Miracles in Medicine Essay

In the case study, Christianity is a factor used in determining the life of a child under a critical medical condition. In this case, the parents are evaluating their faith in God to heal their child. According to the Bible, Jesus gave His disciples the power and authority over all the demons and also to cure diseases (Curlin & Meador, 2016). He then proceeds to send the 12 disciples to preach about the Kingdom of God and heal the sick (Curlin & Meador, 2016). This is according to the gospel of Luke. Jesus thus told the disciples to heal the sick and not to pray for the sick (Curlin & Meador, 2016). The Bible, therefore, was very clear on the message which is now passed by doctors all over the world to heal the sick. The doctors are all His disciples and are using a gift they have learned from schools and colleges on how to heal the sick but with the guidance from above. God guides the doctors in pursuing their duty and ensuring that perform it properly.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Mike and Joanne believed that in prayer, it would be possible to heal James instead of putting him through various rounds of dialysis. James was already in a critical condition and thus required immediate dialysis or else the case would escalate and become worse (Curlin & Meador, 2016). The frustration is even worse when Mike and Joanne did not get any response from God. It becomes more frustrating as they thought that their faith is not enough (May 2017). The Christian ideologies are flexible, and believers need to understand the power given to the people by God (May 2017).

The physician should not allow Mike to continue making decisions about James since the decisions made are irrational and could cost the life of James (May 2017). As seen, the first decision to take James through prayers did not work out well. It ended up making the situation worse as James now required a transplant instead of just the dialysis. The immediate solution could result in a solution to James' problem with his kidney. However, due to the decision made to take him to the faith healing service, James ended up becoming worse than before and thus creating a need to have an organ transplant. The decision was made without considering the consequences in case it does not work.

In a situation involving life and death, it is essential for individuals to look at the patient condition and also the Christian narrative (May 2017). According to Christianity, faith can move mountains. It means that with prayer, it can be possible to stretch the healing hand to a patient. However, in such situations, it is important for Christians to consider both prayer and the doctors as part of the healing process of patients within a medical facility (Curlin & Meador, 2016). It is normal to have patient healed by a doctor as it is the case that happens on a daily basis in hospitals all over the world.

Patients also have autonomy in such a way that, the decisions made on their behalf might affect how they think the decisions should be made (Curlin & Meador, 2016). If a patient is more than capable of talking about how they feel, then they have a right to determine the right procedure that should follow in the hospitals (Curlin & Meador, 2016). Joanne and Mike should have thus consulted James with regards to the prayer before taking him to a prayer session. James might be opposed to the faith, not as thought by the parents. It would only be fair if James is provided with the right choice to make or made for the choice that would not compromise his health in one way or another.

Christians need to think about sickness and health in various ways. According to Christianity, increased suffering is a way to bring the believers closer to God to ask for his helping hand. However, Christians need to think differently about the whole issue of healing the sick and the faith. It is important to understand that there are various cases where the sick require special services such as surgery to heal (Curlin & Meador, 2016). In such cases, prayers cannot provide a healing hand towards the sick patients. According to the Christian understanding of healing in the Bible, the doctors and physicians are the ones who determine the type of medical procedures that a person should undergo (Curlin & Meador, 2016). As such, they need to be continuously kept in prayer which will help in guiding their knowledge towards achieving the success of their job.

According to Christians worldwide, there is more power in prayer and believing. As such, Christians tend to be pushed towards prayer rather than focusing on providing the normal means of healing to patients (Curlin & Meador, 2016). Christians look at people as part of the 12 disciples of Jesus. The relation between healing and treatment is high as the medical professionals need to understand such a factor in the development. Some of the tenants are given notice of the success of a political career require some time to understanding the transformation (Curlin & Meador, 2016).

As a Christian, Mike should have focused his effort on proving support to the doctors rather than taking away the patient to a church. The patient was at a critical stage as they needed immediate assistance. However, providing the patient with access to hospital resources would have presented a different case regarding the condition of their health. It is necessary to ensure that individuals are more careful when it comes to healing the sick (Curlin & Meador, 2016). The development of an individual is due to the various challenges faced and also the lessons learned. As a Christian, Mike should pray for his son and also for the health professionals handing his case directly.

As stated in the Bible, prayers are an important part of every human as they assist one become strong physically and emotionally (Srokosz, 2017). Mike was unable to make the right decisions because he could not understand the meaning of healing the sick. Mike might be feeling frustrated due to the failure in an answer about James' health and also reduced improvement in his health. Mike needs to understand that the medical procedures performed by doctors are purely professional and thus cannot be stopped since they will contribute to the healing of his son (Srokosz, 2017). The prayers that can take place after the entire process begins and even more prayers as it continues and ends.Mike and Joanne are frustrated by the fact the God did not reply to their prayer for their son to be healed. As a consequence, they might choose to make irrational choices which will affect the condition of mike even further. It is necessary to focus on understanding how prayer and medicine work. First, in medicine, the doctors provide drugs and operate the sick, thus providing them with a second chance to live a better life (Srokosz, 2017). While the doctors provide drugs and perform risky surgeries, prayer helps in ensuring that such procedures are not compromised. Prayer helps in reducing the possibility of mistakes occurring during the process of operation or healing another person (Srokosz, 2017). James should thus trust in God and pray for every procedure that will be carried out. Having faith in God will help in solving the worldly issues which have become a nuisance to many people. It is important to maintain the faith in God and remain flexible to the different choices the world offers.

References

May, P. (2017). Miracles in medicine. Science & Christian Belief, 29(2), 121-134.

Curlin, F. A., & Meador, K. G. (2016). Setting medicine in the context of a faithful christian life. christian Bioethics: Non-Ecumenical Studies In Medical Morality, 22(1), 1-4. doi:10.1093/cb/cbv028

Srokosz, M. (2017). Miracles in medicine - a brief response to Peter May. Science & Christian Belief, 29(2), 135-141.