Faith Healing

Students Name

Institution Affiliations

Date

Faith Healing

Introduction

Faith healing is a form of healing that is attained through religious faith or prayer. Here prayer or faith is employed in hope of attaining healing. Faith healing involves ritual practices like laying of hands which is believed to cause some Devine help in physical and spiritual healing. Faith healing is mostly practiced in the Christians faith. This form of belief that there are some divine powers that can intervene in people’s sufferings and help them is majorly connected to religious belief. Faith healing is believed to cure deafness, cancer, blindness, developmental disorder, AIDS, arthritis, anemia, skin rashes, defective speech, body paralysis, corns and different forms of injuries. Faith healing involves prayers, faith or visiting of shrines.

Body

I. Christians belief on faith healing

a. New Testament

b. Catholicism

c. Charismatic movement

d. Christian Science

II. Islam belief on faith healing

a. Quran

b. Prophet Mohammed’s advice on faith healing

III. Scientific study on faith healing

IV. Benefits of faith healing from religious perspective

a) Christians

b) Muslims

V. Critics on faith healing

Conclusion

In conclusion, faith healing is a form of healing that takes place supernaturally, following a prayer, faith or belief in some supernatural power or through visiting some religious shrines. Therefore faith healing emits the use of medical medicines. This form of healing also does not involve physicians or other medical care. This form of healing is mostly known as miracles. Faith healing is mostly popular with Christians, even though it is also embraced by other religions. Scientifically, there have been benefits that have been associated with faith healing, even though it is also criticized by many.

Annotated Bibliography

Anderson, Allan. "Spreading Fires: the Globalization of Pentecostalism in the Twentieth Century." International Bulletin of Missionary Research. 31.2 (2007): Print.

Allan Anderson the author of “spreading fires” offers very interesting perspective on the origins of the evangelical Pentecostal group. Allan organizes his exhibition around five points concerning Pentecostal movement: baptism by fire, intercultural and interracial beginnings, the experience of Holy Spirit, selfishness to the local people, and the intrinsic movement flexibility.

Bloch-Hoell, Nils. The Pentecostal Movement: Its Origin, Development, and Distinctive Character. pp. 10-15. (2004): Print.

Nils gives a very interesting chronological background concerning the early rise of the Pentecostal group in the United States. Beginning with the history of the US and how the country was born of religious freedom and liberty, Nils cites the chance accessible in America to keep away from intolerance of religion as one of the major reasons Pentecostalism is very successful in America.

Csordas, Thomas. "Elements of Charismatic Persuasion and Healing". Medical Anthropology Quarterly. 2 (2) (2008): 121-142: print

In his book "Elements of Charismatic Persuasion and Healing", Csordas explores in detail the Charismatic healing. In the book, he puts effort in examining the effectiveness of faith healing through interviewing over 70 healing ministers and scrutinizing their curing processes. Faith healing is described by the combinations of Catholicism and Pentecostal, which consider the close relationship between spiritual growth and illness.  

Finkler, Kaja. "Sacred Healing and Biomedicine Compared". Medical Anthropology Quarterly (New Series). 8 (1): (2004). 178-197: Print.

Finkler evaluates both sacred and secular healing in regard to etiological belief, physical setting, and Practitioner-Patient relationship, diagnose, and treatment range, which have similarities and differences. Frinkler majorly scrutinizes Mexican Spiritualism and contrasts its own system of healing to biomedicine, which was began by Europe and the United States

Galanter, Marc. Cults: faith, healing, and coercion. New York: Oxford University Press. Chapter 9: (2009): Print

Galanter gives specific examples of Charismatic healing group in chapter 9, with an aim of demonstrating successful organization through charismatic leader and social unity. A healing group differs from religious groups in form of its efforts target; the healing group main focus is its member with barely defined goals, while religious group promotes ideology, which causes conflicts with the ordinary.

Garrard, David "African Pentecostalism ." Journal of Beliefs & Values 30.3 (2009): 231-244: Print.

African Pentecostalism is journal of the African Pentecostalism diversity, its history and current distinctiveness is analyzed in this journal.  Reference is further made on training methods and types of leadership.  The author mentions different definitions of Pentecostalism and issues that affect the definition of African Pentecostalism.

Onyinah Okung. God's grace, healing and suffering; International Review of Mission, (2007) 95, 117-127: Print

In his book: Gods grace, healing, and suffering, Okung elaborates the early charismatic church, how the church came to exist amid very many strong Christian divisions. According to Onyinah, healing ministry has existed from early. Pentecostals holds a belief that besides the Holy Spirit baptism, there are other gifts that were bestowed by the Holy Spirit which includes the gift of healing to Christians.

Wuthnow, Sara. “Healing Touch Controversies.” Springer Journal of Religion and Health. Vol. 36, (2007). pp. 221-229: Print

This is a source that approaches the topic of faith healing with a critical scrutiny. Wuthnow argues, in consideration to the debate surrounding faith healing by way of touch. Sara believes this is an abuse of faith in settings of church. She also believes that faith healing is afflicting. Sara further discusses the contemporary view and modern standing of faith healing in the religion.

William, James. The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature. (2009) pp. 221-229: Print

The Varieties of Religious Experience is a book written by William James. In this book, James applies analytic clarity to accounts of religion from different sources. James intricate a pluralistic structure in which the celestial can mean no one quality, it should mean a number of qualities, through being supporters of which in alternation, diverse men may all find commendable missions. This book lays a foundation of a scholar call for somber religious tolerance with respect of strength of which has not reduced through many decades

William, James. The Will to Believe: Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, (2009). Pp157 -200: Print.

In this book, William discusses the will of people to believe in a faith that they do not really understand. James discusses in detail of the likelihood of people to hold a belief with no prior evidence to back the belief. William believes that it is important for people to determine the way they formulate moral and ethical beliefs.