UPDATE: The Exorcist Speaks…
(Hat Tip to Towleroad for the video link.)
CNN interviews Patricia McKinney of Manifested Glory Ministries Church. Take a look:
Here are some excerpts:
[3:11] What happened was… every Sunday we call people up to the altar that want to be delivered from any spirit that causes them to not be able to function. So, on this particular Sunday, we were just beginning to worship the Lord, and all of a sudden, he hit the floor.
That sounds totally normal for a worship service, I would think. Continuing…
[3:44] He is a very religious young man. He is very spiritual, very powerful. And he said he did not want to live this way.
Oh, I see. It’s his fault, then? He invited this upon himself? All of these ideas are his own? No one else bears any responsibility for suggesting to him that he should feel shame and despair for his sexual orientation?
[3:53] So I just wanted to tell the world out there that Manifested Glory Ministries is not against homosexuality. We do not hate them, we do not come up against them, we just do not believe in their lifestyle.
Has she been hanging out with Carrie Prejean? What does that mean… do they think the “homosexual lifestyle” does not actually exist?
[4:07] We believe in the power of the holy spirit.
Ah, so the mere fact that the poor guy simply isn’t acting on his orientation means that he’s totally saved. (What if they knew that sexual orientation is innate and immutable??)
So host Ali Velshi asked a good question: could a homosexual be a part of their church?
[4:15] You can come in our church, but you cannot live that lifestyle in our church.
Because it doesn’t matter who he is, just whether or not he lives a life coherent with who he is. Where have I heard that before? Something about the sin and the sinner… Exorcisms might be unique to Manifested Glory, but that sure sounds like the same stuff that most of the mainstream denominations spew. But let’s get some more detail: what does that mean exactly?
[4:23] Well, when you come in, you can get delivered by the power of the Holy Spirit. We welcome anyone in our church. All’s we’re saying that [sic] we do not like the lifestyle with a man with a man and a woman with a woman, and that’s our beliefs.
Ah, now that’s telling: “we do not like…. and that’s our beliefs.” So, a belief is actually a preference, I guess. That’s definitely different than an orientation.
Another good question: Was the exorcism successful? How do you know? (I would have added, “Can you provide empirical evidence for your success?”) The answer?
[4:57] Because of his lifestyle. His lifestyle have [sic] changed.
She went on to say that everything has a spirit… there’s an alcohol spirit, a crack cocaine spirit, and an adulteress spirit. There are apparently both good spirits and bad spirits. Getting back to the topic now: how is this young man doing now?
[5:23] He is doing much better, but with all the publicity and everything that’s going on with this video, he’s afraid and he’s scared. But he’s a very intelligent young man, he is a very powerful young man, and he’s a very spiritual young man…
The poor guy. First, he was convinced he was evil. Then, he was traumatized in a way to confirm that belief. Then he spent his life since denying who he is just to be accepted by a community. Now, he’s in the spotlight and being blamed by his community for seeking such “help” with his “problem.” Man, they just keep compounding the self-hatred in this guy!
If you thought it couldn’t get more interesting, hang on:
[5:38] We are a spiritual church. I am an in-time prophet. I declare the word of the Lord. And all’s I’m doing [sic] is the work of the Lord. We’re not coming up against the gay community, we’re not coming up against homosexuality…
This is why I (and others) use the word “crutch” to define religious beliefs so often. With what she just said, this woman absolved herself of all responsibility for her actions. If the young man’s physical reactions had led to severe health complications or death, she would probably just say, “We were doing our best to help him. The demon was just too strong.” Such a way of thinking is incredibly dangerous.
Apparently we did not see the full context of the video. If we had, what would we have seen?
[7:12] You would’ve seen that, we’re just people that love the Lord. We are people that worship Him in spirit and in truth. Those who worship God must worship in spirit and in truth.
“Truth.” There is is. There’s the truth. Demonization? Out of love. Violent exorcism? Out of love. That’s the truth.
I can’t think of anything scarier.
From before:
Why faith is scary in ANY form, extremist or not. (6/19/09)
Other Christians Defend Exorcism, Victim Meme Like WHOA. (Earlier today.)
Other Christians Defend Exorcism, Victim Meme like WHOA.
As you recall, I posted last week about a gay exorcism, and I suggested that other believers who do not share that belief still enable it. Some folks disagreed, and that’s fine. It’s an interesting conversation to have. I did not expect my point to be proven so literally.
The Christian Anti-Defamation Commission released a press statement defending the church and claiming racism to boot (Hat Tip Pam’s House Blend via David Hart). Take a look at the language:
“Where is the tolerance for a church who tried to help a young man who freely asked for help to overcome homosexual temptations?” asked Dr. Gary Cass of the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission. “No church deserves to be maligned for trying to help a troubled teen who asked for prayer.”
Do you see where this is going? It doesn’t matter if the event was psychologically and physically traumatic, it was “voluntary” and it’s what they believe, so let them be! The church is the victim in this situation! Surely, no one at the church influenced him to seek that kind of “help.” In fact, kudos to them for following the Bible:
The church holds to the historic, biblical view that homosexual behavior is unnatural and sinful.
See, it’s no big whoop! Hey “Dr.” Cass, why don’t you play things down just a bit more?!
“White homosexual activists who demand tolerance for their sexual sin have no right to defame black Christians for practicing their Constitutional religious liberty,” said Cass. “As far as we know, this young man went to church on his own prerogative and left the church physically unharmed.”
Right, because seizing and vomiting is totally normal healthy behavior. He was pretty chill about the whole thing, I’m sure. (Care to watch it again? Too bad, it’s been pulled from YouTube. UPDATE: An active version can still be watched!)
Now, has anyone even mentioned race in this ordeal? There happened to be black people in the video, but I don’t think I’ve seen anyone call it a “black church,” nor somehow tie race into it. The mere fact it was a GAY EXORCISM was enough for it to be an issue. That’s quite the red herring for Cass to pull: You might think what they did is wrong, but you’re obviously a racist. What utter nonsense! Please, for someone who is supposed to protect Christians from defamation, he certainly doesn’t seem to be helping his cause.
“This church is being unjustly maligned for a spiritual practice that goes all the way back to Christ and the Apostles. The New Testament records very strange activity associated with demonic spirits. Jesus and the Apostles confronted these bizarre situations by praying for deliverance. The fact that the video may be strange or uncomfortable should not be surprising, but it is not a reason to attack people who are simply trying to help,” said Cass.
Actually, it is. “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.” Like I said in my prior post: to protect one belief is to protect them all. Clearly, that’s what “Dr.” Cass has as his agenda. If you don’t defend one baseless claim, you have no foot to stand on defending other baseless claims. That’s why he made sure to include another favorite anecdote of bullshit:
“People have been delivered out of homosexual lifestyles ever since the church began,” said Cass.
Beliefs are harmful. That exorcism was child abuse. Demonization of a group of people is hate. Beliefs do not excuse bigotry.
I’ve said my piece on the matter.
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