Author:
Publication: Deccan Herald
Date: January 20, 2005
URL: http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/jan202005/netmail.asp
Sir, Why make such a big fuss about
Benny Hinn's Festival? What will happen if he blesses India? Will the problems
of poverty, corruption, communalism be wiped off from this land? Moreover,
he has made some derogatory remarks on other religions. On the other hand,
we had Swami Vivekananda, who said 'just as all rivers join sea in the
end, so also all religions lead to God" India also had king Ashoka who
preached equality of all religions. According to him, Compassion is the
basis of all religions. If he is a true humanist, he would have never spoken
bad or made statements about other religions.
Some investigations in USA has proved
that he is a fraud and he doesn't possess any healing powers. He is cheating
innocents and making huge money. One investigation even points out that
he spends a lot on his personal security. Why does he need huge security
arrangements , when he has healing powers?
When some people in USA, the most
advanced country believe in him, what to say about India, where illiteracy
and ignorance is widespread?
Moreover why should he pray for
India? He should pray for USA for committing heinous crimes like war on
Iraq and killing lakhs of people.
SAHANA JOSHI
Bangalore
Same rules for all religions!
Sir, If the Binny Hinn's forthcoming
visit to Bangalore had provoked a controversy, much of its blame has to
be accepted by the media who had painted him as some sort of Godman or
Healer.
The question is how Binny Hinn looks
at himself? We can get a cue from his Prayer Meeting in New Delhi three
months ago for a select group of Cabinet Ministers, Parliamentarians, Bureaucrats
and Supreme Court Judges. The program was recorded by Binny Hinn Ministries
and telecasted by God's Channel repeatedly in several occassions, much
before the present controversy erupted. In this meeting Binny Hinn started
his session with a starkling revelation " I can't heal even a fly". He
went to clarify it was only God by His power who could heal and that power
could be accessed by all for free by prayer.
The media also does not care to
highlight the process behind Prayer Meetings like the Festival of Blessings.
For more than six months, thousands of ordinary people had each day gathered
at Jakkar Grounds (the venue of the meeting), fasting and praying that
God unleash his mercy on the thousands who are expected to come to the
meeting on the hope of getting healed. There are millions of Binny Hinn
supporters around the globe, who also fast and pray daily for the same
purpose.
Lastly, the Bible tells us that
Jesus had promised that if 3-4 gather in His name, what is asked for will
be given. Christians believe that the power of this promise will be upscaled
if millions synchronized their prayers. In short, prayers are answered
to individuals who have faith and not by Binny Hinn's supposedly miracleous
powress. Accordingly, Binny Hinn within this understanding is hardly a
healer, even if people gets healed at all in the prayer meetings he organizes.
He is at best a catalyst that makes all this process possible.
Another misconception is that Binny
Hinn declares people as healed. If one follows Binny Hinn televised programs,
he does no such thing. It is people in the audience who declare themselves
healed. It is possible that some get emotionally carried away and claim
a healing when no such thing takes place. Others may deliberately fake
a claim just to cast the organizers into disrepute. It is impossible for
organizers of such mass prayer meetings to thoroughly investigate the claims
of healing in except to treat claims at their face value, though they may
later try to document evidence which may take several months, if not years.
The other misplaced charge is that
the Festival of Bessings at an attempt of conversions. Even if it be the
case, in the absence of coercion or inducement involved, what is the fuzz
all about? India is a free country. As citizens, we all possess the right
to make choices. In this case, we can choose either to attend or not attend
such meetings, if it is perceived as designed as a conversion trap.
If Binny Hinn's meeting has to be
banned for whatever reason, let it be a precedent and applied to all religious
meeting to avoid discrimination from here on. If the forces that oppose
Binny Hinn does so simply because he is a foreigner, let them in the same
breadth call for a similar ban on overseas visits for the likes of Sri
Sri Ravishankar, Mata Arutanandamayi etc. Otherwise it overtly smacks of
hypocrisy and discrimination!
Rajan Alexander
Bangalore
Fallen prey to the fundamentalists
Sir, Your editorial "Faith Healing?"
seemed to mock at all those believers and to draw outright conclusions
that Benny Hinn is a quack!. If only all religions are put under scientific
scrutiny and all belief systems sought be explained in scientific means,
there would be no religion that would come out clean!. Knowingly or unknowingly
you have hurt the sentiments of a section of your readers who hold Benny
Hinn in esteem. While it's true that he is controversial, your editorial
just on the eve of his arrival in Bangalore was tantamount to a smear campaign
and definitely not in the Indian ethos of welcoming a guest!.
While the participation of the Chief
Minister and other government officials in their official capacity can
be questioned as this is a religious function, no one can advice them not
to participate in their individual capacities. The secular government simply
has no business to be associated with this program except for facilitating
and making sure proper protection is meted out to all attendees in view
of the serious threats spelled out by fundamentalist and rogue elements
in our society.
While the issue of pamphlets being
circulated with objectionable material on Idol worship needs to be investigated
and the culprits dealt with seriously for causing communal disharmony the
suspicions regarding his mission of conversion are baseless and unfounded
fears. Benny Hinn or even his pop cannot effect conversions on the intelligent
Indians. Conversion is a matter of spirit and cannot be achieved by hypnosis
or any other dubious means as his critics point out. If only this were
true, the Church would have employed professional hypnotists!
Tens of thousands Christians and
non-Christians, plan to gather in show of solidarity and pray for our country.
Does this not hold a promise for communal amity and brotherhood in our
strife torn society?. For once, have you fallen prey to the fundamentalists
who always view the minorities with suspicion?.
Chezhiyan Anandaraj
Bangalore
