Quote:
Originally posted by Honeykiss1974
I have watched both the CC and TBN frequently and in every Lakewood broadcast Pastor Osteen NEVER asked for money. He has never said anything like "send me $100 and you will be healed" type mess. He closes his broadcast with a call for unbelievers and backsliders to come to Christ - and that's it. The Osteen family never has, even when his father was still alive and head pastor. Only until about a year ago, has the pastor olsteen even began selling ministry tapes and books, which if you go to his website, the most expensive one is about $15 - no where close to the $100 you talking about . (http://store.joelosteen.com)
What you just spoke about ($$ and the call center) has to do with the CC staff and TBN staff, not Lakewood nor Pastor Olsteen. So before you go calling people out as shady, you need to do some research.
Good grief, I could understand if Lakewood didn't do nothing but just sat around on their hands and knees and just complain (like many believers) but they are actually putting God's word into action http://www.lakewood.cc/site/PageServer - Shoot, what are you doing? Its like those that have the biggest issue with the church are the ones that aren't doing jack themselves.
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Being an educated woman and a college graduate you ought to know that whenever someone uses the word "never" or "always" 99% of the time they're wrong. Just thought I might remind you of that.
I didnt literally mean "$100". The point I was trying to get across to you is that Pastor Osteen (if you actually believe he's a man of god in the first place) is taking money from the last people on earth he should be taking money from. I find it exceptionally greedy when you have someone like Joel Osteen on TV saying they know how to help people get out of debt and instead of actually giving the people the taped series or selling it for what the blank tape cost, they turn around and charge some crazy dollar amount and tell the people to get their series. Those people are the last ones that need to be spending money on a series to get out of debt. And when you have pastor Joel or anyone for that matter telling them it really works and they'll be freed from the "bondage" of debt if they get their series...what in the hell do you think those weakminded people are going to do? They're going to go buy their series and then turn around and make their kids eat Ramen noodles for the next month because buying Pastor Joel's messege was more important, either that or they'll be living off of food stamps which is basically my taxes. Pastor Joel doesnt care, preachers don't pay income taxes. And its not just people in debt. Lets take people that are in severe depression for example, people that need medical help. What is the first thing Joel Osteen says? "Don't go to the counsel of the ungodly. I have a tape series on getting out of depression that works" Ok, thats fucked up. Some of these people should really get some medical attention and spend their money wisely on stuff that is going to help them.....not on some tape series from some televangelist looking to hustle some sick individual. "i'm going to stand in agreement right here on national TV for your healing" What do you think those people are going to do at the end of his show? They're going to go buy that man's tape series or dish money out for his ministry instead of spending it on medical attention. And when that tape series doesnt work, what do you think happens? They go get free medical attention thus putting a strain on our medical system.
As far as TBN goes, every pastor that goes on that show knows that by going on there a world wide offering is going to be taken up for them. It happens at the end of each and every show, several times on that "praise the lord" episode. So yea, those vial serpents in disguise know whats going on.
I just want to point out something here. God provides the needs of his workers. Jesus didnt ask for money, the apostles didnt ask for money, Mother Teresea didnt ask for money like Joel Osteen, the shit was provided because they were truly led by god. Hell, Mahatama Gandhi didnt even ask for money and he wasnt even a Christian. These people didnt make individuals pay money for this or that. Why? Because they were truly there to HELP people. They didnt give a rats ass about making money or having an extravegant lifestyle. They truly wanted to help people and were led by a higher power. People like Joel Osteen are just following in daddy's footsteps regardless of their motivation or true calling if they even have one. It upsets me when you have people out there saying they have the answers to this problem or this problem in their taped series that you have to buy when they should be helping people and either giving it freely or at cost of what it is to buy the blank tapes or CDs. This is exactly why i don't go to church on a regular basis anymore. You have pastors out there driving mercedes and cadillacs while members of their congregation are living off of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches but continue to give money to the preacher every time they're in the church because the pastor says the bible says you need to tithe and then give above the tithe for blessing and increase in your life. Thats a crock of shit. When you choose a life of servitude (which is what being a pastor,rabbi, reverand, priest really is) you give up your earthly desires for money in hopes of doing god's work and helping other people. You're supposed to be doing it for the satisfaction one gets when they actually help people instead of doing it for that $1,000,000 dollar house or that black beamer sitting their driveway.
I might not be the best person in the world when it comes to things I say I do in my personal life off of GC. Yea, I've double teamed chicks, had 3 somes, had 4 somes, had 6 somes, been arrested several times, had an abortion, done all kinds of crazy shit in my college life. But you know I've also been on 3 missions trips, to Mexico, to India and to Botswana. I didnt go and lay hands on people to be healed, I didnt even go to tell people they're going to hell unless they get saved. I went to go help poor people and to let them know there is hope. I've seen with my own eyes the shit some of the poorest people in this world live in. And it's not pretty. Most of those people didnt even own the fucking dirt they slept on or the shantys they slept in. I gave a girl the equivelant of 35$ once and later found out that was enough money to feed her and her family for next 3 months. I got a letter later on from her saying that money enabled her parents to save money to buy a water pump so they could irrigate land and farm and that no words could truly thank me for what I had done. And you know what? That shit was for real. It wasn't none of this- "hey man, your love offering helped my ministry" kind of bullshit you see from people like Joel Osteen.
I'll say more later...my girlfriend is bitching at me for talking to people on the computer. :rolleyes:
