Whenever you hear the phrase “chaplain,” you most likely consider a priest or an Imam or another form of conventional clergyperson — that’s what springs to my thoughts in any case. Which is why I used to be shocked after I stumbled upon an article within the New York Occasions journal from earlier this yr about an “atheist chaplain” engaged on dying row in an Oklahoma jail.
The piece is a few convicted killer, Phillip Hancock, who didn’t consider in God however needed a non secular adviser with him as he approached his execution. The chaplain is a person named Devin Moss, who spent a yr in each day dialog with Hancock and finally traveled from Brooklyn to Oklahoma to be with him in his ultimate hours.
The entire notion of an atheist chaplain is fascinating, in fact, however much more fascinating are the deeper questions right here about what non secular care seems like with out faith and what it means to confront our dying with out God or a perception within the afterlife.
I wouldn’t name myself a non secular individual, however I do take the non secular life critically and, whether or not you’re a believer or a non-believer, it appears essential to grasp what faith gives to individuals and what it will imply to supply one thing related in a secular context.
Which is why I invited Moss onto The Grey Space to speak about what being a humanist chaplain (he prefers that time period over “atheist”) means to him and what his expertise on dying row taught him about faith and the common wrestle to face dying with dignity.
Beneath is an excerpt of our dialog, edited for size and readability. As all the time, there’s far more within the full podcast, so hearken to and observe The Grey Space on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you discover podcasts. New episodes drop each Monday.
Sean Illing
You probably did your residency as a chaplain at Bellevue Hospital in New York Metropolis throughout the pandemic. What was that like?
Devin Moss
It was intense and full of individuals in acute moments of disaster, at that hospital specifically. However I can not think about a greater place to study what it means to be non secular. As a result of I got here into this extremely insecure about spirituality generally and what sort of non secular care I can present to individuals after I’m a non-theist. How can I do that with out God? It was scary as hell and it was profound as hell on the similar time.
Sean Illing
Have been you a distinct individual popping out of that?
Devin Moss
Completely. And even every day, my shift hours have been from 2 to eight or 9, and round 1 I’d be like, Ugh, I can’t consider I obtained to return and do that immediately, however after I’d go away at evening, I’d be like, Wow, I may by no means have imagined that may occur immediately, I discovered a lot! I felt like a distinct individual leaving at evening than after I obtained there within the morning and that was a repetitive cycle again and again.
Sean Illing
We’re speaking as a result of I occurred upon this text about your expertise on dying row. I assume I’m curious the way you discovered your self there within the first place. How does a humanist chaplain from Brooklyn find yourself on dying row in Oklahoma?
Devin Moss
Quickly after I completed my residency at Bellevue, the American Humanist Affiliation despatched me an electronic mail saying that there are some attorneys that symbolize this man on dying row named Phillip Hancock in Oklahoma, and he’s in search of a non-theist chaplain and so they needed to know if I used to be . I mentioned I used to be completely . And on reflection, to be candid, I felt referred to as to do this from a non secular care perspective, however I additionally was very a lot intrigued by the story.
So I wrote Phil a letter, launched myself, left my cellphone quantity in it and mentioned, In the event you discover that I’m the precise individual to symbolize you or be by your aspect in such a essential time, I’d love to take action, after which we talked and hit it off and began a journey of just about a yr.
Sean Illing
Did you’ve got sturdy emotions concerning the dying penalty earlier than you went to Oklahoma? Did the expertise change your views by some means?
Devin Moss
I didn’t have sturdy opinions. I’d describe my views going on this means: If there was an opportunity for anyone harmless to be executed, then I’m not for it.
And but, understanding that there are monsters amongst us, I nonetheless had this hypothetical state of affairs in my head, and it’s the one that everyone who’s pro-capital punishment will use: If it was your daughter (and it’s all the time the daughter, nobody says if it have been your son), and she or he was murdered and raped, that needs to be the litmus take a look at of how we consider capital punishment. That’s the argument that the state legislators in Oklahoma use and I don’t know the place I obtained it, however that was additionally in my head previous to working with Phil. And within the case of such a heinous violent crime, then yeah, I’d be okay with capital punishment. That’s how I got here into it.
These are actual emotions. If a mum or dad needed to undergo that horrible, horrible state of affairs, they’ve each proper to really feel that. And I’m not advocating that anyone can’t really feel these very sturdy and actual feelings however what I didn’t understand till I used to be really within the soup is that there are numerous externalities. The ripples of who it impacts, they’re vital.
The legislators make the legal guidelines, the judicial department of the state does the sentencing, however guess who does the executions? None of them are doing the executions, not one of the household of the victims are doing the executions, it’s on a regular basis individuals. It’s individuals like me, it’s the corrections officers within the small cities the place that is greater than doubtless the one employment alternative they’ve and we’re those which might be doing this.
I spoke with a person named Adam Luck, who was the previous chair of the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board earlier than the execution, and he mentioned, Everyone that has a hand in doing the execution itself, a part of them dies not directly. Though that feels like a dramatic assertion, it’s completely 100% true. The warden isn’t for it, the corrections officers aren’t for it, and so with all the externalities and all of the ache, it creates a karmic ripple that’s multigenerational.
Sean Illing
The final phrases Phillip heard have been yours — what did you say?
Devin Moss
The entire thing was surreal. The entire day was surreal. Even that morning, the morning of the execution, the governor nonetheless hadn’t decided whether or not to grant clemency. The execution was scheduled for 10 am, so it was postponed an hour and a half and Phil is strapped to the gurney for an additional hour-plus, which is horrible to consider. And the evening earlier than, they tousled his final meal, I can’t even categorical to this present day how indignant that makes me and I can think about what it does to the spirit of somebody that simply can not get any demonstration of humanity on any degree.
Usually, the non secular care adviser typically will get 30 to 45 minutes with the person who’s going to be executed, however as a result of the governor had delayed, the press corps had already made it by means of safety, and I used to be simply making an attempt to take care of my poise and never get frazzled. And we went by means of this maze the place the top chaplain then left me on this sally port and the corrections officers escorted me as much as the entrance door of the execution chamber.
It was there that the masked corrections officer who could be within the room with us greeted me as a result of the corrections officers which might be within the room should be nameless. After which I may see in his face that he was nervous and that he was scared and that he was additionally affected by this second. It was in that second that I noticed that a part of my position is simply to carry as a lot calmness and peace into that area as I presumably may.
Earlier that morning, I had written an invocation, a prayer of kinds, that I knew wanted to be mentioned and I did it instantly as a result of I needed to say that area for Phil in order that we may make it sacred and never let any time go by with out ensuring that he felt that this was his time.
Sean Illing
Do you keep in mind the prayer that you just wrote?
Devin Moss
Once I initially wrote it, I wrote one thing about “I name into the area the spirit of the divine” after which I crossed that out and as an alternative I simply wrote “I name into the area the spirit of our humanity” as a result of it was very clear to me that this was a human downside and never a theological situation. And I had the reply to the Philippians riddle, Present me one thing actual, inform me one thing true. I seeded that throughout the prayer, I needed him to know that he was beloved and that I used to be a conduit to that love and that he was not alone. After which I additionally invoked the spirit of grace, of power, of give up, and, apparently, I ended it with an amen simply because it felt proper.
I additionally understood too that there have been different individuals in that room, moreover Phil and I, that I feel wanted to listen to these phrases and so I claimed that area for him. After which I adopted it up with telling him how our relationship affected me and what it meant to me and that he’s a beloved human. He died effectively, with grace. I made positive that he knew that he was beloved and he was not alone. And so, on this bizarre second of an execution, which is bizarre to say, there was peace.
Sean Illing
A part of what pursuits me about your story is that this query about whether or not we’d like faith, or one thing like faith. The truth that you felt referred to as to do that work speaks to this. Do you’re feeling like there’s a God-shaped gap within the trendy world that must be stuffed by one thing even when that’s one thing isn’t supernaturalism or faith in a traditional sense?
Devin Moss
I do consider that. I do consider that there’s a God-shaped gap in all of us and I don’t really feel that it must be full of dogma. The query that I get requested lots on this regard is, “How do you put together somebody who’s dying, who doesn’t consider that there’s one thing subsequent?” The reply is within the reframing of the query.
If there’s something subsequent and if that’s what you consider, high-quality. And if we’re unsuitable, then nice. However what’s extra essential is the whole lot that you just’re doing earlier than that second — that’s an important, not after. What occurs after is after, nevertheless it’s the transition that’s essential and the way you get there and all these micro-steps monitoring again all through your life.
So do we’d like spirituality as people? Sure, I feel so. And I’d additionally say, as a tradition, whether or not it’s a collective consciousness or a resonance that connects us to one another and connects us out to one thing greater, there’s one thing actual there and we’d like to ensure these factors are linked.
Sean Illing
I’ve actually come to be irritated with a sure form of atheist that may solely method faith as a set of epistemological claims, as if scanning the Bible for bogus claims about biology or historical past will quantity to some dying blow for faith. And I perceive the place that comes from. This has all the time been tough for me as a result of I do suppose faith has carried out immense injury on the earth. I feel it has prompted numerous unnecessary struggling on the earth. I feel it nonetheless causes numerous unnecessary struggling on the earth.
There are individuals on this nation who need to create a theocracy right here, who need to chain girls to their reproductive cycles due to their spiritual beliefs, and people persons are enemies of liberal democracy in my view. It’s essential to say all of that. But it surely’s additionally essential to acknowledge that faith, at its finest, is a near-universal expression of this human want for connection and ritual and that means and it’s a mistake to not grapple critically with the implications of that, particularly when you’re a non-believer.
Devin Moss
I see spirituality and theology as two fully totally different animals. I see faith as an expression of the spiritualities. As a result of the way in which it really works now could be that spirituality is an expression of faith, however I say flip it. I’m an enormous proponent of rites of passage rituals, I’m an enormous proponent of even making rituals all through your day and you may develop them for your self, you may be as syncretic as it’s worthwhile to be simply to guarantee that it’s bringing intention all through your day.
The expression of spirituality may be your lived faith and we are able to see what that appears like. Even when it’s Sunday mornings, we’re going to brush up the sidewalks in Brooklyn and have espresso and cake, that’s an essential non secular expression and may be thought of faith with out the pomp and the historical past and all of these issues.
Sean Illing
A humanist chaplain could not be capable of supply the solace that comes with perception within the afterlife, however what sort of solace are you able to supply somebody as they method the top?
Devin Moss
Demise is tough for everyone and it’s laborious as a result of we keep away from it personally and we most positively keep away from it as a tradition. How a tradition dies is a direct reflection of how they reside and we don’t die effectively in trendy America. I’d most likely take out the border between religion and non-faith on the subject of tips on how to die effectively and I’d simply say that dying effectively requires work that’s to be carried out whilst you’re nonetheless very a lot alive, whether or not you think about a supernatural energy or not.
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