Nurse suspended for prayer offer

reply to post by The Last Man on Earth

That is ridiculous what happened to the nurse. I'm an atheist, and this still disgusts me. It was an OFFER of prayer, not a forced one. No one should be penalized for asking a question.

Originally posted by flyindevil
No one should be penalized for asking a question.

What if the question is, "Would you like to see my butt"?

A blanket statement about asking an innocent question does not apply. The nurse had been warned by her employer. If she didn't want to comply, she should have gotten another job.

reply to post by Benevolent Heretic

What if the question is, "Would you like to see my butt"?

Good point seems like no one has thought of that.
I've just got off the phone to the newspaper and it seems that her employers have finished their investigation. She will now be publicly flogged and be demoted to a hygiene operative, if the jesugod wants the flogging stopped that's all she has to do is pray.

reply to post by Wotan

Most people with an ounce of common sense know that religion and politics are taboo subjects that should only be broached in the company of good friends ........ certainly not with patients/clients.

You've gotten right to the point there. Common sense is typically in very short supply amongst people obsessed with their religion -- doesn't matter what religion it is. They are damned and determined to convince anyone they can -- especially the needy or vulnerable that their God's salvation is required. Mind you, they do it for their own salvation mainly, but that's another thread I think.

i feel like a certain portion of the modern atheists are the new inquisitors.

Originally posted by NightoftheComet
Did aqnyone ever think that the current social problems we have are because of liberlization of our society and the condemnation of the faithful? I think it has been a major contributor to the problems we see today in our society. Maybe if so many didn't try to remove religous teachign, we might have a more stable society.

just a thought.

Oh no! Is this sarcasm, or delusion? I'm not too sure which way to interpret this. If it's sarcasm, them lol. If you're serious..well...
It would seem that you equate liberalism and irreligiousness with the decrepit function of our society. Very wrong. As an example, I will cite Japan - a nation of over 110 million people. The vast majority of which are atheist, yet they enjoy one of the lowest crime rates of any nation.
Another factor to consider is the religious basis of criminals within the penal system; the vast majority of which are christian - way over the percentage that they occupy in the civillian world. You would naturally expect the figures in the penal system to equate to the outside world - but they don't.
Perhaps the 'religious' are just hypocrites who use the diminishing of faith as a scapegoat for the ills of the world?

Originally posted by moocowman
reply to post by Benevolent Heretic

 

What if the question is, "Would you like to see my butt"?

Good point seems like no one has thought of that.
I've just got off the phone to the newspaper and it seems that her employers have finished their investigation. She will now be publicly flogged and be demoted to a hygiene operative, if the jesugod wants the flogging stopped that's all she has to do is pray.

lol if they did publicly scorn her for it whomever does over the news/papers they are going to be in for a rude awakening.

Nurses do this all the time. Last time I was dieing I had 2 nurses that didn't even offer they just did when I regained consciousness and told them to stop they freaked cause they were sure I was dead.

Society is just filling up more and more every day with all these religious racist nut bags who think if someone prays it's the end of the world. Sad part ias these people are more nutty than the religious nuts. At least the religious nuts abide by some humane rules in their following. These nut bags just want to claim offense and get people fired or sue them for infringing on their personal rights.

[edit on 2-2-2009 by Darthorious]

if that nurse had really cared about the lady and wasn't just trying to strike a conversation or seeking recognition for a good deed done, she would have just said the prayer silently to herself. I'm just sayin....

I am not a religious person, I am anti fanatic, I believe that a personal belief is often required by many to keep sanity in this mad world by many, just to try and make sense of all the madness. One should always respect the thoughts and beliefs of others. There are many religions around the world. England has lost the plot. It now seems fashionable to bash minorities in a fascist manner.

I nearly died a few years ago, ended up in a hospital run by a certain religion and nuns and nurses wandering around in there is the norm.

While I was sitting in my bed, with multiple plastic tubes coming from my chest and morphine drip in arm, I spotted a chap roaming around wearing a brown robe, (ha ha, like in a Robin Hood movie) I got out of bed and dragged my trolley drip bag holder along plus the chest drainage container to speak with him. I said to him he reminded me of where I used to live, he asked "And where was that?", I told him, and added that they were Franciscan monks and I often visited a farm next door. I remembered how at 7 am every morning the bell would ring and I sometimes spotted a procession of robed monks, feeding chickens and doing other work.
A huge grin appeared on his face. Yes, that is where I am from, I am a Franciscan monk from XXXXX. Well, we had a good old chat. It was an excellent discovery as far as I was concerned.

There is nothing wrong with offering good wishes to someone, different cultures and beliefs do it in different ways.

I also just found older folks, are being pulled up for calling folks 'love' and 'deary'.

??
They have really lost the plot, these folks are from another time, and that is how they were taught to speak, if the idiots around now can't figure that out, that's there problem, not the old folks.

I call people MATE, I am NOT changing the way I have always spoken to suit some pimple faced #e.

This is ridiculous. I'm an atheist and i wouldn't have taken offense at this. I would of just thanked her and carried on reading or whatever i was up to. I can't help but think some people are always trying to get a case they can sue over.

What if the nurse asked, "May I offer a prayer for you" and the patient agreed. . .

Then the nurse began doing some Scientology mumbo jumbo?

Or, petitioning Lucifer to bring his dark forces to vanquish the demons wreaking havoc on her?

What if she asked the Flying Spaghetti Monster to touch the patient with his noodly appendage?

Would you object when her employer fired her, even though it was offered for comfort?

The fact is that if you have no problem with a "Christian" offering a prayer for the sick, then you must also allow anyone of any faith -- no matter how offensive or ridiculous -- to do the same thing without reprisal.

Still think it's okay?

reply to post by Sara1


"It's news like this that makes people scared to talk to anyone anymore. People read this and think, oh, prayer is offensive to people eh! Well, I better report anyone who mentions the word prayer at all from now on, even if it doesn't offend me, but just in case someone else is offended. That makes me a good watchdog, uhh I mean citizen!
Goodbye free speech."

Well said.


(image courtesy of FreeThoughtPedia)

Sorry I did not see this earlier:

As a nurse myself It is my duty nay my obligation as one to render care without prejudice. That may also include shelving my beliefs etc. if its in the best interest of my patient. This also includes not advertising them either. The patient is the #1 priority

Unless she worked in a religious based hospital (They do exist with nursing Nuns) then she had no business asking. If the patient asked then yes by all means but not the other way around.

reply to post by VelmaLu


Well as i don't believe there is a god or any kind of prayer or incantation that can achieve anything i would happily let them do as they like as long as they don't harm me. I would just be polite and humour them, wouldn't hurt to do that.

Even a Satanic prayer? Or a prayer that you would see that you're being deceived and that the light of truth might descend upon you and make you whole again?

Originally posted by VelmaLu
Even a Satanic prayer? Or a prayer that you would see that you're being deceived and that the light of truth might descend upon you and make you whole again?

What difference does it make to which god they pray to, at the end of the day there is no evidence (other than anecdotal) of praying having any effect on a a patient let alone the terminally ill.


At the end of the day if xtians want to prove their case of the benefit of prayer, surely one of the billion or so xtians could nip into this hospital and regenerate an amputated limb or cure the cancer of a dying child.

Until this is done xtian prayer is nothing more than exclusionary magic wand shaking, rune reading mumbo jumbo juju.

Perhaps the sensible answer to this religious madness is, when we go out the door to work, we should leave our religious beliefs behind it.
Perhaps the world could start becoming a better place without superstitious fear mongering.

Because it is offensive.

Not a one line post, by any means.


[edit on 3-2-2009 by VelmaLu]

Originally posted by VelmaLu
Because it is offensive.

It's offensive to wish someone gets well and to believe you can have some influence on that outcome? I'm an atheist and i find this comment silly.

If we start censoring good will then we can extend it further to other beliefs and even normal worldly concerns. It's offensive for racists to voice their opinions but it's their right to hold those opinions and voice them. It's offensive to have someone deny the holocaust but it's their right to voice that opinion. It's offensive of a woman to proclaim all men are disgusting pigs, but it's her right to do so.

If you start saying that anything offensive cannot be voiced then you will end up reducing free speech to a defined dictionary that is only a few pages in length. I cannot see how this woman was offensive when she was simply wishing a patient the best of luck and offering her hopes that she would get better. This nurse honestly believed that her prayers would help this patient. I don't believe they can help the patient but if i were that patient i would nod my head and be grateful for this empathy shown.

As an atheist i find this entire situation ridiculous.

If I am in hospital the last thing I need is freaks offering me quakery - I am there for modern science NOT 2000 year old VOODOO the place for this type of garbage is in the CHURCH !

When will these loonie cult followers learn to keep their whack job ideas to themselves.

reply to post by audas


You would get medicine regardless of the prayers this nurse offered. Would it really cause you severe psychological distress to have this nurse offer you her best will to get better? If it would then i suggest it is you with the problem and not the nurse.