Con Games and Jesus

So here’s how it works. I am the captain of the airplane. First class tickets are a grand a piece but once you own those seats you get to sell other first class tickets, keeping $500 for yourself and paying your captain $500. You sell two seats behind you and you’ve already broken even. When the people you’ve sold those seats to go on to sell seats of their own, you get a forth of their sales - $250 - and your captain gets $250. You receive even more money when those people go on to sell seats of their own. Your cut rises dramatically if you go on to sell more $1000 first class seats. As more and more passengers fill our plane your financial security will be assured. Do the math yourself. Within just a few generations we can all be millionaires on Tommy’s plane ride to wealth.

Flim-flam men, hucksters, con men, grifters, thimbleriggers, and preachers, it’s one of my favorite subjects. If you like Confidence games, check out my blog entry:

http://fluffer-union.blogspot.com/2007/11/good-con-man-is-not-hard-to-find.html

Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) is probing six ministries led by Paula White, Joyce Meyer, Creflo Dollar, Eddie Long, Kenneth Copeland, and Benny Hinn.

Oh, Benny, Benny, Benny, what have you done now? Grassley’s finance committee has demanded their financial records and none of these ministries have yet to produce anything to the committee.

Pam’s House Blend picked up the story. . .
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=4256

This story has everything. I love this story. It has tweaked my schadenfreuden guru. I can't wait to see what happens next. Once the committee has these financial records they become public. I plan on getting my own copy.

My guess is that the ministries are not afraid of breaking the tax law, but they are scared to death that their own congregations may find out where the money is going.

It’s been reported that Benny Hinn has:

A $10-million, 7,000 sq. ft. home, $112,000 per month for a private jet, a couple of $80,000 cars, luxury hotel rooms that are 5,400 sq. ft. at $10,800 per night for a "layover." At least Hinn is generous with his tips, which totaled over $4,500 during a recent three-day period. A salary of half a million to a million dollars per year--plus book royalties.

According to: http://blog.kir.com/archives/003639.asp

I’d like you to disregard my opening pitch. Instead:

Allow me to introduce myself. I am the Pope of Austin. And yes, I talk to God on a regular basis.

For this month only, I am offering half price on all Indulgences. How can you pass that up? Everlasting redemption for just three easy payments of $29.95, complete with a signed document from the Pope of Austin himself that you can give to God to show him how you have paid for your sins. But hold on. There’s more. Not only do you get everlasting salvation, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness. Big hitter the Lama.