--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When a faith-healer commands God to…" description: "\"When a faith-healer commands God to perform a miracle, in the absence of a prayer that says, 'Thy will be done,' it is, as far as I am concerned, the m..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b97/c-everett-koop-15997_absence_when-a-faith-healer-commands-god-to-perf_3008323.jpg" --- # When a faith-healer commands God to perform a miracle, in… ![“When a faith-healer commands God to perform a miracle, in the absence of a prayer that says, 'Thy will be done,' it is, as far as I am concerned, the most rank form of arrogance . . . The faith-healer Bosworth once said that faith makes God act. If you follow that line of reasoning God is in His…” quote by C. Everett Koop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b97/c-everett-koop-15997_absence_when-a-faith-healer-commands-god-to-perf_3008323.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b97/c-everett-koop-15997_absence_when-a-faith-healer-commands-god-to-perf_3008323.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b97/c-everett-koop-15997_absence_when-a-faith-healer-commands-god-to-perf_3008323.jpg) > “When a faith-healer commands God to perform a miracle, in the absence of a prayer that says, 'Thy will be done,' it is, as far as I am concerned, the most rank form of arrogance . . . The faith-healer Bosworth once said that faith makes God act. If you follow that line of reasoning God is in His heaven, but Bosworth rules the world!” [C. Everett Koop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-everett-koop/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Claiming God acts only because of human command shows arrogance, ignoring divine will and humility. **In simple terms:** It criticizes demanding God to obey human wishes. Key Takeaway Respect humility and divine autonomy. Themes faith arrogance humility theology Mood critical thought‑provoking Type theological ethical When to use this quote - religious discourse - ethical debate - personal belief systems Key Concepts Divine will human entitlement spiritual ethics Questions to Reflect On - Do we sometimes misuse faith to control outcomes? - How can humility reshape spiritual practice? A Different Perspective May overlook the comfort faith gives to believers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/) [Arrogance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrogance/) [Arrogance Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrogance-faith-3490627/) [Command](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/command/) [Commands God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commands-god-399624/) [Concerned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concerned/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Faith Healer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith-healer-315454/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Healer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/healer/) [Healer Bosworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/healer-bosworth-4809867/) [Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lines/) [Miracle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miracle/) [Miracles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miracles/) [Prayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer/) [Reasoning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reasoning/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Thy will be done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thy-will-be-done/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [I was deeply influenced by an Episcopal laywoman named Agnes Sanford, who in her day was quite famous as a faith healer, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/i-was-deeply-influenced-by-an-episcopal-laywoman-named-agnes-sanford/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [The only person who is a worse liar than a faith healer is his patient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/the-only-person-who-is-a-worse-liar-than-a-faith-healer-is-his-patient/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [What happens to the faith healer and the shaman when any poor citizen can see the full effect of drugs or surgeries, administered without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/what-happens-to-the-faith-healer-and-the-shaman-when-any-poor-citizen/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [I also visited several healing meetings... and became angry with what appeared to be the manipulation of people for the material gains of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wimber/i-also-visited-several-healing-meetings-and-became-angry-with-what/) [John Wimber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wimber/) > [When I turned about 14, I developed a friendship with this guy whose mom was the secretary to Ernest Angley, the faith healer, who's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/when-i-turned-about-14-i-developed-a-friendship-with-this-guy-whose/) [Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/) > [“Time is a great faith healer”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/time-is-a-great-faith-healer/) [Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/) > [My grandfather was a faith healer and medium, and he always encouraged faith in the unseen. I believe in fortune tellers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-goss/my-grandfather-was-a-faith-healer-and-medium-and-he-always-encouraged/) [Luke Goss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-goss/) > [“This hardly needs to be stated, but if a faith healer tries to “heal” an autistic person, the implied message is that the “healer”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-d-taylor/this-hardly-needs-to-be-stated-but-if-a-faith-healer-tries-to-heal-an/) [Thomas D. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-d-taylor/) > [“When you combine this sacred text with the belief that one’s group alone has a unique revelation, then you can say to others, “With…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-alley/when-you-combine-this-sacred-text-with-the-belief-that-one-s-group/) [Robert Alley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-alley/) > [“AMBROSE: Do not rely on your own efforts but on the grace of Christ. "You are," says the apostle, "saved by grace. Therefore it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-crosby/ambrose-do-not-rely-on-your-own-efforts-but-on-the-grace-of-christ/) [Cindy Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-crosby/) > [“A faith-healer may or may not start out with fraud in mind. But to his amazement, his patients actually seem to be improving. Their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/a-faith-healer-may-or-may-not-start-out-with-fraud-in-mind-but-to-his/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [I am a faith healer. My prayers have immense power, which I utilise whenever I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/engelbert-humperdinck/i-am-a-faith-healer-my-prayers-have-immense-power-which-i-utilise/) [Engelbert Humperdinck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/engelbert-humperdinck/) > [In my 20s, I got into giving people massages and realised I was able to encourage their bodies to heal by passing my hands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-de-burgh/in-my-20s-i-got-into-giving-people-massages-and-realised-i-was-able/) [Chris de Burgh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-de-burgh/) > [“After hearing much from his patients about alleged faith-healing, a Minnesota physician named William Nolen spent a year and a half trying to track…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/after-hearing-much-from-his-patients-about-alleged-faith-healing-a/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [There is a particular danger with a war that God commands. What if God should lose?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-wills/there-is-a-particular-danger-with-a-war-that-god-commands-what-if-god/) [Garry Wills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-wills/) ## More by C. Everett Koop > [The right of smokers to smoke ends where their behavior affects the health and well-being of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-everett-koop/the-right-of-smokers-to-smoke-ends-where-their-behavior-affects-the/) [C. Everett Koop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-everett-koop/) > [The Carnegie Foundation is well aware of the fact that their reports frequently find their way to dusty archives in academic institutions, but occasionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-everett-koop/the-carnegie-foundation-is-well-aware-of-the-fact-that-their-reports/) [C. Everett Koop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-everett-koop/) > [I might be better able to help parents of dying children, but for quite a while I felt less able, too emotionally involved. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-everett-koop/i-might-be-better-able-to-help-parents-of-dying-children-but-for/) [C. Everett Koop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-everett-koop/) > [The best prescription is knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-everett-koop/the-best-prescription-is-knowledge/) [C. Everett Koop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-everett-koop/) > [The health care industry can play a great role in this by being aware of the fact that these children form perhaps the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-everett-koop/the-health-care-industry-can-play-a-great-role-in-this-by-being-aware/) [C. Everett Koop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-everett-koop/) > [A thousand people will stop smoking today. Their funerals will be held sometime in the next three or four days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-everett-koop/a-thousand-people-will-stop-smoking-today-their-funerals-will-be-held/) [C. Everett Koop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-everett-koop/) > [I'd like to say let your kids go out and play. Then I'd say you're not going to do that are you? Make your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-everett-koop/i-d-like-to-say-let-your-kids-go-out-and-play-then-i-d-say-you-re-not/) [C. Everett Koop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-everett-koop/) > [Health care is vital to all of us some of the time, but public health is vital to all of us all of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-everett-koop/health-care-is-vital-to-all-of-us-some-of-the-time-but-public-health/) [C. Everett Koop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-everett-koop/) > [Polls that have been taken by kindergarten, first- and second-grade teachers indicate that 30 percent of the kids have been deprived in some way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-everett-koop/polls-that-have-been-taken-by-kindergarten-first-and-second-grade/) [C. Everett Koop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-everett-koop/) > [You can't talk of the dangers of snake poisoning and not mention snakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-everett-koop/you-can-t-talk-of-the-dangers-of-snake-poisoning-and-not-mention/) [C. Everett Koop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-everett-koop/) > [Risks I think are the thing that make life important and everything that you and I do is risk vs. benefit. Is there a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-everett-koop/risks-i-think-are-the-thing-that-make-life-important-and-everything/) [C. Everett Koop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-everett-koop/) > [That is why we are working with these various groups that have volunteers. We can get a lot of these things done. Nobody has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-everett-koop/that-is-why-we-are-working-with-these-various-groups-that-have/) [C. Everett Koop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-everett-koop/) > [Life affords no greater responsibility, no greater privilege, than the raising of the next generation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-everett-koop/life-affords-no-greater-responsibility-no-greater-privilege-than-the/) [C. Everett Koop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-everett-koop/) > [One of the things we want to do is find ways, first, to impress these parents how important it is to have children in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-everett-koop/one-of-the-things-we-want-to-do-is-find-ways-first-to-impress-these/) [C. Everett Koop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-everett-koop/) > [They have been deprived nutritionally, or some illness has not been picked up, or they have not been screened for vision or hearing defects,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-everett-koop/they-have-been-deprived-nutritionally-or-some-illness-has-not-been/) [C. Everett Koop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-everett-koop/) [Explore all 41 C. Everett Koop quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-everett-koop/) ## More Absence quotes > [Distance sometimes endears friendship, and absence sweeteneth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howell/distance-sometimes-endears-friendship-and-absence-sweeteneth-it/) [James Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howell/) > [The work, the work, the work. This is what the business is all about. This is the fun, the glory, the pleasure. It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-dusenberry/the-work-the-work-the-work-this-is-what-the-business-is-all-about/) [Phil Dusenberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-dusenberry/) > [Total depravity means the entire absence of holiness, not the highest intensity of sin. A totally depraved man is not as bad as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-greenough-thayer-shedd/total-depravity-means-the-entire-absence-of-holiness-not-the-highest/) [William Greenough Thayer Shedd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-greenough-thayer-shedd/) > [Local and state governments have outrun the federal government. The EPA has served notice that it will enact a rule requiring CO2 reductions by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/local-and-state-governments-have-outrun-the-federal-government-the/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [There, in the center of that silence was not eternity but the death of time and a loneliness so profound the word itself had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/there-in-the-center-of-that-silence-was-not-eternity-but-the-death-of/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [Of all the bewildering things about a new country, the absence of human landmarks is one of the most depressing and disheartening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/of-all-the-bewildering-things-about-a-new-country-the-absence-of/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Young men have strong passions and tend to gratify them indiscriminately. Of the bodily desires, it is the sexual by which they are most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/young-men-have-strong-passions-and-tend-to-gratify-them/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [It is suggested that in domestic violence at least the presence or absence of a firearm, or of any other type of weapon, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/it-is-suggested-that-in-domestic-violence-at-least-the-presence-or/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) > [The absence of God in most spheres of life is perceived to be normal, and even Christians feel it as normal - which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/the-absence-of-god-in-most-spheres-of-life-is-perceived-to-be-normal/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/every-person-needs-to-take-one-day-away-a-day-in-which-one/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“I was thinking how most people don't make you feel much of anything at all. Don't make you feel like time spent with them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-lotter/i-was-thinking-how-most-people-don-t-make-you-feel-much-of-anything/) [Jane Lotter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-lotter/) > [Cooperation isn't the absence of conflict but a means of managing conflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/cooperation-isn-t-the-absence-of-conflict-but-a-means-of-managing/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [Many are observing Ferguson and witnessing the anger, demonstrations, looting and vandalism and calling for quiet. But quiet isn't enough. The absence of noise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/many-are-observing-ferguson-and-witnessing-the-anger-demonstrations/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [Will capitalist economies operate at full employment in the absence of routine intervention? Certainly not. Are deviations from full employment a social problem? Obviously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/will-capitalist-economies-operate-at-full-employment-in-the-absence/) [Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/) > [We must begin by acknowledging that there is a complete absence of two things in Indian Society. One of these is equality. On the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-r-ambedkar/we-must-begin-by-acknowledging-that-there-is-a-complete-absence-of/) [B. R. Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar/) [Browse all 2,057 Absence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When a faith-healer commands God to perform a miracle, in the absence of a prayer that says, 'Thy will be done,' it is, as far as I am concerned, the most rank form of arrogance . . . The faith-healer Bosworth once said that faith makes God act. If you follow that line of reasoning God is in His heaven, but Bosworth rules the world!", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "C. Everett Koop" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-everett-koop/when-a-faith-healer-commands-god-to-perform-a-miracle-in-the-absence/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Absence" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-everett-koop/when-a-faith-healer-commands-god-to-perform-a-miracle-in-the-absence/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b97/c-everett-koop-15997_absence_when-a-faith-healer-commands-god-to-perf_3008323.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b97/c-everett-koop-15997_absence_when-a-faith-healer-commands-god-to-perf_3008323.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b97/c-everett-koop-15997_absence_when-a-faith-healer-commands-god-to-perf_3008323.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When a faith-healer commands God to perform a miracle, in the absence of a prayer that says, 'Thy will be…” — C. Everett Koop", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "C. Everett Koop", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-everett-koop/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When a faith-healer commands God to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-everett-koop/when-a-faith-healer-commands-god-to-perform-a-miracle-in-the-absence/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-everett-koop/when-a-faith-healer-commands-god-to-perform-a-miracle-in-the-absence/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```