Gothards's views on Holistic Medicine

[ninth doctor]

I would to hear from anyone on Gothard's fear of modern medicine and his unusual approach to OT passages regarding food.Bill's teachings seem to have produced yet another subculture of vitamin pushers and "muscle testers". Any opinions or experiences?

[Been There]

From what I can tell (from my years in ATI) he seems to view the Old Testament as very relevant to a beleiver's life.  His view of grace is that we are still under the law, rather than the other way around.  This has led to his strange beleifs regarding food (I'm still not sure where he came up with the 12 slices of bread a day - that many carbs a day would make me fatter than I ever want to be).  As far as modern medicine, I'm not sure why he distrusts it so much.  I know my mother would be dead if she hadn't gone to the doctor regarding her ovarian cancer...thank God she didn't listen to him.

[ninth doctor]

Received some information called Total Health Conference.I cannot believe anybody could take this nonsense seriously.In classic BG isogesis we are now taught that there are underlying spiritual causes to many physical ailments.Osteoporosis is caused by envy[Proverbs14:30]Bitterness will affect digestion[Proverbs 15:17]and of course that universal cause of all health problems[drumroll please]the dreaded unconfessed sin.

         The brochure also quotes Mark 5:26 as if it were a proof text that modern medicine is "worldly" and not to be trusted by those who are "walking with the Lord".The baloney factory is hiring this summer

[Calmate]

Gothard's teachings feed distrust for modern medicine.  This can lead to some potentially dangerous situations in which people try to cure problems they are not qualified to diagnose or treat.  I remember my brother having a long and frustrating conversation with my mom who was convinced that orange juice and Echinacea can cure anything--even the Ebola virus!  

[spitfire1979]

You're kidding!  Wow.  When we were in ATIA we knew a doctor who turned his practice pretty much over to the pastor of their Gothard-centric church.  The pastor went through his medical books and not only tore out the "inappropriate" pictures (in a medical textbook!) but also forbade this man from attending medical conferences.  My parents took me to see him when I started getting hives when exposed to cold.  The "doctor" did nothing but warn me against taking steroids.  His explanation?  "Most doctors will advise you to take steroids for this allergy.  But the part of you that counteracts with steroids is referred to in God's Word as your 'spirit'.  The Bible says don't quench the spirit.  Therefore I advise you not to take steroids.  Just keep all covered up."  My mom is a nurse and thought this was the craziest load of shizzle she's ever heard, so we left and went to one of those "other doctors".  I got treated and don't have much trouble with it anymore. The docotr later left the Gothard church and practices "secular" medicine now.

[encourager]

I find this thread very interesting. I know there are those outside of Gothard's camp who try to avoid modern medicine and go to strictly to natural remedies. I am not saying they are wrong in doing so, but yet I don't believe anyone should be condemned for going to a medical doctor.

There are many purists out there that don't want foreign chemicals in their body. I understand where they are coming from. They have valid arguments, but yet on the other hand I don't believe it is wrong or sinful to seek advice from a medical doctor especially if you need surgery or have a serious health condition.

[granolagoddess]

This phenomenon is what I was referring to in another post somewhere else ont he forum. What is this total disregard for logic? It is like the people who believe in alien abduction...if you can't prove it scientifically or impirically, then is surely must be true!!! LOL. How can one "prove" disease is caused by unconfessed sin? This reaks of the mormon teaching of "burning in the bosom," or a feeling governing your understanding of reality. Geez. We mislead ourselves all of the time. This is so stupid.

[Calmate]

By the way, does anyone have any personal experiences with Gothard's Basic Carre Bulletins?  My mom got caught up in this Witch Doctery and had the family convinced that  modern medicine was inferior to natural remedies.  She has frequent headaches that have go untreated, as well as mood swings and depression.  She had a hysterectomy reversed, not to have children, but out of conviction to Gothard's medical principles.  Today my parents have no health care, because they can't afford it.  Last time I spoke to my dad he said that mom was keeping them all healthy through home cooked meals and natural foods.  What about the family history of high blood pressure, stroke, cancer, migraines, and depression?  Take a little echinacea and cayan pepper and everything will be alright.

[granolagoddess]

Calmate, you cannot have a hysterectomy reversed! It means you have most if not all of your reproductive organs removed! Are you talking about a tubal ligation? That can be reversed, and involves the fallopian tubes.

[Calmate]

*Snicker!* Well, I'm embarrassed.  Yes, it must have been the tubal thing.  See, Gothard's medical education worked!  Either that or I'm shamelessly ignorant of women's medical issues.  

Sooooo, has anyone actually brought suit against Gothard's organization for bad medical information or advice?  i.e. "You heartless @+$*! told me to take herbs for my gallstones instead of having them removed and look what happened!"

[granolagoddess]

Too funny...time for someone to take a remedial sex education course!

[ninth doctor]

Calmate,I have seen the influence of Gothard's Basic Scare Bulletins.They have a produced a small and misguided group of individuals who are trying to turn churches into distribution centers for every vitamin and crackpot remedy known to man.For someone who is so obsessed with authority you might ask Bill what he thinks of so many people practicing medicine without legal permission.
  Some of the things these people believe are so ridiculous that I need every last bit of self control just to keep from laughing.Ask one of these quacks to explain how "muscle testing" works.Let them tell you about the evils of sugar and microwave ovens and eating pork.Visit them in their homes and see 77 vitamins spread out over their dining room tables.Try to be objective as they drone on about Ear Candling and Iridlogy.Oh and be sure to learn all you can about "toxins" and how mercury fillings cause so many diseases.

[granolagoddess]

Well, 9th, I know a helluva lot of people, in general, sho put stock in those very remedies and concepts. Scientifically, the only one I can defend is the Micro wave thing...and only to say that it cuts doen on the nutrition in foods. I took a nutritiona course, and they have a table that shows the difference in the nutrients between steaming or microwaving veggies....also they say you should not micrwave breast milk...it kills nutrients as well. But here in Seattle, all of that new age stuff is very very popular. I have a friedn, sho is an acupuncturist, and she deos muscle testing all the time, as swell as avoids dairy and would probably do ear candleing. Seems Gothard thninks he thought this stuff up!

[Calmate]

The worst of the worst, in my opinion, is homeopathic remedies.  While Gothard doesn't teach these directly (as far as I am aware), his general "anti-medical establishment" views lead people to embrace alternative "medicine" wholeheartedly.  I cringed when my dad said was seeing a homeopathic doctor for his high blood pressure.  

James Randi did an excellent expose of homeopathy a few years ago here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=BWE1tH93G9U

[steph.]

"In classic BG isogesis we are now taught that there are underlying spiritual causes to many physical ailments.Osteoporosis is caused by envy[Proverbs14:30]Bitterness will affect digestion[Proverbs 15:17]and of course that universal cause of all health problems[drumroll please]the dreaded unconfessed sin.

The brochure also quotes Mark 5:26 as if it were a proof text that modern medicine is "worldly" and not to be trusted by those who are "walking with the Lord".

He should probably throw out the hair dye then. After all these years of falsifying his appearance, who *knows* what kinds of horrible diseases he's nurturing!