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Business: What Would Jesus Buy?

In a new documentary about his annual crusade, 'Reverend' Billy Talen preaches the gospel of his Church of Stop Shopping.

By Brian Braiker | Newsweek Web Exclusive
Nov 21, 2007 | Updated: 2:07  p.m. ET Nov 21, 2007

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  • Posted By: nawawimohamad @ 12/18/2007 5:18:27 AM

    Comment: There is nothing wrong in buying and giving presents if one can afford it, but let it be something really useful and not wasteful. However I do agree with Billy Talen that he should continue the Stop Shopping campaign to put some sense into peoples' mind. I fully support him. Yes, the best gifts would be not in a material form but rather spiritual which is much lacking and much needed now. Give something spiritual, it costs nothing, it is lasting and cannot be simply thrown away. Put the extra money into your child's savings or make early settlements on your debts, which will be beneficial in the long run both for you and the overall economy.

  • Posted By: morgan8807 @ 12/01/2007 10:08:38 PM

    Comment: I'm sorry, but I just can't see why people would make this about religion. That's like not donating to the Salvation Army becuase they're mainly funded by Christians. Get real, man! This guy, 'Reverend' Billy Talen, makes a good point, in that we are literally consumed by our desire to have more. I remember not so long ago when all we could do is get by, and to do so, we worked, and we worked hard. What if we went back to that, where we didn't have a surplus in one area but instead sent our excess things to people who actually needed them, thus saving us money, and balancing out what we want with what we need? Seems to me it would help all parties involved. As for him being a Christian... well, he's more of a Christian then most.

  • Posted By: mythought @ 11/29/2007 3:41:07 PM

    Comment: Christians celebrate the birth of Christ during Christmas. Every Christmas I say to my family that the Lord must be very sad in deed. His word tells us to owe no man. I will celbrate the birth of my Savior but I will not and have not for many years bought a Christmas present with a credit card. Jesus paid it all on Calvary and offers Salvation as a gift to all who accepts. What would Jesus buy? He bought your salvation on the Cross of Calvary. Now at Christmas will you accept his selfless gift?

  • Posted By: William.Demuth @ 11/27/2007 12:46:35 PM

    Comment: All one need do is see what the leaders of his so called churches are buying, which is our government. As far as what Jesus or his disciples are selling, it is now no different than it has ever been. It is as the quote says, "the opiate of the people" and I assure you all, you must be stoned to be buying a word of it! Perhaps if you all REALLY REALLY believe, Jesus might bring you a nice Armageddon for Christmas. If not, rest assured your half brothers the Muslims will.

  • Posted By: jason.cleaver @ 11/26/2007 4:22:23 PM

    Comment: You have to remember that our compulsive spending habits are whats keeping the economy together. I mean if we stop now abruptly the whole world would be in turmoil. I mean its simply supply and demand if nobody wants to buy all that crap with their credit then in turn your job won't be in demand so if you don't have a job then you can't pay your bills and when this happens on a mass scale that's when banks go bankrupt and the fed can only try to inflate the money supply which would just make everything worse, because that means they just made more debt for the american people, debt on top of debt with interest on top of interest and you know who's going to pay for that debt, our kids. You might ask your self what a child born into a debt society can offer, well lifelong labor and there freedoms. So pretty much there is a way bigger problem than people just buying everything on credit which is funny because our actual american dollar is credit. So I would say we need to start there that's the problem stop letting some private organization ( Federal Reserve) control our damn economy! Which sells our debt to hostile foreign countries like china. This is like white-collar terroism and everyone is just ok with it because they don't see it and they don't understand it because they are to busy buying there crap to make themselves feel better. You wanna feel better... workout. I don't know I'm just pissed.... give to jesus or whatever the hell you believe in, and I got to say at least this clown is trying?

  • Posted By: midwest_prudence @ 11/25/2007 9:18:41 PM

    Comment: Live on less than you make, and save the difference. Pay cash for gifts. Too many people think that happiness equals "stuff". Influenced by businesses and banks to buy now and pay later, americans think that debt is the only way. It is not. Thank goodness for Dave Ramsey.

  • Posted By: smitgeo @ 11/25/2007 7:16:48 PM

    Comment: I found it interesting that a liberal rag such as Newsweek would dare have an ad for VISA credit cards play before one of its obvious liberal agenda, anti- capitalist ,, anti-god, supporting stories. Karl marx is spinning in his grave!

  • Posted By: robsonanjo @ 11/25/2007 8:50:38 AM

    Comment: I only would like get a Playstation 3 such as a Gift ! =)

    Regards,
    Robson dos Anjos - Brazil

  • Posted By: deanbean @ 11/24/2007 7:30:06 PM

    Comment: Revererend Billy misses the point of why Jesus was born. He was born to live and die on a cross, be raised from the dead all to save those who by faith believe in Him. That's what the Bible says.

  • Posted By: merlin50 @ 11/24/2007 7:03:41 PM

    Comment: The best gift I ever recieved was not bought in a store. It was a hug. I was serving on a US navy destroyer the USS Caron. The Caron was named after Wayne Caron, a corpman who served with the Marines during Vietnam. He lost his life saving several Marines while under fire and was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumanously. One day we we having a depandants cruise and his mother was on board. I was standing watch in dress uniform when she came up to me and asked me if I knew who she was. I told her I wasn't sure and before she told me she caught by surprise and gave me a big hug. I was completely speechless for a few moments, knowing she saw her lost son in me and my fellow shipmates. It was greatest, most heartfelt sincere complement anyone has ever given me.
    That it is what gift giving should be about.

  • Posted By: wenoti @ 11/24/2007 5:48:10 PM

    Comment: Right on Churchman, right on!!!

  • Posted By: wenoti @ 11/24/2007 5:47:13 PM

    Comment: Right on Churchman, right on!
    Merry Xmas,
    Bob

  • Posted By: coolcat1937 @ 11/24/2007 12:48:48 PM

    Comment: I agree, however, I really look forward to Christmas Day and the good food, family, fun, and friends. Going to church and hearing a good talk. We have a wonderful pastor, Ron Fleming. He makes things interesting. I also like a few presents.

  • Posted By: sbobgal @ 11/24/2007 12:48:22 PM

    Comment: This was just from today regarding shopping at the big retailers/malls. Oh I just loved hearing them compete on the television dropping their opening hours from 6 down to 5 4 3 2 1 AM - and people were there! It is mostly a big rip off, ugly leather coats (yuck poor cows) and webkins that you can buy at the local gift shop for about a dollar cheaper than the so called black friday prices - good name for it black like peopels hearts that run over each other for the newest thing a ma job sorry I am just disgusted - then they ride your tail and cut you off on the road whenever you try to drive somewhere with your kids oh well who cares right

    • Posted By: Lynnlynn @ 11/24/2007 16:47:55

      Comment: i agree that shopping has gotten out of hand, however, i do not believe people's hearts are black. Just the opposite, I believe they are living out a fantasy of making everyone they know happy. And, I have to agree, shopping may be the wrong way to express christmas cheer, but a good deed should not be maligned.

      • Posted By: LadyHowdy @ 11/25/2007 09:36:03

        Comment: The road to (a certain place you all know) is paved with good intentions. Living out a fantasy is no good deed when it comes at such great expense of evil: at the expense of little children's lives in developing countries, at the expense of the sustainability of our planet, and all too often at the expense of being able to afford to pay the mortgage. Perhaps there would be fewer foreclosures without this illusion of generosity?

  • Posted By: coolcat1937 @ 11/24/2007 12:44:19 PM

    Comment: I agree to much is spent on things such as toys the kids will soon abandon. Food and clothes we can do without. Why not just enjoy the gift of life and family, friends and a wonderful country. I still look forward to a present just the same.

  • Posted By: sbobgal @ 11/24/2007 12:41:36 PM

    Comment: ???They pushed everybody and, oh, it was bad ??? people were fighting each other,??? said Christiana Doroteo, who was caught in the mob. ???There was a pregnant lady, and they pushed her. Then somebody got in fights over the kids, pushing the kids. They pushed me into the door.???

    THIS IS WHY I AVOID BIG RETAILERS - EAT VEGETARIAN - SPURN CORP CHILD KILLING GREEM MONGERS REVEREND BILLY ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • Posted By: hoopes_az @ 11/26/2007 17:11:45

      Comment: Huh?

  • Posted By: wingnut! @ 11/24/2007 12:29:26 PM

    Comment: Great idea, but in moderation. The 3 Kings looked far from their own countries and gave gifts to a family displaced and in need. So can we. And What about tithing? Shopping at a family-owned business struggling to compete? Buying "Green"?Shopping Free Trade?

  • Posted By: jackmackmax @ 11/24/2007 11:44:20 AM

    Comment: Jesus doesn't buy anything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. He sells eternl ife, to people who re poor and sick. He no does t from his grave. What a ales man.

  • Posted By: 94wildcat @ 11/24/2007 10:34:07 AM

    Comment: home for the entire year: Your post wasn't funny the first time, and it doesn't make sense the second time. please do stay home for the entire year!

    • Posted By: hoopes_az @ 11/26/2007 17:13:44

      Comment: I don't think he was trying to be offensive. Why are you chosing to take offense?

  • Posted By: home for the entire year @ 11/24/2007 1:10:06 AM

    Comment: in the bible the verse is

    and they were all in one accord Jesus would buy a Honda

  • Posted By: home for the entire year @ 11/24/2007 1:08:14 AM

    Comment: in the bible it says jesus said they were all in one accord he would buy a honda

  • Posted By: average_American @ 11/23/2007 4:55:30 PM

    Comment: I like seeing people shop, it's the fundamental 'engine' of our economy and indeed our very society churning away. I say this because while wholesalers or "CorpCo" has already done most of it's business before the holiday shopping season, the lower level retailers who provide the most direct picture of a person to person interface to the economy do a disproportionate amount of their business at this time of year. Since any comment posted on this board is at worst purely subjective and at best mostly subjective I'll say that without Americans going out and buying all that 'stuff' each year "the average American" would be scrambling even harder to stay afloat because it would be less likely he or she would have a job and would therefore be able to buy the 'things' that provide other "average Americans" with jobs, and so on and so on.

    To the blackburnjay I ask: you provide a subjective but apt picture of the consumption of this country, however you provide no alternative means by which to combat this ever growing need for consumption and greed. Perhaps to stop filling up our landfills we should all use electric hand dryers in public restrooms where there is a choice between paper or hot air? The only dilemma is which is worse, adding more garbage to a landfill or the amount of pollutants and greenhouse gas pumped into the atmosphere to provide the electricity for you to dry your hands. I say wipe your hands on your pants, afterall that's the most environmentally friendly thing to do, yet no one does it, why? Perhaps it is because your pants are dirty and you'll be putting right back on to your hands exactly what you were trying to remove in the first place. I digress but for a good reason, nothing any decision any individual makes it without consequence. It is our ability to forsee and mitigate the impact our decisions have on one another as human beings. So I say keep buying because to me, happiness and good will towards others is more important to me in this short life we have than all the extra 'stuff' I have filling my closet and garage.

    • Posted By: maneater @ 11/24/2007 14:54:19

      Comment: Man, that's a lot of words, but I have no idea what you're trying to say.

    • Posted By: maneater @ 11/24/2007 14:53:26

      Comment: Man, that's a lot of words but I have no idea what you're talking about.

  • Posted By: stevem64 @ 11/23/2007 4:43:12 PM

    Comment: "Stop shopping" is the video. ...But the advertisement that precedes the video is for a credit card.

    • Posted By: home for the entire year @ 11/24/2007 01:08:51

      Comment: in the bible the verse is and they were all in one accord Jesus would buy a Honda

  • Posted By: blackburnjay@hotmail.com @ 11/22/2007 6:17:59 PM

    Comment: Never heard of Rev. Billy but I sure like his work. This country is mesmerized by shiny, disposable junk that arrives by the container load and which is filling storage units, garages and landfills across America. Anybody seen the new "Living Good" product ads which urge the reader to ditch/destroy their perfectly good appliances so they can spend again on "Living Good" appliances which might be superior to what they've got and which "Living Good" would certainly like to sell. Keep buying. Keep tossing. If America stands for anything these days it's debt. Corporations pay their CEO's millions even when they screw up and the average American scrambles to stay afloat. Keep buying America. CorpCo adores your addictions.

 
 
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