UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I‘m Jesus Christ (INAUDIBLE) in front of you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCARBOROUGH: He calls himself the second coming of Jesus, and almost a million people around the world believe him. Meet the man and decide for yourself whether he‘s a Christian or a cult leader. […]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCARBOROUGH: This just in: Jesus is alive and well and living in south Florida, that according to a preacher who‘s convinced himself and nearly one million followers that he‘s the son of God living in the flesh among us. Now the “Today” show‘s Natalie Morales went down to Florida and sat down with this guy, who‘s accused of being a fanatical cult leader by many but is called Jesus by many others.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NATALIE MORALES, NBC CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He enters this hotel conference room in Hartford, Connecticut, with a security team that rivals a head of state. An adoring audience greets him with calls of “Daddy” and sings his praises. He is 60-year-old Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda (ph) from Puerto Rico, a preacher and evangelist to be sure, but to his followers and in his own eyes, he‘s more than a man of God. Just ask him.
JOSE LUIS DE JESUS MIRANDA: I‘m Jesus Christ (INAUDIBLE) in front of you.
MORALES: That‘s right, he says he is the second coming. He claims in 1973, he had an epiphany.
MIRANDA: When Jesus, the resurrected Jesus, came to me, he integrate himself within me.
MORALES (on camera): So why you?
MIRANDA: I don‘t know.
MORALES (voice-over): In the mid-‘80s, Miranda started his own ministry called Crescendio in Gracia (ph), or Growing in Grace. It‘s a religious movement that claims a presence in more than 20 countries, mostly in Central and South America but also in the United States. From Hartford to his headquarters in Miami, he says there are more than 30 teaching centers nationwide.
MIRANDA: We don‘t give membership cards, so I don‘t know how many I have, but certainly a million. Every week, we grow.
MORALES: And with a 24-hour cable channel, netcasts of his sermons and radio programs, Miranda is out to spread the word. Those who believe him, like these followers in Miami, also embrace his unique interpretation of the Bible. For example, sin no longer exists.
MIRANDA: God doesn‘t see you as a sinner. For me, you are a perfect spirit.
MORALES: There‘s also no such thing as the devil.
MIRANDA: Satan is a Hollywood character.
MORALES: As for prayer, he says it‘s a waste of time. And he calls all other religious leaders liars.
MIRANDA: The lies began in Rome. I‘m against all those teachings from Catholic, Protestant, evangelical. They‘re not teaching the right Gospel.
MORALES: His followers say Miranda is the only one telling the truth and that his teachings have set them free.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thank him so much for being able to look myself in the mirror and knowing that I‘m seeing him in me and that I can literally love myself.
MORALES: But one common church practice that Miranda doesn‘t dismiss is the use of the collection plate.
(on camera): Do people have to pay to be…
MIRANDA: No.
MORALES: … part of this?
MIRANDA: No.
MORALES: They do have to donate.
MIRANDA: They make donations according to the Bible, you know, the tithing.
MORALES: But the Bible asks for 10 percent tithing.
MIRANDA: Yes.
MORALES: But your followers do much more than that.
MIRANDA: Because of…
MORALES: They give their companies. They give their…
MIRANDA: Oh, they give everything.
MORALES (voice-over): His most generous followers have even given him cars and estates, including a home inside this gated community, which Miranda recently sold for close to a million dollars.
(on camera): So you don‘t have a problem with material wealth.
MIRANDA: Everybody should be rich.
MORALES (voice-over): One who is giving his share of riches to Miranda is Alvera Alberisin (ph), a successful Web entrepreneur. He says he owes everything to Miranda, and his donations have topped seven figures.
ALVERA ALBERISIN, MIRANDA FOLLOWER: I‘m putting all my money and heart that this is the truth.
MORALES: But Alberisin‘s relationship with Miranda has cost him personally. He‘s estranged from his family.
(on camera): How many years has it been since you‘ve spoken with them?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe four.
MORALES (voice-over): Regina Alberisin (ph) says her son severed ties after they suggested he was being brainwashed by Miranda and his teachings.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is no healthy for people. Is no good for people. Is no good for families. Many family—he destroy many families.
MORALES: Other religious leaders say Miranda may be capable of destroying much more.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think any group whose leader says, I am God and you have to listen to me and follow me because I am God, that group is very dangerous for our society.
MORALES: Father Albert Coutier (ph) says he and members of his congregation in Miami have been harassed by Miranda‘s followers.
FATHER ALBERT COUTIER: I think that their tactics are strange, and what I‘ve experienced personally is aggression, screaming.
MORALES: In fact, Growing in Grace admits it has launched a protest campaign against other religions, like this peaceful one in Miami. But other gatherings have become more confrontational.
(on camera): Is there any limit to what your followers will do for you?
MIRANDA: Well, we try to do it very politely. You know, something might get out of hand once in a while because, you know, some people, they fight back.
MORALES: You encourage that, though?
MIRANDA: I encourage to march for the truth.
MORALES (voice-over): All this has led some to worry that Growing in Grace may be a new cult.
RICK ROSS, CULT EXPERT: Growing in Grace does appear to fit the primary criteria of a destructive cult—an absolute authoritarian leader, a process of persuasion that can be seen as brainwashing, and then finally, exploitation of the members.
MIRANDA: If this is a cult, it‘s the best cult I ever seen. It‘s a nice cult. I‘m proud to lead a cult like this because I‘m teaching the truth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCARBOROUGH: Proud to teach a cult like that? Well, it certainly looks like a cult to me. I mean, the guy is obviously dangerous. And he claims to be Jesus Christ, but anybody that read through the Bible at all growing up knows that Jesus himself said that when he came back, he wouldn‘t come back walking on earth but he would come in the clouds. I thank guy‘s got his head in the clouds, and unfortunately, he‘s exploiting a lot of poor, innocent people. And it certainly smells like Jim Jones and Jamestown to me. […]
This is an extract of the relevant content of the complete script as posted by MSNBC on Aug 29 2006 for the show which aired Aug 25 2006
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