Philanthropic Donations Come From Your Heart, but Where Do They End Up? (Televangelist Scams)

ABC News ^ | 03-23-07 | GLENN RUPPEL and JOHN STOSSEL

[ABN 505]

It's pretty difficult to fly all over the world and minister to people when you have to stand in line at airports and be stranded for hours, etc. Gee I had an Aunt who ministered to the so called untouchables in India for thirty years, she opened a Hospital and orphanage and all with donations. But she never used any of those donations to enrich herself only to help the unfortunates in the world. She died in India about ten years ago among the poor that she so cared for. She was a Catholic nun. She died richer than any of the phony tears in their eyes so called T.V. ministers and Hucksters I have seen! Modern day Elmer Gantry's ought to get out of the TV studio and into a soup kitchen!

[CyberAnt]

Well .. I didn't lose you!

God said, "you reap what you sow" - I didn't write that!

The seed you sow (from your income) is directly related to the condition of your heart - because there is nothing closer to your heart than your money. If you can't give to those WHO DESERVE IT then you have no seed sown and no harvest to reap! Your choice!

That doesn't mean that I believe in giving to any idiot who claims to be a minister. It's up to YOU to CHOOSE WISELY where you sow your seed. But .. to just sit around and whine about every ministry you see prospering (even when you don't know what they're preaching), that's just ignorance.

God told us in Deuteronemy - "I've set before you life and death, blessing and cursing .. now YOU CHOOSE. Then, God, in his wisdom gave us a clue: "but choose life".

And .. by the way .. I am not ashamed of where I sow my money.

[motzman]

And .. this proves how ignorant you are! Thanks!

Don't get pissed, I'm just trying to help. Hate to see people get conned...

[CyberAnt]

You are exactly correct; seeing them in person is very special. I have read and listened to the Copelands for years, and I've never heard them preach anything that I couldn't confirm in the Bible.

The distrust comes because people don't know what's in the Bible and they are too lazy to look it up and see if what the Copeland's are preaching is correct.

Then, when they get taken in by some shyster minister, it's all GOD's fault and ALL MINISTRIES are suspect. Typical.

[engrpat]

I remember as a youngster (I am well into my 60's) telling my mom that I saw money to be made in religion. That I wanted to go to bible school so I could make money. She had a fit, and rightfully so, and I didn't. But in her later years she figured out that the ones on TV, making the big bucks were in it for the money...rest her soul...she so right.

[CyberAnt]

Except for the Copelands, Billye Brimm and Joyce Meyer, none!

The reason: I give to my own personal church to support the work that it does in our own community - as well as the ministries around the world that we as a church support. I also give to the ministers that my Pastor brings to our church for special meetings.

[CyberAnt]

Well .. I don't agree with your premise that "religion is a business.

Religion is something you call a group of people who worship something .. whether it's a god or an ideal.

Liberalism is a "religion" .. but they worship a false god.

I participate in a ministry .. with my Pastor and my church family. We don't practice "religion" .. we worship GOD!

[AppyPappy]

If you will give your money in support of another man's ministry, GOD will reward you.

Ahh...so you can control God with your money

[tutstar]

They lust after things.


I guess it would be more fun to believe that God will give you a bunch of stuff that you want in exchange for a bit of your cash vs. sacrificing your hard earned cash (which is God's any way) to help send a missionary to share the gospel with poor people in an impoverished country. The latter yielding a heavenly treasure which you can't eat, wear , or show off.

[CyberAnt]

SO YOU JUST JOINED UP TODAY SO YOU COULD SMEAR THE GOOD NAME OF THE CROUCHS AND THE COPELANDS .. ROTFLOL!!

Save your breath .. GOD doesn't care what you think of them.

Paul CHOSE his lifestyle. A lifestyle self-imposed is not the precursor OR THE RULE of how EVERYBODY SHOULD LIVE.

Paul said, "... everything is dung in comparison to what I have received in CHRIST". Paul's lifestyle was modest because he felt called to live that way. Paul never demanded that people live as he did or else they could not claim holiness or salvation, and God doesn't demand that of anyone either.

[PAR35]

So .. just because people are in ministry they are not entitled to a vacation ..??

You are the one who c raised the issue of his "rigorous" schedule. Trying to redirect attention away from that now?

You better face the fact that the average freeper has more analytical thinking capacity than the average victim of the televangelists.

[CyberAnt]

Well .. you're entitled to your opinion .. but I don't agree with you.

And .. I would challenge your 110 ministries to show they have the responsibilities the Copeland Ministries have.

There's nothing wrong with starting small and building from there .. and what on earth are you going to do if you hear that one of these ministries wants to purchase their own jet ..?? If God was not blessing me to the point that when necessary I could buy a jet .. I'd get out of the ministry.

Lots of ministries have their own jets - just for the convenience of being able to travel when and where they want or need to be. I certainly don't see anything wrong with that.

Owning a jet is not EVIL! Lots of people own them, or rent them .. because it's easier to travel to smaller airports - where the big airliners cannot go.

You can stop whining about this when YOU DONATE YOUR JET - BY GIVING IT TO ANOTHER MINISTRY - as the Copelands have done for years and years. It's just that they don't broadcast that information. In fact, that's probably what the NEW jet is for - to replace the other one which the Copelands will give away to some ministry that needs it - and has been praying for it.

So, all those people who donate to the new jet will be part of sowing seed of the old jet into another ministry. That sounds great to me!! Wow! I think I'm going to get in on that blessing!

[Veto!]

distrust comes because people don't know what's in the Bible

I think mistrust comes when preachers act like idiots on tv, stamping and shouting and threatening and shaking fists. Makes one wonder who these people are who sit and take being treated that way.

Gloria Copeland is lovely. I can be open to her teachings because she behaves like a perfect lady. The shouters turn me very off.

[Caramelgal]

”And .. this proves how ignorant you are! Thanks!”
“No! I wasn't joking! I'm entitled to my opinion!”
If you will give your money in support of another man's ministry, GOD will reward you.
So .. just because people are in ministry they are not entitled to a vacation ..??
That's what I believe .. if you don't .. FINE!!

Yes! YOU ARE entitled to YOUR opinion!!!

But it seems to me you are a bit sensitive about other people having an opinion. Shame on you for calling motzman ignorant when he was actually making a very good point.

Giving money to support good works is a good thing that good hearted people do. Giving money to con-artists is something a sucker does.

Just my opinion (and I’m entitled to one too), I don’t recall that JC taught that the path to heaven was paved in riches. I always understood that God’s reward for his followers was in heaven and not in earthly goods.

I don’t see God rewarding these shysters. They are being rewarded by putting on slick infomercials in the name of religion and getting poor suckers to give them money.

I’m not saying that religious people need to wear sack cloth and eat dirt mind you, but I don’t recall Mother Theresa having her own jet and vacationing in Maui. And she and her fellow sisters probably did a lot more good than all these televangelists put together and did it with a lot less and lived in the same conditions as those they ministered to and helped.

You are entitled to your point of view. You are entitled to give money to whomever you want. Me? I’m not giving a red cent to the Copeland’s or the Benny Hinny Ha Ha’s and their ilk. I’d be just as well to buy lottery tickets or enter into a deal with a Nigerian emailer.

(And BTW – just a suggestion - using too many exclamation points and TYPING IN CAPS doesn’t help make your point – it makes you seem a bit hostile and perhaps in need of some meds.)

[Clara Lou]

"Pass the loot"--LOL! All those years, and this is the first time that I've ever heard that.

[CyberAnt]

I agree with you to a point! "... people ought to know where their money is going ..." is a nice statement.

However, the people who are falling for those shysters .. are not reading Ministry Watch .. because they think they've found nirvana.

If you're getting good teaching in your own church, you don't fall for that stuff. But the people who are not attending church - for any reason - are open to false and misleading teaching. It's sad, but it's just a fact.

It's good that people are "watching" ministries. I don't totally agree with it .. because I believe all the watching should be done in your local church - which Paul taught us.

Unless you're involved in the workings of a church organization, you cannot possibly know all the details. The reports you might get from disgruntled visitors or former members could lead to false statements and misleading information about what's really going on.

People who have never attended a Copeland Convention (which I have), or who have never read any of the Copeland books (which I have), feel compelled to rip them apart because they either don't understand the teaching, or someone they know doesn't understand the teaching and misinterprets it - I find this dispicable.

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Shame on all of you!

Hey, I ain't the one who's willing to give these creeps money...

[CyberAnt]

"... I don’t recall Mother Theresa having her own jet and vacationing in Maui."


HER CHOICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And .. I'll type in all caps and use !!!!! as much as I want .. if you don't like it .. don't read my posts.

Just for your info .. I don't support Benny Hinn - I don't watch his programs and I don't read his books. But .. I don't make fun of him either. He's God's child .. and God is well able to take care of him.

And .. BTW .. just a suggestion .. condescension never works!

[CyberAnt]

I don't watch anybody but the Copelands and Joyce Meyer.

[CyberAnt]

I've already faced that "fact" - I don't watch them .. and I don't encourage other people to watch them.

And .. I don't claim to be a no-it-all about what they do .. because I don't watch them.