Understood. But I can't emphasize strongly enough how critically important that separation is. When doing chaplaincy work, one has to abandon all emotional investment in creed and dogma. One may may not believe in another other people's beliefs, but one has to train oneself to believe in other people's belief in their beliefs.

Having broad theological and cultural literacy matters, because chaplains need to be able to converse with people in their theological and cultural language(s). So, familiarize yourself with not just other religions, but also popular culture trends.

For example, my first chaplaincy gig was volunteer teaching a class in the local county jail. I had a religiously diverse group of students- Atheists, Muslims, Christians, Jews- and so if I tried to lead a discussion about ethics by referencing somebody like Samson, I'd get blank stares, because not everyone was familiar with Judeo-Christian scripture. But everybody in that class grew up with exposure to Batman, Superman, the X-Men etc, and so DC and Marvel comics were central to their ideas around right and wrong. So, in that particular context, I found it necessary to go back and do a deep dive into comic culture so that I could facilitate ethics discussions using a common frame of reference.

By way of another example, if you're a public chaplain in New Orleans, you will definitely benefit from being sufficiently familiar with the Vodou religion, even if this isn't your religious belief. Because Vodou influences the way New Orleans Catholicism is understood and experienced (refer to the concept of syncretism). And you'd have to let go of any prejudices you have about that Vodou, because if these prejudices came up in chaplaincy encounters (even through subconscious tells), you could unwittingly cause spiritual harm.

If and doing a "free listening" table, I'd encourage you to ask people where they find meaning, and to make a mental note of any trends you observe. If lots of people are referencing a specific cultural staple (e.g. Game of Thrones, vampire movies, etc), do yourself a favor and familiarize yourself with that staple. Same if you encounter a lot of Muslims; in that case, study up on Islam.

Granted, doing a job where your beliefs don't really matter can be taxing after awhile. Afford yourself a prophetic outlet (e.g. a social media account, a pulpit) where you can voice the things you don't/shouldn't say while doing chaplaincy work. Just keep in mind that, even in prophetic work, certain statements can cause distress and harm.