I don't know what the stats say. My own informal observation has been that the majority of folks that I have met who have survived traumatic brain injuries are of the fundamentalist christian religious variety. Or perhaps the most outspoken I do not really know. What I am about to write about may upset some of my readers-- too bad.
When I was younger, one of my (now dead) aunts had multiple sclerosis. In fact, she had it up til her death and died of complications from the m.s. This was in spite of her being a faithful watcher of the faith-healer ( http://www.mcwe.com/ ) Morris Cerullo. Those of you who are unfamiliar with this dude-- you have been spared. I remember Morris Cerullo saying, "Expect a Miracle Today." He even had a booklet out by that name. My aunt had it. She was a faithful contributor as well as faithful fan of this feckless "faith" healer. She had lots of faith. Far more than I did even at my most pious stage of my life. If an yone should have gotten her miracle, it should have been that aunt. But she never did.
Morris Cerullo ( check out http://www.cephas-library.com/evangelists/evangelist_morris_cerullo_fraud.html if you wish to) lives in a freaking mansion which back in the year 2000 was reported to be worth a cool 12 million good ol american dollars. (here's a few more if you wish:
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/itc/itc_publications/complaints_reports/advertising_complaints/show_complaint.asp-ad_complaint_id=289.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_Cerullo
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/408/story/741812.html )
Okay, now obviously my aunt was a grown woman, competent to decide how to spend her money.
I cannot claim that she or any other folks who give their money up to Morris Cerullo and folks like him are guileless. The problem lies in the truthfulness or deception of the message. Morris Cerullo (who has no doctorate degree on record so he does not deserve the designation of "Dr.")
claims that if people give to his ministry (money) they will in turn receive blessings of wealth and health. There is at least one report of someone dieing after believing that Morris Cerullo's god healed up her epilepsy. No one told her to quit taking the medicine. She believed what she wanted to believe, just like my aunt wanted to believe that Morris Cerullo's god would cure her multiple sclerosis up until the day she died in the hospital of respiratory failure. Morris is not the only preacher walking around these days touting miracles. But I pick on him because my aunt had (by her own competent choice yes) helped support his opulent lifestyle while waiting for her expect-a-miracle-today to show up on her doorstep.
The problem with faith healing as I see it and as Sam Harris sees it is that the god of healing hates amputees ( see: http://whywontgodhealamputees.com/ for his site if you wish and also for some other spirited discussions:
http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/453-science-vs-faith-healing.html
and
http://www.motherinchief.com/2007/05/moving-mountains.html
and
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1678103/the_ironic_bankruptcy_of_the_atheistic.html <-- there are four pages to this article and all of it ought to be read).
Or, if the god of healing does not hate amputees, we have no records of amputated limbs growing back during or as a result of revivals, faith healing services of Morris Cerullo (or Benny Hinn or any other conductor of faith-healing services). Yet there are folks who leap out of their wheelchairs (whether or not they remain able to walk afterwards is another question), throw away their crutches, claim that their god has healed them of cancers and diabetes and epilepsy and so forth.
Why is it that we never get to see amputees regrowing their limbs?
The argument is tiring to some believers I am sure. And I am also sure that some believers are sick of being called stupid or other insulting words because of their beliefs. And I am equally sure that some degree of those who fall into the atheist or non-theist end of things are angry and/or sound angry over things that believers have done or have been alleged to have done.
But you see, this whole thing is a stumbling block to me. Find me one amputee that is a true verifiable amputee who now has a regrown functional limb due to faith healing and perhaps I will reconsider.
Til then, I will just figure that supernatural cures due to intercessory prayer just don't happen in this day and age.
And t.b.i., survivors. You can claim that your god healed you if you wish to. And I may even listen to you respectfully. However, I don't believe you. And no, I won't be sending any of my money to those who conduct faith-healing services. You can do so if you wish. You can even pray for me. Meanwhile, I will continue to be in charge of my own rehab.
sapphoq healing tbi
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