Before you read any further, check out this comic.
This comic is about having a positive attitude, but it reminded me of the idea of having faith. If you've ever been an evangelical Christian, and maybe even if you never were, I'm sure you've at least heard about people telling sick people, "If you just have enough faith, God will heal you," or maybe it's happened to you. The implication being, "If you don't get better, it's your own fault." That's where I see a parallel with this comic. I don't think most evangelicals do this, but it varies from church to church, and it happens enough that I'm sure a lot of people have been made to feel bad because of it.
We can affect our own attitudes, and we can affect our level of faith, but there are limits. And just as a positive attitude won't heal every disease, having faith in God usually doesn't result in obvious miracles. So if someone is telling you that you need to have more faith to deal with your problems (illness, depression, financial issues, relationship issues, etc.), and if that makes you feel even worse, tell them to go away. Or give them a finger. Or give them a smack. (My friend's friend's blog has some helpful tips on doing this. Directions are near the bottom of the right sidebar.) Maybe that will help you feel better. But I won't ask you to have faith that this will make you feel better. :)
I trust that God is good. I don't trust that God will act in the ways people tell me he will.
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2 comments:
haha, good post!
it's actually a very New Age thought. I have a family member involved in all of that. Whenever someone is ill, she seems to think its their own fault. I find it so condemning!
Hey! Thanks for the comment! Took me a long time to respond. Yes, I agree, it does seem condemning. I find that I like reading blogs of people who've got out of Christian organizations like this (whether they've given up on Christianity entirely or stuck with Christianity in a different form). But I haven't heard or read all that much to do with New Age and other groups that can be condemning in this way
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