BIBLES have been banished from Victorian hospital bedsides and
some schools because they may offend non-Christians.
Almost all Melbourne’s major hospitals have withdrawn the Holy
Book from rooms and several schools have refused to allow their students to
be given free Bibles.
The Gideons International Australia, which distributes Bibles free
to hospitals, schools and motels, blames political correctness.
"The reason most often given is that ‘We are a multicultural
organisation and we don’t want to offend anyone’," Gideons’ executive director
Trevor Monson said.
"It is a terrible shame because we get lots of letters from
people who say having a Bible by their hospital bed has been a great comfort
to them during their darkened days."
The Catholic Church condemned the ban and labelled arguments that
Bibles could offend non-Christians as "silly".
"To say that other faiths might be offended if a Bible is there
is nonsense," Archdiocese of Melbourne auxiliary bishop Christopher Prowse
said.
Hospitals including the Royal Melbourne, Royal Children’s, Austin,
The Alfred, Monash Medical Centre, Box Hill, Maroondah, Dandenong and Casey
have all removed Bibles. Royal Melbourne spokesman Rod Jackson-Smith denied
a ban, but said: "We don’t (have Bibles in each room) any more.
"Because we have so many people from different religious backgrounds
it is considered inappropriate.
"It is also an infection control measure."
Well I guess there are some plagues in the Bible. Just ask the
Egyptians. Or maybe they had misheard and thought the Bible included the Mold
Testatment.
14 comments
This is ridiculous. Infection control measure? The mere fact that they mentioned that indicates that they know their primary reason is insufficient.
Hmm, let’s see. What else in a hospital could cause infection because other people have handled it?
Oh, that’s right – everything.
I wonder if they received even a single complaint.
When I endured my indoctrination in the Clinical Pastoral Education program at a large “Catholic” hospital I was hounded for wearing my habit to work everyday. The doctors, nurses, patients, families were all perfectly fine with the habit. I got the most grief from the other chaplains, especially the Catholics and even more aggressively from one of my own Dominican sisters! Despite their constant whining, ostracization, and complaining through official channels, I managed to complete my CPE indoctrination w/o giving up the habit. I learned a few months after my term ended that the lefty chaplains had browbeat the hospital administration into declaring religious habits a “safety issue,” a potential “source of infection.” So, what you can’t win by reason, dialogue, bullying, or force, you win by rhetorical manipulation and deceit.
Fr. Philip, OP
I learned a few months after my term ended that the lefty chaplains had browbeat the hospital administration into declaring religious habits a “safety issue,” a potential “source of infection.”
So what did they do? Start prancing around the hospital naked?
Appalling. Even from a purely secular viewpoint, it’s stupid. How is eliminating paper “a[n] … infection control measure”? Surely foodstuffs brought as gifts would carry more risk.
As for not offending… I’d much rather see them include alternative reading material than eliminate the Bibles, if their concern is “multiculturalism”.
The article also says:
“Only St Vincent’s, a Catholic hospital, confirmed it had New Testaments at every bedside”
I wonder if they have the Gideons version (sans deutero.) The last time I was at St Vincent’s was dropping an old priest friend of mine in for surgery (and he had the real thing – the Office!).
All in the name of “Truth is bad for you,” under various disguises. Trying to appear “religiously tolerant” (of what? always the question to be asked, for “tolerant” can’t stand on its own), they make sure the Bible disappears….but methinks they’d let in any Koran or Torah…or Scientology magazine. The Bible, though — that could hurt you! Or…or…somebody, surely….
A similar stunt was attempted at Leicester for the same reasons but thankfully due to an outcry among Christians and the aid of Muslim councillors, this decision was reversed.
BillyW: “So what did they do? Start prancing around the hospital naked?”
No. They continued to wear “street clothes.” One of the Catholic priests wore Rainbow suspenders and a big pink triangle. That was OK, of course!
I suppose they’re right about one thing: The Gospel has been known known to be contagious.
What I don’t get about the liberals who try to change everything is their logical first principle. They try every argument under the sun, but when we can address those all, they come up with more. Obviously we didn’t address their true concerns. That’s deceitful argumentation in its most vicious form.
It’s one thing to not want your sacred beliefs tampered with, it’s another to hide them from others so that you don’t have to risk them. For all the belief tampering that lefties do, you’d think that they wouldn’t be so afraid of having their own core beliefs debated.
Will they ban the Da Vinci Code? That carries a grave risk of infection.
Bookstopper,
The idea is to use the “inevitability of change” as an argument for forcing the changes that you find useful and appealing. Then, once your changes are in places, you immediately entrench. Then when anyone wants to argue for changing your changes using the argument from the inevitability of change, you call them a “throwback” or a “reactionary.”
This is called “institutionalizing the permanent revolution.” It’s also called “totalitarnism.”
Fr. Philip
I can see it now: setting up metal detectors to keep rosaries and crucifixes from getting inside.
The Thomas Moore Law Center is working on that case in California involving the removal of a cross from a war memorial because it offends a random atheist.
I wonder, can I be equally offended by the absence of a cross, or do I not have that right.
Also, according to accounts of demon possession, the possessed hate the sight of things like the Bible, crosses, etc.
Would make a good premise for a book, no?
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