Religion: A Critical Look ~ Faith Versus Medicine

Yesterday we talked about faith and culture and we concluded that faith can be planted in any culture. One don’t need to change his or her culture or his or her root simply because he or she embraced a particular faith.

Today, we are going to talk about faith versus medicine. I am hoping that today’s topic will prepare us better to understand the dichotomy between faith and reason on the day we will treat it.

To begin today’s topic, let me share a personal experience of a friend named Precious Edwin on how she almost died because her brother who is a member of Jehovah witness refused to donate blood to save her.

She wrote, “And so I almost died because my elder brother said he can’t do blood transfusion. In my subconscious, I heard the doctor saying. . . “this girl will die in 40 minutes” but my brother didn’t give a hoot! My uncles and cousins were all there, ready to donate blood but my blood didn’t match with theirs. It was my other brother that donated even though the doctor told him he doesn’t have enough to donate. It took God to bring peace to the family because I vowed I will never have anything to do with him as a brother. Today, I am the one taking care of him. What if I had died?”

Dear friends, as hard as it is to admit, the reason why the elder brother to Precious would not donate blood to safe her life was not because he does not love her or desires her well being, but simply on his belief in God (Jehovah). In other words, he is acting based on what he perceived to be God’s command.

Note this, I am not merely sharing this to talk about Jehovah witness(ers) and their beliefs but to let you know that this is not just the problem of Jehovah witness alone.

In 2016 when I worked in Lagos, one certain afternoon I decided to take a walk around the neighborhood. I heard prayers coming out from a certain building, then I decided to go closer and have a look. I saw many women inside the building. They were all pregnant women. Some, I can say, are almost about to give birth.

I noticed that the pastor will use Goya oil and rub it on the naked stomach of each women and will ask them to drink what was left as he chant some words in form of prayers.

Then I heard him praying. I will try to paraphrase: “none of you will give birth through CS. You will deliver like the Hebrew women. CS is not for believers.”

Now, you can begin to understand why some women have died alongside their babies for rejecting CS despite the doctor’s warning.

I know that there have been cases in which not having money has led people not to go to hospital, but these cases I am sharing have nothing to do with funding. There are people against medicine, even for headache. I know of a denomination in which her members don’t go to hospital for any reason including giving birth. To them it is a sign of not having faith.

I have heard a pastor telling a man using crutches because he had fracture of the tibia and fibula that it is ‘unchristian’ for a believer to be using crutches. The man tried to throw away the crutches “with faith” but ended up complicating his fractured leg even more.

Faith is not against medicine. If your faith is against medicine, your faith is not a Christian faith. People praying and laying hands on you to be cured of headache or malaria, have not done anything miraculous (I will talk more on this later).

God is not the author of confusion. He is the giver of reasoning and the giver of faith. If he can make us know things through our human reasoning thus discovering some cures, do you think he will now contradict himself with what he enables us to know through faith?

Prayer is key, and we all must pray always. And while you are at it, remember it does not mean you are faithless if you follow sound medical advice.

God will always help those who help themselves. Even ministers, including the Pope, have private doctors.

Some of your Daddy G.Os have doctors even for ant bite. Yet you are there shivering and dying of Malaria, but instead of taking medicine, you have placed Bible on your bed, rosary on your neck, Goya oil on your armpit, ‘Thank You Jesus Chaplet’ on your chest. Holy water blessed by one ‘powerful’ Rev Father on your mouth and scapular plus calendar of Mary and Stephen on your wall. . .

Farewell bro, till we meet to part no more. . .

Fr Kelvin Ugwu