"All of my platitudes and cliches aren't really helping anyone. I needed to change. Now it's time to get real. It's time to start talking about the things the media won't report."
Christianity News Texas' Exclusive Joel Osteen Interview
April 9, 2013 -- Christianity News Texas -- Lakewood, TX
CNT had a chance to sit down with Joel Osteen in his Houston area estate and discuss the controversy surrounding his shock resignation and abrupt change in views on faith, Christianity and politics, all detailed below and on his official Joel Osteen Ministries web site.
Christianity News Texas (CNT): "Thank you for sitting down with us today."
Joel Osteen (JO): "It's my pleasure. I wanted to spend time with you guys since you've done such a great job reporting this story from the beginning."
CNT: "A lot of people are saying this is some kind of hoax. You were even interviewed on a local Houston TV station today and you seemed to laugh off the claims of a 'hoax'."
JO: "Yes, I really had no idea what they were talking about. I thought they were referring to something else. The web site is real and so are my statements, but I'm having to be somewhat low-key about it. I also don't have access to all of the web sites we have."
CNT: "The entire news media seems to be convinced this is a hoax and have published dozens of stories dismissing it. What do you say about that?"
JO: "Oh, well, you know how the news media is. They love to declare something a 'hoax' that doesn't fit with their narrative. Notice how they took what I said about the 'hoax' out of context? Look at how they edit things. I don't plan to go to them with my story or address them any further. I've made my statements to reach the people through my sites, news sites that I trust like you, and other venues. I also have church leaders who refuse to allow me to change anything on our other sites, so it's understandable people are confused."
CNT: "You are one of the most powerful men in the world of faith and religion. Some may find it surprising you don't have as much control over your social networks and sites."
JO: "Well, I'm definitely not internet savvy I also don't have nearly as much control over this church as people think. They are exercising their legal rights over these sites and I can't do much about it, but again, I'm not not worried. This is more of a personal mission of mine. The one site I have control over is getting the message out."
CNT: "Will you continue at all with your ministry? Are you really no longer a Christian?"
JO: "I said I wasn't going to, that I was resigning, but it appears I may stay on for awhile. I didn't anticipate the shock. Expect to see me give a few more sermons. I have some contracts I also am obligated to fulfill. I can't just up and leave, though I rather impulsively felt I could at first. To answer your question, I don't know if I'm a Christian. I think people know I probably still love God deep down, and I think Jesus, in this time of doubt for me, is probably watching over me. However, the Bible and Christianity have serious flaws that I can no longer ignore."
CNT: "What about your political views. You seem to be more vocal in a few areas, can you expound on that?"
JO: "Oh, yes. This will be a focus of mine. I've woken up over the past few months. I've been reading a lot and learning a lot. We've got to get people aware of things like Monsanto, GMOs, things the medical industry is doing, and how they are lying about cancer cures. People need to know Obama signed the Monsanto Protection Act and basically, as far as I'm concerned, freedom and all the good things about America died that day. There is a lot of crime and scheming going on that the media doesn't report."
CNT: "Why do you say people need to 'wake up'?"
JO: "Because they really are asleep. All of my platitudes and cliches aren't really helping anyone. I needed to change. Now it's time to get real. It's time to start talking about the things the media won't report. They are already spinning this story as some 'hoax'. Don't be surprised if my media appearances are limited or heavily edited from now on. They'll take me out of context like crazy or use old footage. I'm getting a lot of heat. I've had threats."
CNT: "What kind of threats?"
JO: "Threats from powerful people. People you and the media aren't really aware of, in high places. They don't want this getting out. I'm just a man. They control more of me, my image and my empire than you realize. I'm worried this is all going to get whitewashed. They're saying 'hoax' everywhere now, it's a bunch of crap. It's all about money for them, everything comes down to money for the corporations. They control this country. If I start speaking out, they will try to shut me down, fast."
CNT: "Are you worried about your personal safety?"
JO: "Yes. Let's leave it at that."
CNT: "Speaking of money, do you plan to donate some of your personal money to charities?"
JO: "Yes, a lot of it. Millions and millions. Primarily to the Salvation Army and a huge portion to the Organic Consumers Association. They are doing so much to expose Monsanto and their crimes. I also won't be giving anything to The United Way or Red Cross, since they pay their CEOs and upper management literally millions of dollars a year in salaries."
CNT: "We know you are busy and have to go. Thank you for your time. When will we be hearing more from you?"
JO: "Thank you for coming. I will continue to update the site while I carry on some of my duties at the church. I will post more updates. They're shutting down some of my sites and really cutting me off. This church is a big business so I'm getting a lot of flack from a lot of angles, but sooner or later, all the truth will come out."
In a statement released on his official website he said he has been questioning the faith for a long time.
Friday, March 29, 2013
"Thank you for visiting. As many of you may know, and may have heard in the news recently, many of my sermons have deviated from traditional Christian doctrine. I have been accused of altering the 'message' to fit my own doctrine and dogma. Others have accused me of preaching 'feel good Christianity'. I have also been accused of profiting greatly from my ministry, with my books and television deals.
Many of their criticisms are legitimate.
What they don't know is that deep down in my heart, for a number of years now, I have been questioning the faith, Christianity and whether Jesus Christ is really my, or anyone's, 'savior'.
I believe now that the Bible is a fallible, flawed, highly inconsistent history book that has been altered hundreds of times. There is zero evidence the Bible is the holy word of God. In fact, there is zero evidence "God" even exists. I believe I am more like God than the God of the Bible, a fictional character.
No God worth believing in is going to send you to Hell for not believing in him. Not even the worst sinner and scum of the Earth deserves eternal torment in Hell. In fact, God is more likely to congratulate you upon entering Heaven for doubting, questioning and not believing the religionists and their flimsy facts, demands of blind faith and lack of hard evidence.
What we have to focus on now that I've left the faith are the immediate issues at hand that affect us in the real world. The destruction of our environment by multinational corporations, the poisoning of our food and water, the toxic fluoride they have been putting in our water for fifty years, the toxic GMO foods that the Monsanto corporation is responsible for, Obama's many destructive policies and his administration's attempt to dismantle the 2nd Amendment. These issues will be what I will begin to focus on, so long as the media does not completely shut me out.
Today,
I informed my closest colleagues of my decision to leave the church.
Our ministry will continue in a bare-bones fashion as we liquidate our
assets and fulfill various financial obligations.
I
want to thank my wife, our parishioners and our faithful followers, the
City of Houston, Lakewood, the State of Texas and my close friends,
Oprah Winfrey and Larry King, for all of our support over the years
We're also having some trouble transferring ownership of some of our web sites, so as of now, I haven't been able to update everything on all of them. I'm dealing with some church leaders who refuse to accept my resignation. They are refusing to change or alter any of our many web sites, and this is the only one I have control over."
Pastor Osteen also plans to donate a large percentage of his fortune to charities -- specifically, around $17 million dollars -- to the Salvation Army and the Organic Consumers Organization, a group dedicated to exposing the crimes of the Monsanto Corporation.
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