Improving yourself and religion
Offline The story I am about to tell you may seem atypical, crazy, or you may think I am full of shit. It all began in the 80s, when I was in high school. Here is this teacher, asking every student what his name is. Everyone is able to say his name fluently except one student: me.
I was born with a problem in the cartilague that keeps my tongue in place, which "made me" (past tense) unable to pronounce the "r", and the "s", and since I was in a high school in Panama at the time, and my name had three Rs in it, I was unable to pronounce it, which made all the students laugh their asses off as the teacher tried vainly to understand me.
I kept asking my family to take me to a phonetics teacher, but they kept on refusing, even though teachers had also asked my parents to help me with that defect because kids could be mean. Instead my mother and grandmother settled for sending me to school with a crucifix hanging around my neck. They thought it would protect me from being mocked by other students. This is the way it went until 1987, when finally my grandfather interfered and financed phonetics courses where I was taught how to talk like other people.
This is only the beginning. My mother was also against taking me to a dermatologist because I had acne. Today she gets angry when I speak about going to the doctor, etc. I am in my thirties now, meaning I don't have to listen to her, but believe me, when I was a teenager, this ideas were a nightmare.
Is it just me or Christians have something against correcting birth defects and facial defects? Perhaps they even have a thing against doctors. I know for a fact that Muslims make it clear plastic surgery done for reasons other than reconstruction are a crime because it interferes with Allah's handiwork. I have seen Christians saying stuff like this. But where does it come from? Is it in the Bible?
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From your story, can it be assumed that Mom is a fundie and Grandpa isn't religious?
I've never heard of refusing speech therapy due to religious reasons.
Unless Mom is part of a religion that doesn't believe in doctors at all, I've never heard of a religion that has a problem with dermatologists.
Is it possible that there were other reasons that Mom didn't share such as lack of insurance to pay for it?
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I think the problem may be that my mother fears doctors for some reason, and like many religious people, she has turned the fear of doctors into part of her faith with excuses such as "God can heal you" or "God is the best healer", and believe me, she has given me crap like that.
She isCatholic, by the way. The Catholic Church attacked Gaspara Tagliacozzi, the surgeon who practically invented nasal reconstruction. The church claimed that facial reconstruction interfered with God's will, and it was vanity. This was during the Renaissance period. I have seen many catholics attacking plastic surgery and other procedures based on the idea that you are supposed to be the way God made you.
My grandfather is dead, and, yes, he wasn't religious, but my mom keeps reminding me of how religious he was whenever I make it clear he wasn't religious. Just a fine example of how much christians are willing to distort reality.
I work at a Hospital and I see Religious people refuse certain treatments all the time. Jehovas Witness's refuse blood transfusions and I have seen Christian Parents get very upset at thier Children for coming into the Emergency room for certain things, because they feel that whatever happens is God's will. I live in San Antonio TX where many people are very Catholic. I am sorry to hear the struggles that you faced.
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Mmm, i saw this on House once....
I believe Asa was diseased, till the disease was exceedingly great. Yet, he didnt turn to god for the answer, but a physician. Now, theres no problem visiting a doctor. But can a doctor heal through the power Jesus gave his disciples?
Is apparently the answer.
Christians, like all religions, believe that god is all powerful. And thus, if god gives you three arms, he gave you three arms for a reason. But, when he gives you cancer, he didnt, its because of sin. Yeah, its complicated on where to draw the line.
I'm infallible. I don't know why you can't remember that.
Speaking of House, he is supposed to "kill" himself and find out if there is an afterlife on the next episode (10/9/2007). I am seriously not making this up. I have seen the preview. I hope they don't turn House religious, as the preview didn't show anything after he electrocuted himself.
Your god's silence speaks loud and clear
Though this is off topic, i doubt House will ever be religious. In House Vs God episode, he obviously rejected god, and with good reason.
I'm infallible. I don't know why you can't remember that.
Maybe Im weird, but I actually like that attitude. Its consistent anyway. I have always wondered why religous people even go to the hospital or for an annual check up at the doctor. I mean if god has already planned out everyone lives it would make no sense to try to live longer than god would want. You would really be going against gods will at that point and I imagine that would piss him off.
Just saying I like it. At least people like that are really sticking to there beliefs. Gotta respect that. 
Edit: However I do not approve of people not wanting there children to get medical attention because of there religous beliefs!
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I strongly agree. It is consistent. You are sick? You believe in God? Pray, and you shall be healed. This attitude, of course, doesn't explain why people in the Dark Ages usually died before they reached 60, even though back then almost everyone was a Christian. And this attitude could be a problem for doctors.
Some Christians believe that cancer is a punishment for God. And some christians believe that prayer can make you heal faster. Some christians also believe that prayers have made cripples walk.
But no christian can really explain why God doesn't heal amputees. You don't see any amputee regrowing his missing limb, not even the ones missing all four limbs, like Claudia Mejia. Why is that? Maybe amputees are being punished by God.
http://whydoesntgodhealamputees.com/
I think the reason JWs don`t accept blood transfusions is because of a verse in the old testement, Leviticus 17:12 and on. That you can`t eat or drink blood, which apparently applies to transfusions. I knew a girl who died in barbados because her parents would not allow it.
Morte alla tyrannus et dei
Yes, its extremely stupid. JWs are such a laughable sect, when you consider HOW they got started in the first place. Seriously, pure stupidity.
I'm infallible. I don't know why you can't remember that.
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2004/sep/04092904.html
http://reddit.com/info/1xub1/comments
http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/03/25/christian-pharmacists-and-muslim-cashiers/
Fine examples of people refusing to give you medical services based on religion.
In my opinion, JWs are the worse of worse when it comes to medication and doctors. And Catholics come in second place. Their ideas about contraception and condoms are so out there, it comes as no surprise that Latin America has millions of unwanted pregnancies each year and thousands of illegal abortions.
Alterations to the theologically unimportant, physical aspects of ourselves for the sake of emotional benefit = vanity in the eyes of those who place highest emphasis on the divine which also = hedonism, which is idolatry of the body. Because for the believer, the source of sin and unhappiness resides in the human condition, and to imply that happiness can be found by changing one's appearance (or sound in your case) is an a challenge to that notion.
So bam, you're labeled a sinner for being human.
The Enlightenment wounded the beast, but the killing blow has yet to land...