Welcome to the Weekend Roundup! – News & Views – 8/29/20

• ‘Joel Osteen Inspiration Cube’ electronic device hits the market

Joel Osteen regularly peddles his positivity/prosperity false gospel on TBN. Those who can’t get enough of his “Live Your Best Life Now” hokum will soon be able to purchase his “in$piration cube” (photo above), which will include 365 daily “inspirations,” 52 “sermons,” and 31 “affirmations.” Osteen and all of the other TBN prosperity shysters give Christianity a bad name.

• German archbishop calls for open debate about women priests in the Catholic Church

The progressive German Catholic prelates are pushing hard for women priests during their current “synodal path” initiative, but will settle for women deacons as an intermediary step…for now.

• Makers of Catholic altar wine, hosts suffer economic hit due to pandemic

There’s intense idolatrous emphasis on the alleged consecrated Jesus wafer and wine within traditionalist and conservative Catholics circles. In contrast, progressive Catholics pantheistically believe God is in everything and don’t get as excited about the alleged Jesus wafer.

• Pope Francis calls for ‘freeing’ the Virgin Mary from the devotion of the Mafia

In regions of Italy, the Catholic prelates and priests still have close ties with the Mafia dons. Priest-led religious processions stop at Mafia establishments to confer blessings on the dons and their underlings. Mafia members are often “deeply devoted” Catholics who compartmentalize their “business” from their “faith.”

• TBN drops Kenneth Copeland from programming lineup amid upcoming changes

TBN president, Matt Crouch, has purged some of the old-school prosperity shysters like Benny Hinn and Kenneth Copeland and is promoting young hipster pastors in skinny jeans, swag haircuts, and sneakers like Steven Furtick.

• America hasn’t always been kind to Catholic presidential candidates

Articles like this one conveniently omit the fact that popes publicly condemned democratic forms of government and freedom of religion well into the twentieth century. In the 1960 presidential campaign, many Protestants were concerned that Catholic candidate, Jack Kennedy, would take his orders secretly from the pope. As it turned out, JFK didn’t take his religion all that seriously and formerly-militant Catholic hegemony was already in decline at that point. Conservative American Catholic prelates consider presidential candidate, Joe Biden, to be only a nominal Catholic.

• More than 500 sex abuse claims filed against Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester

Survivors of priest abuse had until August 13th to file claims against the Rochester Catholic diocese under a provision of the 2019 Child Victims Act, which lifted the statute of limitations for one year. 503 survivors came forward and filed claims by the deadline. The Rochester diocese filed for bankruptcy last September in order to shield its assets from claimants. Similar scenarios are being played out all over the country. To date, 25 Catholic dioceses have filed for bankruptcy in the United States and its territories because of abuse claims.

• Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York gives opening prayer at RNC

Politics and religion make strange…partners.

• Jerry Falwell Jr. resigns from Liberty University following daylong confusion over his future

A couple of weeks ago, I posted that Jerry Falwell Jr. was in big trouble due to indiscreetly posting a compromising photo online. That and a previous scandal involving the Falwells’ pool boy has rendered Junior’s position as president of Liberty University untenable. Falwell Jr., like his father, was one of the leading proponents of American Christian nationalism.