Presidential candidate Marianne Williamson told AIDS patients to “Think of AIDS as Angels-in Darth-Vader suits”

After the democratic debate in the U.S.A on July 30th, Presidential candidate Marianne Williamson became “the most-googled candidate”. The spiritualist self-help guru has had a past helping AIDS patients and in 1992 her self-help book “A Return to Love” was published. Her view on the matter has risen some serious questions.

In her book, she claimed that “ cancer and AIDS and other physical illnesses are physical manifestations of a psychic scream.

… We’re not punished for our sins, but by our sins. Sickness is not a sign of God’s judgment on us, but of our judgment on ourselves… sickness is an illusion and does not actually exist.

She goes on to say “miracles occur when people invoke the power of love in the midst of disease and grief,” adding: “Seeing sickness as our own love that needs to be reclaimed is a more positive approach to healing than is seeing the sickness as something hideous that we must get rid of.”

She also claimed that AIDS “can be thought of as ‘Angels-In-Darth Vader-Suits.

Here are some enlightened visualisations: Imagine the AIDS virus as Darth Vader, and then unzip his suit to allow an angel to emerge. See the cancer cell or AIDS virus in all its wounded horror, and then see a golden light, or angel, or Jesus, enveloping the cell and transforming it from darkness into light.

A scream responds best to love. That is when it calms down. That is when it stops.”

In her book, she does encourage people to continue taking their medication stating “Does that mean that it is a mistake to take medicine? Absolutely not… but the healing doesn’t come from the pill. It comes from our belief.”

These statements have started a long talk and have raised a lot of criticism with strong opinions. One that stands out comes from writer Jay Michaelson from the The Daily Beast calling the presidential candidate a “longtime wacko, now dangerous wacko”. The writer accuses presidential candidate Marianne Williamson of being “ anti-science, anti-medicine, and anti-rationality for decades”.

He goes on to say “For years, Williamson, Hay, and others told gay men that they could cure themselves if only they would properly visualise themselves getting well”.

He adds: “The results were predictable. Some people went off their medication, since taking medicine showed you didn’t really believe that you could cure yourself, and if you lack perfect faith, it’s not going to work. Some even died.”

After reading the story the presidential candidate has gone public on Twitter to defend herself writing “ Let’s state it again. I’m pro medicine. I’m pro-science. I’ve never told anyone not to take medicine.”