tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post7657755034562396514..comments2024-03-16T16:44:18.220-07:00Comments on Bad Cripple: The Catholic Church, Do Gooders and Religionwilliam Peacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00223601480542461802noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-64740316666191838492016-10-14T14:01:38.270-07:002016-10-14T14:01:38.270-07:00As a Christian, I concur with Kelly P. You aren...As a Christian, I concur with Kelly P. You aren't paying for the sins of your parents or any of your other ancestors. <br /><br />Your disability is physical. There are others with disabled, cold, withered hearts who say things that wound. Sometimes they know what they are doing and sometimes they don't have a clue.<br /><br />Off topic here, but I commend you for your anti-euthanasia stand. All human lives are precious and any attempt to suggest otherwise is abhorrent.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10520579370836470910noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-45480541447862216512016-09-30T11:12:25.591-07:002016-09-30T11:12:25.591-07:00"I have been told repeatedly that I am paying..."I have been told repeatedly that I am paying for grievous sins my parents committed."<br />First off, this is horrible that someone would say this to you. <br /><br />Secondly, this is directly refuted in the bible, in John 9:1-3<br />"As [Jesus] passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?' Jesus answered, 'It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.'" Jesus goes on to make the man see--the bible says signs and wonders of this kind were evidence Jesus was God, rather than a man running around claiming to be God. (Hebrews 2:3b-4) I don't think it was meant to establish a precedent of miracle healing, though. <br />Also, many of the people Jesus healed were considered unclean (old testament law has a lot of stuff about isolating people with contagious diseases, which is where this probably came from), so part of why Jesus spends so much time healing the sick might have to do with proving that they weren't more unrighteous than anyone else.<br /><br />This isn't to convert you (I don't believe in internet evangelism), just to unravel some serious textual errors with the stuff that "do-gooders" have said to you. Those things really frustrate me, because people say them to me too.<br /><br />I'm disabled, but not visibly. I have had someone essentially say that my family was cursed, one person hint that I was a drug addict, one hint that I had Munchhausens, multiple people hint that if I just had a better attitude then I wouldn't have symptoms anymore. When visiting one church, my mom (who has the same syndrome I have, and had recently been hospitalized over a month because she couldn't walk and no one knew why) told the pastor about her health, he said he would love to be able to sit all of the time. We didn't go back to that church (and finding a good church is like going on some of the worst blind dates of your life).<br /><br />I think most of it stems from people trying to feel better about themselves, "holier than thou." (all except that last one, which was a veeeery misguided attempt at being positive. Although that could also be holier than thou: "I'm more positive than you." I've encountered plenty of that, too).<br /><br />Like Kelly said: "Ignorant comments come from ignorant people, not Christ." It is a problem, though, and I think churches need to be more aware of it and people in general need to stop being such jerks.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11467425174837579162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-31817552781850980852016-09-15T09:57:47.315-07:002016-09-15T09:57:47.315-07:00Hey William, I just discovered your blog and plan ...Hey William, I just discovered your blog and plan on spending way too much time scouring the archives. I'm a devout Catholic and a mom to five, two with SMA. When my fourth was diagnosed, I prayed constantly he'd be healed. Now seven years out from that diagnosis, I can say I get aggravated when people approach my sons and want to pray for them. I can't personally understand your frustration, but I know my boys hate anything that makes them stand out, even though they're 5 and 8. One minute they're driving around having fun the next some person with sad eyes is asking personal questions and reassuring me God will heal them eventually. I remain polite. I'll be curious to see how my sons respond as they get older. But while I admit that I still wish they could be cured, I now know they can live happy lives just as they are, so there's not that sense of desperation in my prayers anymore. We still go to church at least weekly and because of our regular presence I think we are helping more families to see that having disabled kids isn't the worst thing ever and that disabled kids are, surprise!, HAPPY. Disabled people and families need to keep going to churches to help set the record straight. We're not being punished, we're not greater sinners than anyone else, and we're also not saints because I'm not always complaining about how awful my life as a special needs parent is. Christians will keep praying in incorrect ways unless we show up. In fact ideally, we should feel the most comfortable in churches; they should be the most accessible and welcoming places in the world because Jesus wants us all to come to Him. Ignorant comments come from ignorant people, not Christ. <br />I really appreciate your opinion on the Pope singling out disabled people to approach in crowds. I always thought it was great that he did this, thinking it showed the value of all people, however, your words really stuck with me and I'm going to think about how the Church should show the value in all people without creating a huge pity party around the disabled. In general, I'm really trying to stop reading so much from other parents like myself, and learn more from other people who see the world like my sons. Kelly M. https://www.blogger.com/profile/11465167173249257439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-15276241038206473792016-08-31T13:15:12.194-07:002016-08-31T13:15:12.194-07:00I guess it is also a cultural thing. Here in Méxic...I guess it is also a cultural thing. Here in México people normally feel happy that a stranger offers prayer for whatever it is need it, and those who do not want prayer politely say no thanks and that's the end of it. I do not see it as imposing... Even less as judging, I would do the same with someone with or without disabilities. On the other hand, I do think some people with disabilities want to change their condition, and some are happy just like that. At the end, it's a matter of respect, I get that many people just use this to feel good about themselves, or are disrespectful to others peoples beliefs, in that I am totally agree with you. Thanks for sharing your perspectiva on this matter.Elihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09966574187219130272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-38690492403955068762016-08-31T09:36:06.361-07:002016-08-31T09:36:06.361-07:00SB. I do not pray for myself. I surely do not pray...SB. I do not pray for myself. I surely do not pray for others. I cannot fathom any logical reason why a compete stranger would want to pray for a person they do not know and worse inform them. I deem religion to be a private matter and do not impose my beliefs on others. william Peacehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00223601480542461802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-44560630209991667592016-08-31T07:36:19.519-07:002016-08-31T07:36:19.519-07:00Not everyone who offers to pray for you is judging...Not everyone who offers to pray for you is judging you. Some surely realize what you are subjected to by others and may be praying that it stops or that you keep raising awareness. In my experience, people offer prayers as a way of being in a community with others. The next time someone says "I will pray for you," consider responding, "I will pray for you, too."SB from Friends For Life Alliancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06217026791787060205noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-64869276766045795302016-08-30T10:28:29.038-07:002016-08-30T10:28:29.038-07:00As a Christian male I do have to say that it's...As a Christian male I do have to say that it's not only the disabled that experience prayers for their salvation or the other things you described. It used to offend me when people would tell me I needed to be saved or believe without knowing anything about me or my choices, usually because I was at church in shorts and a secular band t shirt. Or, when myself or my siblings misbehaved it was obvious my parents had done something either wrong in raising us, or done something grievous that deserved punishment (this logic was not applied to all children, but to the children of families that didn't fit that particular churches ideology). Eventually I just started shrugging it off. The reality is that all religions allow believers to stand in judgement of others. I'm not sure where and when physical disability became tied to sin. I know its definitely something that's out there, but I wouldn't say it's pervasive or common. The more pervasive and common thoughts in Christianity are that disability is an affliction that you can be healed from if you believe and God loves you (this upsets me). Or, that those who are disabled do not need salvation because they are innocent at heart and don't know better (I find this one of the more offensive ideologies.<br /><br />I think you need to separate each one out though. To equate someone that wants to save your soul or heal your body with someone who believes your the devil incarnate or a product of sin seems disingenuous. And while it may seem this is a Christianity issue I think this is because of your perspective and bias from growing up in a western society. Many religious groups do not know how to handle the idea of disability or individuality and how their God can allow something they see as imperfect. So usually the disabled suffer to varying degrees in any organised religion.Jaredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12917371482008725119noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-59096773564944058272016-08-29T17:16:28.963-07:002016-08-29T17:16:28.963-07:00Thought-provoking post. Have you come across any p...Thought-provoking post. Have you come across any pieces written by Christians with disabilities?Jordanahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08320453464038697264noreply@blogger.com