... also referred to as the "Name It Claim It" teaching.

OD

I have kept certain posts I made at a forum so long ago, and why I kept them, I cannot say. Perhaps that is why I blog them and then take them back down before anyone reads them. I like to have a fairly clear reason for what I share. But you know, I have come to believe it is reason enough to share them, because they document some very real experiences my family and I have had. They are critical, I must admit. And though I wish not to be critical of anyone for what they believe or how they practice those beliefs, I do just as truly want to never forget the impact of the circus, my fear of the clowns, and the tightrope walk of faith gone mad...

So again, I will attempt to post some of these accounts.

Dubba dubba and the Pillsbury Dough Boy

At one of the special services held at the Word of Faith Church, a speaker came all the way from Oklahoma.


And what a speaker he was!

He had a Bible, but never opened it up and headed out into the congregation to "minister" to folks. He went up to several people and made that raspberries thing.


Another tactic he employed was taking his index fingers and poking some in the ribs and either again blowing raspberries or saying "Dubba, dubba, dubba."


People were staggering in response, falling over in hysterical heaps on the floor and rolling about.


Some people put money in his pocket.


He then approached the Pastor of the church. Now mind you, I don't care how much the man weighed, but I am telling you, we are talking big enough to have his own zip code...and so this guest speaker goes up to the Pastor who is sitting on the floor on the platform, hanging on to a pillar acting shnockered, and the visitor called him the Pillsbury Doughboy and did the poking deal in his tummy and said Dubba dubba dubba. I don't know if the Pastor was crying outta hurt feelings for feeling made fun of, or if he was laughing so hard he cried. Either way, he held on to that pillar, and when the tears subsided, he started making the raspberry sounds.


Then the Mrs. Pastor went hysterical and went up to him and did the same darned thing, poking his tummy.


Now I don't know if it is me having a heart or what, but I thought that was ridiculing him.


Though it seems strange to do that to a man that is given such unprecedented authority over people. I mean this is a man that would not come out and talk to folks before the service, so as to not "lose the anointing". He had an armor-bearer, as they called it, who would follow him about, and hawk him to keep the average JoeMember away from the Pastor.


When Pastor had to go to the bathroom before a service, the armor-bearer would go in ahead of him and clear out the bathroom of any average JoeMembers. I know this from when my son was in the bathroom and had to hurry out for Pastor to come in before a service once.


Now back to the Dubba-dude. Everyone was breaking out in these hilarious laughing spells and rolling about on the floor. There were some ladies that would run and put "glory cloths" over other women who were contorting in their straight skirts on the floor. See, charismatic aint religious like the Pentecostals, so the women can dress contemporary, but they still got their prudence, you understand...thus convulse and hoot under a strategically placed "glory cloth"...


There were a few lone folk not jumping on the bandwagon...I was one of them. And to be quite honest I was embarrassed to have my children in the service. Like this is church???


Anyways, this man was either going around or calling people up to him...well, guess who he called up?

Yup, me...

And well I didn't wanna go. I was afraid of him. But I went cos ...well, I was afraid of him. Funny how that works, huh?


Well he told me that I was resisting the Holy Spirit and I will not be healed of my depression if I don't let the Holy Spirit have his way in me! I have not ever suffered from depression...but he only said that I guess cos I was not joining the party. But he put me in derision and in a loud voice and in front of everyone.

I figured a party that weird, I would have at least wanted something tasty going down first. You know though, they weren't drunk as supposed, they were just filled with the Holy Ghost.


The service went on for who knows how long, but at any rate, there was no message, no mention of Jesus, just a few mentions of the Holy Ghost for being blamed for such chaos. And no one got actual prayer. Not even did I hear so much as a "positive confession"!


Sadder than that...there were some women that I personally knew suffered from very real depression. They counted that experience as their healing, and within a week they were lower than ever. Kinda like a sugar fix for low blood sugar I guess.


Just one of many experiences in my background.

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True depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, but many people inaccurately think that if you are sad, you're depressed. It's really two different things.
It's perfectly natural to be saddened by things like the loss of life of a loved one, a break-up, whatever.
Depression changes the way you view the world, it becomes a darker, colder, scarier place that offers no hope. Medication can change it, but sometimes even that doesn't work, and it could make it worse, not all the people with it are helped by the same medication.
I think depression is becoming more pervasive in our society. Does that mean more people have chemical imbalances in the brain, and if so, what is causing it, environmental factors such as pollutants or hormones and additives in food?
I think religion does offer the temporary relief that you mentioned.
Meditation and exercise do too.
Something about a religious experience does alter the brain. It reminds me of the Buddhist monks, who through meditation are able to lower their heart-rate, and the people in South America, can't remember who, that are able to go through surgery and feel no pain, without anesthesia.
Just my thoughts.