Disability and Healing

[David of Derby]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-48054113

I read the above article earlier today. It's pretty unusual to see a "feature" article on the BBC regarding anything to do with Christianity, so I clicked on it. As usual, it's fairly critical of Christians (this is the BBC, after all) but it has some interesting theological points. I don't think any of them are really valid, but I was intrigued enough to want to log on and see what others thought.

Firstly, to my mind the idea that "God is disabled" and uses a "wheelchair" is laughable. I can forgive the 15-year-old wheelchair user for wanting to interpret the Old Testament passage that way, but it's ludicrous for a consecrated priest to take this view. Apart from the obvious, that God is spirit and doesn't need to physically move around the world, the idea that God is disabled is simply contrary to all understanding of God's omnipotence and perfection. How can the almighty creator of Heaven and earth be in any way disabled? He is literally all-powerful. Also, the suggestion that the wounds of Christ are some kind of disability is, at best, a badly-flawed understanding of the Passion narrative and, at worst, blasphemous. To suggest that the marks of Christ's suffering on behalf of the world are a disability is just insane. Jesus was no less all-powerful when He rose from the grave, wounds or not. The wounds are there as symbols of His victory over sin and death.

I also take exception to the idea that if Christ were walking around the modern world He wouldn't "pity" a disabled person He met and want to heal them. Of course He would want to heal them. They're suffering, in pain, or otherwise restricted in living life, and Jesus came to give abundant life. I've known plenty of disabled people and I don't think a single one of them would have refused to be healed, fully and perfectly, if Christ has stood in front of them and offered it. The article talks a lot about blindness. I believe that human beings were given eyes to see and appreciate the beauty and glory of God's creation. A blind person may be able to live a full and happy life, but they're missing so much. They can't see the beauty of a flower or a sunset or a rainbow, all the wonderful things God gave us that don't have to be there. The light from the sun refracts through the earth's atmosphere the way it does because God chose for that to be the case. He set the laws of physics in full knowledge of what He was doing. A blind person might be told about the glorious colours the setting sun makes, but they can't experience it. Would Jesus offer them their sight, in today's world? Of course! Jesus wants them to live and live abundantly.

To my mind this article is typical of the British media and the BBC in particular, and demonstrates nothing but pride. The disabled people quoted as saying they want to be disabled in Heaven - just pride. They're proud of their disability, and perhaps they're right to be proud of how they've coped with it, but to want to be disabled? If I remember correctly, when we're resurrected at the second coming of Christ we'll be given new, perfect bodies, like Christ's glorious body. How can a new and perfect body be disabled? Isn't it sinful pride to want to reject this restoration brought by God? I particularly dislike the discussion of Jesus' healing miracles as "fixing" disabled people and suggesting that this is wrong. It's suggesting that Christ went around arrogantly "fixing" these "broken" people and doing it to show off. I find that suggestion pretty offensive, and it clearly demonstrates a lack of understanding of Christ's ministry. He healed the sick out of love and compassion. Yes, the article acknowledges that these people would be totally marginalised in ancient society and reduced to living on charity, but it's completely wrong to say this was done to "showcase" Jesus' power. The Gospel accounts of miracles help unbelievers to see the power of God, but that's not the same as showing off. How can limited, ignorant humans understand Divine love and power? Performing a miracle gets the message across far quicker than sermons and parables, for sure, but did any of the healed people get angry and say they were fine as they were and they didn't need to be fixed? No, they were amazed at the love and power of God and went off praising the Lord.

On the point of Christians coming over and essentially demanding to pray for disabled people, I suppose it must happen to prompt this article, but surely that's just rude? Has anyone here had any experience of this kind of thing? I've prayed for a disabled friend of mine, with her full knowledge and gratitude, but I didn't need to stand over her and "lay hands" on her. I prayed for her privately, alone, at home, and told her about it later. We're commanded to pray for others and we know the effectiveness of prayer on behalf of someone we love, but are Christian people really imposing on perfect strangers like this?

What are your thoughts, brothers and sisters?

Edited April 30, 2019 by David of Derby

[Who me]

Thank you I didn't see that article, it was interesting.

God in a wheelchair! well a throne on wheels could be called that and I doubt that God will be offended by a wheelchair user identifing with God as a wheelchair user.

What I thought relevent is the attitude that the disabled should be healed. It is one I've encountered several times among the more charismatic believers.

As for retaining a disability. That is all about identity and in a perfect place our insecurities will have been dealt with, proberbly in ways we won't expect.

[David of Derby]

Not sure what point you're making about disabled people being healed and charismatic believers. Are they right or wrong?

I think opinions are varied on the idea of entering Heaven when we die. It was explained to me, admittedly by Jehovah's Witnesses, who can barely be considered Christian since they deny the Trinity, that the Bible doesn't actually state that we enter Heaven when we die. I was told it states that, if I remember correctly, 144,000 "righteous Jews" will ascend to Heaven on the second coming of Christ, but that everyone else will rise again to live in a perfect earth, free from disease, suffering and death. Are you saying that in such a perfect world, people might still be disabled but it wouldn't matter any longer?