US megachurch co-pastor Victoria Osteen accused of idolatry

(Photo: REUTERS / Kevin Lamarque)Joel Osteen, best-selling author and pastor of Lakewood Church in Texas, and his wife Victoria attend an Easter prayer breakfast hosted by U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House in Washington April 6, 2010.

A video has gone viral after the wife of megachurch Pastor Joel Osteen  statements on worship and pleasing God in an undated sermon that was widely questioned.

Victoria Osteen told Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas that worship is about making us happy more than it's about pleasing God, Christian Today reported Friday. The sermon was carried on You Tube.

Osteen ended her statement saying, "So I just want to encourage every one of us to realize when we obey God, we're not doing it for God - I mean, that's one way to look at it,

"We're doing it for ourselves, because God takes pleasure when we're happy."

Osteen is the author of the book Love Your Life, and is co-pastor at Lakewood Church. Her husband Joel is a famous televangelist and is known for his motivational speeches and books Your Best Life Now and It's Your Time.

The controversial 36-second video clip reaped various reactions from Christians in many places. Some commented that her statements are idolatrous.

Pastor Steve Camp of The Cross Church in Palm City, Florida told Christian News Network he felt sad seeing the video but he was not surprised at her remarks.

He said that Osteen's statements were humanistic in nature and contrary to scripture.

"It's the age old sin of idolatry - that it's not about God, it's about us," he said. "True worship for the humanist is about how we feel at the end of the day and what gives us meaning, as opposed to what gives God glory."

He also said that Osteen's words were essentially blasphemous.

Camp said that if Joel Osteen is to encourage Victoria, he should call her to repent.

"Repent of this self-oriented, feel good gospel you've embraced, and don't let your life be of any value to you or precious to yourself," he said.

Blogger Erick Erickson tweeted a clip from the 1995 movie "Billie Madison" to convey his opinion about the controversy.

"What you've just said is one of the most insanely, idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent, response, were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought."

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