Healthy Skepticism & Faith Healing

Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. – James 5:13-15

Researchers working on the Human Genome Project will no doubt soon provide us with a map of the genetic code, and others will one day find a cure for Alzheimer's and other diseases. This is still not likely to lessen the aversion that some people have towards modern medicine. Nor will it decrease some people's trust in the power of faith healing.

Simply put, faith healing refers to the belief that sickness can be treated by spiritual means. It's been with us for ages, and those who believe in the power of faith healing often attribute their illnesses to the devil (or some other demonic manifestation) or to their own sins.

Faith Healing: Rites and Places

The idea of healing by faith appears in a number of passages in the bible, in both the Old and the New Testaments. In the former, passages relating to faith healing can be found in Exodus, Kings, Psalms, and Isaiah. Perhaps the most famous passage, however, occurs in the New Testament: In James 5:13-15, the faithful are told that, to be healed, those who are sick should "call upon the elders of the church to pray over [them] and anoint [them] with oil in the name of the Lord." Similar passages appear in Matthew and in John.

Faith healing can take different forms. Magic chants, ritual dances, and sacrifices were – and in some faiths still are – used to entreat the spirit world to cure sickness in an individual, group, or community.

Also tied to the idea of faith healing is the pilgrimage, or journey, to a holy site, a practice originally undertaken to venerate and seek assistance from local spirits. The ancient Greeks, for example, often sought advice from the Oracle at Delphi. Other ancient cultures, such as the Egyptians, Mexicans, and Peruvians, had their own holy sites where believers sought assistance from the gods.

One of the well-known places still visited for its reputed healing powers is Lourdes, France. This town, located on the Gave de Pau River in the foothills of the Pyrenees, became famous in the 19th century, when the 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary 18 times at a nearby grotto. Since then, many have claimed cures, and have left their crutches and wheelchairs near the shrine as evidence.

While there are pilgrimage sites in North America, here, faith healing is more closely associated with Sunday morning evangelical programming. And it's not always a positive image.

Faith Healing and "Slain in the Spirit"

Evangelical television programs involving someone who has been "slain in the spirit" have probably contributed most to the negative connotations surrounding faith healing. (To be slain in the spirit means to have a personal encounter with God.) This healing practice is preceded by prayers and singing. The process itself usually involves a person with an ailment stepping onto a stage, surrounded by the faithful, and being struck in the head by a minister. The spirit of God is said to enter the ill person, who often falls to the ground, and is miraculously healed.

Of course, some dismiss this practice as a type of theater – and dismissal is made easier because some renowned practitioners of this manner of faith healing have been revealed to be frauds. In follow-up interviews, investigators sometimes found that those apparently healed were actually still ill. And, at other times, the methods used by faith healers were discovered to be less than honest. For example, an assistant would mingle with the audience before taping the program to transmit (by hand signal or two-way radio) information about the person and their condition to the "healer" – who is supposed to be able to diagnose and treat conditions through divine intervention, not by technology or trickery.

Despite its sometimes questionable reputation, some forms of faith healing are protected by law in the United States. Practitioners of Christian Science, a Protestant denomination, are allowed to deduct their faith healing practices as a medical expense for federal income tax purposes. Through their publication, the Christian Science Sentinel, the religion encourages followers to seek treatment through faith. It's a controversial position, and a watch group, CHILD Inc., records statistics of children who have lost their lives through medical neglect by their Christian Science parents.

Is it all just in our heads?

Well, to a certain degree – yes.

The placebo effect (sometimes referred to as non-specific effects) refers to a medical outcome in which a patient suffering from an ailment will respond positively to what should otherwise be an ineffective treatment. A sugar pill, for example, might be given to someone suffering from a cold. The patient will be told that they have been given medicine, and in some cases, will actually show improvement.

In 2004, researchers at Princeton and the University of Michigan were able to show, by using MRI, that the placebo effect can, in fact, be traced to that part of the brain that regulates pain. This is one reason why it might be plausible to connect faith healing and the placebo effect. If it's all in our heads, then maybe there's some truth to the notion that we can rid ourselves of a sickness simply by believing we're getting better, or by believing that some higher power healed us.

Controlled studies looking at the power of prayer, however, show varying results. For example, in a study of cardiac care patients done by Dr. Randolph Byrd in San Francisco in 1988, 400 patients were treated, but half also received prayers from Christian groups. Those who had been prayed for suffered from fewer complications such as cardiac arrest or congestive heart failure, and did considerably better than the others. On the other hand, a 2001 study undertaken by the Mayo Clinic found that intercessory prayer for 750 patients in a hospital coronary care unit had no significant effect upon patient health.

Healthy Lifestyles, Healing, and Faith

Despite our secular age (and this author's own skepticism), it is important to point out that religion continues to play a central and positive role in many peoples lives. The Gallup organization was able to show in a 2003 poll that "those who live out various practices of their faith – like regular worship attendance and financial support of their congregations – have a more positive outlook on life than those who do not."

When looked at from a more holistic view, one that takes into consideration lifestyle choices and living habits, perhaps there's something to be said for the relationship between faith and healing.

Larry Dossey points out in his book, Healing Words: The Power of Prayer and the Practice of Medicine, that many of the religious rites and customs associated with faith healing and prayer can contribute to a healthier, less stressful life. These rites and customs can take the form of physical preparations for healing such as meditation, diets, and abstention. They can also take the form of social support provided by other members of one's faith group. And, Dossey adds, by reducing anxiety, something as simple as prayer can also be healthy for you.

Of course, there's a big difference between prevention and treatment – and they shouldn't be confused with one another.

Government Funding and Faith Healing

In the end, we'll likely be arguing for or against the merits of faith healing well into the next millenium. And its attractiveness as a means of treatment may be tied not only to the fortunes of individual religious groups, but also to government funding. The New York Times recently revealed that since 2000, the federal government of the United States has spent $2.3 million to finance studies into the effect of intercessory prayer on sick people.

The rest of us will no doubt simply hold to the observation that the healthiest attitude to take with regard to faith healing includes a good dose of skepticism.

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