Nurse suspended for prayer offer

[Delts]

Wow, I agree with everything redcelt said.

Also, it was the atheist clowns who caused the holocaust

[Haunted]

I'll attempt to rescue this thread.

Her employers are quite right to ask that she refrain from bringing her personal convictions to her profession. It has come to light that she's obviously decided to ignore their (perhaps originally, polite) requests and her employers are left with little choice. Sacking seems extreme, but if she just plainly refuses to drop the issue then what else can be done?

It's also worthy of note that of the few scientific studies done into the healing powers of prayer, the control groups that are aware they are being prayed for do worse (medically) than other groups. Possibly due to the psychological stress of "oh I must really be buggered if they have to pray for me".

Also, I'd personally prefer to be treated by someone who didn't believe in magic.

[Frank]

Haunted, I keep getting into repetetive situations on the powers of the placebo, prayer and faith healing. Namely: I disagree routinely with my medic chum who insists faith healing is alright as a placebo. Regardless of this, do you have a link or pointer to these studies? I'm hopeless at finding specific studies...

On the prayer

Well, even when I was heartily religious, I always found the "I'll say a prayer for you" to be quite condescending. It might be meant in 'good faith', but it carries alot of other baggage with it. I hardly think the nurse in question should be sacked...but then if really persisting...

[elyettoner]

If someone says they're going to pray for me I find it reassuring, not worrying. I wouldn't take it to mean that I'm stuffed and won't get better any other way. I can't imagine any reasonable person being offended by this; it's like the banning of the Three Little Pigs in a local school back home for fear of offending Muslims; the local Muslims were perplexed at move.

To look at the results of scientific tests regarding praying for patients from a Christian perspective for a moment: the results may be inconclusive or show that the condition of those prayed for gets worse, but does the Bible not say we shouldn't test God? Thus I would have thought he'd be unlikely to respond given that he is clearly being disobeyed.

[Delts]

I fail to see any connection to the three pigs what so ever, but meh.

And with regards to people not being offended, like I said before, do it without telling them and there is no way for them to be offended since they didn't know. Tell them and people who don't like hearing about your imaginary friend may well be (in extreme cases, mildly irritated in others). The simple lesson here was the nurse should have stfu'd and just prayed for everyone without telling them. It would have been the most Christian thing to do and she would have not been in this situation and there is no chance of causing offence.

Keep your superstitions to yourself, simple.

[Frank]

but does the Bible not say we shouldn't test God? Thus I would have thought he'd be unlikely to respond given that he is clearly being disobeyed.

How're we to know about it if we aren't testing it, hmm?

[Humphrey]

Given my experiences so far with the NHS, I think i'm going to need all the help I can get when I next go into hospital. Hence I shall be getting my nearest and dearest to sacrifice goats and read their entrails, whip themselves with chains, and to pray facing Mecca and Jesrusalem in quick succession.

[Haunted]

Regardless of this, do you have a link or pointer to these studies? I'm hopeless at finding specific studies...

This news article has the references at the bottom
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 133554.htm

[Haunted]

ATTENTION THREAD!

Mad Mel is on the case, prepare for fail in 3....2....1...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/artic ... -dies.html

[the Empress]

So I read the article above ''It is but the latest in a growing line of incidents where people find themselves singled out for opprobrium for expressing their Christian faith. . . .the Relate counsellor who was sacked for refusing to give sex counselling to homosexuals; and the woman who was forced to stand down from an adoption panel because she disapproved of gay adoption.'

Those sackings seem reasonable to me!! I don't see how religion should have come into any of that.

"It is hard not to reach the dismal conclusion that a society faced with violence in pursuit of the goal of overturning Christian values and conquering Britain for Islam turns tail and runs away - while at the same time coming down like a ton of bricks on any expression of those Christian values which underpin British society, in the interests of ‘equality and diversity’."

I'm not a Christian. Most of the people I know are non-religous. Should I be afraid then that *Christianity* is attempting to 'conquer Britain'.

I don't see why the praying nurse should be fired, but certainly a warning if there has been a complaint. I would be annoyed if a nurse offered to pray for me or my family. It would smack of smugness and imply that you're screwed or sound pitying rather than empathetic (regardless of the motivation of the nurse). But I wouldn't complain to her employer, I'd just refuse and make my feelings clear. Sometimes people think they're expressing empathy but have got it all wrong. I worked with a woman who remarked 'we accidently sold the cabinet twice. The woman was so disappointed. Poor thing. And she's in a wheelchair'. I had to bite my tongue, because of course she was disappointed, you sold it twice idiot. But that has *nothing to do with her being in a wheelchair*; it's not like owning a cabinet was *her only joy*. Sheesh.