Mr. Bentley is more in line with Gnostic beliefs than Christianity.

It has been said an individual can grow a beard, dress in a robe and sandals, and walk through America claiming to be Moses and find a following. I believe that is true of people who claim to have visions. If you watch any amount of Christian television you will eventually hear someone claiming to have a vision from God. However, the vision is totally unverifiable and the only authoritarian source for the vision is the seer.

Todd Bentley, the leader of the Lakeland, “Florida Healing Outpouring” revival, is the latest seer to entice crowds with wondrous accounts of 20 foot angels and his story of personally “…going to heaven via a pillar of fire through the church roof…..” He describes a hotel room literally burned down because an angel visited his room. Mr. Bentley has even had a female angel visit him with new revelation. Of course, nowhere in the Bible do we read of female angels.

Mr. Bentley is more in line with Gnostic beliefs than Christianity. Gnosticism was a direct counterpart to Christianity when the twelve Apostles were extant. The Gnostics took pride in visions they claimed to see and new revelation they received. They taught special rituals could catapult a person’s spiritual level. Gnosticism was very fond of naming the angels after their activity. Thomas Bentley has named the angel who started his revival “Winds of Change,” and has said one angel told him, “I am a healing angel….” Mr. Bentley claims all Christians should and can take trips to heaven. An add on his website says in part, "The School of the Supernatural Realms of Heaven" will get you ready to fly like an eagle into the supernatural realm!”

In her article June 21 article, “Lakeland Revival Is the Real Deal,” Krista Abbott testifies of the validity of Todd Bentley’s revival. Listen to the reasons Ms. Abbott gave for the revival’s validity. She said, “...my heart leaped” when she entered the structure and even though she was not cold. “I felt a chill on my arm.” As sincere as Ms. Abbott might be about her “experiences,” I suggest we as Christians look closer at the Bible when it comes to validating miracles and visions, rather than our feelings and others non-substantiated testimonies.

There is a sect in Christianity who thinks miracles of the New Testament are to be duplicated today. Mr. Bentley, his angel, “Winds of Change,” and his followers are an example of such a sect. They neglect the uniqueness of Jesus and the purpose miracles had in the New Testament. John the Baptist, while in prison, sent messengers to Jesus asking if he was the Messiah or should they look for another. Jesus told John’s disciples to report to him the miracles they were seeing. (Mark 11: 4-5) The reason miracles are a part of the Biblical revelation is to validate Jesus’ claims as the Messiah, not to be duplicated. Jesus’ miracles have an authoritarian source, God’s word. Mr. Bentley and others claim a pseudo-authority for their “miracles,” via duplication, but they still lack a Biblical purpose. To propose we need to duplicate Jesus’ miracles today is to lessen the uniqueness and purpose of those miracles which testified to Jesus as the Lamb of God.

Mr. Narisetti not only wants to protect children but to stop what he calls ‘psychological abuse’ on society’s future.

In the June/July “Free Inquiry” magazine published by the Council for Secular Humanism, an article “Religion and Child Abuse” appeared, written by Innaiah Narisetti.

Mr. Narisetti’s premise is clear when he states, “In one form or the other all religions violate the rights of children.” He questions at what age society ought to allow children “access to religion.” He wants the United Nations to restrict the “automatic” rights of parent’s to expose their children to religion. Mr. Narisetti also says, “Religious beliefs thrive by imposing themselves upon impressionable [children] minds...” and adults use these religious beliefs as a pretext to fight wars and promote other inhumane acts. Mr. Narisetti not only wants to protect children but to stop what he calls ‘psychological abuse’ on society’s future.

Atheists throughout history have deemed religion as the quintessential villain for most of society’s woes. Karl Marx taught religion was used by the rich to keep the working class in poverty. The author, Arthur C. Clarke considers religious beliefs a form of “superstition and barbarism.” Friedrich Nietzsche thought Christian virtues inspired weakness, not strength in man.

They plead their case against religion noting the brutality of theistic wars while ignoring the brutality of an atheistic Stalin. Certainly atrocities have been committed in the name of religion as well as non-religion. When arrogance is applied to any belief system, whether atheistic or theistic, the end result is oppression.

Christianity teaches man has separated himself from a perfect loving Creator but in evolution all men have risen up from an impersonal organic slime. Atheists, just like theist, are looking to explain the paradox of mans simultaneous greatness and cruelty. Atheists condemn religion as abusive but teach, by default, all thinking patterns come from the same micro organic pool. How can evolutionist claim authority to condemn one belief system over another? If the micro organic pool we all came from is the “designer” this friction between theism and atheism could be “its” purpose. If all humans came from the same impersonal organic source, our evolutionistic origins make us cohorts in all cruelty throughout history. Atheists have no authority to claim “any” belief system as abusive, unless they can prove that belief system came from defected micro organic pool “billions” of years ago.

On the inside cover of the magazine carrying the article “Religion and Child Abuse” there appeared a list of 21 principles called “The Affirmation of Humanism.” The following is number 4 (emphasis mine):

“We believe in an open and pluralistic society and that democracy is the best guarantee of protecting human rights from authoritarian elites and repressive majorities.”

Mr. Narisetti and the Council for Secular Humanism have proclaimed their evolutionistic belief system superior. In seeking to protect children from so called, abusive religious beliefs, atheists are on their way to becoming the authoritarian elites and the repressive majority. In their attempt to inflate the greatness of man, they violate the freedoms of man. Atheists believe all men evolved from the same micro organic pool, however the atheistic view came from a superior non-defected pool.

Oprah Winfrey has said, “Luck is a matter of preparation. I am highly attuned to my divine self.”

A shooting star was seen the night after the murder of Julius Caesar of Rome and since the Romans were very superstitious they believed Caesar had become a god. Caesars’ successor erected “The Temple of the Divine Julius Caesar” where Caesar’s body was cremated.

The superstition of humans possessing divinity is still with us. Oprah Winfrey has said, “Luck is a matter of preparation. I am highly attuned to my divine self.” Dr. Wayne Dyer, of PBS fundraiser fame, tells us, “You are a divine, infinite creation making the choice to be on purpose and to be connected to the power of intention.” One may start to wonder how we explain Darfur and the last two World Wars in light of the promotion of man’s divinity. (emphasis mine in both quotes)

The belief of divinity in humans also leads to an elitism, which makes the “Divine” believe they have the power to control circumstances by their thinking. Oprah has said, “The more positive you are about your life, the more positive it [life] will be,” (emphases mine). Dr. Dyer’s, “Power of Intensions” is nothing more than a formula to teach that your “thoughts” can alter life’s circumstances.

This belief of a divine spark or ‘piece’ of God in man has infatuated the church in the teaching God is within us. This idea comes from the scripture were Jesus says to the Pharisees, “the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17: 21) Ignoring the fact Jesus just told the “Pharisees” the kingdom of God was in them we have taken this to mean some divine part of God’s divinity is within our human nature. The phrase, “the kingdom of God is within you” was a Jewish idiom meaning the kingdom was very close at hand. The Pharisees were demanding an answer to their question, “when” the Kingdom of God would come and Jesus being the representative of God’s Kingdom was letting them know it was right in front of them. Jesus was not telling the Pharisees or anyone else they possessed divinity.

The Bible never teaches humans or Angels to be divine. Man and Angels are created effects of God and although the effect bears the image of his Cause man is in no way equal to it. For the church to accept or purport anything close to the mentality of humans possessing a divine spark or the ability to alter our circumstances with our thoughts is totally against Biblical teaching. To accept a human divinity is to put ourselves on an equal status with God.

The Bible teaches we are fallen creatures of a sinful nature. Paul tells us, there is none righteous and every man’s heart is wicked. (Romans 3.23) Although we may not like being called fallen creatures this explains Darfur and World Wars more consistently than “human divinity.”