A lot has been going on the past 10 days or so - friends needing moral support, helping a friend with a rather sensitive paper for a class (I was the "subject"), and tending to my own health problems - i.e., knee osteoarthritis, which brings me to the reason for this blog.
Most hospitals now ask if a patient would like to record his/her religion. This is in the recognition (a little late, but I'll take it!) that spiritual health and needs are just as important as the physical problem. I was at the outpatient registration area at Pennsylvania Hospital - founded by Ben Franklin, with claims to be the "nation's first." Okay..... And I digress.
A very pleasant registrar asked me the question, and I very politely said, "Wiccan." She scrolled through to the "W" section and found nothing. "How about 'Pagan'?" She scrolled through the "P" section and found nothing. So she diplomatically put "other." Well, that covers a lot of "other" territory.
We finished the registration, and wished each other a good day, and off I went for the x-rays.
From what I've read (and I could be wrong), the US Military recognizes Wicca as a formal religion! Why not the hospitals? Suppose I have to be admitted. Unless my sister from SC flies up here or contacts someone in this area, I do not get the same "pastoral" care as the other patients.
Instead of complaining, I wrote a friendly letter to the Pastoral Care Department and explained the dilemma. I don't know if anything will be done, but I hope that my letter was received in the spirit in which it was intended - spreading a little bit of awareness and making my potential needs known. I did not go into huge detail, just stated a simple case, expressed my thanks for reading my letter, and then got on with my regular work for the day.
Another case: Back in January when the new Mayor was sworn in, he had a big ceremony and bragged about having representatives from "all faiths" participating. Let's see, based on those on the dais, that meant Christianity (both Catholic and Protestant were represented, so they got double), Judaism, and Islam are "all" the faiths. I'm going to chalk this one up to simply a case of not knowing. Was I represented at the inauguration? Nope. Am I ever represented at large public functions or so-called "ecumenical" gatherings? Probably not. What am I going to do? Take some responsibility and start sending polite letters, asking that my voice be heard, asking that my Pagan sisters and brothers be recognized - not outed - just that those who put together these events know that if they truly want to represent "all" faiths and traditions, they need to realize that we are part of "all."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment