20AR25-06
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AR 25:6 - Decoding Paula White, "satanic pregnancies," and "marine spirits"
In this issue:
MINDFULNESS - Growing interest from "the medical establishment"
SHAMANISM - What next? (How about Spirit Hacking?)
WHITE, PAULA - Truly an odd couple: The POTUS and a female Pentecostal prophet
Apologia Report 25:6 (1,463)
February 12, 2020
MINDFULNESS
The New York Times weighs in with "Can Mindfulness Evolve from Wellness Pursuit to Medical Treatment?" by Kim Tingley (Jan 22 '20) -- regarding "evidence that the medical establishment is starting to consider mindfulness - originally an Eastern spiritual practice that Western marketers have co-opted in recent years to sell everything from yoga leggings to Ford Explorers - [as] a legitimate form of treatment. ... 'The fact that almost every single day there's a study coming out showing the benefits of mindfulness training creates this level of confidence that this is valuable,' says Michael Mrazek, director <www.bit.ly/2S6e11s> of research at the University of California's Center for Mindfulness and Human Potential." (The expression "human potential" has significant <www.bit.ly/39buhns> worldview history.)
One related study is offered as an example: "Forty-three volunteers with high blood pressure completed [a] one-year trial. ... On average, a year later, the study participants had ... a significant overall improvement.
"But the study also illustrates the difficulties inherent in trying to judge the health effects of any psychological intervention." Discussion follows and it is noted that "as in many mindfulness studies, most of the participants who responded to advertisements seeking volunteers were ... interested in trying the practice...." <www.nyti.ms/2S72u1K>
For mindfulness in past issues of AR, see <www.bit.ly/2UzbD52>
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SHAMANISM
The L.A. Times' Melinda Fulmer would have you know "Why Shamanism Is Red Hot Right Now" (Dec 20 '19). However, she really just profiles Durek Verrett, "the sixth-generation Afro-Haitian shaman better known as Shaman Durek" (aka "Guru to the Stars,") and the recent release of his book Spirit Hacking: Shamanic Keys to Reclaim Your Personal Power, Transform Yourself and Light Up the World [1]. Hmm, sounds like "Light of the world."
After dropping the names of celebs who think Durek is hot, we learn that "Verrett, a California native, has 145,000 followers on Instagram." Uh huh. What is more (possibly less), "the 45-year-old self-professed spiritual counselor and podcaster says his true mission is to bring the ancient practice of shamanism to the mainstream, helping people to 'get lit' by cultivating love and acceptance of themselves and others." (A recovering alcoholic once mentioned that she used to 'get lit' in another context.)
"Shamanism's philosophy of using connection and spiritual wisdom as a tool to help solve the planet's problems is catching on with a younger generation that is more disconnected from traditional religion and increasingly worried about climate change, income inequality and what their future will look like, says Susan Mokelke, president of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies <shamanism.org>, based in Northern California. ...
"Jaime Meyer, a shamanic practitioner in Minneapolis and president of the Society for Shamanic Practice <shamanicpractice.org>, says he has seen a spike in interest in shamanic healing, particularly among people who've exhausted therapy and still feel like something's missing." (Has a familiar ring to it. Where have I heard that before?)
Fulmer summarizes: "There's no denying that shamanism sounds a little woo woo to most...." Good start. Should it not give pause?
This is followed by "Shamanism has endured for over 40,000 years." Uh, how did you come by that?
"To be sure, a lot of what Verrett does is impressive and hard to explain...." And perhaps, hard to accept?
"Verrett said it was an out-of-body experience while training in Belize that showed him his life's mission." Wouldn't you agree, that is actually quite telling by itself?
"Like many other spiritual leaders, he believes that our words — spoken out loud and internally - create our reality...." Try it with "I'm an avocado," and see where that gets you.
Oh drat. Only just realized that this item is titled "Shamanism" and not "Sarcasm." Too late to change that reality now. <www.lat.ms/2usXdZw>
Visit <www.bit.ly/37ahVdM> for more on shamans and shamanism from past issues of AR.
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WHITE, PAULA
We begin with a cat-fight: "What on Earth is wrong with Paula White, Trump’s spiritual guru?" by Madeline Fry <www.washex.am/3bj5CiJ> (Washington Examiner, Jan 22 '20) -- where-in readers discover that worship (and preaching) in Pentecostal churches is often not like that of most other churches. This can be shocking.
In response, there is the scornful analysis of the secular media's reaction to White from GetReligion (Feb 2 '20), which asks: "Does it matter if media elites don't 'get' Pentecostalism?" You'll find that it's not what you might expect - reasons to cut White some slack.
Terry Mattingly redirects the incomprehension of "mainstream journalists and concerned readers to ... David French, a Harvard Law graduate and First Amendment expert who is one of the most quoted #NeverTrump conservatives in American political life." Mattingly's purpose is "to explain why White’s critics, especially scribes in the mainstream press, need to slow down and try to grasp what charismatic and Pentecostal Christians believe on the topic of fierce prayer and 'spiritual warfare.'" Lost cause? Take a look and see for yourself.
Of interest is:
1) the appeal to influence: "rarely has a religious revolution gone more unnoticed by the Western elite. In 1906, there were a few hundred folks gathered at the Apostolic Faith Mission in Los Angeles. By 2020, the number of Pentecostal believers hit more than half a billion worldwide."
2) the appeal to cultural respect: "remember that Pentecostal Christianity was born out of America’s poor and working-class communities - people who feel the tremendous, grinding weight of poverty, of addiction, of oppression - and it is sweeping through the global south in communities who face many of these same challenges.
"These people are not privileged. They don’t have the power and confidence of America’s prosperous Christian class. The Holy Spirit bursts into their lives like a supernova of hope." <www.bit.ly/2H3GyP1>
One notable observer of current prophetic controversies is André Gagné, Associate Professor of Theological Studies at Concordia University in Montréal <www.bit.ly/2HjMpQo>. See his insightful Twitter thread on White, the "marine kingdom," and "satanic pregnancies" at <www.bit.ly/37ir4B7>
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SOURCES: Monographs
1 - Spirit Hacking: Shamanic Keys to Reclaim Your Personal Power, Transform Yourself and Light Up the World, by Shaman Durek and Dave Asprey (St. Martin's, 2019, hardcover, 320 pages) <www.amzn.to/2OCKlGZ>
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