Oprah Winfrey - Friend or Foe
By Marie Perkins
She has an award winning show that is
viewed by millions daily who hang on her every word and eagerly accept her
opinions as gospel truth. Her deception is not overt evil that is easily
recognized. She is being used by Satan and probably doesn't even know it herself
".
I recently received an e-mail from a reader that questioned why I included Oprah
Winfrey in my last article on the "New Televangelist". I started to simply reply
to him with my answer and leave it there, but I believe God prompted me to
expand my response into another article for all to read.
Let me preface my response by saying that I am not Oprah bashing. I watched
Oprah faithfully daily for several years when her show first came on. She seemed
to be very sincere with her guest and her values appeared to be somewhat
traditional. She was very entertaining and her topics, though at times
sensational, were not spiritual in essence. I liked her personality and honestly
enjoyed her show, as a matter of fact , I even learned some things as a result
of her show. Unfortunately, as the years went by, her show changed. The changes
were small and insignificant at first, but as she grew in popularity and
influence, she adopted what seemed to me to be almost a campaign. And that was
when I became very cautious in my viewing of her show. Now I seldom watch and
often change the channel for something more interesting.
Now, to continue in response to my e-mail question. As I'm sure everyone knows,
Oprah is an extremely powerful woman. She has the number one talk show on
television today. This means she is not only viewed by millions daily, but she
is also respected and listened to by millions daily. Her show has received
numerous Emmy awards, which is something that does not go without notice.
Oprah has a voice that is heard! I recently heard a radio broadcaster say that
the literary world is suffering in the respect of many gifted authors going
unread because book lovers are reading exclusively only books that have been
recommended by Oprah's Book Club. Now you know, when one woman can tell people
what to read and they do it without question, that's power! Her power has not
only influenced the literary world. You may remember the lawsuit, in the recent
past, with the meat industry. All she did was to voice her opinion in passing
remarks of her concern about "mad cow disease" and the safety of meat, and it
rocked the industry in such depth that it caused them to sue her for defamation.
She has such an incredible ability to capture her viewers trust that they follow
her lead instantly and loyally. It's a prime example of the blind leading the
blind .. Matt. 15:14
When her show began to change from the typical rating boosting sensationalistic
topics to those of self -help and personal discovery, the more she began to deal
with topics of a spiritual nature. She talked frequently about her new-found
spirituality. She shared about her discovery of "God", which she also refers to
as her "higher power". She has also said that God can be either male or female.
She now has a daily segment at the end of her show called "Finding Your Spirit".
This segment is purely humanistic. It focuses primarily on the good deeds of
people and the effect thy have in making the world a better place.
Oprah's new discovery is nothing more than new age
philosophy being marketed by one of the most accepted and powerful women in
America. She has a recurring guest on her show named Iyanla Vanzant. This woman
claims to be a spiritual counselor and a Yoruba priestess. She is so flaky that,
except for her poisonous ramblings, she's almost comical. And because she has
the endorsement of Oprah Winfrey, she has the ear of the world. So consequently,
her "flaky gospel" packaged so beautifully in her books is being spread and
believed by millions. Ms. Iyanla Vanzant is not the only spiritual author she
admires and promotes. Toni Morrison, who authored several books recommended by
Oprah's Book Club is another author that she holds in high regard. In fact, Oprah
spent 10 years and who knows how much money to bring one of Toni Morrison's
books to the wide screen. That movie was "Beloved," starring and produced by
Oprah and also starring Danny Glover. After all the money and years was spent
and the star power and hype, the movie opened as a box office flop. I heard one
movie critic comment after seeing it, "what the heck was that?" Obviously, I
didn't bother seeing it, but apparently it had something to do with a dead child
returning to visit her mother and all kinds of other oddities. But the point in
mentioning her movie is to point out her perception of importance. Of all the
worthwhile and uplifting subjects that have been written about, she chose the
book "Beloved" to throw millions of dollars at to make into a movie. But when
you have a name and money, you can make things happens and such is so with Oprah
Winfrey.
It is because of her fame, popularity, influence, money, charisma, and eloquent
speech that I consider her foe rather than friend. I believe most people still
view her as "the girl next door that made it big," but she's much more than that
now. She has an award winning show that is viewed by millions daily who hang on
her every word and eagerly accept her opinions as gospel truth.
Her deception is
not overt evil that is easily recognized. She is being used by Satan and
probably doesn't even know it herself. I believe she sincerely thinks that her
show is performing a helpful service. Some of you readers may think the same
thing. You may argue that she is so likeable and easy to talk to. She is kind,
generous, and concerned for mankind. She's a promoter of goodwill and a friend
to everyone including homosexuals. She celebrates liberty and the right for
everyone to express their individuality and uniqueness. How can all this be
dangerous? Well consider this. The word of God says that Satan transforms
himself into an Angel of light.
"And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light." 2
Corinthians 11:14
The Bible also warns us that in the last days many people will be deceived by a
form of godliness that creeps into houses.
"Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women
laden with sins, led away with divers lusts," 2 Timthoy 3:5-6.
It is not blatant evil that causes the masses to go into error. Any sane person
will avoid evil when it is in obvious view. It's what you don't see that hurts
you. Just like the harmful thorn that is often hidden behind the splendid beauty
of a rose.
I am not an Oprah basher. It is not my desire or agenda to get her show off the
air. This is simply my response to a question that I've been asked. In fact, I
pray for Oprah. I pray that in her search for God that she will return to her
Christian roots and rediscover the true God that she was familiar with as a
child. My only desire is to fulfill gods call to share the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. But along with sharing the Gospel comes the task of exposing what is
contrary to that Gospel.
Oprah's TV show fall's into the category of things to avoid.
We as Christians need to be very careful to keep our Spirits pure. We cannot
view everything that comes across the television airways. In order to live
victorious Christian lives, we must be selective and led by the Spirit of God in
all aspects of our lives. I encourage you to pray daily and to allow Jesus to be
the Lord of your life and look to Him to guide you into paths of righteousness.
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