Pointless Political Correctness': The Gov't Definition of 'Chaplain' Just Changed in a Big Way in the U.K.

A Christian group is decrying a recent National Health Service policy change that expands the definition of chaplains to also include "non-religious pastoral and spiritual care providers," calling the development "an exercise in pointless political correctness."

The Christian Institute, a faith-based legal firm in the U.K., took aim at the notion that hospitals there could be forced to provide atheist chaplains as the result of new guidelines that were published last week.

"The guidance uses the term ‘chaplain’ to refer to 'non-religious pastoral and spiritual care providers,' and claims that patients’ experiences are 'enhanced by ensuring either religious or non-religious pastoral support is available,'" reads a statement on the Christian Institute's website.

The document replaces guidelines that were issued in 2003 with the new non-religious provision reflecting language present in the Equality Act 2010, an anti-discrimination law that officially includes "lack of belief" in any reference to religion, the organization said in its statement.

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The National Health Services regulations now include the following language:

"Throughout this guidance we have used the term ‘chaplaincy’, as it is widely used in the NHS. It is intended to include the pastoral and spiritual care provided to patients, family and staff, whatever it is called in practice, and to include religious care provided by and to religious people. The term ‘chaplain’ is intended to also refer to non-religious pastoral and spiritual care providers who provide care to patients, family and staff."

The Christian Institute believes that the potential move to include secular chaplains is inappropriate and a "step too far," with a representative noting that chaplains don't discriminate when dealing with patients, regardless of their belief systems.

"Providing atheist chaplains is an exercise in pointless political correctness," the representative said, claiming that taxpayers shouldn't be forced to dole out cash for something that is already satisfied in existing regulations.

The National Secular Society, a secular group, said that it "has cautiously welcomed the new guidance," noting, though, that it has concerns over what it views as an "inappropriate and unsustainable" religious chaplaincy within the National Health Service.

"The acknowledgement that the non-religious should have equal access to appropriate pastoral support is to be welcomed," said National Secular Society campaigns manager Stephen Evans. "However, the adoption of a multi-faith approach, rather than a truly secular system of chaplaincy, is problematic."

He continued, "With finite resources available, there is a real risk that a multi-faith chaplaincy service will still leave the non-religious and those of minority faiths disadvantaged."

In the end, Evans believes that religious communities, themselves, should pay for faith-based pastoral care and that the National health Service should, instead, focus on "emotional and practical support" for patients.

The chaplaincy — which is comprised of paid and volunteer staff — has been the responsibility of the National Health Service since 1948.

As TheBlaze has reported in the past, the quest for atheist chaplains in sectors like the U.S. military is nothing new.

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