Re: Why I am not an Atheist

Bill Hamilton (hamilton@predator.cs.gmr.com)
Thu, 11 Apr 1996 08:06:40 -0400

Scott A. Oakman wrote:

>Now do I care *how* it happened? Was it a snap of the fingers and divine
>fiat?
>A reconstruction of her antigenic makeup to remove the offending
>cross-reactivity? A change in some population of self-reactive leukocytes? A
>divine command to tissue to repair itself? These all are largely questions of
>secondary causation.

When I was a new Christian a number of issues bothered me. One was the
issue of demons. A person would engage in bizarre behavior. Psychiatrists
would declare mental illness due to a chemical imbalance. Christians would
suspect demon possession. One day it occurred to me that demons may work
by, among other things, influencing chemical balances. If that's true,
there is a place for psychiatrists treating mental illness with drugs. But
if the cause of a particular mental condition is spiritual, there is a
requirement that Christians get at the spiritual issues -- demon possession
or sin.

Bill Hamilton | Chassis & Vehicle Systems
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