But--(I bet you all saw this coming) there is one ongoing event that has really peaked my interest--the investigation by Republican Senator Robert Grassley into the financial activities of six of the U.S.'s top televangelists.
Now, I am not so naive as to believe that this investigation will change the blind stupidity suffered by those who give money to these con-men, nor am I so stupid that I believe that a Republican Senator is going after members of the largest demographic of Republican donors without some ulterior motive. But, it does make for some pretty good entertainment, and material for my arguments when idiots like Creflo Dollar are grilled about their Rolls Royce, mansions, and corporate jets.
Hopefully, by now, at least one reader has wondered about my reference to the Whore of Babylon, because the explanation for this reference follows.
Years ago I had a discussion with a co-worker about the popular Protestant belief that the Pope is the Anti-Christ. The topic was brought up by this idiot and struck a nerve with me for two very different reasons. First, it is a topic that I suffered through for my entire childhood. When I was a child, my fanatic Christian father would quite often get on one of his many Holy Spirit and alcohol induced tirades and babble on for hours about the evils of the World. His second favorite topic during these sermons was Pope John Paul II's un-holy alliance with Satan (his favorite topic was my going to Hell because I was not a good kid).The second, and major reason I attacked this moron's preaching about the Pope was my late wife. She was a devout Catholic, and an extremely good person whom I loved very much, and my idiot co-worker continually rambled on about her going to Hell for her beliefs, so, as is my nature, I did some reading, and confronted my antagonist with passages from the Bible which showed that, in fact, Billy Graham (this guy's favorite preacher) was the Anti-Christ not the Pope.
Part of my "proof" revolved around the Anti-Christ coming from the Whore of Babylon, and went something like this:
According to the Bible salvation and sex are gifts from God. A prostitute is evil because she charges money for something that is a gift from God, not a commodity to be bought and sold. Salvation is also a gift from God delivered by Jesus Christ who made a point of throwing a hissy fit when he caught people doing business inside a church.
With these points in mind, a televangelist, who makes money by promising to deliver a gift freely given by God is merely a whore. The Whore of Babylon in the bible is obviously an institution, and the primary institution on this planet that exhibits whore-like qualities is televangelism. Billy Graham was the first major televangelist (born from the Whore known as televangelism) in the World, so is the primary candidate for Anti-Christ.Since my discovery, I have often referred to televangelism as the Whore of Babylon as I did above.
Have a great day all, and beware of people promising salvation (or a good time) for money.
2 comments:
you got it all wrong the reason why they say that catholics are the whore of babylon is because of their worship of false idols. it says no where in the bible about praying to mary or praying to old dead saints.These were just people like you and me that sinned like everyone else in this world except one. The Son of God. Dont get me wrong alot of catholics nice people but just very confused. Proof of this is the priests. why are these people, the heads of there religion molesting children and having sex with men. catholic church is the whore of babylon because of centuries of these unkowngly blasphemic traditions make the people blind to there wrong doing.
Jesus christ died for our sins and loves you and will save you. accept him into your heart.
Actually Austin, Catholics don't worship false idols. Worship and prayer are two different things, and there are Biblical precedents for the intercession of Saints. Also it's not Catholics who are said to be the Whore; it is the Catholic Church--a very large distinction. But don't get me wrong I no more believe their version of the God mythology than anyone else's, though they do make the most sense of any of them.
My point with the whole Whore of Baylon thing is that the Bible can be used to excuse any kind of bigotry as you so amply proved with your comment.
My father is one of these idiots who spouts this nonsense, so I am quite familiar with the reasoning. The whore is a political force who spawns the anti-christ, the worshipping of false idols would be fornication, a violation of the First Commandment and only acceptable reason for divorce according to JC--get your bigotry straight.
As for the child molestation and homosexuality--there is no Christian sect on this planet that does not have a case of clergy doing these things and worse, and I have yet to hear of a priest using meth he got from a male prostitute, or buying million dollar mansions with money he bilked off of low income elderly women, or being under investigation for tax fraud by the US government--the old he-who-is-without-sin thing could very easily apply to your statement on that issue.
The Catholic Church has been labeled the Whore by little pentecostal and evangelical church leaders because of its being the oldest and most powerful of the Christian sects thereby making it a good piece of propaganda for idiots who have no other way of making themselves seem like they are intellegent men of God instead of charlatans.
And as a bit of research work for you--where in the Bible does it say that if it's not in the Bible it's wrong? If it's not there (and it isn't, because the Catholic Church didn't assemble the Bible until after it was written) then you by your own belief cannot teach it.
Have a merry X-Mas.
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