OMG did that bring back a bad memory. Back story my mom died in 1972, my dad remarried 6 months later. I was 4th of six children, oldest at home, I had two younger sisters, and we had moved to Lincoln, NE so this must have been about 1976. Stepwitch never had kids and was not religious. She told me when you're dead just just rot, no heaven or hell. I was nominally religious and mostly ignored her. BG Crusade is on TV and she is into it!! She is weeping, and singing with them and hanging on every word, and talking about being saved. I OTOH disliked the BGCrusade, too showy, too over the top. Less than 48 hours later she reverted to the former evil stepwitch, until the next televangelist crusade and then repeat. I am so glad her genes did not get directly spread out into the world. She has been gone for several years now, after my dad died I made no attempt to keep in touch with her.

Let me tell you about oral Roberts and what this asshole did and got away with it.

In January 1987 Roberts told his followers that he had been having an "ongoing conversation" with God, who had threatened to "call him home" unless they stumped up $8 million by March 31 for his medical missionary programme. His son Richard followed this up by sending a birthday card to supporters, asking them to return to it to his father with a cheque: "Let's not let this be my Dad's last birthday," he wrote. At the end of January his followers were relieved to hear that Roberts had been granted a reprieve, as God had extended the deadline to the end of the year.

Sad to say, Roberts's gambit was not treated with reverence in all quarters. Las Vegas bookmakers gave odds about whether or not he would make it; an outfit called Lord (Let Oral Roberts Die) attracted followers. A Tulsa disc jockey announced he had seen a 600ft vision of Lassie which told him, "If you don't send me money, you will die." Roberts did not see the funny side, and the radio station lost $8,000 in advertising.

But the tactic worked – in the short term. Roberts raised $9.1 million, including a donation of $1.3 million from a dog track owner, and eventually descended from his prayer tower, where he had been holding a fast. The following week the tower was struck by lightning. No one was hurt.

Yes, and I hated it. There's nothing worse than having to watch a television preacher.

Not in New England/Boston market.

Do I ever! We had to sit through these every time they came on.