Pastor Joel Osteen — known for his big, open smile and his big, open bigotry — sat down with CNN sassbot Soledad O’Brien where, asked by former Clinton Advisor Richard Socarides if he chose to be straight, Osteen chimed that he was born this way, baby.
Osteen and Socarides were two of O’Brien’s guests on Starting Point with Soledad O’Brien this morning and the anchor blasted the pastor for calling homosexuality a sin and therefore some of his very own followers sinners. Osteen responded that he doesn’t “categorize” sin, noting that pride, “being critical” and “being negative” are all sins.
“Those are all things you can change,” O’Brien countered. Socarides, who was clearly having a ball, then laid into Osteen, questioning his responsibility to lend his voice to the battle for equality, fairness and inclusion. Osteen then turned to the scripture and how it’s the one saying homosexuality is a sin — or is it? — but so are a lot of things, like lying and “being prideful.”
This only perplexed O’Brien:”Then you shouldn’t lie. But for people who are gay, you’re saying then you shouldn’t be gay?”
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Socarides, tired of circling the block, decided to bring this baby on home by asking Osteen, “You think you can choose to be gay or not gay? You think you choose to be straight?”
“I know I have not chosen to be straight” Osteen replied. “I just feel like that’s who I am.”
Two point were proven here: 1.) Osteen is aware that being gay is not a choice. How this plays into his whole sin argument is up to him and whatever monkey’s writing his speeches. 2.) “I just feel like that’s who I am?” You don’t sound super positive there, Pastor. But then again, can you blame him for falling for that crafty little Richard Socarides?
Check out the delightful video of the encounter below:
Rabbit
HaHaHaHa! Yeah, right.
If you were out in the Houston clubs in the mid-late 80s, you’d find Ms. Joel ‘coke whore’ Osteen out and about before daddy cut her partying off and had her join he family business of religion.
Go sell that ‘I feel straight’ shit somewhere else.
MK Ultra
Osteen reminds me of Ravina from Snow White and the Huntsman.
So vain and power hungry. He must consume the souls (or something else) of young men to stay alive.
mpwaite
You guys are being really hard on someone you don’t even know… I’m a gay man in Texas and I listen to Pastor Osteen a lot; he gives very good advice on life’s problems, and yes, he believes in scripture, however, he also doesn’t think that one sin is any worse than another.. Smoking, lying, and gossip is just as sinful as homosexuality… Joel Osteen is NOT power-hungry or unfair..And your defining him as Ravina and a “coke-whore” are just mean and unfounded. Joel is a spirit-lifter; he knows how to help you by steering you through life’s problems by providing love, strength, and truth through scripture..GOD DOES LOVE YOU… We have times where we think God has left us, when actually WE closed the door on HIM… And he waits for us to open the door again. Those who have painted Pastor Osteen in a negative light have clearly NOT ever heard him speak. Now in all fairness, I do wish he would speak more to the gay community and bridge the gap of uncertainty.. But that’s not his job; he is inclusive in his minsitry and doesn’t feel the need to call groups out as we are ALL God’s children.
PBCliberal
@mpwaite: I don’t need to know Pastor Osteen to assess his comments and beliefs. He’s in the business of telling me using any media he can find, and spends a great deal of the money he raises to do that.
If Osteen truly shared your desire to motivate people to re-open this mythical door to god, he’d do what the churches did when their opposition to divorce, to racial equality and specifically to interracial marriage put people off. All of a sudden those churches discovered a whole new way to look at the scriptures and proscriptions against those “sins” weren’t quite so clear. Turns out, they weren’t sins at all.
His refusal to do that for us paints him in a negative light no matter how often he tries to claim he wants to “stay in his lane.” And, yes, I have heard him speak. He’s not inclusive in his ministry unless he considers straight marriage a sin that he’s willing to put up with in order to keep his pews filled.
mikeincleveland
Hey MPWAITE- Yeah, here’s the problem with what you wrote- you’re sitting there as an admitted gay man and GOING ALONG with Osteen’s statement that your being gay “is a sin.” Read this again- YOUR BEING GAY IS A SIN. (Osteen/Hollywood Reporter story: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/pastor-joel-osteen-anti-gay-oprahs-next-chapter-280307)
So how can you be proud to walk around Texas feeling that you’re committing a sin being gay?
How does that show any self-respect?
Or are you just so needing religion in your life that you’ll suck it up and take it?
Because what you’re saying here is that God doesn’t really love you because you’re sinning. You’re a sinner just like a liar or someone that swears or cheats on his wife or whatever. YOU’RE SINNING.
Instead, you should be turning this around and asking Mr. Osteen- Why is being gay a sin in the first place??
Mr. Osteen (a self-selected savior) is trying to have it both ways- he can tell the people that don’t like people like you that “yeah, he’s a sinner” and then it just confirm their belief that you’re sick…and then he tells you that your being gay is no different a “sin” than swearing or a dude cheating on his wife, so you “think” he’s being “reasonable.”
So he splits hairs and you fall for it because you think that because he’s not pulling a Pat Robertson and saying that because you’re gay, New Orleans gets hits with hurricanes, that he’s being a fair-minded individual.
If Mr. Osteen was being a fair-minded individual and loved all of God’s creatures in the first place, he would point the finger at you and say “You’re Gay, You Live In Sin (But Straight People Don’t Sin When They Fuck).”
mikeincleveland
Correction- He would NOT point at you and say “You’re Gay, You Live In Sin (But Straight People Don’t Sin When They Fuck).”
Ogre Magi
@mpwaite: You are a disgrace to the gay community!
LubbockGayMale
If Osteen wants to chew me out for extra-marital sex, fine. But for him and his brethren to tell me I sin with gay sex, I have to ignore him…. and his coy remarks about not choosing to be straight just affirms that orientation IS NOT A CHOICE!!!!!! All Osteen, et al, are interested in is keeping the money rolling in, same as Rush is only being mean as long as he gets ratings and advertisers. Self-interest rules apply to both.
DarthKitsune
I’d totally ride Osteen til he broke, but there’d have to be duck-tape over his mouth.
Charli Girl
I’m from Houston n drive by that church everyday. It’s huge! In fact I’ve seen Foghat, ZZ-Top there..lol It used to be a concert hall called “The Summit”
Joel Osteen: well never seen him there but my family watches him. But since I’ve seen his stance on my “life”
I’ve told them that, I’m out! No more watching him…. He really does seem to be a very sweet guy and an encouraging speaker , But like the rest of you OUR movement is number one priority. I suspect when the wing nuts are educated and everyone is free to live and love, Joel Osteen will be on our side. And I only say that bc I see a difference in him than the ” others”… Just sayn fellas.
Jonathonz
@mpwaite: Yes, MPWaite but the big difference between the “sins” of smoking, lying, gossiping and homosexuality is that homosexuality isn’t a sin at all. The idea that it is is preposterous. How is loving and supporting my long-term partner sinful in any way, shape or form? It’s not. Now if we’re talking about promiscuity that’s another matter but to call even that a “sin” is a stretch. The word itself is so fraught with the baggage of history that it isn’t very useful except to a shrinking minority.
Perhaps it’s better to couch it in the concept of the Golden Rule. I don’t think anyone can argue that homosexual acts in general infringe upon that. Clearly gossiping, lying, theft and like do.
TrekBear
Osteen “feels” straight only because of his starched shirts!
Rockery
He is so cute, he is very wishy washy, certain people take him to task for not condemming gays enough
PS “sassbot Soledad O’Brien” that is EPIC (I love Soledad)
IGiveUp
Hell, I thought this guy was a big Mo! I give it 10 yrs. (or less) and he’s on CNN like Haggard was a few years ago. Mark my words…
evdanker
Just another money grubbing, feel good, snake oil salesman
evdanker
Apparently he doesn’t understand the bible either, just like any other hypocrite.
JOHN 1957
He’s very diplomatic in his stance of the question and like always animated. We have seen so many of them condemn gays and then only to fall from grace when their skeletons come crashing out of the closet. We know the bible was put together by the Roman Emperor Constantine after the fall of the Roman Empire, only to include the most popular stories of his time leaving out many important gospels and replacing them with lies. I’ve come to the rude awakening that religion was created by man to dominate man and keep him oppressed. Most pious religious fanatics prove that over and over again, do as I say and not as I do. Just because someone has found religion does not give them a license to judge the rest of humanity. The Catholic Church being the biggest culprit aka “The Universal Pedophile Club”, who love throwing stones at everybody else as they devour children like packman! just to name one of the atrocities they have committed against mankind over the centuries. Neither religion nor politics is worth getting into a battle over due to the fact they are based on hearsay, folklore and propaganda. I believe in God but not in organized religion nor books put together by kings of power thousands of years ago that can be edited for their benefit at any given moment and nurture hate against mankind. But they need their sheep who don’t want to do their own work to come and donate 10% (tithing) on a regular basis so they can have their elaborate lifestyles they so have become accustomed to and not have to report the earnings to government as the icing on the cake. Selling God has become very profitable business in America and a multitude of these so called religious leaders are now millionaires. When will we learn; Love Is The Law.
Billysees
@LubbockGayMale: Re 8 “If Osteen wants to chew…….
Well said.
Income and ratings are necessary for these kinds of folks to survive and pay their bills.
In a sense, it’s hard to blame them for dancing around the issues when they need all the followers they can get.
However, sincerity then becomes very doubtful.
I could never follow this type of person because of that.
Here’s what the Book says, in Proverbs, — “Don’t give your money to rich people….”
If that would end or diminish their kind of work, then so be it.