Quote:
Originally Posted by MartinEden99
This is a good example of why such a (seemingly incongruent) alignment between the religious right and crony capitalism exists.
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To my mind "truly wealthy" starts somewhere between 3 and 5 million net worth these days, and so someone with a sustained annual income of $500K like Coy who doesn't live too extravagantly can achieve that in a few years.
So for megachurch pastors or leaders of large parachurch ministries to be earning this kind of money, indeed it seems almost as if they are gunning for as much wealth as they can without seeming too obvious. Sort of easing into it gently.
I have to say though that if they are transparent about it and their congregations allow it ... the sheeple have no one to thank but themselves for this situation. In the article cited, it appears that Franklin Graham is the most transparent ... and no one seems to begrudge him his golden parachute. Even where transparency is lacking, it would be lacking only because no one demands it. If you don't allow too much privilege to build up it's not hard to hold leadership accountable. I have already vexed the prez of our HOA by pointing out that, no, we aren't going to hire his BFF attorney who lives 150 miles away when there are plenty of locals available ... I am not going to have my dues go to pay some $300 an hour attorney to travel here for a court appearance. If you nip these things in the bud they never get established. Sometimes all it takes is one person to stand up for what's right and most of the other members / officers / whatever will stand with you. It's always some privileged jacka__ who ramrods something through assuming no one will want to be the first to disagree.
Yet the sheeple seem so in awe of these silver-tongued leaders that they don't feel it's their place to question them. Ever. And once you allow extravagances to become entrenched it's much harder to argue against them. It's the same basis on which politics works ... you quiet people's consciences with intimidation and a few perks and then you get to have your way. And then you have obscenities like Creflow Dollar taking up a collection for his deluxe corporate jet that Jesus wants him to have. I'm sure he started relatively small and once he knew people would buy his BS, he can be living the high life even if the wealth isn't personally his. Technically.
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