I have just had two of my regular visitors again. As usual, we spent a large majority of the time discussing anything but the situation. Small talk is much easier when there are big subjects to be avoided.
We spent quite a while discussing medicine, and the training required. One of the discussers has tangential experience of such things.
Brethren are big fans of medicine. At some point it became established doctrine that it is a christian's duty to stay alive and healthy just as long as they possibly can, on the grounds that this life is what an individual uses to please God, and that should be maximised. I can recall many occasions when the phrase "one more day for one more impression of Christ" was trotted out as somebody's dwindling life was extended by any means possible. In other words, nothing can be added to one's spiritual knowledge after death, so any extension of time that could be used for learning should be seized at any expense and trouble.
In the last twenty years, that doctrine has also been extended to prohibit unnecessary risk, on the same grounds. And risk, for brethren, can cover things from travelling in an aircraft with only one engine, to children cycling for fun.
It may seem a little odd that the same group can be cheerful about a deceased member, thinking of them as having moved on to a better place, and yet expend so much effort on treating illness, but it is mainstream thought in evangelical christianity. Life is precious. Full stop.
That means there is considerable support for anyone with a serious illness. If someone is unable to get satisfactory treatment locally, and possibly suitable treatment exists somewhere else, they will almost certainly go and get that treatment. It may cost vast amounts of money, but that money will come from somewhere, even if an entire country's brethren population has to get regular reminders of how much is required.
Meanwhile, much attention will be given to what the illness means. Sickness or injury never just happens, it is always intended for something. The brethren are meant to gain from it, and feel duty bound to uncover what it is that is supposed to change, to ensure that the suffering doesn't happen for nothing. It is one of the main ways God has of speaking to the brethren, and the congregation had better take notice. But the person concerned is generally reckoned to be an example for good, or they wouldn't have been singled out for the problem, after all "whom the Lord loves, he chastens".
And, of course, sick brethren are staples of the prayer meeting. In a worldwide community of several thousand, there will usually be enough people lying grievously ill to go around the number of brothers praying, and you can get a fervent "amen" for remembering one that others feel they should have thought of.
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I note the same life-prolonging behaviour in those who have been out of EB for decades and who still profess christian faith. I've always assumed that the intense desire to stay on earth rather than be "with Christ, which is far better" showed that the outward faith didn't reach to the core of the "believer."
This contradiction expressed by Escapee goes back many decades. I recall asking my mother why we'd pray for someone's survival, when we were told that there was "a better place" after death. She didn't have an answer at first, but after consulting with my father, proclaimed that it was "so they could continue the Lord's work here on earth, bringing others to salvation".
That answer wouldn't wash today with the Brethren's indifference if not hostility to preaching The Word to the "unsaved". Their piddling show of street preaching appears to me as a facade for claiming tax benefits. And Fortress Meeting Room is certainly not welcoming the pagans.
By my observation, most sick brethren are quite accepting of their fate - not all, but most - and would quite happily slip towards death. The drive to stay alive generally comes from the community, which complicates the psychology of it a bit.
Would regular exercise and a better diet be beneficial to Brethren members' well-being?
To what extent does their customary negativity affect members' health?
I like the ambiguous title. Some unsavoury mental images used to flash into my mind when brethren prayed “for those lying in a bed of sickness” and “for our dear sister lying in bed with her end in view.”
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