John 9:1-3 — Not Because of Sin
“As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”
Religion combines beliefs and organized traditions surrounding the shared faith in a superior entity, God. Multiple religions share commonalities and differences in interpretations of texts and broader morals and ethics.
The connections between disability, religion, and sense of self or experiences are personal. Those connections are heavily shaped by society.
“Society favors a medical model of disability that sees the barriers for people with disabilities as a fault of their limitations and can cause the belief that the community needs pity or sympathy.”
The Fear Barrier
Fear of disablement leads to the media’s assumptions about the lives of severely disabled people. disability again means loss of humanity.” (Longmore, p.136)
Longmore references a “loss in humanity” that conflicts with most beliefs among religious communities, such as Christians ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ‘Most people calling a disabled person inspirational don’t have ill will.
Religious Misinformation
The compliment is misinformed. I believe there is no better example than “God Bless You.” This statement is more rooted in beliefs, assumptions, or religious views than it is about a person with a disability.
This opinion is my commentary on strangers using the phrase. The sentiment is admirable and well-intentioned. I have a difficult time receiving it as positive when I hear it. This is because of assumptions that I need God’s help or strength to do activities others may see as an obstacle when they are not.
Photo by Gift Habeshaw from Unsplash
Real Life
Amy Kenny the author of My Body is Not a Prayer Request; .” I believed that I could perfect my way out of people demeaning disability.but that mindset feels like complacency in toxic theology.” This complacency is a hidden internalizing of various “ism” that left unnoticed can do significant damage to self-image.
The Bible says, “As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”
This passage demonstrates a view of disability that is not focused on a deficiency but a different way “works of God might be displayed in him.” From this, people with disabilities are seen as human, and “works of God” are created the same as everyone else.
Films’ disabled characters Central plot line of God
The disconnect may derive itself from what makes God Bless Your kind. The X-Men franchise is an example that is predominantly subtle. A film that does feature religion and disability in conflict is The Hill (2023) It is based on the true story of baseball player Rickey Hill and shows the general struggle between a father and son over God’s plan for Rickey.
The film starts with a 9-year old Rickey hitting rocks far with only a stick. One rock breaks a neighbor’s windshield and when Rickey offers to pay for it because he is taking responsibility “like daddy taught” the man is more interested in seeing the feat of a child with leg braces hit a rock hundreds of yards away from his windshield.
The man calls Rickey a prodigy. This sentiment is later referenced as a gift and miracle later in the film. The character grounded in his beliefs of God’s plan for Rickey is not baseball is his father James Hill.
At the end of the film James is confronted by his wife with
“ Doctors told them Rickey would never walk and he ran, they said he’d never survive the operations and he did. How many miracles do you need?”
James never saw his son play. Early in the film
“The most powerful sequence comes when Dennis Quaid (who plays James Hill) gives Young Rickey an ultimatum to choose between God’s plan or his own plan. The next scene, Young Rickey says he chooses both: that God’s plan is for him to play baseball, quoting a Bible verse and drawing a cross connecting the four bases of a ball diamond.” (Fraley, 2023, WTop News)
Fraley references many classic sports movies like Rudy. He also equates the beginning scene with Forrest Gump and his leg braces not stopping Gump from running.
Forrest Gump’s arc is more stereotypical than The Hill due to it being a biography film. “While “Gump” straddled the line of art (Oscar Best Picture) and entertainment (No. 2 grosser of 1994), “The Hill” will divide critics and audiences. Critics may find the nostalgic glow corny and the on-the-nose dialogue unrealistic as characters say exactly what they’re thinking, but families seeking a PG sports flick don’t really care about that.” (Fraley, 2023, WTop News)
The Hill prioritizes showing how the dreams of Rickey and his father conflict. James attempts to be supportive of the reality of his son’s limitations. Rickey is focused on his reality that hinges on recognizing his talent and passion for baseball.
References
Fraley, J. (2023). Review: ‘The Hill’ is the definition of a feel-good baseball flick of faith. WTop News.
Kenny, A. (2022). My body is not a prayer request: Disability justice in the Church. Baker Books.
Longmore, P. K. (2003). Screening stereotypes:images of disabled people in television and motion pictures. In Why I burned my book and other essays on disability (pp. 131-146). Temple University Press. R