Slain in the Spirit?

WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE?

A Catholic woman reported to me that a priest with the gift of healing had recently visited her church. After mass, the congregation swarmed toward the altar as the priest laid hands upon the faithful to minister healing. The woman told me that people began falling once the priest touched them and were caught by ushers and laid gently upon the carpet. She said there were bodies everywhere and they had to step over people just to receive the priest's healing touch. Though she admitted that she could sense a "spiritual" presence, she also admitted that the entire episode was a bit scary and more than a little confusing, leaving her wondering why some fell and others didn't and concluding it had something to do with the recipient's level of spirituality.

What's happening here? What this woman described was her encounter with the phenomenon referred to by its adherents as being "Slain in the Spirit," "Going down under the power," or "Resting in the Spirit." Often, this experience is accompanied by another recent phenomenon, "Holy laughter." These occurrences are becoming standard fare within many denominations. Chances are, out of the many subscribers to this ministry