Holy Ghost (2014) TEASER

From director Darren Wilson, the mind behind one of our least favorite films we've ever watched for the podcast (HEAVENQUEST: A PILGRIM'S PROGRESS), comes a similarly off-putting documentary about an enthusiastic band of faith healers causing chaos all over the world. The thesis of HOLY GHOST is basically that most preachers underemphasize the Holy Ghost aspect of the trinity -- the invisible force of God that is capable of doing miracles on earth. There's even a term for people who believe that biblical miracles ended after Jesus ascended into heaven: cessationists. The pastors in HOLY GHOST are the opposite -- continualists -- who believe that through prayer they can cause miracles to happen on command. They "prove" this over and over in the documentary by using really obvious social coercion tactics so their prayer subjects will say for the camera that they are healed. In one particularly uncomfortable example, they heal a young man's metal joint by having him bend it many times. It looks painful for the man who is playing along, and watching it happen is an empathy nightmare. The discomfort continues when the preachers take their show on the road to India, saying over and over again that their main goal is to film inside a holy Hindu temple. Why is this a win for Christianity? Because it's impolite? Fortunately, the documentary does end on a high note with about 30 minutes spent at a Korn concert with the members of Korn themselves, healing Korn fans -- many of whom are suffering from various ailments, which isn't really surprising given they are Korn fans. HOLY GHOST is a funny and at times painful watch, a peek into the mind of a brand of Christian narcissism that feels like it's going extinct now that media Christians are more brand savvy.

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