I told my Dad

that I am an atheist. it was very hard, because he is very devoutly religious. He took it pretty hard. It was hard for me to tell him news I know he didn't want to hear. But I was supposed to be interviewed by the Washington Post and I didn't want it to come as a big surprise. Only the interview didn't happen or hasn't happened yet. I don't know what's up with that. It was hard like I imagine it is for gays and lesbians to tell their families. But now it is out and I can be myself.

I know it was just as hard for him to hear as it was for me to say. He felt really bad about bombing on receiving the news, so he called and left me a really sweet message. Ahhhh....

____________________

If you are interested.....

I was going to be interviewed by the Post about my protests that helped put an end to spiritual evaluations of VA patients. As part of the normal exam questionaire, VA patients were asked a series of questions about how often they attend church, where they attend church, how would they rate their spiritual life, etc. This was for everything from life threatening illnesses to athlete's foot (which is what I went in for when I was asked these questions). I felt my spiritual life (Or lack thereof) was none of the government's business. So I wrote a lot of letters and made some phone calls and it stopped. They replaced that with a questionaire about PTSD.

Now the VA is handing out blatently religious pamphlets. Of course, I am doing something about that too. People don't expect to get religious pamphlets from the DMV, the Tax office or the police station. The VA is a government agency as well. The government really has no business telling people what to believe or what not to believe. Chaplin services are available for a wide variety of faiths which everyone at the VA knows. And if they don't know there is a large chapel disceptively labeled "Chapel" in large, red letters that is a dead giveaway.

There is no need to hand out pamphlets on how to pray, properly read the Bible or what the Bible really means. It always surprises me that people of faith don't get upset about this stuff too. Don't people of faith want some privacy, too? Do they really want the government telling them what to believe?

Strangely enough, my Dad, a person of deep devotion to god, agreed with me.

Re: I told my Dad

To put them in the chapel is one thing to put them in the main waiting area is another. The VA is government agency. No one is stopping anyone from talking about God, reading the Bible or praying wherever they like.

What I am talking about is the VA, a government agency, handing out religious pamphlets, in effect endorsing, a particular set of Christian beliefs. Even Christians do not all believe the same way. If they are going to put out relgious pamphlets, it should be all possible belief systems. Can you see how that could get complicated? There's dozens of Christian, Muslim, Buddist and Hindu sects out there. And that's just the major ones!

No other government agency that I know if hands out religious pamphlets. Why should the VA?

If a person is confused or in the state of mind to need mental help, the VA has literally batallians of psychologists, pyschatrists, doctors, nurses, and PAs whose only purpose is to help people with mental health conditions. There are also leagues of Chaplins available right there at the VA. If a person's particular faith is not represented there, a minster of that faith will be called in immediately if desired.

The VA staff is very well trained to recognize mental health problems. Not to be rude but when were you last at the VA? My VA has two whole floors dedicated soley to mental illness. Plus the intake questionaire every vet must answer before every physical health appointment has a battery of questions on mental health issues.

The VA is quite prepared to handle any mental health problem a person might have and they are quite adept at idenitifying those with mental health concerns. If a person wants to talk with a Chaplin rather than a mental health professional, there is one right there - wandering around. Usually there are two chaplins there - a Catholic and a Protestant minister.

How is a pamphlet going to do a better job than a flesh and blood person? How exactly is any faith being stepped on when a minister of choice is available at a moments notice, there is a big chapel and a prayer room?

But for the VA to actually endorse a faith is wrong, not to mention, against the Constitution.

Re: I told my Dad

It's still called the Chapel no matter who meets in there - even if it is a priest of Native African beliefs (called VooDoo by some). The pamphlets were put in a permant holder in place of other pamphlets on high blood pressure, cholesytrol, diabetes, etc. Someone physically removed the VAs authorized health care pamphlets and replaced them with pamphlets on how to pray, what the bible really means, etc. There were no pamphlets representing anything but one brand of Protestant Christianity. Nothing for Catholics or Jews or Muslims or anyone one else.

VA patients also need pertinantly displayed information on health care issues and VA services. The VA put out this holder for their stuff and someone removed their stuff and replaced it with privately printed pamphlets that look exactly like government pamphlets. Unless, a person is into reading copyright information, you would never know these pamphlets were not printed by the government printing office. They were not just laying around like bibles are. They were part of a permnant, promonent display.

Re: I told my Dad

People do hand out Bibles and ask me if I am saved. But they are not VA employees. They do not represent the US government. Yes, it annoys me, but not as much as these pamphlets that parade around like the are officially authorized and printed by the US government when they are not. These pamphlets are sitting side by side actual VA authorized pamphlets interspersed with them. Unless a person actually reads the copyright information, it is impossible to tell which the US Government printed and which were privately printed.

Put the shoe on another foot, would it be okay for Islamic pamphlets to be mixed in with actual US government pamphlets, looking so like them, no one could tell the difference? What about pamphlets on how to practice voodoo? Would that be okay?

Truthfully, if it were Islamic or voodoo pamphlets, I would have complained as well.