A query I often encounter when in a dialogue with an atheist is: "Why won't God heal amputees?" In other words, why don't people that believe in divine intervention test it in a situation where the results would be unambiguous?
Every single Christian apologist I have heard speak on this matter has failed to give a satisfying answer. Although I know and understand the answer, from most notably the works of Yogananda and Kriyananda, what is the best way of approaching this question to a skeptic?
—Nirmal Vadgama, UK
Dear Nirmal,
From the perspective of yoga there is the important aspect of karma in regards to God’s healing of an individual.
Karma simply refers to the momentum of energy that one has set into motion from previous thoughts and actions.
It means that someone may be dealt a challenge, whether it be physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual that is a result of that person’s past choices (according to yoga this may be also include previous lifetimes). The question is whether that challenge is an obstacle or an opportunity!
The tendency from most compassionate people is to presume what indeed constitutes ‘healing’. But we don’t necessarily know what the divine plan is in terms of that person. I remember reading a helpful quote from a physician who worked with cancer patients. He said something to the effect that being ‘healed’ and ‘getting well’ are not always the same thing.
Paramhansa Yogananda emphasized that in working with healing prayers we should attune to God’s will (“Thy will be done”) rather than project any specific outcome.The thought here is to open up and magnetize as much as possible to the flow of divine healing energy, which is said to be an intelligent energy, and then have trust that the appropriate healing, whatever that may be, will manifest, in tune with God’s will.
