9
votes

The New Religion?

posted June 3, 2008 - 2:25am
The New Religion?

For most people, the idea of health care probably conjures up images of doctors and nurses working in surgeries and hospitals. However, the influence of medicine is no longer confined to merely treating the sick. Medical institutions are becoming increasingly powerful in influencing how people should or should not behave.< p>

In terms of social control and regulating behaviour, it seems to me that medicine is beginning to take over some of the functions previously associated with established religion and that the question of Good vs Evil is being replaced with the medical distinction of Healthy vs Unhealthy. They now preach to us like priests and prophets once did.

For example: demands to regulate sexual behaviour are now based less on the spiritual grounds of sinfulness and promiscuity and more on the medical grounds of threats to physical health like sexually transmitted diseases.

To continue this comparison: where religion promises damnation in the after-life for bad behaviour, medicine instead promises poor health and physical disability as punishment for wrong-doing. On the other hand, good behaviour like exercising and eating well is rewarded with good health.

It seems that medical institutions are becoming increasingly powerful by developing programmes that can be seen as a form of social control and this has serious ethical questions. Should they be allowed to continue? Should they be allowed this much control?

Author: taranitely
-A +A


Comments

The Other Religion is brought on by us.

eggsovresy - Sun, 2008-8-6 9:30 am
Ahh...The moment of God awareness Kjhak. We are around 10 years old when we come around to God awareness. And begin to decide to deny or accept it. This is the same for everybody. Even tribes in the remotest areas of the world who have no contact with modern day man at all. Come to a time of God awareness. And they have them. They can choose to believe or deny. There is more of how the Holy Spirit does this, but I won't get off the point with this though. Taranitely, The qoute you made...Basically it boils down to the question of "Is it protection or is it control?"...Is human view point. This stuff is all based on the person being controlled by the new religion, the self rightous system. Christianity is based on the fact we ARE products of our own DECISIONS. The point being here that one mate for life would stop the demand for the OTHER RELIGION. I know that is drastic in today's day and age but. Are we being so smart that we are creating our own supply and demand for this OTHER RELIGION? All the other stuff, Is an attack on family, lack of ability to have the capacity to have the character, VIRTUE to stay married. The lack of the ability to become friends before we marry. This keeps the love based on the person WHO is recieving this romantic love. Gee YOUR PRETTY, YOUR HOT, NICE ASS, SHE has a good job. LOOK AT what i am boning now... See RECIEVER not the giver. After a while it turns into... YOU'RE fat, YOUR boobs are sagging, YOU have cellulite on YOUR legs. YOU are'nt the same person i married. YOU, YOU, YOU, i want someone ELSE. This is an empty canteen, the thirst is never quenched, so we keep trying to quench it. Eventually we will drink bad water. Here comes the OTHER RELIGION. We all let everyone down one time or another. That is when a Christian SHOULD fall back to Impersonal love. I love you. not i love YOU. Emphasis is on the I not the you. In order for marriage or for one man to stay with one woman for life. HE or SHE must have this VIRTUE. Or WE will end up needing that OTHER RELIGION. http://www.xomba.com/how_to_make_a_state_to_blue Keep answering the question Taranitely. I couldn't give you another vote so I clicked the adds I am interested in! Bye young lady.

"Up until know, health care

Martin123 - Sun, 2008-8-6 8:58 am
"Up until know, health care was concerned with the biological treatment of disease" Not true, healthcare has been a lot more than that for a long time! As mentioned prevention is also treatment and it's not just to save future work for healthcare workers. This is based on knowledge and not belief "this is exactly how religion works. You don't have to listen, but you will be punished if you don't. I am merely drawing parallels" Your parallels are not valid. Medicine is rooted in an observable unchangeable reality, this approach is called a scientific approach and is a diametrical opposite to religion which is based in belief. You will be punished if you don't take care of your health yes, but that's you punishing yourself cause you know better. You KNOW the REALITIES of ignoring your own health about protection or control, in order to protect you need to control so there's your compromise, the purpose of religion and medicine are very different and so is the motivation to control so I wouldnt worry too much Last words: You are in control of you unless you let somebody else be

Yes it is

taranitely - Sun, 2008-8-6 8:27 am
Quote:Healthcare is a service you NEED so you have to compromise with the people offering these services. Up until know, health care was concerned with the biological treatment of disease. Now they are evolving to a new stage. Compromise has nothing to do with it: we didn't have to compromise before. I'm not saying that this change is necessarily a bad thing, just something that we have to be aware of so that they don't become too controlling. Quote:Or you can choose not to, nobody is twisting your arm to take care of your own health what you mention in your article is purely reccomendations if you want to follow them or not is entirely up to you. This is exactly how religion works. You don't have to listen, but you will be punished if you don't. I am merely drawing parallels. Basically the question boils down whether it will become protection or control, good or bad. It should also be said that allowing an institution too much power can be dangerous. Think of the Church in the Middle Ages. We don't want this to happen.

Follow my posts: taranitely

Prevention is also treatment

Martin123 - Sun, 2008-8-6 7:53 am
One very important difference between healthcare and religion is the that health gives observable results and that it is indeed necessary to save lives. "It seems that medical institutions are becoming increasingly powerful by developing programmes that can be seen as a form of social control and this has serious ethical questions. Should they be allowed to continue? Should they be allowed this much control?" Fisrt question: who are they? medical institutions in general? Is social control always bad? who's to say "they" shouldn't be allowed to continue? you can also take control of your own health and choose to neglect it if you so wish, but when youre nearing death because of your actions I'm guessing you would want help. Healthcare is a service you NEED so you have to compromise with the people offering these services. Or you can choose not to, nobody is twisting your arm to take care of your own health what you mention in your article is purely reccomendations if you want to follow them or not is entirely up to you.

I Remember the Question

taranitely - Sun, 2008-8-6 4:22 am
Basically it boils down to the question of "Is it protection or is it control?" Should the health care system stick to what they were doing and treat our biological problems or should they take a more proactive role and tell us what's good for us and what's bad for us? I don't have an answer to this. I am merely drawing a parallel between religion and how the health care system is trying to operate. As you will recall, Eggsoversy, I am trying to teach people to think about things and form their own opinions. That's why I posted this. And as for religion, Kjhack, it clearly has a lot of useful wisdom in it, regardless of whether you believe is was started by God or by people. Even non-believers should look to it as a source of guidance.

Follow my posts: taranitely

Here's a thought

kjhack - Sun, 2008-8-6 1:35 am
For example: demands to regulate sexual behaviour are now based less on the spiritual grounds of sinfulness and promiscuity and more on the medical grounds of threats to physical health like sexually transmitted diseases. Maybe the idea of making promiscuity taboo was about health from the very beginning. Perhaps some very smart and astute humans noticed that people who slept around a lot were getting these nasty diseases that eventually resulted in death. Oh they tried telling them that sleeping around wasn't good for them. "Hey, do you have any scientific data to back up that claim?" "Well...uhhh, no we don't." "Ha,ha,ha! I thought so! Well, I'm off to an orgy! Later!" So they thunk and they thunk...and one day it came to them. "You know, what if we invented some all powerful being that was responsible for all creation...and then we convinced everyone if they didn't follow his rules, they'd go to a horrible place of eternal torment when they die. We could make "promiscuity" a sin. That'll stop them from getting all those fatal diseases." So they really sold this idea, and created a whole religion to go with it. Soon, people everywhere were submitting to monogamy for fear that if they didn't, they'd wind up in a really, really nasty place when they died. The creators of this religion also included killing as a sin because they feared at the rate people were wiping each other out, the human race was in danger of extinction.

 
 

The other religion.

eggsovresy - Sun, 2008-8-6 12:56 am
Taranitely you started it. I hope you understand. quote... In terms of social control and regulating behaviour, it seems to me that medicine is beginning to take over some of the functions previously associated with established religion and that the question of Good vs Evil is being replaced with the medical distinction of Healthy vs Unhealthy. They now preach to us like priests and prophets once did. Not a bad argument to stand up for what you don't want to stop doing. The facts are. If you enter a mans house barefoot and he throws his robe around you and you're not married. You are putting scar tissue on your soul. In a perfect world we are not supposed to tell eachother...you're just like him or just like her. We are not supposed to know that. It is not the fact we are going to heck because we go behind the barn and act like married folks or like you said, because our behavior is bad. That's not the issue that gets us a trip to the hot spot. We are saved by Grace. God already knew what we will do. It is not a surprise. The problem is the scar tissue that these young people are putting on their souls. That is the problem young lady. Scar tissue is tougher than skin. After awhile it is hard to get down to the person. As far as control. Who controls who? We are products of our own decisions. Justify bad human decisions. Than we will be writing things like this to justify why we should'nt have to be controlled by the health care system even though we have to go see them. The bible compares this to the donkey in the wilderness with her nose in the air. She will come into season and take others. But still she will be looking for the scent of her favorite. Another comparrison is to an empty cistern of water. You go to drink but you stay thirsty. The thirst is never quenched. There is a whole plan on this. Right man right woman. If you want more ask. You started it. Take care Taranitely. Your the best. I voted for this it made me think ps. remember my question taranitely? http://www.xomba.com/political_boxers

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