The *Prosperity* part is strictly a one-way street, bottom up (or if you prefer, flock to shepherds, hence *fleecing the flock*). 🙂

I think we know where all the old Mafia hoods went. After all… many were devout Catholics! LOL

Frankly, I view Prosperity Gospel as a variation on supply-side economics which results in the transfer of wealth to the top.

Hahahahaha… I like that! 😀 😀

Hmmm… As I mentioned in my last comment on your “What Hath Wright Wrought?” thread Bryan, I was raised a screwed-up Catholic. I didn’t point out that the primary school I went to was a Catholic Private school (Corpus Christi) run by… *shudder* The Nuns!! (I still have nightmares! They can teach even Stormtroopers some things about discipline!) Then I went to Therry College, (your typical good old Christian Brothers sadist training camp). 🙂 So… I think I turned out OK all things considered. 🙂 Instead of getting an automatic weapon and going up a clock tower, I joined the military and took out many years of anger and abuse against the Khmer Rouge and other deserving types. 🙂

It took me a long time to get over Catholicism and to stop thinking that perhaps Satanism is the *good* part of the good vs evil thing). Cambodia was the real turning point. I saw evil in every way and lived in Hell on Earth. Then, I discovered America’s involvement (supporting Pol Pot etc), and got angry all over again. I’m still working on that one.

Hmmm… perhaps your ancestors would approve of me then Bryan. I tend to tick people off. 😉 LOL I *DO* try to aim for the neo-Christians though these days, like Catholics, Mormons… the list is rather long I’m afraid! 😉

For example, Catholics become annoyed when I point out things like…

The Bible states that every child born is a child of god. Baptism is supposed to be a *choice* by the adult individual when said individual decided to choose Christianity (hence the term ‘to be reborn in Christ’). Therefore, baptizing a baby is a) pointless, b) taking away their fundamental right to choose. There are other examples, like the whole Catholic concept of ‘Holy Communion’… etc. 😉

Don’t get me started! LOL

Thanks for the links! Much reading to do. 🙂
Cheers!

Although I lack formal competence to do so, I would preferentially describe the “prosperity Gospel” as rankest heresy. It is clearly contradictory to everything Jesus Christ says in the canonical Gospels about money and its proper place in a Christian’s life–not that pettifogging facts have ever gotten in the way of a scammer or a certain type of preacher, mind you.

Dissatisfied with resistance by the men of the major parties to woman suffrage, a small group of women announced the formation in 1884 of this third party. Belva Lockwood, an attorney in Washington, D.C., agreed to be its candidate even though most women in the United States did not yet have the right to vote. […] The Equal Rights Party had no treasury but Lockwood gave lectures to pay for campaign travel. She won fewer than 5000 votes but taught the nation an important civics lesson: that women were interested in politics and could be good candidates.

too bad your ancestors couldn’t have swung the election in that direction.

thanks for those links.

i’m still working my way through the black nationalism / black separation / black liberation theology family tree and hadn’t even got around to the white people yet, in large part because malcolm x calling me a white devil is a whole lot less creepy than jim and tammy faye bakker, robert tilton… ugh, i can’t go on.