Prayer or Medicine?

Interesting. I will have to read the rest of the article later.

Some people seem to forget that God uses ordinary means to bring out His ends.
He uses the foolishness of preaching to save souls and He uses medicince to save physical live from premature death.

"faith" rather than medicine is not faith at all.
It is stupidity.

 

After reading the article I noticed that they said that they were not against doctors etc.
In fact it is only a quote from a sister in law that says they were.

So the point is, I should not make a dogmatic opinion without knowing all the fact of hte specific case.

 

The fact that they didn't specifically believe it wrong to use a doctor, will probably be what prosecution hinges on. It's one thing to believe that doctors are a tool of Satan to decieve and distract from the power of God. Yet another thing to simply not take your child to the doctor when it is plain she needs one, because you'd rather pray.

The last smacks of neglect or ignorance or both. Looking at this mornings coverage and seeing the nice home they lived in, I'm thinking ignorance wasn't the problem. They made the concience decision to not seek medical help for a child who was too sick to walk. That my friends is criminal neglect. They can claim religion all they want, but it doesn't stand in my book.

 

I tend to agree with you in principle.
The only thing I would caution you about is making dogmatic assumptions about motive.

Some people just don't go to the doctor all the time.
But if they knew she needed a doctor and still didn't take her, then they were at fault.

I am just not going to pass judgement on the family based on a single article.

 

Dale, I'm not actually passing judgement on a single article. This story has been all over the media. I've read several, including one on MSNBC that included quotes from the family.

 

I see. THis was the first I have heard about it.

Have they quoted the parents actually saying they just prayed rather than taking her to the doctor?

 

God has blessed us with medicine and views the use of medicine as a providential answer to prayer.

Even Timothy was instructed by Paul to use wine for its medicinal properties (1 Tim 5:23).

So I don't see it as an either/or but as a both and: Medicine and Prayer.

 

IN practical terms:
Pray and take your medicine
PRay that the medicine will be effective.

 

Yes. Scripture states that whoever doesn't provide for their children is worse than an infidel. Proper medical treatment falls under that category.

 

Ahhh! And that God will providentially work through the medicine.

 

We forget that God himself used medicine to heal sickness:
Moses' tree in the springs of Mara (Herbal remedy)
Hyssop on the sores of Hezekiah (also herbal)
Elijah's 'death in the pot' ?
Paul required the daily attention of a physician, who was also the writer of Luke and Acts.
Jesus said they that are sick need a physician (Matthew 9:22), didn't he?
God also references the 'healing balm of Gilead' and Laodicea's 'eyesalve.'
Funny thing, he never said anything against using medicine...

As to a particular circumstance in which a parent feels led to refuse treatment? I hope she is right, or it will destroy scriptural credibility, legislate the freedom for others to make that choice, and show her to be looney. I have a hard time thinking that it would ever be God's will for a child to die when there is medical treatment available...

In my family, I have prayerfully considered whether to take a prescription or a natural alternative, with the final (difficult) decision to go naturally (and with great results). But if my child were in a coma, or threatened with death, with resources available--?