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Why won't god heal amputees?
I know this has been talked about on numerous discussion boards already, but it is a question that is still a relevant one, and one that has been answered a million different ways according what each god believer chooses to believe. There are so many mind-boggling excuses given as to why their all-knowing, all powerful god has not performed this kind of miracle anywhere or at any time. I am not talking about how humans can help the amputee, like providing artificial limbs, providing robotic arms and legs, or if it were possible, attaching the limbs of donors. I am talking about making a brand new limb grow back, just as many claim to have regained eyesights and hearing, and whose cancer or other ailment has disappeared because of "divine intervention". No matter how many people pray, no matter how often they pray, no matter how sincere they are, no matter how much they believe, no matter how deserving the amputee, what we know is that prayers do not inspire God to regenerate amputated legs. This happens despite what Jesus promises us in Matthew 21:21, John 14:14, Mark 11:24, etc.
We could get even more in-depth and ask why a loving god allowed his creations to become amputees in the first place, and why he allows little children to be born without arms or legs. Of course, we know that things happen in life due to human error, errors of doctors, disease and oftentimes freaky things of nature. To believe that there is a loving god who has the power to prevent these things in the first place, but chooses to allow this kind of thing to happen anyway, is absurd.
I know this has been talked about on numerous discussion boards already, but it is a question that is still a relevant one, and one that has been answered a million different ways according what each god believer chooses to believe. There are so many mind-boggling excuses given as to why their all-knowing, all powerful god has not performed this kind of miracle anywhere or at any time. I am not talking about how humans can help the amputee, like providing artificial limbs, providing robotic arms and legs, or if it were possible, attaching the limbs of donors. I am talking about making a brand new limb grow back, just as many claim to have regained eyesights and hearing, and whose cancer or other ailment has disappeared because of "divine intervention".
13 comments:
I agree, and I think it's shameful that people even attempt to make excuses for their so-called loving god. Before I knew about this particular website, it had already occurred to me that this god whose followers claim is still in the "healing business" doesn't really seem too crazy about healing people born with spina bifida, cerebral palsy, Down's syndrome, Alzheimer's, or any number of incurable conditions. Yet we're supposed to just have faith in this wonderful deity who has the ability to heal but chooses not to? Wtf?
And even though so many prayers go unanswered, we are told by believers that god isn't going to answer how we would like, sometimes. Well, tell that to an abused child who is being sexually abused and prays for it to stop and goes unanswered, or those who pray for protection and get blown away by a tornado, etc. This god of the Abrahamic religions seems to be very "fickle" and moody.
Stardust, I remember on the Evangelical Atheist site last year there was a frequent commenter at the time whose nom d'Internet was Social Scientist. If I recall, she was Australian, but she mentioned some lady in Florida who apparently was documented that her amputated leg was slowly growing back because of the power of her prayers and faith in Jesus Christ.
I remember this Social Scientist providing a link to the lady's web site purporting to show X-rays of the woman's bone regenerating and providing the names of her doctors.
I told her (1) that unless it could be proven that the x-rays came from her medical file that they could not be trusted and (2) because of doctor-patient confidentiality, the lady's doctors would not be able to answer questions from people about her medical status.
The self-styled Social Scientist could not muster a decent counterargument to that.
Religious people enjoy the feeling they get from dreaming about how wonderful it would be if a god did regenerate limbs. That this never happens, doesn't seem to deter them.
I stumbled across that "why won't god heal amputees" site a little but ago. I then googled it and found your blog. As I have grown in my faith and learned more about God (the God of abraham), one thought has grown constant in my mind. It is amazing to me that I make it through the day without being struck down by a lightning bolt. As "moral" as i try to be, I still have bad thoughts and do bad things. God is perfect and rightous and hates sin. He probably should crush me. A lot of us hear of bad things that happen to people and we think, "how in the world can a loving God let that happen?" I have begun to look at that question another way. "How in the world can God love me, an imperfect human, so much that he doesn't destroy me in an instant for the thoughts that go through my mind or the actions that I do?"
Just some thoughts.
robert, religion has brainwashed you into believing you are bad when you are not bad. Religion, especially the Abrahamic religions, are very negative and focus on all the worst in the world instead of promoting the goodness.
I was a Christian for many years, worshipping a silent god. I figured out that the only ones who can help others are other HUMANS...a god never shows himself...it is human goodness...or human evilness that causes good or bad. Then there are natural events and disasters that happen that your god seems to be impotent to do anything about...or if he can, he is a sadist if he allows this stuff to keep happening when he can prevent it.
If you believe this god created you, and he does not make mistakes...then why do you believe you are so bad?
When I was a xian I was so down on myself, and now that I have done away with the mythology and know that it is all about power and control of masses of people, I feel free.
I am happy, I am a good person and do my best from day to day just like other people whether they believe in god or not.
Sit and do nothing, nothing happens...when YOU do something...then you are charting your own course.
You did not even mention why god won't heal amputees? Why won't we ever see Benny Hinn or other "faith healers" make an arm or leg grow back? That is not even a "miracle" that Jesus could do. Because it's all mythology...and all what people choose to believe.
The ancient Greeks had their gods, and their mythology temples and believed in them just as xians believe in their god now, and have their various mythology temples of varying sects...it's all made up. People make this god character any way they want him to be according to their own needs and however they want him to be. It's what humans have done for centuries upon centuries.
Some of us recognize religion for what it really is.
robert, then again there may be something really bad about you where you deserve to feel guilty...child molester, murderer, wife abuser????
If so, then you need to get some real help...
I can't explain to you why God peforms certian mircles and doens't perform others. I do think the term miracle is used more often today then it should. Do I think God performs miracles? I do, but I don't know that we see them today the way we did 2000 years ago, especially here in the US. Their is always a faith element involved in miracles, one that I think we lack in our western culture.
There are a lot of questions about God that we can't answer and that will always be a stumbling block for some. I am not saying that faith should be without facts, but their will always be things that we will just have to trust in. The bible says that God is perfect, all knowing, creative, and loving but it also says that he is mysterious. How can I expect the human brain to be able to understand the depths of the creator? I guess all of that is assuming that you believe in such a God. If not, that's fine. I am not here to tell any of you that you are wrong. I just don't have the same perspective of God as you do.
Do I walk around feeling guilty all the time about how bad of a person I am? No. If I compare myself to a human standard of what is good and what isn't, I believe I am a good person. If i compare myself to God's perfect standard, then I am not. No matter how good I try to be, I will never be able to live up to the rightousness of God. But guess what? I don't have to! Because of God's grace, I am free from that. I don't walk around life deprerssed. That is why I am overjoyed. The fact that God will accept me and love me despite my flaws and my mistakes.
Rob, I am talking about ONE specific "miracle"...healing amputees. Can you name one instance of an amputee growing a limb back?
I do not believe there is a god who waves a magic wand, but I believe that humans are learning more and more of how to cure disease or at least lessen symptoms and prolong life, and quality of life.
Faith is required because of lack of evidence and actual proofs. Like belief children have that Santa is real...it goes away when one no longer believes in the magic. If you like to keep on believing in magic, you are free to do so just as it is my freedom to put my "faith" in humans, who are the ones who are here to help...in reality. If humans do not help, then nothing is accomplished. Next time you are sick, try saying a prayer instead of going to a doctor and see how fast you are healed...my bet is that you won't be...except in the normal time a virus runs its course. But if you lost a limb, my bet is that you are pretty well screwed.
Most religions have a holy book...your book is just one that others do not accept. You are atheist to other religions...why? Because you choose to believe yours. Others reject yours. Some of us reject all of it and consider it what it is. Today's Christianity will eventually go by the way of Greek, Roman, and other mythologies of the past.
The closest example I can give you is when Peter cut off the right ear of one of the Pharasees servants, Malchus (luke 22:49-51, john 18:10-12). Jesus touched his ear and healed him. Maybe an ear isn't big enough for you, and that's fine. Their are 40 something recorded miracles of Jesus. Again, I can't explain to you why he chose the 40 he did. It seems kind of trivial to me to debate why he did one but not another. You don't have to believe any of it. I respect you for having conviction about your beliefs. I have the same convictions, just about something different then you.
Rob, there have been no recorded "miracles" of ears growing back outside of the Bible story. That is the whole point of the Why Won't God Heal Amputees argument. Believers have no answers for it except to say that they choose to believe it's true. Funny, I just had an email pal trying to convince me that mermaids are real...I am not making that up. But no one can prove that mermaids do not exist...does this mean they are real because she has "faith" that they are despite lack of physical evidence? Humans are quite strange in the way they wish to believe that things created in the human imagination are real.
But it is not up to me to tell you what to believe...you seem like a very nice person and I wish you the best. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment.
"Believers have no answers for it except to say that they choose to believe it's true."
I think we are on the same page with this one. I have seen no evidence to prove that God has grown any limbs back, other then the bible's record of the ear. I would say their is no evidence to prove that God has ever grown anyone's leg or arm back. It might have happened, but I don't think anyone has ever claimed this to be true. I do believe that God has performed other miracles, but not necessarily this one. My point earlier was just that i don't claim to know the will of God and how it relates to what miracles he does or doesn't perform.
I think the same thing that frustrates you about "believers" frustrates me as well. I think the problem with a lot of Christians is that they don't really understand the source of what they are believing. I think it is important for us to know why we believe what we believe, and explore what others believe as well. I don't necessaily think that you should just blindly believe something, like mermaids, without evidence. I see evidence of God in nature, in love, in science, etc.
Who'd have thunk, a Christian and an Athiest can agree to disagree! :-)
i wish you the best as well.
Rob, lots of my best friends and relatives are Christians ;-)
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