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My Experience with Benny Hinn
You can chose to believe me or not. That is your option. These words are
what I experienced and I believe what I know to be the truth. After
talking to other Charismatic Movement Survivors, I have found that I am
not alone in my experience with Benny Hinn. My memory concerning dates
and times are a bit fuzzy, but you'll find out why. "shock therapy"
tends to fuddle the brain a bit. But I am starting to regain more
memories of that eventful weekend, and as they come back, I will edit
this post and share them.
Memory One: I went to a Benny Hinn Crusade some time in the mid-90's.
Trinity Broadcasting Network was getting huge, no thanks to Mr. Charisma
himself. On TV, we saw people falling over in swoons with a sweeping
gesture of his arm. He yelled, he sang (off-key), and he danced to
minions seeking healings for various reasons. We watched people climb
out of wheelchairs and run around the stage, hooting and hollering for
the glory of Jesus. I was a smoker and wanted to quit. I also had
depression issues I wanted healed as well, so when the Portales Prayer
Group invited me to go to Albuquerque with them, I readily accepted. I
boarded some church's tour bus and rode forward to my destiny.
Memory Two: We went to the Convention Center on Friday night and watched
them set up for the "show". I saw empty wheelchairs wheeled in and
placed towards the front by the stage.
Memory Three: During services, I was bored (I always hated "church") and
was studying the people around me. Their eyes were bright and hopeful.
Many were waiting for God to make His grand entrance. The ushers were
passing around white buckets for offerings. When the buckets got full,
they'd go empty them and send them back into the crowd. I can't tell you
how many times a white bucket crossed my lap that weekend. People ran
out of cash and were writing checks. They must have felt the need to
offer money they didn't have each time that white bucket came across
their laps. Friday night, I watched people come in and sit in the empty
wheelchairs, and wouldn't you know it? They were all healed of
paralysis, or MS, or whatever later that night!
Memory Four: The next morning (Saturday), Benny wanted to do something
special for the area ministers and youth ministers. Since I was the only
ordained youth minister (yes, I was ordained, so stop laughing) from my
church, the people from the PPG (Portales Prayer Group) urged me to go
up and get prayed over by The Man himself. The pastor from the Assembly
of God church went went with me, and thank God he did, because he served
as a witness to everything that happened.
Memory Five: The pastor and I were taken up on stage. I was put in front
of him and two of the ushers (whom I now call The Gambino Boys), were
roughly holding onto my arms. Benny walked up to me, studied me for a
moment, then touched my jaw line under my cheek. I don't know how to
explain what happened to make you understand how it felt. Instead, take
a fork and go jab it in an electrical outlet. Same feeling. I flew
backwards and the Gambino Boys caught me, and yanked me roughly to my
feet. I was tossed back and forth between them like a ping-pong ball
until I was finally tossed head first down the side-steps. If there
hadn't been some local ministers standing there...
I had one thought go through my head, "Oh God! I'm going to break my
neck!" I was falling head first down a flight of stairs. I was caught
and helped down by the local ministers. One of them went up to yell at
the Gambino Boy who tossed me.
Memory Six: I don't remember the rest of Saturday morning's service. I
do remember seeing the white offering buckets a lot. And I remember
being coddled and cuddled a lot by the PPG people, especially the AoG
pastor with us, in fact, I think it was the AoG's bus we took. Anyway, I
was shaking uncontrollably. I was crying hysterically. My nerves were
frazzled like they had just suffered a severe trauma. Many of our group
and the people around us were very concerned, because they were now
starting to question the validity of Benny Hinn's ministry. A lot of
them had been roughed up on Friday night by the Gambino Boys, so they
knew what I was going through. I don't remember the sermon or anything
else.
Memory Seven: I can't remember if we left early or not. I think we did,
because AoG pastor was extremely concerned about me. I hadn't stopped
trembling and crying. A friend of mine's mother in law was there, and
she took me into a bathroom. I remember several ladies washing my hands
and face in cool water. I was nauseous. I remember them whispering about
what had happened. One lady came in and yelled at us for not accepting
God's gift to me. Well, if electrocuting me is a gift, I'd rather He
take it back, mmkay? And besides, I didn't stop smoking. I walked
outside and smoked like a factory chimney. There was no gift, unless it
was the gift of figuring out things aren't what they seem.
Memory Eight: On the bus ride back, I was kept at the front of the bus
in case we needed to skid to a stop so I could jump out and ralph all
over the New Mexico landscape. I was very sick. I was shaking
uncontrollably. I couldn't stop crying. The AoG pastor had me repeat my
story several times, even though he was right behind me and saw the
whole thing. Maybe he was re-assuring himself of what he saw? The same
obnoxious woman from the bathroom yelled at me again. Several people
told her to be quiet, because no one was for sure that was even God or
not. People were starting to question their faith in Benny at this
point.
Conclusion: We get back to Portales and my pastor is called to come deal
with me. He came to the house and told me and my step-mother, "I warned
you both that Benny is not what you think he is." He was gentle about
it, but the "Told you so!" was still in his voice. He was right though,
so I don't hold it against him. I found out later that AoG pastor had
gone to the AoG head honchos and told them what happened, and they
refused to believe it. He eventually split from the AoG over "doctrinal
differences" and started his own church somewhere else.
So, what happened? I don't really know. Some have speculated that Benny
carries around some sort of battery pack type thing and uses it to "slay
people in the Spirit". How can I explain why entire crowds fall over
when he swishes his arms? If you go to a Crusade, you will know the
energy created by desperate people. These people believed so fervently
that God was going to heal them, they created their own healings, their
own divine energy. Its the same energy I felt at the last Metallica
concert I went to. Human emotion is very intense. Plus the room was very
hot, and people were fainting left and right -but they were calling it
"slain the Spirit". I call it "fainting from heat exhaustion".
You can chose to believe me or not, but this is my story, and this is my
truth. Benny Hinn is a fraud and I will think you are a fool if you
continue to put money in the white buckets or mail checks into his
multi-million dollar ministry.
eta: I wanted to add, that I was never healed. I was never touched by
God that day. In fact, if anything, I got worse. My depression became
almost manically suicidal, I started smoking even heavier, and I began
drinking and smoking marijuana to try and numb the pain I was feeling
inside. I was depressed and unhappy when I went to the Crusade, but I
left there 50 times worse.
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