An investigation into the phenomena and practices of spiritual ...

he has questioned God‟s purposes and came close to charging God with injustice. Hisrepentance brought him his healing.The concept of suffering is further developed in the New Testament, as in John 9 where thePharisees question the cause for the blind man‟s suffering. Jesus responded that that sin,suffering and healing is addressed by God to His glory. There is a parallel between Job andChrist in that Job suffered and was healed through his humility. Jesus also suffered andgave healing through His humility.The comments of respondent 10 below quoted in section 6.3 above, “This period of timeallowed me to humble myself….” also illustrate humility as a contributing factor herhealing and relief from her suffering.6. 7 Suffering and the Casting out of SpiritsA more radical spiritual interpretation of suffering, or of some suffering, casts it as a directresult of spiritual forces. The interpretations of the book of Job see the heavenlypersonages as embodiments of human arguments; but they also appear in the discourse ofrespondents as independent agents. According to James (2001) there is confusion betweenthe medical view (where demonic possession is regarded as hysteria or possible mentalillness) and the religious view (where the demonic spirit is interpreted as evil). Althoughthe medical view tries to disentangle itself from religious superstition, they often becomeentangled and confused on the very point they are trying to clarify. Bourguignon(1976:113) suggests that spirit possession should not be seen as merely a form of culturaltheatre, which is different in each society. Nor should spirit possession be seen as just as aform of mental illness, which is the view that scientific medicine has developed toward the210