There is some good being done in some of these churches. But I fail to see how selling concert tickets is a non-profit venture – especially since there are a few more golden crosses being installed on the church campus in the coming months.
I also suspect if these mega church people could not deduct their donations on their income taxes – would they continue to give?
In the Bible – the example of real charity is the widow’s mite.
I also suspect 99.9% (did you get the pun 9-9-9?) of these mega church people have never really known poverty. They have been too busy buying that new wardrobe and/or new car to ‘look good’ for their fellowship at their church.
Funny thing, I do not remember when Jesus wore only the finest linen and I believe he walked everywhere to administer his love and compassion to the outcasts of society.
I hardly think these mega churches minister to the outcasts – at least not on their own golden-laced church campus.
These are Cain’s words, he wrote them! ThinkProgress only reprinted with no changes. What a doofus! This is the best the Republican Party can come up with?
———————–
When it comes to Social Security, the pugilistic presidential contender Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) is normally the one attracting all the attention. After all, he called the program all sorts of names: A “Ponzi scheme,” a “monstrous lie,” and unconstitutional. But the new GOP front runner — pizza mogul Herman Cain — seems eager to challenge Perry’s title as the world heavyweight champion fear-monger on the nation’s most successful economic program.
From 2005 to 2010, Cain wrote weekly commentary for his company The New Voice, Inc. He dedicated a few of his columns to register full support for President George W. Bush’s disastrous idea to privatize Social Security. Viewing Social Security as “immoral” and “oppressive,” he blasted Democrats for supporting “involuntary servitude” of African Americans through the Social Security and payroll tax system. From one column entitled, “Ownerships: An Unalienable Right”:
The 70-year-old Social Security structure and the 92-year-old income tax code thwart the natural, individual motivation of citizens to use their God-given talents to pursue happiness and their respective dreams. Any program that undermines an individual’s liberty to create ownership is, then, by its very nature, immoral. It took our nation nearly 250 years to end slavery and live up to the self-evident truth that all men are created equal. It should not take us another 250 years to cease the involuntary negative return most working people receive from Social Security, or the involuntary servitude imposed by the oppressive income tax code.
In another column entitled “Separate Water Fountains,” Cain said the Social Security system “by its very nature discriminates against black men and women.” With their “unconscionable” refusal to implement private accounts, Democratic “so-called black leaders” want to see “the next generation of Blacks remain in economic slavery on the Democratic plantation“:
I’ve noticed something about Herman Cain in the past few weeks – since he has been dubbed the flavor of the week.
Whenever Herman Cain is pressed to answer any question (does not matter what issue) – his standard reply is – anybody that knows Herman Cain knows that is not true. (or something to that effect).
The first time I heard Cain use this tactic – I just thought it was because he did not know the answer the question.
But now I think it is his way of turning the tables on the question – so now the issue becomes – the problem is with the person asking the question, not Cain. After all, if we knew Cain, then we would know it is not true.
That tactic is also used alot in these Evangelical Christian mega church people. When questioned, rather than answer – it is the questioner that needs to find the ‘right’ God or the questioner is ‘persecuting’ them.
Let’s just see it for what the truth is – these people that use that tactic are nothing more than CON men – who know how to run a good CON.
If one is to really listen to Herman Cain or any the other GOP presidential candidates – they really do not know what is going on domestically and in the area of foreign relations – God I hope none of the current GOP crop of clowns get into the White House.
And this is why we’ve been screaming about regulating derivatives! I kind of think that the Occupy movement is going to have something to say about this corporate sleight of hand that came to light earlier this week. Do they really think we’re going to look the other way and let them stick us with a $74 trillion bill — just to let good old “too big to fail” Bank of America off the hook? I don’t think so:
Here’s a philosopher looking into the Occupy group.
— snip —
In Matthew 22, we find Jesus catching it from the Left and Right. Just before our passage, the Sadducees (the landed aristocracy whose power was based upon the Temple and inheritance, legacy-based traditions) go after him. In 22:34-46, the Pharisees (those concerned about the people of the land, a more democratic movement) go up against him for the sole purpose of “testing” and entrapping him. But Jesus pandered to no one: not Sadducees, not Pharisees, not Zealots (the nationalistic movement that repudiated any cooperation with Rome who occupied their country), not even Rome itself. Over-indulged religious leaders and government officials alike found it impossible to get him to sell-out. Jesus remained single-minded throughout his life: Love God and neighbor, neighbor and God.
They ask Jesus: “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” An ethical challenge.
How does Jesus respond? With a media-worthy sound-bite, partisan talking-point, the latest brilliant, think-tank political and economic theory? Nope. Jesus presumably underwhelms by merely quoting scriptures that any Jew of speaking age then or now could probably recite:
“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Jesus’ first quote comes from Deuteronomy 6:5, part of the prayer known simply as the Shema. The second is found in Leviticus 19, which says, among other things:
“You shall not defraud your neighbor; you shall not steal; and you shall not keep for yourself the wages of a laborer until morning.”
“You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great.”
“You shall not profit by the blood of your neighbor.”
Government generates no income. It takes from us and spends what it takes. Some of it isn’t spent for the benefit of most of the country’s citizens. Big huge bunches of that money — our money — went to bail out wall street, banks and insurance companies… After they had crashed our financial sector and millions of us lost chunks of our life savings, we loaned them the money to recoup their losses and make more profits!
Yes, most of the principal has been repaid. Interest free they used our money and paid huge amounts to themselves, they took that seed money and grew it tenfold for the benefit of only themselves.
Are they loaning again? Are they hiring? Nope. They’re defrauding their neighbors, and keeping the wages of the laborer until morning. They’re profiting by the blood of their neighbor. They expect all of us to defer to the great.
I don’t hate the government! I know the government is you and I. I don’t want to destroy the government, I want to improve it for all of us!
I also think those who are part of the group that wants to rewrite our country’s Constitution to more closely resemble the Bible should stop protecting those who aren’t following the words of Jesus. Why do they bow to that alter of Corpocracy and big money?
Didn’t several of those too-big-to-fail banks use their bailout money (taxpayer money) to buy other banks and pay their CEO’s huge paychecks and increased their bonus?
So, rather than using the taxpayer money to help the taxpayers – these banks shored up their own losses and became even bigger…
But yet Republicans want LESS regulations on these people in charge?
Yes. All I want is the profits from OUR SEED MONEY shared. They didn’t get to recoup their losses and build insanely huge profits without OUR MONEY! They could ‘shore up’ programs like Medicare and Medicaid! That would ease our losses which they caused since we didn’t get any help for our ongoing recovery!
Perry was the ‘man to beat’ in late August. These republicans are truly desperate and these are the people who represent them — the ‘best’ they can find!
——————-
Rick Perry Is Still Not Convinced That Obama Was Born In The United States
Proof positive the 99% are having a positive impact! They’ve gotten Romney to flip-flop once again!
—————————
Republicans have had little but contempt for the ongoing protests on Wall Street and around the nation. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) called the protesters a “mob,” Herman Cain said they’re “un-American,” and Rep. Spencer “serve the banks” Bachus (R-AL) believes that the protests are “misdirected” and instead should be aimed at “job-killing regulations.” The conservative media have also done their part to dismiss the protesters as “freaks” who are “aligned with Lenin.”
However, some Republicans are a tad more wishy-washy. 2012 presidential hopeful Rick Santorum called the protesters a “fringe group” when he appeared on CNBC, but later said, “I understand the motivation behind the protests.” GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney, meanwhile, at first said that the protests are “dangerous.” But during a town hall in New Hampshire yesterday, he seized upon the protesters call for an economy that works for everybody, saying, “I worry about the 99 percent,” and added, “I understand how those people feel”:
I don’t worry about the top one percent. I don’t stay up nights worrying about ‘gee we need to help them.’ I don’t worry about that. They’re doing just fine by themselves. I worry about the 99 percent in America. I want America, once again, to be the best place in the world to be middle-class. I want to have a strong and vibrant and prosperous middle-class. And so I look at what’s happening on Wall Street and my own view is, boy I understand how those people feel…The people in this country are upset.
This morning Charles Krauthammer on “Insider Washington” said, “Sure we got Saddam Hussein in 2 weeks, and Osama Bin Laden in 6 months. This effort (Libya) took 8 months. President Obama moved too slow.”
And the republicans will latch on to this ‘talking point.’ You’ll be hearing it without even paying much attention. They don’t have ideas, policies or solutions, just criticisms.
Not just criticism – but downright HATE for Obama.
I’ve never seen this deep-rooted hatred for any Democrat before. I know Bill Clinton got these Republicans’ panties in a bunch but there is something different about their hatred of Obama. It goes further than him just being a Democrat.
I agree, Indy. They at least waited until Bill screwed up (so to speak) before releasing their vitriol. They started on President Obama before he was sworn in, when their guy was still screwing up (so to speak).
PrairiePopulistsAndProgressives.net 
When I see the opulence of the mega churches I think of the commandment: Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Exodus 20:3
I do know these monstrous churches bring together a lot of people and a lot of money, some of which they do good things with.
There is some good being done in some of these churches. But I fail to see how selling concert tickets is a non-profit venture – especially since there are a few more golden crosses being installed on the church campus in the coming months.
I also suspect if these mega church people could not deduct their donations on their income taxes – would they continue to give?
In the Bible – the example of real charity is the widow’s mite.
I also suspect 99.9% (did you get the pun 9-9-9?) of these mega church people have never really known poverty. They have been too busy buying that new wardrobe and/or new car to ‘look good’ for their fellowship at their church.
Funny thing, I do not remember when Jesus wore only the finest linen and I believe he walked everywhere to administer his love and compassion to the outcasts of society.
I hardly think these mega churches minister to the outcasts – at least not on their own golden-laced church campus.
BTW – Some of these mega church people are not going to church because of their faith – they are going to network for their business contacts.
There is alot of money in these mega churches and any good CON man knows to take his money-making scheme to the wealthy masses.
Perfect timing!
I was doing research earlier this morning on barn raisings and stumbled upon something I found in an online article about them.
“Jesus was born in a barn, not a church.”
These are Cain’s words, he wrote them! ThinkProgress only reprinted with no changes. What a doofus! This is the best the Republican Party can come up with?
———————–
When it comes to Social Security, the pugilistic presidential contender Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) is normally the one attracting all the attention. After all, he called the program all sorts of names: A “Ponzi scheme,” a “monstrous lie,” and unconstitutional. But the new GOP front runner — pizza mogul Herman Cain — seems eager to challenge Perry’s title as the world heavyweight champion fear-monger on the nation’s most successful economic program.
From 2005 to 2010, Cain wrote weekly commentary for his company The New Voice, Inc. He dedicated a few of his columns to register full support for President George W. Bush’s disastrous idea to privatize Social Security. Viewing Social Security as “immoral” and “oppressive,” he blasted Democrats for supporting “involuntary servitude” of African Americans through the Social Security and payroll tax system. From one column entitled, “Ownerships: An Unalienable Right”:
The 70-year-old Social Security structure and the 92-year-old income tax code thwart the natural, individual motivation of citizens to use their God-given talents to pursue happiness and their respective dreams. Any program that undermines an individual’s liberty to create ownership is, then, by its very nature, immoral. It took our nation nearly 250 years to end slavery and live up to the self-evident truth that all men are created equal. It should not take us another 250 years to cease the involuntary negative return most working people receive from Social Security, or the involuntary servitude imposed by the oppressive income tax code.
In another column entitled “Separate Water Fountains,” Cain said the Social Security system “by its very nature discriminates against black men and women.” With their “unconscionable” refusal to implement private accounts, Democratic “so-called black leaders” want to see “the next generation of Blacks remain in economic slavery on the Democratic plantation“:
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2011/10/21/349901/herman-cain-compares-social-security-to-slavery/
I’ve noticed something about Herman Cain in the past few weeks – since he has been dubbed the flavor of the week.
Whenever Herman Cain is pressed to answer any question (does not matter what issue) – his standard reply is – anybody that knows Herman Cain knows that is not true. (or something to that effect).
The first time I heard Cain use this tactic – I just thought it was because he did not know the answer the question.
But now I think it is his way of turning the tables on the question – so now the issue becomes – the problem is with the person asking the question, not Cain. After all, if we knew Cain, then we would know it is not true.
That tactic is also used alot in these Evangelical Christian mega church people. When questioned, rather than answer – it is the questioner that needs to find the ‘right’ God or the questioner is ‘persecuting’ them.
Let’s just see it for what the truth is – these people that use that tactic are nothing more than CON men – who know how to run a good CON.
If one is to really listen to Herman Cain or any the other GOP presidential candidates – they really do not know what is going on domestically and in the area of foreign relations – God I hope none of the current GOP crop of clowns get into the White House.
Bank Of America Trying To Stick Taxpayers With A $74 Trillion Bill By Moving Derivatives Into FDIC-Insured Accounts
And this is why we’ve been screaming about regulating derivatives! I kind of think that the Occupy movement is going to have something to say about this corporate sleight of hand that came to light earlier this week. Do they really think we’re going to look the other way and let them stick us with a $74 trillion bill — just to let good old “too big to fail” Bank of America off the hook? I don’t think so:
Simple, easy to understand explanation of Bank of America’s dangerous derivatives deal —
Now what is so hard to understand about what the Fed and the banks are doing that makes us so angry?
Here’s a philosopher looking into the Occupy group.
— snip —
In Matthew 22, we find Jesus catching it from the Left and Right. Just before our passage, the Sadducees (the landed aristocracy whose power was based upon the Temple and inheritance, legacy-based traditions) go after him. In 22:34-46, the Pharisees (those concerned about the people of the land, a more democratic movement) go up against him for the sole purpose of “testing” and entrapping him. But Jesus pandered to no one: not Sadducees, not Pharisees, not Zealots (the nationalistic movement that repudiated any cooperation with Rome who occupied their country), not even Rome itself. Over-indulged religious leaders and government officials alike found it impossible to get him to sell-out. Jesus remained single-minded throughout his life: Love God and neighbor, neighbor and God.
They ask Jesus: “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” An ethical challenge.
How does Jesus respond? With a media-worthy sound-bite, partisan talking-point, the latest brilliant, think-tank political and economic theory? Nope. Jesus presumably underwhelms by merely quoting scriptures that any Jew of speaking age then or now could probably recite:
“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Jesus’ first quote comes from Deuteronomy 6:5, part of the prayer known simply as the Shema. The second is found in Leviticus 19, which says, among other things:
“You shall not defraud your neighbor; you shall not steal; and you shall not keep for yourself the wages of a laborer until morning.”
“You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great.”
“You shall not profit by the blood of your neighbor.”
Government generates no income. It takes from us and spends what it takes. Some of it isn’t spent for the benefit of most of the country’s citizens. Big huge bunches of that money — our money — went to bail out wall street, banks and insurance companies… After they had crashed our financial sector and millions of us lost chunks of our life savings, we loaned them the money to recoup their losses and make more profits!
Yes, most of the principal has been repaid. Interest free they used our money and paid huge amounts to themselves, they took that seed money and grew it tenfold for the benefit of only themselves.
Are they loaning again? Are they hiring? Nope. They’re defrauding their neighbors, and keeping the wages of the laborer until morning. They’re profiting by the blood of their neighbor. They expect all of us to defer to the great.
I don’t hate the government! I know the government is you and I. I don’t want to destroy the government, I want to improve it for all of us!
I also think those who are part of the group that wants to rewrite our country’s Constitution to more closely resemble the Bible should stop protecting those who aren’t following the words of Jesus. Why do they bow to that alter of Corpocracy and big money?
Didn’t several of those too-big-to-fail banks use their bailout money (taxpayer money) to buy other banks and pay their CEO’s huge paychecks and increased their bonus?
So, rather than using the taxpayer money to help the taxpayers – these banks shored up their own losses and became even bigger…
But yet Republicans want LESS regulations on these people in charge?
Please, just give me a barf bag now ……………..
Yes. All I want is the profits from OUR SEED MONEY shared. They didn’t get to recoup their losses and build insanely huge profits without OUR MONEY! They could ‘shore up’ programs like Medicare and Medicaid! That would ease our losses which they caused since we didn’t get any help for our ongoing recovery!
Perry was the ‘man to beat’ in late August. These republicans are truly desperate and these are the people who represent them — the ‘best’ they can find!
——————-
Rick Perry Is Still Not Convinced That Obama Was Born In The United States
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/perry-not-entirely-sold-that-obama-was-born-in-the-united-states-2011-10#ixzz1bcg03lpo
Proof positive the 99% are having a positive impact! They’ve gotten Romney to flip-flop once again!
—————————
Republicans have had little but contempt for the ongoing protests on Wall Street and around the nation. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) called the protesters a “mob,” Herman Cain said they’re “un-American,” and Rep. Spencer “serve the banks” Bachus (R-AL) believes that the protests are “misdirected” and instead should be aimed at “job-killing regulations.” The conservative media have also done their part to dismiss the protesters as “freaks” who are “aligned with Lenin.”
However, some Republicans are a tad more wishy-washy. 2012 presidential hopeful Rick Santorum called the protesters a “fringe group” when he appeared on CNBC, but later said, “I understand the motivation behind the protests.” GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney, meanwhile, at first said that the protests are “dangerous.” But during a town hall in New Hampshire yesterday, he seized upon the protesters call for an economy that works for everybody, saying, “I worry about the 99 percent,” and added, “I understand how those people feel”:
I don’t worry about the top one percent. I don’t stay up nights worrying about ‘gee we need to help them.’ I don’t worry about that. They’re doing just fine by themselves. I worry about the 99 percent in America. I want America, once again, to be the best place in the world to be middle-class. I want to have a strong and vibrant and prosperous middle-class. And so I look at what’s happening on Wall Street and my own view is, boy I understand how those people feel…The people in this country are upset.
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/10/11/340289/romney-flip-flops-wall-street-protests/
This morning Charles Krauthammer on “Insider Washington” said, “Sure we got Saddam Hussein in 2 weeks, and Osama Bin Laden in 6 months. This effort (Libya) took 8 months. President Obama moved too slow.”
And the republicans will latch on to this ‘talking point.’ You’ll be hearing it without even paying much attention. They don’t have ideas, policies or solutions, just criticisms.
Not just criticism – but downright HATE for Obama.
I’ve never seen this deep-rooted hatred for any Democrat before. I know Bill Clinton got these Republicans’ panties in a bunch but there is something different about their hatred of Obama. It goes further than him just being a Democrat.
I agree, Indy. They at least waited until Bill screwed up (so to speak) before releasing their vitriol. They started on President Obama before he was sworn in, when their guy was still screwing up (so to speak).