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Couldn'ta happened to a nicer bunch of Jesus pushers anywhere!! Reagan and Bush were guests at this megabusiness which capitalized on duping donors with visions of heaven, like most other religions. The heroic and visionary Al Gore was there once, too, unfortunately.




For decades, evangelist Robert H. Schuller's message of faith and positive thinking reached millions nationwide through his "Hour of Power" television show, broadcast from his towering glass church known as the Crystal Cathedral.

Now, it is the church's financial woes that are reverberating across the country.

Citing declining donations and $48 million in debt, Crystal Cathedral Ministries filed for bankruptcy protection this week, leaving a trail of hundreds of unpaid creditors from California to Washington, D.C.

According to filings in U.S. bankruptcy court in Santa Ana, the Southern California church has 550 creditors with claims ranging from $2 million—owed to a Cincinnati-based bank that financed sound and stage equipment for the church's TV productions—to $200 owed to a Columbia, S.C., company that supplied ribbons and awards to the church's school.

"It's frustrating. It's not going to break us, but we don't like to lose anything," said Bob Small, chief operating officer of Eagles Wings, a St. Cloud, Fla., clothing company that supplied the church with religious-theme neck-ties for its gift shop, and is owed around $2,000.

In a sermon this year, Mr. Schuller talked about the church's future. Wearing his familiar lavender robes and gold medallion, his white hair swept back, Mr. Schuller told the congregation the church's survival "depends upon new people joining, making commitments and becoming members of this ministry by their financial support. And I need the help today like I needed it that first Sunday."

The church's debt underscores the elaborate style that came to define the Crystal Cathedral, often cited as progenitor of the American mega church. For example, holiday pageants featured live animals, hundreds of performers and live music.

"They had the top choreographers come in and work with the dancers, the top make-up artists too," said Joe Branam, owner of Branam Enterprises in Compton, Calif., which builds stages for rock concerts and movies and did work for the church. "I'd say the Christmas show in many ways could be more elaborate than a KISS concert."





"Man, the Pope ain't got sh*t on all my bling!!"

Religion is, thankfully, dying a slow and painful death.

Cap'n: This is old news. It was out weeks ago.

GATW: You couldn't be more wrong, dude. Christianity is booming worldwide.

Disgusting.

It used to be that filing for Bankruptcy was considered immoral.

Way to fleece that flock. You need to be in jail, Rev - you and the rest of your fellow swindlers.

SuperHornet wrote:Cap'n: This is old news. It was out weeks ago.

GATW: You couldn't be more wrong, dude. Christianity is booming worldwide.

I guess we can thank Islamic suicide bombers for that.

SuperHornet wrote:Cap'n: This is old news. It was out weeks ago.

GATW: You couldn't be more wrong, dude. Christianity is booming worldwide.

Been to a church/cathedral in Europe lately? I have.

Grizalltheway wrote:

SuperHornet wrote:Cap'n: This is old news. It was out weeks ago.

GATW: You couldn't be more wrong, dude. Christianity is booming worldwide.

Been to a church/cathedral in Europe lately? I have.

I have and beautiful old buildings with no crowds obstructing your view.

I talked to an old Norwegian man that said "It is better to be at your cabin thinking about God than to be in church thinking about your cabin."

Bronco wrote:

Grizalltheway wrote:
Been to a church/cathedral in Europe lately? I have.

I have and beautiful old buildings with no crowds obstructing your view.

I talked to an old Norwegian man that said "It is better to be at your cabin thinking about God than to be in church thinking about your cabin."

Wise old man, Broncky!

Grizalltheway wrote:

SuperHornet wrote:Cap'n: This is old news. It was out weeks ago.

GATW: You couldn't be more wrong, dude. Christianity is booming worldwide.

Been to a church/cathedral in Europe lately? I have.

Been to a church in Africa, Latin America, or Asia lately? Jam packed.

SuperHornet wrote:
Been to a church in Africa, Latin America, or Asia lately? Jam packed.

So the forced conversion thing turned out to be successful?

Grizalltheway wrote:

SuperHornet wrote:Cap'n: This is old news. It was out weeks ago.

GATW: You couldn't be more wrong, dude. Christianity is booming worldwide.

Been to a church/cathedral in Europe lately? I have.

Churches empty. Mosques packed.

Grizalltheway wrote:

SuperHornet wrote:Cap'n: This is old news. It was out weeks ago.

GATW: You couldn't be more wrong, dude. Christianity is booming worldwide.

Been to a church/cathedral in Europe lately? I have.

I haven't been there but I had to go to my nieces baptism at the beginning of September and I was stunned at how empty the church was. I hadn't been to any Sunday service bullshit in at least 10-15 yrs. and the last one was a baptism as well. It was embarrassingly empty and the avg. age of the churchies had to be about 65-70.

Hell the only good thing about going to church used to be seeing some hot chick all dressed up and thinking about treating her like a screen door up on the stage. There was not ONE fuckable chick there other than my brother's wife so that old tradition is also ruined.

SuperHornet wrote:

Grizalltheway wrote:
Been to a church/cathedral in Europe lately? I have.

Been to a church in Africa, Latin America, or Asia lately? Jam packed.

Yup, bitterly poor people are especially susceptible to false promises of something better after their miserable lives.

Grizalltheway wrote:

SuperHornet wrote:
Been to a church in Africa, Latin America, or Asia lately? Jam packed.

Yup, bitterly poor people are especially susceptible to false promises of something better after their miserable lives.

Hmmm... sounds like Towson, WCU and Cornell fans!

Grizalltheway wrote:

SuperHornet wrote:
Been to a church in Africa, Latin America, or Asia lately? Jam packed.

Yup, bitterly poor people are especially susceptible to false promises of something better after their miserable lives.

Bitterly poor people, men that think female football in pads instead of lingerie is a good idea...

Ursus A. Horribilis wrote: Bitterly poor people, men that think female football in pads instead of lingerie is a good idea...

What about both?

Grizalltheway wrote:

SuperHornet wrote:
Been to a church in Africa, Latin America, or Asia lately? Jam packed.

Yup, bitterly poor people are especially susceptible to false promises of something better after their miserable lives.

You assume that they are bitter, and that you are happier than them.

Perhaps they think you're presumptuous -- blinded by your own comforts -- as to what makes people truly happy.

I know and meet plenty of people who been knocked on their asses by this recession, but the faithful among them never seem to be unhappy.

On the other hand, some people never believe that all this shall pass, even though it has happened or will happen to every person who has ever lived.

JoltinJoe wrote:

Grizalltheway wrote:
Yup, bitterly poor people are especially susceptible to false promises of something better after their miserable lives.

You assume that they are bitter, and that you are happier than them.

Perhaps they think you're presumptuous -- blinded by your own comforts -- as to what makes people truly happy.

I know and meet plenty of people who been knocked on their asses by this recession, but the faithful among them never seem to be unhappy.

On the other hand, some people never believe that all this shall pass, even though it has happened or will happen to every person who has ever lived.

You assume that the people knocked on their asses by this recession are faithful and not unhappy.

JMU DJ wrote:

Ursus A. Horribilis wrote: Bitterly poor people, men that think female football in pads instead of lingerie is a good idea...

What about both?

Yeah that's fine. As long as the pads don't get in the way of the important parts I'm fine with it.

JoltinJoe wrote:

Grizalltheway wrote:
Yup, bitterly poor people are especially susceptible to false promises of something better after their miserable lives.

You assume that they are bitter, and that you are happier than them.

Perhaps they think you're presumptuous -- blinded by your own comforts -- as to what makes people truly happy.

I know and meet plenty of people who been knocked on their asses by this recession, but the faithful among them never seem to be unhappy.

On the other hand, some people never believe that all this shall pass, even though it has happened or will happen to every person who has ever lived.

I didn't mean bitter in a jaded sense, but in a living-on-less-than-a-dollar-a-day sense.

Grizalltheway wrote:

SuperHornet wrote:
Been to a church in Africa, Latin America, or Asia lately? Jam packed.

Yup, bitterly poor people are especially susceptible to false promises of something better after their miserable lives.

mainejeff wrote:

Grizalltheway wrote:
Yup, bitterly poor people are especially susceptible to false promises of something better after their miserable lives.

Super Hornet = JoltinJoe West.

Cap'n Cat wrote:

mainejeff wrote:

Super Hornet = JoltinJoe West.

It's funny that you and your brother don't get that people take comments like this as a compliment.

OL FU wrote:

D1B wrote:

Nice commentary, Joltin Joe. .....

Dang, thanks for the compliment.

JoltinJoe wrote:

Grizalltheway wrote:
Yup, bitterly poor people are especially susceptible to false promises of something better after their miserable lives.

You assume that they are bitter, and that you are happier than them.

Perhaps they think you're presumptuous -- blinded by your own comforts -- as to what makes people truly happy.

I know and meet plenty of people who been knocked on their asses by this recession, but the faithful among them never seem to be unhappy.

On the other hand, some people never believe that all this shall pass, even though it has happened or will happen to every person who has ever lived.

Yeah, the "suffering as virtue" bullshit the catholic church has been spewing for 2000 years.

That cunt, Mother Theresa made a fortune for the catholic church using that line of fucked up and anti human logic. Unfortunately, people in her care suffered the worst of deaths in the most disgusting of conditions, while she raked in millions from corrupt financeers and dictators.

Hospice is about comfort, not suffering. Mother Theresa - what fucking classic piece of catholic shit - just like you Joe.

D1B wrote:

JoltinJoe wrote:
You assume that they are bitter, and that you are happier than them.

Perhaps they think you're presumptuous -- blinded by your own comforts -- as to what makes people truly happy.

I know and meet plenty of people who been knocked on their asses by this recession, but the faithful among them never seem to be unhappy.

On the other hand, some people never believe that all this shall pass, even though it has happened or will happen to every person who has ever lived.

Yeah, the "suffering as virtue" bullshit the catholic church has been spewing for 2000 years.

You can leave religion and theology out of it. It is just an undeniable fact that the greatest understandings and the greatest abilities to empathize result from confronting and dealing with suffering and pain.

The human experience isn't about always avoiding pain and embracing comfort.

If a religion embraces suffering because, through suffering we become a better, more empathetic and understanding person, that's simply religion recognizing an undeniable truth and imparting to its followers a great wisdom.