Evangelist To Senate: My Financial Records Belong To God

Evangelist To Senate: My Financial Records Belong To God

rawstory.com

They preach the “Prosperity Doctrine” - that God can make you healthy and wealthy - and they live what they preach.

Every year America’s best known TV evangelists bring in hundreds of millions of dollars from donors all over the world. But as BBC’s Jonathan Beale reports, some of the evangelists’ own lifestyles have begun to ring alarm bells and have prompted a Senate investigation into their activities.

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LOL! That's a new one on me! Gotta give the dude credit for originality. Maybe he should start working for one of the mega corps or oil industry, then he wouldn't get questioned at all!

Four of the ministers have since complied with the probe, but Rev. Kenneth Copeland, whose congregation recently bought him a $20 million private jet to preach the gospel, is holding out against the inquiry, which he claims is “aimed at publicly questioning the religious beliefs of the targeted churches.”

“It’s not yours, it’s God’s, and you’re not going to get it,” Copeland says of his financial records. He has launched a website to publicize his crusade and has received support from several leading conservatives, including Paul Weyrich and Kenneth Blackwell.

rawstory.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

So I guess God is also an accountant, I wonder if he can get me a better return next year. I was always told that God isn't so concerned with things like money and that praying to him to make a lot of money was pretty fruitless. I guess I was misinformed.

I honestly don't understand how people are coerced into sending thousands of dollars to some guy on tv. It's not just big name guys like Biily Graham and Peter Popoff but there are even small local televangelists. I've watched a few mintues of some of these shows just for laughs but I'm always shocked when the speaker outright says that you should send god your money. I mean, when I was younger I thought you'd have to be a good con man to run a game like this but apparently you need only be a good speaker.

To be even more honest, I've more than once had the urge to start my own "Evangelist Crusade" which of course will need lots of money for private jets, velvet blazers and gold Jesus statues.

Now, now! Let's not generalize, this applies not only to Christian evangelists, it's about all organized religion that uses an ancient tradition of 'hands-off our money!' to be profitable ...

I like how they claim they use their money for charity and good works, yet billions sit in off-shore accounts and hedge funds!

[edit on 2-7-2008 by Maxmars]

This just smacks of people attempting to Christian bash. I dislike flashy televangelists just as much as everyone else, but there is no need to hold a 3 ring political circus in the senate for this - which is exactly what they are attempting to do.

What they need to do is have the IRS audit them - that way, if they are up to something, they lose their tax exempt status. Beyond that, there is nothing else the government can or should do about this. If they want to tell the IRS that their tax records are for God only, then the IRS can tell them that God has decided they no longer get their tax exempt status.

But I guess creating a political circus is much more fun...

You are right DD. It's funny how these people get questioned but the big oil execs rake in billions in profits, yet, they keep chugging along.

I bet they didn't like the idea of giving certain people a kickback to keep them out of their hair. Just like crooked cops who prey on drug dealers.

They should all lose thier tax exempt status regardless. This includes the Christian churches, the pagan churches, the Muslim temples, the Jewish Synogogues, all of them. It is absolutely a disgrace that we allow millions and millions of dollars to change hands tax free purely because of religious status. Especially when you consider the fact that, of the churches who actually do charity work with the money, much of it is going overseas and is of no help to the US economy or Americans whatsoever.

Then we get to remove tax exempt status from all charities, and then get to watch as small and medium sized charities close up shop because they can no longer operate. Regardless of peoples personal need to religion bash (I know its a popular sport on ATS), every religion I can think of participates in a ton of charity. Tax burdens on small or medium religious charities which are run very tightly without room for error would collapse under federal and state tax burdens.

[edit on 2-7-2008 by ALightinDarkness]

reply to post by ALightinDarkness


Yes, I'm religion bashing. That makes a ton of sense considering I'm a preacher's kid.

I have no problem with charities. I have no problem with religious charities. I do, however, have a huge problem when the tax exempt monies are used to buy so much as a stitch of clothing, an ounce of gas, or a drop of hair gel for the clergy. Money that goes to actual, tangible charity = tax exempt 'til the cows come home for all I care. Money that goes into someone's pocket or estate = NOT tax exempt as it is compensation for work.

Actually it would be absolutely normal from a preacher's kid - they are usually most likely to rebel against religious institutions.

You cannot pick and choose what charities you want to be tax exempt which ones you don't want to be tax exempt based on ideology. There are lots of charities I as a Libertarian think do nothing but perpetuate a welfare entitlement that - in my perfect little world - would have to pay taxes. But I know I can't pick and choose based on my ideology. Either they all get taxed, or none of them get taxed.

Charities have operating expenses. You cannot deliver food without the gas to power the car your using to deliver it, even if its your own car. You cannot feed the hungry without paying someone to figure out whom your feeding and whats on the menu (no one can work as a director part time except for the smallest of charities). Only extremely small charities can be run part time and have 0% operating expenses. Charities need paid employees. Its not like the employees are tax exempt - they must pay taxes on their salary.

As I said, I'm all for them losing tax-exempt status if the IRS finds they do not meet the guidelines. But starting a political circus over it only feeds anti-religion bigotry...which of course, ATS embraces.

[edit on 2-7-2008 by ALightinDarkness]

reply to post by burdman30ott6


Here here! I agree whole heartedly! The Church of Satan is, as far as I know, the only recognized religion to refuse their own tax exempt status to prove that churches can work without tax exemption.

Why should churches be free of taxes? And why can't we park in front of one even if it's 2 am on a Wednesday and there's no place to park?

I guess these guys are pretty confident they can get a camel through the eye of a needle

As much as I am alarmed by the .gov sticking it's nose into religious issues, I get the feeling these guys are less preachers than they are flimflam artists... they don't seem to have cracked open their Bibles in a while.

I feel sorry for the millions who give these kinds of people their money, thinking they are going for good works, and instead end up paying to put caviar on some con man's table.

Mmmm.... being men of the cloth, I wonder if any of them have considered the line “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” (in the context of taxes to the Romans).

In other words, their Messiah said they should pay their taxes - no matter that they disagreed with them.

Well this what you expect when religion and salvation becomes a profitable business for those closes to god, ahem the rings leaders, when this people takes other people's money and spend it in personal luxury then this is stealing from people's faith and good intentions, and misappropriation of donations, none taxabe by the way.

Just look at those televangelist, look at their expensive clothes and fingers full of rings, that tells you what is going on.

If the money belongs to God, then why are they spending it?

Does God need a large mansion, his own private jet, luxury cars, investments in stocks and bonds, and hair plugs?

Based upon court rulings on how tax exemptions for charitable groups work, we cannot be conclude that churches and religious organizations automatically deserve exemptions. Even if one believes that their religion and their church provide a necessary public service, it does not follow that all religions and churches necessarily provide a public service which merits support through tax exemptions.

Link to source.
Found lots of good facts here. I would suggest looking at this site.

America’s tax laws are designed to favor non-profit and charitable institutions which presumably benefit the community. Churches benefit the most from tax exemptions because they qualify for many of them automatically, whereas non-religious groups have to go through a more complicated application and approval process. Why?

Because they all read the same books???? Why would a religious institution have an automatic free pass when other people who also have a cause have to jump through hoops?

These people drive me crazy. Like one of the above posters said they apparently don't even read their own Bible.

Jesus said to pay your taxes. He also said that it was impossible for a wealthy man to follow him. I'm guessing they didn't see the verse about rendering unto Caesar or the story of the Rich Man.

On top of that many of these same so called Charismatic Prosperity Ministries have members supposedly filled with the "Holy Spirit" who roll around the floor, growling, barking, laughing, and mumbling gibberish that they claim is speaking in tongues.

I'm pretty sure Jesus would be having a fit, like the one with the moneychangers in the Temple, if he were here right now and trying to perform exorcisms on the congregation.

God must surely know the location of every buried treasure, every sunken ship, ect.

HE does not need the piles on money these so called preachers for profit are accumulating.

How many possessions did the greatest Preacher, Jesus Christ, have when he finished his earthly ministry? Not even the clothes on his back.

Jesus clearly told his disciples in Mat. 10:8. "You received free, Give free"

The Apostle Paul worked hard to support himself.. Paul could have allowed himself to be a financial burden to his Christian brothers in Corinth. However, he worked with his own hands to support himself as a tent maker. Acts 18:1-3

They could learn alot from the example of Jesus & Paul. Jesus instructed his followers to pay their taxes.

Originally posted by Britguy
Mmmm.... being men of the cloth, I wonder if any of them have considered the line “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” (in the context of taxes to the Romans).

In other words, their Messiah said they should pay their taxes - no matter that they disagreed with them.

Thank you, Britguy! I was going to post the same passage....I don't even believe in the supernatural, but COME ON, how can you purport to be a follower of Jesus but pick and choose which things you want to follow? These people are the worst sort of hypocrites! Jesus himself said "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven" (Paraphrasing from memory, it's been a long time since Catholic school daze!)

Originally posted by jhill76
You are right DD. It's funny how these people get questioned but the big oil execs rake in billions in profits, yet, they keep chugging along.

Apples to oranges. At least the oil companies are selling a real and useful product. These christian dead-enders defraud millions by selling fear, outright lies and fairy tales.

[edit on 3-7-2008 by Lilitu]