Hello all,
Does faith Healers really heal people?
Here is my take on it, what is your opinion?
First an examples about faith Healers"
A South Carolina, U.S.A., faith-healing session called a “healing explosion” has resulted in a lawsuit against two Texas faith healers. A North Carolina woman claims that they are responsible for multiple fractures in her neck and back. Why? According to The Greenville News, her lawsuit “describes a procedure in which a minister lays his hand on a person who then is ‘slain in the spirit’ and falls backward into the arms of a ‘catcher.’” The problem in this case, the woman charged, was that there was no catcher—and thus her injuries.
Taken from court doc in South Carolina
Faith healers of today are fond of citing Jesus’ statement to a woman suffering 12 years from a flow of blood who came to him for cure: “Your faith has made you well.” Luke 8:43-48 Did Jesus’ statement indicate that her cure was dependent on her faith? Was that an example of “faith healing” as it is practiced today?
When we read the Bible record carefully, we see that on most occasions Jesus and his disciples did not require that the sick declare their faith before being cured. The woman cited above came and, without having said anything to Jesus, quietly touched his garment from behind and “instantly her flow of blood stopped.” On another occasion, Jesus healed a man who was among those who had come to arrest him. He even healed a man who had no idea who Jesus was.
Luke 22:50-51 A certain one of them even did strike the slave of the high priest and took off his right ear. 51 But in reply Jesus said: “LET it go as far as this.” And he touched the ear and healed him.
John 5:5-9 But a certain man was there who had been in his sickness for thirty-eight years. 6 Seeing this man lying down, and being aware that he had already been [sick] a long time, Jesus said to him: “Do you want to become sound in health?” 7 The sick man answered him: “Sir, I do not have a man to put me into the pool when the water is disturbed; but while I am coming another steps down ahead of me.” 8 Jesus said to him: “Get up, pick up your cot and walk.” 9 With that the man immediately became sound in health, and he picked up his cot and began to walk. Now on that day it was a sabbath.
What role, then, did faith play? When Jesus and his disciples were in the district of Tyre and Sidon, a Phoenician woman came and cried out: “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David. My daughter is badly demonized.” Imagine her despair as she pleaded: “Lord, help me!” Filled with pity, Jesus replied: “O woman, great is your faith; let it happen to you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed “from that hour on.” Matthew 15:21-28 Clearly, faith was involved, but whose faith? Notice that it was the mother’s faith, not the sick child’s, that Jesus praised. And faith in what? By addressing Jesus as “Lord, Son of David,” the woman was publicly acknowledging that Jesus was the promised Messiah. It was not a simple expression of faith in God or faith in the power of the healer. When Jesus said, “Your faith has made you well,” he meant that without faith in him as the Messiah, the afflicted ones would not have come to him to be healed.
From these Scriptural examples, we can see that the healing performed by Jesus was far different from what is commonly seen or claimed today. There was no strong emotional display—shouting, chanting, wailing, swooning, no catcher of those that fell backwards, and so on, from the crowds and no dramatic frenzy on the part of Jesus. In addition, Jesus never failed to heal the infirm on the pretext that they lacked faith or that their offering had not been generous enough.
Where does the danger lurk in exploitative magic? Palm readers, fortune-tellers, and faith healers, to mention a few, apply exploitative magic to advance their own interests. Are they not living a lie by their profession? God’s Word says: “You must not deceive, and you must not deal falsely anyone with his associate.”—Leviticus 19:11.
Therefore, when it comes to magic that is clearly connected with spiritism, true Christians wisely avoid practicing it. Beyond that, in all aspects of a Christian’s life—whether involving employment, recreation, or entertainment—he would want to “hold a good conscience,” a conscience that permits no offense against God or man.—1 Peter 3:16
(Acts 24:16) In this respect, indeed, I am exercising myself continually to have a consciousness of committing no offense against God and men.
I personally feel that faith healing to be part of spiritistic practices condemned by God. What is your personal opinion?
Take care,
Hope12
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