Comments on: And the Bible Teaches to Give via Credit Card Where? Pulpit Pimps Going for Money, Credit Card Deductions, Your Land, Stocks, You Name it, They’ll Take it!

By: IndependentConservative

IndependentConservative — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:13:55 +0000

Yes you and everyone remembering the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ, I hope it’s edifying for us all.

By: Caleb Phillips

Caleb Phillips — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 13:39:22 +0000

Is it any wonder that the “Gospel” of Prosperity is also known as the “Gospel of Greed?” On another note, have a great Easter as we celebrate our risen LORD!!!

By: Caleb Phillips

Caleb Phillips — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:26:29 +0000

It really irks me when people like these pulpit-pimps claim to be doing this in the name of God & for the sake of their “ministry.” It really makes my blood boil when these people claim the name of Christ, but are just as worldly & materialistic as the rest.

By: stan

stan — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 22:57:51 +0000

As to refunds being your own money: it depends. Some refunds are not your own money coming back to you. The Earned Income Credit and child tax credits are payments made to taxpayers from the government (read: “from other taxpayers”).

The irony is that those who can collect the EIC are the low-income people who would be especially targeted for any tithing-on-refund scam coming from these pulpit-predators.

As to normal refunds not being new money, it’s true. Their claiming you should tithe on refunds is just their way of getting you to tithe closer to your gross pay amount.

Devouring widows’ houses. . .

By: IndependentConservative

IndependentConservative — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:20:48 +0000

Of course with rising inflation, the Fair Tax becomes a less attractive option, but I need this charitable deduction temptation removed from our tax code.

By: IndependentConservative

IndependentConservative — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:18:54 +0000

Matthew 6 says keep it secret and we don't have to tell the government we gave it. We could keep it secret if we wanted to. Nobody is prosecuted by government for omitting deductions from a return, it's not a crime to omit deductions. We are told to keep it "secret". So I see it as our lost rewards every time we report it. At least it is for me, because I see it. That's why I support stuff like the Fair Tax, because it removes all "charitable deductions". I'd be better off with God if we had a tax system that gave me no breaks for my contributions, because then I'd no longer have the issue of reporting something to government that I've been told I should keep secret. I don't see Christ saying "secret" as something with wiggle room. I feel we should only report if we must show ourselves as acting honorably with the contributions, 2 Corinthians 8:21. Which is why the pimps should honor the request from government with a full accounting of what they are doing. We don't report on our individual taxes because government is scrutinizing our giving, but because we see the line for "deductions" and fill it in. I'm guilty as most others reading this. That's why I want tax laws changed, I want this temptation to stop. I don't give for the sake of a tax deduction, but once I fill in that line on the tax return, that's what is happening at that point. My giving is no longer "secret". I don't have to fill the line in, but I make excuses and fill it in, but I know God will handle it accordingly when my rewards (if I get anything beyond just eternal life with the Lord) are handed to me in Heaven. LBJ made things harder for Christians to get our full heavenly rewards with the charitable tax deduction, but not many recognized it.

By: speakingtruth

speakingtruth — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:25:20 +0000

Great point IC – You probably remember how members of the congregation would ask if they should pay tithes on their tax refunds (never mind the fact that if you get a refund you’ve already paid too much and the government kept your money all year while giving you NO INTEREST IN RETURN). But, I digress…

Many people (myself included) satisfied our lust of the flesh because we’d use our tithing records so that we could write off the “charitable donations” at the end of every year.

Don’t get me wrong – there’s nothing wrong with taking advantage of a tax break for something that you’re doing from your heart, but you’re not doing it from your heart if your ultimate goal is to get the tax break in the first place.

At the end of the day, the pimp would benefit by extorting you into giving him money in the first place AND by getting another percentage of the money that he extorted from you last year.

It’s the gift that keeps on giving…

By: IndependentConservative

IndependentConservative — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:01:38 +0000

Speaking of taxes, I always found it interesting, even when I considered myself a “church tither” how these pimps would convince people to pay 10% off their tax refund. It’s a REFUND. It’s not new earnings. It’s money back from money that was already your own. Money already counted in your gross earnings last year. Money that anyone falling for the “10% off your gross earnings” scam would have ALREADY PAID ON. But the pimps do a double dip and act like it’s “increase”. Never mind the whole assembly is in debt. And as speakingtruth’s post mentions, don’t look to them for much help out of it.

By: IndependentConservative

IndependentConservative — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 14:56:31 +0000

Well there are those people who are rich, but lack mental aptitude, such as Evander Holyfield. Who gave lots to Creflo Augustus Dollar Jr. and Benny Hinn. And don’t laugh too hard at Evander. Remember, those pimps had us going once too.

By: speakingtruth

speakingtruth — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 13:31:33 +0000

Thanks for the “shout-out” IC. This kind of pyramid scheme is absolutely shameful, especially when it’s aimed at people who most likely earn a small percentage of what these pimps rake in on a weekly basis.

You don’t think that wealthy people are sowing into this garbage, do you? Wealthy people are wealthy for a reason – they know the difference between a good investment and a bad investment.

If God’s people used more discernment (and sought Him for guidance), then these money schemes would just be cruel jokes from the past.