Is she for real?

[transientlife]

I was flipping through channels the other day and stopped on televangelist Joyce Meyers. While I don't necessarily like televangelists and take everything they say with a grain of salt, I occasionally watch her because sometimes I find her speeches entertaining.
Anyways...
She was talking about a friend of hers who had formerly been practicing witchcraft (general term, she didn't mention Wicca or any specific witchcraft), and was rather "high up" in the ranks, who told her that they directed others - and were directed - to attend church services on Sundays and while they were there, try to disrupt the service as much as possible, as well as place curses on the church goers.
Right there I stopped listening and changed the channel.
Thought: (a really hard slap, mind you) Is she serious? Call me stupid, call me misled, call me weak in faith, call me on falling to the lure of Satan, whathaveyou...but I find that claim she made quite disturbing (not for the faith, but for what it seems to be : a load of fear and ignorance inducing - dare I say- garbage), and in large, quite ludicrous. I find it hard to believe that jibberish, amongst everything else (she's well documented, apparently, for being rather inaccurate to the faith).

Any thoughts?

 

[Arikay]

Thoughts?
Um, welcome to "marketing christianity 101." and "How to control a group through religion 105."
These are old tried and true tactics and its sad that in this day and age they still work.

 

[transientlife]

I find it sad that anyone would take that garbage to heart and build their opinions on others, specifically those who practice the "offending" religion, based on it.
I bet I'd be hardpressed to find Wiccan teachings - at least - directing others to do such a thing.

 

[Motus]

Yea I've seen her on TV before. I usually have to laugh at her antics. I can almost certainly say she was making it up (just in case someone doesn't see the obvious). David Cross has a comedy bit along these lines too, where he reads some of the sillier parts out of a televangelist devotional book. The sad part is, some people will actually believe it and hate the "witches" for disrupting an innocent, imaginary church.

 

[elianadbr75]

Sometimes I wonder why we place our faith in such things. Maybe I am naive, as well. But when I was growing up in my belief, I wasn't afraid of such things because I didn't place my faith in them. If you give something power...won't it have a power over you?...or should we just be wary of these things...?...It always leads me back to the question of how to view the devil/evil? I just don't know what to think sometimes...I believe that God is the creator of all things...everything can be attributed to him...I think that this is true. I believe in his wrath but I also believe in his compassion...I don't know this last part is something I struggle with...

 

[coyoteBR]

Hehe, may I tell a history? A friend of mine was once working on a charity movement, distribuiting baby clothes and food to poor soon-to-be-mothers. Such operation was held on a volunteer garage. A poor woman get to the gate and asked for some clothes and food.
"Sure, come in." said my friend.
"I can't", she replied, "my pastor said you people are from the devil" (everybody on that charity work were Christian Spiritists)
Needless to say, everybody was pretty amused, and almost couldn't hide the laughing. The lady received the goods, anyway (outside the gates). Well, she managed to be very pratical: received what is good for her, and obbeyed the pastor, at the same time. Smarty girl.

But, point is, these things happen. One of the ways to assure one remains in some faith is to give the person no options: outside here, "there are dragons". At some point, this approach can be usefull - when a person is not used to pray, or to have a closer relationship with God, it can be an incentive for this connection with the Higher to become an habit.
But, used too much, it destroys one faith credibility, can lead to fanatism and, from there to violence, is a small step.

It's sad those things happen, but they happen.

 

[oldrooster]

Most televangelists should be shot....they are about as honest as the president of Enron.....

 

[nessa8223]

Most televangelists should be shot....they are about as honest as the president of Enron.....

Thats the truth!!!

 

[Doctrine1st]

That's the thing about testimony and the honorable (well, I won't say lie) story. The testimony is not dependent on the truth, it's meant to strengthen one's faith, and I'm sure if you left it on the channel there would have been an message of "overcoming" through God.

~take care

 

[Cordelia]

Woah...now, I've seen one of Joyce's broadcasts on TV over here and I thought it was fantastic. She's an amazing speaker. But this baffles me.

If she called it 'witchcraft', she most certainly didn't mean Wicca or Paganism as I've understood it. Curses and intolerence of Christianity (or any other faith) flies in the face of everything they're about.

 

[12volt_man]

Joyce Meyer is a false teacher. The Bible tells us to avoid false teachers for good reason.

 

[12volt_man]

Most televangelists should be shot....they are about as honest as the president of Enron.....

Why not try Steve Brown?

He very rarely asks for money and even when he does, it's a very low key, low pressure, ofter humorous aproach.

His ministry, KeyLife, sends out tapes for free and only asks that you pass them on to a shut in or a missionary when you're done with them. They also allow you to copy them and pass them on (which I do pretty often).

 

[towodi]

She was talking about a friend of hers who had formerly been practicing witchcraft (general term, she didn't mention Wicca or any specific witchcraft), and was rather "high up" in the ranks, who told her that they directed others - and were directed - to attend church services on Sundays and while they were there, try to disrupt the service as much as possible, as well as place curses on the church goers.

If her story is true (which I highly, highly, highly, HIGHLY doubt), her witchcraft friend was not following Wicca. The Wiccan rede says, "an it harm none do as ye will," which basically means you should harm no one. And many believe in the three-fold law, which says that whatever energy you put into the world, you'll get back three-fold. So if you spew forth a lot of hatred, you'll get a lot of hatred back. If you nurture love, tolerance, and peace, that is what you will get back.

What this sounds like to me, is, a fabricated story, or greatly exaggerated story, that plays into the common misinformation of what witchcraft is.

I am not Wiccan, but my future sis-in-law is. She told me once that only posers, n00bs, and wannabes try to curse people.

 

[transientlife]

I have my doubts of the authenticity of her story as well.

I do admit, she is a good speaker, great sense of humor but with a tinge of "this is how it is". She's not above deprecating herself either.

But I do not, however, take everything she preaches to heart. Everything with a grain of salt, everything

 

[MsShinobu]

Televangelists and the like can be very dangerous,they use fear and their "celebrity" status to try and "teach" people. I always find it saddening that these people generally have expensive cars and flashy jewelry.

It's people like that, that give Christians a bad name. What do you see those people doing most of the time? Selling their videos! Why do they need to sell the videos? If they are truely intent of spreading God's word, why can't they just ask for shipping & handling? Or maybe they could just charge for the price of the tape itself.

I watch a lady on tv (maybe it is the one you are speaking about. She has short blonde hair and a kinda deep voice), some of the things she says are nice and others just sound like she is preaching "Come follow me do as I say!"

This is all just my opinion, mind you.

 

[12volt_man]

If her story is true (which I highly, highly, highly, HIGHLY doubt),

Having lived through the "Great Satanism Scare of the 80's" (anybody remember Mike Warnke and Bob Larson?), I tend to doubt such stories, too.

 

[transientlife]

Televangelists and the like can be very dangerous,they use fear and their "celebrity" status to try and "teach" people. I always find it saddening that these people generally have expensive cars and flashy jewelry.

Very true, and I agree that it is disheartening. Aren't we supposed to live simple lives?
Pat Robertson himself has a mansion on a VA mountaintop with a private landing pad and has acquired an empire worth millions.
I've read where Meyers has a private jet, is also worth millions, and when you see her on tv, she usually wears large sparkley earrings and -IMO- gaudy, flashy suits.

 

[towodi]

I do admit, she is a good speaker, great sense of humor but with a tinge of "this is how it is".

Hitler was a good speaker too

Anyway, aren't some of you Christians riled about her anyway? For some odd reason, I remember hearing somewhere along the way that she believes that 1) Christians aren't sinners and 2) she believes salvation was purchased once Jesus was in hell, not on the cross as most Christians contend. Now, why did I remember that?

 

[transientlife]

Hitler was a good speaker too

And that's what makes her, any other televangelists like her, dangerous. Eloquent speaking skills are such a great gift that can be dangerous in spreading unnecessary ignorance, hatred and fear.

 

[JCDenton]

Having lived through the "Great Satanism Scare of the 80's" (anybody remember Mike Warnke and Bob Larson?), I tend to doubt such stories, too.

No, will you tell me about it?