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Healing With Faith - Are You Kidding Me?
By Bloggaman | June 26, 2008
A 16-year old boy isn’t feeling well. He has actually been sick for about a week when his condition gets worse. To try and help his family gathers and they pray for divine intervention so his condition will improve. He doesn’t improve and he dies from his illness. I wish I could say this story was made up but it wasn’t. This actually happened and a young boy did actually die of something that a doctor could have easily treated.
I have heard a lot about faith healing lately. In fact, it was only 3 months ago in March that the boys cousin, a 15-month old baby died from bronchial pneumonia and a blood infection.
This isn’t a new subject. Chris Wallace actually did a story on the Follower’s of Christ, on 20/20, back in 1999. During that show Wallace spoke about one little boy, only six years old that woke his parents because it turned out he was suffering from a hernia. What could have been fixed had his parents taken him to a doctor ended up killing him when his parents decided to pray instead.
Now you might wonder how could someone do this and let their child die? Well they don’t think they are doing something wrong. They believe that if they pray and the person dies, it was god’s will. I don’t agree with that thinking. The church has been around for a lot longer than most of the medical procedures that are available today. If it is God’s will why has the average life expectancy gone from 47 in the year 1900 to age 77 today? Has God’s will changed? No, the art of medicine has improved greatly and what they can treat now has changed a lot in 100 years.
Going back to the story on 20/20. The Followers of Christ were based out of Oregon. Back in 1999, when the story came out, Oregon was looking for something to help solve this problem. A bill was introduced and passed later the same year that repealed the religious beliefs defense to charges of manslaughter, homicide and child abuse. The parents of the 15-month old baby that died are being charged with manslaughter and criminal mistreatment, and have pleaded not guilty to both charges.
I have five kids at home with another out of the home. I can’t imagine sitting by and letting any of them die. If I followed any of their beliefs I could be without one of them. My youngest son had a hernia and if I would have tried to pray instead I would have likely lost him like the parents in the 20/20 story. I understand that there are times when “medical miracles” happen and that could be divine intervention or it could be our bodies helping to heal itself. I can’t explain it either way. I just know that if praying isn’t working, I say you take the person to a doctor and use the technology we have available.
Praying to God is the way many try to heal their kids. Well maybe God’s will is for the parents to take the kids to the doctor. If it was God’s will to allow us to find way to extend people’s lives and to fix health problems, why can’t everyone take advantage of them. Their thinking for using prayer and not a doctor reminds me of a joke I heard. I think it relates very well.
There was an old man sitting on his porch watching the rain fall. Pretty soon the water was coming over the porch and into the house.
The old man was still sitting there when a rescue boat came and the people on board said, “You can’t stay here you have to come with us.”
The old man replied, “No, God will save me.” So the boat left. A little while later the water was up to the second floor, and another rescue boat came, and again told the old man he had to come with them.
The old man again replied, “God will save me.” So the boat left him again.
An hour later the water was up to the roof and a third rescue boat approached the old man, and tried to get him to come with them.
Again the old man refused to leave stating that, “God will save him.” So the boat left him again.
Soon after, the man drowns and goes to heaven, and when he sees God he asks him, “Why didn’t you save me?”
God replied, “You dummy! I tried. I sent three boats after you!!”
God has sent us doctors, doctors, and more doctors. God has showed them how to heal and cure diseases. Through the expertise of the doctors we now live an average of 30 years longer than we did in 1900. God is trying to save us and we are not getting in the boat. I understand it, I am just sorry that some people do not. Please don’t sit by and watch people die when they could be saved. That is not God’s will.
Topics: Religion |
