Articles tagged with "stage"

It has been reported that former supermodel Elle Macpherson refused to follow the medical advice of 32 doctors to have chemotherapy following a breast cancer diagnosis, instead opting for holistic alternative therapies.

In the book that keeps on giving (to me at least), Robert Ellwood's Islands of the Dawn: The Story of Alternative Spirituality in New Zealand includes a two paragraph profile on the Johannine Daist Communion. I quickly became fascinated in trying to figure out why this group had a presence in New Zealand and why, as with soooooo many other groups I profile, the New Zealand branch of operations persists with an official centre of operations; a distinction that was as notable in its heyday as it is now. So, join me on yet another multi-part episode, as we explore the many names and lives of Johannine Daist/Adidam founder Franklin Jones, aka Avatar Adi Da Samraj, aka Bubba Free Love, aka…

Wellington ratepayers foot bill for pseudoscience

As I sit here with my laptop in my home office reflecting on the past few months and the time that has passed since my last editorial I am stunned at how much time has flown over the past year! I am happy to announce that I have now completed my undergraduate studies at Victoria University, with my Bachelor of Arts with a double major in English Literature and Religious Studies. Does that make me a theologian as well as ESOL (English speakers of other languages) teacher and theatre practitioner?

Faith healing, like the fundamentalism it is often associated with, is a generic term, rather than a specific one. The New Guinea tribesman consulting a witch doctor for a potent spell to cure him, the quiet prayer meeting for a friend in hospital, the Indian girl who immerses herself in the waters of the Ganges to aid her infertility are all exercising faith healing. The oft- reported efficacy of placebos on people suffering from chronic pain serves as a reminder that the power of faith may sometimes outdo rational, modern medicine.