Christianity and Spiritual Healing

Spiritual healing was very important to the church when it was eager to extend the gospel of Jesus Christ. Healing was deeply embedded in the liturgy and the Bible has many incidences of Healing by Jesus and his disciples. 

The Christian religion has undergone many upheavals, some of which have resulted in the Healing aspects of the Church being relegated to the sidelines. Christianity was originally just one sect amongst many, until it became very popular because its Healing practice was believed to be the best.

Jesus Christ had a concept of holistic healing, stated in some of the Gospels, which he accomplished by the "laying on of hands". Jesus also gave healing by forgiving sinners, thereby, apparently removing guilt. He could feel the healing power being drawn from him when people were healed by their own faith, as distinct from when he gave healing, suggesting two separate energies for healing. 

Both Catholic and Protestant Ministries have Healing sacraments showing how integrated Healing must have been in their early history. Jesus taught the ability to heal to 72 apostles so healing was expected to intensify and If a layman was found to have the gift of Healing he was qualified to be ordained.

Healing began to decline in the Church when suffering became viewed as a blessing and it was wrong to ask for healing. Those who suffered on earth were seen to get to heaven without judgement because they had already suffered.

By the middle ages the Church had consolidated its power making Healing un-spiritual and in the 13th century a papal decree made it wrong for priests to practice medicine. Philosophers also added to the downfall of healing by attempting to rationalise what occurs during healing, Spinoza in particular managed to convince the church as whole that God was the cause of everything, He acted according to rigid inviolable laws and all miracles including in Healing were carried out by God.