[In an article about children who have died because their parents withheld medical care on religious grounds.]
An essay on the site [www.americaslastdays.com ] signed Pastor Bob states that the Bible calls for healing by faith alone. “Jesus never sent anyone to a doctor or a hospital,” the essay says. “Jesus offered healing by one means only! Healing was by faith.”
51 comments
Admittedly, if more of you fundie Christians listened to that advice there would be a lot fewer of you around to bother the rest of us.
I'm all for it, but only for adults aware of the consequences. Keep your grubby hands of the kids.
If there is one thing I've come to loathe, it's discussions about all the children who die because the parents wanted faith healing instead of medicine, or refused blood transfusions for religious reasons.
Whenever someone mentions that this is bad there is a ton of people who show up and start screaming "Stop accusing religion for things like this! Not all religious people are like that! You can't say that we are!"
But we never said that they are all alike. But even a lot the moderate, nice religious people tend to indirectly defend behavior like that by refusing to have a discussion about it; by refusing to admit that religion can have anything to do with it.
the Bible calls for healing by faith alone
We tried that with the Plague in the Middle Ages. A third of the population of Europe died. Today we can cure it with five bucks worth of streptomycin.
Jesus never sent anyone to a doctor or a hospital
In Jesus' day, that was probably a good idea. The doctors were a bunch of superstitious morons just like Pastor Bob. We came a long way in the 20th century, though.
My mom prayed her ass off for us when we were children and got sick.
But she also took us to see a doctor and did nutty things like making sure we had our medicine and followed the doctor's instructions. I like to think it's because she had faith but wasn't an idiot about it.
Plus, she's a really great mom. Just wanted to say that in case she ever reads this.
That's because there weren't any hospitals in Jesus' time, and the only 'doctors' available were faith healers like, um, Jesus.
(Actually, the Romans did have some - for the time - competent army surgeons, but I doubt they would have treated random Jews.)
*puke*
"Faith healing" is child abuse, plain and simple. This is why we, as a society, need to do away with our "respect" for people's dumb, fucking unfounded beliefs.
Yeah, Jesus could do that because he's a fictional character in a book of mythology. The same person/people that wrote what he said and did, also wrote the outcome. So of course it all worked out for him!
You and I, however, live in the real world. Our illnesses and other predicaments don't always work out for the better. Using modern medicine based on science, which is based on evidence, often helps. But not always. That sucks, but it's better than doing nothing i.e praying to your imagined friend.
Faith healing and homeopathy are similar treatments: They do nothing whatsoever, except for the placebo effect. They built their reputations in a time when bloodletting and insecticide were often used for treatment in the rat-infested huts that passed for hospitals. As such, either would be better than going to a "doctor". However, now that we have things like sterilization and medical knowledge, prayer is no more effective than sugar cubes for treating diabetes.
1. 2000 years ago there were no modern medicine so ofcourse Jesus did not send anyone to hospital or a doctor.
2. My bible does not say that I have to use faith ALONE if i am sick. Praying can make you FORGET the pain as much as watching a beautiful scenery since you concentrate on other things than your pain but the pain in itself is still there. Plain psychology.
3. Jesus did not heal people who had faith. The faith to Jesus came after they got healed by the "miracle" Jesus performed.
4. I really cannot stand people who read between the lines eventho there is nothing there.
Jesus never sent anyone to a doctor or a hospital
The J never sent anybody to a car dealer, either, but I bet you ride in one. Whatcha got there, Bobby, Caddy? Beemer? Stretch Lincoln Towncar?
These parents should have their fucking genitalia disabled. Castration for him, something equally effective for her. They're free to let Jesus ignore them all they want, but they need to leave the poor kids in responsible, medical hands.
Quick, must rush, where do I sign up for my religious indoctrination.
A perfect example of religious monkey-mind turning evil.
This sort of thing, combined with anti-vax propaganda from the many of same people, should make the problem self-limiting. If I were to be brutal about it.
I can only hope that any siblings of a child who dies under the "healing power of prayer", upon finding out how easily treatable or preventable the illness was, will lose their faith on the spot and recognise their parents for what they truly are.
Sorry. I'd rather take my daughter to the hospital. I did it when she was 1 1/2 years old and had a horrible asthma attack, and it was the only thing that saved her life (no exaggeration - she was less than an hour from death, according to the doctor). You can stuff your faith healing. I'd rather have my little girl here with me.
The next time you get a kidney stone and suffer excruciating pain 24/7,don't worry, it will only last for one or two weeks. Or you could pray it away. Should be all better in a few minutes.
But I would bet you will be the loudest one in the emergency room screaming for morphine and percocet.
Rich
Well, it seems Jeebus has a medical success rate that sucks balls compared to modern medicine.
He sure isn't updated with the times.
Pastor Bob, have you ever read Thessalonians II? It notes that people who neglect their work while waiting for the return of Jesus should be regarded as a burden to the community and left to beg or starve. Evidently, your savior expects you to take at least some matters, such as feeding yourselves, into your own hands. And Jesus clearly had nothing against physicians. Wasn't Luke a physician?
Or are you as ignorant of your bible as your flock is?
I grew up with fundie Christian parents. When I was five, around Christmas/Yuletide, I fell pretty sick. I can't remember what it was, but that's not the point. My parents tried faith healing, but eventually my step-grandmother convinced them to take me to the hospital. If they didn't I would have died.
So yeah. Faith healing doesn't work.
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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