Abstract:

Many religions are concerned with the problem of illness. They organize healing pilgrimages and benedictions for sick people, but the cure of sickness is not their main preoccupation. They are primarily concerned with the salvation of souls. At the other extreme, groups such as Christian Science, Antoinism (which emerged in Belgium in 1910) Invitation to Life (emerging in France in 1983), and the followers of the Christ of Montfavet (founded by a French spiritual healer in the mid-20th century) are directly concerned with the treatment of illness. Those religions refer to poverty, physical and mental difficulties, and all kinds of misfortunes. Healing religions consider that suffering is not a normal condition of humanity insofar as God provides the spiritual tools to enable health and well-being. The results of my empirical studies let me to propose an ideal-type of healing religions. Doing so, I am showing that the healing churches which are minority religious groups constitute an original unit in the social field of religions.

Author: Regis Dericquebourg