Faith Healers
A recent survey of 1,044 doctors across the United States revealed some surprising statistics. 76% believe in god (only 7% below the general population), 59% believe in an afterlife, 90% attend religious services, and most shockingly, 55% allow religion to influence their practice of medicine. In a field firmly based in science, this just doesn’t make any sense, particularly since the Newsday article points out that previous studies have shown that fewer than half of scientists believe in god. This raises three questions. First, why are doctors disproportionately religious when measured against hard scientists? Second, are you willing to go to a doctor who believes in god? Third, do you know?
The two articles provide some theories on an answer to the first question. Maybe doctors rely on religion to help them deal with repeated life-and-death issues, or to ease the impact of losing patients. Maybe those with an aptitude for science and a belief in god are drawn to medicine because most religions stress helping others. These seem like plausible explanations to me. I can’t really understand how a person can live a scientific life and still believe in god, but I suppose I can see why this happens more frequently in doctors than in researchers.
I find the other two questions more interesting. I personally could not go to a doctor who believes in god. To paraphrase Matthew 6:24, no man can serve two masters. Ye cannot serve God and Hippocrates. I rely on a doctor to make decisions that affect my health (and possibly my very survival) based only on the best available science and my best interests. I don’t think a person of faith is capable of that kind of objectivity. The majority of doctors shape their practice of medicine to fit their religion. What does that even mean? Will a doctor work as hard to save me if he thinks I’m going to heaven or I’m going to be reincarnated? Will my wife’s gynecologist try to talk her out of birth control pills without any medical reason for it? Will a moment of prayer in an operating room prevent the timely application of life-saving measures? A believer as a doctor is a wildcard.
On a simpler level, I have serious doubts about the intelligence of anyone who believes in god. I don’t think every theist is an idiot, but it’s a clue. When I meet a person for the first time, if he misuses words or is clumsy in his speech, I conclude that he’s not the brightest crayon in the box. This isn’t always true, but it’s more often true than not. It’s the same type of thing. The diagnostic skills of a person who can’t figure out the truth about god are seriously in doubt. Religion as a stress reliever is not a good excuse. Take up golf, fishing, macrame… anything else. You know what? If you fail to save my life, I don’t WANT you to feel better about it. I don’t want you to make up little stories about how it all works out for the best. Try harder next time. If you can’t take the heat, go to dental school.
But, do you know if your doctor believes in god? Despite the last two paragraphs, I can’t say I know. I don’t think he does, but it’s never come up. How would I find out? Can I just ask him? That’s a pretty tough question to just throw out there with a guy who’s been my doctor for over 7 years. As it turns out, I’ll be moving in the next few months, so I will likely never go to this doctor again. However, I can guarantee you that when looking for a doctor in my new location, this will be a major criterion. It’s too important not to be. I’m sure that will be uncomfortable. It’s not socially acceptable to walk into a doctor’s office and ask him if he believes in god. I’ll deal with a moment of social friction if it means I can be confident that my doctor is a rational, thinking person.
So if you’re out one day, and you see me collapse on the sidewalk or be hit by a bus, do me a favor. Wait around until the ambulance shows up and tell them that I want to check into the Arthur Schopenhauer wing of Reason General.
~I AM~
June 25th, 2005 at at 11:48 am
Something seems strange about those numbers to me. 90% attend religious services, but only 76% say they believe in god? What’s up with that 14%? Is the raw survey data available somewhere?
In my (limited) experience, many people do religious things (say grace, attend church) just out of habit, or a feeling that its what everyone else does. But I would expect those same people to say they believe in god too. I think that’s the default safe position for most people, as in, “Huh, I’ve never really thought about it much. But I guess yeah, sure I believe in god.”
Anyway, I can’t imagine what that 14% is thinking. Unless attending the occasional wedding or funeral counts as attending religious services?
June 25th, 2005 at at 2:11 pm
I was also struck by that discrepancy. I would guess that a lot of those people are married to believers and they go with their spouses. I was unable to track down the raw data.
June 25th, 2005 at at 2:50 pm
You make mention on to how religion will encourage people to help others, which could explain the larger percentages of believers when it comes to doctors.
How can you assume that because a doctor believes in a god, that that could negatively impact you as a patient. Is it not plausible enough to say it will help you as much as hurt you?
I understand the whole idea of letting religion interfear with a job or practice, and yes it bothers me too… but I can’t help but feel we’re cutting people short because I’m sure there are doctors who would use it to encourage themselves to help others even more, as oppose to just give up and let a person die because they wanted to get a Hail Mary in.
June 25th, 2005 at at 3:33 pm
I think religion and medicine, like religion and politics do not mix. I don’t see how a doctor can have a strong religious faith and not have it interfere with his ability to be objective as a practicioner of medicine. There are too many conflicts and contradictions.
I suppose the degree to which it will impact a given doctor depends, in part, on what religion we’re talking about. Frankly, I’d have more trouble going to a doctor who was a Christian than pretty much any other religion – except for possibly Islam. Guess it’s a good thing my current doctors are all Jewish…
I Am, you have some big cajones. I don’t know if I could just walk into a doctor’s office and bluntly ask that question, and then walk out if they said yes. The other problem is, do you think that a doctor would lie – claim a belief in god, because most people asking would probably want one – and say they believed when they didn’t?
Just a thought…
June 25th, 2005 at at 4:40 pm
I think addict has a good point. In addition to wanting to help people, another reason that people become doctors is that they make lots of money. The doctor may tell you yes or no depending on what he thinks you want to hear in order to keep you as a patient.
It would also trouble me for a doctor to be strongly religious. I want my doctors to be firmly grounded in reality and need good evidence to believe something about my body. To be honest though, I think most doctors do use good critical thinking when diagnosing their patients. Like many religious people, they “compartmentalize” their brain and allow religion to flourish in its irrational splendor in only one part and do not let it interfere with their daily life. Still, I do agree that atheism signifies a person with a more rational outlook on life and probably higher intellect.
June 26th, 2005 at at 1:13 am
I know from first-hand experience that otherwise intelligent theists can compartmentalize irrational religious beliefs from logical, scientific observations, but I see this as a constant tug-of-war, especially, in my own family. I AM brings a very important question to light: Where reason and religion conflict, religion usually wins, so why gamble your life on a sure bet against it?
June 26th, 2005 at at 11:29 am
I think the case may be that doctors, unlike scientists, are not forced in their training to push things to their logical conclusions. In medicine, there are many concerns to balance, including moral judgments, and given that most people in this country come from religious backgrounds, they may compartmentalize the facts and the judgment in different parts of their minds, and let the religion guide the moral dimension (not that I think this is a good idea). Doctors’ training doesn’t force them to go all the way to the bottom of things; that isn’t the game they’re playing, whereas in science that just is the game. Also, on the whole, doctors have different motivations, and science is often just a means to an end.