Minister says he's Jesus.
Some interesting tidbits:
In the rapturous eyes of his flock, Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda is, in fact, the second coming of Christ. As the head of the Growing in Grace International Ministry, he presides over a sprawling organization that includes more than 300 congregations in two dozen countries, from Argentina to Australia. He counts more than 100,000 followers and claims to reach millions more through a 24-hour TV channel, a radio show and several Web sites. He is supported by the generosity of his devotees, who have launched some 450 businesses to pour cash into Growing in Grace's coffers. Though de Jesus' followers worship him, others denounce him as a charlatan.Gee, that's a tough call. Actually Jesus or a charlatan? Hmm. And I thought Tom Cruise was now Jesus.
Two years ago at Growing in Grace's world convention in Venezuela, he declared himself Christ. And just last week, he called himself the Antichrist and revealed a "666" tattooed on his forearm. His explanation: that, as the second coming of Christ, he rejects the continued worship of Jesus of Nazareth.Interesting choice. Not sure I would have gone there, but I have to admire his chutzpah.
Such funds help underwrite a lavish lifestyle for de Jesus, including diamond-encrusted gold rings and fancy cars.Wow, what a shock. Didn't see that one coming.
The only remaining question is whether or not this cult will go all Jim Jones on itself. I think that if you don't find this kind of thing frightening, you're just not paying attention.
5 comments:
The scary thing, to me, is not the Jesus business itself but the fact that people can be so easily and willingly misled by so many kinds of fanatics and charlatans, secular and religious. At least they aren't blowing themselves and other up in order to get the virgins in heaven or putting people in gulags as "class traitors." And it's kind of sad that people are so eager to believe something like this. But that's pretty much the history of mankind--willful suspension of his critical faculties.
Joe, you're plenty scary as you are. :-)
Marc, what secular fanatics and charlatans are you talking about?
Well, how about Hugo Chavez in Venezuela; how about Stalinists in the Soviet Union; how about libertarians against virtually any government (granted, some of those are also religious fanatics); how about conspiracy nuts (e.g., the moon landing didn't happen). There are plenty of kooks and nuts out there that have nothing to do with religion. The point is, people seek identify with weird or extreme positions--religion is one type but not the only type.
Ah, okay. I don't know that I'd classify those as "secular" charlatans and frauds but I understand what you mean and I agree.
Well, I didn't mean that Hugo Chavez is a bastard because he is secular, just that his kind of nuttiness is not related specifically to religion.
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