José Luis De Jesus Miranda. He's Puerto Rican. He's 59. He pastors and leads a "global ministry" with world headquarters in a Miami warehouse. He runs a massage parlor and a Brazilian restaurant at Dolphin Mall. His ministry boasts a 24 hour spanish language satelitte channel, 300 congregations, and 32 education centers. And, he also happens to be God. What?!!?!?
The people following this dude must be smoking crack. This Jesus Christ wannabe has cast aside his white horse in favor of an armored 7 series BMW. Rather than chilling with his twelve disciple, Miami Herald says, he is surrounded by bullet-proof vest wearing bouncers.
Apparently, his revelation that he is Jesus Cristo did not happen all at once. In 1988, he claimed to be the reincarnated Apostle Paul. In the 90's, he announced that he was the "Other," some kind of super-spiritual being. And, for the past several years, he has announced himself as God. Miranda says he does "not need to go into a prayer room to pray," afterall he says, "who am I going to pray to?"
The people that answer the phones at Creciendo en Gracia seem nice and well meaning as they will repeat the standard cultish mantras regarding the deity of Miranda. According to the Miami New Times article, his people "pump their fists in the air and chant, "Dad-dy, Dad-dy" as De Jesus ambles onto the stage."
So, what are the benefits of following this Puerto Rican Jesus?! Sin is abolished. You are free to live however you like. I guess that's an atractive religous dogma to espouse. I could write and laugh (have already done plenty of laughing) all day. But, I'll spare you all. I just had to share a little bit of lunacy from my part of the world. Now, hopefully, I won't attract any protests by their goon squads that have recently been deployed to disrupt church gatherings in the area.
Technorati Tags: Miranda - Cults - Creciendo en Gracia - Growing in Grace - Miami Herald - Miami New Times
Related aricle:
Why Apostle Jose Luis De Jesús Miranda can't be Jesus Christ
Miami: Meet the Brown Jesus
This man is crazy. A friend of ours saw that he was on a spanish tv channel and called us to see him. He is totally NUTS. He was asked why he had body guards to protect him if he was GOD on earth them he could not die, his response was that a good friend was paying for them to protect him from the persons that were coming up to him just to be around him. He also said that he would challenge any one on the bible, since he is GOD he qoutes scriptures better than anyone else. I felt so sorry for the persons that work, donate and listen to him. All it took for us was just a second to see that he is NUTS.Are people in such need of salvation that would really think the message this LOCO (crazy)has is the truth?
Posted by: Ela Ortega | August 16, 2006 at 01:36 PM
Hey Travis,
Tell Jesu Cristo that his Mammy, (Santa Maria) has been hanging out here in Chicago at the 90/94 Underpass near the Fullerton Exit.
Mary's apparition showed up there last Spring, and several thousand people came to see "Our Lady of the Expressway"--and are still showing up there.
Some people will believe anything.
Except the truth.
Posted by: Phil Hoover | August 16, 2006 at 02:21 PM
Every summer when Chicagoans turn on the sprinklers, it seems there are at least a dozen virgin mary sightings on sides of homes, buildings, and trees. But, my favorite is the virgin mary grilled cheese that sold on ebay for $35,000 or so.
Posted by: Travis Johnson | August 16, 2006 at 03:05 PM
So was she Swiss, American, Jalapeno, or Cheddar?
Posted by: Phil Hoover | August 17, 2006 at 10:19 AM