Category: discernment | Page 4 | Spiritual Abuse Blogs

Salem

In doing some research for a class project a year or two after being thrown out of a church, I came across an interactive activity enacting the trials. I sat clicking through it, stunned. I had been familiar with the trials, but I had never thought of them as closely related to my life. But here in an interactive about a bit of 300 year old history, was a reenactment of my expulsion.

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/salem-interactive/

Are you a witch?
Why do you torture these people?
How do you know you’re not a witch?
We know you’re a witch!
How long have you been a witch?
Don’t deny it! Why won’t you confess?
How long have you been in the snare of the devil?
Why would you laugh? Don’t you see, you’re hurting these people?
You can’t expect peace without a confession!

You would sob, but it’s too much. You stood before your neighbors, your God and your judge and spoke the truth. They saw you, they heard you, and they jailed you.

Now, all of Salem, hungry for drama, seems to have squeezed inside the courthouse…

And on the story goes. Though it’s not precisely accurate, it’s not far from the real proceedings. https://web.archive.org/web/20160106151023/https://salem.lib.virginia.edu/texts/tei/swp?div_id=n24

The interactive haunted me. For the first time after I’d been thrown out, I had found an incident that was very similar to my own. Here is basically my interaction with the man who threw me out:

I feel in my spirit–you aren’t right! You’re lusting after me.
ME: “NO!”
Don’t argue with the man of God! I know you’re lusting after me, and you won’t destroy my ministry!
If you don’t get right, I’ll throw you out!
I don’t even know if you can be saved.
I knew someone was hindering revival!
You’re hindering revival! You need to repent!

He went on to tell me why he thought I was lusting. He had the spirit of discernment. He felt it in his spirit. I’d made him grab a folding chair I was sitting on and drag it around the room. I’d gone to the store at the same time he and his wife were there….

And so I identify with those tried as witches in Salem.

What happened in Salem, and why did the witch hunts and trials take place? Why were they allowed to go so far? Superstition, lack of knowledge or common sense, emphasis on the devil doing things to people, mass hysteria, toxins in the water or food, boredom, a fear of secret ‘sins’ being discovered, or guilt for those sins still hidden, the power of a few, the jealousy of others… there are many guesses as to what happened in Salem. I think it was a combination. And I think witch hunts still happen today.

Read Parts Two and Three.

If Only I Had Remained

If only I had remained in the church….

People who have left an unhealthy church and are going through a rough time sometimes have the thought that, had they remained, the [difficult/unpleasant/tragic situation] would not have happened. If they had just stayed in the group, they wouldn’t have lost their job or there wouldn’t be family problems or their child wouldn’t have become ill or….. They have temporarily forgotten that bad things happened while they were attending their former church. Old thoughts, from sermons using twisted scriptures, can have a hold on people for years if they do not deal with the issues from their involvement. “If you leave, God will strike you down! You may be in a car wreck or become ill. Perhaps you will lose your job or home. The way of the transgressor is hard!”

I recall all kinds of bad things happening to people who were in my former church. A home burned down, there were all kinds of vehicle and job problems, car accidents, financial difficulties, marriage trouble and divorces, and people getting diseases with some dying. The church itself was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. It would be an extensive list of woes if everything could be mentioned. Being a member of the church and being involved did not keep us from the things of life that can happen to anyone.

In like manner, being out of the group, we need to understand that good and bad will also happen. It is part of life. It doesn’t mean God is after you and trying to get you to return to the church. It doesn’t mean you are lost or backslid. It doesn’t mean you would have been safe from whatever happened had you remained. Take the time to look into the passages that were used to scare you and see the fear that permeates the teachings. If you do this you should eventually no longer have to fight such thoughts. It’s a guarantee that should you return, bad things will still happen.

********
Shop at our Amazon store! As an Amazon Influencer, this website earns from qualifying purchases.

Hillary Clinton Accused of Possession

Note: This is NOT a political post. In no way am I supporting a candidate, trying to influence your vote, or change the way you think about any politician or political party.)

A short time ago, a friend of mine posted a video [link no longer works, so it was removed] on Facebook of Hillary Clinton having an awkward moment. I watched the video and didn’t think much of it. I figured that people who live 24/7 in the public eye are bound to have many weird moments that are caught on tape.

In an attempt to bring some smiles to those in the conversation under the post, I stated, “I wonder how long it will be before someone starts saying it’s a form of demonic possession?”

My question was answered the very next day when an Apostolic preacher posted [link from Rayford Strange no longer works] his thoughts on the video, calling it demonic.

Did Hillary Clinton have a seizure? I don’t know. Did she have a strong reaction to the noise of the reporters surrounding her? I have no idea, but it’s possible. Was this a sign of some sort, signaling to everyone that she has, at some point, been possessed by something demonic? I don’t see how that is possible. In fact, why would one even think that in the first place?

I’ve tried to understand how this episode was determined to be “demonic.” If it’s demonic, where is the evidence? I read his thoughts on the subject, but I can’t agree with him. I don’t see what he sees. Could it be if one wants something to look demonic, eventually, he is going to find something that fits his definition of demonic?

Why do things which are different and unusual come under attack as being something demonic? Why is there so much misunderstanding within the Apostolic movement?

Apostolic leaders have been known to tell a person there is “demonic influence” in his or her life, especially when directed to young people. To them, it seems anything could become a “demonic influence,” but some of the more common examples are art, music, people of other cultures and their heritages, people who look different, family members who haven’t been born again via Acts 2:38, movies, comic books, politicians, even certain church members – and the emphasis seems to be on that “evil” influencing members away from their churches.

Much of this thinking may come from the acceptance of bad theology. People may have a better understanding of the traditions within their churches than an understanding of actual scripture. Sadly, many traditions will also cause people to look at illness in the wrong way. Have you ever seen someone having a seizure being prayed for, then hear someone say, “I rebuke this demon!” while praying?

I have. It’s scary. People can really be hurt from this. In some instances, the heart of the individual was in the right place; sadly, the head wasn’t. Bad theology is bad theology, no matter how you look at it.

Cult ministries purposely over-emphasize “demonic influence/possession.” Why? This is one way the spiritually abusive leader will use fear to control and/or to keep a person “safe” within the confines of their influence and “ministry.” Talking about demons and evil can be a scary subject. Corrupt leaders will use that fear to influence people into doing what they want. Sad, but true.

Cult ministries also use this fear in an attempt to limit one’s ability to grow intellectually. A constant theme within this very movement is how often leaders talk about the spiritual danger of seeking higher education in public universities, and sadly, even Christian universities outside of their own theology.

Now, a difficult thing for me to process among all of this bad teaching on “demonic influence” is that I do believe in demons. The Bible talks about them. I don’t know of any other way to look at and understand specific scriptures within our Bible. I do believe there is some sort of evil that works against people of faith – but, I often don’t see it the way the “spiritual elite” see it.

Getting back to the Facebook post above, it’s my opinion that the author is using “demonic influence” as means to sway voters away from supporting Hilary Clinton in this upcoming Presidential campaign.

Audible Gift Memberships

An Atheist “Converts” People to God

Years back, I came across two videos on YouTube that show an atheist hypnotist in action, “converting” people to a belief in God based on what they feel and experience at his gathering. It is in two parts. If you watch, be sure to watch them in order.

The first: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhIGmAzCqFY

The second: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm9cFrnrR7Q

I am sharing these as some food for thought. Many, especially those from Pentecostal type churches, have come to accept whatever happens in a church service as being from God. If it happens at church, it must be sanctioned and orchestrated by God. That simply is untrue. We are told to try the spirits and to use discernment.

These videos are a good example of how people can be manipulated (in this instance through hypnosis or the power of suggestion) and then believe what they experienced was from God, when in fact it was not. There’s a lot that happens in some church gatherings that is far from being of God, yet is readily accepted as such.

If Derren can do this, and it obviously isn’t God touching these people, then we need to take care in not blindly accepting anything that happens in a church gathering. Don’t allow experiences to become your focus and govern your spirituality. Experiences can and do mislead people, so be discerning.

For those that simply dismiss this thought, perhaps you would consider a real-life example that happened in a church from Washington state that had several satellite churches in the USA and abroad. Membership in part consisted of many professionals such as lawyers, dentists, chiropractors, businessmen, and doctors. Community Chapel was a type of Oneness Pentecostal church, but different from what the United Pentecostal Church and similar groups teach.

They appear to have started out well and had a Bible college. They began focusing on experiences, which the pastor, Donald Barnett, claimed would bring them closer to Jesus. Those became more and more extreme and eventually very harmful, causing a great many marriages to end in divorce and friendships to dissolve. People were disfellowshipped. There were suicides. One person who was there shared that many experienced “horrific emotional upheaval”.

They sang ‘in the Spirit’ and focused on demons and deliverance. They started dancing together. This eventually led to what was termed as ‘spiritual connections’ and gazing into each others’ eyes to see Jesus. That escalated into fornication and adultery. The church scandal made headlines, it split and eventually folded. What happened there was by no means sanctioned and orchestrated by God as it left devastation in its wake.

********
Shop at our Amazon store! As an Amazon Influencer, this website earns from qualifying purchases.

Fake Ministers in the Church

Marjoe Gortner was a child Pentecostal preacher. He was taught by his parents how to act and manipulate a crowd. He wasn’t following God and yet people flocked to his meetings and gave him money. He faked speaking in tongues. People bought the whole show, including ministers.

When he was older, he actually exposed himself through a documentary he had made. In it, he shares about his childhood and explains why and how things happened.

Everyone is not as they may appear to be and everything that happens in a church gathering is not always of God. People can easily be manipulated given the right circumstances.

These are only some things to consider. We must use discernment. Do not blindly accept everyone who says they have a Christian ministry.

Below are clips from the documentary.

********
Shop at our Amazon store! As an Amazon Influencer, this website earns from qualifying purchases.