Last June, Matthew Lincoln was attending an evening service at his nondenominational Tennessee church when he approached the altar where a visiting minister was offering individual prayers for parishioners. Assigned "catchers" were present on the altar in case congregants fainted, fell, or otherwise lost control. When the minister, Robert Lavala, slightly touched his forehead, the Knoxville-area man "received the spirit and fell backwards." Except nobody was there to catch him, Lincoln charges in a $2.5 million lawsuit filed yesterday against Lakewind Church and its pastors. Lincoln, 58, claims that he fell backwards, striking his head against the "carpet-covered cement floor," . . . Lincoln alleges that Lakewind and its pastors were "negligent in not supervising the catchers to be sure that they stood behind the person being prayed for...should they have a dizzying, fainting, or falling in the spirit as had occurred on many occasions before."Wouldn’t you think that being filled with the spirit would give you some sort of protection? “Spirit” has to be lighter than air, doesn’t it? At the very least it should give you a +4 in your saving throw against falling.
Obviously the guy lacks faith. Otherwise God would have lowered him gently to the floor. Or, maybe he's just wrong about the fundamental reality of existence. Tough call.
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