Praying nurses

[ciphergoth]

Nurse suspended without pay for offering to pray for a patient during a home visit - what do you think?

(Snowed in today, trying to work from home but it's not really a workplace atmosphere around here today :-)

Updated: the patient is described as a Christian in the article. One wonders if this means Christian as in really a Christian, or "Christian I suppose" which AFAICT is the majority religion of the UK. Updated: actually "have Christian beliefs myself" is more like the phrasing I'd expect from someone who takes it seriously.

Comments

[mooism.livejournal.com]

The patient is a Christian, so I see no problem with the nurse's conduct.

[ciphergoth.livejournal.com]

What does it say that the patient themselves didn't see it that way (and in fact declined the offer)?

[mooism.livejournal.com]

What I mean is: The nurse is Christian, and the patient is Christian, so Christian rules of appropriateness should apply, which I, as an atheist, am not qualified to judge.

[ciphergoth.livejournal.com]

Er, as if there was one Christian set of rules on these things! It clearly didn't meet the patient's standard of appropriateness, since we know they complained.

[alextiefling.livejournal.com]

Indeed! Whilst I'd be touched if I was in a bad way and someone offered to pray for me, I'd find it slightly bothersome from a health professional, and if it kept happening, or it was a hindrance to proper care, I'd rather it weren't done, or at least weren't mentioned.

My arm of the church doesn't put too much emphasis on the power of prayer; God is expected to be a comfort to the afflicted, not a panacea. If I thought my boils (or whatever) were going to be discussed in the nurse's ex tempore prayer meeting, I might well object on the basis of patient confidentiality.