-The following section has been borrowed from the book “Health Care as a Ministry”,
by Rev. Mark Virkler & Dr. Reuben T. DeHaan

Doctors around the world are required to take the Hippocratic Oath. I have spoken with Christian doctors in both the United States and New Zealand who have told me they took the Hippocratic Oath even though they felt uncomfortable doing so.

Hippocrates (460-377 B.C.) was the Father of Modern Medicine, his principles forming the basis for the medical theory developed in the 1800’s. The Hippocratic Oath can be found in most encyclopedias. Following is the first sentence of the classical Hippocratic Oath:

“I swear by Apollo, the physician, and Asclepius and Health and All-Heal and all the gods and goddesses that, according to my ability and judgment, I will keep this oath and stipulation...”

Hence, doctors began their practice by taking an oath to all false gods and goddesses in the universe.

The Bible discourages taking oaths at all, specifically oaths to a strange god. The Old Testament penalties for this were pretty severe.

Thou shalt have no other gods before me. (Ex. 20:3)

If a Christian doctor has taken this oath, he definitely needs to repent, ask God’s forgiveness, and renounce the vow. An updated version of the Oath which omits any mention of the gods is now in use in many medical schools. A doctor may want to purpose by the power of the Spirit of God to take this new one. Let the Spirit give you wisdom.

I realize that not all doctors have taken this oath. It is said at graduation ceremonies but attendance at these ceremonies is not required, so some doctors choose not to go and not to take the pledge. Other new doctors are now refusing to take it because they intend to perform abortions, an act that would violate the Hippocratic Oath.

The emblem of western medicine - the “Caduceus”
The caduceus (kuh-doo’-see-uhs), a widely accepted symbol for the medical profession, was the wand of Hermes, Greek god of chance and messenger of the Olympian deities. The wand, made of olive wood and gold, was entwined with serpents and surmounted by wings. It possessed magical powers. This wand was reported to have been originally used to put people into hypnotic states so they could be visited by the “gods.” It was established as the symbol of the U.S. Surgeon General’s office in 1871, and is still used to this day. Check your encyclopedia for confirmation of these details.

Surely it is wrong for Christians to use as the emblem of their profession a symbol which was created to assist in the worship of a Greek god. It is not a requirement that doctors use the Caduceus symbol, and some have chosen not to do so.

Nude examinations
Currently in vogue in western medicine is the routine giving of breast exams, pelvic exams, and rectal exams. This is often done by male doctors on female patients, women who are other men’s wives. The doctor says, “Take off your clothes,” and the client does. Do you give that kind of authority to anyone else? Some cultures in the world only allow female doctors to treat female patients. That strikes me as a wise course of action.

The Bible has 22 references to uncovering another’s nakedness; most of them are in reference to uncovering the nakedness of a relative.

None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am the LORD. (Lev. 18:6)

In the following verse, having one’s nakedness uncovered is connected with shame and with the hand of God’s judgment.

Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man. (Is. 47:3)

Although the above biblical references may allude to actual intercourse, it is clear from Scripture that God nowhere ever gave male doctors the right to handle a female’s private parts. Obviously issues of lust (which is a sin - Matt. 5:28) will loom large in any situation where a man is viewing and handling the female body.

I am shocked by the callousness of some doctors and nurses in hospitals concerning nudity. Once, while making a pastoral hospital visit on a parishioner scheduled for surgery, I was shocked to walk through the open door of her room to find her face down on her bed, completely nude, the curtain around her bed and the door to her room both wide open for any to see. She had been prepped for surgery and left by the nurses, fully exposed and vulnerable to anyone walking by. I immediately turned on my heel and left without her being embarrassed at knowing that I was even there. Is this kind of callous disregard for modesty and dignity what the Lord has ordained? Would YOU leave a person under your care exposed and naked and vulnerable for all to see? It would never cross my mind to do such a thing! Would it yours? What kind of crudeness and evil allows one to behave in such an ungodly manner?

Now let’s move to drugs, poisoning, pharmakeia, and witchcraft.

Definition of “drug”
According to Webster, a drug is “any substance used as or in a medicine.”

The FDA’s definition of a drug is: “1) a substance recognized in an official pharmacopoeia; or 2) a substance intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease; or 3) a substance other than food intended to affect the structure or function of the body.”

There is a great distinction between synthetic, man-made drugs and natural, God-given herbs. My preference is always to go with God’s natural herbs rather than man’s “improved” drugs. Often man’s “improvements” are caustic and have numerous harmful, poisonous side effects, as countless people can testify. Hundreds of thousands of people die every year from the poisoning effects of modern drugs. I will give you some actual statistics on adverse drug reactions before the end of this chapter.

About 50% of the modern drugs created by pharmaceutical companies are created in the following fashion: Research scientists identify an ingredient in a plant which has healing properties. They strip away the other compounds God placed in this herb as buffers, then isolate and multiply the essential healing ingredient of the herb. This makes it more potent, so that we can get a “quick fix.” However, the buffers which have been stripped away are often the ingredients which God included to keep the herb from being caustic and destructive to the human body. Thus man’s drugs tend to kill, while God’s original herbs heal.

In order to patent a drug, scientists must alter the molecular structure a bit. You see, herbs cannot be patented because they are natural compounds. So a drug is an altered substance not found in nature and foreign to our bodies. Our bodies are not equipped by God to handle these drugs. That is why there are so many adverse reactions and deaths in people taking drugs prescribed by modern medicine.

When you hear an advertisement for a new drug on television, they are careful to tell you that you can’t take it if you have a weak liver or weak kidneys, and it may cause headache, stomach upset, loose bowels, seizures, high blood pressure, and so on. Why would I want to put something in my body that is so toxic to my system? Is that really God’s plan, or is it man’s alternative?

A biblical perspective on drugs
The biblical perspective on drugs may be discovered by examining the various forms of the Greek word pharmakeia, the word from which we get pharmacy and pharmacist, which, of course, are our sources of drugs. Following are the various forms of the word pharmakeia, the exact definition from Strong’s Concordance and the verses in the New Testament where the word appears.

pharmakeia (Strong’s Concordance # 5331 medication, “pharmacy,” i.e. by extension magic, sorcery, witchcraft)

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft (pharmakeia), hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies…. (Gal. 5:19,20)

Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries (pharmakeia), nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. (Rev. 9:21)

And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries (pharmakeia) were all nations deceived. (Rev. 18:23)

pharmakeus (Strong’s Concordance # 5332 a drug, i.e. spell-giving potion, a druggist, “pharmacist,” or poisoner, by extension a magician, sorcerer)

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers (pharmakeus), and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Rev. 21:8)

pharmakos (Strong’s Concordance # 5333 - the same as # 5332)

For without are dogs, and sorcerers (pharmakos), and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. (Rev. 22:15)

Pharmakeia is the root word from which we get pharmacy, pharmacist and pharmacology. In Vine’s Dictionary of New Testament Words, pharmakeia is defined: “Primarily signifying the use of medicine, drugs, spells; then poisoning; then sorcery, witchcraft.”

Reflections on the above
It is startling to discover that the New Testament has nothing positive to say about drugs and speaks against them five times. Many of us have never even considered the possibility that the New Testament would take such a stand. In addition, the Greek makes no distinction between good drugs (e.g., medicine) and bad drugs, which would be sorcery. There is only one basic word in the New Testament underlying this concept. It is pharmakeia.

Based on these facts, many people have determined never to use any kind of drug, convinced that to do so would place them under the curse reserved for those who practice sorcery and witchcraft. Others recognize the significance of the root of the English word, but do not believe that the negative connotations of the word necessarily were also carried over into English. My personal advisors are divided on the subject, and I include their comments below for you to meditate on and present to the Holy Spirit within you for direction in your own life.