Faith Healer

  • Thread starter Thread starter alitaptap
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
A

alitaptap

Guest
Philippines is a country with numerous and diverse ethnic communities. In the rural areas, by tradition and because of chronic economic constraints, the faith healers a.k.a. quack doctors are the general practitioners, the primary dispensers of health care. As with the other healers, there is usually a history of a healer in the family-line and their healing considered a “calling,” a power or ability bestowed by a supernatural being, often, attributed to the Holy Spirit. Even after the establishment of top-notch medical schools producing doctors and nurses renowned around the world, the traditional healing arts continued to thrive amongst the population in far-flung islands and barrios. Is it a sin if a person (patient) will be brought to a faith healer? I’m not sure where they get their power to heal comes from. How do we know if it’s God given or from else where i.e. demonic activity? Usually they anoint the person with oil, medical herbs, and other paraphernalia then through prayer or ritual. Even if the disease is paranormal, I’m not sure if it’s really a divine intervention in healing. If they are asking the devil to heal you so it’s like selling your soul like a parcel of land piece by piece.

Can anybody share personal comment on this?
 
alitaptap said:
Philippines is a country with numerous and diverse ethnic communities. In the rural areas, by tradition and because of chronic economic constraints, the faith healers a.k.a. quack doctors are the general practitioners, the primary dispensers of health care. As with the other healers, there is usually a history of a healer in the family-line and their healing considered a “calling,” a power or ability bestowed by a supernatural being, often, attributed to the Holy Spirit. Even after the establishment of top-notch medical schools producing doctors and nurses renowned around the world, the traditional healing arts continued to thrive amongst the population in far-flung islands and barrios. Is it a sin if a person (patient) will be brought to a faith healer? I’m not sure where they get their power to heal comes from. How do we know if it’s God given or from else where i.e. demonic activity? Usually they anoint the person with oil, medical herbs, and other paraphernalia then through prayer or ritual. Even if the disease is paranormal, I’m not sure if it’s really a divine intervention in healing. If they are asking the devil to heal you so it’s like selling your soul like a parcel of land piece by piece.

Can anybody share personal comment on this?
Click to expand...
I can only give a very short and basic answer. I do not know how the Church might view a particular “healer” or healing style. If in doubt you should ask your parish priest.
  1. “Satan cannot cast out satan”.
  2. You shall know them by their fruits.
  3. In one instance Jesus used “mud” with, his own spittle in it, to cure a blind man
People who seek medical attention look for the best doctor they can find/afford. Often times they will go with the recommendation of the family doctor but sometimes they will do their own research on the person’s reputation, bacground or whatever else seems appropriate. I would say the same is true for “faith healers”.
Investigate the person. Are they Christian? Do they regularly attend Church? Do they have a good reputation? What sort of Prayers/incantations do they use?

The watchword should be caution and prayer.

Peace
James
 
JRKH said:
People who seek medical attention look for the best doctor they can find/afford. Often times they will go with the recommendation of the family doctor but sometimes they will do their own research on the person’s reputation, bacground or whatever else seems appropriate. ** I would say the same is true for “faith healers”.**
Investigate the person. Are they Christian? Do they regularly attend Church? Do they have a good reputation? What sort of Prayers/incantations do they use?
Click to expand...
There is no scientific evidence to support the belief that Faith Healing can cure physical ailments.
 
sinnerdexter said:
There is no scientific evidence to support the belief that Faith Healing can cure physical ailments.
Click to expand...
There is also no “Scientific evidence” for the existance of God - Christ, His resurection, or His miracles.
There is no scientific evidence for the 46 “OFFICIAL” (out of thousands of unofficial, uninvestigated) healings at Lourdes France. Yet everyone of those 46 cases was thoroughly and exhaustively investigated over the course of years by both the church AND science.

“Science” cannot allow for a “miracle” and therefore must simply “Throw it’s hands up” and say “We don’t know why the cancer is gone”, or “We don’t know why the child can now walk”. Science does not recognize, “divine intervention”, or “Faith” as possible explanations. They are not quantifiable or repeatable.

I am not endorseing “faith healers” but by the same token, since God tells us to have faith, and “healing” is one of the gifts of the Spirit, I cannot dismiss them out of hand either.

Peace
James
 
sinnerdexter said:
There is no scientific evidence to support the belief that Faith Healing can cure physical ailments.
Click to expand...
Be very careful with that. God works in mysterious ways. Who are we to say that He wouldn’t do something like a faith healing?

JRKH was extcatly right.
 
My question about this phenomenon is how it measures up to Church-approved healing miracles.

Isn’t it the case that most saints to whom healing miracles are attributed were not primarily billing themselves as ‘faith healers’? I thought they (the miracles) were more along the lines of attestations of the truth of a Divine mission, attestations of true sanctity, signs of God’s providence, etc.

And how often are healing miracles attributed to non-saints?
 
Havard said:
My question about this phenomenon is how it measures up to Church-approved healing miracles.

Isn’t it the case that most saints to whom healing miracles are attributed were not primarily billing themselves as ‘faith healers’? I thought they (the miracles) were more along the lines of attestations of the truth of a Divine mission, attestations of true sanctity, signs of God’s providence, etc.

And how often are healing miracles attributed to non-saints?
Click to expand...
That’s a very, very good point.

Remind me to bring my A-game if I choose to debate with you!
 
Rascalking said:
That’s a very, very good point.

Remind me to bring my A-game if I choose to debate with you!
Click to expand...
Lol! We don’t have to debate, I’m just curious… I have that probing legal mind and all. 🤓

For all I know, my questions could be completely off-base, but it’s always an adventure to find out the answers.
 
Rascalking said:
Be very careful with that. God works in mysterious ways. Who are we to say that He wouldn’t do something like a faith healing?

JRKH was extcatly right.
Click to expand...
Just to be clear I agree with sinnerdexter that there is no “Scientific” evidence for faith healings. After all if they were “scientifically explained” they would hardly require “faith”.
Science deals in quantifiable and provable or disprovable hypothoses.
Faith, and Trust and such are not things are not what science deals in.

It doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

Peace
James
 
In many ways the Philippines is in the 21st century and in many ways it is not. Most Filipinos are poor, they work for one day, and eat for that day. If they do not work the next day, they do not eat that day. There is good medical care in P.I. but there is no health insurance. If you go to the doctor or to the hospital, you pay them, in full, at the time of treatment, and that amount can equal several months of pay at one time. The average Filipino family does not have that kind of money, so they hire a “faith healer” for a few dollars to come to the house and give advice or perform some kind of treatment, (it is more like the old time folk medicine). They are also on the superstious side, so if someone appears to get better from one of the treatments they will give the healer the credit!
 
JRKH said:
I can only give a very short and basic answer. I do not know how the Church might view a particular “healer” or healing style. If in doubt you should ask your parish priest.
  1. “Satan cannot cast out satan”.
  2. You shall know them by their fruits.
  3. In one instance Jesus used “mud” with, his own spittle in it, to cure a blind man
People who seek medical attention look for the best doctor they can find/afford. Often times they will go with the recommendation of the family doctor but sometimes they will do their own research on the person’s reputation, bacground or whatever else seems appropriate. I would say the same is true for “faith healers”.
Investigate the person. Are they Christian? Do they regularly attend Church? Do they have a good reputation? What sort of Prayers/incantations do they use?

The watchword should be caution and prayer.

Peace
James
Click to expand...
👍
We shouldn’t forget the warning of the apostle Paul, “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14).

The Bible clearly states that both God and the devil can heal. Spiritualistic healing is seen as the cult of the devil. Demonic signs and wonders are mentioned in Matt. 24:24; Mark 13:22; Thess. 2:9; and Rev. 16:14.
 
Catholic1954 said:
In many ways the Philippines is in the 21st century and in many ways it is not. Most Filipinos are poor, they work for one day, and eat for that day. If they do not work the next day, they do not eat that day. There is good medical care in P.I. but there is no health insurance. If you go to the doctor or to the hospital, you pay them, in full, at the time of treatment, and that amount can equal several months of pay at one time. The average Filipino family does not have that kind of money, so they hire a “faith healer” for a few dollars to come to the house and give advice or perform some kind of treatment, (it is more like the old time folk medicine). They are also on the superstious side, so if someone appears to get better from one of the treatments they will give the healer the credit!
Click to expand...
Key cities in the Philippines like Manila have up-to-date medical services, but the vast rural areas in the provinces are lacking of modern medical services. Medical needs are so vast but the treatment is so expensive. So a doctor is often considered as a last resort. The tolerance level of Filipinos for pain is very high. A person must be very sick before goes to a real doctor. Doctors and medicine costs money thus medical treatment may mean that someone goes hungry and that a whole family may have to eat less for a year for the sake of one ailing person. These are the reasons why people seek the service of traditional faith healers e.g. herb doctor, spiritualists, etc.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top