Miami pastor sports '666' tattoo; claims to be Antichrist, 'the best person in the world'

Previously posted on Feb. 19. Moved back to the top to reflect the 4/19/07 update.

Just what we need, another reincarnation of Jesus Christ.

And of course, like the Original, this one is pissing off other religious leaders. He's already being compared to Jim Jones and David Koresh, though no one's drinking Kool-Aid® or marrying eleven-year olds quite yet.

Not only does Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda, or "Daddy" as his thousands of followers call him, sport a "666" tattoo, he claims to be God.

"The spirit that is in me is the same spirit that was in Jesus of Nazareth," de Jesus says.

The "mark of the devil" and a God-complex.... Ah, the Pharisees and Sadduces, the Catholics and the Baptists will all have a field day with this man. Already branded as a "cult-leader" by cult experts Rick Ross and Prof. Daniel Alvarez, de Jesus is poised to soon become famous. He has appeared on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 [watch video on YouTube] recently, and NBC's Today Show (where he referred to himself as "Jesus Christ Man") several months ago. CNN published yet another article about him today.

De Jesus is proud of his 666 tattoo, saying not only has the Anti-Christ been misunderstood, but that he is the Anti-Christ. The Antichrist is not the devil, de Jesus tells his congregation; he's the being who replaces Jesus on Earth.

"Antichrist is the best person in the world," he says. "Antichrist means don't put your eyes on Jesus because Jesus of Nazareth wasn't a Christian. Antichrist means do not put your eyes on Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Put it on Jesus after the cross."

Apparently his particular "vision" is working. He was born poor in Puerto Rico 61 years ago, has survived prisons stints for petty theft, and is a former heroin addict. His church, which boasts "thousands of members in more than 30 countries," pays him a $136,000 per year salary. He sports Rolex watches and drives BMWs and Lexuses, which he says are gifts from members. He formed the group "Growing in Grace" in the 1980s, after his 1973 epiphany in which the resurrected Christ "integrated himself within me."

His church members love him. Last week, 30 of them gathered in Miami to go en masse to a tattoo parlor to get their very own "666" tats.

UPDATE Thurs., April 19: The Central American nations of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras have banned Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda from entering their countries. Miranda was scheduled to be in Guatemala on April 21 and 22 to celebrate his 61st birthday with his followers. Thanks to Jennifer Emick at altreligion.about.com for the heads-up on this update.

Jesus Christ | Christian | Christianity | Growing in Grace | Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda | Born Jesus

I saw Jesus in the sky!

You'd think if Jesus wanted His name painted across the sky He would do it Himself.

But since He hasn't, Jerry Stevens of Holy Smoke, Inc., of south central Florida, is doing it for Him.

This photo was taken by a blogger at Distant Creations who was visiting Disney World recently. There was a smiley face, too, that he said didn't fit into the camera frame. Commenters at his blog say that ol' Jerry is up there most every weekend — so often that locals pay him no attention — burning gas for God.

You can probably hire Jerry to annoy the pagans and granfalloon the Christians at Disney World or other Florida attractions during your vacation by visiting his website. There's also a link there that, according to its title, you can click on to "accept God's Love."

Sources: Distant Creations and BoingBoing

Jesus Christ | Christian | Christianity | Skywriting | Disney World | Born Jesus

Rev. Ron Saunders channels Jesus!

A city manager for Largo, Florida recently came out of the closet and announced he was planning to have a sex change operation, the Sun-Sentinel reported.

The town held a hearing with plans to fire Steve (soon to be Susan) Stanton from the job he had held for 14 years.

As you might expect, the council voted to fire him.

Townspeople packed the city hall for the meeting.

"If Jesus was here tonight, I can guarantee you he'd want him terminated," said Pastor Ron Saunders of Largo's Lighthouse Baptist Church. "Make no mistake about it."

Who died and made him Jesus' spokesman?

Not content just to show his supernatural ability to channel Jesus, Saunders, who is the pastor of a church with thirty — count 'em, thirty! — members showed his knowledge of biology and psychology by adding, "He's not going to be a man, and he's not going to be a female. He's going to be an 'it.' It's going to be the most sorrowful decision he has ever made."

Stanton is married, with a 13-year-old son. He says he's wanted to be a woman ever since he was a child.

Image: A very feminine-looking Jesus tiptoeing across the Sea of Galilee

Additional links:
Video of Stanton's speech to the council, from the St. Petersburg Times
The Florida Masochist
Sticks of Fire
Alien Intelligencer
The Delightful Yank
Blurbex
Pushing Rope

Jesus Christ | Christian | Christianity | Rev. Ron Saunders | Steve Stanton | Born Jesus

What bank would Jesus use?

A 21-year old man was arrested Monday after he tried to cash a check for $50,000 at the Chase Bank in Hobart that was signed "King Savior, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Servant," the AP reported.

Kevin Russell had several other checks with him that were signed the same way but made out in different dollar amounts, including one for $100,000.

He was charged with one count of attempted check fraud and one count of intimidation, both felonies, and one count of resisting law enforcement, a misdemeanor.

Jesus Christ | Christian | Christianity | Crime | Really Stupid People | Born Jesus