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Divine Healing Fanatics
By Ken Horn | March 28, 2008
More than 172 children died between 1975 and 1995 because their parents refused them medical care. What does this have to do with religious freedom?
A time.com story included these statements:
At the center of controversy are Congregants of Church of Christ, Scientist, along with members of other, smaller sects, including the Followers of Christ Church and the General Assembly and Church of the First Born. All are staunchly opposed to medical intervention in the case of illness, preferring instead to depend upon prayer to do the healing. Their devotion to what they call “God’s will” has, according to their critics, led to the deaths of more than 172 children between 1975 and 1995 — all because their parents refused to seek medical treatment for their children’s illnesses. According to autopsy reports, many if not most of the children could have been saved easily with simple antibiotics.
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Part of the answer lies in the ambiguity of the SCOTUS ruling: The Justices do not provide a compelling ruling for law enforcement agents looking for a prosecutorial green light. And for the rest of the answer we turn to the wonderful world of political action committees. The Church of Christ, Scientist, whose members are fiercely opposed to medical intervention, is a powerful voice on Capitol Hill as well as in local town halls; the church’s lobbying efforts have kept reforms at bay in most states for years. And even for the reform-minded, there are public relations hurdles to overcome; secular challenges to the autonomy of Church teachings are often successfully depicted as a threat to freedom of religion.
(Read the full article here.)
Freedom of religion, even by those who believe in divine healing, does not trifle with the lives of those too young to decide for themselves.
I believe firmly in divine healing — God’s ability to controvert the forces of nature to affect a miraculous healing. I have seen it happen. I also know that, for reasons known only to God, it does not always occur. But since “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17, NKJV), that means that the curative properties of medicine and the abilities of competent medical professionals have been enabled by God.
James 5:13-14 can be followed without endangering young lives: “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.”
You can pray on your way to the hospital. The elders can pray at the hospital. It is cultic and wrong to watch anyone suffer because of some fanatical belief when medical attention could ease the pain and possibly cure the illness.
Look for a future post on this blog on “When God Doesn’t Heal.”
