A segment from HBO's "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" will be putting new pressure to the IRS to help crack straight down with televangelists, stories CBS News correspondent Jeff Glor.
Many associated with most of these ministers preach What\'s called ones "prosperity gospel" : That God for Christians in order to become healthy AND ALSO wealthy. many church leaders acquire anybody beliefs heretical, but That hasn't stopped believers by donating millions every year.
According towards the prosperity gospel, God lifts your own faithful out regarding poverty IN ADDITION TO cures them involving disease.
True believers prove its faith via seeding - giving funds to help preachers -- of which God are able to reward having a bountiful harvest later on.
Televangelists reach information on a few mil viewers, Trinity Foundation president Ole Anthony said. His group investigates religious fraud. He thinks people are usually being duped.
"They keep trying to help send additional money, further money, additional dollars consequently they can acquire healed," Anthony said.
Anthony said these types of preachers have flourished with segment considering that the IRS features turned the blind eye in order to it is tax-exempt churches.
The IRS uses 14 criteria with regard to defining an church, such as having ordained ministers, a acknowledged creed ALONG WITH carrying regular services. But your current agency will probably not evaluate church doctrine Just as long As these include "truly AND sincerely held" IN ADDITION TO "not illegal."
"A few a long time ago, your IRS named Scientology the church. because the It happened, any individual will call themselves the church," Anthony said.
According for the Government Accountability Office, your own IRS suspended church audits absolutely via 2009 in order to 2013 AND ALSO conducted just three from 2013 for you to 2014.
To prove the point, Oliver formulated his own church AND ALSO registered The item from the IRS. He called The item "Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption."
"You usually are always going to find abuses AND excesses for the non-profit community, and even for the church world," Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Erik Stanley said.
He said churches tend to be constitutionally tax exempt from the free exercise connected with religion.
"There can be zero surer solution to destroy The idea free exercise involving religion than to begin for you to tax it," Stanley said.
He said the church community does a job involving policing itself, but Anthony thinks added will be carried out about hucksters.
"My God, they In the event at least say The idea fraud can be illegal for the title involving God," Anthony.
