All Comments (12)

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Chamberlin, Holly
http://www.msu.edu/~zchi/

Mr Edgar, how can you spiritually minister to someone when they have no idea of your belief system? It's either you're lying to them, or your spirituality is dead! Jesus said to go into the whole world spreading the Gospel! Are you obedient to Christ or worried what someone may think of you? I'm not saying beat them down with the bible, just give them the option of saying yes to Jesus.

William Jorgensen is getting to the heart of the matter. "those who follow ... in America seem to prefer the God of the old testament."

Therein is the basic problem in America. Christianity would seem in need of re-defining itself to "shake the bounds of the old testament" and "make all things new" as it would appear was the intent of the gospel writings before Saul/Paul came along and took "the way" as an extension of Judaism.

That there is not a crisis in faith in America surprises me most of all. Jesus the healer could also be Jesus the pacifist, but those who follow him in America seem to prefer the God of the old testament.
"Healer heal thyself" might apply to many gluttonous maladies not seen in poorer countries where malnutrition is the greatest dealer of death. Thusly death by overconsumption may be the most poetic death of all, far surpassing death by terrorism in numbers and credence.

On the subject of letting people suffer while putting animals out of pain etc. Is there any difference in that mentality and the mentality that violently opposes dog fighting while cheering humans fighting in Iraq?

If doctors are going to practice religion instead of medicine then they should be licensed for their brand of religion and that should be their shingle - not a doctor of medicine! If they are presented as a doctor practicing medicine and they let their decisions be determined by a made up religion then they are committing fraud against their customer!!

Hey Paganplace. I wonder how many doctors are as well compensated as Billy Graham, Robert Schuller, and even "Oh Lord I have sinned" Jimmy Swagert? Pope? Anyone?

The rules are the same. One never knows for sure whether or not the treatment helped or actually increased the ailment. What ailment does religion cure? Isn't religion a highly contagious mental disease transmitted to children who would mostly never catch it without the gun of hell held to their heads until it becomes a permanent fixture?

The age of miracles is long past. Did it ever happen? Only your hair dresser knows for sure.

Yay!

The 'unclean' health care consumers of the world thank you mightily for condescending to advocate providing services as advertised and so-well-compensated!

How merciful!

As an atheist, I think this man is quite sane and very moral.

Almaden:

Interesting that you brought up the subject of animal euthanasia. When a pet is in intractable pain, it is considered an act of cruelty to allow it to continue suffering, and mercy to end its suffering with an overdose of general anesthetic. And yet, if a human being is in the same condition, there are those who would deny them the mercy of a quick death, and in some cases, suchas my gradmother, even the mercy of heavy-duty painkillers. Why are those who consider huma beings the pinnacle of creation the same ones who deny them the simple mercies we give our pets?

I have told my family that if I am terminally ill, in intractable pain, and there is no form of relief available that would allow me any further enjoyment of life, then I will end my own suffering. They understand my feelings onthe subject, and while some of them have theological objections to my wishes, all have promised to abide by them.

Dr. Edgar's sensible point of view is, of course, apostasy in the minds of his fundamentalist brethren. For them, the particular religious points of view they hold dear always supercede that of the patient's well-being or a physician's medical judgment. It's not only the Christian Scientists and kindred sects who withhold or avoid prescribed treatment for various reasons. There is the Pope and his followers who believe that tampering with so much as a blastocyte or sperm is a mortal sin against creation. They see no reason not to put a pet out of its misery when mortally injured or sick. But a human being, writhing in uncontrolled pain and beyond cure, must suffer to the end. No Dr. Kevorkian for them. And there is no dearth of zealous fundamentalists who strive to impose whatever superstition is theirs on the rest of us. They now have five justices on the U.S. Supreme Court and the trouble has only now just begun with them. Dr. Edgar's people must do more to rein in their folly.

Right on, Dr. Edgar!!!

**The physical well-being of the patient should be the physician’s primary responsibility without judgment or imposition of a particular religious point of view.**

Nuff said.