Faith and Medicine
Science and Faith. Two disparate circles in the world’s oldest Venn diagram? Two sides of the same coin? Talking about science vs. faith is nothing new. Most of history has been guided by those of either side fighting to prove who is right and who is wrong. I’m not going to begin to oversimplify centuries of dispute, but those of science and those of faith continue to clash today, and I think part of the reason comes down to a lack of understanding. I know it’s not the most profound statement, arguments are usually tied to not appreciating the other’s perspective. The reason why this topic is so fascinating to me is that most of my life has taken place on the front line. I am a man of science and a man of faith, and I believe the two have far more in common than what we tend to consider. If faith helps us appreciate the beauty in the world, science helps us answer how to keep the beauty alive. I recently spoke with Dr. Paul Tran (Alimentaryschool) and Andy Nguyen (ND MD) about what it means to have faith in medicine, how medicine has impacted our relationships with those in faith, and how we can help both sides better understand each other.
A Unique Testimony:
Paul was gracious enough to dive into his personal path to faith. He grew up in a religious Vietnamese household, but that isn’t where he came to his faith. In fact, witnessing hypocrisy within the religious community turned him away from faith altogether.
“I wanted no part of it. A large factor was having a scientific mind, needing to be able to reason with logic. I loved the concept of faith, and I loved that people used it to give themselves strength, I just didn’t want it pressed upon me. People would pray for me to find faith, and it hurt. It made me feel like I was doing something wrong. Why can’t you meet me where I am? Why is your truth more real than mine? Not everyone was like that, but enough were to turn me away. It’s so funny, when I first met my wife, I made it clear on our first date I wanted nothing to do with faith, and she made it clear faith was everything to her. The way she spoke about believing, how faith had changed her life, how it was everything to her, it was with complete conviction. She had this aura around her, and she didn’t try to push it on me or tell me I was wrong. I wanted to have that conviction about life. I started praying again, started looking at church differently, and soon I stopped seeing coincidences. Things would happen that were connected, that had a reason. Life became so much more beautiful. I found true faith, and I realized that like anything in life, there are good and bad representatives of anything. I had only seen the bad, and now I wanted to be a part of the good.”
Paul was right. It only takes one or two bad experiences to forever make you view something a certain way. Think about how you choose a specialty. How many trainees decide against a field knowingly or unknowingly because they happened to have a bad attending or team? I can’t tell you how many students I’ve talked to describe the same field in vastly different ways citing experiences, good or bad, of their team for the given rotation. That’s human nature. We take in our anecdotal evidence and extrapolate it to define a group, a business, an ideology. We have to. I remember coming into faith in middle school. I was born around it, but I never really understood it until much later. When I accepted faith as my own, I wanted to get baptized – to make faith my decision not a decision I was born into. Sadly, I was turned away from my church for doing so. I had been baptized as a baby, and a second baptism would not be allowed. It nearly turned me away from believing altogether, but people are not always the faith they represent. Faith is bigger than all of us and our mistakes. For a faith predicated on inclusivity, I had to find a new community that loved and appreciated my desire to own my faith. I promised myself I would try to live a life where people could see my faith through actions alone.
Faith Within Medicine:
Let’s look at the first relationship: having faith in the medical community. Paul said it best. Succeeding in medicine means being able to solve the unknown with logic and reason. Because the field demands that talent, it attracts people who crave understanding, people who love to see all the data to come to a supported answer. When it comes to those of faith and science “debating” their two philosophies, I think this tends to help those of science remain more open-minded. If they can hear everything those of faith have to say and gather all the data surrounding those arguments, it’s easier to accept whether those points are supported or not. As Paul alluded to, a fatal flaw of many faithful people comes in hearing differing beliefs. There is a difference between hearing and listening.
Andy recalled a similar feeling during his transition to medical school:
“The college ministry I was a part of did wonderful things with sharing their message to others wishing to hear it, but a fault many ministries share comes with how they approach those who aren’t asking for the message. As I started medicine, I realized I was talking so much with patients rather than listening to what they had to say. Listening is how we build trust, and it’s where we find the source of most problems.”
Paul offered another angle:
“If you really care about me, shouldn’t you meet me where I am? My faith reminds me to value others above myself, to love all no matter what. Our job as physicians isn’t to change a patient’s heart or tell them how to live their life. Our job is to offer our expertise, guide them where they need help, and support them to the best of our ability.”
I think some of the modern difficulties in bringing faith to science stem from that gift. I’ve met countless agnostic individuals, brilliant and kind thinkers who knew scripture far better than I did. They could cite passages and bring up historical accounts off the top of their heads. The way I try to explain it is similar to the adage, “Patients don’t present like the textbook.” We can understand medical theory and text down to the smallest detail, but people behave differently. Disease continuously changes and presents in ways we haven’t predicted. Understanding the textbook doesn’t mean you can treat the patient in need. Similarly, understanding scripture doesn’t mean you can appreciate faith, and that can be an incredibly frustrating concept for those without faith to grasp. Faith is knowing without proof. It’s the ability to open your heart and soul to accept there is something bigger than you and the world. Andy offered a wonderful addition.
“In medicine, you work tirelessly for years just for the opportunity to live out your dream. It becomes ingrained that if you work hard enough, push through every setback, you can earn the life you want. Salvation is the one thing you cannot earn. Faith is accepting there is nothing you can do to be given grace, nor is there anything you can do to lose it. It’s yours, always.”
Paul once spoke with a friend in medicine who truly wanted to understand his faith, but no matter how hard he tried, nothing could make him grasp faith as real.
“How do you believe? How do you reason it? He would ask these again and again. I told him you can explain and rationalize everything to a certain point. Science will always help push that point further and further, but it can never reach infinity. There will always be questions of life and existence we are unable to answer. I surrender myself to that understanding. That is faith, and it’s the only thing that can answer the questions nothing else can.”
In medicine, you see the best and worst the world has to offer. Everything you do is about delaying the inevitable to give everyone the longest, and, more importantly, most peaceful life you can. But even with our training and understanding, things will happen beyond our control. Faith offers the power to see beauty in darkness and be a source of light for those around us no matter what happens.
So what does this mean in practice, living by faith in medicine? There’s no right answer. Everyone’s beliefs are personal and worthy of respect, to whatever degree they choose to make those beliefs public. It’s important to consider, though, the context of patient care and what it means to do everything in your power to heal. Patients arrive at the hospital in their most vulnerable states, scared and often alone. Everything their care team does should focus on healing and support. Sometimes, faith can play a role in that. Paul suggested it’s about meeting the patient at their needs. Faith is a decision in response to an invitation. Never push your faith on anyone, but if they open the door and ask for your heart, you may be able to provide uniquely powerful support.
“I’ve prayed with families a handful of times, but only because they asked me to. It’s not that I told them what I believed, but I think it’s possible they could sense my beliefs through my actions. I will never ask a patient, “Can I pray for you?” That forces them to make a difficult choice in an already vulnerable position. Should they say yes even if they don’t want to because I’m their doctor? That’s actively hurting their needs in my opinion. But if they open the door and ask me to pray for them, I will pray for specifics. For those undergoing diagnostics, I pray we find answers. For those undergoing treatment, I pray for strength and peace for today, tomorrow. When we pray for generals, (i.e. they get well or everything works out), it’s not tangible. It can create more stress. Remember, it’s about meeting people where they are, and if they can only look as far as tomorrow, you shouldn’t be praying for next week. Pray for the strength and help they need to get to tomorrow.”
I find it wonderful patients have deduced Paul’s faith just by the way he carries himself. Living by faith is not easy. In fact, it’s probably where most members of any faith fail. It’s part of being human, and sadly, a single error can give others the wrong view of an entire community. It happens every day, and it’s tragic. I will never accept or justify any group ever intentionally hurting, demeaning, or attacking another. It is never ok. I can only offer that a group built on peace and love may have those in it who misunderstand the practices they are meant to be preaching. Throughout college and medical school, I have been told many times some variation of the phrase, “You know, for a Christian, you’re pretty nice.” Each time, it warmed my heart to know they gained a better representation of my faith. It also broke my heart each time to imagine how many others misrepresented my faith before me, and it’s why I work hard to reflect what I truly believe through my actions.
Medicine Around Faith:
Time for the other half of the equation: having a mind of medicine around those of faith. A bit about me, in a few months I will become the first physician in my family. Tracing back any branch of the tree, my family is full of musicians, educators…anything that never had to learn and forget the Krebs cycle. Much of the community I grew up in was full of spiritual individuals, so that part of me they can understand. It’s the medicine that they can sometimes struggle to grapple with. I’m not talking about needing to understand the Krebs cycle. It’s more about appreciating the day-to-day mindset those in medicine must carry. A wonderful aspect of having faith is that no matter what happens, you know where you are heading. You appreciate the grand scheme of the universe and know that this life is but a speck on the path to your ultimate destination. It’s a comfort I feel blessed to carry. I have faith in a grand design, but that isn’t a reason to remain passive in the present. If providers don’t act with urgency, patients suffer or worse. I think this is sometimes hard for those outside of medicine to grasp. When they see those of faith within medicine so burdened or stressed by the work, quick advice might look like, “Take a step back. Breathe. Remember everything works out for a reason.” It’s said with good intentions, but it harkens back to our point of meeting people where they are. In the grand scheme, today matters very little, but it means everything to those who are currently suffering. Andy offered:
“There are certain things that those outside of medicine don’t understand, and that’s okay. We shouldn’t fault them for that. They shouldn’t have to see and deal with the things we do. We chose this, and they didn’t. But in the same way we as providers need to be considerate of our patients’ needs, I think those of faith could use some help in doing the same for us. If a provider is grappling with a tough diagnosis on a time crunch, telling them “God’s got this,” might seem supportive, but it can cause more harm. That provider still must figure out what to do and quick. Maybe, a better option could be praying for their clarity, praying for the peace of mind needed to figure out what’s wrong, praying for the strength to keep searching when no answers appear.”
Having faith gives you the strength to act, not the comfort to let the world happen around you. Recall the parable of the drowning man. In all versions, a man surrounded by a flood prays for help. When someone in a canoe offers a ride, he says no because God will save him. When someone in a boat offers for him to come aboard, he says no because God will save him. And when a helicopter flies over with a ladder, the man says no because God is coming to save him. The man drowns, and when he meets God asks, “Why didn’t you save me?” God replies, “I tried. I sent a canoe, a boat, and a helicopter.” Yes, faith gives us the peace that everything will work out as it should. At the same time, those in medicine must act to create that assurance. If infection is a flood, penicillin is a pretty big boat.
So what can those of faith do to better support those in medicine? Maybe the answer is the same as before: meet others where they are. Listen to their struggles, don’t just hear them. Appreciate the weight they have to bear even if you believe it weighs nothing in the grand scheme. If they would like you to pray for them, pray for specifics. “I pray you find the clarity you require to consider another angle, or the resolve to survive past this week, the peace to know you’ve done everything you can.”
The Future of Connecting Faith & Medicine:
We’ve mentioned a few times “meeting people where they are.” It’s a cornerstone of patient care, and really, it should be a cornerstone of life. How many disputes could be better handled if we all first met the other side where they are and went from there? The more different someone’s ideology is from yours, the more effort it takes to help them see your side. It’s why perspective is so powerful. It’s not just “here are the reasons why my point is valid,” it’s “here are the reasons this one part of my point might be something you haven’t considered.” It’s a stepwise process of support, not a cognitive leap of faith. You can’t expect someone who sees the world completely differently to suddenly see the world similarly to you after a single conversation, so don’t speak to them as if that’s your goal. First, see if they’re even ready or open to listen, let alone prepared to make mental leaps in belief. It’s the same as praying for someone’s tomorrow not for their lifetime ahead. Are they really in the place to think about their entire future? Or are they just trying to get to Tuesday? With the Super Bowl running around my head, every conversation shouldn’t aim to win the game. Just get the first down. And the same goes for those listening. Listen to opposing beliefs, not to fundamentally change yours, but rather allow what’s said to simply exist. Maybe it will strengthen your beliefs. Maybe something is said you haven’t considered. Whether 100% of faith, 100% of science, or somewhere in between, we can all make a greater effort to listen more. Shift our instinct from speaking or reacting to truly hearing what others have to say, regardless of whether we agree with the words being said. Who knows, we may just surprise ourselves how much we have in common.
I will share a final anecdote from Paul, who remarked on a conversation with a colleague over why we do what we do in medicine.
“We share a love of self-improvement, leadership, MedEd, and above all improving patient care. We often talk about the humanistic skills the world expects you to have in medicine that sadly tend not to be explicitly taught in training. He and I would talk about why we need to hold ourselves to a higher standard, to go above and beyond what is required to truly impact our patients: be kind especially when others are not kind to you, show love especially when love is not given in return, bring light to all regardless of what they have done or deserve. What was so fascinating was that his driving force was a grand belief in the responsibility of medicine. For me, it was a grand belief in my faith. Two completely distinct foundations, yet the results were the same. The commonality in our two mindsets was grace. It’s what makes medicine such a beautiful field because it allows two separate forces to coexist and work together for a common goal.”
I am in love with medicine. The more I understand it, the more in awe I am of people and the incredible mechanisms we all carry. I am in love with faith. It’s the reason I do anything, and it makes every day a gift. To me, science helps protect others from the lows life creates, and faith buffers those lows to keep me going. While medicine prolongs the inevitable, it makes the time we have left worth living. Faith protects our hearts when medicine fails us, and it empowers us to keep protecting for as long as we can.
What about you? Do you agree? What have been your experiences with faith and/or medicine? Do you see them coexisting, and how? Where in the future do you view each having a place in the other? If you’d feel comfortable sharing, please send in your thoughts. We’d love to hear everything you have to say!
Thank you so much, Paul and Andy, for taking the time to share your lives and insight! Be sure to follow Dr. Paul Tran (alimentaryschool) and Andy Nguyen (andy_nguyen9) for more. Until next time, stay healthy and happy reading!
More by Tyler Beauchamp at www.tyler-beauchamp.com
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