10.02.12
Praying for relief
A debate has sprung up around the use, and more contentiously the funding, of chaplains in the NHS. Atheists have argued that money should not be spent on services of ‘no clinical benefit’, especially at a time of financial constraint.
Of course there are many devout believers who will seek to protect these roles, due to the comfort they can provide in times of distress and sorrow. This in itself could provide a positive impact to the healing process.
But feeling comforted is hard to measure, and without stringent evidence to support this level of benefit that chaplains provide, many would argue it is an outdated and unnecessary expense.
When atheism overcomes religion as the majority belief of the public, should we still pay for these services?
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