DID GOD CREATE SICKNESS?

Many wondered,and still wondering why God has allowed many sufferings like sickness in the world. Some too asked about the genesis of all this scary word Sickness! This article is going to discuss extensively, the scholarly views from two perspectives, namely: Religious perspective (Holy Bible, Holy Quran) and scientific perspective. Before the discussion proceed, please have in mind the various types of sickness; Physical sickness, psychological sickness, physiological sickness, spiritual sickness etc. All these will be discussed alongside.

THE GENESIS OF SICKNESS: SCIENTIFIC PERSPECTIVE (PHYSICAL & PHYSIOLOGICAL).

Physical in simple term is the human body, apart from the mind and the spirit while physiological is the normal functioning of the human body ( Advanced English Dictionary).

The debate on the existence of disease started in the seventeenth century when Louis Pasteur discovered the germ theory of disease which explained that specific diseases are caused by specific micro-organisms ( cannot be seen by the naked eye but microscope). These micro-organisms include bacteria, viruses, fungi, algae, Protozoa etc. Before the discovery, Antoni Van Leuwenhock was the first to see bacteria with a microscope ( http://www.bmj.com, http://www.encyclopedia.com).

Dr. Alan L. Gillen(2007) in his book titled The Genesis of Germs; The origin of diseases and the coming plaques posed the following questions;

1. Did God make microbes by mistake?

2. Are they accidents of evolution, out of the primordial soup?

3. What would this world be like without the unseen?

These micro-organisms might be harmless and beneficial but harmful too. Some micro-organisms within the environment are harmless but harmful when they get into a living organism, this explained why Dr. Alan asked that Did God make microbes by mistake?

Dr. Alan (2007) said that “5% of the bacteria reflect decay and degeneration from the original plan”. He added that “disease was not the Creator’s original plan, but rather a reflection of man’s sin, the curse placed on nature”.

Benefits of microbes/ micro-organisms.

Dr Alan (2007) further argued that “microbes are powerful influencing our lives whether we acknowledge it or not, that is life and microbes are inseparable”. One key thing that was deduced from Dr. Alan’s book in relation to Did God create sickness? was that microbes were originally created for our good, and also for us to appreciate the creativity, diversity, intelligence, and the beauty of Creatures by the Almighty God.

Some of the benefits of microbes include (Dr. Alan, 2007); 1. Some microbes ferment our food such as corn dough, flour for bread or dough nut etc, and make them useful products for man.

2. Some microbes are part of our food such as milk, yoghurt and others to make it rich food for us.

3. Some microbes especially the enteric bacteria supply our bodies with vitamin K, Vitamin B12, thiamin and riboflavin which we need for normal body functioning.

4. Some industries use bacteria for sewage treatment as well as commercial production of amino acids. In a nutshell, bacteria are necessary for balance in the ecosystem.

On the contrary, microbes caused, and are causing most diseases such as communicable diseases like tuberculosis, sexually transmitted diseases, etc. Was this originally part of the plan for creating microbes? The answer is No, but human activities.

THE HOLY BIBLE PERSPECTIVE (SPIRITUAL).

Spiritual simply means the spirit or soul (Advanced English Dictionary).

Genesis 1:27-28 which says that So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Then 28 down; And God blessed them, and God said unto them, be faithful, and multiple, and replenish the earth, and subdue it;…………………

From this, it is clear that God did not create sickness but let see what happen.

In Romans 5:12, it says Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. So some are of the view that we get sick as a result of the first human rebellion against God (www.jw.org>magazines>whydowegetsick/whattheBiblesays)

However, there is hope confirmed in Matthew 9:11-13 which says And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciplines, why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice; for I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.

HOLY QURAN PERSPECTIVE ( SPIRITUAL).

Quran 2:168 says O men! eat the lawful and good things out of what is in the earth, and do not follow the footsteps of the shaitan ; surely he is your open enemy.

Quran 7:179 which says And certainly We have created for hell many of the Jinn and the men; they have hearts with which they do not understand, and they have eyes with which they do not see, and they have ears with which they do not hear; they are as cattle, nay, they are in worse errors; these are the heedless ones.

Also, narrated by Hazrat Ayesha in Al-Bukhari that There’s no disease that Allah created, except that He also created its treatment (www.quranexplorer.com). This means that Allah did not originally create sickness but later happened due to the activities of man.

CONCLUSION

The lessons that can be learnt from this narrative from the scientific and religious perspectives is that the Sin-factor or human activities led to the existence of diseases in this world. The good news is that God is all merciful and forgiving but our activities now are still creating more diseases than before. Let us all endeavour to make this world a better place to live, and for the yet to be born generations. Whatever we do, let first ask ourselves the implications; When we pollute the air with smoke, gas, poisonous substances, etc the question is what is its implication? When we improperly dispose waste, ask yourself the implications? When we lie, ask yourself the implications? Let make our spiritual, physical, psychological and physiological health healthy, and God will bless us. Don’t forget to frequently wash your hands with soap under running water before you touch anything edible or your mouth or nostril to break the chain of infections. As time goes on, we will discuss health in broader perspectives. Thank you for reading. All comments are welcome.