Religious Doctors Not More Likely To Treat The Poor Than Non-Religious Doctors

(photo by farshad5475, via CC)

The book of Matthew (chapter 25) says the following:

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

Jesus'/God's compassion for the poor is evident in this passage, as in many others. What, then, to make of the report in today's news about how religious doctors aren't any more likely to treat poor people than any other doctors?

U.S. physicians who identify themselves as religious are no more likely to care for poor, underserved patients than those who have no religious affiliation, researchers have found.

Being a doctor in America is not an easy thing. Years of pre-med classes followed by years of medical school, followed by sleepless residency and hundreds of thousands of dollars in crushing debt. It's no wonder why doctors, on the whole, choose a path that's more financially rewarding. It's not only understandable, it's something that should be condoned given the tough circumstances our society puts doctors in. (By the way, if you haven't yet, make sure you watch "Sicko" for a unique view on the subject)

Yet at the same time, I feel that with great power comes great responsibility, and deep down inside I wish that those in our society that are given the gift, the privilege, the responsibility of administering medicine would make choices that would be more selfless, especially if they ascribe to a faith that advocates complete and utter sacrifice for the glory of something greater. As missionary and martyr James Elliot once said, "He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."