which it is cited.

Nothing here is cleared for citation until you have read it.

  1. 01

    Death

    Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy · 2024

    Philosophical treatment of death and its significance, which underlies both traditions' answers.

  2. 02

    Deontological Ethics

    Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy · 2020

    A framework for the duty-based reasoning one of the two positions is likely to rest on.

  3. 03

    2025 Code of Ethics for Nurses

    American Nurses Association · 2025

    The professional obligation to respect a patient's worldview, which is why the paper exists.

  4. 04

    Ethics and governance of artificial intelligence for health

    World Health Organization · 2021

    Service-level framing for care that respects belief, relevant to the practical implications section.

06

Review before submission

Common mistakes

  • Choosing a second faith you already know well, which the instruction rules out.
  • Describing the two religions instead of answering the worldview questions for each.
  • Reducing a tradition to a rule about the act rather than presenting its reasoning.
  • Letting a personal position colour the analysis of both faiths.
  • Writing two parallel essays with no comparison between them.

Submission checklist

  • Is the second faith genuinely unfamiliar to you?
  • Have you answered every Chapter 2 worldview question for both?
  • Does each ethical position follow from that faith's own premises?
  • Have you named where the two disagree?
  • Is your own reflection kept separate from the analysis?

Use this guide to plan and review your own work. Follow your institution's rules and read our academic-integrity policy.

Written by

Aaron Bishop

MA, Education

assignment interpretation and research-methods coaching across disciplines

Aaron leads the EssayCrackers editorial desk. He works on how assignment briefs are read — what a rubric is actually asking for, and where students most often answer a different question than the one set.

Reviewed by

Dr. Nathan Cole

PhD, Rhetoric & Composition

Argumentation and thesis development

Nathan teaches first-year composition and directs a university writing center. He reviews EssayCrackers guides for argumentative soundness and citation accuracy.

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