Document Detail


Longing for health. A practice of religious healing and biomedicine compared.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  19105023     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
The standard notion is that biomedicine and religious healing are two completely different practices in modern Western societies. In this article, this notion is questioned by comparing in the Netherlands one practice of religious healing, namely the 'Services of salvation and healing' of the Pentecostal Levensstroom gemeente (Livingstream Church) of Jan Zijlstra, and one practice of biomedicine, namely the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Cancer Hospital (AvL). What are the differences and possible similarities between these two? Starting from a cultural approach and after the description of these two practices, they are compared with respect to four points: concepts and objects, means and methods, 'healers' and patients, and effects and expectations. It is argued that these practices have at least five principle points in common: a tendency to objectivation of the underlying framework, a very instrumental way of working, 'healers' with a high ascribed status, efficacy along the indirect line of symbolic healing, and a comparable way of dealing with unknown and uncontrolled forces. What can these practices learn from each other?
Authors:
Sipco J Vellenga
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Comparative Study; Journal Article     Date:  2008-05-01
Journal Detail:
Title:  Journal of religion and health     Volume:  47     ISSN:  1573-6571     ISO Abbreviation:  J Relig Health     Publication Date:  2008 Sep 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2008-12-23     Completed Date:  2009-03-26     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  2985199R     Medline TA:  J Relig Health     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  326-37     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Faculty of Humanities, Religious Studies, University of Amsterdam, GC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. s.j.vellenga@uva.nl
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Faith Healing*
Humans
Netherlands
Religion and Medicine*

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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