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Any views on faith healing?

(148 Posts)
Jane10 Mon 19-Dec-16 15:50:55

I was idly thinking about this yesterday. You don't hear much about it these days. My Dad a, fairly cynical GP, certainly had a few examples of patients who had made miracle recoveries that he couldn't account for scientifically. It led him to have quite an open mind about these things.
Do any of you have any experience or views on faith healing?

durhamjen Tue 20-Dec-16 17:43:42

I think that was the whole point of it, hapgran.

Disgruntled, my husband had been in pain for 15 years, since he fell off a ladder and fractured his spine.
The last three weeks of his life, when he was dying from a brain tumour, and he could have had permanent morphine from a driver, he had no pain whatsoever. I put it down to the treatment from the hospice at home nurses.

TriciaF Tue 20-Dec-16 17:44:36

Keffie wrote
'After all if you have a faith you also believe God (you understand) has given the medical profession the skills to help the healing process as well. In our case it is by diet and an other holistic treatments.'
That's the way we look at it. Glad to hear that your husband is feeling better, TG.

Disgruntled Tue 20-Dec-16 18:17:31

Oh, that's good to hear, Durhamjen that he was pain free for the last three weeks, but awful that he'd had to endure all that pain for 15 years. I've treated people who've been in pain for years (in spite of heavy drugs). It's interesting isn't it.

durhamjen Tue 20-Dec-16 19:53:33

Thanks, Disgruntled.
We both believed in complementary therapies. He tried all sorts. One GP even taught him self-hypnosis.
The one thing that helped him a bit was capsaicin, from the chilli pepper.
Acupuncture put him to sleep, but the pain came back when he woke up.
I know what to use when I have pain! I bet you do, too.

Disgruntled Wed 21-Dec-16 04:47:24

Haha, Durhamjen, I'm certainly rather jaundiced about conventional medicine. I hear so many horror stories.

TriciaF Wed 21-Dec-16 11:26:57

Another point about conventional medicine - there's been a lot in the media about antibiotics being oversubscribed, becoming ineffective. Also new unknown bugs for which there's no cure yet.
So other methods like faith healing, herbalism, homeopathy etc may be used more instead.

TriciaF Wed 21-Dec-16 11:28:12

ps I'm not sure if the above has been mentioned yet?

Elegran Wed 21-Dec-16 11:31:05

Conventional medicine does include a lot more than antibiotics.

janeainsworth Wed 21-Dec-16 12:37:55

Are herbal remedies and faith healing effective against spreading cellulitis, bacterial meningitis or pneumonia? No, I thought not.
As Tim Minchin put it - if alternative medicine worked, it would be mainstream.

Akosua Sat 26-Jan-19 15:07:32

Prayer and faith tends to have a positive effect on the body. This post proves it gospelreview.wordpress.com/2019/01/25/lady-with-8-years-old-swollen-stomach-delivers-a-human-head-with-hair-after-angel-obinim-oil-direction/

Elegran Sat 26-Jan-19 15:35:04

Sounds like a teratoma.

GabriellaG54 Sat 26-Jan-19 15:47:07

Charlatans at work.
IMO, you either spontaneously recover (the body is a wonderful machine) or the medication kicks in.
Prayer has no effect on the outcome.
All the prayers, chanting and laying on of hands will not speed recovery or lessen the chance of whatever outcome is diagnosed.
The fact that recovery cannot be duplicated to see whether faith played a part or whether you would have recovered sans faith, means that we will never, in truth, know the extent that the power of positive thinking has on the body.
IPlayer has an investigative programme which I found interesting. EXORCISM, the battle for young minds.

annep Sat 26-Jan-19 16:57:11

I believe it can be mind over matter which has been proven to help illness. I don't know anyone who has been miraculously healed. But I have had things happen in my life which seem more than coincidence. The evil in the world is caused by human beings. But what about earthquakes tsunamis etc. Not to mention allowing evil like the holocaust. I don't know. I do know that I get a nice peaceful feeling the rare time I am in a church service, possibly a throwback to when I was a Christian. I am going to try to get to church this weekend. Nothing else gives me that feeling.

Witzend Sun 27-Jan-19 12:52:25

My mother got some faith healers in for my father when he was very ill. (It didn't work)
However she did first ask his doctor whether he'd mind, and he said not at all, he had seen cases where it had worked.

EllanVannin Sun 27-Jan-19 19:31:31

The faith and strength is within yourself along with self-will.

annep1 Tue 29-Jan-19 09:49:42

Went to church. Such a warm welcome. Felt goo to be there.

nanek97962 Mon 21-Nov-22 12:07:26

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Witzend Tue 22-Nov-22 08:31:38

My DM tried faith healers with my DF, when he was in hospital.
However she had asked his consultant whether he minded, and he said, No, not at all, he had known it to work.
In my father’s case it didn’t.

Witzend Tue 22-Nov-22 08:32:28

Oops, should have read the whole thread!

Ro60 Tue 22-Nov-22 08:38:06

Troll alert ! 2016 thread

Caleo Tue 22-Nov-22 10:27:58

On principle I don't believe in paranormal faith healing. However I had a paranormal 'faith healing' experience involving a 'healer' which I can't explain .