Lepers were cursed?

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Why does the people in the Bible think that Lepers were cursed? Did they have a poor understanding of medicine and so they thought that leprosy must be a curse?
This is obviously not something that we believe nowadays as it goes against common sense.
I am sure some people might believe that a disease or handicap is a curse nowadays.
 
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Leprosy was an incurable sickness and it was viewed as a curse by GOD. However one must remember that back then it was viewed that pretty much all human affairs were controlled by “the gods”. This is why people of all cultures played such heavy emphasis in “keeping the wrath of the gods” or “appeasing the gods” with offerings and sacrifices. Sometimes going to the extreme of offering human sacrifices. It is all over the recorded history.
The understanding by the Israelites was off course influenced by the surrounding cultures. This is why the Prophets had such a hard time to straighten the ways of the wayward people.
Hope this helps.
Peace!
 
Unfortunately we are not that better off today. Have you heard by chance the word “Prosperity Gospel” or “Health and Wealth Gospel”
How far removed are they compared with those people from long ago?
Not much am afraid.
Peace!
 
People often associated bad fortune - such as a disease - with God or gods showing disfavor on them. If a person had good fortune, people thought it meant God or the gods were shining on them.
 
TBF, in those days, attributing fortune or misfortune to the Deity was common sense.
They weren’t dumb, just didn’t have the same access to knowledge that we have.
 
In John 9:1-12 they thought the blind man’s parents had sin. Where did this teaching come from?
We have in our times people who think that being born with eg GAD or without arms is a curse or parents sinning. We always ask the question “why?!?”. We see suffering or a lack of something as a curse or punishment instead of just taking up our daily crosses.
Is this true?: people in the OT times did not think of first and secondary causes like we do nowadays. We also say “God permits”.
In the OT what language did they use instead?
They spoke a lot about curses and punishments.
 
Not to distract, but an interesting (to me) related point. It is unlikely that the disease referred to as “leprosy” in Scripture is the same disease we call leprosy today. What we call leprosy (or Hansen’s Disease) originated in India, and had not arrived in the Levant by biblical times. In Scripture, leprosy is likely a catchall term for a variety of disfiguring diseases.
 
I did not know that.
What disease are we then talking about?
 
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