Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Hit me with the idiot stick

BaronHopgoodOne time when I was really young and poor a traveling salesman sold me an expensive family bible. I was an atheist at the time. I felt like an idiot for the year it took my to pay the damn thing off. I gave it to my mother-in-law a few years ago. I still feel like and idiot when I think about it – but then I read stories like this one: Edmond police arrest OKC pastor.

Baron Hopgood, 35, founder of Baron Hopgood Ministries, also had an outstanding warrant from Midwest City on a complaint of defrauding an innkeeper, Edmond police spokeswoman Glynda Chu said.

Why does this make me feel good? Because “pastor” Hopgood is running a life long scam. And people buy into it despite seeing the obvious con man standing in the pulpit.

Baron Hopgood Ministries is a nonprofit organization that serves “as a education system to help believers recognize, develop and implement principles proven for success in business and vision fulfillment,” according to the ministry website.

The ministry hosts a seminar on money and goal setting called “The Encounter” and a weekly meeting called “Friday Night Live,” to “help people maximize their abilities in every aspect of their life,” according to the website.

This story tells me there are a lot of idiots in the world. If you trust this looser with your financial future or take advice from him in any way, you are an idiot. From what I understand, there is a whole industry around these business ministries within the black church. They travel from church-to-church preaching about becoming rich or succeeding in life. It is all tied up with the prosperity doctrine, which is pastor enrichment scam all its own.

This man has no education. He has no special knowledge to teach besides his bullshit biblical feel good doublespeak. His business allegedly fail. He allegedly does not pay his bills or employees. He lives off the money of sheeple. Just listen to his preaching. Or watch his important (and incomprehensible) moment of inspiration below.

Wait – success is succeeding, no success is finishing, no, finishing well. What did Joshua say, what the hell is Good Success? You must start well and finish even better. Wait, now we must go back and pick up the obstacles that become the things that god has called us to but we ignored. Wait, we must be successful in all things, no wait we must finish and bring to completion. What the hell is this guy talking about?

Let’s check the dictionary: Success - the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors.

So, perhaps he should stop trying to event new definitions for the word and come up with some meaningful content. It’s just a thought. He can work on it from prison.