Case file · Apparition / miracle
Rātana's vision
On 8 November 1918, during the influenza pandemic, Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana said a cloud rose from the sea and the Holy Spirit told him to unite the Māori people and turn them to God.
1918 CE · -39.99, 175.18 · status: account
The account
His reputation as a faith healer spread across New Zealand and thousands travelled to his farm near Whanganui, where the settlement of Rātana Pā grew. The Rātana Church became a major religious and political movement.
The sceptical view
Faith-healing cures were reported by followers but not medically documented; many illnesses improve on their own.