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Another thread got me to searching for more delicious scandals. Here are a few from Wikipedia(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christian_evangelist_scandals)

Oral Roberts, 1977 and 1986
In 1977 Roberts claimed to have a vision from a 900-foot-tall Jesus who told him to build City of Faith Medical and Research Center and the hospital would be a success.[1][2] In 1980, Roberts said he had a vision which encouraged him to continue the construction of his City of Faith Medical and Research Center, which opened in 1981. At the time, it was among the largest health facilities of its kind in the world and sought to merge prayer and medicine in the healing process. The City of Faith was in operation for only eight years before closing in late 1989. In 1983 Roberts said Jesus had appeared to him in person and commissioned him to find a cure for cancer.[3][4]

In 1986, during a fund raising drive, televangelist Oral Roberts announced to his television audience that unless he raised $8 million by that March, God would "call him home" (a euphemism for death). Some of his listeners feared that he was referring to suicide, given the passionate pleas and tears that accompanied his statement. (He raised $9.1 million. Later that year, he announced that God had raised the dead through his ministry.)

Jim & Tammy Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart, 1986 and 1991:
In 1986, evangelist Jimmy Swaggart began on-screen attacks against fellow televangelists Marvin Gorman and Jim Bakker. He uncovered Gorman's affair with a member of Gorman's congregation, and also helped expose Bakker's infidelity (which was arranged by a colleague while on an out-of-state trip).[7] These exposures received widespread media coverage. Gorman retaliated in kind by hiring a private investigator to uncover Swaggart's own adulterous indiscretions with a prostitute.[8] Swaggart was subsequently forced to step down from his pulpit for a year and made a tearful televised apology in February 1988 to his congregation, saying "I have sinned against you, my Lord, and I would ask that your precious blood would wash and cleanse every stain until it is in the seas of God's forgiveness."[9][10]

Swaggart was caught again by California police five years later in 1991 with another prostitute, Rosemary Garcia, who was riding with him in his car when he was stopped for driving on the wrong side of the road. When asked why she was with Swaggart, she replied, "He asked me for sex. I mean, that's why he stopped me. That's what I do. I'm a prostitute."

Peter Popoff, 1987
A self-proclaimed prophet and faith healer in the 1980s, Popoff's ministry went bankrupt in 1987 after James Randi and Steve Shaw debunked his methods by showing that instead of receiving information about audience members from supernatural sources, he received it through an in-ear receiver.

Kent Hovind, 2006
Kent Hovind is an American Young Earth creationist. He is most famous for creation science seminars, in which he argues for Young Earth creationism, using his self-formulated "Hovind Theory". He has been criticized by both the mainstream scientific community and other creationists. In 2006, Hovind had been charged with falsely declaring bankruptcy, making threats against federal officials, filing false complaints, failing to get necessary building permits, and various tax-related charges. He was convicted of 58 federal tax offenses and related charges, for which he is currently serving a 10-year sentence

Ted Haggard
Nuff Said about that.

Tony Alamo, 2008
On September 20, 2008, FBI agents raided Tony Alamo Christian Ministries headquarters as part of a child pornography investigation.[24][25]. This investigation involved allegations of physical abuse, sexual abuse and allegations of polygamy and underage marriage. According to Terry Purvis, mayor of Fouke, Arkansas, his office has received complaints from former ministry members about allegations of child abuse, sexual abuse and polygamy since the ministry established itself in the area, and in turn, Purvis turned over information about the allegations to the FBI.[26] Investigators at the scene plan to conduct a search of ministry headquarters and the home of Alamo and interview children present on the compound.
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While all of Christendom is fraught with charlatans and frauds, the fundie/evangelical movement, with all its T.V. preachers and gilt theatre, seem to be the most notable offenders. The new world, fundie/evangelical movement has a habit of trivializing every aspect of its message through its snake-oil salesmen and Broadway productions. Their insistance on bringing religion into the "mainstream" has brought the "mainstream" into religion - it has, in other words, sullied religion with popular culture and politics. The result brings to mind "Elmer Gantry" and Aimee Semple McPherson. Their dependence on emotionalism, questionable theology and theatrics negates a great deal of their message.

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Mean,

I only posted the "evangelist" scandals because they are the most fun. There are many othere that I plan to explore here but I personally find the Swaggart/Bakker one the funniest (I remember exactly where I was when I watched the Swaggert's tearful apology).

My point is that its not just mainstream injecting itself into evangelism. Its the whole corrupt concept of religion as a whole. It is a industry built on clouds and corruptible faith and mind reading and mystic incantations. It is bound to fail often and fantastically with predictable regularity.

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Last edited by Cookey
quote:
Originally posted by Skeptik:
Mean,

I only posted the "evangelist" scandals because they are thew most fun. I personally find the Swaggart/Bakker one the funniest (I remember exactly where I was when I watched the Swaggert's tearful apology).

My point is that its not just mainstream injecting itself into evangelism. Its the whole corrupt concept of religion as a whole. It is a industry built on clouds and corruptible faith and mind reading and mystic incantations. It is bound to fail often and fantastically with predictable regularity.


I understand your perspective. I am, however, a Christian who views the fundie/evangelical movement with great skepticism.

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