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Easy. There haven’t been any.
Not one.
Every single so-called “verified miracle healings” has always, always turned out to be “hurr durr, this healing was, derp derp derp, totally 100% real legit 100% verified, hurr durr, because we, like, totally say it’s, like, 100% verified, yup yup yup.”
This is compelling to believers. Less so to people who don’t start with the assumption that everything said is true.
And it’s not for lack of trying.
Scientists and researchers have repeatedly tried following up with “verified miracle healings.” If someone actually had a verifiable way to heal the sick and cure the blind, that would utterly revolutionize civilization.
Always, always, always, always, in 100% of cases, follow up with people supposedly “cured” has always shown they weren’t. Always.
Throwing away your crutches and staggering four steps across a stage doesn’t show you were healed.
But there’s a really, really interesting thing that came out of these follow ups:
The people who are “healed” at faith healing, when the next day comes and they’re still sick, tend to react with deep, deep shame.
They tend to seclude themselves. They tend to wí†hdráw from friends and family. When they see faith healers going on TV bragging about “curing” then, they almost never speak up.
Two things emerge from interviewing these people:
1. Evangelical religions are almost always strongly authoritarian. Speaking out in contradiction of your preacher is one of the worst offenses imaginable. If your preacher says that up is down and the sky is green, you never, ever, ever say otherwise. To do so is to risk being ostracized, cut off from your friends and family—or worse.
2. The people who are supposedly “cured” feel deep shame because all of evangelical faith-healing ideology is all about blaming the victim. If you aren’t healed, it means you aren’t good enough. Your faith is too weak. Your trust in God is too flimsy. It’s your fault you weren’t healed.
Not one.
Every single so-called “verified miracle healings” has always, always turned out to be “hurr durr, this healing was, derp derp derp, totally 100% real legit 100% verified, hurr durr, because we, like, totally say it’s, like, 100% verified, yup yup yup.”
This is compelling to believers. Less so to people who don’t start with the assumption that everything said is true.
And it’s not for lack of trying.
Scientists and researchers have repeatedly tried following up with “verified miracle healings.” If someone actually had a verifiable way to heal the sick and cure the blind, that would utterly revolutionize civilization.
Always, always, always, always, in 100% of cases, follow up with people supposedly “cured” has always shown they weren’t. Always.
Throwing away your crutches and staggering four steps across a stage doesn’t show you were healed.
But there’s a really, really interesting thing that came out of these follow ups:
The people who are “healed” at faith healing, when the next day comes and they’re still sick, tend to react with deep, deep shame.
They tend to seclude themselves. They tend to wí†hdráw from friends and family. When they see faith healers going on TV bragging about “curing” then, they almost never speak up.
Two things emerge from interviewing these people:
1. Evangelical religions are almost always strongly authoritarian. Speaking out in contradiction of your preacher is one of the worst offenses imaginable. If your preacher says that up is down and the sky is green, you never, ever, ever say otherwise. To do so is to risk being ostracized, cut off from your friends and family—or worse.
2. The people who are supposedly “cured” feel deep shame because all of evangelical faith-healing ideology is all about blaming the victim. If you aren’t healed, it means you aren’t good enough. Your faith is too weak. Your trust in God is too flimsy. It’s your fault you weren’t healed.
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