"I asked God to help me"

Now, I haven’t read the full article in The Sun, but the big headline splashed across Fabrice Muamba’s face on the front is “I asked God to Help me, and he didn’t let me down”.

Dunno about you, but if I was any of the medical staff involved in his recovery, I’d feel pretty peeved at that. And if you think I’m trolling, this guy already lives under my bridge.

Off for a ride without God’s help to get me round. Grrr.

I’ve had people say that when I’ve helped them, it’s there belief and that’s all there is to it. They do thank the people who helped them too.

BEyond belief for me also.

that’s strange i thought religion was a choice of the individual,

I don’t believe in religion but when i was in hospital earlier this month having 12hr surgery to save my smashed arm my ‘god bothering’ mother in law prayed for me every night, i cried when i finally spoke
to her after the hospital let me go not because i believed that god may have helped but because she cared enough to do it and it didn’t matter that it was her faith and not mine,

Fabris got a lot of love from people like me, i hate football, it’s Sh1t, but to see that guy pull through that gave me both faith in medicine and faith in the powers of love and good feeling,

you might want to have a little think about that mate,

Regardless of how it all worked out, he’s been a lucky lad. I bet he’s just as certain as the rest of us that god alone didn’t save him, but in his eyes, god obviously helped.

It must be fantastic to have that much belief/faith.

I think it’s pretty well accepted that a belief or positive outlook will help you get better.

The full article in The Sun says that on the morning of the game he prayed for God’s protection. The subsequent events sound more like a smiting to me.

Putting that aside, it’s perfectly possible to believe in God while thanking the skilled professionals who saved his life. You just believe that God made sure there was a cardiologist in the crowd.

Lots of us don’t believe in a bloke with a beard looking down on us giving out luck or pestilence. However if folk draw comfort or fortitude by appealing to “something external to themselves” then there is no harm. To me its no different to crossing your fingers or making a wish. I am an athiest, but this Dawkins led neo-athiesm is almost as offensive as the religious nutters we see at the fringes of all beliefs.

Whatever happened to live and let live?

It wouldn’t bother me in the slightest and probably wouldn’t even cross my mind. I’m happy for people to have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. As mentioned above I’m sure he thanked the staff too so why would it matter he also thanked his God?

I think I’d want to have a word with this god dude about the initial breakdown that caused the problem. 🙁

Whatever happened to live and let live?

Religion put an end to it…. 🙂

Funny how they never see God as the reason they got ill/hurt/killed, only the getting better part…..

Anyone else praying for Jimmy’s refund? 😉

You just believe that God made sure there was a cardiologist in the crowd.

You made my point for me

So this god he worships has got time to save a millionaire footballer’s life, but hasn’t got around to telling the pope to allow the use of condoms which could potentially have saved over 20 million lives by preventing the spread of AIDS.

I think it’s pretty well accepted that a belief or positive outlook will help you get better.

Is it?
I can imagine that a positive outlook (based on faith or not) might result in someone being more diligent in attending treatment, taking medication or taking an active interest in their treatment but does ‘positivity’ in isolation have any quantified effect?

You just believe that God made sure there was a cardiologist in the crowd.

You made my point for me

What an idiot this god thing is, then. It “intelligently designs” a human that has a near fatal heart attack and to cover for it’s incompetence rigs the situation to cope with the results of it’s own failure.

Why anyone would want to worship a buffoon like that is beyond me.

He was saved by medical science. I’m happy for him, but please – keep your superstitious garbage to yourself.

Another good reason not to read the Sun.

Higgo I don’t know what research has been done, just something I’ve heard from my dad among others.

just out of interest is anyone informed as to the correct medical diagnosis of the cardiac event that lead to Muambas cardiac arrest whilst playing?

I needed god’s help once…..I got an answer phone message.

This thread is dissapointing, I was expecting you to tell us about how Realman came to your house with cash, chocolates, a bottle of whisky, a written apology and a red bow around his little willy..

After spending four months in hospital for the first 108 days of my sons life, I came to the following conclusions about god.

Either
A: there is no god, we’re on our own.
B: there is a god, and he doesn’t give a shit. We’re on our own.

Either way, I’ll put my faith in medical science.

I think it’s pretty well accepted that a belief or positive outlook will help you get better.

Now here’s an interesting thing. I have an uncle, who is/was Professor of Physics at San Diego University, so he’s a pretty well educated guy, definitely at the right had end of the curve IQ wise, also ran his own computer software business for 30 years blah blah blah.

He’s also Christian and very interested in empirical aspects of religion.

One of the things he’s very keen on quoting is empirical research that seems to show the power of prayer. Two patient groups being treated for various conditions were studied. One group was ‘prayed for’ the other wasn’t. The groups were balanced for condition, age, gender, ethnicity etc.

The results show a slight, but consistent and statistically significant positive outcome in the patient group that was prayed for versus the control group that wasn’t.

More bizzarely, the experiment is blind, i.e. the patient group being prayed for didn’t know they were being prayed for.

I haven’t read the research myself but my uncle has just published a book on the whole subject so I imagine it’s quoted in there. I will find it and post the link.

A: there is no god, we’re on our own.
B: there is a god, and he doesn’t give a shit. We’re on our own.

Jambo that’s pretty much the conclusion I’ve reached, except that in the second part I reason that there is a God, but as long as we lead ‘good’ lives, he doesn’t care what we believe in.

Some humans feel the need, when confronted with confusing, unexplained circumstances, to draw on the idea of a higher power. It’s a common aspect of cultures across the globe.

If Muamba feels comforted by this, then fair play to him. He’s been through a frightening experience:

“I saw two Scott Parkers then two Luka Modrics”.

I’d certainly be looking for any crumb of comfort if that happened to me.

And if you think I’m trolling, this guy already lives under my bridge.

Hitch is god!

I think it’s pretty well accepted that a belief or positive outlook will help you get better.

I’m pretty sure that if I’d been lying about with a face like a smacked arse, that I’d have spent a lot longer than 9 weeks in hospital. Whether they just say it, or believe it, alot of the staff in intensive care talked to me about determination.

Months after I got out, my mother in law asked if I prayed when I was in, I thought at the time that it was odd, as she knew I wasn’t religious. But it seems that it’s as strange to her that I REALLY don’t believe, as it is to me that she does.

Jimmy, I would imagone the medical “professionals” are not as small minded as you.

The results show a slight, but consistent and statistically significant positive outcome in the patient group that was prayed for versus the control group that wasn’t.

Nope. See this link. This is from an organisation who’s sole reason detre is to promote Theism in Science, the “Templeton Foundation”. Even THEY cn’t find a correlation, after having found fault with previous experiments’ processes.

http://www.templeton.org/newsroom/press_releases/060407step.html

Hitch is god!

I’d certainly be looking for any crumb of comfort if that happened to me.

Christopher remained an atheist right up to the end, still working on his last article as his family was travelling to the cancer ward to say their goodbyes.

Belief in God is the same as Orange 5 ownership.

… and I don’t quite see the point of that photo of the footballer, to be honest. Is that a command? Has he got another one that says “Sacrifice a Goat for Muamba”?

Atheism is no different to religion. They’re both about a person holding beliefs. Only atheists seem to bang their drum that little bit louder.

… and I don’t quite see the point of that photo of the footballer

Mr Muambas close friends obviously knew he was religious. So it’s probably no surprise hes now thanking his god.

Atheism is no different to religion.

Comedy genius… 😆

Just wait till morning mass finished mr woppit

Nope. See this link.

Thanks Whoppit – I was never really convinced myself and hadn’t seen the original research. I wasn’t taking my uncle’s word for it, just relaying on the basis that he was credible in his account of it. I’ll read the research you posted in the link. Thanks again.

You’re welcome geetee. Even the cleverest people can colour outcomes with unconcious expectations – you’re in Occ Psych, right?

Atheism is no different to religion. They’re both about a person holding beliefs. Only atheists seem to bang their drum that little bit louder.

As an atheist, I beg to differ – it is actually an absence of belief. I think many atheists would be quite disturbed to be lumped into the same group as those with “faith”.

To quote the most eloquent Hitch, “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence” and “that what can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence”- I would propose both of these apply to God.

roger the cat exactly

atheisim is about only believing evidence, religion is about only believing made up bullshit that suits your world view

Only atheists seem to bang their drum that little bit louder.

You would have to be completely ignorant not to notice how religion is pushed, religious schools, religious programming on TV, religious overtures and prayers in many government ceremonies, bishops in the house of lords, God save the Queen is the national anthem. Maybe you could point out the atheist equivalents.