Shocking news: atheist doctors treat poor people
Posted
August 2, 2007 at
5:30 am by
Prescott
Which is worse — that funding at an esteemed university went to this study, or that an editor found it newsworthy? As being reported in the Chicago Sun Times, researchers at the University of Chicago and Yale New Haven Hospital conducted a survey and found that many doctors out there will care for poor patients, despite the doctor’s religious leanings:
“We can say a lot of doctors are doing a lot of good, whether religious or not,” said Dr. Farr Curlin, one of the authors of the study, published in the Annals of Family Medicine.
The study is based on a survey of 2,000 doctors with a 63 percent response rate. Thirty-five percent of non-religious doctors, compared with 31 percent of religious doctors, said they were likely to care for people with little or no health insurance.
Possible headlines for tomorrow’s edition:
“Atheist Fireman Rescues Child From Building”
“Atheist Police Officer Doesn’t Kick Puppies”
“Atheist Target Cashier Gives Service With a Smile”
“Atheist Parent Raises Happy, Kind Children”
It’s that last one that troubles, because for me, a “devout” atheist, it doesn’t read as a joke. If the pervading thought is that doctors, who have taken the Hippocratic oath, will not be altruistic merely because they shun religion, what must people think of how I raise my children? It’s the same, tired argument that if one doesn’t have religion in their life, then there’s no “moral compass” to dictate what’s right and wrong. That raising children without religion will simply turn them into selfish relativists, apt to do whatever they want, whenever they want.
I won’t rehash that debate and how incredibly insulting it is, because quite frankly I’m tired of it. But I will say this — try and reflect on people that have treated you with kind acts in your lifetime. Take notice of the warm smiles and friendly gestures you encounter in your everyday life. Now be really honest and ask yourself if any of those people would have treated you any differently if they were atheists. Because maybe they were. Your neighbor, your kid’s teacher, the corner grocer — any one of them might hold a humanistic view of our life here on Earth. Even your doctor.
Tags: atheism, atheists, Parenting, Religion |
9 Responses to “Shocking news: atheist doctors treat poor people”
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1. Petulant Pixie said:
August 2, 2007 @ 9:39 am
Yes, it’s really sad that there is a demand for any sort of “proof” that people without religion are just as morally sound as people who are religious.
For myself, I have my own moral compass and seek a religion that matches it, rather than the other way around. That’s why I can’t be Catholic anymore. My compass points in a different direction than the Pope’s.
2. Jessica said:
August 2, 2007 @ 11:04 am
[quote comment="101990"]My compass points in a different direction than the Pope’s.[/quote]
What direction does the Pope’s compass point that you are in contrast with?
I’m asking sincerely as I know very little about the Catholic church and it’s teachings.
3. Petulant Pixie said:
August 2, 2007 @ 11:17 am
Well, this new Pope is reviewing the second Vatican council decisions. I guess he thinks that some of the changes made back then (this was ‘68/69ish?) weren’t right.
Sooooooo…..for starters, he’s allowing the Latin Mass to be practiced. That doesn’t seem like a big deal, but I guess there’s a big anti-semetic part of that Latin Mass that has a bunch of people in a tizzy.
Secondly, he just had a statement issued announcing again that the Catholic church is the ONLY Christian church. This is real old school stuff. That Jesus appointed ONE person (Peter) to start ONE church, and that church is the Catholic church. All others are fakes.
A few months ago, in reviewing these second Vatican documents, he also felt the need to make a statement about Limbo. He said that there was reason to believe that unbaptized babies might possibly not be damned to Limbo for eternity, but maybe, could be, might go to heaven instead. I just CANNOT adhere to ANY religion that believes in an afterlife, but allows any possible exclusion in it for children under any circumstances. The context of this was very offensive, too. It was said that he ordered a study of Limbo in the light of the increase in abortions. So, really, his statement wasn’t about reassuring mothers that their unborn might not be damned to Limbo, but it was more a reminder that if you have an abortion, the church’s teachings say most likely the baby will go to Limbo, not Heaven. It sucks.
And, I still have issues with the whole anti-birth control stance, the cover-up of the child molesting priests, the disallowing of women priests and a lot of other issues. I tried, I really did try to get with the whole Catholic thing and just couldn’t. This new Pope was the final nail in the cross (ha ha).
4. The Kept Woman said:
August 2, 2007 @ 10:09 pm
Fabulous post.
I’ve been a bit more than skeptic about organized religion for the last few years when I began to question what I was trained to know. I’d lump myself in the agnostic category for now but I hesitate to tell people that for fear that they think I’ll sacrifice their puppy or dig through their garbage for some chicken blood when they’re not looking.
My theory on raising our kids is based on the Golden Rule..applying to to people, things, thoughts, etc. Mutual respect and treating people kindly.
5. Jessica said:
August 3, 2007 @ 8:14 am
[quote comment="101998"]
And, I still have issues with the whole anti-birth control stance, the cover-up of the child molesting priests, the disallowing of women priests and a lot of other issues. I tried, I really did try to get with the whole Catholic thing and just couldn’t. This new Pope was the final nail in the cross (ha ha).[/quote]
The whole indifference of pedophiles amongst their ranks, is enough for me. Also, from what you’ve described, the new Pope sounds like a gigantic asshole. I’m in agreement, although, there are very few organized religions that I can get on board with these days. More and more I’m seeing how ugly religion can be and how it creates intolerance and elitism. Not every religious person is like that, but let’s face it, most of them use it to judge other people towards a political agenda.
6. Petulant Pixie said:
August 3, 2007 @ 9:07 am
I consider myself Christian. I’m real big on Jesus the human, though (so I loved the book Lamb). I don’t go to church, I don’t practice among other Christians. I just do my praying and study the Bible on my own (I’ve learned a LOT more on my own than I would have in some church run Bible study group, where there’s just some other lay person guiding you through–the stuff I read is by actual theologians, and there’s nothing I won’t contemplate, there’s no area in theology I find too offensive to consider, so I feel my self-education on Christianity is pretty wide). Maybe some people would say I lead a “Christian” life, in that I aim to do good whenever I can, but I consider it a “human” life, because as the original post stated, people don’t have to be Christian (or Jewish, or Hindu) in order to be good people.
7. Stacey S said:
June 9, 2008 @ 6:37 pm
Atheism, Pantheism, Agnostic, Christian, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Scientologist, Mormon, Buddhist, Wiccan….the list goes on & on & on.
I REFUSE to label myself anything other than a human being. ‘Organized’ religion is nothing more than history’s first form of government. It reminds me of the velvet ropes at the bank that are meant to keep the crowds of people in a single, organized, uniformed line…which intern reminds me of cattle, a means to control the masses.
I’m utterly (excuse the pun)amazed at how many different names there are for “God” (or whatever your particular religion refers to as the higher being) and that for the most part He/She/It is supposed to represent peace & love yet wars have been, are, and will always be fought in the name of this “being”? I find the whole thing quite baffling.
I personally don’t have to go “tell it on the mountain” how I feel about “God “or if I feel anything at all for that matter. Why do people feel the need to sell their religion like they’re pushing vacuum cleaners or something? “Go on…take it…all the cool kids are doing it”!
I think it’s absolutely ridiculous to assume that somebody would be a bad doctor, police officer, teacher (oh wait….that last one doesn’t count because we’re not supposed to have religion in schools) or parents because of any particular belief. My Dad is a republican (and holds a Masters in Theology)….and I am not (how embarrassing for him!) So despite being in a home where those views were favored & practiced daily I grew up to have my own thought process and beliefs…huh, go figure, independent thinking…there’s a new concept!
If I don’t have any food in my house….please, call the authorities & report me as a bad parent….if I don’t have a Bible in my house……deal with it!
IMO (defending myself from hostility with the 3 magic letters)
8. Kennedy said:
June 9, 2008 @ 11:37 pm
I know this may sound very “simple” and child-like even, but I think for most people that believe in God, really BELIEVE in Him, it just seems impossible that there are people who don’t. They may feel that others are being insulting to them or insulting their intelligence when something they believe so strongly in is put into question. To them, to not believe in God is to not believe in anything real.
I mean, what do athiests say to their children when Grandma dies and the kid says “Is Grandma in Heaven?” And what do they tell their children the meaning of Christmas is? Or Easter? Pretty big holidays for something or someone who isn’t real.
9. Grandma frm Ks. said:
June 10, 2008 @ 12:12 am
Well I’d like to know where this 25% of non-religious Drs that would treat for non payment, or little pmt are at. We have a couple of big Catholic Hospitals here ( supposedly non profit) but if you don’t have Ins. or welfare help, your care will go down the tubes. As far as an Atheist Dr. I had one of the best, If I had known at the time, yeah I probably would have been worried. All I know is he took care of some thing that others could not, He teased me about calling on God when I was coming to, but in a very kind way, He was never the one to tell me he was Atheist. And Prescott I do believe that sometimes we see more acts of a christian in a non christian than in those professing a religion, It’s whats in the heart God looks at and judges by, it”s not about religion. I for one know that some one is always watching and judging you, in public, the work place shucks even on cyber space, and if you claim it you”d better walk the walk , not just talk it, I am guilty and ashamed for not being the best I know I can be, I will say one more thing, to those of us who do believe in God, we should ask our selves “why do we think, God gave us 2 ears and only one mouth?” Maybe listen more and talk less?