Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up?

Over the years there have been many claims by many men to be the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The waters have been fairly calm, until recently when a Reverend in Miami has decided to stake this claim. The Rev. Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda preaches to the Growing in Grace Ministry in Miami, Florida. He boasts to having approximately 100,000 flock member in the United States and Latin America.

According to the Associated Press, the good Reverend also has 335 education centers, 200 pastors, 287 radio programs, and a 24-hour Spanish language TV network that reaches approximately 2-million homes.

"I am the Second Coming of Christ, that messiah they've been waiting for," de Jesus has said.

Just last month, the Reverend was in the news when some of the parishioners in Miami, Florida decided to go to a local tattoo parlor and brand themselves with a '666". Normally, the symbol of "666" is seen in the Book of Revelation as the sign of the Antichrist. However, the Reverend and his followers have adopted the set of numbers as their connection to a "new gospel". This new gospel is supposedly one without Satan or sin.

The Reverend had recently preached on the subject of the Antichrist stating the all Growing in Grace members are Antichrists since they "reject mainstream Christianity's lies and promotion of guilt".

The good Reverend, who is a former heroin addict, displays expensive jewelry, clothing, and cars while some of the members of the church give up to half of their earning to "Jesus". Most of the members of his flock are Hispanic and some think the Reverend is using his heritage to take advantage of these people.

So how does something like this happen? "People are credulous," said the Rev. Lowell Streiker, a California-based United Church of Christ minister.

Streiker, who has counseled cult members and their families, has also counseled former member of the People's Temple. They were a famous church in 1978 that was comprised of numerous members and lead by the Reverend Jim Jones. Jones, who was big into drugs, performed a mass murder/suicide in South America in 78, thus claiming the lives of approximately 900 parishioners.