Abstract
In this article, we analyze the collective healing process that takes place on a weekly basis in the Divine Retreat Center (DRC) in Muringoor, Kerala. We argue that disease in the DRC is understood either as a psycho-somatic or as a spirito-somatic phenomenon. In contrast to other Charismatic communities, however, the body is the locus on which the medical effects of the healing become visible. The whole process is divided into several phases: First, there is a cleansing and disengagement procedure that aims to purify and liberate the participants through confession and counseling. Thereafter comes a climatic phase of personal emptying, transition and re-orientation during which the healing itself takes place. The procedure is finally completed with the person being spiritually “refilled” by the Holy Spirit. The dominant recurring element in the whole process is the continuous statement of healing “testimonies.” As an integral part of the healing procedure, these statements are used to share personal experiences among the participants in the center. They are produced in a strict format in order to be spread far beyond through various media (TV, newspaper, Internet, etc.). They thereby constitute a speech genre that follows specific rules and patterns. Through shaping one’s own biography in the frame of the testimonies, so we argue, the actual transformation of the self and therefore the miracle healing takes place.
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Notes
As the reader will see, there are many indications of the actual existence of Charismatic elements; however, one quite famous characteristic of Pentecostal and Charismatic movements seems to be absent, namely speaking in tongues or Glossolalia. As I heard, this phenomenon is only absent in the “foreign” sections but quite represented in the Malayalam section.
Starting with the story of Adam and Eve, there is an emphasis on the Ten Commandments and the Gospels, which are outlined to illustrate the moral considerations of the numerous speakers.
Tan (2009) interprets the fasting as an instrument to enhance attention on the spiritual world and strengthen the relationship with the divine. He himself observed that in the case of anointment, the desired state occurred more easily.
Spoken in silence, as the priests sometimes do outside the ritual, the prayer separates the “real” possessed from the frauds by letting only the “real” possessed react to the prayer. According to the priests, pretending to be possessed is a very common behavior in order to avoid confrontations within the family and to attract attention. According to Father Michael Payyapilly, this falls in the category of psychological problems. In the DRC, deliverance and exorcism are not differentiated as such.
Examining these written testimonies would be another task, since most of them are not originally written down by the retreatants but recorded by the Center and then modified, bible quotes are added. This also happens to the testimonies on the website. The spoken testimonies seem to be much shorter in general, the longest ones can be found in the newspaper.
All names are pseudonyms.
Others, such as Szuchewycz (1994), include “giving praise,” “singing hymns,” “praying and singing in tongues,” “silences,” “sharings,” “teachings,” “readings,” “words” and “petitions”.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Thomas Csordas, Henry Kammler, Bernhard Krieger and Xavier Manickathan for their support and insightful comments on the text.
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Jansen, E., Lang, C. Transforming the Self and Healing the Body Through the Use of Testimonies in a Divine Retreat Center, Kerala. J Relig Health 51, 542–551 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-011-9564-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-011-9564-7