This is a little shocking at first, but consider the history of man. It is human nature to think: "Why can’t you be like me?" (similar to the song in My Fair Lady, "Why Can’t a Woman Be Like a Man?") The majority tends to think that minorities (anyone "different") are strange and inferior. Historically, anyone who was sick or handicapped was thought to have done something bad to deserve it. As a result, the physically weak or sick or injured have often been disdained and ostracized as pariahs rather than getting sympathy and help. Jesus Christ had to combat these ideas during His ministry on earth. He shocked the citizenry and set us the perfect example by respecting, loving, and helping all people, including women, children, and the sick, injured, crippled, and lepers.

"One of the saddest experiences for those with MCS is when other people (including some church members) react skeptically and unsympathetically, and view them as weird or crybabies who like to exaggerate problems and complain. They may think "it's all in their heads." This adds insult to injury. "Negative impressions of those with MCS can quickly be made worse if the sufferers lose their cool and are impatient, untactful, discourteous, demanding, or resentful. But let’s be patient and big-minded and remember it is hard to be in the best emotional state when one feels bad physically, is panicking over getting sick, or has suffered for years with MCS. "Those with MCS and those striving to accommodate them must strive wholeheartedly not to let any issue become divisive. The goal of everyone should be to patiently work together for mutual respect and better understanding, not only of the chemical and biological factors, but also of the needs and viewpoints of others. "Many chemically "handicapped" people would rather suffer silently than reveal their suffering, for several reasons: kind consideration toward others in not wanting to restrict anyone's pleasure in wearing cologne, not wanting anyone to feel uncomfortable in their presence, fear of being thought weird, fear of less fellowship, and fear of alienating close relationships (friends avoiding them rather than discontinuing wearing cologne). Because some chemically-sensitive members and elders in our church fear to "come out of the closet" about their sensitivities to colognes, the extent of the problem is under-reported in the church." from "Colognes, Chemicals, Compassion, and the Church"

The modern history of the western world has shown man slow to respect and accommodate people with special needs. It was not that long ago when the idea of making buildings and curbs wheel chair-accessible was considered radical, impractical, too expensive, etc.

Until fairly recently, it was considered a radical idea and a threat to freedom that people not be allowed to smoke in certain buildings or sections buildings. Some people had to stay out of many restaurants and public buildings because they suffered severely from the smoke. (We now know that everyone in a smoky room is suffering damage to his health.)

But many smokers and nonsmokers considered it a "right" for any smoker to puff away anywhere he chose. If you didn't like the smoke in a building, there was a simple solution: just stay out. The polluters had the freedom; those who couldn't tolerate the pollution had much less freedom. Those who objected to this were put in a bad light.

Today, more and more buildings, vehicles of public transportation, and other public places are being designated "smoke free." Some provide a smoking lounge or area to accommodate the smokers.

The parallels are not perfect. There is nothing positive about cigarette smoke, whereas a mild scent of cologne would be positive if there were no adverse affect on health. But the parallels are food for thought.

(And see the accompanying article on indoor pollution. Smoke, chemicals, and odors were less of a problem when buildings were not so air-tight. Today, many different chemicals accumulate and combine to cause concentrated indoor air pollution.)

It is well-documented from personal accounts, literature, and relevant Web sites that chemically-sensitive people commonly experience negative responses from others when their "handicap" is brought up. In effect, they often end up being estranged from family and friends.

When chemically-sensitive members are faced with the likelihood of physically suffering and/or getting their feelings hurt, sometimes they stay home rather than go to a church service or activity. The number of members who sometimes or always stay home would be only a tiny percent, but every individual is important to God. Every individual must be important enough to us that we try our best to accommodate them (Matthew 18:10-14).

by Don Hooser