Recently a
friend told me that Christians are backward because they believe that God would
cure their diseases and that they reject the services of doctors and medical
science. In order to strengthen the argument I was shown a news clip showing
how a Christian couple killed their child by prayer (that is praying for a cure
instead of giving medical attention).
This left me
baffled because I live in a town where there are two hospitals, one run by the
Roman Catholic Church and the other by the Syrian Orthodox Church. If
Christians didn’t believe in doctors and medical science, why would they be
running hospitals and medical institutes?
But the news
clip left me disturbed. Why did a child have to die in the name of
Christianity? Is it said in the Bible that you must reject the doctor and turn
only to God if you are ill?
I turned to
the Bible for advice. After all, it is the most easily accessible and reliable
source of information regarding Christian theology. So what does the Bible have
to say on the matter?
The Book of
Sirach ( Ecclesiasticus or the Preacher,28th book in the Bible )
Chapter 38 Verses 1-15 cleared my doubts and left me enlightened. It is as
follows:
“38:
CONCERNING PHYSICIANS AND HEALTH
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Honour physicians for their services,
for the Lord created them;
For their gift of healing comes from
the Most High, and they are rewarded by the king.
The skill of physicians make them
distinguished, and in the presence of the great they are admired.
The Lord created the medicines out of
the earth, and the sensible will not despise them.
Was not water made sweet by a tree in
order that its power might be known?
And he gave skill to human beings
that he might be glorified in his marvelous works.
By them the physician heals and takes
away pain;
The pharmacist makes a mixture for
them. God’s works will never be finished; and from him health spreads all over
the earth.
My child, when you are ill, do not
delay, but pray to the Lord, and he will heal you.
Give up your faults and direct your
hands rightly, and cleanse your heart from all sin.
Offer a sweet smelling sacrifice, and
a memorial portion of choice flour, and pour oil on your offering , as much as
you can afford.
Then give the physician his place,
for the Lord created him; do not let him leave you, for you need him.
There may come a time when recovery
lies in the hands of the physicians,
For they too pray to the Lord that he
will grant them success in diagnosis and in healing, for the sake of preserving
life.
He who sins against his Maker will be
defiant towards the physician. “
After
reading this passage I am sure you have no doubt regarding the Christian stand
on the matter.
But if you
need further proof I would like you to remember Jesus’ answer to the devil in
Luke Chapter 4.
‘It is said,
“ Do not put the Lord your God to test.” ‘
Testing God
is a sin.If you have an illness and it is medically possible to cure it and the
cure is accessible and affordable, then by all means you must take the help of
the doctor. Rejecting the doctor and turning solely to God amounts to testing
him.
So does that
mean praying when you are ill is useless? Not at all. It is widely accepted (even by
doctors) that a patient’s mentality is
important during treatment. This is where prayer plays an important role.
Prayer gives patient’s the mental strength to fight the disease. In many
critical situations, this is what makes the difference between life and death. Prayer
gives man hope and courage to live through the disease and thus aiding in a faster
recovery.
Sometimes
tragedies do happen because of religion. But they are caused by a lack of true
understanding of one’s own religion or due to the manipulation of religious teachings
by vested interests. Let us share the Word to prevent the repetition of such
tragedies.
