Osteen's Megachurch denying shelter to hurricane Harvey victims

Lämmchen said:

Osteen himself confirmed on Today that the church did not flood. The parking garage across the street did!

Here's a quote from him on the Today show, “I don’t know if it’s unfounded but I think if people were here they’d realize there were safety issues, this building had flooded before, and so we were just being precautious (sic) but the main thing is the city didn’t ask us to become a shelter then,” he added."

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I didn't realise we needed to wait for the city to ask before helping others. I'd have thought if you've got huge numbers of people needing shelter and a 16,000 seat building on hand you might do something, you know, radical and maybe ask if you can help in some way.

tango said:

There seem to be lots of reports circulating - some say the church had been badly affected by the flooding and was therefore unsuited (although I think I'd rather have a damp roof over my head than no roof at all, if I'd been forced to flee my home), others said there was a bit of water in the streets but the church was fine and still others said there was no meaningful water around the church at all.

As seems to be depressingly common these days there are lots of claims posted but without going to see it for ourselves it's hard to know which pictures are genuine and which are modified or faked.

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True - but it is considerably more difficult to fake video that looks authentic than it is to fake a still photo. The following needs a time stamp (even a shot of a local newspaper with date):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CV3MaD02A8

And then the following:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-b2wGgno7s

Streamed live at the time:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHhgXoFbCdE

One of my favorites, Rescuing Joel Osteen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLQRX7LsGgs

And there is more. All Osteen has got is some stills where it is unclear it is even his church and otherwise unclear as to when they were even taken (I checked - exif data removed from most of them!).

I remember Larry Stockstill opened his church and helped all those people with Katrina I think it was. He has huge buildings. Went there once.

Aw man..Osteen is a fraud? i bought his book many years ago and looked up to him..

now i feel bamboozled..

hotrhymez said:

Aw man..Osteen is a fraud? i bought his book many years ago and looked up to him..

now i feel bamboozled..

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His tooth paste is really good.

Stravinsk said:

True - but it is considerably more difficult to fake video that looks authentic than it is to fake a still photo. The following needs a time stamp (even a shot of a local newspaper with date):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CV3MaD02A8

And then the following:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-b2wGgno7s

Streamed live at the time:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHhgXoFbCdE

One of my favorites, Rescuing Joel Osteen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLQRX7LsGgs

And there is more. All Osteen has got is some stills where it is unclear it is even his church and otherwise unclear as to when they were even taken (I checked - exif data removed from most of them!).

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Sure, I was just noting that it's often hard to know just what is real and what is fake especially in a world where most of what is called "news" seems to be doing little more than pushing one agenda or another.

I have no time for Joel Osteen or his prosperity preaching. From what I have seen of him and his teaching I wouldn't accept him as a minister, but if there is a genuine reason why he can't open his church to the needy it doesn't hurt to at least consider what he says.

Lämmchen said:

The guy really is not informed at all to be in a leader role. How could he not know which charity his own church is raising money for??? I'm not impressed.

The 16,800-seat church is also “raising money for people here in Houston” — but Osteen bumbled when asked which charity the money would be given to.

“I don’t know how it all works,” he admitted. http://nypost.com/2017/08/30/joel-osteen-blames-houston-for-church-shelter-mix-up/

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I must admit it always leaves a bad taste in my mouth when people expect others to give but can't say just what will happen to the money. It also leaves a bad taste when people with huge wealth are asking everyone else to chip in $20, whether that's a situation like this one or when celebrities show up on TV to ask everyone to give their pocket change to support the cause of the day. They get lauded for "giving their time for free", when perhaps it would be more useful if they wrote a check just like they ask everyone else to do.

With the reservation I mentioned above about it being hard to know what is true and what is not when agendas are pushed at every corner, this does look an awful lot like a rushed damage limitation exercise.