The difference of opinion regarding the argument between ‘Religion and Medicine’ has been a long standing one. The two subjects involve humanity and have been at odds with each other and this has led to engaging discourses over the decades. In continents all over the world ‘Religion and Medicine’ have been at opposite ends of the spectrum. Currently, worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic, again, ‘Religion and Medicine’ have been a bone of contention with the issue of taking vaccines for millions of people.
Let us take the issue of a disease called sickle cell anaemia. People living with sickle cell do not have enough blood in their system. Red blood cells are round. But for people living with sickle cell, their red blood cells are sickle in shape and hence the name, sickle cell disease.
This disease affects people from ethnic minority descent. By this I mean people of African descent, people from Central and South America, people from the Middle East, Asia, India and Mediterranean descents.
Sometimes, people living with SCA need blood transfusion and blood exchange. According to the Sickle Cell Society’s webpage on ‘give blood, spread love,’ sickle cell is a disorder of the haemoglobin in the red blood cells. Haemoglobin is the substance in red blood cells that is responsible for the colour of the cell and for carrying oxygen around the body. And that means they have just about a quarter of the normal round blood cells in terms of blood, flowing through their system; that is not enough blood.
People with sickle cell disorder are born with the condition, it is not contagious. It can only be inherited from both parents, each having passed on the gene for sickle cell. The main symptoms of sickle cell disorder are anaemia and episodes of severe pain. The pain occurs when the cells change shape after oxygen has been released. The red blood cells then stick together, causing blockages in the small blood vessels.
These painful episodes are referred to as sickle cell crisis. They are treated with strong painkillers such as morphine to control the pain.
People want attention and so if these people have access to someone, a church leader that they respect who tells them that their problem is not a medical one but a spiritual one, then one can rest assured that these people would listen to such a person. As we know, it is not possible to go to a doctor and be seen in a hospital right away. Going to see a doctor in a clinic too is equally time-consuming. People then think, why bother when I have someone, I trust telling me it is the devil after him/her.
I interviewed some people who have charities and work in rural communities, with people living with SCA. According to these charity workers, there is a point to be made about ignorance and people believe that spiritual arrow/s exist in the occultic world. If someone for example has a headache, or leg pain, their first point of call will never be the hospital. Their conviction is since ill-health is a spiritual arrow, this is something that was programmed from the occultic world, then if the person takes tablets, he/she will die. Their belief is if they take an injection that would be the end of their lives. Their presumption is that they need to counter the power of the occult with a greater power based on the doctrine they received.
The other issue is one of faith, said a charity worker. This is a huge one, as people are told they don’t have faith if they go to the hospital. They have been so indoctrinated that they would rather take ‘holy water’ and ‘anointing oil.’ During testimony time, at church services, members will talk about God’s faithfulness and how this is now the x number of years that they have not been near a hospital or taken any tablet because the God they are serving is alive and still in the healing business. They go on to say they don’t have money to waste at any hospital.
Another reason I was told why the average person living with SCA is against medicine is for financial reasons. They insist that they have no money. But they will spend a lot of money on different concoctions that they are told to buy and drink. A lot of money is collected from them to prepare the concoction. People also see hospitals as a place where people go to and die. In Africa, for example, everything is spiritualised. Most illnesses are spiritual and sickle cell falls into that category. If one tries to persuade them to go to hospital, they will reply by saying their father or grandfather did not have hypertension and if they now have it, it is a curse from their enemy, ‘owo aiye,’ meaning ‘the hand of the wicked ones.’ Or they might be told it is the devil or their village people, witches, wizards on their street, their father, mother, husband, wife, cousin, friend, aunt or uncle who are behind their evil fortune. People with diabetes and leg ulcers, will only take paracetamol and not seek medical attention.
The topic of sickle cell brings me back to my title, religion, and medicine. This is a disease that is seen as a spiritual attack on the person who has it because that is what the families are told by some church leaders. People living with SCA are told they are under the stronghold of demonic spirits. They are made to believe they are victims of the enemy, meaning the devil. The more we enlighten people, educate people, and give out knowledge about the fact that SCA is a genetic disorder, the more open-minded people will be about the cause.
Finally, some people have said that perhaps it is time for medicine to recognise the healing power of God in the church. Some have said that religion and medicine should not be at the opposite sides, as ultimately, they are both working to get people well, even though both methodologies are different. Medicine needs to acknowledge religion because sometimes when doctors say they have done all they can, the healing power of God sets in.
If you would like to get in touch with me about this article or about Sickle cell, do so, via email: [email protected] and do visit my blog: www.howtolivewithsicklecell.co.uk. The e-copy of my book on sickle cell – How To Live with sickle Cell is available for purchase on www.toladehinde.com and if you want to purchase a paperback version, it is available on Amazon.
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