Church goers by the millions live in fear all their lives. They think that they must "obey" those who pretend that they have authority over their lives. Preachers who stand in pulpits and who speak with a sense of authority or with a bombastic personality tend to intimidate church goers. In reality this is nothing short of spiritual or religious abuse. Why people subject themselves to these religious control-mongers is quite amazing. I can guarantee that anyone who exits a church and stops attending, will not be given a ticket and have to pay a fine. Nor will their eternal life and salvation have so much as any bearing upon not attending.
Virtually every preacher who stands in a pulpit thinks his or her authority is founded and based upon certain verses in the Bible. Many women think Joyce Meyers who preachers on television is a voice that speaks for God. Folks, Joyce Meyers is a multi-millionaire and lives a life of splendor and luxury that millions would envy, and all she does is in the name of "Jesus Christ." Yeah sure! There are many television preachers who live a life of absolute luxury and all because gullible and naive human beings send them $money.
Television is overflowing with frauds who use the name of "Jesus Christ" and it includes such "ministries" as "It's Supernatural" to "Manna-Fest" to "World Harvest" to virtually every preacher on television. The pure motive of all television preachers is self-vanity, self-importance and your $money (yeah sure, become a partner and laugh while your bank account goes broke). One old man on television plays a guitar and seems to have a grocery store shelf of canned goods in the back ground, while he sings songs. What part does music play on human emotions and whip people into a hypnotic trance to send $money to these clowns?
Of course all Saturday Sabbath groups think they are privileged and that they have an "insight" about "God truth" that all others do not have. The Mormons and the Jehovah Witnesses think the same thing, as do the Roman Catholics, the Baptists, the Pentecostals, the Charismatics and all other groups on planet earth. Perhaps each group should take a challenge and the Roman Catholics should go to a dozen different other types of churches for a few years, and perhaps the Saturday Sabbath folks should attend a few Sunday going groups for a couple of years and expand their horizon and learn something that they never knew or understood before.
So shallow and narrow-minded are church goers that they have no clue of just how big and overwhelming life is. So you attend the church of Rod Meredith? Why not exit his highly controlled group and go elsewhere, and even become so radical that you attend a charismatic church group, or perhaps a Baptist church or a Methodist church or a Roman Catholic Church or a private house church group??? Afraid? Fearful? Why?
Van Robison
13 comments:
Either by accident or design, Televangelism has made Christianity look ridiculous and merely entertaining which enriches the person who has risen to such a place in the media. I tried to watch a Dave Pack sermon and all I saw was a stern, frowning, authoritarian know it all (far from it) man trying to get people to filter their God through his eyes. Hilarious at least that all the comments had to be shut off on all the sermons as I'm betting he was catching hell for acting like he know all about the heavens.
Government, Financial and Religious institutions used to be the Beaver Cleaver foundations of everything that was supposed to serve, preserve and inspire.
All three have collapsed in our time and have been exposed as the dog and pony shows they really are.
Love is all there is. Everything else is an illusion.
"Religion conquers the heart and spirit by channeling your innate spirituality into a limp, useless form. Glazed in phony hierarchy and drippy ceremony, these energy vampires suck humanity’s spirit and place the husks in little jeweled boxes of glittery beliefs of a future kingdom where all is well…while they make off with the loot and shut you down from any positive awareness or action."
zen gardner
How true!
"It's Supernatural" to "Manna-Fest" to "World Harvest" to virtually every preacher on television.
Ahhh, yes. Sid Roth, Perry Stone, and Rod Parsley.
Purveyors of some of the best comedy on TV!
Although each of the preachers on mainstream Christian TV all have their own little niche, they have an orgy-like love-fest going on, praising and being amazed by each other to no end.
That's one thing you won't see the Armstrongist cult leaders doing!
I love Sid Roth's "It's Supernatural" TV show. It's funny to watch the amazed expression on his face when he interviews people who tell tales of outrageous and totally hokey "miracles"
I remember when Sid interviewed Todd Bentley and endorsed Bentley's crazy Holy Spirit healing revival thingy he was doing in Florida.
The Holy Spirit had apparently told Bentley to hit and and kick people in order to heal them, sometimes knocking out their teeth in the process.
Todd Bentley claimed to have documented evidence of thousands of people who were healed at his nutty revivals. He even claimed that entire student populations of deaf schools were attending his revivals and all had been healed of deafness, and that he was putting schools for the deaf out of business.
A journalist asked to see just 3 examples of documented evidence of healings(of which Bentley claimed to have thousands) from the Florida healing revival meetings. Bentley said he would gladly provide evidence of 3 healings, but then was unable to provide evidence of even one healing.
Norm
Anonymous said...
(Government, Financial and Religious institutions used to be the Beaver Cleaver foundations of everything that was supposed to serve, preserve and inspire.
All three have collapsed in our time and have been exposed as the dog and pony shows they really are.)
This is definitely true, but can we do without these three institutions? What defined solutions do we have that will rectify the situation? If we eliminate God out of religion will the problem be solved? Has the effort of science to trace the source of the universe and life produced anything that will solve the problems that are continually discussed in today’s information glut?
It appears to me there is little hope for saving humanity from total destruction without getting all three of those institutions off the “love of money and power” and focused on doing what they are designed to contribute.
Go to different churches, eh? Tried that briefly. Decided to save myself some time for better pursuits. Why waste much of a perfectly good day listening to some dummy who hasn't a clue about reality? He or she probably even scoffs at true reality.
I saved a lot of money too. Why should I contribute to the lavish lifestyle of some self-important blowhard? All those names quoted above are a mystery to me. I don't even have a clue as to who those idiots are.
I like it that way.
I was going to write a comment, but I'm too busy planting a "$1,000 seed" with Mike Murdock.
Assistant Deacon,
Mike Murdock is one of my faves.
Although I think he stole his hairstyle from Jack Lord who was on the original Hawaii 5-O.
Wait! I just had a "prophetic word!"
In the Great White Throne Judgement, Steve McGarrett will send Mike Murdock straight to Hell with the simple words, "Book 'em, Danno!"
And don't you dare argue with the Lord!
Norm
I hear ya, Norm.
Murdock's shameless. Just one long informercial, that's all it is.
When I heard him say, "Take out your credit card right now and go to the phone," I just wanted to throw my Mike Murdock commemorative beer stein at the screen.
In the early part of my restoration from prodigal condition, I wasn't even sure that I'd ever be able to attend a church. Occasionally, I'd run across some more mature Christians, the topic of church would come up, and their advice was that there are certain things you can know immediately when you walk into a church. If you get bad vibes, you're going to want to leave. I was even told that some churches have a very dark spirit. Yet most people, when they select a church, won't even go through the same thought processes which they would in purchasing a home or a car! They assume churches, or preachers are generic, and are all presumed to be good. Others assume that all are bad, and purveyors of superstition.
It's the same with any commodity which you could embrace or aquire.
You've got to be selective. In fact, I join some of you in mocking the ridiculous ones, just as I join you in mocking Armstrongism.
There's another factor. We all run across "things" which speak to our souls. There is strong identity with our personality, intellect, or passions. It's amazing to me that some people have been reached, at least initially, by some of the people whom I'd normally dismiss.
Joyce Meyer is apparently Pentecostal. My son went to see her, and she speaks in tongues. She just doesn't do it on TV. I truly don't know what to make of her. I've occasionally caught parts of her broadcast, and once in a while she does have some nuggets. However, any time any televangelists are millionaires, or concealed millionaires, the red flags go up for me.
I agree with Van's title premise.
IMO, to do otherwise is to set up an idol. Religion is man-made. Maintaining a personal relationship with God, and not allowing others to become intrusive into this process, or to co-opt it, takes human obstacles out of the way.
BB
Joyce Meyer is apparently Pentecostal. My son went to see her, and she speaks in tongues. She just doesn't do it on TV.
Many of the mainstream TV preachers do the same.
They say that they are using "Christian discernment" in not showing it more publicly.
BTW, a Harley Davidson aficionado once told me that if I wanted to fake speaking in tongues that it works to keep repeating, "IWANNAHARLEY" in those types of churches.
Zoom, zoom!
Norm
I take it you are not real big on being discreet, modest, or discerning? Picking and choosing your fights? Being careful about what you might share with peace officers or in court? Maybe on the internet?
Letting it all hang out makes people into lightening rods. I suppose that's a good thing if you enjoy confrontation and penalties.
BTW, I get to wear my HD T-shirts to church, along with Levis and sandals, and nobody even looks twice. I don't know whether this would go over well in pentecostal land, but I suspect that even they might be focussed on things other than clothing and hairstyles.
BB
Back 50 years ago and more in the Ozarks where I grew up, Pentecostal women had to wear sleeves at least 3/4 length and to confine their hair in nets. This was not just in church, but all the time.
Men had no noticeable requirements for everyday wear as far as I recall, though come to think of it some wore long-sleeved shirts all summer. Could have been idiosyncratic, I guess. None would ever have worn a T-shirt to church; they put on their Sunday best, just like Radio Church of God men wore their Saturday best.
I don't know what the practice is in these degenerate times.
An office mate once told me that he know of a family who attends Dave Pack's RCG. They were suspended for almost a year for not attending the Feast of Tabernacles. It was difficult for the children most especially because they have classmates who encourages them to attend their churches while theirs shut them out, more like a cast away.The leaders of the RCG said it is that long so that they will have the time to REPENT. the family felt DEVASTATED,imagine your beloved church shutting you out. Feeling so sad and despondent, not one member is talking to them. Like they have AIDs or STDs that they might get contaminated. But still, they continue to send their tithes and offerings which Dave's RCG willingly accepts.
Over and over Dave Pack will say on their sermons, "Love, love, what is love? It is the TRUTH the law and statutes of God that matters, and of course the sacrifice of Jesus Christ."
NATHANIEL
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