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Physicians and Patient Spirituality
The Editors welcome submissions for possible publication in the Letters section. Authors of letters should:
•Include no more than 300 words of text, three authors, and five references
•Type with double-spacing
•Send three copies of the letter, an authors' form signed by all authors, and a cover letter describing any conflicts of interest related to the contents of the letter.
Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.
Annals welcomes electronically submitted letters.
IN RESPONSE:
It is perfectly valid to base one's public conduct on religious principles. Thus, I don't object to Dr. Bodey allowing his religious beliefs to dictate his actions in broad ethical terms, as long as he does not impose his particular belief structure on others. This is obviously a separate issue from the display of religious icons in a clinic office. To the extent that this office is a site of medical care for those of all faiths and creeds, it represents a segment of the secular, public space. As opposed to many other world cultures, secularization, that is, the separation of church and politics, is an accomplished fact in our society. This has caused religion to lose the political elements it once possessed in the western world. Of course, this does not mean that religion has become an entirely private affair, either (1): “The public-secular domain, or the political sphere, properly speaking, comprehends and has room for the public-religious sphere. A believer can be a member of a church and at the same time act as a citizen in the larger unit constituted by all belonging to the City.” The word “all” is key in the preceding sentence. The display of a religious icon in a secular setting cannot help but make a political statement in addition to a religious one. I know for a fact (because I have asked them) that many of our patients, domestic as well as foreign, would consider it an insult to see a Christian religious icon hanging in the examining room of a secular medical clinic. Such a display would be appropriate only in a closed religious community in which physician and patients shared the same religious convictions, a “pseudo-theocratic” setting. Dr. Bodey is assuming that his non-Christian patients are open-minded enough to excuse his self-focused display of religiosity. In most cases, perhaps they are, but why put them to the test? Dr. Bodey also asks if the display of religious symbols in the office is somehow akin to the display of “sports symbols.” Personally, it is difficult for me to conceive of two more disparate types of objects. I believe most religious persons would agree with me on that point!
The Editors welcome submissions for possible publication in the Letters section. Authors of letters should:
•Include no more than 300 words of text, three authors, and five references
•Type with double-spacing
•Send three copies of the letter, an authors' form signed by all authors, and a cover letter describing any conflicts of interest related to the contents of the letter.
Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.
Annals welcomes electronically submitted letters.
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