"Yes, not everyone thanks a deity for their survival and nobody should thank their god for a vicious tornado that wiped out so much of what people owned and even took lives, especially the lives of innocent children.
Brandi Amari Williams"
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Our Pediatric Endocrinologists last words to my son who is now an adult and must go to an adult Dr. now...
Ever since our son was diagnosed at the age of 10 with type 1 diabetes (an auto-immune disease, nothing like type 2), we have gone to a wonderful Pediatric Endocrinologist. His nurse even had had type 1 since she was a child, so she knew what she was talking about! We have always felt so secure and taken-care of with them. For 8 years. Now that my son just turned 18, he has to switch to an adults Endocrinologist.
So, after our last visit today, we hugged and thanked him and told him he'd been awesome and we would miss him. Then he said to my son "This has nothing to do with medicine, but keep close to the lord. I want to see you in heaven." We just smiled and left. I wasn't going to start a discussion, he had patients waiting, and we're not going to see him again anyway. But, REALLY? Alrighty then...
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Napoleon Bonaparte on -
He's a good Pediatrician so let him have his fantasy world, I suppose.
He might be stressed out.
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Permalink Reply by Dan Harkins on
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It is unfortunate. I’ve been in a somewhat similar situation.
However, surveys reveal that doctors believe in god well above the average rates of the typical college grad or PhD scientists. It makes sense, they are the ones that treat people and sometimes have to deliver the news that you are going to die or you have a life changing illness, and also inform families of their loved ones passing.
I think they need something to believe in, to cling to, and religion is the proverbial “any port in a storm”. I think the problem is summed up best by Sam Harris, something along the lines of our emotional needs must be met some other way than through the comfort myths of religion that are simply untrue.
As non-believers we have not done a good job offering the comfort side. Everyone wants the cosmic do over, that we have a second chance. The vast majority of us are raised with some vague form of an afterlife. The answer, however, is appreciate this life. It is the only one you got. And we need to have that imprinted from a young age instead of pray to Jesus or Mohamed (or be born of the Chosen people) and you will go to heaven.
We can destroy the myths with logic but people go running back for the comfort. Until we offer something similar, we might as well be farting with a walkman on*.
Some years ago my wife had a miscarriage. We were devastated and well intentioned people said “Your child is up in heaven now” or “He’s with god”. This from family, friends and even the hospital staff. I was never so offended, but you know, I realized this is my failure and a failure by the atheist community and non-believers in general. We should do a better job of demonstrating that a life lived to its fullest through reason and investigation and accepting the finality of death is far better than a life of illusion and the only way we can truly take advantage of our brief existence.
*shameless Bloodhound Gang reference.
**shameless Dan plug, http://kck.st/OLWjc1 we are trying to accomplish this is some small way with our film.
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Permalink Reply by Tara on -
Hi Dan,
Very well put. I don't have the heart to do what doctors have to, delivering the devastating message every day, so I can't fault them for having a comfort mechanism. Even if I don't agree with it.
As an aside, in these situations I treat it like a "bless you" moment when I sneeze. While I find it silly, it doesn't hurt or hinder me in anyway. I just smile and nod, knowing that someone was sharing a bit of kindness in their own way.
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Permalink Reply by booklover on -
Yeah, that's what we did. We just said thank-you and smiled and left. I was just surprised he did that. Oh well!~ Melinda
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Permalink Reply by Steph S. on -
Hey booklover I think you handled it right. He has been a good doctor even though he believes in fairy tales.
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Permalink Reply by Tammy S on -
I have to admit that it is depressing to find out that someone you've trusted with your care, or the care of your family member also holds outrageous, fantastical beliefs. I've had to look the other way with my mother's physician because he literally saved her life, but I must admit I have a hard time with it. That having been said, I will now interview all my future physicians, I'm paying for them and I want to know that in a pinch he/she is not going to be digging around in my innards praying to some invisible dude to save me lest they be inept! At least my OB/GYN is sane... I'm having trouble finding a sane family practitioner in this town... the odds are seriously against me, every office so far that I've been to in this town has bibles in the waiting area and Christian messages on the walls and perhaps they're just pandering, but if that's the case they're too disingenuous for me to trust them to begin with!
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Permalink Reply by booklover on
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Tammy, I was telling my Mom that you do this, and we really admire you! I never thought about it this way. If I ever have to have surgery again, I just might follow your example!!!~ Melinda
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Permalink Reply by Lillie on -
I would have guessed this was in the bible belt but maybe I don't know that much about Illinois. Maybe he is just saying what he thinks you want to hear but if this is so, it is really dishonest.
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Permalink Reply by booklover on
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And this is the very top of Illinois which is a looong State, so it's nowhere near the Southern States. I had heard him make off-hand religious references before, so I think he was being sincere. Oh well, he was the only Pediatric Endocrinologist in the city, and he took good care of our son, and we won't see him again.~ Melinda
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Permalink Reply by booklover on
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Raynebird, I have that saved on my computer. I sent it to friends/family religious and not. It's so beautiful.
I am sorry for what you are having to go through. I am glad you found this and that it comforts you. It comforts me too. ~ Melinda
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