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The Hypnotist |
THE MYTH: A Pentecostal minister and an atheist meet up with a hypnotist (sounds like the opening of a joke, doesn't it?) at a show. The atheist merely laughs at the hypnotist, claiming that he doesn't believe in such nonsense. The hypnotist offers to prove his powers, and hypnotizes the man effortlessly and instantaneously. The crowd is amazed.
With his reputation thus established, the hypnotist then turns to the minister, and tries to do the same to him, but he cannot. After a few moments, he says that the minister is carrying some book on him that is blocking his powers. "Remove the book," he says, "and I will be able to hypnotize you."
Sure enough, the minister reaches into his pocket and reveals that he is carrying a Bible. After he lays the Bible on the table, the hypnotist tries again, but fails. "There is still one page of the book in your pocket," he says.
He is right again. A page from the Bible had fallen loose from the binding and remained in the pastor's pocket. The page is laid on the table as well, and the hypnotist tries for a third time.
After several frustrating minutes, he has to admit defeat. "There is some power around you," he tells the Pentecostal pastor. "I have never failed to hypnotize anyone before, but you are different. The power that you have is stronger than the power that I have."
Humiliated, the hypnotist bolts for the door, and the crowd is so astounded that they stay and listen while the pastor preaches, and the whole crowd is converted and speaks in tongues.
VARIATIONS: This is a common myth with several variations in detail. Sometimes, it takes place on a train, with the hypnotist merely putting on an impromptu show for the other passengers. Sometimes, it happens at a carnival or even in a college classroom. But the essential details are the same--the hypnotist is unable to use his power against the superior power of a Pentecostal. COMMENTS: This is another example of a Pentecostal protection myth. Most Pentecostals believe that hypnotists obtain their power from evil spirits. As a Pentecostal, the pastor is protected from the evil power in a way that the atheist is not.
Myths such as this one make people afraid to leave Pentecostalism. The world is presented as a terrifying place where evil spirits abound and where people who are not Pentecostals are powerless to protect themselves--only by staying tanked up on Pentecostal power can they be shielded from demonic influence.
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