Bible's take on the disabled

[Moss]

For a long while we have been debating the issue of homosexuality and such. I think most people here would agree (or at least religious people here) that God frowns upon gays. Let me restate that. It is common for some religious people to base their views on homosexuality on what certain bible passages say.

However, I was wondering (because I do not know) what is God's or the Bible's take on the mentally or physically disabled?

I remember people with certain diseases or deformities being shunned, but is there a passage or something that cements one particular belief?

Oh, and the connection between homosexuality and disablilities is that both conditions are seen to be un-natural and not apart of the common grounds set for man.

 

[stratego]

Jesus said, give me your blind and I'll make him sighted again. Give me your crippled, and I will make him walk again. Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore, Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

 

[test_specimen]

Jesus said, give me your blind and I'll make him sighted again. Give me your crippled, and I will make him walk again. Give me your tired, your poor something, something, something.

So where is he, healing the disabled? There shouldn't be any if Jesus really existed. "I heal them" is just a cheap excuse for not facing those he didn't/doesn't heal.

One sentence I like about the Bible, because it's becoming more true everyday, is: "Let the children come to me"

 

[bobgote]

So where is he, healing the disabled? There shouldn't be any if Jesus really existed. "I heal them" is just a cheap excuse for not facing those he didn't/doesn't heal.

well, depends on how you define healing.

i know that my church funds eye surgeons in third world nations.

or doesn't that count? do we need some description of magic to count it as healing?

 

[Halcyon]

I don't think eye surgery counts as Jesus healing the blind, though, no matter who pays the surgeon.

 

[Pikachu]

The Christian stance on disabled people is that they are a vital part of God's master plan. We need disabled people because they can teach us something important. Many disabled people live happy and meaningful lives. That could maybe give us a hint about what is really important in life. Being beautiful and charismatic is not as important as caring about other people and being cared for.

All people are disabled in some ways anyway, as we all have our weaknesses. The only difference is that some people cannot hide their weaknesses as well as the rest of us. And of course we need our weaknesses to be happy humans. Life would have been very doll if we never had to struggle against our own weaknesses, wouldn’t it?

I don’t want to search for bible quotes to support this view right now, but you can easily find them yourself. If you read one of the gospels it becomes very obvious that Jesus loved disabled people as much as anyone.

For a long while we have been debating the issue of homosexuality and such. I think most people here would agree (or at least religious people here) that God frowns upon gays.

What does homosexuality have to do with disabled people? And why do we want to agree on what God frowns upon. Isn’t that God’s decision alone? There is no need for humans to judge anybody that doesn’t hurt others!

 

[Stapel]

I think most people here would agree (or at least religious people here) that God frowns upon gays.

The bible does say very very little about gays. It's merely the Biblical interpretation of many conservative (so-called) Christians that frowns upon gays.

The most commonly used Bibles phrases used by 'Christian' homophobes are usually about other things (rape, prostitution for instance), or are later refuted by Christ (in a general way), or simply do not make sense at all, as totally unknown words are used (by Paul).

 

[test_specimen]

The Christian stance on disabled people is that they are a vital part of God's master plan.

Go tell that to the next guy without legs: "Hey, don't complain! You have no legs because this is part of god's master plan. You're here to teach me a vital lesson about life. Thank you for having no legs. Now please smile for me, it will definitely improve my life."

And I liked Moss' thing about "god frowns about homosexuals". Yeah right. God visited me just yesterday and he told me he frowns upon all those posting on CFC. You either prove me wrong or you go confess to your next priest. And in case you haven't known: god frowns upon everyone voting for Bush, so you better decide to either abstain or vote Kerry. He told me so, so don't question me. God just loves to experiment, sexually, so don't tell me he frowns upon gays

 

[Iggy]

The Christian stance on disabled people is that they are a vital part of God's master plan. We need disabled people because they can teach us something important. Many disabled people live happy and meaningful lives. That could maybe give us a hint about what is really important in life. Being beautiful and charismatic is not as important as caring about other people and being cared for.

I am sure the severely disabled are extremely happy that they are doing a very good job teaching the fully abled as part of God's master plan. Your God must be very proud of his creation.

 

[Pikachu]

Go tell that to the next guy without legs: "Hey, don't complain! You have no legs because this is part of god's master plan. You're here to teach me a vital lesson about life. Thank you for having no legs. Now please smile for me, it will definitely improve my life."

Why should I tell a guy without legs why he doesn’t have legs? I would rather have him tell me about what he cares about. I am pretty sure that legs aren’t his major interrest (unless he recently has lost his legs). I have yet to meet a person without legs that complains about it. It is amazing how well disabled people accept their disabilities. I wished I dared to accept my weaknesses as honestly as them.

To care about how many limbs you have is such a superficial concern.

I am sure the severely disabled are extremely happy that they are doing a very good job teaching the fully abled as part of God's master plan. Your God must be very proud of his creation.

That’s not the only thing they do though. They usually also live happy lives. Disabled people are in no way inferior as the so-called fully able people have lots of flaws too.

 

[Sweeney Todd]

well, depends on how you define healing.

i know that my church funds eye surgeons in third world nations.

or doesn't that count? do we need some description of magic to count it as healing?

Can't say that there were too many churches funding eye surgeons for third world nations about 2000 years ago.

 

[test_specimen]

If you're happy and you know it clap your hands, Pikachu!

 

[Sweeney Todd]

Why should I tell a guy without legs why he doesn’t have legs? I would rather have him tell me about what he cares about. I am pretty sure that legs aren’t his major interrest (unless he recently has lost his legs). I have yet to meet a person without legs that complains about it. It is amazing how well disabled people accept their disabilities. I wished I dared to accept my weaknesses as honestly as them.

Do you know what they do when they are alone?

Do they know what you do when you are alone?

Do you know what they know what you know that they know what you do when you are alone?

 

[Sweeney Todd]

If you're happy and you know it clap your hands, Pikachu!

Mr Funnyman!

What if I haven't any hands?

What if my personal secretary is typing these posts?

(hey Sally, comin' for a quick one?)

 

[Iggy]

To care about how many limbs you have is such a superficial concern.

Madness.

That’s not the only thing they do though. They usually also live happy lives. Disabled people are in no way inferior as the so-called fully able people have lots of flaws too.

Who said anything about being inferior??? Your claim that people are disabled in order to be part of God's master plan is total madness.

 

[Bozo Erectus]

Im so tired of people arguing about what the bible says about this or that issue (not just here, its been going on for thousands of years already). What if somewhere in the bible it says that disabled people are being punished by god for their sins, does that mean we're going to start persecuting the disabled? Of course not. Its about time we all put the bible in perspective and just went on with our lives, doing what we think is right, not what long dead, neolithic hunter gatherers thought was right. Dont get me wrong, I love to read the bible, you can find alot of wisdom in it, but we cant run our lives according to it anymore.

 

[Masquerouge]

To care about how many limbs you have is such a superficial concern.

Yeah, right.

So why don't you donate a kidney, or some of your skin, or your bonemarrow, if it's not so important ?

 

[Moss]

OK, in trying to salvage this topic before it turns to ashes. What I was trying to do is contrast the view some people hold about sexuality because of passages in the bible and what others hold about disabilities. Now I'm not a religious person therefore I was wondering why homosexuals are often despised in the bible (and people use those passages to defend their beliefs) yet disabled people don't seem to suffer the same tradgedy. Why is this. Why do we accept one difference and not the other?

Why should I tell a guy without legs why he doesn’t have legs? I would rather have him tell me about what he cares about. I am pretty sure that legs aren’t his major interrest (unless he recently has lost his legs). I have yet to meet a person without legs that complains about it. It is amazing how well disabled people accept their disabilities. I wished I dared to accept my weaknesses as honestly as them.

As a person who is missing a couple of body parts (for my entire life) I can tell you that it is a major concern if a person is missing a leg. No, disabled people usually don't go complaining about their disabilities, but that does not mean that they don't wish they did not have them. Also, I disagree with the notion that God created the disabled to be a sort of benchmark for others to see how well they have life. Everyone has faults, yes, but it's a lot easier to find reason behind those faults the more minor they are.

 

[ManOfMiracles]

Is there anything in the Bible that says a person must speak and be able to reason to choose salvation? Sadly enough, that is how many churches practice. It is ok for someone to speak on behalf of infants, but all adults are supposed to speak for themselves. According to such strict beliefs, there are severely ******** or otherwise disabled people who can never be saved in practice. If you bring one of these people into church, you hear a different story, but they will still say they don't know how to make an exception and they will not bring them into the faith in public ceremony. I love to smack smarmy preachers around with that one.

 

[Quasar1011]

From Matthew 5:29-30, Jesus speaking: "If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for the whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell."

So, being truly disabled is this: sinning, and not having your sins paid for so that you wind up in hell. And there is only one way to have them paid for...