Sin and illness

I admit I sound a little to knowing in this writ, but realize, I had no audience for it-dras.

Much physical illness is mitigated, created, and exacerbated by spiritual illness. Not even the agnostic is free from remorse and mental anguish that comes from conflicts in ones personal relationship with his/her God, or ideals within a personal belief system. Often these become "demons" that can commonly produce very real physical symptoms, and even chronic mental and physical conditions.

Often, it's easy for an individual to recognize a spiritual component or etiology to illness if one exists. Then, it's easy to go to traditional medical practitioners for help in taking the symptoms away. It's also easy to accept simple remedies in alt-med, or from evangelic ministers. It's much more difficult to go to God, or to the innermost self, to sort things out and discover a "path to repentance" that might include social embarrassment, admission of guilt to those offended, giving up an addiction, or even jail time. Sometimes, it's a "path to truth" that needs to be found in order to come to a full understanding and acceptance of oneself - after all, some things are just the way they are and cannot be changed, and not all remorse or mental anguish is a result of sin.

The worst kind of person is the one that endeavors to sell absolution, especially when they are the ones to affix the scarlet letter. But there is a place for trusted spiritual counselors in the return to health, along with psychiatric counselors and medical practitioners and their remedies. Hospital chaplains, for instance, usually know their business, and conduct themselves in the highest professional regard. I would hesitate to call their work healthfraud.