What is Digg?292 Comments
- tgmoo, on 10/11/2007, -11/+198From the article: "They could buy a very, very nice home out here for half a million," she said. "Can you imagine how many miracles you could perform, how many people you could help with the $3 million left over?"
Putting people between you and whatever god/gods you believe in is just STUPID on MANY levels. Believe in whatever god or religion you want.. but don't fall victim to the ceremonial ***** that has been passed down from corrupt leader to corrupt leader. Donate to the church! We'll help the poor! But of course we'll drive the finest cars and have the best houses too! - Rhapsodys, on 10/11/2007, -14/+152Whatever happened to vows of poverty?
- signal15, on 10/11/2007, -15/+107Tell me again why churches are "non-profit."
A friend of mine goes to a church that started in a school gym. 2 years later, they had enough money to build a $3 million church, and the priest/pastor/whatever is driving around a BMW 7 series. Someone else I know goes to a church that *requires* you to give them 20% of your gross income to be a member.
ALL churches should be taxed. They solely exist to make money. - Ransomowris, on 10/11/2007, -15/+933.65 != 4
- gonpost, on 10/11/2007, -4/+71The main reason that I have a problem with it is that it's extremely hypocritical.
- OneHine, on 10/11/2007, -9/+75If the story was simply that the pastor was buying it, fewer people would have a problem. As it is, the church is abusing religion's tax-free status.
Perhaps it's time we stopped giving special rights to the religious and subjected churches to the same property taxes that we peons have to deal with. - sunnyd, on 10/19/2007, -7/+71"Religion has convinced people that there’s an invisible man…living in the sky. Who watches everything you do every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a list of ten specific things he doesn’t want you to do. And if you do any of these things, he will send you to a special place, of burning and fire and smoke and torture and anguish for you to live forever, and suffer, and burn, and scream, until the end of time. But he loves you. He loves you. He loves you and he needs money."
-George Carlin - 60effects, on 10/11/2007, -10/+69As a Christian, this sickens me. There needs to be some law that limits the value of parsonages so this abuse of tax-exempt status doesn't take place.
- Barman, on 10/11/2007, -2/+61As a Christian, I don't care about the tax-exempt stuff. I'm wondering what a priest needs a $4 million home for
- inactive, on 10/11/2007, -5/+62It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
Matthew 19:24 - StormTrooperVII, on 10/11/2007, -7/+63Yet another reason that churches should not be allowed tax-exempt status. Churches are businesses, and should pay taxes like all others.
And ransomowris, 3 = 4 for very large values of 3. - sonaro, on 10/11/2007, -2/+55"renunciation of worldly goods: "Gather not your riches up upon this earth, for there your heart will be also.""
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_values - screamthenrun, on 10/11/2007, -4/+49@rhapsodys: to answer your question, vows of poverty are only made by priests in religious orders such as franciscans, jesuits, etc... also these people are are not part of a large christian movement such as catholicism or presbytarianism... they follow their own rules
that being said, the purchase is still unreasonable and excessive-- no minister/clergyman should need a four million dollar mansion - DeFex, on 10/11/2007, -5/+45He needs all the extra rooms to house the homeless and his choir boys.
- richiestang78, on 10/11/2007, -5/+39Can we say abuse of tax laws and religion. Maybe I should rethink the Atheist thing and rip off the government under the cover of God.
- signal15, on 10/11/2007, -2/+34If I were donating money to an organization that I thought was going to go do good things with it, and they instead took that money and built a big mansion so they could live in luxury, I'd be livid. In fact, I'd probably try to sue and get my money back.
- DetroitAdam, on 10/11/2007, -0/+28Greater Grace and the folks on 7 mile take more money in Detroit and live in really nice homes in Bloomfield, send their kids to fine schools, and ride around town like royalty. They even get Presidents to speak when people like Rosa Parks die. This is parasitic and it's time to wake up to the frauds and spread the good word friends.
Peace from Detroit,
A - InfinitySnatch, on 10/11/2007, -2/+27"Ben Gibert said God surrounds the faithful with beautiful things."
Oh that's sick. I'd give a hand at burning his place to the ground if I lived anywhere near. - geminitojanus, on 10/11/2007, -8/+31A few million hamburgers isn't going to feed a few billion people for a few dozen years.
- Afreyt, on 10/11/2007, -2/+25I think he'll be the first against the wall when the revolution comes. I mean it. This smacks of guillotines and 'let them eat cake.'
- CraigJ, on 10/11/2007, -3/+23This ***** has to stop. Organized religions are businesses and should be treated just like any other business.
FTA:Detroit World Outreach Church isn't apologizing. In fact, members say the mansion is proof God has blessed them.
These people are ***** insane - Stopher, on 10/11/2007, -4/+24Hey he doesn't want to pay taxes fine. Just stay off our tax payer paid roads. Don't expect to get any mail from our tax payer paid post office. If your house catches on fire you don't get any use of our fire trucks. And if you have a heart attack don't expect one of our ambulances to come get you. I'd also say keep your kids out of our school but if he bought a 4 million dollar house they're probably in private school.=)
- PdxPhoenix, on 10/11/2007, -2/+21What gets me is that they'll have to raise everyone else's taxes to cover the shortfall. Which means everyone's gonna be paying to "support the church" in one way or another, regardless of their beliefs...
- rhabd0mancer, on 10/11/2007, -0/+19Not only do these loony churches not pay taxes- they stand in line for government "faith-based" funds.
Bunch of welfare queens. - positron, on 10/11/2007, -3/+22Only difference between a priest and a pimp is that the pimp provides you with a little bit of heaven right here and now.
- blobzorz, on 10/11/2007, -4/+22Exactly, when I donate to my church, I expect them to use that money TOWARDS THE CHURCH OR MISSIONS. I know that part of that is the church payroll, but most of it should go to the church itself not the people in it.
- Scheissen, on 10/11/2007, -0/+17I want to ask you how is allowing churches to be exempted from taxation part of Jefferson's idea of a "separation of church and state"? He came up with that which encomposes the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
/"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion"/
Exempting churches from taxes is crazy. The Founding Fathers hated organized religion which is why New England has no Church of England. Your faith shouldn't need a church to stand on. - JigoroKano, on 10/11/2007, -4/+21@loganhuddleston
Why yes that does mean that you are atheist. You are an atheist Buddhist, like many other Buddhists, Jains, and some Hindus.
Atheism is not a religion it is a lack of belief in any god. - Rickler, on 10/11/2007, -1/+18If stupid people want to give away their money to a con-artist let them. However church property SHOULD be taxed it's ***** when these bastards hide behind a church buying up property.
- itsme92, on 10/11/2007, -25/+42Can you *certain atheists on Digg* stop hating on Christianity? I'm Catholic, and you don't hear me telling atheists all the time about how I think that God does exist.
You don't believe in God, fine. But don't tell me that MY God doesn't exist, because he does exist as far as I am concerned.
You guys piss and moan about how Mormans come to your door and try to convert you, and then you turn around and try convert me to atheism. Hypocrits. - Staceyrr, on 10/11/2007, -0/+17We have a church in Atlanta that bought their pastor a Maybach. I believe that his name is Bishop Eddie Long. For people that don't know it's a $300,000 to $400,000 automobile. In my opinion, it's not a very attractive automobile. Kinda looks like something a pimp would drive.
- CharlesFrench, on 10/11/2007, -3/+19This kind of ***** is what makes me angry about people's religions.
You 1) don't get to shove it down my throat. and 2) don't deserve to be exempt from taxes.
Stay the ***** out of my life and my pocket, and yes, their being tax exempt affects my wallet because I have to make up the taxes they are exempt from, because they believe in some ***** fairy tale. - KMye, on 10/11/2007, -0/+16Wow, each member of the church payed an average of about $1000 towards their pastors' house. They must be good at their job.
- inactive, on 10/11/2007, -1/+17Todays insane tangent brought to you by lacronicus!
- DeFex, on 10/11/2007, -5/+20All churches should pay property tax. they scam enough from the sheeple, the gov ought to get a cut of the action.
- inactive, on 10/11/2007, -1/+16When a religion is good, I conceive it will support itself; and when it does not support itself, and God does not take care to support it so that its professors are obliged to call for help of the civil power, 'tis a sign, I apprehend, of its being a bad one.
- Benjamin Franklin, in a letter to Richard Price. October 9, 1790. - inactive, on 10/11/2007, -0/+15I'm going to start worshiping computers as gods, when I fix them I'll call myself the pastor, and my customers are simply patrons making donations to my computer church. Then clearly I should have never have to pay taxes.
- KMye, on 10/11/2007, -3/+17Maybe you should try writing to the county commissioner rather than bitching to a reporter who has nothing to do with it...
- Afreyt, on 10/11/2007, -3/+17Last month. You have a point other than an ad hominem?
I'm arguing about land use taxes and why they are necessary. What are you arguing about? - shiftless, on 10/11/2007, -1/+14I'd get into the religion business but I have ethics.
- obrysii, on 10/11/2007, -5/+19As a non-church going Christian, it is this sort of thing that makes me despise churches. They do nothing but corrupt the message of Jesus.
It is churches like this that gives the religion as a whole a bad rep (well, plus those crazies who believe the world started 6000 years ago ...) - remccain, on 10/11/2007, -2/+15We just had a local pastor trade in his Lincoln Navigator for a Cadillac Escalade.
Must be nice to get a new vehicle for you and your wife every 4 years. - OUChevelleSS, on 10/11/2007, -1/+14There's nothing wrong with a pastor having a nice home, maybe a decent Honda to get him around. Nobody seems to be arguing this. But $4 million dollar house? It was said in another post that the extra money could be put toward better use, and that is indeed the problem.
I don't think any ministers or clergy should have to wear rags to be credible, but this excess leads directly to the sin Jesus spoke of. It's sort of like 'ultimate power corrupts ultimately', but with greed. Once you get a taste...for shame. It seems more and more in seminary that they're forgetting to teach Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (aka the actual stuff Jesus taught). - humanseemer, on 10/11/2007, -1/+14Umm, I'm not a christian, but what the ***** happened to the ten commandments? Thou shalt not covet?
- Scheissen, on 10/11/2007, -0/+12This is why it's stupid churches are exempt from taxation, they act as if they're above the law.
- leighhalliday, on 10/11/2007, -0/+11As a Christian, this makes me sick. I have taken the time to write them a letter voicing my concerns. Please do not associate all Christians with this church.
If God blesses those he loves with prosperity... what should we say about Mother Theresa?
This pastor is a hypocrite. - danlovejoy, on 10/11/2007, -0/+11Jesus himself said, "The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil." Do you think these "pastors" love money?
The health, wealth, and prosperity movement is a scam that is based on greed and fleshly desire. You have to make an end-run around most of Jesus's teachings to believe this nonsense. - Urusai, on 10/11/2007, -0/+11A quick Google yields this bit of Christian instruction:
Matthew 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Hypocrisy has no end in America. - ryanmerket, on 10/11/2007, -1/+12Tell this church exactly how you feel:
http://wayofvictory.org/content.cfm?id=212 - RobbyDigital, on 10/11/2007, -8/+18"don't ask, 'why preacher gotta have a nice house?'... don't ask no questions..."
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