I’m so bummed. If I’d known Joel Osteen before I got diagnosed with cancer, I could have chucked that pesky surgery, recovery, oncology visits… the whole nightmare. All I had to do instead was ignore the test results and have faith.
Darn. I did it soooo wrong.
I suppose I should back up a bit. The ever awesome Clint Buhs, former president of the Central Minnesota Freethinkers, posted an excerpt of this little gem on his Facebook feed this morning:
http://youtu.be/ypw6IGivdic
If you don’t have the time or inclination to listen to the whole vid, Osteen tells the story of a man who was transformed after watching one of his broadcasts. Anger left him, likely an OK thing, but in an instant, the guy was (evidently) changed forever and ever.
But then he says this:
God can override what the medical report says. He can override what people are telling you, you can’t do. He can override what you think you’re lacking.
Don’t let the facts keep you from your destiny.
Choose faith. Dare to believe.
God did not put you here on planet earth to be average, to be addicted, to be overcome, to barely get by. He put you here to be victorious, to be free, to leave your mark on this generation. And the facts may say otherwise, but don’t let that fool you. God is not limited by the facts.
When you believe, you tap into the most powerful force in the universe.
Huh.
I suppose it’s easy to leave our mark on the planet, humans are already doing that. Just check out what we’ve done to the forests, waterways, and atmosphere. That said, I suppose we can just sit back, relax, and think faith-type thoughts and all the environmental problems we’ve created will disappear, eh?
I’m often floored at the incredible selfishness of these sermons. I mean really? “Don’t let facts keep you from your destiny?”
Follow the recipe outlined in the above quote and I fear you could wind up in some pretty sticky situations.
