Lerk Posted March 1, 2013 Posted March 1, 2013 There's a 33 year old woman with 3 small children who I've met a time or two, and whose father-in-law I know better. She had a major heart attack yesterday, and is in surgery now undergoing a triple bypass. As far as I know, she eats right. She actually very thin. It seems clear she has a hereditary condition. And, of course, there's a facebook page dedicated to praying for her. 50 years ago, she'd have been told to take it easy, get the right amount of exercise but nothing too strenuous. My wife's uncle had a heart attack at 33, which would have been in the mid-1960s, and of course, bypass surgery was rare back then. He'll be 80 in a few weeks. In any case, having the bypass will likely help her live something close to a normal life. And, no doubt, the majority of the people who know her will credit god, rather than the doctors. I guess that means that god has learned a lot about saving people's lives in the last 50 years, and he's starting to get pretty good at it. It's a sad situation, to be sure, and I'm not trying to make light of it. They didn't do the surgery yesterday because they felt she was too weak to survive it. I suppose this is just the first near-catastrophic incident I've been around since I deconverted, so I feel compelled to say something here. Interestingly, my wife did not ask me to pray with her! 2
LifeCycle Posted March 1, 2013 Posted March 1, 2013 God's healing methods and statistics run parallel to the medical industry. Isn't that interesting? 2
MultifariousBirdLady Posted March 1, 2013 Posted March 1, 2013 I have mixed feelings about prayer pages like that. I can sure understand people wanting to do something they think will help, and to come together (even online) to support each other and her. To thank God rather than the doctors and medical science rubs me the wrong way, though, too. I hope she recovers quickly. 1
kolaida Posted March 2, 2013 Posted March 2, 2013 So sorry to hear about the situation. It's a shame that people just credit god instead of the actual medical team and the advancement of medical knowledge in general. I remember reading a really interesting essay once about a medical student who was so very grateful to the person who had donated their body for science and what all she learned from it. It was a really interesting and refreshlingly different take on things (and I was still a pretty "hardcore" Christian at the time). I hope all goes well with the operation and recovery.
ExCBooster Posted March 4, 2013 Posted March 4, 2013 I hope all went well with your acquaintance, MisterTwo. I can't help but notice that - in addition to crediting God rather than doctors and science - Christianity of the prayer-page persuasion sure seems addicted to tasteless shows of maudlin piousness. I guess they can't see how much like drama-addicted vultures they look. I don't like drama, personally. I don't know why anyone would chase it, except for the high that maybe comes from participating in some struggle for someone's life, even if vicariously. Also, I think the peer group - you shall know them by their fruits, after all - enforces that kind of showy spectacle. Sort of scary, as a cultural complex, really... 1
MultifariousBirdLady Posted March 4, 2013 Posted March 4, 2013 I can't help but notice that - in addition to crediting God rather than doctors and science - Christianity of the prayer-page persuasion sure seems addicted to tasteless shows of maudlin piousness. I guess they can't see how much like drama-addicted vultures they look. That's a good point and I really see where you're coming from. However, I think probably a good number of people who participate in online displays like that do so more because they really do care about the person and feel social pressure to demonstrate that they care in that particular way. They might also be thinking that it could mean a lot to the family to see what people have written, too... especially if a family member set up the page.
Lerk Posted March 4, 2013 Author Posted March 4, 2013 Interesting comment in the email I got from the preacher later: The expert medical care she received saved her life! He does not thank god anywhere in the email. Who'da thunk it?
florduh Posted March 4, 2013 Posted March 4, 2013 Pet peeve of mine: "May God guide the surgeon's hand..."
Lerk Posted March 4, 2013 Author Posted March 4, 2013 Pet peeve of mine: "May God guide the surgeon's hand..." When I was a Christian, that was a pet peeve of mine. If you want God to take care of the situation, don't tell him how to do it! I actually went through a time when I thought the reason God wasn't healing people was that people in my church didn't really believe he could. They seldom prayed for the persont to get well; instead they prayed for the doctor. Now that I realize there's no god to do the healing, it's actually encouraging to me that Christians don't really believe it, either.
florduh Posted March 4, 2013 Posted March 4, 2013 Now that I realize there's no god to do the healing, it's actually encouraging to me that Christians don't really believe it, either. Even when I was immersed in the cult, I saw the Christian Copout. So many times I heard how God gives us talented doctors and guides their healing hands. We were encouraged to use the medical community, but supposedly God could just heal us if he wanted to. WTF? If we need a skilled surgeon to save our life, what does a god have to do with that process?
MultifariousBirdLady Posted March 5, 2013 Posted March 5, 2013 Even when I was immersed in the cult, I saw the Christian Copout. So many times I heard how God gives us talented doctors and guides their healing hands. We were encouraged to use the medical community, but supposedly God could just heal us if he wanted to. WTF? If we need a skilled surgeon to save our life, what does a god have to do with that process? I know someone who thinks God literally guides cars on the highway to prevent them from hitting each other. Apparently people can't do that on their own, either.
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