The president of Oral Roberts University, which sits in the heart of America’s Bible Belt in Oklahoma, is accused of using donors’ money to buy his wife expensive cars, fund private jet trips for his daughter, remodel his home and maintain a stable of horses for his children.
The wife of Richard Roberts is also accused of sending hundreds of text messages to “underage males” who had been provided with university-issued mobile phones, and spending tens of thousands of dollars on clothes with university funds.
Three professors claim that they were dismissed after reporting the university’s allegedly illegal involvement in a political campaign.
The professors claim that they were dismissed after they turned over to the board of regents a copy of a report detailing moral and financial abuses by Mr Roberts and his family. The document…detailed dozens of alleged instances of misconduct. Mrs Roberts was given a red Mercedes convertible and sports utility vehicle at donors’ expense. The Roberts’s home, according to the document, has been refurbished 11 times in 14 years. Mrs Roberts spent more than $39,000 at a Chico’s clothing shop in less than a year, and had other accounts in California and Texas. According to the document, she also repeatedly said: “As long as I wear it once on TV, we can charge it off”.
Lots more details in the article. I especially like the part about Mrs. Roberts texting male students between 1AM and 3AM. Does she have some special insomnia they helped her to cure?
#24 – Hey! See me waving over here? I’m over here on the track. How did you get spun all the way out there in the field?
I’m talking about the difference between being spoon fed and weighing the information and coming to faith on your own steam… I didn’t say anyone needed to invent their own religion… There are too many already anyway.
>>I’m okay with it. If you just believe in Magic Skyman because Mom
>>and Dad drilled it into you then, well, whatever… you would be a
>>sheep in that case.
Oh no, OFTLO, I rejected Magic Skyman for many years for just that reason (M/D drilling). However, just like Bob Dylan, I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now. And as I got older (chronologically), I realized that Mom and Dad deserved more credit than I gave them for. They may have gotten some of the details a little off, but they were spot-on with the major points. Funny how that works.
Better hide the wimmins and chirren’s, and stay out of churches worldwide, I’m posting on a religious thread.
Lord, forgive me for I have read and replied to a religious DU article that wasn’t about His Noodly Appendages. Signed (or singed), Your rather arrogant servant, BubbaRay.
There. Now I’ve sinned for the day (but the day is still young!) OK Oral, I’ve admitted it, now pass that collection plate over here, I need some change for my $1,000,000 bill.
http://tinyurl.com/282uzl
30. Correct.
Also, the wife was sending most of the text messages between 12 am and 3 am… Gee… I wonder what those were about?
Another reason to cut back the amount being spent on universities. Those administrators are raking in the dough at these supposed “non-profits”
#11 here is a good rundown of some of these operations.
My wife & I lived in Costa Mesa, a few blocks down from where the TBN building was being “remodeled”.
The work hadn’t started when we first got there, so we got to see the “transformation” when we took our occasional evening walk to South Coast Plaza.
One night, we walked down the driveway to look into the lobby – through the floor-to-ceiling windows – and our main impression of the cherubs & columns and gold-leaf was… “tacky”.
But Tim, don’t you realize that the reason so many of these wackjobs claim some sort of angelic rectitude is so that they can turn that around into some sort of mandate to go around judging other people. That way when one of their victims says, “Shouldn’t you be worrying about that log in your eye before you pick at my splinter?” they can just say, “I don’t have a log, I am free of sin.” and bash away. But, of course, claims of infallibility have a nasty habit of being proved wrong. Really, at this point we should just tar and feather any one who makes such claims, but people are so gullible. . . . Really, why people keep crying “Christ, Christ!” when what they really want is some hypocritical Pharisee to cast stones and enforce conformity baffles me. It would be so much better if they would stop slandering Christ by doing the very actions He railed against in His name.
Every once in a while one of the old family comes to town and wants to do a Catlickers Sunday. Well I’ve learned over the years to first take a pass through the poor side of town and pick up a young boy, between 5 to 9 years old first. When I get to the service I takes the young one over to the two doored box and toss him into the side with the priest. Then I step into the other and whisper through the screen that I’ve sinned and I’m offering this young one as penitence. I usually get a big GOD BLESS YOU and I’m on my way with the sounds of sucking and mucking fading behind me
#32 – As usual Mr Cryptic, I don’t really know what you are talking about… But I like Bob Dylan, so I guess everything is groovy.
private depravity is inversely proportional to public piety
I’m sure there a lot of decent people who are going to get caught up in this scandal, which is too bad. The problem is that the biggest scam artists in the world know that religious scams are the easiest and most lucrative to pull off. Of course religious organizations aren’t the only ones running scams–look at Kofi Annan and the UN. That makes Jim Baker look like a greenhorn.
O, OFTLO. OMG, ROTFLMAO, OFTLO! I guess you don’t like Bob Dylan all THAT much, if you don’t know one of his best songs, “My Back Pages”.
http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/backpages.html
You know, from the album “Another Side of Bob Dylan”, 1964?
And that’s Simon & Garfunkle who claimed that all was “groovy”. And as Scottie can tell you, I hate 59th Street, the 59th Street Bridge Song, and everything about Noo Yawk Schitty.
#41 Big A, of course you’re right that these scandals aren’t at all unique to religious organizations. What is unique, however, is that religious organizations supposedly exist primarily for the promotion of ethical and moral values. That’s their marketing hook.
These leaders must have acquired some sort of immunity to Jesus’ transformational power. Perhaps it was something in the water (Perrier).
#41 – It is a shame how “decent” people are so gullible. Seems a fine line between gullible and stupidity.
>>Seems a fine line between gullible and stupidity.
Gullible and stupid people can be found on both sides of the pew, son, no matter how free-thinking, bohemian, hip-and-happening, nonconformist, and razor-thinking the Atheists may try to portray themselves.
Their are people who do bad things and admit it. Then their are people who hide behind their faith and do bad things.
Which do you think is worse?
>>Which do you think is worse?
About the same – at least close enough for government work.
Remark by Tim:
I am also one who sins, and have no problem admiting it.
You do, however, have some problems with spelling. To err is human, but to sin….
Musty – Still Misspeeeeeling ‘Garfunkel’ After All These Years, I see…
>>Still Misspeeeeeling ‘Garfunkel’ After All These Years, I see…
Sorry Troutster. I guess I just don’t have the same Lite Pop sensibilities as your Lady of a Certain Age.
#42 – Dude… I got the Dylan reference… It’s what you are always talking about that I don’t get.
#46 – Their are people who do bad things and admit it. Then their are people who hide behind their faith and do bad things.
Which do you think is worse?
I think the people who don’t know the difference between their, there, and they’re are the worse.
#52 – Having not caught my own error until after clicking the “say it” button, I’ll just sit back and wait for my lumps to arrive 🙁
#53, The OFTLOLOL!… Then again no one else may notice it.
#45 no matter how free-thinking, bohemian, hip-and-happening, nonconformist, and razor-thinking the Atheists may try to portray themselves.
Muster, it seems to me that you are trying to portray yourself in that very way, you neochristian you. 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
“Accused … ” “Claim …” Anyone can lodge an accusation. Especially when they have an agenda … much like the agenda of “dvorak.org/blog”
Post something with you have … oh, gee, I don’t know … E.V.I.D.E.N.C.E.
Otherwise, this is just more antiChristian hate speech.
#56 – Oh yes… and the nation is just so rife with all this anti-Christian hate speech…
Why I can’t even turn on the TV or look at a car bumper anymore without some crackpot talking an endless stream of smack about how much they hate Christians…
And who will stick up for the poor downtrodden Christians? It’s a shame they can’t get a Christian into a high profile public office, but it will never happen as long as Christians remain such a tiny little insignificant minority in this godless nation of heathens.
>>I got the Dylan reference… It’s what you are always
>>talking about that I don’t get.
Well gosh, I guess you don’t “get” the song. iow, OFTLO, wtf RU talking about? Read the goddamned lyrics. If that doesn’t work, I’ll ee if I can find a “Dylan For Dummies” book for ya.
>>Muster, it seems to me that you are trying to portray yourself in
>>that very way, you neochristian you.
I may try to portray myself that way, but at least I have the dignity and self-respect not to use those actual words.
The only thing more pathetic than people who describe themselves as free-thinking, bohemian, hip-and-happening, nonconformist, and razor-thinking are the ones who repeatedly mention how “smart” and “logical” they are. Jesus. That’s just sad.
#56 – Warning!!! Irony overdose possible when reading your statement!
Oh the irony!
A religious person requiring evidence of a fact in order to prove a point.
Hey, the information was printed right here, and it comes from unquestionable sources that we believe in, so it has to be true. How is that for evidence… at least evidence on the par with religious’ people evidence for their arguments. We can’t show you the evidence, but we know it is true, because be believe it to be true.
We at Dvorak.org/blog believe it, therefore it is so! And if you don’t believe it also, well you will suffer incredible punishment when the time comes that you must justify your disbelief.