HIV Cured

[Storm™]

Reported on the news this morning - various British Churches across the UK have been telling HIV sufferers who are part of their congregation that they can be cured by them. By prayer. So stop taking their medication because they have done it with many people. Of the several who died despite the prayer it was deemed not gods will that they live. Secret filming shows one of the reps I suppose in an interview with someone pretending to have HIV to get the footage.

Personally although not one of the churches supporters I think this is awful. An awful reflection of the church as a whole but it is not deserved as it isn't every church. The ones quoted are "some" evangelical churches called the synagog of all nations. But I suppose more will come out of the crevices I don't suppose this is mainstream but bigger than they think it is. Apparently this has caused the death of at least 6 patients.

 

[WormSlayer]

ಠ_ಠ

 

[Chris B]

How utterly ridiculous. We all know the only cure is Manuka honey!

 

[For want of a better word]

AND for those NOT into prayer and praying and all that stuff... a ring can be purchased to protect the wearer from fire and.......................

sorry was not taking much notice of such nonsense, but it was on the BBC news as Trading Standards had prosecuted the manufactures...

 

[Headnavigator]

Reminds me of an evangelical family I knew who went off to darkest foreign lands as missionaries without any anti-malaria treatment or other vaccinations on the basis that 'the Lord would look after them'.
Surprise surprise he did not.

 

[Skyhook]

Reported on the news this morning - various British Churches across the UK have been telling HIV sufferers who are part of their congregation that they can be cured by them. By prayer. So stop taking their medication because they have done it with many people. Of the several who died despite the prayer it was deemed not gods will that they live.

Have a look at the 'prophet' on the front page of their website. I think the picture tells you everything you need to know.

Religion/snake oil. Very fine line.

 

[Headnavigator]

Looking at the website it's no contest. Snake oil all the way - oops, no, sorry - 'anointing water'! Scary.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Reminds me of an evangelical family I knew who went off to darkest foreign lands as missionaries without any anti-malaria treatment or other vaccinations on the basis that 'the Lord would look after them'.
Surprise surprise he did not.

An atheist was taking a walk through the woods, admiring all that the evolution had created. "What majestic trees! What powerful rivers! What beautiful animals!", he said to himself.

As he was walking alongside the river he heard a rustling in the bushes behind him. He turned to look. He saw a 7-foot grizzly charge towards him. He ran as fast as he could up the path. He looked over his shoulder and saw that the bear was closing.

He ran even faster, so scared that tears were coming to his eyes. He looked over his shoulder again, and the bear was even closer. His heart was pumping frantically and he tried to run even faster. He tripped and fell on the ground. He rolled over to pick himself up but saw the bear right on top of him, reaching for him with his left paw and raising his right paw to strike him.

At that instant the Atheist cried out "Oh my God!...."
Time stopped.
The bear froze.
The forest was silent.
Even the river stopped moving.

As a bright light shone upon the man, a voice came out of the sky, "You deny my existence for all of these years; teach others I don't exist; and even credit creation to a cosmic accident. Do you expect me to help you out of this predicament? Am I to count you as a believer?"

The atheist looked directly into the light "It would be hypocritical of me to suddenly ask You to treat me as Christian now, but perhaps could you make the bear a Christian?"

"Very well," said the voice.
The light went out.
The river ran again.
And the sounds of the forest resumed.
And then the bear dropped his right paw ..... brought both paws together...bowed his head and spoke:

"Lord, for this food which I am about to receive, I am truly thankful...AMEN!"

 

[Norton]

Cool ...........very cool!

 

[Vergilius]

I don't suppose this is mainstream

No it certainly isn't... As you say, evangelical clap-trap.

 

[Arfermo]

Reminds me of an evangelical family I knew who went off to darkest foreign lands as missionaries without any anti-malaria treatment or other vaccinations on the basis that 'the Lord would look after them'.
Surprise surprise he did not.

Bit like Jehovas witnesses really?

 

[Chris B]

Do Jehovahs Witness kids dress up smart to play "knock on door and run away"?

 

[Bee-Key-Pur]

HIVE cured

from stinging the s--t out of me every time I inspect them, now that would be something...

 

[Queens59]

I was an active C of E member - then I became ill...I had people pray for me - and then blame me when it didn't work - as I obviously didn't believe enough...My Husband (an athiest) suggest I go back to athiesm - as my disability didn't appear until I started attending Church...make of it what you will - but many turn faith to mean what they want or expect...

 

[Headnavigator]

I could give you a number of examples of 'blame reversal' such as that. One of the worst being abused kids told that if they truly repent they may be forgiven.
There are some fantastic and truly kind people around but there is no correlation between religious belief and ethical behaviour that I have ever observed, more's the pity.

 

[Skyhook]

.
There are some fantastic and truly kind people around but there is no correlation between religious belief and ethical behaviour that I have ever observed, more's the pity.

Good people will do good things in the name of religion, bad people will do bad things in the name of religion- but the bad things will tend to be worse, as they have a platform to support their actions.

 

[Storm™]

Have a look at the 'prophet' on the front page. I think the picture tells you everything you need to know.

Religion/snake oil. Very fine line.

Skyhook in my own lot, pagans, the marketing is even worse and I am sure with the same results. All types of healing from delusional people that cause others to stop taking medicine. Tarot readings causing people to leave their husbands and many other stories along the same sorts of lines. I have heard or worse witnessed these first hand. A chap who had a car accident locally who then became a healer (that glorifies someone who is actually rather unpleasant), telling a teenager that she had thyroid cancer, right in front of me. He isnt the only one like that. Sadly I think with my lot its rather the majority. However with a few exceptions such as the totally free Bude healing centre run and paid for by volunteers.

My family have always been very religious (brought up as such). My nan living in London in the 1930's ish, had her first child. Sadly the baby lived for a year and died. Grandad was a very hard man. He worked on the whalers in the Antarctic. Not catching them but because those vessels could catch them due to design, they used them to survey the whales. Anyway when the baby died he sent for the priest. The priest came, and he begged the priest for help and support. He chatted with my nan and then turned on my grandad. Told him that he was an evil man. Shocked and with the dead baby in his arms he stood there open mouthed. The priest said that he was such an evil man that the reason the baby had died was that the sins of the father had been visited on the son. And so a few short seconds later the priest was tumbling through the air with a fat lip.

My mum, was pregnant. She had a rather nasty miscarriage. Was hospitalised for a week with blood loss etc. She took a while to recover and they discovered that she was still pregnant. With me. So she had lost my twin. She had to take great care over the next few months and was not able to go to church. After about a year she approached the vicar and asked for me to be baptised. He refused saying that she had neglected her church for too long and the vicar doubted her faith. He said that he would think about it if she attended twice a week for 6 months but he would make no promises. So I was never baptised as mum doesnt do blackmail especially as the vicar knew why she had not been able to go.

Blackmail it seems is used, whether it is to negate sin, or raise attendance numbers and it cannot be something that in my experience you can level at just the church. My lot use the same tactics, just a different storyline. You are ill because you have not learnt how to reflect negativity away from you. For £???? I can teach you, do it for you, sell you this that will do it for you etc.... It really is time religion was held to account whatever the god. And people taught that faith is free not a club that needs a paid for membership card.

 

[Queens59]

 

[Brosville]

Many moons ago, when a teenager, I got to know a very wise old lady, she was a spiritualist, didn't try to evangelise, and was happy to discuss religion in general - in reply to my "just can't see the point in praying to some geezer sitting on a cloud", she grinned, tapped me on the chest, and said "pray to the god in there" - ever since then I've been firmly convinced that the best way is to "deal direct".....

 

[Skyhook]

Skyhook in my own lot, pagans, the marketing is even worse and I am sure with the same results. All types of healing from delusional people that cause others to stop taking medicine. Tarot readings causing people to leave their husbands and many other stories along the same sorts of lines. I have heard or worse witnessed these first hand. A chap who had a car accident locally who then became a healer (that glorifies someone who is actually rather unpleasant), telling a teenager that she had thyroid cancer, right in front of me. He isnt the only one like that. Sadly I think with my lot its rather the majority.

Ignore this if it's too personal a question, but- if you have such a low opinion of your church, why do/ how can you follow it?

This is a genuine question, not a dig.