My Sunday Thought for 03132016: Chaplains

Hospital chaplaincy is an often misunderstood vocation. Many unfamiliar with the work of the hospital chaplain equate it with ministry, but that is not what it is at all. Ministers seek to bring a specific message to those with whom they work. Hospital chaplains lay aside their personal beliefs at the door to the patient’s room and seek instead to immerse themselves in the spiritual worldview of the patient or the patient’s family.

-- Carol Kirk, Pagan Pastoral Counselor, Chaplain

What should we look for in a chaplain? First and foremost, would logically be a dedication to interfaith ministry. In an institutional setting, one can expect a variety of faiths to pass through the door. How can a minister of God disavow someone in need due to a difference in belief? A hospital chaplain visitation request can list the person's faith, not so the chaplain can pick and choose their own faith to minister but, rather, to inform them of the patient's belief system so they are better informed during their visit; to let the chaplain know what faiths they can expect to be visiting during their rounds of all those requesting ministry.

Let's take a closer look at just what a chaplain was, is, and is becoming, by looking at one definition:

Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister, such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, imam or lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, school, police department, fire department, university, or private chapel. Though originally the word "chaplain" referred to representatives of the Christian faith, it is now also applied to people of other religions or philosophical traditions–such as the case of chaplains serving with military forces and an increasing number of chaplaincies at American universities. In recent times, many lay people have received professional training in chaplaincy and are now appointed as chaplains in schools, hospitals, universities, prisons and elsewhere to work alongside, or instead of, official members of the clergy. The concept of "generic", "multifaith", "secular" and/or "humanist" chaplaincy is also gaining increasing support, particularly within healthcare and educational settings.

-- Wikipedia, "Chaplain"

Even though I have taken on the title of "Pastor," I consider myself more of a lay representative of the hospital chaplaincy I'm affiliated with.  As a "lay" representative one would expect it would be a simple matter to put aside one's sectarian beliefs as compared to seminary trained ministers of faith.  I have unfortunately, found to the contrary.  I have found a good many lay leaders of a congregation to be somewhat egotistical and unforgiving; kind of a self-appointed first line of defense for the congregation, and a few that would be the first to damn me to hell for my own humble beliefs on faith and religion.  

In the hospital setting, sickness and death aren't on schedules. Having been raised a Catholic, I was taken aback to discover a priest would list his hours for ministering or Last Rites. Considering almost all churches lock their doors during non-operating hours, I suppose I was naive.  Consider this paragraph from my post, My Sunday Thought for 1/31/16: Middle Ground.  I compared this notation to Jesus Christ hanging a shingle, outside his abode, which lists His hours for ministering God's love, forgiveness, or healing. One can just imagine Him passing an active stoning of some poor soul and commenting, "I'd step in, but I'm on lunch break."

"Do not call Father 'X' during the night, and not at all unless it is one of his congregation!"  As a minister for religious tolerance I found this note troubling.  For "Father X" there is a schedule for his Christianity, and there is a limit to his tolerance for those of other congregations, much less of other faiths. It seems to me the priest is making it very clear, "There is only so much I can do, and you're not in my congregation, so you can just die without Last Rites. I cannot be bothered with you." Father 'X' chooses when it is appropriate to shirk his voluntarily dedicated responsibility to humanity and God.

-- Excerpt - My Sunday Thought for 1/31/16: Middle Ground

Recently, while updating the visitation requests sheets at the medical center, I noticed the name of an elderly woman, whom I visited several days prior, had been moved to a different room and floor, and into ICU.  I immediately beat feet to ICU where I found the woman's daughter who explained her mother was having issues with the recent hip surgery and the surgeon wanted her in ICU where she could be better monitored.  As a chaplain, even though I had only visited the patient once, this elderly patient was on my radar regardless of her faith.  The simple act of checking on her gave the woman and family added comfort.

I don't see how a chaplain, in an institutional setting, can possibly accomplish the goals of a chaplaincy without leaving their own sectarian beliefs at the door.  The very fact they volunteer to wear the mantle of "Chaplain" is a public admission of their desire to be of service to everyone in need, not just their own flock.  It is like accepting the responsibilities of the doctor and nurses they work hand in hand with; they don't pick and choose their patients, they also minister to their needs.  I think if a person of spiritual and religious faith does not have a ready ability to embrace the multitude of diverse spiritual and religious beliefs, perhaps they should look to a career choice where hypocrisy won't be an issue, like the foodservice industry.

I see the chaplaincy as a service where your personal beliefs come into play only as the impetus to be there, doing the work of a chaplain.  What faith you practice is not as important as being there for the patient, for the lost, the sick and the needy, and assisting in the support of their own faith, their own belief system, to heal them in ways even the chaplain may not totally grasp.  In this way the goal of our own God, and belief, is attained as we find common ground of tolerance, understanding, and love with all of God's children - without judgement.  I think Chaplain David King states this best:

Good advice for anyone interested in chaplaincy would be to suspend your sectarianism. Institutional settings that have chaplains need their chaplains dedicated to interfaith ministry. Chaplains need to be of service to all of those within their institutional setting. Suspending your sectarianism doesn’t mean sacrificing who you are as a minister, priest, or cleric. It means being open to diversity and being able to embrace that diversity to be of service to others where you find them. This means being strong in your own religious conviction. Your identity as a Chaplain should flow from your theology and that theology should be expansive enough to embrace the needs of others both within and outside of your tradition. Suspending your sectarianism means your agenda is one of service and compassion; and the person with whom the Chaplain serves sets the agenda.

-- David Oliver Kling, Chaplain

In my efforts to recruit clergy to be "on call," I have to be tolerant of poorly veiled attempts at converting me.  As a chaplain there is no room for discussion, critique, or conversion of faith.  A chaplain is not a door-to-door salesman of God.  Yours is an ear to listen, a mouth to answer, and eyes to see the great diversity of belief and faith which God, with all wisdom, has graced us with.

I have visited a few patients, not on my visitation list, which inform me they are not religious.  I smile at them and ask if they try to live moral, righteous, lives.  When they answer yes, I simply mention that they are living a spiritual life of good and, whether they admit it or not, they are doing the will of God.  If they have not discovered a faith in God in this life, perhaps they will in the next.  Meanwhile, it is all about them and getting better.

This philosophy of subconscious faith comes from my personal belief that the heaven or hell we make for ourselves in this lifetime is a test that determines how far we advance in the next.  Learn the lesson or retake the test, you will keep doing it until you get it right.  God is forever, and a very patient parent.  Hell is simply God's way of saying you failed.  It is a forced "summer school," a remedial class, an attitude adjustment to prepare us to take the test again, and again, until we finally see the light and get it right.

For those people of faith wishing to volunteer time with a chaplaincy, I recommend checking with your local institutions and seeing what they have available.  For those that wish to become a certified chaplain, check online for the resources available to attain this end.  There are paid positions at many institutions for trained, certified, chaplains.

But, whatever you decide, remember it is all about the ability to set sectarian beliefs aside for the greater good of those same sectarian beliefs.  It is not our place to judge another.  We are, all of us, children of the same God.  In our following of a righteous path there is no wrong or right, there is simply another opinion.  For the righteous, the destination we seek is the same; it's all in how we go about arriving.  You can be tolerant, understanding, and accepting of other beliefs without having to agree with them.  As with Jesus Christ, and most of the other true prophets and teachers, you can only show people the way as you see it.  It is up to them whether they choose to follow.  Their choice, right or wrong, believer or not, is ultimately between them and God, not you and them.

I leave you with food for thought from Kabir Helminski and his 1999 book, The Knowing Heart, A Sufi Path of Transformation:

There was once a time, perhaps, when people felt themselves to be part of a cosmic order which offered a straight path to salvation, truth, or enlightenment. In that time before spiritual truth was relativized, God’s love and mercy was extended to anyone, no matter what his or her circumstances, who fulfilled the necessary moral and religious duties. Almost every person could find in his or her own humanness the pre-condition of hope. 

Our situation in the post-modern era is that no religion seems absolute anymore. All religious truths seem to be relativized. In this situation, a life of faith and morality is no assurance of salvation. We lived with unnamed anxieties and guilt anyway. Although liberated from a Divine judgment, we are haunted by an existential guilt which refuses propitiation.

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so.  This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot.  Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint.

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, and instructor. He is founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance and author/editor of the Congregation's official blog site, "The Path," which offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination.