In a message dated 97-10-30 12:11:44 EST, you write:
> Negative mention of physicians in the case of the woman with the issue of
> blood might also serve to underline the miraculous nature of her cure by
> Jesus.
>
> tom izbicki
>
Yes, definitely. In a way, it might be a recycling of the OT theme that
human effort is vanity and God is all. That no city is secure unless God is
with the builders, etc. Cities come into the picture with a black eye because
the first city is built by Cain. Finally, John the Divine completes the
syllogism in Revelation, with the city of God that has no human builder and
just descends from the sky.
On physicians, we seem to be going through a crisis today in our evaluation
of the medical profession, and many of the "new" ideas are actually recycling
of old ideas. That the body (which was made by God) has the wisdom to heal
itself, and therefore don't mess up the picture with too many (man-made)
pharmaceutical drugs. I remember reading a number of testimonials from
people who said they'd cured themselves of cancer by things like a
macrobiotic diet. Sure enough, in came a testimonial from a person who said
<he'd> cured himself of cancer by praying.
And of course there is a profound truth in the pious idea that we don't
control our own destiny. Not everyone gets sick in an epidemic, which means
it may be a bit simple minded to say that germs (alone) cause disease. There
may be many factors, many or most of which we know nothing about. Not
everyone gets better from antibiotics, which again raises questions of what
we mean by saying they "cure" diseases. Why doesn't the "cure" work in every
case? We may not know as much as we think about the medical arts, and
possibly we know almost nothing--despite the amazing progress of recent
years.
My personal feeling is that Ecclesiastes and the Gospels are not that far off
base. Go to the doctor if you want, but don't count on his being a miracle
worker. Miracles, if they occur, are gifts of God. I think I mean the idea in
a metaphorical sense, but you can take it literally if you want.
pat sloane
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