Praying when you don't mean it - Page 2

my first semester of nursing school was in LTC and my patient chose to have communion while i was in the room with him. before the priest began, he asked me if i wanted it as well and i just automatically said yes although i'm not religious at all. i just felt that it helped build my patient and i's trusting relationship and i honestly would have felt awkward saying no. after the priest did the communion, he said to the patient "oh lucky you, you have a good one!" i was kind of like wow, what would he have though if i said no? weird situation but i don't feel guilty or shameful for partaking in this with my patient.

I understand where you are coming from, but is probably important for you to know that some believers get real angry and hurt if you participate in communion when you aren't (according to their beliefs) "supposed to."

I'm not Catholic but I always thought that it was considered a sin to take communion if you haven't also confessed and done the other, necessary sacraments.

I was raised Catholic and got my first holy communion as a child....

No offense, but obviously if I'm not religious, I don't believe my actions were "sinful"...maybe diehard Catholics may, but I do not. And how could other people get offended if I am doing this with my patient and not sharing it with the world? Yes, I'm talking about it on allnurses but I do not go around telling everybody everytime I pray or do the like with my patients. This was a quick little communion at the hospital at my patient's bedside, where I don't believe he confessed any "sins" either. I did not go to a church.

If a pt requires more than a respectful silence, I offer to either call their spiritual leader or the on call chaplain for them. I have read to pts, at their request, from the Bible and the Qur'an.

That's about as far as I am comfortable going, before I feel like I'm being disrespectful by faking something I don't believe.