by minimus 32 Replies latest jw friends
Benny Hinn is one of those preachers that tell you if you give $$$ to their ministry, you will get 10 fold!
I never understood why people do give $$$ and these preachers live the high life and encourage their listeners to do the same. The Watchower's Kingdumb Halls can't even pay their electric bills and you see these other "ministries"making hand over fist. I don't get it.
Many Kingdom halls may be poor, but the WTS headquarters seems to be doing quite nicely.
We are all entitled to REALITY.
A cult creates a shortcut leading away from reality.
The shortcut takes you to a Fantasy Construct of meta-reality.
In the cult meta-reality there is a disconnect between CAUSE and EFFECT.
The cult member has no actual sensory input from real things.
The cult member is taught to focus ONLY on the artificial "reality".
What is the consequence of this? No map to the real world exists any longer.
They can't see it, hear it, feel it, smell it, or taste it.
Think of a skin diver in a wet suit with a face mask and a rebreather leading to an oxygen tank immersed in the ocean.
It is a totally different world with different rules from surface life. If they pull off the face mask on spit out the breathing tube they will become disoriented and drown.
The PROSPERITY GOSPEL is an extension of the nullification of CAUSE and EFFECT.
In the meta-reality of the Spiritual World of Jeeeeezus it is deuces wild.
If preacher man says water can be wine; it is so.
If preacher man says you can walk on water; it is so.
If preacher man says give all you have and God will pay you back tenfold; it is so.
The rational brain has been hijacked like a computer virus that captures your password keystrokes.
The hacker can go in to your bank account and remove its contents.
Religion is an alternative "reality". The laws of Physics DO NOT APPLY. Common sense does not apply.
These preachers say Christ loved material things and wealth. I don't know how "Christians" can believe that!
Terry, I wouldn't necessarily call these "believers", cultists.
I don't accept the "prosperity gospel" If it were true, these preachers could keep writing their own checks & get 10 fold back without ever asking anyone else for their money.
The Kingdom halls are full of low people who have to resort to whatever jobs they can get that don't intervere with meetings, field service, assemblies & conventions. They can't get a college degree, they can't work overtime, they can't do anything holiday related, they can't carry a weapon. This kind of narrows the job pool, so I would say that is why they struggle with finances, while some other groups seem to prosper.
con artists
Prosperity gospel like Terry said is a way to shortcut reality.
Ignoring the laws of cause and effect.
It is kind of like a get rich quick scheme. Want to get rich? Get rich by giving your money to 'God.'
The Kingdom Hall's aren't much different except instead of them saying that you can get rich, they instead say that you can be amongst the happiest people on Earth.
Rather than seeking happiness by being true to yourself and doing the things you enjoy while at the same time serving others by your talents. You can be happy by serving 'God's organization' by doing the works they perscribe.
Same principle applies. Same results are acheived.
The people who are duped in both cases wind up poor and disillusioned while their leaders make out like bandits.
On these shows though, the parishoners DO look good! It looks like God HAS been good to them.
Terry, I wouldn't necessarily call these "believers", cultists.
Minnie moose,
Mainstream Christians are not as detached from reality as those who are able to buy-in to Prosperity Gospel teaching.
I judge the degree of Cultdom by the actions of the members retroactively.
I consider Speaking in Tongues as a radical cult activity, for example.
Think of the Bell Curve. The pot-bellied (minimus-like) bulge in the middle is the average believer. The extreme ends are radicals.
One end are radical atheists and on the other end are the cults.
There is a rise from the flat ends to the main bulge; a gradient of disconnect from reality.
The crazier the beliefs you embrace the more cult-like.
