Here is a picture of the Crystal Cathedral:
For those who don't know about this glass monstrosity (which apparently is more earthquake-resistant than it looks), it was built in 1977 for Rev. Robert Schuller at a cost of $18 million. Try to imagine what that amount of money would buy, even now in today's dollars. Schools and school supplies, food, clothing, shelter, the funding of crops and cattle for the poor through organizations such as Send-a-Cow, medicines and hospitals, shelters for the homeless...I can think of a lot of things that would be more worthy of a Christian's time and money than a shiny glass building where people can gather merely to HEAR about helping the poor without actually DOING it.
By 2010, Crystal Cathedral Ministries had accumulated a debt of around $55 million. Creditors naturally began demanding their money back for things like providing air time for the Hour of Power TV show. From Wiki: "The church's board filed for bankruptcy on October 18, 2010, citing $43 million in debt including a $36 million mortgage and $7.5 million in other debt." Oh my goodness! All that debt! What happened to "the Lord shall provide thy needs," and other such pablum that is fed to the masses from this very ministry? If God cannot supply the needs of Robert Schuller, then what hope does a single mom have, trying to feed her kids on a part-time job and Welfare?
Unable to retain his shiny, happy church in the face of such huge debts, Schuller was forced to file for bankruptcy and put his beloved creation up for sale...and it was bought by none other than the Catholic Church. Yes, the very same Catholics whom Protestants are always saying are not "real" Christians, even to the point of calling them the whore of Babylon! (A reference to some bullshit in the Book of Revelations.) The hilarity of this cannot be understated. Can you imagine the humiliation of admitting that you have to sell out to the CATHOLICS just to keep from being dragged into poverty by your ever-mounting, greed-fueled debt?
You can find hundreds of articles about this event. (Here is one from USA Today. ) It seems they don't like to bring up the bleeding obvious, which is that this ministry gives no indication whatsoever of being guided and directed by a Divine Power of any sort. In fact, it exactly resembles every other big-name business across the globe that has ever filed for bankruptcy, or gone through an unwanted takeover by another company, or simply failed because the times are changing and people don't want their product anymore. In other words, it is just another money-making business created, owned, and run by human beings.
There is no God-power involved here. If anyone thinks so, they are fooling themselves. Maybe they are thinking that it was all worth it, to glorify God. But I can't help but think that God, if he existed, would be far more pleased by the lives that would have been changed had that $18 million been spent on helping the poor, who could then help other poor people, and so on. That is the worst failure of Robert Schuller, and always will be.
For those who don't know about this glass monstrosity (which apparently is more earthquake-resistant than it looks), it was built in 1977 for Rev. Robert Schuller at a cost of $18 million. Try to imagine what that amount of money would buy, even now in today's dollars. Schools and school supplies, food, clothing, shelter, the funding of crops and cattle for the poor through organizations such as Send-a-Cow, medicines and hospitals, shelters for the homeless...I can think of a lot of things that would be more worthy of a Christian's time and money than a shiny glass building where people can gather merely to HEAR about helping the poor without actually DOING it.
By 2010, Crystal Cathedral Ministries had accumulated a debt of around $55 million. Creditors naturally began demanding their money back for things like providing air time for the Hour of Power TV show. From Wiki: "The church's board filed for bankruptcy on October 18, 2010, citing $43 million in debt including a $36 million mortgage and $7.5 million in other debt." Oh my goodness! All that debt! What happened to "the Lord shall provide thy needs," and other such pablum that is fed to the masses from this very ministry? If God cannot supply the needs of Robert Schuller, then what hope does a single mom have, trying to feed her kids on a part-time job and Welfare?
Unable to retain his shiny, happy church in the face of such huge debts, Schuller was forced to file for bankruptcy and put his beloved creation up for sale...and it was bought by none other than the Catholic Church. Yes, the very same Catholics whom Protestants are always saying are not "real" Christians, even to the point of calling them the whore of Babylon! (A reference to some bullshit in the Book of Revelations.) The hilarity of this cannot be understated. Can you imagine the humiliation of admitting that you have to sell out to the CATHOLICS just to keep from being dragged into poverty by your ever-mounting, greed-fueled debt?
You can find hundreds of articles about this event. (Here is one from USA Today. ) It seems they don't like to bring up the bleeding obvious, which is that this ministry gives no indication whatsoever of being guided and directed by a Divine Power of any sort. In fact, it exactly resembles every other big-name business across the globe that has ever filed for bankruptcy, or gone through an unwanted takeover by another company, or simply failed because the times are changing and people don't want their product anymore. In other words, it is just another money-making business created, owned, and run by human beings.
There is no God-power involved here. If anyone thinks so, they are fooling themselves. Maybe they are thinking that it was all worth it, to glorify God. But I can't help but think that God, if he existed, would be far more pleased by the lives that would have been changed had that $18 million been spent on helping the poor, who could then help other poor people, and so on. That is the worst failure of Robert Schuller, and always will be.
Why are churches, exempt from taxes, being given one of the large benefits of a government supported by taxes - the right to wipe out debt by declaring bankruptcy? I say that if they don't want to be taxed they can't declare bankruptcy either. The power to allow bankruptcy is the power to coerce, just as much as the power to levy taxes is, and that's one of the Constitutional guarantees - that the government won't be put into the position of being able to coerce religion. So let's get it out of the business of granting rwlief in bankruptcy to religion.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great point, Colanth! I hadn't even considered that aspect of this mess. Yes, if the churches want to be exempt from their responsibility of supporting the government with their taxes, then they shouldn't be able to take advantage of any government kindness such as filing for bankruptcy. And what do you want to bet that whatever ministry these asshats start up will end up in debt again, anyway?
DeleteColanth, that is Johnson's fault. Churches so opposed him when he was passing the Civil Rights Act, that he cut a deal with them. Stay out of politics, and Government will allow them to discriminate AND exempt them from taxes.
ReplyDeleteSee how well they honored their end? Tax the frauds and make them equal under the law!
Kimmie
Bugger, if you don't have your profile set up fully, and you sign in and post, you get to be Unknown and no picture. lol
ReplyDeleteKimmie, annoyed Blogger isn't better integrated into other Google services.
LOL! I get so confused sometimes about which services and websites are integrated into which other services and sites.
Delete