Prejudices from Christians

Has anyone else experienced prejudices from other Christians within a church setting and more importantly how have you dealt with it?

To give you some examples. When I am high and smelling of ketones or nodding off, I get accused of being drunk - but I do not drink alcohol!

For the same reason I have been told I cannot have any part in certain ministries (if I am drunk I am not suitable to councell people, I cannot be in the worship group because I have a drink problem, I cannot be on the prayer team for the same reason ....)

I am often told if I had enough faith I should be healed. How can one quantify faith and who has the right to do so?

When I am hypo I have been told that I must be coming off "something" hence the sweating and shaking! Yep, sugar!!!

I was having some complications and one woman - who considers herself a healer - said quite angrily "There is ALWAYS something wrong with you!!!" Yep, I have diabetes and it is not just about being thirsty etc! Likewise, when I have a hypo and eat some sugary snack I get comments about how I should not be eating that ....... or "If you are eating that you cannot be diabetic and you are a fraud!"

I try to stay positive and follow Christ's example on the Cross when he prayed "Father forgive them for they know not what they are doing!" but it can get rather depressing! So any advice would be prayerfully weighed and gratefully received!

Tags: Christian, faith, lack, of, prejudice

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Anthony on November 20, 2010 at 11:09pm

God bless you too - and thank you for your kind words. I really enjoyed your posts in this discussion. I would like to read your article - please let me know when it is ready for publication. You are doing us all a big service.
Anthony

Permalink Reply by Jody D on November 21, 2010 at 1:58pm

I am the Jr. High Director at my church, and when people don't understand what I can and can not eat. I calmly explain it to them, and they are thankful to know what is going on. (I go to a baptist church). I was on a mission trip with a charismatic association several years ago (before switching to the pump) and had a low out in the field where we were gleaning. I came in to try to find some juice and the people in the kitchen wouldn't let me have any juice until they had prayed for me. They prayed that whatever sin was in my life that was causing me to have diabetes, I would confess it so I could be healed. They finally gave me some apple juice. I just wonder what sin they think was in Paul's life that the Lord wouldn't heal the "thorn" in his side. Anyway, you may need to find another church that is not so judgemental. God can heal, He has healed me in the past, but if He doesn't choose to heal us it's not necessarily because of sin in our lives. I hope that you won't give up on God, just because His people are weak and human and judge when He is the only one who can truly judge. God Bless, Jody

Permalink Reply by latvianchick on November 21, 2010 at 2:21pm

I wholeheartedly agree with you! I am sorry that you have had similar problems to me. Let us hold each other up in prayer for patience, forgiveness (of the ignorant, judgemental ones!) I do not as yet feel a call to move from my present church.

I was prayed for this morning and instructed to renounce and announce any sinful witchcraft I had been involved in in the past! Whatever I had been involved in in ignorance before I became a Christian I have already repented of! How many times do we have to repent? Grrrr.

Just have to bless em and forgive em for they do not know what they do!

Permalink Reply by Cynthia on December 8, 2010 at 7:22pm

Jody..
I can so totally relate to what you just said...
I can't tell you how many people I know in the Charismatic circle who say to me, "if you just have faith you can be healed of diabetes"..or they will say "I know someone who was healed of diabetes"... Of which I quickly reply "I don't have that kind."

Or they want to pray when at the time, I just needed sugar---
They always put the focus back on th person instead of God himself.
I said to one person that said I needed greater faith... "I don't need great faith when I got a great God."

If anythng I have come to know him during these time as his Grace being quite sufficent--- He takes care of me just fine...

I have come to find that people who are always emphasizing healing many times are doing it out of their own personal fear.
LatvianChick...Yes, we lift each other up during these times.....I pray everyone feels God's special touch during this CHRISTmas.

For some reason some of the TUDiabetes comments are being put into my spam.....so I am not always seeing them right away...I forget to check the incoming spam.

Permalink Reply by Joe Dennis on February 20, 2011 at 2:30pm

Where are you attending church: The Church of latter day stupid ? There's other churches ;it sounds like it's time to move on.You just might find a church that understands diabetics . If you stay at the church you are at..... you will sacrafic you spiritulaity.

Permalink Reply by Dewski2000 on October 1, 2011 at 8:36am

There are a few subjects that I don't "bend" on, and this is definitely one of them. Having Multiple Sclerosis for more than 25 years, I have always been reminded that Luke was a physician and one of Christ's names is the Great Physician.If faith was all that we needed to be healed then 1. Luke would have been out of an occupation, and 2. We would have to not recognize a Divine name of Christ himself which is simply something that I cannot do!

Faith is being certain of things yet to be. My faith tells me that it is/was the mere fact that as mortal man, illness and disease is a part of my mortal world. There are MILLIONS of doctors in this world and they are all here for a reason. Not to simply heal all the non-believers in the world - but everyone. :-)