ARMC chaplain: Respect religion, beliefs of others

Cathy Cole, left, the Aiken Regional Medical Centers chaplain, talks with USC Aiken professor Peggy Ellliot at a First Amendment Series event. Staff photo by Rob Novit.

Cathy Cole feels strongly about her own spiritual beliefs, but as the Aiken Regional Medical Centers chaplain, she remains aware of the many differences in beliefs of the patients and families she serves.

"I have to respect diversity and be sensitive to those with other beliefs," said Cole, the guest speaker of a First Amendment Series at USC Aiken on Monday.

Pacer Times, the USCA student newspaper, sponsored Cole's appearance, as well as Wednesday's appearance of news anchor Meredith Anderson of WRDW-TV, who will speak on freedom of the press at the Student Activity Center at 1 p.m.

This is the first time the university has been involved in a celebration of the First Amendment, said USCA professor Peggy Elliott, the newspaper adviser.

"Pacer Times is very much in helping students understand what those freedoms are," she said.

America has more faiths than anywhere else in the world and without fear of retribution, Cole said. Yet freedom of religion and the separation of church and state have been very much in the news, she said.

"There's a lot of talk about what the government is doing and what it shouldn't be doing," she said. "With freedom comes responsibility that we all have to maintain the integrity of the First Amendment."

The amendment has its roots in the efforts of Thomas Jefferson, who pushed through a Virginia statute in 1777 upholding religious freedom. He and James Madison were deeply concerned about state religions, Cole said.

"They didn't want a repeal of what was happening in England and other countries, where people could be persecuted for not believing in the state church," she said. "Jefferson wanted people to believe the way they wanted without recrimination from the government or anyone else."

Because an individual's religious and political beliefs can be held so highly, they can be non-negotiable, Cole said. That can mean volatile situations where people are tempted to place this nation in the hands of whatever god they believe in.

"There remains a fear of church and state being corrupted in either way," Cole said. "That can be an ugly situation."

She strongly encourages people to study comparative religion. Persecution of those with different beliefs over the centuries can be traced to fear and power.

"People are afraid of something they don't understand," Cole said. "Those in larger numbers who are so fearful will persecute smaller groups. It's so important to dialogue with folks and not prejudge them. It can open up doors to greater understanding."

Senior writer Rob Novit is the education reporter and has been with the Aiken Standard since September 2001. He is a native of Walterboro and majored in journalism at the University of Georgia.