Measles Outbreak at Vaccine-Denying Church

[Minimalist]

The only difference between this one extreme and the atheist extreme is that you hold opposing views on God.

Science exists. Its achievements exist. Your silly god on the other hand seems like little more than the wishful thinking of fools.

[Ryantology]

The only thing these people are guilty of is the idea that God can not work miricals through science, and as a result have shunned what they do not understand. Which ironically, is true for the majority of atheist I have spoken with over the years. The only difference between this one extreme and the atheist extreme is that you hold opposing views on God.

It seems as though God is incapable of working miracles without science.

[NoraBrimstone]

This would be hilarious if it wasn't harming innocent children.

This is awful child abuse/neglect and it makes me so sad.

[Minimalist]

Jesus likes measles, Nora.

[frankiej]

Dafts twats...

[Doubting Thomas]

You see, God gave these people measles so that they could be cured by faith and show everyone the glory of the Lord. Or else show how God miraculously gave scientists the vaccine many years ago. Praise be!

[Drich]

The only thing these people are guilty of is the idea that God can not work miricals through science, and as a result have shunned what they do not understand. Which ironically, is true for the majority of atheist I have spoken with over the years. The only difference between this one extreme and the atheist extreme is that you hold opposing views on God.

It seems as though God is incapable of working miracles without science.

That is because science is taught and framed in such a way as to dismiss anything God does that science can not explain. Or have you forgotten our discussion on Aids in this last week?

I pointed out that I had a positive Hiv test along with some flagship symptoms of full blown AIDS, and upon my follow up two weeks later my symptoms were gone and my test came back negitive. The only thing I did was pray durning that time. My doctor called it a mirical and even tried to document the case but was dismissed because 'science' was not able to classify what had happened. Well, I guess it happens often enough to be given a classification now, but still it can not be explained unles someone calls it (by faith) a mutated form of HIV.

Again God does alot in ourworld today. It's just dismissed because 'science' can not reproduce what He alone has done. and because scientist can not reproduce it, it is somehow dismissed as not being possiable.

What a backwards way to think.

[CleanShavenJesus]

I pointed out that I had a positive Hiv test along with some flagship symptoms of full blown AIDS, and upon my follow up two weeks later my symptoms were gone and my test came back negitive. The only thing I did was pray durning that time. My doctor called it a mirical and even tried to document the case but was dismissed because 'science' was not able to classify what had happened. Well, I guess it happens often enough to be given a classification now, but still it can not be explained unles someone calls it (by faith) a mutated form of HIV.

So, you're telling us that something happened to you that happens to many other people....but it was the prayer that saved you?

Regardless, something tells me that prayer won't cure this congregation of the measles.

[Foxaèr]

That is because science is taught and framed in such a way as to dismiss anything God does that science can not explain.

That is because not having a readily handy explanation does not automatically mean god did it. To fill in gaps of knowledge with god is intellectually lazy.

I am calling false positive on the initial AIDS test.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

I pointed out that I had a positive Hiv test along with some flagship symptoms of full blown AIDS, and upon my follow up two weeks later my symptoms were gone and my test came back negitive. The only thing I did was pray durning that time. My doctor called it a mirical and even tried to document the case but was dismissed because 'science' was not able to classify what had happened. Well, I guess it happens often enough to be given a classification now, but still it can not be explained unles someone calls it (by faith) a mutated form of HIV.

Millions of people die of horrific diseases every day. Millions more suffer symptoms of intense pain from diseases. And yet God chose to cure you. You.

Why?

Are you holier, somehow more sanctified, than a little Somali girl who dies from rubella? Are your prayers more sincere that those of the man who dies after a long, painful, debilitating fight with spinal cancer? What about the devout woman who breaks her arm and, due to want of medical care, dies of gangrene - why did God chose to save you and not her?

It seems to me that it takes an especially contemptible form of arrogance for your lot to go about shrieking 'JESUS HEALED ME!' while millions more suffer and die, millions more who may very well be even more sincere in their faith in a 1st century semi-legendary rabbi than are you.

Yes, diseases sometimes remit spontaneously (although, like Mael, I think the explanation of a false positive on your HIV test is more likely than an answered prayer), but isn't it odd how many diseases do not? Isn't it even odder how, despite the fervent prayers of the faithful, severed limbs never grow back, badly damaged eyes never regenerate, rotten teeth don't heal themselves and so on.

Taking your HIV story at face value for the sake of argument, all it really tells us is that you've fallen back on the God of the gaps argument, i.e., anything not immediately explicable to YOUR satisfaction MUST be the hand of God. There was a time when it was widely believed that a flower could not open without a direct command from God to do so. We now know enough about plant biology that we can safely omit the almighty as a required explanation. Early theists were wrong to fill all the holes in their knowledge with the word God, and you're no more right to do so than they were.

You claim that your HIV disappeared via nothing but prayer, but how can you possibly know whether the same thing would have happened if you hadn't prayed? I've got a better explanation for your HIV story: You got lucky.

Boru