Thanks to the most recent episode of Last Week Tonight, John Oliver has prompted new pressure on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to crack down on fraudulent televangelists, reported CBS News.
Televangelists preach the “prosperity gospel,” which means that God intended for everyone to be rich, as long as they give lots of money to the church. By giving money, these preachers say God will return the payment many times over and even cure their diseases. This is a bunch of hogwash that allows televangelists like Creflo Dollar to take advantage of vulnerable people.
False preachers have used this tactic to become multi-millionaires while taking advantage of poor people’s desperation. What’s worse, these coerced donations are tax free. The tax code written for churches is purposely vague. Any person who wants to start a church can enjoy tax free donations, regardless of their belief.
In an attempt to expose the lunacy of the tax code, Oliver started “Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption,” a group actually considered to be a church by the IRS’ standards. The “religion’s” core belief is that televangelists are fraudulent hustlers.
Televangelists abuse the tax code, and they should be shut down for fraud.
Watch the segment here.
