11.12: Examples of Demonic 1

Chapter 11.12 Ancient & Modern Examples of Demonic Working Demonstrating the not Everything Supernatural is Holy

Table of Topics

A) The Simonians

B) Levitations

C) “Eyeless” sight

D) Elongations

E) Psychic healing

F) Psychic surgery

G) sai baba: the greatest miracle worker today . . . & he’s not a Christian

Extras & Endnotes Primary Points  There is no qualitative difference between what these demonically empowered miracle workers do and what their counterparts in super-supernaturalism are performing.  The greatest miracle worker in the world today is not a Christian.

11.12: Examples of Demonic Miracles 2 Below are a few examples of what we would suggest to be possibly demonically empowered miracle workers, not just magicians. As noted in previous chapters, while fraud and psychological manipulations may have been involved in the following examples, it would seem the particularly supernatural nature of the phenomena suggests demonic involvement. Unfortunately, there is no qualitative difference between what these demonically empowered miracle workers do and what their counterparts in super-supernaturalism are performing. Our primary point here is one that needs to be heard loud and clear in American Christianity: not everything supernatural is holy.

A) The Simonians

Luke records: Now there was a certain man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city, and astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great; and they all, from smallest to greatest, were giving attention to him, saying, "This man is what is called the Great Power of God." And they were giving him attention because he had for a long time astonished them with his magic arts. (Acts 8:10-11 NASB).

Simon had obviously performed miracles that were numerous and supernatural enough that he had “astonished” (the same word used several times to describe the effect of Christ’s own miracles on people, i. e. Mt.13:54) a whole province of people such that they believed his powers to be from God. What kind of miracles Simon could do we are not told, but the early Church believed he was demonically empowered. First, as demonstrated elsewhere, even though Simon “believed and was baptized”, (Acts 8:13), his belief was the superficial, short-lived variety that the King warned about (cf. Matt 13:18-23). 1 Accordingly, this same Simon the Sorcerer who appears in Acts, started what would appear to be a cult known as the Simonians who, “were both active and influential for several centuries after the death of their founder.” 2 The early Christian apologist Justin Martyr (c. 150) reflects the demonic nature of Simon Magus’ miracle working when he writes: [A]fter Christ's ascension into heaven the devils put forward certain men who said that they themselves were gods; and they were not only not persecuted by you, but even deemed worthy of honours. There was a Samaritan, Simon, a native 11.12: Examples of Demonic Miracles 3 of the village called Gitto, who in the reign of Claudius Caesar, and in your royal city of Rome, did mighty acts of magic, by virtue of the art of the devils operating in him. He was considered a god, and as a god was honoured by you with a statue, which statue was erected on the river Tiber, between the two bridges, and bore this inscription, in the language of Rome:-"Simoni Deo Sancto," "To Simon the holy God." And almost all the Samaritans, and a few even of other nations, worship him, and acknowledge him as the first god; and a woman, Helena, who went about with him at that time, and had formerly been a prostitute, they say is the first idea generated by him. 3

Likewise, in the fourth century, the premier early Church historian Bishop Eusebius (c. 260-c. 340) wrote of Simon Magus: [T]he enemy of man's salvation, in a wily attempt to capture the imperial city [Rome] in time, brought there Simon . . . and by lending his [satan’s] own weight to the man's artful impostures took possession of many people in Rome and led them astray. 4

While there may be mere legend mixed in with the historical accounts of this man, it is clear that he was a demonically empowered miracle-worker. Early church Fathers speak substantially about Simon Magus’ followers as well. Justin Martyr wrote: Another Samaritan, called Menander, from the village of Caparattaca, became a disciple of Simon and like him was driven mad by the demons. It is known that he arrived in Antioch and deluded many by magical trickery. He even persuaded his followers that they would not die: and there are still some who on the strength of his assertion maintain this belief. 5

Likewise, Eusebius added: Irenaeus also writes that contemporary with these was Carpocrates, father of another heresy known as that of the Gnostics. These claimed to transmit Simon's magic arts, not secretly like Basilides but quite openly, as if this was something marvelous, preening themselves as it were on the spells which they cast by sorcery, on dream-bringing familiar [demonic] spirits, and on other goings-on of the same sort. 6

It is sobering to notice that many of these same phenomenon occur in super-supernaturalism today, and because they clearly do 11.12: Examples of Demonic Miracles 4 not reflect biblical attributes or purposes, they must become suspected as demonic counterfeits, much like those encountered by our early Christian ancestors. However, while such people are glorified now in the modern Church, they were condemned then by the more sober leaders of the early Church. Along these lines, Dr. David Aune, a respected authority on the early Church observes, “It is clear [that] ancient magic had a profound impact on early Christianity, both as an external enemy and as an internal threat.” 7 Why do so many in the Church assume that the same is not true today?

B) Levitations

Kenneth Hagin (1917-2003), a foremost leader of super- supernaturalism, related the following story: [One] night when we gave the alter call, I sensed the power of God was upon one of the women. She began exhorting people to be saved. With her eyes closed, she stepped upon the wide altar, and began walking from one end to the other, exhorting sinners to be saved. She would walk right up to the end of the altar, and you would think she was going to step off, but each time she would turn. . . . God is my witness, my wife is my witness, and each person in that building is my witness, she began to dance right off the end of the altar. She stood in mid-air dancing! Her feet were not touching the floor. Everyone saw it. I could have reached out and touched her. 8

We believe that such an event is undeniable and defies any natural explanation. Unless there was intentional fraud involved on the part of Mr. Hagin, such a feat would seem to require supernatural power, either the direct and divine kind, or the delegated and demonic kind. As we will discuss below, we are not at all impressed with the woman “exhorting people to be saved,” as satan-serving false apostles in the first century did the same. Particularly considering the unbiblical doctrines of Mr. Hagin, 9 we do not believe this event was empowered by the Holy Spirit, but a demonic spirit. And such an event in a “Christian” setting illustrates how much of the miraculous occurring in super-supernaturalist environments may be explained in this way. Such a levitation becomes particularly suspect when such occurrences are found among the occult. The Encyclopedia of 11.12: Examples of Demonic Miracles 5 Occultism & (EOP) reports the following regarding the phenomenon of levitation: [Levitation is] the rising of physical objects . . . or of human beings into the air, contrary to the known laws of gravitation and without any visible agency. . . . As such, the phenomenon was reported from ancient times. . . . The power was claimed by wizards of many primitive tribes, by mystics in the East, and it has been repeatedly claimed . . . by several modern Spiritualist mediums. The mediums [have] offered themselves as evidence to science that the miracles of rising in the air recorded in the life of . . . ecstatics, witches, and victims of demoniac possession might rest on a solid basis of fact. . . . Henry Jones, a 12 year old English boy of Shepton-Mallet, England, was believed to be bewitched in 1657 as he was carried by invisible means from one room to another, and sometimes wholly lifted up, so that his body hung in the air, with only the flat of his hands placed against the ceiling. One afternoon in the garden of Richard Isles, he was raised up and transported over the garden wall for about 30 yards. . . . With no other [occultic] medium was levitation so often and so reliably attested as with [Douglas D.] Home. . . . In Britain, Sir William Crookes narrated his own experiences [with Home]. . . . “There are at least a hundred instances of Mr. Home’s rising from the ground, in the presence of as many separate persons . . . To reject the recorded evidence on this subject is to reject all human testimony whatever; for no fact in sacred or profane history is supported by a stronger array of proofs. . . . On several occasions Home and the chair on which he was sitting at the table rose off the ground. This was generally done very deliberately, and Home sometimes tucked up his feet on the seat of the chair and held up his hands in full view of all of us. On such occasion I have got down and seen and felt that all four legs were off the ground at the same time. . . . Less frequently the levitating power was extended to those sitting next to him. Once my wife was thus raised off the ground in her chair. . . . ” Carlo Mirabelli, the South American [occultic] medium, was fastened to an armchair in the presence of several members of the Academia de Estudo Psychicos. After that he rose from the ground and remained two minutes suspended twelve feet over the floor. The witnesses passed under the levitated body. At Santos, in the street, he was lifted up from a motor car for about three minutes. 10

11.12: Examples of Demonic Miracles 6 Likewise, the EMPE relates: Islam record[s] numerous cases of levitation. . . . Levitation is also recorded in Hinduism and Buddhism. . . . Levitation is also said to occur in rituals and ceremonies in shamanism [witch doctoring] and other tribal or non-Western traditions. African witch doctors have been filmed apparently levitating off the ground. . . . According to skeptics levitations may be explained by hallucination, hypnosis, or fraud. Not all cases may be so dismissed, however. 11

Such cases compel us to be more discerning when interpreting even the most supernatural phenomena in super-supernaturalism.

C) “Eyeless” sight

Kenneth Hagin’s account of the woman’s exploits also included what is known as “eyeless sight.” Ben Byrd, a former super- supernaturalist pastor also experienced this miraculous ability and now believes it was demonically empowered. He writes in his book One Pastor’s Journey Into and Out of the Charismatic and Faith Movement: Many, many, times I have walked down ministry lines praying for people with my eyes closed while I prayed with tongues. I was able to function as if my eyes were open. I was aware of everything happening around me, BUT MY EYES WERE CLOSED. I felt as though I were in a strange, but very vivid dream state . . . almost asleep in my body, but very aware and alert in my mind. Functioning through another realm IS POSSIBLE. But PLEASE REMEMBER THAT ALL GIFTS ARE NOT FROM GOD. 12

D) Elongations

Some claimed healings in super-supernaturalism have supposedly involved legs, arms, or fingers being lengthened. It is possible that our bodies may have a natural ability to do such a thing, in the right circumstances. Such a thing obviously lends itself to fraud as well, and a good magician can duplicate the effect fairly convincingly. And, of course, God could do this kind of miracle. But once again, we must be aware that perhaps the devil can too. The EOP under the heading of “Elongation of the Human Body” relates that such an occurrence is: 11.12: Examples of Demonic Miracles 7 A comparatively rare but by no means only modern psychical phenomenon. The Neoplatonists observed it in certain obsessed men . . . [in] (c. 360). . . . Among modern [spiritual] mediums it was the famous D. D. Home who most often demonstrated it. The expansions and contractions of his body were witnessed by 50 people at the very least. . . . He could also elongate his arms. Lord Adare placed himself in front of Home when he stood against a wall and made a pencil mark at the tip of his extended arms. First his left, then his right arm was elongated. When the distance between the pencil marks was measured, it was ascertained that the total elongation amounted to nine and one half inches. . . . H. D. Jencken in his account in Human Nature also describes the elongation of Home’s legs: “The right leg of Mr. Home was then elongated about six inches. . . . The final and most satisfactory test, however, was the lengthening and shortening of the hand. I [had] caused Mr. Home to place his hand firmly on a sheet of paper, and then carefully traced an outline of the hand. . . . Home could also impart the power of elongation to others. Miss Bertolacci, a medium herself, was once elongated together with him. 13

Considering Mr. Home’s ability to levitate as noted above, we would suggest this ability was also demonically empowered. Nevertheless, whether these phenomena are simply magic tricks or supernatural in nature, it is obvious that such a feat performed in a “faith healing” service would, no doubt, convince many that someone indeed possessed the gift of healing. The above is only shared to demonstrate that this need not be the case.

E) Psychic healing

There have been several people who have exhibited what is known as “psychic healing” abilities that, once again, seem beyond natural explanation. Many of these have come from occultic spiritualist mediums. For example, Raphael Gasson, a former occultist who was converted to Christ, says in his book, The Challenging Counterfeit: There are many, many Spiritualists today who are endowed with this remarkable gift of [healing] power by satan, and I myself, having been used in this way, can testify to having 11.12: Examples of Demonic Miracles 8 witnessed miraculous healings taking place at ‘healing meetings’ in Spiritualism. 14

Another documented example of “psychic healing” is Ambrose (1899-1972) and Olga (1906-1985) Worrall from Britain. Both were noted psychics and spiritual mediums with the dead. Although their ministry was clearly not empowered by God, it is remarkable how closely it resembled “healing” ministries in super- supernaturalism today. The secular EMPE says that Ambrose Worrall: [W]as a gifted psychic from early childhood, seeing the glowing forms of spirits of the dead in his bedroom every night. . . . Worrall had no early urge to heal with his hands, yet he did find himself compelled to do so on various occasions, as though directed by some mysterious force. When his sister, Barbara, injured her neck, Worrall felt an invisible mass about eight inches in diameter emerge from his solar plexus [stomach] and protrude about ten inches. A force literally grabbed him to place his hands on her neck for about five seconds. The injury was healed instantly. . . . In healing Worrall always felt a power build up within him and flow from his hands. . . . Sometimes both he and the patient experienced a tingling sensation. Worrall believed the healing power was drawn from the universal life force. . . . [Ambrose] Worrall was continuously aware of various spirit presences, many of whom were connected with their patients and manifested to give helpful information. . . . The Worralls believed that spirits were instrumental in the healing process. . . . After his death Ambrose Worrall began communicating with Olga. He told her that . . . many . . . healers on Earth were similarly being aided by helping spirits. . . . [Olga] Worrall’s healing ability also manifested early. As a child Worall cured her mother of a floating kidney, thus avoiding surgery, and saved the life of a neighbor who miscarried. . . . [T]he Worralls performed healings upon request, as others heard of their remarkable abilities. . . . They refused payment. . . . They operated the New Life Clinic for nine years out of the Mt. Vernon Place Methodist Church in Baltimore. . . . [Olga] Worrall’s diagnoses frequently involved communicating with spirits of the dead related to the patient. . . . Like other gifted healers, she knew the healing came not from herself, but from a higher power . . . the process is aided by spiritual beings. In addition to people, Worrall healed animals, birds, and plants. . . . She was adept at psychic diagnosis, clairvoyantly 11.12: Examples of Demonic Miracles 9 seeing afflicted parts of the body and knowing intuitively what to do to help them. Prayer was an essential part of the process. Both Worralls said love and compassion and a whole- hearted desire to see the patient healed, was of paramount importance. The Worralls had many spectacular and instantaneous cures, including tumors that shrank to nothing under their touch. Other healings required regular treatment over a period of time, some up to years. A minority of patients were not healed. 15

Edgar Cayce (1877-1945) is another healing personality worthy of some mention: [Edgar Cayce was an] American psychic renowned for his trance readings in which he diagnosed illness and prescribed remedies. Called “the sleeping prophet,” Edgar Cayce practiced absent healing for forty-three years, helping to cure people from all over the world. He never went beyond grammar school and never studied medicine, but from an unconscious state he could prescribe drugs and treatments that were said to be accurate in more than 90 percent of his cases. . . . He had psychic powers from an early age, including the ability to see nonphysical beings (who were his childhood companions) and the auras of others. . . . Cayce’s success with readings was so great that thousands began to seek him out for help. . . . He could read for anyone anywhere in the world—he needed only a name and an address. Cayce was able to put himself into a self-induced hypnotic trance, during which he would give the person a “reading” of his or her condition. His ability to name parts of the body astounded practitioners. . . . He came to believe in . . . . According to information given in his readings, some of his own past lives included one as one of the first celestial beings to descend to earth prior to Adam and Eve. . . . [H]e . . . gain[ed] the support of hundreds of medical practitioners. . . . [Cayce believed] the individual patient, however, played a key role in healing because it was first necessary to have faith in a higher power’s ability to heal. Cayce believed that as a Christian, God gave him the power to cure as a gift to help other people. 16

It would seem Ambrose, Olga, and Edgar would all fit in quite well with any modern faith healer in super-supernaturalism. Even though they were all apparently demonically empowered, the Woralls performed their ministries with much “prayer” and “love 11.12: Examples of Demonic Miracles 10 and compassion” and Cayce, performed his feats in what he claimed to be the name of his Christian God. In terms of their effect, method, and stated purposes, what would modern faith healers claim distinguishes them from these heroes of the occult? And all of these examples certainly suggest that the devil is indeed willing to heal in order to deceive.

F) Psychic surgery

Cult experts Josh McDowell and Don Stewart tell us about the amazing but apparently demonic miracle of “psychic surgery”: Psychic surgery is a phenomenon which has gained quite a lot of publicity in recent years. The idea behind psychic surgery is that a psychic can perform miraculous operations on individuals by magic without traditional instruments or techniques and without leaving a scar. The most famous instances of psychic surgery were performed in recent years by a Brazilian named Arigo, known as "the surgeon with the rusty knife." Arigo was a man with little education and absolutely no medical training. His "operations" were performed while he was in a trance. He claimed that the actual force behind his incredible operations was a spirit that possessed him. This spirit was supposedly that of a German doctor named Adolph Fritz, who lived during the turn of the century. His methods, however, were anything but that of a qualified physician. Arigo's operations were performed with a rusty knife without using any anaesthetic or antiseptic. His procedure included the diagnosis of the patient's disease while Arigo was in a trance. His diagnoses were usually correct. The house in which he performed many of his miracle operations had a sign which read, "Here in this house we are all Catholics." Arigo also would recite the Lord's Prayer before commencing surgery. Obviously, this is not standard operating procedure for surgeons, but the results of this illiterate miner's surgical attempts were amazing. Kurt Koch [Christina occult expert] lists some of his accomplishments: I have been to Brazil eight times for various tours. I have also been to Belo Horizonte. In this little town, an incredible surgical miracle was performed by Arigo. Senator Lucio Bittencourt had been holding an election meeting to which Arigo and his friends from Cogonhas had travelled. Bittencourt was suffering from lung cancer and 11.12: Examples of Demonic Miracles 11 planned to go to the U.S.A. for an operation when the election campaign was over. The Senator and Arigo were staying at the same hotel. During the night Bittencourt suddenly saw Arigo in his room, with a razor in his hand. He heard Arigo say, "You are in great danger." Then he lost consciousness. When he woke up again, he felt different in himself. He turned the light on and found that there were clots of blood on his pajama jacket. He took the jacket off and looked at his chest in the mirror. On his chest was a fine cut. Knowing what he did of Arigo's healing skills, he hurried to Arigo's room and asked him: "Have you operated on me?" "No, you must have drunk too much." "I must know exactly what happened," said the Senator, "I will take the next plane and go to see my doctor in Rio." Bittencourt told the doctor he had had his operation. The specialist took some x-ray pictures and confirmed it. “Yes. You have been operated on according to American surgical methods. We have not yet gotten so far in Brazil.” Then the Senator explained what had taken place. This story caused a great sensation in the papers, and brought a flood of visitors to Arigo's clinic. American doctors, journalists, and camera men went to Arigo's clinic. They carried out all manner of tests, but were unable to discover any deception. Arigo was willing for any test to be carried out. He even allowed his operations to be filmed. An American doctor, Dr. Puharich, even had a lipoma removed. The operation was performed with a rusty knife, without any local anaesthetic or antiseptic materials. Dr. Puharich felt no pain. This operation was also filmed (Kurt Koch, Occult ABC, 237). Among psychic investigators there exist differing opinions about the validity of psychic surgery. Kurt Koch comments, “Let us be quite clear about this: Arigo's cures were not a trick or a swindle. They were real operations.” . . . It seems difficult to put all psychic surgery in either category, as being all fake or all authentic. Whatever the case may be, it is certainly not a work of God. In the case of Arigo, he would come under the category of an angel of light. His allusions to Jesus and to the Christian religion are covering the fact that he was an instrument of satan. The idea of being possessed by the spirit of someone else is contrary to the teaching of Scripture and if Arigo was indeed possessed, it was by a demon, not the spirit of a dead German doctor. 17

11.12: Examples of Demonic Miracles 12 A similar thing is related by the Pentecostal historian Walter Hollenwager who writes: On May 31st, 1947, Mirin Dajo a Phillipino spiritualist put a sword through his breast in the presence of a number of medical experts at the University Hospital of Zurich. The spectators expected a trick. But when they saw what had happened they asked for Mirin Dajo to be x-rayed. The sword was clearly visible. After twenty minutes the sword was taken out. Only a small scar was left. 18

G) sai baba: the greatest miracle worker today . . . & he’s not a Christian

The Hindu guru sai baba is, in our opinion, the greatest miracle worker of contemporary times. No one in super-supernaturalism, all of whom are supposedly empowered by God, can even come close to matching his supernatural feats. Yet sai baba is clearly empowered by the devil. He, perhaps more than anyone, frighteningly demonstrates that not everything supernatural is holy. From the EMPE we read: [sai baba is a] Hindu avatar [in Hinduism a human incarnation of the Divine] whose alleged miraculous and feats have attracted a large following of devotees, in both East and West. sai baba is renowned for his healing; for materializations of an incredible array of apports [an object that seems to materialize from thin air]. . . . sai baba quickly attracted followers who were amazed by his miracles and charmed by his personality. . . . Thousands of people regularly camp outside his ashram [temple], Prashanti Nilayam (“Abode of Great Peace”) in Puttaparti [India], hoping to get a glimpse of him, receive an apport, obtain an interview, touch him, or listen to a sermon. . . . [At the “Abode of Great Peace”] the emphasis . . . is on short meditation, devotion, purity in daily life, social and welfare work, and the singing of . . . ancient religious songs. . . . sai baba is best known for his apports; some 75 percent of his devotees claim to have seen or received them. He produces a steady stream of apports with a wave of his hand. They include huge quantities of vibuti, holy ash made from burnt cow dung, which is smeared on the body; foods and liquids; religious statues and objects made of gold; precious jewelry; photographs; 11.12: Examples of Demonic Miracles 13 business cards; even stamps bearing his likeness. . . . He reportedly fills empty bowls with hot, steaming Indian food of most unusual flavors, and produces enough to feed hundreds of people at a time. [Sound familiar? cf. Matt 14:13-21]. He opens his fist and drops sticky sweets into the palms of others, yet his own hands are dry. He also produces amrith, a honey-like substance. All nonfood objects materialized are bright, fresh, and new. Jewelry includes valuable precious gems. Rings requested by followers fit them perfectly; if a person does not like a particular ring, sai baba takes it back and changes it instantly. . . . Many objects are inscribed with his name. . . . In his earlier days, he frequently fell into sudden, often convulsive trances which lasted up to one-and-a-half days, and during which his body would be very cold to the touch. . . . In one reported instance during a trance, sai baba levitated. . . . sai baba would also appear to have teleported [moving instantly and invisibly] himself up a hill, disappearing at its base and appearing at the top of the hill within seconds. From the hilltop he would produce luminosities so brilliant and blinding that others had to shade their eyes. Some witnesses collapsed from the brightness [a counterfeit transfiguration?]. Other phenomena attributed to him include the instant changing of the color of his loose robes; his appearance in the dreams of others, seemingly in answer to needs; weather control; unusual smells, often produced at a distance . . . psychic surgery; the changing of water into gasoline and into other beverages [remember Christ’s first miracle?]; mind reading; and clairvoyance. . . . By the early 1970’s . . . sai baba grew more serious and moody. He began to perform fewer miracles and spend more time preaching about the love of God [Aaamazing]. [Before you think the guy is a complete fake] In 1973 Erlendur Haraldsson, a psychologist from the University of Iceland and a psychical researcher, began an investigation of sai baba’s paranormal phenomena that spanned a ten-year period. He made a number of trips to India to interview sai baba, his devotees, and critics. Haraldsson was accompanied on several trips by , who at the time was with the American Society for 11.12: Examples of Demonic Miracles 14 Psychical Research; and once by Dr. Michael Thalbourne of Washington University; and once by Dr. Joop Houtkooper of the University of Amsterdam. . . . While observed by the scientists, sai baba produced an estimated twenty to forty apports [materializations] a day, all spontaneously and with great ease. Many of the objects were rare or unusual. . . . Sleight of hand seemed highly unlikely, for the sleeves of his robes were large and loose. Haraldsson also ruled out hypnosis, and found films of sai baba to be inconclusive. 19 . . . A number of prominent Indian scientists have observed sai baba and feel his miraculous feats are genuine. His followers believe he is God. sai baba has predicted that he will die in 2020 at the age of ninety-four. 20

sai baba’s popularity is immense. “According to sathya sai organization there are an estimated 1,200 sathya sai baba centers in 114 countries world-wide. The number of sathya sai baba adherents is estimated sometimes as around 6 million, and followers cite “50 to 100 million.” 21 In December of 2002 the following was reported in New York Times International: The president of India . . . recently paid a state visit to the country's largest ashram, to meet and receive the blessings of a holy man who preaches nonviolence. The visit underlined the appeal of the unusual holy man, sri sathya sai baba, who draws presidents, prime ministers and other leaders not only from India but also from outside it; altogether he claims followers in 178 countries. . . . On a hillside at the ashram's entrance stood enormous, brightly painted statues of Jesus, Buddha and Hanuman, an Indian monkey god. Farther on was a large Chinese temple and a big billboard of a benevolently smiling baba, his hand raised in blessing. Using donations from around the world, the baba has built two hospitals near here that provide free care to the poor. He is now spending $50 million to build systems for drinking water and irrigation. . . . Because he isn't well known in America, it's hard to convey the awesome power he has in India. In addition to the droves of foreigners who flock to see him, sai baba's acolytes include the cream of India's elite. Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee is a devotee, as is former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao. A 1993 article in the Times of India counts among the guru's followers “governors, chief ministers, assorted politicians, 11.12: Examples of Demonic Miracles 15 business tycoons, newspaper magnates, jurists, sportsmen, academics and, yes, even scientists.” 22

Likewise, “On sathya sai baba's 80th birthday celebrations it was reported that well over a million people attended, as well as 13,000 delegates from India and 180 countries abroad.” 23 The guru’s influence over politicians is nothing compared to that which he weilds over individuals. Michelle Goldberg of Salon.com has interviewed many devotees and reports: A 32-year-old Argentine woman told me she gave up her Buenos Aires apartment and her medical studies after baba summoned her while she slept. . . . At dinner another evening, Haus pointed out a wan Austrian woman tugging around a listless little boy. She was frenzied because she'd had a dream in which sai baba instructed her to abandon her 7-year-old son and live on the streets as a beggar, and she didn't know whether she had the “strength” to do it. . . . [Another worshipper reports] A private audience with the ocher-robed guru was astonishing at several levels. sai baba uttered insights about my family and myself that he could not possibly have known. He has a habit, disconcerting at first, of turning his palm quizzically outward and staring off into the distance, as if silently interrogating an unseen, all-knowing source. Sometimes he scribbles in the air with a finger as if dashing off a note to a celestial messenger. . . . Most startling, he materializes gifts from thin air - in my case a gold ring with nine embedded stones. He slipped it on my finger, remarking, “See how well it fits. Even a goldsmith would have needed to measure your finger.” My mother, a longtime devotee, received a little silver urn overflowing with vibhuti, or sacred ash. “It was as if he had heard what I wanted,” she said. . . . Somewhere between 10 million and 50 million people worship sai baba as God incarnate, and they stream into Puttaparthi from six continents, sleeping in one of the ashram's 10,000 beds or at one of the town's many guesthouses. Meanwhile, the growing number of ex-devotees who decry their former master as a sexual harasser, a fraud and even a pedophile has hardly put a dent in his following, though their voices are getting louder. 24

While the baba’s feats would certainly seem miraculous, his private character reveals him to be demonic. Several TV 11.12: Examples of Demonic Miracles 16 documentaries have included several testimonies from young men claiming to have been sexually abused by him in private. The allegations have become so numerous and convincing that Ms. Goldberg reports: A travel warning was issued by the US State Department about reports of “unconfirmed inappropriate sexual behavior by a prominent local religious leader,” which officials later confirmed was a reference to sai baba. . . . Many senior devotees have defected. UNESCO yanked its cosponsorship of an education conference in Puttaparthi, explaining that it was “deeply concerned about widely reported allegations of sexual abuse involving youths and children that have been leveled at the leader of the movement in question, sathya sai baba.” . . . Late last year, after Conny Larsson, a Swedish film star who once traveled the world speaking of sai baba's miracles, went public about his coerced sexual relations with the guru, the sai organization in Sweden was shut down, along with a sai- affiliated school. 25

If the guru’s probable perversions were not enough to prove his demonic nature, his doctrine certainly does. He claims to be an incarnation of God. Yet, this is really not that big a deal because everybody else is God too, and the difference is that he is aware of this and others have yet to realize it. 26 Ms. Goldberg relates: A senior aide to the baba whispered that the spiritual leader's full name, sri sathya sai baba, signified holy, truth, divine mother and divine father. Preaching the five principles of truth, peace, love, nonviolence and right conduct, the baba “represents unity of religion, all religions,” not just Hinduism, the aide said. 27

sai baba’s inability to predict the future also exposes him as one limited to the powers of the devil. “According to a 1984 book, sathya sai baba said that ‘In this body I will not become old or infirm,’ yet, as of 2005, sathya sai baba sometimes uses a wheelchair.” 28 Again, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish the natural power of human magic from the supernatural abilities of demons. The fact that baba has, “refused to have his materializations investigated under experimental conditions” 29 may suggest the former, but many scientists have observed him and have concluded that a supernatural power is at work. A “BBC documentary reported that even some of sathya sai baba's critics believe that he has genuine paranormal powers.” 30 11.12: Examples of Demonic Miracles 17 Even if the guy is a complete fake and just a great magician it is still worth noting his ability to fool thousands of people. Accordingly, sai baba is proof that, not everything supernatural is holy, and that even a nice guy who does miracles, preaches love, and speaks highly of Jesus may be one of the most demonic people on the planet.

Extras & Endnotes

Gauging Your Grasp

1) What are your impressions as you have read through these examples of apparently supernatural feats?

2) Why do we claim that the greatest miracle worker today is not even a Christian? How does this affect the claims of super- supernaturalism?

Publications & Particulars

1 For further discussion on the false faith of Simon Magus see section 6.6.C. 2 D. E. Aune, “Simonians”, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE) Geoffrey W. Bromiley ed., 4 vols., (Eerdmans, 1988), 4:516. 3 Justin Martyr, Apology I, 26; online at www.ccel.org. 4 Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, I.2.13; online at www.ccel.org. 5 Justin Martyr, Apology, 1.26. 6 Eusebius, IV. 7. 7 D. E. Aune, “Magic”, ISBE, 3:218. 8 Kenneth Hagin, “Why Do People Fall Under the Power?” (Faith Library, 1983), 10-11. 9 Regarding the unbiblical doctrines of Kenneth Hagin see section 6.11.A. 10 Encyclopedia of Occultism & Parapsychology (EOP), J. Gordon Melton ed., 4th ed., 2 vols., (Gale Research, 1996), 749-51, 754. 11 EMPE, 327-28. 11.12: Examples of Demonic Miracles 18

12 Ben Byrd, One Pastor’s Journey Into and Out of the Charismatic and Faith Movement, (Brentwood, 1987), 45 (emphasis in the original.) 13 EOP, 1:405. 14 Raphael Gasson, The Challenging Counterfeit, (Logos, 1966), 109. 15 EMPE, 650-653. See also entry under “Healing, faith and psychic”, 255- 258. 16 EMPE, 83-85. 17 Josh McDowell and Don Stewart, Understanding the Cults (Here's Life Publishers, 1982), 218-20. 18 Walter J. Hollenweger, Pentecostalism: Origins and Developments Worldwide (Hendrickson, 1997), 239. See footage at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvEH64F6Upk 19 Regarding the inconclusive video on sai baba, Wikipedia reports: According to a 1994 article written by Alexandra Nagel, a critic of the guru, the 1992 work of the Canadian skeptic, Dale Beyerstein convincingly negated supernatural stories of all kinds circulating about Sathya Sai Baba. In the 1995 TV documentary "Guru Busters", by UK's Channel 4, Sathya Sai Baba was accused of faking his materializations and a videotape was supplied alleging fraud. The same videotape was mentioned in the Deccan Chronicle, on November 23, 1992, on a front page headline "DD Tape Unveils Baba Magic". Erlendur Haraldsson stated that he and his associates carried out a careful analysis of the videotape shown in the "Guru Busters" documentary and mentioned by the Deccan Chronicle. Haraldsson stated that the videotape's quality and resolution left much to be desired and limited the inferences that could be drawn from it. Haraldsson claimed that Dr. Wiseman took the video to a company that specialized in corporate fraud, and which possessed some of the world's best equipment designed to enhance poor quality videotapes. According to Haraldsson, after the videotape was enhanced using a threefold process, the resulting tape contained no firm evidence of fraud. The same company analyzed several still frames from the videotape, enhanced and enlarged them and the images still did not reveal any further information.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Sathya_Sai_Baba) 20 Ibid, 525-7 21 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sathya_Sai_Baba. 22 Keith Bradsher, “A Friend in India to All the World”, New York Times International, December 1, 2002. 23 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sathya_Sai_Baba. 24 Michelle Goldberg, “Untouchable?” at http://dir.salon.com/people/ feature/2001/07/25/baba/index.html?pn=2 11.12: Examples of Demonic Miracles 19

25 Ibid. 26 Ibid. 27 Ibid. 28 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sathya_Sai_Baba 29 Ibid. 30 Ibid.