Benny Hinn Tax Exemption Under Review

Fort Worth Star Telegram ^ | August 13, 2005 | Darren Barbee

[wallcrawlr]

Call-center operators pray with callers and take tithes and offerings.

Imagine that. They are probably linked.

[TommyDale]

It's time to crack down on all the abusers of the IRS rules on
"religious non-profit organizations", regardless of who it is.

[Junior_G]

Please, somebody knock this charlatan down a notch or two. Benny Hinn is the worst.

[BlueNgold]

Has Benny given up wearing a wire to get his 'insights' yet? Or has his information system just gotten better with time and technology?

[GovernmentShrinker]

Religious organizations and properties shouldn't get any tax exemption to begin with. Repeal those exemptions, and watch how fast religious groups mobilize their followers to attack excessive taxation across the board. Also would eliminate the stupid restrictions on political activity by religious organizations.

[joesnuffy]

Mammon preachers...anathema to Christ

[queenkathy]

Hinn is known for worldwide crusades in which believers are promised miracle healings I've never heard Benny Hinn "promise" anyone a miracle.

[Boondock_Saint]

"They are on their crusade ... to harm Christianity, to harm religion," Torossian said in a telephone interview from New York. "And we find no credence in anything they say or do."

Fuuny, I think the same way about Benny Hinn.

[PAR35]

Tax Exemption Under Review (Benny Hinn...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1462737/posts

The IRS is also looking:

IRS Looking at Benny Hinn Organization
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1437697/posts

[Steve_Seattle]

"I've never heard Benny Hinn "promise" anyone a miracle."

I don't know if he promises miracles to specific people, but he makes general promises/predictions that miracles will occur at his crusades. And I think it's pretty well documented that he is personally making a LOT of money. Yes, he does seem to work hard - he's globe-trotting all the time - but there are genuine questions about both his "miracles" and his finances. I don't think raising those issues makes someone anti-Christian, although anti-Christians certainly do relish tales of hypocritical and money-grubbing televangelists.

[msf92497]

I believe Benny Hinn to be a fraud.

Take him to the cleaners.

[Bar-Face]

I agree with you 100%. Churches generate millions in tax free income with their publishing arms and stores. In addition their property is not taxed.Drive down Main street in any town and look at the multi million dollar properties that do not pay a dimes worth of tax.
This tax exemption is nothing more than the government endorsing and SUBSIDISING religion.
In addition, by granting a tax exemption to churches, the government is saying, "we will reward you, if you act and think as we say."
Another misuse of our tax money that may go away, if we ever move to a national sales tax instead of this abomination we have now.

[JohnnyZ]

Religious organizations and properties shouldn't get any tax exemption to begin with.

The power to tax is the power to destroy.

Besides, in a fair taxation scheme, the government would owe churches billions in tax credits.

[Steve_Seattle]

"Funny, I think the same way about Benny Hinn."

My opinion is that televangelists generally do more harm than good. Some - Mike Murdock, Hinn, Joyce Meyer - seem to be in it to make a lot of money. Others - Jack van Impe, Jan Crouch, Perry Stone, Steve Munsey - also seem to be rather strange individuals. A few - Charles Stanley, James Robison come to mind - seem more-or-less straightforward and honest. But overall, these people do a poor job of representing Christianity to the outside world. And, unfortunately, for millions of the unchurched, televangelists ARE Christianity.

[GovernmentShrinker]

A bigger problem than "government endorsing and subsidizing religion" in general, is that this system clearly requires government to pass judgement on what is and isn't a "legitimate" religion, and on what sorts of belief systems do and don't constitute "religion".

[GovernmentShrinker]

The power to tax is the power to destroy.

Indeed. But have you noticed how almost no religious organizations make a priority of teaching that to their members? Giving them tax-exempt status has co-opted them into passive endorsement of the whole taxation system. Brilliant move on the part of the socialists, since so many people's beliefs are formed and guided by the teachings of their religions.

[Steve_Seattle]

"This tax exemption is nothing more than the government endorsing and SUBSIDISING religion."

Not if the churches operate schools. Where I live, a typical Catholic church and school occupies a city block, which would represent about $50,000-80,000 in "lost" property taxes. But that school saves the taxpayers more than a million dollars a year, e.g., a school with 320 students would save the taxpayers $1,120,000 per year if the average cost to educate a student in the public schools is $3,500/year, which I think is a conservative estimate). So in some cases the churches are actually subsidizing the government - the tax dollars of all those parochial school parents go to the public schools.

[Diddle E. Squat]

But his theme song is awesome!

[BigFinn]

For anyone interested