Preacher Joel Osteen, a televangelist from the Lakewood Church in Houston, weighed in on Fox News Sunday on several political issues of the day. On the issue of immigration, Osteen said he doesn’t know what the answer is, but that he is on the side of “mercy,” particularly when it comes to young people who grew up in this country — a reference to DREAMers. On gay rights, Osteen said he was against gay marriage but did believe in rights such as hospital visitations.
Osteen was also asked to weigh in on whether Mormons, like Mitt Romney, are “true Christians.” “I believe they’re followers of Christ,” Osteen responded. “And you know, I think where the debate gets into, that I don’t believe that Mormonism is traditional, orthodox Christianity. I mean, I realize there’s differences there. But, I go back to when I hear Mitt Romney and some of my Mormon friends say ‘I love Jesus, he’s my savior, I believe he was raised from the dead.’ And they follow the teachings of the Bible. I believe they are followers of Christ and that they’re my brothers and I’m not looking to exclude them and push them out.”
