Unfortunately, there isn't a shortage of weak and vulnerable individuals on this planet who need that reassurance and a sense of belonging to get through life, and organized religions know exactly how to take advantage of these people.
Rod your comment has lots of truth.
Lots of priests /pastors with sneaky /selfish motives & many weak believers fall prey to them.
And I am convinced that Jesus is the way truth & life. God became flesh...perfect lamb of God who was the sacrifice ..but then came back to life the 3rd day !
So where does that leave other religions? All bridges to God. No.
Now we are talking billions involved in false religions /cults.
Then we have Scientology Mormons JWs so forth...guys like Jim Jones...San Francisco church...then he moved the church Central America I think where the mass suicides took place.
Then there was another guy in Waco Texas ..his followers in this big complex & there was a big shoot out.
Police/army ...some buildings caught fire...so many dead.
So yes abuse ...plenty.
Of course we hear a lot about residential schools...then also priests abusing kids...plus now there's priests in S America stories of priests raping nuns...oh lest we forget Jim Bakker / Jommy Swaggart sexual slip ups ...in those high up positions and still taking that risk.
Benny Hinn affair with Rev. Paula White.
All of this is just the tip of the iceberg.
And as Inpoint my finger at them there was a time in my walk with God ..I lived like the prodical son...
Galations ch 5 flesh vs the Spirit. In other words temptation.
To be tempted is not sin but to follow thru it becomes sin.
In my disobedient days 1 John 1:9 was my favourite verse...if you confess your sin He is faithful & just to forgive you your sin & cleanse you from all unrighteousness.
Being single ...booze ...etc...just got into a rut..spiritually.
But I am very ashamed to this day & disappointed in myself but cannot change the past but can make proper decisions today & tomorrow...
Abuse in the church "yes" plenty... some tv preachers in mega churches bringing in millions & millions & pocketing too high a % of it.
When I lived in the prairies went to this one church close to where I lived & the service was 60% of the time pressure to give $$$.
Even one preacher says give us $50 & we will give you this paper cut out ( shape of a foot ) and you put it in your shoes. As you wear your shoes watch God work in your life !!!
What
That is crazy.
So abuse plenty.
But among all this craziness ...is there any light shining thru the dark clouds.
Is there a real spiritual war going on for our souls.
Plenty & it's big time.
Any good examples ...well we mentioned how natives had bad experience with past religion but tv programs like Spirit Alive & Tribal Trails are totally run by natives who have had an encounter with God !
Sid Roth & even myself have experience power in the occult before we met God.
I did not study anything in the occult but suddenly astral body projection started happening in my life.
I told "no one " as thought they would think I'm going"Nuts" .
Thought maybe I was dying..literally my mind would exit my body sometimes.
It was so weird. But the first time I looked for answers found a paperback book at a pharmacy Zag the shopping centre Austin & N Road Coquitlam close to Louheed Mall.
It was an occult book with each chapter having a dif. form of the occult...astrology tarot cards ouija board astral body travel or projection...bought the book .
Exactly what was happening to me ...astral body travel. So was happy I could have a label to my out of body experiences.
Literally I could exit my body & fly with my mind to locations miles away !!!
It was so freaky.
But that summer on high school break bused to a Williams Lake & got a summer job at Merrill & Wagner sawmill. It was up there when I prayed to Jesus & simply asked Him if He was real.
Had a big time encounter.
I prayed and asked God like what about this astral body travel ...is this from You...if not take it away.
Never astral traveled ever again !!!
So as a new believer I wondered if the Bible warned on the occult.
Plenty. Deuteronomy 18:10-12 just one of my favourites.
Book of Acts in New Test. the apostles come across 3-4 x people who are into the occult.
Even one lady with psychic powers had a demon cast out ! Think it's Acts ch 16.
But yes Sid Roth has that program It's Supernatural ..but his youtube vids have guests who were into the occult before they became Christians.
Sid Roth as mentioned did astral travel when he was not a Christian so he knows the reality of the occult.
The new age movement is full of the occult. Crystals tarot cards mediums psychics ...
Doreen Virtue was the leading new age lecturer & author....
She had a Christian encounter in recent yrs...and she now states the new age is demonic.
Her ex followers think she lost her mind.
After I got saved ..went to a church in New Westminster. Really nice church. Interesting sermons & good praise & worship & no pressure on giving $$$ or trying to control you or whatever...
Went there for 7 yrs before I moved to the prairies for 2 yrs.
But Rev Pritchard did not mention much about the demonic ...in all those years...but one service he really caught my attention.
He told a story when he was a young pastor. His young children cried & made a fuss every Sat evening !!
So much so ..Les was tired the next am when he had to preach.
Again his kids on cue cried on Sat. evening....
This went on for a few weeks ....
Then one Sat. evening his kids again crying ...he entered their bedroom to calm them ...and he said he literally saw 2 demons !!!
He rebuked them in Jesus Name & pufff they vanished in thin air !
True story. I believe him 100% because this guy was so nice & sincere.
In the prairies I went sometimes to a Salvation Army church.
One service looked very serious ! The Capt. ( they do not call them pastors ) said they have a female teen story their house who is totally possessed !
He said other high rank Salvation Army personal are flying in from Vancouver and Toronto.
Long story short she was totally delivered !
Even Nick Vujicic the limbless evangelist told of 2 stories he had with demonic encounters.
Do you know who criticized him when he told of his encounter with the demonic he felt in a hotel room.
Other Christians. Ha !
Oh you should not say anything about the demonic....
What !!! To sweep it under the rug is not good.
Of course we focus on God but what is wrong to warn on the reality of the dark side. It 's in the New Test. over & over...
Ephesians 6:10 ...on just one of many places.
With most pastors not knowing much on this area is why they do not give a warning, so is it any wonder kids teens are dabbling with ouija boards ....or having sleep paralysis encounters...or going into the new age....
Natives on that tv channel have a program "The Other Side" ...haunted houses & like...
These are not ghosts ...the para normal are demonic spirits. So sad as some natives are suicidal / drugs/ prostitution / family abuse / so the last thing they need is a program like this.
Demons lie & are deceivers ...
Kids doing charliecharliechallenge ...dangerous.
I sparked an article about ex occultists I met who became Christians ..story in the Vancouver Province came out in a Sat. am paper.
Hours before at 3:30 am an invisible evil presence came into my bedroom. Evil x 1000 !!!
I got so afraid (ha) I spoke out " Jesus name Go "
Literally it took off to the west direction thru the window area!!!
Just sensed it.
Do a youtube search : ex new age now a Christian
Or: ex witch now a Christian .
One favourite : Tara Lawson ouija evil
Another : Pop evil rock star cast out demon.
I give 1000s of people Chick tracts like Gunslinger for example and have met so many who told me about having sleep paralysis ...& they are so afraid.
Another guy who told me his sister used an ouija board ...and weird thing started happening..
She went to 3 churches to seek help ...Ladner Delta so on...he said the pastor told his sister to go to a gov. social wkr or psychiatric clinic !!! What !!!
I also have met so many who have told me their house has strange things going on...
But yes there are super good real churches ...ministries like the Dream Centre (s) in various cities.
They help the down & out in LA etc...
But that is why when I give out tracts ...I do not my include my name/ do not ask for their name: do not mention any church because I know they have heard of bad examples of preachers / priests so I motivation is 100% just share the gospel message ( plus I pen in some good youtube testimonies )
So when they take the tract ...they are not pressured to go to a church or give $$$ or whatever.
So why do I share but not arm twist...well simply have had very real encounter with God & the powers of evil.
But Rodney you are so right....so much bad examples in religion ...
But watching tv news yesterday and this Covid 19 is getting scary but the minute.
1000 people died in USA yesterday.
This is getting very serious.
Life as we know it has shut down.
Where will it end?
There's 9 new posts as I'm posting.