Faith
By Kent Heckelively, Esq.
My wife often says I'm "the believer" among the two of us. In her mind faith comes easily to me, but when she sees the inequities of the world, the difficulties so many deal with on a daily basis, it's difficult for her to summon much belief in a divine entity.
The truth is I've struggled with faith for years, trying to reconcile various philisophical positions. Why would God let a child be born if they were going to come down with autism? My daughter with autism/seizures is thirteen years old. My son who is neuro-typical is eleven. My daughter's condition is so severe that the four of us have never gone out to a restaurant. We have never been on a family vacation. When I walk in the door after work I know my daughter will probably have been tantrumming for at least a half hour, a condition which is only remedied by putting her in my car, and taking her for a long drive. My wife would ask, where is God in that domestic scene?
Of course the believer in me would start to come up with the counter-arguments. Do we thank God for all of the wonderful things in our life? The fact each of us were born to parents who loved us, we had the means to go to college, the friends we've had in our life, and our level of material wealth which many in the world can only dream of?
And yet this balacing of good and bad in our lives seems somehow the wrong approach. Sometimes everything can go wrong. Do we say God has abandoned us?
Sometimes people will say that in the midst of difficulties we cannot see God's plan in full. That God has planned wonderful things for us, but we often must go through a period of suffering and hardships so the full beauty of that plan can be unveiled. I will confess that sometimes I've seen glimmers of this possibility, and at others it has been difficult to imagine.
Lately I've come to a new approach, one that satisfies my need to believe in a higher power, but also acknowledges the wickedness I often see in the world. For I can call it nothing less than wickedness when the medical community refuses to perform a study of the neurological health of vaccinated and unvaccinated children. It is nothing less than wickedness when those who suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome/ME are told they are not physically ill, but suffer only from a mental illness.
My new approach is simply "free will." God gave us all free will. It has consequences. People can choose to do bad things through the exercise of their free will, and others will suffer as a result. It's true that God made the world, but we're the ones who live in it. This world and what we do in it is the responsibility of the human race.
I mention this because I fear more wickedness is to come. There are some individuals who are doing all in their power to help those with neuro-immune disorders like autism, chronic fatigue syndrome/ME, and other conditions. And there are those who are working to prevent that from happening, because some very uncomfortable questions will be raised.
Science is supposed to be about the search for truth and the alleviation of human suffering, but far too often it reveals the less savory aspects of the human condition. The causes are many, but the result is the same, a longer wait for those who suffer from neuro-immune diseases.
But as much as this is a world of free will, God still watches over us, and I believe He responds to prayer. Prayer is also an act of free will. And so on this Sunday I encourage you to pray for good things in the weeks ahead. I ask you to pray that those who are trying to help us will gain an advantage over those who would leave us in darkness.
In a world of free will I still believe prayer can bring about great things.
Kent Heckenlively is a Contributing Editor to Age of Autism
Eindeker,
I doubt you will see this so long after this article appeared, but others might be interested in reading about Dr. Bob Sears' section in The Vaccine Book about how a vax/unvax could practically be carried out. "Scientists" go on and on about how a control group would be needed, children assigned randomly to one or another group, and then followed. Sears says that only the doctors examining the children would need to be blinded and unaware of the children's vaccination status, so that this knowledge would not affect their diagnoses. No parent on either side would permit their children's health and future to be randomly tossed on one side or another, whether they foolishly believe that vaccines are good and necessary or whether they're aware of the extreme vaccine damage which now affects so many of us. And they don't need to do so, this is a no-brainer, but it's so sensible and would cast so much light on the question that those with stakes in the vaccine cartel would never go along with it. We'll have to force the issue through ourselves.
Posted by: cia parker | March 25, 2013 at 12:28 PM
Kent,
Your recent approach involving free will is pretty correct. We were at one time in history created (and i do mean created, not evolved) with free will, to live in a perfect world without death and disease, particularly the medical issues behind autism. Why were we given free will? Because God, the Creator, wanted to have relationship (of love, trust, and all else that goes along with that) with us. Those with enough wisdom and maturity will understand that in order for relationship betw two sentient entities to exist, there has to be freedom to choose on both sides... to choose to trust.... to choose to believe... and to choose to love. Without these, one entity becomes a mere robot of the other, to do what it's expected to do. It's hard to have a friendship when the other person is doing so because they have to.
Because the first humans had the freedom to choose, there were only two possible outcomes to occur when they were to be tested, to trust that God had their best interests at heart and therefore obey his instructions, or to not trust His word and do their own thing. Unfortunately, they chose to give into the temptation, brought to them by another created 3rd party, who also made wrong choices. Eve distrusted God and ate the fruit (along with Adam) to obtain knowledge that she thought that God was hiding from them.
Because free will was used, to make an unwise choice, the rest of humanity has had to deal with the consequences (as well as the curse placed upon this world before the first couple were escorted out of the garden). And the thing is, we all continue to make (logically, morally, etc.) wrong free will choices. And as a result, we AND others around us (known and unknown to us) suffer the consequences.
Fortunately, the Creator did not give up on us. He gave us a book that teaches us how to live, and he gave us a remedy (the Christian gospel) by which we can atone for the bad choices we have made (for power and money and fame and sex, or to prevent us from being sued up the wazoo if were to be found out), and open a Way by which we can communicate and have relationship with Him.
The point is that there is indeed a God who made us, who cares for us, but who did not do "all this" to us. We made the choices that brought us where we are. But God has also made choices to try to bring us back to Him, using our circumstances, and to deal with all that is bad and painful... but within our own free will. To infer from Bob Moffitt's comment, while Auschwitz wasn't in God's desire to happen, He did bring it to an end and did bring healing in the aftermath.
So... As for me and my family, we choose to trust God for the strength, guidance, and ability to raise our son to rise above his asd disability, to learn to do all kinds of stuff, and most importantly, to learn to trust and relate to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and His Incarnate Son Yeshua.
Posted by: ASDFatherPa | September 21, 2011 at 10:01 PM
Here is the answer: Our children are already the scientific proof. No one need go any further than to look at our children and children who live in high density populations where they do not vaccinate. Case Closed. And Kent, I love your article. You are right on! Thanks for the words of faith and encouragement.
Posted by: Diane Krogh | September 19, 2011 at 04:51 PM
You know, after watching "Battle of the Blades" last night I watched all the skaters talk about the causes they were hoping to win money for. As impassioned as the ones who spoke for cancer were, I couldn't help but feel that the physical disease causes / research (MS and autism certainly come to mind, too) seem to be so political- how real is the effort to figure some of this stuff out? Do they just like making money off the drugs? Do they just have so much to lose that aren't really looking at it in the complete sense? Another of the skaters was skating to support his charity that involves giving kids after school activities/sports, kids who couldn't otherwise afford it. That cause just had a purity to it that unfortunately, I don't feel with some of the others. Today at the post office they asked if I'd give to mental health and I didn't hesitate. That's pretty much the way it is for me now. Mental health is one of the main priorities, although it has to be said they are still some great specifically targeted causes that I would support, including gut/ autism research etc. It's a pretty sad day though, when you get cynical about research for some of the major diseases.
Posted by: Jen | September 19, 2011 at 01:31 PM
Kent, I think you 100% spot on. I came to the conclusion long ago that God does not choose people to inflict with diseases like autism, cancer and other environmental diseases. I truly believe in free will and that "sons will suffer the sins of their fathers."
To me this statement means that future generations suffer the sinful/wicked choices of the preceding generations. Man is poisoning mankind and we have to learn the lessons of those consequences so that mankind makes better "choices" of free will.I know two young families who recently lost "the man of the family"...a beloved husband and father. Both these families have strong faith and had many people of faith praying for them but none the less these fine men died. Every time I ask God "why weren't those prayers answered?" I come back to the conclusion that if God bailed us out every time we asked what lessons as a society would we learn. I consider the same with autism.
These are environmental diseases that innocent people are suffering because we are not taking care of that which God gave us...our world and our environment. God was clear in Genesis that this world is ours to take care of.
I do know that he answers prayers though. My daughter has recovered and I experienced miracles in that journey that were too big to be coincidence. And I often feel guilty that other parents are working so very hard for the same recovery we were blessed with and not getting there. Again...God's plans are sometimes beyond our understanding. I prayed many times, "God please tell me what to do for my daughter, If you tell me I promise I won't miss it." God answered those prayers in miraculous ways!So keep the faith. Faith is what is required for answered prayers. And autism recovery was most certainly a spiritual journey for my family.
No...I don't believe that God assigned autism to any one of our children. I believe that our children are suffering the sins of those who came before them. It is up to us to fix it and I do think God will answer prayers and support our effort to do just that...through faith. Our canaries are the warning to the world that Man is not taking care of that which God intrusted to us and that Man is trying to improve on that which God created...the natural order and the immune system. Not a good idea.
Posted by: Pamela | September 19, 2011 at 09:02 AM
@ Eindeker
"Perhaps you can describe how the nuts & bolts of such a trial would be explained to parents, I'm interested to know how you would randomly allocate children to the placebo group what happens if a few years down the line they then go to an area of endemic disease, how do you cope with that, heaven forbid if they catch measles & die...how do you cope with that?"
Why is there a need for a "placebo group" when there are literally thousands of "voluntarily unvaccinated" children from which to draw?
Not only do the "voluntarily unvaccinated" already exist .. public health officials have the resources, expertise and data to locate and identify them whenever chose to do so.
Unfortunately .. they lack only the "will" to do so.
Posted by: Bob Moffitt | September 19, 2011 at 08:26 AM
Eindeker:
First, Kent’s statement is “For I can call it nothing less than wickedness when the medical community refuses to perform a study of the neurological health of vaccinated and unvaccinated children.”
Second, beyond the Pharma cult mindset is the reality of parents’ rights (past, present, and future) to refuse vaccinations.
Third, the delusion here is that actions of Pharma, CDC, FDA, and the medical community are ethical. They proclaim the safety of thimerosal preservative in flu shots for children and pregnant women while offering both versions of the flu shot--with and without thimerosal preservative containing mercury. Published data on infant monkeys clearly show higher levels of inorganic mercury in brain tissue after injection of vaccines with thimerosal.
Posted by: Jim Thompson | September 19, 2011 at 07:04 AM
When I was a child I pictured the act of selling your soul as the devil suddenly appearing with his red bull face surrounded by smoke and laying gold at his feet in temptation. The years have taught me that the bible is simply referring to the people, who have always existed, who abandon all ethics in relating to their fellow man, and give up their human soul, in the name of personal material gain.
The fiery demons refer to the legions of little Eindekers who operate entirely under the control of those with power, unable to use indendence of mind to comprehend the world, and unquestioning of the evil that their hands inflict.
There is at least one plausible hypothesis of how cumulative vaccine exposure could cause immune system disorders, or perhaps the mechanism is something that still lies beyond the scope of scientific understanding; but that it is happening is as obvious as the sun rising in the morning.
Posted by: GH | September 19, 2011 at 05:19 AM
John: "Bullying?" no, just trying to get some understanding of what Kent is asking for in a controlled clinical trial of vaccinated v unvaccinated children.
Perhaps you can describe how the nuts & bolts of such a trial would be explained to parents, I'm interested to know how you would randomly allocate children to the placebo group what happens if a few years down the line they then go to an area of endemic disease, how do you cope with that, heaven forbid if they catch measles & die...how do you cope with that?
This isn't bullying John it's trying to be realistic about the chances of any such study, rather than just endlessly repeating a mantra of "where's the study", do you not see the ethical dilemas?
How do you view the data from that survey, there clearly are large groups of unvaccinated children who unfortunately have autism, does this not give you cause for concern?
Posted by: Eindeker | September 19, 2011 at 05:04 AM
Can I just remind Eindeker and everyone else that Dr Wakefield NEVER advocated NOT vaccinating children against measles. He merely suggested a TEMPORARY return to single vaccines, pending more research into MMR vaccine safety.
The first MMR vaccine, containing the dangerous Urabe mumps component was railroaded into the child vaccination programme in 1988 by a UK government, oblivious to warnings about it from Canada. It took three years before this dangerous MMR vaccine version was banned, and then only because the vaccine manufacturers withdrew it. By that time there were thousands of adverse reactions and an unknown number of deaths, all officially denied until two small 2010 Scottish press releases about it, twenty years later.
My own daughters were vaccinated against measles in 1968/69, as were their peers. My younger daughter caught wild measles in 1971. I suspect that vaccine batch was not properly kept or administered. I do not know of any other measles infections amongst my daughter's peers. The UK measles statistics 1968-1988 confirm the efficacy of this monovalent measles vaccine against measles infections. My daughters were also given single Rubella vaccinations before starting secondary school. This too, effectively prevented future damage to unborn babies.
The widespread measles infections in Europe are due to a widespread suspicion against the MMR vaccine. Don't blame Wakefield!! His now retracted Lancet paper was more than 13 years ago. Without the BMJ and Murdoch regurgitating it, this would have been long forgotten. In the UK we are ALL being told to get vaccinated 'against measles' before going to Europe. They don't tell us this involves a dose of MMR! -THREE live vaccines to immunise against one of them. They also extoll getting this vaccination regardless of any previous vaccinations or infections. This is just plain irresponsible!! Myself, husband and younger daughter have lifelong immunity due to WILD measles infections. The rest of the family have all been immunised via MMR or in one case single measles vaccination. If any worried unvaccinated UK person is reading this, single measles vaccinations ARE available in the UK at private clinics. I recommend getting them instead.
I won't talk about religion, but I have great faith in truth and natural justice prevailing in the end. Everything works in 'mysterious ways'. God bless you all and keep faith!
Posted by: Jenny Allan | September 19, 2011 at 03:57 AM
Eindeker
No not "straight forward ethics" at all: but a situation which has been grand-fathered on "largely inadequate" research, and in which the colateral damage is angrily dismissed by people who don't mind if the price is paid by other people's children. I don't think you will find indifference to disease in these columns, only the question whether we are following the best policies.
As ever you are the bully: unwilling to listen to people for whom an unscientific and unethical policy has gone drastically wrong and have every day to fight an uphill struggle for children's health and rights.
Posted by: John Stone | September 19, 2011 at 03:29 AM
"this subject of scientific research on vaccine injuries for vaccinated compared to unvaccinated groups is an evil and grave sin of omission"
1 The data show that unvaccinated children are clearly more at risk from contracting infectious disease
2 Which vaccines do you propose testing: live viral, multiple, single, inactivated viral, +/- adjuvant, toxoid, inactivated bacterial....or are all vaccines "bad" just by definition just because they are
3 Explain to me how any doctor would recruit children to this trial explaining to parents the risks and benefits for their children, "well yes your child would be at risk of a variety of infectious disease but we need to test this hypothesis for which there is little or no scientific evidence and no plausible hypothesis...."
4 The recent self selecting flawed survey did show significant levels of autism in a non-vaccinated population, there is not a chance that any ethics committee overseeing the trial protocol would allow this, its not a conspiracy, its not evil pharma it's just reality
5 Re fudging figures Cassandra, if I remember correctly 50% of the children in the survey were < 2years old, that's hardly a characteristic age profile and well before autism is normally diagnosed, not fudging figures, just applying common sense.
I don't want to be argumentative but Kent's discription of no clinical trial comparing the neurological health of vaccinated and unvaccinated children as "Wicked" is just delusional. It's not going to happen, not for some conspiratorial reason but because of straight forward ethics, to keep clamouring for it does nothing to advance the cause of understanding autism and gives false comfort to affected parents as "someone" to blame.
Posted by: Eindeker | September 19, 2011 at 02:41 AM
We are not "God" people in any way...so this has not been a struggle for us. We simply believe in biology...that is what's so difficult for us...biology didn't give us this situation...if it were simply a biological misfortune, it would be easier to accept...but as we know, biology alone did not bring us here.
Posted by: Barbie HInes | September 19, 2011 at 12:34 AM
Kent. I'm a mother of a recovered 9 year old boy. He does respond to prayer- there is no doubt. I prayed over that child fervently for healing... for answers.... for so many years. I pray that the truth be revealed about causation and that the medical community's shameful approach to this epidemic be brought to light. I often feel confused and guilty that my child came out of this the way he did. I'm grateful to God obviously, but my most passionate prayers are for the families that deal day in and day out with the struggles and the pain from which I have been spared. I don't know why that is....I do know that had it not been for my son's illness, I would not be in realationship with my Father now. Praying for you, your wife, your daugher, and your son. Yes, prayer can bring about great things.
Posted by: Ldcooper | September 18, 2011 at 11:15 PM
Apologies for the typos and bad grammar in my earlier comment.
Posted by: Cassandra | September 18, 2011 at 10:41 PM
Yep- I agree with you whole heartily. I have been at odds over this for some time. many of my fellow believers have told me- this is the way my son is- and that's it
I refuse to believe that- because my son was injured.
I believe that one day God will reveal to everyone just how awful our US gov't is- especially when it comes to vaccines.
Its sad to see our kids suffer because of it- I have hope that God will get the vengeance.
Its hard fighting pharma- thinking that we will get the upper hand- only to find out that there are vaccine makers in all areas of govt- with their own greedy agenda to push.
One day- I know the truth will be revealed to all people- and then they will not be able to say that there is no link.
Posted by: Tara McMillan | September 18, 2011 at 09:46 PM
Eindeker, spew your talking points to the "science"blog people, who all have an investment in minimizing ANY negative outcomes from vaccines.
Posted by: Jen | September 18, 2011 at 09:24 PM
I've been told that God gave me my boys just the way that they are. To some extent, I believe and understand that, but I also believe that sometime people need to tell themselves these things to make sense of tragedy. I often say" God didn't give me these boys...Merck did" Certainly, it doesn't absolve me from the responsibility to restore them to who I KNOW they were when they were born. God has been with us and I really believe is truly with each and every person who has the knowledge of the true causes of Autism. I really feel blessed (sometimes cursed lol) to know what I know now. The regret of not knowing sooner will go with me to my grave, but NO further damage will ever come to my children via vaccines and I can ASSURE you of that for as long as I breathe. I know I am blessed to be able to say that. God keeps me in line and focused on what I need to do for my boys, and he will only let me dwell on the pharmaceutical FOOLS for only so long. We will win this because we are more blessed and simply smarter than these opposing forces. It is simply a matter of time.
Posted by: Angie | September 18, 2011 at 09:14 PM
An Job finally understands his place in God's creation.
Job 42
Job
1 Then Job replied to the LORD:
2 “I know that you can do all things;
no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.
4 “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.’
5 My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you.
6 Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes.”
Posted by: Adam M | September 18, 2011 at 09:00 PM
Eindeker:
This twisting of a perfectly reasonable and logical question of “why is there not a study of the neurological health of vaccinated and unvaccinated children?” into something evil actually illustrates Kent’s point in this article.
The scientific question here is “what damage do vaccines cause to children?”
But vaccines manufacturers are a business. Their goal is to make a profit. And so the answer to their question of “how to cover up damage to children from vaccines?” is to promote their propaganda that it is unethical to ask the scientific question.
The act of avoiding this subject of scientific research on vaccine injuries for vaccinated compared to unvaccinated groups is an evil and grave sin of omission.
Kent:
Pray and Row, it takes both!
Posted by: Jim Thompson | September 18, 2011 at 08:57 PM
Job 40
1 The LORD said to Job:
2 “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?
Let him who accuses God answer him!”
3 Then Job answered the LORD:
4 “I am unworthy—how can I reply to you?
I put my hand over my mouth.
5 I spoke once, but I have no answer—
twice, but I will say no more.”
6 Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm:
7 “Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.
8 “Would you discredit my justice?
Would you condemn me to justify yourself?
9 Do you have an arm like God’s,
and can your voice thunder like his?
10 Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor,
and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.
11 Unleash the fury of your wrath,
look at all who are proud and bring them low,
12 look at all who are proud and humble them,
crush the wicked where they stand.
13 Bury them all in the dust together;
shroud their faces in the grave.
14 Then I myself will admit to you
that your own right hand can save you.
15 “Look at Behemoth,
which I made along with you
and which feeds on grass like an ox.
16 What strength it has in its loins,
what power in the muscles of its belly!
17 Its tail sways like a cedar;
the sinews of its thighs are close-knit.
18 Its bones are tubes of bronze,
its limbs like rods of iron.
19 It ranks first among the works of God,
yet its Maker can approach it with his sword.
20 The hills bring it their produce,
and all the wild animals play nearby.
21 Under the lotus plants it lies,
hidden among the reeds in the marsh.
22 The lotuses conceal it in their shadow;
the poplars by the stream surround it.
23 A raging river does not alarm it;
it is secure, though the Jordan should surge against its mouth.
24 Can anyone capture it by the eyes,
or trap it and pierce its nose?
Posted by: Adam M | September 18, 2011 at 08:52 PM
1 “Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?
Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?
2 Do you count the months till they bear?
Do you know the time they give birth?
3 They crouch down and bring forth their young;
their labor pains are ended.
4 Their young thrive and grow strong in the wilds;
they leave and do not return.
5 “Who let the wild donkey go free?
Who untied its ropes?
6 I gave it the wasteland as its home,
the salt flats as its habitat.
7 It laughs at the commotion in the town;
it does not hear a driver’s shout.
8 It ranges the hills for its pasture
and searches for any green thing.
9 “Will the wild ox consent to serve you?
Will it stay by your manger at night?
10 Can you hold it to the furrow with a harness?
Will it till the valleys behind you?
11 Will you rely on it for its great strength?
Will you leave your heavy work to it?
12 Can you trust it to haul in your grain
and bring it to your threshing floor?
13 “The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully,
though they cannot compare
with the wings and feathers of the stork.
14 She lays her eggs on the ground
and lets them warm in the sand,
15 unmindful that a foot may crush them,
that some wild animal may trample them.
16 She treats her young harshly, as if they were not hers;
she cares not that her labor was in vain,
17 for God did not endow her with wisdom
or give her a share of good sense.
18 Yet when she spreads her feathers to run,
she laughs at horse and rider.
19 “Do you give the horse its strength
or clothe its neck with a flowing mane?
20 Do you make it leap like a locust,
striking terror with its proud snorting?
21 It paws fiercely, rejoicing in its strength,
and charges into the fray.
22 It laughs at fear, afraid of nothing;
it does not shy away from the sword.
23 The quiver rattles against its side,
along with the flashing spear and lance.
24 In frenzied excitement it eats up the ground;
it cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds.
25 At the blast of the trumpet it snorts, ‘Aha!’
It catches the scent of battle from afar,
the shout of commanders and the battle cry.
26 “Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom
and spread its wings toward the south?
27 Does the eagle soar at your command
and build its nest on high?
28 It dwells on a cliff and stays there at night;
a rocky crag is its stronghold.
29 From there it looks for food;
its eyes detect it from afar.
30 Its young ones feast on blood,
and where the slain are, there it is.”
Posted by: Adam M | September 18, 2011 at 08:50 PM
1 Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm. He said:
2 “Who is this that obscures my plans
with words without knowledge?
3 Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.
4 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.
5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?
6 On what were its footings set,
or who laid its cornerstone—
7 while the morning stars sang together
and all the angels[a] shouted for joy?
8 “Who shut up the sea behind doors
when it burst forth from the womb,
9 when I made the clouds its garment
and wrapped it in thick darkness,
10 when I fixed limits for it
and set its doors and bars in place,
11 when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;
here is where your proud waves halt’?
12 “Have you ever given orders to the morning,
or shown the dawn its place,
13 that it might take the earth by the edges
and shake the wicked out of it?
14 The earth takes shape like clay under a seal;
its features stand out like those of a garment.
15 The wicked are denied their light,
and their upraised arm is broken.
16 “Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea
or walked in the recesses of the deep?
17 Have the gates of death been shown to you?
Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?
18 Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?
Tell me, if you know all this.
19 “What is the way to the abode of light?
And where does darkness reside?
20 Can you take them to their places?
Do you know the paths to their dwellings?
21 Surely you know, for you were already born!
You have lived so many years!
22 “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow
or seen the storehouses of the hail,
23 which I reserve for times of trouble,
for days of war and battle?
24 What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed,
or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth?
25 Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain,
and a path for the thunderstorm,
26 to water a land where no one lives,
an uninhabited desert,
27 to satisfy a desolate wasteland
and make it sprout with grass?
28 Does the rain have a father?
Who fathers the drops of dew?
29 From whose womb comes the ice?
Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens
30 when the waters become hard as stone,
when the surface of the deep is frozen?
31 “Can you bind the chains[b] of the Pleiades?
Can you loosen Orion’s belt?
32 Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons[c]
or lead out the Bear[d] with its cubs?
33 Do you know the laws of the heavens?
Can you set up God’s[e] dominion over the earth?
34 “Can you raise your voice to the clouds
and cover yourself with a flood of water?
35 Do you send the lightning bolts on their way?
Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?
36 Who gives the ibis wisdom[f]
or gives the rooster understanding?[g]
37 Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?
Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens
38 when the dust becomes hard
and the clods of earth stick together?
39 “Do you hunt the prey for the lioness
and satisfy the hunger of the lions
40 when they crouch in their dens
or lie in wait in a thicket?
41 Who provides food for the raven
when its young cry out to God
and wander about for lack of food?
Posted by: Adam M | September 18, 2011 at 08:48 PM
Eindeker, I will give you the benefit of the doubt even though I do not believe you made your comments in good faith. Your are fudging the numbers when you are saying that the recent survey data showed 1-2% autism rates. The CDC counts all children not just the >2 population so the reported 0.57% is the correct number from the survey. However, a survey is hardly the scientific evidence we need. What your are saying is that we could only accept double blind placebo controlled studies in assessing vaccine safety but that would be unethical to do such a study. So you are saying that we should accept vaccine safety studies that were never done that way. A completely ridiculous argument. This is why I said earlier that vaccine science has become a religion. It is not based on science, it is based in the faith that vaccines work and save lives as you said. Well, they also result in death and unless we do the right studies we will never know if the high rates of infant mortality in the US has anything to do with the high number of vaccines that babies in this country receive in the first year of live.
I did not see Kent advocate against the MMR vaccine or for any other one for that matter, but maybe the fact that so many are given so soon have something to do with our bismal infant mortality rates and the fact that there are now more than half of our children suffer from chronic illnesses. Yes, kids do die from measles, they also die from vaccines. Autistic kids wonder and drown, people with severe food allergies or asthma die too. We simply do not know the true risks that vaccines present. Your ignorance is pitiful.
Posted by: Cassandra | September 18, 2011 at 08:44 PM
It's times like this that I'm reminded of the book of Job. It answers the question for me" where is God?"
Posted by: Adam M | September 18, 2011 at 07:57 PM
Dear Kent,
Your writing is quite inspirational. As the Bible says Human Beings all have Free Choice, and just as the Bible tells us, many of us have and will choose the path of greed and selfishness over doing what is right. We can see this everywhere, not only in the world of autism and vaccines. I sometimes wish that God did not allow Adam and Eve that free choice that gave them and their descendents the ability to "have at it" and wreck mankind and God's beautiful earth. The Bible also says that "Satan is the ruler of this world" and that he "misleads the entire inhabited earth". Watching the evening news verifies this for me daily.
Re: "In a world of free will I still believe prayer can bring about great things."
One thing about autism, it can certainly make a person PRAY ALOT. My continual prayers have led me to many answers for my grandson, but sometimes I wonder "Why do others who pray remain in a situation where their child does not progress?" It makes me sad when I should be feeling glad about my grandson's gradual but continual improvements over the past four years. He has regained his ability to walk through Methyl B12 and Gluthathione, and finally regained his ability to talk through Klaire Labs TherBiotic Complete probiotics. After trying no less than 10 different probiotics, I was really beginning to fear that he would never speak again, but finally a year ago a wonderful man told me to try this kind and he began speaking immediately. It really was a miracle to me and the lesson learned for me was to "keep trying and don't give up".
Then another man recommended a child psychologist who had successfully treated her own child with autism through the use of therapeutic grade essential oils, and since she lived near us my daughter took her son to her and also has been attending her classes weekly. The changes in my grandson have been "miraculous" because even though he could walk and talk again, he still had so many serious learning and behavioral issues, which the oils are now successfully addressing.
My daughter has attended several seminars with David Stewart, PhD, who is a Methodist minister and was a professor of Chemistry. He has written several wonderful books, including "The Chemistry of Essential Oils" and one that I am reading now called "Healing Oils of the Bible" where he explains that the essential oils are referenced in the Bible 261 times directly naming the specific oils (33 different species), and general references 240 times although not specifically naming the oils, (As in incense, annointing oil, ointment, perfume, "oils of joy and gladness")and 146 times as indirect references where the specific oils can be identified by other scriptures (example: "Holy Annointing Oil" recipe given at other texts)
Dr. Stewart lists every single reference in his book, 647 total, although that is but a small part of the amazing information he shares.
So in Dr. Stewart we have a "Man of Faith" and an educated scientist rolled into one person, and since God created the earth and everything in the universe, obviously He is a Scientist of the highest degree. Why did God himself direct instruction regarding the essential oils to his people if there was no useful spiritual and physical healing purpose? Why did the "Three Wise Men" bring Jesus Frankincense and Myrrh along with the gold? Dr. Stewart explains that the essential oils were more valuable than gold due to their healing qualities.
We have witnessed the miracles of Methyl B12, Glutathione, Probiotics and many other natural therapies for autism. We are now witnessing the miracles of the essential oils and this further increases my faith that 1.) God Answers Prayer and 2.) God has provided in His creation the many healing elements of nature and 3.) God brings us to His Faith:
"Faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities though unseen" [Hebrews 11:1]
"In the evening weeping may take up lodging, but in the morning there is a joyful cry"
God Bless You Kent!!!
Posted by: AutismGrandma | September 18, 2011 at 07:53 PM
Oh those are some stats you are throwing around Eindeker, without specifying your sources. More important still would be the health status of those who have died, previous vaccinations etc (ref work by Peter Aaby http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00x4013).
And while at it, can we please have the TRUE stats of deaths and LONG-term neurological and other health complication following vaccinations. Please?
Posted by: Natasa | September 18, 2011 at 07:10 PM
What is an unethical trial? How can anyone say it is unethical to do a thorough study on the true over all health effects of vaccines? The only way to do one is to compare vaccinated and never vaccinated individuals. There is a large portion of our society that has never been vaccinated and many more parents are choosing not to vaccinate. The study population is here. To say it is unethical to study these individuals is ridiculous. It is the pharmaceutical organization that has bought the government into mandating vaccines that have never been proven in long term studies. The entire process in which vaccines have been mandated, studied using adjuvants as the placebo, monitoring of adverse events by the very people that make a profit off of them is unethical. How many parents have to report adverse reaction after vaccination before it is ethical to study them....truly study them. As more children fall ill after vaccination, more and more parents will refuse them. For goodness sakes, cancer studies have never even been done on them yet we force every newborn baby to continuously receive one after another???? And you want to cry unethical?
Posted by: Karmen Wagler | September 18, 2011 at 06:59 PM
Eindeker,
the moral and ethical action would be to perform the vaccinated vs. unvaccineated study because, much as you would disagree, vaccine science is not settled. Vaccine science is constantly changing.
Every vaccine made by man has shown side effects and we deserve no less than a thorough and ongoing examination of those side effects. With so many unvaccinated children around the world,ther are more than enough to include in a study. To not do that study is unethical and immoral.
Posted by: Harry H. | September 18, 2011 at 06:57 PM
"Don't you remember the recent survey Kent showing a 1-2% autism rate in unvaccinated children >2 years old?"
Eindeker.. Can you please share these findings?
Posted by: Mercen S | September 18, 2011 at 06:30 PM
"Man" did vaccine damage. And God shines through the loving people like you, Kent, who pour pure love into the situation. That is where we see God. Love lives in the parents who see the tragedy and try to fix it. Love is here. We can get a small sense of satisfaction in believing that it's MORE love than the "scientists" who go blithely on there way, leaving wrack and ruin in their path!
Posted by: Cynthia Cournoyer | September 18, 2011 at 05:56 PM
"For I can call it nothing less than wickedness when the medical community refuses to perform a study of the neurological health of vaccinated and unvaccinated children."
Some would call it wickedness Kent to call for an unethical trial, to cast doubt on the effectiveness of a disease prevetion measure, why because look what's happened in Europe:
"Eight-five percent of the cases in 2010 were unimmunised, a similar percentage of cases in 2011 have also been unimmunised.
A large outbreak in Bulgaria, 24,000 cases with five deaths, was the main contributor to the dramatic increase in the number of measles cases in 2010. This outbreak has now subsided. The large, ongoing outbreak is now in France (12,699 cases) accounting for more than half of the cases in Europe in 2011. Six deaths, 14 neurological complications, and 444 cases with severe pneumonia have been reported in France. One person with measles in Germany (1,193) has also died this year."
In a detailed analysis of a Fench region with over 5000 cases only 3% of those infected had received 2 courses of MMR.
Don't you remember the recent survey Kent showing a 1-2% autism rate in unvaccinated children >2 years old? How on earth could you ethically justify witholding potentially life saving preventative medicine?
"It is nothing less than wickedness" .. to deny vaccines save lives Kent, time and time again look what happens in unvaccinated communities, the result is avoidable death and disease that's real wickedness Kent, not some far fetched conspiracy theory
Posted by: Eindeker | September 18, 2011 at 04:57 PM
Autism is only an indictment against God or against his existence if you believe that this life is the point. I don't believe this life is the point, but that it points us to the point, which is eternal life with God. Autism separates the wheat from the chaff, those who have true compassion on their fellow man, and those who, because of greed and a lust for power, harm others to gain financial and political advantage. Included in the chaff category are the indifferent, those who know or at least suspect that wrong is being done, but who look the other way to avoid any sort of discomfort to themselves. God will not be merciful to those who deliberately, or passively, bring pain and suffering to his little children.
I look forward to the day when I can get to know my little guy as he really is, unshackled by his mortal body. I see glimmers of that person now, but I can't wait to see him whole.
Posted by: Julia | September 18, 2011 at 03:51 PM
I have had occasion lately to be overly worried about my children, even though they are "neurotypical" (seemingly;) Just yesterday I was looking up quotes to help. It does seem very true that worry does not do any good. I think even just knowing that faith is the alternative to worry and fear, helps. Thanks, Kent.
Posted by: Jen | September 18, 2011 at 01:56 PM
For a scientist, like myself, this is a particularly difficult subject.
When it comes to vaccination, science has long been taken out of the equation, it is more akin to a religion that requires its followers blind faith.
I have a hard time believing in a God that is omnipresent and intervenes. I do believe in the collective good of people. Spirituality for me is the realization that we do not have all the answers, I pray for deeper understanding and enlightenment. I also pray that together we can defeat pure evil that is intent, out of greed and ignorance, to destroy our children.
Posted by: Cassandra | September 18, 2011 at 01:23 PM
Thanks so much for this very thoughtful article. I too struggle with these issues.
Posted by: Twyla | September 18, 2011 at 01:23 PM
I will not, can not,believe that God gave me this child because I am such a special person. When I understood that God did not give my boy Autism...MAN did, it helped me to stop asking God why. When we realize that free will includes good and evil and the consequences of that evil, we can stop blaming ourselves. What did I do wrong that my boy regressed into Autism? Not a thing. I have spent so much time in conversation with God I no longer call them prayers. I call them my pleadings. I pray for the enemy, those who deny, those who profit from injuring so many. I pray for it to stop! I also pray with thanks that our boy got his voice back, that he isn't sick all of the time anymore, that he is connected to us. Is he healed? No. He will probably never be able to live on his own. He is 18 now and my prayers are focused on the future.What do we do now? I am terrified of the "Wickedness to come"
Posted by: KFuller | September 18, 2011 at 01:17 PM
I BELIEVE GOD GAVE US THESE SPECIAL CHILDREN BECAUSE HE KNEW WE WOULD TAKE GOOD CARE OF THEM.
Posted by: jACLYN CARTY | September 18, 2011 at 11:00 AM
Kent, you said it beautifully. I also came to the same conclusion about free will. I think our ability to choose is what makes us most like God.
"I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants."
"For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess."
It's always our choice.
What's happening to children with an unsafe, unchecked vaccine schedule is a horrible evil. Lots of people are dedicated to covering it up. They've chosen to do this convincing themselves that it's the right thing to do for whatever reason. I put this holocaust along side of the Nazis, slavery, de jure segregation, and a host of other evils. Lots of people in history have had to fight terrible wrongs, but in the end they won and so will we.
Anne Dachel, Media
Posted by: Anne McElroy Dachel | September 18, 2011 at 10:39 AM
Thank you, Kent. We pray daily. My typical kids offer specific prayers for Ronan. Those are the innocent prayers I cling to: please let Ronan be able to talk, and play, and do regular kid things with us. My other son is desperate for Ronan to play with him, not just next to him in his own world.
I have never prayed so fiercely than when I pray for Ronan and for other families in our community. Until our children are all healed, I will continue to pray as well as believe that something good will come to us.
Cat
Posted by: Cat Jameson | September 18, 2011 at 10:05 AM
Jesus said we would have tribulations in this world. Boy, He wasn't kidding! But He also said He would be with us, and He wasn't kidding about that either. His presence and help have been invaluable to me and our family, as we struggle with our 16 year old's neurological damage. Thanks for your post, and God bless you and your family.
Posted by: A. F. | September 18, 2011 at 09:55 AM
Ethiopean jews in Israel, Ethiopean christians in the the US, Somali muslims in the US and sweden - they all brought thousands upon thousands of children with them to the west, almost none of which have autism, and then they make thousands upon thousands of children in the west, many of whom do have autism, even though its the same genetics. The star and crescent, the cross, and the star of david are pretty much irrelevant, and I truely don't know if their prayers are relevant, be it in Latin, Arabic or Hebrew.
Posted by: A concerned Israeli | September 18, 2011 at 09:06 AM
What you have to believe is that good is worth fighting for, but it is not where the next pay cheque is coming from. I don't know that you can rationalize belief in good, any more than you can rationalize belief in a religion, but it is necessary.
Posted by: Reasons for Being | September 18, 2011 at 08:13 AM
I would suggest .. without God .. the smoke from Auschwitz would still be seen today.....
That is the hope I have for our community .. our sufferings will end only with the help of God.....
Posted by: Bob Moffitt | September 18, 2011 at 07:23 AM
God (if any) died in Auschwitz
Posted by: Vaccine.Explorer | September 18, 2011 at 06:29 AM