Bishops and priests tell their followers that donating money will result in receiving more money, for which of course, there is no guarantee in the real world.
Non-profit organizations are audited regularly and have to submit detailed financial disclosure forms to the Tax Department. Religious organizations don’t have to submit anything. There is literally no oversight by the government. This, too, while taxpayers are footing the bill for lavish mansions these prosperity preachers often live in besides giving hefty salaries, perks and alms. This is double dipping and it costs the tax payers millions.
In turn, it’s an insipid heresy that encourages mainly the working class to live beyond their means. "If you pray the right way, God will make you rich" is fraud in the name of God, but because it’s in the name of God our legal system turns a blind eye on it. It’s a religious pyramid scheme. And worse, it’s a religious pyramid scheme that’s based on spiritual blackmail. The idea of material wealth as a sign of God’s favor seems to run counter to the centuries-old tenets of Christianity that have traditionally viewed its central figure, Christ, as being born poor in a stable and dying poor, executed by the state.
The gospel of prosperity, popularized in the 1970s and 1980s by three televangelists who are viewed as its founders: Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland and Frederick K.C. Price, turns Christianity into a vapid bless-me club, with a doctrine that amounts to little more than spiritual, magical thinking. Thanks.
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