I read this article in People magazine yesterday while waiting for my son to finish up his LearningRx training session. I googled to see if I could find the story here to share with you all.
Leader of retreat that left 3 dead cancels events
PHOENIX — Motivational speaker and author James Arthur Ray has canceled his remaining 2009 seminars in the wake of three deaths that occurred after a sweat lodge ceremony he led in Arizona.
Ray announced on his Web site Thursday that he needs to dedicate all his “physical and emotional energies” to bringing closure to the sweat lodge matter.
“That means helping the authorities and the families get to the bottom of what happened,” he said.
The decision marks a sea change for Ray, a charismatic public speaker who recruits people for his expensive retreats through free seminars at hotels and conference centers across North America.
Following the tragedy that led to the deaths and the hospitalization of 18 other people, he initially vowed to continue holding the events and appeared at seminars in Los Angeles, San Diego and Colorado.
In a posting on his blog on Oct. 20, Ray said he had “chosen to continue with my work. It’s too important not to.”
Since then, lawyers for several of the victims have said they plan to pursue lawsuits, although none have been filed.
The lawyer for a southern Arizona woman badly hurt in the incident said late Thursday that he planned to file the first lawsuit in the case on Friday.
Sidney Spencer was hospitalized for days with kidney and liver failure and respiratory arrest following the ceremony, said the lawyer, Ted Schmidt of Tucson, Ariz. Schmidt said he plans to file a lawsuit alleging negligence, negligent misrepresentation, fraud and other actions against Ray, the retreat center where the event was held and others in an Arizona court.
Ray’s publisher also announced this week that it has postponed the December release of a paperback version of Ray’s best-selling book “Harmonic Wealth” and a new hardcover title, “The Seven Laws of True Wealth.”
Kirby Brown, 38, of Westtown, N.Y., and James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee, died at a hospital the night of the incident. Liz Neuman, 49, of Prior Lake, Minn., died more than a week later.
Authorities in Yavapai County, Ariz., are continuing a criminal investigation into the Oct. 8 incident at a high-priced retreat outside Sedona. Search warrants were served at the headquarters of Ray’s company, Carlsbad, Calif.-based James Ray International, and detectives have interviewed many of the 55-plus people who were inside the sweat lodge.
No charges have been filed.
The sweat lodge was part of Ray’s five-day “Spiritual Warrior” program. Interviews with participants and law enforcement officials paint a picture of a two-hour ceremony that degenerated into chaos as people became sick but were encouraged by Ray to remain inside for the entire time.
It seems lately, I've been seeing more about these charlatans (as my preist calls these fake leaders). And all seem to be of the Charismatic background. It's causing me to really believe that these folks are so misled, and they are being led by the Evil One. This guy sounds not totally stable or just a scheister, I don't know. It's terrible, and the people who get sucked up into this. Lord, have mercy.
__________________ "Where there is pride there cannot be grace, and if we lose grace we also lose both love of God and assurance in prayer. The soul is then tormented by evil thoughts and does not understand that she must humble herself and love her enemies, for there is no other way to please God." ~St. Silouan To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Shout aloud to the Lord, all the earth; Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with great joy. Know this: The Lord, He is God; He made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving And into His courts with hymns; Give thanks to Him; praise His name; For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And his truth is from generation to generation. ~~Psalm 99~~
From what I gather- he is not a charismatic in the Christian sense of the word. he's more of a new ager. It's still tragic nonetheless.
Lord have mercy.
In Christ,
Michael
That is my understanding as well....he simply has charisma.
I think the people died of heat exhaustion from the homemade sweat lodge.
__________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
If guns cause violence keyboards cause typos. Only the naive believe objects are capable of conscious acts.
All sorts of surprises can occur when the preacher takes the Bible seriously. Leander keck in The Bible in the Pulpit
" Whenever any form of government is destructive of these ends [life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness] it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government in such form as to them shall seem most likely to affect their safety and happiness.” Declaration of Independence, 1776
Please visit my ministry website through my profile.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Ah. The People Magazine article called him a "Charismatic." Maybe they meant something else.
Here's a story with more of the info, Julina:
On October 8, 2009, self help expert James Arthur Ray led 64 people into a sweat lodge dome at a new age “Spiritual Warrior” seminar and over the course of several hours they were part of a spiritual and physical cleansing that involved hot rocks and steam to create a sauna-like experience. They each paid $9,000 for their stay and participation in the [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]program[/color][/color].
Too many people within the dome structure at one time is believed to have resulted in the death of two and the hospitalization of 19 others, who were treated for dehydration, respiratory arrest, elevated body temperature, kidney failure and burns. The dead were identified as James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Kirby Brown, 38, a female from Westtown, New York.
A third victim, Liz Neuman, 49, of Prior Lake, Minnesota died on Saturday in Flagstaff, nine days after suffering multiple organ failure. Attorney Louis Diesel said that the family plans to take legal action against James Arthur Ray in the death of an extremely athletic woman who was in excellent health before attending the seminar. See photos and details here.
Carbon-monoxide has been ruled out as a cause of death. The tarps and makeshift canvas coverings over the structure are being analyzed to determine whether they contained any harmful materials that may have contributed to the deaths and illnesses. The group had been fasting for 36 hours prior to eating a buffet breakfast Thursday morning.
The large group entered the sweat lodge at 3:00 p.m. that afternoon and began exhibiting medical distress several hours later, when help was summoned to the remote site. Patients were transported to Verde Valley Medical Center and Flagstaff Medical Center.
The use of sweat lodges is a part of the culture of several Native American tribes. The seminar was led by Ray at The Angel Valley Retreat Center in Yavapai County near Sedona. The lodge, on 70 secluded acres, was founded by Michael Hamilton and Amayra Hamilton in 2002. Their website describes it as “a place to relax and heal.”
Police executed a search warrant on Friday night looking for evidence of criminal activity. They believe they may have sufficient evidence to consider criminal prosecution. James Ray was questioned initially about similar events held at other venues, but authorities found him to be less than cooperative. They plan to interview him again in the ongoing investigation.
Autopsies were performed on the two victims. Toxicology reports will not be available for several weeks, according to the coroner’s office.
James Ray ‘tweeted’ the following on his Twitter page Friday night: “I’m shocked and saddened by the tragedy occurring in Sedona. My deep heartfelt condolences to family and friends of those who lost their lives.”
He is the President and CEO of James Ray International of Carlsbad, California. The company website indicates that Ray presents seminars to teach individuals how to create wealth in all areas of their lives — financially, mentally, physically and spiritually. He has appeared on Oprah, Larry King Live, and The Today Show. Ray is also the author of Harmonic Wealth, a New York Times bestseller. James Arthur Ray Fraud, Spiritual Warrior Sweat Lodge (PHOTOS) | Bitten and Bound
__________________ "Where there is pride there cannot be grace, and if we lose grace we also lose both love of God and assurance in prayer. The soul is then tormented by evil thoughts and does not understand that she must humble herself and love her enemies, for there is no other way to please God." ~St. Silouan To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Shout aloud to the Lord, all the earth; Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with great joy. Know this: The Lord, He is God; He made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving And into His courts with hymns; Give thanks to Him; praise His name; For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And his truth is from generation to generation. ~~Psalm 99~~
Maybe they mean the lay definition of "charismatic."
For example, John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and
Jimmy Carter were all called "charismatic leaders"
because they attracted people across party lines.
Obama was also said to have charismatic qualities.
"The One"
__________________ Virgin Theotokos, rejoice!
O Mary, Full of Grace;
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
For thou hast borne the Savior of our souls.
+ + + + +
Glory to Jesus Christ!
Glory Forever!
O Giver of Life, Glory to Thee!
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
I guess, Maria, but I figured since it was a capital "C," they meant the actual religious sect. Ah well.
__________________ "Where there is pride there cannot be grace, and if we lose grace we also lose both love of God and assurance in prayer. The soul is then tormented by evil thoughts and does not understand that she must humble herself and love her enemies, for there is no other way to please God." ~St. Silouan To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Shout aloud to the Lord, all the earth; Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with great joy. Know this: The Lord, He is God; He made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving And into His courts with hymns; Give thanks to Him; praise His name; For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And his truth is from generation to generation. ~~Psalm 99~~
I guess, Maria, but I figured since it was a capital "C," they meant the actual religious sect. Ah well.
Maybe it was a double connotation and they used it to represent a charismatic cult much like Jonestown where the people committed a mass suicide.
Anyway, the intent was obvious -- another derogatory comment aimed against Christianity as a whole.
__________________ Virgin Theotokos, rejoice!
O Mary, Full of Grace;
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
For thou hast borne the Savior of our souls.
+ + + + +
Glory to Jesus Christ!
Glory Forever!
O Giver of Life, Glory to Thee!
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Sweat lodges aren't bad, but you would have to know what you are doing. A member of our parish is Northern Cheyenne (he lives on the reservation in Lame Deer and is a Special Ed teacher) and he does the sweat lodge thing--however, it is part of his heritage and he knows how this is done.
__________________ Truly the penitent is not one who laments over the evil he has committed, but one who laments over all the evil that he is capable of committing. A wise landowner not only cuts the thornbush that has pricked him, but every thornbush on the field that is waiting to prick him. St. Nikolai Velimirovich (1880-1956) in Prayers by the Lake
__________________ "Everyone capable of thanksgiving is capable of joy and eternal salvation." -Fr. Alexander Schmemann
"The time of the end, though it seems to be near, we do not know. Let us then struggle while it is still day, with the time and the weapons which our All-merciful God has given us!" -Fr. Seraphim Rose
Linear Mode
