Faith Healing

I would always hear those stories about a couple whose child died because the child was sick and the couple refused to take their child to the doctor because they believed God would heal their child. They refused to believe that God could bring healing through the doctor or modern medicine, it had to come through a narrow predetermined way they had chosen to believe in and were too narrow-minded or too stubborn or too something to accept that God might just use some other means to bring healing for their child. And because of this, their child had died.

I hated those stories because I felt so powerless. I wanted to be able to go back in time and shake those parents and make them listen. I wanted to save the life of the poor child who had literally suffered to death, but I knew there was nothing I could do to help them.

I grew up in a religious home, but my parents always took us to the doctor when we needed it and gave us medication when the doctor felt is was necessary. I never thought my parents would turn into one of those faith healing fanatics who would risk their own health in their shortsightedness.

However, my dad has turned into one of those people. My dad has type 2 diabetes. My dad believes that God is going to heal him. For whatever reason, that means he can’t manage his diabetes via modern medicine in the meantime because that would be “doubting God will heal him” so he’s stopped testing his blood sugar and stopped taking his insulin. Because of this, he developed an infection in his ankle. Well, naturally, God’s going to heal that too. My dad refuses to see a doctor about it. He refuses to accept that God might heal him of the infection through modern medicine. And as a result, the infection has grown to at least 6 inches long and wraps around his ankle and I am terrified he’s going to need his foot amputated if he lets it go much longer. But still he refuses to see a doctor about it. I’m also afraid the infection is going to go septic and threaten his very life and he’ll still refuse to be seen.

I’m scared for him, and I feel helpless. And I’m mad and frustrated because he won’t take care of himself and he’s putting his wife and me through this.

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Brain removal

So I was using Stumble Upon to help distract me from the infuriating conversation I had with aforementioned Christian male who believes I am rejecting Christ and the Bible. I hit the Stumble button and I got this site with facts about the brain.

I start reading through the list and see number 3: “Your brain is the organ with the most amount of fat in your body – about 60 percent.”

Now, imagine how my bulimic brain took that. I do suppose there would be advantages of having no brain. I wouldn’t get so aggravated when people try to use the Bible for their own gain.

Rejecting Christ

I’m going to start out with this: GAahhhHHHH!

I am swearing off dating. At least, I’m swearing off dating Christian guys. For now.

I was told today that I’m rejecting Christ, rejecting the Bible, and am not “entitled” to understand the Bible because I don’t believe that it’s biblically required for a woman to change her name when she marries. I wish this were a one-time occurrence, that this was just a particularly extreme case. It’s not.

I’m tired of being told that I either don’t understand, or am not capable of understanding, the Bible. I’m tired of being told that I’m a heathen, a Jezebel, ungodly, not-Christlike, or not really a Christian because of this one single point. I was also told today that I need to stop reading feminism books and start reading the Bible.

I’m just going to point this out right now: NOWHERE in the Bible does it say a woman should, or must, change her name at marriage. In fact, in biblical times, people didn’t have last names. On top of that, women have only been changing their names for about the last thousand years. Just because it’s a tradition doesn’t mean the Bible dictates it. Stop interpreting the Bible through the lens of your own culture and biases instead of in the context in which it was written.

Also, I don’t identify myself as a feminist, but if I did, that’s also not unbiblical. And to imply that I don’t read the Bible? Seriously?

I’m just over it. I think I’m going to take a break from dating. This is just too aggravating.