"A Question of Miracles"

Term Paper # 100432

Film > Documentary
Religion and Theology > Christianity

A review of the HBO documentary "A Question of Miracles".

711 words () | 0 sources | 2007 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how "A Question of Miracles" examines contemporary faith healing and the role religious belief may have on the treatment of disease. It looks at how filmmaker Anthony Thomas traveled around the world, interviewing faith healers and people who believe their health had been miraculously restored because of their faith in God. Most of the film focuses on two men who claim to be successful faith healers, Benny Hinn and Reinhard Bonnke.

From the Paper:

"A Question of Miracles reveals why faith healing, despite the fraudulent aspects of it, can work to a certain extent in some people, at least temporarily, for scientists and theologians agree that short-term recoveries during or after a faith healing session can occur because of psychosomatic conditions. In cases of arthritis, for example, which is manifested by inflammation of the joints, a faith healer's inciting of powerful emotions in a person hoping to be cured can trigger the release of natural opiates in their brain, which can bring a temporary release from arthritic pain and convince them they have been healed. "