Sickness...

[Paladin D]

I was watching TBN last night (yeah I know, but I was in the same room with my mother), and a preacher was talking about Sickness.

To make his whole sermon short, he practically was saying. Sickness is captivity, bondage, oppression, and something else. Implying that ALL sickness is not from God. He also went on to say how "Some people say there sickness helped them in some way". And he went on to say how this one guy, felt more compassion towards the sick...when he himself caught the Swine Flu.

So the preacher was mocking him, saying "So we can't have compassion towards alcoholics, when we were not? We can't have compassion for those who do drugs, because we did not?"

And so on and so on. He went as far to say, that Jesus didn't need to be any of these things to have compassion for the sick. To him...

Sickness = not from God

My personal opinion, depending on God's will...that sickness can be used as a tool from God. Depending on the person of course. Your thoughts?

PS: Please excuse my freakin pathetic typing today. :(

[Jake Huether]

I would have to agree with the (gulp) pastor. Yes, sickness did not come from God. Sickness and sin come from us not doing what we are supposed to do. If everything that God created was used in the way it was intended to be used, then there would be no sickness or sin.

In fact, God warned that sickness would come if we commited certain sins. He TRIED to protect us. He tried to stop us from destroying ourselves. But we didn't listen.

You see... God doesn't necessarily punish us for our sins. Sins are sins because of the fact that if we do them, then evil and "bad" are the results. In other words... Sins lead to bad things not becaues God called them sins. On the contrary God called them sins because if we did them - the natural results would be bad. It's like dad saying don't touch the stove when it is on. Okay - so I touch the stove when it's on. Did my dad punish me by making my fingurs hurt? NO! My father tried to stop me from hurting my fingurs. It wasn't some sort of punishment - it was just a natural result of touching a hot stove. My dad might punish me in addition, so that I will learn not to do it (if he feels that additional punishment is necessary). But the reason it was "bad" wasn't because my dad said so. It was "bad" because of the results.

However, what the pastor failed to mention is that God CAN write straight with crooked lines. He didn't creat sickness (or I guess a better way of saying it is that he didn't intend for sickness - God did create the components of sickness, like bacteria - but it only yealds sickness when used wrong). But that doesn't mean that in some instances sickness can actually benefit the faithfull.

Hope that is worth something...

[Azriel]

I don't believe any ailment is or isn't from God. It just is. Meaning God didn't inflict them on us, it is a result of the fall.

On of my grade school teachers actually told my mother that she must not truly believe or she would be healed.

What a crock.

However, you can learn from your ailments, and sickness.

There are three books I totally recommend (and I'm going up front and saying they aren't necessarily Orthodox, but that doesn't make them not eligble for reading):

"Where is God when it Hurts" Phillip Yancey

"The Problem of Pain" - CS Lewis

and

"When Bad Things happen to Good People" Rabbi Harold Kushner

[MC Just]

Catholics accept sickness as a Cross to bear andd yes it is a result of the Fall.

[Paladin D]

Thank you for your inputs.

[cmotherofpirl]

Sickness and death are the result of the FAll.

You can either offer it up and tranform it, or curse it and suffer.

[skuba steve]

Rom 8:28 We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose.

God knows best.

In my church, when people are sick, we ask God to heal them and he does.

Do people jump out of wheel chairs in your church???

Do barron women grow wombs???

hmmm....

[Aloysius]

i recently heard of Catholics in Indonesia receiving all sorts of miracles.

in fact, there are reports of people actually raised from the dead through prayer.

Steve, you're boasting of ur church's works. they're all great things. They happen all over the Christian Church, not just your Church. We have healing masses in which, yes, ppl are healed. The Charismatic movement, the SACRAMENT of the healing of the sick (yeah, we devoted an entire sacrament to it, but Catholics don't have healing... yeah right Steve)

anyway, i was just gettin tired of you assuming ure the only church that experiences miracles.

[skuba steve]

hahah.. so defensive...

i never said you didn't, I just asked you if you did.

just like i didn't say you lacked faith in your beliefs but

i just said that people usually get defensive when they are not confident in themselves or something relating to them. ie. their religion. It is a sign of weakness,

But i didn't say that about you.

[Aloysius]

i was defensive cause ive seen you mention that numerous times and it seemed to me like you were implying that we don't.

srry, i guess i inferred wrong.

as long as u know the Church is not void of miracles/healings/andsuch

[Chastisement]

I don't beleive sickness is from either God or Satan. I know a non-Catholic Christain who believes that if you get sick it shows you havea lack of faith and that you just ask God to heal you and it's gone.

Now, I do beleive that God isn't just going to heal you if you ask Him, it has to conincide with His will. Otherwise, why did my friend, at 19, die from Cancer when she begged God to heal her? Of course, I have no idea why her death had anything to do with God's will.

Which is where another part of what I think, comes into play, I beleive that physical and biological rules where laid in place when sin took man, and that only in certain circumstances can God override them thus, healing someone. However, I also beleive that science and medicine can't explain everything, and in all likihood an illeness can be cured just as it is, without any interferance from the Lord.

However, I do beleive that if you fall ill the Lord will use that sickness as a tool, it didn't come from Him, and it didn't come from the Devil, but God uses it nonetheless.

[Azriel]

Rom 8:28  We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose.

God knows best.

In my church, when people are sick, we ask God to heal them and he does.

Do people jump out of wheel chairs in your church???

Do barron women grow wombs???

hmmm....

So what you are essentially saying is that my Godson wouldn't have died at age 6 1/2 if he'd loved God enough?

[cmotherofpirl]

Which is where another part of what I think, comes into play, I beleive that physical and biological rules where laid in place when sin took man, and that only in certain circumstances can God override them thus, healing someone.

Wrong!!!

God can override anything he wants!

[skuba steve]

So what you are essentially saying is that my Godson wouldn't have died at age 6 1/2 if he'd loved God enough?

at the end of our lives... i'm sure we'll all be able to look back and see just how amazing and intricate God's individual plan for each of our lives was.

Some of you seem to think you do, but it's okay not to understand everything in life, there's this thing called faith that means you don't have to worry about anything, but trust God who loves us and is in complete control of our lives.

I can't back this up, but i believe that at that age, a child will go to heaven regardless and if you could understand how wonderful it is, you would much rather be there than here too.

I just read ur q again... the bible doesn't say that bad things won't happen, it says that through all things, he has your best interest in mind.

[Azriel]

at the end of our lives... i'm sure we'll all be able to look back and see just how amazing and intricate God's individual plan for each of our lives was.

Some of you seem to think you do, but it's okay not to understand everything in life, there's this thing called faith that means you don't have to worry about anything, but trust God who loves us and is in complete control of our lives.

I can't back this up, but i believe that at that age, a child will go to heaven regardless and if you could understand how wonderful it is, you would much rather be there than here too.

I just read ur q again... the bible doesn't say that bad things won't happen, it says that through all things, he has your best interest in mind.

Trust me, I the only thing I do know, is that I know very little ... and that there is immense beauty in the mystery of faith.

The other thing that I know is that T is in heaven. He's running with the Angels, and waiting to greet us when we come home.

I just wanted to be clear that healing is according to God's will, not because you believe enough, or love God enough.

God loves you regardless.

Peace be with you Steve.