The Pastor at My Table

[Andrew S_]

I just wanted to share something terrifying that happened to me the other day.

I just signed up for a new life insurance policy that required a nurse's visit to my appartment for a health screening. I was home alone at the time when he arrived and he seemed friendly at first. The exam was relatively simple and things were going fine. I quickly built some rapport with this gentleman and we talked about books and my job.

At this time I was sitting at my table and had already given a urine sample, but had not yet had my blood drawn. Then he put the blood pressure monitor on my arm and started the first reading. At this moment he revealed to me that he had become a Christian minister and went on a 15 minute rant about science and quantam physics and how they are the same as faith.

I felt scared and trapped. In any other sitution I would not have let this person take a seat at my table. I would have cut off the conversation if they had. I might have even thrown them out of my house. (politely) But I felt trapped, unable to even flinch should it fuck up my reading. AND this was a person about to stick a needle in my arm.

I felt violated in my own home and discussed it with my fiancee when she got back. She empathised with me greatly.

What would you have done?

[nathanm]

Wow, that is really bizarre.  That is an extremely uncomfortable position to be put in.  He broke the clinical, formal, and professional nature that you want in such an interaction by talking about his personal beliefs.  And in your own home too!  Very unprofessional if you ask me.  Sure, it's nice to have a little bit of casual banter but it should be all business, really.  So what did you say to him?

This is a situation where religious people really have the upper hand over us.  I can think of hundreds of times where a religious person has been given all the slack in the world simply because they are nice.  They go in hard with the niceness and pleasantries and you know damn well you can't counter their bullshit without coming across as the bully.  So what happens?  We clam up, don't say anything and hope it slides by.  It seems like the right reaction.  But maybe there needs to be more pushback.  I'm speaking generally, I don't think there's enough detail in the story so far to make a concise judgement.

Sarcastic replies I thought of but would never be clever enough to think of it in the moment:

"So are all my humors in balance?"

"I think my blood should be pretty clean, I've been doing leeches twice a day and most of the demons escaped when I had the trepanning done."

[Andrew S_]

Essentially I chose to say nothing to him. Philosophy is about choice, right? I didn't see how it would have benefited the situation to say anything at the time.

I gathered this because he claimed he was a minister (and had just become one). Therefore he was not someone worth spreading the message with, IMHO. Likewise his beliefs were not doing much for me.

I thought about calling the company he works for and filing a complaint about his unprofessionalism. I could imagine a schenario where someone else might be even more offended, someone of a different faith, etc. Regardless I was happy to have him out of my house and put it behind me.

[HollywoodSimon]

He had you strapped for a blood pressure reading for fifteen minutes?

Edit: to answer your question, I would have engaged him in that very conversation as I happen to know a lot about both Christianity and physics. I sympathize with your aversion to the unwelcome rant, however.

[Andrew S_]

Yes, FIFTEEN MINUTES!

He took a reading before, during and then AFTER his rant. I'm pretty sure that means my cover is blown. My readings must have been different each time.

I'm still contemplating compaining to the screening company. On a side note, my fiancee's nurse (the day before) was also pretty religious. She kept mentioning God and faith during the screening.

Is it something to do with the heath care industry as a whole? Or are these evangelizers attracted to jobs where they get to visit people alone in their homes?

[HollywoodSimon]

People in the medical industry tend to have better access to drugs than those in the general population. Make of that what you will.

 

If the rant made you uncomfortable, I'd recommend mentioning it politely to the screening company. Religious rants certainly go against modern professional standards. Plus, I think the nurses would appreciate getting reprimanded by the company. They'd perceive it as persecution and thereby strengthen their fellowship with the martyrs of old.