Bibles back in rooms at Md. hospital
By DEBORAH GATES, The (Salisbury, Md.) Daily Times
Posted Thursday, March 1, 2007 at 8:22 am

SALISBURY, Md. -- Patient rooms left without Bibles during a hospital "re-stocking" now have a copy of the Good Book.

Peninsula Regional Medical Center spokesman Roger Follebout said that rooms without Bibles had received one by Monday, but said religion did not factor in a decision to either remove or replace the books.

Some area Christians had complained publicly that the hospital had removed Bibles from patient rooms, claiming the act was a deliberate attempt to appease non-Christians.

Hospital officials last week denied the claim, insisting instead that some Bibles were removed by either patients upon discharge or by hospital staff as part of an annual restocking.

"We have, as of Monday, completed our scheduled, and annual, February inventory of all patient care rooms," Follebout said in a statement. "We have returned Bibles to those very few rooms where they had been missing as a result of patients taking them home upon discharge -- which is absolutely fine -- or as a result of our staff removing them due to damage or wear."

A Bible study leader and United Methodist Church member from Hebron threatened last week to begin a three-county petition drive in support of patient-room Bibles. She and others claimed that complaints by non-Christians were to blame.

Vocal on the issue were members of the Wicomico Camp of the Gideons International Christian organization that distributes Bibles to hospitals and hotels. One member, Dick Taeuber, offered hospital officials a remedy to a situation he described as a "misunderstanding concerning the availability and distribution of Christian Scriptures within PRMC."

In a letter this week to PRMC President Alan Newberry, Taeuber suggested that the medical center also place a Spanish version of the Bible in meditation rooms and a copy of the Qur'an and Book of Mormon in a lending library.

Follebout said it was unclear whether hospital Bibles were originally provided by the Gideons. He emphasized, however, that the medical center's policy "has always been to have Bibles available in patient care rooms." He has said that non-Christian religious scriptures also were on hand.

"That policy has never changed," Follebout stated. "Bibles were in our medical center's patient care rooms 100 years ago ... and Bibles are in our patient care rooms today."
Contact Deborah Gates at (410) 845-4641 or dgates@dmg.gannett.com.

The reason I posted this particular story was because I'm tired of hearing in America that Non Christians are trying to take away Christian rights all the time. I even get it in my emails that are forward from some of my distant relatives. What they don't understand is people other than Christians are just trying to find balance in this country, we are not trying to take their rights away. and then when something like this happens; it's almost like this hospital is walking on eggshells. Oh, no we didn't take the Bibles out of the room to appease Non Christians; we're just restocking. Why should there be a Bible in every room and then every other religious literature has to go down to the Hospital's library if they want to read it.

I think you have a valid point. But the problem is we live in such a politically correct world that its hard to even discuss issues like this without going defensive.
The truth is not every Christian is extreme. When people react like this it is extreme, sure, but we don't all feel that way.
That being said, its the same way on both sides of the coin. The people who voice their opinions loudly generally are hard core on their views, which make it hard to discuss things civilly.
I think the truth is many of our rights our being taken away in this country. My goodness, just look at smoking and all these ordinances in some states. And all these "little" issues and laws and behaviours because heaven forbid we offend someone. I agree, alot of little things have gotten out of hand.

You know what really irks me? How politicians use religion to gain votes...Then their behaviours are contradictory to their campaigns.

Anyways, it would be nice if we all felt like we have a right to believe what we want to believe and didn't have to worry about being politically correct.

I would think that stocking hospital rooms with Bibles is merely providing convenience for majority. When we were traveling through Utah, every place had the Bible and the Book of Mormon because that would satisfy the majority of their customers. No reason to go all politically correct or to protest such stocking. It got nothing to do with freedom of religion, much like serving coffee with cream does not mean that you can't order it with something else. It's just that something else is not a common choice.

I was going to comment on everyone else's position on this...but instead, here's my own.

I think, yes, patients should have a right to have religious reading material in their room. However, I also feel they should have to request it.

So I'm kinda on the fence on this issue. I believe in equality in religion, and balance in spirituality, but either put all the religious material in a closet to be accessed by staff when requested upon, or in the chapel, along with all the other belief systems. But don't put them just in the rooms...I dunno, maybe I'm just an outsider in my thoughts...but I am adding this to my podcast this week.

Tallicdeth, I agree with you. People should have access to the books. The thought of a bible not being in a hospital room sounds weird to me though. I don't know why though. I guess its just we get used to things being the way they are. But surely, people of all faiths should be able to have access to their books.

Anita, it's just something that goes with the room. It's there if ya need it and if ya don't it's really no big deal. Have ya noticed there's a Bible in your room at the Hilton? It's just there, like the pen that's laying next to it. I can understand the Bibles in the hospital, but why are they in your hotel/motel rooms? Now that's something to ponder. (I think I'll do an online search... )

It really doesn't offend me. To each their own. Like MC though, if it's not there, I know something is missing. It's just a part of our culture, I suppose. I would NEVER impose my beliefs on anyone that may find solace in reading the Bible in their time of need. It's just there if ya want it and I believe the majority of people that go into the hospital use it. I don't, but I don't visit the hospital that much.

Talli, "in the chapel?" Wouldn't that many Bibles cause questions to those not of the christian belief, that go there for comfort? Maryland is part of the SOUTHern Atlantic States. I think you'll find the further south you go, requests for the Bible goes up, considerably. Just my opinion!

Good article. Good stuff for thought! Thanks!

Hello....

I'm surprised that they don't just have "different channels" for different faiths. That way, the patient doesn't have to read. They can just lay there and calmly hear their "religion"

But then they would have to maintain those channels by paying someone. I can't imagine hospitals going for additional expences like that. Besides, not everybody is an audio person, so it's not exactly a substitute for a book in the room. This hypersensitivity to the matter would be almost funny if people on both sides were not so frighteningly serious. As if there is not enough of more important issues to deal with.

I can't say I have an issue with the situation. Yes, there is a theory of having them available upon request, but of course that would be opening up whole new issues. What are you going to keep on hand for Wiccans, Silver Ravenwolf, Amber K, Ray Buckland? Are we going to have plenty of copies of the Satanic Bible on hand in case 10 of them show up in the hospital at the same time? A copy of Celtic Faery Shamanism on hand in case the hubby and I show up there? That's just very basic examples. When we start expecting to have them cater to every whim no matter the minority that they may be, we're going to force complications that aren't neccessary in a field as serious as medical care. The hospital is there to save lives and help the sick. No, they are not a church, but they try to have comforts around for their patients. When the majority is of a Christian flavor, than they will cater more openly. Requesting a Bible makes sense in ways, yes. On the other hand, nurses and doctors are usually quite occupied while on the clock. If they're being buzzed every five minutes because someone wants a Bible taken in or out of their room, they aren't going to have the opportunity to care for the patients in the manner they were trained for.

This is of course just my opinion, but I can't agree with taking them out. If I want a spiritual book in my room that isn't the Bible I'll bring it with me or have it brought by, go down to the library in the hospital or something to that extent.

quote:

Originally posted by Be Prepared:
If I want a spiritual book in my room that isn't the Bible I'll bring it with me or have it brought by, go down to the library in the hospital or something to that extent.

My sentiments exactly!

Thanks to everyone that posted their opinion on this topic. It's nice to see from a different perspective. I agree that it would get a bit ridiculous if the hospitals did have every kind of religious material on hand especially since there is no basic "One Book" for alot of religions out there. I know, majority rules; I get it and I don't really have a big problem with the Bible being in all the hospital rooms. I had more of a problem that this became news in the first place because of Christians jumping to the conclusion that the hospital was appeasing Non-Christians by taking the Bible out of the rooms. Then the hospital had to defend it self by making sure that they weren't taking their rights away and that some Bibles are takin out of the hospital from previous patients and that they were restocking the books.