Film, Media & TV3 mins ago
Prayer, illness, cure and insensitivity.
43 Answers
Several weeks ago my husband and I were out for dinner with a couple of friends. The husband of this couple, I have known for 30 years and his wife, for 14yrs, since they married.
She is a 'holier than thou' Catholic, who did not go to a friend's wedding (C of E) as it was not a 'proper' wedding. She mentions God in most sentences and of course the local priest, mass and the Virgin Mary get plenty of references. She had a very bigoted view of non-believers but I excused this as she was young when my friend met her and had had a trouble free life. I have found through the years that religious superiority is easily spouted when there is a lack of life experience. As soon as some family problems arrive like a family member being gay, the superiority tends to drown a little, as was the case.
So for quite a few years, she has been less bigoted, much more open minded and pleasant to be with.
At dinner, all the superiority was back!
She told my husband, who has MS that it is a manifestation of a blockage caused by his athiesim! He could unblock it and return to full recovery if he prayed to God. (Although not after a few drinks, as God would be insulted)
Needless to say, the night , for us couldn't be over quick enough.
Several weeks on, I find that her daughter (aged 12) has been ill since Jan with weakness and badly swollen legs. The specialists cannot find a cause but the poor girl is spending more and more time in bed.
What I cannot understand is how she could say that my husband's illness is caused by being an athiest, when her own daughter (who has been to Lourdes, for fun, and St Geminiamo in Italy on many pilgrimages) is now struck down with a mystery illness.
Obviously prayer hasn't worked for her!
I'm just spouting really, as I don't suppose there is any real question here!
She is a 'holier than thou' Catholic, who did not go to a friend's wedding (C of E) as it was not a 'proper' wedding. She mentions God in most sentences and of course the local priest, mass and the Virgin Mary get plenty of references. She had a very bigoted view of non-believers but I excused this as she was young when my friend met her and had had a trouble free life. I have found through the years that religious superiority is easily spouted when there is a lack of life experience. As soon as some family problems arrive like a family member being gay, the superiority tends to drown a little, as was the case.
So for quite a few years, she has been less bigoted, much more open minded and pleasant to be with.
At dinner, all the superiority was back!
She told my husband, who has MS that it is a manifestation of a blockage caused by his athiesim! He could unblock it and return to full recovery if he prayed to God. (Although not after a few drinks, as God would be insulted)
Needless to say, the night , for us couldn't be over quick enough.
Several weeks on, I find that her daughter (aged 12) has been ill since Jan with weakness and badly swollen legs. The specialists cannot find a cause but the poor girl is spending more and more time in bed.
What I cannot understand is how she could say that my husband's illness is caused by being an athiest, when her own daughter (who has been to Lourdes, for fun, and St Geminiamo in Italy on many pilgrimages) is now struck down with a mystery illness.
Obviously prayer hasn't worked for her!
I'm just spouting really, as I don't suppose there is any real question here!
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For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.Theland - In what form will the answer come? Do you have to have 3 messages of the same theme to know that you have your answer? Wll God talk to you the form of a dream, or will it be a reoccurance of say a phrase?
For example, You may see a headline in a paper " On the right track" talking about an ex railway employee, then you may hear this on TV during a film and then finally a friend may just happen to say it in converstion. Would this be enough to let you know that you have your message, or am I barking up the wrong tree?
For example, You may see a headline in a paper " On the right track" talking about an ex railway employee, then you may hear this on TV during a film and then finally a friend may just happen to say it in converstion. Would this be enough to let you know that you have your message, or am I barking up the wrong tree?
Le Chat - I make decisions in much the same way as you do. However, I pray for the wisdom to make a correct decision, for guidance.
The guidance will usually come through human agency or circumstances closing one door and opening others. There is also, sometimes, just a feeling that a decision is the right one to make. For example, before I finished up in my job, I could have taken sick leave, and been entitled to six months pay, then I could have left my job. But that simply felt wrong, and I made the decision to pack it in because of my health, and simply see what other doors would open for me. Already, I am appreciating the time off, and it is giving me the opportunity for reflection, and taking stock of my life.
The guidance will usually come through human agency or circumstances closing one door and opening others. There is also, sometimes, just a feeling that a decision is the right one to make. For example, before I finished up in my job, I could have taken sick leave, and been entitled to six months pay, then I could have left my job. But that simply felt wrong, and I made the decision to pack it in because of my health, and simply see what other doors would open for me. Already, I am appreciating the time off, and it is giving me the opportunity for reflection, and taking stock of my life.
Thank you Theland. Although I am agnostic I have 'tried 'in the past to become a Christian but it didn't work as I am unable to have the faith required, as essentailly I find it hard to believe in God, for all the reasons that people argue about in theses posts in R&S.
However, I do acknowledge that if you give up the descision making to God on a regular basis, it would lead to a perhaps less complicated and anxious lifestyle!
However, I do acknowledge that if you give up the descision making to God on a regular basis, it would lead to a perhaps less complicated and anxious lifestyle!
Theland, one thing that bothers me about your faith - and it's said with all due respect (of course). You worry the life out of yourself, but if you have such faith, why worry so much?
I've had lengthy conversations with you about your life, and I have more confidence in you succeeding than you do. It makes no sense.
I've had lengthy conversations with you about your life, and I have more confidence in you succeeding than you do. It makes no sense.
Sorry, another thought. Do you think it all boils down to a person's individual outlook on life? I don't have faith in your God, whereas you do. However, you seem to have a permanent cloud hanging above your head, but the word 'failure' doesn't appear in my vocabulary - so at the end of the day, is it really down to faith in your God - or is it down to us?
I'm fine thanks, figure, and I hope you are too. I understand exactly what you mean, although I'm not sure there's a higher power or a spiritual entitly in existence, as in 'a being'. I have my doubts there - but I'm convinced there is a spiritual 'realm' (for want of a better word) - that being the whole universe probably. I think everything is interlinked somehow. Wish I knew how.
I'm an optimist who sees everything positivly. Mostly our lives are shaped on the choices we make. But, despite the wise choices we made and make in creating our path, sometimes the unexpected happens which we cannot control.
We can choose to give up or we can choose to keep going and turn the situation into a positive vs. a negative. We can spend our energy looking for positive solutions or we can waste our time focusing on the problem which is negative energy that will get us no where fast.
We can choose to give up or we can choose to keep going and turn the situation into a positive vs. a negative. We can spend our energy looking for positive solutions or we can waste our time focusing on the problem which is negative energy that will get us no where fast.
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