Liberty & Alternative Medicine
With the advent of modern medicine Christians are now facing ethical dilemmas that earlier generations did not have to face. Deciding whether or not to hook up life support is a life and death decision.
Today there are many more medical options available to us than there were in the days when they simply poured oil and wine on wounds. With all the different options come very strong opinions as well.
We recently had to make a decision on vaccinating our children realizing that some fellow Christians would think it was a mistake if we did and others would think it was a mistake if we did not.
My wife has recently had gallbladder attacks and it has been suggested that her gallbladder be removed. Alternative methods of treatment have been suggested as well. Each approach brings it’s own set of risks.
I am not opposed to alternative approaches, nor am I opposed to medical advice. What I am opposed to is the divisiveness among some Christians that often comes with the medical decisions of others. For example, as we tried to determine how to best treat the gallstones, we knew that if we chose surgery that it would cause tension with one particular family. Now I want to apply Romans 14 when possible, but I do not believe that we should endanger our lives for the preferences of others. Further you may avoid offending the more vocal brethren, but still cause others to stumble.
At the same time many- doctors and alternative advocates alike- are convinced that we are endangering our lives if we do not take their advice. Of course life and death decisions cause strong emotions. How do we best maintain a Christian testimony in these situations without alienating others? At what point should we say something when a life may really be at risk (for example a child that is suspected of having cancer but the parents want to treat the child with alternative medicine and not even have any tests done)? When should we speak and when should we just keep our opinions to ourselves on these matters?
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Re:
we knew that if we chose surgery that it would cause tension with one particular family.
Um …. it’s none of their business. Stand by that!
In matters that are not directly addressed in Scripture, we can safely follow our conscience. Those who cause discord by judging another man’s conscience are in error. While our desire is to always be a benefit and to not offend others, we are not required to submit to emotional or spiritual blackmail. Of course it will cause tension when we are not allowing ourselves and our families to be manipulated in the name of not being a stumblingblock. And if one did give in and take someone’s advice, are they going to take responsibility if their advice doesn’t pan out? Are they going to foot the bill?
For those who choose radical or alternative treatments, do or don’t immunize- I never assume that I have the whole picture. Even if they are very close friends or family, I don’t have the day to day information and insight that they have, so I would not feel adequate to hold a strong opinion about their choices.
In matters that are not directly addressed in Scripture, we can safely follow our conscience.
Not always. Sometimes our conscience is trained wrong.
How do we best maintain a Christian testimony in these situations without alienating others?
Thank God for common grace and secondary causation and use the medical knowledge and ability he has blessed us with.
Do I really have to spell stuff like that out? Can’t I just assume that most folks aren’t embeciles, especially since my comment was directed at the OP?
So, OK- if you are not a UFO abductee or from Rio Linda, you can probably depend on your common sense and conscience about medical decisions, since a majority of people do want what is best and try to make the best decisions possible about their health and that of their family.
However, if you have been taught all your life that holding a magnet to your head will cure cancer, arthritis, and the hiccups, you should seek and follow the advice of medical professionals and avoid watching late night television.
What’s up with Rio Linda? As far as I know, it’s a nice quiet town on the noirth side of Sacramento. Now if you were to use Berkley (as in the People’s Republic of …) I would understand.
[Susan R]Do I really have to spell stuff like that out? Can’t I just assume that most folks aren’t embeciles, especially since my comment was directed at the OP?
So, OK- if you are not a UFO abductee or from Rio Linda, you can probably depend on your common sense and conscience about medical decisions, since a majority of people do want what is best and try to make the best decisions possible about their health and that of their family.
However, if you have been taught all your life that holding a magnet to your head will cure cancer, arthritis, and the hiccups, you should seek and follow the advice of medical professionals and avoid watching late night television.
Hoping to shed more light than heat..
It’s a joke that Rush Limbaugh started way back- he always explains things ‘for those of you from Rio Linda’. But you are right- Berkley would have been good for that too.
IIRC, Rush started his radio career at a Sacramento station. So, I guess he’s using Rio Linda as a stand in for “hillbilly.”
[Susan R]It’s a joke that Rush Limbaugh started way back- he always explains things ‘for those of you from Rio Linda’. But you are right- Berkley would have been good for that too.
Hoping to shed more light than heat..
Susan, in defense of Larry’s comment,
“Not always. Sometimes our conscience is trained wrong.”
Some people have grown up hearing that all alternative treatments are bad. Others have grown up hearing that doctors are bad. If this is a postilion that your parents hold dogmatically, and your parents have taken you to seminars that teach this, and if you have read little red books all your life that push these ideas, then your conscience may become conditioned to think in a particular way and you may think that those who disagree are going against what a man of God has taught you.
Do I really have to spell stuff like that out? Can’t I just assume that most folks aren’t embeciles, especially since my comment was directed at the OP?
I think it is an important point that we need to be clear about, especially on a question like this. It is not always safe to follow our conscience, particularly when it has been poorly trained. Wanting to do what is best is no substitute for listening to people who know what they are talking about. That’s my only point. For many people “conscience” is some mystical sense of “the Spirit led me.” It’s not the same as the Spirit leading, and it doesn’t work well as an approach to medical issues.
At some point, I think we need the humility to listen to people who know more, whether that is about health, finances, cars, or life in general. I would say that a proper humility recognizes the limits of conscience.
So yes, spell it out to avoid confusion.
I, Susan Raber, promise to never use the pronoun “we” again, even if I am adressing the OP, without a detailed disclaimer and a thousand gallons of clarification.
This morning I was thinking about similar issues. I know of a situation right now where a baby “died” and the grandmother used CPR to save the baby. The baby is in ICU and having a lot of seizures and other problems. Do we sometimes play God in making some decisions in extending a life that in His best plan would have ended? I’m thinking of Hezekiah and his plea for an extension of his life, but then there were terrible results from that extension.
I know that there are a lot of people that won’t learn the meaning of “No.” My mother faces this regularly both from people she knows well who push their alternative medicine beliefs and from strangers who know nothing about the issues we deal with but think they have the cure all. In almost every case, unless we are asked for counsel about medical issues and we have knowledge and wisdom then we need to keep our mouth shut.
Michelle Shuman
Our family has a member with Lyme Disease…talk about controversy over treatment! Until we put our foot down…”we have done the research, we know biology, we have an integrated medicine doctor who is an expert, etc”… we began to wish we had never asked for prayer from our Christian friends. We are also learning that unless others (who may have Lyme) do their own research, our advice is worthless. So we keep quiet. Or try to.
L Strickler
An unfortunate side effect of the rude behavior of opinionated busybodies is that people become reluctant to share their burdens with others.
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