Comments on: You Can Pray…But How About Going to a Doctor First? http://www.skepticalmonkey.com/christian-bible/praying-versus-a-doctor/ A journal that shows you why not to believe everything you're told. Updated weekly. Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:07:54 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Ivy http://www.skepticalmonkey.com/christian-bible/praying-versus-a-doctor/#comment-133 Ivy Wed, 09 Apr 2008 13:25:18 +0000 http://www.skepticalmonkey.com/?p=48#comment-133 I do agree with this article in that reason and wisdom should not be thrown out, just because you believe in God and prayer. As a Christian, I do believe in the power of prayer, and when someone is in right standing with God (walking according to His will), then their prayers will be answered. However, even Luke, one of Jesus' disciples was a doctor. Sometimes God's healing does not come through a supernatural act, but through the miracle of science and medicine. Unless God specifically tells someone not to go through treatment or use medicine, I believe we (Christians) should be smart. Those parents were acting out of ignorance, unless they felt God was telling to not let her go through any sort of treatment. Because of my personal convictions, when I am sick, I try my best to use homeopathic medicine, just because I believe that you should not stray too far from the resources God gave us in nature. But I am completely for the use of medicine. I do agree with this article in that reason and wisdom should not be thrown out, just because you believe in God and prayer. As a Christian, I do believe in the power of prayer, and when someone is in right standing with God (walking according to His will), then their prayers will be answered. However, even Luke, one of Jesus’ disciples was a doctor. Sometimes God’s healing does not come through a supernatural act, but through the miracle of science and medicine. Unless God specifically tells someone not to go through treatment or use medicine, I believe we (Christians) should be smart. Those parents were acting out of ignorance, unless they felt God was telling to not let her go through any sort of treatment. Because of my personal convictions, when I am sick, I try my best to use homeopathic medicine, just because I believe that you should not stray too far from the resources God gave us in nature. But I am completely for the use of medicine.

]]> By: sara http://www.skepticalmonkey.com/christian-bible/praying-versus-a-doctor/#comment-132 sara Wed, 09 Apr 2008 00:26:46 +0000 http://www.skepticalmonkey.com/?p=48#comment-132 Stushie, to answer your question, I used to pray quite a bit back when I still believed in god (I was raised Catholic). Prayer began to make less and less sense to me after a while, however, and I stopped. A few years ago, a member of my family (someone I'm very close to) became seriously ill. Once, when I was on my way back from a visit in the hospital, I thought to myself, "I wish I could pray about this." I remembered that prayer was comforting, and I knew that people around me were still making themselves feel better that way. However, I may have wanted the comfort, but I knew deep down that the prayer wouldn't accomplish anything, and was therefore a waste of time and enrergy. I comforted myself instead by spending time with other loved ones, and doing things to take my mind off the bad situation. In otherwords, I learned how to cope in secular ways. My family member actually did get better, and is in good health today (so I don't see what difference the prayer would have made.) Prayer is comforting because it makes us feel like we are doing something even when there's nothing we can do. It also makes us feel that if we pray hard enough, the universe just might bend to our will. That feeling of power can be, as it was in the above incident, misleading and damaging. The parents in the above article felt like they were helping their daughter, when in reality they should have just brought her to a medical professional. I don't agree with your point that prayer is positive or neccessary because it's comforting. Alcohol can be comforting, but that doesn't mean we should drink instead of facing reality. Stushie, to answer your question, I used to pray quite a bit back when I still believed in god (I was raised Catholic). Prayer began to make less and less sense to me after a while, however, and I stopped. A few years ago, a member of my family (someone I’m very close to) became seriously ill. Once, when I was on my way back from a visit in the hospital, I thought to myself, “I wish I could pray about this.” I remembered that prayer was comforting, and I knew that people around me were still making themselves feel better that way. However, I may have wanted the comfort, but I knew deep down that the prayer wouldn’t accomplish anything, and was therefore a waste of time and enrergy. I comforted myself instead by spending time with other loved ones, and doing things to take my mind off the bad situation. In otherwords, I learned how to cope in secular ways. My family member actually did get better, and is in good health today (so I don’t see what difference the prayer would have made.)

Prayer is comforting because it makes us feel like we are doing something even when there’s nothing we can do. It also makes us feel that if we pray hard enough, the universe just might bend to our will. That feeling of power can be, as it was in the above incident, misleading and damaging. The parents in the above article felt like they were helping their daughter, when in reality they should have just brought her to a medical professional. I don’t agree with your point that prayer is positive or neccessary because it’s comforting. Alcohol can be comforting, but that doesn’t mean we should drink instead of facing reality.

]]> By: Ted Goas http://www.skepticalmonkey.com/christian-bible/praying-versus-a-doctor/#comment-131 Ted Goas Tue, 08 Apr 2008 22:51:40 +0000 http://www.skepticalmonkey.com/?p=48#comment-131 Stushie: "So all praying people are tainted by one souless couple? Are you serious?" That wasn't in there at all. Do you endorse praying instead of medical attention? I'd like to think you don't, and that you'd advise to pray AND seek professional medical help. If you endorse praying instead of medical attention, you got some pretty bad press. "Be honest, have you never prayed something like that yourself?" Sure I have. I was raised Lutheran and for the first 20 years of my life, prayed as any Christian does. Did my prayers ever work? Who knows. The answer was either Yes, No, or Wait. Will something completely random happen right now? The answer is either Yes, No, or Wait. For some prayer is comforting, and I think that's great. But it's not for everyone. Prayer is not a natural act. Prayer seems natural if you're raised and conditioned to think it's a natural act. I'll leave those last three sentences be... I enjoyed your feedback until reading that part. Sad... Stushie: “So all praying people are tainted by one souless couple? Are you serious?” That wasn’t in there at all. Do you endorse praying instead of medical attention? I’d like to think you don’t, and that you’d advise to pray AND seek professional medical help. If you endorse praying instead of medical attention, you got some pretty bad press.

“Be honest, have you never prayed something like that yourself?” Sure I have. I was raised Lutheran and for the first 20 years of my life, prayed as any Christian does. Did my prayers ever work? Who knows. The answer was either Yes, No, or Wait. Will something completely random happen right now? The answer is either Yes, No, or Wait. For some prayer is comforting, and I think that’s great. But it’s not for everyone.

Prayer is not a natural act. Prayer seems natural if you’re raised and conditioned to think it’s a natural act.

I’ll leave those last three sentences be… I enjoyed your feedback until reading that part. Sad…

]]> By: Stushie http://www.skepticalmonkey.com/christian-bible/praying-versus-a-doctor/#comment-130 Stushie Tue, 08 Apr 2008 22:02:00 +0000 http://www.skepticalmonkey.com/?p=48#comment-130 So all praying people are tainted by one souless couple? Are you serious? Honestly, when I've come across people who are introuble, sick, or faced with terminal illness, they usually pray "God help me." Be honest, have you never prayed something like that yourself? Prayer is a natural act. Whether or not anybody listens is a different matter altogether. You're young and feel invincible. Wait until you're old and feeble, widowed and alone. Then perhaps you'll understand the comfort of prayer. So all praying people are tainted by one souless couple? Are you serious?

Honestly, when I’ve come across people who are introuble, sick, or faced with terminal illness, they usually pray “God help me.” Be honest, have you never prayed something like that yourself?

Prayer is a natural act. Whether or not anybody listens is a different matter altogether. You’re young and feel invincible. Wait until you’re old and feeble, widowed and alone. Then perhaps you’ll understand the comfort of prayer.

]]> By: heather http://www.skepticalmonkey.com/christian-bible/praying-versus-a-doctor/#comment-122 heather Sun, 06 Apr 2008 23:06:54 +0000 http://www.skepticalmonkey.com/?p=48#comment-122 Very good points on a depressing story. I really love your conclusion. "It will be interesting to note whether they bother to hire a lawyer" Very good points on a depressing story.

I really love your conclusion. “It will be interesting to note whether they bother to hire a lawyer”

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