Why doesn’t God heal amputees?

Think about that question for a minute. No, I mean, REALLY think about it. Think about the implications it has. There’s a website dedicated to this question.

Now for the Mormon spin on this question. Supposedly the power of the Priesthood gives one the ability to heal or give comfort to others using a special blessing. This is usually accompanied with an anointing of consecrated oil when dealing with an illness. Based on the faith promoting stories and anecdotes from friends and family, Priesthood blessings work for things like, say, depression, or a cold, a fever, occasionally cancer, some other kind of sickness.

But I've never seen priesthood bring back hair, limbs, or digits. I often wondered, why don’t blessings heal burn victims’ skin? (ask Mormon Peter Jeppson, whose story I heard as a kid during a trip to Utah) Apparently it works well enough to cure the common cold. But the main problem is that there isn't any way of determining how much the blessing did, how much the medicine did, how much the person’s immune system did, and how much was just the placebo effect.


When the blessing doesn't work, it is one of several things: not enough faith on the part of the sick person, not enough faith on the part of the priesthood holder, or perhaps it’s just that this particular virus was meant to be a trial given from god, so it isn't supposed to be healed. Either way, credit is given to God and the person’s faith is strengthened. Likewise, when a blessing is given to someone about to undergo surgery, often a blessing is given that the surgeon’s hands will be steady, and that everything will go well. When everything comes out just fine, God is given the credit.

Here’s a great song that sums this problem up pretty well.

My brother is an amputee, having had his thumb cut off just below the nail. I would love it if his thumb were to grow back. It saddens me to think that something he once had is gone, especially something as useful as an opposable digit.

I am also an amputee of sorts. Just after I was born, I guess my parents decided that something was wrong with my genitalia and had parts of it permanently cut off.  So let me just put in a plug here for NOHARMM and NOCIRC.

[As a side note, I find it odd that when America (as a whole) learned about Female Genital Mutilation going on in Africa from the Oprah show, people were outraged and it wasn't long before it was made illegal (1997). But an equivalent practice has been going on in this country for over a century and nobody bats an eye. I realize that what happened to me was less severe than what generally happens to girls in Africa, but the point is that the results are similar: surgery done on my genitals without my consent and no good medical reason to do so.]

If I knew that a priesthood blessing would get me back my foreskin (or my brother’s thumb), I would do it in a heartbeat, and would consider it proof that the Mormon Priesthood actually worked, which in turn would be incredibly strong evidence that they really do have the power of God, which would go far in proving the LDS church to be God’s kingdom on earth. Unfortunately, it just isn't so.

And again, isn't it odd that it only works on things that can’t be completely verified independently? Something that is easily visible and completely unambiguous would be growing back an amputated limb. In other words, something that can't be done by the normal human immune system. Having this happen would be miraculous, and having it happen multiple times to people who all happen to be of one particular faith would really show something. If medical journals were filled with tale after tale of Mormons who overcame cancer suddenly, grew back limbs, or suddenly didn't need dialysis anymore. I suspect it would be something like this clip from Star Trek 4.

But the reality is that it’s not like that. Plenty of other religions have their own faith-promoting stories about miraculous healings.

So the miracle healing thing is not unique to Mormonism. It doesn't require the Priesthood, nor the consecrated oil; just simple luck and a placebo given by a good showman often does the trick. And when that doesn't work, a plant in the audience will suffice for these charlatans.

My point is that there are plenty of other explanations for these types of things. Perhaps the doctor misdiagnosed the original condition. There have been cases of spontaneous remission for no known medical reason.

Meanwhile, modern medicine has been hard at work curing us and preventing things like polio, and tuberculosis. Broken leg bones are set so that the person won’t have a permanent limp like what used to be commonplace. New technologies use synthetic skin to treat burn victims. My daughter has had the lenses in her eyes replaced because of cataracts. Science and modern technology has even been able to give amputees their limbs back. In fact, they've gotten so good that a double amputee was banned from competing in the Olympics (until recently) because his prosthetic legs might have given him some kind of mechanical advantage!

Now, I know what some of you are thinking: “The Priesthood being on earth is what’s inspiring the doctors/scientists to do these things!” To which I reply, “Then why weren't these available back in Moses’ day, or Jesus’ day?” And do you have proof that this is the case and not just a coincidence that medical technologies have improved at the same time a small religious movement occurred? Can you independently verify that these advances would not have been made without the “restored Priesthood” on the earth?

Like I said in the post about the scientific method, I would expect that if the priesthood’s healing abilities really worked as well as they’re supposed to, Mormons would have significantly lowered medical costs. They wouldn't have to pay for insurance since the magic oil would be much cheaper and just as effective.  I wonder why more Mormons aren't using Priesthood blessings to cure diabetes, thyroid problems, amputations, and autism regularly. But they aren't, and I think it’s a reflection on the fact that they know it won’t work. I would love to be proven wrong on this point, but I’m not holding my breath. I think I'll let modern technology and doctors do God's job. From what I've seen, it's got a better track record.