2 of 6

Furthermore, orthopedic surgeons are seldom worried about curvatures and leg length discrepancies in young children who have suffered a broken leg. Why? Because children's bones usually grow out to correct such deformities.

Unless one was knowledgeable in medicine, the author's story would appear to be a miracle. But to a trained medical professional with expertise in treating many such patients, this example isn't so miraculous. The author wasn't deliberately sensationalizing the story; he just didn't have the medical knowledge to fully understand the situation.

The same is true for many others who do not have significant medical training. They cannot begin to grasp how the human body is the most complex piece of molecular machinery known to man. Without having all the facts—lab and pathology reports, X-rays, treatment details, the natural course of the disease, etc.—it's nearly impossible to determine the nature of a healing.

A significant factor at play in the confusion over miracles is that the words and phrases used by non-medical laypeople in books and in faith-healing services are usually so ambiguous that no competent medical doctor would rely on such information alone.

• "Blind," for example, can mean total blindness, legally blind, tunnel vision, or just plain rotten eyesight.
• "Paralyzed" can mean anything from 50 percent to 100 percent loss of strength in a limb.
• "Confined to a wheelchair" is a phrase applied to patients who can stand up only to transfer into bed, to patients who can walk 20 feet with a walker, or to patients who can walk unassisted within the home but need a wheelchair in public places.

For a "blind" person to see vague images, a "paralyzed" person to perform deep knee bends, or a person "confined to a wheelchair" to get up and walk is rarely a miracle.

The following situations contribute to confusion over truly supernatural healings as well:

next page... |  2 of 6

	What did you think of this story?
	Please to give us your feedback.

Home  |  People of Faith  |  Stories of Hope  |  Today's Culture
Build Your Faith  |  Laughing Matters  |  Archives  |  Contact Us

				Try 3 Issues of Christianity Today Free! Name Street Address City/State/Zip E-mail Address Subscribe to Christianity Today and get 3 free trial issues. No credit card required. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only. If you decide you want to keep Christianity Today coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive nine more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The three trial issues are yours to keep, regardless. Give Christianity Today as a gift Order a gift subscription!