Re: [asa] Re: [asa] Re: [asa] Christianity: “balance?” of truth and solace

I realize now how pointed my criticism was -- having forgotten about
professional clergy among us. But you respond fairly and graciously enough -- I
don't envy your difficult positions when you feel the pressures of the laity (or
 your peers as well) to give a certain message that you may discern is not Truth.

Iain, the placebo effect has been taken (by one Christian doctor at least --
Paul Brand) as evidence of the God-given power of our own minds to influence our
bodies. He finds it no less wonderful or miraculous that our bodies are
designed to heal themselves most of the time (and our minds are, after all, part
of that same body.) Yet to apply that to Christianity is, I think, fraught with
danger. If it is a placebo to you, then it isn't faith in God any more. Our
concern has to stay down at the level of "Is this really true?". As I see it,
we aren't permitted to operate (can't?) on the level of "Would it be good to
accept this as true regardless of the question of its actual truth.?" I wonder
if too many Christians are trying to dabble in the second -- which flies in the
face of Christian faith, I think.

--Merv

Quoting Iain Strachan <igd.strachan@gmail.com>:

> On 4/6/07, Michael Roberts <michael.andrea.r@ukonline.co.uk> wrote:
> >
> > This is very close to my practise too and I have done a funeral of a
> > non-church member last week and another in ten days. I say a few things
> > about the deceased and then some Christian comment but not say Fred who
> > never showed any interest in worship has been let through the pearly
> > gates.
> > However I do give some Christian proclamation - low key - either
> > expounding
> > a passage often John 14 or explaining the gospel in the hymns they
> > chose..
> >
> > Terry will tell us we are off-topic. However we must make clear that the
> > Gospel can only give solace if it is true.
>
>
>
> Michael,
>
> I don't know if I can agree with that last statement. For example, in
> medicine, the placebo effect is well-known and well documented. For a new
> drug to become accepted in trials, in not only has to be shown to give an
> improvement in the patient's condition, but it also has to be shown to do
> significantly better than a placebo drug that is administered in a
> double-blind trial. The plain fact is that people often get better after
> administration of a placebo treatment (which should have no effect at all),
> simply because they believe that the treatment they receive is doing them
> some good. The same argument could equally be applied to religious beliefs
> giving solace. Just because a placebo makes you feel better doesn't prove
> that the placebo is genuinely effective. By the same token it could be
> argued that religious faith gives you solace, but that in turn doesn't prove
> that it's true.
>
> Perhaps it goes against the grain as a Christian to say this, but I've seen
> enough papers that show beyond much doubt that the placebo effect is "real".
>

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Received on Sat Apr 7 00:41:43 2007