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Last night I attending a pinning ceremony for RN's at a public college. The color guard was not present as they were out sick, so instead they started with the pledge of allegiance. Next were a few quotes from the scriptures and a speech, then the speaker started the ceremony with prayers.

I get that Florence Nightingale was a devout Christian, and that as a pioneer nurse paved the way for followers. Does every single nurse follow a god and believe in the bible? Was this ceremony in a public college an isolated event of praying/scriptures, or is it just the practice of a specific Christian area? Has anyone attended a pinning ceremony or have been pinned as an RN and experienced this?

Yes, the religious speak can be ignored, but it is reinforcing belief over science? As in: God made science. ??

Admittedly, while the mass of audience bowed their heads during the prayer, I uttered (not too loudly) what does this have anything to do with nursing? Religion has no place in science, and making (teaching or forcing) others to believe it does, is flat out wrong.

What say you?

MyLiege 7 May 2
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26 comments

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14

I’m a nurse and this is an outrage. My ceremony never had any mention of god. Maybe in the nurses pledge, but I can’t remember. You don’t need a god for a reason to do good. In fact doing good for the sake of doing good is more noble just so you can get smiles from a sky dad.

@Friskycat exactly what I thought.

8

As an RN, this certainly didn’t happen at my graduation. Of course that was 25 years ago and in Canada.
I don’t deem this appropriate in any academic setting for a couple of reasons... not all nurses will be christian or religious at all.
I frequently engage with two other atheist nurses on agnostic.

7

If someone is in medicine (or any of the sciences), it seems counter-intuitive to believe in delusions.
I can't even bring myself to attend most ceremonies and events anymore. I can't take all the religious bullshit, and false-patriotism.

Girl, where you been?? It's been FAR too long.
How the hell are ya??

@KKGator Hi, yep it's been a long time. Busy IRL. Doing good though. How you been?

@MyLiege Glad you're well. I'm hangin' in. Thanks for asking.

6

While everyone has their head down, I like to look around to see who the non-theists are. One day I will get enough courage to wave to them.

I was watching as well because I was standing in the very last row looking out at the audience. I'm a bit vertically challenged, but from what I saw and heard, it was a collective endeavor. I stood there with a look of shock and amazement!

5

I'm actually in school to become an RN. Unfortunately I have five semesters to go but I'll try to get back to you on this after I graduate, haha. But seriously, I completely agree with you, until such time as a religion can meet the burden of proof using the scientific method to verify its claims, religion has no place in any scientific endeavor including medicine.

Best of luck in your studies!

@MyLiege Thank you!

5

I am a nurse and an atheist.....I am often perplexed by how many medical professionals are religious ( Christian, Jewish, or Muslim ). I do not recall a heavy religious presence at my ceremony....but that may vary from school to school. I tend to agree with you however, science and religion have no business mixing

I'm a RN too, we had lots praying and other bullshit back when (the 80's) i wasn't a atheist then, today I would had to rethink the whole ceremony, but back then to it was a requirement to graduate, I've changed and grown alot since then

5

If this religious ceremony happened at a public college it was illegal. If certain secular organizations find out about it they will send them a letter to cease this. Then they will sue.

Contact FFRF or Americans United for separation of church and state.

5

I would complain to the people who are in charge of it so it does not happen again.

@MissKathleen Personally I think that there are far too many lawsuits going on in the US. Every little shitting thing that should be common sense is a taken to court. If the ceremony has already been then what does a law suite achieve for the participants. Things work themselves out as time goes by. If people are aware what is likely to happen, why don't they object before it happens, and take it from there.

@MissKathleen You may be right there. I live in Australia and we do not seem to have these kind of problems. A bit of conversation and common sense seem to prevail here.

@Jolanta It is creeping christian theocracy and if we do not do what we can to nip it in the bud it eventually can take over. Once they get so far, it can be impossible to reverse it.

@Jolanta "what does a law suite achieve for the participants"
I have not seen one, but I imagine bunch of furniture with rules written all over them.

I seriously doubt one person , at one ceremony , filing a complaint , is likely to be sufficient to change what has been , "the way it's always been done ."

@jlynn37 FFRF seems to be fighting the good fight, while the rest of us talk, they act. I suggest a donation (NOW!) and a membership ....for everyone!

@Cast1es A first step has to be taken by someone.

@Cast1es It needs to stop somewhere.

4

My wife's pinning was in a church. I went, smoldered a little but managed to avoid the spontaneous combustion.

@ponderingatheist Why do they do that though? Because of Florence Nightingale?

@MyLiege we live in Florida. We're too close to the bible belt.

3

I would have been really peeved had I been in attendance. But it does depend on if the school is a religious one, public or not. Many places get away with using public funding for their religious public schools.

Definitely a public college. No ties whatsoever to any specific religious organization.

2

Thanks all! I composed a letter and emailed it to the college.

2

Yup, and I hope you lodged a complaint with the ACLU.

2

It is time that we discontinue these archaic ceremonial rituals. A new dawn has begun. People are realizing that this stuff just don't make sense. Sorry to hear that you had endure such a ridiculous and thoughtless ceremony.

Unity Level 8 May 2, 2019
2

Real life is a great adjuster of attitudes. It'd be interesting to run into a few of these graduates after they've worked the floors for a few.

2

Taking advantage of a captive audience?

2

Probably was a religious college.
I’m in medicine and it didn’t happen at my graduation.
However my entire class was very religious.

It was at a public college as the graduates attended this college.

2

I think they do it because no one ever says, "hey you shouldn't be doing this", right then and there. Forget the lawsuit! Speak up when it happens and let them know there are other people present who should not be forced into a religious event!

2

True

But some schools think they can do whatever they want

2

When I went to my friend's nurse pinning ceremony, nothing having to do with religion went on.

1

If it is a public college, that was against the law. You could contact the Freedom From Religion Foundation and they could explain that to them in a letter.

1

Your experience is exactly what I go though if I attend any events at a Senior Center in my area. This is the main reason I seldom go to these events. None of that crap is needed!

Agreed!

1

My experience is very minor compared to this, but I still get really annoyed whenever I go to my local senior center to eat a free lunch several times a month, because right before they eat there is a ritual or tradition of them having a moment of silence before people start getting up and going thru the line to pick up their food. I am told that they used to actually have a prayer from someone instead of the silent moment, but I still don't like it. So while they are doing their moment I just go on about my business and make it clear I am ignoring or boycotting it. BTW, I live in a city that is very conservative, Republican, and Christian.

1

Traditions .

0

"Nightingale questioned the goodness of a God who would condemn souls to hell, and was a believer in universal reconciliation – the concept that even those who die without being saved will eventually make it to Heaven." and "Despite her intense personal devotion to Christ, Nightingale believed for much of her life that the pagan and eastern religions had also contained genuine revelation." -- she was too theologically liberal for many people who brag about how she is supposedly on their side.

0

Agreed, it is ridiculous.
However, if you step back and look at the health industry you'll find that many corporations are or tied at the hype to non-profit religious institutions. This provides the corporation with loopholes to get tax breaks or flat out no taxes in various degrees.

[chausa.org]

It is hypocrisy at it's best and a total con job at it's worst.

Most organized religions are a con. Corporations the world over, may of whom are international across national and financial boundaries. Enable untaxed corporations that own restate, works of art, product lines, intellectual property, services, goods, and heavily fund political groups and legal bribery is still considered a nonprofit institution who's petitioners always have a hand out asking for charity for the most vulnerable.

I will always remember the day my father died and some priest from a small (less than 3000 people) town let slip how much he paid himself as a priest at his small church and how his father before him was a preacher and left him his inheritance.

The priest of a congregation of less than a few 100 people paid himself a small bounty of $136,000 a year and his father left him only $1,875,000 upon his death. You can bet then 40 people in his congregation lost their jobs at the wood mill that priest wasn't going to give them any financial assistance. At best those families would get some meals, a few fund raisers and the priest's empathy for their hardship..

Empathy all the way to the bank, and is vacation in Maui.

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