Mystical Angels - Should doctors be allowed to offer prayer to their patients?

Should doctors be allowed to offer prayer to their patients?

Following this article... http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/jun/29/doctors-can-pray-for-patients What do you think? Should doctors be allowed to offer prayer and spiritual support to their patients, or should they be focusing on their job - actual physical healing?

Public Comments

They should focus on their job, and should know better than to believe that prayer actually works.
They should be allowed to offer it, that is very kind and thoughtful and it shows that they care.
Focus on their job, its sick to think that someone who went through all that schooling is still dumb enough to believe that prayer works.
No. They should make patients aware that they can organise 'spiritual' support if the patients so desire, but the doctors themselves should keep out of it.
No, doctors should not be offering this service, this is for priests and sisters.
If the doctor and patient are of the same religion, and the patient wants a prayer said, then I don't see why not. I wouldn't want some random stranger praying for me though, even if it's to get better.
NO. Definitely not. It gives a very clear message that your number is well and truly up. They can do nothing more so just die already. And they have known the cause and cures for ALL diseases decades ago. Its more profitable to use dangerous drugs and surgeries and let people die in agony. http://www.ash-info.com/ASH%20RESEARCH%20GUIDE%20-%20UPDATED%20-%201-%20Melinda%20-%20The%20pH%20Advantage.pdf Practicing Shaman... quantum physics rocks.
It would probably frighten a lot of people to death if their doctor said they were going to pray for a patient. It would be like saying a miracle is the only hope you have got. I think that we should all stick with our own job. If a doctor, nurse or other care worker wants to pray for a patient then they do not need to advertise the fact. Some people are religious and might appreciate it, but I do not think that hospitals should even ask the religion of a patient and medical staff should be told to keep their religious views to themselves.
I'm aware of this nurse's case. The issue is as to whether of not it's classed as harassment. Doing what you want that doesn't involve other i.e. praying privately, isn't an issue. The issue is people forcing a particular religious view onto others. So the real question is - "Does saying your going to pray for someone count as forcing their religious view on you?" I think the answer is simply a bit of grace - if they offer once & you decline that's OK & nothing need be done, but if the offer again it should count as harassment.
yes, should n must. imagine praying to god asking to be a caring father, will u then go n abuse yr child? NO. So when a doctor prays befores attending to his patients he will psychologically would want to do the best for the patient
Prayer and spiritual support? That's the job of the hospital chaplain's office. In a setting outside the walls of said institutions, the patient's own pastor is the proper person to be offering these services. Physicians are expected to deal with the physical, and that includes psychiatrists, who recognize that the two serious mental illnesses have physical origins. Let physicians be physicians...that's a damned difficult job as it is, without being over-burdened by being expected to act a priest or pastor in addition!
Doctors should focus on their jobs- physical healing. Priests and ministers do not perform surgery and prescribe drugs to parishioners. Doctors should not offer prayer as part of their services. How would an offering of prayer be billed to the patient? How would such a service, officially adopted by a doctor as part of his practice be coded for billing? What would the patients insurance company think of this bizarre practice? And what qualifications does a doctor have to offer spiritual support? Are doctors licensed to practice holistic medicine as it is called?
Years ago, I had to undergo a radical and (at that time) experimental surgery. I was told that there was a good chance I would not survive it, and the day before the surgery, I was sent home to spend time with my family. The morning of the surgery, the surgeon came in and told me he had said a prayer that God would guide his hands to do the best job possible. Because I knew how serious the condition was, I was comforted by that statement. (He was Jewish and I'm Christian). I'm still here, and I've never forgotten the humbleness this man displayed. While other people might not feel it's appropriate, in my case, it was a morale booster. The surgeon was one of the top in his field, by the way.
It wasn't a doctor, it was a nurse. Giving a placebo can make people feel better. If saying a prayer for them has the same effect, where is the harm? Would you rather they suffer for your principles?
In State-Funded Hospitals: HELL NO!! In a Hospital Founded/Sponsored/etc by a Religious Denomination: Ehh, those places irk me, but if they just can't control their Evangelical Tendencies... Let me tell you, I've had my experiences with Religion in Healthcare. I was seeing a doctor about an old complaint that had been acting up. One of the other workers in the State-Funded Hospital (knowing absolutely nothing about me or why I was there), walked by, spotted my Star of Baphomet, and stated to me, "Well, that's why you're sick! Look at that Pentagram! You should let the LORD into your heart, son! Only he can heal you!!". This is what happens when you allow Religion to enter into Healthcare. I had to inform this wretched, foolish woman that my health issue existed long before I was a Satanist, well into my first years of life when I was a "Good Xian", that back then, her "Lord" had never done a thing for me, whereas Satanas gave me a home, a family I can love, and the realization of my own personal power with which to decide my own fate. I also had the unfortunate duty of reminding her that, this being a place of medicine, she was just one quick lawsuit away from losing her job. I spoke with her superiors about her behavior, and they apologized profusely as her actions were wholly inappropriate, and let me know when they got done with her, she'd think twice before harassing another patient about their choice of spirituality. I wasn't even being very threatening or ominous as I addressed them, and they seemed to be just as upset with her acting out as I was! They were ready to throw her to the wolves for that, and for damn good reason. As the article states, it's a behavior considered harassing and offensive by anyone who doesn't practice the same religion (and even by some who do!) Bottom line, we have a Separation of Church & State in this country for a reason: because whatever Religion you practice, you can't prove to another person that it's "the right one" or "the only one that's true", and we live in a Nation of many, many Religions. You can't give them an inch, or else they'll take a light year. If we want to regain a state of equal rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness (which should at least include the preservation of each individual's peace of mind), Religion NEEDS to be kept miles and miles apart from professional issues, especially in the Medical Field. If you know anything at all about medicine, you'll know that the stress of harassment and religious intimidation placed upon the mind of the patient can only make illness worse. Mark it on the calendar, folks, because this is one of the very few days you'll ever find me feeling strongly enough about just about any subject to make the statement that in this case, I'm right, and anyone who has a problem with my perspective has got a lot of learning and growing up to do. This isn't a matter of kindness in the form of offers for prayer. One wo/man's kindness is another wo/man's cruelty. This is a matter of the legal rights of ALL PEOPLE to believe what they will, practice what they will, and live their lives without harassment in light of that. Ave Parilitas!! -Valkyr *Icarus62 - Hmmm... =) Guinea Pig!! I love those little guys. So pretty, and so much fun to snuggle ^_^ ... Not that Icarus62 is a Guinea Pig himself, that is... lol
Of course they shouldn't. Doctors should use medical science not medieval superstition.
answer: No. I don't want to know what religion my doctor practices. That's not why I'm going to them and I certainly don't want them focusing more on their religion than their craft and me.
They're welcome to offer a chaplain for this, but I'd rather not have a doctor with his eyes on the Lord when he should have his eyes on my ailing body.
There are so many issues here...but i'll try to be brief. The answer to the question is a big fat No for a great many reasons. Mainly, it is about context. The nurse in question has, as far as we can tell from media reports, offered to pray to 'God' and ask for assistance in the recovery of her patient. This would appear to suggest that the nurse in question believes that prayer is as useful in the treatment of an illness as the many scientific or medicinal treatments available. What kind of impression does this give? If you went to a car dealership and enquired about purchasing a car, would you be happy if the dealer advised you to imagine being able to fly? No, you wouldn't, because the suggestion is massively out of context. Also, as many previous contributors have mentioned, when hospital staff (other than chaplains) offer to pray for their patients it inevitably gives rise to thoughts of that being their last remaining hope.
Most believers who are medical professionals pray for their patients anyway, even if the patient knows nothing about it. I don't see why offering prayer to someone is any more "offensive" or "discriminatory" than disciplining someone for making the offer. Prayer is a gift, a way of showing compassion and concern. When did that become offensive?
healing starts from the spirit... it is an inner thing which then proceeds to the physical... so yes they should if it is required!