Could Taking Some Pharmaceutical Drugs be Sin?

[Dr. Bob]

Question has come up on another thread about Ritalin or Prozac being "evil", condemned in Scripture as "pharmaceia" (sorcerer, drug dealer)

Obviously, I have strong opinions on this subject (since my wife is actively working to get Christians OFF these drugs). Would like to hear YOUR thinking?

 

[Molly]

Good question...what about valium,muscle relaxers,etc??? I've wondered that myself.

Molly

 

[Deacon]

Well I've searched and I can't find Ritalin or Prozac mentioned anywhere in the Bible

I believe that sorcery is related to witchcraft and deception, somthing that our current medications try to separate themselves from.

 

[Paul of Eugene]

Hey Deacon, what about Placebos?

Seriously, like all of God's creation, medications can be abused and to do that is sin. After all, that's one of the reasons for requiring a prescription!

There are sins and then there are sins. What about the patient who presses the docter to give an antibiotic when one is not needed, and then contributes towards the day when many bacteria are completely immune to the stuff?

 

[Deacon]

Honestly Paul, that WAS a good thought!
Placebos are a form of deception, Placebos are used to trick the body into believeing it is being influenced by something stronger outside of it.

Placebos have an influence that is little understood but must be taken into account when doing drug trial studies.

Rob

 

[Ben W]

If a peson is abusing Prescription drugs through addiction without actually needing to have those drugs, then yes that is sinfull. Howwever it is a fact that some people need to take prozac and other drugs due to chemical levels in there brain not being right. Anyone like this needs love, care , support and understanding. There is no difference between a mental and a phsical sickness.

 

[I Am Blessed 24]

There is no difference between a mental and a physical sickness.

Ben: I agree. I cannot, for the life of me, see why people lump someone who is taking prescribed medicine-from a medical doctor-for a specific reason with those who buy drugs on the street and just use them to get high!

Dr. Bob: Wouldn't that same word, "pharmaceia" be applied to heart and cancer drugs? When my daughter was taking chemotherapy, the doctor prescribed Valium, not to calm her nerves; but as an 'anti-nausea' drug. Many drugs are used for many different reasons.

JMO,
Sue

 

[dianetavegia]

YES. RU46, the abortion pill is sinful.

I also think using drugs like Prozac, etc. for 'feeling's' instead of true mental illness is wrong. Not every case of saddness is depression and shouldn't be treated the same.

I think many people are accepting medicines for themselves or their children when they should be looking for the reason for the feeling or behavior.

Diane

 

[Deacon]

Deuteronomy 18:9-15 “When you enter the land which the LORD your God gives you, you shall not learn to imitate the detestable things of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For whoever does these things is detestable to the LORD ; and because of these detestable things the LORD your God will drive them out before you. You shall be blameless before the LORD your God. For those nations, which you shall dispossess, listen to those who practice witchcraft and to diviners, but as for you, the LORD your God has not allowed you to do so.

Current Definition:
Witchcraft 1 : the use of sorcery or magic, communication with the devil or with a familiar. 2. an irresistible influence or fascination.

Sorcery: the use of power gained from the assistance or control of evil spirits especially for divining

Magic: 1. the use of means (as charms or spells) believed to have supernatural power over natural forces. 2. an extraordinary power or influence seemingly from a supernatural source.

Comment: Anti-depressants and mood altering drugs have their place in the family of drugs that are helpful at times but I‘ve seen countless times where people are on, not one but several, of these drugs and various other pain-killers.
In cases like these, IMHO the person often has an underlying need that is not being met.
Diane’s comment hit the nail on the head:

I think many people are accepting medicines for themselves or their children when they should be looking for the reason for the feeling or behavior.

And there is just a scent of the irresistible influence of witchcraft in these drugs when they are abused.

 

[Helen]

From what I understand, the warning against drugs was against the use of hallicinogens (which were widely used by sorcerers, mediums, etc.) for purposes of the occult or of manipulating others.

Other 'mood altering' drugs of today do not have the same purpose or even ability to so alter one's consciousness the way opium, peyote, LSD, etc. do. This does not mean that one cannot get addicted to a medicinal substance -- I have had to come off addictions to morphine after three surgeries, and it's not fun! Nevertheless, I'm really grateful the morphine was available at the time.

My eldest daughter was diagnosed with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy when she was seventeen. This is a malfunctioning of the entire sympathetic -- or autonomic -- nervous system (the part of you that controls sweating, blood pressure, etc.). Although the primary symptom is pain where an old injury has already healed -- pain that just builds and builds -- one of her other problems was the inability to sleep for more than a couple of hours at a time. It was like her 'fight or flight' response was on 'permanent' mode. In order to settle her entire body down, the doctor prescribed an antidepressant called Trazedone (spelling?) in far larger doses than depressed people get -- 800 mg a night. It 'muddied' up her nervous system so the signals were much, much slower and she was able to sleep again.

She is 24 now, and about to celebrate her one year wedding anniversary. She was able to take herself off drugs entirely by monitering herself for a couple of years. She was, by the way, initially on a LOT more than Trazedone!

My youngest son is profoundly retarded. He wakes up in the mornings (I can hear him pounding the wall in his room as I type this, so this will be fast) in 'high gear' and without 20 mg of ritalin in the mornings and 200 mg of Tegretol, he would be out of control the entire day, screaming and hitting things. We don't know why. Normally the ritalin is only needed once in the morning, even though it only lasts about four hours. But it is like "oh, this is what it's like to be calm; I remember!" and he is livable the rest of the day!

I thank God for these medications. Yes, they can be abused, but they also gave me back two of my children.

Now, off to sooth the raging beast!

 

[Helen]

From what I understand, the warning against drugs was against the use of hallicinogens (which were widely used by sorcerers, mediums, etc.) for purposes of the occult or of manipulating others.

Other 'mood altering' drugs of today do not have the same purpose or even ability to so alter one's consciousness the way opium, peyote, LSD, etc. do. This does not mean that one cannot get addicted to a medicinal substance -- I have had to come off addictions to morphine after three surgeries, and it's not fun! Nevertheless, I'm really grateful the morphine was available at the time.

My eldest daughter was diagnosed with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy when she was seventeen. This is a malfunctioning of the entire sympathetic -- or autonomic -- nervous system (the part of you that controls sweating, blood pressure, etc.). Although the primary symptom is pain where an old injury has already healed -- pain that just builds and builds -- one of her other problems was the inability to sleep for more than a couple of hours at a time. It was like her 'fight or flight' response was on 'permanent' mode. In order to settle her entire body down, the doctor prescribed an antidepressant called Trazedone (spelling?) in far larger doses than depressed people get -- 800 mg a night. It 'muddied' up her nervous system so the signals were much, much slower and she was able to sleep again.

She is 24 now, and about to celebrate her one year wedding anniversary. She was able to take herself off drugs entirely by monitering herself for a couple of years. She was, by the way, initially on a LOT more than Trazedone!

My youngest son is profoundly retarded. He wakes up in the mornings (I can hear him pounding the wall in his room as I type this, so this will be fast) in 'high gear' and without 20 mg of ritalin in the mornings and 200 mg of Tegretol, he would be out of control the entire day, screaming and hitting things. We don't know why. Normally the ritalin is only needed once in the morning, even though it only lasts about four hours. But it is like "oh, this is what it's like to be calm; I remember!" and he is livable the rest of the day!

I thank God for these medications. Yes, they can be abused, but they also gave me back two of my children.

Now, off to sooth the raging beast!

 

[Deacon]

God is good.

It's nice to have medications when they are needed.


The Bibles Pharmacia

anise, (dill) and cumin; used for flavor as a spice, for abdominal distention (gas), and for it’s aroma

Balm of Gilead - used for healing ( Jer. 8:22 ; 51:8 ).

Caperberry - a stimulant ( Eccl. 12:5)

Fig - used as a healing poultice ( Isa.38:21 ; 2 Kings 20:7 )

Gall - a bitter herb used to help endurance (Matt. 27:34)

Mandrake - a mild narcotic thought to encourage conception (similar in legend as today’s beliefs about Ginseng) ( Gen. 30:14 )

Myrrh and wine - used as an anesthetic (Mark 15:23)

Oil and wine - for healing and protecting, used on the ‘good Samaritan’, (Luke 10:34)

Rue - a stimulant, strong smelling spice, customarily used as a charm on children.

Soap and soda carbonate - (probably lye), used as cleansers

[ May 26, 2003, 12:28 PM: Message edited by: Deacon ]

 

[Dr. Bob]

Originally posted by Deacon:
God is good. It's nice to have medications when they are needed.

But all you listed are natural REMEDIES, not MEDICATIONS. Big difference using herbs and foods and other natural sources rather than chemicals.

Interesting note: 130 miles north of us was the US greatest source of White Willow. The bark from the tree was used as a pain killer. We live on the Oregon Trail and many who travelled here in the old days sent an outrider up north to get a supply.

Today we get a chemical combo of one of the ingredients from Bayer (acetylsalicylic acid), I opt to use the natural White Willow bark.

 

[Dr. Bob]

One more thought. I am NOT against Western Medicine. It is a god-send to many with severe problems that would have killed folks in previous generations. Praise God for that.

We use natural remedies when possible. Our attitude is "western medicine is good in its place, we just stay out of its place as much as possible!"

The misuse and overuse of modern drugs is daunting.

 

[Deacon]

The problem isn't Natural remedies verses Chemical medicines. How "natural" is alcohol? It just happens sometimes. Pretty natural but it's abuse is condemed not it's use.
Some medicines are just improvements in the weak "natural" ones.
Many medicines of today are crafted genetically to simulate "natural" substances in our bodies.

 

[Helen]

There are LOTS of natural substances which I don't think are particularly lovely to take! Opium, for example. Peyote. Foxglove (unrefined digitalis). Mold (penicillin) unprocessed. The list goes on. I would FAR rather have a standardized, refined substance for medicine than take my chances on the natural form!

Of course things can be abused, but that is another thing altogether! One of the reasons my daughter was able to take Trazedone in whatever dose she needed day by day -- and then drop it altogether -- is because it is a purely artificial substance which the body does not make in any form. Thus she could not become addicted to it and there was no withdrawal effect when she felt she could stop.

Any natural sedatives, including chamomile, are close enough to what the body itself can produce that the body will stop or slow down production of that substance when extra is introduced in the form of medication. Thus the body itself becomes dependant on it -- and this is called addiction.

Now, the title of the thread is "Could taking some pharmaceutical drugs be a sin?" Given the broad scope of that question, the answer has to be 'yes.' The wrong ones at the wrong times can kill you. If you know that and take them anyway, you have murdered yourself. If you give them to someone else under circumstances harmful to that person, that is certainly a sin. If, by taking the medication at a time unnecessary for your health, and you are somehow handicapped in your care for others or your testimony of love for God as a result, that is a sin.

But taken as needed and as directed, prescribed medications are not a sin.

 

[Dr. Bob]

Originally posted by Deacon:
Many medicines of today are crafted genetically to simulate "natural" substances in our bodies.

Problem is, deacon, that they can't do it. Oh, they can form an artificial chemical molecule that may have the same number of carbon atoms, etc. But -- if I can steal a phrase from the King James controversy -- what is different is not the same!

So which will work best in your body. Isolated chemical vitamin C or 1/2 of an orange, with vitamin C and thousands of trace minerals and substances synergistically designed (by God) to help that vitamin C work properly.

 

[Six-Principle Baptist]

Good for your wife, Dr. Bob. I am a licensed clinical social worker and have been, for years, adamantly opposed to such drugging of our children. Ritalin has similar chemical properties to cocaine. A must see site is www.breggin.com

Jimmy

 

[Six-Principle Baptist]

Oops, forgot to mention this site also: http://www.bible.ca/s-marijuana.htm

 

[Artimaeus]

Everyone seems to agree that drug abuse (prescribed or not) is a bad thing. Some, however, seem to be saying that drug use = abuse. Misuse is wrong and depending on the reason can be sinful (mistake vs on purpose). I am all for the position that we should use as little as we can get by with but, and this is a very big but, sometimes the use of a drug is just so overwhelmingly beneficial to a person's wellbeing and does such a wonderful job of relieving symptoms that to deny them this relief would be cruel. There should not be a concept that ALL prescribed medications are sinful. It is not supported by scripture or common sense.