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Broken Bones & Whiplash In Church

This is another ‘random memory’ that something made me think about today.

It’s often preached in UPC (United Pentecostal Church) churches that when it comes to “shouting” or “dancing in the spirit”, no one will ever EVER get hurt unless the person doing the shouting is faking. From what I’ve seen, this is just not the case.

The main incident happened when I was around 10 or 11. My great Aunt was the one doing the ‘shouting’. She was being prayed for up front, speaking in tongues, and started shouting. She bumped into the altar and it turned over and landed on the foot of an elderly lady who was standing up front praying and it broke her foot.

The reaction of the entire church was pretty ugly. They told my Aunt that she was faking, and she was shunned and verbally abused for several months after that. My reaction was “WHAT JUST HAPPENED????” I was soooo confused. The thing is, I KNOW my Aunt, and I KNOW that she would never fake anything.

I don’t really know what my beliefs are on shouting and dancing, I don’t know if its of God, or if its a product of emotional frenzy, but either way, I know that my Aunt was not doing something fake just to appear ‘spiritual’. Whether what she was doing was of God or a product of something else, she truly believed it was of God and felt ‘something’ or she wouldn’t have been doing it.

Almost 20 years later, I still have no idea what to think about this particular instance. The lady with the broken foot never blamed my Aunt, said that she believed my Aunt was “in the spirit” and that its possible for something like this to happen due to ‘human imperfections’. I don’t know…

My other two memories involve (surprise surprise) my Mom. One thing that happened was in the same church. My Mom was “running the aisles” and she started grabbing people’s hands and pulling them out to run the aisles with her. One lady whose hand she grabbed got halfway around the church and then fell in the floor. People ignored her for quite awhile thinking she was “slain in the spirit”, and then someone noticed she was calling for help. I can’t remember exactly which bone it was, but a bone in her lower body had broke and she couldn’t stand up. Paramedics were called and she was taken to the hospital. The church was VERY angry with my Mom for pulling her out to run the aisles with her, even though this was a common practice.

It turned out that this lady had bone cancer, and she didn’t know it yet. After they patched this bone up, other bones kept breaking every time she walked and she died around a year later.

Another thing was several years later, at a different church, my Mom was again running the aisles and “dancing in the spirit”. She grabbed me by the hand and pulled me out to run and dance with her. I had no interest in this, but she had hold of my hand so tight I couldn’t easily let go. I tried to just move unobtrusively with her, but her dancing was so exuberant she was jerking me around all over the place. For about two weeks I had whiplash symptoms.

Most Pentecostal churches would censure anyone who tried to ‘force’ someone else to “dance in the spirit” or run the aisles, because they teach that this is a spontaneous reaction induced by the Holy Ghost alone. Being ‘forced’ to do it by someone else would basically be considered faking. But there are also some who not only condone this, but encourage it. I’ve seen this more among ultra-conservative Apostolics rather than UPC.

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It Is Time To Rest

I read an interesting article that appeared in Essence by TD Jakes.

The article struck a chord. In it, Jakes talks about resting, that we need to go apart and get the rest we need sometimes. My mind attached what he was saying about (I’m sure) physical rest to taking that vacation from church some have been encouraging. Still don’t know if its a good idea to stop attending, but here are my thoughts anyway.

For the last year, I have been involved in some activity almost every day/night of the week. I had one night off every other Fri and one Sat a month unless I leave town. Several of those activities required over 3-4 hours of time commitment per week. And that was above the requisite hour of prayer, fast day each week, and bible reading/study. Talk about exhausting! I enjoyed some of the extra activities, but was required to still maintain previous commitments to be involved with the extra.

Having left the church, I don’t know what to do with my time. Church is the immediate response mode when I’m lonely or bored, because it’s all I could do for so long.

Although I need a good church to rest in sometimes, need good solid bible teaching and so forth, it really is time to rest. Whether that is going to church once a week or when I feel like it, to one church or a variety until one feels right, (and as much as I dislike TD Jakes normally) there was something to that article for me. Jesus said “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Maybe, after 19 years, that’s the most needful part of this experience. Its time to rest.

Rest is so much more than sleep. Its an ability to relax in God. Not to worry anymore about what anyone else is doing right or wrong. Not wondering what everyone will think about each decision made or action taken. Not rushing here and there trying to please everyone. Not trying to be perfect. Just sitting quietly at Jesus’ feet and learning for a while. And allowing myself to be me. So I’m thankful for this time. It’s time to rest.

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It is no secret

There is a wonderful old song:

It is no secret what God can do, what he’s done for others, he’ll do for you! With arms wide open, he’ll pardon you, it is no secret what God can do.

God’s plan is no secret. You don’t need some special revelation, validated by some self important board of narcissistic men. His plan is so simple, a wayfaring man, though a fool need not err therein. For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son . . . . . .THAT is His plan- believe! Have faith because without faith it is impossible to please Him. . . he who cometh to God must believe that He IS and the He is a rewarder of them who diligently seek Him. Jesus said He came that we might have peace, fear not!

My parents used to sing a song titled WHO. . .

Who lights the stars at night, who guides the moon in flight, who makes the sun so bright? Nobody but my Lord! Who gave me saving grace, who died to take my place, who did my sins erase? Nobody but my Lord!

Yes, he made the earth, he made the sea and land, fastened them together by His mighty hand, under His control, they move at His command, Nobody but my Lord . . .could do it!

Nobody, nothing, not things present, nor things past, not any creature can separate us from the love of God or from His plan. God is good and His mercy endureth forever.

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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.

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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.

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