God vs. Medicine

[peacetraveler22]

I'm not a believer, but have been surrounded by religion my entire life. As a young child, I was christened Catholic and routinely attended mass. The whole ritual intrigued me. Listen to the man in the robe sing, stand in line, put a wafer in my mouth during communion, and then kneel on a hard bench and pray to some mysterious figure called "God." I never felt any connection to the process, or any solace from prayer. At age 10, my parents sent me to a conservative Baptist school and I remained there until graduation. I don't have much to say about the experience except that it completely turned me away from religion. To this day, many of my friends are deeply religious and I respect their faith. But what happens when religious beliefs become so extreme that they endanger the life of a child? This saga currently is playing out in America.

The child at the center of the controversy resides in an Amish community in Ohio. I've previously written about the Amish, and this sect holds a special place in my heart. You can read my views on them here, in a post that was written before most of you subscribed to my blog. Many Amish completely refuse medical treatment based on religious grounds, but in this case the young girl received chemotherapy for a short period of time to treat an aggressive form of leukemia. After seeing the side effects, the parents refused further treatment and the hospital petitioned the Courts to intervene. In their view, they are morally and legally obligated to ensure the child receives proper medical care. Without it, she faces almost no chance of survival. Yet parents have a fundamental right to raise kids as they see fit. Courts in America rarely intervene with parenting decisions unless there is clear evidence the parents are unfit to make decisions. This usually arises when parents are drug addicts, alcoholics or mentally impaired. The judge in this case issued a temporary order a few weeks ago authorizing the hospital to continue treatment until the matter is officially resolved in the Courts.

There have been instances where children have died as a result of fundamentalist Christian parents who refused any forms of medicine or treatment, instead trusting the outcome to God and faith. In most cases, the parents are criminally charged with murder or involuntary manslaughter after the child's death. You can read about one example in this article. Of course the issue also arises with terminally ill adults who wish to die gracefully rather than suffer a painful and slow death. I'm sure everyone has heard of Jack Kevorkian, "Dr. Death," who assisted hundreds of patients with medically induced suicides. His famous quote is "dying is not a crime." It was later determined that some of his patients were not terminally ill or even suffering from extreme pain. He was convicted of murder and served only eight years. However, as a result of his actions, American Courts were forced to take up the issue of voluntary death. Physician assisted suicide is now legal in four States (Vermont, Washington, Oregon and Montana). The legal principles in each State differ. For example, in Montana the physician may only assist with the suicide if a Court issues an order after evaluating all facts in the case. Other States require a waiting period of 10 - 18 days to ensure the patient is not making a harsh or sporadic decision.

I've watched two relatives die very slow and painful deaths - one from cancer and one from liver disease. Both bound to their homes and beds in later stages of the illness, with hospice nurses visiting them two to three times a day to try to make the pain bearable. All light in their eyes completely gone with the realization that death was knocking on their door. Immense sadness when they passed, but also relief and comfort to know they were no longer suffering.

Insomnia has recently hit hard and I lay awake at night thinking about this. Should children be forced to die because they have extremist parents? At what point should the government and/or Courts intervene? Should all States permit physician assisted suicide? In these situations, we walk a very delicate line between morality, ethics and religion. Between science and faith.

Thoughts?

And to all my Jewish readers, Happy New Year! :)

Comments

[rider3099.livejournal.com]

I think that parents make the killing of their own children on the basis of religious considerations. It is a crime and they should be judged.
Honestly, it's better not to believe in God than to blindly obey the religious requirements.

Русский язык заразен

[andrey-kaminsky.livejournal.com]

You hang out with Russians too much: "routinely attended mAss" 8)

[fesma94.livejournal.com]

And to all my Jewish readers, Happy New Year! :) (c)\
Toda Raba! :-)

[fesma94.livejournal.com]

I respect faith of somebody if faith is not interfere for others . Unfortunately in Israel they affect on my life .

Get on your knees!

[andrey-kaminsky.livejournal.com]

The parable about the friendship between a man and a woman.
In ancient times, a priest served in the temple, educating and mentoring people. He taught them the good, understanding, don't eat beans and don't have sex with animals. But few of the parishioners have followed holy commandments strictly. Often, during the service, the strong scent pointed to the fact that the congregation breaks the commandment which relate to the beans.
Priest was desperate. He turned to God: "Lord, I am tired of these people! They lie, betray, commit adultery, and have no love for each other ... I have served you faithfully... Please!.. Make it so that I was surrounded by a sincere, dedicated people who are ready share everything with each other, who love each other as brothers!". God granted his wish.
The next moment, the priest was in the trench. He was wearing a dirty uniform and his hand was clutching a rifle equipped with a bayonet, that was rusty from the blood. Nearby, shoulder to shoulder, his comrades were sitting. Everyone was ready to give his life for another. There was no deceit and heartburning between them . They have not eaten for two days and did not sleep much. They were closer to God than anyone else. A shelling began and everyone was praying.
How does this relate to the M-F friendship? The M-F friendship begins only when life is crumbling. It is a consequence of the unsettled personal life.

[amandakysses.livejournal.com]

Woman, Insomnia? Join the club. We can sleep when we're dead right?

Happy New Year!

“From the beginning men used God to justify the unjustifiable.”― Salman Rushdie
“Extremes to the right and to the left of any political dispute are always wrong.”― Dwight D. Eisenhower

I dont know about around the world, but I think extremism is the problem in our country with most things. I respect everyone's right to choose their own faith, political view, etc but the problem comes when they blindly follow those views instead of using common sense, instead of their own intuition and abilities.
I am mostly concerned with the rights of children, I have no problem with the government/law intervening to protect innocent children from their parents ignorance.
I dont believe in organized religion. But I like a lot of things about all kinds of religions. I take little things I like from everywhere. I believe in love, kindness, acceptance, open hearts, open minds.

This one is kind of gloomy and serious. I think the next blog should be light hearted and fun! But that's just me! Loves! xoxo

[davos-seaworth.livejournal.com]

For a true Christian, the very idea of coercing or forcing anyone, not just a dependent lesser being that is your own child, into your faith, should be an abominable one. Lord our Creator gives us both our lives and our faith, so what Christian parents must do is to give their children the best chances to hear their Creator speak to them. Simply forcing into rituals is often, if not ever, the worst way to achieve.

[fesma94.livejournal.com]

I dont know about around the world, but I think extremism is the problem in our country with most things.(c)
In my country to, both sides !

Insomnia, and other bad things

[habarforever.livejournal.com]

Hey, Shannon, I quite sure, that religious fanatics are the one of the worst problem in nowadays world. And no matter Christians or Muslims or else. We don`t have Amish in this country. (Well, I recall old movie, Harrison Ford and Александр Годунов star, “Witness”, the action were in Amish land, I goon watch it again.)
But we have Adventists of the 7 day, the same shit with kids health care, and only way to safe the baby is the court.
One of my favorite novels is Мастер и Маргарита by Михаил Булгаков. Here’s a little part.
Well , of course, is not the sum - Woland said condescendingly to his guest - though , indeed, it is , in fact, you do not need . When you die?
Here it is the bartender was indignant .
- That nobody knows and nobody else's , - he said.
- Well, is not known - was heard all the same crappy voice out of the office - think of it , the binomial theorem ! He died nine months later , in February of next year from liver cancer in the clinic of the First Moscow State University, in the fourth ward.
The bartender was a yellow face .
- Nine months - thoughtfully considered Voland - two hundred forty-nine thousand ... It goes round was twenty seven thousand a month ? Not much , but enough for a modest life . Yes golden dozens .
- Dozens can not be implemented - got into the same voice , chills the heart of the bartender - at the death of Andrew Fokichev home immediately break and scores will be sent to the State Bank .
- Yes , and I would not advise you to go to the hospital - continued artist - what's the point to die in the House under the moaning and wheezing hopeless patients . Is not it better to arrange a feast for the twenty- seven thousand and by taking poison , move to another world to the sound of the strings, surrounded by drunken beauties and dashing friends?

Insomnia? Poor you. My best remedy booze and good sex, that`s all.

[qi-tronic.livejournal.com]

The problem is not in health treatment.

My Chinese qigong teacher has his own clinic and a research insitute in Beijing where he practices "Image therapy" which is close to spiritual healing.
And he has been able to treat successfully some patients whom traditional medicine could not help.
Details are here:
kundawell. cn/english/index.htm

But he NEVER advices patients to refuse traditional medical treatment.
This all can be successfully combined.
That's a practical Chinese approach to life.

The problem in with this girl's case is broader and it is in the blind faith itself.
Blind faith is wrong and even criminal, I think.
Christian fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalism, Communist fundamentalism, LIberal fundamentalism ... all are wrong because people stop thinking themselves and stop interacting with reality surrounding them.

Practice is the only criterion to check what works and what does not.

That's my opinion :)

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

I agree! The tricky part is where do you draw the line? What if the kid suffers from horrible migraines and the parents refuse medicine? The child is in immense pain, but his life is not at risk. Is it also punishable? Hmm...:)

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

How does your family celebrate? My ex-boyfriend's family had a wonderful feast! His dad would sing songs in Hebrew and I loved it! Festive day.

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

How do they affect your life?

Re: Get on your knees!

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

You - such a philosopher! :) No, the male/female friendship doesn't begin only when life is crumbling, or as a consequence of an unsettled personal life. Plenty of married people have same sex friends also. Btw, are you married?

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

One love! :) It can never be in this world for the exact reason you stated. Extremist who blindly follow have no common sense. They see the world only through one radical filter, and it will never change in our life time. A gloomy and serious post? The world isn't full of rainbows and cheer, so sometimes we must discuss serious topics. Next post I'll show my boobs! Will it make you happy? ;))

[qi-tronic.livejournal.com]

Jews are very talented in music.
Did you know that most of Soviet-era pop composers were Jewish?

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

I was never forced into religion. I went to mass w/my grandmother, mostly because I wanted to spend time with her. She was a devout Catholic, attending mass every single day. In my teenage years, I stopped going. My parents aren't overly religious. They sent me to a private school because they thought I would get a better education there. However, to me, this is the worst environment for a child to grow up in. I was surrounded by all white, middle-class people who pretty much thought the same. I was the radical, questioning everything teachers said because our whole curriculum was Christian-centric. We could not even have dances at my school because principals feared it would lead to deviant sexual behavior. Boy touches girl during the dance, well then they must immediately fuck. A very strange thought process!

I came out normal because my parents are open-minded people and I've always surrounded myself with diverse people and mindsets. Forcing anything on someone is the recipe for rebellion and nonacceptance. I completely agree with you on this point.

Re: Insomnia, and other bad things

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

"Witness" is the most famous Amish movie. And the main actress, Kelly McGillis, is quite beautiful. :) There's an excellent documentary called "Amish: American Experience." Maybe you can find it online? I highly recommend watching it if you're curious about this lifestyle.

"Booze and good sex," this is everyone's cure for insomnia! I don't have a boyfriend, and don't wish to become an alcoholic. So I sit and suffer. Toss and turn all night, mind in constant overdrive.

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

For once, we completely agree! :))

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

No, but I know that almost every top blogger on LJ is Jewish!! :)

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

Btw, is physician assisted suicide legal in Russia?

[qi-tronic.livejournal.com]

And top members of the white ribbon opposition (but Navalny is not) and 1st wave oligarchs (ex: Khodorkovsky).

Or course here it is very easy to get "antisemitism" label, but it is just one of those questions where we should just look at the data without prejudice.

Is it something strange in this picture when we have (mostly) oppositional Jews in media in Moscow and (again, mostly) pro-Putin Russians in provinces?
Should we start some sort of "positive discrimination" program to get more Russians from provinces to the central media and cultural life? Just for the sake of the country's integrity?
Scandal :))

A bit of history:

I do not know how American elite is constructed but in Russia since Peter the Great we had a divided society.
In tsarist times there was globalized elite, speaking French, having high German percentage.
But 90% of the country were uneducated peasants.
It was like 2 nations - smaller nation and bigger nation in one country.
Jews in those times were highly discriminated and could not live in most parts of the country.

So, for obvious reasons, Jews took very active part in the Revolution,
Most members of Lenin's bolshevik cabinet were Jews, for example.
So Jews were emansipated and, traditionally being highly educated (everyone at least could read sacred books), took very active role in the country's life, substituting the old aristocratic elite.

Stalin, though, was not Jew, he prosecuted many of old revolutioners and, after all, started openly anti-semitic politics in the end of his reign, pushing young Russians to all positions.
But he died soon and Jews basically kept their positions in the educated class.

So these are roots of the situation you see here on LJ.
Very high persentage of Jews in the educated elite leads to their natural prevalence in the intellectual blogging platform.
And being more globalized rather than rooted in the Russian imperial culture most of them are anti-Putin.

[qi-tronic.livejournal.com]

Hmm... I think not.

Re: Insomnia, and other bad things

[qi-tronic.livejournal.com]

You should learn qigong to learn how to put your excessive energy from your head to the belly :))
This meditation I do every night relaxes very well.
And in fact it does not take addtional time from my life because I sleep less hours after that but more deeply.

[amandakysses.livejournal.com]

One love! What do you mean the world isnt full of rainbows and cheer? When did this happen? ;) and um.. Yes that would make me happy. I will show you mine if you show me yours. Silly girl.