Ooh, Eddie Long refused to provide full information, eh?

This whole tax exemption for churches thing really needs to be reexamined in some cases.

Modern-day megachurches are essentially the cargo cult writ large. They even manage to ignore their own Gospel, and preach that worldly abundance is a sign of God's particular favor. They seem to conveniently forget that the one time Jesus got violent, it wasn't against fairies or loose women.

But basically, in order to continue growing their own obscene wealth, the megachurches need a constant influx of new pigeons, and the easiest way to lure in the wealthiest ones is to reassure them that it's okay to have that McMansion and that Lexus and the Hummer, that God wants them to have these worldly pleasures because they're so righteous.

It's the worst kind of perversion of the tenets of their own faith.

Isn't fleecing the flock as old as organized religion itself?

Somebody has to part fools from their money, so why not these charlatans?

There's always room at the table, when you're putting on a Dinner for Schmucks.

"I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." -- Jesus Christ, Founder and CEO of Christianity Corp.

Gotta love how letter-of-the-law some Christians are when it comes to the Good Book, except when they completely rewrite it to suit their own lifestyles. So to reiterate, Jesus was not shy about criticizing the rich (don't forget how pissed he was at the money-changers at the temple too), but he never said a single word against the homos. So how about a compromise: We let you keep your supposedly Jesus-approved McMansions, and you let us get married, adopt, keep our jobs, etc.

it isn't much, but: "Many conservative Christians condemn the prosperity gospel and consider the televangelists an embarrassment." So they aren't all *completely* hypocritical, which is kinda nice to know.

Of course, they protested the investigation anyway, so... whatever.

Not to get all anti-Catholic here, but I think the medieval/Renaissance-era papacy really set a bad example of what to spend tithes and donations on.

fuck-a-church tax the bastards or board em up. jesus is passed out on the couch, but he still say's hi bitches.

@2 I would argue it needs to be removed entirely. Religion is a business, just like any other. Some churches give to charity, and that's great. Let them write it off just like the other companies do.

Ever since the earliest days of the church, there has been dispute about what the "true doctrine" is [e.g. Jerome and Jovinian bitching at each other over celibacy, cherry-picking from Paul's letters to try and shout the other guy down].

So even if there is some truth or solace to be found in Xtianity, any person who claims to have the one true doctrine [or is simple-minded enough to follow one who makes such claims] is an idiot.

At best Xtianity is a living tradition open to interpretation--as it always has been--suitable to a contemporary context. In which case those who use their narrow literalisms to hate have no leg on which to stand, and are an embarassment to any true Xtianity.

And at worst Xtianity is a destructive, venal, and egotistical cultural cancer.

@2: All cases where the church would not otherwise qualify as a tax-exempt organization if it wasn't a church, and they should all be subject to the same civil rights laws (no banning atheists or people of different religions from your organization nor use of services; fuck the Salvation Army). Believing in something without evidence, even if it's a popular belief, should not mean you're subject to different standards than an evidence-based organization.