PeterRS Posted Wednesday at 05:16 AM Posted Wednesday at 05:16 AM On my early visits to the USA, I could never understand the appeal of televangelism. If I turned on the television on a Sunday morning, I could not escape channel after channel of seemingly rabid men all but screaming about God - and of course the need to give God money. Many ran their own 'ministries' and most of that cash flowed into their own pockets, one way or another. One of the most outpoken was Jimmy Swaggart. He was once confronted by a gay man. He then said if ever he was looked at again "like that - I will kill the man and tell God he died!" But like many of them, Swaggart was a total hypocrite lining his own pockets. In 1986 alone, that ministry business made US$146 million. In 1988 he was discovered in a hotel wth a prostitute. Both alleged they did not have sex (!) He only paid her to pose nude! And if you believe that, then in 1991 police in California caught him with another prostitute in his car. He had been driving on the wrong side of the road. The prostitute said he had not been in full control of the car as he was stuffing pornographic magazines under the seat. Swaggart died yesterday. His son Donnie, perhaps unsurprisingly, has followed in his footsteps and is also an evangelist. In a radio message he said of his father, "There's been no greater example of a good and faithful servant than my father. No ifs, ands and buts about it. A man who lived his life for the cause of Christ." And if you believe that . . . . Mavica 1 Quote
vinapu Posted Wednesday at 11:18 AM Posted Wednesday at 11:18 AM nothing wrong about being prostitute loving. Being televangelists is another matter but that's the problem of those who support him with their own hard earned and easily stolen money Mavica 1 Quote
TotallyOz Posted Wednesday at 12:52 PM Posted Wednesday at 12:52 PM I grew up listening to him and those like him. Hatred was in their hearts. Oral Roberts went into his Prayer Tower and said God said he would die unless he raised 8 million. He did. My aunt was one that sent him money. But, her mother also went into a cave for 5 weeks as the "end of the world" was coming. It didn't. And, they were saved. Praise be! Mavica, vinapu and floridarob 3 Quote
PeterRS Posted Wednesday at 03:09 PM Author Posted Wednesday at 03:09 PM Wasn't Oral Roberts one of the first who preached - quoting parts of the Bible if I am not mistaken - that God wanted everyone to be rich? He made that ridiculous appeal about requiring cash to save his life when his faith-healing medical centre ran short of funds. He raised almost twice as much as he sought. Funny, though, the medical centre went bust two years later. Surely the most ridiculous were Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. They were another of the God wants you to be rich brigade. They even opened a Christian-type of Disneyland. They called their ministry PTL (Praise The Lord!) and persuaded a massive amount of gullible viewers to make montly pledges to become PTL partners. Where the money went I cannot recall but they lived a fabulous lifestyle - private jet, 2 Rolls Royces, several homes etc. Then Tammy Faye had a breakdown and when high on drugs she pranced around naked. Jim was discovered to have had sex outside his marriage and paid off one of the girls with ministry money. What the elders - if there was anyone other than the Bakkers looking after the massive amounts of cash - did not know was that the Ministry was essentially broke. Jim was said to be secretly gay. He also had a breakdown but was sentenced to serve 8 years in jail. He got probation after 5. Even then, he started a new ministry advocating the end of the world and sellling end of the world products. That anyone actually believed these con men always confused me! But as a postscript, this sort of get rich evangelism was not confined to the USA. There was a huge scandal in Singapore in 2015 that enveloped the mega-City 'prosperity' Harvest Church with around 30,000 members and its 'pastor' Kong Hee. In an attempt to boost his wife's singing career and gain souls for Christ, the pastor effectively stole US$34 million of Church funds, housed her for a few years in a $28,000 a month Hollywood mansion, financed at considerable cost a recording with David Foster which totally bombed - well, no need to comment futher. But in this case Kong Hee's church did have elders and most had agreed with the plan to spread Christianity through his wife's singing. (To spread Christianity in the USA? How could anyone have been so utterly gullible as to believe that?) End result of the scandal: Kong Hee and five others were jailed for up to 3 years. But the madness did not end. Who took over as pastor of the church? The dud singing wife 'sensation' who had converted no one in the USA to Christianity! Ruthrieston and Mavica 2 Quote
TotallyOz Posted yesterday at 01:26 AM Posted yesterday at 01:26 AM So sad. I loved Jim and Tammy. Very dramatic and as a kid, I related. PTL: “Praise The Lord!” or more accurately, “Pass The Loot!” They built a Christian Disneyland because nothing says “Jesus died for your sins” like an amusement park. OMG floridarob and PeterRS 1 1 Quote
Mavica Posted yesterday at 01:48 AM Posted yesterday at 01:48 AM 22 minutes ago, TotallyOz said: So sad. I loved Jim and Tammy. Very dramatic and as a kid, I related. PTL: “Praise The Lord!” or more accurately, “Pass The Loot!” They built a Christian Disneyland because nothing says “Jesus died for your sins” like an amusement park. OMG One of the greatest entertainment shows on television, at the time. Totally fraudulent, but Tammy Fay, Jim ... the drama! Her makeup! I watched it for entertainment value, only. Drag Queen friends of mine loved Tammy Fay. Who could tell the difference? Drag or a real woman? PeterRS and TotallyOz 2 Quote
TotallyOz Posted yesterday at 03:15 AM Posted yesterday at 03:15 AM 1 hour ago, Mavica said: One of the greatest entertainment shows on television, at the time. Totally fraudulent, but Tammy Fay, Jim ... the drama! Her makeup! I watched it for entertainment value, only. Drag Queen friends of mine loved Tammy Fay. Who could tell the difference? Drag or a real woman? I will say I watched for the tears. She was the best crier on TV. My entire family watched and kept saying, just wait for the tears. LOL. Little did I know back then.... Mavica 1 Quote
PeterRS Posted yesterday at 03:22 AM Author Posted yesterday at 03:22 AM 5 minutes ago, TotallyOz said: I will say I watched for the tears. She was the best crier on TV. My entire family watched and kept saying, just wait for the tears. LOL. Little did I know back then.... Weren't the tears usually followed by Jim suggesting she sing a song to lighten the mood? That usually seeemed to me the reason for the tears in the first place 🤣 Mavica and TotallyOz 1 1 Quote
