Snake Oil & General Woo
Jim Bakker Claims Not Letting Him Sell Silver Poison Violates His Religious Freedom
If it's a sacrament, shouldn't it be free?
May 06, 2020 09:38 AM
Back in March, Republican Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt sued televangelist Jim Bakker and Morningside Church Productions, Inc., for claiming on air that the colloidal silver products he was selling on his website could cure a variety of ailments, including COVID-19 and HIV. Now, Bakker is asking a judge to dismiss that lawsuit, saying that not allowing him to sell you poison is a violation of his First Amendment rights and his religious freedom. In fact, Bakker claims that any product he sells on his television show is "divinely inspired" and therefore protected.
(To be fair, Bakker did once claim that God sent him a message to let him know that "things are happening" and people should therefore buy a bunch of his Mexican Fiesta food buckets. Oh, to be a fly on the wall during the divine "Mexican Fiesta food buckets" convo.)
Bakker is being represented by former Democratic Missouri governor Jay Nixon, who claims Bakker is being persecuted for being a Christian, as is wont to happen in a country where 71 percent of the population identifies as Christian.
<p>Via <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2020/05/05/business/ap-us-virus-outbreak-jim-bakker.html" target="_blank">The New York Times:</a></p><blockquote>"Jim Bakker is being unfairly targeted by those who want to crush his ministry and force his Christian television program off the air," Nixon said in a statement. "The video recording of The Jim Bakker Show clearly shows the allegations are false. Bakker did not claim or state that Silver Solution was a cure for COVID-19." [...]<br><br>Nixon said Schmitt's lawsuit violated Bakker's constitutional right to free speech, as well as the Missouri Constitution and the state's Religious Freedom Restoration Act. He said silver products are commonly sold at stores and online.<br><br><span></span>"Targeting a Christian pastor, who has been using and offering the product for the past 10 years, is not supported by the facts or the law," Nixon said.</blockquote><p>Nixon is wrong. While Bakker did not personally state that Silver Solution was a cure for COVID-19, his official Silver Solution spokeswoman said that it could. This is not unlike the part of an infomercial wherein the host of the infomercial asks a knife inventor whether or not the knife can <em>really</em> cut through solid steel. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
<iframe width="100%" height="150" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode twitter-embed-1227657884395327489" id="twitter-embed-1227657884395327489" type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-1227657884395327489&created_ts=1581531423.0&screen_name=RightWingWatch&text=The+Jim+Bakker+Show+is+suggesting+that+the+silver+solution+it+sells+can+kill+the+coronavirus+within+12+hours.+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FkbUGnUp69m&id=1227657884395327489&name=Right+Wing+Watch" frameborder="0" data-rm-shortcode-id="bc7b91cc17fcb7198deb8efa3ee44daf"></iframe>
</p><p>Here he is asking her about whether or not it cures HIV.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
<iframe width="100%" height="150" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode twitter-embed-1227990073695776768" id="twitter-embed-1227990073695776768" type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-1227990073695776768&created_ts=1581610623.0&screen_name=RightWingWatch&text=Not+only+does+Jim+Bakker%27s+silver+solution+kill+the+coronavirus%2C+it+also+kills+HIV.+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FFyHST9sl8c&id=1227990073695776768&name=Right+Wing+Watch" frameborder="0" data-rm-shortcode-id="2a403363f7dea8212c415047d5afc204"></iframe>
</p><p>Call me crazy, but it seems highly unlikely that a Republican AG in Missouri would be targeting Jim Bakker for being a Christian. </p><p>The motion to dismiss included a statement from Bakker's adopted daughter Maricela Woodall, who is the chief operating officer of Bakker's Morningside Church ministry.</p><p>Via Right Wing Watch:</p><blockquote>Our sincerely-held religious beliefs require us to encourage our partners to prepare spiritually, mentally, and physically for the second-coming of Christ, and assist them in doing so by bringing experts to our broadcasts to teach how to accomplish this goal. <strong>An integral part of this expressive ministry and practice, as well as the doctrinal teachings of our religion, includes educating our partners concerning, and offer them, products, including Silver Solution, that we believe have been made available to this generation by God.</strong> We believe in providing practical tools and supplies to prepare for the end-times, in connection with the solicitation of funds for the ministry.<br><br>Each of the products offered on The Jim Bakker Show, including Silver Solution, are products that Pastor Bakker and Morningside <strong>feel divinely inspired to offer to the world</strong>. Such offerings are an integral part of Morningside's mission and a vital part of how we interact with our partners to spread the Word of God.<br><br>Educating our partners concerning, and offering them, products, including Silver Solution, in connection with the solicitation of funds for the ministry serves as an expression of our religious beliefs, an effort to inculcate, and an important religious practice of itself.<br><br>Governmental action that penalizes, or prevents, or seeks to penalize or prevent, our offering of Silver Solution in connection with our commenting upon or discussion of current events, including COVID-19, during The Jim Bakker Show, or to censor or punish, or require additions to, the content of the sermons delivered by Pastor Bakker, pastoral staff, and guests, restricts our religiously-motivated speech, as well as our actions or refusals to act that are substantially motivated by our religious beliefs.</blockquote><p>I am willing to buy Bakker's argument that drinking silver crap that turns you blue and believing that it cures VD and coronavirus is a part of his religion.<em> [I'm not. — Editrix] </em>But if it's a sacrament, shouldn't he be handing it out for free? I mean, they don't charge people for communion wine, do they? It's not like you go up to the priest and he gives you your wine and wafer and says "That'll be five dollars, thank you!" <br></p><p>The issue here isn't even that Bakker is selling silver crap that turns you blue <em>[yes it is — Editrix]</em>, it's that he is making unproven claims about it. Instead of saying "Drink my colloidal silver because Jesus loves it when you have blue skin and kidney damage," he's saying "Buy this colloidal silver from me, because this 'expert' says it cures HIV and COVID-19 and also everything else on earth." He's not making a religious claim, he's making a <em>medical</em> claim. Religion doesn't exempt anyone from making non-religious claims about a product they are selling. </p><p>He's also not the only one in trouble for making this claim about colloidal silver. Alex Jones, who is <em>not</em> a religious leader, was also told he had to stop selling it and making those claims. Is his religious freedom being violated, too? </p><p>Selling a product by claiming it will cure or prevent a virus when it does not do that puts people in danger — more people, frankly, than just the idiots buying it. There has to be a line drawn between "illegal shit you can do if you say it's your religion" and "things you still can't do even if you say it's your religion," and this ought to be one of those things.</p><p>[<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2020/05/05/business/ap-us-virus-outbreak-jim-bakker.html" target="_blank">New York Times</a>]</p><p><strong>Wonkette is independent and fully funded by readers like you. Click below to tip us! Also if you are buying stuff on Amazon, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=sl2&tag=wonkette0f-20&linkId=e6057399a4696aad6e79c000ca483f54&language=en_US" target="_blank">click this link</a></strong><strong>!</strong></p><p></p><form name="donation" method="post" class="donation-form"><p class="subheadline">How often would you like to donate?</p><div class="form-row row--plan"><label class="plan-type__label"><input type="radio" name="plan_type" value="once" class="plan-type" required="" checked> Just once
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Religion
Pastor Tony Spell Brags About Getting 200 Coronachecks From His Followers
This guy.
May 05, 2020 09:08 AM
Pastor Tony Spell of the Life Death Tabernacle Church in Louisiana has been having quite the pandemic.
Currently, he is under house arrest for insisting upon continuing to hold church services despite the fact that social distancing rules prohibit him doing so, and for nearly running a guy over with a school bus. Somehow, despite wearing an ankle bracelet, this wily motherfucker keeps getting out every Sunday to host, he claims, over 800 congregants at his church, where there is a lot of yelling and unfortunate dancing. So far, at least one of these congregants has died of COVID-19 and the lawyer who is representing him in all of this also contracted the virus.
But gathering a bunch of people together in a room at a time when a contagious and deadly virus is going around is not the only thing he's been doing these days. He has also issued the #StimulusChallenge, in which he "challenged" the faithful to give their stimulus checks to him and other evangelical pastors instead of spending it on worldly items like food and rent.
And, apparently, it's working out quite well for him!
<p>Speaking to <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2020/05/01/pastor-tony-spell-stimulus-checks-money-donations-sunday-service-house-arrest/" target="_blank">TMZ</a> (because of course), Pastor Spell announced proudly that 205 people have responded to his "challenge" and given him at least a portion of their stimulus checks since April 19th. He did not divulge what he has done with that money or how much he raked in — could be anywhere up to $240,000. Or heck, more if they sent their spouses' and kids' shares too! </p><p>Spell also shared that he is totally fine with breaking the law, as long as it's for Jesus:</p><blockquote>Spell says he knows he's in direct contempt of the court when he leaves his house to go to his church, but adds ... "The Bible commands us to go."<br><br>However, Spell tells us he will not be participating in his church's protest of stay-at-home orders Saturday outside the Governor's mansion. He says, "I do not want federal agents to pick me up when I am off the premises of my property." For the record, it would be local cops, not feds ... but ya get his drift.</blockquote><p>We do!</p><p>It's hard to know whether to feel bad for the people handing over their stimulus checks to this <em>schifos</em>' pastor or not. No one likes seeing people getting taken advantage of, but at some point we have to consider that if they're not giving their money to this guy, they'll be spending it on Jim Bakker's magic silver crap that turns you blue, and at least this way they're not drinking poison? </p><p>[<a href="https://www.tmz.com/2020/05/01/pastor-tony-spell-stimulus-checks-money-donations-sunday-service-house-arrest/" target="_blank">TMZ</a>]</p><p><strong>Wonkette is independent and fully funded by readers like you. Click below to tip us! Also if you are buying stuff on Amazon, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=sl2&tag=wonkette0f-20&linkId=e6057399a4696aad6e79c000ca483f54&language=en_US" target="_blank">click this link</a>!</strong></p><p></p><form name="donation" method="post" class="donation-form"><p class="subheadline">How often would you like to donate?</p><div class="form-row row--plan"><label class="plan-type__label"><input type="radio" name="plan_type" value="once" class="plan-type" required="" checked> Just once
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coronavirus
Pastor Tony Spell Won't Let House Arrest Stop Him From Maybe Giving More People Coronavirus
One of his parishioners has already died of COVID-19. Who will be next?
April 27, 2020 09:31 AM
Evangelical pastor Tony Spell has made a name for himself throughout the pandemic, largely by being a jackass. He insists on continuing to hold church services despite the fact that said church services led to the COVID-19 related death of one of his ushers, and he nearly backed over a protestor with a bus.
He's been so defiant that, after the almost killing a guy debacle, he was put on house arrest for refusing to stop holding services. But on Sunday, he headed back to his Louisiana church, ankle bracelet and everything, and posted it all on a Facebook livestream for the whole world to see.
According to Spell's lawyer, who also contracted COVID-19, Spell believes the reason he is being told to stay home is not because anyone wants to save any lives, but rather because no one wants him to preach the word of Jesus. After all, Louisiana is only the fourth most religious state in the country, and 84 percent of the population is Christian, so it would just make a whole lot of sense that this would be their big problem with him.
<blockquote>Joseph Long, Spell's attorney, told NBC News in a statement that Spell lived 50 yards from his church, which still planned to host services Sunday. Long characterized the judge's order as forcing Spell to stop "preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to his congregation."<br><br>"The judge has found him in contempt of Court for refusing to promise," Long said. "Obviously, we believe this is an illegal order in violation of the Constitution, and will litigate the issue."</blockquote><p>It is not an illegal order and it does not violate the Constitution. This is an emergency situation we're in, and it's going to be an even bigger emergency situation if people like Spell continue doing what they're doing. More people will die, but Tony Spell won't give a damn because he cares more about promoting himself and being a big evangelical star than he cares about the lives of his own parishioners. </p><p>How he was able to do this with an ankle monitor, without the police coming after him right then and there, we don't know. Traditionally, the way this works is that you have to actually stay inside your house, and if you leave, it sends a signal over to the cops or whomever, they call you and then you have to answer your phone the very second they call or else the police come to your house. You can't just leave and go your church, no problem. Then again, maybe the cops don't feel like risking their lives to haul this dipshit in. </p><p>It should probably not surprise anyone to see that, in the livestream of the service, almost no one was social distancing or wearing a mask, even though at least two parishioners have contracted COVID-19 and one of them is dead. In the video, Spell notes that many people there have come to his church from far away because <em>their</em> preachers shut down their services in order to protect their health. Nice!</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzE2ODAzOC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTU5MTc1Nzk5Nn0.MEB3owhLKuB6LOXhaM9t2fUk4XyE1nYMUdHZH32Vduc/img.png?width=980" id="2ac2e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e57e8b94a639aafa4ac1b672110ff701" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
</p><p>Seriously, if any of these people die, he should be charged with manslaughter. Or at least reckless endangerment. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzE2ODA0MS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMTg1MjEzM30.zbKKMAt--w1iwXnCUVVELgnbjb2a9F6eFmJcCHCrL6k/img.png?width=980" id="9627b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1ac5a543e21630bbe4a81712ce9ae7c1" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
</p><p>Naturally, Spell has also set up a GoFundMe to pay his legal costs, because it costs a lot of money to potentially kill that many people. </p><p>[<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/louisiana-pastor-house-arrest-after-refusing-limit-church-services-amid-n1192906" target="_blank">NBC</a>]</p><p><strong>Wonkette is independent and fully funded by readers like you. Click below to tip us! Also if you are buying stuff on Amazon, </strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=sl2&tag=wonkette0f-20&linkId=e6057399a4696aad6e79c000ca483f54&language=en_US" target="_blank">click this link</a>!</p><p></p><form name="donation" method="post" class="donation-form"><p class="subheadline">How often would you like to donate?</p><div class="form-row row--plan"><label class="plan-type__label"><input type="radio" name="plan_type" value="once" class="plan-type" required="" checked> Just once
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Religion
'Messianic Rabbi': Send Us 10% Of Your Stimmy Check So Jesus Can Buy Himself Something Nice
Don't rob Jesus!
April 22, 2020 09:00 AM
When last we heard from Messianic Rabbi Curt Landry (that's a fancy way of saying "Jews for Jesus"), he was explaining how people should listen to Donald Trump about the coronavirus and not Anthony Fauci or any other doctors, because Trump was anointed by God and doctors were not. The week before that, Landry warned his followers not to take any COVID-19 vaccines once they come out, as they are all "from the pit of hell" and will be used to create a database of people who will be willing to take the Mark of the Beast.
This week, Rabbi/Pastor/Whatever Landry is doling out financial advice, explaining that the best way for those who are struggling financially during this pandemic to get out from under is to continue giving 10 percent of whatever their income is to the church — and that if they don't do that, it's like they're robbing Jesus, who needs 10 percent of their coronavirus checks to go buy himself something nice.
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8ff82f0ba2ba3217e20f717ad84352c0"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9f9Fd5ZQ1xQ?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Pastor Curt Landry wants you give to church in a financial crisis</small>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f9Fd5ZQ1xQ" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a>
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</p><p>Transcript via <a href="https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2020/04/20/pastor-in-a-financial-crisis-give-to-church-that-10-doesnt-belong-to-you/" target="_blank">Friendly Atheist:</a><br></p><blockquote>The first thing you need to do is absolutely keep the first fruits of your giving and get that seed in the ground as soon as possible. So what first fruits is, is the first first fruit is tithing. You need to make sure that you tithe 10% of your income — and since I'm speaking to Life Church, that 10% needs to go into Life Church, okay? And I want to say this: That 10% spiritually doesn't belong to you, okay? The Lord gives that to you to sow back into the kingdom, okay? [...]<br><br>If you have a financial problem, yes, prayer is good. Yes, fasting is good. But what really causes financial problems to break is giving. And so if you'll follow the 10 percent to the Lord — don't rob — we're in Passover week right now. You can sow a seed into Life Church for Passover, okay? That's an offering. That's a first fruit of your increase over the 10 percent, and whatever that amount, there's not really a percentage on it. That's whatever the Lord tells you in your heart, okay?</blockquote><p>Basically what Landry is saying is that it is better that some kids go hungry or people can't pay their rent or for other necessities than they skimp out on giving him/the church money, and that if they do that, they'll then have good luck with money? I guess? I'm not totally clear on how this works, to be honest. It seems like it might be a scam! </p><p>Landry is, of course, far from the only pastor out there denying the seriousness of COVID-19 while trying to turn a profit off of it. Pastor Tony Spell, who keeps getting arrested for not social distancing and <a href="https://www.wonkette.com/jesus-takes-wheel-helps-stay-at-home-order-defying-pastor-nearly-back-over-protestor" target="_blank">nearly running people over with buses,</a> has called on his followers to donate their entire stimulus checks to evangelical pastors. </p><p>And I'd feel really bad for those out there who listen to them, except that they're doing this of their own volition. They're adults. Are they being manipulated? Absolutely. But they're not being forced. Is the fact that Landry is out there telling them that not giving 10 percent of their income to the church is like robbing Jesus pretty gross? Absolutely. But at the end of the day, if they weren't giving these jerks their money, they'd probably be out spending it on Brooklyn Bridges and colloidal silver. Or on those multi-level-marketing leggings people keep going broke on. What can I say? There's a sucker born every minute. </p><p>[<a href="https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2020/04/20/pastor-in-a-financial-crisis-give-to-church-that-10-doesnt-belong-to-you/" target="_blank">Friendly Atheist</a>]</p><p><strong>Wonkette is independent and fully funded by readers like you. Click below to tip us! Also if you are buying stuff on Amazon, </strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=sl2&tag=wonkette0f-20&linkId=e6057399a4696aad6e79c000ca483f54&language=en_US" target="_blank">click this link</a>!</p><p></p><form name="donation" method="post" class="donation-form"><p class="subheadline">How often would you like to donate?</p><div class="form-row row--plan"><label class="plan-type__label"><input type="radio" name="plan_type" value="once" class="plan-type" required="" checked> Just once
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