Obit: Reverend Ike (28 July 2009)

Subject: RE: Obit: Reverend Ike (28 July 2009)
From: M.Ted
Date: 30 Jul 09 - 10:35 PM

I think that the people who followed him really believed in his message about
personal success, and I think that they were people who earnestly pursued that goal.

Here's a good quote, from SRS's link above,--
"He was helping draw the consciousness of the African American community, that we were not disenfranchised, and we didn't have to be poor and dispossessed, that we can own our own selves and our lives and that we could create money."

I think that a lot of people who followed him have benefitted from his ideas. Whether they could have achieved the same things without handing over large sums of money to his church is another question again--

Subject: RE: Obit: Reverend Ike (28 July 2009)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Jul 09 - 10:11 PM

There was a good story about him on this evening's All Things Considered.

Story link. NPR just launched a new website, so if you're accustomed to the old one, this should look familiar. (The page for the program is different and defaults to the recording when you click the links. This is linked to a page that gives you print and a link to the recording.)

SRS

Subject: RE: Obit: Reverend Ike (28 July 2009)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 30 Jul 09 - 09:46 PM

My friend and coworker Charlie was a black man from a large family from Mississippi. Charlie's wife was very religious, but Charlie didn't want to have anything to do with religion. Charlie talked about Reverend Ike all the time, as the prime example of what was worng with religion.

But I always wondered whether Reverend Ike was really so callous and materialistic as Charlie thought he was. From the surface, Reverend Ike seemed like 100 percent hooey - but what was it that made so many people follow him, and how was it that Reverend Ike was able to live with himself?

And may Charlie rest in peace. I wanted him to have a part in my wedding, but he died in January, 2002, the week before I got married. He was one of the most wonderful and colorful individuals I have ever known.


-Joe-

Subject: Obit: Reverend Ike
From: M.Ted
Date: 30 Jul 09 - 09:20 PM

One of the most celebrated and notorious broadcast evangelists died July 28. Here's theNYT Obituary of Reverend Ike.
He was regarded by many as a money hungry huckster--one his solicitations that I remember most is "Some sends five dollars, some sends ten dollars, some sends twenty dollars, and some sends even more. The more you give, the more you will receive!", and he became very wealthy through his ministries--but his message was also that "God doesn't want you to be poor" and that the road to worldly wealth was based on self discipline. He told people that "Lack of money is the root of all evil", and didn't like the "Poor People's March", because he didn't want "Poverty" to be synonymous with being an African American. More of his thoughts hereRev. Ike Speaks