Harmony, Health, and Healing: Music’s Role in Early Modem Paracelsian Thought

2017 ◽  
pp. 23-42
Author(s):  
Penelope Gouk
Keyword(s):  
Health And Healing

Japanese divine light in Kinshasa transcultural resonance and critique in the religiously multiple city

2021 ◽  
pp. 205030322098698
Author(s):  
Peter Lambertz
Keyword(s):  
Central Africa ◽  
Spiritual Healing ◽  
Dr Congo ◽  
Discursive Space ◽  
New Religions ◽  
Concepts Of Health ◽  
Urban Africa ◽  
Local Tradition ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Health And Healing

The Japanese “new religions” ( Shin Shūkyō) active in Kinshasa (DR Congo) nearly all perform healing through the channeling of invisible divine light. In the case of Sekai Kyūseikyō (Church of World Messianity), the light of Johrei cannot be visually apprehended, but is worn as an invisible aura on the practitioner’s body. This article discusses the trans-cultural resonances between Japan and Central Africa regarding the ontology of spiritual force, regimes of subjectivity, and the gradual embodiment of Johrei divine light as a protection against (suspicions of) witchcraft. Meanwhile, I argue that religious multiplicity in urban Africa encourages cultural reflexivity about concepts of health and healing, self-responsibility, and Pentecostal suspicion-mongering of occult sciences. Thus, Johrei divine light not only feeds into a longstanding local tradition of spiritual healing; within the religiously multiple city, it is also a discursive space for, and an experience and performance of, emic critique.

Mizo Beliefs and the Christian Gospel: Their Interaction with Reference to the Concepts of Health and Healing

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Ngursangzeli Behera
Keyword(s):  
Religious Beliefs ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Northeast India ◽  
World Views ◽  
Concepts Of Health ◽  
The World ◽  
Evil Spirits ◽  
Health And Healing ◽  
Gospel Message ◽  
Christian Beliefs

The Mizos of northeast India have their own unique culture and society with indigenous religious beliefs that were closely linked with their everyday needs and their world-views. For the Mizos the world was inhabited by spirits, some benevolent and some evil. The evil spirits were believed to cause all kinds of illnesses and misfortunes, and in order to recover from such illnesses the evil spirits had to be placated by sacrifices known as inthawina which can be understood as ‘ceremonial cures’. The Mizos lived in fear, always afraid of evil spirits, and their religious energies were centred on propitiating these evil spirits through frequent sacrifices. The Puithiams (priests) would officiate at such events. Christianity brought inevitable change in the Mizos' religious and world-views. Nevertheless, many of the existing pre-Christian beliefs of Mizo society were adopted or modified by missionaries to help the Mizos to understand more fully Christian concepts and beliefs, especially with reference to the concepts of health and healing. It can also be argued that pre-Christian social, religious and cultural beliefs carried in them ‘theologies of life’ which were adopted by missionaries or those spreading the gospel message, thus allowing these practices, as well as Christian doctrines themselves, to be seen in a new light.

scholarly journals A therapeutic community as a relevant and efficient ecclesial model in African Christianity

2016 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matsobane Manala
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Healing Ministry ◽  
Black African ◽  
African Christianity ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Reformed Church ◽  
Healing Community ◽  
African Worldview ◽  
Health And Healing

This article sets forth the argument that Christian ministry in Africa must become socially and culturally informed and constructed or else it will not touch the African soul and thus remain superficial. Black African people aspire above everything else to experience fullness of life and wellbeing here and now, as demonstrated by their greetings that are actually an enquiry into each other’s health and an expression of the wish for the other’s good health and wellbeing. The mainline churches that operate in Africa should embrace the scripturally sound Christian healing ministry in obedience to Christ’s commission to preach the gospel and heal the sick, if they are to prosper. Hence, this article discusses the following eight points, namely, (1) good health and healing as Africans’ important aspiration, (2) healing as the work of God and thus of the church, (3) the imperative of serious consideration of and respect for the African worldview, (4) membership decline and mainline churches’ loss of influence, (5) rethinking church in African Christianity, (6) the need for the black African church to adopt a therapeutic or healing community ecclesial model in order to position itself strategically to cater for the holistic needs of African (South African) church members and surrounding communities, (7) the rationale of the healing ministry in today’s Reformed Church in Africa and (8) the recommended healing ministry. The article closes with a few concluding statements and advice

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