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 .
Yeah ,, never be caught hundreds of miles away from your wife spending the night alone with a homsexual in a cabin in the woods,,,, and OJ didn't do it either
If they go to court with something like that, they lose everything because of millions in cost.
Employees lose their jobs, paychecks and maybe homes.
THe satellites would go down and all the overseas ministries would lose funding. (Satan gets a big smile)
I don't think you will ever find a pattern like Jackson's. I think this is more likely a person with problems who made the charge.
These kind of charges are becoming common place and has caused the whole United States to operate with doors open and causion in ever being alone with an employee.
Why did this other fellow go meet supposedly with this minister in the middle of the woods?
I am wondering if he was not guilty why he would have to pay anyone anything?,,, just say it didn't happen and then prove him wrong,, I'm sure with his position at TBN Crouch has a personal secretary with a daily planner that could prove Crouch was nowhere near that cabin alone with a homosexual or Jan could say without a doubt Paul was with her on those days in question,,,,,,,,,oops bet he can't prove it,, and if not what are the odds the employee just happened to pick out one of the only days in a person's life when they just couldn't prove where they were,, I bet in my simple life there wasn't one day that I couldn't prove my whereabouts,,,,,,,,,,
umm,,,,, to play hide the salami with Paul?
About the acuser...
Ford's claim to wrongful termination doesn't seem to have much basis, either. TBN terminated his employment in 1998 while Ford was serving a prison sentence for violating terms of his probation through drug use. The network hired him in 1992, took him back after a 1994 jail term for statutory rape, and again took him back after a 1995 conviction for possession of cocaine. One would think that TBN had ample reason to let him go.
Benny Hinn? Wasn't he the Brit comedian who had all the babes on?
THE ACCUSER WAS A MAJOR CRIMINAL WHO WANTS MONEY.
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. The importance of the settlement does not rest on the money paid, but rather on Dr. Crouch's vehement denial of the allegations made against him as well as the agreement of the accuser to keep confidential and refrain from repeating his false claims and accusations. Most importantly, at no time were ministry funds used in any portion of this settlement.
First, extortion seems like the only word to describe what Enoch Lonnie Ford, the former TBN employee who says he and Crouch had extramarital sex in 1996, attempted. Crouch paid him a $425,000 settlement in 1998 after Ford accused the global network of wrongful termination. Key to the settlement, of course, was a secrecy agreement. Last April, however, Ford handed Crouch an autobiographical manuscript detailing his claims of a sexual encounter. The Times reports:
Ford's lawyer later told ministry officials that they could keep the work out of public view by buying the rights. After some discussion, he suggested that $10 million might be a reasonable price. … Ford's attorney, Eugene Zech, said [TBN attorney Dennis G. Brewer Sr.] called him the next business day [after Ford gave Crouch the manuscript]. In court papers, Zech said that Brewer asked "if Ford might be willing to accept $1 million in exchange for the manuscript." Zech said in the court filing that he suggested $10 million.
Yes
The guy was a convicted rapist who was in violation of parol for drug use.
He was extorting Paul and the lawyers of TBN suggested it was much cheaper to pay him to leave rather than let the criminal cause all these false charges and bad press.
As it stands now, he has allowed his reputation to be seriously tarnished because he apparently paid over $400,000 to hush up an accuser.
If Crouch's accuser is lying, he extorted this hush money via a process tantamount to blackmail and Crouch allowed the extortion to occur.
It should not surprise you that people have come to the conclusions they have reached about Crouch. Your excusing of his actions is centered on money issues, and you have shown no concern for the ramifications of his actions on his reputation, his perceived integrity.
This isn't about money...is it?
exactly,, Do you think Billy Graham would have paid off the guy,,,, never and no innocent person would have either for exactly your reasons given,, Even Benny Hinn thinks he did it,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Despite TBN's efforts to keep Ford's charges secret, they surfaced in an unrelated 1998 lawsuit. A former bodyguard for TBN personality Benny Hinn testified in a deposition that during a European bus tour that year, Hinn had told a group of associates about "a sexual relationship that Paul Crouch had with his chauffeur."
The witness, Mario C. Licciardello, quoted Hinn as saying: "Paul's defense was that he was drunk."
Hinn and six others mentioned by Licciardello, who died in 2000, told The Times that Hinn never made such remarks. However, Rick Jones, a retired police officer and ordained minister who worked for Hinn, said he heard Hinn talk about Crouch's alleged homosexual relationship on that bus.
Jones said he was disgusted by the talk and "got up and walked away. I didn't want to hear gossip.",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
I've posted my comments attempting to be non-judgmental about this affair, although I might not have been successful. I want to add that I truly hope he didn't engage in the behavior of which he has been accused.
I know,, Pat Roberson told Benny Hinn he had a "word of knowlage" that Paul Crouch was doing the nasty with his driver and to tell Jerry Falwell to jump in and take over TBN,,,
Hinn and ALL phony healers are just that.
Phony.
http://www.middletownbiblechurch.org/doctrine/charis35.htm
They can claim all they want, but where are the people born blind?
Where are the cripples from birth that can walk?
Where are the people with cancers being healed?
If these people were healed, there should be such a physical evidence there would be no question at all that the healing happened, only that unbelievers would doubt the source.
The fact that the argument is not about the source, but whether healing ever took place at all should end this argument.
NO healing took place other than a psychosomatic healing.
(Acts 8:18 KJV) And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,
(Acts 8:19 KJV) Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.
(Acts 8:20 KJV) But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.
(Acts 8:21 KJV) Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.
(Acts 8:22 KJV) Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.
(Acts 8:23 KJV) For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.
While I dont accuse Hinn of bribing someone to get his supposed powers, I do condemn faith healers for taking money for it.
If their ministry was truly led by God and their healing true and genuine, the news would be filled with recorde events that no one could deny ever happened.
This Hinn guy sounds like a special breed.
Scam the sick...................
What a low life.
Cute, but this Nickel is a Senior fellow of the website you directed me to and they are very much associated with lots of aethiests all through the net.Doesn't that smell the least bit fishy to you and do you really expect atheists to use science to validate anything Christian of of faith in your lifetime?
There's nothing cute about what Hinn does, nothing at all.
If you've read the article and remain a Hinn defender, I'm puzzled. If you've not read the article because you're unwilling to read an article by someone associated with the CSICOP organization, that's your prerogative, of course, but it prevents you from encountering evidence of Hinn's contemptible behavior.
May I request, though, that you not send Hinn any money (should you be so inclined) until and unless you read the article?
Best regards...
never ever in the history of these so called healers has someone grown another leg, arm or eyeball when they have been missing them,, somehow out of the millions healed God decided to only heal unseen problems and deemed bone spurs, ankle injuries or bad hearing more important to heal than devastating injuries
Good points.
I suspect that even the most gullible of Hinn's supplicants suspect, deep in their hearts, that they're being strung along and taken advantage of, but they allow it to happen because they're desperate for hope and some sort of help. I'll quote again the rabbi's devastating indictment:
I hope there is a special place in Hell for people who try and enrich themselves on the suffering of others. To tantalize the blind, the lame, the dying, the afflicted, the terminally ill, to dangle hope before parents of a severely afflicted child, is an indescribably cruel thing to do, and to do it in the name of God, to do it in the name of religion, I think, is unforgivable.
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