Here’s a video of what I saw yesterday afternoon at the Glasgow School of Art.
Despite news reports today which are playing down the damage, the Mackintosh interiors, particularly the library, were very obviously completely gutted.
10 responses to “Guest Post: At Home Among the Dissenters – John McLuckie”
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Are you really PAID by the NHS? Money that could pay for a nurse or a physiotherapist? You must be tremendously confident that your faith is meaningful if you are! I’m not sure if I envy that or not…
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In most hospitals, there are hospital chapels and hospital chaplains. It isn’t a new or shocking thing. My experience has been that most of them do very good work, and are available for anyone from any religion who wishes to speak to them and don’t force themselves on the ones who prefer not to. The practice of medicine is about a lot more than just the physical, especially in a cancer hospital, and unless you want doctors to be the ones offering spiritual support (I don’t think I’d be that good at it, I don’t have enough hours in the day as it is, and, as my patients have to see me whether they subscribe to my religion or not, I think it can be inappropriate and intrusive), I’m quite happy for the NHS to pay someone who specialises in the area of spiritual support to fulfill that very real need.
– Beth, who works for the NHS
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Thank you Beth. I couldn’t have put it better.
– Ruth, whose sister died in hospital not all that long ago
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Agree with Beth, and …
is this really a world where the big ideas about birth, death, love, hate, forgiveness, suffering should not be discussed? Where one can live and suffer and give birth and die without thinking about them? does not the very suggestion this should be so impoverish us every bit as much as as suffering and death can? And is certainty in any way necessary to enter such a discussion?-
Interesting! My original question was about confidence… here’s one to test it a little more, today there’s a headline in the Guardian:
” NHS to axe cancer and heart experts. Charities and doctors warn that treatment of killer diseases will suffer as number of teams is cut”
Yet according to the BBC the NHS is spending £40 million per annum on chaplains!
Which means that chaplains must be VERY confident that this money is better spent on talk than treatment, or I’m sure they wouldn’t take it. Would they?
By the way I was a nurse at Gartnavel Royal for many years. Never saw hide nor hair of the chaplain up there, although apparently, there was one!
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What an excellent blog John has. Most interesting. Thanks for the link.
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Um – as one with friends and family in the NHS I wonder how much of the money spent in the last weeks of a terminally-ill person’s life is well spent. Sometimes a great deal is spent on treatments which are hugely unpleasant and prolong life by weeks or months at best. I made a decision years ago that when (and given family history when is more likely than if) I find myself there I will ask very searching questions.
I won’t answer for John, but for myself… I am ‘tremendously confident’ that examining the questions around my faith is ‘meaningful’ and indeed essential. That is not at all the same thing as being sure my beliefs are right.
We have what is supposed to be a Health Service – something which promotes well-being. People are more complex than their conditions – and we all die one day. A great deal of money is spend on all kinds of things which make the lives of those in hospital better, because people cannot get through life-crises on medicine alone.
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I think that characterising cancer and heart disease treatment as terminal care is extremely depressing, and perhaps fifty years out of date. And the health service is there to promote well-being? I don’t think so, I think it’s to provide medical and para-medical care during illness..
Not that I don’t love chatting to a minister of religion, anytime. I do! But not on the NHS budget please! UNLESS…
Unless it’s been demonstrated in properly designed clinical trials that a visit from the chaplain is worth the cash. That’s the test for all the other expensive treatments we’re paying for! -
I did not describe cancer and heart conditions as terminal. However I do expect to die one day.
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I’m not sure that the benefits to a patient from a visit from the chaplain could be usefully or accurately measured by ‘properly designed clinical trials’…. from a personal viewpoint I know that the last twelve weeks of my sister’s life (a young 62 year old with cancer and desperate to live) were made more bearable by the chaplain’s ability to help her cope with the sullen, spitefulness of too many of her nurses.
Previous Posts
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The Mothers
I was exhorted today to encourage the starting of a Mothers’ Union branch. I won’t be offering any such encouragement. Like some other clergy I know, I’ve no great enthusiasm for the MU. The odd thing is that one never gets asked why. I know the reasons that I’m not really into the MU, but…
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Sites that have been linking here
Here is a quick round up of sites that have linked here recently. The Church Times – Noting the story about Pip in the Pub. (Which reminds me, I never picked up my copy today) Blazing Indiscretions – picking up the Prop 8 video Mimanifesto – a committed edublog (and I can’t work it out…
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Four quick theatre reviews
I’ve been out quite a lot recently. Here are some quick reviews. Sunset Song at the Kings, Glasgow – excellent production which could perhaps have been improved with surtitles. The Doric became no easier as the night went on. Although I enjoyed this, I left the theatre delighted that the National Theatre of Scotland was…
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Excellent story in the Current Bun
Fr Pip had a good story in the Scottish Sun this morning. I noticed it whilst leafing through the pages. Take a look here.
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