MEDICINE, MEDICARE AND GOD
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Other than getting a check up now and then, in my 80 years of life I have done very little doctoring. If at the end of my days I die suddenly, doctors needing to make a living--and I do not begrudge good doctors a good living--will not have made much money on me.

However, keep in mind that Canada does have a relatively good Medicare System. But let's not fool ourselves: It is not free. It is paid for by all who pay taxes. And I am happy to be a part of and support the system and to help all who are part of the Canadian community.'KANATA' is Algonquin for "My community".

THE CHURCHES AND MEDICARE IN CANADA
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NB: THE PREMIER OF SASKATCHEWAN, THE FIRST MEDICARE PROVINCE, WAS A MINISTER--THE REV. TOMMY DOUGLAS.(Do a search on his name) Most clergy of most churches of most denominations supported his idea. At the time, many, not all, doctors were opposed and went on strike. Not now, though.
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BTW, as a young minister, at 35, I was part of the clergy movement--I remember wearing a placard (front and back) as we walked near provincial government buildings--across Canada. We pushed our politicians to vote and bring about the Canadian Medicare system. The money that the system saves on people who keep themselves healthy most of their lives helps to pay for others who, for whatever reasons--some good, some not so good--are not among the healthy and fortunate ones.

That being said, today I had the second of two appointments as part of an annual check up. The result? For my age I am in good health, thank GOD.

DOCTORS AND GOD
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Our family doctor, Dr. David C is young (in his early thirties), friendly and very easy to talk with, does not rush one, is willing to answer questions about what is going on in the field of health and is also willing to chat about beliefs, including beliefs about "god". He knows that I am a minister and about my basic beliefs.

Yes, we chatted about "god" and religion. In response to my question--Do you believe in "god"?-- which I asked in my first appointment a week ago, he calmly responded: "Rev, while I respect you for your beliefs, I have to be honest and say, no ..."

I thanked him for his candour. Then I said, with your permission and if you don't mind, next week, I will ask you three short yes-or-no questions on the same theme. Again, feel free to give me your candid responses. We both calmly agreed to leave it at that.

In my next post, I will tell you what the three questions were and what his response to each of them was. Meanwhile, feel free to try and guess what the questions and responses were.


Last edited by Revlgking; 12/09/10 06:14 AM. Reason: good idea

G~O~D--Now & ForeverIS:Nature, Nurture & PNEUMA-ture, Thanks to Warren Farr&ME AT www.unitheist.org