God Over Doctors-Proof The Chapmans Are NOT Good People

[debrand]

http://i78sign.com/index.php?option=com ... &Itemid=40

Because we were discussing the Chapmans on another thread, I googled the family.

Above is an interesting article. The mother discovered a lump on her newborn's stomach. The doctor sent the family to specialists because he was concerned.

I’ll never forget the ride home from the pediatrician’s office. I sat in the back seat next to Joshua’s car seat just so I could hold his little hand. I knew in my heart that God was in control of every aspect of our lives, but I also knew that there are trials we all must face and this could be mine. “I will trust and not be afraid,†I quoted over and over to myself as tears slid down my cheeks. What a blessing to catch my husband’s face in the rearview mirror and see no fear there, no panic, no doubt—only peace and even joy as he whistled a hymn. This was such a comfort to me. “We will believe God,†he said, “and not a doctor.â€

What the hell? I understand that some people appear outwardly calm; however, I would be outraged if my husband told me that we were trusting god not a doctor. What does that even mean? There was no contradiction between what the doctor asked and what the family thought god wanted. They aren't being asked to go against their beliefs in seeing a specialist.

It’s called a Cord Lipoma,†the surgeon explained as he drew us a diagram detailing the inside of the abdomen. “We recommend that you have the hernia repaired and the Lipoma removed at the same time.†He explained that it was not painful and rarely dangerous, but could cause problems later on. He scheduled surgery for 2 weeks later. “Thank you Jesus!†my heart sang all the way home. Our specific prayer had been answered, but God was not finished yet.

About 3 days before the surgery my husband bought a newspaper to use as an object lesson in the children’s class he would be teaching at church. “Find an article about the flu,†he told me. When I found the article and began reading it to him, we learned all about the terrible flu epidemic of the season, the many children that had died from it and the overflowing hospital emergency rooms. “I don’t think we should take Joshua in for surgery; he could catch the flu—or worse. God can totally heal him. Let’s believe God,†my husband said.

At first I was relieved that they were getting help for the child. Now, I am amazed at the father's manipulation and the mother's stupidity. Why did she think that he asked her to read about the flu? He knew ahead of time that he was going to use that as an excuse to not seek treatment of the newborn. He was using the baby to prove how godly his faith was to his friends and family.

About 3 days before the surgery my husband bought a newspaper to use as an object lesson in the children’s class he would be teaching at church. “Find an article about the flu,†he told me. When I found the article and began reading it to him, we learned all about the terrible flu epidemic of the season, the many children that had died from it and the overflowing hospital emergency rooms. “I don’t think we should take Joshua in for surgery; he could catch the flu—or worse. God can totally heal him. Let’s believe God,†my husband said.

“Amen,†I thought. God had proven himself faithful already so we cancelled the surgery. Though Joshua had more than a few crying spells over the next 6 weeks, the hernia never protruded again, though I checked for it and the Lipoma cyst every time I bathed him or changed his diaper. I was monitoring that cyst to make sure it wasn’t growing. One evening as I was dressing Joshua for bed, my hand automatically reached to feel the cyst. As I searched and checked for it, my heart began to race. Where was it? I pushed and probed his belly until he began to giggle but there was no cyst there! I called down the stairs to my husband, “Come quickly!†Together we felt and felt for the cord Lipoma, but it was gone—completely gone! We poured out our hearts in praise and thanksgiving to our Lord Jesus and, “We will believe you, God,†echoed in my mind.

My grandmother always said that god protects fools and little children. If there is a god, he was working overtime with this family.

Luckily, the article was written in 2003 and the child is alive. Hopefully, he did not suffer much.

Someone posted in the other thread, that the Chapmans were good people. This story proves that the father is manipulative and the mother is a follower who puts her husband's word above her kids' lives.

[dairyfreelife]

Morons should know that if they refuse their child treatment and that child dies, they will be prosecuted for it and rightly so. A refusal to get treatment for a religious belief is subjecting someone else to harm as a result. Don't want treatment for yourself-fine, but you cannot physically harm someone else because of your beliefs.

[luckylibrarian]

Are these Chapmans related to Mathew and Maranatha Chapman?

[debrand]

Are these Chapmans related to Mathew and Maranatha Chapman?

I don't know but that is an excellent question. I will do a search on google to find out.

[debrand]

I don't know but that is an excellent question. I will do a search on google to find out.

Although I did a search, I could not find anything. Susan and her husband, Jeff, dress in Amish type clothing, while Mathew and Marantha aren't quite so severe looking.

Apparently, someone who knows them reads here. Maybe that person could tell us if there is a connection and let us know if their baby had any problems from the hernia.

[kb2]

Pfft, it was a lipoma and an umbilical hernia. Excuse me while I am unimpressed that something "rarely dangerous" turned out to be non-dangerous in this case, and also the vast majority of similar cases. The lipoma was probably only ever going to be removed for cosmetic reasons, and the way they describe the hernia makes it sound pretty minor. I don't think it's wrong to want to delay surgery until a situation declares itself as being more or less concerning, but I hate how this situation is supposed to be applied to other people. A hernia that reduces itself is different from a hernia that doesn't reduce is different from abdominal pain from a hernia. A superficial lipoma is different from an intra-abdominal mass. True story: once I broke a toe and didn't seek any medical treatment, and it turned out completely OK. I didn't pray about it or anything, and my body just fixed it. That doesn't mean I go around claiming my broken bone was miraculously healed--it means broken toes are no big deal. (I'm also not an athlete and don't rely on my toes for my livelihood, so even if it did heal a little dinky I wouldn't notice.) I'm going to go have faith that my paper cut will heal now. But I'm not going to use its disappearance as a sign that my friend who just sliced her hand with a cleaver should just pray about it.

[Vex]

That makes me so angry.

Maybe, just MAYBE, God was the one who led you to the surgeon? Maybe God wanted to heal your child through the hand of the freaking person qualified to not just remove the lipoma and repair the hernea, but to look inside your child and make sure there was nothing else wrong in there? Maybe you could have placed your faith in God that your son would be healed and wouldn't catch the flu - he wouldn't be anywhere near the ER, after all. Yes, ER patients spread the flu like crazy (in crappy hospitals, anyway - the hospitals where I've gone to the ER have all had huge signs up at sign-in with a list of flu symptoms, requiring that anyone with any of those symptoms wear masks and wait in a different area), but he was going in for minor surgery and would have been in recovery, then maybe kept in pediatrics for observation before being sent home - no contact with flu patients required. Personally, I have never once been to a hospital where you had to walk through the main doors to get to triage/the ER. In my experience, hospitals always have a different entrance for ER patients.

When you go in for surgery, your main concern should be contracting staph (or hospital strains of staph if you're especially unlucky). I'm sure the number of cases of the flu spreading through surgery patients is very, very different to the numbers who caught and spread the flu through ERs.

Why is their take on it almost never that God heals through surgeons? Are they so proud that they can't admit their God has the power to work through science and the faithless? Why do they always think Satan is more powerful than God? It baffles me.

I've always grown up hearing God protects fools and children to, so I'm going to agree that if there is a God, he puts in overtime with fundies - on both counts.

[AudreyE]

I would like to comment, but I feel kind of dizzy and nauseous right now.

On the plus side, if they believe God does not work through our intelligence and our experience, then they must be very Godly.

[Childless]

I had an umbilical hernia repaired last May. Doc says I'd probably had it since birth, just never noticed it. My pregnancy made it bigger and when my son got long enough to be able to kick it when I held him, it was painful. I went in for an outpatient surgery and (shocker) did not end up with the flu. I was back to normal and not in pain anymore in a matter of a few days. I can't believe these people weren't willing to get their son a simple procedure to fix the hernia. What terrible parents. I feel bad that this poor kid got stuck with them.

[pixydust]

Wait, a hernia in a baby fixed its self? No freaking way! My daughter had a huge hernia as a baby, the Dr said to leave it alone, it'll prob go away, if it's still there at 2 we would do surgery.....well, it was gone in a couple of months. Hernias go away, life goes on.

[Elle]

Yeah, a mild condition that would have only needed surgery to help healing along. A doctor recommending surgery for a mild condition that likely wouldn't have needed surgery at all doesn't mean a miracle happened.

[mockingbird]

I would totally support their decision if they looked into the options and then decided not to take action yet but that isn't what happened. Fundy medical practices... :doh: