As I pondered over this today, I remember a small story that was told to me a while ago that pretty much mirrors what happens each time there is a genuine and not "made for TV" attempt to heal the sick via spiritual intervention.
It usually goes like this..
An ordinary working man or a woman will go down with a perfectly curable afliction but due to their faith, rather than do what most sensible people do and go and consult a medical practitioner, they usually send for their churches most powerful preacher or pastor. If one so happens to be in that area, they will request the services of whoever the "in fashion" prophet at the time is. Its funny how the genuinely well to do or reasonably educated in life seldom sink to this level but I digress.
The preacher or prophet will arrive wearing either in a shiny handsome looking suit that the majority of their followers or congregants cant afford, or enrobed in "white as driven snow" and holy looking garments. He will then piously enter the house, and after a few niceties ask all present to gather round the sick man close their eyes and pray.
Once the prayer session is over he will then sprinkle some holy water over the poor man, look up to heavens, and then bellow out at nothing in particular demanding that the illness depart from his patient in the name of the Lord.
In many instances a collection then takes place which the bamboozled are led to believe will be used either to help the pastor enhance and improve his ministry, or the prophet to buy a few provisions for his latest trek to some desolate spot in the woods to do battle with the dangerous spirits of the devils army which doubtless would have played a role in the deterioration of the health of his patient
That done, he goes off and waits for his prayer to "work its magic".
As is almost always the case, It turns out that the prayer did not work and that the patient has taken a turn for the worse and so the cycle is repeated; this time with ever more powerful prayers and spiritual murmuring , and the sprinkling of even more powerful holy water.
The patient groans and then feebly lifts his hands up and joins in in the now almost mystical chanting and , on cue, the preacher presses his well used bible viciously down on his chest and commands this bad Lucifer inspired illness to flee in the name of Jesus and his many saints. Hallelujah!
The patient collapses back onto the bed and his eyes start to roll and hs body starts to shiver. This is a good sign to those gathered around his bed. That it might be the beginnings of pre mortem euphoria or delirium does not at any point cross their minds and the "session" is declared a success. Some even permit themselves a triumphant glass of wine after the smug looking Preacher departs after having recommended a few inspiring verses for the relatives to read to his patient throughout the coming days.
Then the patient dies in agony in the middle of the night.
Are the prophets and preachers ever blamed? No, they are not. After they complete their commissions by presiding over the funeral of the departed they are completed exonerated and in some instances, praised for their "hard work". The death of the patient, predictably, is put down to the departeds lack of suffiecient faith, or to Jehovahs fury at the collapse of the morals of modern day people.
How on earth could Jehovah have shown mercy in a world where gays and lesbians have the nerve to get married. Didn't the bible recommend execution somewhere in the bible for such activities? And then there is the issue of inter racial marriage. After Ham's appalling sin against his father, this should have been banned for good but still people keep on doing it. There is too much lying in the world will be the opinion of yet another congregant. Others still will blame low church attendances and rampant adultery. And so on and so on.
No, the patient didnt stand a chance.... but at least Jehovah saw how pious and God fearing they, the witnesses, were. This will be good for when they themselves keel over and are asked to give an account of their righteousness to the rulers of the next world.
Not a single one of them will stop to wonder whether they might have been better off taking their ill friend or relative to the doctor, and the preacher and prophet, totally absolved of any wrong doing, will continue to ruin the lives of people with their never ending hucksterism.
Afritude
