Christianity’s framework stemmed from the Judaic religious faith and transformed into one of the most widely practiced religions in the world. According to Ferngren, by the year AD 60, Christianity was a rising new religion founded by Jesus of Nazareth, who is believed to be the Christian Messiah. He was put to death at the hands of those who opposed His religious teachings by crucifixion, and on the third day after His death, He rose from the dead. As a result, Jesus cemented Christians’ faith in His teachings by bringing them hope. During His time on Earth, Jesus preached many of God’s ideas to his disciples, one of which included healing the sick (Ferngren, 2014, pp.73-74). To understand the basis of healing, it first must be understood …show more content…
The theory of the Four Humors, constructed by Hippocrates, is the framework for the elements of the human body, specifically in the blood. Air, fire, water, and earth each correlate to a different function of the body (Engelmajer, 2018, Medieval Europe slides 9-12). A balance between the humors results in the person maintaining good spirits and overall being a healthy person. Alternately, the result of an imbalance of any of the humors is disease. Each humor has its own disease correlated to it, therefore, if there is an overpowering of one humor, this will express that disease through the person (Magiorkinis, 2013, pp. 94-95). For example, fire is associated with yellow bile, so if this humor is overpowering the others it will cause a feeling of overwhelming anger in the person. In summary, the Four Humors all work together to balance to maintain overall health. Moreover, each humor also has its own individual …show more content…
Due to many different interpretations through translation of scriptures, there are many different viewpoints of disease etiology and healing. For this reason, not all Christians believed in the same methods of healing or even how these diseases came about (Amundsen, 1982, pg. 1). Amundsen states that some Christians saw naturalistic as the ultimate cause which contrasted other beliefs that the naturalistic approach was inferior and saw that supernatural powers were the ultimate cause of disease. This shows that Christians were influenced by both personalistic and naturalistic etiologies on disease and health. In summary, although in Christianity not all scriptural texts are translated exactly the same, there is the overlapping viewpoint among Christians that God is the ultimate healer and through Him, disease comes as a result of sin (Amundsen, 1982, pg.
The Christian faith views death and disease as byproducts of sin and are a part of life due to sinful human nature. Jesus was a healer of people and the followers have followed in His footsteps. The early health care system was started by nuns and other followers in the church (Preston, 2000). By following the teachings of their religion they sought to address health and suffering by taking a holistic approach to healing. By taking into consideration the mental and spiritual, along side the physical, they believe a deeper level of healing can be given. Health is not just addressing the physical symptoms but, helping achieve a peaceful state of mind and having meaningful relationships with those
Hays’s The Burdens of Disease first chapter “Western Inheritance” discusses how different religions reacted to diseases and sickness. Hays discusses four main religions: the Aclepsian, Hippocratic, Galen, and Christianity. The Cult of Aclepios had the most notable healing traditions of the early Greeks according to Hays. According to Hays those who were sick would go to Aclepios’s temple and have ritual sacrifices, ritual bathing’s, and an “incubation sleep” (pg.9). This slumber would allow them to receive messages on what to do or automatic healing from the god himself.
Before logical thought was regularly applied to functions of the human body, people made sense of daily misfortunes by attributing them to the moods and wills of the gods. In the minds of the Greek, afflictions were the result of disobedience and to live in good health was a blessing that only divine intervention could provide (History of Medicine 1). Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine and healing, was often the one called upon in times of need. Asclepian temples were constructed in Greece and in the surrounding areas, and these sites of worship also became the centers of healing; Ill Grecians undertook lengthy pilgrimages to the temples in hopes that the God’s supposed restorative powers could ameliorate their tribulations (Greek Medicine 1). An orator at that time, Aeschines reported his encounter with godly healing by praising Asclepius: “No longer counting upon mortal skill, I placed all my hope in divinity. I came, Asclepius, into your sacred wood and I was cured in three of a wound I had in my head for a year” (Palatine Anthology 13). When cures were not left up to the divine, the rituals to rid a body of disease were primitive and mainly consisted of attempts to expel demons (Longrigg 14-16). Although the idea that sickness and religion are intertwined is
The Church of Christ, founded by Mary Baker Eddy in 1879, preached that the true practice of Christianity heals sickness; she establishes her views in the book “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures”.
Norman Cousins said, “Laughter is a powerful way to tap positive emotions" (Moss 1). Humor is studied by many researchers in sociology, psychology, art, literature, and medicine. When people wonder whether humor aids in areas other than health, a treasure trove of possible benefits to the learning or educational community is opened up. Humor can be used as a tool to promote learning.Research speaks to the many benefits of humor in healing, to its benefits in the classroom or boardroom, from reducing stress of students or employees, to boosting self-esteem and feelings of camaraderie. Additionally, studies show that those who use humor to convey a message are often more favorably perceived. Humor helps deliver the presenter's message to
Humor is an integral part of our everyday lives providing us with laughter, enjoyment, relaxation and a sense of relief. Today, humor and laughter are universally accepted; however, not all humor is treated equally, leaving room for interpretation of what is funny. Early theories and beliefs about humor suggest that humor was cruel and was at the expense of another human being. However, early beliefs could not explain all forms of humor and why humor occurs in many contexts.
“Humour is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement.” The term Humour has been derived from the Greek language, which teaches that humour is the balance of fluids in the human body. Humour is savoured by different taste-buds like: Anecdotal, Blue, Dark/Gallows/Morbid, Epigrammatic, Hyperbolic, Ironic, Satirical, Satirical, Situational and Slapstick. Franz Kafka, the author of the outright existential classic ‘The Metamorphosis’ uses depressing humour to deal with the bitter deathly truths of life.
Melancholy was affiliated with black bile, earth and a cold, dry environment. If a patient was thought to have an excess of a particular humor, measures would be taken to lessen that value, such as blood-letting (sanguine), dietary changes and bodily purging. In Tudor England, the knowledge of humors and their use in medicine become widely acknowledged and accepted, and these humors impact on a person’s temperament also became used. Stemming from beliefs in ancient Greece, the people in that era believed that one’s general mood and state of mind was affected by the overall balance of humors in their body, if a particular humor dominated then the personality it personified would become present in the individual. Elizabethan people believed that the humors gave off vapors that traveled to the brain, causing a certain behavioral pattern to surface “The "humours" gave off vapors which ascended to the brain; an individual's personal characteristics (physical, mental, moral) were explained by his or her "temperament," or the state of that person's "humours".” Thus, a person with balanced humors had a balanced disposition. Too much sanguine in a person led to an optimistic and generally positive attitude, albeit an irresponsible one. Choler made one wrathful and ambitious. A phlegmatic person had characteristics that were slothful and cowardly. Finally, a person overwhelmed by melancholy was introspective, gluttonous, and
When we think of elements we think of carbon or oxygen, and when we think of humours we think of jokes or a funny movie, but that is not the case in past times. Hippocrates started the theory of the four elements and humours (Zahir). The theory declared that there were only four elements and only four humours (Zahir). After the theories were created, other philosophers like Empedocles and Heraclitus helped to describe the theories (Zahir). Hippocrates stated that humans have the four humours within him and that the humours and elements are necessary to human life (Zahir).
My observations led me to study the effect that laughter has on two aspects of the healthcare field. I am specifically studying laughter’s role in improving patient outcomes and in the patient-practitioner relationship. Our research is beginning to show that laughter has the potential to play an important role in the health of the patient while also creating a strong foundation of trust in the patient-practitioner relationship. The research thus far has inspired me to be a physician who not only makes the patient feel safe and comfortable but also one who can make them
In the course of one's Catholic study, it may be beneficial for the believer to gain a deeper understanding of these healings. In curing the sick, Jesus is not only relieving them of physical ailments, but also freeing them from sin. It may be said, then, that a major purpose of the Life of Jesus was to cure man of his sinfulness.
It is often said that laughter is the best medicine. But what if laughter is part of the disease?
Many would argue that cancer is no laughing matter. However, some science experimentation suggests that humor may be medicinal. The purpose of this article is to explain how humor is thought to affect the immune system, analyze results of pertinent research and studies, and provide an opinion on whether humor has an impact on the immune system, either positive or negative.
Laughter relates to positive thinking. The positive thinking helps us to improve our immune system and become healthier. It helps in removing the negative thoughts from our mind and not letting our immune system become worse further.
The spiritual significance of illness and suffering is a topic Christians continue to grapple with, as Larchet points out in The Theology of Illness. Scripture offers a wealth of wisdom and cues for understanding illness, health, and healing from a Christian perspective. Larchet analyzes the various and often contradictory Christian positions on health and illness, revealing how attitudes have shifted over time and with changes in medical technology, practice, and ethics. For example, St. Barsanuphius presents a comprehensive analysis of the spiritual significance of illness and suffering. One view holds that illness signifies a lack of faith; another presents illness in terms of a person who is offered the opportunity to develop a stronger faith, or whose faith is being put to a test like the story of Job. Ultimately, the latter remains the most helpful way to approach illness and healing from a Christian perspective. The essence of Christian health care is that, "Healing itself, while resulting from natural processes, actually comes from God," (Larchet 116).