Selling God (2009) - full transcript

Somewhere between the invention

of the wheel and the
discovery of electricity,

Jesus Christ was born.

He proclaimed to the world...

I am the way.

The truth of the life.

No man comes to the father but by me.

He told people
he was the son of God.

He beckoned them to follow him.

Thus was sparked one of the most pervasive

religions in the world, Christianity.



Peter the Apostle spread the word of Jesus

to the world through the Christian church.

Unfortunately, inviting and
differing interpretations

of what Jesus Christ actually said, felt

or believed, led to the creation of many

different denominations.

In In 1054, the Great Schism occurred

as Pope Leo IX, the
patriarch of Constantinople

excommunicated each
other at the same time.

Because among other things,
they disagreed about

what day to celebrate Easter.

This created two separate churches.

The Roman Catholic Church and
the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Each of whom thought
they were the one holy



Catholic and Apostolic
church while the other

had left the true church.

In 1517, Martin Luther
posted his 95 thesis

questioning the power of the Pope

and the Roman Catholic Church and thus

was sparked the Protestant Reclamation.

All across Europe and
throughout the world,

Protestant groups broke off
into their own religions

as different groups adopted
differing interpretations

of the Bible.

When Pope Clement VII refused
to let King Henry VIII

get a divorce, Henry broke
away from the Catholic church

and created the Anglican Church.

When it spread to America it
became the Episcopal Church.

The other Baptists broke
off and eventually became

the Amish, Mennonites,
Quakers, and Baptists.

John Knox created Presbyterianism.

John Wesley had Methodism.

And John Calvin had Reformed Christianity.

There sure were a lot of
Johns and a lot of churches.

Despite the differences
between the over 1500

Christian denominations,
most of the modern

incarnations of Christianity
agree on seven basic tenets.

People did not evolve from monkeys.

Gay sex isn't natural.

Life begins by conception.

Guns are good.

Hollywood is evil.

And God is the determining
factor in all wars,

major sporting events and award shows.

My whole family.

Thank you, Jesus.

But the most Important tenet

across all of Christianity
is to spread the good news.

Evangelism is an integral part of most

Christian denominations.

Much like Amway, it's never
enough just to believe,

they must also get all
their friends, family,

and even strangers to believe as well.

Even the kid from Growing
Pains is in on it.

The reason we as a
church exist here on earth

is to be a witness for Jesus Christ.

And he said, go into all the world

and preach the gospel with every creature.

So if you're a Christian, learn to focus

your attention on the
most important reason

the church exists on the earth.

To seek and save the
lost the way Jesus did.

And commit yourself to
the Lord and to the lost.

And they can't
just believe in Jesus

as Lord and Savior, they
have to believe in him

exactly as does the person evangelizing.

We often see evangelism as, let's make

someone believe just like
me, dogma and doctrine.

I think modern evangelism should be making

friends with God.

Or teaching one how to be more tolerant,

more loving.

I think modern evangelism
is not about dogma

or doctrine, but about introducing...

Qualities of life through a belief system.

And if the belief system
promoted does not improve

ones approach to life,
it's done nothing except

change their dogma or doctrine.

It's interesting
to note how many people

use the psychological
concept of projection

when relaying their understanding of what

God said, felt, or believed.

Oddly enough God generally
shares the same view

as the interpreter.

For example, you'll
never hear someone say,

God is not on our side in this war

but we're gonna give it our all anyway.

Or you'll never hear someone say,

God hates gay people, but I think

they're snazzy dressers.

When we ask will the
real Jesus stand up,

we all have the tendency
to say, God is on our side.

And we know what the real
Jesus would be doing.

Israeli
extremists tell us that God

gave them the land at
the West bank as part

of the promised land.

Palestinian extremists tell us that God

told them they could have the West bank.

It's enough to make one question why God

can't make up his or her mind.

To this day, Jesus plays
a very important role

in the values and even he decision-making

of modern Christians.

Rhetorical questions are often used

to determine his position
on contemporary issues.

Christians are apt to ask themselves

and even others, what would Jesus do?

What would Jesus drive?

So if we love our neighbor

and we cherish God's
creation, maybe we should ask,

what would Jesus drive?

What would Jesus eat?

Who would Jesus vote for?

Or even, who would Jesus kill?

You know I don't know
about this doctrine

of assassination but if
he thinks we're trying

to assassinate him, I
think we really outta

go ahead and do it.

It's a whole lot cheaper
than starting a war.

And I don't think any
oil shipments will stop.

Once again,
it's interesting to note

how Jesus would always
have done what the person

answering the question would do.

For example, it's unlikely
to hear someone say,

Jesus would drive a compact Japanese car

but I prefer the styling of German sedans.

Or, Jesus would probably
have the Caesar salad

with thousand island on the side,

but I really do prefer
a double cheeseburger

with all the extras.

After extensive Biblical research however,

it turns out he would've driven a donkey

and eaten a lot of fish.

What everyone thinks Jesus said,

felt, or believed, it's important to serve

as a witness to the rest of the world.

His witnesses take on a variety of forms.

In a ritual act of
allegiance, miniature replicas

of torture devices may be worn

around ones neck.

In order to witness to other drivers

sitting in traffic, the
back of ones vehicle

may be used to share sound bytes

and symbols of faith.

And for those feeling especially bold,

one could even send orders
to God him or herself.

Regardless of how
individuals within a church

share their faith, it's just important

that they actually do it.

How effectively people are
able to share their faith

is the deciding factor in
the battlefield of religion.

The Jesus
Christ action figure.

Turn water into wine.

Now with realistic walking action.

Relive the exciting Sermon on the Mount.

Natural selection
dictates that churches

with effective strategies for building

and maintaining their
followers will thrive.

While those lacking these game plans

will eventually disappear.

The only way for a church to survive

is to keep a constant
and growing congregation.

Some have done better than others.

A prime example of a church that's doomed

to failure from the beginning was that

of the Shakers.

Under the leadership of Mother Ann,

the Shakers turned away
from sexual intercourse.

And their attempt to live pure lives

elevated from the basis of human desires,

the entire group became celibate.

As to be expected, this rather important

church doctrine prevented
the Shaker movement

from growing.

There are currently only a handful

of living Shakers, all
of them elderly women.

Although the Roman Catholic church

does require a vow of
celibacy from the clergy,

they allow church members to engage in

carnal pleasures.

The particular brilliance
of the Catholic doctrine

is the prohibition of any
form of birth control.

This policy, in essence
ensures that the church

will keep growing and growing and growing.

Unlike the Shakers, the
Catholic church has grown

to over one billion members.

The Mormon churches former
practice of polygamy

did wonders to help it grow.

By marrying many women
of childbearing age,

the founders were able
to grow their church

very quickly.

Joseph Smith, the prophet
of the Mormon church

had at least 33 wives.

And Brigham Young, the second prophet

of the church had 52
wives and 56 children.

Thanks in no small part
to this brilliant doctrine

for survival, the Mormon church
grew by leaps and bounds.

It's practice has long
since been disavowed

by the church but they replaced it

with an equally effective policy

for helping the church grow.

All men between the ages of 19 and 26

are encouraged to spend two years

doing missionary service.

The Jehovah's Witnesses
used the same method

of door-to-door evangelism.

All members of the church are encouraged

to go from door-to-door,
spreading the message

of their faith by giving out
copies of The Watchtower.

And doing Bible study
with anyone interested.

This has helped the church grow,

but has unfortunately been counteracted

by the churches prohibition
of vaccinations,

blood transfusions, and organ transplants.

Needless to say, this
policy has stood in the way

of helping the church really grow.

As new members are brought in, others die.

Following the lead of George Hensley,

a group of charismatic
Christians sprang up

in the Appalachian Mountains.

They took the Biblical verse found in

Mark 16:18 literally.

They shall take
up serpents and if they drink

any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them.

They shall lay hands on the
sick and they shall recover.

Mark 16:18.

In their church
services, members are encouraged

to handle copperheads and rattlesnakes,

drink water that is laced
with strychnine and arsenic

and place their hands in fire.

To date, 75 people, including
the founder have died

as a result of their faith.

Needless to say, the charismatic movement

is slowly disappearing.

Perhaps the most effective
group in building

and maintaining their followers is

the evangelical movement that is spreading

across the country.

Like many religious
movements, they feel that

their most important job is to sell God

to the masses, spread the
good news of the gospels,

and bring more converts into the fold.

This movement has made use of every form

of marketing available; television, music,

books, tee shirts, bumper stickers

and every other conceivable of branding.

There's even a Christian
themed amusement park

where you can walk through the streets

of Jerusalem, shop at
the Bible street market,

and have your picture taken with Jesus.

The selling of God is so pervasive that

any threat to it is seen as a threat to

Christianity itself.

In what has been dubbed
the war on Christmas,

some Christian groups
have declared boycotts

against American retailers that don't use

Christmas in their advertisements.

The American Family Association boycotted

Target stores for using
the term, happy holidays

instead of Merry Christmas in their fliers

and commercials.

Wal-mart quickly put Christmas back in

their holiday advertisements
when the Catholic league

threatened to boycott.

And the Committee to Save Merry Christmas

targeted Sears and Macy's.

It was clear that these retailers

had better put Christ back in Christmas

and Christmas back in consumerism.

Heaven forbid things be bought and sold

without invoking the name of Christ.

Bill O'Reilly, of The O'Reilly Factor

put it best.

Every company in America should be

on its knees thanking
Jesus for being born.

Without Christmas, most
American businesses

would be far less profitable.

More than enough reason for business

to be screaming, Merry Christmas.

Yes, the members of reason

for the season.

Sales, because when Jesus saves,

it's not just 20%.

And besides, it's easier
to put Christ back

in Christmas than back
in our foreign policy.

Selling God is the essence of evangelism.

It isn't good enough to
believe, everyone else

has to believe as well.

To see how this evangelism actually works

we'll need to start at the beginning

with marketing theory 101.

All modern marketing works the same way

whether you're selling clothing or cars,

soda or salvation.

Selling God is no different.

The first thing that must be done

is to create a need.

The second is to offer a product

or service to fill that need.

The third is to offer rewards

for buying the product or service

and threaten consequences for not buying.

And the final step is to create urgency.

There has to be a deadline to act

or people will just keep putting it off.

For children, one of the
most well known figures

that uses these concepts
to adjust behavior

is Santa Claus.

Yes, jolly ol' Saint Nick.

The omnipotent craftsman
that lives up north

has been used to control
the habits of children

for centuries.

He keeps a list of who's
naughty and who's nice,

so you better be good
and do what you're told

or you'll get coal for
Christmas instead of toys.

Evangelism in any religious
movement uses the same

basic principles to spread their message

throughout the world
and adjust the behaviors

of followers.

First they must start
by creating the need.

If you're basically a good person,

you don't need what they're offering.

But if by just being
born, you're a sinner,

then you're definitely
in need of salvation.

You need to admit you're a sinner

and call on the Lord and
he'll save you tonight.

Next, they
offer Jesus Christ who,

having already died for your sins

is the perfect product to counteract

your previously established sinful nature.

And attending their church
or watching their program

is the perfect service to help you fill

this new found void in your life.

Guilt is an incredible motivator.

Listen, if you want your sins forgiven,

if you wanna know that when you die

you'll go to Heaven.

If you want that hole
in your heart filled.

If you wanna find the
meaning and purpose of life

you've been searching for.

If you want your guilt taken away.

If you wanna be ready for
the return of Jesus Christ,

I'm gonna ask ya wherever you're sitting

to get up out of your seats, step into

the nearest aisle and make your way down

to the field.

Then they offer
rewards and consequences.

A carrot and a stick.

Heaven and Hell.

No friend, you don't have to go to Hell.

God wants you to join Him for all eternity

in Heaven.

You go to Heaven if
you're good which means

you obey us and if you don't obey us

you'll go to Hell.

And you're talking here
about your eternal soul,

either for reward or
punishment, which appeals

to normal greed for people.

And at the same time it's a real winner

as far as getting...

Getting their business.

Each religions
conception of Heaven and Hell

is different but historically
Heaven represents

everything good and
Hell, everything that's

to be feared.

Don't put it off until tomorrow

or next week or next month.

Prepare to meet your God.

You don't know when
Christ is gonna come back.

You don't know when life is gonna end.

And finally, they create urgency

by reminding people that life is fleeting

or even that Armageddon is coming.

The world is coming to
an end and the rapture

or the second coming of
Christ is on the horizon.

And as we see these signs increasing

and getting closer and
together Jesus says,

you know my coming is near.

Every time we turn around
it's something new.

It's a Tsunami, it's an earthquake,

it's a new war, it's a new conflict,

a new act of terrorism.

Just when it calms down it heats up again.

Folks, these are signs of the times

and Jesus said, when you see these things

begin to happen, look
up for your redemption

is drawing near.

Jesus is coming back again.

And the Bible predicted it.

While being placed on
hold and listening to Muzak,

and then talking to a secretary of one

of the evangelical operations,

she told me that in South Korea,

this particular evangelical operation

had it's evangelistic
technique so finally honed

that she could save a soul for 47 cents.

Well that was computed
in the following way.

It costs so many hundreds of
thousands to rent a stadium

and fill it with so many people.

And then you get so many people to sign

the card that they accept Jesus

as their personal savior.

And then you divide the number of people

that signed the cards into the cost

of renting the stadium, you now saved

a soul for 47 cents.

Well, I'd like to know what you save

for 47 cents.

There's a cottage industry

of saving the lost and
delivering their souls.

In
a world full of people

walking blindly through life,

who do you know who isn't saved?

What are you going to do about it?

2% of Christians in
America share their faith

regularly with others.

The reason we as a
church exist here on earth

is to be a witness for Jesus Christ.

Remember 140,000 people
die every 24 hours.

We must keep the light
of the gospel shining

so that the unconverted will flee

to the savior.

The way of the master.

13 unique, fascinating and challenging

half hour episodes teaching Christians

how to share their faith simply,

effectively, Biblically,
the way Jesus did.

In a very large measure,
the Christian church

still is a franchise and a business.

They're in the business of feeding

upon peoples weaknesses and guilt

and I think that's
shameful because certainly

Jesus never envisioned
that when he laid out

the groundwork for spirituality.

Over the years there
have been repeated periods

of religious revivalism,
you know, great revivals

I mean, fundamentalist beliefs swept,

it wasn't called
fundamentalists in those days.

It's a more modern term but what we call

fundamentalist beliefs
spread over the country

in a kind of hysteria.

Here's the gospel in a nutshell,

we've all sinned.

We've all fallen short of God's standards.

We've all deliberately crossed the line.

There's nothing we can
do to meet the righteous

requirements of God.

But God loved us so much, 2,000 years ago

he sent his son, Jesus Christ, fully God

and fully man to die on
the cross for our sin.

And he bodily rose again from the dead.

Now we'll turn from our
sin and put our faith

in Christ, we can be forgiven and know

that we will go to Heaven when we die

and by the meaning and purpose we've been

looking for.

That's the gospel truth.

Now you've heard it
and you're responsible.

So respond.

So once again, you are a sinner.

Jesus Christ is the salvation.

If you believe, you'll go to Heaven.

And if you don't, you go to Hell.

Armageddon is upon us.

Oh, and don't forget,

Jesus loves you.

Sin has been
defined a number of ways,

but the most expansive list is the seven

deadly sins.

Defined by Pope Gregory I,
late in the 6th century,

the seven deadly sins are: lust,

gluttony, greed,

sloth, wrath, envy,

and pride.

Since these are all
common human attributes,

this list of deadly sins makes humanity

sinful by definition.

If sin is defined this broadly,

we are all sinners.

If this isn't enough to
make everyone a sinner,

the concept of original sin states that

we're all born sinners.

Therefore, just
as sin entered the world

through one man, and death through sin,

and in this way death came to all men,

because all sinned, Romans 5:12.

Because we're all descendants

of Adam and Eve, we're all implicated

in their original sin of eating an apple.

All that for an apple.

Not a croissant.

Not prime rib, but one stinking apple.

We all, we're born into this world

with a sinful nature.

So everybody's sinful.

This expansive concept of humans

as inherently sinful is a wonderful way

to create guilt and reliance on religion.

We're not all born
good, we're all born bad.

We've inherited by
genetics spiritual nature

from our original parents, Adam and Eve,

a fallen nature.

And we choose to do
wrong rather than right

because we're sinners by nature

and need a second birth,
a spiritual birth,

ever to meet God.

Well, throughout history,
guilt has been used

within religion as a form of control.

And if you think about many religions

that are out there, especially within

the Christian religions, one of the ways

that they've been able to
keep the churches alive

is via using guilt.

And guilt is something
that, unfortunately,

doesn't have to be a part of society,

but it has been used
for thousands of years.

Paul struggled
with the implications

of this sinful nature
in the Book of Romans.

I do not
understand what I do.

For what I want to do I do
not do, but what I hate I do.

And if I do what I do not want to do,

I agree that the law is good.

As it is, it is no longer
I myself who do it,

but it is sin living in me.

I know that nothing good lives in me,

that is, in my sinful nature.

For I have the desire to do what is good,

but I cannot carry it out.

For what I do is not
the good I want to do;

no, the evil I do not want
to do, this I keep on doing.

Now if I do what I do not
want to do, it is not longer

I who do it, but it is
the sin living in me

that does it.

Romans 7:15 to 20.

Paul was in such
despair that he resorted

to tongue twisters.

He felt like a hopeless sinner

because he felt he was born sinful.

Many people even view the human body

as being sinful.

They turn to Adam and Eve's first sin

and the shame they felt on realizing

they were naked.

Through every period of time
in Judeo-Christian history,

the body has been seen as taboo.

Men, and especially women,
were forced to cover

their bodies and hide their sinful nature.

One would think that we would pass

this shame and discuss
associated with the body,

but the biggest story in 2004 in America

was not the war in Iraq.

It was not the Presidential election.

It was Janet Jackson's
wardrobe malfunction,

or as some have dubbed it, Nipplegate.

Parents were outraged.

Congressional hearings were held.

And $550,000 worth of fines were levied.

All because one human
breast was seen in public.

Laughter could be heard from the topless

beaches of Europe to the
tribal villages of Africa.

They laughed in unison.

America was brought to a halt by a breast.

Breastfeeding in public
is even looked down on

by many as being shameful.

This has naturally led some to ask,

what did Jesus drink?

We were on a cruise one time,

which was a European style cruise

to where the women could go topless.

Well, my wife at the time was topless

and another passenger came up to her

and says, well my gosh, how in the world

could you at all be spiritual or religious

if you're going topless because it says

right in the Bible that
thou shall dress in modesty.

Well we paused for a moment and this gal

that was talking to my wife at the time

had a two piece bathing
suit on and we thought,

well if you wanna take the literal words

of the Bible, when the Bible was written,

that two piece bathing
suit that you're wearing

right now would get you stoned to death.

So, what is dressing in modesty?

So this is where you have to

adjust your morals
depending on where you live,

in the world.

Where you live in society.

Whether you live in the mountains

and you're a hermit or
whether you're living

downtown New York in a high rise.

Or whether you have a
Home Owner's association,

you're gonna have to redefine your morals

depend upon the lifestyle that you want

to live in order to fit in.

But this isn't
just about Janet Jackson's

breast or topless sunbathing.

It's about viewing the entire body

and bodily functions as sinful.

To create reliance on religion,

everything in the Judeo-Christian Bible

has been defined as sinful.

From masturbation to menstruation.

Based on the ancient belief in animism

that blood is the very source life,

all loss of bodily fluids
is considered sinful,

even if it's natural.

When a woman
has her regular flow

of blood, the impurity
of her monthly period

will last seven days,
and anyone who touches

her will be unclean until evening.

Leviticus 15:19.

During her
period, an Israelite woman

was not allowed to enter the temple

because the sinful nature of her blood

would defile the sanctuary.

This is one of the
reasons that it would have

been impossible for a
woman to serve as priests.

For men, it was considered sinful to ever

emit semen except for the purposes

of procreation.

When a man has an emission

of semen, he must bathe his whole body

with water, and he will
be unclean till evening.

Leviticus 15:16.

Therefore every
woman of childbearing age

and every man of, any age, is a sinner

and in need of salvation.

These aren't just old superstitions

that have long since been abandoned.

In December of 1994, US Surgeon General

Joycelyn Elders was forced to resign

for stating that masturbation is a part

of human sexuality.

She was obviously wrong and we're all

obviously sinners.

In addition, even in this day and age

of equality, women are still not allowed

to hold positions of religious authority

in the Roman Catholic Church,

Eastern Orthodox Church,
and most Protestant

denominations.

It's not clear whether it's the presence

of a menstrual cycle or the lack

of a penis that makes women unqualified

to serve as clerics.

Needless to say however, they are sinful

by nature and need salvation
through the churches

that reject them.

Since the wages of sin is death

and the mortality rate for humans

is still at 100%, this
would tend to support

the conclusion that all humans are sinful.

The question that remains is what happens

after death?

When I think about Heaven and Hell,

Heaven can be a literal place

as well as, in my worldview, a time

past the current age that we live in.

Meaning that there's no degradation,

no death.

There's good things.

Hell on the other hand, often is viewed as

fires and torture and things like that,

but since I believe in a God that is not

arbitrary, vengeful, or
severe, I don't believe in

hellfire that lasts forever,

that tortures people.

I think we have to explore more.

And I'm still exploring
what those things mean.

The concept of Heaven pervades

the Old Testament.

But it was Jesus Christ who introduced

the fiery brimstone of
Hell to Christianity.

Based on Gehenna, the
trash dump of the day

where trash and bodies were incinerated,

Jesus painted a vivid picture
of Hells fiery inferno.

And Jesus said more about Hell,

by the way, than he did about Heaven.

He warned us over and
over not to go there.

If you go to Hell it's
in spite of everything

God could do to keep you out.

His son, Jesus, died for you.

In a piece of marketing genius,

future generations
developed eternal damnation

in the fires of Hell as the consequences

of not accepting him as Lord and Savior.

Hell is like the worst torment

you can ever imagine.

You don't want to be there.

Hmm, it's fiery and you know,

what you would imagine Hell to be.

It's just torment and misery and sorrow

and everyone's crying and it's pretty bad.

There are many visions of Hell.

But they all boil down to a place

full of everything you despise.

For some, Hell will be a place where

all they eat are brussel sprouts.

And they will be forced to listen to

Barry Manilow for all eternity.

For others, liver will be on the menu

and the only form of entertainment

would be listening to their Uncle Bernie

telling obnoxious lawyer jokes forever.

Then of course, there is the devil

with his pitchfork and horns.

His pitchfork and horns.

The dragon and serpents and of course,

plenty of fire.

This vision of eternal
damnation in the torturing

inferno of Hell's fire
has been very useful

with converting people to one faith

or another.

During the middle ages,
the Catholic Church

told the masses about the horrors of Hell

in order to sell salvation.

They sold indulgences or forgiveness

in advance for sins yet to be committed.

Families could even pay for their deceased

members to get out of purgatory,

sort of a Hell lite.

All in all, church had the world's best

business model.

Now my good people.

This is no ordinary indulgence.

Full forgiveness for all sins.

Absolution from all punishments.

No confession necessary.

Valid even for your loved ones

in purgatory.

For who would see his
mother in flames when,

with a piece of silver
he can set her free.

For as soon as the money
clicks in the chest,

a soul flies up to Heavenly rest.

The churches motto has survived

intact throughout the ages.

Fear of Hell and damnation has served well

as this models cornerstone,
it's foundation,

the ultimate selling point.

Join us or got to Hell.

In fact, in the information age,

people are able to go online and find out

if they're going to Heaven or Hell.

Heaven and Hell, I believe, was designed

as a form of keeping people in line,

in a sense.

Being able to help people realize that

if they don't follow the rules,

that they're going to go someplace which

they called Hell which could be the same

as, in our society, going to prison.

And none of us want to go to prison so,

therefore, we follow the rules.

To this day,
sadistic visions of Hell

are one of the best marketing ploys

to reach unaffected people.

And let me ask you
this question right now,

if you die tonight, what
would happen to you?

Would you go to Heaven?

Or would you go to Hell?

Yeah, you heard me
right, I used the H-word.

There is a Hell.

If you lead a sinful life,

you will spend the rest of eternity

in the fires of Hell.

If you don't accept Jesus Christ

as your Lord and Savior, you are doomed

to eternal damnation.

If you don't join our denomination,

you'll suffer in the end.

How long since you've
heard a strong sermon

on Hell?

I mean a place where the
fires are never quenched.

Where conscious people
spend a conscious eternity

because they rejected Christ, suffering

where there's no escape, no sleep,

no way out.

That is exactly what the Bible teaches

about Hell and it outta be the fear of God

that causes people to come
running to the Savior.

Fear not for there is salvation

if you act before it's too late.

Heaven is the antithesis to Hell.

And the reward for all who accept Christ

and choose the right denomination.

Jesus is the ultimate Get
Out of Hell Free card.

The concept of Heaven was
introduced by Zoroastrianism

and imported into Judaism
and later Christianity.

But the popular vision
of Heaven has taken on

a life of its own.

Heaven's a real place where real people

spend a real eternity.

And we outta be painting
the picture of Heaven

so real and so often that everybody

would want to go there.

Heaven is going to be, you can't even

describe it.

People can't describe it.

It's, I don't know, the closest thing

you can get is what it
says in the scripture

and that's just, amazing and beautiful

and something we can't
even really speak of.

It's gonna be overlaid with gold

and just all your dreams and more.

There's going to be praising the Lord

and worshiping him constantly.

Heaven is going to be a wonderful place.

I envision it like the Bible says.

Golden streets, happy place.

And peaceful.

The popular vision of Heaven

is strange in that it's filled with

everything that people hate and is missing

all that they love.

People imagine and even look forward

to a Heaven that they'll miserable in.

As soon as the saved get to Heaven

they will meet Saint
Peter at the Pearly Gates

and engage in some sort of witty banter

with a hilarious punchline.

And then they will be issued their uniform

of wings, a halo and a harp.

From this point on they'll spend the rest

of eternity floating around lazily

on white fluffy clouds,
praying to the almighty,

singing hymns and
playing angelic melodies.

Now, this may be all right for some,

but how is the person who can't get on

the airplane without two shots of vodka

going to handle flying around and floating

on a bank of clouds for all of eternity?

Are people really going to enjoy this?

After a couple of days of this bedlam,

the average person will sell their soul

to the devil for a little peace and quiet.

And there's a reason
that very few people play

the harp on earth.

It hurts your fingers.

If people really wanted
to prepare for Heaven,

wouldn't they learn to read music,

join the church choir,

and take harp lessons?

In Heaven all will be equal under God,

with no class or rank, no racism,

and no sexism.

On earth however, everyone is racist.

Whites are scared of blacks.

Blacks don't trust Hispanics.

And everyone hates the Jews.

After all, the Jews killed Jesus.

But even the most racist people think

that when they get to
Heaven, they will turn

to one another and call them brother

and sister.

But then again, depending on whom you ask,

there really won't be that
many people there anyway.

No one who doesn't accept Jesus Christ

as their Lord and Savior.

So that knocks out the Jews,

Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus,

Sikhs, Satanists,

Atheists, Agnostics

and a myriad of tribal religions.

There won't be any gays.

Anyone who's pro-choice.

Anyone against prayer in school.

Anyone who doesn't believe the world

was made in six literal days.

Democrats.

Pedophiles.

Women who don't obey their husbands,

children who don't obey their parents.

Or anyone who ever made a documentary

critiquing Christianity.

So in the end, Heaven will be a boring

homogeneous group of straight, white

Republican men.

And this just goes to show that

there will be much better company in Hell.

On earth, men and women
value sex above all else.

They will risk life
and reputation just for

an opportunity to have sex.

But in Heaven, there will be no sex.

Horny men and women will lounge around

on clouds day after day, eon after eon

for the rest of eternity
wishing they were in Hell

where they could have a good shag.

After all, isn't a Heaven without sex

pretty close to Hell anyway?

But this is the reward that awaits

all who buy into the right religion.

Accept Jesus today, repent your sins

and you too can avoid the fires of Hell

and live for all of eternity in a noisy,

sexless, monotonous Heaven.

Life is uncertain.

And if you don't join the right religion

before it's too late, you'll miss out

on this once in a lifetime opportunity

for eternal salvation.

So act now, repent your sins

and be born again.

All evangelism is filled with a sense

of urgency.

It's important to save as many people

as possible before the final deadline.

Now think of those people you know

who aren't saved.

A coworker, your mother,

your father, a spouse, your children.

And think of their terrible fate.

Now think of our neglect of duty.

The most basic
of deadlines is death.

And since no one knows
the hour of their demise,

there's a constant cloud hanging over

all our heads.

New Catholic parents hurry to have

their infants baptized
before the unthinkable

happens.

And the elderly repent and return

to the church of their youth before

the inevitable happens.

So you might ask, well Greg,

that's all very interesting
but what does that

have to do with me?

That means that life as you know it

can come to an end.

How?

Well frankly we don't know
what will happen next.

Any one of us could be
a victim of terrorism.

Or a victim of violent crime.

in these volatile times in which we live.

I wish I could stand here today and say

there'll never be another 9/11.

There'll never be another Tsunami

or another earthquake
or another hurricane.

I wish I could say to
you, no one will ever

die in a car accident or
die of an illness again.

But we live in a fallen world.

And we know it will come to an end.

Is the end of the world near?

I don't know for certain.

There are clearly signs of the times,

but let me ask a different question.

Is the end of your world near?

There were people in
this stadium last year

that are not here tonight.

Not because they didn't
attend, but because they died.

And next year, God willing
if we're here again

and the Lord has not
returned, there'll be people

here tonight that won't be here next year.

We never know when life is going to end.

As I often say, the statistics on death

are pretty impressive.

One out of every one persons will die.

There are no exceptions.

But even the
youngest and healthiest

among us have to face the apocalypse

or end of times.

Evangelists of all faiths
share this dramatic deadline

which is always close at hand.

Peter said you remember back in the day

of Pentecost, he said, this is that

prophesied by the Prophet Joel.

Well he had 3,000 people
who accepted Jesus

and 120 of them in the upper room

got baptized in the
holy spirit and he says,

this is that.

Well trust me, this is more that now

than it was then.

And if he was close to
the end of the age then,

we're a whole lot closer now than he was.

This is that.

We are seeing the end of the age.

Believe in the
prophetic end of times

predates Christianity and has always been

just around the corner.

Jesus Christ told his disciples

about the end times.

Be careful that you are not led astray

for many will come in my name saying,

I am he.

The antichrist
is the embodiment of evil.

Leader of the dark side and a sign

of the apocalypse.

Anyone can be the antichrist as long as

they have a public profile,
some degree of power,

and are hated by enough people.

Every Catholic Pope,
every American President,

and most major celebrities
have been labeled

the antichrist by those who hate them.

But that's just the first
part of the prophecy.

And when you hear of
wars and rumors of wars,

do not be afraid.

For this must first take place.

But the end will not be at once.

What will be the sign of the end, Lord?

The end is not yet.

For nation will rise against nation

and kingdom against kingdom.

There shall be great earthquakes

and famines in many places.

Since a close look at history

reveals that almost every period of time

has had wars, famine and earthquakes,

the end of time has been at hand

for close to two millennia.

This has allowed every generation

of evangelists to use the tragedies

of the day to add
urgency to their message.

The world was ending during the crusades.

The world was ending
during both world wars.

And the world is ending now.

Are we living in the last days?

With all that's happening
in our world today,

a lot of people are asking that question.

Look at the recent
earthquakes and the Tsunami

along with the war in Iraq, the aggression

of North Korea, the new
nuclear capabilities

that are being developed by Iran

and now this war in Lebanon,

and the continuing threat
of global terrorism,

not just from world
nations like North Korea

or Iran, but some terrorist group

getting hold of one of these weapons

and we can almost be certain

they will try to use it.

It's causing even the doubters to wonder,

are these the end of
times the Bible speaks of?

Are we living in the last days?

Is the end of the world near?

Is Jesus Christ coming back again?

I believe the end times are near.

You know, things are happening

on a daily basis.

I believe those things that are happening,

the floods, the earthquakes,

the famine, the pestilence,

all those types of things
that are happening today

are warnings from our Lord that

the end times are near.

They're trying to wake up people

that don't know him that's saying,

you need to get right with me because,

you know, you may not have a chance

if I come for my children.

So, absolutely, these end
times are definitely near.

All the signs of end
times are coming soon.

Like the wars and nuclear things

and terrorists and, I don't know,

just crime's getting worse and we're

definitely getting closer to end times.

When will you return?

A question that can push us toward future

and Heaven and eternity.

And the answer that's most often quoted,

in my experience and in the experience

of most of evangelical is the signs.

That's really only part one of the answer

to the question of the coming kingdom

where there is apocalyptic doom viewed

or blessed hope.

The answer goes on as
Matthew continues it,

first, the kingdom will triumph

in spite of wars, rumors of wars,

pestilence and famines.

Don't give up.

Never lose hope.

So these signs, in my judgment,

are promises that the
kingdom will triumph.

Certainly not as predictors of when

the kingdom will triumph.

And many conservative Christians have it

all charted out and exactly figured out.

Everything is
a sign of the apocalypse

from the sexual revolution
to September 11.

From global turmoil to gay marriage.

And from the microprocessor
to Monica Lewinsky.

Jerry Falwell was sure the world

was going to end because of Y2K.

In a Christian Guide
to the Millennium Bug,

he told his followers to stock up on food,

gasoline, and ammunition.

Because if there's one
thing any good Christian

needs, as they wait for the end times,

it's a stockpile of weapons.

It worked in Waco.

There's even an online rapture index

where the impatient can go to find out

where the world ranks at the moment.

The scores range from
slow prophetic activity

to fasten your seat belts.

And rest assured, since both war and peace

are listed as signs as well as common

things like inflation, high oil prices

and climate change,
the end is always near.

Let me give you what I
think is the big picture

of what's going to happen.

I believe the next event
on the prophetic calendar

will most likely be the
rapture of the church

where all true believers will be called up

to meet the Lord in the air.

Some are waiting for a rapture

where the righteous are
beamed off the planet.

Some are waiting for the
second coming of Christ.

And some are even waiting
to be taken to Heaven

in a UFO on the back of a comet.

But no matter how one
believes the end of times

are coming, they are always
sure they're gonna be saved.

Well, almost always.

In fact, for those who are sure they'll be

saved and don't want their unsaved friends

and family to worry, they can sign up at

By putting in the names
and email addresses

of those you want to inform,

a letter will automatically be sent out

the first Friday after the rapture.

This
message has been sent

to you by a friend or a
relative who has recently

disappeared along with
millions and millions

of people around the world.

The reason they chose
to send you this letter

is because they cared about
you and would like you

to know the truth about where they went.

This may come as a shock
to you, but the one who

sent you this has been
taken up to Heaven...

If you would like to give
your life to Jesus Christ

and be born again, it is not too late.

And don't
worry about your friends

and family who are
actually saved receiving

this condescending letter.

Based on sound Biblical prophecies,

we know that they won't be able to check

their email in Heaven.

Whether one has a apocalyptic view,

that is one of gloom and doom,

or whether one has a kingdom view,

of a kingdom to come in the future,

either one can impact negatively

in my judgment...

How one fails to respond in the present.

One of the most profound marketing tactics

of all time is faith.

Faith is the ultimate
answer to the unanswerable.

You have believed
because you have seen me.

Blessed are those who have not seen

and yet believe.

Imagine the brilliance of this

response for religion, but one can hardly

expect this to work on
your average product.

Yes, we have a caller

from Riverside, California
on the line, go ahead.

How do I
know this product is really

what you say it is?

Oh, you must have faith.

Would you buy a product you'd never seen

and don't know if it actually works

just because someone tells you to?

Probably not.

But even the shrewdest consumers

have been persuaded to have faith

in a supernatural being and believe

in the rewards and consequences

of the afterlife without no proof.

Faith without thought is superstition.

A lot of people have faith.

These people have followed Jim Jones

down to South America.

They had faith.

Blind faith is, as I say, superstition.

And we should question, we should look at

and examine the things that we're

supposed to believe.

And if it doesn't work out, if we

find out that those things aren't true,

then we discount them, we get rid of them.

We go the other direction.

I believe the best thing for a professing

Christian today is to use their brain.

Otherwise, discerning people

have come to believe that
the Bible is literal,

because it says so in the
Bible, all through faith.

The only reason I say
Jesus Christ is the only

way to the Father is because
Jesus himself said it.

How many of you brought
your Bibles tonight,

if you just grab it
and hold it up, please.

If you have a Bible, hold it up.

Aw, that's a good sight.

You hold in your hand, the most

amazing book ever written.

It's literally God's message to us.

One striking fact
about the United States,

and it does differ from
comperable societies

in this respect, is the level of religious

fundamentalism.

I think about half the
population, roughly,

thinks the world was
created 10,000 years ago,

just as it is now with all the fossils

and everything else.

You don't get numbers
like that anywhere else

in comparable societies.

The problem with fundamentalism

is that it wants to take
the Bible absolutely

word for word almost as if Jesus

spoke in the English language.

Every word of the Bible is inspired,

indeed, it is breathed by God himself.

Second Timothy 3:16 says, all scriptures

inspired by God...

It actually means that every A, N, and V

of the Bible is inspired.

How can you believe that when we don't

have a completed copy of the New Testament

earlier than the 4th century?

There isn't one there.

And so there have been copies

of them, and they have been
changed through the years.

One serious problem
with the New Testament

is that there are 5400 fragments of the 27

books in the New Testament.

Except for small fragments, no two of them

read the same.

There are more than 300,000 variations

in the text of the new testament.

That's more words than there
are in the New Testament.

A translator sitting down with this,

and every fragment he looks at

says something different, the translator

has to make an arbitrary judgment

about which one is right.

Now, that is not being an errant.

That is being highly opinionated.

I don't believe that
everything in the Bible is true.

The Bible believed that the world is flat.

It talks about the four
corners of the Earth.

I don't believe that.

Very few people do today.

But I do believe in the inherent

truth of the Bible in that it contains

the word of God.

I believe that it contains

the truth of God.

And I believe that Jesus
was the son of God,

but I don't necessarily believe that

he became the son of God
through the virgin birth.

You see, this is based on the idea that,

in the Book of Isaiah, it
says a virgin will conceive.

Well, the point about that is that

the writer of the Book of Isaiah

did not use the word virgin.

He used the word young
woman will conceive.

And so, they took the idea of a virgin,

and because every Roman emperor who was

born professed to be born of a virgin.

So, to reach the acceptability of that day

back 2,000 years ago, that developed

the concept of the virgin birth.

The virgin birth is only found

in Matthew and Luke.

Mark is considered the earliest gospel

to have been written.

He doesn't mention it at all.

Falty individuals wrote the Bible,

and that is pretty apparent when you look

at a lot of the contradictions that exist

both in the old and the new Testament.

Now, when you point that out to people

who are true believers, they say,

well, those aren't
actually contradictions,

they're only apparent contradictions.

Or if you really press them, they say,

well, that's not for us to know.

God knows that, and
it's not for us to know,

so don't let that worry you.

Well, of course, it worries everybody.

Nevertheless, millions of people

continue to believe that God said it,

I believe it, that settles it.

With this clever little logical fallacy,

Christianity and other religions have been

able to gloss over any
logical inconsistencies.

Faith is the one domain in which

people are not called on to justify

their beliefs through argument or debate.

Personal faith that
defies collective logic

is even seen by many as a virtue.

For more than two millennia, scholars

have analyzed such profound topics

as, how many angels can fit

on the head of a pin, and did Jesus

know the Earth was round?

But questions such as, why do bad things

happen to good people are sidestepped

with the use of faith.

So, everything else, from creation

to salvation is important to understand,

and a great deal of time
is put into this effort.

But fate is unexplainable.

You must just have enough faith,

and everything will be all right.

And that's exactly
what we're going to teach

you how to do.

How to share your faith effectively

and Biblically to be able to reason

with people, learn to circumnavigate

or go around the person's intellect,

the place of argument and speak

directly to their conscience, to the place

of the knowledge of right and wrong.

That's what Jesus did, and it's incredibly

powerful and effective.

A perfect example of this

is the modern faith healers.

They claim to heal those who have

enough faith in the name of Jesus.

You shall be healed from this moment on,

Kristi, what's God saying to you?

There's a person out
there, and you're having

difficulty breathing, it's as though

you can never get a full
breath in your lungs.

Well, the Lord is healing
you from that right now.

Somebody else has a
fungus that has resisted

any kind of medical treatment.

At this moment, that fungus is just

drying up and leaving your body.

If they aren't
healed, it's because

they didn't have enough faith.

You know what?

That person who's having
difficulty breathing,

you're not receiving the healing

that the Lord is giving you right now.

You're sitting there and you're very

skeptical, thinking that
it's for someone else.

Grab onto your healing and know

that there is nothing
impossible for the Lord,

and that God is no respect as a person.

So, as he speaks to you right now

and says, you claim this healing,

you claim it, you receive it

and you believe it in the name of Jesus.

Put your hand on your
chest and just breathe

as she says.

In Jesus' name, may the
blessing of the Lord attend

you from this moment on.

Amen.

Amen.

This faith healing isn't

simply reserved for evangelists.

You too can learn how to heal the sick.

All you need is enough faith,

and of course, a generous donation.

Hello, this is Gordon Robertson

of the 700 Club, welcoming
you to the special

teaching on how to heal the sick.

For truly I say to you,

if you have faith as a
grain of mustard seed,

you will say to this mountain,

move hence to yonder
place, and it will move.

We know that faith can move

mountains, but in all of recorded history,

no one has ever moved
a mountain with faith.

So, apparently no one has enough faith.

Once again, imagine faith working for

any other market aside from religion.

Yes?

Yeah,
this thing doesn't work.

Apparently you
didn't have enough faith.

But faith isn't just something you have.

It's who you are.

There are men and women across America

proclaiming that they are people of faith.

But what does it mean to be of faith?

Since very few people of faith

tell us precisely what they mean,

we're left to guess about
this abstract concept.

Faith is a very hot button word.

Being highly abstract,
it's difficult to define.

I think a practical definition of faith

is not what you say, but what you do.

Unfortunately, when you try to build

faith into a religion, and you tie that

to certain kinds of performance,

it becomes rather mechanical.

And if you separate faith or confine

it to language, per se, instead of action

and what you choose to do,
it becomes an absurdity.

It's become a political
force in recent years.

It didn't used to be a political force.

So, for example, nobody
asked Nixon, let's say,

whether he went to church every Sunday.

Since Carter, every political candidate

has had to at least pretend to be

what they call a person
of faith these days,

meaning dedicated to some religion.

That's new.

And I think what happened is that,

I don't think Carter intended it,

but I think the Carter
phenomenon convinced

party managers that they could organize

a big electoral block by just pretending

to be religious extremists.

And focusing on what are called values,

the values, this means the particular

concerns of the religious
fundamentalist block.

A big block in the United States,

maybe a third of the population.

So, by appealing to them, whether

you believe it or not, you
can mobilize a lot of votes.

And therefore, you have things like

this spectacle of Republican

candidates trying to prove

to evangelicals that, you know,

my faith is a deeper part of my being,

and his faith is, and so on and so forth.

I mean, that doesn't
happen in modern societies.

But it does here.

Based on the public statements

by people proclaiming to be of faith,

we can see that they're under attack.

Even though 85% of the American public,

every American president,
supreme court justice,

and member of congress, and most people

throughout the world are people of faith,

faith is under attack.

The culture wars are raging.

They are real.

There are massive industries out there

doing everything that they can

to pollute our children and destroy

our families.

They're trying to destroy the moral fabric

of our nation.

Even evangelicals
like to see themselves

as a persecuted minority that has chosen

to take the path less traveled.

Even though they now have the power

to help elect a president

and to get their faith-based
legislation passed,

evangelicals like to see themselves

as the underdog.

So we are the primary tools

that God will use to confront the negative

influences in the culture war.

Who would dare attack this

overwhelming majority?

Secularists, that's who.

And since secularism
is a lack of religion,

this means religion is under attack

from non-religion.

Launched an all out assault

on all the foundational principles

of our nation.

And we found our liberties on the strength

of our religious belief.

That's what the Declaration
of Independence says,

and the idea is, if you hate America,

you will strip America
of it's religious values.

And those who are doing this,

let's face it, this was a communist plan,

some decades ago, to undermine America,

break up families and
break up religious belief,

and then the country would be subject to

Bolshevik or Marxist takeover.

Well Marxism is in the ash bin of history

but some of the Marxist followers

in today's world are still carrying

that agenda forward.

The word secular is a very dirty word

as far as fundamentalists are concerned

in particular, because
it's kind of like being

in league with the devil.

The fact that people
could do something good

on their own, to be intelligent,

to be thoughtful, to be amoral without

their eternal guidance, is very upsetting

to them.

And even more tragic
than the moral denigration

of our culture has been secularization.

We, a nation under God with the help

of the ACLU and federal courts

and politicians and Hollywood
and a national media

that, in the main, has gone nuts,

have been driven into secularization,

becoming much like China and Russia

and North Korea, a nation without God.

And these liberal secularists

have taken direct aim at sacred religious

institutions.

The media, except for
Mel Gibson and Fox News,

of course, are trying to
pervert the next generation

with sex, drugs, and secular music.

Besides the Bible, you should be reading

about what's going on, relevancy.

One of the great, good
things that's happened

for the culture in recent years of America

is Fox News Channel.

It's not perfect by any means.

Every now and then they
bring some nut along,

anything but the major three,
four television networks,

and CNN, if it's on there, I automatically

don't believe it.

The judges are trying to remove

religion from public life
through judicial activism

also known as any ruling in favor

of the ACLU.

The scientists and professors
from their ivory towers

are trying to destroy the Garden of Eden

by using science.

Tearing down dignity,
Judeo-Christian ethic

and people send their
kids to those schools

and pay thousands of dollars every year

for Godless professors to ruin 'em.

I'll never understand it.

I can tell you that
fundamentalist religion

frequently tells their
students, don't take science

because it will destroy your faith.

In other words, the implication is,

if you learn to think for yourself,

you're in deep trouble, because we're

gonna start looking bad.

If you ever get to the point

where you think that maybe the animals

in the new world didn't
swim across an ocean,

to get aboard Noah's Ark so they wouldn't

drowned in the flood, but that's a lot

of nonsense, you know?

Then you start questioning other things

in your faith.

So religion and science, dating clear back

before Galileo has
always been in contrast.

The gays are
trying to destroy marriage

by, getting married.

When you deal with people such as

the gay-alternative lifestyle,

individuals that don't quite fit into

the same drumbeat as some of our standard

churches, then even though they may be

spiritual individuals,
they have a hard time

dealing with society.

Simply because they feel
like they're outcasts.

And then all of a sudden
you have the damage

that can be done to these
people when they try

to have a relationship or raise a family

or instill their beliefs
on their children.

All of a sudden there's a conflict

between the church, their parents,

their grandparents and
their own spirituality.

And so people pray.

They pray to God so that their children

might be saved and go to Heaven.

They pray to confess their sins.

They pray to ask for forgiveness.

And they pray to ask for favors.

Prayer is a kind of, 24/7
customer service line

for those selling God.

If you have any questions,
comments, or requests

you can reach God anytime.

It is based on the idea that God has

nothing better to do with his or her time

than to listen to daily
flattery from billions

of people.

In fact, with the entire universe to run,

nothing makes God happier
than sitting up there

on his or her throne being praised.

And if lucky, smelling the burnt meat

from animal sacrifice.

It is important to always thank God,

even though humans do much of the work.

People often thank God before they eat,

but never offer their
appreciation to the cook

that prepared the food or the farmer

that grew it.

Although there are some
selfless acts of prayer,

most of the time the prayers appear

to be for trivial, personal issues.

Apparently when people
can't find their car keys,

they pray to God and ask for help.

Or when they want to buy
something they can't afford,

they just ask God for it.

Apparently, if you end any wish with amen,

it's a prayer.

For many people, it seems like God

is a cross between a
butler and a sugardaddy.

If you listen to some, it appears that God

is very populous in the
answering of prayer.

Apparently the more individuals praying

for the same thing, the
more likely it is to happen.

America is the land of the free.

Let's utilize our freedoms
together, worship and pray

by uniting with millions
on our knees at noon

Thursday, May 4th for The
National Day of Prayer.

In 2003, Pat Robertson attempted

to lobby God with Operation
Supreme Court Freedom.

During this 21 day prayer offensive,

Robertson and his
television viewers asked God

to remove Supreme Court
Justices that were pro-choice

and had struck down anti-sodomy laws.

Two years later, Chief
Justice William Rehnquist

died while in office.

Of course, since Rehnquist was one of

the more conservative
members of the court,

this didn't change its direction.

But that didn't stop
Robertson from taking credit.

It's important to note that this change

in the courts composition was not a result

of Rehnquist being an 80 year old man

who had been battling
cancer for several years,

it was because of the prayer campaign.

A cadre of evangelical
stars joined together

on one stage to hold Justice Sunday

to help get the right judges on the bench.

Our prayers and our involvement

will shepherd well-qualified judges

onto benches across this great land.

Our children will best be served

by judges who appreciate
America's godly heritage.

And can interpret the
United States Constitution

exactly as it is written.

Our founding fathers, many of whom

were great men of faith themselves,

would expect nothing less.

Welcome to Justice Sunday, a nationwide

simulcast mobilizing people of faith

for one of the most important challenges

of our time.

This movement is based on sound,

Biblical principle.

Blessed are
those who get judges appointed

to the bench that are pro-life
and pro-death penalty;

will protect marriage and protect guns;

believe in intelligent design and don't

believe in global warming;

for they shall inherit the earth.

Falwell 5:5.

If one person
prays for something,

it isn't necessarily important.

But if thousands of people
pray for the same thing

simultaneously, it must be worthwhile.

So, pragmatically, if
someone really wants a favor

from God, it's in their best interest

to do whatever it takes to get all of

their family, friends
and even total strangers

to ask for it too.

God is bound to listen to one of them.

But what happens when God
doesn't answer prayers

no matter how many people
petition him or her?

The question remains, if it's God's will

and God's will be done, then why do people

need to pray in the first place?

If their prayers aren't
gonna have an impact

on God's decision-making,
then why not just

sit back and wait for God's will to happen

without prayer?

For that matter, God gets the credit

when good things happen
that people never even

prayed for.

Through selective
attribution, all good things

are attributed to God and all bad things

to the devil.

No wonder people say that God is great

and the devil is evil.

They blame the devil for everything

that goes wrong and
praise God for everything

that turns out great.

God wants miracles for each person

who's watching me right now.

I believe miracles of finance,

miracles in your family,

miracles of protection against storms,

miracles of healing.

Introducing Pat Robertson's

dynamic new book, Miracles
Can Be Yours Today.

I believe this book
can transform your life

and bring alive the faith that you say

has grown cold.

It'll rekindle your love of the Lord.

Your miracle can happen now.

Even acts of
God aren't blamed on God.

God doesn't cause these disasters

but according to some,
he or she does allow

the devil to do his worst.

Sometimes God can use
tragedy and suffering

to get our attention.

God's always shaking us up.

We always need it.

We always need a good shaking up

and you know, just 101 ways to do it,

he's doing it.

You know, whatever it
takes to open your eyes

and appreciate your life more, sooner.

You know, bless him.

Bless us.

They believe
that God let's these things

happen to send us a message.

Apparently prophets or
email would be too subtle.

You've got prophecies!

When you're a deity,
hyperbole is everything.

After the terrorist
attacks on September 11th,

God's self-appointed
spokesman, Pat Robertson

and Jerry Falwell blamed the ACLU,

abortionists, feminists,
and of course, gays.

The ACLU's gotta take
a lot of blame for this.

Oh yes.

I know I'll hear from them for this,

but throwing God
successfully with the help

of the Federal Court System, throwing God

out of the public square,
out of the schools.

The abortionists have
got to bear some burden

for this because God will not be mocked

and when we destroy 40 million
innocent little babies,

we make God mad.

I really believe that the
pagan's and the abortionists

and the feminists and
the gays and the lesbians

who are actively trying to
make that an alternative

lifestyle, the ACLU, People
for the American Way,

all of them who tried
to secularize America,

I want point the finger
in their face and say,

you helped this happen.

At least the
Jews aren't blamed anymore.

When Steve Lefemine of
Columbia Christians For Life

saw a satellite image
of Hurricane Katrina,

he saw an eight-week old fetus.

It was clear to him that
God was sending a message.

I think Katrina's
totally a sign from God.

I think that it said we're going to have

floods and fires and
things are gonna happen

that are gonna awaken us.

I think those things are happening today.

Absolutely.

Reverend Bill Shanks of
The New Covenant Fellowships

in New Orleans summed up his theories

for why God had allowed this to happen.

New Orleans
now is abortion free.

New Orleans now is Mardi Gras free.

New Orleans now is free of sodomites,

the witchcraft workers, false religion.

It's free of all of those things now.

God simply, I believe, in his mercy,

purged all of that stuff out of there

and now we're gonna start over again.

And Fred Phelps of
the Westboro Baptist Church

had a unique theory.

He posted a very eloquent statement

New Orleans
sweltering in the sun

without sodomites semen, putrid cesspool.

Altogether appropriate that it be so

because that's what New Orleans is

and had been for decades.

God couldn't
be reached for comment

but it's interesting to
note that the French quarter

where the Mardi Gras and Gay Pride Parade

are held, was one of the few places that

didn't flood.

So apparently God doesn't hate the gays

and hedonists in the French quarter,

but does hate the poor black residents

of the lower ninth ward.

This disaster was in
fact a message from God

and that message is,
don't live below sea level

in a hurricane region.

But people are bound to put their own spin

on things.

Was Hurricane Katrina
caused by global warming

or gays?

Climate change or abortions?

God always gets the credit or blame

for everything from
miracles to the mundane.

God even got the credit for
the grilled cheese sandwich

that Diana Duyser made with a picture

of the Virgin Mary on it.

I would like to point out

that there's not mold or disintegration.

The item has not been
preserved or anything.

It has been kept in a plastic case,

not a special one that seals
out air or potential mold

or bacteria, it is just like a miracle.

It has just preserved
itself which in itself

I consider, a miracle.

She put the
divine sandwich on eBay

and sold it to an online
casino for $28,000

making her a role model in
the art for selling God.

Or at least, selling God's mother.

Impact a group of people, call it

the modern Christian Church who believe

that God is not arbitrary,
vengeful or severe,

empowers one to love unconditionally,

to be incredibly tolerant and accepting

of divergent views,
the impact those people

can have, by expressing their faith

through love, is world changing.

It's not just social justice,

that's the easy part to say.

It includes social justice,

but it's tolerance,
openness, the willingness

to admit that they could be wrong

and yet will test everything to see

some measure of truth in it.

Clearly religion...

And concomitantly spirituality

calls the individual self

to find meaning, to find purpose,

to find identity, to find acceptance,

and to experience hope.

That anchors who we are.

That helps us to make sense out of

the universe.

That helps to cover our nakedness.

Something I call the cosmic, phew.

People just feel alone, isolated, afraid.

Well religious commitment gives you

a way out of this.

I think the essence of the role

of the modern Christian Church

is to make known the
character nature of God.

He's not the kind of character

his enemies have made him out to be.

He's not arbitrary, vengeful,

or severe.

And so that has to make itself known

from the people who believe that

by expressing that faith through love.

Martin Luther
King phrased it this way.

Any religion that
professes to be concerned

about the souls of persons,

but is not concerned about the slums

that damn them, the economic conditions

that strangle them, and
the social conditions

that limit them, is a
dry as dust religion.

Religion is ever personal
but never private.

So that then calls us to say

okay beyond the individual,

grounding and acceptance

experience and meaning perceived,

what am I called to do and be

in this time and in this place?

If it's meaningful for people,

if it enriches their lives,

if it gives them sense of community,

gives them something to hope for

or ways of identifying with others,

it can be very helpful,
even though irrational.

On the other hand, it can be dangerous.

If it becomes a force that's used

against others, it can
be extremely dangerous.

Well I think the role
of the church is to,

you know, take the comfortable and comfort

the irritated

And to reflect the values of Jesus

in the preaching.

And in their living.

I think the church has a tremendous

responsibility today in enabling people

to live life to its maximum.

Societies
rise and fall, not only

on the battlefield but in the hearts

and minds of people.

The clash of cultures between
Islam and Christianity,

between Protestantism and Catholicism

will not be solved in
the hills of Afghanistan

or the streets of Ireland.

The clash of cultures and
the battle of religions

will be fought from the pulpits,

over the airways, and on the doorsteps

of people around the world.

Every sermon delivered
and every Bible study

given is a shot fired in the battle for

your devotion.

It is a fight not just for your soul

but for the survival of every church

and denomination.

Selling God is the only way for religion

to survive.

And having informed
consumers is the only way

for society to survive.

Tonight's televangelist Pat Robertson

is raising the eyebrows
to some fitness experts

with claims of his near
superhuman strength.

Robertson, on his Christian
broadcasting network

website claims to leg
press 2000 pounds, a ton.

The website attributes
the feat of strength

to his so-called age
defying protein shake.

Get one of those.

But experts say lifting
just a thousand pounds

would be difficult for even the strongest

athlete and almost
impossible, if not impossible,

for a man in his 70s.

The video on the website
appears to show him

lifting a thousand pounds.

The website says the video is from 2003

when Pat Robertson was 73 years old.

You have to do the show tomorrow.

I'm just gonna
take it up to 900 pounds.

I'm 74 years old, Kristi.

That's only 900 pounds.

And perfect.

Look, there's no more room.

No more room,
this will be 1000 pounds.

I'll just do a few of these, okay?

Then you can try it, you ready?

- Remember Kristi...
- This is it.

I hope I can get it up there.

Man, that's tough.

That's it, that's it.

That's it, okay, stop.

You're still pushing.

That's all I have to say.

- 10!
- That's it!

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