THE GODS OF NATURE

Religion was early humanity’s first attempt to make sense of the events occurring around them, both good and bad. They observed recurring patterns, Spring – Summer – Fall – Winter, and sought to understand the cause for repetition. They looked into the sky and saw that most stars move one way, but some special stars (planets, moons, comet, meteors) moved differently. They wanted to understand what caused the bad things (fires, famine, drought, storms, cold) to happen and how to assure that the good things (good hunting, good health, happiness) continue to happen. Their answer: Super-human gods possessing all of humanity’s attributes and faults but none of our frailties.

If humans had left it at that, things today wouldn’t be so bad, but some sinister, industrious people wanted to rig the system. They seized the opportunity when tragedy occurred (“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity”, Sun Tzu, “Art of War”), claiming to know why the gods were angry. These charlatans knew the tragedy would soon pass on its own, because it always does – nothing is forever. The self-proclaimed spiritual leaders would tell the masses sacrificial offerings were necessary: Food, clothing, livestock, children – any or all must be given to appease the gods. The tribe would do as directed. When the crisis naturally passed, they gave credit to the gods and to person (who now has great power over the tribe) that told them how to make the gods happy.

THE GODS OF MONEY

This pattern continues, even today. Some of those that preach profit heavily from this “spiritualism”.

From the Beliefnet article, “Eight Richest Pastors in America” by Megan Schmidt:

• Kenneth Copeland: Net Worth $760 Million
• Pat Robertson: Net Worth $100 Million
• Benny Hinn: Net Worth $42 Million
• Joel Osteen: Net Worth $40 Million
• Creflo Dollar: Net Worth $27 Million
• Billy Graham: Net Worth $25 Million
• Rick Warren: Net Worth $25 Million
• Joyce Meyer: Net Worth $8 Million

Ms. Schmidt ends her article with, “There is nothing wrong with being wealthy, of course. But with great wealth comes great responsibility. Regardless of your rung on the income ladder, we must remember that Jesus viewed wealth as a gift from God to be used in His service. The Parable of the Shrewd Manager teaches us that God must be the most important thing in our lives: “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Luke 16:13-31).

THE GODS OF JET PLANES

Jesse Duplantis stated, when his ministry already owned three airplanes, “It was one of the greatest statements the Lord ever told me, He said, ‘Jesse do you want to come up where I’m at? I want you to believe me for a Falcon 7X.’” The cost of a Falcon 7X is $54 Million.

The following, taken from the article, “10 American Pastors with Private Jets – ‘It’s what Jesus would do’“, by the AeroCorner Editorial Team, illustrates Jesse wasn’t alone:

• Kenneth Copeland: Gulfstream V. “We have sown a GV (Gulfstream V) as a team and God wants that kind of prosperity”
• Jesse Duplantis: Dassault Falcon 7X. He asserted in 2016 that his need to fly on private jets stems from commercial planes being full of “demons.”
• Jerry Savelle: Cessna 500. This is the same make of plane that Thurman Munson, 1970s Yankees baseball catcher and captain, was flying when he tragically died.
• Joyce Meyer: Gulfstream IV. “There’s no need for us to apologize for being blessed.”
• Creflo A. Dollar: Gulfstream III. “If I want to believe God for a $65 million plane, you cannot stop me!”
• Joel Osteen: Airbus A319. Apologizing for being rich is “almost an insult to our God.”
• Paul and Jan Crouch: Bombardier BD-700-1A10 and Hawker 800XP. What’s married life preaching the “Prosperity Gospel” without matching His and Hers private jets?
• Pat Robertson: Learjet 35. He’s called non-Christians “termites,” Hindus “demonic,” and blamed the 9/11 attacks on, among others, feminists, LGBT people, and the ACLU.
• Mark Barclay: Cessna Citation III. Started an appeal for $79,000 to get the plane a paint job. “We are still believing God to finish the project and we thank you for agreeing with us in prayer.” In making his request for help to pay for the paint job, Barclay tried to incite his followers to give by quoting Matthew 6:19-21:
  • “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal; For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

CONCLUSION

Scavengers and sycophants and flatterers and fools
Pharisees and parasites and hypocrites and ghouls
Calculating swindlers, prevaricating frauds
Perpetrating evil as they roam the earth in hordes
Feeding on their fellow men
Reaping rich rewards
Contaminating everything they see

From the musical, “Scrooge”. The song, “I Hate People”.

Don’t fall for their tricks and lies.

As the character “Deepthroat” said in the film “All the Presidents Men, “Follow the money.”