Atheist or Agnostic?

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I know, I know, you're never supposed to talk about religion or politics, right....

I'm really not trying to start a religious debate, but just get a sense of where people are at. I'm a first year student and an atheist, yet all my fellow students and the nurses I'm meeting are believers.

If and when I become an atheist nurse, am I going to find myself a fish out of water?

Specializes in ER/Trauma.

"Fundamentalism" isn't a factor really.

You're probably right - but I still don't think geography plays a very significant role. Unreasonable people abound nationwide...

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.
Sorry pal. That's a "myth" :)

Here's a link. You can look up the statistics on adherants by denomination state-wide or nationwide and look at the maps. Mainline protestants, liberal denominations, etc dominate in the North. You can find Unitarian denominations in the North. Hard to find the U's in the South. Pull up the nationwide map for Southern Baptists per 1000 population. Heavy concentration in the South. Not so many Southern Baptists in the North. This site has other interesting demographic stats besides religion data.

http://www.thearda.com/

Click on Maps and Reports then US map. You can choose the denomination you'd like to pull up.

p.s. what's up with the 'pal' comment? Kind of antagonistic.:uhoh21:

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.

Rates of Evangelicals per 1000/population in the US:

http://www.thearda.com/mapsReports/maps/map.asp?state=101&variable=9

Rates of Unitarian Universalists per 1000/population also:

http://www.thearda.com/mapsReports/maps/map.asp?state=101&variable=435

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'Nother atheist chiming in.

I've only had a problem with a pushy christian once in 15 years of nursing and that was a long time ago. Recently we had a code (unusual in my unit) and I noticed the prayer warriors (that's what they call themselves) were huddled in prayer rather than doing something useful, but we didn't really need them at the time and I have no doubt they would have helped out if asked. There are several non-theists in my unit, and I'm in the south to boot. You shouldn't have any problems.

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Specializes in ER/Trauma.
p.s. what's up with the 'pal' comment? Kind of antagonistic.:uhoh21:
Sorry. Didn't mean to come across as snarky or sarcastic at all. Meant to say "friend" :)
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I'm finishing up the final 10 weeks of nursing school at a private college that is Seventh Day Adventist. I'm not an Adventist, nor is half the nursing class. But, we do pray before each lecture and each clinical. At 6:30AM after one hour of driving, I sure don't mind the opportunity to close my eyes and bow my head for a few seconds. :)

And we are supposed to offer to pray with our patients. I just ask them if they would like a visit from the Chaplain.

Personally, my clinicals in Catholic hospitals have been more friendly than the for-profit hospitals.

And then you get the patients that ask you, "What you think happens when you die?" or my all time favorite question, "What does it all mean?" I usually just throw the question back at them and listen to what they think.

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Specializes in Pain Management.

I had a pleasurable experience taking a "Religions of the world" gen-ed class at Missouri State university. Our instructor was a pastor and everyone in the class claimed to be Christian, except for me and two other people. I tried to keep my head down but invariably someone would say something and I felt obligated to defend the righteous atheists of the world.

In two months I HAVE to take a couple of theology / ethics class at a Jesuit university in the bible belt. Horray!!!

I don't have the strength to argue with everyone that wants to anymore. Aging is such a sad thing.

"I'm a God Warrior!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pukLKjpSVVI&search=god%20warrior

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Specializes in CCU,ICU,ER retired.

I know that a hospital in Tulsa, Oral Roberts university and hospital, you couldn't work or go to school there unless you were an admitted christian and "saved"

I once knew a patient that had gone bad after her cabg and they didn't think she would make it. She told me many years after that a nurse had gone into her room and told her that she was going to die and she better give her soul to Jesus or she would be in hell in the morning. Even the nuns that ran the hospital were flabbergasted. He was fired. I worked for her cardiologist and she told me that about 10 years after that what he said to her made her want to live just so she she could find a supervisor and report him. She was so mad!!!! I learned from that to keep religion out of conversations at work.

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I myself am a Christian but I'm also convinced that all religions are valid.

I don't think that there is one single religion that is The Truth.

If you ask me than Islam is just as valid as Christianity or Budhism.

I do believe in the existence of one single supremeg being we call God but that if he wanted every single human to adhere to one interpretation of one particular belief, then why are there so many different religions on this planet?

If you ask me, it doesn't matter what you believe, as long as your a good person.

What does make me mad is religious fundamentalists who want to impose their faith on others. People who think like that can make me go steaming mad because they are so wrong!

Did you know that most fundamentalist interpretations of both the bible and the quran are simply plain wrong? Take a minute to think about that.

Bye, Michiel Messink

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As a hospice nurse I learned long ago that it not about us. It is all about your patients and family. Can a Hindi nurse care for someone with Christian beliefs? What about a Islamic nurse caring for a Buddhist? Jewish nurse with American Indian? The short answer is, of course. It is about respect. We have resources to help a pt with a particular religious need. Often the family has connections to the rabbi, minister or who is needed. Our task is to be open to that need. As for the workplace, well, you decide how many Christmas cookies to eat. Recognize that many nurses beliefs change over time. Many start to gently explore the spiritual, many do not.

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I'm an agnostic / possible atheist, too, but I think it's CRITICAL to understand the huge psychological benefit people get from religious faith or practice -- that can have huge implications in terms of patients' overall health and wellness. I personally practice Buddhist-style mindfulness / awareness, which does not require any sort of belief, but it makes an obvious difference in my stress level, ability to interact with others more compassionately, and overall sense of purpose and direction -- invaluable in nursing school. So I assume that people with faith have similar benefits, and you absolutely cannot diminish the physical component of that.

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As a hospice nurse I learned long ago that it not about us. It is all about your patients and family. Can a Hindi nurse care for someone with Christian beliefs? What about a Islamic nurse caring for a Buddhist? Jewish nurse with American Indian? The short answer is, of course. It is about respect. We have resources to help a pt with a particular religious need. Often the family has connections to the rabbi, minister or who is needed. Our task is to be open to that need. As for the workplace, well, you decide how many Christmas cookies to eat. Recognize that many nurses beliefs change over time. Many start to gently explore the spiritual, many do not.

This is excellent.

steph

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