Christianity taken to court

[Boudi]

A Christian group has been taken to court over its claims that prayer can make people well again.  http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/Watchdog-says-prayer-t-heal/story-15120385-detail/story.html

Anyone belong to a group that makes specific claims about prayer?  Will this affect what people say about prayer?

[saundthorp]

I suppose they left themselves wide open when they mentioned specific illnesses in their pamphlets.

[AndrewF]

[pow wow]

A person that buys a miracle cloth, miracle water or goes to a faith healer should be embarrassed. To sue for not being cured is just a scam artist suing a fellow scam artist.

[ecuworrier]

read the article but somehow failed to locate any direct quotes from the actual literature so what 'claims' are actually made...

am familiar with HOTS http://healingonthestreets.com/ ... something that i do know is that each group designs its own leaflet... ie there is not a standard leaflet....   the ones i have come across state stuff like 'we believe... etc etc' it is part of the training not to make promises you can't keep and folks who have been prayed for are given a letter which tells person not to stop medication but to seek medical advice if they suspect something is changed they are either completely Healed partially Healed or no obvious difference....    the training of HOTS is pretty responsible! and worldly aware on the whole methinks or at least it was...

like Andrew: Healings Happen ... however the how and when is a journey as much for the poorly sceptic as the believing christian and it's far more complicated than folks can imagine... as well maybe some people really do have that special touch!

GOD BLESS!

Peace and Love,

[ecuworrier]

A person that buys a miracle cloth, miracle water or goes to a faith healer should be embarrassed. To sue for not being cured is just a scam artist suing a fellow scam artist.

don't you believe in the placebo effect then.. i thought most medication has success based on that ..

if anyone is scam artisiting it is society's faith in the pharmeceutical industry that seems to prefer to draw out economic benefits over and beyond providing actual cures for conditions... seems where it has it's greatest success is in the sphere of naturally curables.....

Jesus is surprisingly successful given the body of hands off attention and belief of actual sellf called christians ... maybe cos one can't pin Him down for a fee kindof hampers our sense of contract... it's all free

GOD BLESS!

Peace and Love,

[pow wow]

I absolutely believe Christ heals, I just don't believe He uses gimmicks nor requires jumping and yelling and shoving to do so.

[Jan]

I also believe in the power of prayer and that (spiritual/faith) healing is very real as it can and does help people (I am a trained Reiki Healer and I have also received healing in a Spiritualist Church)  but I would never advocate not going to see a doctor/specialist to anyone who is concerned about a medical problem. Generally I see spiritual/faith healing as being able to work alongside conventional medicine.

All the Church needed to do was to put a disclaimer on their leaflets, about people seeing a qualified medical practitioner if they are concerned about a medical problem,  or it could give the impression that spiritual healing can cure anything for anyone, and this could have disastrous consequences.

[Boudi]

I agree, but the problem is the people who tell folk to do the opposite, and say they don't need medicine...just faith.

[Jan]

This is where our own judgement (common sense and personal responsibility) comes into it though too - though sometimes common sense does not prevail and when things go wrong its 'oh so and so told me to do it'

I recently read briefly an account of a woman (Penelope Dingle) who died of colorectal cancer in 2005 after just relying on homeopathy. The homeopath foolishly told Mrs Dingle her cancer could be cured with alternative therapies and Mrs Dingle made her choice. Mrs Dingle refused treatment from doctors who told her she had a reasonable chance of recovery if she had chemo and surgery.

If she had been treated early enough by conventional medicine she could have survived.

Now I am not saying there is anything wrong with homeopathy - obviously for some it seems to work in helping them, and it even helps animals so it can hardly be called a placebo effect. But why take the chance and offer yourself as a 'guinea pig' when your life is at risk? Its not like taking homeopathy for a common headache or something minor - its your life!

[pow wow]

What makes my blood boil is the so called healers and these churches, I won't name them, that tell those not healed that they were not healed because their faith is weak and or because of the sin in their lives. These poor people are abandoned by their congregation and left to die alone.

[Jan]

it is sad Pow Wow. Hopefully though many will come to their senses if told rubbish like that and will go and see someone medically trained.

I was watching a rather sad program about children in Nigeria who had been accused of witchcraft - and certain 'Christian pastors' who would rid them of their afflictions - pulling bits of black string, and stones  from their heads - claiming that these had been put there by evil forces etc.

What is done to these poor children, 'in the name of Jesus' - is sickening

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/episode-guide/series-43/episode-1

[Boudi]

You do find certain churches who have taken bits of the bible and leant on them heavily, for some it is healing, for others it's the expelling of demons, and quelle surprise, those churches have members who are regularly possessed by demons!  Unitarians must be doing something right, as we never get possessed by demons.

[Jan]

Unitarians must be doing something right, as we never get possessed by demons.

Indeed   

[JJ]

Must just be me then: