Before reading this entry, invest 15 minutes to watch the two videos embedded at the bottom of this post, they are parts 1 & 2 of a Canadian Broadcasting Company story on Benny Hinn and Grace Brulot, seen at age 8 during a crusade in Calgary and later at age 11.
Assuming you’ve now made the time to watch the videos, it’s clear that Hinn is a charlatan fleecing the people left and right by taking their money. Often people who can afford it the least. It’s also clear that the label “non-profit” shouldn’t come within 1,000 miles of this character and his organization (a prime example of why we should revoke tax-exempt status from large churches and other “non-profit” enterprises.)
But to me, while annoying and criminal, the real tragedy of this story revolves around Grace. First, she’s been victimized, not only by Hinn, but more damaging, by her own Mother. She has been taught that she’s like she is because of some “grand plan” laid out by some deity and if she’s only good, and pious, and faithful enough, the deity will either “heal” her in this life or provide for her in the next life. If a child wants to have faith in unicorns, fairies, pixies, or elves, so be it. But for a parent to indoctrinate their child with this is beyond criminal and beyond evil.
In the second part of the story, we see that Grace is starting to figure it out in spite of her Mother, the religious community around her, and her indoctrination. Good for you Grace! She is embracing this life and working to discover her limits and bound past them due to her own will, intelligence, and dare I say, grace. Due to the continued presence of this fairy tale religion, she gets no credit for her own will to survive and thrive, it’s laid at the altar of the deity – it’s god’s will. Well, I think it’s pretty clear it’s Grace’s will and to take that away from her is worse than taking the hundreds of millions of dollars swindled by Hinn. And that her Mother and the rest of the community are taking it from her is about the deepest betrayal to be found in our world.
So, while Job #1 is to stop (or at least tax) Benny Hinn and his ilk. Job #2 has to be stopping parents from this form of child abuse. Religion should be the choice of each individual. Children raised in religious households have no chance to make that choice – it’s there from birth. And to make a different choice as a child or an adult, is seemingly impossible. It’s time to start rescuing these children from these situations and changing our laws to protect them from the very people they should be able to trust, their parents.
This whole situation makes me physically ill. I have to wonder why it doesn’t affect more people in this way.
CBC on Benny Hinn – Part 2
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So your job2 suggestion is remove children from, presumably all, religious households?
Just a blanket edict like that?
Where do they go then?
I think of you as more realistic and practical to believe you think that is the best or even a viable solution but please let us (your 3 regular readers) know if you have any workable suggestions.
(this comment sounds patronizing, it isn’t meant to be)
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t see the word “remove” anywhere in the post. I said “stop” the abuse by parents by arbitrarily indoctrinating (read brainwashing if you’d like) children into a belief system that will not serve them, or society well. Now, I don’t say how to “stop” this – I don’t know how to any more than I know how to stop physical, verbal, or sexual abuse from parents.
But recognition that the uninvited indoctrination of children into religion by parents as child abuse is a good place to start.
Apologies, I thought ‘rescuing these children’ implied their removal from the harmful environment.
Back to the problem I can’t see direct state intervention helping in the majority of these cases. Almost any legal definition of indoctrination as child abuse would probably be too open to interpretation to be effective at capturing real cases or so general it applied to many inapproproate cases.
I don’t mean to sound utterly negative, I just think legislating against it will never happen or work as intended.
One solution or at least improvement to the situation could come from a number of societal changes. One of my favourites is better education and less religious (and while we’re at it less racial) segregation. I think a society has a much better chance of making these changes.
It doesn’t solve the problem but giving children the tools and experiences to help them make up their own mind can only help.
I like your thinking on education and segregation – it’s ultimately that approach which will win out. However, often these societal changes need a legislated jump start (see child labor laws post-industrial revolution.)
Oh I agree that legislation against segregation in schools and legislation for better education are on the way forwards.
Just not so sure about the effectivness of the criminalising of religious indoctrination.
On a lighter note http://darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin2008.html. And on a related note it looks like a priest is in the lead this year http://darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin2008-16.html.
Now THAT is funny…
Hi and thank you!
You will love the work of Justin Peters on Benny Hinn. Check out his site at http://www.justinpeters.org Peters also has a unique perspective to offer as he lives graciously with cerebral palsy. My pastor, Dr. John MacArthur highly recommends him. Be sure to watch the demo on his site! God bless you!
CLS, thank you for dropping by to comment. Mr. Peters certainly is on the right track in his critique of WoF and I commend him for this approach. However, we still materially differ on the core issue of god and religion overall. Moreover, I respect Mr. Peters for being able to overcome his disability and craft a productive life.
Like Grace, I’m concerned that Mr. Peters was indoctrinated at such a young age that he too is part of the tragedy of which this entry speaks. It’s a shame that Mr. Peters feels the need to attribute his ability to overcome adversity to a higher power – that is a missed opportunity for him in my opinion and hopefully is a conscious choice made in the light of day as an adult.
[…] The Tragedy of Faith – A look at the seedy side of religion. Binny Hinn and his money machine steal money and hope from the sick, the poor, and the old. Sickening. […]