[Dion]

Interesting story from reddit

I Have a Depressing Story About a Faith Healer...

WARNING: If you wanna throw up in your mouth a little, read on...

I went to see Benny Hinn with a coworker in Denver a few years back. Benny Hinn is a self-proclaimed faith healer who puts on a huge spectacle. I was reluctant to go, but I went anyway. I was told, "You don't have to believe anything to enjoy the gospel choir- it's pretty impressive." This was true.

So many people were packed into the Pepsi Center (a 20,000+ venue) that there was standing room only.

We sat next to a latino family who, by the looks of their clothes, did not have a pot to piss in. Upon the first offertory (and there were 4 offertories that evening), the family father cut a check for $3500 and slipped it into the lock box carried by one of the three dozen visibly armed ushers. Each lock box had a sign on the front reading, Suggested Donation: $1000.00. The family gave additional money each time the lock box went by, but I am not sure how much. My coworker slipped a check in the box as well.

And that still wasn't the worst of it...

Next in line was a kid in a wheelchair, probably 9 or 10 years old, with malformed legs. SOMEHOW, this child was going to walk on them. First of all, the kid was shivering with fear, and did not want to participate. A man in blue stood him up, and the kid fell back in his chair. And the kid was embarrassed.

"C'mon honey, don't you wanna walk?" asked his mom.

"This is why we came here! You've got to tryyy," said his dad.

My coworker and I were overlooking the railing from about twenty feet up- at least, at this point, my coworker couldn't stomach it anymore. "I'm sorry I dragged you here."

The man in blue grabbed another man in blue, and they suggested to form a prayer circle around the boy to channel God. The prayer circle was getting louder and louder, and more and more men in blue came to pray- yet this kid still managed to cry over them all.

A man in blue got on his knees and, nodding his head, says to the kid, "Do you believe in God? Do you believe he'll make you walk? Just believe. Just pray." The kid is too frightened to respond.

The kids dad is in the prayer circle with his eyes clamped tightly shut, praying through clenched teeth. His mom is hysterical, crying and sweating, digging her fingernails into the kids forearm, "Baby, you gotta get out of your seat! Stand up, baby, just stand up!"

They get this kid to start screaming at the top of his lungs, "I WANNA WALK! I WANNA WALK!" as they all chant a call-and-response prayer led by a man in blue. Mom and Dad pick this kid up from under his armpits out of his chair, with his twisted legs dangling lifelessly, his shoes brushing the floor. Mom, Dad, and Son were all beet-red, screaming and crying. Mom was especially overwrought with desperation.

The prayer leader stopped. He looked at the kids parents and said, "This isn't gonna work. Sorry. He's [motioning to their son] just not ready for this."
Ugghh... my insides sank.

The kids Mom collapsed to her knees and smothered her anguished shrieks ("Nooo, baby, nooo!") with her face buried in her son's lap. And the look on the kid's face revealed that he truly believed it was all his fault.

My coworker couldn't take it and wanted a smoke, so we went outside. We were in disbelief. I expected a silly, unconvincing show. I didn't anticipate witnessing gut-wrenching evil. My coworker's eyes watered up; he looked at me and said, "I gave them a thousand dollars."

We went back in, and missed a large portion of the finale. Of the 200 people that went to healer tryouts, less than ten made the cut.

https://www.reddit.com/r/atheism/com..._faith_healer/