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?

remember the book/movie "cybil?" cybil's mother was also extremely devout.

Her mom was a nutcase . . . as was Sissy Spacek's mom in that movie with all the pig's blood.

steph

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Her mom was a nutcase . . . as was Sissy Spacek's mom in that movie with all the pig's blood.

steph

my point exactly.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

I've been working in a hospital as a nurses aide for about 10 months and i've often thought about this topic. Personally, I'm still undecided as to what I believe, but i tend to lean more towards agnostic. I think your own religious beliefs shouldn't play a role in your job as a nurse, but it's hard not to think about it when your patients make religious or spiritual comments to themselves or to you while your in the room. I've found that the best way to deal with this is to just smile. It may sound a little ridiculous, but by smiling you are letting patients know that you are acknowledging them and at least listening to what they are saying, this does not mean that you have to agree with them. Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs and I feel that you should not feel obligated to have certain beliefs just because of your profession.

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It's funny, but as much of an atheist as I am, I never let a patient know that, nor do I ever let them know I disagree with them. The closest I'll come is to say, "I don't know. I hope that's true, and you're right that we all go to Heaven."

I guess it's the same as young nurses getting all impassioned about "the profession" and stuff. I just don't much need to have the world agree with me or hold me in any kind of esteem. I'm making a mess of explaining this so if you're offended please don't be, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that if I have a sick, frightened person who is comforted by believing in something I don't, why would I feel the need to maintain my intellectual integrity or whatever if it meant forcing them to question that which is keeping them going.

I'm not explaining myself well. But if a dying child asks me if I believe in Heaven, you can bet your sweet bippy I'm saying yes. And telling him it beats Candyland and Disneyworld rolled up together. What, I'm gonna tell him what I really think, which is that we're a bunch of sentient cell colonies? Nah.

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It's funny, but as much of an atheist as I am, I never let a patient know that, nor do I ever let them know I disagree with them. The closest I'll come is to say, "I don't know. I hope that's true, and you're right that we all go to Heaven."

I guess it's the same as young nurses getting all impassioned about "the profession" and stuff. I just don't much need to have the world agree with me or hold me in any kind of esteem. I'm making a mess of explaining this so if you're offended please don't be, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that if I have a sick, frightened person who is comforted by believing in something I don't, why would I feel the need to maintain my intellectual integrity or whatever if it meant forcing them to question that which is keeping them going.

I'm not explaining myself well. But if a dying child asks me if I believe in Heaven, you can bet your sweet bippy I'm saying yes. And telling him it beats Candyland and Disneyworld rolled up together. What, I'm gonna tell him what I really think, which is that we're a bunch of sentient cell colonies? Nah.

funny, today i was trying to recall if i had ever shared my spiritual convictions with any of my pts. as a hospice nurse, i've had many of these 1:1's.

i totally understand and agree with what you're saying. our pts don't have to know what we believe. it's only important that we support them. you explained yourself well.

leslie

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.
It's funny, but as much of an atheist as I am, I never let a patient know that, nor do I ever let them know I disagree with them. The closest I'll come is to say, "I don't know. I hope that's true, and you're right that we all go to Heaven."

I guess it's the same as young nurses getting all impassioned about "the profession" and stuff. I just don't much need to have the world agree with me or hold me in any kind of esteem. I'm making a mess of explaining this so if you're offended please don't be, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that if I have a sick, frightened person who is comforted by believing in something I don't, why would I feel the need to maintain my intellectual integrity or whatever if it meant forcing them to question that which is keeping them going.

I'm not explaining myself well. But if a dying child asks me if I believe in Heaven, you can bet your sweet bippy I'm saying yes. And telling him it beats Candyland and Disneyworld rolled up together. What, I'm gonna tell him what I really think, which is that we're a bunch of sentient cell colonies? Nah.

You explained yourself well. I agree. Intellectual integrity is for conversations outside of work. Interaction with a patient is about the patient and what helps them best.

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I don't go in a patients room anouncing that I am a Christian and likewise I wouldn't go in announcing that I was an atheist. However, I wonder if you can stay in nursing without witnessing the presence of God? There are so

many miracles to see in nursing and so many life lessons. What will you do then?

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
I am agnostic but am quickly moving towards athiest. I was raised in a christian home and after seeing what is happening in our world right now, I don't think even a prayer is going to help. I do not share my beliefs with anyone at work but I have on many occasion been asked to pray with a family. I always do. I do not feel that my personal beliefs should be made apparent to my patients and their families. I do however find it disrespectful to walk away when someone wants me to pray with them. I respect others beliefs and I expect the same respect from others.

I am not a good one to pray with people and don't do it. I get the chaplain. That certainly isn't disrespectful at all. It would be more disrepectful to fake it.

I'm curious, since you don't walk away, do you pray them? No judgement if you do, that just isn't clear to me from your post.

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.
I don't go in a patients room anouncing that I am a Christian and likewise I wouldn't go in announcing that I was an atheist. However, I wonder if you can stay in nursing without witnessing the presence of God? There are so

many miracles to see in nursing and so many life lessons. What will you do then?

I can understand that this is your perspective, especially since I was a devout Christian for 20 plus years. When I see a miracle now, I tend to say to myself "thank goodness and I wonder how soon science will understand and explain the mechanism here."

Human history has a long-established pattern of attributing that which we do not understand to God or Satan. Epileptics were deemed to be possessed by satan long ago. Rain dances come to mind. There is some evidence that the witch trials and murders of colonial New England were actually caused by Ergot fungal poisoning. I don't believe there is anything that science cannot eventually explain. That doesn't mean that I'm not extremely grateful though, when I see a miracle or the unexplained. It also does not diminish the human spirit or a sense of wonder at the unexplained, in my life.

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In terms of praying for patients, I wouldn't do it, and not just because I'm an atheist. There is recent scientific evidence that prayer is not only ineffective, but potentially harmful.

They're not sure why it might be harmful, but one docctor speculates that it might be that it is demoralizing to some patients.(I suppose if you kept it to yourself this wouldn't be an issue.)

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.
In terms of praying for patients, I wouldn't do it, and not just because I'm an atheist. There is recent scientific evidence that prayer is not only ineffective, but potentially harmful.

They're not sure why it might be harmful, but one docctor speculates that it might be that it is demoralizing to some patients.(I suppose if you kept it to yourself this wouldn't be an issue.)

I saw this too! My first thought was that if you know people are praying for you - then that might reinforce the idea in your head that you are in trouble - it must be serious. If that makes any sense. It could paradoxically increase worry and fear which would affect the physical state if one has the perception that they are so sick that people have called in the 'big guns' aka God. Am I making sense?

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Specializes in Med Surg/Tele/ER.

Good luck to you in nursing...I read this & thought wow. I am a Christian & just don't understand how anyone cannot believe in God. I could not make it through one day without the Lord. He does perform miracles & answer prayers. I did not reply to this post to start an argument, but to say there is definately a God & he is alive.

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