highwaystar101 said:
But I think that offering to pray during work hours is just as bad, it's shows a religious bias, regardless of if anything is done or not. In place of medicine religious bias can cause major trouble. This is because different religions have different thoughts about medicine. For example, if I was a Jehovas witness and a surgeon, I could not go into surgery everyday and refuse to do half of them because according to my religion blood tranfusions are unholy, it will just cause problems. Another example, if a patient was christian and the doctor was hindu, it would not mix in a place of medicine. Could you imagine a hindu doctor telling a christian patient that they may get better if they start being nicer due to karma, but if not never mind, you will be reincarnated. That would make a christians head explode. I know tehse examples are more extreme than the nurse, but that is why the rule is in effect, you have to be strict, give em an inch and they take a mile. And further more, my girlfriend is a third year medicine student and jewish (not a big one mind). When she goes to hosital every morning she leaves that at the door and she becomes a godless doctor, the way it should be. There is no problem with faith outside a place of medcine, but inside, offering faith is a step too far.
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Religious bias could cause trouble in medicine, yes, but prayer cannot. Prayer is a differnt ballpark than beliefs, or other praxis of religion, since it's rather universal in it's execution.
Having said that, I find it very sad that your girlfriend leaves God at the door at work. When you are in the medical profession, some of what you do is motivated by caring for your patients. I worked in the medical field as well. I understand the fine line - your there to care for the patients not to convert them - *but* at the same time, you do find a lot of patients that are very receptive to the opportunity of prayer. I can't remember how many people I prayed with, or told them I'd pray for them out of the patients I cared for while being in the medical field. Of course, you have to be sensitive about it - I never talked about religion unless the patient mentioned it first.
Again, I think there's more to this story before we pass judgement on the nurse, as well as the patient. The nurse may have indeed stepped over the boundaries by forcing prayer on a patient. However, she may have casually mentioned it to a very bitter person, and that person took advantage of it by attempting to ruin her career.
I'm sure, however, there are plenty of nursing homes that have heard of this story, and are willing to take the nurse in due to this. So good may come of it.
Back from the dead, I'm afraid.
