Hello, Bishop!
Given the amount of questions and comments we’ve received regarding a "doctrine", where people fall down after receiving the ‘touch of power’ of the Holy Spirit, I'd like to share something that happened in our Church in Australia. I think this will clear up a lot of doubts, especially to those who use their logic.
There is an Australian law that requires private institutions where people congregate to have an insurance policy. This insurance is renewed annually and is called ‘Public Liability Insurance’.
It covers the compensation for personal injuries suffered on site, such as: fingers caught in doors, slip and falls, personal injury or property damage, etc. This law also requires churches to have this insurance.
So far, so good; no problem. It is with great pleasure that we obey the law, and therefore, we have our insurance policy.
However, there is a twist. The broker from our insurance agency, which happens to be one of the largest in Australia, insisted on asking if our church encouraged people to "fall in the spirit", which here, they call "slain in the spirit”.
He pointed to a question on the insurance form, which we had to fill in with our information, that asked if we practiced the act of "falling in spirit” and we had to mark an "x" in the "yes" or "no” box.
I found this question odd, but before I could have answered him saying that we didn’t, he quickly explained that there is a different kind of insurance for churches that practice this doctrine.
I, of course, was a bit curious how an insurance agency, that has no religious ties, seemed to have an understanding of the term "slain in the spirit" and wanted to question us about it.
That's when he further explained that there are many "believers" who practice this doctrine and end up with broken arms, legs, scars and head injuries because they “fall in the spirit" over chairs and people during the service. When they don’t hurt themselves, they fall on top of other people hurting them instead.
He went so far as to say, that there are legal battles over personal injuries caused by people while they were "falling in the spirit."
He asked me if I believed in this. Without wanting to dive deep into this religious matter, I simply said, “No. Because I couldn’t stand seeing my wife washing and ironing my clothes, with so much love and sacrifice, and then put it all to waste by rolling around on the floor, getting dirty and ruining everything she had done”.
After a few laughs, we signed the policy.
Now, this disgraceful example is brought upon the unwary because they haven’t received the true baptism of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit does not hurt people, He heals wounds!
The Holy Spirit does not throw us to the ground, He lifts us up!
The Holy Spirit does not teach us about religion, He teaches the truth and nothing but the truth!
The Holy Spirit does not cause confusion, He restores and comforts.
God bless you.
Sincerely,
Marcelo Cardoso
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