Philippus Paracelsus, a famous Swiss alchemist
physician, who lived from 1493 to 1541, was a great heale
in his day. He stated what is now an obvious scientific fact
when he uttered these words, “Whether the object of
faith be real or false, you will nevertheless obtain the
effects. Thus, if I believed in Saint Peter’s statue as I should
have believed in Saint Peter himself, I shall obtain the same
effects that I should have obtained from Saint Peter, But that is
superstition. Faith, however, produces miracles; and whether it
is true or false faith, it will always produce the same wonders”
The views of Paracelsus were also entertained in
the sixteenth century by Pietro Pomponazzi, an Italian
philosopher and contemporary of Paracelsus, who said, “We
can easily conceive the marvelous effects, which confidence
and imagination can produce, particularly when both qualities
are reciprocated between the subjects and the person who
influences them. The cures attributed to the influence of
certain relics are the effect of their imagination and confidence.
Quacks and philosophers know that if the bones of any
skeleton were put in place of the saint’s bones, the sick would
none the less experience beneficial effects, if they believed that
they were veritable relics.”
Then, if you believe in the bones of saints to heal, or if
you believe in the healing power of certain waters, you will
get results because of the powerful suggestion given to your
subconscious mind. It is the latter that does the healing.