Last Week Tonight, this week's episode. Oliver is brilliant and merciless toward money grubbing churches. He incorporated his show/himself as a church, apparently legally.

If you do not have HBO, find someone who does. It is absolutely must see TV for the RFM crowd.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/16/2015 11:45PM by Brother Of Jerry.

You don't need HBO, you can follow and subscribe through Facebook. I don't have HBO, but I watch him all the time.

Hillarious!

An ugly truth about America.

I need a $100 Helper! A $500 dollar Warrior! A $1000 Hero to further the work of the Lord!

The LDS church does it differently but the goal is the same.

Unacountable free money. Best deal ever!

LDS prophets say they have the best interest of the church continually in their minds. Yes, just like every other religious charlatan. The LDS leaders do it in a more gentle but highly insideous manner.

My husband and I watched this. In fact I came here this morning to post that everyone should try to see this. So hilarious, yet infuriating. Thanks for providing the link!

Nothing like a good spotlight in the national media on the issue.

I am not sure whether I will live long enough to see the god industry taxed, but this discussion may lead to requirements of financial transparency of organizations seeking religious tax exemption.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/17/2015 10:52AM by deco.

Oliver sent in $350 over 7 months and thinks that's a crime.

The average Mormon family sends in $500 every month and has to scrub toilets and babysit other people's kids. (Average American family makes $55k a year, which is about $5000/month in gross income) If they don't send in $500, they don't get to go to their own children's weddings.

As bad as the Televangelists are, LDS, Inc. makes them look like bush leaguers in fleecing members. Do these churches audit their members every year, but refuse to open their books up?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/17/2015 11:34AM by axeldc.

The Morg is even worse:

Want to live with your family for eternity? Pay your tithing.

Want the blessings of wealth and prosperity promised by some obscure minor prophet named Malachi? Pay your tithing!

Want to make it to the top floor of special heaven, the Celestial Kingdom? Pay your tithing!

Want to witness your child getting married in God's holy Temple where only the truly righteous may enter? PAY YOUR F**KING TITHING! Or, you can stay the F**k out!!

DON'T YOU KNOW? WE HAVE A F**KING MALL TO PAY FOR!

As I read this I heard it in John Oliver's voice!

All of this doesn't even take in to account the effect on the political system of the money-fueled mind control practiced by these money grubbing churches/cults.

Love his show.

While the episode was more pointed towards the televangelists types it Easily carries over to TSCC.

I'll watch it tonight with my spouse and hope it sets off a light bulb.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/17/2015 01:47PM by goodeye.

That he aimed it at televangelists is the brilliant part. If he'd targeted churches in general, people wouldn't have listened, but now he's planted a seed. :)

I see what you did there;-)

I thought you said Jamie Oliver. "he's branching out," I thought.

Just watched the John Oliver episode. It's pretty good! Those TV evangelists seem so cheesy and fake, but they are basically saying the same thing as the Mormon church. Actually, as noted by the other posters, the Mormon church is actually worse in my opinion because, in addition to the fake promises of material wealth, if you don't pay tithing to the Mormon church you can't go to the temple or even heaven! Too bad John Oliver didn't use the church as an example of the tithing scam.

Here are some gems from an old First Presidency message from 1980:

"Tithing is not a free-will offering; it is a debt. . . . ", and, "The Lord, to whom one owes tithing, is in a position of a preferred creditor. If there is not enough to pay all creditors, he should be paid first. You may be a little shocked by this statement, but it is true. Other creditors, however, need not worry, for the Lord always blesses the person who has faith enough to pay tithing so his or her ability to pay other creditors is not thereby reduced." **

And of course, the first presidency message emphasizes that if you don't pay tithing to the LDS church you're probably going to burn!

If you want an interesting/shocking read, I recommend reading the whole first presidency message! It puts the televangelists to shame! (And this was what I grew up with....). : (

** https://www.lds.org/ensign/1980/06/concerning-tithing?lang=eng

This whole show left me fuming at Televanglist and corporate churches who weasel lots of money from naive and ignorant folks. The most infuriating was the woman dying of cancer who instead of competent medical treatment paid money to crooks.

My husband I watched this tonight. We're going to make a small donation to 'Our lady of Perpetual Exemption' church, and assuming it's legit, we'll take a tax write off, too. Maybe it'll bug the IRS and they'll take another look at the tax exemptions for churches.

I bet Oliver gets quite a bit of money, and pretty sure it'll have entertainment value for another show. Which is why we want to donate. It'd be hilarious, and I'm sure he'll put any money he gets to a good cause. 1-800-844-7475. The recording is pretty funny, and worth calling just to hear it.

Update: His website http://www.ourladyofperpetualexemption.com/donate.html

Any funds will be donated to Doctors without Borders.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/18/2015 02:41AM by imaworkinonit.

Congress, not the IRS, establishes the exemptions.

The IRS must honor the exemptions that Congress establishes, whether they like it or not.

The IRS, in the past, has tried to determine which churches are legit and which are not. It pretty much lost every lawsuit filed against it.

Here's a huffpo link
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/john-oliver-televangelism_55d18b8fe4b0ab468d9da515

I love John Oliver.

CA girl Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I love John Oliver.

Me too.

I would have loved to see him call out the Morg specifically-- showing City Creek, massive land purchases, Monson's $900k Audi, etc.

Can someone please post the highlights of this??? Thanks!

The national discussion of taxing churches has begun.

http://washington.cbslocal.com/2015/08/20/irs-televangelists-john-oliver/

This is the hard ass reality of monetary, religious crimes. So awesome to see John head butt it so well. Yes, I do believe he will have a piece on Mormonism soon. It's just as ridiculous as the televangelists..but more twisted.

Indeed.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/19/2015 12:33AM by wine country girl.

"The LDS leaders do it in a more gentle but highly insideous manner."

You call demanding 10% of their money gentle? You must have a real sad life. I'm sorry.

I was getting up the nerve to send this to my sister and it said an error occured when I tried to pull it up. What do you want to bet that the corrupt and wealthy televangelists got it taken down?

I will wager you $10,000 that corrupt and wealthy televangelists have nothing to do with it. Shall we call it a wager?

Maybe not.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/01/2015 03:50PM by brandywine.

Do you think the link is bad?

It's working now. Oops. I think it was my internet. That's embarrassing!