My pet peeve involves the people who want to volunteer at hospice because they've decided it's their calling to save people before they die. For the life of me, I don't understand why they can't see how offensive that is. If they were dying and someone of another faith waltzed into the room and proceeded to preach to them, I dare say they'd be offended.
Although I grew up Methodist, I've strayed rather far from there in the ensuing years, mostly because I've found that so many religions exclude everyone from other faiths. That's not for me. As long as someone is trying to be the best they can be, I don't care what religion they've chosen and see no reason to convert them to another. That, I realize, is heretical to many but, working in hospice, I see good people, not good religious people. It has colored my view.
It's been my experience that the most intolerant people are the religious ones, often seeing themselves as being a special group and everyone else as godless, or confused, or less than. Conversely, the people who seem the most accepting of others label themselves as spiritual, not religious.
Our own Spiritual Care department is great and they are careful to honor each individual's preferences. Perhaps because they interact with all the faiths, they've learned to appreciate them. Perhaps they're just extraordinarily tolerant. Whatever it is, they're most assuredly different from so many of the people who go through our volunteer interview process and when questioned about how they see their spirituality fitting into hospice, reply that that's their primary reason for wanting to volunteer. They are then indignant when told they can't pray over the patients - no, not even the ones who are unresponsive.
Yeah, I know what you're thinking and if I end up in hospice, I hope they don't tell you what room I'm in!
Although I grew up Methodist, I've strayed rather far from there in the ensuing years, mostly because I've found that so many religions exclude everyone from other faiths. That's not for me. As long as someone is trying to be the best they can be, I don't care what religion they've chosen and see no reason to convert them to another. That, I realize, is heretical to many but, working in hospice, I see good people, not good religious people. It has colored my view.
It's been my experience that the most intolerant people are the religious ones, often seeing themselves as being a special group and everyone else as godless, or confused, or less than. Conversely, the people who seem the most accepting of others label themselves as spiritual, not religious.
Our own Spiritual Care department is great and they are careful to honor each individual's preferences. Perhaps because they interact with all the faiths, they've learned to appreciate them. Perhaps they're just extraordinarily tolerant. Whatever it is, they're most assuredly different from so many of the people who go through our volunteer interview process and when questioned about how they see their spirituality fitting into hospice, reply that that's their primary reason for wanting to volunteer. They are then indignant when told they can't pray over the patients - no, not even the ones who are unresponsive.
Yeah, I know what you're thinking and if I end up in hospice, I hope they don't tell you what room I'm in!
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