|
|
|
|
filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
 Posted - 05/25/2009 : 03:23:17
|
It's been a right good while since we've heard about Jim Bakker's PTL Club. Well, in case you were wondering, here's what happened to it. INDIAN LAND, S.C.
As Easter approached, the ad ran repeatedly on the Inspiration Network: David Cerullo, clutching a Bible, told viewers they, too, could receive prosperity, physical healing and other blessings God gave the ancient Israelites.
All they had to do, the televangelist said, was send $200 or more.
“Go to your phone,” he said. “Sow your Passover offering and watch God do what he said he would … Call now.”
Pitches like this have transformed the Charlotte-area cable network into one of the world's fastest-growing Christian broadcasters, beaming into more than 100 countries on five continents. They've also helped turn Cerullo, Inspiration's CEO and on-air host, into a wealthy man.
He brings home more than $1.5 million a year, making him the best-paid leader of any religious charity tracked by watchdog groups. His salary dwarfs those of executives leading far larger religious nonprofits.
David and Barbara Cerullo live in a 12,000 square-foot lakefront home in south Charlotte – complete with an elevator and an 1,100-square-foot garage. Their grown children also receive handsome salaries.
His network, with a budget of nearly $80 million last year, sprang from the remnants of Jim Bakker's PTL Club. Cerullo and his colleagues have raised much of the money by repeating this on-air assertion: God brings financial favor of them all. to those who donate.
|
The only major difference that I can see is that Cerullo seems to be a lot smarter than the previous scoundrel. Still, he flim-flams those who can ill-afford the money with promises of future prosperity, just like Jim. Desperation too, has it's price and Cerullo, is eager to ring up the till. And ring it up he does, drawing the highest CEO salary of all the gospel grinders: one-plus mil annually.
Friend of Hinn, buddy of Hagee, graduate of Oral Roberts' cluster-wank he'll go yet farther in the religious larceny business, and, like all the rest including the Vatican, do it on the backs of the impoverished.
|
"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist! 
|
|
|
Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9688 Posts |
 Posted - 05/25/2009 : 06:51:58 [Permalink]
|
As Easter approached, the ad ran repeatedly on the Inspiration Network: David Cerullo, clutching a Bible, told viewers they, too, could receive prosperity, physical healing and other blessings God gave the ancient Israelites.
All they had to do, the televangelist said, was send $200 or more.
“Go to your phone,” he said. “Sow your Passover offering and watch God do what he said he would … Call now.”
|
Isn't that fraudulent advertisement?
Should be prosecutable, if it isn't already. 
|
Dr. Mabuse - "When the going gets tough, the tough get Duct-tape..."
Dr. Mabuse whisper.mp3
"Equivocation is not just a job, for a creationist it's a way of life..." Dr. Mabuse
Support American Troops in Iraq:
Send them unarmed civilians for target practice..
Collateralmurder. |
 |
|
|
filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 05/25/2009 : 11:08:12 [Permalink]
|
Originally posted by Dr. Mabuse
As Easter approached, the ad ran repeatedly on the Inspiration Network: David Cerullo, clutching a Bible, told viewers they, too, could receive prosperity, physical healing and other blessings God gave the ancient Israelites.
All they had to do, the televangelist said, was send $200 or more.
“Go to your phone,” he said. “Sow your Passover offering and watch God do what he said he would … Call now.”
|
Isn't that fraudulent advertisement?
Should be prosecutable, if it isn't already.
|
In the sensible Lands of Lutefisk, or the Swedish equivalent thereof, perhaps it is indeed prosecutable. But here, in the Lands of the Ludicrous, it is praised, rewarded and encouraged with a desperation bordering on phychosis. Here, we ain't all that smart, you see, and will buy into anything that has to do with Miracles, Jebus, Sandwich Mary, Man-From-Mud, and John Edward. Not necessarily in that order, of course, but it's all the same damned thing anyway.
Perhaps we should eat more Lutefisk, eh? It certainly couldn't hurt...
|
"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
|
|
|
|
Kil
Evil Skeptic
USA
13477 Posts |
Posted - 05/25/2009 : 13:04:02 [Permalink]
|
Originally posted by filthy
Originally posted by Dr. Mabuse
As Easter approached, the ad ran repeatedly on the Inspiration Network: David Cerullo, clutching a Bible, told viewers they, too, could receive prosperity, physical healing and other blessings God gave the ancient Israelites.
All they had to do, the televangelist said, was send $200 or more.
“Go to your phone,” he said. “Sow your Passover offering and watch God do what he said he would … Call now.”
|
Isn't that fraudulent advertisement?
Should be prosecutable, if it isn't already.
|
In the sensible Lands of Lutefisk, or the Swedish equivalent thereof, perhaps it is indeed prosecutable. But here, in the Lands of the Ludicrous, it is praised, rewarded and encouraged with a desperation bordering on phychosis. Here, we ain't all that smart, you see, and will buy into anything that has to do with Miracles, Jebus, Sandwich Mary, Man-From-Mud, and John Edward. Not necessarily in that order, of course, but it's all the same damned thing anyway.
Perhaps we should eat more Lutefisk, eh? It certainly couldn't hurt...
|
So, here's the way Michelle explained it to me, before we went to Robert Tilton's Come & Receive your Miracle Crusade. It doesn't matter if it's a scam. All that matters is what is in the heart of the people doing the tithing. Tilton, or David Cerullo can expand thier ministries or buy a yacht with their money and God will still reward the people doing the tithing. Add to that the fact that it doesn't look good if those who are asking for the money do not look prosperous. After all, they are supposed to be good with the Lord which means that he has blessed them with wealth and all that goes with it.
Furthermore, she said it's very possible that folks like Tilton or Cerullo even believe their own bullshit. They are doing their part by getting people to tithe and God's doing his part by generously rewarding them for bringing people to God. (Of course, there is the question of how much tithing they do, but even if it's a flat out scam on the part of the preachers, the tithers should get their reward. It's not their responsibility to know what's in the preacher's heart. It should also be noted that the promised reward is so open to interpretation that it would be almost impossible to take the preachers to civil court because God did not deliver.)
Now as it happens, Tilton did run afoul of the law by not keeping his promise to pray over the offerings (Tilton uses lots of gimmicks) as promised. Essentially, his staff removed the checks from the envelopes and ignored the other contents that Tilton promised to personally attend to. The envelopes and there contents wound up in a dumpster out back of his ministry headquarters, even when he was out of town. Tax evasion and other tax issues having to do with non profit organizations is also something the law looks at, and of course, there are those scandals…
Otherwise, it's the perfect scam.
|
Uncertainty may make you uncomfortable. Certainty makes you ridiculous.
Why not question something for a change?
Genetic Literacy Project |
|
|
|
R.Wreck
SFN Regular
USA
1191 Posts |
Posted - 05/25/2009 : 13:20:26 [Permalink]
|
| Well, the Lord (TM) does have that reputation for working in mysterious ways, and I guess hiring con men as recruiters would be among them. That would make the big guy an accessory to fraud, wouldn't it? Is he exempt from his own commandments? |
The foundation of morality is to . . . give up pretending to believe that for which there is no evidence, and repeating unintelligible propositions about things beyond the possibliities of knowledge.
T. H. Huxley
The Cattle Prod of Enlightened Compassion
|
|
|
|
Kil
Evil Skeptic
USA
13477 Posts |
Posted - 05/25/2009 : 16:46:33 [Permalink]
|
Originally posted by R.Wreck
Well, the Lord (TM) does have that reputation for working in mysterious ways, and I guess hiring con men as recruiters would be among them. That would make the big guy an accessory to fraud, wouldn't it? Is he exempt from his own commandments?
|
In the scenario that I described, I don't see how God becomes an accessory to fraud. That is unless you count the entire business of religion as fraudulent based on the lack of any evidence that any God even exists. And in that case, it would be pretty hard to pin any criminality on a non existent being.
I'm not for curtailing laws that protect our freedom of religion, or lack thereof. The catch is that it's those lawful protections that make it possible for a royal fleecing by any and all religions that pass the plate around.
As L.Ron Hubbard observed; "You don't get rich writing science fiction. If you want to get rich, you start a religion." |
Uncertainty may make you uncomfortable. Certainty makes you ridiculous.
Why not question something for a change?
Genetic Literacy Project |
|
|
|
Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
|
|
The Rat
SFN Regular
Canada
1370 Posts |
Posted - 05/25/2009 : 18:00:01 [Permalink]
|
| I understand that 'PTL' really stood for Pass The Loot. |
Bailey's second law; There is no relationship between the three virtues of intelligence, education, and wisdom.
You fiend! Never have I encountered such corrupt and foul-minded perversity! Have you ever considered a career in the Church? - The Bishop of Bath and Wells, Blackadder II
Baculum's page: http://www.bebo.com/Profile.jsp?MemberId=3947338590 |
|
|
|
R.Wreck
SFN Regular
USA
1191 Posts |
Posted - 05/26/2009 : 17:50:44 [Permalink]
|
Originally posted by Kil
Originally posted by R.Wreck
Well, the Lord (TM) does have that reputation for working in mysterious ways, and I guess hiring con men as recruiters would be among them. That would make the big guy an accessory to fraud, wouldn't it? Is he exempt from his own commandments?
|
In the scenario that I described, I don't see how God becomes an accessory to fraud. That is unless you count the entire business of religion as fraudulent based on the lack of any evidence that any God even exists. And in that case, it would be pretty hard to pin any criminality on a non existent being.
I'm not for curtailing laws that protect our freedom of religion, or lack thereof. The catch is that it's those lawful protections that make it possible for a royal fleecing by any and all religions that pass the plate around.
As L.Ron Hubbard observed; "You don't get rich writing science fiction. If you want to get rich, you start a religion."
|
<Removes tongue from cheek>
At the risk of getting into an "angels on the head of a pin" discussion, I was thinking mainly of where you said:
"Furthermore, she said it's very possible that folks like Tilton or Cerullo even believe their own bullshit. They are doing their part by getting people to tithe and God's doing his part by generously rewarding them for bringing people to God."
The mysterious way would be if god actually was using these grifters to reap souls for him (if he really existed that is). Wouldn't that make the hairy thunderer an accessory?
I didn't suggest curtailing laws that protect freedom of religion, although my personal belief is that they all promise things they can't possibly deliver, which in any other business transaction would be illegal. They should all at least have to pay taxes on the loot though. |
The foundation of morality is to . . . give up pretending to believe that for which there is no evidence, and repeating unintelligible propositions about things beyond the possibliities of knowledge.
T. H. Huxley
The Cattle Prod of Enlightened Compassion
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Another pious blood-sucker takes over
