We in Tenrikyo often depend on doctors and medicine to help us because of the following verse in the Ofudesaki:

Kono koto o shirashitai kara dandan to

shuri ya koe ni isha kusuri o 9:11

Tenrikyo translates this as:

Because of My desire to have you know this,

I began doctors and medicine for weeding and fertilizing 9:11

But is this translation correct? God is talking about God’s guidance to help us purify our minds in the previous verses. The church headquarter’s translation is telling us God began doctors and medicine to give out God’s guidance? This does not make any sense. Could the verse be translated as:

These occurrences, because I want to inform, little by little,

weeding (God’s guidance) and fertilizer (Youki-tsutome) to be like, doctors and medicines to (resulting in health and happiness).

9:11

God is comparing the guidance from God, resulting from weeding and the Youki-tsutome, to doctors and medicine. They all result in health and happiness.

I believe this misinterpretation of verse 9:11 is resulting in our members relying on physicians and medicine in curing our illnesses. Instead we should mainly rely on God to help us when illness or obstacles occur.