Imagine you had a life-threatening illness and were being kept alive with medicine. Would you stop taking that medicine if someone asked you to?
Normally we would say no but there are some circumstances in which people are saying yes.
A recent report on the BBC website entitled Church HIV prayer cure claims ‘cause three deaths’ highlights a recurring problem. People are dying because their evangelical pastors are telling them they have cured them and they no longer need to take their medicine.
Much of African culture has created an environment in which authority is not to be challenged. This leads to the situation where a pastor’s irresponsible advice is heeded over sound medical evidence simply because they can quote a few bible verses! We are told not to question these pastors or we will be challenging God. What arrogance these pastors have!
Recent studies, many funded by Christian groups, have failed to show that prayer can heal. The evidence is at best inconclusive. In one study the group who knew they were being prayed over actually got worse – presumably from the pressure they felt to improve! At best prayer should be seen as complimentary to medicine not as an alternative.
Any pastor that suggests their congregation should throw their medicine away should be viewed with suspicion. In fact pastors should stress that, regardless of their prayers, medication should continue.
The sick are also made to feel guilty when their condition does not improve. They are led to believe that God always heals the sick and therefore if you are not healed it’s either because your faith is weak or because you have hidden sins. This is of course unbiblical but the pastors rely on the fact that most people do not read the bible or, if they do, do not understand it. Blaming the sick for their failure to improve is cruel.
If the British Parliament is planning to respond to this situation in their highly scientific culture, how much more do we need African governments to bring in guidelines to protect the vulnerable? In the UK, every death is registered and the cause of death determined through post-mortem. In Africa this may not be the case. How many people are dying because of misplaced faith? We may never know.
I don’t know when this trend began, but religion seems to have penetrated every facet of Ghanaian society, and what’s scary is, Ghanaians seem to believe that a man/woman who has simply gone through seminary school or declared himself a priest should be given reverence and authority and credibility far beyond those accorded to leadership in other segments of our society. When all you read is the Bible and take that book literally, AND you believe your priests are infallible, you end up with situations as you’ve sited in this entry. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve met in Ghana who know nothing beyond the Bibles they study. It’s ironic I find atheists and agnostics like me study far more about all these near-eastern philosophies than people who hold these faiths.
There’s also this fear of even acknowledging to oneself that whatever so-called miracle bestowed on oneself by a priest didn’t work. So when you see your buddies all falling over from being touched by your pastor, it’s so easy to subconsciously will your body to respond in a similar manner, and the behavior continues on with others. This same behavior is repeated in those testimonials and confessions attesting to the power of priests. Sadly, there’s far more power in the human mind than from words from a priest, especially as relates to bodily illnesses.
Lots of people are dying because of misplaced faith. And the situation is further compounded by the lack of access to quality affordable healthcare in the rural areas. there are even reports of doctors telling patients that what ails them has spiritual roots. I suspect doctors in district hospitals are overwhelmed. They see plenty of patients whom they cannot help, either due to lack of money or medical infrastructure and resources. And of course, the religious establishments are taking advantage of the poor state of healthcare in the country. A sad situation indeed. Thanks for you post, Graham.
You can’t blame religion because of a few bad nuts out there.
Gadel, I’m not sure that I have “blamed religion” as you claim but targeted some evangelicals. I wanted to show that in some circumstances faith is called upon to circumvent reason (I would argue cynically and manipulatively) at precisely the points we need to use reason.
I agree with Graham. This isnt an attack on all religion, but rather on those ministers who abuse their positions. (and no not all of them do)
I have a minister that i have often confronted after service when i do not agree or perhaps understand – and he has to explain himself.
These men are not infalable, and they do not replace God. They can make mistakes.
Faith and prayer should accompany things like medicines, and a healthy lifestyle. if you can get away from medicines because you are healthy even better.
I am thinking of moving to Ghana with my family… Religiously it looks like a minefield…
i had better go out there and take a look…
Moving to Ghana is a good move! lol You might have to hunt for a place to worship but if you stick to the mainstream, “orthodox” denominations you’ll probably be OK.