Faith healing is a subject that has been in the news a lot lately, but there has not been any data put forth about this matter. This debate is about the merits of faith healing and ultimately how effective it is in achieving the goal of healing.
Faith healing is the belief that some people are able to channel divine powers to heal injury and cure disease. Patients who seek the assistance of a faith healer must believe strongly in the healer’s divine gifts and ability to focus them on the ill. The most commonly encountered faith healers in the U.S. are revivalist preachers who are viewed on paid television programs or at revival meetings in different cities throughout the country. These preachers are highly skilled and inspiring orators capable of creating emotionally-charged atmospheres while lifting up prayers for healing of the disabled and ill. Faith healing also refers to pilgrimages to religious shrines by patients seeking miracle cures.
Believers in faith healing point to a Biblical verse in the Epistle of James, which describes how church elders should be called in to pray over the sick. There's no mention of doctors, and literalists interpret it to mean medical treatment should be eschewed over prayer.
The use of faith healing, or the laying-on of the hands to heal human illness dates back thousands of years in history. Evidence for its use in ancient Egypt is found in the Ebers Papyrus dated at around 1552 BC. This document describes the use of the laying-on of the hands for medical treatment. Centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ, the Greeks used therapeutic touch therapy in their Asklepian temples for healing the sick. The writings of Aristophanes define the use of the laying-on the hands in Athens to restore a blind man's sight.
Though I know faith healing can work I also would not expect the Lord to step in so I could save a buck. (not suggesting they did this) I believe He expects us to use our brains in addition to our faith. "the whole need no physician but they that are sick" seems to me He accepts us taking the sick to doctors too.
I suspect that faith healing and other alternatives wouldn't disappear even if the playing field was leveled by making them prove the safety and effectiveness of their treatments. However, their practice would alter dramatically to include some real medicine along with the smoke and mirrors...
Faith healing is the belief that some people are able to channel divine powers to heal injury and cure disease. Patients who seek the assistance of a faith healer must believe strongly in the healer’s divine gifts and ability to focus them on the ill. The most commonly encountered faith healers in the U.S. are revivalist preachers who are viewed on paid television programs or at revival meetings in different cities throughout the country. These preachers are highly skilled and inspiring orators capable of creating emotionally-charged atmospheres while lifting up prayers for healing of the disabled and ill. Faith healing also refers to pilgrimages to religious shrines by patients seeking miracle cures.
Believers in faith healing point to a Biblical verse in the Epistle of James, which describes how church elders should be called in to pray over the sick. There's no mention of doctors, and literalists interpret it to mean medical treatment should be eschewed over prayer.
The use of faith healing, or the laying-on of the hands to heal human illness dates back thousands of years in history. Evidence for its use in ancient Egypt is found in the Ebers Papyrus dated at around 1552 BC. This document describes the use of the laying-on of the hands for medical treatment. Centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ, the Greeks used therapeutic touch therapy in their Asklepian temples for healing the sick. The writings of Aristophanes define the use of the laying-on the hands in Athens to restore a blind man's sight.
Though I know faith healing can work I also would not expect the Lord to step in so I could save a buck. (not suggesting they did this) I believe He expects us to use our brains in addition to our faith. "the whole need no physician but they that are sick" seems to me He accepts us taking the sick to doctors too.
I suspect that faith healing and other alternatives wouldn't disappear even if the playing field was leveled by making them prove the safety and effectiveness of their treatments. However, their practice would alter dramatically to include some real medicine along with the smoke and mirrors...
