AJ Strata has an observation. A dumb observation!
OK, I am not religious and am not affiliated with any church. So I was curious to see all the hoopla over the video of Sarah being prayed for in her Church in 2005. Needless to say I found the hoopla to be a show of ignorance. I have a lot of evangelical pastors and preachers in my family (those West Virginia roots). What I saw on the video was fairly calm. All that happened is the pastor asked for prayers (and then ad libbed his discussion with God, which many evangelicals do, feeling the spontaneity of the moment).
Yes indeed, "fairly calm" stuff:
On the first night of services, Muthee implored his audience to wage “spiritual warfare” against “the enemy.” As I filmed, a nervous church staffer approached from behind and told me to put my camera away. I acceded to his demand, but as Muthee urged the church to crush “the python spirit” of the unbeliever enemies by stomping on their necks, I pulled out a smaller camera and filmed from a more discreet position. Now, church members were in deep prayer, speaking in tongues and raising their hands. Muthee exclaimed, “We come against the spirit of witchcraft! We come against the python spirits!” Then, a local pastor took the mic from Muthee and added, “We stomp on the heads of the enemy!”
And:
n the name of Jesus. Father, we thank you today. We come in the hindrance of the enemy, standing in her way to there. In the name of Jesus, in the name of Jesus! Every form of witchcraft, it will be rebuked in the name of Jesus. Father, make her way now. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
And:
I went specifically to see a pastor visiting from Kiambu, Kenya named Thomas Muthee. Muthee gained fame within Pentecostal circles by claiming that he defeated a local witch, Mama Jane, in a great spiritual battle, thus liberating his town from sin and opening its people to the spirit of Jesus.
Ahhh, indeed, very calm, soothing stuff...
Not that's there's anything wrong with witches, anyhow. No matter how tempted they may be, they really don't go out of their way to run folks out of town, or to encourage any "head-stomping."