Posted on 01/24/2005 10:20:39 PM PST by Gengis Khan
BANGALORE: For three days now, the city has groaned under the weight of the Benny Hinn show. Many of the apparently healed have justified the need for the mega event despite the multitude of problems. But the jury is still out on whether Hinn is a fraud or someone with connections to the Lord.
Questions on people's minds regarding Hinn's healing methods and utterances indicate that all may not have been above board. Sample these: Why were only those cured allowed on stage? Colonel Samuel (retd) suffers from immobility of the right side of his body. Hoping for a miracle, he, with wife in tow, managed to shuffle up to the stage. Only to be jostled away by an organiser, who said: "Only if you are healed can you go on stage. If you're not healed by Jesus, your time has not come." Are they really cured forever? Why are there no doctors from city hospitals, but mostly from Hinn's ministry? What actually is the miracle? What is his modus operandi?
Neither Hinn nor his stooges have any answer except a tepid one, faith. One question that will probably never be answered is how many of the healed will wake up one of these mornings, after Hinn has left for greener pastures, feeling unhealed? Like all faith healers, Benny Hinn Inc. is unwilling to put the healing claims to scientific scrutiny.
Pre- and post-healing medical records can tell the truth, but nobody is volunteering this information; neither are they keeping a count of those healed. Responding to TOI's query on some people rushing to the stage for a cure, Hinn said: "This is psychosomatic healing wherein the mind is capable of enabling the body to think itself healed. Even before I come on stage, there have been cases where people have been healed; the music, prayers and atmosphere add to it."
Hinn's organisers had a different take. They said prayers were responsible for the healing and miracles.
Even before Hinn's visit, rationalists had voiced apprehensions about mass hysteria that can overtake a person and claim a cure. Explains magician KS Ramesh: "I have made Ganesha drink 10 litres of milk. I have performed the healing operations that psychic surgeons perform, but I tell people it's magic and there is no religion involved. Faith is a multi-million industry."
Hinn's ministry is an opulent one, making $100 million a year globally; of this, Rs 15-20 crore is raised by the Indian chapter alone. When Hinn said, "I have met the Pope twice," someone wondered aloud, "Why can't he cure the ailing Pope then?"
Nevertheless, Hinn will continue to reap the harvest of his Bangalore show till another prayer meet in Hyderabad in February 2006.
As many as 15,000 people who were allowed to get up close and personal with Benny Hinn's healing touch over the past three days were given sick passes, at a local church, well in advance of the event. This could be why only a chosen few were allowed to experience the healing powers at the three-day Festival of Blessings event of the US evangelist. The 15,000 sick passes were distributed at the Full Gospel Assembly of God Church, witnesses told The Times of India.
People were told three months ago that a certain pastor and healer by the name Benny Hinn would come. "We were told that whoever was sick in body and spirit could enroll himself for the healing," P Gangamma, a volunteer at the FGAG church stated.
Gangamma herself could not get a pass despite reportedly suffering from a uterus complaint. "I have a uterus problem and I don't know why they aren't taking me in for the healing," she said. Like Gangamma, there were Joseph Raja, Jennifer Nelson, Asha Pamreche and Satish Bambalgi, who were similarly not given access to Hinn's miraculous healing session.
A man, who was accompanying his cerebral palsy-affected son, said: "I will do anything to get my two-year-old son cured. I only want Hinn to touch him because I believe he will be cured. I have been coming to the programme for three days now, but could not meet Hinn."
The choice of people to be healed by Hinn was highly selective, which has cast a shadow of doubt on whether the healing was for real or a mere show. N Bharath, a paralysed man from Madhya Pradesh who was among the chosen lot, told TOI that he was asked by Hinn's American volunteers about how long it had been since he stood on his feet. When Bharath replied that it had been 13 years, the volunteers refused to allow him access to the healing.
He was among the thousands of people who came with hopes of getting cured but were turned away by Hinn's healing redtape. On Sunday, hundreds of people had to make way for a plethora of VVIP platinum pass-holders .
Click here to hear a prime example of the heresy he is spreading.
(for those of you who have dial up, he is claiming that there are 9 gods.)
Am I surprised that he has the following that he has? No. Am I disgusted? Yes.
Mark 13:22 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect–if that were possible.
Colossians 2:18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions
2 Peter 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them–bringing swift destruction on themselves.
1 John 4:1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Crouch paid the guy hundreds of thousands of dollars. Crouch can't exactly say the case had no merit. If it had no merit, why pay all the jack?
All the more reason not to pay him off. Crouch could have destroyed him in court. It sounds like Crouch got the Buckwheats.
While it was not wise for Crouch to pay off his acuser (because theives have no honor) It is understandable. The MInistry depends on Paul and Jan having integrity. Even the accusation of such a thing destroys that integrity.
If after a lengthy court case it was proven that the accuser was lying and Paul was no where near that place the mainstream press and Christian bashers would always report "Paul Crouch, who was accused of having a homosexual affair with one of his employees, presided at the opening of ..."
If the accuser would have stayed silent it would have been an ok deal. Unfortunately Paul misjudged the criminal repeatedly.
It got out anyway. Crouch should have known the consequences of surrendering.
"thieving preacher"
And your evidence would be .....??????
agreed.
As a matter of fact, I am tempted to believe that Crouch settled to keep people from being sworn under oath. The truth could be a lot worse than we know.
One indication could be that he is making money selling a service that he admits he does not perform.
"thieving preacher"And your evidence would be .....??????
See post #55 on this thread.
And read a rabbi's take on Hinn's twisted ministry in post #63 and post #100.
No, I believe he was stupid but not stupid enough to do that.
"selling a service he admits he does not perform"
Unbelievable! There is no way to explain - because you could not possibly understand.
Jesus said to the disciples - witness to the people of the town - if they reject you - shake the dust off your shoes and move on.
Consider the dust shaken!
See #74, 78, 82, 86 and 88.
In an effort to address this matter in 1997, Dr. Crouch sought the advice and counsel of some trusted advisers, attorneys and spiritual leaders. The consensus viewpoint was that it would be better for TBN and Dr. Crouch to reach a financial settlement rather than to fight the accuser in court. This course of action was deemed less expensive and would avoid the bad publicity, time and effort that it would take to fight the false claims. Dr. Crouch reluctantly agreed to this advice with the understanding that the accuser would go away and leave both he and TBN alone forever.
He didn't say do it at $50 a pop.
$425k's worth? That's an awful lot of deeming.
The accuser was a felon in jail for statutory rape, later he was out and went for extortion, then went back o jail for drugs possession of drugs.
Does the accuser seem to be out for purity in Christianity or a pay day?
Does this accuser meet your profile of a hapless victum?
Like I said, he's not my cup of tea, but I don't know some major healing didn't happen somewhere.
If it happened in a third world nation, there would be no before and after evidence.
I just don't know.
Again, in what millennium do you expect atheist scientists will validate religion at all?
You can explain the same accuracy of you decided to let a rabid DU member do your bio on your self page.
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