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"God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God". (Psalm 53:2) We don't want No God stuff in here! By: Pastor L.R. Simas, Sr. 4-27-09 |
(reporter) for granting permission to use the articles and editorial. In the
following articles you will see how the title of this came to be.
I've noticed in the last five or so years that the need for God and or even
speaking about Him is being less and less tolerated. I've endured, "You
can't talk about religion in here" or "We don't allow God talk in here as
some people get upset". It appears that folks don't want to hear about God
anymore or at all. Sad as that maybe it’s even sadder when someone loses
a job for answering a simple question about the afterlife (heaven??).
I wonder what would have happened if Moses didn't tell the people of his
time what God told him to tell them?? Or if Moses weren't allowed to
speak what God had spoken to him? What if Jesus weren't allowed to
speak of the dreadful and all offensive word "repentance" while He was
with us. Jesus said, "...I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh
unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6) also “Because strait is the gate,
and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find
it” (Matthew 7:14). What if these words were never said?? Would we
know how to get to God?? Heaven??
Remember what Solomon said, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole
matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty
of man" (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Maybe the problem today is that people don't
fear God or have forgotten?? You can trust that God hasn't forgotten!!
It's my prayer and hope that within the following will see what happens (as
an example) when God is not wanted. or how His word and ways are
ignored.
Nurse petitions to regain Hyannis hospital position
By CYNTHIA McCORMICK
cmccormick@capecodonline.com
Wednesday, April 15, 2009 6:00 AM
HYANNIS — A per diem nurse at Cape Cod Hospital has lost her job after
having a religious discussion with a dying patient, according to hospital
officials.
A petition circulating in the hospital calls for the reinstatement of Julie
Peterson of Sandwich and affirms the right of nurses to provide spiritual as
well as physical comfort. But a Cape Cod Hospital spokesman said
yesterday the patient's family complained that the nurse overstepped her
bounds and distressed the patient, who was receiving hospice care.
"Anything that would involve a staff member upsetting a patient or
upsetting a patient's family, we would take very seriously," said David
Reilly, who works in public relations for Cape Cod Healthcare, the parent
company of Cape Cod Hospital.
Reilly would not confirm Peterson is the nurse involved in the incident or
specify what she said to the patient. He said the incident is a private
personnel matter.
The petition, which Peterson wrote, states the patient's family accused the
nurse of saying the patient must repent.
The family complained that the nurse made statements including "look
what you're doing to your family" and "there's only one way — you must
go home and repent," according to a letter Peterson attached to the petition.
Nothing like that ever happened, Peterson wrote. Instead, Peterson said
she and the patient engaged in a spiritual discussion about religious and
family matters while the patient was being discharged to go home to die.
"In preparation for discharge the patient had gotten a dose of IV
morphine," Peterson wrote. "The patient had been discussing her decision
to die and talking about her guardian angel with the nurse. The nurse asked
the patient if she could ask her a personal question and upon getting a clear
confirmation, asked the patient her thoughts on the afterlife."
The repentance issue came up after the patient commented "Christianity is
narrow," Peterson wrote, to which she said she replied, "Yes, it is. If God
were to be what the Bible represents then the access to him would be
through repentance. Many other religions aren't so exclusive."
After the patient became upset the next day, Peterson said she explained to
hospital officials the nature of the conversation and offered to write a letter
of apology. She also admitted to occasionally offering a prayer at a patient's
request.
Within days of the March 24 incident, Peterson said she was forced to
resign. The family filed a complaint with the hospital March 25.
The patient, whom hospital officials would not identify, has since died.
Peterson said she wrote the petition at the request of co-workers who were
upset about her losing her position as a per diem nurse. The petition was
meant for the eyes of Cape Cod Hospital's administration, not the
newspaper, she said.
"I valued my employer and my relationships at the hospital," Peterson said
during a telephone interview yesterday.
Per diem nurses are not considered hospital staff and are not entitled to all
the job protections that come from being a union member of the
Massachusetts Nurses Association, said Marilyn Rouette, chief of the MNA
chapter at Cape Cod Hospital.
Per diem nurses are hired on a daily, temp-like basis to fill a certain number
of hours. The hospital currently employs 89 per diem nurses in addition to
more than 400 regular staff nurses, Reilly said.
"They make themselves available for certain number of hours," Rouette
said. "The hospital can either put you on or not."
There are no hard and fast rules about what kinds of spiritual comfort a
nurse can offer a patient, she said, adding nurses often refer patients to the
hospital's chaplaincy program.
"It depends on the moment, who the patient is and what you can give,"
Rouette said.
Peterson's petition, which a hospital employee provided to the Times
yesterday, states that forbidding nurses to discuss religion or politics with a
patient is contrary to the widely held belief that cultural, spiritual and
interpersonal relationships have a bearing on the patient's wellbeing.
A patient misunderstanding a discussion does not constitute abuse,
Peterson wrote, "but rather the nature of the profession we deal with —
illness, grief, denial, death and dying."
Reilly said the hospital has no problem with nurses praying with patients at
their request. The key point is caregivers must follow a patient's lead, he
said.
"We try to accommodate our patients and make them comfortable
whatever ways we can," he said.
(Used with permission of the Cape Cod Times)
Healing arts
Cape Cod Times
Editorial
Thursday, April 16, 2009
There are important things we don't know about the case of fired Cape
Cod Hospital nurse Julie Peterson. One is the details and context of the
discussion of religion, repentance and Christianity she had with a dying
patient last month. Another is whether Peterson has a history of this sort of
behavior.
Clearly, there is a bright line between proselytizing to vulnerable hospital
patients and showing compassion by answering a patient's questions or just
engaging their conversation. We trust the hospital administration got this
one right.
At the same time, we would hate to see this incident put a chill on a nurse's
natural instinct to care for all a patient's needs, including the profound
emotional distress at the end of life.
And this job most often falls to the bedside nurse. The doctor has written
the orders and moved on.
Our report in Wednesday's paper says that nurses often call in the hospital
chaplain when spiritual needs are shown. Chaplaincy programs usually
have providers of several faiths and denominations, so that avoids the
quagmire of competing theology. According to Peterson's accounting of
events, too many specifics about the role of repentance in Christianity may
have been the tipping point in this case. Chaplains also have training and
experience, which is a layer of protection for the hospital.
But there is always the danger of relying too much on specialization and
experts when it's really just a human voice and attention that a stressed
hospital patient needs.
Nurses' union president Marilyn Rouette said it depends on "the moment,
who the patient is and how much you can give." It's hard to imagine a
moment when empathy from any normal person wouldn't be preferable to
turning away and saying nothing and ringing for the "expert" when
something considered sensitive arises.
Peterson makes a good case in the petition she circulated that making strict
rules about not discussing religion or politics with patients goes counter to
modern medical philosophy that treating the whole patient — physical,
mental, emotional — is the goal. But by her own account, Peterson may
have gone too far in a counseling role.
The other fact we glean from the reporting is that family dynamics played a
part. The patient apparently felt some unresolved end-of-life conflicts, and
this just added to everyone's stress at that most trying time. The family felt
Peterson's comments had upset their loved one and their complaint got
Peterson fired.
The hospital must monitor its care level and worker behavior, but a nurse
can't be expected to know everything in a family history. A nurse trying to
do his or her best at the moment shouldn't be victim of a family's complex
emotional accounting. Indeed, sometimes the family members attending a
death are more frightened and angry than the patient. A poster to our online
comments said, "...One of the many reasons nurses leave nursing."
Nurse Peterson has apologized and is trying to "repent" herself. It sounds
as if she has the temperament and compassion for the job. There should be
a job for her in health care somewhere.
(Used with permission of the Cape Cod Times)
Spiritual talk by nurses spurs soul-searching
By CYNTHIA McCORMICK
cmccormick@capecodonline.com
Friday, April 17, 2009 6:00 AM
Nurses who talk about God and spirituality with their patients can walk a
fine line between comforting the ill and stepping on theological toes.
That's the lesson Cape Cod Hospital per diem nurse Julie Peterson learned
when discharging a dying patient last month. After the patient's family
complained that Peterson had distressed the patient by talking about
repentance, the hospital told Peterson it wouldn't be contracting for her
services anymore.
Per diem nurses are not considered hospital staff and are not entitled to all
the job protections that come from being a union member of the
Massachusetts Nurses Association, according to MNA officials.
But, fellow nurses and friends of Peterson say the mother of five is a
compassionate caregiver who wouldn't have knowingly upset a patient.
And they say patients at the end of their lives often want to discuss Big
Picture issues, including God and the afterlife, with the caretakers by their
bedside.
"It's gut wrenching and very hard," said Marie Borland of Barnstable, a
nurse and friend of Peterson. "Those discussions can be really difficult."
But hospice nurse and ordained interfaith minister Kathleen Geagan Ryan
of Brewster said nurses can avoid the pitfalls of spiritual counseling by
calling for a trained chaplain or practicing what she calls deep listening.
"You cannot impose your belief in any way," Ryan said. "My mantra is to
listen and let the patient lead."
A member of a Hyannis evangelical church called Victory Chapel, Peterson
erred by referring to the concept of repentance, Ryan said. "Repentance is
a loaded word," she added.
According to a petition letter Peterson wrote in the hopes of getting her job
back, she said she was trying to mirror the patient's comment "Christianity
is narrow" by saying, "Yes, it is. If God were to be what the Bible
represents then the access to him would be through repentance. Many
other religions aren't so exclusive."
But the patient's family complained that the patient cried and said the nurse
had told her, "There's only one way, you must go home and repent,"
Peterson wrote.
Peterson has said she wrote the petition for the hospital administration, not
the public.
In a telephone interview last night, Peterson said hospital officials were
probably prompted to overreact to the family's complaint because it was
religious in nature. She added the incident has cost her dearly. "(It) has
severely damaged my ability to work on the Cape," she said.
A hospital spokesman said he couldn't comment on the incident
substantively because it involves a personnel matter, but he said the
hospital takes such complaints from patients or their families seriously.
The problem with religious or philosophical discussions is that even a
simple phrase can give away a caretaker's belief system, Ryan said. And
that can intimidate patients, she said. "It's not an equal relationship. If you
have an agenda, patients pick up on that. I call it the truth serum of the
dying person. They just see through anything."
But friends and co-workers of Peterson say she does not go around
proselytizing patients.
Nurse practitioner Jennifer Mammen said she recruited Peterson to work
with her at Massachusetts General Hospital more than a decade ago and
never would have done so if Peterson imposed her religious beliefs on
patients.
"Her patients have historically loved her," said Mammen, who now lives in
New York. She said officials at Mass General were "absolutely thrilled with
(Peterson). They were sad when she left."
Cape Cod Hospital nurse Cherie Gonsalves, who worked with Peterson,
called her a highly skilled nurse. She said, "I've found her to be
compassionate, kind and appropriate."
David Reilly, spokesman for Cape Cod Hospital, said hospital policy allows
nurses to pray with patients — at the patient's request. The hospital, which
laid off its staff chaplain, has consulting chaplains of different faiths on call
day and night, Reilly said.
But sometimes patients don't want to wait for a chaplain, said Borland, a
former member of a nurses ethics committee at Baystate Medical Center in
Springfield.
They want to talk to their nurses and may be curious about what the nurses
think, she said. Borland said nurses are trained to be caring and respectful
without imposing one's own beliefs, but it's a practice that takes skill.
In her petition, Peterson says the patient — who has since died — had
been talking about her decision to die and her guardian angel. Peterson
wrote that she asked the patient whether she could ask her a personal
question, "and upon getting a clear confirmation, asked the patient her
thoughts on the afterlife."
Let the patient ask the question, said Ryan, who has worked as spiritual
director for several hospices, including hospices on Cape Cod. "We can
just try and listen, follow their lead, and if their lead leads to angels ... stick
with the angels."
(Used with permission of the Cape Cod Times)
Repentance a word (using three different dictionaries) meaning:
Webster's 1828 dictionary
REPENT'ANCE, n.
1. Sorrow for any thing done or said; the pain or grief which a person
experiences in consequence of the injury or inconvenience produced by his
own conduct.
2. In theology, the pain, regret or affliction which a person feels on
account of his past conduct, because it exposes him to punishment. This
sorrow proceeding merely from the fear of punishment, is called legal
repentance, as being excited by the terrors of legal penalties, and it may
exist without an amendment of life.
3. Real penitence; sorrow or deep contrition for sin, as an offense and
dishonor to God, a violation of his holy law, and the basest ingratitude
towards a Being of infinite benevolence. This is called evangelical
repentance, and is accompanied and followed by amendment of life.
Repentance is a change of mind, or a conversion from sin to God.
Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation. 2Cor. 7. Matt. 3.
Repentance is the relinquishment of any practice, from conviction that it
has offended God.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth
Edition. 2000.
Repentance
Noun:
1. The act or process of repenting.
2. Remorse or contrition for past conduct or sin.
The Online Plain Text English Dictionary
Repentance (n.)
The act of repenting, or the state of being penitent; sorrow for what one
has done or omitted to do; especially, contrition for sin.
I think a good question would be, what is an ordained interfaith minister
and what does one do??
http://www.thrivingnow.com/for/Health/ordained-interfaith-minister
The concept of an Interfaith Minister is contained in the following ideas:
• An Interfaith Minister is someone who seeks to promote understanding,
harmony, and love among people by emphasizing what is universal in the
teachings of the many spiritual paths and faith traditions.
• An Interfaith Minister has chosen to learn about, respect, and appreciate
the diversity of paths to Oneness, and to look for the universal truth
contained in each one.
• An Interfaith Minister is someone who is dedicated to serving the spiritual
needs of all those who seek their guidance, counsel, and assistance, without
regard to race, religion, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, ethnic
background, gender or age.
• An Interfaith Minister is someone who is dedicated to deepening their
own spiritual development and practice, and their connection to the Divine,
so that their service to others is always grounded in the integrity of their
own spiritual life.
This is just one definition of many for the term, Interfaith Minister. If one
was to search one could find many more definitions.
The courses of study to become an interfaith minister don’t have a firm
foundation. But, they are from different and not so solid foundations, such
as the New Age Movement or Metaphysics to the Occult and most
anything else.
A book often used (maybe even considered sacred) called A Course in
Miracles which was put in its present form with the help of a spirit who
called himself Jesus. Other institutes use the books of Ernest Holmes, The
Science of Mind and Living the Science of Mind among many others
books These institutes teach anything and stand on nothing.
It's my hope and prayer that this nurse, that lost her job, by the grace of
God gets it back.
I think all interfaith ministers should remember, (if they have studied the
Bible) "Judge not, that ye be not judged" (Matthew 7:1). As you have done
what it is you believed was right, so, too, did this lady. The Bible says to
go and make disciples... and she only answered a question. Had it been me,
I would have not stopped because my Bible says, "If God be for us, who
can be against us?" (Romans 8:31) Also, Psalms 27:1 which says, "The
LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the
strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"
In closing, let me say peace unto you and may God open the eyes of this
world and show unto them that He is the Lord and will not give His glory
to another nor His praise to graven images. (Isaiah 42:8) Also,
Deuteronomy 5:9 “Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve
them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of
the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them
that hate me.” Is it any wonder that the world at this time believes not God,
His word, or Jesus as the bible speaks of Him?? No, not at all!!
I pray that soon Jesus will come for His bride and maybe then all will
understand why I close each offering with, Jesus died for you, will you live
for Him?? Please feel free to e-mail or write at the address below.
With love in Christ, whose servant I am and yours,
Pastor Popeye,
pastorsimas@hyannisbaptistchurch.org
Or write snail mail at:
Hyannis Baptist Church
Po Box 34
West Hyannisport, Ma.
02672-0034
Psalms 12:6-7 and Ephesians 3:8
Join us now on the web!!
http//:www.hyannisbaptistchurch.org
Where The Truth Shall Make You Free!!
following articles you will see how the title of this came to be.
I've noticed in the last five or so years that the need for God and or even
speaking about Him is being less and less tolerated. I've endured, "You
can't talk about religion in here" or "We don't allow God talk in here as
some people get upset". It appears that folks don't want to hear about God
anymore or at all. Sad as that maybe it’s even sadder when someone loses
a job for answering a simple question about the afterlife (heaven??).
I wonder what would have happened if Moses didn't tell the people of his
time what God told him to tell them?? Or if Moses weren't allowed to
speak what God had spoken to him? What if Jesus weren't allowed to
speak of the dreadful and all offensive word "repentance" while He was
with us. Jesus said, "...I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh
unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6) also “Because strait is the gate,
and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find
it” (Matthew 7:14). What if these words were never said?? Would we
know how to get to God?? Heaven??
Remember what Solomon said, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole
matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty
of man" (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Maybe the problem today is that people don't
fear God or have forgotten?? You can trust that God hasn't forgotten!!
It's my prayer and hope that within the following will see what happens (as
an example) when God is not wanted. or how His word and ways are
ignored.
Nurse petitions to regain Hyannis hospital position
By CYNTHIA McCORMICK
cmccormick@capecodonline.com
Wednesday, April 15, 2009 6:00 AM
HYANNIS — A per diem nurse at Cape Cod Hospital has lost her job after
having a religious discussion with a dying patient, according to hospital
officials.
A petition circulating in the hospital calls for the reinstatement of Julie
Peterson of Sandwich and affirms the right of nurses to provide spiritual as
well as physical comfort. But a Cape Cod Hospital spokesman said
yesterday the patient's family complained that the nurse overstepped her
bounds and distressed the patient, who was receiving hospice care.
"Anything that would involve a staff member upsetting a patient or
upsetting a patient's family, we would take very seriously," said David
Reilly, who works in public relations for Cape Cod Healthcare, the parent
company of Cape Cod Hospital.
Reilly would not confirm Peterson is the nurse involved in the incident or
specify what she said to the patient. He said the incident is a private
personnel matter.
The petition, which Peterson wrote, states the patient's family accused the
nurse of saying the patient must repent.
The family complained that the nurse made statements including "look
what you're doing to your family" and "there's only one way — you must
go home and repent," according to a letter Peterson attached to the petition.
Nothing like that ever happened, Peterson wrote. Instead, Peterson said
she and the patient engaged in a spiritual discussion about religious and
family matters while the patient was being discharged to go home to die.
"In preparation for discharge the patient had gotten a dose of IV
morphine," Peterson wrote. "The patient had been discussing her decision
to die and talking about her guardian angel with the nurse. The nurse asked
the patient if she could ask her a personal question and upon getting a clear
confirmation, asked the patient her thoughts on the afterlife."
The repentance issue came up after the patient commented "Christianity is
narrow," Peterson wrote, to which she said she replied, "Yes, it is. If God
were to be what the Bible represents then the access to him would be
through repentance. Many other religions aren't so exclusive."
After the patient became upset the next day, Peterson said she explained to
hospital officials the nature of the conversation and offered to write a letter
of apology. She also admitted to occasionally offering a prayer at a patient's
request.
Within days of the March 24 incident, Peterson said she was forced to
resign. The family filed a complaint with the hospital March 25.
The patient, whom hospital officials would not identify, has since died.
Peterson said she wrote the petition at the request of co-workers who were
upset about her losing her position as a per diem nurse. The petition was
meant for the eyes of Cape Cod Hospital's administration, not the
newspaper, she said.
"I valued my employer and my relationships at the hospital," Peterson said
during a telephone interview yesterday.
Per diem nurses are not considered hospital staff and are not entitled to all
the job protections that come from being a union member of the
Massachusetts Nurses Association, said Marilyn Rouette, chief of the MNA
chapter at Cape Cod Hospital.
Per diem nurses are hired on a daily, temp-like basis to fill a certain number
of hours. The hospital currently employs 89 per diem nurses in addition to
more than 400 regular staff nurses, Reilly said.
"They make themselves available for certain number of hours," Rouette
said. "The hospital can either put you on or not."
There are no hard and fast rules about what kinds of spiritual comfort a
nurse can offer a patient, she said, adding nurses often refer patients to the
hospital's chaplaincy program.
"It depends on the moment, who the patient is and what you can give,"
Rouette said.
Peterson's petition, which a hospital employee provided to the Times
yesterday, states that forbidding nurses to discuss religion or politics with a
patient is contrary to the widely held belief that cultural, spiritual and
interpersonal relationships have a bearing on the patient's wellbeing.
A patient misunderstanding a discussion does not constitute abuse,
Peterson wrote, "but rather the nature of the profession we deal with —
illness, grief, denial, death and dying."
Reilly said the hospital has no problem with nurses praying with patients at
their request. The key point is caregivers must follow a patient's lead, he
said.
"We try to accommodate our patients and make them comfortable
whatever ways we can," he said.
(Used with permission of the Cape Cod Times)
Healing arts
Cape Cod Times
Editorial
Thursday, April 16, 2009
There are important things we don't know about the case of fired Cape
Cod Hospital nurse Julie Peterson. One is the details and context of the
discussion of religion, repentance and Christianity she had with a dying
patient last month. Another is whether Peterson has a history of this sort of
behavior.
Clearly, there is a bright line between proselytizing to vulnerable hospital
patients and showing compassion by answering a patient's questions or just
engaging their conversation. We trust the hospital administration got this
one right.
At the same time, we would hate to see this incident put a chill on a nurse's
natural instinct to care for all a patient's needs, including the profound
emotional distress at the end of life.
And this job most often falls to the bedside nurse. The doctor has written
the orders and moved on.
Our report in Wednesday's paper says that nurses often call in the hospital
chaplain when spiritual needs are shown. Chaplaincy programs usually
have providers of several faiths and denominations, so that avoids the
quagmire of competing theology. According to Peterson's accounting of
events, too many specifics about the role of repentance in Christianity may
have been the tipping point in this case. Chaplains also have training and
experience, which is a layer of protection for the hospital.
But there is always the danger of relying too much on specialization and
experts when it's really just a human voice and attention that a stressed
hospital patient needs.
Nurses' union president Marilyn Rouette said it depends on "the moment,
who the patient is and how much you can give." It's hard to imagine a
moment when empathy from any normal person wouldn't be preferable to
turning away and saying nothing and ringing for the "expert" when
something considered sensitive arises.
Peterson makes a good case in the petition she circulated that making strict
rules about not discussing religion or politics with patients goes counter to
modern medical philosophy that treating the whole patient — physical,
mental, emotional — is the goal. But by her own account, Peterson may
have gone too far in a counseling role.
The other fact we glean from the reporting is that family dynamics played a
part. The patient apparently felt some unresolved end-of-life conflicts, and
this just added to everyone's stress at that most trying time. The family felt
Peterson's comments had upset their loved one and their complaint got
Peterson fired.
The hospital must monitor its care level and worker behavior, but a nurse
can't be expected to know everything in a family history. A nurse trying to
do his or her best at the moment shouldn't be victim of a family's complex
emotional accounting. Indeed, sometimes the family members attending a
death are more frightened and angry than the patient. A poster to our online
comments said, "...One of the many reasons nurses leave nursing."
Nurse Peterson has apologized and is trying to "repent" herself. It sounds
as if she has the temperament and compassion for the job. There should be
a job for her in health care somewhere.
(Used with permission of the Cape Cod Times)
Spiritual talk by nurses spurs soul-searching
By CYNTHIA McCORMICK
cmccormick@capecodonline.com
Friday, April 17, 2009 6:00 AM
Nurses who talk about God and spirituality with their patients can walk a
fine line between comforting the ill and stepping on theological toes.
That's the lesson Cape Cod Hospital per diem nurse Julie Peterson learned
when discharging a dying patient last month. After the patient's family
complained that Peterson had distressed the patient by talking about
repentance, the hospital told Peterson it wouldn't be contracting for her
services anymore.
Per diem nurses are not considered hospital staff and are not entitled to all
the job protections that come from being a union member of the
Massachusetts Nurses Association, according to MNA officials.
But, fellow nurses and friends of Peterson say the mother of five is a
compassionate caregiver who wouldn't have knowingly upset a patient.
And they say patients at the end of their lives often want to discuss Big
Picture issues, including God and the afterlife, with the caretakers by their
bedside.
"It's gut wrenching and very hard," said Marie Borland of Barnstable, a
nurse and friend of Peterson. "Those discussions can be really difficult."
But hospice nurse and ordained interfaith minister Kathleen Geagan Ryan
of Brewster said nurses can avoid the pitfalls of spiritual counseling by
calling for a trained chaplain or practicing what she calls deep listening.
"You cannot impose your belief in any way," Ryan said. "My mantra is to
listen and let the patient lead."
A member of a Hyannis evangelical church called Victory Chapel, Peterson
erred by referring to the concept of repentance, Ryan said. "Repentance is
a loaded word," she added.
According to a petition letter Peterson wrote in the hopes of getting her job
back, she said she was trying to mirror the patient's comment "Christianity
is narrow" by saying, "Yes, it is. If God were to be what the Bible
represents then the access to him would be through repentance. Many
other religions aren't so exclusive."
But the patient's family complained that the patient cried and said the nurse
had told her, "There's only one way, you must go home and repent,"
Peterson wrote.
Peterson has said she wrote the petition for the hospital administration, not
the public.
In a telephone interview last night, Peterson said hospital officials were
probably prompted to overreact to the family's complaint because it was
religious in nature. She added the incident has cost her dearly. "(It) has
severely damaged my ability to work on the Cape," she said.
A hospital spokesman said he couldn't comment on the incident
substantively because it involves a personnel matter, but he said the
hospital takes such complaints from patients or their families seriously.
The problem with religious or philosophical discussions is that even a
simple phrase can give away a caretaker's belief system, Ryan said. And
that can intimidate patients, she said. "It's not an equal relationship. If you
have an agenda, patients pick up on that. I call it the truth serum of the
dying person. They just see through anything."
But friends and co-workers of Peterson say she does not go around
proselytizing patients.
Nurse practitioner Jennifer Mammen said she recruited Peterson to work
with her at Massachusetts General Hospital more than a decade ago and
never would have done so if Peterson imposed her religious beliefs on
patients.
"Her patients have historically loved her," said Mammen, who now lives in
New York. She said officials at Mass General were "absolutely thrilled with
(Peterson). They were sad when she left."
Cape Cod Hospital nurse Cherie Gonsalves, who worked with Peterson,
called her a highly skilled nurse. She said, "I've found her to be
compassionate, kind and appropriate."
David Reilly, spokesman for Cape Cod Hospital, said hospital policy allows
nurses to pray with patients — at the patient's request. The hospital, which
laid off its staff chaplain, has consulting chaplains of different faiths on call
day and night, Reilly said.
But sometimes patients don't want to wait for a chaplain, said Borland, a
former member of a nurses ethics committee at Baystate Medical Center in
Springfield.
They want to talk to their nurses and may be curious about what the nurses
think, she said. Borland said nurses are trained to be caring and respectful
without imposing one's own beliefs, but it's a practice that takes skill.
In her petition, Peterson says the patient — who has since died — had
been talking about her decision to die and her guardian angel. Peterson
wrote that she asked the patient whether she could ask her a personal
question, "and upon getting a clear confirmation, asked the patient her
thoughts on the afterlife."
Let the patient ask the question, said Ryan, who has worked as spiritual
director for several hospices, including hospices on Cape Cod. "We can
just try and listen, follow their lead, and if their lead leads to angels ... stick
with the angels."
(Used with permission of the Cape Cod Times)
Repentance a word (using three different dictionaries) meaning:
Webster's 1828 dictionary
REPENT'ANCE, n.
1. Sorrow for any thing done or said; the pain or grief which a person
experiences in consequence of the injury or inconvenience produced by his
own conduct.
2. In theology, the pain, regret or affliction which a person feels on
account of his past conduct, because it exposes him to punishment. This
sorrow proceeding merely from the fear of punishment, is called legal
repentance, as being excited by the terrors of legal penalties, and it may
exist without an amendment of life.
3. Real penitence; sorrow or deep contrition for sin, as an offense and
dishonor to God, a violation of his holy law, and the basest ingratitude
towards a Being of infinite benevolence. This is called evangelical
repentance, and is accompanied and followed by amendment of life.
Repentance is a change of mind, or a conversion from sin to God.
Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation. 2Cor. 7. Matt. 3.
Repentance is the relinquishment of any practice, from conviction that it
has offended God.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth
Edition. 2000.
Repentance
Noun:
1. The act or process of repenting.
2. Remorse or contrition for past conduct or sin.
The Online Plain Text English Dictionary
Repentance (n.)
The act of repenting, or the state of being penitent; sorrow for what one
has done or omitted to do; especially, contrition for sin.
I think a good question would be, what is an ordained interfaith minister
and what does one do??
http://www.thrivingnow.com/for/Health/ordained-interfaith-minister
The concept of an Interfaith Minister is contained in the following ideas:
• An Interfaith Minister is someone who seeks to promote understanding,
harmony, and love among people by emphasizing what is universal in the
teachings of the many spiritual paths and faith traditions.
• An Interfaith Minister has chosen to learn about, respect, and appreciate
the diversity of paths to Oneness, and to look for the universal truth
contained in each one.
• An Interfaith Minister is someone who is dedicated to serving the spiritual
needs of all those who seek their guidance, counsel, and assistance, without
regard to race, religion, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, ethnic
background, gender or age.
• An Interfaith Minister is someone who is dedicated to deepening their
own spiritual development and practice, and their connection to the Divine,
so that their service to others is always grounded in the integrity of their
own spiritual life.
This is just one definition of many for the term, Interfaith Minister. If one
was to search one could find many more definitions.
The courses of study to become an interfaith minister don’t have a firm
foundation. But, they are from different and not so solid foundations, such
as the New Age Movement or Metaphysics to the Occult and most
anything else.
A book often used (maybe even considered sacred) called A Course in
Miracles which was put in its present form with the help of a spirit who
called himself Jesus. Other institutes use the books of Ernest Holmes, The
Science of Mind and Living the Science of Mind among many others
books These institutes teach anything and stand on nothing.
It's my hope and prayer that this nurse, that lost her job, by the grace of
God gets it back.
I think all interfaith ministers should remember, (if they have studied the
Bible) "Judge not, that ye be not judged" (Matthew 7:1). As you have done
what it is you believed was right, so, too, did this lady. The Bible says to
go and make disciples... and she only answered a question. Had it been me,
I would have not stopped because my Bible says, "If God be for us, who
can be against us?" (Romans 8:31) Also, Psalms 27:1 which says, "The
LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the
strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"
In closing, let me say peace unto you and may God open the eyes of this
world and show unto them that He is the Lord and will not give His glory
to another nor His praise to graven images. (Isaiah 42:8) Also,
Deuteronomy 5:9 “Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve
them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of
the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them
that hate me.” Is it any wonder that the world at this time believes not God,
His word, or Jesus as the bible speaks of Him?? No, not at all!!
I pray that soon Jesus will come for His bride and maybe then all will
understand why I close each offering with, Jesus died for you, will you live
for Him?? Please feel free to e-mail or write at the address below.
With love in Christ, whose servant I am and yours,
Pastor Popeye,
pastorsimas@hyannisbaptistchurch.org
Or write snail mail at:
Hyannis Baptist Church
Po Box 34
West Hyannisport, Ma.
02672-0034
Psalms 12:6-7 and Ephesians 3:8
Join us now on the web!!
http//:www.hyannisbaptistchurch.org
Where The Truth Shall Make You Free!!
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