Sevensky R L
South Med J. 1981 Jun;74(6):745-50.
Religion serves at least three functions for the sick or dying patient. (1) It provides a theoretical framework in which to make sense of illness and mortality by understanding them as punishment, education, purification, sacrifice, or mystery, and it does so without denying the reality of these experiences. (2) It provides such practical resources for coping with sickness, suffering, and mortality as prayer, social support, and ritual actions aimed at forgiveness, transcendence, and healing. (3) It gives hope in the face of inevitable death. The particular clinical benefits of religion, both physical and psychologic, as well as its possible distortions, are known anecdotally. Empirical studies are needed to test these impressions.
宗教至少为患病或濒死的患者发挥三种作用。（1）它提供了一个理论框架，通过将疾病和死亡理解为惩罚、教化、净化、牺牲或奥秘，从而理解这些经历，且并不否认这些经历的真实性。（2）它提供了应对疾病、痛苦和死亡的实际资源，如祈祷、社会支持以及旨在宽恕、超越和治愈的仪式行为。（3）它在面对不可避免的死亡时给予希望。宗教在生理和心理方面的具体临床益处以及其可能存在的扭曲，只是传闻所知。需要进行实证研究来检验这些印象。
