Locked in an exam room and forced to pray

[idonthaveajname]

xojane.com/it-happened-to-me/it-happened-to-me-my-optometrist-locked-me-in-an-exam-room-and-forced-me-to-pray-to-jesus

(I went ahead and broke the link, although I don't think they'd care about the traffic)

This is so disturbing.

[gustava]

If true, she had a case for imprisonment against her will.

[Anxious Girl]

... And here I thought we lived in a 21st century progressive America. Nope. Apparantly; in this America Xtians are so persecuted that they can force people to pray! :(

[rward]

She perfectly describes being an atheist in the US:

As religiously unidentified liberals in the third most Bible-minded city in the United States, my family has always been very conscious of how we deal with discussions of religion. I grew up learning that I needed to respect other religions while keeping quiet about my own beliefs.

As far as my parents were concerned, I could choose any religion that suited me, and we even attended services at a Unitarian Universalist church for years before deciding that we just weren’t very committed. In elementary school, my mom briefed me on proper religion-talk etiquette. I was supposed to be vague and accommodating, never mentioning my own affiliations, or lack thereof. I should listen and nod, but offer as little information about myself as possible.

And if you don't, if you just come out and discuss atheism the way Christians do their particular flavor of Christianity, you're one of those bad, fundamentalist, jack boot wearing New Athiests, angry, shrill and rude.

Most of my coworkers think I'm Methodist. The rest think I'm Catholic.

[Mela99]

Wow . . . .

False imprisonment suit.

[sarahbrownie]

Yeah, if that happened to me I would have told them I was a pagan and fix my eyes so I could go back to having sex with the devil and eating babies.

What they did was sooooo wrong on all counts. I hope next time this happens, and it will if you live in a bible-humping town, that she know she has the right to tell them to fuck off and report them to their superiors and contact the police.

[flyawaystray]

Something similar, yet different happened to my friend in Utah. She was there for fun and she was picked up by a shuttle, but the shuttle was run by a Mormon church. She was brought to a Mormon church and put in a room, which she said she wasn't allowed to leave unless she gave the Mormons her personal info. She said she ended up writing down fake information to get out of the building.

[idonthaveajname]

Something similar, yet different happened to my friend in Utah. She was there for fun and she was picked up by a shuttle, but the shuttle was run by a Mormon church. She was brought to a Mormon church and put in a room, which she said she wasn't allowed to leave unless she gave the Mormons her personal info. She said she ended up writing down fake information to get out of the building.

That is just crazy.

[Swamptribe]

This kind of stuff is why I don not play the polite science game around people when it comes to religion. Way to many times I've had people get very pushy about their religion if I seem in any open to a discussion. It has lead to some very comfortable moments. Seems they take the politeness as you just waiting to be converted.

[flyawaystray]

I wish I could remember the story in more detail. IIRC, it started out as a tour of the church, which she said was actually very nice. And I guess it got crazier from there.

[keen23]

I live in Arizona. If you go to the Mormon temple in Mesa, at Christmas time, they do some pretty nice lights (and bible stories, but the kids are there for the lights). If you go out the exit gate, you have to go through the temple. At which point you are basically held in a room for 10 minutes while they show you a movie about the Mormon church, THEN they let you leave. We got caught the first year. Now we know the system and just walk out through the entrance after we've seen the lights and stuff.

[Rarity65]

Something similar, yet different happened to my friend in Utah. She was there for fun and she was picked up by a shuttle, but the shuttle was run by a Mormon church. She was brought to a Mormon church and put in a room, which she said she wasn't allowed to leave unless she gave the Mormons her personal info. She said she ended up writing down fake information to get out of the building.

That must have been frightening. :mouse-shock:

[louisa05]

I visited a Mormon historical site with a group of educators once. You couldn't walk five feet without tripping on a volunteer ready to convert you. They were even stationed in the bathrooms. In the women's bathroom there was not a machine for tampons or pads rather a sign that the attendant would accompany you somewhere to get them for you for free if you had a need. I assume you had to exchange personal info for a tampon. The place was horrifying. Our group on that trip typically had to be rounded up to leave any site we were at as everyone was usually absorbed in soaking up the places. Not that one. We were all standing by the vans at least 20 minutes before the scheduled departure time.

[crazyforkate]

Ack, that is awful. Too bad she didn't report him to whatever board was licensing him.

[idonthaveajname]

This kind of stuff is why I don not play the polite science game around people when it comes to religion. Way to many times I've had people get very pushy about their religion if I seem in any open to a discussion. It has lead to some very comfortable moments. Seems they take the politeness as you just waiting to be converted.

Me too. Some people came to my door recently to tell me about their Easter service. I took the pamphlet, said thank you, and shut the door in the guys face. I could see him on the stoop for a minute, looking like I'd punched him, but I really didn't care. I didn't want that dude in my house telling me what a sinner I am.

[GodsKnickers]

I'm thinking I would have whipped my phone out of my purse or pocket and hit 911 with a quickness. Good hell. Those people are disgusting.

[doggie]

I'm thinking I would have whipped my phone out of my purse or pocket and hit 911 with a quickness. Good hell. Those people are disgusting.

that would be a great fly on the wall moment.

[Mice]

When I was pregnant with #5 I went to get a routine ultrasound at my OB's office. The tech who did the ultrasound was upset that the baby wasn't moving around enough for her. So she prayed over me to several saints and told me to join in, and that if I didn't and the baby didn't move enough she'd tell the doctor that I needed to go to the hospital. I just stared at her and she continued on her daffy way. I told the doctor about it when I got in to see her and you should have SEEN her face. I never saw that tech again.

Clearly not as traumatizing as what the writer of this article went through, but even in my deep blue state there are folks who think it is OK to try and coerce you into their religious practices.

[Mela99]

I visited a Mormon historical site with a group of educators once. You couldn't walk five feet without tripping on a volunteer ready to convert you. They were even stationed in the bathrooms. In the women's bathroom there was not a machine for tampons or pads rather a sign that the attendant would accompany you somewhere to get them for you for free if you had a need. I assume you had to exchange personal info for a tampon. The place was horrifying. Our group on that trip typically had to be rounded up to leave any site we were at as everyone was usually absorbed in soaking up the places. Not that one. We were all standing by the vans at least 20 minutes before the scheduled departure time.

That might be the scariest one I've heard thus far...

[ADoyle90815]

I live in Arizona. If you go to the Mormon temple in Mesa, at Christmas time, they do some pretty nice lights (and bible stories, but the kids are there for the lights). If you go out the exit gate, you have to go through the temple. At which point you are basically held in a room for 10 minutes while they show you a movie about the Mormon church, THEN they let you leave. We got caught the first year. Now we know the system and just walk out through the entrance after we've seen the lights and stuff.

One nice thing about the Mormon temple in LA is that it's on a major street, so if you want to see the lights, you can do so without having to get out of the car, and keeping the doors locked and windows rolled up.

[Rachel333]

I don't think people trying to convert you at a temple is that big of a deal. My closest experience to that is probably when I've visited some historic mosques and been followed by Muslim proselytizers. It's annoying, but I don't really feel like I need to complain because I am visiting their religious site.

I ended up in the emergency room after a suicide attempt in January. I was asked my religious preference and I said "none", but they still sent in a Charismatic chaplain to "pray over me." It was a very upsetting thing to happen at such a vulnerable time.

[mockingbird]

I ended up in the emergency room after a suicide attempt in January. I was asked my religious preference and I said "none", but they still sent in a Charismatic chaplain to "pray over me." It was a very upsetting thing to happen at such a vulnerable time.

I think at my hospital's ER the chaplain just makes the rounds, knocks on every ER room door to ask if you want a chaplain and doesn't pay attention to what your preferences are before that. I've had to go to the ER twice in the last five years or so and had the privilege of being there when she was on call both times. Drives me nuts! I'm really private, and it also upsets me, because the last thing I want to do in a vulnerable position is make myself feel more vulnerable by being forced to share personal feelings (the whole "Jesus just bless" prayers) or have religion forced on me. The last time I was in the ER, my dad happened to be there and it was almost comical afterwards because he does NOT get mad and is always very polite/professional. He basically blocked her physical entry into the room and kept telling her "no" and "don't come back" (she's very pushy :roll: ).

I'm not sure what religion our chaplain is, I think non-denom Christian (so evangelical). I think it should only be by request. Maybe the nurse should ask when you come in if you want a chaplain, instead of the chaplain coming around themselves because you might not feel like it's polite to say no. I asked for a priest once but I wanted someone specifically from my faith.

Anyway, this article is crazy! I agree she definitely would have had a case if she wanted. I'd be tempted to call 911 too but at the same time, when your eyes are dilated, would you be able to see enough to dial (especially on a touch-screen phone where there's no buttons to feel)? I'm not sure that I would. I also might be worried what would happen if I didn't cooperate.

[EyeQueue]

I live in Arizona. If you go to the Mormon temple in Mesa, at Christmas time, they do some pretty nice lights (and bible stories, but the kids are there for the lights). If you go out the exit gate, you have to go through the temple. At which point you are basically held in a room for 10 minutes while they show you a movie about the Mormon church, THEN they let you leave. We got caught the first year. Now we know the system and just walk out through the entrance after we've seen the lights and stuff.

A couple of years ago, our landlady invited us to her LDS stake house for a Christmas event, a viewing of many nativity scenes. We decided to be polite and attend.

On the way out of the event, we were implored to get a happy Xmas picture with the family dressed up as Joseph and Mary, etc. Apparently, once you're all dressed up, they commence with the evangelizin'.

I had a bad vibe, plus overheard one hapless family getting their talk, so fortunately we escaped sans being proselytized to.

[Phukktifano]

My mother was poor and in great need of glasses several years ago. She was referred to a free clinic 'loosely' attached to the major city Christian outreach center. I was not surprised as a result to see all the brochures in the waiting room when I picked her up. They even offered advise and help with her meds. They offered to pray for anyone I was willing to add to a list they had but at the time I thought they were fairly good people and my mother being a person of faith it seemed like a fantastic situation. When a friend was also referred to them months later and started telling me some of the crazy things they were saying to her 'her miscarriage was caused by Satan trying to destroy her marriage' I started asking some deeper questions. Come to find out they had convinced my mentally ill mother that fibermialgia wasn't real that all of her pain and health problems including her bipolar disorder were caused by 'the sickness of the people around her' including and apparently especially myself whom she had failed as a mother by getting a divorce. They had stopped her prescriptions because 'she didn't need them.' and treated her resulting crippling depression with accusations that she wasn't trying hard enough. This was a clinic that had been very clear that they saw it as their mission to help people and who she had been referred to by a social worker.

They finally changed their name to the Jesus is Love clinic and stopped pretending they were anything but a prayer center for that church but it's taken years to undo the damage.

[tuckerphez]

The fact that they waited until her eyes were dilated is the most effed up thing about this story to me.

I know she says she had it done once before and wasn't that scared, but even so, that's a time when you're more vulnerable because you can't see anything.