Source

BANGALORE, INDIA, January 18, 2005: American Evangelist Benny Hinn is planning a three day Festival of Blessings, beginning this Friday in Bangalore. Organizers expect up to three million people to attend. But the prayer meetings are running into a lot of opposition with Hindu religious leaders. Hindu religious leaders from around Karnataka met in Bangalore’s Shankara mutt to discuss their opposition to the Festival of Blessings. Their plans to prevent the prayer meetings from being held ranged from the mild to the militant. “The Christian missionary organization is aiming at a political gain of converting the people from Hindu religion to Christianity. The Hindus will mobilize at least 50,000 people and surround that area,” said Sadhu Rangaraja, Bharatamata Ashrama. The state government says the meetings will go ahead despite petitions filed in court. Doubts have been raised over Hinn’s healing abilities. There is also anger over pamphlets that condemned the worship of idols, though the organizers have distanced themselves from it. “Pastor Benny Hinn does not have any powers of healing, it is only God who can heal anybody. What Pastor Benny Hinn is coming here is not for healing but to pray for those who need healing,” said Gul Kripalani, National Chairman of Festival. “His only objective is to come here to pray for India. He also has no other agenda, no conversions. We respect other religions,” added Kripalani. With the religious leaders standing firm in their protest, the festival may not go off as peacefully as planned.



HPI adds: Benny Hinn is a highly controversial figure among Christians themselves on two counts. First is that many consider him a “heretic” for his unusual interpretations of key Christian beliefs. Second is that investigations by fellow Christians into his “healing” of people at programs such as being held in Bangalore have failed to yield a single confirmed case of a miraculous healing. Click here for just one of many web sites attacking Hinn.

Post Views: 755