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April 9th, 2013
11:20 AM ET
Elaborate hoax: No, Joel Osteen has not renounced his faithBy Dan Merica, CNN Washington (CNN) – Joel Osteen, the popular megachurch pastor from Houston, is the target of an Internet hoax that falsely reported the Christian leader was leaving his church and renouncing his faith. On a website designed to mimic Osteen’s official website, the pranksters posted “A special message from Pastor Joel.” The post describes the Bible as “a fallible, flawed, highly inconsistent history book that has been altered hundreds of times” and announces that Osteen plans to leave his Lakewood Church. Osteen and church staff labeled the website a fraud and said the idea that he was leaving the faith was a "false rumor." According to the website's registration, Lucas Skass with BMG Enterprises LLC, who lists his residence in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, purchased the domain name on April 1 of this year – April Fools Day. Calls to the number listed for Skass, as well as people associated with BMG Enterprises LLC, have gone unanswered. "I am leaving the Christian faith," says a big banner near the top of the page. Follow the CNN Belief Blog on Twitter In addition to the announcement, the website posted a fake screenshot of CNN.com that included a falsified headline about Osteen’s supposed decision. The pranksters also launched an associated Twitter account that has since been suspended. The website - http://www.joelostenministries.com/ - spells Osteen’s name wrong and comes with an elaborate disclaimer. “This site is the property of Pastor Joel Osten and Joel Osten Ministries. It bears no relation to ‘Joel Osteen’ or ‘Lakewood Church,’" the disclaimer reads. “Any implication or relation to 'Joel Osteen' and the 'Lakewood Church' is purely coincidental. 'Joel Osteen' is not in any way involved or related to this site and references to 'Joel Osteen' are, again, entirely coincidental.” In an interview with ABC News, Osteen dismissed the prank. “You know, I’m really not angry. I don’t feel like a victim,” Osteen said. “I feel too blessed, that life is too short to let things like this get you down.” He continued: “You can’t stop everything from happening, but you can choose to say, ‘God, it’s in your hands.’ I’m going to move forward. I’m going stay full of joy and I’m going to enjoy this day.” CNN’s Belief Blog: The faith angles behind the biggest stories Though Osteen dismissed the hoax, many on Twitter fell for it and were shocked by the announcement. When one person on Twitter asked Osteen directly whether he was leaving the church, someone managing Osteen’s Twitter account responded by knocking down the false report. Osteen has led the 45,000-person church since 1999, after his father, the founder of Lakewood Church, stepped down. He is one of the most recognizable faces in American Christianity and his ministry says Osteen’s sermons reach some 10 million people a week in over 100 countries. |
  About this blog
The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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Come on, the guy is raking in way too much money off the backs of his servants to walk away from it.
His faith is in Man not God. He can never give straight answers regarding God's Word!!! His faith is in the what man thinks. His faith is in the Money he gets!!! I watched a show with Roma Downey, her husband and Joel with his wife where Roma and her husband praised God very highly. Joel can never come right out and Praise Jesus, he can only give you nice little pretty words of nothing!!!! Sorry to sound judgemental!! But he is really a joke to me!!! God help those who follows his ministry!!
Ah yes, another Christian who thinks they got it right and another Christian is wrong! You people are a joke and it stands out loud and clear.
Sources tell me that Osteen has changed hair products and it's the manufacturers of the products he used to use that are spreading these lies. Evidently, based on supply differences, it will severely impact oil sales between two competing global giants as well.
lol. A Middle East connection with religious undertones. Very nice.
So many sheep, so much money.
I would never trust anyone who smiles that much. He's like a living version of Ned Flanders.
If you had a flock of sheep who kept you in several mansions and cars you would be smiling too.
flanders is sincere
Good points JJ and Sam. I would trust Flanders. I wouldn't trust Olsteen for a second. Creeps me out – I can't even look at him.
creepy scary cult
Really creepy I just found a VHS Polreguiest II in a box and started watching it last night.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fuet7GRv7Bo
Really creepy Because I just found a VHS Polreguiest II in a box and started watching it last night.
replied to wrong comment
Hillary Clinton will be the next POTUS if she decides to run. She will be unbeatable. So all of you right wing nut evangelicals might as well get used to it right now.
How can you leave a faith you were never in?
Faith in that there is a sucker born every minute.
Is king fully nacked yet ?
Faith is a lot like Patriotism.
faith / Noun1.Complete trust or confidence in someone or something. 2.Strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.
patriotism / noun : Complete trust or confidence in one's country, right or wrong, devoted unconditional love, support, and defense of one's country; national loyalty.
"Patriot: the person who can holler the loudest without knowing what he is hollering about." – Mark Twain
"Patriotism is usually the refuge of the scoundrel. He is the man who talks the loudest." – Mark Twain
I like how you totally fabricated your definition for patriotism. If you truly have the faith of your own convictions why not try honesty for once?
"Man is a marvelous curiosity ... he thinks he is the Creator's pet ... he even believes the Creator loves him; has a passion for him; sits up nights to admire him; yes and watch over him and keep him out of trouble. He prays to
him and thinks He listens. Isn't it a quaint idea." -Mark Twain
This is just one more reason not to be on Twitter.
Lots of naming and shaming the tweets of those taken in by this prank in this article.
Generally one can assume that when an ignorant person is reported to suddenly have been blessed with wisdom that it is a hoax.
HE IS SO CREEPY!
Yes indeed Rebbeca.
Anyone with half a brain would know it's a fake. Why would he walk away from all those millions that his gullible sheep send him so that he can continue to blow sunshine up their asses?
Same reason that Obama ran for re-election.
Mark: your statement makes no sense and is nothing more than an irrelevant slam on our president. Nice try; thanks for playing.
GOOD ONE, MARK! Might I suggest you try to make sense next time, though? I know its hard, but keep at it! You'll get there!
We are all irrational beings, including this guy. Apparently too much drinking and smoking can predispose you to esophageal cancer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnd8AvhMs3I
Man, I wonder if christians ever get cancer.... interesting.
RIP Mr. Hitchens.
@Pastapharian. By RIP you mean Rest in pieces, right? There is no "rest in peace" for Mr. Hitchens.
There's no rest in peace for anyone, you snot. There's no afterlife.
He may not be angry but that doesn't mean a lawyer won't be called.
Why?
1. There is no such thing as bad publicity?
2. Lawyers are expensive (and Pastor Joel can afford *really* expensive ones) and what's to gain if the prospective plaintiffs have no money?
3. What about turn the other cheek? (What would Jesus do?)
Just stating the facts no necessary agreement here.
Truth is..............he's not a minister. He's a motivational speaker – at best. I think he lost his way long ago. He needs to truly return to his ministry, and not be out selling books, giving motivational speeches, and living large and laveoushly off the money he makes doing so. That goes AGAINST christian principles. Have you ever seen the MANSION he lives in? If he truly believes in the Lord, and loves the Lord, he needs to turn his life around, and come back down to what is truly important in walking a christian life.
Waht? Jesus doesn't want you to be rich?
Correct. Jesus does not want you to be rich. It's in the New Testament. He also wants you to follow ALL civil laws of your government as long as they don't prohibit you from worshipping God. Additionally, he wants you to keep your prayers and worship private.
Of course he won't denounce it. He makes way too much money of the business he inherited from his father to give it up.
Here's the thing. The pagan rituals celebrating cycles of the seasons (extension of LIGHT in December and then the Spring (death and rebirth) existed for eons way before man drew human stories around them with fictional characters to tell stories – but not literal. It's not literal folks.....wake up.
And soooooo......What does this have to do with the article?