Where Faith and Reality Collide

I was reminded of a story I’d heard years ago…

A man was dying of cancer and opted for prayer instead of traditional medical treatments. He ended up dying an ugly, painful death.

When he got to heaven, he asked God one question. “I was a good man, prayed every day, and was faithful to your Word. Why didn’t you answer my prayers?”

God smiled and said, “I did, my son. I sent you doctors with the medical knowledge to help you. It is you who failed to accept my help.”

This poignant story shows the differences between faith and blind faith. The opening chapter in my book highlights the devastating consequences of blind faith through the death a young patient. It’s the source of my main character’s bitterness toward all alternative medicine. Given this tragic experience, I’m sympathetic.

As big a proponent as I am of alternative modalities of healing such as Reiki, biofeedback hypnosis, meditation, etc., in no way am I a believer in its exclusivity. I believe alternatives and allopathic medicine play very nicely together in helping a patient through every phase of their illness, and, yes, even their death. Blind faith presumes that we can control our outcomes if only we believe hard enough or are pious enough. I do agree that the power of our minds can do amazing things, but it can’t cheat death – especially if one stops their medical treatment.

Thanks, bongi.