Kalashnikova T.P. "True and false healings".
Qualitative characteristics |
Russian Orthodox faith healers |
False miracle workers |
Moral character |
Humility, meekness, respecting others before self, fear of God, modesty, truthfulness |
Pride, arrogance, vanity, sometimes outward religiosity, guile, affectation, desire to be exalted, to attract, to seduce |
Attitudes toward the reward for treatment |
Non-acquisitiveness, gratuitousness |
Pursuit of profit, gain, wealth, luxury, commerce |
Attitude to publicity |
Hiding one's gift of miracles and hiding positive results |
Promoting successful cases of treatment, seeking publicity, self-glorification, and fame |
Methods of treatment |
Prayers, anointing sick body parts with holy oil, laying hands; using sacred objects, the sign of the cross, sometimes herbs, and holy water. Gentle calm voice, no violence |
Hand manipulations, passes, non-contact massage, staring, incantations, conspiracies, shouting, elements of violence, suppression of other people' will, hypnotism, magnetism, etc. |
Positive effect is caused by |
divine grace through the faith of the patient and the healer's special divine gift |
By natural causes, sometimes by coincidences, through self-hypnosis, faith of the patient, or through forces of a non-divine (demonic, mortal world) |
The emergence of the gift of miracles |
As a consequence and reward for righteousness, prayerful deeds, fasting, humility, while denying from following one’s own will |
Often it is spontaneous just because of a longing for recognition as a miracle worker |
The nature of healings |
Healings are complete: both physical and spiritual, connected with the revival or strengthening of the healed person's true faith. It is possible to heal from all diseases and even to raise from the dead |
Healings are only of an external nature, covering the physical aspect, but spiritually they have a negative impact |
Side effects of healing |
None |
Multiple, mostly of a mental, spiritual kind. However, sometimes they can remain undiscovered for a long time. |