How to cure leprosy

Science is the best way we have developed to learn about the physical aspects of the world. Does it make mistakes? Of course. But science is self correcting. As new information is uncovered, it expands the knowledge base. Contrast that with religion, which states that an ancient book of tribal myths is the best source of information in the world. A belief that if science and the bible contrast, you have to assume the bible is right based on faith, regardless of what the facts tell you.

At one point, we did not know how to build a car or replace a heart, but we learned. Not from the bible, but from trial and error, using the scientific method. Christianity has had 2000 years to try and advance the world and it has failed. In the past 200 years, we have started down a different path. A path focused on the scientific approach. In that 200 years, there has been more advancement than religion has ever dreamt of. Theists can cling to old myths, I will put my trust in science.

Here is gods treatment for leprosy. Contrast that the modern medical cure.

“These are the regulations for any diseased person at the time of their ceremonial cleansing, when they are brought to the priest: ³ The priest is to go outside the camp and examine them. If they have been healed of their defiling skin disease,^{[a] 4} the priest shall order that two live clean birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop be brought for the person to be cleansed. ⁵ Then the priest shall order that one of the birds be killed over fresh water in a clay pot. ⁶ He is then to take the live bird and dip it, together with the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. ⁷ Seven times he shall sprinkle the one to be cleansed of the defiling disease, and then pronounce them clean. After that, he is to release the live bird in the open fields.
⁸ “The person to be cleansed must wash their clothes, shave off all their hair and bathe with water; then they will be ceremonially clean. After this they may come into the camp, but they must stay outside their tent for seven days. ⁹ On the seventh day they must shave off all their hair; they must shave their head, their beard, their eyebrows and the rest of their hair. They must wash their clothes and bathe themselves with water, and they will be clean.
¹⁰ “On the eighth day they must bring two male lambs and one ewe lamb a year old, each without defect, along with three-tenths of an ephah^[b] of the finest flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering, and one log^[c] of oil. ¹¹ The priest who pronounces them clean shall present both the one to be cleansed and their offerings before the LORD at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
¹² “Then the priest is to take one of the male lambs and offer it as a guilt offering, along with the log of oil; he shall wave them before the LORD as a wave offering. ¹³ He is to slaughter the lamb in the sanctuary area where the sin offering^[d] and the burnt offering are slaughtered. Like the sin offering, the guilt offering belongs to the priest; it is most holy. ¹⁴ The priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot. ¹⁵ The priest shall then take some of the log of oil, pour it in the palm of his own left hand, ¹⁶ dip his right forefinger into the oil in his palm, and with his finger sprinkle some of it before the LORD seven times. ¹⁷ The priest is to put some of the oil remaining in his palm on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering. ¹⁸ The rest of the oil in his palm the priest shall put on the head of the one to be cleansed and make atonement for them before the LORD.
¹⁹ “Then the priest is to sacrifice the sin offering and make atonement for the one to be cleansed from their uncleanness. After that, the priest shall slaughter the burnt offering ²⁰ and offer it on the altar, together with the grain offering, and make atonement for them, and they will be clean.
²¹ “If, however, they are poor and cannot afford these, they must take one male lamb as a guilt offering to be waved to make atonement for them, together with a tenth of an ephah^[e] of the finest flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering, a log of oil, ²² and two doves or two young pigeons, such as they can afford, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.
²³ “On the eighth day they must bring them for their cleansing to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting, before the LORD. ²⁴ The priest is to take the lamb for the guilt offering, together with the log of oil, and wave them before the LORD as a wave offering. ²⁵ He shall slaughter the lamb for the guilt offering and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot. ²⁶ The priest is to pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand, ²⁷ and with his right forefinger sprinkle some of the oil from his palm seven times before the LORD. ²⁸ Some of the oil in his palm he is to put on the same places he put the blood of the guilt offering—on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot. ²⁹ The rest of the oil in his palm the priest shall put on the head of the one to be cleansed, to make atonement for them before the LORD. ³⁰ Then he shall sacrifice the doves or the young pigeons, such as the person can afford, ³¹ one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, together with the grain offering. In this way the priest will make atonement before the LORD on behalf of the one to be cleansed.”
³² These are the regulations for anyone who has a defiling skin disease and who cannot afford the regular offerings for their cleansing.
(from Leviticus 14:2-32)

Medicines Used as Cures for Leprosy
Leprosy can generally be cured with antibiotics that kill Mycobacterium leprae (the bacteria that cause the disease). Because Mycobacterium leprae can be resistant to certain antibiotics, a combination of antibiotics is often used. The three most commonly used antibiotics are:
· Dapsone
· Rifampin
· Clofazimine.
Treatment of leprosy differs depending upon the form of the disease. Treatment will generally continue for one year for tuberculoid leprosy and for two years for lepromatous leprosy. With treatment, less than 0.1 percent of people will fail to be cured of leprosy.

If a Christian were ever to come down with leprosy, I doubt they would be out wasting time by trying to find two birds,two male lambs and one ewe lamb . But why not? That is the cure from your all knowing, perfect god.

So instead of telling people how to actually cure leprosy, the bible offers up mumbo jumbo that is similar to what you would expect to hear from a witch doctor. Now why would that be? Perhaps because people did not understand medicine and ways to actually cure someone 3,000 years ago?

Yet we did determine a way to cure leprosy. It took people learning about how the body works and trial and error over what really works. Isn’t it interesting that god only inspires people to discover something when the knowledge and technology of the world has advanced to a point where it could be created? Why do we never hear about a discovery that has no foundational footing? Why is an all powerful, all knowing god limited to waiting for someone to come along and find out these facts?