How to Answer a Patient Who Asks: "Does God Exist?"

Nurses Spirituality

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Specializes in Medical-Surgical Nurse, Community Health Nurse.

Many patients asked me if God exists.  I said, yes, but I failed to prove it to them? Can anyone help me?

4 Votes
Specializes in Medical-Surgical Nurse, Community Health Nurse.

Hi Rose_Queen

I know and believe that God exists through faith.  Can you help those patients who want to know that God exists?  What is the best nursing approach?

4 Votes
Specializes in Peds, Med-Surg, Disaster Nsg, Parish Nsg.

While it is important to be sensitive to the spiritual needs of the patient, along with the physical and emotional needs, as a nurse you must be careful how you approach this.  If the patient mentions it first, rather than tell them what your beliefs are, ask them about their thoughts and beliefs.  Do not be judgemental but be respectful of their beliefs.  Ask them if they would like to speak to a hospital chaplain or a Faith Community Nurse.

I wish you the best in meeting the spiritual needs of this patient.

You might find this article helpful:  The Nurse's Role in Providing Spiritual Care - Is It OK to Pray?

11 Votes
Specializes in Emergency Department.
15 hours ago, S.I.C. said:

Many patients asked me if God exists.  I said, yes, but I failed to prove it to them? Can anyone help me?

Why lie to your patients?

Of course you failed to prove it. As far as I am concerned s/he, it, whatever does not exist.

Would I bluntly tell a patient in need that? No of course not. I would get a chaplain/priest/minister/shaman/imam/rabbi for the patient and let them deal with that question.

As tnbutterfly-Mary said;

"While it is important to be sensitive to the spiritual needs of the patient, along with the physical and emotional needs, as a nurse you must be careful how you approach this.  If the patient mentions it first, rather than tell them what your beliefs are, ask them about their thoughts and beliefs.  Do not be judgemental but be respectful of their beliefs.  Ask them if they would like to speak to a hospital chaplain or a Faith Community Nurse."

14 Votes
19 hours ago, S.I.C. said:

Many patients asked me if God exists.  I said, yes, but I failed to prove it to them? Can anyone help me?

How could anyone prove that God exists? I’ve been a nurse for over a decade and not once has a patient asked me if God exists. I’ve had two or three ask me if I believe in God and when that’s happened I redirect the conversation to my patient and his or her healthcare and spiritual needs. Nursing isn’t about me the nurse and whatever my personal faith might be. It’s about the patient. 

I really like tnbutterfly’s approach. It’s respectful and patient-centered. 

6 Votes
Specializes in Medical-Surgical Nurse, Community Health Nurse.

hi macawake and tnbutterfly!

Thank you very much for your reply.  When we talk about wholistic nursing care, does it exclude the spiritual dimension?  Does wholistic care have the same meaning as "total care"? Is it ethically wrong to share my believe to the patient without necessarily convincing the patient to follow what I believe in?

3 Votes

In my opinion he's a construct of limited imagination by people needing explanations for phenomena. There isn't a single instance of an incident with emperical evidence to substantiate non scientific explanations. However, almost all theological related incidents can be adequately explained through a scientific process. 

Just the phrase, You have to have faith is enough reason to doubt the religiously inclined for me. As nurses, we can pinpoint almost always the disease process with no need for a theological reason but pre Martin Luther - catholic church - it occurred because the individual was bad, so pay a penance fiscally to the church or representative and problem solved. 

Simple minds, simple explanations and simple solutions. 

Why do so many religions suppress education? 

4 Votes

Macawake says, Nursing isn’t about me the nurse and whatever my personal faith might be. It’s about the patient. 

If it's about the patient and they ask a question, I think you need to assess the reason the question was asked? Unless you think the patient is a borderline personality disordered person trying to entrap you for nefarious reasons, I think they deserve a considered answer. 

2 Votes
Specializes in Medical-Surgical Nurse, Community Health Nurse.

Hi Curious 1997, BSN

I strongly agree with you.  Our patients deserve considerable answers to their questionings.  Our patients are our clients, they also deserve respect and dignity.  They have the right to ask us some questions.  

3 Votes
On 12/18/2020 at 1:15 PM, S.I.C. said:

Hi Curious 1997, BSN

I strongly agree with you.  Our patients deserve considerable answers to their questionings.  Our patients are our clients, they also deserve respect and dignity.  They have the right to ask us some questions.  

If the patient’s question is ”does God exist”, that is not a question I can answer. I could offer my opinion, but how would my opinion help my hypothetical patient? My way of showing them respect and preserving their dignity is to make sure that the most suitable resource for the specific need they have either voiced or I have observed, is made available to them. Sometimes that person is me, both other times it’s a member of another profession on staff at the hospital. 

When you say that a patient has a right to ask us some questions (and expect an answer I assume), does that include questions of a personal nature? Does a nurse have to divulge his or her religious affiliation? Faith in a higher power or lack thereof? Political preferences? Medical history? Personal details about relationships outside of work?

I often get the feedback from my patients that I’ve successfully calmed and comforted them and that they felt confidence in my abilities, but I basically never talk about my own personal life or beliefs. Granted, my nurse-patient relationships tend to be short (hours, not days) as I work with trauma patients in the initial acute stage. 

Are you certain that your desire to answer your patient’s questions about God’s existence is 100% about them and that the desire to engage in the conversation doesn’t stem from your own needs and religious beliefs? I’m not accusing you. I don’t know you and have no way of knowing what motivates you. But I am asking if it’s possible that this is a topic that you are motivated to talk about for personal reasons?

6 Votes
3 hours ago, Curious1997 said:

If it's about the patient and they ask a question, I think you need to assess the reason the question was asked? Unless you think the patient is a borderline personality disordered person trying to entrap you for nefarious reasons, I think they deserve a considered answer. 

Of course I assess the reason the question was asked. Considering what my work is the only time a patient tends to ask me this, is in a life-threatening and often time-sensitive situation. I handle the situation in the way that I believe best helps my patient. Telling them whether I believe God exists, probably isn’t it. 

3 Votes

I think that's a question rarely asked in jest and you may have been selected because 'faith' has been placed in you to give a pertinent answer. 

This is not a medical question and I cannot see how it can be harmful to answer the question. Unless the patient is dying and needs a transactional response to reassure them, I think they deserve a better response than, DO you need to see a chaplain etc? 

Of course, you should always assess the patient's motives first. 

Macawake says, Nursing isn’t about me the nurse and whatever my personal faith might be. It’s about the patient. 

If it's about the patient and they ask a question, I think you need to assess the reason the question was asked? Unless you think the patient is a borderline personality disordered person trying to entrap you for nefarious reasons, I think they deserve a considered answer. 

2 Votes
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