I'm always amazed at the questions posed to a small town County Attorney and here is another. Any thoughts would be helpful.
Our county has a county owned hospital. Currently, we are remodeling and a controversy has arisen about what name can be placed on the door to the "church" located on the premises. The architect does not believe it can be called a "chapel" as that denotes Christian teachings.
The powers that be (those who donated the funds to renovate the space) want to put up signs indicating Chapel.Is there any law on this subject that you can point me to so I don't have to reinvent the wheel? I know it may sound petty, but, small town politics can often be brutal. My suggestion would be to call it a sancutuary. Any problems there?
Thanks, Mike Hartman

Sanctuary may have a Christian connotation too. What about "nondenominational quiet space with padded seating?"

The big 'ol Websters in our law library says a "chapel" is "a private place of worship not connected with a church" and uses the chapel of a hospital as an example. I didn't see Christian in the definition, but church is a term with particular affinity to that faith. If you leave out symbols pertaining to any particular religion, and it is not consecrated by any particular religion, won't that title work?

Of course, your good folks probably think a chapel needs a cross, etc. Most in the state do.

John, thanks for the response. I see our sense of humor is similiar as I had already suggested several similiar names, then I figured out those asking the question did not take kindly to my levity. The dictionary I was using mentioned "chapel" as having a Christian conotation but sanctuary did not. Which dictionary would be addmissible at trial? Do you know of any law on this point? I am considering telling them chapel will be okay but we might get sued, in which case we borrow John's dictionary.We could call it a "meditation" room and when one of our doctors gets sued change it to the "mediation" room. Seriously, is the name a concern?

My vote is for sanctuary since it sounds like that other room down the hall, the sanguinary O.R. "Chapel" might indeed be a problem since Roget's lists a conventicle as a synonym, so the word must have a religious aura. Now "sanctum" might work since one definition of that word is "a private room or study where one is not to be disturbed" which should pretty well describe the place. Unfortunately no one would know what it actually was, since even doctors don't use as much Latin as they used to. I really just do not see whatever word you choose as meaning county funds are being expended to foster or establish religion. If the signs on doors were sufficient to do that, then we wouldn't need near as many preachers, evangelists, missionaries, etc.

Webster's New International Dictionary of the English Language (2d Ed. 1950).

I always thought "sanctuary" was a term of art with regard to Christian places of worship.

How about "Worship Room"? I may even have seen that one in a hospital recently.

On a lighter note, thank god I practice criminal law, thank god I practice criminal law, thank god . . .

If it makes any difference, on our Correctional Complex land we have an "Interfaith Chapel", built with private funds. It has services for Christians, Jews, Muslim and "other" individuals. Austin being one of the most politically correct cities in the nation, we have never had a problem. However, my secretary raised a possible resolution for you: how about an interfaith center?

John Hille, Director
Transactions Division
Travis County Attorney

None of the suggested names point to any particular denomination, and isn't that the point? As President Bush has been pointing out, the government is prevented from promoting a particular religion, but that does not mean the government must pretend religion doesn't exist.

As far as I know, all denominations pray. So, why not call it The Place of Prayer/Meditation, Regardless of Your Particular Religious Beliefs or Nonbeliefs. I vote for "chapel", though. Someone would have to be mighty sensitive to sue on that one (and frankly, it would make for an interesting lawsuit).

The political correctness police are killing our sense of living. When people are looking for a place to seek their "superior benevolent being" in a HOSPITAL CORRIDOR, it is usually a sign that things are not going well (not that they are lost on their way to "that place we go to implore our 'superior benevolent being'"; ie: church, temple, mosque, etc...).

This is just one persons point, but I think chapel is universally accepted as a word, in a hospital, that denotes "the place you may go and silently worship for whatever purpose you want". Instead of changing the name, lets petition Webster's.

The answer to your problem is to employ another architect; one less sensitive to such world-shaking important matters.

Why not just call it the "Prayer Room"? Since all religions pray, this to me would make everyone happy . . . all except the atheist.

One of the interested parties called a former state rep. while I was out on vacation and was told since there was a chapel in the Capitol in Austin that name should be good enough for a room in a county hospital. The sign was placed before I returned from vacation. Crisis averted.