What causes leukemia?

[wahoo_mom]

Well said, Teri!

God does not cause bad things to happen, but He does give us the strength to handle whatever bad things are thrown at us. All we need to do is ask and rely upon Him.

[kittymomma]

I have a question--what class was this for? To me it seems like perhaps it was a Logic class--I can't remember all the terms from then--but it isn't really discussing god, except in a "logical" problem--where you could insert any topic and there are certain rules that would apply..... totally unrelated to the "subject" inserted in the problem, but rather to the placement and use of the words in the "analogy.... I know I am screwing up my terms...it has been over 20 years since I took my one single Logic class....

[scraptag]

I put this out there because I am having a hard time keeping my mouth shut with my extended family. My cousin's nephew has been fighting Lukemia this year and the bone marrow transplant they did as a last effort has failed. He has now been sent home to die at If he 10 years old and keeps asking them what he did wrong. They are all posting things and saying things like "god is a good god" and I fail to see it. I just don't get it. If he was good and really in control of people's lives as so many profess then a little boy would not be struck down with cancer and wondering what HE did wrong.

Becky, what you are asking for is a God that HAS control over everything. God does not CONTROL everything, not because he can't but because he gave us Free Will.
Do you truly believe that he controls the weather? Or earthquakes? or Volcanoes? I don't believe that He Controls these things. I believe He made the earth and it's amazing how everything works together. It's amazing how the earth moves to build the mountains, how the oceans provide us with weather so we can have rain,... why are hurricanes bad? Because people build homes close to the ocean and they don't like it when their homes get blown away, not because hurricanes are evil, or that God sent one.

Why does this little boy have lukemia? Because he does. Because it's a disease and it exists, and what ever it is that is out there that makes people get this, he got. Did God give it to him? No. Will God try to use this event to bring people to Him? Yes, because He loves his creation. He loves you, he loves that little boy, and He is there for each and every person affected by this horrible disease right now. Also, you said "If he was good and really in control of people's lives as so many profess then a little boy would not be struck down with cancer and wondering what HE did wrong". I have to say it again, God does not control our lives. We can choose to believe in Him and ask him to help us with our choices, and we can choose to live more godly lives, but He will never run our lives for us. Because then we couldn't choose to be with Him. Do you want a god who makes your decisions for you? Then you wouldn't be you. You wouldn't be the beautiful creative creature you are.
I also truly believe He does not give little boys cancer. It is important that this little boy know that he did NOTHING wrong. Cancer is a horrible disease can strike anyone. At his age it is sooo hard to understand that horrible things can happen to anyone. You are personally attached to little boy, and you have heard his question. And it makes you cry out in pain. You have to know in your heart that God would not strike down a little boy with cancer. But you do not question that 1000's of children who are orphaned in Haiti or that they are living in filth there. Why does this one little boy make you question, and the others not? Maybe this is the one that will draw you closer to God, and cause you to seek Him. Ask God why! Ask God what He wants from you. Ask Him how you can make a difference in the world. And then do the hardest thing imaginable....Listen for His answer.

Becky's quote:

But you see this is the problem. The family DOES believe that god is in complete control of their lives. Under their belief system that god punishes the wicked and heals the true believers, this boy is bound to think that it is his fault. I just have such a problem with the whole "God is in control of my life and he is a great and loving God" thing because obviously if he were in control AND great and loving this would not be happening.[/quote]



1) Becky, do not be sad, or angry or frustrated. Your "nephew" might not understand now, but he is innocent. When he passes from this earth he will meet God and know Him, and he will also know that it was not his fault.

2) Your quote "I just have such a problem with the whole "God is in control of my life and he is a great and loving God" thing because obviously if he were in control AND great and loving this would not be happening. God is in control of A PERSON'S life when they ask Him to be (again, not the whole world). So if He were in Control of the Father's and Mother's lives this could still be happening because cancer happens. Just because they have given control to God does not mean that cancer does not happen. If they have given up control of their lives to God, then this should mean that if this boy should not be cured from cancer that they believe that God will carry them through this. Not that they agree that their little boy should die of cancer.

3) re: Control. I know as a Christian that we try to let God be in control of our lives. It really is almost impossible. Even the most pious of believers sin (as we are human), and therefore we must give up that control to God on a daily basis (and we probably take it back without realizing it in the next second). But that is a personal thing. It is not a universal thing, ie: God does not take control of everyone and everything or we would have no free choice. As a believer, we ask God to be in control of our lives for many reasons...so that we can be protected from evil; make better choices; free us from what the world views as important as opposed to what is really important; and that we might find peace in adversity.

I truly hope that this family does not see this little boy as evil because he has not been cured of his cancer. I truly believe that what they are going through is one of the most difficult things in life and that they are trying to make sense of it all. I don't know you in person Becky, but we have talked before, and I believe you are an open and joyful and funloving person with passion, and this would be a tough situation for any of us. I have struggled before with who God is, and how much control I want to give Him, and I have experienced His amazing love and power in my life when he saved my marriage. I am still sooooo far from perfect, and I still struggle, but I can assure you that if God did control everything we would be in heaven right now and you would not be asking these questions. But we are on earth, and he does not take Control of a person's life without that person giving it to Him. And that cancer was not given to that little boy by God. And that little boy may not know it now, but he will.

Do you have the ability to talk with this little boy? If you did, what would you say to him?

[Shadywolfe]

What causes leukemia?

Experts say that different leukemias have different causes. The following are either known causes, or strongly suspected causes:

• Artificial ionizing radiation
  
• Viruses - HTLV-1 (human T-lymphotropic virus) and HIV (human immunodeficiency virus)
  
• Benzene and some petrochemicals
  
• Alkylating chemotherapy agents used in previous cancers
  
• Maternal fetal transmission (rare)
  
• Hair dyes
  
• Genetic predisposition - some studies researching family history and looking at twins have indicated that some people have a higher risk of developing leukemia because of a single gene or multiple genes.
  
• Down syndrome - people with Down syndrome have a significantly higher risk of developing leukemia, compared to people who do not have Down syndrome. Experts say that because of this, people with certain chromosomal abnormalities may have a higher risk.
  
• Electromagnetic energy - studies indicate there is not enough evidence to show that ELF magnetic (not electric) fields that exist currently might cause leukemia. The IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) says that studies which indicate there is a risk tend to be biased and unreliable.

Show him this.. nowhere in there does it say God is issuing Leukemia as punishment. In fact.. it doesn't mention god at all.. hmm.. that's odd..



Anyway, there's good and bad stuff in the world.. yenno.. to every white there's a black. It just is what it is. A 10 yr old should not be worried about karma or who's dealing it out for that matter. Shame on those parents.

[AlwaysHappy]

I'm a Christian and always have been. I have a close personal relationship with God and have seen his miracles in my lifetime. Too many to deny that God exist. Do I get angry with him sometimes, of course. I'm human and I don't understand why bad things happen, but there are some things we will never have the answer to in our time here on earth. We aren't meant to understand these things, but I believe all things will become clear to us when it's time for us to know.


My faith is what keeps me going and keeps me strong. I can't imagine anyone holding a newborn baby, or seeing a beautiful sunset and thinking there is no creator of the heavens and the earth. I can't imagine putting a loved one to rest and thinking their existence has come to an end and their life meant nothing. I find peace and comfort in knowing that my parents are in God's loving care and I will see them again someday. Their life had purpose and meaning and so does mine. This is a very emotional thread for me because I do believe in God and in prayer and I think how sad it would be to live a life without a higher power to draw on for my strengh and comfort. How sad it would be to think that death is the end and I would never see my loved ones again. I couldn't exist with those beliefs. What would even be the point? We would merely be breeders of a species and nothing more.


The words you quoted are from man and are meant to cause doubt and confusion in the minds of those who have had their faith shaken.

[JeanG]

This makes no sense. Something is missing here. Maybe something like: If God is good he is not great. The great cannot be God. If God is great he is not God. Something like what I have in bold letters is missing so it makes no sense. In any case, I believe in God. I pray a lot every day, yet do not go to church. I don't care if others believe in Mohammed or Buddah or whatever greater, good power they believe in, I do not try to change their beliefs. I'm just happy that so many people believe in a Higher Power.

[JeanG]

Sheesh! I should have read the other answers first! I also believe that God does not control everything because he gave us free will. I have no idea why cells mutate in some people and form cancer - but I don't believe God does it. I will never understand why my beloved cousin, David, who was 1 month older than me, died from a brain tumor at 17; I miss him every day of my life. I know death then was better than living for another 5 years as a veggie as the pathologist said he would have...but why such a wonderful, caring, outgoing, friendly boy died from cancer, I'll never know. There are many, many things in this world I can't understand - like why people are hated because of the color of their skin or because of sexual orientation. Why do some people beat other people to death for no reason? I believe that eventually, when I die, I will see it all with clarity. Until then, I just live my life in the best way I can and pray others do the same.

[Kitkat137]

When I was young, I was a devout Christian (Seventh-Day Adventist). As I grew older, I realized that (to me) god is too contradictory. If there is a god, I wonder that he could be such a cold-hearted being.

I believe that god or no god, it shouldn't matter. To me, it doesn't matter if there is an afterlife or not. What matters is the world we live in now and what we make of it for ourselves and those who come after.

I am a Secular Humanist if anyone is curious.

[lilkoala3]

When I was young, I was a devout Christian (Seventh-Day Adventist). As I grew older, I realized that (to me) god is too contradictory. If there is a god, I wonder that he could be such a cold-hearted being.

I believe that god or no god, it shouldn't matter. To me, it doesn't matter if there is an afterlife or not. What matters is the world we live in now and what we make of it for ourselves and those who come after.

I am a Secular Humanist if anyone is curious.

HEY! I'm an agnostic and an ethical humanist! Do you have an established ethical society by you? I literally live 2 blocks away from the Ethical Society of Philadelphia! I go to all of their Sunday platforms.
http://www.phillyethics.org/

[ShellyBob]

Bec...I am struggling with the same thing in regards to his cancer. I know how strongly that part of the family believes in prayer and God's will. You know I do believe in God, but I cannot understand this at all. I don't know why with all of them/us praying that he cannot be healed. I was thinking just yesterday of Ash going to the college football game. Chase will never date, never graduate, never go to college or get married. It sucks big time. Why should a child be struck down with cancer and die. I don't understand how there can be so many "miracles" in the bible, but not one left over for him. It leaves one very bitter and questioning. He has already been through so much this past year, it just is not fair. I know life isn't fair or just, but I just don't understand this at all. Children are so innocent, I don't know why any of them have to know such heartache and pain. It saddens me greatly.


Shelly

[runawaygypsy]

I know this thread is a little old, but just happened upon it and decided to read it. I have to say, I love that this board is so open-minded! It is refreshing to see a debate on religion that doesn't resort to petty name-calling and religion bashing. I find that way too much.

I was raised a Protestant, but as I got older and read different things, the idea of the Great Mother and a pantheon of Gods & Goddesses sharing human traits, influencing nature, and the belief that I am the one in charge of my destiny, and that what I do can make a difference, has led me to the path of Wicca. My entire family is. My children have been raised to be open-minded and are allowed to choose their own path as well, though they have chosen to continue the path with us.

On the subject of the nephew, if he is still fighting, perhaps some words of strength and comfort would be good for him to hear from those who love him, to offset hearing that his actions have led to the leukemia.

[JulesinParadise]

To me, God just is! and that is enough. A man (or woman), in an attempt to understand that which defies understanding, came up with that quote from your class. I am not particularly religious, more of a spiritual person but I believe there is a Higher Power.

[Keling]

So many answers here... I have a few things I want to put down for you, but it'll have to wait until a little later... about to put the kids to bed...

[AmyTeets]

Personally I think everything happens for a reason. Whether the outcome is good or bad. Sometimes good things come out of bad situations. I always think about John Walsh and his son being murdered. What a horrible thing to have to go through. But if that horrible thing didn't happen would he be on such a mission with saving and helping people? Look at all the people he's saved with his show "America's Most Wanted" and with the start of "Code Adam" in Wal-Mart's.

[Judes]

....sematics.

....I don't think getting it has to do with whether you believe or not.

I agree with Ann.

To me God is good AND great. The world doens't always see him and his followers that way. It is our burden to bare. Also, the Bible says that the sun rises and sets on the good and bad alike, therefore, it rains on the good and the bad alike, too.

[Keling]

Well, I hope some of this helps, and I'm sorry it's so LONG!

**************

What does "GOOD" mean?

There are 41 definitions to the adjective alone on Dictionary.com

How is God "GOOD"?
Just using some of the definitions on Dictionary.com:
1. morally excellent; virtuous; righteous; pious: a good man.
10. genuine; not counterfeit: a good quarter.
12. reliable; dependable; responsible: good advice.

How does the Bible say God is "GOOD"?
Mark 10:18 - Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone."
Psalm 119:68 - You are good and you do good. Teach me your statutes!

God IS good and He DOES good.

As Richard L. Strauss wrote in his article God Is So Good:

"The word for good which Jesus used refers to what is excellent in its character or constitution and beneficial or useful in its effect. The Old Testament equivalent means pleasant, agreeable, excellent, valuable, benevolent, and kind. Two separate ideas begin to surface as we examine these words that describe God’s goodness. One has to do with the perfections of His person and the other with the kindness of His acts."

Strauss continues later in the article:
"How can He permit disease, pain, suffering, poverty, hunger, prejudice, greed, exploitation, crime, violence, war, bloodshed, catastrophe, and destruction? They argue, either He is not very good or He does not have the power to stop it.
"It is difficult for us to understand how these human tragedies can possibly be good, and quite frankly, we may never fully understand it. God tells us that His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9), therefore we cannot expect to understand everything. We do know, however, that God is not the author of sin (Habakkuk 1:13; James 1:13; 1 John 1:5). We also know that God in His sovereign good pleasure created man with volition—the ability to choose good or evil. The first man chose evil of his own will, and his sin affected all of God’s creation. All of the heartache and suffering in this world today are the direct result of that choice, the consequence of living in a world affected by sin.
"In addition, our suffering is intensified by repeated sinful choices; not only our own, but those of individuals and nations around us. We may suffer when a drug addict decides to secure the money he needs for his next fix or when the leaders of some nation decide to enlarge their sphere of influence. The only way to remove all suffering from the world would be to deny everyone all of their freedom, to make them all automatons. None of us would opt for that."

For the rest of the article, click here.

Another interesting article: Is God Good? (Philosophy of Religion)

Basically, from the Biblical perspective, God IS good, because He is righteous, just, genuine and reliable.
God DOES good, when people seek Him through the Bible and through prayer.
God's goodness was the very first of His attributes to be attacked, according to Scripture (see Genesis 3:1-5). But when God created mankind, He gave Adam and Eve the freedom to choose. Unfortunately, they chose to disobey God's ONE rule for living in His garden, a rule that God had already outlined a punishment for (Genesis 2:15-17). When they broke that rule, God, in His justice, had to follow through, although that death promised was not a physical death, or ending of life, but a spiritual death. Spiritual death is eternal separation from God. However, even in the 'curse' of Adam and Eve, God provided a promise of restitution - salvation from eternal death, which would come through the woman's seed, i.e. Jesus's birth to the virgin Mary.

From that day, all men have done wrong, or sinned. You don't have to teach a child to do wrong, to lie, to be greedy; you have to teach them to do right. Originally, God had created man to live forever with Him in Paradise, but because of sin, man could no longer live forever with God. In fact, as you look through all those (boring!) genealogies in the Bible, not ONE person lives beyond a 1000 years! In fact, up until very recently, thanks to medical breakthroughs, the lifespan of man has continued to decrease since creation as a result of disease entering into the world after the fall.

That is where we get things like cancer, multiple sclerosis, autism, diabetes, etc. It's not because of any one person's sin (other than Adam & Eve way back up the line), but from a collective degeneration of the human gene. The only exception to this is those people who choose to hurt their own bodies by dangerous living, whether it be reckless driving, drinking, drugs, etc.

This is also where we get natural disasters from. Not only were human genes corrupted, but so were natures "genes". New, super-bugs are created all the time, whether they are the kind that invade hospitals, or even our own beds (thinking about all those bed bug stories! YUCK!)

However, bad things can also happen to good people when other people choose to do wrong; their sinful choice badly affects others. This kind of action can result in robberies, shootings, rapes, murders and even environmental disasters - like children all from one area developing various cancers because the ground water was polluted!

We also have to remember that the Devil is also currently free to roam the earth. The entire book of Job is all about Satan attacking ONE poor man!

[dustygaal]

I guess this is a weird answer...but, sounds like a quote from a sociology teacher or psychology or something along those lines. The quote doesn't even make sense and sounds like it came from an athiest or perhaps an agnostic. Perhaps it was make to "guilt" the Christians into trying to defend their faith or to cause confusion. All I know is that my personal relationship with Jesus Christ is the whole reason for my life if that makes sense. Because of Him, I live and breath and have my being. I will pray that as you ponder this question that it will not deter you from your own personal beliefs...I will be praying for peace for you! Hugs!

[AmyTeets]

What causes leukemia?

Experts say that different leukemias have different causes. The following are either known causes, or strongly suspected causes:

• Artificial ionizing radiation
  
• Viruses - HTLV-1 (human T-lymphotropic virus) and HIV (human immunodeficiency virus)
  
• Benzene and some petrochemicals
  
• Alkylating chemotherapy agents used in previous cancers
  
• Maternal fetal transmission (rare)
  
• Hair dyes
  
• Genetic predisposition - some studies researching family history and looking at twins have indicated that some people have a higher risk of developing leukemia because of a single gene or multiple genes.
  
• Down syndrome - people with Down syndrome have a significantly higher risk of developing leukemia, compared to people who do not have Down syndrome. Experts say that because of this, people with certain chromosomal abnormalities may have a higher risk.
  
• Electromagnetic energy - studies indicate there is not enough evidence to show that ELF magnetic (not electric) fields that exist currently might cause leukemia. The IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) says that studies which indicate there is a risk tend to be biased and unreliable.

Show him this.. nowhere in there does it say God is issuing Leukemia as punishment. In fact.. it doesn't mention god at all.. hmm.. that's odd..




Anyway, there's good and bad stuff in the world.. yenno.. to every white there's a black. It just is what it is. A 10 yr old should not be worried about karma or who's dealing it out for that matter. Shame on those parents.

Ditto. I hope his parents are helping him through this struggle and not feeding into him asking what did he do to get this. My husbands grandpa fought this disease and over came it for many years until he passed.

[nonnies]

I don't get it. Who is that quote from? Is there more to it? Is this translated from another language? When was it originally said?


Yea, the first part is just some silly nit-picking sematics. "good" and "great" have different definitions and it can be argued conflicting definitions. So what? just nit-picking.

The second part I just totally don't understand. If it is more nit-picking sematics I don't see where there are conflicts in the definitions of "great" and "god" to make them mutually exclusive. What dictionary was this nit-picker using? I don't get it, and I don't think getting it has to do with whether you believe or not.

What she said -

For the record I am an anthropologist - and the more that I study the more I am convinced that there is a God - Higher Power -My beliefs track with those of Einstein "who recognized the impossibility of a non-created universe" and famously quoted "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind"

I am not convinced in Intelligent Design however - but I will say it takes some hubris or HUGE kahonas to believe that right now we know all there is to know about creation, where we came from and where we go... To make a definitive statement that there is no such thing as God or to assume that our individual interpretation of the Bible, Tora or Quran is the absolute truth both come from intolerance and ignorance.

You can call it "magic" I choose to believe that the fact that we are sitting here today with the exact DNA sequence to allow us to have this conversation on a computer thousands of miles away is NOTHING short of a miracle and unequivocal PROOF that there is a GOD -

On a side note - when studying this in class - it BLEW my mind -
Almost EVERY culture - (and I can say this as an anthropologist) has a creation story and MANY especially in the western civilization have one that is similar to the one in the Bible - Adam and Eve - It has been scientifically PROVEN that we ALL - EVERY one of us -came from ONE woman in Africa - she has been nicknamed EVE -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitochondrial_Eve

[Jenn Kellams]

I thought the book of Job was about God testing Job to see what lengths he would go to to be faithful to God himself.....



We also have to remember that the Devil is also currently free to roam the earth. The entire book of Job is all about Satan attacking ONE poor man![/quote]