Benny Hinn's Prophesies: Why do people still believe him?

Originally posted by UmbraSumus
This form of `healing` is one thing but the whole `talking in tongues` caper is rather unnerving don`t you think Maria ?

Honestly, to each his own. I had a very good friend back in college who went on a religious bent and truly believed she had the gift of speaking in tongues. Personally, I thought she would work herself up into such a state she was merely babbling incoherently. But these experiences gave her a sense of peace and grounded her faith and beliefs. She derived a sense of positive guidance from them.

I think the same is true for many of the people that follow people like Benny Hinn. It provides them with some sense of solace and hope, which some might argue could only be a good thing.

However, for those who follow these charismatic healers in the hopes of curing their ailments, or even worse, those of their loved ones -- in lieu of actual medical treatment -- it is completely unconscionable that these healers would take advantage of the truly desperate.

Seeking spiritual guidance is one thing. Expecting miracles is quite another.

Originally posted by halfoldman

In fairness, as far as entrance is concerned he charged R50 in Cape Town, when cheap seats for international rock acts cost R250. OK, we didn't get the big choirs and extras and were more of a footnote on his itinary.
Of course it's an open question how much he makes on "love gifts" and merchandise. I've heard of people dropping their gold chains and rings into the collection containers.

Being South African yourself , can you tell me is there a greater `acceptance ` of such beliefs and practices among the S.A population (of non- European decent) due to reminisces of the older belief which Christianity displaced - lingering .
I suppose what i`m asking is ... is there a particular brand of S.A Christianity .

reply to post by halfoldman


I think the phrase false prophet is a bit redundant, as no prophet to my knowledge has ever been genuine or honest.

There is something sinisterly persuasive about preachers, not sure if its the oratory style, the fear tactics, the crowd mentality or a combination of elements but somehow they manage to convince people.

I just don't know how they sleep at night, unless they are so delusional as to convince themselves they're legitimate.

reply to post by UmbraSumus

That is a topic for a thesis, and a huge question. Is there an African brand of Christianity?
Well, speaking for the whites, most were Dutch Reformed Calvanists (or the NG church). Blacks had a big Catholic and Anglican following, and the these churches often clashed about apartheid after 1948, with our Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu becoming a struggle icon, and a fierce critic of the recent ANC shenanigans. Towards the 1980s the Rhema church became a big charismatic church. It consisted mainly of English whites at first, but after 1994 NG Afrikaners increasingly flocked to the new US styled charismatic churches, and away from the stiff NG style. The "Pinkster kerke" or Afrikaans charismatics literally exploded in numbers. In the 1990s, affluent blacks became the main audience of Rhema, as the by now large charismatic movement expanded in variety. The farmer/preacher Angus Buchan is extremely popular in Afrikaans circles. Some Nigerian pastors have also formed mega-churches that are mainly black. Because Christian broadcasting homogonizes all these churches under one theology, they do meet for shared mass meetings or events like Benny Hinn.

Hinn however never steps on the toes or territory of Reinhard Bonnke. Bonnke is the main mass preacher in Africa. He places a big emphasis on witchcraft and breaking spells. He always tells the same yarn about witches sent to curse him from four corners at a revival in Kenya or somewhere, and they all got ashtma attacks. He understands his audience. Much of the teaching on demons and spells and curses is familiar and popular with African audiences. Some Africans do turn totally Christian, but most just see it as another form of witchcraft, and keep a foot in both worlds. The mixing of ancestor devotion, animism and Christianity is not a recent phenonemon, hybrid systems like the Shembe church have existed since colonialism. Charismatic evangelism is not under a pope or central control, so anyone who finds a market can adapt it as they wish. But yes, Hinn or Bonnke are popular in formally animist, shamanic areas of the globe, where miracle men, witchcraft and spiritual warfare were already indigenous beliefs.

Originally posted by Titen-Sxull
reply to post by halfoldman

 

I think the phrase false prophet is a bit redundant, as no prophet to my knowledge has ever been genuine or honest.

There is something sinisterly persuasive about preachers, not sure if its the oratory style, the fear tactics, the crowd mentality or a combination of elements but somehow they manage to convince people.

I just don't know how they sleep at night, unless they are so delusional as to convince themselves they're legitimate.

I agree on the mass methodologies of Hinn and other preachers, who are similar in style (if not content) to the Nuremburg Nazi rallies.

But are all prophets false? Another complex issues, since prophecies are made in different mediums, from dinner party chit-chat to psychics, and they also vary thematically. Secular think-tanks also make predictions every day that are largely ideological in content.
Nostradamus, or perhaps our own SA "Siener Van Rensburg", or even Biblical prophecies are so vague and open to interpretation that it is impossible to tell if they are true or false, or were speaking only in the context of their own writing.

Hinn is different. He full well knows his prophesies are fake. As such they are not even "prophesies", they are ideological statements in line with the audience's belief (homosexuality or Fidel Castro are all political ideologies in the US). He also doesn't care if he loses converts who have a long memory, he can replace them easily. In the Christian context from which Hinn claims to speak he is a "false prophet", because there are supposed Christian standards of truth in prophesy.

[edit on 28-3-2010 by halfoldman]

Good thread... I don't remember where, but in the Bible it says if anyone prophesies and the prophesy does not come to pass, then that prophet is not from God. So, I really don't know why some Christians still listen to him. If he is obviously not a prophet of God then they should have nothing to do with him. I watched him once to see what all the fuss was about and I got a bad, creepy feeling from him. It really made me feel uneasy and, well, creeped out.

Someone posted about how if you believe you will be healed, and if you are not healed then it's your own fault for not being faithful enough. That is exactly what they tell you and it's a lie. I used to have the utmost faith in God that I would be healed and when I went up to be healed (at my former church), the guy told me, "you won't be healed, you don't have enough faith" I was thinking how dare he?! I left the church shortly after that and finally gave credence to all my doubts that built up through the years. I was duped and I'm glad I'm out of there now.

reply to post by Ellie Sagan

Good point - putting the onus on the 'doubter' (ie. they're demon possessed or spiritually "blind") does work wonders.
Other believers find a way around the prophesies, and they would say: Benny offers people "hope", so that justifies it. Interestingly that's the same argument around fraudulant mediums and psychics like John
Edwards. They give hurt and grieving people a feel-good rush, similar to a drug or natural endorphin.
I'm convinced Hinn knows he is a fraud, but he uses that argument of giving desperate people "hope" as a crutch.
But is that really what happens? Can Hinn-apologists use the complete lack of physical healing as a substitute for "pshycological" healing?



[edit on 28-3-2010 by halfoldman]

Wow

I hadn't heard of the guy before. The videos linked by Umbra and cLOUDDEAD are my introduction to the guy. "$200 million a year?!"

It's easy to condemn the guy and the people who pay to see his schtick. It's actually harder not to

Maria-Stardust says each to their own and I tend to agree with her. As much as Hinn appears to be an exploitative bandit...preying on people's beliefs etc....he can only succeed as a symptom of human nature. The thousands of folk who subscribe to his version of reality have chosen to. Free will and freedom of choice allows for guys like Hinn to exist.

Although it's all fairly ridiculous in my opinion, it's also more evidence that we can live in the same place, at the same time, and have profoundly different perceptions of reality.

reply to post by Kandinsky

I don't think it's as simple as saying "each to their own". If one buys a vitamin or any product consumer las apply in the West, and the vitamin must state that it is "complementary" and does not treat any medical condition.
Now Hinn claims to heal medical conditions, and many of these "miracle men" have claimed to heal HIV. What if that person being "healed" believes that and goes on to infect his wife and possibly others?
I've read of people who went to Hinn who had serious spinal complications and they ran around on his stage. But an hour later, when the endorphins waned, they were in sudden pain worse than ever.
It is not an innocent alternative world-view, it is a sleazy, dirty thing to do.
Like the vitamin it should come with a warning at the door.