Fellowship Presentation: A History of Medicine, Christianity and Sorcery

What is the relationship between Christianity, ‘sorcery’ and Western medicine in the South Pacific?
Join us as Dr Daniel Midena examines the historical encounter between modern medicine and ‘sorcery’, with assistance from the biography of Edwin Tscharke (1918-2000), a medical missionary in New Guinea in the late twentieth century. Tscharke was one of the most influential medical missionaries in the Pacific since 1945, devoting considerable energy to thinking and writing about how to disabuse locals of their belief in ‘sorcery’.
Dr Daniel Midena is a 2019 National Library of Australia Fellow, generously supported by the Stokes Family.

[@kingjeep1541]

Thank you for getting this information out. "for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. " Sorcery (Greek Pharmakia) english Pharmacy All the nations were deceived.

[@stephenszucs8439]

king jeep The main definition of pharmekia is medicine for healing or alleviation of symptoms. The KJV translators had a choice of which meaning to use when translating the Revelation. They wisely chose "sorceries" as the context fit that lesser definition of pharmekia. Pharmekia ONLY means sorceries when the drug is psychoactive AND used to cause or intensify an Occultic-Spiritist religious experience. 5331 pharmakeía (from pharmakeuō, "administer drugs") 1) the making of medicines, herbs and plants used for healing or alleviation of symptoms 2) properly, drug-related sorcery, like the practice of magical-arts, etc. Modern words derived from Pharmekia do not carry every meaning of pharmekia. They are different words.

[@gabrielle-d1b]

@@stephenszucs8439 healing or harmful medicine. As an RN who works with medicine everyday, there's a known connection between the pharmaceutical industry and the increase in mental and health epidemic of our times. Alot of these medications do significant damage on the body and the organs. And usually mask the disease and cause harm in other areas. They are doing alot of damage. I'm going to go back and look up those bible verses bc I don't think they're correct or I believe you took them out of context.

[@_derpderp]

@@stephenszucs8439 Thank you.

[@SmedleyWarIsaRacket]

​@@stephenszucs8439 The Etymological origins of Pharmacy are derived from three languages: Old French 'Farmacie' meaning (To Purge) Medieval Latin 'Pharmacia' meaning (Medicine, Drugs or Poison) Greek 'Pharmakeia' (Medicine, Drugs, Sorcery) Most believe medicine is a ‘cure’ or a ‘remedy’. Medicine is actually termed a ”treatment”. Medicine is not HEALth. Medicine and Health are words that do not have one in the same or similar meaning, as Health contains the word Heal which etymologically speaking is similar or same in meaning as Remedy or Cure….Medicine is not. "MEDICINES" are toxins. ALL medicines have side effects that can lead to ill health, sicken, maim and kill be it over the counter or prescription. ……furthermore medicines require ‘dosages’. An improperly manufactured, prescribed, filled or administered dosage could lead to ill health, sicken, maim or kill. It is the Toxicity of the medicine that lends itself to the side effects that can sicken, maim or kill. “POISON” which based on the previous meaning of ‘Medicine’ these two words have similarity in their meanings as poisons are toxic to the body of men & women and can lead to ill HEALth sicken, maim or kill as well. “SORCERY” appears three times in the New Testament. Galatians 5:21; Revelations 9:21 & 18:23…. In each instance Sorcery is a negative term; meaning the use of or the administering of drugs, poisoning, magical arts, deception, or witchcraft. ‘Witchcraft’ is casting a spell on an individual or group that compels them to do something, believe something or act in a manner that they might not otherwise act if they were left to their own thoughts. “Magic” is deception, trickery, slight of hand. More modern day terms may be “Gaslight” or “Psychological Operation” ‘Sorcery’ in the bible, is the translation for the word ‘Pharmakeia’ Pharmakeia is “Medication by the extension of Magic or Witchcraft. In the end one must think and ask the question at what point did the word Pharmakeia/Pharmacy (a negative term) becomes willfully acceptable as something that is perceived as healthy & good? The reality is the Etymological definition for the word Pharmacy has in fact not changed at all! Sorcery/Pharmakeia/Pharmacy is “medication by deception” This is evident in the fact that men and women willingly walk into a pharmacy with a prescription and consume pharma with not one thought to what it they consume, where it came from, its origins, its inventor, creator, who owns the patent, the financial interest, side effects, animal studies, human studies, the Gov't approval process...etc...etc...etc... This is in fact the "deception" The FDA has approved over 12,000 drugs, medicine that have been recalled that have sicken, maim or kill. Men and women will claim they are not decieved but if you walk into the pharmacy and walk out with a prescription you are decieved!

[@herbst777]

@@SmedleyWarIsaRacket -Wow. Well written and thank you.

[@brucedressel8873]

This couldn't be any clearer ... The word Pharmacy comes from the Greek work Pharmakeia which comes from the Hebrew word Kashaph which is Sorcery ...But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. Revelation 21 8 KJV

[@ibot1180]

Ancient pharmaceutical practices included spells and rituals, aka sorcery and witchcraft. I’m pretty sure modern pharmaceutical practices don’t include spiritual chants in the manufacturing process. Sorcery sounds more like what some Christians do when they chant prayers over their homemade orange peel and elderberry syrup.

[@AString95]

@@ibot1180 I wouldn’t be so quick to jump to that conclusion. The pharmaceutical industry isn’t one to be trusted. Their god is money. The more people they cure for good the less money they make. Keeping the masses on drugs keeps their pocket book full. Praying and praising the God that stands for all things good is completely different than praying to a god that promises whatever you want and whatever cost. When we do evil things we are giving praise to evil. Many people cheer on things the Bible calls Evil. Most people (including myself) give themselves over to destructive passions. Smoking weed, getting drunk, taking mushrooms, abusing any drug is evil. Clearly, not all drugs are bad and this stance shouldn’t be taken to the extreme as to not take life saving medicine. But still, modern day sorcery certainly does exist. Me and my friends took mushrooms to try and understand things that we heard about on Joe Rogan. It’s modern day sorcery.

[@danielledegeorge2129]

@@ibot1180 lol, the pharmaceutical companies only name their fake medicines after occult and pagan gods... no sorcery there, right?

[@ibot1180]

Not sure what dictionary you guys are using to define the word “sorcery,” but sorcery involves magic (supernatural forces). It’s funny how everyone is all of a sudden a linguist expert without understanding the depth of history, culture, or context of when particular words were used. Pharmakeia in the Bible referred to sorcery, aka witchcraft. That word evolved throughout time from Greek to Medieval Latin to French to English. The meaning today for pharmacy is not the same like it was back then when it was used in a whole different languages to describe a whole different practice of those times. In the past, pharmakeia meant witchcraft because that’s how people practiced medicine back then-with magic. They relied on cultural practices, like using shamans and medicine men to heal them with plants, alongside spells and ecantations. There’s archeological evidence that pharmaceutical practices go back to ancient Egypt and ancient Mesopotamia (with the Sumerians), around 4,000-6,000 years before Christ even came along. For example, Mesopotamia was a civilization with a writing system that kept records. They knew mathematics and had a weighing and measuring system. They performed surgeries and prescribed drugs. They had over 250 type of drugs consisting of various plants and chemicals like arsenic, alum, and sulfur. They also practiced their anthropomorphic polytheism religion alongside medicine where they worshipped many gods in human forms. The biblical pharmakeia referred to these types of ancient practices that included a religious aspect-sorcery. In modern pharmaceuticals, it’s a globalized capitalist system of mass produced drugs, spearheaded by the West. The West is also dominantly Christian. If there’s a sorcery aspect to drug production today, the sorcery in it is likely Christian sorcery since that’s the dominant magical belief of today.

[@danielledegeorge2129]

@@ibot1180 fools ramble on. Writers use what's called the "etymology of a word". Good luck with your rambling.

[@lancesolomons7581]

Great work. Big thanks from South Africa.

[@Dineoish]

Why are you researching this? If I may ask.

[@stevejimenez6363]

@@Dineoish why are you??

[@Dineoish]

@@stevejimenez6363 not a q for you.

[@stevejimenez6363]

@@Dineoish then you won’t get an A from him!!!

[@Dineoish]

@@stevejimenez6363 Again wasn't talking to you.

[@Tomas-ml9nv]

Interesting lecture.

[@Powerandwisdom]

Thanks..brethren...

[@DeletedProgramming]

Evil at work...

[@michaelhiggs869]

JESUITS MORE MISSIONARIES

[@talzotar7580]

That is why they are called narcotics.

[@CM7777...]

Why are the called narcotics?

[@CM7777...]

@An Essene thanks 😊

[@treefrog123a]

Just words dudes just words, words are redefined all the time, every day in 2022 go online look up a bigger word than u normally use (a word that means several other word outcomes} use 5 online dictionarys and for many u will get 3, 4 or even five different meanings....i often feel sorry for future archiologists..........just words dudes, just words, do not base your faith on or in words.

[@stephenszucs8439]

talzotar I hope you never get into a serious accident and require medical help. Pharmekia *only means sorceries when the drugs are psychoactive *and* used to cause or increase an Occultic religious experience.

[@SmedleyWarIsaRacket]

@@treefrog123a Words and their meanings are important. If you do not know them you will be fooled, decieved and remain ignorant. Words being redefined ought to alarm you and make you question exactly who is doing the redefining, but then most people just allow a STRANGER to TELL A VISION, then come to believe that Vision never knowing (or questioning) any different causing them to believe in all kinds of stupid, wrong, immoral, bad stuff.