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rsine69
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Another cult alert.
March 6, 2007— A few weeks ago, in a tattoo parlor in the hip art deco district of Miami Beach, people were lining up to get "666" tattooed on their bodies, and then smiling through their pain. But these are not devil worshipers. They see themselves as devout followers of Jesus Christ. But the major difference that separates them from other Christians around the world is that the Jesus Christ they worship is alive and well — and living in the suburbs of Houston.
These people belong to a new movement devoted to a man who calls himself the Second Coming of Jesus, and also claims the title of Antichrist, which to him is the next incarnation of Jesus on earth, not an evil being. To show their devotion, some followers ink themselves with "666." One follower said, "I just want to make sure it's visible, that everyone knows my life belongs to the man." Another said, "I want everyone to know I'm one of the antichrists."
They and others like them are fervently devoted, some say fanatically, to a 60-year-old Puerto Rican whose legal name, to his pleasure, is Jose de Jesus, or "Jose of Jesus." He counts followers in more than 30 countries; some say they total more than a million. But where does this man, who claims to be God, live? Not where you might expect: He resides with his wife in a suburban community just outside Houston.
The Birth of 'Jesus'
When asked to explain who he is, de Jesus responds: "Jesus Christ, man, the second manifestation, the Second Coming of Christ." He acknowledges that "it bothers a lot of people" that he calls himself Jesus.
De Jesus' beginning was anything but grand. Born in Puerto Rico, de Jesus grew up poor, living in government housing. He stole for a living to pay for his teenage heroin addiction and admits to eight felony charges that put him behind bars for nine months.
Like many, de Jesus says he was born again in prison. From there he moved to the United States, where he became involved in church youth groups, and eventually a minister in Boston. But it was a vision, de Jesus says, that turned him from man of God to being God.
Continued
Last revised by rsine69, 3/25/2007, 4:30 pm
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3/25/2007, 4:18 pm
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rsine69
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Re: Another cult alert.
"The same spirit that was in Jesus of Nazareth, and the same spirit is in me. He came to me. He [integrated] with my person in 1973." de Jesus says this happened when two angels came to him in a vision, and while he admits there's no real way for him to prove that he's Christ, he says his followers aren't asking for proof.
"So you tell the millions of followers I have that … this guy is a liar. You know what are they going to say? Is that I prefer his lies than what religion gave me. I prefer, see because when they believe in what I teach, they activate angels in their life."
His followers do seem happy. They greet him with mariachi bands at airports and often collapse in tears when they see him preach. But when he speaks to them, it is without theatrics. No holy rolling, no healing — it's a pretty straightforward lesson in the fundamentals of what he believes. And it's an upbeat, no-fault, sin-free message. This self-proclaimed Jesus does not believe in sin, hell, the devil or damnation of any kind.
"Before the presence of God, there's no more sin," he says. And with no sin, de Jesus teaches his followers, there's no devil and no need for prayer, because after Jesus of Nazareth died and was resurrected, one can literally do no wrong in God's eyes.
De Jesus says things like murder and theft are crimes, but not sins, and that people are punished for these crimes on earth. "Heaven doesn't have anything to do with your behavior," he says.
And de Jesus practices what he preaches: He loves women and has been married twice. He smokes cigarettes and while enjoying a glass of scotch, he says, "Jesus drank wine because he didn't have Dewar's."
De Jesus doesn't mind that his ministry often gathers in the corner tavern. "Like my former, Jesus of Nazareth, he used to go to places like this and the religious people, they used to criticize him. … I'm just doing the same kind of thing."
But he does draw the line: no drugs, and he says no getting drunk.
Continued
Last revised by rsine69, 3/25/2007, 4:32 pm
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3/25/2007, 4:23 pm
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rsine69
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Re: Another cult alert.
"Jesus never got drunk and I never get drunk. I enjoy life. I enjoy everything that I do."
De Jesus has come a long way from Puerto Rico, and those rough times. Today his believers give money freely. And where does all the money go? Joane de Jesus, the daughter of the man called Jesus, is the official accountant for the ministry. She says, "What you see as luxuries are gifts that members have given him. They're just very grateful, and they want to give him gifts."
There are no rules in de Jesus' church. Anything goes when you follow "Jesus of Suburbia." But he is serious about being the Second Coming of Christ. And along with his followers, he also has many detractors. Some who think he's the devil incarnate and others who think he's just a charlatan and a con man. One of the things that makes him so hated, so controversial, is that he preaches the Catholic Church is evil, and his followers burn pictures of the pope and hold protests outside churches.
And what about the children who grow up in his movement believing that Jesus is alive and well? He calls them the "super raza" or the super race, because they are being brought up pure and with no stain of false religion on them.
The de Jesus ministry is growing, with big followings in Venezuela, Columbia, even Cuba, and the man who believes he is the Second Coming of Christ is now turning his attention to America.
"Miami is the bridge for all nations," he said. "That's where Hispanics are, and then eventually I'm going to find a lot of beautiful English-speaking people who will want to believe in me and I'm going to have millions of them."
Associate Producer Caroline Borge contributed to this report.
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3/25/2007, 4:26 pm
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Lesigner Girl
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Re: Another cult alert.
...eventually I'm going to find a lot of beautiful English-speaking people who will want to believe in me and I'm going to have millions of them."
And millions of dollars. 
Oh well, at least he isn't prompting anyone to kill their baby because they think they're possessed, and he doesn't appear to be using fear as a device to gain followers, which is more than I can say for some of the more "mainstream" preachers. 
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3/25/2007, 4:37 pm
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rsine69
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Re: Another cult alert.
Sadly this dosen't surprise me that people follow this con man. From Charles Manson to Jim Jones to David Koresh, this is nothing new and I'm sure there will be more scam artists out there just like him and enough people stupid enough to follow.
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3/25/2007, 5:01 pm
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OrbitusVode
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Re: Another cult alert.
Wait, what's the problem here? What's wrong with this picture?
Firstly, the guy has no understanding of the world or its processes so we know he's not the Christ, who was a stunning intellectual and socialist revolutionary. But that doesn't exclude him from serenity, and he does have nice ideas, such as the nonexistence of sin, however misguided their origins.
It's too bad people must follow him, but I'm happy to see the concept of Evil being debunked in any fashion at all, and symbols like 666 being cleaned up. Simple-minded people sent the Christ gifts the same way they're sending Jose de Jesus gifts, and I'm comfortable with that, too.
But this does bring up an interesting topic. Christ was a mortal human, and not divine. This means that particular soul is just as capable of reincarnating as the rest of us, so yeah, she/he's out there somewhere.
---
...this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin van-guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition...
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3/25/2007, 6:41 pm
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toxiczen
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Re: Another cult alert.
i think were ALL divine, and i think that is what Christ was really saying.
---
"Love is the strongest force the world possesses, yet! it is the humblest imaginable."
~Gandhi
"it is easier to tell the truth: you don't have to remember anything"
~Mark Twain
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3/25/2007, 7:29 pm
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Dorotea
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Re: Another cult alert.
No comment.
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3/26/2007, 8:27 am
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toxiczen
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Re: Another cult alert.
"no comment" is a comment!
---
"Love is the strongest force the world possesses, yet! it is the humblest imaginable."
~Gandhi
"it is easier to tell the truth: you don't have to remember anything"
~Mark Twain
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3/26/2007, 12:01 pm
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OrbitusVode
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Re: Another cult alert.
And that should be an inevitable conclusion, my friend. And while Jose de Jesus misses that point, at least he's a positive influence, and a good reminder that yes, Christ drank, and took life easy, and talked to people in person without sounding self-righteous and ominous like his priests do. He was just a guy with great ideas.
And ideas are bulletproof, heh heh. 
---
...this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin van-guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition...
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3/28/2007, 7:36 am
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