Bashing for hospitals over ban on the bible

[Liffrea]

HOSPITAL bosses who want to ban Bibles from patients’ bedside lockers have been attacked by religious leaders.

They warned that sick people will be deprived of spiritual comfort just when they need it most.

The ban, at the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, is intended to help cut levels of infectious superbugs such as MRSA.

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/189145/Bashing-for-hospitals-over-ban-on-the-Bible

[The Lawspeaker]

The NHS is a government institution and if my memory serves me correct the Church of England is the official state church (in England). So what belongs next to a hospital bed then ? The Bible.

Unless of course the person is of a different religion but then he would need to bring his own religious book. However.. it would be best if the hospitals could provide more sterile E-readers that contain the Good Book or reimburse people that buy one for hospital use. And of course: hygienic standards should be greatly improved.

http://www.snowbooks.com/weblog/612librie.jpg

But I can find myself agreeing with a comment made by a reader (article):


If the religious bodies are so keen to give 'spiritual support' to hospital patients, why do they not pay the salaries of the chaplains, releasing millions of pounds sorely needed by the NHS to pay nurses, cleaners and porters.

[Murphy]

If it's to combat the spread of infectious disease, I see no problem. I simply doubt this is the real reason.


They warned that sick people will be deprived of spiritual comfort just when they need it most.

Better a priest with the sacraments.

[The Lawspeaker]

Besides. I think that we in the Netherlands (I am sure it happens in a lot of hospitals) also should have Bibles (preferably in a more sterile form like an e-reader) in our hospitals too. We don't have a real state church although one could say that the PKN (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestant_Church_in_the_Netherlands) de facto is one (but Catholics are far more numerous - albeit on paper) but it could definitely help if some religious consolation could be offered to the infirm in hospitals. Here we have both Catholics and Protestants so we could arrange it that in some areas there is a Catholic or a Protestant Bible (paid for by a joint Protestant/Catholic foundation ?) on the desk or mainly a Catholic one in the South. With a Reformed Protestant one in some communities in the Bible Belt. It would be up to the hospitals to provide the E-reader (and that they are kept sterile) and up to the Church to provide the Good Book.

Some older hospitals still have chapels and maybe hospitals could get multi-functional religious rooms (for Protestants or Catholics) but it would be up to the Church to pay for the staff.

We still also have dedicated Protestant or Catholic hospitals though but in that way they could be integrated.

[Cato]

Better a priest with the sacraments.

And what if the person isn't a Catholic, or not even baptised? Will the good padre give the eucharist to an infidel?

[Magister Eckhart]

Better a priest with the sacraments.

I don't know about you, but I think I'd feel better about my chances of recovery with a bible than I would with extreme unction.

[Cato]

I don't know about you, but I think I'd feel better about my chances of recovery with a bible than I would with extreme unction.

The KJV of the Old Testament is always good for a read.

[Beorn]

@ Lawspeaker.

You and I both know this idiot should have said:


If the religious bodies are so keen to give 'spiritual support' to hospital patients, then I fully support them. Why do they not pay the salaries of the chaplains, and crack down on the health tourists, non-native British patients and more besides, and thus releasing millions of pounds sorely needed by the NHS to pay nurses, cleaners and porters.

ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK THE TRADITIONAL SYSTEM!!!!!!!

[The Lawspeaker]

Well... suppose that I would visit Britain and me being the stupid continental would look left instead of right while crossing the road (it happens.. "the power of habits" as we would call it here). Should I not receive hospital treatment ?