“Chaplain Karen Kaplan”
Well, a woman preacher means a liberal denomination by definition. So it’s probably going to be more pretty words than spiritual hope.
The Obama attack on organized and even unorganized Christianity marches on.
(Forgive me if I am wrong, Karen, if you're reading this. Enlighten us.)
However, we live in a world where even a "moment of silence" will be, and has been, construed as a concession to the spiritual life, and hence an Establishment of Religion.
It's been banned in schools!
I do believe that a modest and diffident believer, even an agnostic of sorts, could be a spiritually valuable friend of a dying person, if he or she turns off the TV on the wall, turns off the imbecilic gibber and ping of all the buzzing, beeping, futilely invasive equipment, makes space for the mystery of personhood, and guards where appropriate a full and blessed --- and by no means empty --- silence.
Yeah, those Pentecostals and Holiness folks are really liberal.
True enough. It seems that the Protestant churches who hire female chaplains DO tend to be liberal.
I THINK that the Catholic Church will stand its ground on following the age-old Orthodox Jewish tradition of male priests.
"My goodness; there are lots of replies. I leave any responses, if you wish, to you. Main point in response I think is to say that the chaplain is to respect the beliefs of the patient, and help that patient articulate those beliefs as a way to help with coping with what is happening. A good chaplain does not bring in their own beliefs. We help persons tell their stories, and as they are telling them, they increase in their own self-understanding and growth simply through the telling and being heard.'I happen to differ with Rabbi Kaplan on this: I do think chaplains are right to "bring in their own beliefs," because how can we not, without dehumanizing ourselves? And without starving, so to speak, the person who hungers to hear His sacred Name?
If the dying erson is conscious and has indicated he does not want a chaplain, or does not want YOUR kind of chaplain, that is of course a different story.
But here I also wish to reiterate my conviction that anyone, "chaplain" or not, who simply even acknowledges that the person approaching death is a spiritual person who has spiritual needs, is a net help to that person.
Christ said, "Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek and ye shall find; knock and the door shall be opened unto you."
I firmly believe those words.
And so I believe that anyone who gives us space or time or encouragement to ask, seek and knock, is --- whether they know anything about it not --- a help to our salvation.
Even a warm, hand-held silence gives the opportunity for the dying person to hear Him say: "My child, listen to Me." Otherwise, there's just the Absurd, the Void: morphine and get outta here.