His itinerary says he is coming to Toronto on Sept.24. Why not us South Ontario Rationals get to gether and pull a James Randi on his ass.  Hiswillness, Latincanuck all others within easy reach,  are you interested?

    I read through his agendas/up coming appearances; On the  topics list did you notice the 'healing' part is missing from his Toronto appearance. No surprise realy, faith healers can and have been prosicuted for that nonsense here. The London Ontario gathering in July does announce 'healing' as a topic but Bentley is not going to be there.

They actually replied to me.

Wish they were local. I'd show-up with the local media and demand they correct my eyesight on camera.

Shelley, are you really missing a femur?

...How do they define, 'beginning to be healed?'

As long as I am in the country (currently I should be, however this contract that I have may change and include a bunch of new sites)

Ontario likes to investigate their claims as well, benny hinn has been persude by CityTv regarding the claims of his healings every time that he has come to Toronto and basically they have outright called him a fraud and a thief. In the end that's all they are, thieves that take some poor suckers money, however I really don't have pity on people that get defrauded by shysters like these guys,  to quote W.C. fields it's morally wrong to let a sucker keep his money. However I have nothing against showing people the true colours of these bastards.

I'm not entirely sure, I've yet to receive a direct answer.  The best any of them have come up with is "why don't you tell us why people don't survive every operation, or why doctors can't completely cure amputees?".  Obviously I'm dealing with IQs in four figures here.

M

Already on it, although i won't get their reply until wednesday.  I'm not holding my breath.

M

you're kidding right?  somehow i think with a fib/tib fracture on stage they might actually stop the performance and call 911.

i'm sure there's been a faith-healer that has been diagnosed with something significant... let's say cancer for the sake of argument.  of course now they have to work to pay off the medical bills, so... i wonder how they justify that on stage.

Well, I figured I can sit here and whine about the ministry, or I can try to actually do something about it. FFM is running a 'Faith Healing School', the application PDF to which is posted on their website, in what is clearly a blatant medicine malpractice infraction.

I recall someone on here telling a story about a girl they knew that died as a result of being 'treated' by people brainwashed at such an institute. So, I decided to file a complaint tonight with the RECOL (Reporting Economic Crime Online) department of the RCMP.

That was went into the final comment box.

Hopefully they pick this up and at least do an initial investigation. What I really, really hope to happen is that Mr. Bentley's rather questionable past raises an immediate red flag upon initial investigation, and then a more full blown and intensive investigation is launched - hopefully one that ends in the closure of the school, the declaration of Fresh Fire Ministries as a criminal organization (as I alleged in the complaint) and the arrest of Mr. Bentley (...I know. I've got high hopes. )

Guess we'll have to see if the RCMP gives more wiggle room than they should to Christian-based organizations. I'd really like to think that they don't.

This guy is getting a lot of media attention now.  I've been staying with my fundie parents and they listen to him religiously every night.  He makes me sick looking at him and hearing him. There's quite a few youtube videos of him now

Q: How would you describe what is happening in Lakeland?

A: Sovereign. I didn't expect it. It took me by surprise. I would say what's happening here is God has chosen what's happening here in Florida to be the first fruits of this beginning to happen all over the world.

Q: What is the source of your power?

A: The source of my power is the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, `He who believes in me will do the works that I did and even greater.' The source of my power is the anointing of the Holy Ghost, and thank God for that. And there are the gifts of the Spirit.

Q: You have claimed that people have been risen from the dead. How many so far?

A: Directly or indirectly, we have received more than 25 stories of reported resurrections. We are verifying as many of those as we can. We're not doctors, we're not reporters. We follow up with a phone call, sometimes a week, sometimes two weeks later, and ask `What really happened?', just to check our facts. Sometimes there are one or two sources. At this point, we are receiving every few days now people claiming they've been to their doctor and they have medical verifications. Many of those verifications are beginning to arrive.

Q: Do you believe there are people who come to Lakeland and make it to the front platform – and a TV appearance -- who claim to be healed, but are not actually healed?

A: Absolutely. I think are people who just want to get up on the platform and have me touch them. I think there are people who just want to get on TV. I think there are people who want to discredit what God is doing. We don't guarantee anything, but I know that many of these people who say they are being healed have been healed.

We have received probably 60,000 testimonies of people claiming healing.

When people are being touched, we're wanting to believe that God is really moving. There is no need for us to move around being skeptical of every report of healing. Our focus isn't just on signs and wonders. Signs and wonders have definitely been a reality. They're validation of the gospel.

Our greatest focus is we've now trained about 5,000 people, harvesters, who are going into the street six days a week. Our focus is on evangelism. We have stories of people giving their lives to Christ everyday and we're working together with bringing the converts into numerous churches in the local area.

It definitely is an outpouring of signs and wonders. It's an outpouring of the presence of God.

Full interview at: http://www.charlotte.com/345/v-print/story/676593.html#

Damn we need a rational response to this James Randi style.  It makes me so sick to think that I feel compelled to do something about it.  For now we need to expose his techniques.  One of them on a youtube video showed how his screeners

This is an old speech given by a hypnotist, and I think it is still relevant.

How Revivalist Preachers Work

If you'd like to see a revivalist preacher at work, there are probably several in your city. Go to the church or tent early and sit in the rear, about three-quarters of the way back. Most likely repetitive music will be played while the people come in for the service. A repetitive beat, ideally ranging from 45 to 72 beats per minute (a rhythm close to the beat of the human heart), is very hypnotic and can generate an eyes-open altered state of consciousness in a very high percentage of people. And, once you are in an alpha state, you are at least 25 times as suggestible as you would be in full beta consciousness. The music is probably the same for every service, or incorporates the same beat, and many of the people will go into an altered state almost immediately upon entering the sanctuary. Subconsciously, they recall their state of mind from previous services and respond according to the post-hypnotic programming.

Watch the people waiting for the service to begin. Many will exhibit external signs of trance--body relaxation and slightly dilated eyes. Often, they begin swaying back and forth with their hands in the air while sitting in their chairs. Next, the assistant pastor will probably come out. He usually speaks with a pretty good "voice roll."

The "Voice Roll" Technique

A "voice roll" is a patterned, paced style used by hypnotists when inducing a trance. It is also used by many lawyers, several of whom are highly trained hypnotists, when they desire to entrench a point firmly in the minds of the jurors. A voice roll can sound as if the speaker were talking to the beat of a metronome or it may sound as though he were emphasizing every word in a monotonous, patterned style. The words will usually be delivered at the rate of 45 to 60 beats per minute, maximizing the hypnotic effect.

The Build-up Process: Inducing Altered States

Now the assistant pastor begins the "build-up" process. He induces an altered state of consciousness and/or begins to generate the excitement and the expectations of the audience. Next, a group of young women in "sweet and pure" chiffon dresses might come out to sing a song. Gospel songs are great for building excitement and involvement. In the middle of the song, one of the girls might be "smitten by the spirit" and fall down or react as if possessed by the Holy Spirit. This very effectively increases the intensity in the room. At this point, hypnosis and conversion tactics are being mixed. And the result is the audience's attention span is now totally focused upon the communication while the environment becomes more exciting or tense.

Assured Continuation: Fleecing the Flock

Right about this time, when an eyes-open mass-induced alpha mental state has been achieved, they will usually pass the collection plate or basket. In the background, a 45-beat-per-minute voice roll from the assistant preacher might exhort, "Give to God...Give to God...Give to God...." And the audience does give. God may not get the money, but his already-wealthy representative will.

Bonding by Fear and Suggestion

Next, the fire-and-brimstone preacher will come out. He induces fear and increases the tension by talking about "the devil," "going to hell," or the forthcoming Armageddon.

In the last such rally I attended, the preacher talked about the blood that would soon be running out of every faucet in the land. He was also obsessed with a "bloody axe of God," which everyone had seen hanging above the pulpit the previous week. I have no doubt that everyone saw it--the power of suggestion given to hundreds of people in hypnosis assures that at least 10 to 25 percent would see whatever he suggested they see.

Testimony: Creating Community Spirit

In most revivalist gatherings, "testifying" or "witnessing" usually follows the fear-based sermon. People from the audience come up on stage and relate their stories. "I was crippled and now I can walk!" "I had arthritis and now it's gone!" It is a psychological manipulation that works. After listening to numerous case histories of miraculous healings, the average guy in the audience with a minor problem is sure he can be healed. The room is charged with fear, guilt, intense excitement, and expectations.

Miracles

Now those who want to be healed are frequently lined up around the edge of the room, or they are told to come down to the front. The preacher might touch them on the head firmly and scream, "Be healed!" This releases the psychic energy and, for many, catharsis results. Catharsis is a purging of repressed emotions. Individuals might cry, fall down or even go into spasms. And if catharsis is effected, they stand a chance of being healed. In catharsis (one of the three brain phases mentioned earlier), the brain-slate is temporarily wiped clean and the new suggestion is accepted.

For some, the healing may be permanent. For many, it will last four days to a week, which is, incidentally, how long a hypnotic suggestion given to a somnambulistic subject will usually last. Even if the healing doesn't last, if they come back every week, the power of suggestion may continually override the problem...or sometimes, sadly, it can mask a physical problem which could prove to be very detrimental to the individual in the long run.

The Grey Area of Legitimacy

I'm not saying that legitimate healings do not take place. They do. Maybe the individual was ready to let go of the negativity that caused the problem in the first place; maybe it was the work of God. Yet I contend that it can be explained with existing knowledge of brain/mind function.

A Game in Which the Rules Keep Changing

The techniques and staging will vary from church to church. Many use "speaking in tongues" to generate catharsis in some while the spectacle creates intense excitement in the observers.

The use of hypnotic techniques by religions is sophisticated, and professionals are assuring that they become even more effective. A man in Los Angeles is designing, building, and reworking a lot of churches around the country. He tells ministers what they need and how to use it. This man's track record indicates that the congregation and the monetary income will double if the minister follows his instructions. He admits that about 80 percent of his efforts are in the sound system and lighting.

Powerful sound and the proper use of lighting are of primary importance in inducing an altered state of consciousness--I've been using them for years in my own seminars. However, my participants are fully aware of the process and what they can expect as a result of their participation.

http://www.the7thfire.com/new_world_order/mind_control/battle_for_your_mind.htm

-RR