John Oliver Exposes Dark Underbelly of Televangelism

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The “Word of Faith” movement is the most brilliant masterstroke of TV evangelists ever to come down the pike. You have to give them credit, it is the con job to end all con jobs. By making their health and wealth, prosperity “gospel” part of their theology, in a country like ours that guarentees religious freedom, they are left to thier own devices to swindle as much money as they can from their followers.
Think about it: If I give most of my savings account to the big-haired evangelist on TV who says God will “bless me” (with money, increase in income, a car, a house, ect) and it doesn’t come to pass because “I lacked faith”…who am I gonna sue? God?
 
JustaServant said:
What has this have to do with the above story? Are we to ignore the criminal activities of scam artists just because they claim to be Christian?
:confused:
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Not at all. I’d like him to poke fun of other religions as well. He’s also indirectly mocking Christianity and the uninformed viewer will also do the same thinking all Christians are like that.

He won’t make fun of other religions(hindu priests who embroiled in illicit sex allegations, or Islamic preachers who spout out hatred and venom) because televangelists are ‘soft’ targets.

He fulfills his ‘quota’ of religious mockery by mocking Christians or pseudo Christians thus appealing to the left & nonreligious but would never dare do the same against other religions.

That’s the point I’m trying to make.
 
JSAD said:
Not at all. I’d like him to poke fun of other religions as well. He’s also indirectly mocking Christianity and the uninformed viewer will also do the same thinking all Christians are like that.

He won’t make fun of other religions(hindu priests who embroiled in illicit sex allegations, or Islamic preachers who spout out hatred and venom) because televangelists are ‘soft’ targets.

He fulfills his ‘quota’ of religious mockery by mocking Christians or pseudo Christians thus appealing to the left & nonreligious but would never dare do the same against other religions.

That’s the point I’m trying to make.
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I understand your point. However, wouldn’t it be preferable for him to stop doing what he’s doing rather than intensifying his indirect mockery of Christianity by pointing it toward other religions as well?
 
SyroMalankara said:
I’ve seen both Islamic, Hindu, and Sikh televangelists are they are as bad or worse than the so-called Christian ones.
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Maybe they are not such a big problem in America, where his target audience is American. Although I have seen him do international commentary but always looking at it through the lens of the american media.
 
SyroMalankara said:
Right - just as all employers are exploiting their workers, and all government regulation is oppressive, and all corporations are evil… :rolleyes:
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If, in the 80s, you were to tithe to the PTL, your money would have gone to fund Jim and Tammy Bakker’s air-conditioned doghouses. In the same time, if you had tithed to the during mass, your cash would have ended up in the Vatican Bank.

In the end, all money entrusted to churches ends up paying for some manner of air conditioned doghouse.
 
Darryl_Revok said:
In the end, all money entrusted to churches ends up paying for some manner of air conditioned doghouse.
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Money entrusted to churches funds more than a few irreplaceable social services. You do, at least, acknowledge this irrefutable fact?
 
meltzerboy said:
I understand your point. However, wouldn’t it be preferable for him to stop doing what he’s doing rather than intensifying his indirect mockery of Christianity by pointing it toward other religions as well?
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It’s not just him. Basically a lot of comedians do the same. By all means go ahead and make fun of someone if you wish(It’s a free country right?). It’s all a little one sided though.

I remember seeing a facebook post where Lego made block models that were supposed to model Genesis. It was anything but tasteful and made a mockery out of the entire story, so much so that people wouldn’t hesistate to extrapolate that and discount the entire Genesis book in the bible.

I don’t recall Lego doing anything with other religions. It’s because they can get away with it.

I’m going a bit off topic , but only to illustrate.
 
Darryl_Revok said:
If, in the 80s, you were to tithe to the PTL, your money would have gone to fund Jim and Tammy Bakker’s air-conditioned doghouses. In the same time, if you had tithed to the during mass, your cash would have ended up in the Vatican Bank.

In the end, all money entrusted to churches ends up paying for some manner of air conditioned doghouse.
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You actually think individual parishes or common individual priests had accounts in the Vatican Bank? Most parishes in the US keep their accounts in the local bank, as do most parish priests.
 
Darryl_Revok said:
If, in the 80s, you were to tithe to the PTL, your money would have gone to fund Jim and Tammy Bakker’s air-conditioned doghouses. In the same time, if you had tithed to the during mass, your cash would have ended up in the Vatican Bank.

In the end, all money entrusted to churches ends up paying for some manner of air conditioned doghouse.
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Riiiiiight.
The Jesuits run the bank of course, and in conjunction with the New World Order are building a massive database of people they don’t like who will be destroyed by the Death Star circling the earth.
:rolleyes:
 
JSAD said:
Not at all. I’d like him to poke fun of other religions as well. He’s also indirectly mocking Christianity and the uninformed viewer will also do the same thinking all Christians are like that.

He won’t make fun of other religions(hindu priests who embroiled in illicit sex allegations, or Islamic preachers who spout out hatred and venom) because televangelists are ‘soft’ targets.

He fulfills his ‘quota’ of religious mockery by mocking Christians or pseudo Christians thus appealing to the left & nonreligious but would never dare do the same against other religions.

That’s the point I’m trying to make.
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To be fair, he began the piece by saying that the majority of churches in America do wonderful things like feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, etc. & that this was not about those churches but rather Health & Wealth Gospel megachurches. I don’t know what more you want him to do.
 
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