A Bible in the Doctor’s Office

I wouldn’t really care – in hospitals, at least, I think copies of religious books should be available to those who want to read them (though perhaps not out where they can be defaced or stolen). Hospitals aren’t always places where you get good news, and if it makes people feel better and be calmer than it can stay there. (I usually have my iPod on when in a waiting room, but TBH half the time the Bible would probably be a better read than the magazines. If you absolutely have to have reading material there, at least have something half-decent, like a couple of newspapers or TIME or anything but more car mags and pathetic gossip rags.)

Wouldn’t bother me, to be honest

Bothers me about as much as seeing a bible anywhere else. Which is to say a tiny bit, but not enough to ever mention it really to anybody. The tiny bit though is really just a gut reaction to seeing something I dislike. It doesn’t mean I think the doctor is going to be an idiot. There are people who are going to visit the doctor and might want a bible. I get that. If I personally ran a practice I wouldn’t provide one, but that’s me. The doctor himself proselytizing is another issue of course

Chick tracts would be proselytizing, having a Bible around just seems boring at worst.

I really don’t care. As long as it is private practice. Unprofessional, maybe. In fact, probably. I think I wouldn’t mention my “denomination.” Don’t piss off your waitperson before they serve you. You know.

As there is clearly a choice of *other* bad reading material, I have no problem with the bible being there, nor would I have a problem with a Koran, or book of Mormon, or Grimm’s Fairy Tales.  If, however, it was the *only* available reading material, that would be quite different.

Doesn’t bother me greatly. I see wide cross-section of titles in waiting rooms and often wonder who has left what. Yachting Monthly, Country Life, Celeb Gossip Glossy, and so on. I guess completely inappropriate stuff gets weeded out eventually but very often that’s not before it all comes to look like a coffee table serving as a waste bin.

I work with men who have brain injuries and one of their dentists is Muslim and has Islamic propaganda in her office. It’s stupid, and I would never go there myself (same if there was Christian or Hindu Sky Fairy books at a doctor’s office). However, my job is to assist the client, and not to interfere with my personal feelings on the matter.

I would not mind if there was a Koran in the office. If it was my office, I would ensure that if there wa a bible there would also be a Koran, just so it would look more ‘objective,’ know what I’m saying? Maybe a copy of the Illiad & the Oddessy (Fagles translation, not the public domain trans) too.

I mean, there probably should be no literature at all in doctors offices. Not very hygienic. People can bring their own gossip magazines.

It wouldn’t bother me. In fact, having Christian/religious propaganda would be more entertaining to read than ancient gossip magazines (seriously, do no dentists have subscriptions to National Geographic?). I think part of what makes this not a big deal is the fact that it’s still the choice of the people waiting whether they actually read the damn things. I mean, is simply *making available* stuff like this really an act of proselytising? You still have to pick the thing up and choose to read it. If we were talking about, say, the dentist putting a TV with an endless loop of Ken Ham lectures or something THEN I’d have a problem with it.

Sometimes people who were raised religiously find comfort in their holy book before seeing the results of a test or going into an operation.  Besides, hospitals are private institutions. Now, if we had something reasonable, like public healthcare for all, funded by taxes on the rich, that might be something different.

I live in Alabama, and it’s the same here, no surprise. Every doctor’s office I go to has a bible, even if other reading material is scant or nonexistent. I would be pleasantly surprised NOT to see a bible. There is a bible in the waiting room at the car service place. It is annoying as all getout, but ubiquitous. I keep thinking of leaving a copy of TGD, but it would probably be discarded.

I see it all the time.  Like others have said, it bothers me as much as seeing something I don’t like anywhere does.  As long as the doctors and staff aren’t pushing it on me, I don’t care. If two offices/doctors were identical, and one prominently displayed religious material and one didn’t, I’d choose the later, of course.  But it’s not a big deal.

I went to the Glendale Memorial Hospital Emergency Room and they have two flat screen TVs on opposing walls. One was on a sports station and silent, the other on Joyce Meyers Ministry and blasting. So Joyce was up there speaking in tongues and praising Jesus.

I went to the window and asked the guy to change the station. He said he’d  have to get the janitor and it would take some time. About 20 minutes later I went back and said that forcing me to listen to that was a violation of my civil rights. He stepped into the room and changed the station.

Glendale Memorial Hospital in Glendale, CA.

I live in Pennsylvania and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a doctor’s office without a bible and sometimes some Christian children’s books. I just rolled my eyes about it and assumed it was pretty universal.

Depends whether the staff chose books based on the likelihood of their clientele actually wanting to read them whilst waiting (And I doubt this has ever happened anywhere.  I’ve never seen waiting room reading matter yet that wasn’t utter pabulum, even before it was years out of date – are they trying to save on anaesthetic or something?), or because they specifically wanted their clients to read them.  It’s a bit like the difference between merely including religious books in a school library, as a representative section of world literature, and making them the only kind of book available in the library.

In the absence of some evidence of some kind of mechanism for doing so, e.g. a questionaire asking clients what kind of reading material would be most likely to actually serve its purpose of keeping them from dying of boredom in the waiting room,  I’d tend to suspect it wasn’t chosen with the patients’ preferences foremost in mind, regardless of whatever other rationale there may have been.

Of course, if you’re in a state-run medical institution with no money to spare, there’s a good chance things like waiting room books and toys were scrounged together from donations anyway, in which case the choice of material is somewhat out of the administration’s hands.

Also stuck in Alabama and work in the healthcare industry.  Most often these publications/subscriptions are provided for free to physicians and hospitals.

I would simply pass it up as I would a Women’s World or Highlights.  Sure, I may have read them at one time or another (when married if my ex- said “look at this”, or when I was 7, respectively), but I skip them now.

I’ve never seen a doctor’s office without a Bible, not to mention those blue books with children’s bible stories in them. Also, I’ve never stayed in hotel/motel that didn’t have a Bible in it. They can’t make me read it. Can’t you think of something more important to worry about? What do you want us to do, burn them? I assume they are donated. If they really bother you, start a nonprofit to donate “The God Delusion” to motels and doctors. Most will be thrown away, of course, but a few might be read.

My doctor has a bible in the waiting room… I have no problem with it. People need to lighten up.

It’s a non-issue.  Both my GP and my dentist have had Bibles in their waiting rooms for years.  When I have an especially long wait, I usually pick one up and flip around the Old Testament for a while.

Putting Bibles in public places only increases the chance that a young religious person will pick it up and read some passages on her own, without being told which parts to read or how to interpret them, and that could be her first step on the road to rational thought.  I think it would be great if Bibles were practically always within arm’s reach in public.  We’ve already seen that the group with the greatest knowledge of the Bible in the US are those who are skeptical of its contents, so I would say that any rise in Biblical literacy would be a good thing for us non-religious folk.

As for Korans, I would be equally thrilled.  Anything that encourages people to learn about and compare different religions can only do good things for us.

“Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived.” – Isaac Asimov

Where I live in North Central Pennsylvania (3ish hours north of Lancaster) there have always been bibles or other church-y things in medical offices. It’s also quite common to see wall hangings with a Psalm or Proverb on them, or even a prayer of some sort. Many medical groups maintain affiliations with Christian support groups, and it’s not terribly surprising to either be asked in person or on a questionnaire if staff members can pray for you. After 26 years I barely even blink at such things. It’s a rather similar atmosphere in Billings, Montana where I lived for roughly four years. There’s a pregnancy clinic that operates free of charge, but as it’s funded entirely by local churches and personal donations you pretty much have to sit through a religiously inclined anti-abortion plea that barely lasts a minute. You’re given a pamphlet or two on accepting Jesus and asked about prayer. And they reserve the right to refuse you service if you want an abortion. I’ve never seen anything wrong with having a bible there. In both areas the majority of the locals are moderately to extremely Christian and, quite often, so are the doctors. The book lays on a table next to ‘Teen Mom’, Family Circle, and Reader’s Digest- other titles I don’t read. No one is preaching and trying to convert me. The doctor’s office isn’t run by the government so separation of church and state doesn’t apply. The book just sits there. I’ve never thought of it as propaganda because it is as easy to ignore as a mystery novel. I glance at it for a second along with everything else lying on the table and move on with my thoughts. C’est la vie.

It is a private business, they can do what they want. Complete non-issue.

I appreciate it when I see a Bible in a business office.  It tells me the business owner is not ashamed of who he or she is, and not ashamed of Who they belong to.  http://atheistlegitimacy.blogspot.com/

Not only did my ex-doctor (in GA) have bibles, et all,  he also had signs up informing his patients that he would tell them about Jesus if they were interested (and some religious pictures &  sculptures in the waiting room).  He never brought it up to me, so I guess he was true to his word that he would only talk about religion if the patient expressed interest.  I was more annoyed that he did not take Medicare/Medicaid clients.  Seemed very unxtian to me. He was not a very competent doctor so I found someone else after a few years.
My dentist, until he retired, was a fellow member of my astronomy club. His offfice was filled with Hubble photos, pictures of his telescope, astronomy books & magazines  (along with the usual mags)  and a beautiful sculpture of Saturn made in Pyrex. The guy who bought his practice has those drecky “inspirational” posters. I really miss sitting in the chair and staring at a huge poster of the Andromeda Galaxy while he worked on my teeth.

A Bible in the doctor’s office here in the South is expected. What surprised and disheartened me was the doctor and nurse praying for success before performing minor surgery on me. They held hands but when I didn’t join them the nurse put her hand on my shoulder…to complete the circuit I guess. I also had a colonoscopy to rousing old time gospel music from a boom box…the doctors choice. 

I really don’t see the problem here.  It’s a private business, so they can put what they want out.  Bible, Koran, Chick tracts, Bhagavad Gita, Book of Mormon, whatever… I might think twice about going there, but I certainly wouldn’t put up a stink about this.

Please, let’s focus on keeping religion out of our public spaces and worry less about keeping it out of private businesses.  It makes us look bad when we say that’s all we want and then turn around and complain about this type of stuff.

Now if they asked me to sign a statement of faith or tried to actively proselytize to me while I’m there, then I’d have a problem.

It is completely unprofessional for them to have ANY kind of religious material in the waiting are

Ridiculous statement. It’s a private practice; they can do as they please. If talking to atheists online has taught me anything, it’s that they can be as subjective as Christians.

Would you feel the same way if you saw a Koran in the office?

Yep.

In Utah, they don’t have Bibles in motel rooms–they have Books of Mormon.

How funny!  I’m a 55 year old atheist and I keep telling my kids “things will start to improve here on planet Earth once a bunch of people my age and older die off and take many of their silly superstitions and prejudices to the grave with them.

I used to work in a hospital, and it always bothered me a little bit to walk into a patient’s room and see them watching the Sunday Morning Preacherizing Hour- I’d never really felt that fire & brimstone talks would create the best recuperative atmosphere. But these were sick people who were spending extended periods away from home. If they needed to do that to help get through their day, well, it was my job to set aside my feelings on the matter and help the patient. And if I did my job well, and one of the patients said they’d pray for me, it was up to me to hide my discomfort and freakin’ say “thank you”. So I don’t have a problem with this, and I wouldn’t really have a problem with a Koran or any other religious text. Now, if this were a law/consulting/interior design/etc. practice, it’d be a completely different matter, but sick people deserve comfort, and as long as it doesn’t replace actual care, I’m pretty fine with whatever religious comfort they want to seek.

Private office.  The dr. or dentist can leave there whatever he or she pleases, for their own reasons or to accommodate the preferences of their clients. This doesn’t bother me at all.  Holy Roller music piped in would. I don’t have to read the bibles, tracts, etc. [I never go to any medical office without the book I’m currently reading.]  But I can’t choose not to listen to the Muzak selections.

The solution is, if the bibles or music bother you a lot, to find another doctor. 

I agree, if this is a private practice then I see no reason why they can’t have a variety of reading materials in the waiting room, religious or otherwise.

If this was some sort of government hospital and the government had paid for the bibles or was only allowing one set of religious materials to be placed in waiting rooms, that would be an issue. This does not seem to be either case as far as we know. 

Kara,
At risk of delving into SIWOTI Syndrome, the problem for most people is the Christian privilege being shown here.   How many people who wouldn’t think twice about there being a copy of “My Bible Friend” would flip their lid if there was only a copy of “My Koran Friend”?  How long would an unattended copy of “The God Delusion” last in a waiting room? 
You claim that it’s not that big a deal, that there are worse and more offensive things, and we should be grateful that it’s only a Bible.  Well, have you ever seen a waiting room with the things you mentioned?  And besides, the existence of larger problems doesn’t mean that we should ignore the smaller problems, which is what you’re asking us to do.  If your local police are investigating a murder, you’d still like them to file a report if your car gets broken into.  I’m fine with you thinking that this sort of activity isn’t a big deal – but like you said, everyone lives differently, and for some of us this is an issue large enough to address.

Also, you said, “To be honest, I’m actually pretty tired of both sides of this argument. I know, I know, remove religion or it will destroy us and bad stuff will happen like wars and crap.”  As far as I can see, you’re the only one bringing up this argument (though if I’m wrong, please show me.  I like being proved wrong; it means I learned something.  *grin*).  If you’re tired of it, nobody’s forcing you to read this blog, its comments, or leave 250-word comments of your own.  Your escape is as close as your browser’s little red ‘x’.

Like you, I’d like to live and let live.  For me, that means not being told that I need to accept the pervasive presence of Christianity while any mention of my beliefs – even in context – is forcing it on others.  I know you don’t mean it like this, but I hear the same arguments you’re making come from those who think “live and let live” means “sit down, shut up, and accept things the way they are.”

What has been mentioned, but a lot of you don’t seem to be getting, is that frequently it isn’t the doctors who put this material out; it’s patients or missionaries (I’m betting it’s the case here; that children’s Bible with the sticker on the cover is a promo). As Reed Braden mentioned above, if they throw them out, the lunatics just come back and replace them – because, you know, in their psychotic world views, no one has the right to be left alone.

It’s generally easier for the doctor to just leave it there. How many of them are even aware of what’s in their waiting areas in the first place? If they were, do you think there’d be nothing else to read but three year-old issues of Fish and Wildlife?

I’m assuming English isn’t your first language, so you might not have understood – the first part of the article above is an email Hemant received, and he’s asking for peoples’ opinions about it.

I live in the South, and as other have said, EVERY private clinic, center or lab keeps a Bible, and usually other religious material in their waiting room, as they have a right to do. If they aren’t pushing faith on the patients or staff, this isn’t an issue.

As to the comments of the reader who sent in the pictures, I’d say it’s equally unprofessional to have copies of tripe like People Magazine around an office (also ubiquitous where I live).

Putting religious books aimed at children in waiting rooms is scuzzy, on the other hand. But I wouldn’t stop my kid from looking at them. I WOULD explain that they’re just fiction like other books, and point out the silly parts (Okay, a few highlights. There wouldn’t be time for a page-by-page breakdown).

Sometimes I wish that I could read minds so I’d know if the other people in the waiting room deserved to see me pick up a Bible, flip to Ezekiel, and laugh at the blatant erotica.

It’s even worse than the Bible. God’s mental health had been faltering for years, but by the 7th century, he’d completely lost his mind.

I’m sorry, but linking a site loaded with such poor reasoning and demands for unearned credibility for its claims is not going to convince anyone here.

Speaking of doctors, though… I was with my Mom in June while she had thyroid surgery.  At one of the followup visits, the doctor attributed her fast healing to, yup, divine intervention.  When we thanked him for such a good job (the scar is gorgeous!), he looked and pointed upward, saying it wasn’t him, it was Him.  My mother was so happy.  Later, she mentioned it again, with an “I told you so” tone to her voice, like this proves to me that god exists because the doctor said so.

Luckily, I live in another state, because I would NEVER go to him if he feels some unseen force is guiding him in the surgery suite.

Of I see an icthus fish on a business card or sign (which are prevalent around here), I avoid them like the plague.  It’s not so much because of the Christian issue itself, but I really hate when people pimp their religion for business.  They are intentionally telling customers, “Hey, I’m Christian, just like you… come to my business!”  I know that the owner of the local scrapbook store I frequent and have spent hundreds if not thousands of dollars at is Christian, but she doesn’t pimp her religion with a fish.

I know a couple of Christians who feel the same way.

I’d find it hard to resist saying to the surgeon “What?  You mean you botch this operation so often you need to rely on divine intervention for back up?”

It’s a non-issue for me, regardless of what holy book it is.

I would find a new practitioner if I found Young Earth bullshit in the
waiting room (after I confirmed it was put there by the doctor or staff).  As Rich Wilson said upthread, it’s an intelligence issue,
not a religious one.

It always helps to fully read the article and understand that it is a letter _to_ Hemant. 

And for the record, most atheists I’ve met, are a heck of alot more secure in their beliefs then the Christians I come across.  If your beliefs are so solid and unwavering, why do you require a priest/clergy to ‘reaffirm’ those beliefs so often, esp. in your ‘darkest hours’?

I’ve seen many books like the kid’s books in dentists/dr’s offices. They are promos – if you look in the back you’ll see an order form for patients to buy the whole series.

It’s a clever marketing scheme – captive audience of waiting kids (usually sick and in need of comfort), and the implied endorsement of the professional.

Most likely some salesman came around and said “do you mind if I leave this” and the Dr or receptionist thought, sure go ahead – it might entertain some people while they wait. It’s probably not an endorsement of religion by the office.

If the Doctor quoted a bible verse to back up a prescription or diagnosis, I would run! But otherwise, I wouldn’t care.

BTW my daughter had several bible story books when she was young and we’re an atheist household. It’s part of our culture. Reading the bible in itself does not make you religious (in fact, it often does the opposite…)

“And if I did my job well, and one of the patients said they’d pray for me, it was up to me to hide my discomfort and freakin’ say ‘thank you’.”
I’ve come to the point of thinking, it’s their dime, or something like that. If they want to pray for me, it’s their time they are wasting; there are many other more productive things they could be doing, of course. I actually just now laugh to myself when people say that but make sure to turn that into a warm smile for them.

I work for a very large hospital that does not put anything out in the waiting areas that could be construed as religious in any way. The hospital even has a non-religion “Center for the Spirit”- a meditation room and prayer wall trying to accommodate all spiritual beliefs.

I do find “conversion tracks” left by visitors. Those find their way into my pocket and then the recycle bin.

Would it be an issue if the private practice doctor took in medicare/medicaid/”Stateaid” patients?  Then the doctor would be receiving federal funds.

Just need to apply a warning sticker to the inside of the cover with the following message.  “Nothing in this book should be taken literally as it is a work of fiction. Some readers may find the content offensive. Not suitable for young children.”

I had to have a root canal a year or so ago.
 The dentist referred me to an office that would perform the
procedure.  While my mom was making the appointment I noticed a Book of
Mormon on one of the side tables and that the music playing was Christian Rock.
 As soon as we left I told my mom that I was not going to be drugged(I
would be given a heavy sedative for my nerves) and at the mercy of this
facility.  We changed to another place
that was completely secular.  So they
lost my business because of their religiosity.

I agree that it is perfectly acceptable to have a bible in a private physician’s office.  However, for me personally, it would raise a lot of questions.  If I was a new patient, before selecting the doctor I would want to know the Dr’s policy on birth control, what hospital are they affiliated with, and do they have policies on abortion to save the life of mothers (issues that have come up at catholic hosps) and opinions on vaccinations.  Are the Dr’s religious views going to influence the care I/my family gets.  That’s all I care about

There isn’t an issue here. Are people who don’t like sports offended by seeing a Sports Illustrated? It’s a selection of reading materials, not an indoctrination attempt. Now, if they ONLY had/allowed bibles and such… then there would be an issue.

My veterinarian has copies of Dog Heaven and Cat Heaven in the waiting room. I haven’t said anything about it, but I can’t stand either of those books, and it disturbs me that grieving children (or any children, for that matter) are going to come across material that tells them their deceased pets are in a non-existent afterlife. There are plenty of secular books about death that would be much more appropriate in that situation.

Regarding the type of material Kim encountered, it doesn’t seem like a particularly wise business move. Having a Bible in your office gives the impression that non-Christian clients are not welcome. It seems like it would alienate not only atheist patients, but also Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist ones. The children’s magazine is more disturbing to me. I wouldn’t bring my kids to a doctor or dentist who put religious materal in the waiting room. Surely that’s one place I shouldn’t have to worry about them being indoctrinated. There are many secular magazines (Highlights, for example) that are appropriate for all children.

I live in North Dakota and every time I go to the doctor there’s I usually see a Bible somewhere in the waiting room. Additionally, I’ve been asked what my religion was by a secular clinic when getting preliminary information from me, which I’ve discussed on my blog before ( http://bit.ly/q5nNyM ), the reason as to why, I’m unsure.

Bring a Koran to add to the office.

When I go to a doctor’s office I bring a copy of Freethought Today ,The Humanist or Church and State and” forget” to take them with me.:)

I didn’t read your blog entry – I will – but I assume it’s for the same reason that my secular hospital in Baltimore asked for mine, which is to know what flavor of clergy to send if you suddenly are ready to kick the bucket.

Yes, I AM insulted by seeing Sports Illustrated in the doctor’s office… mainly because that’s ALL he has there.  I’d even prefer National Geographic or the Bible to SI.  Yeah, that’s right… I’m a sports hater.  😉

I was actualy just at my doctor’s office an hour ago. I did not see any religious info at all. Just a bunch of those “Edutisement” posters that look like it is educating you about some common problem, but really it is an advertisement for a drug to treat said problem.

I had never heard of a chick tract before reading this post – fascinating.

Now those, I’d probably pick up and read out of sheer curiosity!

I wouldn’t care if the doctor had the Quran, the Bhagavad Gita, the Baha’i holy book, and/or any other book. As long as there was other material in there to read, and the doctor and staff were not actively proselytizing, I just don’t care. I find them more entertaining than People or Us or any of that other celebrity gossip crap.

Heck, why not? The Bible’s a pretty good read in any case, and I’m more offended by the People Magazine anyway.  I’d much read the Bible than People magazine, at least.

Seriously, how is it anymore unprofessional than anything else in that stack? Just because we don’t think it’s right doesn’t mean that others should bend over backwards to keep the Bible from a private place.

It’s kind of like how offended some Christians are to certain ads that happen to be mentioned often on this site… why be offended that something from a different point of view is *gasp* there on the table! Isn’t that kind of attitude what we’re fighting against?!

I havent looked at the magazine’s in my doctors office in the longest time.  I just bring my own book or my iPod.

Seriously?!    One is concerned about a Bible within the confines of private property?  I guess all the big problems are already solved.

My doctor’s office has a bookshelf that serves as a book exchange. I was delighted to see a copy of “The God Delusion” on the shelf on my last visit! (I didn’t take it because I already have my own copy.) No religious symbols to be seen anywhere in the office, but I’ll keep my eyes peeled for a bible the next time I’m there. I’m sure there will be one conveniently left behind there, just as “The God Delusion” was 🙂

It depends on where Kim lives, doesn’t it? If she’s in the Bible Belt, these doctors and dentists might be pandering to the majority. But if she lives somewhere where people keep their religion private, or in an area known for diversity and multiculturalism, patients wouldn’t be expecting to see Christian religious material in the waiting room. What might be normal in Georgia or Alabama would seem very odd in San Francisco.

Will Kim tell us where these were snapped? I think I go to the same orthodontist she works for! The carpet and the tables look exactly the same! It’s is Dr. Utermark?

During a visit by the JWs, the question of the Golden Rule came up (they had never heard of it !) so I pulled down my English Bible to show them (theirs was in German).
Since I am an atheist, they were astonished – “You own a bible?” Of course, says I, it’s literature.
Since I also have books on the Greek,  Roman, Norse and Celtic mythologies, The Infidels Guide to the Koran (Thx Mr. Spencer), and Reliance of the Traveller, not to mention books on witchcraft and pagan rituals, it would be unfair not to have copies of the OT & NT.

My point is this: Literature is good;  non-one sided literature is better.
What a good opportunity to show a captive audience that there is more than one theology? Even if they never open a book – just having them in a row signals that the idea of exclusive religious truth is rubbish.

Now, where can I get hold of the Torah – preferably in English?

It’s not just the Bible Belt.  Here in Michigan I don’t think I’ve ever seen a doctor’s or dentist’s office without a bible in it

I went to college in a small town with one big medical center.  There was Christian propaganda in the waiting room, but it seemed like a group had come in and left them there, not that the doctors or anyone had set them out.  It wouldn’t surprise me if this happened all over the place.

Nah, I just like reading the blogs. My feeling is that most people are sick of, for lack of a better word, ‘fighting’ about religion. I think having crap to read in the waiting room is a bad sign you’ll be spending a lot of time waiting. Wouldn’t it be lovely if we could just walk in and be seen in a timely manner? Not to nail myself to a cross, but I almost feel like now I shouldn’t even have a thought if it isn’t the right one and I am not sure what the right one is anymore. There is no middle ground & sometimes it seems like there is no friendly ground. you know what would be awesome? If the writer felt so confident her views that she stood up in defense of them in spite of her employment situation. I literally feel like a jackass for my long winded comment. I was just sharing my exhaustion and possibly my ignorance to the non believers plight. Maybe I am just mad, I don’t know, but I’m plenty sure I don’t know jack about any of it. On the christian side, I’m morally reprehensible and an outcast and over in the murky waters of non belief…well I really haven’t found a place. It’s ok though. I’m still learning and like you I like to learn, hopefully by not always being wrong 🙂
Thanks for the feedback.

PS – lol @ SIWOTI

Visiting a doctor I would have other things to worry about.  And I wouldn’t mind really; I’m so used to see so-called “holy books” everywhere that they just don’t register. Even I have a couple copies of the official Danish Lutheranian Bible (I like old books) after all, so those books are just like the church across the road, which I’ve never really cared about either (I want them to bury their bells under a ton of soundproof dung though).
Now if a doctor, assistant or secretary actively tried pushing religion on me he/she would get the full benefit of my 42 years of experience in sending religious people screaming for the door. And I would of course register an official complaint. 
Another more annoying matter is that our state-run hospitals always have had bibles handy – qurans too the last couple decades – and you really ought to bring your own entertainment when you get treated for free.

My (now ex) wife went to a doctor for the first time and the doctor gave her a speech about how he relies on prayer to allow God to tell him what’s wrong with her.  He said he would listen briefly to what was wrong, then he would kneel down and pray, then he would do whatever came to mind because he felt he was God’s conduit.  

She walked out, and they tried to collect a fee from her for “wasting their time.”  I had to threaten to have his license revoked before he would stop.  This was a doctor I had visited in the past and he had not given me this garbage.  I assume some “born again” magic had occurred.

I’ve seen copies of both the entire Jewish Bible and also just the first five books at my local Barnes and Noble.  Some have just the Hebrew and others just English, but there was also an edition with both.

It is a bible story for kids.  It is not being forced on anyone.  If you do not like the material do not read it.  Celebrate Diversity.  If the doctor was wearing a cross would that be a problem.  Seems to me that a lot of people are entitled to their religious or non-religious viewpoint.   One should read all religious texts, non-religious doctrines and gain a wider perspective.  Practice Tolerance!

Once again there are people bringing these bible stories, not the whole bible, but children’s stories.  You should have at least glanced inside and never judge a book by its cover.