Cults Misuse the Holy Spirit

Many spiritual "gimmicks" masquerade as signs of the Holy Spirit.  Former child evangelist, Marjoe Gortner, could "slay" others in the Spirit and perform "healings," and then get people to "speak in tongues" -- and this was long after he threw out his Christian beliefs.  Often hailed as the world's youngest ordained preacher, he grew increasingly disenchanted with the preaching gig and quit at age thirteen.  Some fourteen years later he wanted to expose other evangelists and healers as charlatans and showmen.  Gortner cooperated in the production of the movie Marjoe, depicting the fraud and slick showmanship many preachers use to convince the flock that the power of the Holy Spirit is moving in their particular service.

Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815), the great hypnotist-scientist, could duplicate almost anything seen in a modern-day charismatic service.  Claiming that he could cure people with magnets, he "cured" a number of hysterical patients who suffered from neuralgia and various other ailments such as convulsions.  His theory of  "animal magnetism" was that magnets could transfer certain fluids from the atmosphere to the body, thus rejuvenating it.  He was unanimously rejected by the scientific community.  It was later learned that his procedures were based on the principles of hypnosis.  Thus, the word "mesmerized" now refers to one being hypnotized or spellbound.   One of Mesmer's tricks was to lay a rod on the shoulder of people who sought a cure.  Immediately, these people would fall backward having lapsed into an unconscious state.  Mesmer's procedure appears identical to the modern-day healer or evangelist who, placing a hand on the forehead of someone coming forward for prayer and healing, causes the person to lose consciousness and fall backwards "slain" in the Spirit.  Mesmer was doing this long before the modern-day charismatic movement began in the early 1900s.

Some non-Christian religions also practice speaking in tongues, healing, and "spiritual dancing." Many consider these practices problematic for Christians because they can be so easily imitated by those who are not Christians.  All of these phenomena represent altered states of consciousness that can be induced by a variety of means, including deep relaxation, mixed messages which produce confusion or divided attention, heightened emotional arousal, and physical fatigue.  The biblical admonition to "test the spirits to see whether they are from God" (1 John 4:1) still applies.  We must exercise extreme caution should our child or loved one join a group where "supernatural signs" are present.  Does the church claim that such signs are unique to them?  Are the signs accompanied by sound doctrine?  Who are the people performing these miraculous signs?  Are the healings open to medical verification?  Does the pastor forbid others to question his authority or power?  If so, the group is probably cultic.

(from Cult Proofing Your Kids by Dr. Paul R. Martin)