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History:
Tongues Movement
What about Faith Healing?
I remember attending a Faith Healing service to see what it was like. The Faith Healer prayed over a number of people and they claimed to be healed. After the service I asked one of them about being healed. She said she feels better, but she still has some pain that reoccurs. The pain is just not as bad.
One believed that if you are sick, you must lack faith. Any sickness or defect shows a weak faith. Strong faith heals all. I asked him then why he still has to wear glasses. Cannot God heal your eyes so you can see 20/20? His faith was not strong enough to heal his eyes.
I directed a Christian Drug and Alcohol Program for a number of years. There were some faith healers who claimed to heal certain ones, but it did not last long.
I remember someone calling me from Oral Roberts University. Knowing that they believed in faith healing, I asked them why Oral Roberts had a hospital? They did not have a good answer. Since then the hospital has been sold because of financial troubles. This reminds me of the time Oral Roberts successfully black mailed Christians into giving him 8 million dollars, or else God would kill him.
One of my favorite healing tricks is performed by W. Grant. He has a number of people who can walk sit in wheel chairs up front so he can supposedly, miraculously heal them. Then he sits in their wheel chair and has them push him around.
There are extremes to faith healing like one should never see a doctor or take any medicine, or receive a blood transfusion.
Some faith healing command you to throw away your medicine because you are healed. Some have died because they have done this.
There is an interesting book entitled A Doctor in Search of a Miracle. This doctor followed up on those who claimed to be healed, and found no miracle cures. An older book first published in 1918 is entitled Counterfeit Miracles by B.B. Warfield.
Speaking in Tongues
Some think if I could only speak in tongues that will cure me. Some have tired to get me to speak in tongues by mumbling some words over and over again. It did not work. I have since learned to speak in tongues any time I want. I just utter nonsensical words while I throw in a few "praise Jesus" and "hallelujah" phrases. Many claim that they are speaking a foreign language, but speaking in tongues is not a foreign language it is gibberish. This is a result of expert analysis. Speaking in tongues are found in other religions. Some Buddhist monks speak in tongues. I think speaking in tongues can give people an emotional lift, but it also breeds pride that I am superior and closer to God because I speak in tongues and you do not. For some speaking in tongues is a mark of salvation. If you do not speak in tongues, you must not be saved. Some how I have not found that verse in scripture.
Slain in the Spirit
Another supposed evidence of the Spirit is to be slain in the Spirit. This is when the Spirit mightily comes upon someone. On TV one falls backward on the ground and shakes uncontrollably. In the Bible this never happens. When the Holy Spirit comes on someone, they are empowered to do something, not fall on the ground and shake.
Demons cause Disease
For some people demons are the root cause of disease that must be cast out. They think demons are everywhere causing trouble. The demon of sugar and caffeine must be cast out of your body. Mental illness is seen as demon possession. For any disease a demon must be cast out like the demon of cancer. Any thing that causing you to think or do something wrong is the result of demons that must be cast out.
Health and Wealth Theology?
Health and Wealth theology greatly disturbs me. This theology believes that if you follow God you will be healthy and wealthy. If you are sick or poor, you must not be following God. Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor.” Job lost his wealth and his health even though he followed God. Jesus was poor. He laid up treasures in Heaven, and not on earth, but many televangelists are laying up treasures on earth.
Alternative Medicine?
I am concerned about Christians who turn to alternative medicine. They think natural herbal medicine is better than regular medicine. Doctors are not to be trusted unless they are Christians. Bill Gothard pushes the evils of hospital births. One should give birth at home with a midwife. Gothard wants to train future doctors by watching other doctors, not by going to medical school which is wrong. More information on Bill Gothard.
At a Christian Teachers conference there was a man pushing a concoction of vitamins that he claimed would keep one from getting sick and cure cancer, yet there was no proof.
Kent Hovind proclaims that vitamin B17 deficiency causes cancer just like vitamin C deficiency causes scurvy. Taking B17 plus C will cure your cancer. See www.canceranswer.com. Vitamin B17 is also called amygdalin, but more commonly laetrile. Laetrile does not meet the standards for being a vitamin. It is a compound of two sugar molecules called an amygdalin. Ernst Krebs labeled it a vitamin. Laetrile contains 6% cyanide which is extremely toxic. Taking too much laetrile can be lethal. After extensive testing the National Cancer Institute found laetrile not to be effective in treating cancer. The Food and Drug Administration rejected it because of its poisonous cyanide content.
In a recent article (Philadelphia Inquirer Friday June 25, 1999, C1) the Federal Trade Commission announced a crack down on fraudulent health products that offer cures for diseases like cancer, aids, and arthritis on the Internet. There is a federal consumer health information resource at http://www.healthfinder.gov. The FDA has its own site at http://www.fda.gov.
Word of Knowledge?
I remember attending a meeting featuring Marylyn Hickee. Before her main speech she had a word of Knowledge for certain people in the audience, probably some people she talked to before hand.
Some use the word of knowledge to manipulate people to do what they say because God said so through their word of knowledge.
One of my favorite stories is about Popoff who knows peoples names and illnesses because of the word of knowledge from God. James Randi taped the radio conversations between Popoff and his wife back stage who was reading the information off cards that were filled out before the service began. Popoff was not getting his information from God. Yet he is back on TV again.
Holy Laughter
One of the most amazing phenomenon's of the charismatic movement is holy laughter. The preacher will start to laugh then the whole congregation will start laughing and laughing for long periods of time. This reminds me of the Camp Meetings in the early 1800’s in Kentucky where people would start to bark like dogs.
Visions
I wonder about those preachers who claim to see visions of God, Jesus, or heaven especially when the vision tells you crazy things like God will kill me if you do not send me 8 million dollars. The visions seem to manipulate people to do what the preacher wants.