New Doctor - What if she is a Muslim or other Non-Christian

[Maria]

My former doctor is retiring and has recommended a doctor with a Middle Eastern sounding name who
also has a very strong Middle Eastern accent.
My doctor said to be careful as not all patients like to be referred to this female doctor.

I do not feel comfortable going to a Muslim or other non-Christian.
I would not mind seeing a Maronite, Byzantine Catholic, or other Eastern Christian, including a Coptic Christian.

How can I tactfully ask about religion?

Note: I was just baptized this Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011.
So, I am still learning about the practices of the GOC/HOTCA jurisdiction.

[joasia]

Dear Maria,

Glory be to God! Congratulations! I am so happy for you! And on the Entrance of the Theotokos! She is certainly watching over you. I was blessed to go for Holy Communion that day. I was made a catechumen on the first day of fast for the Dormition of the Theotokos (back in 1993) and baptized on Pascha, the next year. Isn't it a wonderful feeling? I'm still in awe.

Now to the question. If you were warned, then listen to it. But, don't label all non-Orthodox or non-Christian doctors as bad. But, listen to your conscience. It is the communicator from God. If I need to go, we have a local clinic and they're not Orthodox or Christian. Most importantly, trust that Christ sees what you are going through and pray to Him and the Theotokos for guidance. You will be guided to the doctor you need.

In Christ,
Joanna

[jgress]

Why did these other patients not like to be referred to this doctor? And why are you not comfortable with seeing non-Christian doctors?

[Maria]

My former doctor called me on Friday morning. She was shocked that I had made an appointment with this doctor especially when several patients were upset with her, so I left a message at 4 PM on Friday with this new doctor asking her to call me back. On the recording, the doctor had a very strong Arabic accent (I know because I taught a lot of Muslims in the English as a Second Language programs).

Anyway, early today (Monday), I got a return call from her office manager, who also had a very strong Arabic accent. Feeling more uncomfortable, I asked if the doctor were a Christian. There was a deadly silence on the other end. Once the manager finally regained her composure, she responded angrily, "What does that have to do with practicing medicine?" Trying to make light of an obviously embarrassing situation, I tried to be joyful and responded, "I know several Byzantine Catholics and Middle Eastern Christians who have the same name as the good doctor, so I was just curious if she might be related." The manager again responded with coldness in her voice, "I will not ask her and it does not matter." So, I casually stated with my most friendly voice, "Should I bring any medical records?" However, the manager still had a chill in her voice when she responded, "Only those medical files which are not older than four months." I responded "Okay," said "Thanks," and hung up.

I was now shivering as I had sensed so much evil. After I had hung up, my husband told me to cancel Tuesday's appointment immediately. I did so.

I made an appointment with another doctor whom I have seen occasionally whenever I suffer a fall. This man is a wonderful Christian. I had forgotten about him.

Anyway, shortly after I made this new appointment, my former doctor called me back because she was concerned that I was to see this Arabic doctor. My former doctor not only views me as a patient but also as a friend. I mentioned that it felt like I was talking with a Nazi, and she responded, "That is exactly what my patients have also told me about her. The office manager and that doctor are not known to be very friendly."

Now I can breathe a sigh of relief.

Why did these other patients not like to be referred to this doctor? And why are you not comfortable with seeing non-Christian doctors?

[jgress]

OK. Well with this information it's hard to say much about the whole situation. I'm not sure whether the problem with this doctor is that she's Muslim or that she's not friendly. I work with a lot of Arabs, both Muslim and Christian, and they're all friendly as far as I can see. It does seem like her assistant reacted very negatively to an innocent question, but I wonder if she's been getting that question a lot and therefore got sensitive. There's a lot of anti-Muslim prejudice going around these days for obvious reasons, and some of it is pretty extreme. But in any case, you should go to a doctor you feel comfortable with. Bedside manner is an important part of good medical practice.

There are some canonical penalties for seeking the medical services of Jews or pagans, but I don't know of them being enforced nowadays. And if they were, I'm not sure how you could effectively argue that it was OK if the doctor were simply a heretical Christian, rather than a Jew or a Muslim. The main point of this canon I think is to ensure Orthodox Christians don't become dependent on those outside the Church, and therefore more liable to losing their faith. There are even canonical penalties against forming friendships with unbelievers, but again, I don't see any evidence of these being enforced now. You should always use discretion in your dealings with those outside the Church, but a kind of extreme walling off from any contact can be counterproductive in a situation like ours, where contact with unbelievers is an inescapable part of everyday life. Something to talk about with your spiritual father, at any rate.

[Maria]

This Arabic doctor and her manager are definitely not friendly.

On the other hand, the doctor I visited today is awesome.
He has a computer program, and as he examined me, he would record my patient information quickly with a few keystrokes.
The exam took very little time. I was impressed.
Besides, he has a great sense of humor, and he reminds me of Columbo.
Other patients have also mentioned that. Do you remember that TV series?

OK. Well with this information it's hard to say much about the whole situation. I'm not sure whether the problem with this doctor is that she's Muslim or that she's not friendly. I work with a lot of Arabs, both Muslim and Christian, and they're all friendly as far as I can see. It does seem like her assistant reacted very negatively to an innocent question, but I wonder if she's been getting that question a lot and therefore got sensitive. There's a lot of anti-Muslim prejudice going around these days for obvious reasons, and some of it is pretty extreme. But in any case, you should go to a doctor you feel comfortable with. Bedside manner is an important part of good medical practice.

There are some canonical penalties for seeking the medical services of Jews or pagans, but I don't know of them being enforced nowadays. And if they were, I'm not sure how you could effectively argue that it was OK if the doctor were simply a heretical Christian, rather than a Jew or a Muslim. The main point of this canon I think is to ensure Orthodox Christians don't become dependent on those outside the Church, and therefore more liable to losing their faith. There are even canonical penalties against forming friendships with unbelievers, but again, I don't see any evidence of these being enforced now. You should always use discretion in your dealings with those outside the Church, but a kind of extreme walling off from any contact can be counterproductive in a situation like ours, where contact with unbelievers is an inescapable part of everyday life. Something to talk about with your spiritual father, at any rate.

Regarding the second paragraph of your response, I think that could be food for thought for yet another thread.