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One could say that I should go and find out by researching further myself (or maybe even try reading a copy) but isn't this kind of 'potted summary' what Wikipedia is all about?
[[User:Common72|Common72]] ([[User talk:Common72|talk]]) 19:45, 11 March 2012 (UTC)
== Bob Larson Lost His Credibility (Re: Evangelical Critic of A Course In Miracles) ==
Rev. Bob Larson, evangelical Christian author cited in Wikipedia as a recent critic against the new Christian Psychology book, A Course In Miracles, was recently exposed on The Anderson Cooper Show (as seen in the video segment cited below[1]). Larson was found to be engaged in some fraudulent exorcist performances that included the exploitation of his congregation for profit. According to Rev. Darrell Gene Motal. and Anderson Cooper, Larson has been observed manipulating and coercing his congregation members, making them believe that he could perform these public exorcisms on stage, and that anyone could perform these demon-possession exorcisms, regardless of their age, and (despite the careless disregard for the obvious risks to an individual, which are inevitable unless the person is a mature priest with the religious education and training that is required. There are also increased risks to a person's mental and physical health if they attempt to perform an exorcism, when they have not been purified mentally and physically through biospiritual purification methods.
On The Anderson Cooper Show, Rev. Motal openly challenged Rev. Larson, stating that his deliverance strategies have been primarly targeted toward recruiting the younger female members of his congregation. Larson arranges to teach young girls to perform exorcisms on individuals who suffer from physical, mental and spiritual illness - on the condition that they pay him large sums of money for these exorcism training services. According to Rev. Motal, Larson currently offers a spiritual coaching - demon exorcism course - that teaches young girls how to become exorcists for $249 per week. He also sells metal crucifixes for "at least $100 each" to be used during these exorcisms. Rev. Motal claims that Larson's tax returns reveal that he has been making a very large profit from his exorcist trainings and stage performances. He states that Larson was observed on stage demanding money from his congregation members. Motal also states that Larson was observed forcefully interjecting his own thoughts about how they should think and feel on stage. Larson has been observed loudly yelling at the demons within the person, and emotionally pressuring the individuals to go along with the show, act the part, and even claim that they were fully demon possessed. Larson has frequently coerced his congregation members onto the stage, publicly humiliating them, rather than treating his clients in a private and confidential Christian Counseling setting. Bob Larson is an evangelical who apparently has misused his religious power by manipulating the innocent and faithful members of his congregation, especially his young women followers.
According to Rev. Motal, Larson enforces his own beliefs and inserts his own ideas into a person's mind, telling them what to believe about the cause of the demon possession, which he claims is due to their sin. Larson uses methods that instill guilt and fear-based thinking rather than releasing the fear. He also makes assumptions that the mental or spiritual disorder is caused by a person's sins, their family's sins, and their ancestor's sins, when there is no logical basis for this belief, which only blames the victim of demon possession. Larson has been observed harshly judging and blaming the individuals who suffer from these Dissociative Disorders and Possessive Trance States.[2] [3] [4] He does not teach the individual to heal themselves through other methods that would actually work, (such as biospiritual purification with flower essences, nutritional therapy, natural healing). He also does not teach the individual how to achieve their own mental and spiritual self-healing through Christian Psychology, but instead teaches them that they must rely on an exorcist, or a young female spiritual coach.
When a Christian religious leader uses his position of power in order to gain influence over his congregation for profit and exploitation, it goes against the ethical and legal standards of spiritual psychotherapy; it also diverges from the common practices of mainstream Christianity. Rev. Larson's method of yelling directly into a person's face and cursing the demons within the person appears to be quite extreme, especially considering the fact that Larson publicly humiliates the members of his congregation and actually judges them for their sins on stage. These extreme methods only increase a person's feelings of guilt and leads to further self-condemnation. Sin is nothing more than error, and mistakes can be corrected. But punishment, blame and judgment are not a correction. Truth cannot be forced and must come from within, since all correction is self-correction (acim). Yet, Larson identifies an individual's sin as the cause of the possession. He then proceeds to blame the person who is suffering from spiritual sickness, instead of demonstrating non-judgmental empathy, compassion and positive regard, according to the code of ethics upheld by Christian Counselors and Licensed Professional Counselors.
Although Larson's intentions may be good, his loud and harsh methods of public 'exorcisms' only serve to heighten these fearful experiences, since yelling in a person's face and blaming them for various sins actually increases the person's emotional trauma and psychosis, rather than decreasing paranoid thinking and behavior. Fear combined with a strong religious belief system can create a guilt complex, and in some cases the fear itself can be so extreme that it creates an emotional possession of the mind which often develops into an anxiety and panic disorder. Individuals who are undergoing Dissociative Disorders and Possessive Trance States are especially vulnerable, especially when they are entirely trusting the statements of a religious leader who claims to have the power to heal them.
In his writings, Bob Larson has severely criticized the new Christian Psychology book, A Course In Miracles. Like many evangelicals who are fearful of the popularity of this amazing book, which teaches the individual how to overcome fear by choosing to focus on eternal love instead. This book teaches the individual that love heals the mind, and that fear is an illusion of the ego that leads to projections and distortions about reality. Larson has not taken the time to read and understand this book, ACIM, and now that he has been exposed by Rev. Motal and Anderson Cooper, Rev. Bob Larson no longer has any credibility as a so-called Christian critic, especially in regard to the value and authenticity of this one book, which is undoubtedly the most important Christian Psychology book of our times, A Course In Miracles. [[User:Janette Tingle|Janette Tingle]] ([[User talk:Janette Tingle|talk]]) 10:49, 30 October 2013 (UTC)
References[edit]
1) "Bob Larson EXPOSED on Anderson Cooper Show" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52Hsjfs1iLI
2) Dissociative Disorders and Possessive Trance States - "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders," 5th Edition, American Psychiatric Association's (APA), (2013).
3) Lukoff, David. "DSM IV Religious and Spiritual Problems." (2000) - http://johnemackinstitute.org/2000/01/dsm-iv-religious-and-spiritual-problems/
4) Peteet, John R. ed., Francis G. Lu, , M.D., and William E. Narrow , M.D., M.P.H. Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Publishing, "Religious and Spiritual Issues in Psychiatric Diagnosis:
:A Research Agenda for DSM-V" American Psychiatric Association's (APA, (2001). - http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/article.aspx?articleID=1109021
:I just deleted the criticism by Larson from the "Reception" section. Thanks for pointing this out. Sorry it took so long to do it! [[User:Scottperry|Scott P.]] ([[User talk:Scottperry|talk]]) 20:39, 7 October 2013 (UTC)
== Reinserted deleted data about most recent edition ==
Typically, the listing of a recent major edition containing significant revisions is considered important, noteworthy, and valuable information in Wikipedia. Please leave this information in place. Thanks, [[User:Scottperry|Scott P.]] ([[User talk:Scottperry|talk]]) 10:06, 6 December 2013 (UTC)
:Hi, so sorry if my infobox update misrepresented the publishing info, I've adjusted it accordingly. If you still think it requires further adjustment, please fix the publication data but do not revert the actual parameter changes. Thanks!— [[User:TAnthony|TAnthony]]<sup>[[User Talk:TAnthony|Talk]]</sup> 19:07, 6 December 2013 (UTC)
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