ABSTRACT
HEALING, FAITH Faith healing refers to the belief that cures for diseases and other ailments occur by divine intervention, often invoked by prayer, the laying on of hands, or other rituals specific to religious, ethnic, or regional folk groups. Many of the folk groups subscribing to the practice of faith healing in America are rooted in the Christian tradition. In Christianity, Jesus came to embody the restorative power, bringing a healing ministry and effecting miraculous cures of both mind and body wherever he went, in some instances curing individuals, in others entire groups. Christian scripture suggests that Jesus also gave his disciples healing power, saying of those who believe that “they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall
recover” (Mark 16:18). This provided the basis for the healing tradition in early Christianity. Subsequent practices of the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches employed various amulets and relics for cures, while the Protestant Reformers eschewed all such practices. To Calvin and Luther, the age of faith healing ended with the death of the apostles. Nevertheless, “miraculous” healing practices continue to the present day in the Catholic and Orthodox Christian faiths and have been revived among certain Protestant groups by the charismatic movement, especially Pentecostals.
