Here's a horrifyingly offensive t-shirt!

[Mudball]

Oh He can? What a shame HE doesn't more often. I know, how about we stick to chemo and radiation and HE can pay the medical bills?

[Rescinded and Mended]

I wonder how the truly devout bridge this particular divide. If they believe God can heal cancer, then why do some people die? Why do children die?

Do the people who designed this t-shirt have any idea how offensive it is to those who have lost loved ones to this cruel disease?

[lawfulevil]

My favorite Jesus joke is still: And the Lord said unto John, "Come forth and receive eternal life." But John came fifth and won a toaster.

[salex]

While I am fortunate not to know many "pray and it will be all better" people in real life, I have a fakebook account that I have to follow the blogs we snark on. I have accumulated a few friends are apparently follow the blogs for real, and so I get page after page of pithy platitudes about prayer, and occasionally, I ask "Why, if so many thousands of people are praying for peace in the middle east and have been for years, is there no peace in the middle east?" "Why when an entire church prays for weeks for a person to be healed of xyz, is the person not healed." "If God is unchanging, why do people think they can change his mind or get him to do something for them?" "Does the clay tell or ask the potter how to form it?"

I get the standard answers "God's answer to prayer is "yes, no, or wait" I have not yet said "same results as if you don't pray?"

[Lynni87]

It makes me angry sometimes when people can't offer any words of comfort other than "I'll pray for you" or "Keep praying and things will get better."

A few years ago, a man went missing from a town I had lived in for a while before it happened. I noticed that after a few weeks of searching and he still hadn't been found, quite a lot of people were telling his children on facebook that if they just prayed enough, God would bring him home and everything would be ok. A few months later he was found dead. I can't believe anyone would say something like that in such a situation. I just hope very much that those children don't feel like it was somehow their fault because they didn't pray enough... :(

[moodygirl86]

It makes me angry sometimes when people can't offer any words of comfort other than "I'll pray for you" or "Keep praying and things will get better."

A few years ago, a man went missing from a town I had lived in for a while before it happened. I noticed that after a few weeks of searching and he still hadn't been found, quite a lot of people were telling his children on facebook that if they just prayed enough, God would bring him home and everything would be ok. A few months later he was found dead. I can't believe anyone would say something like that in such a situation. I just hope very much that those children don't feel like it was somehow their fault because they didn't pray enough... :(

That's a horrible position to put someone in, especially innocent children.

[GolightlyGrrl]

notw.com/products/guys-shirts-heal-cancer-334546/

Seriously, I can't even imagine being someone who lost a family member to cancer or was dying of cancer myself and seeing someone wearing that shirt.

I would be PISSED beyond belief.

I hate how fucking obvious, and at the same time, oblivious, some Christians can be. Their lack of empathy combined with arrogance just pisses me off. I must be PMSing, but I'm feeling so stabby right now. I need to go take a deep breath.

[Maggie Mae]

Can someone please link the image? I can't copy and paste from tapatalk. It's not a blog so why break link?

[Katie Scarlett]

quite a lot of people were telling his children on facebook that if they just prayed enough, God would bring him home and everything would be ok. A few months later he was found dead. I can't believe anyone would say something like that in such a situation. I just hope very much that those children don't feel like it was somehow their fault because they didn't pray enough... :(

That really pisses me off.

Just had to emerge from my lurkdom to say that.

[FloraKitty35]

My all time favorite is one I saw years ago, that says "Jesus is Coming" in large block letters. And underneath, in slightly smaller letters was "(Look Busy)."

My favorite is "Jesus Loves You....Everyone Else Thinks You're An Asshole".

[apple1]

They also told me that God doesn't hand me anymore than I can take.

I HATE that statement.

As a Christian (not fundie), I say, first of all that is not found anywhere in the Bible (i.e. Christian scripture), nor in the teachings of Jesus.

And as a BC survivor of a number of years (now as "cured" as one can know) - I heard this many times when I was going through treatment (chemo and surgeries). The best thing I know to say about it is that a whole lot of people don't really know (some don't try) anything else to say, so this pops out of their mouth. It sure isn't helpful, especially at the more difficult times.

FTR - I do believe that prayer was helpful. There is more to treatment and wellness than chemo and surgery. At the very least, it may - at least by some - be an indicator of caring and support (it was for me) - and that is also important.

[GolightlyGrrl]

If only she had a t-shirt, her daughter might still be alive.

theimmoralminority.blogspot.com/2014/09/mother-whose-daughter-died-of-cancer.html

[DGayle]

prayfordaisy.com/

Daisy, daughter of a pastor, was diagnosed with cancer when she was 5. She went into remission, and cancer was back a month later. During that second time, she said, "People are only one times important and God is like a thousand million billion googolplex important." She went into remission again. A year later, the cancer was back. Then she died when she was 8.

Where did her family go wrong that god let their young daughter die?

prayforkate.com/

Not long before Daisy was diagnosed the first time, Kate was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor. They are recurrent and metastatic. Her family has been very faithful to god, and Kate herself asked that Christmases be a drive for the things other families dealing with cancer need instead of asking for gifts for herself. This will be the fifth year she's celebrating Jesus's birthday by doing for others. She's 9, and this last week more cancerous tumors were found after remission.

Where has she and her family gone wrong that "He can heal cancer," but is probably going to let another child die?

[BeaSnarky]

I am a Christian, but not fundie in any part. I believe in the power of prayer in that it can be comforting. At least in my situation, (Stage 3 endometrial cancer with a total hysterectomy the week AFTER we decided to try to get pregnant) it was comforting for people to say, "I'm praying for you" because it meant they were supporting me in their own way. That I can get on board with.

My response to people who say, "I prayed but they died anyway - so how does that work" is simply this - we aren't privy to God's plan. God answers every prayer, but not always the way we want Him to."

The most repulsive thing I hear is So and So lost their battle with {insert disease here}. In my case, my cancer fight was HUGE, and I can say I'm cancer free. Does that mean my sister who had ovarian cancer and lost her life after six short months, or my father who had colon cancer who passed away when I was 17 months old didn't fight as hard? No. They still won their battles.

[ButterscotchEquinox]

I am a Christian, but not fundie in any part. I believe in the power of prayer in that it can be comforting. At least in my situation, (Stage 3 endometrial cancer with a total hysterectomy the week AFTER we decided to try to get pregnant) it was comforting for people to say, "I'm praying for you" because it meant they were supporting me in their own way. That I can get on board with.

My response to people who say, "I prayed but they died anyway - so how does that work" is simply this - we aren't privy to God's plan. God answers every prayer, but not always the way we want Him to."

The most repulsive thing I hear is So and So lost their battle with {insert disease here}. In my case, my cancer fight was HUGE, and I can say I'm cancer free. Does that mean my sister who had ovarian cancer and lost her life after six short months, or my father who had colon cancer who passed away when I was 17 months old didn't fight as hard? No. They still won their battles.

Hi BeaSnarky, I am hoping you might explain to me what you mean by the last few sentences. I've heard that phrase so often ("lost the battle with") and I guess I'm thinking of it in a very concrete manner. Do you mean something akin to fighting is winning, no matter the outcome? A spiritual win? I'm just interested in hearing this from a new (and admittedly more personal) perspective. Thanks.

[Phoenix]

Wow... it would be really hard to come up with a more offensive and painful t-shirt intentionally!

Once had the best friend of a relative dying of cancer tell me I was having a crisis of faith because I knew they were going to die. I was furious because I fully believed God could have healed my family member if he wanted to, the problem was the answer was no. Three days after the fight my family member died.

There was nothing wrong with my faith. I simply used my brain and saw recovery wasn't going to happen. :angry-banghead:

[antwan]

Doesn't bother me at all that some believe God can and does heal cancer. Others believe doctors can and do. Some believe in the power of positive energy, dietary and lifestyle changes, etc., to heal. And still others believe it's entirely random. To each his own.

[BeaSnarky]

Hi BeaSnarky, I am hoping you might explain to me what you mean by the last few sentences. I've heard that phrase so often ("lost the battle with") and I guess I'm thinking of it in a very concrete manner. Do you mean something akin to fighting is winning, no matter the outcome? A spiritual win? I'm just interested in hearing this from a new (and admittedly more personal) perspective. Thanks.

As a cancer survivor, and as someone who has lost my sister and my father to cancer, and watched my other sister go through it, to hear someone say, "She lost her battle with cancer" is a striking blow. Because to me, the cancer doesn't get to win. We are fighters..and we battle the disease until we can battle now more, and then when we chose to no longer battle, we win by letting go.

Cancer should never be given the power to win. Never, not ever.

[BeaSnarky]

Doesn't bother me at all that some believe God can and does heal cancer. Others believe doctors can and do. Some believe in the power of positive energy, dietary and lifestyle changes, etc., to heal. And still others believe it's entirely random. To each his own.

For me, it's both. I believe in God, and in His infinite wisdom. I believe that he has given scientists the smarts and the knowledge to develop drugs and treatments. I also believe what is His plan, is His plan. My belief saw me through some of the worst days of my life...and my doctor saw to it that I had the treatment I need.

But I don't think that for one minute, if I hadn't gone to the doctor, that God would have cured my cancer. Because he gives us free will to make decisions. And I chose to get treated. If I hadn't I wouldn't be alive now.