Fear

[andrew50]

Judging by that peal of demonic laughter, it seem that Mandi is the subject of a genuine possession. Anything you'd like to share with us, Mandi?

[coffee_n_cigs]

What a nice post, jwj.

[Rogue24]

LOL!!!

This whole topic just makes me crack up - people's responses to seizures.  My dad griped at me about not having an ID bracelet, and I was about to leave for church.  He said, "Don't set people up to feel stupid.  If you have an ID, people will see that and know you have epilepsy, but if you don't, and you fall on the floor in the middle of service, they're going to start trying to cast demons out of you."    I was trying really hard not to laugh, b/c I know he's serious about it, but I've actually been at church where I've had just petit mals, and people started praying for me, in that demonic possessed way.  I actually thought it was pretty funny, w/ my brain thinking "I know something you don't know, ha ha ha ha ha ha."  (say this in a sing-song voice)

The first time I had the VEEG, one of my friends called up, and started talking to me about the seizures being a spiritual battle, and how if I had enough faith, the seizures would go away.  I haven't talked to him since.   If I had cancer, would you tell me it was my fault b/c I wasn't spiritual enough?

Faith's a personal thing.  I know my body, and I know what I believe, and other people can think what they want to think.  It doesn't much bother me anymore.  It used to, a lot, especially at church, but I know my having seizures isn't about not having faith, or not being Christian enough.

Just a side note, b/c you guys made me laugh.

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~Heidi Hope~

[Rogue24]

Oh, and it is the people filled with the holy spirit who speak in tongues, you can read about it in Acts. I think where people get the whole seizures = demonic possesion thing, is a parable (short story) where Jesus was asked to pray for a young boy who was having 'fits' (later translated into seizures). The story goes that Jesus "commanded the demons to leave the boy, and the demons went into some pigs who were near by, and caused them to run off a cliff, falling to their deaths." Yeah, kind of brutal. So now you fall to the the floor in a 'fit', and the overly religious and pious assume you're possessed. Personally, I just pray for God to afflict them physically, so they can experience their friends praying for their eternal souls.

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~Heidi Hope~

[andrew50]

Seems a bit hard on the pigs I agree, Rogue. Still, they'd probably only have got eaten by someone otherwise. I must admit, if anyone offered to cast out my epilepsy and dump it onto some passing swine, I wouldn't object. Is Jesus coming down here again soon? (Oh yes: not till the end of the world. darn.)

For the sake of balance, it must be added that people of no religion whatsoever seem capable of inventing their own half-baked 'explanations' for epilepsy. The Victorian doctors, for example, who put it down to excessive, erm, self-gratification. Morons are morons whatever their faith. And as JWJ says, the truly religious response is to only want to help, not judge.

Take care all,
Andrew.

[Rogue24]

Andrew,
I didn't feel particularly sorry for the pigs either, and I'd gladly pass my epilepsy to the swine. You're right about it not mattering what religion you follow, people can be judemental morons. Thay can also be incredibly helpful and understanding. I guess the aspect that bothers me is not so much why I got epilepsy in the first place, as it is why I still have it, when I do have a lot of faith in God. I figure it's here for a reason, and like Paul had a thorn in his flesh the Lord wouldn't take away, I have epilepsy. You do the best you can with what you have. It just bugs the crap out of me when I'm fighting as hard as I can and people judge. Religious people or otherwise. But hey, as you say, morons are morons. At least for those of us going through it, we hopefully have the common sense not to judge others who are going through a hard time. Compassion breeds understanding.

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~Heidi Hope~