A message to a Christian relative

This was originally a private reply to a relative who tried very hard to get me to go to a Christian healing meeting. I have decided to reproduce it here so that everyone understands my thoughts on this.

As I am sure you understand if you have read my blog, the matter of who God may choose to heal or not, and the way in which Christians go about healing services is a very sore point that is a major cause of my realisation that God does not exist, which in turn is a big driver of my depression.

I realise that you want to help and that you are acting in the way that you think will help me. However, I ask you please do not involve me in anything to do with God or Christianity. I no longer believe that God exists and I have no intention of ever returning. I am trying to work through the resulting emotions in my own time and being asked to attend a healing service, or any prayers at all, just triggers depression and anger. I don’t mind you praying for me, I just don’t want to be involved with any prayer.

I am quite happy to chat about anything else and don’t want to push anyone away.

Thank you for caring.

Author: Latentexistence

The world is broken and I can't fix it because I am broken. I can, however, rant about it all and this is where I do that when I can get my thoughts together. Most of the time you'll find my words on Twitter rather than here though. I sometimes write for Where's The Benefit too.

5 thoughts on “A message to a Christian relative”

  1. I’ve had people try to convert me with talk of healing or helping me cope with the pain. At first I found it very insulting seeing as believe I cope with pain a heck of a lot better than they do. BUT it also tied in with people who also tried to convert me by saying it’s “Safer” to be Christian because if God doesn’t exist i’ve lost nothing but if he does I’m saved. kind of reminds me of a quote from Dracula where the lunatic Reihnhold is talking to dracula ns the doctor over hears him, he hears Reonhold talk of rewards and mutters “typically thinking of the loaves and fish for following”. I belive IF there is a God he’s be wise enough to know when people are uttering hollow prays to joi his club and have no real belif, IT’s a sad fact that I seam to have a higher opinion of God than many of the Christains who have used such arguments on me in the past.

    1. That argument is called ‘Pascal’s wager’, and it only has logical validity if you can control whether you actually believe or not (which I would say no-one can) and if there’s a simple dichotomy of beliefnon-belief; if there’s multiple flavours of belief available it doesn’t work.

  2. Pingback: Faith and healing, in which I discuss faith-healing, prayer and Christianity « OT on wheels

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