notMichaelJackson

A common arguement made by my fellow theists is that there must be a God because a few cancer patients have been cured overnight. I have heard this arguement twice.

The first time I responded "Well, they probably weren't ill to begin with." All I was given in response was a long rant against science.

The second time I hear it, I gave the same reply, only I was told that there were in fact cases of people with "Stage 4" cancer who had mysteriously been cured.

I am skeptical of this proof. I wonder if these rare and sudden "miracles" couldn't simply be strange physiological reactions to tumors and such. An anology to this would be early humans and lightning. The early humans did not understand how lightning came to be, so they assumed that a god must have caused it. Similarly, there could be a scientific explaination for the cancer patients who are suddenly cured, but modern medicine just can't explain it yet.

Any thoughts?

diana

Whereever cancer goes into spontaneous remission, there's someone thanking his god for it. I think devnet's Argument from Nonsystematic Fate is particularly strong against such presumed miracles. (I don't have the link at the moment, but I suspect he'll be happy to pop by and provide it.)

Arguing that there must be a god because someone you know recovered from his cancer is not unlike thanking a god for saving your friend from a plane crash while 500 other innocents perished.

Such an argument leans heavily on confirmation bias for support.

d

Vicar Philip

My boss used the same tactic to partially explain his faith. He claimed some friend of his family had a large tumor show up in an MRI scan, and when the surgeons went in to remove it, it was gone.

Even if god HAD intervened, why would he arbitrarily choose one person over another? Or is this yet another case of "god's divine plan?" Please.

Dr Rick

[COLOR=seagreen]Though there are very rare cases of spontaneous remissions with some types of cancers such as melanomas and hydronephromas (specific types of skin and kidney cancers, respectively), the overwhelming majority of people with a diagnosis of cancer die without treatment. That a few people are an exception to a general rule is not a persuasive case for the presence of divine intervention.

The "goddidit" explanation for these very, very rare examples leaves tens of thousands of cancers that do not go away for each one that did. Most people are theists, and almost everyone of them prays for a miracle after being advised of a terminal prognosis and yet go on to die of cancer, anyways. If one wishes to ascribe the rare good outcomes to a god, one must also be prepared to explain why he lets the vast majority die despite the heartfelt pleas of victims and their friends and families.

Rick

luvluv

message edited 12/26/02 by B.H.

notMichaelJackson

message edited by B.H. 12/26/02

notMichaelJackson

(message edited by B.H. Manners 12/26/02)

notMichaelJackson

All comments meant in good will.

B. H. Manners

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cricket

Not only that, slowly He healed Helen Setterfield's knee.