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Sunday 5 April 2015

Jesus heals a man born blind, and the modern Pharisees

With thanks, and appreciation, to John 9
And with thinks to the Gospels for its insight into Skepticism
But with apologies to Christianity for any offence, which was not intended
  • As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.
  • His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
  • “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.
  • As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 
  • While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
  • After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 
  • “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
  • His neighbours and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 
  • Some claimed that he was.
  • Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”
  • But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”
  • “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.
  • He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”
  • “Where is this man?” they asked him.
  • “I don’t know,” he said.
The Skeptics Investigate Homeopathic Healing
  • They brought to the Homeopathy Skeptics the man who had been blind. 
  • Now the day on which Samuel Hahnemann had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes without using conventional medicine. 
  • Therefore the Skeptics also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes, diluted with water,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”
  • Some of the Skeptics said, “This man is not from conventional scientific medicine, for he does not use pharmaceutical drugs”
  • But others asked, “How can a non-believer in RST's perform such signs?” So they were divided.
  • Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.”
  • The man replied, “He is a homeopath.”
  • They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. 
  • “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”
  • We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. 
  • But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” 
  • His parents said this because they were afraid of the Skeptics, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Samuel Hahnemann could do this would be put out of the conventional medical establishment.
  • That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
  • A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to BigPharma by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”
  • He replied, “Whether he is a conventional doctor or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”
  • Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”
  • He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?”
  • Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Big Pharma! 
  • We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”
  • The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 
  • We know that Big Pharma does not listen to alternative medical practitioners. Big Pharma  listens to the people of medical science who does his will. 
  • Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 
  • If this man could not heal, he could do nothing.”
  • To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.
Medical Blindness
  • Samuel Hahnemann heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in Homeopathy?”
  • “What is Homeopathy, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe.”
  • Samuel Hahnemann said, “You have now seen it work; in fact, it is a homeopath who is speaking with you.”
  • Then the man said, “Homeopathy, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
  • Samuel Hahnemann said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”
  • Some Skeptics who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”
  • Samuel Hahneman said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of an unscientific approach to medicine; but now that you claim to be scientists, your guilt remains.