Fringe religious groups that have made one or two obscure Bible passages the cornerstone of their faith have sadly caused a ripple-effect of negative opinion against those who graciously and responsibly practice their faith. The Dead Raising Team (DRT) are among the newest of those fanatical, fringe religions.
The ministry, based in Washington state, acts themselves upon the scripture in Matthew 10:8 which reads “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.” In short, as their name illustrates, the group believes that they can raise the dead.
Despite an unwillingness to provide any supporting proof, founder Tyler Johnson claims that the DRT have brought 11 people back to life. The BBC reported on one example of their “miracles” where the group apparently prayed a heart attack patient back to life, while the patient was being defibrillated. Doctors have found the story “unremarkable.”
Another instance involved a second heart attack victim, the brother of British couple Alun and Donna Leppit. But this one had been dead for about eight hours. The group was allowed into the mortuary where they prayed over the body for an hour. One member thinks the corpse moved, but nothing more. More recently, the group has been reported to be looking for more corpses around the world to practice their “craft.”
“Practice makes perfect,” said Donna in support of the DRT. “But in this country [England], we don’t often get access to dead bodies.”
In the documentary Deadraisers, which follows the group attempting their “miracles,” they travel from hospital to hospital looking for bodies to pray over. The group was completely unsuccessful as they did not resurrect any corpse. Johnson and his group wish to continue the endeavor, however, as they want to see a DRT group in every major city.
Josh is a writer and researcher with Ring of Fire. Follow him on Twitter @dnJdeli.
