It is a concern, dear friends, I was having for a long time. I myself have received abundance of graces from God, and I am grateful. I am also grateful to many who have helped me in the path of spirituality. But some recent phenomena ask us to view the faith healing today a bit critically.
Faith healing in christianity had its background in Judean beliefs that sickness and suffering were linked to sin and evil, and that health and healing stemmed from repentance and divine forgiveness.
Demonology was treated in Angelology or in Theology of Creation, and in relation to witchcraft and exorcism. Dante and Milton also have contributed a lot to our popular imaginations about demons. They did have more political intention than that of religious in writing their famous works as Divine Comedy and Paradise Lost. The political and social environment for the development of demonology also include practical divinity, Puritan godliness, anti-popery, polemic and propaganda, and popular culture today.
Demonology was treated in Angelology or in Theology of Creation, and in relation to witchcraft and exorcism. Dante and Milton also have contributed a lot to our popular imaginations about demons. They did have more political intention than that of religious in writing their famous works as Divine Comedy and Paradise Lost. The political and social environment for the development of demonology also include practical divinity, Puritan godliness, anti-popery, polemic and propaganda, and popular culture today.
The above mentioned picturisation of demons, in whatever milieux they have been, have crept into the popular preachers in catholic church too.
Devil attracts a curious attention whether it be for invoking or to expel, by means of desire or by fear. Devil can appear as a funny comedian and also a vampire. Both makes him a popular hero. Often it is an immediate and easy answer to many problems and challenges. All the teachings about the causal connections between our unanswered complexities and the demons of different natures, eg. spirit of death, spirit of lust...are not to be taken spiritual, rather we must crosscheck for its origin and ways of application. There are also very selective reading, and personal interpretations of the messages from Our Lady in different apparitions. Whatever an afflicted person speaks during an exorcism process cannot be taken as a message as true as revelation. Many seems to give a doctrinal quality to such communications. Are we to grow in confidence in God, or to be in fear of an evil attack any time possible? While we use the sacramentals, they should not become as if they are things with magical effects. If we observe a strange and new explanation why can't we just try to crosscheck something about it eg. similar teachings and interpretations elsewhere, historical background and development, how much it is compatible with the faith, and interestingly the political and economic impact.
Devil attracts a curious attention whether it be for invoking or to expel, by means of desire or by fear. Devil can appear as a funny comedian and also a vampire. Both makes him a popular hero. Often it is an immediate and easy answer to many problems and challenges. All the teachings about the causal connections between our unanswered complexities and the demons of different natures, eg. spirit of death, spirit of lust...are not to be taken spiritual, rather we must crosscheck for its origin and ways of application. There are also very selective reading, and personal interpretations of the messages from Our Lady in different apparitions. Whatever an afflicted person speaks during an exorcism process cannot be taken as a message as true as revelation. Many seems to give a doctrinal quality to such communications. Are we to grow in confidence in God, or to be in fear of an evil attack any time possible? While we use the sacramentals, they should not become as if they are things with magical effects. If we observe a strange and new explanation why can't we just try to crosscheck something about it eg. similar teachings and interpretations elsewhere, historical background and development, how much it is compatible with the faith, and interestingly the political and economic impact.
As a church and society we need to reflect what gave a lot of space for all these demons to migrate into our retreat centres. What let the different christian sects and their trends mushroom here in catholic forms? How could superstitious practices of spells, binding, protective tools... get Christianised in our preaching, and interpretations in counselling? How could the popular slogans 'claiming for promises,' storming the heaven,' and 'use the word of God' got rooted in us with a sense of magical mantras? Better we crosscheck their origins too. Advertising skill is to target and feed the hunger. So, were we in a 'need' of such presentations, or those who were able manipulated their mass appeal of 'charisma'? Unfortunately their approach was "what I speak 'through the Word of God' is the only truth." Perhaps, it is we who were not aware that we were developing a celebrity worship for those teachers, and got captivated by anything they said, and anointed them as 'the prophets of the time.'
They may have been responding to personal and social problems in and around the lives of people. Shall we not use tools really required to meet such issues directly? If personal issues, a personal maturing process; if social issues, awareness, commitment and actions...Instead, demonological and spiritual interpretations are not facing the issues at all, they neither help to analyse nor describe the issues. Present criticisms on those involved in such trend have only one reason, that is the over-generalisation without pastoral kindness.
You don't have to believe my observations, but I invite you to reflect with me what is really happening with our faith. The above lines are in a very comprised form which require further search for clarification.
I have the same request to those who want to react too. This approach is mine, but the constructive elements given above for consideration are real social and historical facts. You are free to think of us as people filled with darkness and that the devil works in the intellect. Dear friends, we too listen to people and their lives, we also listen to the damage done to their lives by the demon-based interpretations. You are free to believe what you are convinced of, but to the people, please show mercy, especially to children.
_______________________
Please see also We, Scientific Progress, and the Devil
I have the same request to those who want to react too. This approach is mine, but the constructive elements given above for consideration are real social and historical facts. You are free to think of us as people filled with darkness and that the devil works in the intellect. Dear friends, we too listen to people and their lives, we also listen to the damage done to their lives by the demon-based interpretations. You are free to believe what you are convinced of, but to the people, please show mercy, especially to children.
_______________________
Please see also We, Scientific Progress, and the Devil
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