Why I'm a closet atheist

[bholdr]

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I live in western South Carolina where I practice medicine. I am employed by the local hospital and earn a nice income. There is an extremely strong Baptist presence here in western SC. It is literally everywhere. Often my patients will inquire about my faith. Sometimes they ask me to pray for them. It is important to them that I be a Christian. They believe the Lord provides the cures; I'm an intermediary. The Lord is not going to work through an atheist. I will tell my patients that I'm praying for them if they ask me too. I think it helps them cope mentally with their illness.


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gawddamn that's a tricky one.

Part of me wants to say: "As a doctor, you owe it to your patients to be honest with them. I personally expect total honesty from my doc, though i'd never ask him about personal things. when they ask you about your faith you ought to tell them what you believe, or that it's not really their business. letting them, leading them, even, to believe that you are a christian when you are not is at the least a grey area, at most dishonest, and in any case, a can of worms better left shut."

but, it's not that simple, of course. if you do so primarily because you think it would have a positive effect on your patients, by all means, tell them you're praying with/for them. Also, and i'm sure you know this, what's the harm in praying if you don't believe in god? an atheist cannot believe that prayer works, but that doesn't mean an atheist cannot pray. i am an atheist, and i pray with my freinds when they ask me to, or when i'm in a setting where joining in a prayer is appropriate

and:
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If I were honest about being an atheist I would have very few patients and I suspect the CEO of the hospital would fire me. As well, several physicians on the staff are fundamentalist Christians. They too would like to see me go if they knew.

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Wow. I think maybe you're overestimating the repurcussions of atheisim (as long as it's tolerant and unobtrusive) in a very christian setting- i suspect they'd try to convery you, you'd lose some narrow minded patients, physisans, christians or not, would want you around if you're a good doc no matter what your religion is/isn't. however, those consequenses would be appropriate and expected if they were to find out that you're lying to everyone.

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Another reason I am secretive is my family. They would genuinely be very worried about my soul spending eternity in hell. I do not want them to worry about that and so I just pretend to be a Christian.


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This is standard operating procedure. there are lots of things that i don't tell my family because they wouldn't understand or because it would concern them unnessecarily- i have an uncle that pretends to be straight around the older generations, not because he's ashamed to be gay in any way, but because that generation is a product of a diferent time and place and sometimes a little white lie goea a long way towards keeping the familial peace.

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By the way, one thing that does suck is this. When a patient does well it is the "Lord's blessing." When they do poorly it is my fault.


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well... that's why you make the big bucks. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]


when my athesim comes up with close religious freinds, religious business associates, family, etc, i usually just say something like this:

"I have religious beliefs. I am very confidant in them, but prefer not to discuss them in this (insert whatever here) setting."

i DON'T mention that by 'religious beliefs' i mean that i feel strongly that there is no god or heaven or whatever and i think that people that believe in such things are deluded and irrational.

[John Cole]

I'm not sure I got you right. Did you say you believe that people who hold religious beliefs are deluded and irrational?

I understand your need to vent. What always suprises me is when someone as educated as a Medical Doctor is religious, especially when it's religion that is as controlling as you've alluded to.
Shooby

[KeysrSoze]

I thought it was the Chrisians who were oppressed in this country, and this nation was a veritable Disneyland for the heathens and backsliders. Thats what I keep hearing, so how can your story be true? [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

Seriously though, when you posted


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Topic: Why I'm a closet atheist

I live in western South Carolina...

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Who needs to read any farther than that. It's like saying "Why I'm a closet homosexual: I am a marine..." (no further reason necessary)