Churches get nearly $10 billion from federal government!!!

[bobbieinok]

Article July 6 on blog friendlyatheist at patheos

Along with Robert Jeffress First Baptist, Joyce Meyer Ministry gets a hefty sum

[Nevilledog]

1. Praise the Lord!

[captain queeg]

2. WTF. And they don't pay any taxes?

[Igel]

11. They have employees.

They often run non-profits separate from their preaching. Or in addition to, but with actual employees doing fairly secular work.

Soup kitchens. Homeless shelters. Not just office aid, ministers, choir directors, and maintenance folk.

But even those are jobs.

Keep in mind, these are loans until they meet requirements which are strictly secular in nature. Then they're possibly grants. But still, secular in nature.

Used to work for a church. Found that most of the skills I needed there worked just fine a few years later when I worked for a small business that sold bath products. Accounting, logistics, general office skills. A few were a bit off--not much call for sorting through koine or Biblical Hebrew, but then again I was never a minister (nor ever wanted to be one). The ability to translate French came in handy later, though.

[Horse with no Name]

14. Not First Baptist n/a

[Faux pas]

3. Kickin' with disgust!

[MontanaMama]

4. Not right.

Not right at all!! The grift goes on.

[stillcool]

5. been a long time since I've been

inside a church, but it used to be people volunteered, and donated for whatever was needed. Now, they apparently need their own work force to buy and sell the word of whoever.

Houses of worship across the country, including many tied to sexual abuse and financial scandals, took advantage of PPP, which allows recipients of the government's 1 percent interest loans to have them converted into nontaxable grants. This week's Treasury Department report of payouts through June 30 notes that "traditionally non-profits are not eligible to receive SBA-guaranteed small business loans," but PPP has enabled the aid during the coronavirus pandemic.
https://www.newsweek.com/religious-organizations-receive-73-billion-ppp-loans-megachurches-amass-millions-1515963

[bobbieinok]

6. Meyer was one of 6 ministries Grassley asked for info in 2007

Contributors had complained that they couldn't find out where their money went.

The people asked for info were

* Joyce Meyer
* Benny Hinn
* Creflo Dollar
* Kenneth Copeland
* Paula White
* Eddy Long

The first three supplied the info he asked for.

The last three said they didn't have to give him any info because of the 'separation of church and state' After a while Grassley decided it would be too long and costly to fight the 3.

Note--Long got caught in sex scandals.

And we all know Copeland is a major backer of Trump. And Paula White--her aid and support to Trump would take a very long time to list/discuss!

All 6 are Evangelicals

Benny Hinn is an internationally known faith healer. When he prays and reaches out his hand to the congregation, those who are being healed fall backward. People stand behind them to catch them and gently lower them to the ground. Additional people cover up the women's legs (for modesty)

[bobbieinok]

8. Some info---Long, Dollar are black. Copeland may be richest televangelist, a pilot with many planes

Copeland was a student at Oral Roberts University in its earliest days in 60s. He was Oral's pilot.

In 90s, Meyer and Hinn preached several times in ORU's chapel

[spanone]

13. Kings of Grift.

[Walleye]

7. Why does god always need so much of our money?

[KWR65]

9. I hope they signed a contract not to discriminate against people.

The government could force these churches not to discriminate against people in protected classes.

[Mariana]

10. Are you honestly surprised by this?

Of course they have their hands out.

[spanone]

12. purchasing evangelical votes