Get Some Real Medical Advice

8/9/07

Question:
Both of my parents died of cancer, and some of my other relatives have had it, also. I know I ought to go to the doctor and get tested, but I\'m afraid to do it. If I pray hard enough, will God protect me, anyway?

Billy Graham’s answer:
Let me be honest, even if it isn't what you want to hear: God has not promised to protect us from harm when we deliberately act foolishly or use bad judgment. And that's what you're doing by refusing to go to the doctor. You see, your very life could be at stake -- and your life is too important in God's eyes for you to ignore your health. God loves you, and Christ gave His life for you. And if you know Him, He now lives within you by His Holy Spirit.  Don't misunderstand me; it's not wrong for you to ask God to protect you. But don\'t stop there! Ask God also to give you the courage to get the medical advice you need -- and then act on it. I am convinced that my life would have come to an end many years ago if I hadn't trusted Him to lead me to the medical help I've needed. Thankfully, He has given it to me over the years. At the same time, don't neglect the health of your soul. Someday your body will die -- but your soul will live on. Are you prepared for that day? Make sure of your salvation by confessing your sins to God and trusting Christ alone for your salvation. When we know Christ, "whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord" (Romans 14:8).

Jen’s response:
No, god will not protect you anyway.  There is a reason why cancer elicits such fear in us.  It not only can kill us, it does so in a very painful way.  Fortunately, thanks to freethinkers unchaining research from religious restrictions, you now have access, if you live in the west, to get medical care that, depending on the type of cancer, can help cure it.  There are also pain relief options that were previous unavailable. 

Here is the bottom line.  You can pray all you want, but if you want something tangible to happen, you need to act.  Go and get some professional help from a Dr.  If you have that much cancer in your family, you are at extremely high risk of developing cancer yourself.  This is not something you want risk.  Prayer might work, but you will have a much higher success rate if you take your health care into your own hands.  There are no guarantees either way, but don’t let your fear stop you from acting in your own self-interest. 

I think the thing that annoys me most about religious viewpoints is that they can fall into the trap of believing that all that is required is prayer.  As a Humanist, this really upsets me.  Humanism holds that the only reliable way to get things done is to have an actual human actually do something.  This is not to say praying won’t work; it just isn’t that reliable when push comes to shove.  For instance, if you need to water your field, do you pray for rain, or do you irrigate your field? You can of course do both, but if you had to choose, you must recognize the benefits of irrigation. Sure, you might get lucky with prayer, but irrigation is obviously a more reliable way to get water on a field.  The same principle holds true for health care.

What really upsets me isn’t when people pray in addition to seeking human assistance.  It is when they only pray.  The prayer only mindset is responsible for so much unnecessary suffering, it is mind-boggling.   Did you know there are people who don’t seek shelter during hurricanes because if it is god’s will they die, then so be it?  Same thing with aids prevention in Africa.  Religion is preventing people from protecting themselves because they don’t believe that they as Humans can do anything to protect themselves, only god can.  (sigh).  This is such an anti-human mindset it is really upsetting.

Look, there are things we humans can do to protect ourselves and seek help.  If you believe in god, that is fine, just keep reminding yourself that god works through the acts of men.  I don’t believe in god, but I do think if you are a believer and you believe that god created humans, then it must be a blasphemy to reject the gifts god gave us.  Use your brain and take advantage of the research and knowledge we humans have gained using our brains. To not do so is to reject gods gift.  So, in this case, go to a frigging doctor.

I am reminded of a parable.  There was a flood coming.  And it was announced on the news that people should evacuate.  One man said no, that god would protect him.  Then, police came to tell him he should leave; he said no, god would protect him.  Then the waters came and the fire department came by on a boat to rescue him.  He refused their help because god would protect him.  Finally, the waters rose so high he had to get on his roof.  A helicopter came by to rescue him and again he refused its help.  God would protect him.  He died.  When he got to heaven, he asked god why god hadn’t helped him.  God said, look, there is only so much I can do.  I put it out on the newscast.  I sent the police, the fire department and a helicopter.  The rest is up to you.