3/15/2006 Vol. 3, No. 4

Professional Practice

Chaplain Resident Daniel Coleman on creating a sacred space for chess

My Theology of Chess

"All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts."
(Shakespeare, As You Like It)

“All the world’s a chessboard, and all the men and women merely pawns in the hands of the Grandmaster, manipulated according to predetermined rules and strategies…”

(Please note that chess terms are in bold)

In September 2005 I joined the wellness team at F.E.G.S to support clients in rehabilitation from mental illness. Among other assignments, I was awarded responsibility for supervising the chess group. I felt challenged to create a sacred space during (at least part of) those two hours each week and was troubled by the implied sanction that I, as a Rabbi and chaplain, was bestowing upon a social activity that revolves around conflict –two armies battling for supremacy? How could I personally reconcile this with the many central Jewish prayers that ask for Shalom –Peace?

I drew upon Rabbinic literature which is replete with references to an inner struggle between the Yetzer HaRah –our destructive energy/inclination and the Yetzer Tov –our productive creative energy and actions. We are given 'permission' to struggle with our failings. This was an important tool that I could use to validate my clients, who each have their own set of struggles.

I now begin each session by asking players what they would like to pray for. I explain that some of our games will be drawn out and involve heavy losses on both sides. Looking beyond the realm of chess, I inform them that it is appropriate to invoke G-d's blessing and ask for His help to minimize the severity and length of our personal and interpersonal struggles and to grant us the strength to cope with losses that we face on our journey through life.

Below are some other metaphors that have developed from discussions with my clients concerning the chess pieces and the way they move:

I underscore teamwork –just as the various chess pieces need to work in unison towards a common purpose, so do we need to work in cooperation with others to help us achieve our goals.

Picturing the chessboard before the start of play, I see the King protected by a small army of pawns: eight soldiers who are willing to sacrifice themselves for a greater good. There are times in our lives when we must make a decision to sacrifice something of value for something of potentially greater value. Like pawns, we need to consider when, where, and what we are prepared to sacrifice for our physical and spiritual well being and/or the well being of others.

In this ancient game of chess, the Queen is the most powerful player, having the capacity to move in any direction she pleases and frequently spearheading an attack on an opponent. In my ancient religion too, there was always the belief that women were powerful and sacred. Recently, I encouraged the (mostly male) members of the group to reflect on the role and status of women in their own societies, cultures, and family structures.

The lowliest pawn can promote to a Queen when it reaches the other side of the chessboard, but not without encountering great opposition along the way. The road to Wellness is full of struggles to overcome –but the end result is a transformed person self-empowered to take steps towards greater independence.

The Knight (or horse) is the only piece that can leap over others to get to their destination square. Even when there are obstacles in our way, at times we can creatively leap over them rather than having to confront or devise ways around them.

Of course the theology of chess would be wholly incomplete without the bishop. It is noteworthy that these religious guides are placed on either side of the King and Queen on the chessboard. This may be an indication of their role as pastoral counselors to the commanders-in-chief. Perhaps they were the first military chaplains! How open are we to seeking spiritual support in our own struggles?

From observing chess games, I have learned more about how to chaplain. Just as an observer can take a few steps back from a situation and often see a solution with greater clarity than those invested in the outcome. I find myself using my objective distance to gain perspective and clarity from a client’s story regarding what's really at stake for him/her. When I become too emotionally attached or invested in my client's success, it harms my ability to help them. At the same time, I sometimes feel like the chess observer who must bite his lip in order not to make a premature or inappropriate intervention. I'm not there to ‘fix’or supply solutions rather to help the patient walk a little way in their suffering and say what’s true for them in the moment.

Do you have thoughts about professional practice you’d like to share with your colleagues? Send an e-mail info@PlainViews.org.

Advocacy

Jaclyn Herzlinger RN on helping nurses connect

On Recognizing Your Worth and Potential

I am a Faith Community Nurse. I am Jewish. I direct a nursing program in Springfield, NJ for three synagogues. One is Orthodox, one is Conservative, and one Reform. I also work for the St. Barnabas Healthcare System as a hospice nurse. I have been in community nursing, oncology and hospice for twenty years.

If it were not for chaplains along the way, I would no longer be working in the field. As Rev. Larry Austin said in a recent issue of PlainViews (Vol.2, No. 22), if you are not careful, “pain will sneak up and steal your soul.”For helping me remain in my profession, I would like to thank: Rabbi Moshe Abramowitz, Rabbi Richard Address, Cantor Amy Daniels, Rabbi Goeffrey Dennis, Reverend Jeffrey Garland, Rabbi Joshua Goldstein, Rabbi Ephraim Karp, Rabbi Zvi Karpel, Sister Janet Lehman, Rabbi Mark Mallach, Father John O’Brien, Dr. Carol Ochs, and Rabbi Simkha Weintraub. Some of these individuals knew they were ministering to a troubled soul. Others helped perhaps unknowingly with their innate goodness and sensitivity.

I have a more important point.

There are hundreds of thousands of registered nurses in this country. For those whose education level is Bachelor and beyond, TWENTY FIVE PER CENT of their practice is by definition in the spiritual domain. They (we) all took Nursing 101 or the equivalent. We saw the words. NOwhere in my nursing school or elsewhere was there any formal information on how to serve the Spiritual Domain. Each individual has had to seek this knowledge for her or himself. Many of us have done so.

Chaplaincy education is what I need. Now that you have identified your profession for me, I challenge you to help me and all nurses, not only for our own sustenance, but for the well being of our patients. Your influence will be extended exponentially. You will help promote a kinder, gentler world. Please help educate nurses. To those in your denomination, offer tutoring and courses in how to use the tenants of your own theology to help others of your faith. Help nurses connect spiritually to all their patients. Help us learn how better to serve the spiritual part of the self.

Do you have thoughts about advocacy you’d like to share with your colleagues? Send an e-mail to info@PlainViews.org.

Education & Research

Rev. Bill Gaventa on end-of-life resources for the developmentally disabled

End of Life Care: Bridging Disability and Aging with
Person Centered Care

This is the title of a new, small book that comes out of the Journal of Religion, Disability, and Health from Haworth Press. (With the Journal, we are able to publish a focused or thematic issue or double issue, and also have it published as a book.) This volume is a particularly interesting collection of articles which came together in a fascinating way, but it is also a reflection of some wider focus and attention to issues of death, loss, and grief in adults with developmental disabilities and their families/caregivers.

The genesis of this particular collection came when we received two articles, one by Rudd Turnbull, Co-Director of The Beach Center on Disability in Lawrence, Kansas, and one of the premier lawyers in the field of developmental disabilities. He is a parent, and writes the lead article, “What Should We Do for Jay: The Edges of Life and Cognitive Disability”on policy and practice issues that would impact his son Jay and those who are caring for Jay when he reaches the end of his life. The second article was from Mary Jo Iozzio, a Catholic theologian at Barry College in Florida. Entitled “The Writing on the Wall…Alzheimer’s Disease: A Daughter’s Look at Mom’s Faithful Care of Dad,”she writes about the theological themes she saw in the care of her father by her mother. The fascinating point to me was that both authors, from very different perspectives, reached common kinds of recommendations and conclusions. What’s more, the reviews from our review process were so interesting we decided to publish the reviews/responses to these two articles as a way of sharing the conversation.

Around the same time, the Last Passages Project was finishing its work –a project to develop policies, resources, and materials to support people with developmental disabilities at the end of their lives. This volume includes its philosophy and policy recommendations for service systems and caregivers, and an excellent bibliography of resources. You can find this information at: http://www.albany.edu/aging/lastpassages/

Finally, in the area of developmental disabilities, the emerging practices of person centered planning are also impacting end of life care. Person centered planning processes are shaped around an individual and those closest to them, focused on strengths and wants as well as needs, and provide a way to thoughtfully blend informal and formal supports. Leigh Ann Kingsbury’s article on the use of person centered planning in a project in Washington, D.C. stands by itself, but also points to the ways that these kinds of planning processes can be used to support both people with disabilities and those who are aging at the end of life.

This is one of the first collections to bridge disability and aging issues. The good news is that there are a number of new and good resources related to end of life issues for adults with developmental disabilities. The AAMR sponsored a first national forum on this issue in early December in Washington, D.C. where I had the privilege of being the final keynoter. There were over 150 participants, all reflecting a trend in which service providers are beginning to recognize that people with developmental disabilities are living much longer, but also, like everyone, facing issues of aging, loss, grief, and death. Some of the papers and presentation notes can be seen at: http://www.aamr.org/Events/aging.shtml

End of Life Care: Bridging Disability and Aging with Person Centered Care can be found at: http://www.haworthpress.com/store/product.asp?sid=GKTXR4TVTEDE8GPKAX1CXXKA46FG1QJ6&sku=5712&AuthType=4

Some good resources include:

•End-of-life Care: A Guide for Supporting Older People with Intellectual Disabilities and their Families. By A.L. Botsford and L.T. Force. Purchase price: $21. From NYSArc, Inc, 393 Delaware Ave., Delmar, NY 12054. Phone: 518-439-1893. Email: nysarc@crisny.org.

•When Somebody Dies. S.Hollins, S. Dowling, & N. Blackman. London, Books Beyond Words, Gaskell/St. George’s Hospital Medical School, 2003. Price $20. From Balogh International, 191 N. Duncan Road, Champaign, IL 61822. Phone: 217-355-9331. Other titles in the Books Beyond Words series include When Mum Died and When Dad Died.

•Person-centered Planning for Late Life: A Curriculum for Adults with Mental Retardation. By H.L. Stern, E.A. Kennedy, C.M. Sed, & T. Heller. Institute for Life Span Development and Gerontology, University of Akron. Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Aging with Mental Retardation, The University of Illinois. Price $25. From RRTC Clearinghouse on Aging and Developmental Disabilities, Institute on Disability Human Development, 1640 West Roosevelt Road M/C 626, Chicago, IL 60608-6904. Web order: www.uic.edu/orgs/rrtcamr/pubslist.html.

•Lessons in Grief and Death: Supporting People with Developmental Disabilities in the Healing Process. By Linda Van Dyke, this book includes counseling techniques and activities, including music, art, and drama, to work through the grieving process. Available from High Tide Press, 2505 E. Washington, Joliet, IL 60433. Order toll free at 1-800-469-9461 or visit www.hightidepress.com.

•Helping Adults with Mental Retardation Grieve a Death Loss. Charlene Lucterhand, Nancy Murphy. Taylor and Francis Group, 7625 Empire Drive, Florence, KY 41042. 1-800-634-7064. $22.95. An abbreviated form of this book is a booklet, Mental Retardation and Grief Following a Death Loss: Information for Families and Other Caregivers. 45 pp. $6.49. Available from The Arc. www.TheArcPub.com.

Other titles in the series of books coming from the Journal of Religion, Disability, and Health include:

The Theological Voice of Wolf Wolfensberger. Ed. by Bill Gaventa and David Coulter. Collection of Wolfensberger’s essays on theology and disabilities, with three responders, and a response by Wolf Wolfensberger.

The Pastoral Voice of Robert Perske. Ed. by Bill Gaventa and David Coulter. A collection of the Robert Perske’s essays from the 1960’s, when he was a chaplain at the Kansas Neurological Institute. Essays include some of the first written materials on theology and ministries with people with mental retardation. Responders include Steve Eidelman, Executive Director of The Arc, Quincy Abbot, former Arc President and parent, and Robert Voorhees.

Spirituality and Intellectual Disability. International Perspectives on the Effect of Culture and Religion on Healing Body, Mind, and Soul. Ed. Bill Gaventa and David Coulter. Collection of papers from the first Disability and Spirituality strand at the IASSID 2000 Conference in Seattle. Includes theoretical papers, research, practice, and perspectives from a variety of religious viewpoints.

Graduate Theological Education and the Human Experience of Disability. Ed. Robert Anderson. Volume focused on strategies for inclusion of issues related to disability in seminaries and theological education. Forthcoming in another issue, a volume focused on Jewish theological education and disability.

Not in book form but available. "Disability in Asian Culture and Beliefs: History and Service Development." Journal of Religion, Disability, and Health. Volume 6, No. 2/3. Ed. Bill Gaventa and David Coulter. A collection of the papers of M. Miles, with responses by C. Miles, Pramila Balasundaram, and MJ and Maya Thomas.

Outback to Outfront: Voices in Disability and Spirituality from the Land Down Under. Ed. Christopher Newell and Andrew Calder. Collection of essays from scholars, practioners, and othes in Australia.

Critical Reflections on Stanley Hauerwas’Theology of Disability: Disabling Society, Enabling Theology Ed. John Swinton. A collection of theologian/ethicist Stanley Hauerwas’essays on theology and intellectual disability, with responses by Jean Vanier, Michael Berube, John O’Brien, Jeff McNair, Aileen Barclay, Arthur McGill, Ray Anderson, Christopher Newell, Hazel Morgan, and Linda Treloar.

Do you have thoughts about education & research you’d like to share with your colleagues? Send an e-mail to info@PlainViews.org.

Spiritual Development

Rev. Diane Garcia on encountering God in jail

My Experience at Rikers Island

I was on my way to jail. As I crossed over the bridge from the New York City borough of Queens to Rikers Island, the world’s largest penal colony, I was experiencing so many emotions I could hardly sit still in my bus seat. Fortunately, I was not going to jail because I was convicted but because of my convictions.

For almost three years since God first placed a desire in my heart to be a corrections chaplain, I had dreamed of making this trip to Rikers (a place most New Yorkers cannot even find on a map). After months of networking, I was finally invited to participate in ‘The Adoption Program’of the Rose M. Singer Center (Rosie’s) on the second Saturday of each month. Nevertheless, riding on the bus that first morning, I was nervous. I had been told that the Corrections Officers (CO’s) would be rude and perhaps even abusive. I had also been told the inmates would be uncooperative, angry and bitter. Neither of those predictions came true.

At Rosie’s I ministered to Hispanic Christian women inmates who do not speak English and who do not want to speak with a male chaplain. I also participated in the Protestant worship services which were attended by approximately 10% of the inmate population. It was an incredible experience to be in the midst of inmates praising God in song and prayers. If I didn’t know where we were, I never would have guessed that we were inside the walls of ‘The Rock’(as most inmates call Rikers Island).

When I tell people that I went to Rikers Island twice a month, they find it difficult to understand my passion and my deep desire to share God’s love in such a setting. Further, when I tell them that I believe that God is calling me to work in a female corrections facility, many look at me like I’m crazy (and some tell me that I am!). However, I believe that God’s transforming, saving power can reach everywhere –even there. This was confirmed each time that I listened to testimonies from inmates who related their encounter (and sometimes, re-encounter) with God in jail. Moreover, God re-affirmed His call to me as a corrections chaplain through the looks on their faces, their expressions of gratitude, and their invitations to return.

I am also fully aware that these women are there because they have broken the law. I am conscious that I can offer my best chaplaincy skills if –in addition to offering spiritual care –I am alert, cautious, and vigilant about establishing and maintaining boundaries.

The first time I crossed the bridge going to Rikers, I saw the sign which claims that the CO’s are ‘The World’s Boldest.’The words of Jesus were very real in my heart and mind: “I was in prison, and you visited me…if you have done it to the least of these, you have done it to Me.”(Matthew 25:36, 40) It occurred to me that, as God’s representative, I must also be bold as I go in His Name to minister to the imprisoned.

Do you have thoughts about spiritual development you’d like to share with your colleagues? Send an e-mail of any length to info@PlainViews.org.

EthicsWalk

EthicsWalk addresses spiritual care as an ethical enterprise. It explores why relationships between spiritual care providers and those they serve need protection, and examines what that protection entails. PlainViews invites our readers to share their responses to each EthicsWalk column, which will be published in the following issue.

If you’d like to respond to EthicsWalk, please send a comment of no more than 100 words. You can use the e-form below (click on "hearing from you," link) or submit your commentary to the editors in the body of an e-mail (or as a Microsoft Word attachment) sent to Info@PlainViews.org. Please put the phrase “EthicsWalk” in your subject line.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Response to Anne Underwood's column:

While not a member of the clergy, I work in the not-for-profit community and have volunteered with many organizations providing services for immigrants of color in the New York City area. Thank you for raising awareness of the HR 4437 act and bringing immigration issues into the context of ethics and religion. You do a good job touching the main immigration points and raising the issue of the HR 4437 act within the size constraints of a small article. The piece and its end notes give interested parties a jumping off point to the topic.

I believe further discussion is warranted on how the passage of 4437 would impact on the religious and greater community in ethical and human terms. If I'm reading it correctly the act would criminalize a huge percentage of the actions, aid, charity that faith-based and secular organizations perform. This would translate into a lot of human suffering, both physically and emotionally. Even the most progressive of the secular groups already have a difficult time trying to convince this, justifiably, wary population that there are benefits and services to be utilized that won't risk deportation.

For many undocumented people, religious institutions are one of the only safe spaces they have - not just to receive charitable services but also as a facilitator of social and cultural well-being. The compromising of such a vital space's legal and emotional security would not only translate into fewer physical resources for the population but would also deny it one more aspect of life that helps people feel human.

Noah Fessenden
New York City, NY

Immigration Reform: Politics and the Human Spirit

Respect for persons is central to spiritual care. Spiritual care providers companion patients and families from many countries, cultures and faith traditions. What if a traumatized family had to prove its legal status in the U.S. before being served? What if supporting someone without legal status subjected the provider and institution to criminal sanctions?

The House of Representatives recently passed the Border Protection, Anti-Terrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005 (H.R. 4437). The Senate debates it this month. It makes “unlawful presence”a felony (presently a civil violation). Undocumented immigrants could be jailed as well as removed (deported), barring them from future legal status and re-entry into the country.[1]

Any person or organization “assisting”undocumented immigrants “to reside in or remain”in the United States “knowingly”or with “reckless disregard”as to the individual’s legal status is subject to criminal prosecution. Religious workers –spiritual care providers -- who provide shelter, other basic assistance, or counsel to undocumented individuals are not exempt.[2] Property used in assistance is subject to seizure and forfeiture.[3]

The federal government has always regulated immigration.[4] Regulations are necessary but must be humane and reasonably enforceable. The economic interdependence between native and naturalized U.S. citizens, documented (legal) immigrants, and undocumented workers (illegal immigrants) must be acknowledged.[5] Historically, the distinction between who arrives as a “legal”versus “illegal”immigrant has been one of politics, race and economics. (cf footnote 4)

Approximately 11 million undocumented people (3.5% of the American population) live in the U.S. They came for the same reasons immigrants always have: to reunite with and help support family, to educate their children, to participate in our democratic society. Undocumented, and many other immigrant statuses, are barred from receiving means-tested government benefits. Most work menial jobs native citizens scorn. “Over 80 percent of agricultural workers are foreign born while the majority of laborers in the meatpacking and poultry industries are foreign-born. Over one-third of all dishwashers, janitors, maids, and cooks are foreign born.”[6]

Four immigration bills are being debated.[7] All tighten border security and increase enforcement of immigration laws.[8] Only McCain-Kennedy (S.1033, H.R. 2330) attempts to balance economic contributions of and humanitarian concerns for undocumented workers with perceived national security and enforcement interests. It grants temporary work permits to undocumented workers; and after a six year wait, payment of a $2,000 fine, and acquiring “English language capability,”allows them to apply for green cards without having to return to their home countries.[9]

The Torah instructs: “The strangers who sojourn with you shall be to you as the natives among you, and you shall love them as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”(Lev.19:33-34). Jesus teaches to welcome the stranger (cf. Matthew 25:25), for “what you do to the least of my brethren, you do unto me”(Matthew 25:40). The Qur’an says we should “serve God…and do good to…orphans, those in need, neighbors who are near, neighbors who are strangers, the companion by your side, the wayfarer that you meet, [and those who have nothing] (4:36)”[10]

Spiritual care providers need to understand the legal and human implications of immigration laws as they work with diverse populations.[11]

I welcome any comments you might want to submit in response to these articles.

[1] Reliable information on immigration issues, wording of pending legislation and involvement of religious groups is available at www.immigrationforum.org and www.justiceforimmigrants.org
[2] Los Angeles’Cardinal Roger Mahony said of H.R. 4437: “Anyone who does anything for someone here who doesn’t have documents would be a felon under this bill…and it targets everybody, churches included. So on its face value, it means that anyone coming for Communion or baptism or to be married, I should stop and ask to see their legal papers. That’s absurd, and we’re not going to do it –even if Congress says we have to. We’re not going to be immigration officers…the foolishness of this whole out-of-control thought process is just astounding.”The Tidings (online), “Church and Immigration: ‘Our role is spiritual and pastoral,’”R.W. Dellinger, February 17, 2006.
[3] No one has yet raised First Amendment [Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof] concerns regarding interference with religious belief and practice if clergy and other ministers are required to deny sacraments or services to undocumented faithful.
[4] The Colonies excluded “paupers and criminals,”categories preserved in future U.S. immigration laws. In 1875, the Supreme Court held immigration restrictions by states unconstitutional; immigration remains exclusively within federal jurisdiction. Length of residency requirements emerged in the late 18th Century but for the first 100 years, U.S. immigration was largely unrestricted. The racist Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 –not until 1943 could Chinese become U.S. citizens –ushered in an era of exclusionary laws. Legislation in 1891 required immigrants to pass a health examination, established the Bureau of Immigration, and continued the head tax imposed in 1882. The 1917 Immigration Act barred people unable to read: its goal was to restrict the massive influx of Eastern and Southern Europeans, largely Catholic and Jewish who seemed threatening to the Protestant majority; the Act also prohibited immigration of any Asians. 1924 legislation produced quota laws which increased illegal entry by barred Europeans. [One can’t help but draw parallels to today’s attitudes toward Muslim immigrants and the illegal border crossings of Mexicans.] As in 1924, quotas continue to reflect U.S. foreign policy rather than humanitarian needs. The ultimate tragedy of quotas was the denial of admission to thousands trying to flee Nazi Europe. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 formed the basis for present law which permits primarily employment and family-related immigration. Roger Daniels provides excellent background on American immigration policy since 1882 in Guarding the Golden Door, Hill and Wang, 2004.
[5] According to a 1997 study, immigrant workers deliver a net gain of $1 billion to $10 billion a year to the economy. James P. Smith and Barry Edmonson, editors, The New Americans: Economic, Demographic, and Fiscal Effects of Immigration, National Research Council (Washington: National Academy Press, 1997).
[6] The Department of Labor predicts a labor shortage in many unskilled job categories by 2008. see United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Migration & Refugee Services, “Comprehensive Immigration Reform.”
[7] (1) Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act of 2005 (S.1033, H.R. 2330) introduced by Sen. John McCain (R-Az.) and Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Ma.) and by Representatives Jim Kolbe (R-Az.), Jeff Flake (R-Az.) and Luis Gutierrez (D-Il.); (2) Comprehensive Enforcement and Immigration Reform Act of 2005 (S.1438) introduced by Sen. John Kornyn (R-Tex.) and Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Az.); (3) Border Protection, Anti-Terrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005, H.R. 4437 sponsored by Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) and Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) passed by the House on December 16. (4) Specter Chairman’s Mark of the “Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006.”Draft circulated February 23 by Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) will likely serve as the blueprint for Congressional debate. “Attempting to reconcile Republican factions, it is being attacked by conservatives and immigration advocates alike.”(nytimes.com, February 25, 2006)
[8] No one denies the immigration system needs overhauling. “’The immigration system is broken on every level—on security, humanitarian, family, and economic levels,’says Rabbi David Elcott, inter religious director of the American Jewish Committee.”(“Faith Groups Press for Balanced Approach to Immigration,”The Christian Science Monitor, 02/02/06.) Legal immigrants may wait over 20 years for family reunification; businesses dependent on migrant labor struggle with complicated bureaucratic processes that do not guarantee legal workers when needed; thousands of Mexicans and Central Americans have died trying to cross the border illegally to fill jobs Americans don’t want.
[9] Over 100 religious groups and leaders signed the Interfaith Statement in Support of Comprehensive Immigration Reform, October 14, 2005 which calls for a “safe and humane immigration system consistent with our values,”including bringing the 11 million undocumented workers into legal status, making family reunification quicker and setting humane border policies. Kennedy-McCain (S.1033) is the only bill which meets the requirements of the statement. It was recently endorsed by the Interfaith groups. The Interfaith statement is available at the web site for The Institute on Religion and Public Policy. Representative signers include: American Friends Service Committee, American Jewish Congress, American Society for Muslim Advancement, Church World Service, Episcopal Church USA, Islamic Circle of North America, Jesuit Conference, Jewish Reconstructionist Federation, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, Mennonite Central Committee, National Ministries of the American Baptist Church, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Union for Reform Judaism, United Methodist Committee on Relief, Women’s League for Conservative Judaism, World Relief, and Clifton Kirkpatrick, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, Presbyterian Church-USA.
      A coalition of evangelical groups is arguing against H.R. 4437 and seeking support from other evangelical organizations. Information is available from Rev. Sam Rodriguez, president of the Sacramento-based National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. World Relief of the National Association of Evangelicals, which includes 52 evangelical churches, is working with the Catholic Bishops to support immigration reform.
[10] Id. Interfaith Statement, p.1
[11] A sample letter as well as addresses for each senator is available at http://capwiz.com/aila2 should one wish to comment on the pending legislation. Snail mail delivery takes up to 3 weeks due to anthrax-security protocols.

CaseConference

We post an ethical or situational concern that has arisen in a facility where one of our readers works. It has no identifiers included. It gives you only the facts of the case. Then, you can respond to that concern. This is an ongoing dialogue, with comments added as they come in. In the following issue, assuming it has been resolved, we give you the outcome from the facility where the incident took place. Please send any cases that you would like considered for inclusion to: info@plainviews.org

We hope that this new addition will help to inform not only those who are dealing with the issue, but will enable all of our readers to learn from the experiences and perhaps mistakes of others.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to unanticipated continuing responses to both the case and the resolution of the case, added responses can be viewed in the archives. Click HERE.

CaseConference #6: (see responses below)

A chaplain consult was received to see a mental health patient, Islamic, from an Arab country, who was here studying at an American University. The referral read, “Please see pt. –pt believes he has committed the unforgivable sin of blasphemy by cursing God.”

The chaplain began by stating the reason he had been referred. The patient initially did not want to talk with the chaplain about the issue, but after a few minutes, the patient began to speak about loneliness of being in a foreign country, feeling under pressure to succeed, and breaking up with a female friend. The mental health staff felt that he has a poor concept of the depth of that relationship since the woman was clearly in relationship with another man at the time. The chaplain felt that anger at God was sometimes a result of frustration at situations in which we find ourselves. The chaplain stated that he had at times felt anger at God for some of his own life’s circumstances. From a mental health perspective, the patient was seen to be somewhat narcissistic. (“Who are you to tell God who God cannot forgive”?)

There was no Imam to consult in the community and no one to whom a referral could be made. The chaplain spoke of forgiveness from a Christian perspective and used the story of the Prodigal Son as an example that if the patient asked for forgiveness, God would grant it. The chaplain asked the patient if he could imagine forgiveness of self within the context of his Islamic faith. 

The chaplains sensed his own lack of understanding with regard to stories or illustrations of forgiveness within the Islamic tradition and also decided to look into Jewish tradition as well. While seeking assistance on the internet with regard to Islamic and Jewish beliefs, it became clear that Islamic and Jewish forgiveness not only asks that one make amends to God (which in the patient's case is helpful), but emphasis in both religions is heavily upon making right broken relationships with one’s community. Christian beliefs seem more to emphasize confessing to God about one’s sin but with less emphasis upon making things right with one’s neighbor.

How would you have handled the situation?

Would you have placed more emphasis upon the presenting diagnosis or dealt more with the underlying issues that appeared as the patient began to reveal his story?

What resources/stories from Islamic tradition might have been available to use?

Responses to CaseConference #6

I would like to hear more about "the reason for the referral" from chaplain's point of view. My first impression was that the chaplain started by saying something like, "Hi Mohamed, I have a referral to talk with you because you think you have committed the 'unforgivable sin." The rest of the case seems to be built around the chaplain taking charge of the conversation and working hard to convince the client that God will forgive. (The chaplain doesn't use Allah, which might have helped the client feel accepted)

The chaplain relies greatly on what the mental health staff has to say about the client, "he has a poor concept of . . . since the woman was ... . in a relationship;" then again "the mental heath perspective . . . narcissistic." What ever happened to patient directed conversation? The client doesn't seem to be able to really tell his story complete enough
for the chaplain to actually learn the Islamic concept of sin and forgiveness, which may or may not follow the teaching of the client's Masjid, Imam, or the Quran.

There is a reason for writing verbatim case studies in CPE, at least from my perspective. One primary reason is to explore the chaplain directed conversation vs. the patient/client directed conversation. In order for patient/client centered conversation to work the chaplain must be committed to trust that the patient is competent in discovering the
solution or "balm" for the current angst.

What about the story of Job? Did not the friends attempt to convince Job that he had blasphemed God, in this case Allah, and therefore needed to do something to get forgiven? And what did Job do, except to continue the argument with God. At the end of the story God rebuked the three friends of Job because they did not do what was right, Job was considered all the more righteous. Perhaps we chaplains can foster the argument and help the patient/client "take God to court." I think our job is to either stay silent or help the patient find words to express the anger and argument.

Finally, we have something to offer the mental health staff. This may be a teachable moment about grace and the psycho-spiritual/theological distress that happens when life pounces on learned religion. They might benefit from a little confrontation that what looks like narcissism or lack of depth may actually be the struggle to harmonize lived theology
and learned theology.

What resources/stories from Islamic tradition might have been available to use? I have a great Islamic Imam who is open to providing resources, his name is Imam Hasan. He is a BCC Chaplain and you can get his contact information through the APC directory. Or email me and I will check with him about giving out his email address.

Rev. Roy Sanders, M.Div. B.C.C. Diplomate in CPE Supervision
Director Spiritual Health / Clinical Pastoral Education
Truman Medical Center Hospital Hill

A most excellent and wise professor of pastoral counseling once told his class, "No one will allow you to care for them until you have taken the time to build empathetic common ground. Regardless of whether or not you agree with a person's presenting problem, if you do not take the time to let them know you hear what they have to say about what they think is wrong, they will not believe you care enough or honor them enough to do anything for them. If you don't have time to really listen to what they have to say, don't bother them with your theories of what is wrong with them."

The patient made it clear to the chaplain that he was not interested in discussing the issue of forgiveness with the chaplain. Maybe the patient knew that the chaplain was not equipped to help him with that concern. Maybe he had some concern that the chaplain was going to jump on the bandwagon with the therapists rather than meet him in his spiritual reality. It's hard to say because we don't have all that information.

What we have is what the chaplain had - what the patient told him. That he was lonely and struggling with being far from home. Regardless of religious differences, as a human being, that was a place where the chaplain could have met him. That was the place where the chaplain could have offered two ears and eyes of compassion. The patient told the chaplain what he needed - he needed someone to be with him to relieve the lonlieness and alienation of the moment. From the presentation, it sounds as though the chaplain simply ignored that and used words to drive the patient further into his lonliness.

Maybe the chaplain would want to explore why he was so driven to talk so much and listen so little with this patient.

Director, Spiritual Care and Religious Services
Washington County Hospital
Hagerstown, Maryland

In reading the patient's account of his situation, I become increasingly aware of his sense of isolation and my curiosity questions how the experience of isolation plays out in his religious crisis. Being so alone in the world, might any of us not find ourselves feeling abandoned by God? I think that it would be helpful to look deeper into the nature of his disconnectedness. I might try to formulate some clusters of questions that could open dialogue and promote insight.

To explore his social situation I might use this line of inquiry. How is it that this person has come to this alien place? How has he maintained connections with family, friends and religious community back home? What is the quality of these connections?

He might also benefit from exploring the relationship between his personal story and the greater story of his faith. If he were a character in one of Islam's epic tales, who would he be? What was the character's fate? How did or how might redemption have happened for this character? How might the patient find his way through this crisis using the tale as a roadmap?

An inquiry into his self-care practices might form around these questions. Has the patient been able to meet his daily obligations as a Muslim? How could the hospital and staff support his daily practice?

The key lies with the patient's ability to recognize his dilemma in a way that also invites him to call on his religious resources in a more positive way. It is not the Chaplain's task to relieve him of his distress by supplying a sufficiently potent counter curse. Instead, the Chaplain should seek to empower the patient as the expert on his religion and encourage him to broaden the scope of his currently over-limiting practice.

Keith Goheen, MDiv
Chaplain
Beebe Medical Center
Lewes, DE USA

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Reviews

Sarah Masters reviews the film

Taize: That Little Springtime

Burgundy, France, is home to Taize, an international ecumenical community founded more than six decades ago. Martin Doblmeier, director of the acclaimed film Bonhoeffer, traveled to Taize to capture in this 30-minute documentary the contemplative life and universal message of Taize.

Doblmeier’s camera captures the spiritual sharing of this international French community, which emphasizes simplicity of living. The hundred brothers of Taize fulfill that way of life despite being surrounded by thousands of young adults from throughout the world who find their way to Taize each year in a pilgrimage of prayer and reflection.

Brother Roger, founder of the Taize community and winner of The Templeton Price and the Notre Dame Award for International Humanitarian Service, among others, created a community where “kindness of heart would be a matter of practical experience, and where love would be at the heart of all things.”His words are reflected in this lovely, contemplative film and provide a spiritual guide to chaplains ministering to people of different faiths.

Time: 26 Minutes
Producer/Director: Martin Doblmeier

If you are interested in purchasing this film, you can do so at www.hartleyfoundation.org. Just click on “Masterworks”on the homepage for more information. The cost of the film is $14.95/VHS.

Book Review

Sarah Masters reviews the film

The Secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls

The misconception that most of what there is to know about the 2,000 year-old Dead Sea Scrolls was revealed after their discovery in the late 1940s and early 1950s is turned upside down in this fascinating documentary.

Filmmaker Justin Cartwright obtained exclusive access to new research data and to the restoration process. The camera catches experts from Russia chemically removing the scotch tape placed on the scrolls by 1950s researchers and leads the viewer through the extremely delicate tasks of preservation.

Cartwright delves into how science has established the authorship of the Dead Sea Scrolls and determined the locale in which the manuscripts were written. Neutron activators determine if the chemical composition of the jars in which the scrolls were stored matches the surrounding locale or sediment from Jerusalem close to 13 miles away. Mandible comparisons performed on skulls reveal those with dentition that suggests a diet heavily involved with sand and dentition that suggests a diet from other locales. Examination of these bones, buried in Qumran where the scrolls were discovered in caves, confirm an all-male community, which suggests that it was the Essenes, a strict Torah observant, Messianic, apocalyptic new Covenant Jewish sect who authored the scrolls.

The Secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls documentary delineates for Chaplains interested in Judaism and the development of early Christianity, the many avenues of research yet to be pursued. The fascinating new material presented in the film sheds light on the Scrolls as “an evolutionary link”between the two religions.

Completed: 1999
Running Time: 50 Minutes
Director: Justin Cartwright
Academic Advisor: Professor Michael Stone
Scientific Advisor: Professor Charles Greenblatt
Executive Producer: Jonathan Smalley

If you are interested in purchasing this film, you can do so at www.hartleyfoundation.org. Just click on “Masterworks”on the homepage for more information. The cost of the DVD is $14.99..

Book Review

Joan Paddock Maxwell reviews

The Year of Magical Thinking

As a long-time happily married woman I don't like to think about widowhood, but as a chaplain I meet many widows and widowers.

Joan Didion's remarkable new book gives a powerful account from the inside of what it's like to lose your best friend of many years, in an instant. Didion recounts in painful detail how it feels to see your beloved suddenly slump at the dinner table and end up in the hospital, dead, within the hour. She reports her responses immediately and over the subsequent year.

She also tells what it's like to spend endless days in the intensive care unit taking care of a much-loved daughter, dealing with medical errors and insensitivities on the part of some hospital staffers. Her account of the research she did on her daughter's condition and the stratagems she employed to try to pass the information on to sometimes disdainful residents is fascinating.

The combination of the death of her husband and the near-death of her only child sends her reeling, and because she is a professional writer of many years standing she turns to her craft in an attempt to record and perhaps make sense of what is happening. Chaplains who read her account will have a much deeper understanding of the pain and crazy thinking anxiety and grief can cause.

The Year of Magical Thinking. Didion, Joan. (New York: Alfred A. Knopf 2005). 240 pp.

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