FACES OF FAITH: FINDING A PLACE OF COMFORT; CAPE GIRARDEAU DOCTOR WRITES ABOUT HIS JOURNEY FOR RELIGIOUS COMFORT IN NEW BOOK

Editor's note: This is part of a continuing series profiling people in the community and region.

It has taken Dr. Charles P. McGinty nearly 75 years to find a comfortable place in the world of religious understanding. But it was a trip well worth the travels, he says.

McGinty tells about his journey from "pious fundamentalism to pragmatic humanism" in a newly-released book, "Preacher's Kid," which is available at area bookstores.

The book was a six-year project that began as a study of forbidden words and transformed into the story of McGinty's life. The book didn't start as a means of examining his life but developed into just that.

It started as a study about why certain words, namely curse words, were forbidden by society. But in studying that topic, McGinty discovered that religion had an influence on society's vocabulary.

Once he began his study of forbidden words, McGinty found he was really telling a different story -- one of finding your place in the religious world.

McGinty said he didn't write the book as a means of sharing his ideas. He doesn't believe in trying to convert people to another religion. "I just had something to say about the way that I figured out life."

McGinty doesn't want people to simply accept what tradition teaches; he wants people to keep searching for truth. "I have my own ideas and I hope I'm not set in my ways so that I won't keep learning."

All religions have their place, McGinty said. "Some people need one, some need another, and most people tend to accept the belief or faith that was their parents'."

That wasn't necessarily the case, though, for McGinty. He started his religious journey as the second child and only son of a Southern Baptist minister.

He's still trying to find his way.

"If new truths come along, I'm looking for them," he said. "If there is a new religion out there, I will listen."

Until entering college, McGinty was surrounded by Protestants and Southern Baptists. The family moved from his birthplace in Alabama to Louisville, Ky., so that his father, H.H. McGinty, could earn a doctoral degree. Then the family moved several times so that the elder McGinty could serve as a church pastor. For many years, he served at First Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau.

Life changed for McGinty, though, once he entered college and medical school. "I realized there was more than just simple Protestantism and Southern Baptists," he said.

A college career introduced McGinty to people of Jewish and Muslim beliefs. He met Buddhists, Taoists, Catholics and others. That exposure helped McGinty learn respect and how to treat people without prejudice.

"I began to know that being a Southern Baptist Democrat wasn't the only way of life," he said. "I looked around at the world and saw a broader view of religion."

But it was still difficult to find his place in the world. After medical school, he and his wife, Martha Lou, came home with their children and fell into a familiar routine.

The family attended First Baptist Church where McGinty served several years as a deacon. But he soon realized he couldn't "live the life typical of deacon in Southern Baptist life."

He felt uncomfortable with the chauvinism and intolerance in Scriptures. He smoked occasionally, had social drinks and didn't view the world as "narrowly as before." Eventually, he became less active in the church.

While his parents were still living, he tried not to create conflicts, but his change in attitude "caused some unpleasant feelings," McGinty said.

His parents believed so strongly in the fundamentalism that it was hard for them to understand exactly what their son had been exposed to in the world, McGinty said.

His mother died at age 83. On her deathbed, she welcomed the entry into an eternal life "as any soldier of faith would have," McGinty said. Though the two differed about their beliefs, McGinty said his mother's "spirit lives on in her children and the many people that she touched in her lifetime."

His father, though he had preached about the hereafter for 70-odd years, really began to hate the thought of leaving earth, McGinty said. "He'd taken a more modern, broader outlook."

Through his work in hospice care, McGinty has learned never to make a person feel guilty about their faith. "You make them feel comfortable. No one should feel guilt when they are dying."

Life is just a "very little thing" but it's the "one shot we have," McGinty said. "It's been a long journey and I don't fear death. I just hope it's not too painful."

DR. CHARLES P. MCGINGTY SR.

*Family: Wife, Martha Lou. The two were secretly married Nov. 20, 1943, so that he could enter the U.S. Navy. They celebrated a 56th wedding anniversary in 1999.

The pair has known each other since they were 9 years old. They have five children, 12 grandchildren and one great-grandson.

*Occupation: Currently, he works primarily with lawyers on worker's compensation ratings. He is a licensed physician and has been for 50 years, but does not treat patients currently. He practiced in Cape Girardeau as a surgeon for 40 years. He has worked with the hsopice program at Southeast Missouri Hospital for six years.

*Hobbies: His hobbies include writing. He is the author of a newly released book, "Preakcher's Kid" which tells the story of his life. He also wrote "Under the Hammer," released in 1992, which tells the story of a failed bank.

He also enjoys watching football on television and watching his grandchildren play sports.

He collects pictures of World War I dog-fight planes.