National Donor Sabbath
Sermon Ideas
Religious Views on Organ Donation
   
National Donor Sabbath is an annual celebration of the Gift of Life. It is observed around the country on the second weekend of November by faith-based communities. Over Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, places of worship dedicate programs towards remembering organ donors, celebrating the lives of organ recipients, and promoting the importance of organ and tissue donation. Naturally the California Transplant Donor Network supports these events.

Congregations are encouraged to support the efforts of National Donor Sabbath by including the topic of organ and tissue donation in their services and implementing other donor awareness activities during the weekend.

Oftentimes people are unaware that all major religions support organ and tissue donation as an honored and compassionate expression of generosity and love. National Donor Sabbath is an important opportunity to help save the lives of others by addressing such misconceptions and providing your community with the facts of your faith.

Currently over 89,000 people in the United States are on the waiting list for life-saving organ transplants and over 10% are in Northern California. Each day, an average of 20 people- one every 80 minutes- dies while waiting for organs.

As a leader in your religious community, you can play a vital role in the National Donor Sabbath observance by encouraging people to learn the facts about donation and to discuss their wishes with their families.

For more information on how to become involved in National Donor Sabbath, please contact us at 1-888-570-9400 or info@ctdn.org.

Donor Sabbath Speakers and Materials Information (PDF)
     
Here are some sermon ideas that will help you communicate the importance of sharing the Gift of Life.

Sermon Ideas (PDF)
     

Religion	Donation	Transplantation	Comments
AME and AME Zion (African Methodist Episcopal)	Encouraged	Supported	Organ and tissue donation is viewed as an act of charity and a form of neighborly love.
Amish	Acceptable, unless the transplant outcome is known to be questionable.	Acceptable, if for the welfare of transplant recipient.	The Amish will consent to transplantation if they know that it is for the health of the transplant recipient. Nothing in the Amish understanding of the Bible forbids them from using modern medical services, including surgery, hospitalization, dental work, anesthesia, blood transfusions or immunization.
Baha'i	Bahaists are permitted to donate their bodies for medical research and restorative purposes.	Acceptable, if prescribed by medical authorities.	None
Baptist	Individual decision	Accepted	Donation is considered an act of charity and the church leaves the decision to donate up to the individual.
Buddhist Church of America	Individual decision. The Church places a high value on compassionate acts.	Individual decision	The Buddhists believe that organ donation is a matter of individual conscience. They stress the importance of letting your loved ones know your decision.
Christian Scientist	Individual decision	Individual decision	The Church of Christ Scientist takes no specific position on transplants or organ donation as distinct from other medical or surgical procedures. Christian Scientists are free to choose whatever form of medical treatment they desire, including an organ transplant. The question of organ donation is the individual decision of church members.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon)	Individual decision	Individual decision	The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) believes that the decision to donate is an individual one made in conjunction with family, medical personnel, and prayer. They do not oppose donation.
Episcopal	Encouraged	Individual decision	The Episcopal Church recognizes the life-giving benefits of organ, blood, and tissue donation, and encourages all Christians to become donors as part of their ministry to help others in the name of Christ.
Evangelical Covenant	Acceptable	Acceptable	A resolution passed at the Evangelical Covenant Annual Meeting in 1982 encouraged members to sign and carry Organ Donor Cards. The resolution also recommended that pastors, teachers and counselors promote organ and tissue donation to their congregations.
Greek Orthodox Church	Not opposed if it will be better for human life.	No objection	According to Reverend Dr. Milton Efthimiou, Director of the Department of Church and Society for the Greek Orthodox Church of North and South America, "The Greek Orthodox Church is not opposed to organ donation as long as the organs and tissues in question are used to better human life, i.e. for transplantation or for research that will lead to improvements in the treatment and prevention of disease."
Gypsies	Generally opposed	Generally opposed	Gypsies are, on the whole, against organ donation. Gypsies do not have an exclusive religion but they share common folk beliefs which include the sanctity of a deceased person's body. Although they have no formal resolution, they oppose donation because they believe that the soul retraces its steps after death. The soul retains a physical shape and all body parts must be left intact.
Hinduism	Acceptable	Acceptable	Hindus are not prohibited from donating their organs, according to the Hindu Temple Society of North America. This is an individual decision
Islam	Acceptable	Acceptable	The religion of Islam believes in the principle of saving human lives. There is no policy against organ donation as long as it is done with respect for the deceased and for the benefit of the recipient.
Jehovah's Witness	May be considered acceptable	May be considered acceptable	According to the Watch Tower Society, the legal corporation for the religion, Jehovah's Witnesses do not encourage organ donation, but believe it is a matter for individual conscience. Although the group is often assumed to ban transplantation because it is against blood transfusion, it does not oppose donating or receiving organs. All organs and tissues, however, must be completely drained of blood before transplantation.
Judaism	Encouraged	Supported	Judaism teaches that saving human life takes precedence over maintaining the sanctity of the human body. All four branches of Judaism (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist) support and encourage donation.
Lutheran	Encouraged	Supported	The Lutheran Church believes that donation contributes to the well-being of humanity and is an expression of love of one's neighbor. According to a 1984 Lutheran Church of America resolution, the Church encourages its members to sign donor cards, inform their families and make any legal arrangements necessary in support of donation.
Pentecostal	Individual decision	Individual decision	None
Presbyterian	Encouraged	Supported	The Presbyterian Church encourages donation and respects the individual's right to make their own decision concerning their body.
Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)	Acceptable. Individual decision.	Acceptable. Individual decision.	None
Roman Catholic Church	Acceptable	Acceptable	Catholics view organ donation as an act of charity, fraternal love and self sacrifice. Transplants are ethically and morally acceptable to the Vatican.
Seventh Day Adventist	Strongly encouraged	Strongly encouraged	The Seventh-Day Adventist Church strongly supports donation and transplantation. They have a number of transplant hospitals throughout the country, including Loma Linda Hospital in Southern California.
Shinto	Not supported	Unclear	The Shinto religion does not support organ and tissue donation because any act of dissection is regarded as injurious to the body of the dead.
Unitarian Universalist	Acceptable	Acceptable; no restriction when the patient and the physician believe the operation will be of benefit to the patient	None
United Methodist	Encouraged	Supported	The United Methodist Church encourages organ and tissue donation. It is part of their ministry to help others in the name of Christ. Signing and carrying donor cards is viewed as a testament to their commitment aid those in need.