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Lakewood ?
So, last month while over at a friend's home who are religious and very active in their church, a Lakewood commercial came on and the guy made a gag sound and the girl said, "ugh, the cult". DH and I do not practice any religion, nor follow any specific religious beliefs. So we just ignored it. But Sunday the DH said he was flipping through the channels and saw a bit of the church broadcast and he didn't see anything out of the ordinary, so it got us thinking.... why do people think the Lakewood church is a cult? Is it because the pastor smiles a lot? lol, I've met them a couple of times at events and they seem fine. Just curious what the general idea of them is...
Edited to remove the religion they practice, as I do not mean to start any drama.
Re: Lakewood ?
They are no more a cult than any other religion is.
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I have no problemo with spreading the good word and such. I think a lot of people don't feel all that great about the "mega churches" because of the way they perceive money to be handled (organization heads who are paid handsomely, wear expensive suits, fly first class, yadda yadda yadda).
It's all pretty hypocritical, I suppose. I don't think they know any more about how much those people are paid than anyone else.
I think a lot of traditional-churchy people are intimidated by/scared of/disapproving of the nouveau non-denominational churches because they feel like it's a watered-down version of their principles. I have also heard people voice disregard for the way a clean-shiny-new-car-salesman approach is used, or theatrics on stage.
Basically, it's not what people are used to and so they decide it's wrong or they don't like it.
Religion is touchy for a lot of people. They can't live and let live, their conviction toward their "truth" or message is strong and they see it fit to throw stones. I don't think that's right (or a good way to go about life) but that's the way some people are.
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I think the sentiment comes from the fact that Televangelism is a lucrative business. He has an estimated net worth of over $30 million dollars. There have also been many scandals with Televangelists over the decades. I always think of DH's grandma who didn't have much money at all, but gave to Oral Roberts because he proclaimed that if his congregation didn't raise $8 million that God would "call him home." I would have let God take him.
It isn't that there aren't scandals in other churches (hello, I'm Catholic); it is that they are so public and that most of them have to do with money and sex.
Personally, I would have a hard time relating to any preacher/minister/priest/rabbi who preaches at what I will always consider the Summit, but to each their own.
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From what I've seen of him, he is more like a motivational speaker than anything else. There doesn't seem to be much about it that is biblical. Of course all I've really seen are bits like those on 60 minutes or whatever. I can see how people whose religious are more strictly bible based would take issue with that.
But then you apparently don't have to be non-denominational to have issues with too much bible. My uncle is a methodist minister and at his last church there were people who asked if he really had to use so much scripture in his services.
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This is the issue that I've seen raised most often in my circle of church friends.