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Joel Osteen victim of elaborate internet hoax

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Batman, Apr 11, 2013.

  1. Batman

    Batman Well-Known Member

    This is a couple of days old, but haven't seen anything on it here.
    Someone went to a lot of trouble -- to the point of creating a number of fake websites resembling reputable news outlets, a YouTube video, fake Twitter and Facebook pages, and even Osteen's own church -- to plant a story indicating the megachurch preacher had renounced Christianity and lost his faith.
    It's all a hoax, of course. The guy who did all this, a Justin Tribble from Minneapolis, was interviewed by ABC and said he just "wanted Osteen to tone down the cliches" in his message.
    Somehow, Osteen is taking it in stride. Certainly seems like he could sue Tribble into homelessness if he wants to.

    http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/man-joel-osteen-hoax-18928019

    http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Joel-Osteen-target-of-elaborate-Internet-hoax-4418266.php
     
  2. Norrin Radd

    Norrin Radd New Member

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 15, 2014
  3. HanSenSE

    HanSenSE Well-Known Member

    VERY well played.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 15, 2014
  4. Tone down the cliches? If he didn't have feel-good platitudes, Osteen would have nothing left at all.

    That said, among the televangelist shyster community, Osteen has always seemed the most harmless and least offensive to me.
     
  5. Mark2010

    Mark2010 Active Member

    I know Osteen and several of his family members personally. Good people.

    His style may not suit everyone, but you can't please all of the people, all of the time. There are lots of people out their who are very jealous.

    Little known fact: Osteen never went to seminary.
     
  6. Moderator1

    Moderator1 Moderator Staff Member

    They're are indeed.
     
  7. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    I wish I had perfect teeth and the ability to hypnotize people with trite platitudes into forking over hundreds of millions of dollars to fund my lavish lifestyle. Instead, I actually did go to seminary.
     
  8. Mark2010

    Mark2010 Active Member

    Ragu,

    I'm sure you have plenty of talent and God-given gifts. It's easy to look at others with a sense of envy. I'm guilty of that, too. There are about 1,000 churches in Osteen's city and I suspect all of their pastors work just as hard.

    Joel was a guy in the right place at the right time. His father, John Osteen, founded the church with just a couple dozen people back in the 1950s. Sort of like being Jack Buck's son was a huge advantage for Joe Buck.
     
  9. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    My friends, I know the feeling of disappointment. Just last week, I tried to buy the Mona Lisa and despite my offer of $750 million and a percentage of the future earnings of everyone in the building today, they told me I couldn't have it.

    Did I pout? I sure was tempted to.

    But let me tell you a story.

    A man was chased by a bear, and the bear cornered the man and the man prayed, "Dear god, please make this a Christian bear." So god did as the man asked, and the bear said, "Dear god, please bless this food I'm about to eat."

    I tell this story because as the Book of Marshmallow says, Jesus spread his love among all of God's children, including Yogi Bear. And we all must trust that god has a plan for each of us.

    So don't listen to the negative talk. Trust in god. When that collection agency calls, tell them they have the wrong number. Focus on only the positive. Ignore that court order. Only god can judge you!

    Amen.
     
  10. Inky_Wretch

    Inky_Wretch Well-Known Member

    If somebody was intrigued by your ideas and wished to learn more, do you have a newsletter to which they might subscribe? For a love offering?
     
  11. KYSportsWriter

    KYSportsWriter Well-Known Member

    I'm going to hell for laughing so hard at this.
     
  12. Azrael

    Azrael Well-Known Member

    Interesting thing to me about Mr. Osteen, and his popular contemporaries like Rick Warren, is the absence of "sin" or "damnation" as a rhetorical or motivational device.

    Without which they (and Jesus) become life coaches more than anything.
     
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