When I was in high school I was hospitalized in the neurology unit for severe muscle spasms. I spent nearly a month there, and in that time got to know a few of the people. This is the story of one of them.
A girl who I will call Jessica had been playing at her friend's house when she fell down with a seizure. The friend's family, of course, took her to the hospital, where they discovered she had an operable brain tumor. Without the operation she was given a prognosis of about six months to live, but they could get her the surgery within the week. Great news, right? Wrong. Jessica's family were all devout, fundamentalist Christian Scientists.
Jessica's family came to visit her in the hospital once they found out, but before asking her if she was alright or reassuring a scared 15 year old girl, they began by chastising her for going to a hospital in the first place. Though not representative of all Christian Scientists, this family believed that faith and prayer are all one needs to cure ailments. Obviously, Jessica wasn't praying hard enough, or her faith had faltered, causing this tumor. They expressly forbade her from getting the surgery, trying to get her to leave the hospital and go to their pastor for extensive prayer.
To make a long story short, Jessica sided with the doctors. I met her about a week after her surgery, which was a complete success. Despite all this, Jessica was horribly depressed. I discovered this was because her family completely disowned her for getting this surgery. She had gained the rest of her life, but lost the life she knew
Comments (83)
wow. I think she made the best decision by having the surgery. how could one's family disown her? Shouldn't the family have been thankful for her life or would they would rather her be dead? Ahhh, some people...extreme.
It is hearwarming when the Christian faith manifests as love, tolerance, and charity; but this shit is truely upsetting.
:(
Don't even know what to say. Just... :(
To say I'm glad she got the surgery is an understatement. Faith is a wonderful thing, but when it puts someone in harms way or doesn't allow for another person's ideas, it bothers me.
man, that's fucked up.
seriously, xtians? so dumb.
That is screwed up big time.
Wow. Honestly? The kind of stupidities that go through the mind's of Christians... and if she had chosen not to get the surgery and died, what would they have said? "She still didn't pray hard enough," right?
It's like that joke with the man who is about to die and three doctors come to him but he says, "I don't need your help, I'm just going to pray to God and he'll help me." Then when he dies and goes to heaven he asks God why he didn't help him... And God answers, "I sent you three doctors, what more help did you want?"
Christian Science is a fringe cult, it is not representative of Bible believing Christianity. I am sorry to hear that this girl's life was threatened and hope that this experience will move her in the direction of truth.
"Do you believe that Jesus is the same as God?
No." --Christian Science FAQ
Just... what the heck??? Are Christians really sometimes THAT stupid?
What @LifeIsAnSTD said, too.
To be fair, these are Christian Scientists we're talking about here... not all Christians. Most Christians I know don't refuse medical treatment for religious reasons. They might attribute their healing to the doctors doing "God's will"... but they'll at least let themselves be treated.
That's disgusting. I don't understand how people can say that religion doesn't harm anyone with stories like these.
- John
poor girl! ):
This makes me extremely mad at the parents. Just, ugh. Wtf.
So ridiculous!
We had a discussion in my Child Development class about this the other day and I found out that a few states are starting to classify this as child abuse (if the child is young enough they can't make their own medical decisions anyway). It only counts with severe cases like this, though, not anything like refusing to get stitches on a cut or something. It's because it falls under the neglect category of child abuse.
Ah. I'm remembering the story of a little boy who got into an accident. He needed a lot of blood but his families religious beliefs forbid him from accepting others blood. Of course he eventually died.
I think I left a comment as a reply to someone else in your last thread. It isn't someones personal beliefs itself which is dangerous, its how their beliefs affect others that causes problems.
absurd etc.
That's terrible! I could never disown my child because they wanted to live....
That is so sad. I just don't know what to say, it's so aweful
The saddest part of this whole thing to me is this line "...or her faith had faltered, causing this tumor."
The family was telling the girl that she wasn't as faithful as she needed to be, and that the God she believed to love her was enacting punishment because of that. Can you imagine the kind of psychological conflict she must have endured?
Fuck me, that's horrifying.
She made the right choice.
@SerenaDante - Christian Science is a different type of people. Most Christian religions do not follow what they teach in this area. Just because someone uses the word Christian doesn't make them a Christian in my opinion.
@mr_randyc - Lol, that's like saying "because you don't act like so-called normal girls act, even though you might call yourself a girl and you have a vagina, you're not actually a real girl."
Look, if it calls itself Christian and believes in the same Jesus and same Bible and same god as the Catholics or Protestants or whatever else, then it's a Christian as far as I'm concerned.
@SerenaDante - Sorry you would think that. We teach that the Christian Science movement is of a cultish teaching. We do not accept their teachings. Therefore, I will not accept that they are of Christian beliefs.
Ooooh this is one topic that gets my blood boiling. I just don't understand religions that don't believe in medical treatment. You would think that someone who so devoutly believed in god would at least believe that He gave the skills and knowledge to the doctors so that they could do his will. But no. Apparently doctors and medicine are evil. *insert eye rolling here* Sorry, but i have a hard time believing that a loving god would actually not want his people to seek medical treatment and do whats best to care for themselves. I'm glad that girl stood up for herself and got the treatment she needed.
Just this morning I read a story on yahoo news about a 13 year old boy who has cancer and both he and his parents refused chemo because of their religion (they wanted to try prayer and nutritional methods of healing. Yeah like food will get rid of cancer...if that actually worked people wouldn't be sufering from it everyday!). A judge has now ruled that not giving the kid proper medical attention will be considered child abuse (as it should be, in my opinion. Go judge!) and if they don't select an oncologist by Tuesday the kid will be put in foster care.
My mom also once told me a story about a boy who was in the hospital diagnosed with diabetes the same time my sister was, and because of their faith his parents wouldn't let the doctors give him insulin or anything because him getting sick was "Gods will" and it wasnt' their place to interfere. I don't remember if he was still there or not when my sister left, but either way he probably died if he didn't get insulin. Idiot people.
And G also lived in a small town full of Dutch Reform people who, for faith based reasons, refuse to get their kids the regular booster shots kids are generally supposed to get. A couple years ago some illness was going around like crazy that could have been prevented with those shots. And even after this illness happened, a lot of them still refused to vaccinate their kids. I've also heard tons of stories about people of certain faiths (I believe Jehovah's Witness is one) refusing blood transfusions and dying when they could have easily been saved.
All in the name of he who is holy. Apparently.
What is WRONG with people? UGH.