Tuesday, 29 August 2017

Joel Osteen Sailing Luxury Yacht through Flooded Houston to Pass Out Copies of His Book Is Christian Satire

Wikimedia Commons


Reports that Joel Osteen sailed through the streets of Houston on a luxury yacht to pass out copies of his book “Your Best Life Now” are false. Rumors that the celebrity televangelist distributed his 2004 self-help bestseller to those affected by Hurricane/Tropical Storm Harvey stemmed from a satire website.


According to Snopes, the fake claim originated on The Babylon Bee, which describes itself as a “Christian news satire” website. The article claimed that Osteen hurled copies of “Your Best Life Now” at Harvey victims in order to make amends for the controversy surrounding his Houston megachurch. It purported:


Although Joel Osteen took flak over the weekend for closing up his church to flood victims and all but disappearing during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, the megachurch pastor reportedly returned to the city on his luxury yacht “S.S. Blessed” to make amends Tuesday by tossing copies of Your Best Life Now to stranded flood survivors.


Osteen had his on-call yacht captain steer the large vessel through the flooded streets of the city, pulling up to survivors stranded on their roofs and on the roof of their cars as the prosperity gospel preacher smiled, waved, and threw out signed editions of the bestselling positive thinking book.


The ridiculous report, however, is entirely fabricated. Not only do the story’s comical details indicate that there is no truth contained in the text, The Babylon Bee also states simply in their disclaimer that they publish satire:



Osteen faced backlash this weekend after closing his Houston megachurch as a result of the catastrophic flooding, which remained closed through Monday. The doors to Lakewood Church were finally opened to evacuees on Tuesday after Osteen, the church’s pastor, came under intense scrutiny for not doing more to help Harvey victims.


Osteen tweeted Tuesday morning, “Victoria and I care deeply about our fellow Houstonians. Lakewood’s doors are open and we are receiving anyone who needs shelter.” Lakewood representatives disputed claims that their doors were ever closed to those affected by the floods.


Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas on Friday night. It was later downgraded to a tropical storm over the weekend. At least nine deaths have been reported in the aftermath of the catastrophic flooding, according to the Washington Post.



Here are some examples of people talking about the satirical story on social media:


Social Media Shares Satirical Story about Joel Osteen Sailing Luxury Yacht through Houston to Distribute His Book












Have you seen the satirical story about Joel Osteen sailing a luxury yacht through Houston to pass out copies of his book circulating social media? What are your thoughts on the controversy surrounding his megachurch? Sound off in the comments section below!


Photo credit: RobertMWorsham, Wikimedia Commons



Source: B2C
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