James Arthur Ray, a New Age huckster, er… uh, I mean author and speaker, was arrested yesterday stemming from deaths that occurred in a so-called “sweat lodge” ritual held at one of his spiritual retreats near Sedona, Arizona. Participants paid upwards of $10,000 for the privilege of taking part in one of Ray’s “vision quests” (wasn’t that the name of a really awful 80′s movie?) in which they went without food for 36 hours and were left alone in the desert with just a sleeping bag (although Ray did offer them Peruvian ponchos for an additional $250). The sweat lodge ceremony was held the following day.

From Webster's Dictionary: Harmonic Wealth- The financial gain of guys like James Arthur Ray when granola eating, New Age dupes with too much money and time on their hands buy their books.
In an October 21, 2009 AP article, Texas resident Beverley Bunn, a participant, described her account thus:
“By the time the sweat lodge ceremony began, the participants had undergone days of physically and mentally strenuous events that included fasting. In one game, guru James Arthur Ray even played God. Within an hour of entering the sweat lodge, people began vomiting, gasping for air and collapsing.”
In case you’re wondering what sort of people would cough up $10,000 to be deprived of food, left out in the desert with just a sleeping bag, then be crammed inside a pitch-black, 415-square-foot “sweat lodge” with dozens of strangers for two-and-a-half hours, it’s those folks with the “coexist” bumper sticker on the back of their Prius who are way too smart to gather in a nice, air-conditioned building to worship God for FREE once a week!
Ray may not identify himself or his teachings as “christian” per se, but his brand of New Age hokum borrows liberally from all faiths that suit his financial ambitions, and since his con reached a level that would make Robert Tilton proud, he has more than earned his rightful place in the pantheon of “bad christians.”
Luckily for Ray, a prison cell has much better lighting and ventilation than a “sweat lodge.”
For more on Ray’s legal woes, click here.