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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
charismatic churches	stacey	Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Question: I was involved in the occult for many years and started practicing witchcraft around 2003. Around the time I began to become more deeply involved I began to experience some strange occurrences inside my house which at the time I blew off and actually laughed at. Around May 2004 I was sexually assaulted on a date and did suffer from some post-traumatic stress but this in itself did not explain the events that occurred to me over the next 2years. It would take me a while to explain all of it but let me just say the attacks came from every angle imaginable. Things not only were occurring in my house but were occurring outside as well and coming through other people also. I had an unbelievable amount of car wrecks (one was near fatal) and constant accidents at work etc. I wish I could explain it all but it would take a while. I came in contact with a minister my aunt knew who had experience with deliverance ministry. I underwent several sessions over a period of about 6 months and did experience some relief. I'm just giving you this info as background information on what led me to become oppressed and also what led me to get involved with the charismatic church. I attended this church for about a year and a half and they DID actually help me. As I became more involved I began to see cracks in their teachings. They rely heavily on prophecies, speaking in tongues, etc. I felt like God was telling me to get out. I did and plan on going through RCIA this fall. I have not told anyone except my immediate family about my decision to convert to Catholicism because I know I will be told things like "You are being influenced by the devil" and etc. I also feel guilty about leaving because these people have helped me out alot but in the midst of all the theatrics, prophecies, and all the thought came in to my mind "Where is Jesus in all of this?" I would like to know some of your opinions on this movement and whether or not my gut feelings about it are correct. And by the way I did renounce all of my occult involvement. I feel like God is possibly leading me towards some involvement with deliverance work because the area I live in is dry as far as that is concerned. I do want to discern that this is the right thing to do before becoming involved because I know it is a very serious matter that needs to be approached in the right way. When I try to tell my charismatic friends that deliverance is a serious work they tell me that anyone who is "covered in the blood of Jesus" can go in and cast out or rebuke demons. I think their cavalier approach is stupid and foolish. Any comments on that? Thank you and God bless!!!
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM Dear Stacey: Let me first say that I am sorry that you were attacked and certainly hope and pray that you find complete healing from that terrible experience. I also praise God that you have decided to come into God's True Church -- the Catholic Church. We will be praying for you on that score also. We will especially pray for you in the perseverance you will need to cope with family and friends who will not be happy about your joining the Catholic Church. Hang in there, believe me, as a former Baptist preacher who went through the same sorts of things with friends, it is worth it. As for the Charismatic movement, there is a version of that in the Catholic Church too, called the Charismatic Renewal. The problem with much of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal is that they borrow too much from the Protestant Pentecostal Charismatic movement which has MANY flaws. I thoroughly outline the pros, cons, and appropriate approaches to Charismatic gifts and the Charismatic renewal and such in an essay, which is an excerpt from the Rule of my Order, called Charism Gifts to Build Up the Church. That essay (in PDF format) should answer your questions about that. As far as the attitude of many Charismatics that seems to be like "let's go kick some demon butt" and that "anyone covered in the blood" can do it is not only stupid but profoundly dangerous. In the Catholic Church formal exorcism is restricted to a priest and only if he has the permission of the bishop. Deliverance work deals with issues not involving full possession. It can be done by anyone theoretically, but not everyone is qualified or called to do this work. One of the principles of the Bible taught by St. Paul, if Charismatics ever bother to read it, is that because something is allowable does not mean that it is beneficial to do, or prudent to do. While it is allowable for any Christian to be in deliverance ministry, not every Christan is called by God to do it and not every Christian is qualified to do it. In our ministry, if someone is interested in being trained to be a deliverance counselor they must fill out an application, undergo one or two interviews or more and then go through a training program that lasts four years of discernment and that has academic, clinical, and spiritual direction modules. After graduating from that then the person must undergo three additional years of supervision, before being let out on their own to do deliverance work. This is serious business that is not for everyone. The cavalier approach is not only stupid and foolish, but dangerous to both the deliverance counselor and to the client. People can get hurt, even killed by inexperienced and untrained counselors. Your gut feelings are indeed correct. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

charismatic churches

stacey

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Question:

I was involved in the occult for many years and started practicing witchcraft around 2003. Around the time I began to become more deeply involved I began to experience some strange occurrences inside my house which at the time I blew off and actually laughed at.

Around May 2004 I was sexually assaulted on a date and did suffer from some post-traumatic stress but this in itself did not explain the events that occurred to me over the next 2years. It would take me a while to explain all of it but let me just say the attacks came from every angle imaginable. Things not only were occurring in my house but were occurring outside as well and coming through other people also. I had an unbelievable amount of car wrecks (one was near fatal) and constant accidents at work etc. I wish I could explain it all but it would take a while.

I came in contact with a minister my aunt knew who had experience with deliverance ministry. I underwent several sessions over a period of about 6 months and did experience some relief. I'm just giving you this info as background information on what led me to become oppressed and also what led me to get involved with the charismatic church.

I attended this church for about a year and a half and they DID actually help me. As I became more involved I began to see cracks in their teachings. They rely heavily on prophecies, speaking in tongues, etc. I felt like God was telling me to get out. I did and plan on going through RCIA this fall. I have not told anyone except my immediate family about my decision to convert to Catholicism because I know I will be told things like "You are being influenced by the devil" and etc. I also feel guilty about leaving because these people have helped me out alot but in the midst of all the theatrics, prophecies, and all the thought came in to my mind "Where is Jesus in all of this?"

I would like to know some of your opinions on this movement and whether or not my gut feelings about it are correct.

And by the way I did renounce all of my occult involvement. I feel like God is possibly leading me towards some involvement with deliverance work because the area I live in is dry as far as that is concerned. I do want to discern that this is the right thing to do before becoming involved because I know it is a very serious matter that needs to be approached in the right way.

When I try to tell my charismatic friends that deliverance is a serious work they tell me that anyone who is "covered in the blood of Jesus" can go in and cast out or rebuke demons. I think their cavalier approach is stupid and foolish. Any comments on that? Thank you and God bless!!!

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM

Dear Stacey:

Let me first say that I am sorry that you were attacked and certainly hope and pray that you find complete healing from that terrible experience.

I also praise God that you have decided to come into God's True Church -- the Catholic Church. We will be praying for you on that score also. We will especially pray for you in the perseverance you will need to cope with family and friends who will not be happy about your joining the Catholic Church. Hang in there, believe me, as a former Baptist preacher who went through the same sorts of things with friends, it is worth it.

As for the Charismatic movement, there is a version of that in the Catholic Church too, called the Charismatic Renewal. The problem with much of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal is that they borrow too much from the Protestant Pentecostal Charismatic movement which has MANY flaws.

I thoroughly outline the pros, cons, and appropriate approaches to Charismatic gifts and the Charismatic renewal and such in an essay, which is an excerpt from the Rule of my Order, called Charism Gifts to Build Up the Church. That essay (in PDF format) should answer your questions about that.

As far as the attitude of many Charismatics that seems to be like "let's go kick some demon butt" and that "anyone covered in the blood" can do it is not only stupid but profoundly dangerous.

In the Catholic Church formal exorcism is restricted to a priest and only if he has the permission of the bishop. Deliverance work deals with issues not involving full possession. It can be done by anyone theoretically, but not everyone is qualified or called to do this work.

One of the principles of the Bible taught by St. Paul, if Charismatics ever bother to read it, is that because something is allowable does not mean that it is beneficial to do, or prudent to do.

While it is allowable for any Christian to be in deliverance ministry, not every Christan is called by God to do it and not every Christian is qualified to do it.

In our ministry, if someone is interested in being trained to be a deliverance counselor they must fill out an application, undergo one or two interviews or more and then go through a training program that lasts four years of discernment and that has academic, clinical, and spiritual direction modules. After graduating from that then the person must undergo three additional years of supervision, before being let out on their own to do deliverance work.

This is serious business that is not for everyone. The cavalier approach is not only stupid and foolish, but dangerous to both the deliverance counselor and to the client. People can get hurt, even killed by inexperienced and untrained counselors.

Your gut feelings are indeed correct.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.