Faith Healing

Faith Healing can be called one of the earliest forms of medication. The entire treatment was based on sheer faith in it. Even today it is widely prevalent in the countries of Asia and Africa. For hundreds of years, even kings have bowed their head in the hope that their desire will be granted. The ordinary people look upon it as divine power. The treatment is done with the help of that invisible power that rules over everything. But, sometimes many things are done which are not considered proper in our times.

The man who founded the mighty Moghul Empire in India, Emperor Babar, stood silently with bowed head. The then, ruler of India stood helplessly near the bed of his beloved son and successor Humayun who was stricken with some disease. The most renowned physicians of that time crowded around the bed. They were in constant consultation with each other. They were unable to diagnose Humayun’s disease and the crown prince was inching towards death. The senior most amongst them, Al-Kamal, approached Babar and raised his hand in prayer. Babar understood everything. There was nothing left but to pray. Only God could save his son.

Babar motioned towards all to leave the room. He sat down to pray beside the bed of his stricken son. Then he started going round the bed of his son with prayers and blessings on his lips. After a few day, Babar became sick and his condition aggravated every day while Humayun started getting well. Eventually, Babar died, but Humayun recovered completely.

Babar had prayed to God for his son’s recovery and offered his own life in return for his son’s welfare. The prayer was granted. Faith conquered everything.

Nearly forty years after this incident, Babar’s grandson and Humayun’s son, Emperor Akbar again demonstrated the power of faith in divine beings. He walked barefooted on the scorching sand to the place of Sheikh Baba Salim Chisti to ask for the boon of a son. The saint asked him to pray, which he did. His prayer was immediately answered as his wife Jodhabai became pregnant. She gave birth to Prince Salim who later ascended the throne as Emperor Jehangir.

It was faith that made the great warrior Bhishma Pitamah survives for six months after being riddled with arrows all over his body. Savitri was able to bring back to live her dead husband Satyavan because of her firm faith in her capacity to do so.

During the reign of Charles II, it was believed that the mere touch of the king was enough to cure people of their diseases. He is supposed to have cured more than 100,000 people during his rule. He used to hold special court for this purpose every year. On these special occasions, he used to give a silver coin to the patients and said, “Though I touch you, it is God, the father of all, who cures you.” After him, William III kept the tradition and held durbars. But he holds the patients, “God may grant you better health and wisdom,” The interesting fact is that William had no faith in his healing powers nor people got cured by his touch.

There are many examples of people getting cured due to faith in Atharveda, ayurvedic, Samhitas and Kautilya’s Arthashastra. From the advent of Islam up till now great emphasis had been laid on faith and s prayers. Thousands gather at the tombs of saints, dargahs and other pilgrim centers for treatment of their ailments. They go with their unwavering faith. Amongst Hindus, many pilgrim centers and temples have been accepted as places where miraculous cures are affected. There are thousands of such mysterious places scattered throughout villages, cities and even in dense forests, where desires are said to be fulfilled by sheer faith and nothing else. 

Faith Healing Diseases

In every country and in every religion great importance has been given to ‘evil eye’. Treatment through magic, mantra-tantra  (recitation of mantras accompanied by rituals) has been looked upon as an effective remedy against evil spirits and ghosts. It is believed that diseases take hold of you because of displeasure of divine powers. When the heavenly bodies are denied their due respect, they take revenge. This displeasure may come in the shape of disease, death or some disaster. This is believed in many parts of the world. In India, chicken pox is supposed to be the manifestation of displeasure of Goddess Shitla. That is why; she is worshipped every year to placate her. From birth till death, people are aware of the fact that evil spirits are hovering all around them. Sometimes, even well-educated people accept this and believe in it. Some belief that illness comes due to evil forces. Some are convinced that their problems are the result of magic spells Cast by their enemy. They even accept that disease, death or any other trouble in the family is due to the effect of Jantar-Mantar, i.e., witchcraft, or occult science. 

The influence of witch doctors still pervade the society. People are greatly afraid of ‘evil eye’ as they are of witchcraft and divine displeasure. In many developed countries, recourse is taking to put a black spot on the forehead of children to ward off the ‘evil eye’. If anybody praises someone, he would be immediately interrupted with the comments that please do not cast an evil eye. In many parts of the world, instead of taking proper treatment, people rush to witch-doctors in the case of snake bite or mauling by a lion. People are mortally afraid of envious or greedy eyes as they fear their consequences. Sometimes, bad dreams and bad omens are connected to diseases. Actually, there is no end of human superstitions and gullibility.

Treatment

The treatment is given on the Principle that has to match the disease. As per this principle anything from propitiation of gods and goddesses, magic spell, warding off of evil eye, removal of ghosts, witchcraft can be used for treatment. First, the cause of the disease is ascertained. Then the treatment is decided. For this, the patient is asked a lot of questions. Sometimes, the man who gives the treatment calls upon all the helping spirits to come to his aid. Some faith healers use a crystal ball to find the reason for illness. In some cases, black ink is smeared on the finger nail of the patient. He is then asked to describe what he sees in it. The patient tells what he feel in a state of trance. Some persons who do such treatment call upon some evil or good spirit to enter their body. Different methods are adopted in different regions for diagnosis and treatment of diseases. There are innumerable ways of doing it. Sometimes boiled rice is glued to bell-patra and then counted to ascertain the illness. A knife is heated on fire and illness is diagnosed by the soot that accumulates on it. A burning wooden ‘diya’ or a lamp is passed over the body of the patient. The extent and nature of the disease are determined by the factors as to where the light of the lamp brightened or dimmed. Faith has played an important part in the lives of people of all civilizations. Evidence of this blind faith is discernible in the ruins of all extinct civilizations of the past that flourished in Indus valley, Babylon, Mesopotamia, or on the shores of Atlantic or Latin America (Inca). Even now, the doctors accept that though they treat the patient, the cure is in the hands of God. 
 

From the ruins of the civilization that flourished in Mesopotamia, it has been found that a unique method was adopted to treat all diseases of the liver. The patient was asked to breathe into the nose of a sheep. It was then supposed that the disease had been transferred to the sheep. To ensure that the disease did not affect some other person, the sheep was slaughtered. 

There is an interesting story associated with the remains found in Egypt. About five thousand years back, the then emperor Horus suffered from some sickness which rendered him sightless. The court physician Thoth was asked by Isis, mother of Horus, to treat his ailment, Thoth conducted prayers in the palace and Horus was cured. From that time, physicians all over the world make a sign before writing any prescription. This sign represents the eyes of Horus. The idea is that God may cure the patient as he restored the eyes of Horus. In ancient Greece, the treatment pattern was same as in Mesopotamia and Egypt before the advent of Hippocrates who was a great philosopher. Together with the treatment prescribed by Hippocrates, witchcraft, occult practices, and many substances found in plants, animals, minerals and other sources were also used. Eskelpius was looked upon as a great physician at the time of Homer. He earned such a reputation for treating people that he was looked upon as a god. Some even went to the extent of calling him an incarnation of god. How could he cure people in such large numbers if he was not god, many argued. Temples dedicated to this physician had been built at many places some 900 years before the birth of Christ. People started going to these temples to pray, when they fell sick, after his death. They firmly believed that they would be cured. The strange thing was that many got cured. Later on, these temples were converted into hospitals, where the patients got themselves admitted, got cured and then left.

There are Innumerable instances of people getting cured when touched by Jesus Christ. During the initial stages of Christianity, many of his disciples were people tortured to death. Later on, people assumed and even now believe that these Saints can cure people of diseases of that part of the human body in which these saints suffered torture. For example, Saint-Just was killed by putting a hot iron cap over his head. He is now invoked to cure people of diseases connected to the head. The stomach of Saint Erasmus was split open and his intestines taken out. He is supposed to provide relief in stomach and intestine ailments. It is true that there have been many miraculous cures, otherwise who would have faith in such things and believe in them.

Whatever might be the reason, we have to accept that many people have got cured accepting the directions of the faith-healers. They were cured by the faith that the patient and his family had in these matters. It would not have been possible if they did not have intense faith in these methods. Yagya, Havan, prayers, feeding the poor, covering tombs of saints with cloth, offering sacrifices are some of the common methods adapted to neat sickness.

 Those who get rid of evil spirits with the help of recitation of mantras and rituals are able to tackle the weak ghosts by ordinary mantras. But those ghosts who are obstinate have to be tackled in an elaborate manner. In some areas, the patient is made to inhale the pungent smoke of herbs, condiments etc. The witch-doctor sits near the patient and recites mantras. He challenges the evil spirit by abusing it in foul terms. Then witch-doctor moves his head rapidly in all directions. The patient also does so. Many respectable people vouchsafe that they have heard totally different voices coming out of the patient’s mouth. Sometimes a male patient starts talking in a feminine voice. It is supposed that the voice is that of the evil spirit, because of whom the person got sick. In many Cases, when there is no response from the patient in a strange voice, the witch-doctor beats him up pulling his hair with force. In the end, the patient is forced to say that he be forgiven and the witch-doctor assumes that the ghost has admitted defeat.

 Some substances and colours are not liked by evil spirits. As such black, red and yellow colour are used to ward them off. Iron things, leaves of certain plants, sacred sign on the doors of the house are also used for this purpose. The last rites performed for the dead have also this idea in the background that the soul of the dead person will not trouble anyone.

Recitation of mantras, amulets and good and helping spirit are used for destroying magic spell. Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs use amulets for protection against these things. ‘Kajal’ is applied as a protection against ‘evil eye’.

One cannot doubt the miracles of faith enumerated in the beginning of this chapter. But, people have now started doubting ‘the efficacy of methods described in this chapter in treating people of diseases. A book can be written about the havoc caused by these methods. Many have lost their lives because of their faith in this witch—doctors and their ways of treating.

 Some methods of these witch-doctors have been found to be efficacious in some forms of epilepsy. But, the relief is generally temporary. In most of the cases, there is hardly any improvement in the condition of the patient. It is seen that when the patient tries to tell this to the witch-doctor, he usually started belaboring the patient till he surrenders and accepts what the witch doctor says.

If one has to go by faith, what is the harm if one takes modern treatment by qualified doctors and has faith in the god who has created us all.

Even god does not help those who do not help themselves. As such, it is incumbent that for treatment such a method is selected that alleviates suffering and you also pray for recovery to Almighty God.