shaky theology that makes me go hmmm!

"I know I am going to learn something from this, chaplain" the patient says with a voice of hopefulness and determination.

But the more I do this and the more I hear this the less I believe it. Where does it say that we learn stuff from the things life brings us?

The Bible maybe? "Thou shalt learn stuff..." Don't think so.
Buddhism? Need to detach. Islam? Nope. Allah does as He wills. Karma?

What amazes me is when I ask what they think that they might learn no one has an answer for me. I am not trying to be a jerk. I sure someone will think that, but get real. That statement means to me that God or a higher power or force or nature has a plan and if I pay attention I will learn something. I am just not buying it. The chaplain is becoming a cynic? Maybe, but I think it is deeper than that. Why do we have to learn something? What exactly is the point of that? Is God the ultimate stern taskmaster? Like the catholic school nuns I hear about from so many catholic patients? I hope not. What a jerk she would be! Is it this undying optimism of poeple that are always looking for the rosy picture? Could be! Or is it bad theology? I think it's the latter.

Patient gets cancer and says God is trying to teach me something. YEAH, like you should not have started smoking when you were 14 and did it for the last 40 years. Nah, it can't be that because an "educated" person should have learned that at....well, maybe, 14 and an half or 15 at the latest. So now if at 54 you have finally learn the smoking kills congratulations. What a freaking waste of a life. Some people never learn a damn thing...until it's too late.