Doctor, Will You Pray for Me?

The modern world faces religious, spiritual and existential quandaries, as new technologies redefine the beginnings and ends of life. Excruciating choices arise about when to turn off the machines - whether and when we should "play God." The COVID-19 pandemic made these dilemmas ever more acute. Increasingly, however, public discourse on religion and spirituality is polarized, with evangelicals on one side and vehement atheists on the other. Psychiatrist and bioethicist Robert Klitzman explores how patients and families struggle to make sense of serious disease and threats of death and other medical crises, seeking hope, purpose and larger connections beyond themselves. Physicians and other clinical staff are frequently uncomfortable with these issues, and chaplains have been filling the void, developing valuable approaches and insights. Most Americans will die in hospitals or nursing homes, and face existential and spiritual quandaries. Many of their prior religious and spiritual beliefs will fall short, and chaplains will often be the ones to assist, partly by reframing narratives and understandings of illness and spirituality. Yet people often know little, if anything, about these professionals. Klitzman presents stories about the spiritual lives of patients and explores the role of chaplains - who they are, what they do and the challenges they face. Drawing on in-depth interviews and the author's personal experiences, Doctor, Will You Pray for Me? provides vital information that can assist in medical care decisions. Robert Klitzman argues that a better understanding of the relationship between these realms will enable more holistic and humane treatment of patients.