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The Problem of Theodicy and Religious Response to Cancer

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Abstract

The authors studied the religious response to cancer in a group of hematology/ oncology-clinic patients. Method: Patients (N = 45) were surveyed with a self-report questionnaire. Five items were designed to reflect the five major categories of theodicy or modes of reconciling suffering with a morally good God. Results: Of the 45 patients, in response to their illness, 67% (N = 30) increased amount of prayer, 51% (N = 23) gained faith, and 16% (N = 7) increased the frequency of church attendance. The majority of patients across all levels of religious belief endorse a theodicy that claims God has a reason for their suffering, but this reason cannot be explained or understood. Conclusions: Religious cancer patients intensify their religious belief and practice in response to their illness. Despite the elusiveness of an explanation for their suffering in religious terms, patients remain confident in their faith.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for the Study of Bioethics at the, Medical College of, Wisconsin

    Vincent D. Moschella (Adjunct faculty and clinical ethics consultant)

  2. Department of Family Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA

    Kristin R. Pressman (House staff physician)

  3. Department of Internal Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA

    Peter Pressman (House staff physician)

  4. Soros Foundation, USA

    David E. Weissman (Faculty scholar in the Project on Death in America)

Authors
  1. Vincent D. Moschella
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  2. Kristin R. Pressman
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  3. Peter Pressman
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  4. David E. Weissman
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Moschella, V.D., Pressman, K.R., Pressman, P. et al. The Problem of Theodicy and Religious Response to Cancer. Journal of Religion and Health 36, 17–20 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1027432730591

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