Family won't drop Nebbi priest rape case
Thursday, 22nd April, 2010
By Frank Mugabi
THE parents of the girl allegedly defiled by an HIV-positive Catholic priest in Nebbi have rejected a Police request to drop the charges, insisting the law must take its course.
Santo Onyai, the father of the 14-year-old girl, said Pakwach Police yesterday called him to make a statement withdrawing the case, but he had declined to do so.
“The Police told me to make an additional statement withdrawing the case but I refused because that can only be made after we have reached a compromise, which we have not,” Onyai said.
The Rev. Fr. Santos Constatino Wapokura was released on Wednesday after a day in Police detention. The priest said the accusations are a ploy to taint his image.
Wapokura, the parish priest of Pakwach, has twice been in and out of Police cells over sexually assaulting the girl, who was serving in the church.
He was first arrested last week but was released shortly after on Police bond under unclear circumstances, which the Police said they were investigating. He was again arrested on Monday, transferred to Nebbi Central Police Station, before being released once more reportedly on the instructions of the resident state attorney, Innocent Obale.
Obale said the complainants wanted to settle the matter out of court. But Onyai said his family want the priest to face the court and instead blamed government officials of dragging their feet.
“We all want the case to proceed in court but the Police and court people are not helping us,” he said. He called for the intervention of higher authorities.
On Tuesday, the Nebbi criminal investigations officer, Henry Mulindwa, told The New Vision that they had preferred charges of aggravated defilement against the priest because he was tested and found to be HIV-positive.
A person convicted of aggravated defilement is liable to a death sentence.
In Kampala, the head of the child and family protection unit, Florence Kilabila, yesterday said the Police did not condone the priest’s release. “I don’t like the claims that the case is going to be settled out of court. There is still room for us to look into it.”
The regional crime chief, she said, had been ordered to ensure justice is done. “The matter will be handled at a higher level,” she added. She said the release of the priest was the decision of the state attorney and should not be blamed on the Police.
The Nebbi case adds to the list of accusations of sexual impropriety across the globe brought against Catholic priests, who swear the oath of celibacy.
Additional reporting by Herbert Ssempogo
HIV/AIDS POSITIVE CATHOLIC PRIEST IN PAKWACH UGANDA ARRESTED FOR DEFILING A 14 YEAR GIRL
New vision, 22-April-2010
Writes Leo Odera Omolo
A senior Catholic priest based in Pakwach town in Nebbi district has been arrested by the Police on allegations of defiling a 14-year-old girl, who served in the church.
The district criminal investigations officer, Henry Mulindwa, said the Rev. Fr. Santos ConstatinoWapokura was first arrested last week in Pakwach when the girl’s parents registered a complaint.
Mulindwa said another 14-year-old girl had also reported to the Police, saying the priest also forced her into sex early last year.
Wapokura, 45, the parish priest for Pakwach, is also HIV-positive, Mulindwa said.
Therefore, the Police upgraded his case from simple to aggravated defilement.
He was, however, shortly released on bond under unclear circumstances, which the district Police headquarters in Nebbi are investigating.
“This is a capital offence. When I heard about it, I called for the file and ordered the priest’s re-arrest on Monday,” Mulindwa said. Mulindwa explained that the victim was a Primary Five pupil.
The girl told the Police that Wapokura would often ask her to go to his house, where he would follow her and force her into sex.
On another occasion, the girl narrated, she was at the priest’s home with other visitors. Father Wapokura reportedly sent away the other people and forced the girl into sex.
Wapokura, who is detained at Nebbi Central Police Station, denies the allegations, which he described as a ploy by his enemies to tarnish his name.
Wapokura was at the helm of celebrations to mark the Centenary of the Catholic faith in northern Uganda held in Pakwach on March 20.
The Police said his file had been forwarded to the resident state attorney for sanctioning, after which he will appear before court. Another Catholic priest was arrested and charged with defilement in Gulu recently.
The cases add to the long list of accusations of sexual misconduct by Catholic priests, which have rocked the Church lately. In America, the Church has paid millions of dollars to victims.
Pope Benedict has also been accused of trying to cover up the crimes in an attempt to preserve the image of the church, which forbids its priests from marrying.
Activists in Britain are considering arresting the Pope when he travels to London later this year.
Police Free Priest Nabbed Over Defilement
Frank Mugabi
The New vision, 21 April 2010
Kampala — The Catholic priest who had been arrested for allegedly defiling a 14-year-old girl in Pakwach, Nebbi district, has been released amid protests from the victim's parents.
The Police said yesterday they freed the Rev. Fr. Santos Constatino Wapokura, the parish priest for Pakwach, on the instructions of the resident state attorney, Innocent Obale.
The priest was arrested on Monday on allegations of sexually assaulting a girl who previous served in the church. But the priest denies the allegations, saying they are a ploy by his enemies to tarnish his image.
The northwestern regional Police commander, Patrick Otika-Akubu, said they had got instructions from the attorney to release the priest.
"We had evidence but the State Attorney has written back to us saying we release the suspect because the parties have opted to settle the matter outside court," Akubu said, adding that he was surprised by the decision.
However, efforts to get a comment from the Obale proved futile as he referred the writer to the Police.
Santo Onyai, the victim's father, denied having written any additional statement withdrawing the case.
He disclosed that although the priest had requested to have private negotiations with the family on the matter, they had not reached a compromise.
"He has been asking for forgiveness but right now we are much aggrieved as a family because he has done a lot of damage to our daughter," Onyai said.
He said the girl, whom he has withdrawn from school not to "waste money", occasionally, complains of abdominal pain. The victim was a Primary Five pupil.
Onyai complained that they were not being accorded proper justice.
"The Police have not taken enough control of this case. Whenever we get the priest arrested, he is released," Onyai said.
Wapokura was first arrested last week but was released shortly after on Police bond under unclear circumstances, which the Police is investigating.
Onyai said they had taken the victim for an HIV test and were expecting the results today.
The district criminal investigations officer, Henry Mulindwa, told The New Vision that they wanted the priest charged for aggravated defilement because he is HIV-positive. A person convicted for aggravated defilement faces a death sentence.
The girl's father also expressed worry that he did not have enough money to follow up the case.
Meanwhile, the regional Police commander said they were investigating other complaints against the priest from other accusers.
Friday, 23 April 2010
Zimbabwe: Catholic Priest Raped Me, Says Maid
Zimbabwe: Catholic Priest Raped Me, Says Maid
http://allafrica.com/stories/201004050118.html
George Maponga
5 April 2010
Harare — A 34-year-old Roman Catholic priest based at Rutenga Mission in Mwenezi has been arraigned before a Masvingo magistrates' court for allegedly raping his 19-year-old maid three times last year.
Father John Dzeka denied the rape charges when his trial opened before Masvingo regional magistrate Mrs Esther Muremba but shocked many when he stated in his defence outline that he actually had a love affair with the maid.
The maid, he alleged, was trying to fix him for abandoning her for another girl.
Dzeka is represented by Mr George Chikumbirike of Chikumbirike and Associates, assisted by Advocate Isaac Muzenda of Muzenda and Partners.
However, it is Dzeka's revelation that he was in love with the complainant that is set to open a can of worms since Catholic priests take celibacy vows on conferment of priesthood.
He was remanded out of custody to April 26 for continuation of trial.
The trial opened last Thursday with the State led by regional State counsel Mr Rodrick Chipembere assisted by Mr Batanai Mathose.
In her evidence, the complainant insisted that she was raped by Dzeka three times last year and made a report to a fellow Catholic priest, Father Joachim Matare, who was also based at Rutenga at the time.
Father Matare has already been lined up as the second State witness in the matter.
Charges against Dzeka arose from incidents between September 18 and October 30 last year when he allegedly raped the complainant at his house at Rutenga Mission.
Dzeka allegedly locked the door from inside after finding the complainant doing some chores in his house and dragged him into his bedroom where he raped her once on September 18. He allegedly repeated the same feat the next day.
The State alleges that Dzeka raped the complainant using the same modus operandi on October 30 prompting her to make a report to the police leading to Dzeka's arrest.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201004050118.html
George Maponga
5 April 2010
Harare — A 34-year-old Roman Catholic priest based at Rutenga Mission in Mwenezi has been arraigned before a Masvingo magistrates' court for allegedly raping his 19-year-old maid three times last year.
Father John Dzeka denied the rape charges when his trial opened before Masvingo regional magistrate Mrs Esther Muremba but shocked many when he stated in his defence outline that he actually had a love affair with the maid.
The maid, he alleged, was trying to fix him for abandoning her for another girl.
Dzeka is represented by Mr George Chikumbirike of Chikumbirike and Associates, assisted by Advocate Isaac Muzenda of Muzenda and Partners.
However, it is Dzeka's revelation that he was in love with the complainant that is set to open a can of worms since Catholic priests take celibacy vows on conferment of priesthood.
He was remanded out of custody to April 26 for continuation of trial.
The trial opened last Thursday with the State led by regional State counsel Mr Rodrick Chipembere assisted by Mr Batanai Mathose.
In her evidence, the complainant insisted that she was raped by Dzeka three times last year and made a report to a fellow Catholic priest, Father Joachim Matare, who was also based at Rutenga at the time.
Father Matare has already been lined up as the second State witness in the matter.
Charges against Dzeka arose from incidents between September 18 and October 30 last year when he allegedly raped the complainant at his house at Rutenga Mission.
Dzeka allegedly locked the door from inside after finding the complainant doing some chores in his house and dragged him into his bedroom where he raped her once on September 18. He allegedly repeated the same feat the next day.
The State alleges that Dzeka raped the complainant using the same modus operandi on October 30 prompting her to make a report to the police leading to Dzeka's arrest.
Ugandan Christians are not sensitised about reflexology
Ugandan Christians are not sensitised about reflexology
http://www.monitor.co.ug/OpEd/Letters/-/806314/900976/-/2f6nmtz/-/index.html
Posted Sunday, April 18 2010 at 00:00
TV and radio stations in Uganda are awash with adverts of reflexology centres. Ugandans are covertly being bombarded with the view that reflexology is the solution to all health problems. ‘Doctors’ are stealthily enticing Ugandans to consider reflexology.
It is certainly not wrong to want to be healthy; and we know that many ‘natural’ or alternative remedies are effective and legitimate for certain problems. But when a practice enters into the realm of the occult, Christians are forbidden from taking part. Dr David Sneed lists eight possible dangers of alternative health therapies such as reflexology: Failure to diagnose, failure to treat, emotional harm, wasted money, physical threats, toxic effects, diverted resources, and loss of reality. But what exactly is reflexology?
Reflexology XE ‘Reflexology’, which is also called zone therapy, is the technique of ‘applying pressure to specific reflex points to stimulate the body’s own healing powers.’ It is based on the concept that different parts of the foot correspond to and are somehow connected to various parts of the body. By massaging the foot (or hand) the practitioner can allegedly detect problems and help maintain physical and psychological health. While some reflexologists are basically foot massagers, and only claim to stimulate relaxation and reduce stress, most go far beyond this. TreatYourFeet.com says reflexology “creates a physiological change in the body by naturally improving your circulation” and claims that it is “an effective technique for regaining better health.”
Many reflexologists work on the occultic principle that the body has an energy field that can be manipulated. They call it “life force.” William Fitzgerald XE “Fitzgerald, William” , who invented modern reflexology in 1913, called it “bioelectric energy.” He believed that 10 vertical zones of this energy called meridians run through the body, and by rubbing one part of the foot the practitioner can supposedly manipulate the organs and bones and tissues in that particular zone.
Mildred Carter says, “By massaging reflexes ... you send a healing force to all parts of the body by opening up closed electrical lines that have shut off the universal life force.”
She also says that reflexology is “the healing miracle of the new age we are entering” . Many reflexologists use the New Age technique of visualisation. The Holistic Health Handbook instructs the practitioner to “visualise yourself as being a channel for healing energy that flows through your hands.”
Eunice Ingham, a disciple of Fitzgerald, describes reflexology as “opening the blocked meridians and channeling the healing power through visualisation” It is obvious that reflexology is based on occultic principles and should be avoided by Christians.
Michael George Kizito,
Kizitomg@gmail.com
http://www.monitor.co.ug/OpEd/Letters/-/806314/900976/-/2f6nmtz/-/index.html
Posted Sunday, April 18 2010 at 00:00
TV and radio stations in Uganda are awash with adverts of reflexology centres. Ugandans are covertly being bombarded with the view that reflexology is the solution to all health problems. ‘Doctors’ are stealthily enticing Ugandans to consider reflexology.
It is certainly not wrong to want to be healthy; and we know that many ‘natural’ or alternative remedies are effective and legitimate for certain problems. But when a practice enters into the realm of the occult, Christians are forbidden from taking part. Dr David Sneed lists eight possible dangers of alternative health therapies such as reflexology: Failure to diagnose, failure to treat, emotional harm, wasted money, physical threats, toxic effects, diverted resources, and loss of reality. But what exactly is reflexology?
Reflexology XE ‘Reflexology’, which is also called zone therapy, is the technique of ‘applying pressure to specific reflex points to stimulate the body’s own healing powers.’ It is based on the concept that different parts of the foot correspond to and are somehow connected to various parts of the body. By massaging the foot (or hand) the practitioner can allegedly detect problems and help maintain physical and psychological health. While some reflexologists are basically foot massagers, and only claim to stimulate relaxation and reduce stress, most go far beyond this. TreatYourFeet.com says reflexology “creates a physiological change in the body by naturally improving your circulation” and claims that it is “an effective technique for regaining better health.”
Many reflexologists work on the occultic principle that the body has an energy field that can be manipulated. They call it “life force.” William Fitzgerald XE “Fitzgerald, William” , who invented modern reflexology in 1913, called it “bioelectric energy.” He believed that 10 vertical zones of this energy called meridians run through the body, and by rubbing one part of the foot the practitioner can supposedly manipulate the organs and bones and tissues in that particular zone.
Mildred Carter says, “By massaging reflexes ... you send a healing force to all parts of the body by opening up closed electrical lines that have shut off the universal life force.”
She also says that reflexology is “the healing miracle of the new age we are entering” . Many reflexologists use the New Age technique of visualisation. The Holistic Health Handbook instructs the practitioner to “visualise yourself as being a channel for healing energy that flows through your hands.”
Eunice Ingham, a disciple of Fitzgerald, describes reflexology as “opening the blocked meridians and channeling the healing power through visualisation” It is obvious that reflexology is based on occultic principles and should be avoided by Christians.
Michael George Kizito,
Kizitomg@gmail.com
Thursday, 22 April 2010
50 YEARS OF PENTECOSTALISM IN UGANDA: A TIME FOR CELEBRATION OR A TIME FOR MOURNING and repentance
50 YEARS OF PENTECOSTALISM IN UGANDA: A TIME FOR CELEBRATION OR A TIME FOR MOURNING and repentance
This year the Pentecostal movement IN UGANDA is celebrating fifty years of revival in Uganda. However, there is no cause for celebration in Uganda .Pentecostals in Uganda should be on their knees and in sack cloths repenting for apostasy, greed, lies, ecumenism, political fornication and spiritual fornication with AMERICAN HERETICS LIKE BENNY HINN , COPELAND, JOYCE MEYER, F.PRICE ETC WHO PREACH THAT JESUS PAID FOR OUR SINS IN HELL.
What is Pentecostal Week
http://www.pentecostalweek.org/newsletter/
The “Pentecostal Week 2010” is the entire Pentecostal Church in Uganda coming together to celebrate their unique identity (Pentecost or the Pentecostal Experience). It will be a time of renewal, healing, unity, fellowship, and bonding
In 1960, the first Pentecostal ‘type’ church was given a license to operate by the government of Uganda.
In 2010, after 50 years, Pentecostal churches will come together during the Pentecostal week, 3rd – 9th May 2010, all for a grand celebration of what God has done. Click here for more
Partners
Miracle Center Churches, Christian Life Ministries, Evangelical Fellowship of Uganda, National Fellowship of Born Again Pentecostal Churches and the Born Again Faith Federation of Uganda.
The Council of Elders for the Pentecostal Week are:
Pastor Simon Peter Emiau | Apostle Alex Mitala | Pastor Jotham Mutebi | Pastor Nickolas Wafula | Pastor Titus Oundo | Pastor Gary Skinner | Pastor Butch Dodzweit | Pastor Aswa | Pastor Julius Ebwangu | Pastor Bob Wagar
Contact/Address
Plot 49 - 55, Makerere Hill Road, P.O Box 2560 Kampala, Uganda, East Africa
Telephone: +256 (0) 414 540437
E-mail: info@pentecostalweek.org
HISTORY OF PENTECOSTALISM IN UGANDA
In the winter of 1955 - 56, during a week night service, God gave a prophetic call to Glad Tidings take the “Full Gospel” to Uganda, East Africa. The application to the British Governor of Uganda for permission to enter the country to do missions work was denied because some religious leaders of that day did not want Pentecostals in Uganda. Nevertheless, believing this was the call of God, the church began to pray fervently for Divine intervention. In December 1956 Hugh and Audrey Layzell were sent to Kenya to work with the Elim missionaries of New York until the door opened to Uganda. That door opened in May 1960, when Glad Tidings Missionary Society was issued a permit to do Mission work in Uganda. Hugh and Audrey Layzell began the work that May followed by a team of G.T. missionaries in the 60’s namely Jean Christenson, Dorothy Williams, Bill and Gerda Brown,, Eleanor Webb, Betty Caron, Dave and Velma Freeman, Lou and Marion Peterson, John and Jean Lofstrom , Bob and Sharon Wagar.
The Gospel Mission to Uganda (which birthed the Full Gospel Churches of Uganda) was incorporated under the Unlimited Companies Act in October 1960 and became the first “Pentecostal” Mission or church to be granted that legal status in Uganda.
Certainly one of the most momentous events of the history of the ‘Pentecostal movement’ in Uganda was the Daoud Crusade at Mengo “Kabaka Anjagala” in February 1961, sponsored by the Gospel Mission. This first Salvation/Healing Crusade in Uganda coincided with the opening of the tent Tabernacle at Makerere in December 1960.
The Crusade drew thousands for 3 weeks. There were many miracles of healing and many souls came to Christ. 365 people were baptized in the Kabaka’s Lake after the Crusade, and the Tent at Makerere was packed out week after week for months. During that period ‘lubale’ fetishes were being burned as men and women believed on Jesus for salvation and new believers continued to be baptized in Kabaka’s Lake.
In 1962 another significant event took place. Art and May Dodzweitsent by Elim (PEFA) from Kenya founded the Elim Church in Mengo.
Another important milestone was the pioneering work of Rev. Brown of the Pentecostal Assemblies Of Canada, (PAOC). He came to Mbale in the 50’s and started a work mostly centered in Eastern Uganda.
Yet another significant event took place in the 60’s. In 1967 five High School Students and a teacher called Moses Ochwo along with Evangelist Joe Kayo started the “Young Christian Ambassadors” fellowship. It grew between 1969 and 1970 and in 1971, the “Young Christian Ambassadors” became the Deliverance Church in Uganda.
1972 marked the beginning of the Redeemed Church in Kibuye. However, in September 1977, President Idi Amin banned Pentecostal Churches and on 12th April 1978 armed soldiers stormed and desecrated the Full Gospel Church, at Makerere arresting 200 believers. The churches then went underground and grew even more during the persecution.
After the fall of Idi Amin in 1979, freedom of Worship was restored and tens of thousands of different Pentecostal churches blossomed. In addition to the churches and ministries earlier mentioned, the last three decades have seen the growth, establishment and organization of churches under different umbrellas such as; Miracle Center Churches, National Fellowship of Born Again Pentecostal Churches, Born Again Faith Federation of Uganda and Evangelical Fellowship of Uganda among others. The impact of what the Holy Spirit has done through the Pentecostal Church in this Country is nothing less than phenomenal. Schools, orphanages, medical services, income generating projects and others have sprung up, not to mention the church’s powerful influence on the entire fabric of Ugandan society.
It is in this spirit that all Pentecostal churches, believers, umbrella organizations and different Pentecostal streams in Uganda desire to come together as one big river to hold an event in honor of the Holy Spirit – The Pentecostal Week 2010.
WHAT CHURCH LEADERS HAVE TO SAY
http://www.pentecostalweek.org/say.html
Testimonials:
Warm Pentecostal greetings to all!
I believe the Golden Jubilee Celebration of the Pentecostal Movement or Revival in Uganda will be a time worthy of dedicating to God as thousands will rejoice delightedly in the Lord. I trust that this time of celebration will be a key that opens many blessings and revival which are yet to be poured out on the church and the earth! Many lives will be touched with life.
Jotham Mutebi
General Overseer of Full Gospel Churches of Uganda
Message of Pastor Fred Wantaate: Coordinator Pentecostal Week
Pentecostalism is one of the most influential and fastest-growing “movement” in the world. However, the Pentecostal movement in Uganda had humble beginnings.
In the early 60’s spirit filled believers were stereotyped as poor, ignorant, fanatical, and semiliterate people. At first they were marginalized, ridiculed and greatly despised by traditional churches. Now the “Abalokole Ab’omwoyo” or spirit filled believers, by and large, have become part of mainstream Christianity in Uganda . It would be foolhardy to ignore them.
“Pentecostals” by virtue of their strong evangelistic stance, style of worship and music plus their great appeal to young people, have influence that goes beyond their numbers.
Although scandals, cultic groups and heretic teachings have dogged “Pentecostals”, the revival is of God, it will continue to grow strong despite the setbacks. Jesus said in Matthew 16:18 “I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Below, you will find the latest updates on the activities leading to the main event in May.
Happy Jubilee Celebrations!
Pastor Fred Wantaate
Coordinator
Pentecostal Week
PENTECOSTAL WEEK 2010 EVENTS
http://www.pentecostalweek.org/2010events.html
Pentecostal Week 2010 is a celebration of the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit for the last 50 years. It is also a time for us to seek His guidance for the future of the church and the nation.
“Now, Give thanks” being the theme for Pentecostal Week 2010 emanates from II Corinthians 2:14 ‘ Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place’(NKJV)..
As documented in the bible, the day of Pentecost occurred a few days after Jesus’ ascension (He ascended 40 days after His resurrection). Even so the Pentecostal Week 2010 shall be celebrated about 40 days after Easter beginning 3rd – 9th May 2010.
The main events of the Pentecostal week 2010 are:
Monday 3rd May 2010:
A grand “COMMUNION NIGHT” dinner with 350 leading/key Pentecostal pastors in urban Uganda (Serena Hotel) with Dr. T.L Osborn as the tentative chief guest.
Tuesday-Thursday 4th -6th May 2010:
"THE NATIONAL PASTORAL CONFERENCE” (NPC) at Makerere Main Sports Grounds (over 5000 pastors and church leaders expected)
Friday 7th May 2010:
“THE ABALOKOLE MARCH” through Kampala city to Kololo Airstrip for a grand worship experience and Holy Spirit ministry for all.
Sunday 9th May 2010:
Different churches around the country will hold local celebrations with guests of their own choice in celebration of the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
This year the Pentecostal movement IN UGANDA is celebrating fifty years of revival in Uganda. However, there is no cause for celebration in Uganda .Pentecostals in Uganda should be on their knees and in sack cloths repenting for apostasy, greed, lies, ecumenism, political fornication and spiritual fornication with AMERICAN HERETICS LIKE BENNY HINN , COPELAND, JOYCE MEYER, F.PRICE ETC WHO PREACH THAT JESUS PAID FOR OUR SINS IN HELL.
What is Pentecostal Week
http://www.pentecostalweek.org/newsletter/
The “Pentecostal Week 2010” is the entire Pentecostal Church in Uganda coming together to celebrate their unique identity (Pentecost or the Pentecostal Experience). It will be a time of renewal, healing, unity, fellowship, and bonding
In 1960, the first Pentecostal ‘type’ church was given a license to operate by the government of Uganda.
In 2010, after 50 years, Pentecostal churches will come together during the Pentecostal week, 3rd – 9th May 2010, all for a grand celebration of what God has done. Click here for more
Partners
Miracle Center Churches, Christian Life Ministries, Evangelical Fellowship of Uganda, National Fellowship of Born Again Pentecostal Churches and the Born Again Faith Federation of Uganda.
The Council of Elders for the Pentecostal Week are:
Pastor Simon Peter Emiau | Apostle Alex Mitala | Pastor Jotham Mutebi | Pastor Nickolas Wafula | Pastor Titus Oundo | Pastor Gary Skinner | Pastor Butch Dodzweit | Pastor Aswa | Pastor Julius Ebwangu | Pastor Bob Wagar
Contact/Address
Plot 49 - 55, Makerere Hill Road, P.O Box 2560 Kampala, Uganda, East Africa
Telephone: +256 (0) 414 540437
E-mail: info@pentecostalweek.org
HISTORY OF PENTECOSTALISM IN UGANDA
In the winter of 1955 - 56, during a week night service, God gave a prophetic call to Glad Tidings take the “Full Gospel” to Uganda, East Africa. The application to the British Governor of Uganda for permission to enter the country to do missions work was denied because some religious leaders of that day did not want Pentecostals in Uganda. Nevertheless, believing this was the call of God, the church began to pray fervently for Divine intervention. In December 1956 Hugh and Audrey Layzell were sent to Kenya to work with the Elim missionaries of New York until the door opened to Uganda. That door opened in May 1960, when Glad Tidings Missionary Society was issued a permit to do Mission work in Uganda. Hugh and Audrey Layzell began the work that May followed by a team of G.T. missionaries in the 60’s namely Jean Christenson, Dorothy Williams, Bill and Gerda Brown,, Eleanor Webb, Betty Caron, Dave and Velma Freeman, Lou and Marion Peterson, John and Jean Lofstrom , Bob and Sharon Wagar.
The Gospel Mission to Uganda (which birthed the Full Gospel Churches of Uganda) was incorporated under the Unlimited Companies Act in October 1960 and became the first “Pentecostal” Mission or church to be granted that legal status in Uganda.
Certainly one of the most momentous events of the history of the ‘Pentecostal movement’ in Uganda was the Daoud Crusade at Mengo “Kabaka Anjagala” in February 1961, sponsored by the Gospel Mission. This first Salvation/Healing Crusade in Uganda coincided with the opening of the tent Tabernacle at Makerere in December 1960.
The Crusade drew thousands for 3 weeks. There were many miracles of healing and many souls came to Christ. 365 people were baptized in the Kabaka’s Lake after the Crusade, and the Tent at Makerere was packed out week after week for months. During that period ‘lubale’ fetishes were being burned as men and women believed on Jesus for salvation and new believers continued to be baptized in Kabaka’s Lake.
In 1962 another significant event took place. Art and May Dodzweitsent by Elim (PEFA) from Kenya founded the Elim Church in Mengo.
Another important milestone was the pioneering work of Rev. Brown of the Pentecostal Assemblies Of Canada, (PAOC). He came to Mbale in the 50’s and started a work mostly centered in Eastern Uganda.
Yet another significant event took place in the 60’s. In 1967 five High School Students and a teacher called Moses Ochwo along with Evangelist Joe Kayo started the “Young Christian Ambassadors” fellowship. It grew between 1969 and 1970 and in 1971, the “Young Christian Ambassadors” became the Deliverance Church in Uganda.
1972 marked the beginning of the Redeemed Church in Kibuye. However, in September 1977, President Idi Amin banned Pentecostal Churches and on 12th April 1978 armed soldiers stormed and desecrated the Full Gospel Church, at Makerere arresting 200 believers. The churches then went underground and grew even more during the persecution.
After the fall of Idi Amin in 1979, freedom of Worship was restored and tens of thousands of different Pentecostal churches blossomed. In addition to the churches and ministries earlier mentioned, the last three decades have seen the growth, establishment and organization of churches under different umbrellas such as; Miracle Center Churches, National Fellowship of Born Again Pentecostal Churches, Born Again Faith Federation of Uganda and Evangelical Fellowship of Uganda among others. The impact of what the Holy Spirit has done through the Pentecostal Church in this Country is nothing less than phenomenal. Schools, orphanages, medical services, income generating projects and others have sprung up, not to mention the church’s powerful influence on the entire fabric of Ugandan society.
It is in this spirit that all Pentecostal churches, believers, umbrella organizations and different Pentecostal streams in Uganda desire to come together as one big river to hold an event in honor of the Holy Spirit – The Pentecostal Week 2010.
WHAT CHURCH LEADERS HAVE TO SAY
http://www.pentecostalweek.org/say.html
Testimonials:
Warm Pentecostal greetings to all!
I believe the Golden Jubilee Celebration of the Pentecostal Movement or Revival in Uganda will be a time worthy of dedicating to God as thousands will rejoice delightedly in the Lord. I trust that this time of celebration will be a key that opens many blessings and revival which are yet to be poured out on the church and the earth! Many lives will be touched with life.
Jotham Mutebi
General Overseer of Full Gospel Churches of Uganda
Message of Pastor Fred Wantaate: Coordinator Pentecostal Week
Pentecostalism is one of the most influential and fastest-growing “movement” in the world. However, the Pentecostal movement in Uganda had humble beginnings.
In the early 60’s spirit filled believers were stereotyped as poor, ignorant, fanatical, and semiliterate people. At first they were marginalized, ridiculed and greatly despised by traditional churches. Now the “Abalokole Ab’omwoyo” or spirit filled believers, by and large, have become part of mainstream Christianity in Uganda . It would be foolhardy to ignore them.
“Pentecostals” by virtue of their strong evangelistic stance, style of worship and music plus their great appeal to young people, have influence that goes beyond their numbers.
Although scandals, cultic groups and heretic teachings have dogged “Pentecostals”, the revival is of God, it will continue to grow strong despite the setbacks. Jesus said in Matthew 16:18 “I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Below, you will find the latest updates on the activities leading to the main event in May.
Happy Jubilee Celebrations!
Pastor Fred Wantaate
Coordinator
Pentecostal Week
PENTECOSTAL WEEK 2010 EVENTS
http://www.pentecostalweek.org/2010events.html
Pentecostal Week 2010 is a celebration of the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit for the last 50 years. It is also a time for us to seek His guidance for the future of the church and the nation.
“Now, Give thanks” being the theme for Pentecostal Week 2010 emanates from II Corinthians 2:14 ‘ Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place’(NKJV)..
As documented in the bible, the day of Pentecost occurred a few days after Jesus’ ascension (He ascended 40 days after His resurrection). Even so the Pentecostal Week 2010 shall be celebrated about 40 days after Easter beginning 3rd – 9th May 2010.
The main events of the Pentecostal week 2010 are:
Monday 3rd May 2010:
A grand “COMMUNION NIGHT” dinner with 350 leading/key Pentecostal pastors in urban Uganda (Serena Hotel) with Dr. T.L Osborn as the tentative chief guest.
Tuesday-Thursday 4th -6th May 2010:
"THE NATIONAL PASTORAL CONFERENCE” (NPC) at Makerere Main Sports Grounds (over 5000 pastors and church leaders expected)
Friday 7th May 2010:
“THE ABALOKOLE MARCH” through Kampala city to Kololo Airstrip for a grand worship experience and Holy Spirit ministry for all.
Sunday 9th May 2010:
Different churches around the country will hold local celebrations with guests of their own choice in celebration of the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
IS CHRISTIANITY IN AFRICA BIBLICAL OR PAGAN ?
IS CHRISTIANITY IN AFRICA BIBLICAL OR PAGAN ?
By Arthur Owiti
The fact that Africans are a religious people is not refuted .However true Christians should be reviewing what we mean when we say Christianity is growing .The Christianity that is growing in Africa is more worldly than spiritual, far different from Biblical Christianity.
Unfortunately the question of exponential growth of African Christians and Muslims is wrongly analyzed by those who come up with such conclusions.For one to have an accurate analysis of true Christianity in Africa one must know what true Christianity entails.
Christianity is about faith in Jesus Christ who died for the sins of the world and rose again on the third day.This faith is lived out by the believer walking in the sayings of Jesus and in New Testament Faith and teachings.Thus the name Christian... walking and living like Christ.
Historically, that type of Christianity of walking like Christ and faith in him has been replaced with cultural Christianity which came to Africa at the advent of colonialism.The missionaries rightly condemned certain practices that were devilish and unnecessary for one to have faith in Christ.However, some taught this on the guise of culture and not doctrine.They detested them because of their barbaric nature and not that they were against the teachings of God.
With this rebuke some Africans formed their own churches which accommodated these traditional practices , but majority still stayed away from them.
But as the missionaries were being killed and rejected by communities while the colonialist were on ground,they needed to change startegy...TOLERANCE.
The Catholic church took a pluralistic approach of eating the fish throwing the bones.They invited Africans who kept their traditions and ancestral beliefs as long as they attended their churches.It worked.The Catholic church has the largest number of adherents in the Christian population of Africa.
A SHORT HISTORY OF EVANGELICALISM AND ITS RESPONSE TO AFRICAN CULTURE
The Evangelical movement spread like a wildfire in Africa. Back then it was based on sound doctrine that one had to have faith in Jesus Christ to be saved. It is still a sound yet powerful message and many believed .
What is striking is that the gospel call was for one to deny himself and follow Jesus. Songs like "I have decided to follow Jesus" were anthems in the Evangelical church. Christians rejected the world and that included their African spiritual practices and cultural traditions which are spiritual.
A new lifestyle was born, an African who chose to be a Christian first then an African.Their faith tested their practices and they did not mix their traditional practices with their faith.
APOSTASY ? FALLING ASLEEP ON THE FAITH
However as time went on still a desire to go back traditional practices arose and interestingly it has risen in the event of democracy and globalization movements.Politics manipulated the divisions of people in Africa.Peace loving neighbors now realized their tribes are very important and that things are being divided according to their tribal affiliations.
With divisive politics came a returning to roots movement.With the globalization calls came tolerance and hence the need for diversity.These diversities have made Africans to go back to their cultural roots.
Sadly when divisive politics went into the church, Christians were forced to go back to their cultural roots .This return slowly restored false teachings of totems, covenants, charms which have come back to Evangelical churches through deliverance teachings and prosperity gospel.Witchcraft in African Christendom.
This return to cultural practices is being spearheaded by tolerant mainline denominations who are pluralistic and not concrete on matters of culture like the Evangelical church .
RAMIFICATIONS
What these cultural practices are telling the African Evangelical church is that they either accommodate other spiritual practices or face depopulation in that those who still want those practices will attend churches which do not interfere with their personal life on issues of culture .
This trend is also blamed on the desire for the supernatural worldwide, hence the invasion of Eastern Religious practices into Western Christianity and the importation of Roman Catholic rituals by the Evangelical church.
So we cannot talk of Christianity in Africa if it is being mixed with spiritual practices that are not scriptural.Neither are we calling Africans Christian because they are naming their children with Jewish and English names or that they wear crucifixes and go to physical buildings called churches.
Christianity is about faith in Jesus Christ and living like Jesus Christ by doing good deeds to all.If this is the Christianity that is having exponential growth then let it be.However it is not and this is evident by the worldliness and the tolerance to spiritual practices that defile one's faith in God.
By Arthur Owiti
The fact that Africans are a religious people is not refuted .However true Christians should be reviewing what we mean when we say Christianity is growing .The Christianity that is growing in Africa is more worldly than spiritual, far different from Biblical Christianity.
Unfortunately the question of exponential growth of African Christians and Muslims is wrongly analyzed by those who come up with such conclusions.For one to have an accurate analysis of true Christianity in Africa one must know what true Christianity entails.
Christianity is about faith in Jesus Christ who died for the sins of the world and rose again on the third day.This faith is lived out by the believer walking in the sayings of Jesus and in New Testament Faith and teachings.Thus the name Christian... walking and living like Christ.
Historically, that type of Christianity of walking like Christ and faith in him has been replaced with cultural Christianity which came to Africa at the advent of colonialism.The missionaries rightly condemned certain practices that were devilish and unnecessary for one to have faith in Christ.However, some taught this on the guise of culture and not doctrine.They detested them because of their barbaric nature and not that they were against the teachings of God.
With this rebuke some Africans formed their own churches which accommodated these traditional practices , but majority still stayed away from them.
But as the missionaries were being killed and rejected by communities while the colonialist were on ground,they needed to change startegy...TOLERANCE.
The Catholic church took a pluralistic approach of eating the fish throwing the bones.They invited Africans who kept their traditions and ancestral beliefs as long as they attended their churches.It worked.The Catholic church has the largest number of adherents in the Christian population of Africa.
A SHORT HISTORY OF EVANGELICALISM AND ITS RESPONSE TO AFRICAN CULTURE
The Evangelical movement spread like a wildfire in Africa. Back then it was based on sound doctrine that one had to have faith in Jesus Christ to be saved. It is still a sound yet powerful message and many believed .
What is striking is that the gospel call was for one to deny himself and follow Jesus. Songs like "I have decided to follow Jesus" were anthems in the Evangelical church. Christians rejected the world and that included their African spiritual practices and cultural traditions which are spiritual.
A new lifestyle was born, an African who chose to be a Christian first then an African.Their faith tested their practices and they did not mix their traditional practices with their faith.
APOSTASY ? FALLING ASLEEP ON THE FAITH
However as time went on still a desire to go back traditional practices arose and interestingly it has risen in the event of democracy and globalization movements.Politics manipulated the divisions of people in Africa.Peace loving neighbors now realized their tribes are very important and that things are being divided according to their tribal affiliations.
With divisive politics came a returning to roots movement.With the globalization calls came tolerance and hence the need for diversity.These diversities have made Africans to go back to their cultural roots.
Sadly when divisive politics went into the church, Christians were forced to go back to their cultural roots .This return slowly restored false teachings of totems, covenants, charms which have come back to Evangelical churches through deliverance teachings and prosperity gospel.Witchcraft in African Christendom.
This return to cultural practices is being spearheaded by tolerant mainline denominations who are pluralistic and not concrete on matters of culture like the Evangelical church .
RAMIFICATIONS
What these cultural practices are telling the African Evangelical church is that they either accommodate other spiritual practices or face depopulation in that those who still want those practices will attend churches which do not interfere with their personal life on issues of culture .
This trend is also blamed on the desire for the supernatural worldwide, hence the invasion of Eastern Religious practices into Western Christianity and the importation of Roman Catholic rituals by the Evangelical church.
So we cannot talk of Christianity in Africa if it is being mixed with spiritual practices that are not scriptural.Neither are we calling Africans Christian because they are naming their children with Jewish and English names or that they wear crucifixes and go to physical buildings called churches.
Christianity is about faith in Jesus Christ and living like Jesus Christ by doing good deeds to all.If this is the Christianity that is having exponential growth then let it be.However it is not and this is evident by the worldliness and the tolerance to spiritual practices that defile one's faith in God.
Six million Ugandans believe in witchcraft- report
FIRST READ: STORIES OF RITUAL MURDER IN UGANDA
http://www.freewebs.com/kizitomg/3.htm
http://www.freewebs.com/kizitomg/2.htm
Six million Ugandans believe in witchcraft- report
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/902622/-/wxwcyu/-/index.html
By Mark Kirumira
Posted Tuesday, April 20 2010 at 00:00
Kampala
Two out of every 10 Ugandans – about six million people – believe in witchcraft or the protective power of sacrifices to spirits or ancestors, a survey shows. The survey, conducted by the US-based Pew Research Centre, however, also shows that Uganda is one of the most religious countries in the world, with nearly nine out of 10 people saying religion (Christianity or Islam) plays a key role in their lives.
Titled ‘Tolerance and Tension: Islam and Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa’, the report shows that Uganda ranks 15th in Africa and 20th worldwide in the ‘most religious’ tables.
Double face
However, the report notes that Uganda takes second spot in East Africa and 11th in Africa in the worship of evil spirits, sacrifices to ancestors, and paying homage to traditional religious healers. Almost one in four Ugandans believe in the protective power of juju such as charms or amulets.
In recent years, there has been a sharp rise in the number of child sacrifices in Uganda, many of them carried out by traditional healers (witchdoctors) and mediums to allegedly help their clients attain wealth and success.
Some 15 children and 14 adults were killed in ritual murders in Uganda last year, up from three cases in 2007, according to police statistics. Some 154 suspects were arrested last year in connection with ritual killings and 50 taken to court. The report is the first to show how many Ugandans believe in worshipping spirits and could be useful in helping combat ritual murders.
The report notes that Ugandans switch religions more than any other people in Africa. At least five per cent Ugandans have at one time changed religions. The least religious people in the world, according to the report, are the Czechs where only seven out of 100 people claim they are religious, closely followed by Sweden (eight out of 100). Tanzanians are the most believers in alternate gods with nearly 60 out of 100 people admitting that they make sacrifices to spirits and dead ancestors followed by Mali, Senegal, South Africa and Cameroon. Kenyans are ranked 15th.
According to the poll that was released last week, Rwandans are the least superstitious in Africa with only five out of 100 people interviewed confessing they believe in juju. “Many people also say they consult traditional religious healers when someone in their household is sick, and sizable minorities in several countries keep sacred objects such as animal skins and skulls in their homes and participate in ceremonies to honour their ancestors,” says the report.
While the survey finds that both Christianity and Islam are flourishing in sub-Saharan Africa, the results suggest that neither faith may expand as rapidly in this region in the years ahead as it did in the 20th century, except possibly through natural population growth.
Also the survey finds that on several measures, many Muslims and Christians hold favourable views of each other. Muslims generally say Christians are tolerant, honest and respectful of women, and in most countries half or more Christians say Muslims are honest, devout and respectful of women.
In roughly half the countries surveyed, majorities also say they trust people who have different religious values than their own. Eight out of 10 people in Uganda said there is nothing that stops them from practicing their religion but in Djibouti almost half the people said there is no religious tolerance.
On the other hand, the survey also reveals clear signs of tension and division. Nearly five out of 10 Ugandans, who are Christians, view Muslims as violent while just three out of 10 Muslims view Christians the same way. But much as this is present in the Ugandan society, just three out of 10 Ugandans say the conflict between the religious groups is a big problem. In Rwanda, 58 per cent of the people commented that religious conflict is a problem to their country.
More than 25,000 people were interviewed during the survey in 19 sub-Saharan African nations from December 2008 to April 2009. In Uganda alone, 1,000 people were interviewed; 700 Christians and 300 Muslims.
The general secretary, Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa, Rev. Canon Grace Kaiso, said yesterday that the phenomenon is a reflection of the Church’s failure. “The fact that people go to witchcraft could be taken as a judgment on the Church that it has not been able to help the flock appreciate the power of the risen Christ,” he said.
He said it is high time the Church reached out to such people to help them know that in Christ other powers are nothing.
http://www.freewebs.com/kizitomg/3.htm
http://www.freewebs.com/kizitomg/2.htm
Six million Ugandans believe in witchcraft- report
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/902622/-/wxwcyu/-/index.html
By Mark Kirumira
Posted Tuesday, April 20 2010 at 00:00
Kampala
Two out of every 10 Ugandans – about six million people – believe in witchcraft or the protective power of sacrifices to spirits or ancestors, a survey shows. The survey, conducted by the US-based Pew Research Centre, however, also shows that Uganda is one of the most religious countries in the world, with nearly nine out of 10 people saying religion (Christianity or Islam) plays a key role in their lives.
Titled ‘Tolerance and Tension: Islam and Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa’, the report shows that Uganda ranks 15th in Africa and 20th worldwide in the ‘most religious’ tables.
Double face
However, the report notes that Uganda takes second spot in East Africa and 11th in Africa in the worship of evil spirits, sacrifices to ancestors, and paying homage to traditional religious healers. Almost one in four Ugandans believe in the protective power of juju such as charms or amulets.
In recent years, there has been a sharp rise in the number of child sacrifices in Uganda, many of them carried out by traditional healers (witchdoctors) and mediums to allegedly help their clients attain wealth and success.
Some 15 children and 14 adults were killed in ritual murders in Uganda last year, up from three cases in 2007, according to police statistics. Some 154 suspects were arrested last year in connection with ritual killings and 50 taken to court. The report is the first to show how many Ugandans believe in worshipping spirits and could be useful in helping combat ritual murders.
The report notes that Ugandans switch religions more than any other people in Africa. At least five per cent Ugandans have at one time changed religions. The least religious people in the world, according to the report, are the Czechs where only seven out of 100 people claim they are religious, closely followed by Sweden (eight out of 100). Tanzanians are the most believers in alternate gods with nearly 60 out of 100 people admitting that they make sacrifices to spirits and dead ancestors followed by Mali, Senegal, South Africa and Cameroon. Kenyans are ranked 15th.
According to the poll that was released last week, Rwandans are the least superstitious in Africa with only five out of 100 people interviewed confessing they believe in juju. “Many people also say they consult traditional religious healers when someone in their household is sick, and sizable minorities in several countries keep sacred objects such as animal skins and skulls in their homes and participate in ceremonies to honour their ancestors,” says the report.
While the survey finds that both Christianity and Islam are flourishing in sub-Saharan Africa, the results suggest that neither faith may expand as rapidly in this region in the years ahead as it did in the 20th century, except possibly through natural population growth.
Also the survey finds that on several measures, many Muslims and Christians hold favourable views of each other. Muslims generally say Christians are tolerant, honest and respectful of women, and in most countries half or more Christians say Muslims are honest, devout and respectful of women.
In roughly half the countries surveyed, majorities also say they trust people who have different religious values than their own. Eight out of 10 people in Uganda said there is nothing that stops them from practicing their religion but in Djibouti almost half the people said there is no religious tolerance.
On the other hand, the survey also reveals clear signs of tension and division. Nearly five out of 10 Ugandans, who are Christians, view Muslims as violent while just three out of 10 Muslims view Christians the same way. But much as this is present in the Ugandan society, just three out of 10 Ugandans say the conflict between the religious groups is a big problem. In Rwanda, 58 per cent of the people commented that religious conflict is a problem to their country.
More than 25,000 people were interviewed during the survey in 19 sub-Saharan African nations from December 2008 to April 2009. In Uganda alone, 1,000 people were interviewed; 700 Christians and 300 Muslims.
The general secretary, Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa, Rev. Canon Grace Kaiso, said yesterday that the phenomenon is a reflection of the Church’s failure. “The fact that people go to witchcraft could be taken as a judgment on the Church that it has not been able to help the flock appreciate the power of the risen Christ,” he said.
He said it is high time the Church reached out to such people to help them know that in Christ other powers are nothing.
Sunday, 18 April 2010
Selling the Truth!
Selling the Truth!
http://www.standingthegap.org/Selling%20the%20Truth.htm
Buy the truth, and do not sell it, Also wisdom and instruction and understanding. Proverbs 23:23
By Mike Desario
Nothing can compromise the Preaching of the Gospel faster than the love or need for raising money. Every Church Pastor in the entire world knows this to be true. As long as his/her lively hood depends on monthly and weekly donations or tithes, Plus the survival of the Church itself remains dependent on a core group of faithful supporters, he will not and CANNOT Rock the boat in any manner that would Jeopardize the system. Especially if he is part of a denominational structure or pastors a larger church in an upscale neighborhood.
However NONE of this presents any problems for the present day churches because they already preach a message based on Absolute Fallacy that Saves NO ONE and keeps them in bondage to their sin. Therefore the money issue is of no real concern, other than having frequent fund raisers, dinners, sales and various other activities to secure funds for building projects, retreats, pastors salary, ect. Everyone in the System (bought into it) THINKS they are tithing their money for God’s Work and the He is Well Pleased with their generosity. So the System feeds of itself, some Churches have literally barrels of funds at their disposal, while other, smaller ones struggle to make ends meet. BUT they ALL Preach the LIE!
My Concern is not the Churches concerning money raising. They are Rotten to the Core and Reprobated. My argument is with the many internet or online Ministries taking part in all of this. Who Claim to be preaching a True Message based on Repentance and Faith. What disturbs me about them is they are using the EXACT Same methods as the huge Main-Stream Ministries who all preach the Lie. They solicit donations on their sites, sell their books, CD’s and use a variety of other methods to raise money. It smells of Compromise and in EVERY case further investigation has confirmed the suspicion.
When you Solicit Funds or take donations from people you Automatically become obligated to act in a certain way toward them concerning the truth. Couple that with the fact that you Do Not know what they really believe or how affected they are by the Lie, only that they like your preaching or have been attracted to you due to something you said, and you have the formula for massive turmoil. (unless you are preaching something that already fits into the System to begin with) We see in the Letters of Paul the he preached an uncompromising Message of Christ everywhere he went. Understanding the nature of his Gospel and how controversial it was among the Jews and the Gentiles, he Supported himself by working rather then being accused of exploiting anyone by taking their money.
That gave him the Freedom necessary to Keep the Message Pure and undefiled from false doctrines, in order to silent his critics and never be obligated to anyone but God. How much MORE in today’s environment of Lies at every turn, Should WE follow his example? I CANNOT see any reason why you shouldn’t other than you want to keep your foot in the door of the churches and LIVE off your ministry!
And in EVERY case I’ve see so far, those of you who Do this have Compromised to some degree the Message of Repentance. That’s why I avoid it like the Plague!
I’m not here to name names or point fingers, if there is need for that it will appear in my videos or on the internet. Those of You doing it KNOW who you are and although you disagree that you are Preaching a compromised message of Repentance, we have PROVED otherwise. Many of you still associate with blatantly false ministries and the Main-Stream evangelical outreaches selling the Lie! You see NOTHING Wrong with it. Even after repeated warnings, you continue to endorse them either by remaining silent about the lies they preach or promoting their material on your sites. Then you use all of this to Raise money in the name of Truth. WHAT makes you any different than the Reprobated churches?
None of you will go into these church and tell the Pastors their Doctrines are in error, or tell the people they Must Stop sinning to be Saved. You insist otherwise, I know, but WHY is it SOME of us are quickly expelled from these churches when we Preach, but You remain, acceptable by the pastors and the people? And they GIVE you Money besides!
Did they Give John the Baptist a love offering or Steven or Paul when they confronted the Jews? Many of you THINK because you preach in the open air to hardcore sinners and endure their hostility, that you’re on the right track with all of this. But even that plays into this discussion. The Churches (some of them) applaud your efforts, which garners even more support from them. WHY? Because you’re NOT Exposing anything they are doing, only the poor, lost sinners out there on the streets. In their Minds your efforts will add to church membership roles, so the LIE Goes on. You’re doing NOTHING to Silence it!
Is it so hard to Work for a living to avoid all of this? The System is TOO Far Gone for any of us to live off of it. If we Really Do Preach the Truth without compromise, it is inevitable that a great deal of people will want our heads on a platter, especially those inside the religious establishment. They have always been opposed to Truth because it exposes their hypocrisy. We CANNOT Concede to ANYTHING they Stand for or make or any allowance for their lies. Least we become a part of it in some manner and fall prey to their error. As painful as it may be, they are NOT our Brothers and have nothing to do with God.
I would Strongly Recommend that if you Really want to Join the Ranks of men like John the Baptist, Steven and Paul, you IMMEDIATELY cease and desist from SELLING your Books, Audios, Videos and anything else you may be involved in soliciting funds. REMOVE all the links from your sites asking for Donations and ANY associations you may have with churches or other ministries preaching the lie. If you do preach at a church make sure they won’t be asking you back any time soon. They are ALL under the lie to one degree or another, MOST of them are totally reprobate. DON’T Take their money or TRY to build any alliances with them. Expose the Lie and move on. It won’t be long before word gets out that you’re an undesirable and some kind of vile heretic. (but that’s the way it should be! To the Religious establishment Jesus was the Devil! How much more us also who preach His truth.)
Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Matt10:8
It was of the utmost urgency to Paul to wave his pastoral rights and Preach the Truth free of charge and see the people break free from Sin in the Power of God. Today we have Every form of charlatan, rip off artist, con-man and exploiter in the Pulpit you can name. They Preach Outrageous Lies and benefit financially doing it. Many of them live like Kings and flaunt themselves all over the Media. Paul said ‘We Do Not Preach ourselves!’ 2Cor4:4, but now they NAME their Ministries after themselves! If Paul were here today among us, he would be working just as hard to EXPOSE these men as he did then. He wouldn’t fear their displeasure or even their murderous hatred. Consider what he would Say to the Church Pastors who pass him off as the Romans Wretch and Chief of all sinners! I don’t think they would be too happy having him as a guest speaker one Sunday morning, while they twist up everything he taught and tell everyone how it means the exact opposite of what it says!
Yet you Street Preachers and internet teachers out there arguing against eternal security, and selling your stuff online, are making NO EFFORT to Pull Down these Strongholds of Lies. You USE the System to promote yourselves and gain some kind of creditability in the System. You have a million excuses to justify it all, but the Spirits of Elijah, Jeremiah, Steven and Paul himself Cry out Against you! You’re out there playing the Game by the devils rules and for WHAT? Money….Recognition…..Personal Gain….? It’s shameful and one Day Standing before the Great Judge, you will feel that Shame and be very sorry.
http://www.standingthegap.org/Selling%20the%20Truth.htm
Buy the truth, and do not sell it, Also wisdom and instruction and understanding. Proverbs 23:23
By Mike Desario
Nothing can compromise the Preaching of the Gospel faster than the love or need for raising money. Every Church Pastor in the entire world knows this to be true. As long as his/her lively hood depends on monthly and weekly donations or tithes, Plus the survival of the Church itself remains dependent on a core group of faithful supporters, he will not and CANNOT Rock the boat in any manner that would Jeopardize the system. Especially if he is part of a denominational structure or pastors a larger church in an upscale neighborhood.
However NONE of this presents any problems for the present day churches because they already preach a message based on Absolute Fallacy that Saves NO ONE and keeps them in bondage to their sin. Therefore the money issue is of no real concern, other than having frequent fund raisers, dinners, sales and various other activities to secure funds for building projects, retreats, pastors salary, ect. Everyone in the System (bought into it) THINKS they are tithing their money for God’s Work and the He is Well Pleased with their generosity. So the System feeds of itself, some Churches have literally barrels of funds at their disposal, while other, smaller ones struggle to make ends meet. BUT they ALL Preach the LIE!
My Concern is not the Churches concerning money raising. They are Rotten to the Core and Reprobated. My argument is with the many internet or online Ministries taking part in all of this. Who Claim to be preaching a True Message based on Repentance and Faith. What disturbs me about them is they are using the EXACT Same methods as the huge Main-Stream Ministries who all preach the Lie. They solicit donations on their sites, sell their books, CD’s and use a variety of other methods to raise money. It smells of Compromise and in EVERY case further investigation has confirmed the suspicion.
When you Solicit Funds or take donations from people you Automatically become obligated to act in a certain way toward them concerning the truth. Couple that with the fact that you Do Not know what they really believe or how affected they are by the Lie, only that they like your preaching or have been attracted to you due to something you said, and you have the formula for massive turmoil. (unless you are preaching something that already fits into the System to begin with) We see in the Letters of Paul the he preached an uncompromising Message of Christ everywhere he went. Understanding the nature of his Gospel and how controversial it was among the Jews and the Gentiles, he Supported himself by working rather then being accused of exploiting anyone by taking their money.
That gave him the Freedom necessary to Keep the Message Pure and undefiled from false doctrines, in order to silent his critics and never be obligated to anyone but God. How much MORE in today’s environment of Lies at every turn, Should WE follow his example? I CANNOT see any reason why you shouldn’t other than you want to keep your foot in the door of the churches and LIVE off your ministry!
And in EVERY case I’ve see so far, those of you who Do this have Compromised to some degree the Message of Repentance. That’s why I avoid it like the Plague!
I’m not here to name names or point fingers, if there is need for that it will appear in my videos or on the internet. Those of You doing it KNOW who you are and although you disagree that you are Preaching a compromised message of Repentance, we have PROVED otherwise. Many of you still associate with blatantly false ministries and the Main-Stream evangelical outreaches selling the Lie! You see NOTHING Wrong with it. Even after repeated warnings, you continue to endorse them either by remaining silent about the lies they preach or promoting their material on your sites. Then you use all of this to Raise money in the name of Truth. WHAT makes you any different than the Reprobated churches?
None of you will go into these church and tell the Pastors their Doctrines are in error, or tell the people they Must Stop sinning to be Saved. You insist otherwise, I know, but WHY is it SOME of us are quickly expelled from these churches when we Preach, but You remain, acceptable by the pastors and the people? And they GIVE you Money besides!
Did they Give John the Baptist a love offering or Steven or Paul when they confronted the Jews? Many of you THINK because you preach in the open air to hardcore sinners and endure their hostility, that you’re on the right track with all of this. But even that plays into this discussion. The Churches (some of them) applaud your efforts, which garners even more support from them. WHY? Because you’re NOT Exposing anything they are doing, only the poor, lost sinners out there on the streets. In their Minds your efforts will add to church membership roles, so the LIE Goes on. You’re doing NOTHING to Silence it!
Is it so hard to Work for a living to avoid all of this? The System is TOO Far Gone for any of us to live off of it. If we Really Do Preach the Truth without compromise, it is inevitable that a great deal of people will want our heads on a platter, especially those inside the religious establishment. They have always been opposed to Truth because it exposes their hypocrisy. We CANNOT Concede to ANYTHING they Stand for or make or any allowance for their lies. Least we become a part of it in some manner and fall prey to their error. As painful as it may be, they are NOT our Brothers and have nothing to do with God.
I would Strongly Recommend that if you Really want to Join the Ranks of men like John the Baptist, Steven and Paul, you IMMEDIATELY cease and desist from SELLING your Books, Audios, Videos and anything else you may be involved in soliciting funds. REMOVE all the links from your sites asking for Donations and ANY associations you may have with churches or other ministries preaching the lie. If you do preach at a church make sure they won’t be asking you back any time soon. They are ALL under the lie to one degree or another, MOST of them are totally reprobate. DON’T Take their money or TRY to build any alliances with them. Expose the Lie and move on. It won’t be long before word gets out that you’re an undesirable and some kind of vile heretic. (but that’s the way it should be! To the Religious establishment Jesus was the Devil! How much more us also who preach His truth.)
Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Matt10:8
It was of the utmost urgency to Paul to wave his pastoral rights and Preach the Truth free of charge and see the people break free from Sin in the Power of God. Today we have Every form of charlatan, rip off artist, con-man and exploiter in the Pulpit you can name. They Preach Outrageous Lies and benefit financially doing it. Many of them live like Kings and flaunt themselves all over the Media. Paul said ‘We Do Not Preach ourselves!’ 2Cor4:4, but now they NAME their Ministries after themselves! If Paul were here today among us, he would be working just as hard to EXPOSE these men as he did then. He wouldn’t fear their displeasure or even their murderous hatred. Consider what he would Say to the Church Pastors who pass him off as the Romans Wretch and Chief of all sinners! I don’t think they would be too happy having him as a guest speaker one Sunday morning, while they twist up everything he taught and tell everyone how it means the exact opposite of what it says!
Yet you Street Preachers and internet teachers out there arguing against eternal security, and selling your stuff online, are making NO EFFORT to Pull Down these Strongholds of Lies. You USE the System to promote yourselves and gain some kind of creditability in the System. You have a million excuses to justify it all, but the Spirits of Elijah, Jeremiah, Steven and Paul himself Cry out Against you! You’re out there playing the Game by the devils rules and for WHAT? Money….Recognition…..Personal Gain….? It’s shameful and one Day Standing before the Great Judge, you will feel that Shame and be very sorry.
Friday, 16 April 2010
Ugandan Christians not sensitized about Reflexology and the Occult
Ugandan Christians not sensitized about Reflexology and the Occult
In Uganda, TV and radio stations are awash with adverts of reflexology centers. Ugandans are covertly being bombarded with the view that reflexology is the solution to all health problems. ‘Doctors’ are stealthily enticing Ugandans to consider reflexology. It is certainly not wrong to want to live in a healthy manner, and we know that many “natural” or alternative remedies are effective and legitimate for certain problems; but when a practice enters into the realm of the occult, Christians are forbidden from taking part. Dr. David Sneed lists eight possible dangers of alternative health therapies such as reflexology: failure to diagnose, failure to treat, emotional harm, wasted money, physical threats, toxic effects, diverted resources, and loss of reality. But What exactly is reflexology?
Reflexology XE "Reflexology" , which is also called zone therapy, is the technique of “applying pressure to specific reflex points to stimulate the body’s own healing powers.” It is based on the concept that different parts of the foot correspond to and are somehow connected to various parts of the body. By massaging the foot (or hand) the practitioner can allegedly detect problems and help maintain physical and psychological health. It is a very popular practice, with many Ugandans. While some reflexologists are basically foot massagers and only claim to stimulate relaxation and reduce stress, most go far beyond this. TreatYourFeet.com says reflexology “creates a physiological change in the body by naturally improving your circulation” and claims that it is “an effective technique for regaining better health.” The book “Feet Don’t Lie” says that “feet are a reflection of inner health,” promises that the client will “live a healthier, happier life,” and even claims that the feet can predict the future -- “where you are going is recorded in your soles.” Body Reflexology claims to be able to reverse the aging process.
Many reflexologists work on the occultic principle that the body has an energy field that can be manipulated. They call it “life force.” William Fitzgerald XE "Fitzgerald, William" , who invented modern reflexology in 1913, called it “bioelectric energy.” He believed that ten vertical zones of this energy called meridians run through the body, and by rubbing one part of the foot the practitioner can supposedly manipulate the organs and bones and tissues in that particular zone. Mildred Carter says, “By massaging reflexes ... you send a healing force to all parts of the body by opening up closed electrical lines that have shut off the universal life force” (Body Reflexology: Healing at Your Fingertips, p. 7). She also says that reflexology is “the healing miracle of the new age we are entering” (p. 8). Many reflexologists use the New Age technique of visualization. The Holistic Health Handbook instructs the practitioner to “visualize yourself as being a channel for healing energy that flows through your hands” (p. 184). Eunice Ingham, a disciple of Fitzgerald, describes reflexology as “opening the blocked meridians and channeling the healing power through visualization” (Stories the Feet Have Told Thru Reflexology, p. 29). It is obvious that reflexology is based on occultic principles and should be avoided by Christians.
Kizito Michael George
Kizitomg@gmail.com
In Uganda, TV and radio stations are awash with adverts of reflexology centers. Ugandans are covertly being bombarded with the view that reflexology is the solution to all health problems. ‘Doctors’ are stealthily enticing Ugandans to consider reflexology. It is certainly not wrong to want to live in a healthy manner, and we know that many “natural” or alternative remedies are effective and legitimate for certain problems; but when a practice enters into the realm of the occult, Christians are forbidden from taking part. Dr. David Sneed lists eight possible dangers of alternative health therapies such as reflexology: failure to diagnose, failure to treat, emotional harm, wasted money, physical threats, toxic effects, diverted resources, and loss of reality. But What exactly is reflexology?
Reflexology XE "Reflexology" , which is also called zone therapy, is the technique of “applying pressure to specific reflex points to stimulate the body’s own healing powers.” It is based on the concept that different parts of the foot correspond to and are somehow connected to various parts of the body. By massaging the foot (or hand) the practitioner can allegedly detect problems and help maintain physical and psychological health. It is a very popular practice, with many Ugandans. While some reflexologists are basically foot massagers and only claim to stimulate relaxation and reduce stress, most go far beyond this. TreatYourFeet.com says reflexology “creates a physiological change in the body by naturally improving your circulation” and claims that it is “an effective technique for regaining better health.” The book “Feet Don’t Lie” says that “feet are a reflection of inner health,” promises that the client will “live a healthier, happier life,” and even claims that the feet can predict the future -- “where you are going is recorded in your soles.” Body Reflexology claims to be able to reverse the aging process.
Many reflexologists work on the occultic principle that the body has an energy field that can be manipulated. They call it “life force.” William Fitzgerald XE "Fitzgerald, William" , who invented modern reflexology in 1913, called it “bioelectric energy.” He believed that ten vertical zones of this energy called meridians run through the body, and by rubbing one part of the foot the practitioner can supposedly manipulate the organs and bones and tissues in that particular zone. Mildred Carter says, “By massaging reflexes ... you send a healing force to all parts of the body by opening up closed electrical lines that have shut off the universal life force” (Body Reflexology: Healing at Your Fingertips, p. 7). She also says that reflexology is “the healing miracle of the new age we are entering” (p. 8). Many reflexologists use the New Age technique of visualization. The Holistic Health Handbook instructs the practitioner to “visualize yourself as being a channel for healing energy that flows through your hands” (p. 184). Eunice Ingham, a disciple of Fitzgerald, describes reflexology as “opening the blocked meridians and channeling the healing power through visualization” (Stories the Feet Have Told Thru Reflexology, p. 29). It is obvious that reflexology is based on occultic principles and should be avoided by Christians.
Kizito Michael George
Kizitomg@gmail.com
Tuesday, 13 April 2010
Anglican Priest Supports Kasubi Prayers
FIRST READ:
KASUBI TOMBS INFERNO EXPOSES THE MERGER OF ECUMENISIM WITH SATANISM: APOSTLE ALEX MITALA(CHAIRMAN NATIONAL FELLOWSHIP OF BORN AGAIN PENTECOSTAL CHURCHES) JOINS ECUMENICAL PRAYERS
http://watchmanafrica.blogspot.com/2010/03/kasubi-tombs-inferno-exposes-merger-of.html
Shepherds of Christ or Politicians: Kasubi tombs fire has opened our eyes
http://watchmanafrica.blogspot.com/2010/04/shepherds-of-christ-or-politicians.html
AFRICA : FLEE FROM THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND
http://watchmanafrica.blogspot.com/2007/01/africans-flee-from-church-of-england.html
Nothing is wrong with praying at Kasubi tombs
http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/459/715474
Wednesday, 7th April, 2010 E-mail article Print article
By Rev Amos Kasibante
THERE are Christian believers who are questioning the appropriateness of prominent Christian leaders, some of them Bishops from the historic churches in Uganda having led the prayers at the burnt sacred site of Kasubi that held the remains of four of Buganda’s kings and other cultural symbols.
It is not only the leaders of the historic faiths, members of the Uganda Joint Christian Council were also present. Also present was Apostle Alex Mitala, the chairman of the National Fellowship of Born-again Pentecostal Churches. Muslim leaders were also present.
The reason for the scandal as far as some Christians are concerned is the fact that non-Christian rituals are also held on site and the spirits of the deceased kings and other ancestral spirits are believed to be present at the site, leading to the belief that the masiro are not merely a memorial, but a place for the veneration of ancestral spirits. This goes against the belief of some Christians.
Some Christians, like the author of the letter: “Kasubi prayers: Case of culture versus religion” appeared in The New Vision of Monday, April 5, are opposed to the reconstruction of Kasubi arguing that it is a place where “satanic rituals such as devil invocation, pipe smoking, ancestral (spirit) possession, fire altars, worship of the dead, are practised”.
One can sympathise with Christians who hold this view and who would probably not go anywhere near the masiro (Kasubi tombs) or other traditional sites associated with African traditional religion.
They are obeying the voice of conscience. Nor is such controversy or difference of opinion new to Christian life as far as relating to non-Christian traditions, usually indigenous, are concerned.
Examples abound in the New Testament over questions such as circumcision or eating of food offered to idols. We can also cite a few examples from Ugandan cultures. One example is that of the post-funeral rites called Okwabya Olumbe (disposal of death). The old (Tukutendereza) born-again Christians boycotted such post-funeral rites because of the traditional rituals involved some of which did not agree with the born-again (Balokole’s) faith commitment.
However, the Church of Uganda and the Catholic Church have accommodated this ritual with some adaptations, such as the giving of a Bible instead of the traditional spear. But even in such cases, some traditional rituals may be performed that the church leadership may not get to know about.
Another example is the marriage introduction ceremony called kwanjula in Luganda, kuhingirwa in Runyankore-Rukiga or nyom in Luo. Interpretations of this ceremony have changed over time, although old beliefs associated with wife purchase also abide. Again in many places, the Church has adopted this ceremony, introducing Christian elements in it.
It does not follow that certain rituals or beliefs that the Church might not endorse are completely excluded from this ceremony. Many African Christians and Muslims practise syncretism in religion.
When it comes to the institution of the Kabakaship or Kasubi, it should be noted that these are institutions that no one religious group in Uganda fully controls or owns.
They are owned by all the faith groups in Buganda. It is like Jerusalem, which all the Abrahamic faiths — Judaism, Christianity, and Islam — lay claim to; although in the case of Buganda, there is no attempt to deny any one religious group the right of access. That is Buganda’s greatness.
Four religions that were once at each other’s throat — Kiganda traditional religion, Catholics, Protestants and Muslims — are brought together in their commitment to a common cultural symbol, the Kabaka.
The writer is a chaplain, Leicester University, UK
KASUBI TOMBS INFERNO EXPOSES THE MERGER OF ECUMENISIM WITH SATANISM: APOSTLE ALEX MITALA(CHAIRMAN NATIONAL FELLOWSHIP OF BORN AGAIN PENTECOSTAL CHURCHES) JOINS ECUMENICAL PRAYERS
http://watchmanafrica.blogspot.com/2010/03/kasubi-tombs-inferno-exposes-merger-of.html
Shepherds of Christ or Politicians: Kasubi tombs fire has opened our eyes
http://watchmanafrica.blogspot.com/2010/04/shepherds-of-christ-or-politicians.html
AFRICA : FLEE FROM THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND
http://watchmanafrica.blogspot.com/2007/01/africans-flee-from-church-of-england.html
Nothing is wrong with praying at Kasubi tombs
http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/459/715474
Wednesday, 7th April, 2010 E-mail article Print article
By Rev Amos Kasibante
THERE are Christian believers who are questioning the appropriateness of prominent Christian leaders, some of them Bishops from the historic churches in Uganda having led the prayers at the burnt sacred site of Kasubi that held the remains of four of Buganda’s kings and other cultural symbols.
It is not only the leaders of the historic faiths, members of the Uganda Joint Christian Council were also present. Also present was Apostle Alex Mitala, the chairman of the National Fellowship of Born-again Pentecostal Churches. Muslim leaders were also present.
The reason for the scandal as far as some Christians are concerned is the fact that non-Christian rituals are also held on site and the spirits of the deceased kings and other ancestral spirits are believed to be present at the site, leading to the belief that the masiro are not merely a memorial, but a place for the veneration of ancestral spirits. This goes against the belief of some Christians.
Some Christians, like the author of the letter: “Kasubi prayers: Case of culture versus religion” appeared in The New Vision of Monday, April 5, are opposed to the reconstruction of Kasubi arguing that it is a place where “satanic rituals such as devil invocation, pipe smoking, ancestral (spirit) possession, fire altars, worship of the dead, are practised”.
One can sympathise with Christians who hold this view and who would probably not go anywhere near the masiro (Kasubi tombs) or other traditional sites associated with African traditional religion.
They are obeying the voice of conscience. Nor is such controversy or difference of opinion new to Christian life as far as relating to non-Christian traditions, usually indigenous, are concerned.
Examples abound in the New Testament over questions such as circumcision or eating of food offered to idols. We can also cite a few examples from Ugandan cultures. One example is that of the post-funeral rites called Okwabya Olumbe (disposal of death). The old (Tukutendereza) born-again Christians boycotted such post-funeral rites because of the traditional rituals involved some of which did not agree with the born-again (Balokole’s) faith commitment.
However, the Church of Uganda and the Catholic Church have accommodated this ritual with some adaptations, such as the giving of a Bible instead of the traditional spear. But even in such cases, some traditional rituals may be performed that the church leadership may not get to know about.
Another example is the marriage introduction ceremony called kwanjula in Luganda, kuhingirwa in Runyankore-Rukiga or nyom in Luo. Interpretations of this ceremony have changed over time, although old beliefs associated with wife purchase also abide. Again in many places, the Church has adopted this ceremony, introducing Christian elements in it.
It does not follow that certain rituals or beliefs that the Church might not endorse are completely excluded from this ceremony. Many African Christians and Muslims practise syncretism in religion.
When it comes to the institution of the Kabakaship or Kasubi, it should be noted that these are institutions that no one religious group in Uganda fully controls or owns.
They are owned by all the faith groups in Buganda. It is like Jerusalem, which all the Abrahamic faiths — Judaism, Christianity, and Islam — lay claim to; although in the case of Buganda, there is no attempt to deny any one religious group the right of access. That is Buganda’s greatness.
Four religions that were once at each other’s throat — Kiganda traditional religion, Catholics, Protestants and Muslims — are brought together in their commitment to a common cultural symbol, the Kabaka.
The writer is a chaplain, Leicester University, UK
Thursday, 8 April 2010
ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH PUTS MARY ON THE CROSS
FIRST SEE: Did Mary atone for Sin???
http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/cat491.html
ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH PUTS MARY ON THE CROSS
http://www.wayoflife.org/files/e14db638499f0a2d1bfbbcbe42050121-346.html
Republished June 10, 2008 (first published November 15, 2007) (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -
In spite of claims of contemporary Catholic propagandists, the Roman Catholic Church worships Mary.
She has been exalted as the sinless Mother of God who was bodily assumed into Heaven and crowned Queen of the Universe by Jesus Christ. According to Roman Catholic doctrine, Mary sits on Jesus’ throne and acts as His co-mediatrix.
In the Church of the Mother of God of Polish Martyrs in Warsaw, Poland, Mary is depicted hanging on the cross holding the child Jesus.
Outside of the main Mary basilica in Rome (Santa Maria Maggiore) there is a large crucifix with Jesus hanging on one side and a crowned Mary hanging on the other.
This statue depicts Rome’s dogma that Mary is the co-redemptress with Christ, that she intercedes for men from heaven and aids in their salvation.
Note the following quotations from the Vatican II Council of the 1960s:
“As St. Irenaeus says, she being obedient, became the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race. Hence not a few of the early Fathers gladly assert with him in their preaching ... ‘death through Eve, LIFE THROUGH MARY.’ This UNION OF THE MOTHER WITH THE SON IN THE WORK OF SALVATION is made manifest from the time of Christ’s virginal conception up to his death” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, chap. 8, II, 56, pp. 380-381).
“Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but BY HER MANIFOLD INTERCESSION CONTINUES TO BRING US THE GIFTS OF ETERNAL SALVATION. By her maternal charity, she cares for the brethren of her Son, who still journey on earth surrounded by dangers and difficulties, until they are led into their blessed home. Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of ADVOCATE, HELPER, BENEFACTRESS, and MEDIATRIX” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, chap. 8, II, 62, pp. 382-383).
A plaque in the Chapel of the Virgin of the Grace at Saints Vincent and Anastasius Church in Rome says, “Cardinal Benedetto Odescalchi, who became the pope with the name of Innocent XI, initiated THE WORSHIP OF THE IMAGE, placed on the altar in 1677, and wanted his heart to be buried here, not in the main chapel.”
This is only one example of many that could be given of the term “worship” used in regard to Mary in Rome’s churches.
For the picture of Mary hanging on the cross outside of the basilica Santa Maria Maggiore see part four of the report “In the Footsteps of Bible Translators” at the Way of Life web site -- http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/in-thefootsteps-bibletrans/index.html.
For the picture of Mary hanging on the cross in the Church of the Mother of God of Polish Martyrs in Warsaw see the graphical edition of the Friday Church News Notes for September 28, 2007, at the Way of Life web site -- http://wayoflife.worthyofpraise.org/fridaynews/pdf/2007/20070928.pdf.
WHEN IS ALTERNATIVE HEALTH CARE DANGEROUS?
It is certainly not wrong to want to live in a healthy manner, and we know that many “natural” or alternative remedies are effective and legitimate for certain problems; but when a practice enters into the realm of the occult, it is forbidden by God’s Word.David Cloud
WHEN IS ALTERNATIVE HEALTH CARE DANGEROUS?
http://www.wayoflife.org/files/8e5e01facd036c41cbf202605847fd48-322.html
A study done by David Eisenberg of Beth Israel Hospital in 1990 found that Americans were spending $14 billion a year on alternative health care, including New Age practices such as meditation, touch therapy (including Reiki), positive confession, guided imagery, polarity therapy, aromatherapy, sound therapy, gemstone healing, magnetic therapy, spiritual healing, biofeedback, reflexology, iridology, urotherapy, homeopathy, emotional freedom techniques (EFT), hypnosis, and acupuncture.
That figure has grown dramatically since then. According to a report in the U.S. News & World Report for January 21, 2008, alternative medicine has gone “mainstream.”
In 1992 only 2% of U.S. medical schools offered courses in alternative medicines, but by 2004 that figure had risen to 67% (“More Medical Schools Teaching Spirituality in Medicine,” Lighthouse Trails newsletter, March 4, 2008).
The famous Mayo Clinic has a section at its web site on “complementary and alternative medicine,” dealing with touch therapy, yoga, tai chi, acupuncture, cupping, biofeedback, and hypnosis.
Dr. Christina Puchalski, founder of the Institute for Spirituality and Health at the George Washington School of Medicine, was the recipient of the John Templeton Spirituality and Medicine Award in 1996.
A friend who read a pre-publication edition of this book observed, “If you go into any health food store it is like going into a New Age chapel.”
The New Age has indeed invaded the field of health care.
MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT ALTERNATIVE HEALTH CARE
I believe it will be helpful to mention the many misconceptions that people have about holistic or alternative health practices.
One misconception is that it is only a common sense, unified system of health care.
In fact, the field of holistic health is far more than this, as we will see. Michael Harner, who is a New Age practitioner, unwittingly gives a loud warning to Bible believers about the danger of these things:
“The burgeoning field of holistic medicine shows a tremendous amount of experimentation involving the reinvention of many techniques long practiced by shamans such as visualization, altered state of consciousness, aspects of psychoanalysis, hypnotherapy, meditation, positive attitudes, stress reduction, and mental and emotional expression of personal will for help and healing. In a sense, SHAMANISM IS BEING REINVENTED IN THE WEST precisely because it’s needed” (A Guide to Power and Healing: The Way of the Shaman, 1980, p. xiii).
Harner thinks it is a wonderful thing that shamanism is being revived within the medical field, but the Bible believer knows that it is a frightful sign of the end times and a great danger to people’s spiritual well-being.
Another misconception is that alternative health care is merely the wise use of the natural healing properties found in nature and in the body itself.
It is true, of course, that the divinely-designed human body has amazing powers of healing, and God, in His bountiful grace, has placed a great many things in the world for man’s benefit. But we will see that this is far from the whole issue when it comes to the field of holistic health.
Another misconception is that since diet is an important part of overall health, that diet must be the whole answer to health.
It is true, of course, that some diets are healthier than others. That is not rocket science. There are established associations between certain diseases, such as diabetes and heart trouble, and diet. It is also true that proper nutrition and certain alternative techniques can heal certain problems. But it is also true that there is a limit to what diet can do. This is the type of bait and switch technique that alternative health care providers are so adept at using. They get you to agree that diet is important and that a change in diet can cure some sicknesses; then they try to convince you that if you simply find the right diet you will be perfectly healthy and that diet is the key to healing every sickness.
Another misconception is that since alternative health care can heal some problems, it can heal all.
For several years I was plagued with frequent colds. Four or five times a year I got a nasty cold that developed into a sore throat and coughing and lasted for a couple of weeks. After I started taking a daily multivitamin the cold problem was significantly reduced. Obviously I had a vitamin deficiency. But this does not mean that nutrition and alternative health care can heal all problems and it does not mean that there is such a thing as a guarantee of total health and it does not mean that we should look askance at standard health care in the way that many alternative care people do.
Another misconception is that we can “eat the fish and spit out the bones.”
In other words, even if there are wrong elements within the field of alternative health care, the individual can choose that which is good and helpful and avoid the error. For the following two simple reasons, though, we reject this philosophy. First, when dealing with the occult we are dealing with the devil, and he is very clever and powerful. This is why the Bible exhorts us to stay away from every occultic thing. Eve was not tainted by sin and was in a perfect environment, yet she was deceived by the devil’s wiles. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Second, this philosophy assumes that the average Christian today is capable of exercising the keen spiritual discernment necessary to detect subtle error, and this simply is not the case. The average believer today is biblically ignorant and carnal and grossly lacking in the level of education necessary for such a task. And I am referring to the average member of the typical Bible-believing church. Randall Baer, a former naturopathic doctor, says: “I see this field as being a mixture of positive and negative. Three ingredients of wholesome and six ingredients of New Age. Nine ingredients of healthy and twenty of the New Age. In this tricky, subtle, holistic health field, discernment is at a premium” (Inside the New Age Nightmare, p. 154). Such discernment is far beyond the average Christian today.
Another misconception is that since the alternative health care physician seems to care for me, he will not lead me astray.
One thing that attracts many to alternative health care practitioners is their seeming care. Whereas many traditional doctors are too rushed to show a great deal of personal concern for their patients, alternative health care practitioners typically are more personable and seek to develop a relationship with their patients. Dr. David Sneed quotes from people who complain, “My doctor wouldn’t listen to me. He was always in a hurry. He’s so impersonal.”
It would be wonderful if every health care professional were kind and personable, but a caring attitude does not outweigh a bogus or occultic practice. The witch of Endor was very caring toward Saul, encouraging him and feeding him, but she was still a witch and therefore an abomination to God and a danger to God’s people (1 Samuel 28:20-25; Deuteronomy 18:10-12)!
A similar misconception is that alternative health care practices “can’t hurt.”
In fact, alternative health care practices can hurt. The National Council Against Health Fraud warns that “quacks rob us of our money, our dignity, our health, and our lives” (“Understanding and Combating Health Fraud and Quackery,” Multnomah County Medical Society, Portland, Oregon, 1985). In The Hidden Agenda: A Critical View of Alternative Medical Therapies, Dr. David Sneed lists eight possible dangers of alternative health care: failure to diagnose, failure to treat, emotional harm, wasted money, physical threats, toxic effects, diverted resources, and loss of reality.
Dr. Sneed gives many examples of these dangers. One woman was told to apply a castor oil pack to her abdomen for her abdominal pain, but it turned out that she had appendicitis and needed surgery (p. 5). A cancer patient spent $40,000 and the last month of her life on alternative procedures in Mexico. Her husband said, “Sure, I’m resentful. She chose to spend her last month down there instead of with her family. The doctors told us right out they couldn’t cure her, but they may have been able to prolong her life. They certainly could have increased the quality of her last days” (p. 28). Another cancer patient was treated with alternative therapy for 14 months, “long enough for her breast cancer to spread so widely it required massive medical surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation” (p. 23). One little girl’s nervous system was permanently damaged and an infant died after their parents gave them high doses of vitamin A and potassium as recommended by Adelle Davis in Let’s Have Healthy Children (p. 65). An estimated 50,000 to 75,000 Americans took Laetrile treatments for cancer, but it turned out to be bogus and many died from the toxicity of the treatment itself. “Dr. William Nolen, surgeon ... tells of a thirty-five-year-old mother of three he diagnosed with early, treatable cancer of the uterus. He recommended surgery or radiation, but instead, she chose to go to Mexico and spend $3,000 on Laetrile treatment. When she returned to him six months later, the cancer had spread to her pelvis, bladder, and rectum. She died one month later” (pp. 32, 33). Another woman, who was diagnosed with colitis and gall-bladder disease, pursued an alternative remedy of coffee enemas and became so depleted of essential electrolytes that she suffered a seizure, was rushed to the hospital in a coma, and died (p. 96).
Another misconception is that it is God’s will that we be healthy and if we follow a wise natural plan we will not be sick.
For instance, the Be in Health seminar promoted by Henry Wright claims: “We are dedicated to the eradication and prevention of all spiritual, psychological, and biological disease. ... Pleasant Valley Research and Publishing provide materials designed to promote Wholeness in mankind.” Bill Gothard’s Total Health program also implies that health is always God’s will and that if we simply follow the right “plan” we will be healthy.
One doesn’t have to be a great Bible scholar to refute this. First, God didn’t always heal sick believers even in the early churches. Paul had a sickness that God refused to remove (2 Cor. 12:7-10). Paul’s conclusion to this matter was the opposite of those who claim God’s will is total health, for he said: “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Cor. 12:10). The word “infirmities” is the Greek word “astheneia,” which is elsewhere translated “disease” (Acts 28:9) and “sickness” (Jn. 11:4).
Timothy was physically weak and often sick (1 Tim. 5:23).
Trophimus, Paul’s co-worker, was left behind in Miletum because he was sick and God did not heal him (2 Tim. 4:20).
Second, the Bible plainly states that all weakness and sickness and trouble in this life ultimately stems from the Fall. It goes back to our sin. We live in a world that groans under a curse and even those that are born again are subject to that curse (Rom. 8:22-23). We live in a body of death (Rom. 7:24).
The New Testament faith does not teach us to expect total health and total deliverance in this present world; it teaches us to live by hope, and hope that is seen is not hope. Consider the following important passage in Romans 8:18-25:
“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that THE WHOLE CREATION GROANETH AND TRAVAILETH IN PAIN TOGETHER UNTIL NOW. AND NOT ONLY THEY, BUT OURSELVES ALSO, WHICH HAVE THE FIRSTFRUITS OF THE SPIRIT, EVEN WE OURSELVES GROAN WITHIN OURSELVES, WAITING FOR THE ADOPTION, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.”
A similar misconception is the idea that the body is capable of healing itself of any problem or disease if it is provided with the right diet and environment.
This is a dangerous half-truth. Whereas God has given the body amazing healing powers, there is a dramatic limit to what it can do. And, as we have seen, we live in a fallen, cursed world, and there is no divine promise of perfect health.
Another misconception is that the Bible lays out the ideal healthy diet.
George Malkmus has his “Hallelujah Diet.” Don Colbert has the “What Would Jesus Eat” diet. Gwen Shamblin has her “Weigh Down Workshops,” and Jordan Rubin has “The Maker’s Diet.” They all claim to be Bible-based. Rubin says that “God gave me this health message” (“New Diet Plans Take Cue from the Bible,” USA Today, June 10, 2004).
In fact, there is no Bible diet plan for today. From Adam to Noah, men were vegetarians, stemming from God’s command in Genesis 1:29-30. After the flood, men were instructed to eat meat as well as vegetables (Genesis 9:3). Under the Law of Moses, the nation Israel continued to eat meat, but some animals were designated clean and others unclean. The Lord Jesus Christ is a Jew and lived under the law and therefore followed the Mosaic dietary system. He wasn’t a vegetarian. He ate fish (Lk. 24:42-43) and He ate lamb, which was required during the Passover (Exodus 12:6-8).
When the church was established, the former restrictions were done away. There are only three teachings about diet in the New Testament.
First, Peter was taught that the Old Testament dietary restrictions are no longer in effect for the New Testament believer (Acts 10:9-16). The truth of this was emphasized in that the vision and the command to rise, kill, and eat was repeated three times. This passage single-handedly refutes the following claims: that the Mosaic dietary restrictions are in force in the New Testament churches, that the Mosaic dietary restrictions were for health purposes (if that were true, God would have kept them in force), that eating meat is unhealthy, that vegetarianism is a superior program, and that is cruel to kill animals.
Second, we are taught that in the New Testament dispensation diet is entirely a matter of personal liberty (Romans 14:1-6) and we are not to judge others in such matters (Romans 14:13).
Third, we have a warning about those who teach against eating meat (1 Timothy 4:1-6) and we are told that to require a vegetarian diet is a doctrine of devils.
To go beyond the Bible’s clear teaching in this matter and to create dietary programs that purport to have a Scriptural basis and to have divine approval and universal properties is heresy.
The New Testament plainly states that “every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer” (1 Timothy 4:4-5).
Thus, according to Scripture, diet is a personal and individual matter. Each person is different, with his own metabolism, taste, culture, lifestyle, health, and occupation; and diet must be determined on this basis and not on some plan purporting to be from the Bible.
I am not saying that all diets are equally healthy; I am merely saying that there is no one diet that is required by the Bible.
Another misconception is that if an alternative health practice is used sincerely by a believer “from a Christian perspective,” it is O.K.
If this were true, the Bible would not contain so many warnings for believers to separate from error (e.g., Deuteronomy 18:9-12; 1 Corinthians 10:21; 2 Corinthians 6:14-17; 1 John 5:21). Occultic practices are occultic practices, regardless of who uses them!
Another misconception is that if a product or treatment plan is accompanied by glowing testimonies, it must be good.
The alternative health care field is driven by testimonies, and they can be very impressive, particularly when an individual is frustrated by a persistent problem or desperate to be healed of a disease and is grasping at any straw. But wise saints recognize that we live in a fallen world among deceitful creatures and are careful not to be tricked. “The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going” (Proverbs 14:15).
The book Dubious Cancer Treatment by Stephen Barrett and Barrie Cassileth lays out four common-sense conditions that must be met before a testimony can be valid. First, the patient must actually have the disease. As with charismatic “healings,” it is not uncommon for people in the alternative health care field to testify that they have been healed of a certain disease that was never properly diagnosed. Second, the claimed cure must result from the therapy. Other factors could have been at work. Several years ago I saw an advertisement for a tonic product that guaranteed weight loss. The patient was instructed to take the tonic in the evening and not to eat anything within a few hours of going to bed. The fact is that the resultant weight loss could be achieved from the prescribed fasting without the assistance of the accompanying tonic! Third, the disease must be actually cured rather than in remission or some such thing. Fourth, the patient must be alive! Many of Pentecostal healer William Branham’s patients died after being proclaimed healed, and the same thing has happened to many of those who have been “healed” by through alternative health care. (See our book The Pentecostal-Charismatic Movements for documentation.) For example, Stanislaw Burzynski offered a cure for cancer called “antineoplastons,” that was supposed to “normalize” cancer cells. In 1988, Sally Jesse Raphael featured on her television show four patients of Burzynski that had supposedly been healed. Four years later, Inside Edition reported that two of the four had died and a third had a recurrence of the cancer. Further, another woman testified “that her husband and five others from the same city had sought treatment after learning about Burzynski from a television broadcast--and that all had died of their disease” (Stephen Barrett, Questionable Cancer Therapies).
Another misconception is that if an alternative health practice helps one person it can help all.
It is important to understand that even if a certain treatment is genuinely effective for one person does not mean it is effective across the board. It is true that a multivitamin solved my problem with frequent colds, but that does not mean that multivitamins are a cure-all for colds.
Another misconception is that if it is natural it must be good.
But in fact, many natural things are dangerous. Most poisons are perfectly natural!
A similar misconception is that only things that are “natural” in the field of diet and health care are proper.
In the eyes of those who hold this doctrine, herbs and other “natural” products are considered useful and safe, whereas “man-made” medicines such as antibiotics and inoculations are considered improper and dangerous. The fact is that God gave man the wisdom and the authority to subdue the earth and have dominion over it (Genesis 1:28). Every good gift is from above (James 1:17). Though we recognize that doctors aren’t gods and they are imperfect and make mistakes, it is truly foolish and unscriptural to reject the benefits of modern medicine. There are doubtless dangers in the field of modern medicine, but there are also many more dangers in the field of alternative or natural health care! Personally, I thank the Lord for every advance in medicine. I thank the Lord for antibiotics, anesthesia, inoculations, modern surgery, dialysis, advanced pain killers, you name it! Modern medicine has greatly increased the length and quality of human life. If you don’t believe it, spend a few years in the remote villages of South Asia or central Africa.
Dr. David Sneed says:
“The fact is, nature is ‘fallen,’ according to the Bible. Expelled from Paradise, man has had to learn to wrest from nature good farming land, tolerable living conditions--and disease-fighting drugs. A gracious God has given us both the raw material and the ability to develop such technologies as medical science. Why deny ourselves such gifts, in a misguided attempt to return to a naïve concept of nature?” (The Hidden Agenda, p. 112).
WHEN IS ALTERNATIVE HEALTH CARE WRONG?
It is certainly not wrong to want to live in a healthy manner, and we know that many “natural” or alternative remedies are effective and legitimate for certain problems; but when a practice enters into the realm of the occult, it is forbidden by God’s Word. Consider some examples of the techniques and practices that contain very dangerous spiritual elements.
LIFE FORCE ENERGY
One example of an occultic practice in the medical field is the idea that there is a metaphysical life force energy that permeates everything and that flows through and/or around the body and affects the health. This is foundational to the Eastern approach, which aims to manipulate the flow or balance of life energy to restore and maintain health. Hindus call it prana; Chinese call it chi or qi (pronounced chee); Japanese call it ki. Terms with similar meaning are kia, huna, mana, ordic, and orgone. It is purely occultic, with no biblical or biological basis, and lies at the heart of yoga, eastern massage, reiki, feng shui, tai chi, qi gong, acupuncture, acupressure, polarity therapy, magnetic therapy, biofeedback, reflexology, iridology, ayurveda, homeopathy, and the martial arts.
Consider what the Harper’s Encyclopedia of Mystical & Paranormal Experience says about the field of “bodywork” (e.g., acupuncture, chiropractic, polarity therapy, reflexology, reiki, rolfing, therapeutic touch, touch for health).
“Bodywork therapies assume the existence of a universal life force that affects health, which can be stimulated by the therapy. ... Bodywork therapy involves a high level of intuitive awareness on the part of the therapist; PSYCHIC ABILITIES SOMETIMES DEVELOP over the course of time. Patients sometimes report experiences such as past-life recall and clairvoyance.”
The Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs has the following warning:
“We believe that any system which claims to regulate or manipulate ‘invisible energies’ is, at least potentially, an introduction to occult energies and should be avoided.
HUMORS
Another example of an occultic practice that has invaded the field of medicine is the idea of humors. It is based on the ancient Greek cosmology that there are four elements--fire, air, water, and earth--and these have four corresponding humors in the body: choler (yellow bile), blood, phlegm, and melancholy (black bile). An imbalance of the humors supposedly results in sickness, and humor practitioners prescribe remedies to control and balance the humors, but it is pure hocus pocus!
VISUALIZATION
Another example of an occultic practice that has invaded the field of health care is visualization. As we have seen, it is a foundational New Age technique and it is used widely in holistic health care. For example, the Taoist Water Method uses visualization to “dissolve energy blockages.” It is described as follows:
“Lift your hands above your head ... begin slowly moving your hands down your body. As you sense or feel a blockage, stiffness, or pain, visualize it as hard and cold ice. Allow it to turn from stiff ice to fluid water as the cleansing line touches it. Then allow the water to vaporize and lift out of your body and out of your outer energy. With your exhale, send it far away from your being. ... Continue down your body, doing this wherever you feel blockage or pain” (John Talbot, Come to the Quiet, p. 221).
This is occultic hocus pocus, and any benefit derived from it is either psychological or demonic. Visualization is the concept of the power of mind over matter, and it is nowhere supported by Scripture.
HYPNOSIS
Another occult practice that has invaded the health care field is hypnosis. This is “an induced altered state of consciousness in which the subject becomes passive and is responsive to suggestion” (Harper’s Encyclopedia of Mystical and Paranormal Experience). The term hypnosis comes from hypnos, the Greek god of sleep, and was coined by James Braid, a 19th-century British mesmerist.
Hypnosis is used widely in medicine and psychology. Donald Connery, in Exploring Hypnosis, says, “There is greater interest in and employment of medical hypnosis than ever before in history.” The American Medical Association approved the use of hypnosis in 1958. Courses on hypnosis are taught in many medical schools and an estimated 20,000 medical and psychological specialists use it (“Hypnosis,” Encyclopedia of new Age Beliefs).
Hypnosis is used in pain relief, anesthesiology, drug and alcohol abuse treatment, weight control, birth control, sleep therapy, physical healing, psychological healing, self improvement, human potential, regression therapy (healing the present through recovering the past), and many other ways.
When used in the field of modern health care, the idea is that the practice of hypnotism itself is innocent and useful and can be divorced from its occultic associations, but this is impossible. Hypnotism arose from the field of occultism and remains intimately associated with it. The Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology says: “Hypnotism is no longer classed with the occult sciences. ... Nevertheless its history is inextricably interwoven with occultism, and even today much hypnotic phenomena is classed as ‘spiritualistic.’”
The Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs observes: “Historically, hypnotism is typically associated with the occultist or psychic, the one who exercises power over things or persons, such as the shaman, magician, witch doctor, medium, witch, guru, or yogi.”
In the 18th century, Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772) communicated with spirits while in a trance state induced by breath control. It was called somnambulance. In 1788, a Swedenborgian society in Stockholm reported to a sister society in France a number of cases in which somnambulists had transmitted messages from the spirit world (Slater Brown, The Heyday of Spiritualism).
Anton Mesmer (1734-1815), an astrologer and occultist, proposed a healing technique through hypnosis and the flow of “animal magnetism” from the practitioner to the patient. He held the occultic view that there are thousands of channels in our bodies through which an invisible life force flows and that illness is caused by blockages. The practitioner of animal magnetism could allegedly cure sicknesses by overcoming the obstacles and restoring the flow. The term “to mesmerize” is based on Mesmer’s hypnotic practices, and the field of modern hypnotism stemmed from his techniques.
Mesmerization or hypnosis produced two occultic movements in the 19th century.
One of these was the New Thought or Mind Science movement. Phineas Quimby (1802-66), a student of Mesmer, called his “mind healing” theories the Science of Health and had a powerful influence on Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science.
The other occultic movement produced by hypnotism was spiritism. Another Mesmer student, Andrew Jackson Davis, published a book in 1847 which he said was dictated to him by spirits while he was in a mesmeric trance. The Encyclopedia of Psychic Science says, “The conquest by spiritualism soon began and the leading Mesmerists were absorbed into the rank of the spiritualists.”
The spiritist revival in Brazil also began with hypnosis. French educator Leon-Denizarth-Hippolyte Rivail was led through hypnosis to communication with spirits. His spirit guide instructed him to take the name Allan Kardec, and under this name he wrote the very influential The Book of the Spirits (1857).
John Ankerberg observes: “Mesmerism, then, paved the way for occult revival. And there is an ominous parallel today in the great upsurge of interest in hypnotism as both an occult method and a medical-diagnostic tool. ... Whatever their differences, one fact is admitted by all. The phenomenon of mesmerism is today known as hypnotism” (The Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs).
The danger of hypnotism is evident from the fact that it can produce a wide variety of occult phenomena, including past life experiences, multiple personalities, speaking in unknown languages, automatic writing, clairvoyance, telepathy, seizures, spirit possession, astral projection, and psychic diagnosis (Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs).
One famous example of multiple personalities that developed through hypnosis is Susan Houdelette. She was a normal woman who sought the help of a therapist to quit smoking, but when placed under hypnosis she developed 239 different personalities!
There is an entire field of repressed memory syndrome whereby supposed hidden memories are recovered through hypnosis and other techniques. What has often been recovered, though, are fantasies that become reality to the patients. “... there are thousands of victims today who, because of hypnotic regression, only think that they were subject to sexual or satanic abuse as children. This has resulted in great tragedies, including ruined families (where parents were the alleged abusers or Satanists) and patients who committed suicide. Because thousands of families have been torn apart by things like this, a national organization has been formed specifically to draw attention to the problem and to help victims of what is termed the ‘false memory syndrome’” (Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs).
Many support hypnotic therapy because “it works,” but just because something works does not mean it is right. There are innate powers within man that can be manipulated and there are satanic powers. The magicians in Egypt were able to perform amazing feats and could even duplicate some of the divine miracles (Exodus 7:10-12, 19-22; 8:5-7).
Further, it must be understood that hypnotic healing often results in “symptom substitution,” whereby victory in one area results in defeat in another. One woman who lost her fear of spiders developed a strong addiction to alcoholic. Another who found relief from the pain of gall-stones began to suffer from terrible outbursts of rage. Dr. Kurt Koch, a Christian expert in occultic phenomena, warned: “I could quote many examples like this involving so-called harmless hypnotists. ... The unfortunate thing is that occult hypnosis is often used as a means of obtaining healing. The apparent success of the hypnosis, however, is accompanied without fail with all sorts of mental and emotional disturbances” (Demonology Past and Present, 1973, p. 128).
This is a very loud warning to those who have ears to hear.
Even though hypnotism has been “secularized” and brought into the fields of health care and education, it is still intimately associated with the occult.
It is one of the most prominent techniques in the New Ager’s toolbox. It is used as the door to astral planes, as the key to uncovering UFO abductions, and as a wonder tool to help people develop psychic powers. Simeon Edmunds, author of The Book of Hypnosis, says the first step to the development of psychic power is to enter the deepest possible level of hypnosis. In Hypnotism and the Supernormal, Edmunds says that “many of the most famous spiritualistic mediums began their psychic careers as hypnotic subjects, and hypnosis has been used with marked success in the development of a number of others.”
Hypnosis is used by channelers to prepare themselves for communication with spirits. For example, Esther Hicks, the channeler of Abraham, makes contact with her spirits through self-induced hypnotic trance. Further, various channeled spirits have actually recommended the practice of hypnosis.
Hypnosis is used to recover the events of alleged past lives. As a member of the Self-Realization Fellowship Society before I was converted to Jesus Christ, I was taught a method of hypnosis or guided imagery which was supposed to allow me to investigate my past lives. Some who have used this technique have actually seen places in their “imagination” that they have never before visited only to discover these actual places later while traveling.
This is a fearful demonic deception, because the Bible says man lives once and then faces judgment (Heb. 9:27). Reincarnation is a lie of the devil, and those who experience past lives are experiencing a strong delusion.
Yet hypnosis persistently results in the delusion of past life recovery. One study of 6,000 hypnotized subjects found that 20% reported “earlier lives” (Deidre and Martin Bobgan, Hypnosis and the Christian, p. 23). And this is true even when it is used by therapists who don’t believe in reincarnation. For example, psychologist Diana Denholm first used hypnosis to help people stop smoking and lose weight and other such things, but when some of her patients experienced “past lives” she became convinced of its reality. She now uses regression therapy regularly (Raymond Moody, Coming Back: A Psychiatrist Explores Past-Life Journeys, pp. 12-13). Psychiatrist Brian Weiss, author of Many Lives, Many Masters, is another example. He became a believer in reincarnation when one of his female patients, while under hypnosis, described past lives.
The fact that hypnosis is so intimately associated with the occult and communication with spiritual realms forbidden in Scripture is a loud warning to those who have ears to hear (Leviticus 19:31; Deuteronomy 18:10-12). The wise Christian will stay far away from anything savoring of the occult! Playing with such things is like a child playing with fire.
The Bible exhorts the believer to be sober (1 Peter 5:8). To be sober means to be in control of one’s mind, to be spiritually and mentally alert. It means to be on guard against danger. It is the opposite of allowing oneself to be put into a trance. The Bible warns that demons transform themselves into angels of light (2 Cor. 11:13-15). Unless the believer remains sober and vigilant, he is in danger of being deceived. Thus, even a “mild” level of hypnotism can be spiritually dangerous.
The fact that hypnosis is used today by Christian psychologists and doctors, does not justify it. We live in an apostate age of illicit ecumenism, syncretism, and interfaith dialogue, an age in which multitudes of professing Christians have turned their ears from the truth and have turned to fables (2 Timothy 4:3-4). Instead of standing on the Bible alone as the sole authority for faith and practice, professing Christians are delving into forbidden realms and mixing the truth together with lies. The white of truth and the black of error have been intermingled to become the gray of compromise.
MEDITATION
Another New Age technique that has invaded the field of health care is mediation.
Meditation is the practice of relaxing and entering into a transcendental state of consciousness. It involves putting oneself into a hypnotic or an “altered” state of consciousness through repeating a mantra or focusing the mind on a single picture or mental image, etc.
Meditation is an integral part of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sufism, and pagan spirit worship. I was taught meditation techniques as a member of the Self-Realization Fellowship Society before I was converted to Christ. They describe meditation as “the science of uniting the individual soul with the Cosmic Spirit.”
Meditation is used everywhere in the New Age. Alice Bailey, founder of the Lucifer Trust, taught that meditation is one of the most important means of recognizing one’s own divinity and tapping into the wisdom of the universe. She organized meditation groups to meet on the full moon “to create lines of spiritual force” to prepare for the coming of this christ (Robert Eelwood, Alternative Altars: Unconventional and Eastern Spirituality in America, p. 134).
New Age channelers use meditation to align themselves with their spirits. David Spangler, who channeled a spirit called “John,” said:
“In order to accomplish it, I must enter into meditation and align with my own Higher Self, my inner spirit, for it is with that level that John can communicate most effectively” (Conversations with John, 1980, p. 1).
Meditation is the first step of the Silva Mind Control Method. The student is taught that after entering a meditative state (which is called “reaching your level”) he can perform various occultic things such as out of body travel.
John Gray recommends meditation as one of his “nine steps for creating the miraculous.” John Canfield recommends it as the way to hear the voice of God. Oprah Winfrey calls it “centering up for myself” and believes that it connects her to her spirit guides.
Shakti Gawain says:
“Almost any form of meditation will eventually take you to an experience of yourself as source, or your higher self. ... you may even experience a lot of energy flowing through you or a warm radiant glow in your body. These are signs that you are beginning to channel the energy of your higher self” (Creative Visualization, 2002, back cover).
New Agers believe that meditation even has the power to create a new world. The Harmonic Convergence and Global Peace Meditation Days are predicated upon this belief. Each Meditation Day features, among other things, a sustained period of meditation focusing on peace and harmony.
Since the 1980s the New Age practice of meditation has been infiltrating the field of health care. In 1987 USA Today reported:
“Once a practice that appealed mostly to mystics and occult followers, meditation now is reaching the USA’s mainstream. ... The medical establishment now recognizes the value of meditation and other mind-over-body states in dealing with stress-related illness” (USA Today, Sunday supplement, July 24-26, 1087).
Ray Yungen observes that those who practice meditation for health can get more than they bargain for:
“As one meditation teacher explains, ‘It is more than a stress reducer. It is the vehicle all religions use to impart the esoteric knowledge of their own mystical tradition.’ Thus, many people have unwittingly become New Agers by simply seeking to improve their physical and mental health through meditation. ... [Joan] Borysenko, a medical doctor, revealed: ‘I originally took up secular meditation for its medical benefits and in time discovered its deeper psychological and spiritual benefits’” (A Time of Departing, p. 99).
The Bible’s exhortations for the believer to be “sober” (e.g., 1 Thessalonians 5:6; 1 Peter 5:8) forbid any practice whereby the individual ceases to be fully in control of one’s mind. To be sober means to be spiritually and mentally alert. It means to be on guard against danger. It is the opposite of putting oneself into an altered state of consciousness.
DREAM ANALYSIS
Another New Age technique that is spreading within the field of health care is dream analysis. The idea typically is that one’s dreams are a form of revelation from the realm of the “unconscious” and that the individual can learn to interpret them and thus be guided by them.
Cross Country Education has provided training in dream analysis to more than one million health care professionals since 1995 (http://www.seminarinformation.com/qqbuen/).
The Discovery Channel’s online Health Center features six steps to decoding dreams from Marcia Emery’s book The Intuitive Healer: Accessing Your Inner Physician (St. Martin's Press, 1999).
WebMD and EmaxHealth, general purpose medical health web sites, also include sections on dream interpretation at their sites.
The Aisling Dream Interpretation course claims that “dreams always advise us of the best course of action to improving health” and they “open your eyes to the presence of angels in your life.”
It is true that God sometimes gave revelation to people by dreams in Bible times, but He also made the meaning clear in such cases. For example, the dream given to Nebuchadnezzar was interpreted by Daniel (Daniel 2). The Bible nowhere teaches us how to interpret general dreams. The current focus on dream interpretation came from Carl Jung. He believed that dreams “serve to guide the waking self to achieve wholeness,” but he was a deceived man who communicated with demonic spirit guides all his life.
In fact, dream interpretation is pure guesswork. For example, at the Edgar Cayce web site we find the following dream and its analysis:
“I am from Scotland. I dreamt that I had a couple of worms attached to me. One was on my arm. They seemed to originate from tiny insects (maybe ants). Someone said I had to get rid of them as they would attach to my face and I felt a little anxious about that. My husband pulled them off and said not to worry, as they were easy to get rid of.”
“Dear Dreamer, bugs or insects can often be symbolic of something bothering or ‘bugging’ the dreamer. The fact that they originated from tiny insects suggests that you may have allowed tiny worries to grow into bigger issues and problems. Your husband telling you not to worry could be literal in terms of his approach to something you are concerned about. I think the dream is related to your worrying about your new job and is simply showing you that it is not as big of a problem as you are making it into.”
The “interpretation” is nothing but a wild guess. Those who seek wisdom through dream interpretation are in great danger of being deluded. We don’t need dream revelation. We have the complete revelation of God in Scripture which is able to make us “perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
CONCLUDING WARNING
We are forbidden to adopt the ways of the heathen (Jeremiah 10:2). Things associated with idolatry and pagan darkness are demonic, and the Bible forbids us to participate with such things (1 Corinthians 10:19-21). The Word of God warns, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” (Ephesians 5:11).
Delving into secret or occultic realms is forbidden. This is the very essence of divination and wizardry. See Leviticus 19:31 and Deuteronomy 18:10-12.
As for diet, there is no biblical diet that is required for God’s people today as there was in the Old Testament. Paul warned that vegetarianism as a legalistic practice is a doctrine of devils, and he taught that all things are good to eat if received with thanksgiving (1 Timothy 4:1-5). For the Christian, diet is a matter of health and personal preference, not a matter of Bible doctrine.
We should beware of an overemphasis on diet. It can become idolatrous. The Bible teaches us to put our focus on the spiritual rather than the physical. “For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come” (1 Timothy 4:8).
We don’t live in paradise. We live in a cursed world and a body of death (Rom. 8:22-23; 7:24). Life is short at best, and no matter what kind of diet you adopt you will plenty of problems and sicknesses and will eventually die.
The Bible says we should die to self and live for Christ and for His gospel’s sake (Mark 8:35). Christ’s Great Commission instructs us to go into all the world and preach the gospel (Mat. 28:18-20; Mk. 16:15; Acts 1:8). Finicky eaters are a nuisance rather than a help to this work. My wife and I have lived in South Asia for nearly 20 years, and I thank the Lord that we have not had to worry about maintaining some sort of strict diet.
WHEN IS ALTERNATIVE HEALTH CARE DANGEROUS?
http://www.wayoflife.org/files/8e5e01facd036c41cbf202605847fd48-322.html
A study done by David Eisenberg of Beth Israel Hospital in 1990 found that Americans were spending $14 billion a year on alternative health care, including New Age practices such as meditation, touch therapy (including Reiki), positive confession, guided imagery, polarity therapy, aromatherapy, sound therapy, gemstone healing, magnetic therapy, spiritual healing, biofeedback, reflexology, iridology, urotherapy, homeopathy, emotional freedom techniques (EFT), hypnosis, and acupuncture.
That figure has grown dramatically since then. According to a report in the U.S. News & World Report for January 21, 2008, alternative medicine has gone “mainstream.”
In 1992 only 2% of U.S. medical schools offered courses in alternative medicines, but by 2004 that figure had risen to 67% (“More Medical Schools Teaching Spirituality in Medicine,” Lighthouse Trails newsletter, March 4, 2008).
The famous Mayo Clinic has a section at its web site on “complementary and alternative medicine,” dealing with touch therapy, yoga, tai chi, acupuncture, cupping, biofeedback, and hypnosis.
Dr. Christina Puchalski, founder of the Institute for Spirituality and Health at the George Washington School of Medicine, was the recipient of the John Templeton Spirituality and Medicine Award in 1996.
A friend who read a pre-publication edition of this book observed, “If you go into any health food store it is like going into a New Age chapel.”
The New Age has indeed invaded the field of health care.
MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT ALTERNATIVE HEALTH CARE
I believe it will be helpful to mention the many misconceptions that people have about holistic or alternative health practices.
One misconception is that it is only a common sense, unified system of health care.
In fact, the field of holistic health is far more than this, as we will see. Michael Harner, who is a New Age practitioner, unwittingly gives a loud warning to Bible believers about the danger of these things:
“The burgeoning field of holistic medicine shows a tremendous amount of experimentation involving the reinvention of many techniques long practiced by shamans such as visualization, altered state of consciousness, aspects of psychoanalysis, hypnotherapy, meditation, positive attitudes, stress reduction, and mental and emotional expression of personal will for help and healing. In a sense, SHAMANISM IS BEING REINVENTED IN THE WEST precisely because it’s needed” (A Guide to Power and Healing: The Way of the Shaman, 1980, p. xiii).
Harner thinks it is a wonderful thing that shamanism is being revived within the medical field, but the Bible believer knows that it is a frightful sign of the end times and a great danger to people’s spiritual well-being.
Another misconception is that alternative health care is merely the wise use of the natural healing properties found in nature and in the body itself.
It is true, of course, that the divinely-designed human body has amazing powers of healing, and God, in His bountiful grace, has placed a great many things in the world for man’s benefit. But we will see that this is far from the whole issue when it comes to the field of holistic health.
Another misconception is that since diet is an important part of overall health, that diet must be the whole answer to health.
It is true, of course, that some diets are healthier than others. That is not rocket science. There are established associations between certain diseases, such as diabetes and heart trouble, and diet. It is also true that proper nutrition and certain alternative techniques can heal certain problems. But it is also true that there is a limit to what diet can do. This is the type of bait and switch technique that alternative health care providers are so adept at using. They get you to agree that diet is important and that a change in diet can cure some sicknesses; then they try to convince you that if you simply find the right diet you will be perfectly healthy and that diet is the key to healing every sickness.
Another misconception is that since alternative health care can heal some problems, it can heal all.
For several years I was plagued with frequent colds. Four or five times a year I got a nasty cold that developed into a sore throat and coughing and lasted for a couple of weeks. After I started taking a daily multivitamin the cold problem was significantly reduced. Obviously I had a vitamin deficiency. But this does not mean that nutrition and alternative health care can heal all problems and it does not mean that there is such a thing as a guarantee of total health and it does not mean that we should look askance at standard health care in the way that many alternative care people do.
Another misconception is that we can “eat the fish and spit out the bones.”
In other words, even if there are wrong elements within the field of alternative health care, the individual can choose that which is good and helpful and avoid the error. For the following two simple reasons, though, we reject this philosophy. First, when dealing with the occult we are dealing with the devil, and he is very clever and powerful. This is why the Bible exhorts us to stay away from every occultic thing. Eve was not tainted by sin and was in a perfect environment, yet she was deceived by the devil’s wiles. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Second, this philosophy assumes that the average Christian today is capable of exercising the keen spiritual discernment necessary to detect subtle error, and this simply is not the case. The average believer today is biblically ignorant and carnal and grossly lacking in the level of education necessary for such a task. And I am referring to the average member of the typical Bible-believing church. Randall Baer, a former naturopathic doctor, says: “I see this field as being a mixture of positive and negative. Three ingredients of wholesome and six ingredients of New Age. Nine ingredients of healthy and twenty of the New Age. In this tricky, subtle, holistic health field, discernment is at a premium” (Inside the New Age Nightmare, p. 154). Such discernment is far beyond the average Christian today.
Another misconception is that since the alternative health care physician seems to care for me, he will not lead me astray.
One thing that attracts many to alternative health care practitioners is their seeming care. Whereas many traditional doctors are too rushed to show a great deal of personal concern for their patients, alternative health care practitioners typically are more personable and seek to develop a relationship with their patients. Dr. David Sneed quotes from people who complain, “My doctor wouldn’t listen to me. He was always in a hurry. He’s so impersonal.”
It would be wonderful if every health care professional were kind and personable, but a caring attitude does not outweigh a bogus or occultic practice. The witch of Endor was very caring toward Saul, encouraging him and feeding him, but she was still a witch and therefore an abomination to God and a danger to God’s people (1 Samuel 28:20-25; Deuteronomy 18:10-12)!
A similar misconception is that alternative health care practices “can’t hurt.”
In fact, alternative health care practices can hurt. The National Council Against Health Fraud warns that “quacks rob us of our money, our dignity, our health, and our lives” (“Understanding and Combating Health Fraud and Quackery,” Multnomah County Medical Society, Portland, Oregon, 1985). In The Hidden Agenda: A Critical View of Alternative Medical Therapies, Dr. David Sneed lists eight possible dangers of alternative health care: failure to diagnose, failure to treat, emotional harm, wasted money, physical threats, toxic effects, diverted resources, and loss of reality.
Dr. Sneed gives many examples of these dangers. One woman was told to apply a castor oil pack to her abdomen for her abdominal pain, but it turned out that she had appendicitis and needed surgery (p. 5). A cancer patient spent $40,000 and the last month of her life on alternative procedures in Mexico. Her husband said, “Sure, I’m resentful. She chose to spend her last month down there instead of with her family. The doctors told us right out they couldn’t cure her, but they may have been able to prolong her life. They certainly could have increased the quality of her last days” (p. 28). Another cancer patient was treated with alternative therapy for 14 months, “long enough for her breast cancer to spread so widely it required massive medical surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation” (p. 23). One little girl’s nervous system was permanently damaged and an infant died after their parents gave them high doses of vitamin A and potassium as recommended by Adelle Davis in Let’s Have Healthy Children (p. 65). An estimated 50,000 to 75,000 Americans took Laetrile treatments for cancer, but it turned out to be bogus and many died from the toxicity of the treatment itself. “Dr. William Nolen, surgeon ... tells of a thirty-five-year-old mother of three he diagnosed with early, treatable cancer of the uterus. He recommended surgery or radiation, but instead, she chose to go to Mexico and spend $3,000 on Laetrile treatment. When she returned to him six months later, the cancer had spread to her pelvis, bladder, and rectum. She died one month later” (pp. 32, 33). Another woman, who was diagnosed with colitis and gall-bladder disease, pursued an alternative remedy of coffee enemas and became so depleted of essential electrolytes that she suffered a seizure, was rushed to the hospital in a coma, and died (p. 96).
Another misconception is that it is God’s will that we be healthy and if we follow a wise natural plan we will not be sick.
For instance, the Be in Health seminar promoted by Henry Wright claims: “We are dedicated to the eradication and prevention of all spiritual, psychological, and biological disease. ... Pleasant Valley Research and Publishing provide materials designed to promote Wholeness in mankind.” Bill Gothard’s Total Health program also implies that health is always God’s will and that if we simply follow the right “plan” we will be healthy.
One doesn’t have to be a great Bible scholar to refute this. First, God didn’t always heal sick believers even in the early churches. Paul had a sickness that God refused to remove (2 Cor. 12:7-10). Paul’s conclusion to this matter was the opposite of those who claim God’s will is total health, for he said: “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Cor. 12:10). The word “infirmities” is the Greek word “astheneia,” which is elsewhere translated “disease” (Acts 28:9) and “sickness” (Jn. 11:4).
Timothy was physically weak and often sick (1 Tim. 5:23).
Trophimus, Paul’s co-worker, was left behind in Miletum because he was sick and God did not heal him (2 Tim. 4:20).
Second, the Bible plainly states that all weakness and sickness and trouble in this life ultimately stems from the Fall. It goes back to our sin. We live in a world that groans under a curse and even those that are born again are subject to that curse (Rom. 8:22-23). We live in a body of death (Rom. 7:24).
The New Testament faith does not teach us to expect total health and total deliverance in this present world; it teaches us to live by hope, and hope that is seen is not hope. Consider the following important passage in Romans 8:18-25:
“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that THE WHOLE CREATION GROANETH AND TRAVAILETH IN PAIN TOGETHER UNTIL NOW. AND NOT ONLY THEY, BUT OURSELVES ALSO, WHICH HAVE THE FIRSTFRUITS OF THE SPIRIT, EVEN WE OURSELVES GROAN WITHIN OURSELVES, WAITING FOR THE ADOPTION, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.”
A similar misconception is the idea that the body is capable of healing itself of any problem or disease if it is provided with the right diet and environment.
This is a dangerous half-truth. Whereas God has given the body amazing healing powers, there is a dramatic limit to what it can do. And, as we have seen, we live in a fallen, cursed world, and there is no divine promise of perfect health.
Another misconception is that the Bible lays out the ideal healthy diet.
George Malkmus has his “Hallelujah Diet.” Don Colbert has the “What Would Jesus Eat” diet. Gwen Shamblin has her “Weigh Down Workshops,” and Jordan Rubin has “The Maker’s Diet.” They all claim to be Bible-based. Rubin says that “God gave me this health message” (“New Diet Plans Take Cue from the Bible,” USA Today, June 10, 2004).
In fact, there is no Bible diet plan for today. From Adam to Noah, men were vegetarians, stemming from God’s command in Genesis 1:29-30. After the flood, men were instructed to eat meat as well as vegetables (Genesis 9:3). Under the Law of Moses, the nation Israel continued to eat meat, but some animals were designated clean and others unclean. The Lord Jesus Christ is a Jew and lived under the law and therefore followed the Mosaic dietary system. He wasn’t a vegetarian. He ate fish (Lk. 24:42-43) and He ate lamb, which was required during the Passover (Exodus 12:6-8).
When the church was established, the former restrictions were done away. There are only three teachings about diet in the New Testament.
First, Peter was taught that the Old Testament dietary restrictions are no longer in effect for the New Testament believer (Acts 10:9-16). The truth of this was emphasized in that the vision and the command to rise, kill, and eat was repeated three times. This passage single-handedly refutes the following claims: that the Mosaic dietary restrictions are in force in the New Testament churches, that the Mosaic dietary restrictions were for health purposes (if that were true, God would have kept them in force), that eating meat is unhealthy, that vegetarianism is a superior program, and that is cruel to kill animals.
Second, we are taught that in the New Testament dispensation diet is entirely a matter of personal liberty (Romans 14:1-6) and we are not to judge others in such matters (Romans 14:13).
Third, we have a warning about those who teach against eating meat (1 Timothy 4:1-6) and we are told that to require a vegetarian diet is a doctrine of devils.
To go beyond the Bible’s clear teaching in this matter and to create dietary programs that purport to have a Scriptural basis and to have divine approval and universal properties is heresy.
The New Testament plainly states that “every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer” (1 Timothy 4:4-5).
Thus, according to Scripture, diet is a personal and individual matter. Each person is different, with his own metabolism, taste, culture, lifestyle, health, and occupation; and diet must be determined on this basis and not on some plan purporting to be from the Bible.
I am not saying that all diets are equally healthy; I am merely saying that there is no one diet that is required by the Bible.
Another misconception is that if an alternative health practice is used sincerely by a believer “from a Christian perspective,” it is O.K.
If this were true, the Bible would not contain so many warnings for believers to separate from error (e.g., Deuteronomy 18:9-12; 1 Corinthians 10:21; 2 Corinthians 6:14-17; 1 John 5:21). Occultic practices are occultic practices, regardless of who uses them!
Another misconception is that if a product or treatment plan is accompanied by glowing testimonies, it must be good.
The alternative health care field is driven by testimonies, and they can be very impressive, particularly when an individual is frustrated by a persistent problem or desperate to be healed of a disease and is grasping at any straw. But wise saints recognize that we live in a fallen world among deceitful creatures and are careful not to be tricked. “The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going” (Proverbs 14:15).
The book Dubious Cancer Treatment by Stephen Barrett and Barrie Cassileth lays out four common-sense conditions that must be met before a testimony can be valid. First, the patient must actually have the disease. As with charismatic “healings,” it is not uncommon for people in the alternative health care field to testify that they have been healed of a certain disease that was never properly diagnosed. Second, the claimed cure must result from the therapy. Other factors could have been at work. Several years ago I saw an advertisement for a tonic product that guaranteed weight loss. The patient was instructed to take the tonic in the evening and not to eat anything within a few hours of going to bed. The fact is that the resultant weight loss could be achieved from the prescribed fasting without the assistance of the accompanying tonic! Third, the disease must be actually cured rather than in remission or some such thing. Fourth, the patient must be alive! Many of Pentecostal healer William Branham’s patients died after being proclaimed healed, and the same thing has happened to many of those who have been “healed” by through alternative health care. (See our book The Pentecostal-Charismatic Movements for documentation.) For example, Stanislaw Burzynski offered a cure for cancer called “antineoplastons,” that was supposed to “normalize” cancer cells. In 1988, Sally Jesse Raphael featured on her television show four patients of Burzynski that had supposedly been healed. Four years later, Inside Edition reported that two of the four had died and a third had a recurrence of the cancer. Further, another woman testified “that her husband and five others from the same city had sought treatment after learning about Burzynski from a television broadcast--and that all had died of their disease” (Stephen Barrett, Questionable Cancer Therapies).
Another misconception is that if an alternative health practice helps one person it can help all.
It is important to understand that even if a certain treatment is genuinely effective for one person does not mean it is effective across the board. It is true that a multivitamin solved my problem with frequent colds, but that does not mean that multivitamins are a cure-all for colds.
Another misconception is that if it is natural it must be good.
But in fact, many natural things are dangerous. Most poisons are perfectly natural!
A similar misconception is that only things that are “natural” in the field of diet and health care are proper.
In the eyes of those who hold this doctrine, herbs and other “natural” products are considered useful and safe, whereas “man-made” medicines such as antibiotics and inoculations are considered improper and dangerous. The fact is that God gave man the wisdom and the authority to subdue the earth and have dominion over it (Genesis 1:28). Every good gift is from above (James 1:17). Though we recognize that doctors aren’t gods and they are imperfect and make mistakes, it is truly foolish and unscriptural to reject the benefits of modern medicine. There are doubtless dangers in the field of modern medicine, but there are also many more dangers in the field of alternative or natural health care! Personally, I thank the Lord for every advance in medicine. I thank the Lord for antibiotics, anesthesia, inoculations, modern surgery, dialysis, advanced pain killers, you name it! Modern medicine has greatly increased the length and quality of human life. If you don’t believe it, spend a few years in the remote villages of South Asia or central Africa.
Dr. David Sneed says:
“The fact is, nature is ‘fallen,’ according to the Bible. Expelled from Paradise, man has had to learn to wrest from nature good farming land, tolerable living conditions--and disease-fighting drugs. A gracious God has given us both the raw material and the ability to develop such technologies as medical science. Why deny ourselves such gifts, in a misguided attempt to return to a naïve concept of nature?” (The Hidden Agenda, p. 112).
WHEN IS ALTERNATIVE HEALTH CARE WRONG?
It is certainly not wrong to want to live in a healthy manner, and we know that many “natural” or alternative remedies are effective and legitimate for certain problems; but when a practice enters into the realm of the occult, it is forbidden by God’s Word. Consider some examples of the techniques and practices that contain very dangerous spiritual elements.
LIFE FORCE ENERGY
One example of an occultic practice in the medical field is the idea that there is a metaphysical life force energy that permeates everything and that flows through and/or around the body and affects the health. This is foundational to the Eastern approach, which aims to manipulate the flow or balance of life energy to restore and maintain health. Hindus call it prana; Chinese call it chi or qi (pronounced chee); Japanese call it ki. Terms with similar meaning are kia, huna, mana, ordic, and orgone. It is purely occultic, with no biblical or biological basis, and lies at the heart of yoga, eastern massage, reiki, feng shui, tai chi, qi gong, acupuncture, acupressure, polarity therapy, magnetic therapy, biofeedback, reflexology, iridology, ayurveda, homeopathy, and the martial arts.
Consider what the Harper’s Encyclopedia of Mystical & Paranormal Experience says about the field of “bodywork” (e.g., acupuncture, chiropractic, polarity therapy, reflexology, reiki, rolfing, therapeutic touch, touch for health).
“Bodywork therapies assume the existence of a universal life force that affects health, which can be stimulated by the therapy. ... Bodywork therapy involves a high level of intuitive awareness on the part of the therapist; PSYCHIC ABILITIES SOMETIMES DEVELOP over the course of time. Patients sometimes report experiences such as past-life recall and clairvoyance.”
The Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs has the following warning:
“We believe that any system which claims to regulate or manipulate ‘invisible energies’ is, at least potentially, an introduction to occult energies and should be avoided.
HUMORS
Another example of an occultic practice that has invaded the field of medicine is the idea of humors. It is based on the ancient Greek cosmology that there are four elements--fire, air, water, and earth--and these have four corresponding humors in the body: choler (yellow bile), blood, phlegm, and melancholy (black bile). An imbalance of the humors supposedly results in sickness, and humor practitioners prescribe remedies to control and balance the humors, but it is pure hocus pocus!
VISUALIZATION
Another example of an occultic practice that has invaded the field of health care is visualization. As we have seen, it is a foundational New Age technique and it is used widely in holistic health care. For example, the Taoist Water Method uses visualization to “dissolve energy blockages.” It is described as follows:
“Lift your hands above your head ... begin slowly moving your hands down your body. As you sense or feel a blockage, stiffness, or pain, visualize it as hard and cold ice. Allow it to turn from stiff ice to fluid water as the cleansing line touches it. Then allow the water to vaporize and lift out of your body and out of your outer energy. With your exhale, send it far away from your being. ... Continue down your body, doing this wherever you feel blockage or pain” (John Talbot, Come to the Quiet, p. 221).
This is occultic hocus pocus, and any benefit derived from it is either psychological or demonic. Visualization is the concept of the power of mind over matter, and it is nowhere supported by Scripture.
HYPNOSIS
Another occult practice that has invaded the health care field is hypnosis. This is “an induced altered state of consciousness in which the subject becomes passive and is responsive to suggestion” (Harper’s Encyclopedia of Mystical and Paranormal Experience). The term hypnosis comes from hypnos, the Greek god of sleep, and was coined by James Braid, a 19th-century British mesmerist.
Hypnosis is used widely in medicine and psychology. Donald Connery, in Exploring Hypnosis, says, “There is greater interest in and employment of medical hypnosis than ever before in history.” The American Medical Association approved the use of hypnosis in 1958. Courses on hypnosis are taught in many medical schools and an estimated 20,000 medical and psychological specialists use it (“Hypnosis,” Encyclopedia of new Age Beliefs).
Hypnosis is used in pain relief, anesthesiology, drug and alcohol abuse treatment, weight control, birth control, sleep therapy, physical healing, psychological healing, self improvement, human potential, regression therapy (healing the present through recovering the past), and many other ways.
When used in the field of modern health care, the idea is that the practice of hypnotism itself is innocent and useful and can be divorced from its occultic associations, but this is impossible. Hypnotism arose from the field of occultism and remains intimately associated with it. The Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology says: “Hypnotism is no longer classed with the occult sciences. ... Nevertheless its history is inextricably interwoven with occultism, and even today much hypnotic phenomena is classed as ‘spiritualistic.’”
The Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs observes: “Historically, hypnotism is typically associated with the occultist or psychic, the one who exercises power over things or persons, such as the shaman, magician, witch doctor, medium, witch, guru, or yogi.”
In the 18th century, Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772) communicated with spirits while in a trance state induced by breath control. It was called somnambulance. In 1788, a Swedenborgian society in Stockholm reported to a sister society in France a number of cases in which somnambulists had transmitted messages from the spirit world (Slater Brown, The Heyday of Spiritualism).
Anton Mesmer (1734-1815), an astrologer and occultist, proposed a healing technique through hypnosis and the flow of “animal magnetism” from the practitioner to the patient. He held the occultic view that there are thousands of channels in our bodies through which an invisible life force flows and that illness is caused by blockages. The practitioner of animal magnetism could allegedly cure sicknesses by overcoming the obstacles and restoring the flow. The term “to mesmerize” is based on Mesmer’s hypnotic practices, and the field of modern hypnotism stemmed from his techniques.
Mesmerization or hypnosis produced two occultic movements in the 19th century.
One of these was the New Thought or Mind Science movement. Phineas Quimby (1802-66), a student of Mesmer, called his “mind healing” theories the Science of Health and had a powerful influence on Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science.
The other occultic movement produced by hypnotism was spiritism. Another Mesmer student, Andrew Jackson Davis, published a book in 1847 which he said was dictated to him by spirits while he was in a mesmeric trance. The Encyclopedia of Psychic Science says, “The conquest by spiritualism soon began and the leading Mesmerists were absorbed into the rank of the spiritualists.”
The spiritist revival in Brazil also began with hypnosis. French educator Leon-Denizarth-Hippolyte Rivail was led through hypnosis to communication with spirits. His spirit guide instructed him to take the name Allan Kardec, and under this name he wrote the very influential The Book of the Spirits (1857).
John Ankerberg observes: “Mesmerism, then, paved the way for occult revival. And there is an ominous parallel today in the great upsurge of interest in hypnotism as both an occult method and a medical-diagnostic tool. ... Whatever their differences, one fact is admitted by all. The phenomenon of mesmerism is today known as hypnotism” (The Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs).
The danger of hypnotism is evident from the fact that it can produce a wide variety of occult phenomena, including past life experiences, multiple personalities, speaking in unknown languages, automatic writing, clairvoyance, telepathy, seizures, spirit possession, astral projection, and psychic diagnosis (Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs).
One famous example of multiple personalities that developed through hypnosis is Susan Houdelette. She was a normal woman who sought the help of a therapist to quit smoking, but when placed under hypnosis she developed 239 different personalities!
There is an entire field of repressed memory syndrome whereby supposed hidden memories are recovered through hypnosis and other techniques. What has often been recovered, though, are fantasies that become reality to the patients. “... there are thousands of victims today who, because of hypnotic regression, only think that they were subject to sexual or satanic abuse as children. This has resulted in great tragedies, including ruined families (where parents were the alleged abusers or Satanists) and patients who committed suicide. Because thousands of families have been torn apart by things like this, a national organization has been formed specifically to draw attention to the problem and to help victims of what is termed the ‘false memory syndrome’” (Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs).
Many support hypnotic therapy because “it works,” but just because something works does not mean it is right. There are innate powers within man that can be manipulated and there are satanic powers. The magicians in Egypt were able to perform amazing feats and could even duplicate some of the divine miracles (Exodus 7:10-12, 19-22; 8:5-7).
Further, it must be understood that hypnotic healing often results in “symptom substitution,” whereby victory in one area results in defeat in another. One woman who lost her fear of spiders developed a strong addiction to alcoholic. Another who found relief from the pain of gall-stones began to suffer from terrible outbursts of rage. Dr. Kurt Koch, a Christian expert in occultic phenomena, warned: “I could quote many examples like this involving so-called harmless hypnotists. ... The unfortunate thing is that occult hypnosis is often used as a means of obtaining healing. The apparent success of the hypnosis, however, is accompanied without fail with all sorts of mental and emotional disturbances” (Demonology Past and Present, 1973, p. 128).
This is a very loud warning to those who have ears to hear.
Even though hypnotism has been “secularized” and brought into the fields of health care and education, it is still intimately associated with the occult.
It is one of the most prominent techniques in the New Ager’s toolbox. It is used as the door to astral planes, as the key to uncovering UFO abductions, and as a wonder tool to help people develop psychic powers. Simeon Edmunds, author of The Book of Hypnosis, says the first step to the development of psychic power is to enter the deepest possible level of hypnosis. In Hypnotism and the Supernormal, Edmunds says that “many of the most famous spiritualistic mediums began their psychic careers as hypnotic subjects, and hypnosis has been used with marked success in the development of a number of others.”
Hypnosis is used by channelers to prepare themselves for communication with spirits. For example, Esther Hicks, the channeler of Abraham, makes contact with her spirits through self-induced hypnotic trance. Further, various channeled spirits have actually recommended the practice of hypnosis.
Hypnosis is used to recover the events of alleged past lives. As a member of the Self-Realization Fellowship Society before I was converted to Jesus Christ, I was taught a method of hypnosis or guided imagery which was supposed to allow me to investigate my past lives. Some who have used this technique have actually seen places in their “imagination” that they have never before visited only to discover these actual places later while traveling.
This is a fearful demonic deception, because the Bible says man lives once and then faces judgment (Heb. 9:27). Reincarnation is a lie of the devil, and those who experience past lives are experiencing a strong delusion.
Yet hypnosis persistently results in the delusion of past life recovery. One study of 6,000 hypnotized subjects found that 20% reported “earlier lives” (Deidre and Martin Bobgan, Hypnosis and the Christian, p. 23). And this is true even when it is used by therapists who don’t believe in reincarnation. For example, psychologist Diana Denholm first used hypnosis to help people stop smoking and lose weight and other such things, but when some of her patients experienced “past lives” she became convinced of its reality. She now uses regression therapy regularly (Raymond Moody, Coming Back: A Psychiatrist Explores Past-Life Journeys, pp. 12-13). Psychiatrist Brian Weiss, author of Many Lives, Many Masters, is another example. He became a believer in reincarnation when one of his female patients, while under hypnosis, described past lives.
The fact that hypnosis is so intimately associated with the occult and communication with spiritual realms forbidden in Scripture is a loud warning to those who have ears to hear (Leviticus 19:31; Deuteronomy 18:10-12). The wise Christian will stay far away from anything savoring of the occult! Playing with such things is like a child playing with fire.
The Bible exhorts the believer to be sober (1 Peter 5:8). To be sober means to be in control of one’s mind, to be spiritually and mentally alert. It means to be on guard against danger. It is the opposite of allowing oneself to be put into a trance. The Bible warns that demons transform themselves into angels of light (2 Cor. 11:13-15). Unless the believer remains sober and vigilant, he is in danger of being deceived. Thus, even a “mild” level of hypnotism can be spiritually dangerous.
The fact that hypnosis is used today by Christian psychologists and doctors, does not justify it. We live in an apostate age of illicit ecumenism, syncretism, and interfaith dialogue, an age in which multitudes of professing Christians have turned their ears from the truth and have turned to fables (2 Timothy 4:3-4). Instead of standing on the Bible alone as the sole authority for faith and practice, professing Christians are delving into forbidden realms and mixing the truth together with lies. The white of truth and the black of error have been intermingled to become the gray of compromise.
MEDITATION
Another New Age technique that has invaded the field of health care is mediation.
Meditation is the practice of relaxing and entering into a transcendental state of consciousness. It involves putting oneself into a hypnotic or an “altered” state of consciousness through repeating a mantra or focusing the mind on a single picture or mental image, etc.
Meditation is an integral part of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sufism, and pagan spirit worship. I was taught meditation techniques as a member of the Self-Realization Fellowship Society before I was converted to Christ. They describe meditation as “the science of uniting the individual soul with the Cosmic Spirit.”
Meditation is used everywhere in the New Age. Alice Bailey, founder of the Lucifer Trust, taught that meditation is one of the most important means of recognizing one’s own divinity and tapping into the wisdom of the universe. She organized meditation groups to meet on the full moon “to create lines of spiritual force” to prepare for the coming of this christ (Robert Eelwood, Alternative Altars: Unconventional and Eastern Spirituality in America, p. 134).
New Age channelers use meditation to align themselves with their spirits. David Spangler, who channeled a spirit called “John,” said:
“In order to accomplish it, I must enter into meditation and align with my own Higher Self, my inner spirit, for it is with that level that John can communicate most effectively” (Conversations with John, 1980, p. 1).
Meditation is the first step of the Silva Mind Control Method. The student is taught that after entering a meditative state (which is called “reaching your level”) he can perform various occultic things such as out of body travel.
John Gray recommends meditation as one of his “nine steps for creating the miraculous.” John Canfield recommends it as the way to hear the voice of God. Oprah Winfrey calls it “centering up for myself” and believes that it connects her to her spirit guides.
Shakti Gawain says:
“Almost any form of meditation will eventually take you to an experience of yourself as source, or your higher self. ... you may even experience a lot of energy flowing through you or a warm radiant glow in your body. These are signs that you are beginning to channel the energy of your higher self” (Creative Visualization, 2002, back cover).
New Agers believe that meditation even has the power to create a new world. The Harmonic Convergence and Global Peace Meditation Days are predicated upon this belief. Each Meditation Day features, among other things, a sustained period of meditation focusing on peace and harmony.
Since the 1980s the New Age practice of meditation has been infiltrating the field of health care. In 1987 USA Today reported:
“Once a practice that appealed mostly to mystics and occult followers, meditation now is reaching the USA’s mainstream. ... The medical establishment now recognizes the value of meditation and other mind-over-body states in dealing with stress-related illness” (USA Today, Sunday supplement, July 24-26, 1087).
Ray Yungen observes that those who practice meditation for health can get more than they bargain for:
“As one meditation teacher explains, ‘It is more than a stress reducer. It is the vehicle all religions use to impart the esoteric knowledge of their own mystical tradition.’ Thus, many people have unwittingly become New Agers by simply seeking to improve their physical and mental health through meditation. ... [Joan] Borysenko, a medical doctor, revealed: ‘I originally took up secular meditation for its medical benefits and in time discovered its deeper psychological and spiritual benefits’” (A Time of Departing, p. 99).
The Bible’s exhortations for the believer to be “sober” (e.g., 1 Thessalonians 5:6; 1 Peter 5:8) forbid any practice whereby the individual ceases to be fully in control of one’s mind. To be sober means to be spiritually and mentally alert. It means to be on guard against danger. It is the opposite of putting oneself into an altered state of consciousness.
DREAM ANALYSIS
Another New Age technique that is spreading within the field of health care is dream analysis. The idea typically is that one’s dreams are a form of revelation from the realm of the “unconscious” and that the individual can learn to interpret them and thus be guided by them.
Cross Country Education has provided training in dream analysis to more than one million health care professionals since 1995 (http://www.seminarinformation.com/qqbuen/).
The Discovery Channel’s online Health Center features six steps to decoding dreams from Marcia Emery’s book The Intuitive Healer: Accessing Your Inner Physician (St. Martin's Press, 1999).
WebMD and EmaxHealth, general purpose medical health web sites, also include sections on dream interpretation at their sites.
The Aisling Dream Interpretation course claims that “dreams always advise us of the best course of action to improving health” and they “open your eyes to the presence of angels in your life.”
It is true that God sometimes gave revelation to people by dreams in Bible times, but He also made the meaning clear in such cases. For example, the dream given to Nebuchadnezzar was interpreted by Daniel (Daniel 2). The Bible nowhere teaches us how to interpret general dreams. The current focus on dream interpretation came from Carl Jung. He believed that dreams “serve to guide the waking self to achieve wholeness,” but he was a deceived man who communicated with demonic spirit guides all his life.
In fact, dream interpretation is pure guesswork. For example, at the Edgar Cayce web site we find the following dream and its analysis:
“I am from Scotland. I dreamt that I had a couple of worms attached to me. One was on my arm. They seemed to originate from tiny insects (maybe ants). Someone said I had to get rid of them as they would attach to my face and I felt a little anxious about that. My husband pulled them off and said not to worry, as they were easy to get rid of.”
“Dear Dreamer, bugs or insects can often be symbolic of something bothering or ‘bugging’ the dreamer. The fact that they originated from tiny insects suggests that you may have allowed tiny worries to grow into bigger issues and problems. Your husband telling you not to worry could be literal in terms of his approach to something you are concerned about. I think the dream is related to your worrying about your new job and is simply showing you that it is not as big of a problem as you are making it into.”
The “interpretation” is nothing but a wild guess. Those who seek wisdom through dream interpretation are in great danger of being deluded. We don’t need dream revelation. We have the complete revelation of God in Scripture which is able to make us “perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
CONCLUDING WARNING
We are forbidden to adopt the ways of the heathen (Jeremiah 10:2). Things associated with idolatry and pagan darkness are demonic, and the Bible forbids us to participate with such things (1 Corinthians 10:19-21). The Word of God warns, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” (Ephesians 5:11).
Delving into secret or occultic realms is forbidden. This is the very essence of divination and wizardry. See Leviticus 19:31 and Deuteronomy 18:10-12.
As for diet, there is no biblical diet that is required for God’s people today as there was in the Old Testament. Paul warned that vegetarianism as a legalistic practice is a doctrine of devils, and he taught that all things are good to eat if received with thanksgiving (1 Timothy 4:1-5). For the Christian, diet is a matter of health and personal preference, not a matter of Bible doctrine.
We should beware of an overemphasis on diet. It can become idolatrous. The Bible teaches us to put our focus on the spiritual rather than the physical. “For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come” (1 Timothy 4:8).
We don’t live in paradise. We live in a cursed world and a body of death (Rom. 8:22-23; 7:24). Life is short at best, and no matter what kind of diet you adopt you will plenty of problems and sicknesses and will eventually die.
The Bible says we should die to self and live for Christ and for His gospel’s sake (Mark 8:35). Christ’s Great Commission instructs us to go into all the world and preach the gospel (Mat. 28:18-20; Mk. 16:15; Acts 1:8). Finicky eaters are a nuisance rather than a help to this work. My wife and I have lived in South Asia for nearly 20 years, and I thank the Lord that we have not had to worry about maintaining some sort of strict diet.
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