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Re: Christianity and traditional medicine

Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2017 5:44 pm
by Hats Off
Wade, I am glad that we agree; the problem is with the words we use. I will have to rethink the terms I use when I am trying to explain medical practices that are problematic.

I regularly use an Asian product called Tiger Balm which uses products like menthol and camphor plus some Chinese herbs that I don't know what they are. I use it for muscle aches and headaches - it is an Asian product that uses natural ingredients and I do not consider it bad.

Re: Christianity and traditional medicine

Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2017 10:42 pm
by RZehr
Wade wrote: This I believe is where the problem lies... I had not heard people lump together using things like Aloe Vera plants which is natural medicine and occult practices being called natural medicine until I heard and read Mennonite literature.

Why do you call natural or alternative medicine practices occult or witchcraft?

And why don't Mennonites call natural medicine natural medicine and withcraft witchcraft?

I don't call my cat a dog and neither do I call my dog a cat!

Again, am I dense or is Roger calling natural medicine which is a natural product created by God - witchcraft? And then describing witchcraft after saying natural medicine and calling it witchcraft...

I think I would agree completely with Roger if he used terminology that was appropriate.

Again I never heard these occult practices called natural or alternative medicine until Mennonites called occult practices alternative or natural medicine.

They are not natural so why are you calling them that...?
We use this terminology because that is what the Plain people who are using witchcraft call it. The people that use witchcraft know that witchcraft is sin, the Bible is very clear on this. So they cannot call it witchcraft and they call it “natural” instead thereby successfully redefining the term in such a way that makes their position much easier to defend, or at minimum obfuscate the subject until everyone loses interest.

I firmly believe that Mennonite resistance to natural medicines are simply because they don’t believe they work that well, and not because we think natural = witchcraft.

It is the mixture of the two that is problematic.