The Invasion of Health Care

The Cult of Spiritual Care

Hospitals and hospices have redefined what is means to provide "pastoral care". Pastoral care is now called "Spiritual Care" in nearly all heralth facilities. Medical institutions have differentiated between spirituality and religion. Their definition of religion is "a religious practice that focuses on rituals and beliefs" while spirituality is defined as focusing in on that which "brings emotional wholeness, meaning and purpose, and the values of the individual". If you notice, their definition of religion and spirituality both leave out God.

There are two praimary reasons why God has been omitted from health care. First, health care is Medicare driven. Perhaps you didn't know that health institutions depend greatly on Medicare for their funding. In turn, Medicare has stipulated a job description for nearly all professions within the health industry including chapolaincy. Because of this, chaplains can no longer express their personal faith but must act as spiritual chameleaons validating anyone's faith or lack of faith even if it directly violates their own beliefs. Second, hsopitals and other health care institutions are concerned about their accrediation. The Joint Committee on Acreditation and Compliance for Health Care Organizations, (or JACHO) is the accrediting body for health care. Again, JACHO's view of spirituality is that it must be an all-inclusive form of spiritual care that generically provides care for all faiths and beliefs even if one contardicts the other, or contradicts the spiritual values of those providing care.

Because of these two factors, hospitals and hospices prohibit chaplains from talking with patients about their paricular belief system. This includds Christian chaplains, Muslim chpalins, Christian Science chaplains or any chaplain. Chaplains have to violate their own faith beliefs or run the risk of loosing their jobs. To put it in the vernacular, hospitals and hospices take the view that "there are many pathways to God". If a chaplain is a sincere Christian, he or she will find themselves in a "Catch 22" situation where they must contradict their personal integrity and their own faith belief system in order to have a job. This means that regardless of their faith background, chaplains must violate their own personal integrity in order to have a job.

What does all of this mean to Christians. First, it means that Christians who are patients at health care facilities may want to think twice about relying on chpaliancy care instead of the pastoral care provided by their church. Chaplains may validate your faith, but they may be prohibited from sharing that which is spiritually helpful to you. In fact, they may even mislead or misguide you in order to meet their institutional requirements. Second, chaplains in the industry who not only must support the relious beliefs of all individuals but embrace them as well may want to re-consider if they want to work in an environment that violates their own personal belief system at all. As believers we must adhere to the words or Jude 3 which states that we are to "contend for the faith". Health care is being invaded today by a form of spirituality which denies the very existence of God and instead, mbraces every religious belief that opposes the name of Christ. Let us be discerning and differentiate between faith in CChrist and the idea of "spritual care'".

Distance Healing

The Story of Mouse 37

Therapeutic Touch is one of t he most openly occult practices of any form of alternative medicine. Read the following story by Delores Krieger, co-founder of Therapeutic Touch and see how blatantly the occult connection is made.
 

The concept of non-locality arises from an assumption that consciousness has no boundaries in space or time. Scientists have been aware for centuries that creative ideas and break through hypothesis can occur at the same time to several people who are in different parts of the world. From evidence such as this, the assumption has been developed that the mind is able to transmit information over distance and to act upon it at that distant place, under appropriate conditions.

 

The control offered by contemporary researchers considered by society to be one way to assure that inexperience has some measure of validity and reliability. One of the healing experiences that lends itself into a wide range of personal interpretation is healing at a distance, in which the healer and the healee are geographically removed from one place to another.

 

Healing Mouse 37 at a distance Dolores Krieger shares a story about several years ago at the Nutrition Institute of America which was then under the directorship of Gary Null, PhD. There was the largest single experiment to date of two models of healing-healing by direct contact and healing at a distance. Dr. Krieger states that she was asked by Dr. Null to participate in the study and received a photograph of Mouse 37 who she was to send healing energy to. For some time she journaled concerning her impressions about Mouse 37 that she received from a distance and later on she called and found that Mouse 37 was doing well but the control mouse in the same cage had died.

 

About a year later at the end of June Dr. Krieger said that she met a man at a cocktail party in San Francisco who worked with the study with Dr. Null concerning mice and he related to her that Mouse 37 was one of only three mice who is still alive. She continued to send mouse 37 healing energy and later that year she heard from Dr. Null Mouse 37 was still healthy and hearty. To celebrate the event, one of Dr. Krieger's friends offered to retire mouse 37 to her ranch in Sonoma County. And most did well there for several months until the following June. Finally, Dr. Null wrote her and said Mouse 37 recently died of old age. It had lived longer than any of the other mice, and had lived without discomfort and in a seemingly normal state of health.

 

The study gave me a deep sense of satisfaction in that year and a half, my interaction with Mouse 37 have become quite real to me and I had learned a great deal from it concerning distance healing. The nature of the controlled study was such that there were occasions which gave me an opportunity to check my impressions directly, and the verification of my own work and involvement of this experiment was validated. This helps me to test the validity and reliability of visualization at a distance which I called Vivid Visualizations.

Visionary experiences ancient industry ported in all cultures of the world. For instance, a unique feature of the Native American culture is a strong dependence upon individual visions as basic guides and life decisions. And you'll do, you visualizations of persons or events at a distance are regarded as naturally occurring as a result of yogic experience. Visualization is a subjective process, however, that continues to be poorly understood. This is a paradox, for scientific methodology itself relies upon visualization in an introspective act as for example, in the capacity to see a problem, the intuitive skill to clearly state a hypothesis, the capacity to perceive an analysis of data, and the genius to foresee the inferences of research findings-all depend on the capacity for visualization.

The Occult

Presidential Trail Into the Occult

The occult is mainstreaming into American society. The evidence is easily seen in the over abundance of paranormal television shows, the extremely popular movies in theaters like "Twilight", "New Moon", and "Harry Potter".

But the occult phenomena isn't simply relegated to the realm of fantasy, it is mainstreaming into the hearts nd homes of everyday Americans. Frighteningly, the occult has also been worming its way into some of the lives of some our most prestigious government officials. One group that has been affected by occult practices is the presidents of the United States.

One of the very first presidents on the trail to the occult was Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln's wife, Mary Todd Lincoln was grief struck by the premature deaths of three of her sons. In her grief, she turned to mediums to conduct seances in the White House in an attempt to reconnect with her deceased children. Mary Todd's seances were held on a regular basis. While we are never told of her success in contacting her sons, she did persuade our 16th president to attend at least one seance.

Another president that used the occult to predict the future of his presidency was Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Roosevelt made regular appointments to have his future read by the world famous psychic Jeanne Dixon. Dixon correctly predicted the favorable result of WWII. Much to Roosevelt's horror, she also predicted his impending death in Hot Springs Georgia.

While Richard Nixon did not dabble in the occult as far as we know, it was his famous trip to Red China that opened the door for the practice of alternative medicine in the United States. During the trip, his press secretary became violently ill with appendicitis and had to have immediate surgery. Doctors used acupuncture to reduce pain during the operation. Reports of this procedure hit the headlines of many of the nations largest papers and magazine who in turn, ran large stories regarding the use of alternative therapies. This served to popularize their use.

Finally, Nancy Regan was well known for consulting an astrologer during her husbands 8 years in the White House. She prohibited the president from signing important documents and treaties if her psychic forecaster felt that the astrological signs were not favorable.

It is so easy to become unintentionally involved in the occult. It may start with something as simple as reading a fortune cookie or the daily horoscope and blossom into something else entirely. Many who have seen occult based movies report to have been bothered by nightmares and worse during months and even years following a visit to their local theater. Scores remember being "spooked" when they saw the glide on the Ouija Board begin to spell out words revealing private information. Who doesn't remember all the Call 1-900-psychic" phone numbers.

People are hungry for spiritual truth. They want an encounter with a "higher power". Many want assurance for the future, some want contact with deceased loved ones. Spiritual contact outside of the parameters established in the Bible are really encounters with the demonic. Satan is the great deceiver and one of his greatest deceptions is that spiritual and emotional needs can be met outside of Christ. Galatians 6:7 warns us to stay away from Satan's lies, "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap".

God has a better plan for your life. Curious about the future, the future is in God';s hands. Jeremiah 29: 11 reminds us, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future". Do you miss a family member or a friend who has died? God understands your pain and offers the comfort that only He can give. 2 Corinthians 1:3,4 reminds us that, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God".

God loves us. He not only has the answers you are desperately seeking for, He is the answer you are seeking for. There is a familiar chorus that says this very thing. "Jesus is the answer for the world today. Without Him there is no other, Jesus is the way." Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. . . " (John 14:6). If your feel lost on the pathway of life, you don't have to turn to the occult to find answers, you can turn to Christ. He is all the answer you need.

Alternative Medicine

Touch Therapies and the Occult   

So what do Touch Therapies have to do with the occult? The answer is lots. Touch therapies are saturated with occult practices that each one of us should be aware of. Lets take a moment and explore various occult practices and how they are part of alternative medicine's touch therapies.

Clairsentience - This is the occult method of gaining supernatural insight and information through "touch". It is the primary method used in all touch therapies treatments. Practitioners will use their hands to feel for hot and cold spots, changes in electromagnetic frequency and energy deletions.

Claircognizance - This is the occult method of knowing or of having sudden inspirations of insight. It is an inner sense of knowing. Often, claircognizance is portrayed as having premonitions or flashes of insight. Touch therapies use claircognizance to gain knowledge of illnesses reasons, causes and cures. Practitioners may refer to it as making a psychic connection with their clients.

Clairvoyance - This occult method of insight comes from the 17th Century French word meaning  "to see". Seeing the supernatural is one method used by touch therapists to "read auras", see depletion's in the "human bio-field" and visualize deceased family members, angels and spirit guides to get information and assistance in performing touch therapies.

Clairaudience - This occult practice uses sound and hearing to attain supernatural insight. Practitioners hear voices, receive impressions and communicate back and forth with spirits and the deceased. This information is often used to ascertain information privy to the deceased and a loving family member to bring assurance of life beyond death. "Hearing" the voices of supernatural beings, deceased family members and receiving "impressions" from them is how touch therapists gain insight in gathering information which can assist in a client's healing process.

These are just a few ways that touch therapists use to connect with the occult in their practice of touch medicine. All of these terms come from the practice of spiritism, seances and the occult. How can any of these be termed "alternative medicine"? As we have shown time after time, touch therapy is a religious belief and practice - it is not medicine at all.

As Christians, we should avoid the slightest contact with the dark arts which are so enmeshed with the occult and the demonic. Instead, we are to expose these things to the light of Christ. John the Apostle said, "God is light and in Him is no darkness at all". Ouija Boards, movies and  TV programs that portray the practice of the occult should not be part of the Christian's life or one his forms of entertainment. These practices are not entertainment, are not simply fascinating topics to explore, these practices are from the Abyss and they seek to fascinate a world, hungry for a spiritual experience but looking for it outside of Christ.

Just because paranormal experiences, vampires and Harry Potter are among the most popular forms of entertainment today, doesn't mean that Christians should join the crowd and become enamored with them. Jesus told us, "Be in the world, but be not of the world". The world  is this world's present evil system, opposed to God and opposed to those in Christ. The Bible commands us, "Come out from among them and be ye separate". We are to be "Holy as he is Holy".

Let's make a decision to stand out from the crowd, to be as different as it takes to let others know that we stand with Christ. If you find that you have been involved in toxic alternative therapies, or have got weighted down with occult entertainments, you can make a change right now. Tell your heavenly Father of your new determination to change and renounce your former lifestyle. Turn 180 degrees around and begin to live your life in a different way.

Exposing Buddhism

Buddhism and Touch Therapies

Siddhartha Guatama was born about 500 B.C. i a province of northern India. He was the son of a local Raja or King and a member of the Brahman caste system. Living a sheltered life in the royal court, Siddhartha enjoyed every luxury of life. At his birth, it was prophesied that he would either be a great ruler or if he chose the religious way of life, the savior of the world. On Siddhartha's 20th birthday, his father gave him the gift of 40,000 dancing girls. He eventually chose his cousin Yodhartha to be his wife.

Siddhartha was curious about the outside world and stole away from the palace to explore it. When he escaped the confines of the palace, he observed the suffering of the world for the first time. On the night of his only son's birth, he left the palace never to return. Instead, Siddhartha entered the monastic way of life and became a monk. traveling from place to place and practicing asceticism, he tried to find a way to escape the sufferings of this life. While sitting under a tree in Deer Park in a city in northern India, Siddhartha experienced a spiritual transformation and became the Buddha or "Enlightened One". Buddha traveled the countryside preaching his gospel of an ethical system which would deliver those who heard it from the struggles of everyday life. He died of poison at the age of 80.

The Buddha's teaching introduced three major ideas; 1. The existence of Nirvana. Nirvana is the goal of life. It simply means "nothingness". The goal is to empty the self of all anxiety and self and merge with the energy force that consists of all things. In this, Buddha introduced the idea of an impersonal god. This concept of god is called Pantheism or that "god is all and all is god". All living things are part of the god consciousness. 2. The second belief that the Buddha introduced is the idea of karma. The way that that people achieve freedom from suffering is through a system of good works. The worked that you do determine what form you take in the next life.  3. The final concept that the Buddha introduced is reincarnation. Escape from the sufferings of this present life is found through an endless cycle of death and rebirth into higher and higher forms of life. The goal is to merge with the Universal life force and empty oneself of all personal identity. The means of doing this is achieved through Karma.

Touch therapies are based on Buddhism's pantheistic ideas of god. In touch therapy, the existence of a Universal Life Force is key to understanding how healing works. This all-pervasive energy is channeled by the therapist into the bodies of the clients to produce healing. This concept is a direct derivative of Buddhism. Touch therapies also hold to a pantheistic view of God in that all things are related by spirit. Not only do people have a spirit, but o do animals and inanimate objects such as rocks and trees. These may be contacted in touch therapy sessions for information and direction. The spirits of the dead are contacted as well. Deceased family members and the spirits of deceased teachers are channeled in order to assist the therapist in healing. Some say that these help them perform psychic surgery. Touch therapies practice the principles of karma and reincarnation believing that they can regress into past and future lives to affect events contained within both.

Christians should not have anything to do with touch therapies. Touch therapies are based on religious ideas that deny the core of the Christian gospel. They deny the sinfulness of man, the need for Christ's vicarious death and the hope of a bodily resurrection. Christians need to plainly realize that touch therapies are not alternative medical choices but are in essence religious ideas based on Eastern religion and the occult.

Touch Therapies

Healing Touch

Healing Touch was developed by Janet Mentger in 1985 out of Colorado Community College in Denver. In many ways it is very similar to Therapeutic Touch except that Mentger developed a whole educational curriculum and licensing process that R.N.'s must comply with in order to be recognized as Healing Touch prcttioners. The program is five years in length and requires 1,000 hours of supervised practiced before sitting for boards.

Healing Touch is based on the scientific idea that the earth has an electromagnetic field which surrounds all matter. This field measures 8 mgz and is exactly the same electrical field generated by Healing Touch practitioners as they administer their therapy. Low frequescies are detected in the human bio-field and energy is restored through the touch therapy.

However,Healing Touch theory is not only dependent on scientific interaction with the human bio-field, it is also dependent on Eastern religion and the cult of Theosophy. It seems like none of the touch therapies can rely strictly on a scientific explanation but must also rely on a form of spirituality as well. Healing Touch depends on the teachings of the Theosophical Society, Hinduism and occult ideas. Courses offered require reading assignments from all the founders of Theosophy, Hindu ideas of the chakra system, meridian lines, and marma points. It also makes extensive use of occult ideas such as auras, etheric bodies, Higher Sense Perception and Hara Lines.

The deceifulness of Healing Touch is that it attempts to masquerade itself in Christian terminology to appeal to mainstream America. It recently opened a Judeo-Christian educational Center at its Denver facility, to promote Healing Touch in synogogues and Churches. It purports to be an extension of the healing ministry of Jesus and interests Christians in this manner.

Healing Touch is a dangeous touch therapy because it attempts to blend itself with Christianity. However, the two stand diametrically opposed to one another. "What fellowship can Christ have with Belial?" This is a key question. Never forget that Jesus is our healer. Any system that attempts to substitute other healing methods for the power of the healing touch of Christ offers a model devoid of the presence of the Holy Spirit and should be avoided. 

Touch Therapies
Therapuetic Touch


Therapeutic Touch is the second touch therapy covered in my book "The Occult Invasion of Health Care". Conceived by Dora Kunz and Delories Krieger in the early 1970's, Therapeutict Touch has spread thoughout the nursing system and is taught in more than 80 medical schools and corresponding nursing programs.


The concept is based in two centers of thought: one scientific, the other religious. Scientifically, it is linked to physics, field theory and the idea of psychogenic fields. Religiously, it is linked to Hinduism and other Eastern metaphysical practices. Kunz also claimed to be a 14th generation clairvoyant with the power to see the "bio-field" or aura, surrounding each person. She claimed that she could induce healing by channeling "prana" or energy into the aura. Kunz was also president of the Theosophical Society in America, a well-known cult, and editor of its publishing house. She was committed to many strange spiritual ideas.


Krieger hold a PhD in nursing and is the primary designer of "Frontieers In Nursing", the Therapeutic Touch graduate program taught in most nursing programs affiliated with the therapy. Krieger bases her thought on scientific and spiritual concepts as well. In addition to the methods alluded to by Kunz she also interjects electromagnetic theory. Krieger's spiritual conncetion drifts out of the mainstream and into African and Native American religious ideas called Aninism. Animism is the practice of communicating with the spirits of inanimate objects such as animals, mountains, plants and trees. Krieger openly discusses her involvement in the occult as well. She goes so far as to detail the use of occult methods in her healing practice.


Christians need to beware of Therapeutic Touch. None of its "scientific mechanisms" have ever been validated by medical professionals. This means that the only support base it enjoys is based in Hinduism and occult practice. As Christians, we must "flee the appearance of evil". In the Old testament, God condemned such practices and said that they were an abomination. The penalty for practicing such things under the Old Testament economy was death.


In the New Testament, the apostle Paul also condemns the practice of all such behaviors and reiterates that those who practice such things are worthy of the ultimate penalty. Instead, let us focus on the healing power of Jesus Christ. He who "bore our infirmities and ws chastised for our weakness and by whose stripes we have been healed" (Isaiah 53:5). Jesus paid the price for our healing on the Cross of Calvary. Not only is His healing power available to us today, but we should witness that same power to those who do not yet know Him.

Touch Therapies

Reiki

Its important for Christians to familiarize themselves with various forms of Alternative Medicine because so much of it is spiritually toxic. Of the many alternative choices that are available, touch therapies are among the most insidious. One of those "touch therapies" is called Reiki.

You may wonder exactly what Reiki is. Reiki was developed by Dr. Usui Mikao in the latter half of the 19th Century. A former Bible College professor and a graduate of a prestigious seminary, Usui turned his back on his Christian faith and converted to his former belief in Buddhism. Dr. Usui became very interested in the healing ministry of Jesus and wanted to learn how he also could practice healing. Failing to find the answers he sought in Christianity, he reverted to his former religion, went on a 21 day fast and miraculously received three power symbols. These symbols supposedly gave him the ability to heal. Usui continued to live the rest of his life in Japan teaching and spreading his method of healing.

Reiki uses the three power symbols in conjunction with corresponding mantras to create a vibrational frequency which allows the energy of the universe to be accessed. The practitioner serves as a channel that this energy can pass through to the patient.

There are three levels ( or attunements) of initiation in Reiki. The first initiation enables the practitioner to heal himself and others. The second initiation enables him to heal others at a long distance. The third degree of initiation qualifies the practitioner to become a Reiki Master. Reiki Masters have the power to initiate students into the three levels of Reiki.

Reiki healing sessions begin with entering a trance-like state in which the therapist contacts spirit guides to gain information and receive assistance in the healing process. The Universal Life Energy is channeled (trans-medium ship) through this process and directed into an system of chakras, meridian lines and marma points in the clients body. The touch of the therapists hands on the client's body is the activating mechanism in the practice of Reiki.

Reiki is diabolical because its practice includes: contacting spirits, the deceased and the spirits of animals. It is based in a Buddhist method of healing outside of God's provision for healing. It is relies on an all-encompassing energy found throughout the atmosphere. As Christians, we understand that Satan is the "prince and power of the air". Satan's power is the mechanism that energies the use of Reiki.

This is a small introduction to Reiki but gives a good overview of its practice. Christians must become aware of Reiki's existence and its growth within the medical system. Currently 15% of hospitals use Reiki and that number is growing exponentially every day. We need to share the dangers of Reiki with others before they become ensnared by its practice.

Health Care

Responding to Alternative Medicine

We have found that there are many frightening and ungodly practices incorporated into many forms of alternative medicine. The three alternative methods of care in my book, (Reiki, Therapeutic Touch and Healing Touch), are Satanic in origin. Nevertheless, the use of these spiritually dangerous touch therapies continues to grow. More and more patients and health care professionals are encountering them. The question remains, "How do I as a Christian respond to the insidious therapies that are becoming so common place?"

If you know that you are going to the hospital as an inpatient or that someone you love is entering hospice or another medical facility, it would be wise to assk if alternative therapies are used at your facility. Many institutions advertise the use of alternative therapies and all you need to do is go to their web site or look at their literature. You might also contact family and friends that have had care at that particular institution. Call their spiritual care office and see what kinds of alternative care is available and what kinds their chaplains provide. These are just a few of the information gathering techniques that you can turn to.

If you are a nurse or another health care professional the sponsorship of alternative therapies by your health care facility may present unique difficulties. As a Christian, you may find yourself in an "unfriendly environment". Christianity is diametrically opposed to the occult practice of many alternative therapies. These practitioners are aware of this and they don't want you around even as you don't want them to practice in your work place. There are many factors that determine your response as a Christian in your work environment. These can include: "Is the use of the therapy mandatory? Am I required to support it? Am I required to take training and implement it? Another question is how does it affect me? Can I avoid alternative therapies or are they pervasive and I can't avoid them?"

How should nurses and other health care professionals respond to a non-Christian health care workplace? Sometimes professionals can simply refuse to participate, at other times they may have to take the extreme position of finding other employment. Whatever response you find necessary, know that the "gifts and calling of God are without repentance" -- God will always have a place for you to use the gifts and talents He has given you. The old axiom is true, "God never closes one door without opening another". Whatever place you find yourself today, patient or professional remember to "Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil" (Ephesians 6:13).

Chaplains

"Is Universalism Biblical?"

Universalism is the belief that everyone will be saved. There are many people today who hold to universal salvation and believe that all people eventually end up in heaven. Unfortunately, most chaplains are from mainline churches which clearly state that it is unnecessary for people to accept Christ because everyone is on their way to heaven already. They believe that Christ didn't just die so people could be saved potentially by grace through faith, but that they are saved simply because Christ died. Their is no personal responsibility for sin, the need of forgiveness or for repentance. They do not have a grasp of John 14:6 where Jesus declares, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except though me." Because of this, most chaplains have little concern for people's souls.

Perhaps it is the thought of men and women living a life of eternal torment in hell that causes some to reject the teaching of Scripture on this issue. For some it is an over-emphasis on the love and compassion of God—and the neglect of the righteousness and justice of God—that leads them to believe God will have mercy on every living soul. But the Scriptures do teach that some people will spend eternity in hell.

First of all, the Bible is clear that unredeemed men will dwell forever in hell. Jesus’ own words confirm that the time spent in heaven for the redeemed will last as long as that of the unredeemed in hell. Matthew 25:46 says, “Then they [the unsaved] will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” According to this verse, the punishment of the unsaved is just as eternal as the life of the righteous. Some believe that those in hell will eventually cease to exist, but the Lord Himself confirms that it will last forever. Matthew 25:41 and Mark 9:44 describe hell as “eternal fire” and “unquenchable fire.”

How does one avoid this unquenchable fire? Many people believe that all roads—all religions and beliefs—lead to heaven, or they consider that God is so full of love and mercy that He will allow all people into heaven. God is certainly full of love and mercy; it was these qualities that led Him to send His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to die on the cross for us. Jesus Christ is the exclusive door that leads to an eternity in heaven. Acts 4:12 says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” “There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). In John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” If we choose to reject God’s Son, we do not meet the requirements for salvation (John 3:16, 18, 36).


With verses such as these, it becomes clear that universalism and universal salvation are unbiblical beliefs. Universalism directly contradicts what Scripture teaches. While many people accuse Christians of being intolerant and “exclusive,” it is important to remember that these are the words of Christ Himself. Christians did not develop these ideas on their own; Christians are simply stating what the Lord has already said. People choose to reject the message because they do not want to face up to their sin and admit that they need the Lord to save them. To say that those who reject God’s provision of salvation through His Son will be saved is to belittle the holiness and justice of God and negate the need of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf.

Occult Deception

Is Yoga an Exercise Program?

Most Americans see Yoga as an exercise program. To us, it seems like a benign way to improve your health. In fact, Yoga is taught at many exercise facilities and hospitals and clinics. Yoga is a fast growing therapy.

However, if you travel to India, where Yoga originates from, you will not find that Yoga is offered as an exercise class. To Hindus, Yoga is not an exercise but a worship practice. Hindus use Yoga to clear the mind and relax the body for the purpose of communication with the spirit world. Hindus worship 330 million god's and goddesses and without sounding too simplistic Yoga is the chief means used to connect with the. There are over 6 methods for practicing Yoga and each focuses on the worship of this pantheon of divinities.

When I was in graduate school in my chaplain's training program, one of our instructors had us greet each morning using the word "Nameste". This word is used in a cable exercise program called "Nameste Yoga". My supervisor told our class that the word means, "the divine within me greets the divine withing you". This is not quite accurate. The word "nameste" means, "the Buddha within me greets the Buddha withing you", yet another religious twist.

What are the implications for the use of Yoga for Christians. 1 Thessalonians 5:22 instructs believers to "avoid the appearance of evil". Think about it for a moment, if the police catch you robbing a store with a toy gun won't they still arrest you for armed robbery? The answer is "of course". Using a counterfeit of the real thing still makes you guilty. Using Yoga as an exercise program, when it was intended for the worship of the demonic still puts us spiritually at risk and opens the door to the occult in our lives.

Worship practices like Yoga were never designed to be "exercise programs, they were designed to be a form of worship. Christians should think twice about using a practice steeped in Eastern religion and false worship as a means for improving their bodies. The Bible tells us, "Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit? You are not your own, you have been bought with a price" (1 Corinthians 6:19). I think that the underlying issue is do we want to please God. We must recognize that we belong to Him body, soul and spirit. Our bodies are not our own and we should not use them in a way that would dishonor Him.

Christian Beliefs

Should Christians be Tolerant
of Other People's Religious Beliefs?

In our age of “tolerance,” moral relativism is touted as the supreme virtue. Every philosophy, idea, and faith system has equal merit, says the relativist, and is worthy of equal respect. Those who favor one faith system over another or—even worse—claim a knowledge of absolute truth are considered narrow-minded, unenlightened, or even bigoted.

Of course, different religions make mutually exclusive claims, and the relativist is unable to logically reconcile outright contradictions. For example, the Bible makes the claim that “man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27), while some Eastern religions teach reincarnation. So, do we die once or many times? Both teachings cannot be true. The relativist essentially redefines truth in order to create a paradoxical world where multiple, contradictory “truths” can co-exist.

Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). A Christian has accepted Truth, not just as a concept, but as a Person. This acknowledgment of Truth distances the Christian from the so-called “open-mindedness” of the day. The Christian has publicly acknowledged that Jesus rose from the dead (Romans 10:9-10). If he truly believes in the resurrection, how can he be “open-minded” concerning an unbeliever’s assertion that Jesus never rose again? For a Christian to deny the clear teaching of God’s Word would indeed be a betrayal of God.

Note that we have cited the fundamentals of the faith in our examples so far. Some things (such as the bodily resurrection of Christ) are non-negotiable. Other things may be open to debate, such as who wrote the book of Hebrews or the nature of Paul’s “thorn in the flesh.” We should avoid becoming bogged down in disputations over secondary matters (2 Timothy 2:23; Titus 3:9).

Even when disputing and dialoguing over prominent doctrines, a Christian should exercise restraint and show respect. It is one thing to disagree with a position; it is quite another to disparage a person. We must hold fast to the Truth while showing compassion to those who question it. Like Jesus, we must be full of both grace and truth (John 1:14). Peter strikes a good balance between having the answer and having humility: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).

Recommended Resource: The New Tolerance by McDowell and Hostetler.

Christian Values

The Difference Between Spirituality and Religion

Before we explore the difference between religion and spirituality, we must first define the two terms. Religion can be defined as “belief in God or gods to be worshiped, usually expressed in conduct and ritual” or “any specific system of belief, worship, etc., often involving a code of ethics.” Spirituality can be defined as “the quality or fact of being spiritual, non-physical” or “predominantly spiritual character as shown in thought, life, etc.; spiritual tendency or tone.” To put it briefly, religion is a set of beliefs and rituals that claim to get a person in a right relationship with God, and spirituality is a focus on spiritual things and the spiritual world instead of physical/earthly things.

The most common misconception about religion is that Christianity is just another religion like Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, etc. Sadly, many who claim to be adherents of Christianity do practice Christianity as if it were a religion. To many, Christianity is nothing more than a set of rules and rituals that a person has to observe in order to go to heaven after death. That is not true Christianity. True Christianity is not a religion; rather, it is having a right relationship with God by receiving Jesus Christ as the Savior-Messiah, by grace through faith. Yes, Christianity does have “rituals” to observe (e.g., baptism and communion). Yes, Christianity does have “rules” to follow (e.g., do not murder, love one another, etc.). However, these rituals and rules are not the essence of Christianity. The rituals and rules of Christianity are the result of salvation. When we receive salvation through Jesus Christ, we are baptized as a proclamation of that faith. We observe communion in remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice. We follow a list of do’s and don’ts out of love for God and gratitude for what He has done.

The most common misconception about spirituality is that there are many forms of spirituality, and all are equally valid. Meditating in unusual physical positions, communing with nature, seeking conversation with the spirit world, etc., may seem to be “spiritual,” but they are in fact false spirituality. True spirituality is possessing the Holy Spirit of God as a result of receiving salvation through Jesus Christ. True spirituality is the fruit that the Holy Spirit produces in a person’s life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Spirituality is all about becoming more like God, who is spirit (John 4:24) and having our character conformed to His image (Romans 12:1-2).

What religion and spirituality have in common is that they both can be false methods of having a relationship with God. Religion tends to substitute the heartless observance of rituals for a genuine relationship with God. Spirituality tends to substitute connection with the spirit world for a genuine relationship with God. Both can be, and often are, false paths to God. At the same time, religion can be valuable in the sense that it points to the fact that there is a God and that we are somehow accountable to Him. The only true value of religion is its ability to point out that we have fallen short and are in need of a Savior. Spirituality can be valuable in that it points out that the physical world is not all there is. Human beings are not only material, but also possess a soul-spirit. There is a spiritual world around us of which we should be aware. The true value of spirituality is that it points to the fact that there is something and someone beyond this physical world to which we need to connect.

Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of both religion and spirituality. Jesus is the One to whom we are accountable and to whom true religion points. Jesus is the One to whom we need to connect and the One to whom true spirituality points. Are you interested in discovering true religion and true spirituality? If the answer is yes, please begin your journey by contacting me on my web page web page  to talk about receiving Jesus Christ as your Personal Savior

Touch Therapies

Contacting The Dead

One of the most interesting stories in the Bible is found in 1 Samuel 28:1-25. It is the account of Israel's King Saul visiting the Witch of Endor to conjur the spirit of the prophet Samuel. The Bible relates the story verse 7-11.

"Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor. And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee.

And the woman said unto him, Behold, you know what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then why do you lay a snare for my life, to cause me to die?

And Saul swore to her by the LORD, saying, As the LORD lives, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing. Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel".

Saul was facing an imminent threat from the Philistine Empire. He longed for deliverance from his enemy and desperately wanted to know the outcome of the battle. The Bible records that Samuel did in fact appear to King Saul and prophesied that the next day he would be killed.

People who are chronically sick, facing major surgery or a terminal illness are also desperate to know their future and experience deliverance from their illnesses. Touch therapists take advantage of their fears. They promise supernatural insight about the future and a method of healing that offers hope when conventional medicine fails. The problem is, like King Saul, they don't turn to God for help. Instead, they turn to the occult.

Touch therapist will tell patients plainly that they contact spirit guides and angels to provide the insight and healing they long for. They will take things a step further and reassure patients that they can also depend on the help of deceased family members as well. It is common for touch therapists to reassure patients that there is life after death, and that it is possible to gain insight and receive help from loving family members who have died.

The Bible calls the practice of contacting the dead "necromancy". Necromancy is a spiritualist method involving the use of mediums and seances. God's Word declares that it is an abomination before the Lord. Deuteronomy 18:10-12 records God's own words concerning the matter, "There shall not be found among you any one that makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that uses divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch.

Or a charmer, or consults with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee".

Practitioners of touch therapies like Reiki, Healing Touch and Therapeutic Touch will assure you that there alternative avenues of healing. They will tell you that although they are dead, people you love are very much alive and are available to help you during your medical crisis.

Christians must recognize that touch therapists are dabbling in the occult. They cannot contact deceased family members. However, they can channel the demonic and procure the help of the Enemy of your soul. As Christians, not only must we be wary of the use of touch therapies, but it is our responsibility to open the eyes of family, friends and people we know to the reality of spiritual darkness and the power of Jesus Christ, the Light of the World.

Animism

Talking Birds

The founder of Therapeutic Touch incorporates the practice of Animism into her alternative therapy. Animism is the practice of communicating with inanimate objects such as plants and trees, rocks, water and mountains, as well as animals, fish and birds.  One of the founders of Therapeutic Touch openly admits that she regularly consults with trees and seeks their advice.

Animism is an ancient religion rooted in the cultures of the American Indian and Central Africa. Many American Indian tribes believed that all things have a spirit. They offered prayer to the four elements, had holy sights where they worshiped mountains, rivers and other natural formations. They immersed themselves in contacting animal spirits and taking on their characteristics. They went so far as to name their offspring after the spirits of particular animals. They assumed names like "Running Deer", Big Bear" and "Flying Eagle". Religious ceremonies were replete with animistic methods of worship.

African culture is similar. To many Africans, animism is a way of life. To illustrate this, I want to share about a long talk I had with a close friend of mine from Ghana. He grew up in a pagan household but later became a Christian and a missionary. Nii shared with me about his family's practice of animism as he grew up. As a boy, he visited his grandparents on a regular basis. Just outside of the front door of their house, they had totems of their familial gods. Nii remembers one of these gods in particular. It was made in the shape of a bird. He related that whenever he walked by this god, it would talk to him. This was not just an inner voice, but an actual vocal manifestation. With time, he was able to communicate with this "bird", ask it questions and seek its advice. Eventually, his grandparents became Christians and destroyed all of their family gods.

Touch therapists are encouraged to consult the spirits of inanimate objects, to ask questions and gain insight and guidance in their healing practices. We may ask ourselves how anyone in our technologically astute age believe and practice such ancient and foreign religious ideas? It is because, the occult fascinates us. The occult taps into real spiritual power, but the power they embrace is the power of the demonic. Deuteronomy 18:19,20 prohibits Christians from becoming involved in anything that smacks of such religious ideas. Animism is antithetical to the God of the Bible. He calls it an "abomination" and states that all who practice it are "worthy of death". God condemns any practice which circumvents His power and fails to acknowledge that He is God.

Touch therapies embrace occult practices such as animism and encourages their followers to do the same. Those who receive alternative medical treatments from these practitioners, open the floodgate and expose themselves to the dangers of the Enemy. 1 John says that, "God is Light and in Him no there is no Darkness". Christians are children of the Light. Let us walk in the Light, even as He is in the Light.

True Story of Healing

How God Healed Me

Less than a year ago, On December 17th 2008, I woke up one morning with global amnesia. My wife noticed that my speech was slurred and I had difficulty walking. She called our pastor who helped get me to the emergency room right away. No one knew it, but I was unaware of anything although I interacted as people talked with me. After testing negatively for stroke, I was admitted. Within a few hours, I was unable to talk, couldn't walk, had tremors of the upper extremities and couldn't remember what people told me. According to reports, Nurses couldn't keep me in bed so I had to be tied down by four-point restraint and every chance I got prior to this, I was combative and hit anyone within reach. My children came to visit and cried when I didn't recognize them.

After extensive testing, the doctors had no idea what was wrong with me other than the fact that my vitamin B-1 level was mildly low. After four days of hospitalization, I was finally give B-1 injection. Within 15 minutes, the haze began to lift and the doctors were shocked that I began to respond to them. They told my wife that my symptoms and response to the vitamin was only seen in alcoholics. She assured them that I didn't drink. It was only later that they determined that I had a vitamin deficiency due to weight-loss surgery that I had 8 months previously.

I remember finally breaking out of the amnesia early one morning. I didn't know where I was, but it looked like a hospital room. A man came into my room and I asked him where I was. He informed my that I was in the hospital. I also asked who he was. He told me that he was my doctor. Finally I asked what was wrong with me. He simply said, "I don't know". Even though I was responding, my speech was still affected, I had sever tremors of the upper extremities, I walked like I was drunk and I had difficulties with short term memory. Through all of this, my wife remained strong, standing on her faith in Christ. She had informed our church, our friends and others had in turn told other people of my illness. Literally, hundreds of people were praying for me.

After about a week, I was able to go home, just in time for Christmas. I remember what a blessing that was for me to be home with my wife, kids and their spouses and all the grand kids for the celebration of Christ's birth.

Weeks after being released from the hospital, I was diagnosed with Wernicke-Korsarkoff's Syndrome, an alcoholic syndrome now being exhibited in a rare number of bariatric patients. In fact, I was one of 45 patients out of 200,000 procedures to get this syndrome. The next nine months were spent in speech therapy, traumatic brain injury group, occupational therapy and physical therapy. I had three relapses where I had to be readmitted to the hospital because one of my doctors took me off of vitamin B-1 in favor of B Complex which was a huge mistake. Little by little I progressed from using a wheel chair, a walker and now a cane. I continue to have persistent vertigo and have not driven a car in a year.

I have made lots of progress. My brain function isn't perfect, but it has markedly improved. I learned that the losses could have been permanent. My speech is almost problem free and the tremors have totally disappeared. Short-term memory and speech problems are hardly noticeable. For someone who has made a living in ministry and has had to talk and think for a living this has been a huge blessing. How have I been healed? It isn't because of any alternative therapy. No one performed Reiki, Healing Touch, or Therapeutic Touch on me. There are three reasons that I have been healed: 1.) because of the faith of my wife, 2.) because people prayed for me using the Biblical method of laying on of hands, 3.) because of persistent obedience to God to stay with my therapy and vitamin programs. God gave me lots of good people to pray for me, stand with me in faith and provide medical treatment.

Folks, God is my healer. He is Jehovah Rapha, "The Lord Our Healer". I had never been seriously ill in my entire life before last December. However, now I know personally the healing touch of the Holy Spirit in a way I have never known it before. If you need healing today, don't turn to alternative sources, turn to God. Just as Jesus healed people during His earthly ministry, He continues to heal the sick today.

Touch TherapiesWho Uses Alternative Medicine?

In a recent quote I received from Donna Bingenheimer, R.N. Education Specialist at Shore Memorial Hospital in Somers Point, New Jersey stated that, "Statistics compiled by the National Institute of Heath (NIH) as recent as 2008 in the United States found that approximately 38% of adults,  4 in 10,  and 12% of children, 1 in 9, are using some form of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM).  The delivery of patient centered care obliges health care providers and practitioners alike to know, understand, appreciate and support patient choices about their care related to complementary/ integrative therapies.  Hospitals are offering touch therapies such as reflexology, Reiki and gentle massage to help with relaxation, pain management and symptom relief".  

A 2002 survey of US adults 18 years and older conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics (CDC) and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine indicated,

    • 74.6% had used some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).
    • 62.1% had done so within the preceding twelve months.
    • When prayer specifically for health reasons is excluded, these figures fall to 49.8% and 36.0%, respectively.
    • 45.2% had in the last twelve months used prayer for health reasons, either through praying for their own health or through others praying for them.
    • 54.9% used CAM in conjunction with conventional medicine.
    • 14.8% "sought care from a licensed or certified" practitioner, suggesting that "most individuals who use CAM prefer to treat themselves."
    • Most people used CAM to treat and/or prevent musculoskeletal conditions or other conditions associated with chronic or recurring pain.
    • "Women were more likely than men to use CAM. The largest sex differential is seen in the use of mind-body therapies including prayer specifically for health reasons".
    • "Except for the groups of therapies that included prayer specifically for health reasons, use of CAM increased as education levels increased".
    • The most common CAM therapies used in the US in 2002 were prayer (45.2%), herbalism (18.9%), breathing meditation (11.6%), meditation (7.6%), chiropractic medicine (7.5%), yoga (5.1%), body work (5.0%), diet-based therapy (3.5%), progressive relaxation (3.0%), mega-vitamin therapy (2.8%) and Visualization (2.1%)

In 2004, a survey of nearly 1,400 U.S. hospitals found that more than one in four offered alternative and complementary therapies such as acupuncture, homeopathy, and massage therapy.

Why are people turning to Alternative Medicine?
 
 In the CDC report noted above, respondents were asked why they utilized alternative treatments. Fifty percent said they thought CAM “would be interesting to try.” Such a response is indicative of the postmodern attitude that there is no truth, so anything goes. There are, however, other reasons people turn to alternative medicine. First, many are unsatisfied with conventional health care for various reasons, such as the bureaucratic mess it often becomes and the rising costs.

Second, some are discouraged by the lack of solutions offered by conventional medicine for chronic conditions, such as arthritis, fatigue, cancer, and AIDS.

Third, conventional medicine is viewed as primarily offering two limited options: drugs and surgery. In a world where “natural” remedies are often considered to be better than conventional remedies, these options seem severe. Alternative health-care practitioners, on the other hand, are generally known for spending more time with patients than do conventional doctors, viewing patients as whole persons, and in many instances offering “just the right thing” for the condition in question.

People are happy to have such optimistic assurances regarding their health, especially when such solutions are presented as “natural.” Many Christians, not surprisingly, find alternative approaches appealing because they offer natural (i.e., “God-made” rather than “man-made”) solutions and because alternative practitioners sometimes attend to the spiritual dimension — an area too often neglected by the scientific naturalism (i.e., the view that matter is all that exists) that permeates much of conventional health care.

Let me emphasize that not all Alternative medicine is based in non-Christian practices. Many use God-given ways to help those who are sick. Nevertheless. The touch therapies discussed in my book "The Occult Invasion of Health Care" are anything but benign - they are spiritually dangerous. The problem is that the public and even may Christians are unaware of the occult implications of touch therapies. My intention is to educate Christians and Christian medical workers concerning the sinister side of Alternative Medicine and Touch Therapies.

Biblical Healing

How God Heals the Sick

It is important that as Christians we not only are aware of Satan's deceptive healing practices, but that we are aware of the Biblical means of healing. The scripture is filled with true accounts of individuals being healed throughout the Bible. I want to point out several of these methods that God has used to heal the sick. All of these ways of healing are still available to us as believers today. Hebrews 13:8 declares, "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever." If you or someone you know is sick, please stand on faith in God's Word for His miraculous healing touch. God loves you and does not want any of us to be in poor health. The Apostle John wrote in 2 John to his friend Gaius, "I would your body prospers even as your soul prospers." This is God's will for all of us.

It has been noticed, in relation to other spiritual experiences, that God is a God of variety. His methods are not stereotyped by any means. This is true also in relation to the manner in which God's Healing is administered. The following are six different ways in which people receive healing from the Lord.

A. Pray for Yourself.
James 5:13 says: “Is any among you afflicted, let him pray.” Apparently, it is scriptural to pray for yourself when afflicted.

B. Ask Someone Else to Pray for you.
James 5:16 instructs: “… pray one for another that ye may be healed.” Any sincere Christian who believes can pray for another. No ministerial credentials nor special gifts of the Spirit are necessary.

C. Call for the Elders of the Church. James 5:14-16 has often been called the New Testament Healing Covenant.
Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for an other, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

This should be the regular procedure for those in fellowship with a local church. These verses clearly teach that God is no respecter of persons, but that all may be healed. The promise stipulates “Is any sick among you?” There is no discrimination whatever. It is God's Will to heal any and all who will call. “The prayer of faith” would be that prayer offered by the elders. There is a responsibility resting upon them. The sick exercises his faith when he calls for the elders. The elders pray the prayer of faith. Some have gone so far as to say that the elders were supposed to “massage” the sick person with oil, and this was the cause of his recovery. There certainly is no oil known to medical science which can guarantee healing, regardless of what the affliction is.

The text does not say that the oil healed the sick; it was “the prayer of faith,” “and the Lord will raise him.” We believe the oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, Who quickens our mortal body (Rom 8:11). Some associate the oil, as the means of healing, with Hezekiah's poultice of figs (2 Kings 20:7). It is amazing how people can have more faith in a little oil, or in a bunch of figs, than they do in the Power of God!

D. By Laying On of Hands.
“These signs shall follow them that believe; In my name … they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover” (Mark 16:17,18). It should be carefully noted here, that no mention is made of anointing with oil, or of praying for the sick. All that is said is that those who believe shall lay their hands on the sick in the name of Jesus. This is the method which Jesus used on a number of occasions. In the following scriptures Jesus is said to have touched the sick, or laid His hand or hands upon them: Matt 8:15; Mark 6:5; 8:23,25; Luke 4:40; 5:13; 13:13. Today, when the believing one lays his hands on the sick in the name of Jesus, it is as though the hands of Jesus were laid thereon.

E. Special Miracles Through Handkerchiefs and Aprons.
“And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: so that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them” (Acts 19:11,12). These were “special miracles” in that there were no scriptural instructions concerning them. Paul must have simply been guided by the Holy Spirit in this matter. Many churches have followed a similar pattern and have given out small pieces of cloth, over which prayer has been made, and sometimes they have been anointed with oil. Some most remarkable miracles have been reported from the use of this method. It is understood that the “prayer cloth” has no virtue in itself, but provides an act of faith by which one's attention is directed to the Lord Who is the Great Physician.

F. Spiritual Gifts of Healing.
“For to one is given by the Spirit … to another the gifts of healing …” (1 Cor 12:9). “God hath set some in the church … then gifts of healings …” (1 Cor 12:28). Inasmuch as this subject is covered thoroughly under the Gifts of the Spirit, it will not be elaborated on here. Two things are of special interest. First, this is the only gift of the Spirit which is in the plural. Suggested reasons for this are given in the study of the gifts. Second, in the list of healings wrought through the Apostles as recorded in the book of Acts, previously listed in this chapter, it is of interest that in no case did the apostles pray for the sick to be healed. In several cases, there was prayer about the sick person; but, the healing seemed to be administered by the power which had been given them for this ministry. They probably had the “gifts of healing.”

There are many other questions that Christians may ask about biblical healing. Those cannot all be addressed here. The central point I am making is that God's will is to heal the sick based on His love for us. God uses different methods to heal us as Christians. God's means of heal are very different than the occult methods described in my book, "The Occult Invasion of Health Care". They are but cheap substitutes and devilish deceptions for the authentic healing power of God.

Paranormal

The Housewife Who Confounded Two Countries

I thought I would include a story for you today about the most successful medium of the last 200 years, Lenora Piper.  Her story shows that there is a reality to Satan's power that we must be careful with. We are not to be fearful of this power. The Bible declares that, "Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world." However, we must be careful for the souls of people around us. We must be fearful for them that they do not become enamored with the works of the enemy. Please read this story today and let it motivate you to pray for those you know and love who may be involved in alternative healing or the paranormal.

In the city of Boston in 1885, Mrs. Leonora E. Piper, wife of a Boston merchant, and possessed of but limited education, began what was to be a 40 year career as a spiritualistic medium, a career which was to be confounded the best minds in psychic research in both the United States and Europe with scientifically validated evidence which has never been refuted. Mrs. Piper became interested in spiritism after visiting a clairvoyant for the relief of severe pain after the birth of her first child. It was during sessions with and she lapsed into trances during which. She could answer with amazing accuracy questions concerning persons who had died.

For some 26 years she continued under the various spirits controls that possessed her during her trances as a medium and stopped only 1911 when the spirits suggested that her health would not bear the strain of their manifestation.

In 1924 Mrs. Piper conducted a special series of séances and the records of these séances run more than 3000 pages in length with a fantastic score for accuracy.

Mrs. Piper gave some 88 sittings, for example, carefully observed at all times by members of the British Society for psychic research. Prof. Oliver Lodge, later Sir Oliver Lodge, one of England's most brilliant scientist and a careful psychic investigator, complied a checklist complied a checklist compiled a checklist of some 41 specific incidences were in Mrs. Piper stated facts and general information concerning those who attended her séances, facts which were unknown to those persons at the very time the séances were in session! This was carefully verified in his beyond reputation.

Mrs. Piper also had the amazing capacity to find lost objects and to relate incidents which were taking place menu hundreds of miles away from where she was in a trance. Prof. William James testified to this when Mrs. Piper informed him that his handsome living over 200 miles away in New York had died earlier that very morning. According to James:

"On reaching home an hour later I found a telegram reading as follows: aunt Kate passed away a few minutes after midnight."

Dr. James, undaunted by Mrs. Piper's capabilities, went so far as to bring visiting professors from foreign universities with the Mrs. Piper was not acquainted only to have her give the correct names of the professors, some of their parents, from which they died. James once wrote of her:
I now believe her to be in possession of the power as yet unexplained.

The British Society for psychic research enlisted the aid of detectives and investigators who observed Mrs. Piper under all conditions while she was in England, and Dr. Richard Hodgson, during the course of three months of exhaustive investigation. During the course of that investigation she told them the exact movements of persons in distant cities, and at another time under the control of the Spirit who identified himself as George Pelleuw, Mrs. Piper informed Dr. Hodgson of events and facts which were subsequently verified by more than 30 of Pelleuw's friends. Pelleuw correctly rejected more than 100 persons claiming to have known him in life and showed only those whom he had known!

Under the control of Pelleuw, Mrs. Piper translated perfectly a Greek phrase composed on the spur of the moment by classical Greek scholar. Mrs. Piper knew no Greek whatever, but George Pelleuw did. She also reported under Pelleuw's control with complete accuracy what Pelleuw's father, who lived in another city, was doing at that moment.

Prof. James Hyslop of Columbia University was totally the world are by Mrs. Piper win with the cooperation of Dr. Hodgson, he interviewed Mrs. Piper in science 17 times, only to be told by her his correct name in perfect answers to the questions which he addressed to her though she could not possibly have an access to the answers. Dr. Hyslop ended up believing that through Mrs. Piper he had actually communicated with the spirit of his department father!

Mrs. Piper herself believed that the powers which he possessed were not supernatural. In fact, she stated:

"I never heard of anything being said by myself during the trance which might not have been latent in my own mind or in the mind of the sitters or in the mind of some absent person alive somewhere else in the world. The theory of telepathy strongly appeals to me as the most plausible solution of the problem."

Despite this modest statement Mrs. Piper convinced Sir Oliver Lodge, Sir William crooks, Dr. William James, Dr. Hodgson and Dr. Hyslop , after more than fit $150,000 was spent on the most prolonged investigation in the history of psychic research, that she was indeed possessed of supernatural capacities and as the American Mercury pointed out, "Mrs. Piper is the only famous medium against whom no charger fraud was ever brought."

Conclusion
Evidence such as this cannot be dismissed but must indeed be studied carefully and will, I believe, demonstrate beyond the question of the doubt not only the existence of a spiritual dimension of reality of which the Bible speaks consistently but other capacity of some to penetrate this dimension. In the terms of Scripture such penetration can only culminate in a liaison with the forces of darkness of whom, in the light of Scripture, Mrs. Piper was a vehicle of communication.

Martin, Walter, F., Bethany House Minneapolis Minnesota. 1977, pp. 202-203.