90 years ago: The founding of Opus Dei

On October 2, 1928, Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, a Roman Catholic priest, founded the order Opus Dei (literally "Work of God") in Madrid. Opus Dei is the Roman Catholic Church's most controversial order. Its members are mostly lay people, and the order stresses the sanctity of ordinary work.

Opus Dei has been strongly supported and criticized. In 1982, Pope John Paul II declared the order to be a personal prelature, i.e., those in the order are under the authority of its leader wherever they are, rather than under the authority of the leader in a particular geographical area. Fr. Escrivá was canonized in 2002 by Pope John Paul II, who called him "the saint of ordinary life."

Opus Dei has been criticized for secretiveness, alleged cult-like practices; alleged support for governments such as the Spanish regime of Generalissimo Francisco Franco; and for being a "church within a church." Daily and weekly prayer and piety practices contain much in the way of ritual--a form of contemplative spirituality, which has been wreaking havoc in "Evangelical" churches in recent years. Christians familiar with contemplative spirituality will also recognize the Opus Dei practice of spiritual direction, in which less experienced members are coached one-on-one by more experienced members.

Another practice of Opus Dei that has come in for criticism is that of mortification of the flesh, manifested in such behaviours as self-flagellation. Such practices apparently existed in the professing Christian church even in its early decades, since the apostle Paul offered his own Holy Spirit-inspired criticism:

If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations—
“Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch”
(referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings?
These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. Colossians 2:20-23 (ESV)

5th century amulet from Turkey has been deciphered: It's in Aramaic, and cites Balaam as a hex against chariot racers

And the ass saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.
But the angel of the Lord stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side.
And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall: and he smote her again.
And the angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.
And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff. Numbers 22:23-27

Antioch tablet

As reported by Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz of Breaking Israel News, May 22, 2018:

A scroll from the fifth century made of thin lead and discovered in the 1930’s in Turkey has finally been deciphered, and its message is shocking: An amulet written in Aramaic, it refers to the Biblical story of Balaam, and researchers believe it was used by a Jew to curse opposition chariot racers.

The scroll made of thin lead was discovered buried in the Hippodrome in the city of Antioch some 70 years ago by researchers from Princeton University. It remained rolled up, its message hidden away, until two years ago when a project from Cologne university unrolled it thinking it was a Greek-language amulet, a fairly common practice of the time.

Upon closer inspection, the researchers discovered that the 3.5-inch x .8-inch sheet of metal was inscribed with Hebrew letters. They turned the project over to Tel Aviv University doctoral student Rivka Elitzur-Leiman who is studying Jewish magical amulets from the 4th-7th centuries for her dissertation. Using Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI), a technology which takes images in different lighting and from different angles, Elitzur-Leiman was able to decipher the inscriptions.

She identified the inscription as an Aramaic dialect written with Hebrew letters and used by Jews. The content, dealing with the Biblical story of Balaam and containing the Hebrew name of God (YHWH), seemed to confirm her theory.

“The curse calls upon the angel who stands before Balaam’s donkey to block the horses of the opposing team,” Elitzur-Leiman told Breaking Israel News. The hex also calls on God to cause the “Blue Team” horses to “drown in the mud.”

Many such scrolls from that period exist, and cursing chariot races and scrolls used for hexing horse races were fairly common since it was a popular sport in the Byzantine era. But to-date, such scrolls have only been found inscribed in Latin or Greek. This is the only example found of such a hex scroll that can be attributed to Jews.

Parts of the inscription were indecipherable as a nail had been driven through the metal to intensify the effects of the curse. Elitzur-Leiman explained that lead was used for hexing. The metal scroll was then buried in the soil where the race was being held, and the horses passing over it would activate it. Gold, silver or brass were used for amulets that generated blessings.

“The amulets were generally placed in cloth containers and worn on the body,” Elitzur-Leiman explained.

“Love amulets were also made from lead as they were considered a hex since they were particularly aggressive,” she said. “For example, the hex might try to prevent a woman from eating or drinking until she fell in love with a certain man.”

Many people think these types of amulets and hexes would not be used by religious Jews, but these types of amulets and hexes were actually very common, even among the Jews.

“Even though many rabbis object, they are still used by some Jews to this day,” Elitzur-Leiman said, citing examples of amulets from the Talmud. The phenomenon is so common to Judaism that is the subject of Elitzur-Leiman’s doctoral thesis. “They were used for many purposes including protection from the ‘evil-eye’, chasing away spirits and even success in court cases. They frequently contained verses from the Bible or Psalms.”

“Chariot races were very much like modern sporting events with fans getting very emotionally involved,” Elitzur-Leiman said. “Just as modern sports fans go to great lengths using good luck charms and other superstitions to help their team, chariot fans did the same in ancient times.”

“It seems clear that the Torah sages frowned upon such hexes and charms, and horse racing in particular, was censured,” Elitzur-Leiman said. “But here we have proof that even Jewish fans used curses against their competition.”

And now--robot priests

Robot clergy might be acceptable for a religion that consists of empty ritual, but not for a true faith in the living God. As reported by Samuel Gibbs in the British newspaper The Guardian, August 23, 2017 (links in original):

In Japan robots can serve as companions, helpers for the elderly, entertainment bots and even sexual partners, but now SoftBank’s humanoid robot Pepper has put itself up for hire as a Buddhist priest for funerals.

Taking the German blessing bot’s idea and running with it, Pepper’s new code will let it chant sutras in a computerised voice while tapping a drum, providing a cheaper alternative to a human priest to see your loved ones off into the eternal sleep.

The robot was on display on Wednesday at a funeral industry fair, the Life Ending Industry Expo, in Tokyo, shown off by plastic molding maker Nissei Eco.

With the average cost of a funeral in Japan reaching in excess of £20,000, according to data from Japan’s Consumer Association in 2008, and human priests costing £1,700, Nissei Eco is looking to undercut the market with Pepper available for just £350 per funeral.

With Japan’s population ageing and shrinking, many Buddhist priests receive less financial support from their communities, prompting some to find part-time work outside their temple duties, said Michio Inamura, Nissei’s executive adviser, who suggested Pepper could step in when a human wasn’t available.

Would-be funeral arrangers have the option to deck Pepper out in the robe of a Buddhist monk and can even live-stream the ceremony to those who can’t attend the funeral in person.

Buddhist priest Tetsugi Matsuo said he came to the expo to see if Pepper could “impart the ‘heart’ aspect to a machine because I believe that the ‘heart’ is the foundation of religion”.

Pepper has yet to be hired to conduct a funeral, but with robots slowly creeping into most facets of life it seem inevitable they will be involved in its end in one form or another.

A related earlier item, as reported by Harriet Sherwood in The Guardian, May 30, 2017 (links in original):

Five hundred years after revolutionary printing presses spread news of Martin Luther’s radical call for church reform across Europe, technology is again challenging religious tradition in the small German town of Wittenberg.

A robot priest that delivers blessings in five languages and beams light from its hands has been unveiled as part of an exhibition to mark the anniversary of the start of the Reformation, a Europe-wide religious, political and cultural upheaval sparked when Luther nailed his 95 theses to a church door in the town.

Half a millennium later, the robot, called BlessU-2, is intended to trigger debate about the future of the church and the potential of artificial intelligence.

“We wanted people to consider if it is possible to be blessed by a machine, or if a human being is needed,” Stephan Krebs of the Protestant church in Hesse and Nassau, which is behind the initiative, told the Guardian.

The robot has a touchscreen chest, two arms and a head. For the past 10 days it has offered blessings in a choice of German, English, French, Spanish or Polish. Worshippers can choose between a male or female voice.

The robot raises its arms, flashes lights, recites a biblical verse and says: “God bless and protect you.” If requested, it will provide a printout of its words. A backup robot is available in case of breakdown.

“The idea is to provoke debate,” said Krebs. “People from the street are curious, amused and interested. They are really taken with it, and are very positive. But inside the church some people think we want to replace human pastors with machines. Those that are church-oriented are more critical.”

Krebs and his colleagues are collecting responses for further analysis but he did not anticipate robots presenting a solution to a Europe-wide shortage of priests. A robot “could never substitute for pastoral care”, he said. “We don’t want to robotise our church work, but see if we can bring a theological perspective to a machine.”

The Wittenberg exhibition commemorates the anniversary of political and religious convulsions across Europe in the 16th century, resulting in the greatest schism in western Christianity and a string of religious wars.

Luther’s theses, written in Latin, fundamentally challenged the authority and elitism of the Roman Catholic church.

BlessU-2 is not the first robot to penetrate the world of faith. Last year, a Buddhist temple on the edge of Beijing developed a robot monk that could chant mantras and and explain basic tenets of the religion.

225 years ago: The birth of Charles G. Finney

On August 29, 1792, Charles Grandison Finney, a Presbyterian minister who was associated with the Second Great Awakening in the United States and who has been accurately called "The Father of American Revivalism," was born in Warren, Connecticut. He was President of Oberlin College in Ohio from 1851-1966 and died in Oberlin on August 16, 1875, 13 days before his 83rd birthday.

Mr. Finney believed in manipulating people's emotions in order to produce conversions, and I have no doubt that if he were around today, he would be a televangelist--and I don't mean that as a compliment. Click on the links for the excellent articles Charles Finney's Influence on American Evangelicalism by Bob DeWaay and The Disturbing Legacy of Charles Finney by Michael Horton.

10 years ago: The death of Tammy Faye Bakker

So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof. Proverbs 1:19

On July 20, 2007, Tammy Faye Messner, formerly Tammy Faye Bakker, died at the age of 65. Mrs. Messner, born Tamara LaValley, was the daughter of Pentecostal preachers, and was married to Jim Bakker from 1961-1992. The two founded the PTL Club (Praise the Lord) television program in 1974, and spent years preaching a false gospel of financial prosperity, using donations from viewers to finance their opulent lifestyle. The "ministry," which included the Heritage USA theme park, collapsed in sex and financial scandals in 1987, and Mr. Bakker went to prison for fraud. The couple divorced, and Mrs. Bakker married building contractor and family friend Roe Messner in 1993.

Mrs. Messner spent her final years promoting alternative medicine and becoming a sodomite icon, appearing in sodomy pride parades. She died after an 11-year battle with cancer, which I suspected may have been caused or exacerbated by chemicals from the outrageously large amounts of makeup she always covered herself with.

See my posts 25 years ago: The PTL scandal breaks, while Oral Roberts demands $8 million--or else! (March 17, 2012) and 25 years ago: PTL gives Jim Bakker the left foot of disfellowship (May 14, 2012).

Polygamous leader of Canadian "church" is sentenced to 18 months in prison for assaults on members

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Matthew 7:21-23

Anyone familiar with abusive churches and cults will find the characteristics of the leader of this Ontario "church" and his behaviour to be all too familiar. As reported by Scott Dunn of the Owen Sound Sun Times, September 14, 2016:

OWEN SOUND -

Disgraced Chatsworth church leader Fred King, known to his parishioners simply as “The Prophet,” was sentenced today to 18 months jail followed by two years probation.

His church, which came to public attention first through a W5 television expose, has disbanded, according to defence lawyer Paul Mergler.

King, 57, pleaded guilty in May to nine assaults which took place between Dec. 12, 1988 and Aug. 10, 2008, mostly in Chatsworth Township or elsewhere in Grey County, and in one case in Peel Region, involving four church members.

The abuse included squeezing a child's hand with crushing force for fighting with a sister, and beating a teen in church in front of its members after she'd tried to run away. King also beat a young man stripped of clothes in front of his mother, leaving him standing outside for hours at night as mosquitoes bit him.

Grey County Crown attorney Michael Martin said King, who led the church since 1986, was “all powerful within that religious denomination” and often preached for hours on end. He alone decided when behaviour needed “correction” and what form it took.

King, a tall, heavyset man, would “sadistically humiliate and repeatedly assault women . . . and children with complete impunity,” Martin said.

This breach of trust was often carried out in front of the congregation, Martin noted. Victims worked in “church-controlled jobs, either as farm labour or within the printing business.”

King had nothing to say when given the opportunity to speak in court Wednesday.

King admitted in the Superior Court of Justice in May to a litany of physical abuse, often designed to humiliate, something Justice Clayton Conlan said he found particularly disturbing as he accepted the sentence recommended by Crown and defence.

He called King's abuse of his church members a “gross violation” of King's position of trust. Emotional scars left, he suspects, will never heal. The “sordid” facts were the primary aggravating factor in deciding the sentence.

But to his credit, King pleaded guilty, saving the justice system time and avoiding aggravation the victims would have had to endure at trial. He's a first offender, Conlan said.

King's victims in the charges he admitted to include three males between 11 and 19 years of age at the time, and Carol Christie. She and husband John Christie did not attend the sentencing because they attended a funeral instead.

Only Christie, 63, of Owen Sound, may be named under terms of a publication ban, which was lifted on her name with her agreement. The ban was imposed to protect the privacy of the other victims at the Crown's request.

After a particularly severe and humiliating attack in front of parishioners, which was detailed in court, Christie ran from the church in March 2008, never to return. Two of the charges King pleaded to related to assaults on her when she was roughly 35 to 55 years old.

Christie came forward and was featured on a W5 investigative report, and in local media in 2012, which detailed abuse allegations. The television report led the OPP to investigate, Martin said.

Christie and her husband wrote a book about her experiences in the church.

A former church member has alleged that Fred King had many wives at once who were handed down from his father, Stan King. But no polygamy charges ever resulted from the 16-month police investigation.

Among charges that were withdrawn Wednesday were six allegations of sexual misconduct including on a young girl and a woman. In two cases the charges alleged repeated sexual assaults. The Crown said he stands behind the credibility of Christie, one of those complaints.

Defence lawyer Mergler said late disclosure of information led to the plea arrangement and withdrawal of the sex related charges.

Mergler, said its been tough on his client while facing these charges and before, when a civil suit was settled with a number of complainants who all received “very significant” damage awards.

So it could be argued, he said, financial “restitution” has already been made to the extent possible. He also said there were “numerous and huge triable issues” in this case which had been set for three weeks of trial before a judge alone.

“There have been death threats,” against King, at least one of which police were told about and which led to imposition of a peace bond, Mergler said. “There was vandalism, including people urinating on the gates to the property. There has been some effective banishment and public vilification, one could say.”

King's “health has suffered” from stress-related issues which arose with this court matter.

A term of bail required him not to live at home in Chatsworth, but instead in Oakville with his wife and brother Joe, one of his bail guarantors, who died this summer. That required Fred to take on many more duties in the family printing plant, which will miss him while he's in jail, Mergler said.

Letters from three of King's children, all adults now, and from his wife, who attended court Wednesday, were submitted for the judge to consider. They work for the family printing business too. “The church has been disbanded. So so all of those people are there because they want to be,” Mergler said.

King always “adamantly denied” any of the sexual charges, he noted. But his crimes, court case precedents and terms of the Criminal Code all “cry out for a jail term” in this case, he said.

“Clearly the time for impunity has past.”

Fred King's brother, Judson King, is charged with assault with a weapon, sexual assault and three counts of assault between 1981 and 2007. He is to appear in assignment court in the Superior Court of Justice Nov. 7.

See also Mr. Dunn's article Church leader guilty of nine assaults (May 10, 2016).

As reported by Jonathan Sher of the London Free Press, September 23, 2016 (bold in original):

In the end, the decision whether to accept a plea bargain for the abusive leader of a Southwestern Ontario church was put in the hands of the woman who suffered some of his cruellest blows.

Carol Christie contends she was forced into the Church of Jesus Christ Restored as a teenager by her mother, forced to be intimate as a minor with church founder Stan King, and later, his son Fred king and forced to endure beatings that ripped the fabric from her body and the spirit from her soul — claims that King denied in defending the lawsuit before settling out of court.

So when Grey County Crown attorney Michael Martin said just four days before the trial was to start in May that King was willing to plead guilty to assault charges if sex-related allegations were dropped, Martin recommended the deal, but said he’d go through with a trial if that’s what Christie wanted.

“He was prepared to continue (with a trial) but recommended that we not,” Christie’s husband John Christie told The Free Press. Martin declined to be interviewed by The Free Press.

King admitted he squeezed a child’s hand with crushing force, beat in front of parishioners a teen after she’d tried to run away and stripped a young man in front of his mother, then left him standing outside for hours at night as mosquitoes bit him.

Fred King’s willingness to plead guilty to some charges stunned his victims, who as members of his church outside Chatsworth, near Owen Sound, were taught to call him “prophet” and to believe what he said was the word of God.

“We never thought we’d get a confession from him. We were taken back,” John Christie said.

It was Carol Christie who blew the whistle on King, fleeing his grip in 2008, marrying John a year later, writing a book that alleged she was one of King’s seven wives, appearing on CTV’s W5 in 2012 and filing a lawsuit that was settled out of court with a payment.

That King was only sentenced last week to 18 months in jail and two years of probation disappointed the lawyer who represented Christie and other victims in civil cases.

John Tamming doesn’t blame the judge or Martin but does take aim at a higher authority. “The (judge) is constrained in such cases by what our Court of Appeal has approved as an appropriate bandwidth for such sentences. Clearly, I am disappointed that such pattern of abuse can result in such a relatively minor penalty (and Mr. King will doubtless serve only a part of this sentence),” Tamming wrote in response to questions from The Free Press.

“Fred King was a vicious tyrant. He used his cult to bend vulnerable people to do whatever suited his will. The public beatings and humiliations that took place in the Chatsworth meeting house in particular ensured him a compliant congregation. His mad and violent outbursts also maintained a cowed group of employees who were fully prepared to work for years at slave wages in his printing plant. I would have hoped that placed in that context, the assaults to which he pleaded guilty would have attracted a much longer prison term.”

There was a time, not so long ago, that Carol and John Christie thought a trial might be best, not only because it would expose King’s atrocities but also the great extent to which his followers were brainwashed.

“We were, in one way, looking forward to the trial,” John Christie said. “(Church members defending King would) all be sticking to the same script with very little variation from what they were told to say.”

But they also believed that King’s lawyer would attack the mental stability of Carol Christie. They knew it would be difficult to prove allegations of sexual assaults and crimes without third-party witnesses. And they were convinced church members would testify to whatever King commanded.

“The prophet is all-powerful in this. He’s supposed to be their direct link to God and they do not question that,” John Christie said.

Four days before the scheduled trial in May, Christie agreed to the plea bargain.

There’s no dispute 18 months in jail pales compared to longer sentences given for crimes of lesser significance, John Christie said. They’re disappointed, too, that King wasn’t charged with polygamy but understand that such a charge might not stick because King consummated all marriages but one in bed — only one wife had a marriage licence, Christie said.

But John Christie and his wife focus on what they did accomplish. “There’s the satisfaction of knowing we did our best. The church is disbanded. The printing company that financially supported it is on shaky ground. There are few more escapees. Fred is serving a sentence we’ve been able to get information to the public that this sort of thing can happen in your own backyard.”

Carol Christie chose not to attend the sentencing last Wednesday, her emotional energy spent from an eight-year battle to expose the church and its practices, her husband explained. For the same reason she asked her husband to respond to questions about the sentencing and the church.

After the sentencing, she cried tears of relief, her husband said. “It’s over,” she said. “It’s really over.”

--- --- ---

ESCAPEES’ STRUGGLES

The out-of court settlement agreed to by Carol Christie forbids her from disclosing how much she was paid after she sued Fred King, his church, his brother Joseph King and the corporation the brothers control for $14.5 million for damage they allegedly inflicted on her and the wealth they generated forcing her to work for nearly nothing for their company.

But her husband John Christie says she already has spent between a third and a half of the payout helping others who escaped the church — a number that’s grown with King’s conviction and the church’s supposed demise.

Escapees need help, he said. Their development was stunted in a cult where all major life decisions were made by King. Everything they earned went to support King, his only legal wife and their children, whom followers called the royal family, and all they received back were $10 and $20 a week allowances, Christie said.

There are mid-age people from the church with less life skills than teenagers, he said. “They don’t know anything else. How are they going to function?”

--- --- ---

RULING WITH AN IRON FIST

Other assaults to which Fred King pleaded guilty:
Threw from a chair into a prayer circle of women a boy who was 11 or 12 at the time, then kicked, punched and slapped him, then also slapped his six-year-old brother in the face.
Punched, slapped and spit on a boy who was 14 or 15, then ordered him to strip naked with his pants around his ankles in front of the boy’s mother and brother and preached to them for hours. Another time he punched the boy and gave him a black eye, threw him to the ground and stomped on his chest because King was unhappy with the way he was building a fence for the church.
After another boy of 15 or 16 tried to run away, King punched and kicked him, sometimes in the back of the head, in front of the congregation. Years later, when the boy was 19, King threw him from the back of a pickup truck after taunting him by repeatedly telling the boy to get in the truck, each time driving away.

--- --- ---

CHRONOLOGY

-1960s: Stan King preaches in Owen Sound at the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which follows the Book of Mormon but is a smaller denomination than the mainstream Mormon church based in Utah. 15-year-old Carol Christie attends the church.

- 1972: King officially breaks away from the Mormon church to start the Church of Jesus Christ Restored, first preaching in homes and later at a farmhouse near Sauble Beach. Christie alleges she became one of Stan King’s wives after she was beaten by a church member for rejecting his advances. That allegation has not been tested in court.

- 1982: King moves the church to a bankrupt ski resort he purchased in 1982 of the village of Chatsworth southeast of Owen Sound.

- 1986: Stan King dies and his son Fred King takes over; Christie alleges the father’s wives, then numbering six, were passed on to the son. Police later investigate claims of polygamy but lay no charges.

- 1998-2008: King repeatedly slaps, spits on and pulls the hair of Christie before the congregation, he later admits in criminal court.

- March 23, 2008: On Easter Sunday in front of the congregation, Fred King calls Carol Christie an “Indian bitch,” pulls her hair, spits in her face and repeatedly slaps her on the head, according to an agreed statement of facts later submitted in court. Christie flees the church two days later.

2010 – Christie files a lawsuit that soon settles out of court with a payment she can’t disclose because of a confidentiality clause in the deal. A lawsuit is later filed and settled with five other who fled the church.

- Nov. 17, 2012: W5 televises Christie story.

- Nov. 20, 2012: OPP launch investigation

- 2013: Carol and John Christie publish a book, Property. The True Story of a Polygamous Church Wife, that alleged Stan King had six wives, one whom he married at age 10.

- April 2014: OPP charge Fred King with sexual exploitation, sexual interference, three counts of sexual assault, three counts of assault causing bodily harm, five counts of uttering death threats, two counts of assault with a weapon and 10 counts of assault. They also charge his brother Judson with assault with a weapon, uttering death threats and four counts of assault. The alleged offences occurred from 1978 to 2008. Police arrest Fred King April 11 at a Hamilton hotel.

May 2016: King pleads guilty to nine assault charges after the Crown drops the remaining charges.

Sept. 14 2016: King is sentenced to 18 months in jail plus two years of probation. His brother Judson is next scheduled to appear in court in November.

--- --- ---

‘She had no idea who we were’

It’s been 30 years since Karen Siegrist was allowed to see her daughter and grandkids without being under the eye of the leader of a cult-line church, Fred King, and 13 years since she last heard her voice.

So while the Crown attorney and the defence lawyer for King jointly recommended an 18-month sentence for King on nine assault charges, a man whom followers called “prophet”, his time in jail pales compared to the time the 77-year-old Siegrist has been kept away from her eldest child.

“I thought it was a joke,” Siegrist said of the criminal proceedings and sentencing last week of King.

Her daughter Dawn Knisley was just 17 in 1973 when she disappeared from nursing school in Barrie, her family hiring a private investigator to try to find her, Knisley’s sister Risa Walker recalled. A year later, she surfaced in Owen Sound, working as a cashier, so Walker, then 14, and her mother Siegrist went to see her.

“I walked up to her and said hi. She looked at me like she had no idea who we were. She didn’t know us from Adam,” Walker told The Free Press.

A year away from family had changed her forever, Siegrist said. “When she came back, she was not my daughter,” she said.

Dawn Knisley had forged a relationship with a young man whose mother was an ardent member of the Church of Jesus Christ Restored, whose founder Stan King, the father of Fred King, had broken off from a Mormon church in Owen Sound to create his own following, initially at a compound in Sauble Beach.

After Knisley married the man two days after her 18th birthday, Stan King allowed Siegrist access to her daughter, so Siegrist came often to their home, bringing food, toys and whatever her daughter might need for a rapidly growing family — she would have five kids.

Later, when Siegrist drove to her daughter’s small farm home near the church compound, a former ski resort outside Chatsworth, church members drove up within minutes, not saying a word to Siegrist and her husband, only watching.

The next time Siegrist visited her daughter, the church members were there again within minutes — even though the home wasn’t visible from the highway. Siegrist wondered how the church always knew when she came, then had a chilling suspicion: Her grandkids has been told to phone church authorities whenever Grandma showed.

“The grandchildren were programmed,” Siegrist said.

The transition from the elder King to his son was stark, said John Christie, who married Carol Christie after she fled the church. Stan King wanted to expand his church, sponsored a church in India and welcomed outsiders to attend services or fish on church property. But after Stan King died, support for the church in India was pulled, attendance at services was restricted to members and outsiders kept at a distance, even when one of Siegrist’s granddaughters, just four-years-old at the time, was seriously injured in an accident at the Knisley farm that shattered her pelvis, Knisley’s sister Risa Walker said.

Siegrist phoned to find out what had happened — news had spread an air ambulance had flown a child to Toronto — but was hung up on by a church member.

“She told my mother she couldn’t share that information,” Walker said.

Walker drove to Sick Kids in Toronto to see her niece, the last time she saw her or Knisley — it was about 1991.

Siegrist last heard from Knisley in December of 2003, the year Siegrist’s own mother passed away after telling the family not to tell Knisley about her illness, Walker said. So when Siegrist mailed Christmas gifts to Knisley and the grandchildren, she included a copy of the death notice. Throughout decades of strife, the hardest part for Walker was watching her mother endure her grief even as she raised her kids as a single parent and worked three jobs to make ends meet. The separation from her sister ripped Walker apart until 20 years ago, when she decided she needed to focus on her own family and find a way to let her older sister go.

“It was almost like going into grieving. It was the only way I could get through the sadness,” Walker said.

Fred King’s lawyer told the court his church had disbanded. However the thought to Walker that members who made the church their lives will simply walk away is “the biggest bucket of hogwash I’ve ever heard,” she said.

110 years ago: The Azusa Street Revival begins

On April 14, 1906, African Methodist Episcopal Church on Azusa Street in Los Angeles held its first service under pastor William J. Seymour in what became known as the Azusa Street Revival, beginning the Pentecostal movement. This blogger regards this anniversary as one to be noted, but not celebrated. I don't have the time or energy to catalogue the legacy of the Azusa Street Revival, especially with the increasingly aberrant fruit being produced today. For a small sample of such, click on the "charismania" label for this post; a better idea is to search various blogs on my blogroll, where there's plenty of information to be found.

40 years ago: The death of Kathryn Kuhlman

And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: Luke 4:23a

On February 20, 1976, Miss Kuhlman, was one of the most famous "faith healers" of the 20th century, died at the age of 68. As is so often the case, Miss Kuhlman, who conducted crusades in a career that ran from the 1930s until her death, led an immoral life. She met a married revivalist named Burroughs Waltrip, who divorced his wife and married Miss Kuhlman in 1938. The marriage was reportedly a disaster from the start, and the two divorced in 1948 after several years of separation. Miss Kuhlman travelled through the United States before settling in Los Angeles in 1970, where she continued her healing crusades and was often regarded as a successor to Aimee Semple McPherson. Miss Kuhlman's television program I Believe in Miracles was widely syndicated throughut North America.

Miss Kuhlman was accused of financial impropriety in 1975 in a case that was settled out of court, and the healings claimed from her crusades were disputed by physicians such as William Nolen, and other critics. Miss Kuhlman suffered a minor heart problem in the summer of 1975, suffered a relapse in November, and died after open-heart surgery, apparently unable to heal herself.

Kathryn Kuhlman has left a dubious legacy, being a significant influence on later generations of faith healers, such as the notorious liar and false teacher Benny Hill Hinn. Those who are interested in further reading on Miss Kuhlman are invited to search various blogs and sites listed on this blog, such as Way of Life Literature.

50 years ago: The death of false prophet William Branham

But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.
And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken?
When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him. Deuteronomy 18:20-22

For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Acts 20:29-30

On December 24, 1965, William Marrion Branham, generally acknowledged to be the founder of the post-World War II healing "revival," died at the age of 56, six days after suffering serious injuries in a car accident. He claimed to be the "Elijah" prophet of the Laodicean age just prior to the return of Jesus to Earth, and became the object of a personality cult; his followers apparently expected Mr. Branham to rise from the dead, and didn't bury him until April 11, 1966.

Other people have done a better job than this blogger ever could of cataloguing Mr. Branham's heresies and false prophecies (and such an undertaking would require more time than I'm willing to spend). For further information, I suggest Seek the Truth; I have my doubts about the biblical orthodoxy of Believe The Sign, but it's useful for information on William Branham.

Newspaper "Religion Calendar" items offer an interesting snapshot of the current scene

From the Edmonton Journal 's Religion Calendar, July 11, 2015 (bold in original, links inserted by blogger):

Summer Silent Directed Retreat: Sunday, 5 p.m. to July 16, 1 p.m., at Star of the North Retreat Centre, 3A St. Vital Ave., St. Albert. Refresh your spirit and renew your relationship with God on this summer retreat. Spiritual directors: Patricia MacDonald, Fr. Mike McCaffrey, archbishop emeritus Sylvain Lavoie, and Pat Jamison. Call 780-459-5511 or visit starofthenorth.ca

Ramadan Iftar Dinner: Tuesday, 8:30 p.m. at the legislature grounds. Cultural exhibition, live music performances, pocorn and complimentary sundown Iftar dinner, the traditional meal that celebrates the end of daylight fasting during the Muslim month of Ramadan. RSVP to edmonton@interculturaldialog.com by Monday.

All Beings Confluence: July 19, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., at Southminster Steinhauer United Church, 10740 19th Ave. A community-based interactive project inspired by Carolyn McDade, a composer, social activist and environmentalist whose music has sustained and nourished many over the decades. It is an ever-expanding installation of more than 250 sheer fabrics created by many different individuals. Walk among them to experience being a part of a vast, complex and interconnected whole. For information: allbeingsconfluence.wordpress.com

Mindfulness Meditation Circle: July 22, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Star of the North Retreat Centre, 3A St. Vital Ave., St. Albert. Mindfulness practice helps to reduce stress, improve attention, boost the immune system, reduce emotional reactivity, and promote a general sense of health and well-being. All are welcome: beginners, newcomers as well as seasoned practitioners. For information, contact Laurel Vespi, or visit events at stonecirclecoaching.com

Christian Weekend Retreat Yoga: July 24, 7 p.m. to July 26, 1 p.m., at Providence Renewal Centre, 3005 119th St. Practise yoga postures and breathing techniques that will calm the busyness of your mind, open your heart to God, and help your body build flexibility, strength, and balance. Bring a yoga mat and blanket. Contact Kathy, 780-701-1854, or visit providencerenewal.ca

Meditation Retreat: July 25, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at Providence Renewal Centre, 3005 119th St. Instruction in meditation with Kushok Lobsang Dhamchoe, a Buddhist monk who is a knowledgeable teacher and lifelong practitioner. Contact the Gaden Samten Ling Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Society office, gadensamtenling.org, 780-479-0014, or visit gasamling.ca

Gilligan's Island Vacation Bible School: July 27 to 30, 6:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m., at Hosanna Lutheran Church, 9009 163rd St. Join Gilligan and his mates for an enriching week as we discover the hidden treasures of the Bible. Crafts, science, music, drama and more. Free event. For information, contact sonja@hosannalutheran.ab.ca, 780-484-3932, or visit hosannalutheran.ab.ca

Vacation Bible School: Aug. 17, 6 p.m. to Aug. 21, 9:30 a.m., at Millwoods Presbyterian Church, 6607 31st Ave. Vacation Bible School for stories and songs, games, crafts and snacks. Join us for all the fun.

================================
See also my previous posts:

Today's "Vacation Bible School" offers more "vacation" than "Bible"

More evidence that today's yesterday's evangelicals are tomorrow's today's liberals

80 years ago: The founding of Alcoholics Anonymous

On June 10, 1935, Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in Akron, Ohio by "Bill W." (Bill Wilson) and Dr. Bob Smith. AA's 12-step approach to dealing with drinking has been widely adopted by churches in dealing with various problems, and is widely, but erroneously, viewed as being compatible with Christianity. Go to My Word Like Fire and search under "AA" or "Alcoholics Anonymous" for excellent posts on this organization.

Peruvian paganism proves fatal for Canadian woman

For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. II Timothy 3:6-7

As reported by Betty Ann Adam of the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, February 5, 2015:

A Saskatoon woman who died in the Peruvian jungle after drinking a nicotine-based tea during a spiritual ceremony was "a seeker" who had travelled extensively on a spiritual quest, her mother said.

Jennifer Joy Logan, 32, died Jan. 17 at a retreat centre in the rainforest about two hours outside of Puerto Maldonado in southeastern Peru, said her mother, Berdeena Logan.

According to the Canto Luz centre's website, it offers retreats and ceremonies using ayahuasca, which Wikipedia describes as "a psychedelic brew made out of Banisteriopsis caapi vine in combination with various plants," and which is used for "divinatory and healing purposes by the native peoples of Amazonian Peru."

Participants purge before consuming that brew.

Police have not concluded their investigation.

Berdeena Logan said she and Jennifer's sister, Amy Logan, went to Puerto Maldonado and met with people from the Canto Luz centre who were present during the incident and who are devastated, Berdeena said.

"She had a drink and it was a nicotine-based tea for purging for a spiritual ceremony. She was vomiting, which was to be expected, and then she started convulsing and went unconscious," she said.

The shaman assistants she spoke to said they performed CPR, but they were two hours away from medical help. They used a motorcycle to transport her but she died en route to Puerto Maldonado, Logan said.

"This has never happened to them. They were good people but something terrible, terribly went wrong." An autopsy found Jennifer died from a pulmonary edema.

Berdeena's nephew, who speaks Spanish, joined her and Amy in Peru for three days. The family had difficulty obtaining permission to bring Jennifer's remains back to Canada. Authorities wanted to keep the body in Peru for a year as physical proof in a murder investigation and then exhume her if necessary, Logan said.

"It was a very intense experience ... We just had countless hurdles. And then the embassy stepped in at that point and really came through for us so we could bring her ashes home. We did what we had to do and we brought her home."

Jennifer graduated from Aden Bowman high school and held a bachelor's degree in geography and international studies from the University of Winnipeg and a master's degree in geography from York University.

According to her obituary, she travelled and worked with trafficked women and girls in Nepal, worked on housing issues while attending university and, as chair of World University Services of Canada, worked to provide scholarships for people in refugee camps and then befriended and mentored them when they arrived in Canada.

She travelled in Canada, Tibet, Thailand, Europe, India and Saudi Arabia. "She had done a lot of things. She had been in India for a couple of years and she had been in ashrams in silent meditation and had taken yoga for several weeks up in the mountains in India," her mother said.

"She was a seeker and a searcher always. She was so committed to making a difference. This offered indigenous plants, you could go in the jungle and (there was) naturopathic healing. But she was a very healthy person. This was just in pursuit of knowledge, natural."

Her father, Fraser Logan said, "She liked to investigate things like that, just had no prejudices, formed her own opinions as she went along."

When I read this article, it reminds me of my favourite episode of the television series Dragnet '67, The LSD Story. Near the end, Joe Friday enters a crash pad and finds two male hippies. One of them is sitting against a wall, and his friend says, "He's been like that all day; he kept saying he wanted to further and further out." Sgt. Friday replies, "He made it; he's dead." (Dum-da-dum-dum)

Unfortunately, this young woman's spiritual quest led her to look for the truth everywhere except the only real source of truth, the Lord Jesus Christ:

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6

Members of pseudo-Christian cult in China arrested for spreading December 21, 2012 fear

Hysteria about the end of the Mayan calendar on December 21, 2012 could be found anywhere. Another backlog item, as reported by Associated Press, December 18, 2012:

Beijing — Chinese police have detained more than 100 people, among them members of a fringe Christian group, for spreading rumors about the world's impending end, state media reported Tuesday.

Police seized leaflets, video discs, books and other apocalyptic materials in the recent arrests of 101 people across eight provinces and regions, from the prosperous east coast to less developed western China, the Xinhua News Agency said.

The detentions come ahead of Friday, Dec. 21 — a date some say the Mayans prophesized would be the end of the world and which was the subject of the apocalyptic movie "2012."

Nearly half those detained are reported to be members of the group Almighty God, which is also called Eastern Lightning, after a phrase from the Bible's Book of Matthew. Widely regarded as a heretical Christian sect, the group preaches that Jesus has reappeared as a woman in central China. It has been accused of targeting Christians, kidnapping and beating them to force conversions.

Chinese society has been in tumult as decades of rapid free-market economic growth discredit communist ideology, loosen social controls and pull hundreds of millions from the countryside to the cities. Into the spiritual void have rushed traditional Buddhist groups and Daoist practices, as well as evangelical Christian churches and other spiritual groups, some with unorthodox and apocalyptic visions.

Eastern Lightning first appeared around 20 years ago, and Xinhua said that its members had "recently latched on to the Mayan doomsday prophesy to predict that the sun will not shine and electricity will not work for three days beginning on Dec. 21."

The state-run Huashang website last week, citing local authorities, reported that the group is urging followers to "exterminate the great red dragon" — a reference to the Communist Party — "and found a country under the rule of Almighty God."

Emptying wallets while emptying minds: Edmonton's Urban Sanctuary continues to fleece the flock in 2013

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. II Peter 1:3 (NIV)

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. II Peter 2:1-3

For background information on Urban Sanctuary, please see this post from August 4, 2012.

After charging $325 for a four-days of instruction in spiritual formation in 2012, Urban Sanctuary has a number of ripoffs events scheduled for 2013--all at considerable prices (bold added by blogger):

Our Stories: Telling and Listening

Friday, February 1 through Saturday, February, 2, 2013.

Our Stories: Telling and Listening will be a time of learning how to listen and respond deeply, reflectively, and from the heart; a time of discovering new ways to attend to each other's soul.

This retreat runs from 6:30 to 9:30 PM on Friday and runs from 9 AM to 8 PM on Saturday.

When February 1st, 2013 6:00 PM through February 2nd, 2013 8:00 PM

Location Urban Sanctuary 11525 - 23 Ave Edmonton, T6J 4T3 Canada

Event Fee(s) Event Fee $ 125.00

Healthy Soul 2013 - Encountering God in the Ordinary

God has spoken to the people of God throughout the centuries, primarily through the every day events of their lives. The challenge has been to discern the voice of God and to decipher the message which God was conveying. God continues to make known his desires for us; both through the Word of God and in the everyday events of our lives. The challenge and invitation remains: to listen.

At "Encountering God in the Ordinary" Healthy Soul 2013, Dr. Joyce Peasegood will be encouraging us to develop an awareness of God's fingerprint in everyday life, and to mature in our ability to discern the voice of God within our daily experiences.

Healthy Soul 2013 is being held this coming March 8-9 at River West Christian Church (see below for map).

Dr. Joyce Peasgood is a spiritual director, lecturer, retreat director, and the founding director of Anam Chara Centre for Christian Formation located in Calgary. She has completed a Masters at Regent College, majoring in spiritual theology, and a DTh in Christian Spirituality from UNISA. Joyce is ordained with the Canadian Baptists of Western Canada. Currently, she directs and teaches the Soul Care spiritual direction program under the ministry of the Anam Chara Centre. The Anam Chara Centre was formed in the beginning of 2012, as a ministry of spiritual formation and transformation.

Joyce, and her husband, Ed, have 3 grown children and enjoy being grandparents to four grandkids.

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Healthy Soul 2013 - Details

Conference Fees (Register by February 15, 2013 and save $10 on the Regular Registration)
• Regular Registration $75 ($65 before Feb 15, 2013)
• Student Registration $50
• Groups of 7+ $60 per person Call (780) 477-5731 to register a group

Healthy Soul 2013 - Schedule
• Friday ◦ 6:30 pm - Registration Opens
◦ 7:30 - 9 pm - "Ordinary Moments in Scripture" with Dr. Joyce Peasgood

• Saturday ◦ 9 am - "Encountering God in the Everyday" with Dr. Joyce Peasgood
◦ 10:30 am - Breakout session #1 (options: 1.Getting ready for Missionary Service, 2. If Only I Could, or 3. Spirituality on the Run)
◦ 11:30 am - Lunch (Included in Registration)
◦ 1 pm - Breakout session #2 (options: 1.Getting ready for Missionary Service, 2. If Only I Could, or 3. Spirituality on the Run)
◦ 2:15 pm - "Transformational Moments" With Dr. Joyce Peasgood
◦ 3:30 pm - Conference ends

When March 8th, 2013 7:00 PM through March 9th, 2013 3:30 PM

Location River West Christian Church 19815 - 45 Avenue Edmonton, AB T6M 2N4 Canada

Conference Fee(s) Regular Admission $ 65.00
Student Admission $ 50.00

Creating a Prayer Retreat

There is a growing awareness among Christians that in our fast-paced and competitive society, people have an increased need for rejuvenation, rest, and attention to the inner person

Urban Sanctuary offers a place of retreat and refreshment in the midst of the duties of life. Come and be refreshed through prayer, attentiveness to God, and the Word, and be equipped with spiritual practices to sustain you in your everyday life.

Creating a Prayer Retreat includes:
• Teaching on types of prayer
• Learning to recognize ways of encountering God
• Identifying key elements of a prayer retreat
• Developing themes and flow in a prayer retreat

This course is designed to teach you to develop your own personal prayer retreats or lead groups in weekend prayer retreats.

The retreat will be on Wednesday and Thursday evening from 6 - 10 pm.
• $80/person

Go to Event Information and registration

When April 10th, 2013 6:00 PM through April 11th, 2013 10:00 PM

Location Urban Sanctuary 11523 - 23 Ave 6724 - 86 Street Edmonton, AB T6J 4T3 Canada

Residential Prayer Retreat

There is a growing awareness among Christians that in our fast-paced and competitive society people have an increased need for rejuvenation, rest, and attention to the inner person

Urban Sanctuary offers a place of retreat and refreshment in the midst of the duties of life. Come and be refreshed through prayer, attentiveness to God and the Word, and be equipped with spiritual practices to sustain you in your everyday life

Prayer retreat includes::
• Practice & experience various kinds of prayer
• Enjoy communal worship and solitude time

This retreat will be a residential retreat from Friday 7 pm January 4 - Sunday, 5 pm, January 6.

$200 for a single accommodation
$300 for a double accommodation

When April 12th, 2013 7:00 PM through April 14th, 2013 5:00 PM

Location Providence Renewal Centre 3005 - 119th ST NW Edmonton, AB T6J 5R5 Canada

Art, Vocabulary of the Soul 2013

Throughout Christian history the arts have been central to Christian worship. They are an avenue in which many find a close connection to God. In this Friday and Saturday workshop we will explore the connection between art and faith. This is a hands on workshop that will include both teaching and our own creating, and in our creations we will have the opportunity to both give and receive. This workshop is for artists, would be artists, and for those who are curious about art and faith. Students will be encouraged to create in the art of their choice -- painting, writing, sculpture, etc., and instruction and supplies for water color and drawing will be provided for those who desire it.

Workshop Presenter: Artist Julie Drew. Cost $125 per person, Bring a lunch for Saturday.

Date : April 19 & 20, 2013

Schedule : Friday 7 - 9:30 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

When April 19th, 2013 7:00 PM through April 20th, 2013 4:00 PM

Location Urban Sanctuary 11523 - 23 Ave Edmonton, AB T6J 4T3 Canada

As with the spiritual formation workshop in 2012, not only does Urban Sanctuary charge $125 for the art workshop, but they don't even provide lunch.

United Methodist pastor in Dallas observes Ramadan

Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.
For the customs of the people are vain: Jeremiah 10:2-3a

Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. Matthew 6:16-18

Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules:
“Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”?
These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings.
Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. Colossians 2:20-23 (NIV)

As reported by Muslim commentator Dina Malki of Examiner.com, July 29, 2012 (links in original):

United Methodist Rev. Wess Magruder has not only decided to observe the Ramadan fast this year with his Muslim friends, blog about his experience, but break his fast with Muslims as well. Last night, Magruder accepted the invitation of a local Muslim to eat “iftar,” the fast-breaking meal at the McKinney Islamic Association. Having succeeded in fasting from sunrise till sunset for eight consecutive days, the pastor appreciated God's grace in this communal meal. Most importantly, this celebration reminded him of the main reason why he had decided to fast: neighborly love.

Magruder writes on his blog how he has been feeling spiritually stale lately and how he was yearning to the old Christian fast that he believes Americans are not big fans of. Therefore, Magruder turned to the Muslim faith for inspiration since he knew that Muslims have successfully been fasting for 30 days each year during Ramadan for over fourteen hundred years. The Muslim fast is a total abstention from eating and drinking during the daylight hours. Furthermore, the fast goes beyond the stomach to include the eyes, the tongue, the ears, and all limbs which are expected to be trained to submit to the pleasure of God by refraining from ill manners and moral vice. A few Muslims succeed in attaining a heart-fast where they become spiritually submissive to the divine as well.

Thus, Magruder’s blog includes a lot of comparative religion as well as spiritual efforts for a quest for the Divine. "I feel a constant “buzz” [during the fast] in my head," he wrote. "This buzz serves a useful purpose, by the way. It keeps me conscious of God, of God’s presence, of God’s will that is bursting to become real in the world. And so when something else isn’t going on in front of me, the buzz reminds me to speak to God."

Another main reason that the pastor took on the Muslim fast is his Christian ethics of loving God and loving neighbors. “But there’s another reason that I have chosen to ‘act like a Muslim’ over the next thirty days. I truly want to stand in solidarity with my friend, [Imam Sheikh] Yaseen, and his congregation in Plano. I want them to know that I do not resent their presence in my community and country. In fact, I am very glad that they are here.” (The New MethoFesto)

Not realizing what his blogging experience might trigger, Rev. Magruder woke up on July 26, the seventh day of Ramadan, to a flooded email inbox with comments from his blog. His blog posts have been picked up by local Muslims and Christians as well as by nation-wide readers who sent words of encouragement, advice, and support. The Huffington Post Ramadan Liveblog even included his posts. “I am overwhelmed by the response,” Magruder wrote.

Most Muslim commentators gave the pastor “high fives,” advice on surviving the fast, and thank you notes for sharing the experience online. One particular reader, Osman, invited Magruder to the break-fasting meal at the McKinney mosque mentioned earlier.

It's obvious from Pastor Magruder's blog posts that he doesn't understand the grace of God as revealed through His Son Jesus Christ's death on the cross to pay the full penalty for our sins. Like the Israelites in Jeremiah's day who worshipped the true God in the Temple and then worshipped false gods in pagan temples, Pastor Magruder seems to think that it's okay to worship God in a mosque as well as a supposedly Christian church. What an abomination.

When it comes to hypocrisy, Pastor Magruder takes a back seat to no one. Here is what he says about fasting:

9. Fast like Jesus – simply and privately (Matthew 6:16-18). Jesus assumes that we fast. His instructions about fasting begin with the phrase, “And whenever you fast.” That means we should be fasting.

This is one spiritual discipline that United Methodists in America fail to exercise on a consistent basis. It’s probably because we are programmed to consume. We don’t comprehend how to go without, and therefore, don’t correlate “going without” with spiritual growth.

I believe that fasting is the one thing that we United Methodists in America need the most. We have to develop this practice, and learn the discipline of abstaining from things, from prosperity, from greed, from acquisition, from capitalism.

I will learn to fast.

If Pastor Magruder really believes in fasting privately, why is he then going public about his fasting during Ramadan here, here, here?
Despite Pastor Magruder's complaint of the lack of instruction on fasting in his United Methodist tradition, there's nothing to prevent him from fasting as a Christian. If he has to undertake a Muslim fast to grow closer to God, he is spiritually dry indeed. And as the passage cited above in Colossians states, there's nothing in this kind of spititual practice that has any "value in restraining sensual indulgence" (or, as the King James Version puts it, "honour to the satisfying of the flesh"), whether it be done by Muslims, liberal pseudo-Christian "pastors," or those practicing contemplative spirituality in Emerging or Evangelical churches.

Edmonton's Urban Sanctuary offers four days of instruction in spiritual formation--for only $325

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. II Peter 1:3 (NIV)

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. II Peter 2:1-3

For background information on spiritual formation, I recommend searching under the terms "spritual formation" and "spiritual disciplines" at Critical Issues Commentary (look for printed material and radio broadcasts); Kjos Ministries; Lighthouse Trails Research Project; and Herescope. Spiritual disciplines and spiritual formation are advocated by those who believe that there are techniques or practices that Christians can employ that will enable them to live above the level of "ordinary" Christian existence. As II Peter 1:3 states, however, we already have everything we need for a godly life, and Peter didn't include spiritual disciplines or spiritual formation among the "everything."

Urban Sanctuary, affiliated with Larry Crabb's New Way Ministries, is Edmonton, Alberta's leading centre for the teaching of spiritual formation. Its latest event is a four-day workshop titled Biblical and Historical Foundations of Spiritual Formation (registration link deleted by blogger):

"Spiritual Formation" has come into its own ... at least as a Google search term.

Just type "spiritual formation" into your search engine and you will find pages and pages of websites and online articles referring to it in some way or another, plus a couple of handfuls of related searches. You can even go to Christianity today and other well known magazines and find, again, pages and pages of articles referenceing "spiritual formation." And, as with most popular search terms, you can also find controversy. Some say spiritual formation is essential to life in Christ, others claim it is unbiblical and a return to works righteousness.

Many pastors, church leaders, and christians in general are unsure what to think about spiritual formation. On the one hand they identify with statements like this, which speak of a need for a new look at spiritual maturity:
Our world today cries out for a theology of spiritual growth that has been proven to work in the midst of the harsh realities of daily life. Sadly, many have simply given up on the possibility of growth in character formation.
Vast numbers of well-intended folk have exhausted themselves in church work and discovered that this did not substantively change their lives. They found that they were just as impatient and egocentric and fearful as when they began lifting the heavy load of church work. Maybe more so. (Richard Foster, The Spiritual Formation Agenda, February 4, 2009)

But, on the otherhand, they are not interested in a new direction or teaching that doesn't have a firm place both in the Bible and in Christian history, including Protestant Christian history.

The goal of this seminar is to address the place of spiritual maturity and spiritual formation, as it is defined in our day, both in the Bible and in the lives of Christ followers throughout the centuries. It is a seminar for pastors, church leaders, and all those who want to find out more about spiritual formation and the place it has in our lives as Christians.

Dates and Times:

August 13 – 16, 2012 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.,

Location : Urban Sanctuary

Cost: $325, lunch is provided each day

Sound interesting but you can't make if for the whole time? You can also come half-time for $150 (Lunch not included)...
•Mornings - Biblical Foundations of Spiritual Formation
•Or Afternoons - Historical Foundations of Spiritual Formation

On the page of Urban Sanctuary's website titled Our Vision, you read:

Our goal is to send people back into the Body after being brought to a place of maturity and to stimulate the Body to a new way of thinking (spiritual theology), a new way of living ( the hope of sanctification) and a new way of relating (loving deeply)...

...We desperately want to keep that flame alive and so feel that our mission is to safeguard and teach an understanding and practice of spirituality that once marked evangelical churches over a hundred years ago...

...We feel a revolution must take place to recover the power of sanctification in the life of a Christian. We need a Biblical theology of spirituality, a practical knowledge of the spiritual journey and a humbleness to learn and help each other in the journey.

Urban Sanctuary talks about "biblical theology of spirituality," while encouraging practices that aren't found in the Bible (and I hardly need mention that evangelical churches "over a hundred years ago" didn't engage in the spiritual activities promoted by Urban Sanctuary, but were opposed to them). Please keep in mind that Urban Sanctuary charges a hefty fee--$325 for 4 daytime sessions--in order to help others in "practical knowledge of the spiritual journey."

Urban Sanctuary apparently sees no irony in charging people over $80 per day for spiritual growth, while affirming "sustainability" as one of its values:

We will work, both corporately and privately, so that we will not be a burden to the body of Christ. This will involve living a simple lifestyle and learning skills that can support us financially.

At $325 per person for a 4-day workshop (and they don't even give you lunch if you go only for half-day sessions), it seems that some people are being asked to fork over a lot of money in order to help Urban Sanctuary maintain its "simple lifestyle." In this respect, Urban Sanctuary resembles the ashram of Mohandas "Mahatma" Gandhi:

In fact Gandhi’s own ashram, with his own very expensive ‘simple’ tastes and innumerable ‘secretaries’ and handmaidens, had to be heavily subsidized by three merchant princes. As one of his circle observed: ‘It costs a great deal of money to keep Gandhiji living in poverty.’ Paul Johnson, A History of the Modern World from 1917 to the 1980s (1983), p. 471

Woman in Quebec dies after "earth healing therapy"

As reported by QMI Agency, July 30, 2011:

MONTREAL - A 35-year-old woman died after undergoing a mud therapy treatment on Friday at a spa in Quebec's Eastern Townships.

Chantal Lavigne, from Saint-Albert, about 150 km northeast of Montreal, died after she was covered in mud and wrapped in a thin sheet of plastic for several hours, according to QMI Agency sources.

Provincial police confirmed Lavigne's death Friday night.

Emergency crews were called to the spa, located in Durham-Sud, about 100 km east of Montreal, at 1:15 p.m. Friday afternoon and found three unconscious women covered in black mud.

One woman was treated at the spa and a 49-year-old woman regained consciousness on her way to a hospital. Police have not made information about the 49-year-old's condition public. Lavigne, however, was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Clients at the spa were given an "earth healing therapy," sources said. The procedure involves covering a person in mud and wrapping them in a thin sheet of plastic and a blanket. A piece of cardboard with a hole to allow for breathing covers the head.

The goal of the therapy is to induce sweating.

However, Lavigne spent too much time wrapped in plastic, according to Sophie Saint-Aubin, a director at a Montreal spa.

She said the amount of time one spends in these types of "sweat" treatments is critical.

"There is a big different between a 20-minute treatment and one that lasts several hours," she said. "Normally we don't go over 30 minutes. A treatment lasting several hours is really inadvisable."

The head of the Durham-Sud spa, Daiva Goulet, 60, said Friday's events were an "anomaly."

"What happened was not due to negligence - that's certain," Goulet told QMI...

...Neighbours interviewed by QMI said they regularly heard loud screams coming from the spa.

"There are therapy sessions every week," said a neighbour who wanted to remain anonymous. "We hear chants, drumming and screams. The screams are so loud it sounds like people are being tortured. Our neighbours who live over a kilometre away said they can hear the screams, too."

Why rabbis in Israel are hated

Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: Isaiah 29:13

Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Mark 7:7

Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,
Saying The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:
All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. Matthew 23:1-8
Nothing seems to have changed in almost 2,000 years. According to Assaf Wohl in Ynet News on June 4, 2011:

Reports that the salary of city rabbis will be raised to up to NIS 29,000 (roughly $8,500) per month prompted thousands of angry reactions. Several rabbis were genuinely wondering about the source of what they characterized as the “hatred” towards them. After all, they serve the public faithfully.

Hence, I will attempt here to present the arguments against the Rabbinate as reflected by the responses to the recent pay raise.

Firstly, the Rabbinate has become the “military wing” of the haredi community. Through it, the haredim abuse the rest of the population. Through the Rabbinate they force Israel’s citizens to get married, divorce, convert and set their clocks the haredi way. And as we know, depriving human beings of freedom provokes fury. Hence, one needs great chutzpa to force people to behave in ways they don’t wish to adopt...

...Secondly, the Rabbinate is perceived as a corrupt body that produces nothing but jobs for its close associates. In fact, it is a sort of closed off elite that mostly takes care of the people it cares about; a body meant to feed only one sector – the haredim. The best proof of this is that the haredi rabbis and kashrut supervisors who took the Rabbinate hostage don’t even recognize the kosher certificates they issue. It’s only an income source for them.

The American model
The National-Religious Jews are kept out. Reform Jews are out, Conservative Jews are out, and anyone who doesn’t have the beard and hat required by the clique is out. And what about women? Don’t even mention that.

What kind of theocracy has been created within our democracy? Where else will you find a job that is paid by the public and is good for life, like the city rabbi position? And why do we need two chief rabbis, at an exorbitant cost?

Thirdly, there’s the issue of the economic situation and market conditions. After all, social workers, doctors and police officers are employed under disgraceful terms, yet their jobs are perceived as much more vital than the abstract, spiritual work done by the rabbis. What will happen if the rabbis strike tomorrow? The sun won’t shine? Now let’s try to imagine a day without doctors.

Meanwhile, the argument that we can say the same about humanities researchers is invalid for a simple reason: Their cost is a fraction of the cost of rabbis. Have you ever heard of a “neighborhood anthropologist” or a “chief Sephardic philosopher?”

The coercion, the costs, the hunger for power, and the translation of Judaism into money all prompt open hostility towards the Rabbinate and Judaism. The solution can apparently be found in the American model. It is precisely the separation of religion and State in the US that boosted the status of religion. Indeed, the caption “In God We Trust” can be found on every American bill. It appears that in America, the dollar trusts God. Around here, thanks to religious politicians, God puts His trust in the dollar.

Superstitious man in Malaysia leaves his "demon" wife after consulting a medium

As reported by Shaun Ho in the Malaysia Star on January 6, 2011:

KUALA LUMPUR: A superstitious husband stopped having sex with his wife after a temple medium convinced him she was a danger to his life.

The wife, who only wanted to be known as Loh, said her husband has now abandoned her and their two teenage children and is refusing to meet them as he fears for his life.

Self-employed Loh, 44, said her husband first started consulting the medium to solve personal problems.

She claimed her husband’s personality changed after daily meetings with him.

"The medium told my husband I had been casting spells on him for the past 15 years and that I was a demon trying to kill him.

"He refused to eat or drink at home because he thought I poisoned the food," Loh told a press conference held at the MCA Public Services and Complaints Department yesterday.

Loh also said there were no prior family problems and that her husband was very loving although he was superstitious...

...She said her husband, a factory manager, moved out of the house on the medium’s advice in August and had been paying very little for living expenses and their children’s school fees.

He withdrew the children’s savings totalling RM37,000 before moving out and recently asked for a divorce.

Loh is worried the medium is taking advantage of her husband’s trust in him, claiming the medium is also heavily in debt.

Loh had also found a newspaper report published in 2002 about another man who had neglected his family after he was "helped" by the same medium.

Loh has lodged two police reports...

...Department head Datuk Michael Chong said he had received three complaints this month involving victims who were duped by mediums.

According to Reuters:

Malaysians often seek spiritual aid from an assortment of faith healers, mediums and witch doctors to solve personal problems and work issues.

But there has been a steady increase in complaints of cheating and sexual abuse, which has prompted the government to announce it will table a bill this year requiring faith healers to register with the Ministry of Health.

Pennsylvania parents who practiced faith-healing are convicted of manslaughter in their son's death

Walter Martin has been credited with saying, "Bad exegesis leads to bad theology, which leads to bad morality." Yet another tragic example is that of a Pennsylvania couple who let their 2-year-old son die as a result of their fanatical opposition to medicine. As reported by Joseph A. Slobodzian in the Philadelphia Inquirer on December 11, 2010:

The Rhawnhurst couple who put their faith in prayer as their 2-year-old son died of bacterial pneumonia were found guilty of involuntary manslaughter Friday.

Continuing the silence they have kept since their arrests in April 2009, Herbert and Catherine Schaible said nothing after the Common Pleas Court jury of eight men and four women delivered the late-afternoon verdict. The couple also were pronounced guilty of endangering the welfare of a child...

... Their pastor, Nelson A. Clark of the First Century Gospel Church of Juniata Park, which teaches healing through prayer and eschews medical care as evidence of a lack of faith in God, seemed crushed by the jury's conclusion.

"We are hurting now," Clark said as he left the Criminal Justice Center courtroom. "That should not have been. That was not what we wanted to hear. Not involuntary manslaughter."

The Schaibles' 2-year-old son, Kent, died after fighting what began as a cold and progressed over two weeks to bacterial pneumonia. According to testimony, Herbert Schaible, 42, and Catherine Schaible, 41, prayed for their son and thought he might be getting better.

But on the night of Jan. 24, 2009, the Schaibles discovered that Kent was dead. They called the church's assistant pastor, Ralph Myers, who came to the house, joined the parents in prayer, and then called a funeral director.

"We tried to fight the devil, but in the end the devil won," Herbert Schaible told homicide detectives in a statement read to the jury during the trial, which began Tuesday...

... First Century Gospel Church preaches a literal reliance on faith and prayer to heal, and cites such scriptural bases as Abraham's faith in God when he offered to sacrifice his son Isaac. While the church considers members who obtain medical care to have sinned, it does not shun those who see a doctor.

According to testimony, the church permits dental care, such as cleanings and filling cavities, and does not proscribe modern inventions such as personal computers.

A glance at the What We Believe section of the website of First Century Gospel Church shows that the church is mostly sound in doctrine, but fanatical on the issues of healing and money:

Believing faith in the atonement work of Jesus includes trusting God for healing without medicine, for divine protection without devices, and for daily needs without laid-up money. Acts 3:16 "By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him." When we worship and serve God, He heals us of illness Exodus 23:25.
Psalm 91:9-10 "If you make the Most High your dwelling—even the LORD, who is my refuge—then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent." Our trust is to be on God everyday for everything in life. Matthew 6:19-20 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth... But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven," by giving it to charity.

The church has posted a sermon titled Healing Ministry of Jesus, which includes:

A minister who claims to teach from the Bible, but goes to a hospital for medical treatment, is not trusting God in faith on the Blood sacrifice of His Son. The minister’s decision reveals his serious lack of faith. To preach that Jesus came to save us, but not to heal us, is false teaching—and we are warned to watch out for false prophets Matthew 7:15; 2 John 1:8.

Our close friends should share our believing faith in Christ, and our trust on God for health, healing, and Heaven. Jesus said His true followers were those who did His Father’s will Matthew 12:50—and it is His will to trust Him in believing faith for healing.

God sent His Son to shed His Blood, and to heal those oppressed by the devil Acts 10:38. If we accept Christ as our Savior, we also have to accept Him as our Healer, because Jesus defeated Satan who causes sickness. It is a sin to trust on medical help and pills; and it is real faith to trust on the Blood of Christ for healing. Romans 14:23 "All conduct not based on faith is sinful." God wants us to repent of the sin that caused the illness, and to trust Him alone for the healing.

Moses was educated in Egypt, and would have known about the Pharaoh’s medical plans, so he would have taught the Israelites to use medicine—if that was God’s will, but Moses did not do that. He always told them to go directly to God in prayer about everything.

Sickness is from the devil, but we can be healed by faith in the Blood of Jesus. John 14:13 "Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son."...

...Many would not receive eternal life, because they would not trust God in faith for healing. If anyone has more faith in doctors and drugs, than they have in God and the Blood of Christ, their salvation would be in serious jeopardy.

First Century Gospel Church seems to have difficulty understanding progressive revelation. Because God revealed himself to Old Testament Israel in certain ways doesn't necessarily mean that we can expect Him to reveal Himself in the same ways today. The healings and other miracles performed by the Lord Jesus Christ were done not only out of compassion but to demonstrate that He was who He claimed to be. The healings and other miracles performed by the apostles helped to validate the fact that they were men sent by Jesus Christ to proclaim His message.

The position of First Century Gospel Church on healing raises a few questions in my mind. If it's sinful to accept medical treatment, why is Luke referred to by the apostle Paul in Colossians 4:14 as "the beloved physician?" If First Century Gospel Church is correct, shouldn't Luke have been required to give up the practice of medicine upon his conversion to Christ? Paul's last letter, II Timothy, contains the statement in the latter part of chapter 4, verse 20, "Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick." Nowhere is it implied that Trophimus (or Paul, for that matter) were lacking in faith in this situation.

Moreover, if healing necessarily goes along with trusting in Christ, why do Christians die at all? The fact is that Christians prior to the return of our Lord continue to die, in most cases as the result of illness. As Walter Martin said, "There is one illness that you will not recover from, and that is--your last one."

I believe that Jesus Christ still heals today, but only if it's His will to do so; He will grant people the state of health that will bring the most glory to Him. I've known Christians who were not healed of disabilities or illnesses, and maintained a strong Christian witness without being healed. Joni Eareckson Tada is a well-known example of this, but there are many others with a similar testimony.

In My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers made the following comments on the difference between faith and fanaticism in the entry for April 26, which deals with God's command to Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac in Genesis 22:

The great point of Abraham's faith in God was that he was prepared to do anything for God. He was there to obey God, no matter to what belief he went contrary. Abraham was not a devotee of his convictions, or he would have slain Isaac and said that the voice of the angel was the voice of the devil. That is the attitude of a fanatic.

I suspect that the First Century Gospel Church is too devoted to its convictions on the subject of healing, leading the church to turn a blind eye to the unnecessary deaths of children. Since 1971, there have been almost two dozen such deaths within the congregation of this church, as reported by Mensah M. Dean in the Philadelphia Daily News on December 7, 2010:

* The six children of Roger and Dawn Winterborne: Bruce Winterborne, 7 months, died in 1971 of bronchial pneumonia; Roger Bruce, 20 months, died in 1973 of bronchial pneumonia; Marjorie Dawn, 5 months, died in 1974 of bronchial pneumonia and dehydration; Larry, 6 months, died in 1978 of bilateral bronchial pneumonia with dehydration and malnutrition; Jocelyn, 4 months, died in 1980 of bronchial pneumonia. The family had moved to Norristown at the time of a sixth child's death in 1983 at the age of 4 days.

* Sharon and Jeffrey Still, premature twins, died Feb. 6 and 7, 1990, respectively following an unattended home delivery. Their sister Karyn, 9, died the next year in a measles outbreak that also killed five children, ranging from 19 months to 13 years old, from other faith-healing families.

* Kimberly Wilson, 18 months old, died March 12, 1992, of pneumonia and myocarditis.

* Dean Heilman, 22 months old, was a hemophiliac and bled to death on July 8, 1997. His parents were convicted of manslaughter and child endangerment.

* Lisa Carpenter, 15, died of meningitis in 1984. Her brother, Leroy, 17, died of a ruptured appendix in 1989.

* An unborn boy died Jan. 1, 1994, because his mother was hemorrhaging. She died during the delivery.

* Curtis Houston, 16, died of a leg infection in 1994, a few months after his mother and baby brother died. He had broken his leg a year earlier.

* Benjamin Reinert, 10, died Dec. 31, 2002, of untreated leukemia.

* Kent Schaible, 2, died Jan. 24, 2009, of bacterial pneumonia. His parents go on trial for involuntary manslaughter today.

* Amy Fox, 3, died March 11, 2009, of meningitis.