I have several Catholic friends that have the mentality above.
It is entirely logical to be somewhat skeptical of the pronouncements of modern medicine. Far too often their confidently presented “facts” turn out to be no such thing. Sometimes later evidence determines that an earlier claim was in fact the opposite of the truth. And, of course, even this later evidence may turn out to not be the whole truth on the subject.
However.
WAY too many people have no idea that there is nothing in the entire world more natural than dying young and in agony from a bacterial infection easily cured with modern antibiotics. Or contracting and dying from a disease easily prevented by the evil and unnatural vaccination process.
My friend falls into the category discussed in this article. More accurately, he used to.
Several years ago he contracted an (entirely natural) intestinal infection while vacationing in Central America. For over a year he minimized antibiotics and other modern medical treatment, attempting to deal with the situation with meditation, herbs, diet, etc. He got worse and worse.
Then one evening his bowel ruptured and he had to have emergency surgery to remove the entire thing and install a colostomy. He “died” twice on the operating table.
Since then he pays a lot more attention to modern medicine, but what a way to learn a lesson!
‘Many non-Christians are well-versed in Natural knowledge, so they can detect vast ignorance in such a Christian and laugh it to scorn. ‘
Oh really? The ‘many’ non-Christians I know arent well versed in science esp those who are liberals. The Bible says the beginning of knowledge and wisdom is the fear of the Lord. Today’s science feels it knows all but anyone w/ a functioning brain knows differently. We know some things but its certainly not the full picture and is incomplete. Anyone who is scorning has no clue what theyre talking about. In fact its their object to belittle and not have an honest debate.
It’s fairly pervasive in the protestant churches, at least in the Madison area. I blame Amway and the like.
So now Catholics don’t believe in dentistry or nutrition or polio shots. Gee, I learn so much here every day. Of course, every day at FR you can find some non-Catholic claiming that 600,000 people will be dead in America of Ebola by December and vaccines are evil and cause autism.
The writer conflates conformity with accepted science to conformity with the Christian faith. See here for the money quote:
The danger is obvious-- the failure to conform interpretation to demonstrated knowledge opens the interpreter, and by extension, Christianity as a whole, to ridicule for being unlearned. All right, so St. Augustine didn't say "science, nutrition, and medicine," he said "the meaning of scripture." More and more, religious people are...rejecting science and modern medicine -- not some of it, but all of it.I think the author is making this too big of a deal. Ridicule is an emotionally powerful but intellectually empty weapon. What would the alternative be - removing any personal choice re medicine and nutrition to avoid being laughed at, in favor of compulsion and coercion towards "acceptable" science?
The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him.
And he said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God."
-- Luke 16:14-15Better is a dinner of herbs where love is
than a fattened ox and hatred with it.
-- Proverbs 15:17
Several viewpoints are raised in the article. Can you clarify your question? What do you mean by "the mentality above"?
Pharmaceutical companies do not have a monopoly on science.
Nutrition???? The government has been feeding us bogus "science" on nutrition for over 40 years. Even though it has been thourouly debunked the USDA still pushes their high carb "food pyramid" as the model of nutrition
I think it should be noted that these attitudes are probably even more common among New Age types that reject Christianity than among Catholics or other Christians.
Just last week at Mass I had a friend come up to me and recommend this documentary about geocentrism. I don't know what I did to bring that on, but there it is.
It's not often appreciated that the theory of geocentrism was a scientific...yes...*scientific* theory that a) worked, in the sense that you could predict the motions of the planets and stars accurately, and b) that had been around for so long (over 1000 years) that it became theologized. The science gave rise to the theology not the other way round. And the lesson I take from the Galileo case is exactly the opposite of what a lot of folks take from it--namely that Catholics ought not to get too attached to scientific theories.
And on Simcha's comments re: vaccines and stuff...yeah, sorry, no sale. Scientists in this area (I'm looking at you CDC) are trying to claim not only that vaccines are good, but that *their particular schedule* must be adhered to. No, sorry. I have enough bio training to know that everything you do is a cost-benefit analysis, and if the benefit or potential benefit of the vaccine is not enough to warrant assuming the risk of the cost (which is printed in black and white on every vaccine label), then I ain't getting the vaccine, I don't give a flying flip WHAT the CDC says.
But yet this attitude is construed by some Catholics I know as "anti-science". Bah!
Worry about your salvation first and foremost folks. Science will sort itself out.
In general, I agree with the author. Not just Catholics, but everyone should be informed, thoughtful, properly skeptical, and so on, regarding medicine (science, nutrition, etc.). However, in many cases, the available, apparently trustworthy information is conflicting.
You just have to do the best you can with what you have to work with, and (one of her strongest points) don’t get in too much of a fuss over it, or over what other people are doing.
However, she doesn’t add much by setting herself up as an authority on “good” science. At the end she gives a list of “good” information sources ... but why should we trust her judgment any more than anyone else’s?