"Christian Hogwarts" in Redding, CA

[cinepro]

Sounds like things are getting interesting in Redding, CA.  There's a megachurch that has become very intertwined in the politics of the city, and opened a large school that teaches faith healing and other gifts of the spirit.  The school is called (no joke) "The School of Supernatural Ministry."

 

Quote

The Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry is at the forefront of a burgeoning — and decidedly youthful — evangelical Christian revival. Some have called its movement the fastest-growing religious group in America — a loose network of churches, led by so-called apostles, who see supernatural gifts like prophecy and faith healing as the key to global conversion. While other religious movements struggle to retain members and draw in young people, Bethel attracts millennials in droves.

The school — which is unaccredited and does not confer degrees — sends students into Redding and across the globe armed with training in how to speak God’s words, heal the sick, and use the supernatural to win souls. It has spawned imitators across the country and on nearly every continent.

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The school began 20 years ago as a tiny operation: 37 students, most of them local. It now has 2,400. It is the country’s largest importer of foreign nondegree students — 889 active visas in the first half of 2017, according to ICE data, double that of the next-largest school. Because it’s unaccredited, it’s not eligible for federal financial aid: Students pay $4,650 a year out of pocket. They can attend for anywhere between one and three years; most stay for one or two.

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BSSM is built on the idea that we are all “naturally supernatural”: We all have the potential to heal the sick and to hear God’s vision for the future. It’s ours because it’s Jesus’s, says Farrelly: Jesus does the work, and humans act as conduits. The school’s job is to foster the supernatural gifts of signs and wonders — to teach people to hear God’s voice and turn it into prophecy.

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/mollyhensleyclancy/meet-the-young-saints-of-bethel-who-go-to-college-to

Edited June 20, 2019 by cinepro

[SettingDogStar]

I mean so long as they're using the name of Christ and not some other "shortcut" to heal I see no issue with it. Though the name of the school is a little odd haha 

Though I'm fairly certain it's essentially priestcraft if I understand what they're doing correctly.

[pogi]

5 minutes ago, cinepro said:

 led by so-called apostles, who see supernatural gifts like prophecy and faith healing as the key to global conversion. 

Late comers!  Of course we would call it spiritual instead of "supernatural" gifts.

 

[Robert F. Smith]

3 hours ago, cinepro said:

Sounds like things are getting interesting in Redding, CA.  There's a megachurch that has become very intertwined in the politics of the city, and opened a large school that teaches faith healing and other gifts of the spirit.  The school is called (no joke) "The School of Supernatural Ministry."  

Some of these same types of emotional, physical, or spiritual healing and clearing have been around for years in one form or another, apart from any church, and we have a number of them in Utah Valley.  One must pay a fee for unaccredited courses, after which one can use stone crystals, or other techniques to heal people of their problems.  Anyone can be involved, and I can't discern any conflict with LDS faith.

The form of it which the BuzzFeed piece discusses seems more like the New Testament Church in Acts 2, which sounds more pentecostal than evangelical.

[ksfisher]

32 minutes ago, Robert F. Smith said:

One must pay a fee for unaccredited courses, after which one can use stone crystals, or other techniques to heal people of their problems.  Anyone can be involved, and I can't discern any conflict with LDS faith.

The church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that through the priesthood and faith in Christ we can be healed.  You don't see a conflict?

[pogi]

22 minutes ago, ksfisher said:

The church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that through the priesthood and faith in Christ we can be healed.  You don't see a conflict?

We can also be healed in many other ways too, and I don't think the church limits our healing to priesthood only.

Just as the gift of prophecy is not limited to prophets, the gift of healing is not limited to men in the priesthood.  I know of a women who's patriarchal blessing states that they have the gift of healing.

Medicine is powerful.  The placebo is powerful.  It is all good and useful. Not to say that there aren’t charlatans, but sometimes the power of belief is enough.

This is a pretty good read:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1979/10/i-have-a-question/can-healings-be-real-if-they-are-not-performed-by-the-priesthood?lang=eng

Edited June 20, 2019 by pogi

[ksfisher]

1 hour ago, pogi said:

We can also be healed in many other ways too, and I don't think the church limits our healing to priesthood only.

Just as the gift of prophecy is not limited to prophets, the gift of healing is not limited to men in the priesthood.  I know of a women who's patriarchal blessing states that they have the gift of healing.

Medicine is powerful.  The placebo is powerful.  It is all good and useful. Not to say that there aren’t charlatans, but sometimes the power of belief is enough.

This is a pretty good read:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1979/10/i-have-a-question/can-healings-be-real-if-they-are-not-performed-by-the-priesthood?lang=eng

So are you saying there is no conflict between what the church teaches and someone who pays for a class to learn how to use “stone crystals” to heal?

[Calm]

My problem with paid healers is they are basically using the Spirit as a vending machine, pop in the money, out comes the spirit at the time of the client's appointment with healing.

 

[Robert F. Smith]

1 hour ago, ksfisher said:

The church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that through the priesthood and faith in Christ we can be healed.  You don't see a conflict?

It isn't so much whether you and I might see a conflict as that the participants see no conflict.  A local bishop might see such phenomena as essentially harmless, unless it becomes a cult, just as he might see some forms of group therapy (both professional and non-professional), acupuncture, chiropractic, or homeopathy as essentially harmless.

[Robert F. Smith]

1 hour ago, pogi said:

...............  The placebo is powerful.  .............

It sure is:  https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/placebo-effect-depression-treatment .

https://www.health.harvard.edu/mental-health/the-power-of-the-placebo-effect .

[Maidservant]

2 hours ago, ksfisher said:

The church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that through the priesthood and faith in Christ we can be healed.  You don't see a conflict?

Regardless of the actual effectiveness of given methods (maybe yes, maybe no), this kind of point of view--in my opinion--can only be maintained by persons who never go to their medical doctor either.

There are additional healing teachings in the Church, say the D&C and the Book of Mormon, that suggest the use of herbs, at minimum.  But nobody "follows" that either--except those for a preference for it.

And it's okay if one doesn't or one does--they aren't all of a sudden violating the gospel either way.

I think there is even a verse somewhere that suggests that if one DOESN'T have direct faith to be healed, the use of methods is fine.

These verses came about well before both so-called 'modern' medicine and so-called 'energy healing'.  So we have to use our reason and guidance from the Lord about what we each need to do with what is available presently in history.

Edited June 21, 2019 by Maidservant

[strappinglad]

It seems to me that the Church does not put a heavy emphasis on cultivating the spiritual gifts, probably to avoid the connection to charlatans in the past. In the early days there was more openness to not just healings but visions etc. I'm afraid many would look askance if people spoke of visions at testimony meeting. 

[SettingDogStar]

2 hours ago, strappinglad said:

It seems to me that the Church does not put a heavy emphasis on cultivating the spiritual gifts, probably to avoid the connection to charlatans in the past. In the early days there was more openness to not just healings but visions etc. I'm afraid many would look askance if people spoke of visions at testimony meeting. 

We had a guy in our ward who would occasional say that he had some vision then say how spiritual it was, maybe giving very little details of the experience.  Then he’d testify the lord sends angels and such to his children. Literally everybody thought he was weird..now I think he he was right

Edited June 21, 2019 by SettingDogStar

[stemelbow]

Sounds great.  When is someone going to get healed?  The same success rate as priesthood healings I'm wondering....or better?

[Doctrine 612]

This church is apart of the movie American gospel.

the movie says it’s a prosperity gospel.

 

also there healings are faked.

one example is leg stretching.

[pogi]

15 hours ago, ksfisher said:

So are you saying there is no conflict between what the church teaches and someone who pays for a class to learn how to use “stone crystals” to heal?

I don't see a conflict.  No more so than when someone pays for a class to learn any other form of complimentary and alternative medicine such as acupuncture, etc.

The church should not be in the business of deciding which therapeutic interventions are appropriate and which are not.  It should be up to the member to use good judgment and wisdom, and ultimately follow the spirit.  Even Christ utilized folk remedies in healing, such as anointing eyes with mud...

 

Edited June 21, 2019 by pogi

[SettingDogStar]

2 hours ago, pogi said:

I don't see a conflict.  No more so than when someone pays for a class to learn any other form of complimentary and alternative medicine such as acupuncture, etc.

The church should not be in the business of deciding which therapeutic interventions are appropriate and which are not.  It should be up to the member to use good judgment and wisdom, and ultimately follow the spirit.  Even Christ utilized folk remedies in healing, such as anointing eyes with mud...

 

Same. I think is wrong and essentially priestcraft, but it’s not directly hurting anyone. If the healings don’t work that sucks, if they do Great! 

I think it’s be really dumb if anyone paid to learn how to heal through this, but to each their own. 💁‍♂️

Edited June 21, 2019 by SettingDogStar

[strappinglad]

Who was it ? Simon? that offered to pay the apostles to find out the trick of giving the Holy Ghost ? 

[SettingDogStar]

 

32 minutes ago, strappinglad said:

Who was it ? Simon? that offered to pay the apostles to find out the trick of giving the Holy Ghost ? 

Yeah it was! 

[Avatar4321]

18 hours ago, strappinglad said:

It seems to me that the Church does not put a heavy emphasis on cultivating the spiritual gifts, probably to avoid the connection to charlatans in the past. In the early days there was more openness to not just healings but visions etc. I'm afraid many would look askance if people spoke of visions at testimony meeting. 

Why? President Nelson has openly spoken of visions.

My father has shared his with me in the past. Not at testimony meeting that I know of but id never be surprised if someone did