"Preacher Teacher" Alert

[Chanter]

You'd think, with all the money the Catholic-hating Brother Scare (I won't directly quote what he's called Catholics, because it's vile, but it involves the word whore and a reference to Mary) pours into getting his rants onto SW and MW stations - KAAY was airing his sandpaper-throated self the other night, eew, he'd be able to buy himself some new teeth!  Evidently not. 

I'd be willing to chip in to air something on a station like WBCQ, be it old radio shows or classical music or... something, if I could bump some of the fringe religious idiocy off the schedule by doing so.  I actually called that station after hearing a violent rant from a program called The Herald of Truth, which was naming no names, so was evidently not classed as hate speech worthy of pulling off the air (I asked outright) but advocating violent race-based revolution just the same.  WTF?  So much for peace, love, and understanding, or at least a few scruples, in the face of the almighty buck there, BCQ. 

Alex Jones sounds like a constipated Satan.  Markokpik has heard me say this RL! 

[Mr.ArchVile]

Here's my take on Brother Stair and who is representative of....

http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/Zachary_Hale_Comstock

[BoomboxDX]

One thing to bear in mind is that these religious organizations that use SW stations in the US probably lower the rates for the non-religious people who broadcast over the same stations.

In a weird way, people like Brother Stair (or his similar counterparts) keep the rates down for those programs that aren't so extreme, and other programs that are more entertainment oriented (I have heard of a couple of them, although I haven't heard them personally -- except for the foreign broadcasters that thankfully use WRMI).

Religious organisations tend to pay whatever rate a station charges -- that is how they feel about getting their 'message' out.

If it weren't for religious organisations, the stations would undoubtedly go off the air.

[ChrisSmolinski]

If it weren't for religious organisations, the stations would undoubtedly go off the air.

I suspect this is certainly the case. Brother Stair accounts for a lot of the billable hours for many of these SWBC stations. If his latest escapades put him in the slammer, they could have a serious cash flow issue. WRMI/etc have to be a little nervous right now.

[Traveling Wave]

I never realized, until last night, after I checked the Overcomer broadcast schedule, that he is on twenty medium wave AM stations. He is on 7 days a week, mostly very early morning hours covering eastern, central, mountain and pacific times. I found one article at the Cult Education Institute, dated 2002, that mentioned he had a $150,000 a month broadcast cost. I guess end-timers keep pressing the paypal donate button at his web site to keep him on the air.

[Pigmeat]

A Ministry beats a Church for fleecing the flock by a long shot. With a church you're stuck fleecing the locals that live around there, an exhaustible resource. With a Ministry you go on the road and on the air always encountering new prospects. Stick "Deacon" or "Bishop" in front of your name and your on the Royal Road to Riches. Ralph beat us to the punch with "Prophet".

The Big Leaguer's work old folks with lots of money and property. Getting them to sign the whole shebang over to your operation, including the life insurance, is the goal.

I'm selling "prayer cloths" at 50 bucks a pop. They may look like my cut-up old drawers, but I assure you those are St. Peter's skid marks. God bless you.

[MDK2]

I'm selling "prayer cloths" at 50 bucks a pop. They may look like my cut-up old drawers, but I assure you those are St. Peter's skid marks. God bless you.

Say they were what he was wearing when he was martyred and you can get a lot more.

[Looking-Glass]

Bought a new TV a few weeks back and done the usual "channel scan" and found a couple of new digital channels, now I find we have "SBN" Sonlife Broadcasting Network from Baton Rouge in the USA running religious content 24 hours into Australia.

Been watching "Brother Swaggart" working the crowds, very lavish setting so not short of a few dollars, thought old Jimmy was dead but he is still going strong.  I remember his "scandal" back in 1989 I think, when he was sprung with a hooker.

His son Donnie and grandson Gabriel also spreading the "word" as well as old Jimmy's wife Florence.  Family concern and was amazed at the size of their headquarters at Baton Rouge. The Family Worship Centre holds an astonishing 7,000 people and there wasn't an empty seat to be seen as old Jimmy worked the floor.

Old Jimmy has come a long way from preaching standing in the back of a pick up truck in small country towns and drafty little church halls, it's a global empire now.

Wonder where Brother Stair missed out on the rivers of gold? It's a wonder that Swaggart isn't on the shortwave bands like Brother Stair.

I gather that religious concerns do not attract state and federal taxes in the USA as they enjoy tax free status here in Australia...

[Matt_B]

Been watching "Brother Swaggart" working the crowds, very lavish setting so not short of a few dollars, thought old Jimmy was dead but he is still going strong.  I remember his "scandal" back in 1989 I think, when he was sprung with a hooker.

I believe that's Jimmy's son that you're watching....don't know his name.  Yeah, SBN is on TV here, too.  :-/

[Looking-Glass]

Jimmy's son is Donnie, and grandson is Gabriel, been watching Jimmy, old geezer with white hair in his late 70's or 80's, certainly knows how to work the floor and pack 'em in!

One can get an autographed bible from Jimmy for $1,000 donation plus free CD of Jimmy's greatest hits...I have missed my calling!

Wonder they are not all over shortwave, just AM and FM in the USA.

[Pigmeat]

When I first started pirating I bought a robust old battery powered Sony cassette recorder to use in the field. Mic and line levels in and a line level output, I'd found at a yard sale. In it was an hour and a half of Jimmy at his best. I'd get bored and throw it on from time to time and wait for the online and written reports of the thing to show up on the sites and dx mags of the time. It was a lot of fun and let me know the parameters and range of my tx before I got more serious about what I was doing.

When Jimmy was in his prime, he could get on the "good foot", hopping across one hundred plus feet of stage literally thumping his open Bible, condemning sinners to Hell and pointing them out in route. It was something to see.

I was working weekends as a doorman/bartender in the early 80's. The bars didn't close until 3:30 A.M. and with clean up, bs'ing and stopping to get something to eat, I wouldn't get home until after daylight. I'd roll up a joint and switch to the religious channel to get my morning fix of TV preachers before I went to bed. Jimmy Swaggart followed by the great Ernest Angley, a man whose toupee' always faced the camera  regardless of which way he turned his head. You couldn't beat that combo with a stick.

As much as I enjoyed Jimmy and Dr. Gene Scott, neither held a candle to Ernest in those days. "Say bay-bee!"

[Looking-Glass]

Another smooth operator working the floors paved with gold is Benny Hinn, he used to be on Channel-10 here in Australia in the early hours of the morning when most decent folk are holed up in bed.

Expensive suits, dripping with gold and not a hair out of place Benny, teeth to rival the best alligator grin, like Jimmy Swaggart, he sure knew how to pile 'em in and work the floor, like old Jimmy, Benny sprouted world wide ministries and the various "crusades". Haven't seen dear Benny on TV for quite some time.

Just amazed at the Swaggart show, on 113 acres at Baton Rouge in the USA, sure is some spread.  Another devious pair was Jimmy and Tammy Faye Baker in years past, also out of the USA, they seemed to have vanished from the scene of religious fervour, maybe Jimmy "bought" them out in a corporate merger?

[BoomboxDX]

Jim Bakker was busted for something and went to prison. He had a prison ministry there.

RE: Benny Hinn: I know some people who are acquainted with his ministry, and I went with them to attend a Hinn appearance here a few years ago.

The lowlight of the evening, you could say, was when he led the assembly to curse themselves with death if they didn't support his ministry efforts. I was -- needless to say -- thoroughly appalled.

Religion has its place in America, but -- like politics -- too often it is used as a means of gain for some people.

RE: Shortwave: a lot of the ministries ignore shortwave because they have TV and satellite. Brother Stair's teachings are probably odd enough that the mainstream Christian networks won't carry him, so he uses MW and SW.

[Pigmeat]

RE: Shortwave: a lot of the ministries ignore shortwave because they have TV and satellite. Brother Stair's teachings are probably odd enough that the mainstream Christian networks won't carry him, so he uses MW and SW.

You nailed it, Boombox.

I wandered away from listening to shortwave for about a decade starting in the early 80's. When I came back to it one of my first thoughts was, "So this is where preachers too crazy for regular TV and radio go."

Not to say they weren't out there before, but with dereg of the major broadcast bands and syndicated talk radio dominating MW, the preachers got pushed off the air in most markets. I remember a firebreather who called himself "The Georgia Prophet" in the 70's and 80's. I used to love to listen to his wild rants in the middle of the night.

I'm from a region of the upper South where people went to church as much for entertainment as enlightenment because it was free and there wasn't much else to do. A pew leaping, talking in tongues, faith healing, Pentecostal preacher was a big draw. If he brought poisonous snakes and strychnine water for the flock to handle and quaff, you might want to give it a pass. There's a difference between being entertaining and being plain crazy.

[ChrisSmolinski]

I'm from a region of the upper South where people went to church as much for entertainment as enlightenment because it was free and there wasn't much else to do. A pew leaping, talking in tongues, faith healing, Pentecostal preacher was a big draw. If he brought poisonous snakes and strychnine water for the flock to handle and quaff, you might want to give it a pass. There's a difference between being entertaining and being plain crazy.

I found "Snake Salvation" series on National Geographic interesting. Although the one preacher dying from a snakebite kinda put the kibosh on a second season. And to think the whole snake handling thing is due to a forged ending to the Gospel of Mark. 

On a slightly more sane vein, National Geo now has the "Snake City" series, about a South African guy and his GF who go around catching poisonous snakes that have entered peoples' homes and property.