God.

[rogerthomas]

I've just caught a clip in a programme where a woman said that if she caught cancer then God would look after her. Surely this begs the question, if there is indeed a God, would he have given her cancer in the first place.

[Greedyfly]

Having never read the bible I dont know if it teaches you this or not?

[soapbox]

Religion - the root of all evil

[Elfin]

To me, religion is all about devolvement of personal responsibility and it is a disgrace (should be outlawed IMHO).

Adults behaving like small children - easily suggestible and willing to believe whatever they are told, as they clearly don't have the strength of character to step up and out of that childish fantasy world and take charge of their own actions.

[jno]

I believe - though I don't have a website to prove it - that there is some evidence that positive thinking can help in the fight against illness. This isn't so strange; thinking is a bodily process too, after all, though one we don't know much about yet. Perhaps what concerns you is that they aren't fighting cancer but accepting it and expecting someone else to fight it for them? My own feeling is that if their faith helps them recover, then good for them. Having a lot of wise ABers sneering at them that they're wasting their time, on the other hand, seems rather unhelpful. Anyone got a better cure for cancer than faith?

[El D]

Faith in what jno - besides, faith and positive thinking are not the same. I also believe there are medical treatments for cancer i.e. chemotherapy and the removal of cancerous growths through surgery. I can't believe you haven't heard about them. . .

[Loosehead]

I'm with soapbox, root of all evil.

"thou shalt not kill" yeah right, unless they disagree with our religion!

[Paul22118]

I will try and precis my beliefs and see if any ABers empathise.

I think:- There is some type of future existance. There is some type of afterlife but do not think it will be physical as on earth. There is an overall overlooking being eg God, Allah, Mohammed etc etc . The bible is a historically accurate document as long as one reads it with a very open mind and understands that the texts have been embellished over the centuries. I sometimes need to 'pray' to someone, to a higher body even though I do not know what. I am not anti-church but do not have a need to communicate with my God only by being physically in a place or worship. I do not think there is heaven and hell what awaits us is so much better than what we now experience it is beyond earthly comprehension.

As my late Mam used to say "In the whole shape of things our time on earth is a second in time as to what is to come."

[jake-the-peg]

Getting back to people refusing treatment for medical reasons you have to remember that many of them will have had their faith drilled into them at an early age.

"Give me they boy until he's seven and I'll give you the man" as the Jesuits say.

Perhaps it should be an offense to teach religion to those under 16?

[jimmer]

well Jake' I think it is. I can't remember the source right now but under 12's are apparently extremely vulnerable to becoming hard wired by all manner of propaganda, something to do with development no doubt. Apparently it is much harder for people to give up smoking if they started under the age of 12.

jim