Joel Osteen's Texas megachurch received $4.4M COVID-19 stimulus loan

There is something wrong here definitely. All I think that is being said is, do you correct the problem by going after the agencies and laws that give this money away, or do you go after this man who purports to be Christian? I think many would like to go after him, because he claims "Christian status" then use that to persecute Christians that actually do preach the Gospel. A correction is needed but not as an excuse to persecute Christians.

 

It will be done under the in-coming Biden administration and every administration from now on. We have opened the free money gate and now anytime someone gets a boo-boo they'll need to get free money.

 

Are you trying to tell me JO should be giving advice on being a better person? Short thinking is that there is a magic man who solves your problems, magically.

 

Yeah. You're so afraid of the boogeyman of other peoples faith, you dismiss advice like "don't cheat on your spouse" because you don't like the messenger.

That's childish.

Im not religious, so you aren't going to get a rouse out of me for making inflammatory comments like the above. You just sound showcase your intolerance by attacking other peoples' faith which is most often just a method for them trying to be a better person.

In short, and hypothetically of course (not directed at any one person) it takes a special kind of ******* to attack people because they believe in a power greater than themselves for which they try to improve their lives. In short, people shouldn't be *******s.

 

There are no boogie-men. You have no idea what I'm dismissing outside of religion itself. You're welcome to continue making up things you think I or others do not like.
If people need a magic hero to be better people, maybe education is the answer. It takes a special kind of X to continue lying to people since your justification is because it makes them feel secure about questions that cannot answer.

Maybe you missed the important part about not lying to people while hovering over the "cheating spouse" issue.

 

And you don't have to attack people for trying to be better people regardless of whether they believe in Jesus, the boogie man, or whatever while some preachers are themselves s***ts.
You seem to support the government for telling people how to be better people while the government has the worst track record for bad behavior and are generally all a bunch of big d***s.

 

I would expect that the employees of the church pay income taxes like everyone else.

 

I'm just curious, but whats your position on transgender?

 

It’s none of my business if people want to change their sex or car color.

 

I’m not supporting the gov telling people how to be better. Osteen is a **** for pulling this stunt. He was one before, this is just adding to the list. I believe churches should be taxed like any other business.

 

Then they wouldn't be taxed. Most churches don't have a profit after expenses. Like other businesses, they would write off the building, the staff, cleaning, electric, charity (food, transportation, etc.). In the end, it would just prove to make the CPAs money and cost the government more in all the IRS audits.

but I guess if it makes you feel better, then that's all that matters.

 

Interesting.

So you hold no opinion on somebody that make believes in their head that the are a different sex than what biology says. A-ok. None of your business. You take no stance.

But if somebody lives their life in a format that aligns with their faith, even believing in a deity, you have no issue criticizing their belief of a magic man in the sky.

So flippin ironic.

 

Not everyone....just the rich and connected, who then get the middle class to bitch about welfare and social service programs while they enjoy a "tax free" & "tax loophole" life styles.

 

I assume you apply that logic to all non-profits and don't discriminate against those that happen to be religious in nature.

 

Well, religion IS a business and businesses only exist to make money so I guess he just does what other business people do....

Ya, it's quite sick and nasty...but looks legal...sadly..

 

The systems are absolutely the issue. Religious entities have been given far to much leeway in special treatment without having to prove any charitable acts. While he has done nothing illegal it goes against everything that the Bible teaches — that is for his followers to act upon not the law, however he wants it both ways: religious exemptions as well as taxpayer aid.

 

The difference is other non profits have strict reporting requirements to maintain those tax exemptions. Religious businesses have zero reporting requirements. The only discrimination going on here is against non-religious businesses.

 

If he has done nothing illegal you have nothing to beef about. I don't know about his charitable acts, I am sure the IRS has more knowledge. I'll be honest....I don't like the man. On the other hand, it seems you and others don't like Christians.

 

Oh cool, so if congress passes a law that revokes the second amendment and they seize all the weapons and then mandate a massive wealth transfer you will “have no beef about it” right”? After all, it will be legal — and legality is the only thing that determines if something is correct — right?

 

It's a loan! The question is how much will Olstein pay for that loan?

 

Looks like we are going to find out soon enough.

 

I used to watch Joel on Sunday mornings up till the moment he mentioned money. It never lasted more than a few minutes. Just a silly game I played. It amused me.

 

I have no idea why a church would need a loan since the parishioners usually support their churches, but while we're talking about loans, here's another strange one:

Michelin-star restaurant where Gavin Newsom dined received $2.4M in PPP funding, 17 times more than the average: report

French Laundry, the swanky restaurant California Gov. Gavin Newsom was caught dining at in November, received $2.4 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans from the Small Business Administration, according to a new report by KABC-TV.
...............................
Chef Thomas Keller's luxurious restaurant is back in the news because of the amount of federal financial assistance it received. The world-renowned restaurant was granted a $2.2 million PPP loan by the SBA on April 30 to retain 163 employees. The eatery was provided a second PPP loan worth $194,656 to retain five employees on the same day.
..................................
A report from earlier this month found that eight companies partially owned by Newsom received nearly $3 million in PPP loans from the federal government to deal with financial difficulties brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Newsom founded PlumpJack Management Group LLC, which includes five restaurants and bars, four Napa Valley wineries, a ski resort, and retail establishments.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/gavin-newsom-restaurant-ppp-loan

 

Sounds like your problem is with how much certain non-profits report. That has nothing to do with whether or not they are a non-profit. You're going to tax the soup kitchen because it is an outreach of a church.

 

The issue I have is where taxpayer funds need to be directed for maximum good. 4.4 million could have kept many small businesses and restaurants open that actually pay taxes and have instead been directed to an organization that pays nothing in taxes and doesn’t even have to prove they are preforming charitable works. A soup kitchen should absolutely be given tax exempt status as should many churches, they should just have to prove the work they are doing is actually what they say they are doing instead of buying million dollar jets and Ferrari’s.

This thread alone proves that most of the self proclaimed fiscal conservatives are hypocritical frauds.