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Televangelists

What is your take on the flamboyant televangelists that fleece gullible people of their money for the promises of miracles? Should the government protect these people, same as it protects citizens against pyramid schemes, etc? One such is coming to south africa soon. I attempted starting a campaign against this fellow coming to Johannesburg, and some of his followers wanted to chop off my head!

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Permalink Reply by Brent Feeney on February 23, 2011 at 8:15pm

Which one would that have been?

A US Senator from Iowa held hearings concerning several of these televangelists, the ones who spread the so-called "prosperity gospel." Nothing came of it though and the matter was quietly dropped after several of them opened up their books. Very disappointing. Yet I do not think the government should step in and protect people from these crooks - it's a matter of free speech to me.

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Permalink Reply by BecaT on February 24, 2011 at 12:11am

They do piss me off a lot. But, honestly, people are stupid, if its not a televangelist, then they will find something else to follow.

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Permalink Reply by Jim DePaulo on February 24, 2011 at 8:24am

Ignorance can be cured - stupity not so much.

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Permalink Reply by Daniel W on February 24, 2011 at 11:03am

Televangelists are parasites. But free speech is important. I wish there was a televangelist of "critical thinking."

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Permalink Reply by BecaT on February 24, 2011 at 12:20pm

there should be! Except you don't make money off of that....

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Permalink Reply by Grace Fitzpatrick on February 24, 2011 at 12:28pm

As much as I dislike them, they have a right to say what they have to say as long as it doesn't incite violence against someone else. People have a right to be as dumb as they like. They could always change channels to Jerry Springer or the Cartoon Network.

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Permalink Reply by BecaT on February 24, 2011 at 2:45pm

I do love Springer though. : )

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Permalink Reply by Grace Fitzpatrick on February 24, 2011 at 3:52pm

I do, too. It's kind of a guilty pleasure. I'd 1000x rather watch Jerry than Kenneth Copeland or any those others. I'd probably learn a lot more too. LOL!

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Permalink Reply by Christopher Phillips on June 23, 2011 at 2:11pm

They are inherently evil. They say thing are so when they have absolutely no proof of the matter.

They are so easy to imitate. One hand raised clutching a bible and the other a mic walking back and forwards on a dais saying "praise the lord" or some other such drivel and having some stooge yelling out yessir! OK or the like. A bit of organ music and keeping the script in neo Jacobean English.

Total, revolting rubbish. And they are rich con artists.

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Permalink Reply by Brian Wood on June 23, 2011 at 2:25pm

I'm a free speech absolutist, and I agree with W. C. Fields that it is morally wrong not to separate a sucker from his money.

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Permalink Reply by Pat on June 23, 2011 at 3:57pm

If it's Benny Hinn, the notorious "faith healer" you might want to start a campaign to have questions posed to him about his investigation by the US Internal Revenue Service (tax collectors), or the US Senate into his, and others of his ilks, fraudulent activities.