Curing illness with the power of prayer 

Source: ONE News

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Conventional medical experts are stressing caution after faith healers opened a clinic in Christchurch which operates like a regular doctor's practice.

The faith healers will take on cancer, broken bones and mental illness among other things.

"Our intention is to see those people healed and set free," says Pastor Dee Rea from the New Zealand Healing Room.

The healers have been using prayer techniques based on the teachings of Canadian evangelist John G Lake for 11 years and claim an 80% success rate.

"The Bible says those who believe in my name will go out and heal the sick and we're basically doing what Jesus did," Rea says.

He says the sick don't have to be Christian and the prayer treatment is free.

"We don't charge 'cause we're not the healers...Jesus Christ is the healer...he also says freely we give, freely we shall receive."

The clinic is set up like a normal doctor's surgery with a waiting room leading to treatment rooms where two pastors and divine healing technicians pray for the patient.

The group say they are careful not to discourage people from conventional medicine.

"We don't say don't go to a doctor... it's not our place... it's not our position to do that," says Rea.

But medical experts are still stressing caution.

"I think they need to be more honest with their potential patients and clear that they can provide spiritual pastoral care. But to suggest they can cure these serious and real illnesses is something patients must not be persuaded to believe," says Pete Foley, chairman of the New Zealand Medical Association.